Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

The Month of March Devoted to Saint Joseph

Saint: Saint Joseph of Arimathea, Disciple of Jesus Christ; Saint Eustasius, Bishop of Naples (3rd century)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 48:10-21 The Daily Manual Labor

Mass:  Dn 3:14-20; 91-91, 95; Resp Ps (Dn 3); Jn 8:31-42 

Blessed is your holy and glorious name.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

SAINT JOSEPH, PATRON OF EXILES,

PRAY FOR US.

Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent His angel to deliver the servants who trusted in Him; they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

(Dn 3:95)

No matter how hot the furnace gets today, trust in the Lord, and serve Him. Remain in His word and you will truly be His disciples; you will know the truth and the truth will set you free (see Jn 8:31ff). 

Thanks to a faithful reader who sent greetings the other day along with a bit about walking and praying on one's knees, I was led to something I read recently. From two late pontiffs, then: 

.

Man is never so great as when he is kneeling.

(Pope Saint John XXIII)

Pope Benedict XVI had this to say about kneeling:

The attitude of kneeling ought never to be allowed to disappear from the Church. It is the most impressive physical expression of Christian piety, by which, on one hand, we remain upright, looking out, gazing upon Him, but, on the other, we nonetheless bow down.*

At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, every tongue confess Him, king of glory now ...

SAINT JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA,

SAINT EUSTASIUS,

PRAY FOR US.

* Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, God and the World: A Conversation with Peter Seewald (Ignatius, 2002), pp. 409-410.

Today's photo: I found these sweet little ones outside the kitchen yesterday morning while on kitchen duty. The God of our fathers.

© Gertrude Feick 2023

Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 5:1-13 Obedience 

Mass: Acts 16:11-15; Resp Ps 149; Jn 15:26-16:4a

This is the glory of all His faithful.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

PRAY FOR US.

The first step of humility is unhesitating obedience, which comes naturally to those who cherish Christ above all.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, 5:1)

Welcome to Monday as Mary's Month of May marches on. Mary, Morning star, pray for us.

We have one of my favorite accounts from the Acts of the Apostles today. It is there that we meet Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, who listened. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. (Acts 16:14). Dear Lydia, dealer in purple cloth, intercede for us. May we exult in the glory of the Lord (Ps 149), listen and be so attentive to the Word. The Lord takes delight in His people.

Whoever listens to you, listens to me.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, 5:6/Lk 10:16) 

Today's photo: There are roses in the air. Alleluia.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Year of Saint Joseph

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Month of May Dedicated to Our Lady and a “Marathon” of Prayer to End the Pandemic

Other Saints: Saint Zdzislawa of Lemberk OP (c. 1220-1252); Saint Luke Kirby (c.1549-1582); The Yorkshire Martyrs (16th-17th century); Saint Joan of Arc (c.1412-1431); Saint Walstun (11th century); Saint James Salomonio OP (1231-1314)

Readings of the Day

RB: Ch 7:24-30

Mass: Dt 4:32-34, 39-40; Resp Ps 33; Rm 8:14-17; Mt 28:16-0

May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us who have put our hope in you.

AS SOON AS THE CANTOR BEGINS TO SING "GLORY BE TO THE FATHER," LET ALL THE MONKS RISE FROM THEIR SEATS IN HONOR AND REVERENCE FOR THE HOLY TRINITY.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, 9:7)

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. If we turn to our Catechism, we learn that "the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them" (CCC 234). Furthermore, as a commentator wrote: "God is wrapped in holy mystery: the reality of the Blessed Trinity, one God in Three Persons, eludes our comprehension, spills over our limited words, and commands our awe, expressed in reverent worship" (Magnificat, Prayer for the Evening, Vigil of the Most Holy Trinity, 2021). So let us express the Most Holy Trinity in reverent worship today and every day, or as Saint Benedict writes, consider how you ought to behave in the presence of God and His angels (RB 19:6). When you sign yourself: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, be deliberate and pay attention, or as Father Paschal, OSB, of happy memory used to remind others, "Sign yourself big and slowly." After all, "Christians are baptized 'in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit", and "the faith of all Christians rests on the Trinity" (CCC 232). Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia!

You, who are Three in one Substance, the one God,

from whom we are,

by whom we are,

in whom we are,

You, from whom we departed by sinning,

to whom we were made unlike,

but away from whom we have not been allowed to perish,

You, the Beginning, to whom we are returning,

The Pattern we are following,

The Grace by which we are reconciled,

You, we worship and bless!

To You, be glory for ever! Amen.

(William of St. Thierry, On Contemplating God)

HOLY TRINITY, ONE GOD,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

SAINT JOSEPH,

MARY, MOTHER OF MERCY,

SAINT ZDZISLAWA OF LEMBERK,

SAINT LUKE KIRBY,

THE YORKSHIRE MARTYRS,

SAINT JOAN OF ARC,

SAINT WALSTAN,

BLESSED JAMES SALOMONIO,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: Know, and fix in your heart, that the Lord is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other (Dt 4:39).

© Gertrude Feick 2021

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Readings of the day: RB 42 The Great Silence After Compline

Mass: Da 3:14-20, 91-91, 95; Resp Ps (Da 3); Jn 8:31-42

There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you in this matter.

If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save us! But even if he will not, know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue that you set up.

(Da 3:16-18)

      

In front of me today I have one of my favorite picture postcards—from what I think is the best of the catacombs in Rome, namely, the Catacomb of Priscilla on the Via Salaria. The picture is of a fresco with the scene from today’s reading from the Book of the Prophet Daniel—one of my favorite stories in the Bible: ‘The Fiery Furnace.’ What a joy to proclaim the reading at Mass with the names and unfolding drama. Nebuchadnezzar’s command with musical instruments of various kinds; his face livid with utter rage; the furnace heated seven times more than usual and some of the strongest men in the army binding the three young men whose names roll off the tongue—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. None of the king’s commands or power are a match for the faith-filled men and their God. Looking to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the white-hot furnace singing, glorifying and blessing God, a question comes to mind: Do I have such complete confidence and trust in the Lord? 

Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel to deliver the servants who trusted in him; they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

(Da 3:95)