Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

For the Poor Souls in Purgatory

In other years: Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917); Saint Machar (8th century); Blessed Maria Teresa Scrilli (1825-1889)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 35:12-18 Kitchen Servers of the Week

Mass:  Malachi 3:19-20a; Resp Ps 98; 2 Th 3:7-12; Lk 21:5-19

The mountains shout with them for joy.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

OUR LADY OF MONTILGEON,*

SAINT GERTRUDE THE GREAT OF HELFTA,

SAINT NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINO,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

For those who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.

(Malachi 3:20a)

Something that comes to mind in light of today's readings is Saint Paul's Letter to the Colossians where the Apostle writes, "Seek the things that are above" (Col. 3:1). So doing, with the grace of God, we will persevere in the faith, amidst the crucible of daily life. Crucible, today's Merriam-Webster "Word of the Day," meaning a difficult test or challenge, presented to us today not by accident. Daily, hourly, sometimes minute by minute we are faced with tests and challenges to our faith, whether it is by others who criticize us, or situations contrary to the ways of God. Let us be busy about our faith, and not busybodies, conducting ourselves in a disorderly way, minding the business of others instead of minding our own business (see 2 Th 3:11). Rather, we work quietly, in the ways of the Lord (see 2 Th 3:12). Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love (1 Cor 16:13-14). 

Never forget that life is nothing but a growing in love and a preparation for eternity.

(Christoph Probst, d. 1943)

If we persevere - Jesus reminds us - we have nothing to fear, even in the sad and ugly events of life, not even in the evil we see around us, because we remain grounded in the good ... May Our Lady, servant of the Lord, persevering in prayer fortify our perseverance.

(Pope Francis, Angelus Address, November 13, 2022)

UNTIL

I think we are frightened every

Moment of our lives

Until we

Know Him.

 

                            -Hafiz

United in faith and prayer, we seek the things that are above. By your perseverance you will secure your lives (Lk 21:19).  

MOTHER CABRINI,

SAINT MACHAR,

BLESSED MARIA TERESA SCRILLI,

PRAY FOR US.

*About Our Lady of Montilgeon then. Thank you to my dear French sister, I learned about Notre-Dame de Montilgeon, the Shrine of Our Lady of Montilgeon, the world center of prayer for the deceased. You will find the shrine 93 miles from Paris, in the Diocese of Seez, Normandy (France). From the website I learned that every year, the shrine "hosts thousands of pilgrims and visitors who come on a personal quest to find consolation and hope, or to entrust their beloved deceased to Our Lady of Liberatrix (or of Deliverance)." There is plenty more to learn about Our Lady of Liberatrix and the shrine on the website. Check it out. It is fitting and right then to invoke Our Lady of Montilgeon during this month of November, the month devoted to prayer for the poor souls in Purgatory.

Friendly reminder: How is your collection of saints' names coming along? The day to choose a patron, or let one choose you, for the new liturgical is coming soon.

Today's photo: A gift from Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, CA. He comes to rule the earth.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Saturday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

For the Poor Souls in Purgatory

Saint: Saint Josaphat, Apostle of Unity, Bishop, Martyr (c.1580-1623)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 35:1-11 Kitchen Servers of the Week 

Mass: 3 John 5-8; Resp Ps 112; Lk 18:1-8

The upright generation shall be blessed.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

SAINT GERTRUDE THE GREAT OF HELFTA,

SAINT NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINO,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

Please help others in a way worthy of God to continue their journey.

(see 3 Jn 6)

One way to help others continue on their journey of faith is to pray always without becoming weary (see Lk 18:1). What Pope Francis said to the seminary rectors and formators from Latin America yesterday holds true for us too: "You must know that a priest who does not pray goes into the rubbish bin. Perhaps he perseveres until he grows old, but in the bin, that is to say, in mediocrity" (Vatican News). I am all for avoiding the rubbish bin of mediocrity. United in faith and prayer, may we walk in the truth and be faithful in all we do, so that others testify to our love before the Church (see 3 Jn 2-4, 6).

We all need to pray. Prayer is to the life of the spirit what breathing is to the life of the body.

(Basil Hume, To Be a Pilgrim: A Spiritual Notebook, p. 133)

SAINT JOSAPHAT,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's today: This red rose comes from dear Moni in Germany, a gift for my birthday.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Friday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

For the Poor Souls in Purgatory

Veterans Day

Saint: Saint Martin of Tours (c.316-397)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 34 Distribution of Goods According to Need

Mass: 2 John 4-9; Resp Ps 119; Lk 17:26-37

Blessed are those who follow the law of the Lord.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

SAINT GERTRUDE THE GREAT,

SAINT NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINO,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

Let us love one another.

(2 Jn 5)

On this Veterans Day in our country, we honor all military veterans who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Thank you for your service to our country. And this is also Armistice Day, or Remembrance or Poppy Day, the anniversary of the end of World War I, the Great War, November 11, 1919. Our saint of the day, Saint Martin of Tours, himself a Roman soldier, knew something about the military and war. May he intercede for all military veterans, the living and the dead. United in faith and prayer, we go forth and remain in the teaching of Christ, for whoever remains in the teaching has the Father and the Son (see 2 Jn 9). May we not be led astray.

Here was a man words cannot describe. Death could not defeat him nor toil dismay him. He was quite without a preference of his own; he neither feared to die nor refused to live. With eyes and hands always raised to heaven he never withdrew his unconquered spirit from prayer ...

Martin left this life a poor man and lowly man and entered heaven rich in God's favor.

(From a letter by Sulpicius Severus, in Office of Readings, November 11)

SAINT MARTIN OF TOURS,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: This is the back garden at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, known as the Angelicum, in Rome. It has been transformed since I was last there. As the Dominican friar who sent the photo said, the garden "has been completely refurbished and it has been transformed into a haven of silent contemplation for our community." God is praised. Saint Thomas Aquinas, Doctor Angelicus, pray for us.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Thursday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

For the Poor Souls in Purgatory

Saint: Pope Saint Leo the Great, Doctor of the Church (-461)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 33 Monks and Private Ownership

Mass: Philemon 7-20; Resp Ps 146; Lk 17:20-25

The Lord gives sight to the blind.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

SAINT GERTRUDE THE GREAT,

SAINT NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINO,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

I give thanks to my God always, remembering you in my prayers ...

I have experienced much joy and encouragement from your love.

(Philemon 4, 7)

We are blessed today to hear from the Letter to Philemon, a short one of only 25 verses. It is not the shortest letter though and we hear from two shorter ones on the next two days. Friday (Saint Martin of Tours) we hear from the Second Letter of Saint John, only 13 verses, and on Saturday (Saint Josaphat) we are in the Third Letter of Saint John with only 15 verses. These Letters are worth reading in their entirety. Although short, they are packed with things to reflect upon. No wonder, they are the Word of God after all. Refresh my heart in Christ (Philemon 20).

All saints are great, not all are called the Great though. Today we commemorate Saint Leo the Great, the first pope to leave sermons for us to read, 97 of them to keep us busy. Who are other great saints called the Great? There is Pope Saint Gregory the Great (September 3); Saint Gertrude the Great (November 16); Saint Albert the Great (November 15); Saint Anthony the Great (January 17); and Saint Basil the Great (January 2). Do you know of others?

A response to the following from Saint Leo the Great is, "thank you, Jesus." 

Invisible in His own nature [God] became visible in ours. Beyond our grasp, He chose to come within our grasp.

(Pope Saint Leo the Great)

How true it is what Saint Leo the Great preaches below. We remind ourselves of the Gospel of Saint Matthew when Jesus tells us that "when an unclean spirit goes out of a person it roams through arid regions searching for rest but finds none. Then it says, 'I will return to my home from which I came.' But upon returning, it finds it empty, swept clean, and put in order. Then it goes and brings back with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they move in and dwell there; and the last condition of that person is worse than the first" (Mt 12:43-45). Just like after you mop the kitchen floor, and someone comes in right after and tracks in mud. lol. Be on guard; the tempter is on the prowl. United in faith and prayer, we go forth. Keep going.

The tempter, ever on the watch, wages war most violently against those whom he sees most careful to avoid sin.

(Pope Saint Leo the Great)

SAINT LEO THE GREAT,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: Yesterday afternoon around 3pm. The Lord raises up those who are bowed down.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

For the Poor Souls in Purgatory

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 32 The Tools and Goods of the Monastery

Mass: Ezk 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; Resp Ps 46; 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17; Jn 2:13-22

There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

SAINT GERTRUDE THE GREAT OF HELFTA,

SAINT NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINO,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply will live.

(Ezk 47:9)

It is certainly an occasion for celebration and rejoicing as we mark the dedication of the magnificent Basilica of Saint John Lateran by Pope Saint Sylvester I in 324. It is this basilica, and not Saint Peter's, that is the cathedra (or chair) of the bishop of Rome, that is, the pope. The Basilica of Saint John Lateran in the San Giovanni in Laterano Square in Rome is "the mother and head of all churches of the city and of the world." God is praised.

There are plenty of things to be about this day. We turn to two saints for guidance. First, Saint Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians, reminds us that we are God's building and we must be careful how we build upon this building, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one who is there, namely, Jesus Christ. We are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in us. Let us not be about destroying God's temple, as God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which we are, is holy (see 1 Cor 3:9-11, 16-17). We reverence the building founded on the Rock Jesus Christ. As we turn away from evil and do good, we reverence our bodies by looking after ourselves, after our spiritual growth and development, our physical and emotional health and well-being, all while we foster with fervent love the good zeal that Saint Benedict writes about in Ch 72 of the Holy Rule. Yes, we regard all utensils and goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the altar and never fail to keep the things belonging to the monastery clean and look after them with great care (see Rule of Saint Benedict, 31:10; 32:4). Be built up like living stones, into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood (Communion Antiphon, Mass). United in faith and prayer, we go forth.

My fellow Christians, today is the birthday of this church, and an occasion for celebration and rejoicing. We, however, ought to be the true and living temple of God ...

do we wish to celebrate joyfully the birth of this temple? Then let us not destroy the living temples of God in ourselves by works of evil ... Whenever we come to the church, we must prepare our hearts to be as beautiful as we expect this church to be. Do you wish to find this basilica immaculately clean? Then do not soil your soul with the filth of sins. Do you wish this basilica to be full of light? God too wishes that your soul be not in darkness, but that the light of good works shine in us, so that He who dwells in the heavens will be glorified. Just as you enter this church building, so God wishes to enter your soul, for He promised: I shall live in them, and I shall walk the corridors of their hearts.

(From a sermon by Saint Caesarius of Arles, in Office of Readings, November 9)

SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST,

POPE SAINT SYLVESTER I,

PRAY FOR US.

Friendly reminder: And just what saint are you adding to your collection today? And when the saints go marching in, when the saints go marching in ...

Today's photo: I was glad to find this in the archives, from 2018. Just what I was looking for. God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed. 

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Tuesday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

For the Poor Souls in Purgatory

Saints: All Saints of Wales; Blessed George Napier (-1610); Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, Patroness of those who have lost their parents (1880-1906)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 31:13-19

Mass: Titus 2:1-8, 11-14; Resp Ps 37; Lk 17:7-10

Take delight in the Lord.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

SAINT GERTRUDE THE GREAT,

SAINT NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINO,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.

(Lk 17:10)

During the month of November as we pray for the faithful departed, and especially for those brothers and sisters in purgatory, we remind ourselves of Saint Benedict's Tools for Good Works. Our holy father Benedict exhorts us to yearn for everlasting life with holy desire; to remind ourselves daily that we are going to die (see Rule of Saint Benedict, 4:46-47). We must be about keeping careful watch over all we do (see RB 4:48) here on earth so as to prepare for union with God. Not to be overly scrupulous by any means, but rather, as Saint Paul exhorts younger men in today's first reading, we should model good deeds in every respect, with integrity ... (see Titus 2:6-7). We had the list of qualities to emulate in yesterday's Daily Lectio reflection, and Saint Paul gives us more today. Older men should be temperate, dignified, sound in faith, and so on. Older women should be reverent in their behavior, teaching what is good, training younger women in the faith (see Servant of God Elisabeth Leseur for how to go about that. She was awesome), and so on. Saint Paul provides a good summary for us: "The grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age ... eager to do good (Titus 2:11-14). And if all else fails, we turn again to the monastery cellarer who knows that a kind word is better than the best gift (see RB 31:14). Essentially, we do what we are obliged to do expecting nothing in return while on this earth. Our reward will be great in heaven. Everything passes. In the evening of life, nothing remains but love. Everything must be done for love ... I am going to the light, to love, to life (Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, November 1, 1906, just days before her death on November 9, 1906).

Purgatory is not an eternal punishment, but a place of preparation, of making satisfaction for the effects of sin, and of being made ready for the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb. As we pray for our brothers and sisters in purgatory, let us live our earthly life preparing for this union with Christ.

(Magnificat, November 8, 2022, Prayer for the Morning, Commentary on the Canticle of Tobit, p. 110)

I would go so far as to say that if there was not purgatory, then we would have to invent it, for who would dare say of himself that he was able to stand directly before God ... Purgatory basically means that God can put the pieces back together again. That He can cleanse us in such a way that we are able to be with Him and can stand there in the fullness of life. Purgatory strips off from one person what is unbearable and from another the inability to bear certain things, so that in each of them a pure heart is revealed, and we can see that we all belong together in one enormous sympathy of being.

(Pope Benedict XVI)*

ALL SAINTS OF WALES,

BLESSED GEORGE NAPIER,

SAINT ELIZABETH OF THE TRINITY,

PRAY FOR US.

*NB. From what I can gather, these words from the Pope Emeritus come from Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, God and the World: A Conversation with Peter Seewald (Ignatius, 2002). 

Today's photo: These roses a gift from a faithful reader visiting family in Davis, CA. Trust in the Lord and do good.

 

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Monday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

For the Poor Souls in Purgatory

Saints: Saint Willibrord (658-739); Saint Engelbert (1185-1225)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 31:1-12 Qualifications of the Monastery Cellarer

Mass: Titus 1:1-9; Resp Ps 24; Lk 17:1-6

The Lord's are the earth and its fullness.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

SAINT GERTRUDE THE GREAT OF HELFTA,

SAINT NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINO,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

Increase our faith.

(Lk 17:5)

We have several good qualities to emulate as we look to our reading from Saint Paul to Titus. Saint Paul exhorts a bishop to be blameless, not arrogant, not irritable, not a drunkard, not aggressive, not greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of goodness, temperate, just, holy, and self-controlled ... (see Titus 1:7-8). And if those aren't enough qualities to strive for, Saint Benedict writes about the monastery cellarer. The monk or nun chosen as cellarer should be someone who is wise, mature in conduct, temperate, not an excessive eater, not proud, excitable, offensive, dilatory or wasteful, but God-fearing (see Rule of Saint Benedict, 31:1-2. After all, she will take care of everything (RB 31:3). This should keep up busy enough.

As we continue in this month of saints galore, here is a friendly reminder to add another saint's name to your growing collection. At the same time, we learn from one of our saints of the day that affirms what the Holy Father Pope Francis writes below, that is, the saints were made of flesh and blood. It may also be helpful to remember something that Jacques Philippe (b. 1947) writes: "The person I'm judging and condemning will perhaps one day be a great saint. When we look at the lives of the saints, there are assassins, adulterers, criminals - but grace changed their hearts." Saint Engelbert, elected Archbishop of Cologne, Germany [I was at the Cathedral in Cologne in high school], was anything but a saint. It is said that the pope excommunicated Engelbert at one point for waging war on a neighboring archbishop ("Saint of the Day," in The Loop from CatholicVote, November 7, 2022). He repented though and by the grace of God kept going. So how does dear Saint Engelbert help us understand what some our actions may mean? United in faith and prayer, there is hope for all of us as we keep going too. 

Let us read the lives of the saints which narrate in a comprehensible way the style God uses in the lives of people not that different from us since they were made of flesh and blood like us. Their deeds dialogue with our own actions, and help us understand what they mean.

(Pope Francis, Twitter, November 7, 2022)

SAINT WILLBRORD,

SAINT ENGELBERT,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: The world and those who dwell in it.

© Gertrude Feick 2022