Today is the feast day of St Gertrude of Nivelles, a 7th century Benedictine Abbess who lived in present day Belgium; she is not to be confused with another Gertrude who has the title of “the Great.”
St Gertrude is the patron saint of cats.
Given that in the USA the Irish celebrate St Patrick with great fanfare, one forgets that some other saints exist.
An enduring question in the spiritual life is knowing God. In fact, many, many people, even the “professional” Christians struggle with this question and more startling how to answer it that is reasonable, truthful and otherwise satisfying. Who is God to you? How do you know God exists? What is the source of your certainty? Or, alternately, what is your God?
For me, I think we need to attend to the basics and ask how do these basics impact life in a concrete way. For too long Christians have been avoiding answering the question of God’s existence and God’s work in life in a personal way. Recently, I came across the following idea that I find helpful. In Romano Guardini’s The Inner Life of Jesus, we read:
If someone should ask, how do I come to God? What kind of being is God? This would be the answer: God is just as He manifested Himself in Jesus. Whoever looks upon Jesus, whoever takes into account who Jesus is, how He speaks, how He conducts Himself, what His attitudes are – such a one is perceiving God Himself.
And he will get to God by going in Jesus’ company, allowing himself to be instructed by Him, and allowing himself to become centered in that identity with which he makes his approach to Jesus. Then he is indeed on the way, in truth, and he partakes of life.
What do you think? Is Guardini correct that in seeing and knowing Jesus we see and know God?
And Demeter dances for joy!
There’s no turning back!
The darkness recedes!
The warmth returns!
My honey bees are ’bout their business.
Hooray!
The Latin Church begins the holy season of Lent with joy and sobriety today. Eastern Christians who follow the Gregorian calendar began their lenten observance on Monday past. The priest prays at the prayer after communion: “Pour out a spirit of compunction, O God, on those who bow before your majesty, and by your mercy may they merit the rewards you promise to those who do penance.” Thus, the season of repentance is for our purification of sin by God’s grace and specific acts of piety: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. This letter of Pope St Clement I to the Corinthians may be helpful to you.
“Let us fix our attention on the blood of Christ and recognize how precious it is to God his Father, since it was shed for our salvation and brought the grace of repentance to all the world.
If we review the various ages of history, we will see that in every generation the Lord has offered the opportunity of repentance to any who were willing to turn to him. When Noah preached God’s message of repentance, all who listened to him were saved. Jonah told the Ninevites they were going to be destroyed, but when they repented, their prayers gained God’s forgiveness for their sins, and they were saved, even though they were not of God’s people.
Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the ministers of God’s grace have spoken of repentance; indeed, the Master of the whole universe himself spoke of repentance with an oath: “As I live”, says the Lord, “I do not wish the death of the sinner but his repentance.” He added this evidence of his goodness: “House of Israel, repent of your wickedness. Tell the sons of my people: If their sins should reach from earth to heaven, if they are brighter than scarlet and blacker than sackcloth, you need only turn to me with your whole heart and say, “Father, and I will listen to you as a holy people.”
In other words, God wanted all his beloved ones to have the opportunity to repent and he confirmed this desire by his own almighty will. That is why we should obey his sovereign and glorious will and prayerfully entreat his mercy and kindness. We should be suppliant before him and tum to his compassion, rejecting empty works and quarreling and jealousy which only lead to death.
Brothers, we should be humble in mind, putting aside all arrogance, pride and foolish anger. Rather, we should act in accordance with the Scriptures, as the Holy Spirit says: “The wise man must not glory in his wisdom nor the strong man in his strength nor the rich man in his riches. Rather, let him who glories glory in the Lord by seeking him and doing what is tight and just.” Recall especially what the Lord Jesus said when he taught gentleness and forbearance. “Be merciful,” he said, “so that you may have mercy shown to you. Forgive, so that you may be forgiven. As you treat others, so you will be treated. As you give, so you will receive. As you judge, so you will be judged. As you are kind to others, so you will be treated kindly. The measure of your giving will be the measure of your receiving.”
Let these commandments and precepts strengthen us to live in humble obedience to his sacred words. As Scripture asks: “Whom shall I look upon with favor except the humble, peaceful man who trembles at my words?”
Sharing then in the heritage of so many vast and glorious achievements, let us hasten toward the goal of peace, set before us from the beginning. Let us keep our eyes firmly fixed on the Father and Creator of the whole universe, and hold fast to his splendid and transcendent gifts of peace and all his blessings.”
Image: St Bernard of Clairvaux by Jerónimo Jacinto Espinosa
For March, the Pope’s prayer intention is:
That Christian communities, especially those who are persecuted, feel that they are close to Christ and have their rights respected.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.
On Monday, February 11, 2019, the Trappistines of Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey (Wrentham, MA) elected Sister Sofia Millican (formerly Frances Elizabeth) as their next abbess. Mother Sofia is elected for a for a six year term. Due to her few years in the Community as a solemnly professed nun she was postulated by the Community and it was accepted by the Holy See.
The Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey is situated in the Archdiocese of Boston. It is one five abbeys of nuns who live the Strict Observance Cistercian. There are 10 abbeys of monks.
Mother Sofia was born in 1982 in Beckenham, Kent and raised in South Wales; she is a 2005 Harvard grad. In 2007, Sister Sofia earned a degree masters degree from Weston Jesuit School of Theology, now Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.
Sister Sofia entered the Abbey on October 15, 2007 and made solemn profession on April 27, 2014. Also in 2014 Sister Sofia made two contributions to Cistercian Studies, “Spiritual Encouragement in the Conferences of John Cassian.” At the time of her election, Mother Sofia was Subprioress of the Community as well as the webmaster and production manager of Trappistine Quality Candy.
Mother Sofia will be installed as Abbess soon.
The newly elected abbess succeeds Mother Maureen McCabe who served the community since 2008 having reached the age of retirement according to the OCSO Constitutions, presented her resignation to the Abbot General which became effective on January 26, 2019.
Blessed Feast Day of St. Josephine Bakhita.
May she always intercede for us, especially those caught in the web of human trafficking!
The matter of human trafficking is finally getting to attention by those outside of law enforcement officials. The Church has know about this crime and sin but has not made too many in-roads to change the system. Together, the state and Church ought to work for those involved with human trafficking.
The following is something I curated and posted on the Benedictine Oblate Facebook group today.
In a recent newsletter from Fr. James Flint, OSB of St Procopius Abbey (Lisle, IL) he writes about his abbot asking the monks to say something about lectio and what was gleaned is “Give me a word” —some thoughts on lectio divina. See https://www.procopius.org/lectio-divina
As you know, the practice of prayerfully reading sacred Scripture is a key part of being a Christian, indeed, a Benedictine Oblate. Some Oblate formation programs stress lectio divina more than others. From experience, this is true for the Oblates of St Meinrad Archabbey. Whatever the case may be, lectio is rather crucial if you are truly seeking God —having familiarity with Jesus Christ.
Give me a word
~Words about the time and place for lectio divina. Most importantly, find the time to do it. Find a time of day that works for you. It can help to use the same time each day. Keep the amount of time short at first – you can build up to longer times eventually. Have a quiet place, away from normal affairs, to pray lectio divina. Don’t allow distractions. Find a sacred place.
~Words about picking a passage to do lectio divina with. At first, take just a few verses of Scripture. Use the readings for Mass, since you’ll hear them again when you go to Mass.
~Words about the “method” of praying lectio divina. Don’t get caught up with following a “method” or “technique,” but rather the important thing is to spend time with God through Scripture. Don’t over-think or over-analyze – eventually the Scripture takes the lead in the dance. Do lectio divina regularly, in a way that works best for you. Work on being quiet and do not focus on what you are doing. Don’t get discouraged and give up, if you don’t seem to be getting something out of it – keep to it! Lectio divina is a prayerful, patient pondering of a biblical text. Steps for lectio divina give your prayer purpose and direction.
~Words about how to read the biblical passage. Read over the passage repeatedly and slowly. Remember that through Scripture God is speaking to you. Be mindful of God’s presence. It can help to use a printed text, rather than a digital one on your phone or computer.
~Words about how to meditate on the passage. Meditate on the text in order to understand it. Think about how the words apply to you and to others. Ponder yourself in the biblical story or in the original audience of the text.
~Words about how to offer prayer in lectio divina. See your prayer as a relationship. Transitioning from meditation to prayer is important, for it helps to apply the text and opens you to what God wants to give you in this prayertime. The reading of Scripture must be applied to my life.
Lectio requires an altogether different approach, one that opens us to God’s agenda. The purpose is not to read a chapter of Scripture a day, to “get through” the Bible in a year, or anything of the sort. The purpose is to listen to God’s message to me, here and now, today. The quantity of material “covered” is irrelevant, and it could be counter-productive even to think in such terms. The material it should be that sets the agenda. Once we understand and apply that, we are engaged in lectio divina.
St. Procopius, pray for us.
Today, 28 January, on the Novus Ordo calendar, is the liturgical memorial of Saint Thomas of Aquino, priest of the Order of Preachers and Doctor of the Church. The young Thomas was educated as a Benedictine Oblate by the monks at the venerable abbey at Monte Cassino. Despite his family’s opposition, he joined the newly founded Dominicans and studied under St Albert the Great. He is known to have been gifted by God with significant gifts of intellect. Aquinas was known as the Doctor Communis and the Doctor Angelicus.
The Doctor Communis is recalled by many for his Summa Theologiae. This work is prefaced as an “instruction for beginners,” written not for the smartest of the students at Paris, but for the average Dominican friar. I am trying to imagine what a work for the smartest would look like. Among his other accomplishments he was invited by Blessed Pope Gregory X to participate in the Second Ecumenical Council of Lyon; Aquinas died on 7 March 1274 while making the journey in the Cistercian Abbey Fossanova in Lazio, while giving a commentary on the Song of Songs. On this day his body was translated to Toulouse.
You may be interested in reading GK Chesterton’s 1932 essay, “St. Thomas Aquinas,” in The Spectator, which led to his book on the friar saint.
Today, on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, I hear you can now pre-order a new book co-authored by Brant Pitre, Michael Barber and John Kincaid. Paul, a New Covenant Jew: Rethinking Pauline Theology to be published by Eerdmans in August 2019! Michael Gorman wrote the Foreword to the book.
Blessed feast!