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Meditation for the Day
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Weedy
May 18, 2013, 1:38:24 PM5/18/13
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Meditation for the Day
The spiritual life depends upon the Unseen. To live the spiritual life, you must believe in the Unseen. Try not to lose the consciousness of God's spirit in you and in others. As a child in its mother's arms, stay sheltered in the understanding and love of God. God will relieve you of the weight of worry and care, misery and depression, want and woe, faintness and heartache, if you will let Him. Life up your eyes from earth's troubles and view the glory of the unseen God. Each day try to see more good in people, more of the Unseen in the seen.
--Twenty-Four Hours a Day
<<>><<>><<>>
May 18th - St. Felix of Cantalice
d. 1587
ST FELIX was born at Cantalice, near Città Ducale in Apulia. His parents were devout peasants and he himself early evinced such piety that his little companions when they saw him approach would cry out, “Here comes Felix the saint!” As a child he acted as cowherd and often, after driving his cattle to some quiet pasturage, he would spend much time praying at the foot of a tree in the bark of which he had cut a cross. At the age of twelve he was hired out, first as a shepherd and afterwards as a ploughman, to a well-to-do landowner of Città Ducale, named Mark Tully Pichi or Picarelli.
When still quite young, Felix taught himself to meditate during his work, and he soon attained to a high degree of contemplation. In God, in himself, and in all creatures round him, he found a perpetual fund of religious thoughts and affections. In his later life a religious once asked him how he contrived to keep himself constantly in the presence of God amid the bustle of daily cares and the multiplicity of distractions. “All earthly creatures can lift us up to God”, he replied, “if we know how to look at them with an eye that is single.” He loved to dwell upon the sufferings of our Lord, and he was never weary of contemplating that great mystery. Always cheerful, always humble, he never resented an insult or an injury. If anyone reviled him he would only say, “I pray God that you may become a saint”. An account he heard read of the fathers in the desert attracted him to the life of a hermit, but he decided that it might prove to be a dangerous one for him.
He was still in doubt as to his future vocation when the question was decided for him through an accident. He was ploughing one day with two fresh young bullocks when his master unexpectedly entered the field. His sudden appearance or something else scared the animals and they bolted, knocking down Felix as he tried to hold them in. He was trampled upon; the plough passed over his body, but in spite of this he arose unhurt. In gratitude for this deliverance he promptly betook himself to the Capuchin monastery of Città Ducale, where he asked to be received as a lay-brother. The father guardian, after warning him of the austerity of the life, led him before a crucifix, saying, “See what Jesus Christ has suffered for us!” Felix burst into tears, and impressed the superior with the conviction that a soul which felt so deeply must be drawn by God.
During the noviciate, which he passed at Anticoli, Felix appeared already filled with the spirit of his order, with a love of poverty, humiliations and crosses. Often he would beg the novice-master to double his penances and mortifications and to treat him with greater severity than the rest who, he declared, were more docile and naturally more inclined to virtue. Although he thought everyone in the house better than himself, his fellow religious, like the children of Cantalice, spoke of him amongst themselves as “The saint”.
In 1545, when he was about thirty, he made his solemn vows. Four years later he was sent to Rome where for forty years, practically until his death, he filled the post of questor, with the daily duty to go round begging for food and alms for the sustenance of the community. The post was a trying one, but Felix delighted in it because it entailed humiliations, fatigue, and discomforts, and his spirit of recollection was never interrupted. With the sanction of his superiors, who placed entire confidence in his discretion, he assisted the poor liberally out of the alms he collected; and he loved to visit the sick, tending them with his own hands, and consoling the dying.
St. Philip Neri held him in great regard and delighted in conversing with him: the two men, as a greeting, would wish each other sufferings for Christ’s sake. When St. Charles Borromeo sent to St. Philip the rules he had drawn up for his Oblates with a request that he would revise them, St. Philip excused himself but referred them to the Capuchin lay-brother. In vain did St. Felix protest that he was illiterate: the rules were read to him and he was commanded to give his opinion about them. He advised the omission of certain regulations which struck him as being too difficult. These emendations were accepted by St. Charles, who expressed great admiration for the judgement that had prompted them.
St. Felix chastised himself with almost incredible severity and invariably went barefoot, without sandals. He wore a shirt of iron links and plates studded with iron spikes. When he could do so without singularity, he fasted on bread and water, picking out of the basket for his own dinner the crusts left by others. He tried to conceal from notice the remarkable spiritual favours he received, but often when he was serving Mass he was so transported in ecstasy that he could not make the responses. For everything that he saw, for all that befell him, he gave thanks to God, and the words “Deo gratias” were so constantly on his lips that the Roman street-urchins called him Brother Deogratias. When he was old and was suffering from a painful complaint, their cardinal protector, who loved him greatly, told his superiors that he ought to be relieved of his wearisome office. But Felix asked to be allowed to continue his rounds, on the ground that the soul grows sluggish if the body is pampered. He died at the age of seventy-two, after being consoled on his death-bed by a vision of our Lady. There is record of a great number of miracles worked after his death, and he was canonized in 1709.
The Bollandists, in the Acta Sanctorum, May, vol. iv, have published a considerable selection of materials presented in the beatification process, a process which was begun only a short time after Brother Felix’s death, when witnesses were still available who had lived with him and had been the spectators of his virtues. There is no lack of other biographies, but they are mostly based on the same materials, e.g. those by John Baptist of Perugia, Maximus of Valenza, Angelo Rossi, etc. Lady Amabel Kerr published in 1900 a very acceptable sketch entitled A Son of St. Francis. See also Leon, Aureole Seraphique (Eng. trans.), vol. ii, pp. 198-n3, and Etudes franciscaines, t. xxxiii, pp. 97-109.
Saint Quote:
God is more pleased to behold the lowest degree of obedience, for His sake, than all other good works which you can possibly offer to Him.
--St. John of the Cross
<><><><>
Curing Me-Firstism
. . . not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 1 Timothy 3:6
The late theologian Francis Schaeffer wrote that when we violate one of the Ten Commandments, we actually violate two. Violating every other commandment means first violating the tenth: "You shall not covet." To want another god, another day to work, to fail to honor our parents, to steal from another person . . . all are expressions of covetousness -- the desire to take for ourselves.
Pride is likely another type of "root" sin, since it appears from Scripture that it was the first sin ever committed. Before the creation of man, when Satan was God's "anointed cherub" and the "son of the morning," he rose up in pride against God and declared he would "be like the Most High" and "exalt [his] throne above the stars of God" (Isaiah 14:13-14). Pride is that motivation that tempts us to put ourselves at the center of the universe; to make ourselves more important than anyone else. Pride leads to conflict and condemnation with us, just as it did with Satan. When you encounter conflict in your path, check first to see if pride is involved. for it is pride that is at the root of all other sins.
The spiritual life depends upon the Unseen. To live the spiritual life, you must believe in the Unseen. Try not to lose the consciousness of God's spirit in you and in others. As a child in its mother's arms, stay sheltered in the understanding and love of God. God will relieve you of the weight of worry and care, misery and depression, want and woe, faintness and heartache, if you will let Him. Life up your eyes from earth's troubles and view the glory of the unseen God. Each day try to see more good in people, more of the Unseen in the seen.
--Twenty-Four Hours a Day
<<>><<>><<>>
May 18th - St. Felix of Cantalice
d. 1587
ST FELIX was born at Cantalice, near Città Ducale in Apulia. His parents were devout peasants and he himself early evinced such piety that his little companions when they saw him approach would cry out, “Here comes Felix the saint!” As a child he acted as cowherd and often, after driving his cattle to some quiet pasturage, he would spend much time praying at the foot of a tree in the bark of which he had cut a cross. At the age of twelve he was hired out, first as a shepherd and afterwards as a ploughman, to a well-to-do landowner of Città Ducale, named Mark Tully Pichi or Picarelli.
When still quite young, Felix taught himself to meditate during his work, and he soon attained to a high degree of contemplation. In God, in himself, and in all creatures round him, he found a perpetual fund of religious thoughts and affections. In his later life a religious once asked him how he contrived to keep himself constantly in the presence of God amid the bustle of daily cares and the multiplicity of distractions. “All earthly creatures can lift us up to God”, he replied, “if we know how to look at them with an eye that is single.” He loved to dwell upon the sufferings of our Lord, and he was never weary of contemplating that great mystery. Always cheerful, always humble, he never resented an insult or an injury. If anyone reviled him he would only say, “I pray God that you may become a saint”. An account he heard read of the fathers in the desert attracted him to the life of a hermit, but he decided that it might prove to be a dangerous one for him.
He was still in doubt as to his future vocation when the question was decided for him through an accident. He was ploughing one day with two fresh young bullocks when his master unexpectedly entered the field. His sudden appearance or something else scared the animals and they bolted, knocking down Felix as he tried to hold them in. He was trampled upon; the plough passed over his body, but in spite of this he arose unhurt. In gratitude for this deliverance he promptly betook himself to the Capuchin monastery of Città Ducale, where he asked to be received as a lay-brother. The father guardian, after warning him of the austerity of the life, led him before a crucifix, saying, “See what Jesus Christ has suffered for us!” Felix burst into tears, and impressed the superior with the conviction that a soul which felt so deeply must be drawn by God.
During the noviciate, which he passed at Anticoli, Felix appeared already filled with the spirit of his order, with a love of poverty, humiliations and crosses. Often he would beg the novice-master to double his penances and mortifications and to treat him with greater severity than the rest who, he declared, were more docile and naturally more inclined to virtue. Although he thought everyone in the house better than himself, his fellow religious, like the children of Cantalice, spoke of him amongst themselves as “The saint”.
In 1545, when he was about thirty, he made his solemn vows. Four years later he was sent to Rome where for forty years, practically until his death, he filled the post of questor, with the daily duty to go round begging for food and alms for the sustenance of the community. The post was a trying one, but Felix delighted in it because it entailed humiliations, fatigue, and discomforts, and his spirit of recollection was never interrupted. With the sanction of his superiors, who placed entire confidence in his discretion, he assisted the poor liberally out of the alms he collected; and he loved to visit the sick, tending them with his own hands, and consoling the dying.
St. Philip Neri held him in great regard and delighted in conversing with him: the two men, as a greeting, would wish each other sufferings for Christ’s sake. When St. Charles Borromeo sent to St. Philip the rules he had drawn up for his Oblates with a request that he would revise them, St. Philip excused himself but referred them to the Capuchin lay-brother. In vain did St. Felix protest that he was illiterate: the rules were read to him and he was commanded to give his opinion about them. He advised the omission of certain regulations which struck him as being too difficult. These emendations were accepted by St. Charles, who expressed great admiration for the judgement that had prompted them.
St. Felix chastised himself with almost incredible severity and invariably went barefoot, without sandals. He wore a shirt of iron links and plates studded with iron spikes. When he could do so without singularity, he fasted on bread and water, picking out of the basket for his own dinner the crusts left by others. He tried to conceal from notice the remarkable spiritual favours he received, but often when he was serving Mass he was so transported in ecstasy that he could not make the responses. For everything that he saw, for all that befell him, he gave thanks to God, and the words “Deo gratias” were so constantly on his lips that the Roman street-urchins called him Brother Deogratias. When he was old and was suffering from a painful complaint, their cardinal protector, who loved him greatly, told his superiors that he ought to be relieved of his wearisome office. But Felix asked to be allowed to continue his rounds, on the ground that the soul grows sluggish if the body is pampered. He died at the age of seventy-two, after being consoled on his death-bed by a vision of our Lady. There is record of a great number of miracles worked after his death, and he was canonized in 1709.
The Bollandists, in the Acta Sanctorum, May, vol. iv, have published a considerable selection of materials presented in the beatification process, a process which was begun only a short time after Brother Felix’s death, when witnesses were still available who had lived with him and had been the spectators of his virtues. There is no lack of other biographies, but they are mostly based on the same materials, e.g. those by John Baptist of Perugia, Maximus of Valenza, Angelo Rossi, etc. Lady Amabel Kerr published in 1900 a very acceptable sketch entitled A Son of St. Francis. See also Leon, Aureole Seraphique (Eng. trans.), vol. ii, pp. 198-n3, and Etudes franciscaines, t. xxxiii, pp. 97-109.
Saint Quote:
God is more pleased to behold the lowest degree of obedience, for His sake, than all other good works which you can possibly offer to Him.
--St. John of the Cross
<><><><>
Curing Me-Firstism
. . . not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 1 Timothy 3:6
The late theologian Francis Schaeffer wrote that when we violate one of the Ten Commandments, we actually violate two. Violating every other commandment means first violating the tenth: "You shall not covet." To want another god, another day to work, to fail to honor our parents, to steal from another person . . . all are expressions of covetousness -- the desire to take for ourselves.
Pride is likely another type of "root" sin, since it appears from Scripture that it was the first sin ever committed. Before the creation of man, when Satan was God's "anointed cherub" and the "son of the morning," he rose up in pride against God and declared he would "be like the Most High" and "exalt [his] throne above the stars of God" (Isaiah 14:13-14). Pride is that motivation that tempts us to put ourselves at the center of the universe; to make ourselves more important than anyone else. Pride leads to conflict and condemnation with us, just as it did with Satan. When you encounter conflict in your path, check first to see if pride is involved. for it is pride that is at the root of all other sins.
Weedy
May 25, 2013, 2:45:48 PM5/25/13
to
Meditation for the Day
Turn out all thoughts of doubt and fear and resentment. Never tolerate them if you can help it. Bar the windows and doors of your mind against them, as you would bar your home against a thief who would steal in to take away your treasures. What greater treasures can you have than faith and courage and love? All these are stolen from you by doubt and fear and resentment. Face each day with peace and hope. They are results of true faith in God. Faith gives you a feeling of protection and safety that you can get in no other way.
<><><><><>
May 25th – St. Mary MacKillop, Foundress (RM)
Born in Australia in 1842; died there on May 25, 1909; canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1995.
Although Mary MacKillop's heritage was Scottish, she is Australia's first native-born saint. Her father was a seminarian educated at the Scots College in Rome, but left before his ordination. Instead he emigrated to Australia where he met his future bride. Though it was an unhappy marriage, perhaps because he was often away from home travelling to Europe, it produced good fruit that was nurtured by the father.
In 1860, Mary became a governess in Penola, south Australia, where she met Father Julian Tenison Woods. He became her spiritual director. Several years later they founded a new congregation of Josephites, whose mission was to found schools and orphanages to provide much needed educational outlets. The first rule was drawn up in 1867 and received episcopal approval the following year. In 1869, Mary professed her final vows.
The next few years were difficult, during the absence of the Australian bishops at the First Vatican Council. Mary established a foundation in Brisbane. At the same time, Fr. Woods undermined her work by encouraging some visionary nuns, insisting on excessive poverty, and refusing all state funding. Upon the return of the bishops, Father Woods was removed from the direction of the sisters, who then numbered over 100 in 34 schools.
The bishop of Adelaide, an alcoholic who listened to gossip, attempted to control the congregation. He excommunicated its foundress on the charge of disobedience, then dispensed 47 nuns from their vows. In 1872, on his deathbed, he apologized for his actions and absolved Mary from excommunication. The Holy See sent a delegation to investigate. Their findings led the Vatican to support MacKillop and her nuns against some of the local bishops.
In 1873, Mary travelled to Europe, where she was well-received in Rome. The Holy Father permitted the congregation to have a superior-general, who could move the sisters from house to house within the congregation but across diocesan borders. The rule of poverty was also modified to permit the sisters to own, rather than simply rent, property. During her time in Europe, Mary MacKillop also visited England, Ireland, and Scotland to obtain new recruits for the enterprise and funding to support it. MacKillop was elected to the office of superior-general in 1875.
MacKillop's exemplary attitude towards the bishops who opposed her was complemented by the outstanding work of the congregation. Protestants, as well as Catholics, loudly praised their charity to the poor, their personal poverty, and their abstinence from active proselytizing. They found many supporters who contributed to their mission.
Beginning in 1885, the congregation was again under attack by the bishops, but found support from Rome. The Holy See, however, believed that MacKillop had remained in charge too long, so another superior-general was elected and served from 1888 until 1998. During that time, Mary served as visitor to the houses of New Zealand. At the death of her successor, Mary again took up the reigns and remained as superior-general until her own death. The congregation flourished even in the face of internal dissensions. The foundress suffered from rheumatism for many years, but finally died of a stroke.
Photographs of Mary MacKillop reveal a beautiful woman with a firm jaw and chin. About 1,000 of her letters survive. They show that she was a woman of patient persistence in adversity and a respect for authority. Some see Mary as a feminist pioneer; others as one who cared for Aborigines in difficult times; still others connect her with conservation of the eucalyptus, which is her emblem in art.
The congregation has spread to Peru. In Australia, they are the primary providers of Catholic education to girls. In 1981, the congregation numbered about 1,800 (Farmer).
Saint Quote:
"Sweet Lord, you are meek and merciful." Who would not give himself wholeheartedly to your service, if he began to taste even a little of your fatherly rule? What command, Lord, do you give your servants? "Take my yoke upon you," you say. And what is this yoke of yours like? "My yoke," you say, "is easy and my burden light." Who would not be glad to bear a yoke that does not press hard but caresses? Who would not be glad for a burden that does not weigh heavy but refreshes? And so you were right to add: "And you will find rest for your souls." And what is this yoke of yours that does not weary, but gives rest? It is, of course, that first and greatest commandment: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart." What is easier, sweeter, more pleasant, than to love goodness, beauty, and love, the fullness of which you are, O Lord, my God?"
Is it not true that you promise those who keep your commandments a reward more desirable than great wealth and sweeter than honey? You promise a most abundant reward, for as your apostle James says: "The Lord has prepared a crown of life for those who love him." What is this crown of life? It is surely a greater good than we can conceive of or desire, as Saint Paul says, quoting Isaiah: "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him."
-- Saint Robert Bellarmine from "On the Ascent of the Mind to God"
<><><><>
My Lord Jesus Christ,
I believe that Thou art really present in this Sacrament.
Night and day Thou remainest here compassionate and loving.
Thou callest, Thou waitest,
Thou welcomest everyone who comes to visit Thee.
I thank Thee, Jesus my Divine Redeemer,
for coming upon the earth for my sake
and for instituting the Adorable Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
in order to remain with me and with all men until the end of the world.
I thank Thee for hiding beneath the Eucharistic species
Thine infinite majesty and beauty,
which Thy Angels delight to behold,
so that I might have courage to approach the throne of Thy mercy.
I thank Thee dear Jesus,
for having become the priceless Victim,
to merit for me the fullness of heavenly favors.
Awaken in me such confidence in Thee
that their fullness may descend ever more fruitfully upon my soul.
I thank Thee for offering Thyself
in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits,
spiritual and temporal
which He has bestowed on me.
Grant me grace and perseverance in Thy faithful service.
Amen.
Turn out all thoughts of doubt and fear and resentment. Never tolerate them if you can help it. Bar the windows and doors of your mind against them, as you would bar your home against a thief who would steal in to take away your treasures. What greater treasures can you have than faith and courage and love? All these are stolen from you by doubt and fear and resentment. Face each day with peace and hope. They are results of true faith in God. Faith gives you a feeling of protection and safety that you can get in no other way.
<><><><><>
May 25th – St. Mary MacKillop, Foundress (RM)
Born in Australia in 1842; died there on May 25, 1909; canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1995.
Although Mary MacKillop's heritage was Scottish, she is Australia's first native-born saint. Her father was a seminarian educated at the Scots College in Rome, but left before his ordination. Instead he emigrated to Australia where he met his future bride. Though it was an unhappy marriage, perhaps because he was often away from home travelling to Europe, it produced good fruit that was nurtured by the father.
In 1860, Mary became a governess in Penola, south Australia, where she met Father Julian Tenison Woods. He became her spiritual director. Several years later they founded a new congregation of Josephites, whose mission was to found schools and orphanages to provide much needed educational outlets. The first rule was drawn up in 1867 and received episcopal approval the following year. In 1869, Mary professed her final vows.
The next few years were difficult, during the absence of the Australian bishops at the First Vatican Council. Mary established a foundation in Brisbane. At the same time, Fr. Woods undermined her work by encouraging some visionary nuns, insisting on excessive poverty, and refusing all state funding. Upon the return of the bishops, Father Woods was removed from the direction of the sisters, who then numbered over 100 in 34 schools.
The bishop of Adelaide, an alcoholic who listened to gossip, attempted to control the congregation. He excommunicated its foundress on the charge of disobedience, then dispensed 47 nuns from their vows. In 1872, on his deathbed, he apologized for his actions and absolved Mary from excommunication. The Holy See sent a delegation to investigate. Their findings led the Vatican to support MacKillop and her nuns against some of the local bishops.
In 1873, Mary travelled to Europe, where she was well-received in Rome. The Holy Father permitted the congregation to have a superior-general, who could move the sisters from house to house within the congregation but across diocesan borders. The rule of poverty was also modified to permit the sisters to own, rather than simply rent, property. During her time in Europe, Mary MacKillop also visited England, Ireland, and Scotland to obtain new recruits for the enterprise and funding to support it. MacKillop was elected to the office of superior-general in 1875.
MacKillop's exemplary attitude towards the bishops who opposed her was complemented by the outstanding work of the congregation. Protestants, as well as Catholics, loudly praised their charity to the poor, their personal poverty, and their abstinence from active proselytizing. They found many supporters who contributed to their mission.
Beginning in 1885, the congregation was again under attack by the bishops, but found support from Rome. The Holy See, however, believed that MacKillop had remained in charge too long, so another superior-general was elected and served from 1888 until 1998. During that time, Mary served as visitor to the houses of New Zealand. At the death of her successor, Mary again took up the reigns and remained as superior-general until her own death. The congregation flourished even in the face of internal dissensions. The foundress suffered from rheumatism for many years, but finally died of a stroke.
Photographs of Mary MacKillop reveal a beautiful woman with a firm jaw and chin. About 1,000 of her letters survive. They show that she was a woman of patient persistence in adversity and a respect for authority. Some see Mary as a feminist pioneer; others as one who cared for Aborigines in difficult times; still others connect her with conservation of the eucalyptus, which is her emblem in art.
The congregation has spread to Peru. In Australia, they are the primary providers of Catholic education to girls. In 1981, the congregation numbered about 1,800 (Farmer).
Saint Quote:
"Sweet Lord, you are meek and merciful." Who would not give himself wholeheartedly to your service, if he began to taste even a little of your fatherly rule? What command, Lord, do you give your servants? "Take my yoke upon you," you say. And what is this yoke of yours like? "My yoke," you say, "is easy and my burden light." Who would not be glad to bear a yoke that does not press hard but caresses? Who would not be glad for a burden that does not weigh heavy but refreshes? And so you were right to add: "And you will find rest for your souls." And what is this yoke of yours that does not weary, but gives rest? It is, of course, that first and greatest commandment: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart." What is easier, sweeter, more pleasant, than to love goodness, beauty, and love, the fullness of which you are, O Lord, my God?"
Is it not true that you promise those who keep your commandments a reward more desirable than great wealth and sweeter than honey? You promise a most abundant reward, for as your apostle James says: "The Lord has prepared a crown of life for those who love him." What is this crown of life? It is surely a greater good than we can conceive of or desire, as Saint Paul says, quoting Isaiah: "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him."
-- Saint Robert Bellarmine from "On the Ascent of the Mind to God"
<><><><>
My Lord Jesus Christ,
I believe that Thou art really present in this Sacrament.
Night and day Thou remainest here compassionate and loving.
Thou callest, Thou waitest,
Thou welcomest everyone who comes to visit Thee.
I thank Thee, Jesus my Divine Redeemer,
for coming upon the earth for my sake
and for instituting the Adorable Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
in order to remain with me and with all men until the end of the world.
I thank Thee for hiding beneath the Eucharistic species
Thine infinite majesty and beauty,
which Thy Angels delight to behold,
so that I might have courage to approach the throne of Thy mercy.
I thank Thee dear Jesus,
for having become the priceless Victim,
to merit for me the fullness of heavenly favors.
Awaken in me such confidence in Thee
that their fullness may descend ever more fruitfully upon my soul.
I thank Thee for offering Thyself
in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits,
spiritual and temporal
which He has bestowed on me.
Grant me grace and perseverance in Thy faithful service.
Amen.
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