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Of the Different Motions of Nature and Grace: [VI]
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Weedy
Aug 8, 2014, 2:16:13 PM8/8/14
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Of the Different Motions of Nature and Grace: [VI]
Nature does everything for her own gain and interest; she does nothing without fee, hoping either to obtain some equal or greater return for her services, or else praise and favour. But Grace seeks no worldly return, and asks for no reward, but God alone. She desires no more of the necessaries of life than will serve her to obtain the things of eternity.
--Thomas à Kempis --Imitation of Christ Bk 3 Ch 54
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August 8th - St. Altman, Bishop of Passau
St. Altman was born at Paderborn during the first quarter of the eleventh century, and studied at Paris. After being ordained he was appointed Canon and master of the Cathedral-school at Paderborn, then provost of the chapter of Aachen and chaplain to the Emperor Henry III, and confessor and counsellor of the Dowager Empress Agnes. In 1064 he took part in a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, which numbered seven thousand persons (according to a monk who was there) and was led by several archbishops and bishops, and the adventure was a most unhappy one. Having safely traversed Europe and Asia Minor with no more than the misfortunes inevitable to so long a journey on horseback, they were attacked by Saracens in Palestine and sustained a siege in an abandoned village ; lack of food forced them to surrender, and they might all have been massacred but for the intervention of a friendly emir. Though they eventually reached Jerusalem they were not able to visit many of the other holy places because of the enmity of the Saracens, and by the time the pilgrimage reached home again it had lost nearly half of its members, dead from hardship, sickness and murder. It was happenings of this sort which contributed, thirty years later, to the institution of the crusades.
Immediately on his return Altman was nominated to the see of Passau, and he set himself energetically to govern a large and deteriorated diocese. For the increase of learning, the care of the poor, and proper carrying out of divine worship he looked particularly to regular clergy; at Göttweig he founded an abbey of Augustinian canons, put the same at Sankt Pölten in the place of secular canons, and introduced the Cluniac reform at Kremsmunster. In these works he had the help of the Empresses Agnes and Bertha, and the Emperor Henry IV was a benefactor of the see; but St. Altman soon found himself in conflict with that monarch. When in 1074 Pope St. Gregory VII renewed the pontifical decrees against simony and married clergy, Altman read out the letter in his cathedral. It was very ill received, he had to escape from the ensuing uproar, and found himself opposed in the matter of celibacy by a strong party led by his own provost. The bishop's chief supporters were the Augustinian canons, but the rebels invoked the help of the emperor; Altman did his best to enforce the decree, excommunicated the provost, and, when in the following year the pope forbade lay investiture, definitely ranged himself against Henry. He was driven from his see, and went to Rome. He had some scruples as to whether he held his own see simoniacally, as he had received it by favour of the Empress Agnes; but St. Gregory VII confirmed him in it and appointed him delegate apostolic for Germany.
St. Altman returned to his see in 1081, but was turned out again almost at once. He spent the remaining years of his life in exile but maintained a footing in the eastern part of his diocese, from whence he exercised a great influence. He had lost all his revenues and was in great poverty, but for all that his charity to the poor did not abate, and in a time of famine he sold his furniture to relieve the suffering. Nor did the disturbance of his rule and his long banishment entirely spoil his work; a Canon of Göttweig who wrote an account of him not long after his death says that when he was appointed bishop many of his churches were of wood, and so were his priests; he had stone churches built and, though it was more difficult to reform the clergy than their buildings, he had inspired many priests with an enthusiasm for Celibacy and a contempt for riches. St. Altman was an important figure in the early history of canons regular in addition to the foundations mentioned above he instituted them at Sankt Florian, at St. Nicholas's in his cathedral city, and other places. He died in 1091, and his cultus was approved by Pope Leo XIII.
There are two lives printed in the Acta Sanctorum. The older of these (re-edited in MGH., Scriptores, vol. xii, pp. 226-243) was written some fifty years after Altman's death by a canon of Gottweig. The second for the greater part adds no new facts, but fills some lacunae in the narrative towards the end. An excellent German translation of the earlier document, with abundant notes, has been published by A. Fuchs, Des heilige Altmann (1929). See also Hans Hirsch "Die Vita Altmanni" in Jahrbuch für Landeskunde von Nieder-österreich, vols. xv and xvi, pp. 348-366; and A. Stonner, Heilige des deutschen Frühzeit, vol. ii (1935).
Saint Quote:
The love of God is never idle. When it really fills a soul, it never fails to operate great things in it. Whenever it does not work, but is inactive, we may be certain there is no true love, but only the appearance of it.
--St. Gregory
Bible Quote
Deal thy bread to the hungry, and bring the needy and the harbourless into thy house: when thou shalt see one naked, cover him, and despise not thy own flesh. 8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy health shall speedily arise, and thy justice shall go before thy face, and the glory of the Lord shall gather thee up. (Isaias 58:7-8)
<><><><>
Lord, teach me to know the obstacles
'Lord, teach me to know the obstacles that, consciously or unconsciously, I am placing in the way of Thy grace in me. Give me the strength to put them aside, and if I am negligent therein, vouchsafe Thyself to remove them, howsoever I may suffer thereby. What wouldst Thou have me to do for Thee this day, my God? Show me what it is in me that displeaseth Thee. Teach me rightly to value the Precious Blood which Thou didst shed for me, of the sacramental or spiritual communion by which we are enabled to drink that Blood from the wound of Thy most loving Heart.
'Make me, O Lord, to grow in love of Thee. Grant that our inner conversation may never cease; that I may never separate myself from Thee; that I may receive all that Thou dost deign to give me; and that I may not stand in the way of the grace which through me should be poured out upon other souls to give them light and life.'
Nature does everything for her own gain and interest; she does nothing without fee, hoping either to obtain some equal or greater return for her services, or else praise and favour. But Grace seeks no worldly return, and asks for no reward, but God alone. She desires no more of the necessaries of life than will serve her to obtain the things of eternity.
--Thomas à Kempis --Imitation of Christ Bk 3 Ch 54
<<>><<>><<>>
August 8th - St. Altman, Bishop of Passau
St. Altman was born at Paderborn during the first quarter of the eleventh century, and studied at Paris. After being ordained he was appointed Canon and master of the Cathedral-school at Paderborn, then provost of the chapter of Aachen and chaplain to the Emperor Henry III, and confessor and counsellor of the Dowager Empress Agnes. In 1064 he took part in a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, which numbered seven thousand persons (according to a monk who was there) and was led by several archbishops and bishops, and the adventure was a most unhappy one. Having safely traversed Europe and Asia Minor with no more than the misfortunes inevitable to so long a journey on horseback, they were attacked by Saracens in Palestine and sustained a siege in an abandoned village ; lack of food forced them to surrender, and they might all have been massacred but for the intervention of a friendly emir. Though they eventually reached Jerusalem they were not able to visit many of the other holy places because of the enmity of the Saracens, and by the time the pilgrimage reached home again it had lost nearly half of its members, dead from hardship, sickness and murder. It was happenings of this sort which contributed, thirty years later, to the institution of the crusades.
Immediately on his return Altman was nominated to the see of Passau, and he set himself energetically to govern a large and deteriorated diocese. For the increase of learning, the care of the poor, and proper carrying out of divine worship he looked particularly to regular clergy; at Göttweig he founded an abbey of Augustinian canons, put the same at Sankt Pölten in the place of secular canons, and introduced the Cluniac reform at Kremsmunster. In these works he had the help of the Empresses Agnes and Bertha, and the Emperor Henry IV was a benefactor of the see; but St. Altman soon found himself in conflict with that monarch. When in 1074 Pope St. Gregory VII renewed the pontifical decrees against simony and married clergy, Altman read out the letter in his cathedral. It was very ill received, he had to escape from the ensuing uproar, and found himself opposed in the matter of celibacy by a strong party led by his own provost. The bishop's chief supporters were the Augustinian canons, but the rebels invoked the help of the emperor; Altman did his best to enforce the decree, excommunicated the provost, and, when in the following year the pope forbade lay investiture, definitely ranged himself against Henry. He was driven from his see, and went to Rome. He had some scruples as to whether he held his own see simoniacally, as he had received it by favour of the Empress Agnes; but St. Gregory VII confirmed him in it and appointed him delegate apostolic for Germany.
St. Altman returned to his see in 1081, but was turned out again almost at once. He spent the remaining years of his life in exile but maintained a footing in the eastern part of his diocese, from whence he exercised a great influence. He had lost all his revenues and was in great poverty, but for all that his charity to the poor did not abate, and in a time of famine he sold his furniture to relieve the suffering. Nor did the disturbance of his rule and his long banishment entirely spoil his work; a Canon of Göttweig who wrote an account of him not long after his death says that when he was appointed bishop many of his churches were of wood, and so were his priests; he had stone churches built and, though it was more difficult to reform the clergy than their buildings, he had inspired many priests with an enthusiasm for Celibacy and a contempt for riches. St. Altman was an important figure in the early history of canons regular in addition to the foundations mentioned above he instituted them at Sankt Florian, at St. Nicholas's in his cathedral city, and other places. He died in 1091, and his cultus was approved by Pope Leo XIII.
There are two lives printed in the Acta Sanctorum. The older of these (re-edited in MGH., Scriptores, vol. xii, pp. 226-243) was written some fifty years after Altman's death by a canon of Gottweig. The second for the greater part adds no new facts, but fills some lacunae in the narrative towards the end. An excellent German translation of the earlier document, with abundant notes, has been published by A. Fuchs, Des heilige Altmann (1929). See also Hans Hirsch "Die Vita Altmanni" in Jahrbuch für Landeskunde von Nieder-österreich, vols. xv and xvi, pp. 348-366; and A. Stonner, Heilige des deutschen Frühzeit, vol. ii (1935).
Saint Quote:
The love of God is never idle. When it really fills a soul, it never fails to operate great things in it. Whenever it does not work, but is inactive, we may be certain there is no true love, but only the appearance of it.
--St. Gregory
Bible Quote
Deal thy bread to the hungry, and bring the needy and the harbourless into thy house: when thou shalt see one naked, cover him, and despise not thy own flesh. 8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy health shall speedily arise, and thy justice shall go before thy face, and the glory of the Lord shall gather thee up. (Isaias 58:7-8)
<><><><>
Lord, teach me to know the obstacles
'Lord, teach me to know the obstacles that, consciously or unconsciously, I am placing in the way of Thy grace in me. Give me the strength to put them aside, and if I am negligent therein, vouchsafe Thyself to remove them, howsoever I may suffer thereby. What wouldst Thou have me to do for Thee this day, my God? Show me what it is in me that displeaseth Thee. Teach me rightly to value the Precious Blood which Thou didst shed for me, of the sacramental or spiritual communion by which we are enabled to drink that Blood from the wound of Thy most loving Heart.
'Make me, O Lord, to grow in love of Thee. Grant that our inner conversation may never cease; that I may never separate myself from Thee; that I may receive all that Thou dost deign to give me; and that I may not stand in the way of the grace which through me should be poured out upon other souls to give them light and life.'
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