The Lord fills all things with blessing from above

[rich]

The Lord fills all things with blessing from above

"So that by every means the Lord might be known to be God by nature,
he multiplies what is little, and he looks up to heaven as though
asking for the blessing from above. Now he does this out of the divine
economy, for our sakes. For he himself is the one who fills all
things, the true blessing from above and from the Father. But, so that
we might learn that when we are in charge of the table and are
preparing to break the loaves, we ought to bring them to God with
hands upraised and bring down upon them the blessing from above, he
became for us the beginning and pattern and way."
Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)(excerpt from FRAGMENT 177)

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11 July – Saint Kjeld of Viborg OSA

(Died c 1150)
St Francis of the North,” Priest, Apostle of the poor, needy and sick.
Born in Denmark and died in c 1150 n Viborg, Denmark of natural
causes. Patronage – Viborg, Denmark, of the blind and those with eye
diseases. Also known as – “St Francis of Assisi of the North,” Ketil,
Ketille, Kield, Exuperian.

Kjeld was born in the early 12th Century to wealthy parents, who lived
on a farm in central Denmark. He was a Godly boy and it was soon
decided that he should have a future in the Church. He was sent to
Viborg, where he joined the Cathedral College or Chapter. The
Cathedral Chapter was the place where Priests were trained and while
they lived as Canons at the Cathedral, they assisted the Bishop in his
administrative work. The Canons Regular lived in a community following
St Augustine’s Rule and they were led by a Prior.

Kjeld thrived in the Cathedral Chapter, where he was elected as head
of the Cathedral Chapter College and around 1145 he was elected Prior
of the other Canons. Kjeld was a very caring, generous and
compassionate man who gave all he could to the sick, poor and needy.
It is told in his biography that IN 1145, when Viborg City was
threatened by fire, Kjeld ran to the Tower of the Cathedral, where he
prayed fervently to God to spare the City and the Church, after which
the fire miraculously receded.

Despite the fact that the Canons had chosen Kjeld as their Prior,
there soon came disputes between them and him, apparently because they
objected to his generous distribution of the Cathedral Chapter’s funds
to the poor. The Canons elected a new Prior and Kjeld moved to Aalborg
for a while. Although Kjeld was popular in Aalborg he longed to spread
the Christian faith and desired Martyrdom among the Wends. He went on
a pilgrimage to Rome, where he visited the Tombs of the Apostles and
had an audience with Pope Eugene III (1145-1153). He sought the Pope’s
permission to go on a mission among the Wends but, although he
received the desired authorisation, the Pope expressed the sentiment
that he would rather see Kjeld return to Viborg and continue his work
as Prior of the Cathedral College. The Pope wrote to the Cathedral
College, who had to bow and take Kjeld back as their leader. But soon
after, in 1150, Kjeld died in Viborg and was buried in the Cathedral.

Numerous miracles were granted by God at his grave. The sick became
healthy after visits to the tomb and the blind especially, were
granted their sight – according to the Saint’s biography, at least
twelve people had their sight restored. The Church authorities now
sought Kjeld’s Canonisation and they, therefore, sent a request to the
Pope in Rome. In 1188 Pope Clement III (1187-1191) consented and the
Archbishop Absalon celebrated Kjeld’s Canonisation locally, which
occurred on 11 July 1189.

https://anastpaul.com/2022/07/11/

Saint Quote:
Let the storm rage and the sky darken--not for that shall we be
dismayed. If we trust as we should in Mary, we shall recognize in her,
the Virgin Most Powerful "who with virginal foot did crush the head of
the serpent."
--St. Pius X

Bible quote:
“Be careful to be gentle, lest in removing the rust, you break the
whole instrument.”
--St. Benedict


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Sharing our Talents

So, it is very important for us to spend some time in reflecting on
what are my unique 'talents' or gifts or abilities and then to ask how
and to what end I am using them? And the time to do that is today
because, as we have been amply warned, we do not know when our
'employer' is coming back to check his accounts with us. The end of
today's passage indicates that if we do not move forward, or are not
productive, then we go backwards. We cannot remain static or purely
passive in God's service. To do nothing is not a possible option. The
more we give and share with others from the resources we have the more
we are personally enriched; on the other hand, to cling to our gifts
and keep them just for ourselves is to become smaller in every way.