Quote/s of the Day – 10 November – The Memorial of St Pope Leo the Great (c 400-461) Doctor of the Church and St Andrew Avellino CR (1521 – 1608)
“By Baptism we are made flesh of the Crucified.”
“The cross of Christ is the true ground and chief cause of Christian hope.”
“Let no one be ashamed of the cross by which Christ has redeemed the world. None of us must be afraid to suffer for the sake of justice or doubt the fulfilment of the promises, for it is through toil that we come to rest and through death that we pass to life.”
“Our sharing in the Body and Blood of Christ has no other purpose than to transform us into that which we receive.”
“He that sees another in error and endeavours not to correct it, testifies himself to be in error.”
“The birthday of the Lord is the birthday of peace.”
“Beyond our grasp, He chose to come within our grasp. Existing before time began, He began to exist at a moment in time.”
St Pope Leo the Great (c 400-461) Doctor of the Church
“One cannot separate the most Holy Eucharist from the Passion of Jesus.”
One Minute Reflection – 10 November – Today’s Gospel: Luke 16:9–15 – Saturday of the Thirty First Week in Ordinary Time, Year B and The Memorial of St Leo the Great (c 400-461) Doctor of the Church and St Andrew Avellino CR (1521 – 1608)
“I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”...Luke 16:9
REFLECTION – “Consider, then, the splendid reward for your liberality – an everlasting habitation! O excellent trade! O divine commerce! You purchase immortality for money and, by donating the empty things of the world, receive in exchange an eternal mansion in heaven! So then, you rich who have wisdom, apply yourselves to this business… Why let yourselves be transfixed by diamonds and emeralds, by houses that fire devours, time destroys, or earthquakes throw down? Aspire for nothing other than to dwell in the heavens and reign with God. A mere man, a beggar will gain you this kingdom… The Lord did not say: “Give, be generous and bountiful, help your brothers” but: “Make friends for yourselves”. Friendship comes about not by one gift but by long intimacy. For neither faith, nor charity nor patience are the work of one day but “he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (Mt 10:22)...St Clement of Alexandria (150- 215)
PRAYER – Lord God, You built Your Church on the firm foundation of the Apostle Peter and You promised that the gates of hell would never overcome it. So too, may we trust in Your power, that by our faith we may receive the grace to withstand the enemy who will not prevail against us. May we always serve You in our brother and may your Holy Spirit grant us the grace of fortitude to withstand our temptations and thus gain eternal life, supported by the prayers of St Pope Leo the Great and St Andrew Avellino, keep us ever faithful to Your love. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 10 November – Saturday of the Thirty First Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
Mary, Mother of Grace By St Athanasius (297-373) Father & Doctor of the Church
It becomes you to be mindful of us,
as you stand near Him
who granted you all graces,
for you are the Mother of God
and our Queen.
Help us for the sake of the King,
the Lord God and Master
who was born of you.
For this reason,
you are called full of grace.
Remember us, most holy Virgin,
and bestow on us gifts
from the riches of your graces,
Virgin full of graces.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 10 November – St Andrew Avellino CR (1521 – 1608) Theatine Priest (Cong of the Clerics Regular of Divine Providence founded by St Cajetan 1480-1547), Canon and Civil Lawyer, Reformer, Founder of many new Theatine houses, Preacher, Spiritual Advisor, Confessor – born in 1521 at Castronuovo, Sicily as Lorenzo (called Lancelotto by his mother) and died on 10 November 1608 at Naples, Italy of a stroke. Patronages – against apoplexy or strokes, against sudden death, for a holy death, Badolato, Naples, Sicily, Italy.
After a holy youth devoted to serious studies of philosophy and the humanities in Venice, Lancelot Avellino was ordained priest by the bishop of Naples. He was assigned to the chaplaincy of a community of nuns, sadly in need of reform, his intrepid courage and perseverance finally overcame many difficulties and regular observance was restored in the monastery. Certain irritated libertines, however, decided to do away with him and, waiting for him when he was about to leave a church, felled him with three sword thrusts. He lost much blood but his wounds healed perfectly without leaving any trace. The viceroy of Naples was ready to employ all his authority to punish the authors of this sacrilege but the holy priest, not desiring the death of sinners but rather their conversion and their salvation, declined to pursue them. One of them, however, died soon afterwards, assassinated by a man who wished to avenge a dishonour to his house.
He was still practising law, which he had studied in Naples, one day a slight untruth escaped him in the defence of a client and he conceived such regret for his fault that he vowed to practice law no longer. In 1556, at the age of thirty-six, he entered the Theatine Order, taking the name of Andrew out of love for the cross. After a pilgrimage to Rome to the tombs of the Apostles, he returned to Naples and was named master of novices in his Community.
After holding this office for ten years, he was elected superior. His zeal for strict religious discipline and for the purity of the clergy, as well as his deep humility and sincere piety, induced the General of his Order to entrust him with the foundation of two new Theatine houses, one at Milan and the other at Piacenza. By his efforts, many more Theatine houses rose up in various dioceses of Italy. As superior of some of these new foundations, he was so successful in converting sinners and heretics by his prudence in the direction of souls and by his eloquent preaching that numerous disciples thronged around him, eager to be under his spiritual guidance. One of the most noteworthy of his disciples was Lorenzo Scupoli, the author of The Spiritual Combat. St Charles Borromeo was an intimate friend of Avellino and sought his advice in the most important affairs of the Church. He also requested Avellino to establish a new Theatine house in Milan.
Though indefatigable in preaching, hearing confessions and visiting the sick, Avellino still had time to write some ascetical works. His letters were published in 1731 at Naples in two volumes and his other ascetical works were published three years later in five volumes.
On 10 November 1608, when beginning the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, he was stricken with apoplexy and, after receiving the Holy Viaticum, died at the age of 88. In 1624, only 16 years after his death, he was Beatified by Pope Urban VIII and in 1712 was Canonised by Pope Clement XI. His remains lie buried in the Church of St Paul at Naples.
Body of St Andrew Avellino at the Theatine Church of St Paul in Naples
St Pope Leo the Great (c 400 – 461) Father & Doctor of the Church (Memorial) – Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said that Leo’s papacy “…was undoubtedly one of the most important in the Church’s history.”
St Aedh Mac Bricc
St Andrew Avellino (1521 – 1608) Theatine Priest
St Anianus the Deacon
St Baudolino
St Demetrius of Antioch
St Elaeth the King
St Eustosius of Antioch
St Grellen
St Guerembaldus
St Hadelin of Sees
Bl Joaquín Piña Piazuelo
St John of Ratzenburg
St Joseph the Martyr
St Justus of Canterbury
St Leo of Melun
St Monitor of Orleans
St Narses of Subagord
St Nonnus of Heliopolis
St Orestes of Cappadocia
St Probus of Ravenna
St Theoctiste of Lesbos
St Tryphaena of Iconium
St Tryphosa of Iconium
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Martyred Sisters Adorers – 23 beati: 23 nuns, all members of the Sisters Adorers, Handmaids of Charity and of the Blessed Sacrament who were martyred together in the Spanish Civil War.
• Blessed Aurea González
• Blessed Belarmina Pérez Martínez
• Blessed Cecilia Iglesias del Campo
• Blessed Concepción Vázquez Areas
• Blessed Dionisia Rodríguez De Anta
• Blessed Emilia Echevarría Fernández
• Blessed Felipa Gutierrez Garay
• Blessed Francisca Pérez de Labeaga García
• Blessed Josepa Boix Rieras
• Blessed Lucía González García
• Blessed Luisa Pérez Adriá
• Blessed Magdalena Pérez
• Blessed Manuela Arriola Uranda
• Blessed María Dolores Hernández San Torcuato
• Blessed María Dolores Monzón Rosales
• Blessed María García Ferreiro
• Blessed Maria Mercè Tuñi Ustech
• Blessed María Zenona Aranzábal de Barrutia
• Blessed Prima de Ipiña Malzárraga
• Blessed Purificación Martínez Vera
• Blessed Rosa López Brochier
• Blessed Sinforosa Díaz Fernández
• Blessed Teresa Vives Missé
They were martyred on 10 November 1936 in Madrid, Spain and Beatified on 28 October 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI.
Martyrs of Agde – 3 saints: A group of Christians who were tortured and martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian. The only about them to survive are the names – Florentia, Modestus and Tiberius. Martyred c 303 in Agde, France.
Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Second Week – Day Twenty Four – 9 November
Second Week
Day 24 of 33
From True Devotion To the Blessed Virgin Mary, No. 152-164
This devotion is a smooth, short, perfect and sure way of attaining union with our Lord, in which Christian perfection consists.
(a) This devotion is a smooth way: It is the path which Jesus Christ opened up in coming to us and in which there is no obstruction to prevent us reaching Him. It is quite true that we can attain to divine union by other roads but these involve many more crosses and exceptional setbacks and many difficulties that we cannot easily overcome.
(b) This devotion is a short way to discover Jesus: either because it is a road we do not wander from, or because, as we have just said, we walk along this road with greater ease and joy and consequently with greater speed. We advance more in a brief period of submission to Mary and dependence on her, than in whole years of self-will and self-reliance.
(c) This devotion is a perfect way to reach our Lord and be united to Him: for Mary is the most perfect and the most holy of all creatures and Jesus, who came to us in a perfect manner, chose no other road for His great and wonderful journey. The Most High, the Incomprehensible One, the Inaccessible One, He who is, deigned to come down to us poor earthly creatures who are nothing at all. How was this done? The Most High God came down to us in a perfect way through the humble Virgin Mary, without losing anything of His divinity or holiness. It is likewise through Mary that we poor creatures must ascend to almighty God in a perfect manner without having anything to fear.
(d) This devotion to our Lady is a sure way to go to Jesus: and to acquire holiness through union with Him. The devotion which I teach is not new. Indeed it could not be condemned without overthrowing the foundations of Christianity. It is obvious then that this devotion is not new. If it is not commonly practised, the reason is that it is too sublime to be appreciated and undertaken by everyone. This devotion is a safe means of going to Jesus Christ, because it is Mary’s role to lead us safely to her Son.
Thought for the Day – 9 November – Pope Benedict on the Feast of the Dedication of St John Lateran
In a sense, St John Lateran is the parish church of all Catholics, because it is the pope’s cathedral. This church, is the spiritual home, of the people who are the Church.
Excerpt of Pope Benedict’s
Angelus Address 9 November 2008
“The Word of God during this Solemnity recalls an essential truth – the stone temple is the symbol of the living Church, the Christian community, that the Apostles Peter and Paul had, in their Letters, already understood as a “spiritual building”, constructed by God with the “living stones” that are the Christians, upon the one foundation that is Jesus Christ, who is in turn compared to the “cornerstone” cf. 1 Cor 3: 9-11, 16-17; 1 Pt 2: 4-8; Eph 2: 20-22). “Brethren,… you are God’s building”, St Paul writes and he adds, “God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (1 Cor 3: 9c, 17).
The beauty and the harmony of churches, destined to render praise to God, invites us human beings too, though limited and sinful, to convert ourselves to form a “cosmos”, a well-ordered construction, in close communion with Jesus, who is the true Holy of Holies. This reaches its culmination in the Eucharistic liturgy, in which the “ecclesia” that is, the community of baptised finds itself again united to listen to the Word of God and nourish itself on the Body and Blood of Christ. Gathered around this twofold table, the Church of living stones builds herself up in truth and in love and is moulded interiorly by the Holy Spirit, transforming herself into what she receives, conforming herself ever more to her Lord Jesus Christ. She herself, if she lives in sincere and fraternal unity, thus becomes a spiritual sacrifice pleasing to God.
Dear friends, today’s feast celebrates an ever current mystery – that God desires to build himself a spiritual temple in the world, a community that adores Him in spirit and truth (cf. Jn 4: 23-24).
But this occasion reminds us also of the importance of the concrete buildings in which the community gathers together to celebrate God’s praises. Every communit,y therefore, has the duty to carefully guard their holy structures, which constitute a precious religious and historical patrimony. For this we invoke the intercession of Mary Most Holy, so that she might help us to become, like her, a “house of God”, living temple of his love.”
Quote/s of the Day – 9 November – The Feast of the Dedication of St John Lateran
“What was done here, as these walls were rising, is reproduced when we bring together those who believe in Christ. For, by believing they are hewn out, as it were, from mountains and forests, like stones and timber but by catechising, baptism and instruction they are, as it were, shaped, squared and planed by the hands of the workers and artisans. Nevertheless, they do not make a house for the Lord, until they are fitted together through love”.
St Augustine (354-430) Doctor of the Church – Sermon 36
“Today’s feast, brothers, ought to be all the more devout as it is more personal. For other celebrations we have in common with other ecclesiastical communities but this one is proper to us, so that if we do not celebrate it, nobody will. It is ours because it concerns our church, ours because we ourselves are its theme. You are surprised and even embarrassed, perhaps, at celebrating a feast for yourselves. But do not be like horses and mules that have no understanding. Your souls are holy because of the Spirit of God dwelling in you, your bodies are holy because of your souls and this building is holy because of your bodies.”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church
“Is not this an image of today’s event? The ancient generations came up to this place, generations of Romans, generations of bishops of Rome, successors of St Peter and they sang this hymn of joy, which I repeat today with you. I join these generations, I, the new Bishop of Rome, John Paul II, Polish by origin. I stop on the threshold of this temple and I ask you to welcome me in the Lord’s name. I beg you to welcome me, as you welcomed my Predecessors throughout the centuries, as you welcomed, only a few weeks ago, John Paul I, so beloved by the whole world! I beg you to welcome me too. The Lord says: “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (Jn 15:16). This is the only appeal I can make – I am not here by my own will. The Lord has elected me. In the Lord’s name I beg you therefore – welcome me!”
St Pope John Paul (1920-2005) RITE OF POSSESSION OF THE CHAIR OF THE BISHOP OF ROME HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II Basilica of St John Lateran Sunday, 12 November 1978
One Minute Reflection – 9 November – The Feast of the Dedication of St John Lateran – Today’s Gospel: John 2:13–22
But he spoke of the temple of his body...John 2:20
REFLECTION – “Because Solomon was a prophet he built a temple of stone and wood… for the living God, who made heaven and earth and whose dwelling is in the skies… Why did God ask that a temple be built? Was he lacking somewhere to live? Listen to Stephen’s speech at the time of his passion: “Solomon,’ he said, “built a house but the most High does not live in man-made temples” (Acts 7:48). Why, then, did he build, or cause to be built, a temple? To prefigure Christ’s body. The first temple was only a shadow (Col 2:17), when light comes, shadows flee away. Are you now looking for the temple Solomon built? You will find a ruin. Why is this temple only a ruin? Because the reality it announced has been fulfilled. The true temple, the Lord’s body, also fell but has been raised up again and raised up in such a way it will fall no more…
What about our own bodies? They are members of Christ . Listen to Saint Paul: “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?” (1Cor 6:15). When he says: “Your bodies are members of Christ”, what does this mean but that our bodies, joined to Christ our head (Col 1:18), together form a single temple, God’s temple. Together with Christ’s body, our bodies are this temple… Let yourselves be built up in unity that you may not fall in ruins by remaining separate.”…St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Almighty God, as we recall with joy, the Dedication of this house of Yours on each recurring anniversary, listen to Your people’s prayer and grant that our worship here may be a sincere and holy service, honouring Your Name and bringing us the fullness of redemption. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God for all eternity, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 9 November – Feast of the Dedication of St John Lateran
Eternal Light, Shine into our Hearts By St Alcuin of York (735-804)
Eternal Light, shine into our hearts, Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil, Eternal Power, be our support, Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance, Eternal Pity, have mercy on us that with all our heart and mind and soul and strength, we may seek Thy Face and be brought, by Thine Infinite Mercy to Thy Holy Presence; through Jesus Christ, our Lord Amen
Feast of the Dedication of The Cathedral of the Most Holy Saviour and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran – 9 November
The residence of the Popes which was named the Lateran Palace was built by Lateranus Palutius, whom Nero put to death to seize his goods. It was given in the year 313 by Constantine the Great to Saint Miltiades, Pope and was inhabited by his successors until 1308, when they moved to Avignon. The Lateran Basilica built by Constantine near the palace of the same name, is the first Basilica of the West. Twelve councils, four of which were ecumenical, have assembled there, the first in 649, the last in 1512.
If for several centuries the Popes have no longer dwelt in the Palace, the primacy of the Basilica is not thereby altered, it remains the head of all churches. Saint Peter Damian (1007-1072) Doctor of the Church, wrote that just as the Saviour is the Head of the elect, the church which bears His name is the head of all the churches. Those of Saints Peter and Paul, to its left and its right, are the two arms by which this sovereign and universal Church embraces the entire earth, saving all who desire salvation, warming them, protecting them in its maternal womb.
The Divine Office narrates the dedication of the Church by the Pope of Peace, Saint Sylvester:
“It was the Blessed Pope Sylvester who established the rites observed by the Roman Church for the consecration of churches and altars. From the time of the Apostles there had been certain places dedicated to God, which some called oratories and others, churches. There, on the first day of the week, the assembly was held and there the Christian people were accustomed to pray, to hear the Word of God and to receive the Eucharist. But never had these places been consecrated so solemnly, nor had a fixed altar been placed there which, anointed with sacred chrism, was the symbol of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who for us is altar, victim and Pontiff.
But when the Emperor Constantine through the sacrament of Baptism had obtained health of body and salvation of soul, a law was issued by him which for the first time permitted that everywhere in the world Christians might build churches. Not satisfied to establish this edict, the prince wanted to give an example and inaugurate the holy labours. Thus in his own Lateran palace, he dedicated a church to the Saviour,and founded the attached baptistry under the name of Saint John the Baptist, in the place where he himself, baptised by Saint Sylvester, had been cured of leprosy. It is this church which the Pontiff consecrated in the fifth of the ides of November and we celebrate the commemoration on that day, when for the first time in Rome a church was thus publicly consecrated and where a painting of the Saviour was visible on the wall before the eyes of the Roman people.”
When the Lateran Church was partially ruined by fires, enemy invasions and earthquakes, it was always rebuilt with great zeal by the Sovereign Pontiffs. In 1726, after one such restoration, Pope Benedict XIII consecrated it anew and assigned the commemoration of that event to the present day. The church was afterwards enlarged and beautified by Popes Pius IX and Leo XIII.
Dedication of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran (Feast): The oldest and first in rank of the four basilicas of Rome, Italy. The name is derived from the Laterani family, on the site of whose palace the basilica stands. King Constantine presented this palace to the Church. Its annual celebration throughout the Latin Church is a sign of love and unity with the Papacy and Pope.
The original church building, probably adapted from the hall of the palace, was dedicated to the Saviour and from its splendour was known as the Basilica Aurea. Though several times destroyed and rebuilt, the basilica retained its ancient form, being divided by rows of columns into aisles and having an atrium with colonnades. The tasteless restoration of the 17th century changed its appearance. A monastery was formerly between the basilica and the city wall of which the cloister still remains. The original apse survived until 1878, when it was destroyed and a deeper apse built. The ancient mosaics have been preserved. The high altar, which is of wood and is believed to have been used by Saint Peter, is now encased in marble. In the upper part of the baldachinum are the heads of the Apostles, Peter and Paul. The baptistery is an octagonal edifice with porphyry columns. The font is of green basalt. This basilica has been the cathedral of Rome since the 4th century.
Our Lady of Almudena: The Virgin of Almudena (Virgen de la Almudena) is a medieval icon of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. The image is the advocation of the Virgin that serves as a patroness of Madrid, Spain.
Intriguingly, however, its name derives from the Arabic term of Al Mudayna, or the citadel. There are various legends regarding the ico. One story is that in 712, prior to the capture of the town by the advancing Muslim forces, the inhabitants of the town secreted the image of the virgin, for its own protection, inside the walls surrounding the town. In the 11th century, when Madrid was reconquered by the King Alfonso VI of Castile, the Christian soldiers endeavoured to find the statue. After days of prayer, the spot on the wall hiding the icon crumbled, revealing the statue. Another legend is that as Christian soldiers approached the town, they had a vision of Mary imploring them to allow her to lead them into the city. Again the miraculous crumbling of the wall occurred, with the icon showing an entry route through the walls.
The Cathedral of Madrid is dedicated to this advocation of the Virgin and her feast day, 9 November, is a major holiday in Madrid.
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St Agrippinus of Naples
St Alexander of Salonica
St Aurelius of Riditio
St Benignus of Armagh
St Eustolia
St Francisco José Marín López de Arroyave
St Gabriel Ferretti
Bl George Napper
Bl Gratia of Cattaro
Bl Helen of Hungary
Bl Henryk Hlebowicz
St Jane of Segna
Bl Ludovico Morbioli (1433-1485)
St Justo Juanes Santos
St Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi
St Luis Morbioli
St María de la Salud Baldoví Trull
Bl María del Carmen of the Child Jesus
St Pabo
St Sopatra
St Theodore Stratelates
St Ursinus of Bourges
St Valentín Gil Arribas
St Vitonus of Verdun
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Martyrs of Constantinople – 3 saints: A group of ten Catholic Christians who tried to defend an image of Jesus over the Brazen Gate of Constantinople from an attack by Iconoclasts during the persecutions of emperor Leo the Isaurian. The group of was seized by soldiers, condemned by judges for opposing the emperor, and martyred. The only details that have survived are three of their names – Julian, Marcian and Maria. They were martyred in 730 at Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey).
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Anastasio Garzón González
• Blessed Francisco José Marín López de Arroyave
• Blessed Justo Juanes Santos
• Blessed María de la Salud Baldoví Trull
• Blessed Valentín Gil Arribas
Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Second Week – Day Twenty Three – 8 November
Second Week
Day 23 of 33
From True Devotion To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Nos. 120-121
Nature of perfect devotion to the Blessed Virgin or perfect consecration to Jesus Christ
120. As all perfection consists in our being conformed, united and consecrated to Jesus it naturally follows that the most perfect of all devotions is that which conforms, unites and consecrates us most completely to Jesus. Now of all God’s creatures, Mary is the most conformed to Jesus. It therefore follows that, of all devotions, devotion to her makes for the most effective consecration and conformity to Him. The more one is consecrated to Mary, the more one is consecrated to Jesus. That is why perfect consecration to Jesus is but a perfect and complete consecration of oneself to the Blessed Virgin, which is the devotion I teach; or in other words, it is the perfect renewal of the vows and promises of holy baptism.
121. This devotion consists in giving oneself entirely to Mary in order to belong entirely to Jesus through her. It requires us to give:
(1) Our body with its senses and members;
(2) Our soul with its faculties;
(3) Our present material possessions and all we shall acquire in the future;
(4) Our interior and spiritual possessions, that is, our merits, virtues and good actions of the past, the present and the future.
In other words, we give her all that we possess both in our natural life and in our spiritual life as well as everything we shall acquire in the future, in the order of nature, of grace and of glory in heaven. This we do without any reservation, not even of a penny, a hair, or the smallest good deed. And we give for all eternity without claiming or expecting, in return for our offering and our service, any other reward than the honour of belonging to our Lord through Mary and in Mary, even though our Mother were not – as in fact she always is – the most generous and appreciative of all God’s creatures.
Thought for the Day – 8 November – The Memorial of Blessed John Duns Scotus OFM (c 1265-1308)
Excerpt from Pope Benedict XVI’s
Catechesis on Blessed John Duns Scotus
General Audience – 7 July 2010
“The Immaculate Conception”
This morning, after several Catecheses on various great theologians, I would like to present to you another important figure in the history of theology. He is Blessed John Duns Scotus, who lived at the end of the 13th century. An ancient epitaph on his tombstone sums up the geographical coordinates of his biography: “Scotland bore me, England received me, France taught me, Cologne in Germany holds me”. We cannot disregard this information, partly because we know very little about the life of Duns Scotus. He was probably born in 1266 in a village called, precisely, “Duns”, near Edinburgh.
Attracted by the charism of St Francis of Assisi, he entered the Family of the Friars Minor and was ordained a priest in 1291. He was endowed with a brilliant mind and a tendency for speculation, which earned him the traditional title of Doctor subtilis, “Subtle Doctor”.
Mary is the subject of the Doctor subtilis’ thought. In the times of Duns Scotus the majority of theologians countered with an objection that seemed insurmountable, the doctrine which holds that Mary Most Holy was exempt from original sin from the very first moment of her conception – in fact, at first sight the universality of the Redemption brought about by Christ might seem to be jeopardised by such a statement, as though Mary had had no need of Christ or His redemption. Therefore the theologians opposed this thesis. Thus, to enable people to understand this preservation from original sin Duns Scotus developed an argument that was later, in 1854, also to be used by Bl Pope Pius IX when he solemnly defined the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. And this argument is that of “preventive Redemption”, according to which the Immaculate Conception is the masterpiece of the Redemption brought about by Christ because the very power of His love and His mediation obtained, that the Mother be preserved from original sin. Therefore Mary is totally redeemed by Christ but already before her conception. Duns Scotus’ confreres, the Franciscans, accepted and spread this doctrine enthusiastically and other theologians, often with a solemn oath, strove to defend and perfect it.
In this regard I would like to highlight a fact that I consider relevant. Concerning the teaching on the Immaculate Conception, important theologians like Duns Scotus enriched what the People of God already spontaneously believed about the Blessed Virgin and expressed in acts of devotion, in the arts and in Christian life in general with the specific contribution of their thought. Thus faith both in the Immaculate Conception and in the bodily Assumption of the Virgin was already present in the People of God, while theology had not yet found the key to interpreting it in the totality of the doctrine of the faith. The People of God therefore precede theologians and this is all thanks to that supernatural sensus fidei, namely, that capacity infused by the Holy Spirit that qualifies us to embrace the reality of the faith with humility of heart and mind. In this sense, the People of God is the “teacher that goes first” and must then be more deeply examined and intellectually accepted by theology.
May theologians always be ready to listen to this source of faith and retain the humility and simplicity of children! I mentioned this a few months ago saying: “There have been great scholars, great experts, great theologians, teachers of faith who have taught us many things. They have gone into the details of Sacred Scripture… but have been unable to see the mystery itself, its central nucleus…. The essential has remained hidden!… On the other hand, in our time there have also been “little ones” who have understood this mystery. Let us think of St Bernadette Soubirous; of St Thérèse of Lisieux, with her new interpretation of the Bible that is “non-scientific’ but goes to the heart of Sacred Scripture”
Dear brothers and sisters, Bl Duns Scotus teaches us that in our life the essential is to believe that God is close to us and loves us in Jesus Christ and, therefor,e to cultivate a deep love for Him and for His Church. We on earth are witnesses of this love. May Mary Most Holy help us to receive this infinite love of God, which we will enjoy eternally to the full in Heaven, when our soul is at last united to God for ever in the Communion of Saints.
Quote/s of the Day – 8 November – The Memorial of Blessed John Duns Scotus OFM
(c 1265-1308)
O Lord our God! You are one in nature. You are one in number. Truly have You said that besides You there is no God. For though many may be called gods or thought to be gods, You alone are by nature God. You are the true God from whom, in whom and through whom, all things are, You are blessed forever. Amen!
One Minute Reflection – 8 November – Today’s Gospel: Luke 15:1–10 – Thursday of the Thirty First week in Ordinary Time, Year B and the Memorial of Blessed John Duns Scotus OFM (c 1265-1308)
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”…Luke 15:4-5
REFLECTION – “The fact of re-finding something we had lost always fills us anew with joy. And this joy is greater than that we felt before losing it, when the thing was safely kept. But the parable of the lost sheep speaks more of God’s tenderness than of the way in which people usually behave. It expresses a profound truth. To leave behind something of importance for love of what is more humble, is characteristic of divine power, not of human possessiveness. For God even brings into existence what is not, He sets out in search of what is lost while still keeping what He had left in place and He finds what had strayed without losing what He has under His protection.
That is why, this shepherd is not of earth but of heaven. The parable is not in any respect, a representation of human achievements but it conceals divine mysteries, as the numbers it mentions immediately show: “What man among you,” says the Lord, “having a hundred sheep and losing one of them…” As you see, the loss of a single sheep has sorely tried this shepherd, as though the whole flock, deprived of His protection, had set out along a treacherous path. This is why, leaving the ninety-nine others there, He sets out in search of the one. He attends to one alone so that, in that one, all may be found and saved.”…St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Lord God, in Your wisdom, You created us, by Your providence You rule us, penetrate our inmost being with Your holy light, so that our way of life, may always be one of faithful service to You. With great love we thank You for the great gifts You shower upon us and for being our Father, who seeks and finds us when we are lost. Grant that by the intercession of Blessed John Duns Scotus, we may ever seek to stay true to our baptism. Through Jesus, our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 8 November 2018 – The Memorial of Blessed John Duns Scotus OFM (c 1265-1308) “Defender of Mary’s Immaculate Conception”
Prayer in Honour of Mary, the Immaculate Conception
We praise You, Lord,
in this daughter of Israel,
who sang the songs of David,
who knew the deeds of Judith,
and held in her heart
the burning words of Isaiah.
We pray as Mary did,
may Your name be holy,
may the hungry be filled
and the rich know hunger,
may the proud be scattered
and and the oppressed raised up,
may Your love be ever with Your people.
We make our prayer always
through Mary’s child,
for from her arose the sun of justice,
Jesus, who is Lord forever and ever.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 8 November – Blessed John Duns Scotus OFM (c 1265-1308) Doctor Subtilis (Subtle Doctor) Franciscan Friar, Priest, Theologian, Philosopher, Lecturer – known as “The minstrel of the Word Incarnate” and “Defender of Mary’s Immaculate Conception”.
A humble man, John Duns Scotus has been one of the most influential Franciscans through the centuries. Born at Duns in the county of Berwick, Scotland, John was descended from a wealthy farming family. In later years, he was identified as John Duns Scotus to indicate the land of his birth – Scotia is the Latin name for Scotland.
John received the habit of the Friars Minor at Dumfries, where his uncle Elias Duns was superior. After novitiate, John studied at Oxford and Paris and was ordained in 1291. More studies in Paris followed until 1297, when he returned to lecture at Oxford and Cambridge. Four years later, he returned to Paris to teach and complete the requirements for the doctorate.
In an age when many people adopted whole systems of thought without qualification, John pointed out the richness of the Augustinian-Franciscan tradition, appreciated the wisdom of Aquinas, Aristotle, and the Muslim philosophers—and still managed to be an independent thinker. That quality was proven in 1303, when King Philip the Fair tried to enlist the University of Paris on his side in a dispute with Pope Boniface VIII. John Duns Scotus dissented and was given three days to leave France.
In Scotus’s time, some philosophers held that people are basically determined by forces outside themselves. Free will is an illusion, they argued. An ever-practical man, Scotus said that if he started beating someone who denied free will, the person would immediately tell him to stop. But if Scotus didn’t really have a free will, how could he stop? John had a knack for finding illustrations his students could remember!
After a short stay in Oxford, Scotus returned to Paris, where he received the doctorate in 1305. He continued teaching there and in 1307 so ably defended the Immaculate Conception of Mary that the university officially adopted his position. That same year, the minister general assigned him to the Franciscan school in Cologne where John died in 1308. He is buried in the Franciscan church near the famous Cologne cathedral.
Drawing on the work of John Duns Scotus, Pope Pius IX solemnly defined the Immaculate Conception of Mary in 1854. On 20 March 1993 John Duns Scotus, the “Subtle Doctor,” was beatified by St Pope John Paul II at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Bl John Duns Scotus, “The minstrel of the Word Incarnate” and “Defender of Mary’s Immaculate Conception” was presented by St Pope John Paul II to our age “wealthy of human, scientific and technological resources, but in which many have lost the sense of faith and lead lives distant from Christ and His Gospel,” as “a Teacher of thought and life.” For the Church, he is “an example of fidelity to the revealed truth, of effective, priestly and serious dialogue in search for unity.”
St Gervadius
St Giuse Nguyen Ðình Nghi
St Godfrey of Amiens
St Gregory of Einsiedeln
St John Baptist Con
Bl John Duns Scotus OFM (c 1265-1308)
Bl Maria Crucified Satellico
St Martinô Tho
St Martinô Ta Ðuc Thinh
St Maurus of Verdun
St Moroc of Scotland
St Phaolô Nguyen Ngân
St Tysilio of Wales
St Willehad of Bremen
St Wiomad of Trèves
—
All Deceased Dominicans
All Saints of the Diocese of Evry: A regional memorial of all the saints and beati of the calendar who have a connection to the Diocese of Evry-Corbeil-Essonnes, France.
• Blessed Isabella of France, founded the Longchamp monastery
• Blessed Nicolas Gaudreau, pastor of Vert-le-Petit
• Blessed Pierre Bonse, pastor of Massy
• Our Lady of Good Guard, patron saint of the diocese, venerated in Longpont-sur-Orge, France
• Saint Corbinian, born in Saint-Germain-lès-Arpajon
• Saint Denis of Paris, evangelizer of part of Essonne and revered ni Longpont-sur-Orge
• Saint Eloi, who lived in Chilly-Mazarin
• Saint Germain of Paris
• Saint William of Bourges, son of Count Baldwin IV of Corbeil
• Saint William of Aebelholt, pastor of Brunoy
• Saint Wulfran of Sens, born in Milly-la-Forêt
• Blessed Nativelle, vicar of Longjumeau
• Blessed René Le Bris, pastor of Bris-sous-Forges
• Saint Spire of Bayeux, whose relics are in Corbeil in the cathedral that bears his name
All Saints of Wales
Augustinian Martyrs of Spain
Four Crowned Martyrs: Saint Castorus, Saint Claudius, Saint Nicostratus, and Saint Simpronian. Skilled stone carvers in the 3rd century quarries. Martyred when they refused to carve an idol of Aesculapius for Diocletian. They were drowned in the River Sava in 305. Patronages – • against fever• cattle• sculptors• stone masons, stonecutters.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War
• BlessedAntolín Pablos Villanueva
• BlessedLaureano Pérez Carrascal
• BlessedManuel Sanz Domínguez
• BlessedMaximino Serrano Sáiz
Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Second Week – Day Twenty Two – 7 November
Second Week
Day 22 of 33
From True Devotion To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Nos. 106-110 Marks of authentic devotion to our Lady
106. First, true devotion to our Lady is interior, that is, it comes from within the mind and the heart and follows from the esteem in which we hold her, the high regard we have for her greatness and the love we bear her.
107. Second, it is trustful, that is to say, it fills us with confidence in the Blessed Virgin, the confidence that a child has for its loving Mother. It prompts us to go to her in every need of body and soul with great simplicity, trust and affection.
108. Third, true devotion to our Lady is holy, that is, it leads us to avoid sin and to imitate the virtues of Mary. Her ten principal virtues are: deep humility, lively faith, blind obedience, unceasing prayer, constant self-denial, surpassing purity, ardent love, heroic patience, angelic kindness and heavenly wisdom.
109. Fourth, true devotion to our Lady is constant. It strengthens us in our desire to do good and prevents us from giving up our devotional practices too easily. It gives us the courage to oppose the fashions and maxims of the world, the vexations and unruly inclinations of the flesh and the temptations of the devil. Thus, a person truly devoted to our Blessed Lady is not changeable, fretful, scrupulous or timid.
110. Fifth, true devotion to Mary is disinterested. It inspires us to seek God alone in His Blessed Mother and not ourselves. The true subject o,f Mary does not serve his illustrious Queen for selfish gain. He does not serve her for temporal or eternal well-being but simply and solely, because she has the right to be served and God alone in her.
Thought for the Day – 7 November – The Memorial of St Willibrord (c 658 – 739) “Apostle to the Frisians”
The king demanded to know why he had violated their sacred places and insulted their god. The herald of truth answered him with steady courage:
“O king, you do not adore God but the devil. He has foully deluded you so that he can thrust your soul into everlasting fire. For there is no God but one. He created sky, earth, sea and everything that is in them. Whoever worships Him with true faith will have life forever. I urge you finally to renounce that foolish delusion of your ancestors, and to believe in the one Almighty God and Our Lord Jesus Christ. I call on you to be baptised in the font of life and wash away all your sins. Then with all wickedness and wrongdoing cast away from you, you may live as a new man in all reasonableness, righteousness and holiness. If you do this you will win an eternal life of glory with God and His saints. But if instead you reject the path of salvation, then be most assured that you will suffer eternal tortures and hellish flames along with the devil to whom you pay court.”
Quote of the Day – 7 November – The Memorial of St Willibrord (c 658 – 739) “Apostle to the Frisians”
“… there is no God but one, who created heaven and earth, the seas and all that is in them and those who worship Him, in true faith, will possess eternal life.”
One Minute Reflection – 7 November – Today’s Gospel: Luke 14:25–33 – Wednesday of the Thirty First week in Ordinary Time, Year B and The Memorial of St Willibrord (c 658 – 739) “Apostle to the Frisians” and Bl Anthony Baldinucci SJ (1665-1717)
So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple...Luke 14:33
REFLECTION – “Francis’ father led this child of his before the bishop. He wanted to have Francis renounce into his hands his family possessions and return everything he had. A true lover of poverty, Francis showed himself eager to comply; he went before the bishop without delaying or hesitating. He did not wait for any words nor did he speak any but immediately took his clothes and gave them back to his father… Drunk with remarkable fervour, he even took off his underwear, stripping himself completely naked before all. He said to his father : “Until now I have called you father here on earth, but now I can say without reservation, ‘Our Father who art in heaven’ (Matt. 6:9), since I have placed all my treasure and all my hope in him.”
When the bishop saw this, he was amazed at such intense fervour in the man of God. He immediately stood up and in tears drew Francis into his arms, covering him with the mantle he was wearing, like the pious and good man that he was. He bade servants give Francis something to cover his body. They brought him a poor, cheap cloak of a farmer who worked for the bishop. Francis accepted it gratefully and with his hand marked a cross on it with a piece of chalk, thus signifying it as the covering of a crucified man and a half-naked beggar. Thus the servant of the Most High King was left naked so that he might follow his naked crucified Lord, whom he loved.”… St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Holy God and Father, You sent your Son to show us the way to our eternal home. Teach us always to understand that by relinquishing the things of this world and focusing our efforts only on following the Light He shines on our path, we may attain the eternal victory. May the prayers of St Willibrord and St Anthony, assist us in carrying our cross after Him. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 7 November – Wednesday of the Thirty First week in Ordinary Time, Year B
Morning Prayer By St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church
High and Holy God,
give me this day a word of truth
to silence the lies, that would devour my soul
and kind encourgements
to strengthen me when I fall.
Gracious One,
I come quietly to Your door
needing to receive from Your hands
the nourishment that gives life.
Amen and Amen
Saint of the Day – 7 November – St Willibrord (c 658 – 739) “Apostle to the Frisians” – Bishop, Missionary – born in c 658 at Northumbria, England and died on 7 November 739 of natural causes, aged 81. Patronages – Convulsion, epilepsy, epileptics, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Archdiocese of Utrecht, Netherlands, Heusden, Belgium, Waalre, Netherlands.
Willibrord was born in Northumberland in c 658 and when twenty years old, went to Ireland, to study under St Egbert. Twelve years later, he felt drawn to convert the great pagan tribes who were hanging as a cloud over the north of Europe, at the request of Pepin of Herstal, Austrasian mayor of the palace, who had nominal sovereignity over that region.
Willibrord travelled to Rome twice. Both of these trips to Rome have historical significance. As Venerable Bede tells us, Willibrord was not the only Anglo-Saxon to travel to Rome. The way in which he described the visit and its purpose is important; unlike all the others, Willibrord was not on the usual pilgrimage to the graves of the apostles Peter and Paul and the martyrs. Rather “he made haste to Rome, where Pope Sergius then presided over the apostolic see, that he might undertake the desired work of preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, with his licence and blessing”. As such he came to the pope not as a pilgrim but specifically as a missionary.
The second time he went to Rome, on 21 November 695, in the Church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, Pope Sergius I gave him a pallium and consecrated him as bishop of the Frisians. He returned to Frisia to preach and establish churches, among them a monastery at Utrecht, where he built his cathedral. Willibrord is counted the first Bishop of Utrecht.
In 698 he established the Abbey of Echternach on the site of a Roman villa in Echternach, which was donated to him by Pepin’s mother-in-law, Irmina of Oeren, the wife of seneschal and Count Palatine Hugobert. After Hugobert died, Irmina founded a Benedictine convent at Horren in Trier. When a plague threatened her community, she gained the help of Willibrord and when the pestilence passed by the convent, she gave Willibrord the lands for his abbey in Echternach.
Pepin of Heristal died in 714. In 716 the pagan Radbod, king of the Frisians, retook possession of Frisia, burning churches and killing many missionaries. Willibrord and his monks were forced to flee. After the death of Radbod in 719, Willibrord returned to resume his work, under the protection of Charles Martel. Winfrid, better known as St Boniface, joined Willibrord and stayed for three years, before travelling on to preach in Frankish territory.
He laboured unceasingly as bishop for more than fifty years, beloved alike of God and of man and died full of days and good works. According to his wish, was buried in Echternach. He was quickly judged to be a saint. Willibrord springs, which skirted his missionary routes, were visited by the people, to solicit the healing of various nervous diseases, especially of children.
Numerous miracles and relics have been attributed to him. On one occasion, the transport of his relics was celebrated thus “the five bishops in full pontificals assisted; engaged in the dance were 2 Swiss guards, 16 standard-bearers, 3,045 singers, 136 priests, 426 musicians, 15,085 dancers, and 2,032 players”. A Dancing Procession continues to be held in Echternach every year on Whit Tuesday and attracts thousands of participants and an equal number of spectators, to honour the memory of a saint who is often called the apostle of the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg). His relics are enshrined at Echternach, Luxembourg and in the Cathedral of Saint Catherine in Utrecht, Netherlands.
St Athenodorus of Neo-Caesarea
St Auctus of Amphipolis
St Baud of Tours
St Blinlivet
St Congar
St Engelbert of Cologne
St Ernest of Mecca
St Florentius of Strasburg
St Gebetrude of Remiremont
St Herculanus of Perugia
St Hesychius of Mytilene
St Hieron of Mytilene
St Hyacinth Castañeda Puchasons
Bl John Duns Scotus
St Lazarus the Stylite
St Nicander of Mytilene
St Peter Ou
St Prosdocimus of Padua
St Prosdocimus of Rieti
St Raverranus of Séez
St Rufus of Metz
St Taurion of Amphipolis
St Thessalonica of Amphipolis
St Tremorus of Brittany
St Vincent Liem
St Vincenzo Grossi
St Willibrord (c 658 – 739) “Apostle to the Frisians”
—
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Alfredo Fanjul Acebal
• Blessed Andrés Francisco Simón Gómez
• Blessed Isabelino Carmona Fernández
• Blessed José Delgado Pérez
• Blessed José Vega Riaño
• Blessed Juan Mendibelzúa Ocerín
• Blessed Manuel Marín Pérez
• Blessed Serviliano Riaño Herrero
• Blessed Vicente Rodríguez Fernández
Thought for the Day – 6 November – The Memorial of St Théophane Vénard (1829-1861) Martyr – “The Original little Flower”
Today, 6 November, the Church celebrates the feast of St Jean Théophane Vénard, a French missionary to Vietnam who was martyred for the faith.
Famous for having inspired St Therese of Lisieux, who said of St Théophane that he was someone who had lived her own image of a martyr and missionary, St Théophane was born in France, became a priest in the Society of Foreign Missions and was sent to Vietnam.
It was during his incarceration that he wrote many letters, some to his family. His most famous line is from a letter to his father in which he said, “We are all flowers planted on this earth, which God plucks in His own good time – some a little sooner, some a little later . . . Father and son, may we meet in Paradise. I, poor little moth, go first. Adieu.”
In reading these letters, St Therese the Little Flower came to understand and use the image of being a little flower, whom God nevertheless cared for and cultivated, despite her minute size.
St Théophane Vénard was beheaded 2 February 1861.
His severed head was later recovered and is preserved as a relic in Vietnam. The rest of his body rests in the crypt of the Missions Etrangères in Paris.
Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Second Week – Day Twenty-one – 6 November
Second Week
Day 21 of 33
From Secret of Mary: Nos. 23-24 True Devotion to Our Blessed Lady
If we would go up to God and be united with Him, we must use the same means He used to come down to us to be made Man and to impart His graces to us. This means is a true devotion to our Blessed Lady.
There are several true devotions to our Lady, here I do not speak of those which are false. The first consists in fulfilling our Christian duties, avoiding mortal sin, acting more out of love than with fear, praying to our Lady now and then, honouring her as the Mother of God, yet without having any special devotion to her.
The second consists in entertaining for our Lady more perfect feelings of esteem and love, of confidence and veneration. It leads us to join the Confraternities of the Holy Rosary and of the Scapular, to recite the five or the fifteen decades of the Holy Rosary, to honour Mary’s images and altars, to publish her praises and to enrol ourselves in her modalities. This devotion is good, holy and praiseworthy if we keep ourselves free from sin. But it is not so perfect as the next, nor so efficient in severing our soul from creatures, in detaching ourselves in order to be united with Jesus Christ.
The third devotion to our Lady, known and practised by very few persons, is this I am about to disclose to you, predestinate soul. It consists in giving one’s self entirely and as a slave to Mary and to Jesus through Mary and after that, to do all that we do, through Mary, with Mary in Mary and for Mary. We should choose a special feast day on which we give, consecrate and sacrifice to Mary voluntarily, lovingly and without constraint, entirely and without reserve – our body and soul, our exterior property such as house, family and income and also our interior and spiritual possessions, namely, our merits, graces, virtues and satisfactions.
Quote/s of the Day – 6 November – The Memorial of St Théophane Vénard (1829-1861) Martyr
“Try to fulfil each day’s task steadily and cheerfully. The life of a true Christian should be a perpetual jubilee, a prelude to the festivals of eternity.”
“Be merry, really merry. The life of a true Christian should be a perpetual joy, a prelude to the festival of eternity.”
“Carry gently the cross of this life, like Jesus did, until the day of the peaceful passing.”
“Courage! God asks of us only our goodwill. His grace does the rest.”
Our Morning Offering – 6 November – Tuesday of the Thirty First week in Ordinary Time, Year B
Give me Yourself, O My God By St Augustine (354-430) Doctor of Grace
Give me Yourself, O my God,
give Yourself to me.
Behold I love You
and if my love is too weak a thing,
grant me to love You more strongly.
I cannot measure my love
to know how much it falls short of being sufficient
but let my soul hasten to Your embrace
and never be turned away,
until it is hidden in the secret shelter
of Your presence.
This only do I know,
that it is not good for me
when You are not with me,
when You are only outside me.
I want You in my very self.
All the plenty in the world
which is not my God is utter want.
Amen
AnaStpaul 
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