Thought for the Day – The Weekdays of Advent, 17 December – Readings: Genesis 49:2, 8-10, Psalm 72:1-4, 7-8, 17, Matthew 1:1-17
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. … Matthew 1:1
The Mystery of our Reconciliation with God
Saint Pope Leo the Great (400-461)
Bishop of Rome, Father and Doctor of the Church
An excerpt from Letter 31
To speak of our Lord, the son of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as true and perfect man, is of no value to us if we do not believe, that He is descended from the line of ancestors set out in the Gospel. Matthew’s gospel begins by setting out the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham, and then traces His human descent by bringing His ancestral line down to His mother’s spouse, Joseph. On the other hand, Luke traces His parentage backward step by step to the actual father of mankind, to show that both the first and the last Adam share the same nature.
No doubt, the Son of God in His omnipotence, could have taught and sanctified men, by appearing to them in a semblance of human form, as He did to the patriarchs and prophets, when for instance He engaged in a wrestling contest or entered into conversation with them, or when He accepted their hospitality and even ate the food they set before Him. But these appearances were only types, signs that mysteriously foretold, the coming of One, who would take a true human nature from the stock of the patriarchs, who had gone before Him.
No mere figure, then, fulfilled the mystery of our reconciliation with God, ordained from all eternity. The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon the Virgin nor had the power of the Most High overshadowed her, so that within her spotless womb Wisdom might build itself a house and the Word become flesh. The divine nature and the nature of a servant, were to be united in one person, so that the Creator of time, might be born in time and He, through whom all things were made, might be brought forth in their midst.
For unless the new man, by being made in the likeness of sinful flesh, had taken on Himself, the nature of our first parents, unless He had stooped to be one in substance with His mother, while sharing the Father’s substance and, being alone free from sin, united our nature to His, the whole human race would still be held captive under the dominion of Satan.
The Conqueror’s victory, would have profited us nothing, if the battle had been fought outside our human condition. But through this wonderful blending, the mystery of new birth shone upon us, so that through the same Spirit by whom Christ was conceived and brought forth, we too might be born again in a spiritual birth and, in consequence, the evangelist declares the faithful to have been born not of blood, nor of the desire of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
“Man’s Maker was made man, that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother’s breast, that the Bread might hunger, the Fountain thirst, the Light sleep, the Way be tired on its journey, that the Truth might be accused of false witness, the Teacher be beaten with whips, the Foundation be suspended on wood, that Strength might grow weak, that the Healer might be wounded, that Life might die.”
St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of the Church
Quote of the Day – 17 December – The Memorial of St John of Matha O.SS.T (1160-1213) – Founder of the Trinitarians
The Trisagion Chaplet
The Order of the Most Holy Trinity for the Redemption of Captives, more commonly known as The Trinatarians, was founded in France by St John de Matha and St Felix of Valois (1127-1212) in 1198.
Meeting of St John and St Felix by Vincenzo Carducci
From the very early stages of the of order, the Trinitarians have used a form of prayer based on the Trisagion (sometimes Trisagium or Triagion, from the Greek “three” + ”holy”).
This is a Byzantine prayer still used in the Divine Liturgy in the Eastern Catholic, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox churches in praise of the Holy Trinity.
It’s simplest form is “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us.”
The Trisagion Chaplet (also called a rosary) has three sets of nine beads each – of course, a rosary can be used too.
When reciting the Trisagion Chaplet, each set begins with the Trisagion: “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us.” and the Pater Noster.
An invocation is said on each of the nine beads – “To you be praise, glory, and thanksgiving forever, blessed Trinity. Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.”
Each set of nine prayers is followed by a Gloria Patri (“Glory be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…”) and the recitation of the chaplet ends with a closing prayer.
Advent Reflection – 17 December – O Wisdom ……. – Readings: Genesis 49:2, 8-10, Psalm 72:1-4, 7-8, 17, Matthew 1:1-17
The Lord is at hand, come let us adore Him.
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. … Matthew 1:1
REFLECTION – “The Incarnation of the Word only contributed to the doing of those things that were done and the mystery of humankind’s salvation was never, even in the remotest age, at a standstill. What the propehts foretold, the apostles announced, nor were those things fulfilled too late, which had always been believed. But the wisdom and goodness of God, made us all the more receptive of His call… as the foretelling of it had been ancient and oft-repeated.
And so it was no new counsel, no tardy pity whereby God took thought for us but from the foundation of the world He ordained one and the same cause of Salvation for all. For the grace of God, by which the whole body of the saints is continually made righteous, was increased, not initiated, when Christ was born. And this mystery of God’s great love, with which the whole world is now filled, was so effectively pre-signified, that those who believed the promise, obtained no less, than those who were the actual recipients.
And so, dearly beloved, since that loving-kindness is now manifest with which all the wealth of divine goodness has been showered on us, whose call to eternal life has been promoted, not only by the supportive example of those who went before us but by the visible and bodily appearance of Truth itself, we are bound to keep the day of our Lord’s nativity with a joy beyond this world… By the illumination of the Holy Spirit consider who it was who received us into Himself and whom we have received, since as the Lord Jesus became our flesh by being born, so we also became His body by being re-born… For God suggested to us the standard of His own gentleness and humility… Let us imitate His humility, then, to whose glory we would wish to be conformed. He Himself will help us and lead us to what He has promised.” … St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) Father and Doctor of the Church – 3rd sermon on the Feast of the Nativity, 4-5
MEDITATION – “Hope marks humanity’s journey but for Christians, it is enlivened by a certainty, the Lord is present in the passage of our lives. He accompanies us and will one day also dry our tears. One day, not far off, everything will find its fulfilment in the Kingdom of God, a kingdom of justice and peace.” … Pope Benedict XVI 2 December 2009
ADVENT ACTION – Let us share the good news, the hope of the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
PRAYER – O WISDOM
You came forth from the mouth of the Most High and reaching from beginning to end, You ordered all things mightily and sweetly. Come and teach us the way of prudence.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel
Loving mother of the Redeemer,
gate of heaven,
star of the sea,
assist your people
who have fallen
yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature
you bore your Creator,
Yet remained a virgin
after as before.
You who received
Gabriel’s joyful greeting,
have pity on us poor sinners.
Marian Antiphon Traditionally Said from Advent to the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
Saint of the Day – 17 December – St Olympias of Constantinople (c 361-365 – 408), childless widow, Diaconess, friend of St John Chrysostom, Apostle of charity and Founder of a Convent, hospital and an orphanage, Defender of the true faith – also known as St Olympias the Younger and St Olympias the Deaconess – born at Constantinople and died in exile on 25 July 408 at Nicomedia following a long illness.
St Olympias is one of the 140 Saints on the Colonnade at St Peter’s
St Olympias was born sometime between 360-365, this pious, charitable and wealthy disciple of St John Chrysostom came from an illustrious family in Constantinople. Her father (called by the sources Secundus or Selencus) was a “Count” of the empire. One of her ancestors, Ablabius, filled the consular office in 331 and was also praetorian prefect of the East.
Her parents died when she was quite young and left her an immense fortune. In either 384 or 385 she married Nebridius, Prefect of Constantinople. St Gregory of Nazianzus, who had left Constantinople in 381, was invited to the wedding but wrote a letter excusing his absence (Ep. cxciii, in P.G., XXXVI, 315) and sent the bride a poem (P.G., loc. cit., 1542 sqq.). Within a short time, Nebridius died and Olympias was left a childless widow. She steadfastly rejected all new proposals of marriage, determining to devote herself to the service of God and to works of charity. Nectarius, Bishop of Constantinople (381-97), consecrated her Deaconess.
On the death of her husband, the emperor had appointed the urban prefect administrator of her property but in 391 (after the war against Maximus) he restored to her the administration of her large fortune. She built beside the principal church of Constantinople a convent, into which three relatives and a large number of maidens withdrew with her to consecrate themselves to the service of God. When St John Chrysostom became Bishop of Constantinople in 398, he acted as spiritual guide of Olympias and her companions and, as many undeserving approached the kind-hearted Deaconess for support, he advised her, as to the proper manner of utilising her vast fortune in the service of the poor (Sozomen, “Hist. eccl.”, VIII, ix; P.G., LXVII, 1540). Olympias resigned herself wholly to Chrysostom’s direction and placed at his disposal ample sums for religious and charitable objects. Even the most distant regions of the empire received her benefactions to churches and the poor.
When St Chrysostom was exiled, at their last interview, Olympias clung to his feet with such desperation that she had to be torn away by force. But, even in his absence, Olympias supported him in every possible way and remained a faithful disciple, refusing to enter into communion with his unlawfully appointed successor. St Chrysostom encouraged and guided her through his letters, of which seventeen are extant (P.G., LII, 549 sq.). These letters are a beautiful memorial of the noble-hearted, spiritual daughter of the great bishop.
Olympias was also exiled and died a few months after Chrysostom on 25 July 408, at Nicomedia. After her death, she was immediately venerated as a saint. A biography dating from the second half of the fifth century, which gives particulars concerning her from the “Historia Lausiaca” of Palladius and from the “Dialogus de vita Joh. Chrysostomi”, proves the great veneration she enjoyed. During he riot of Constantinople in 532, the convent of St Olympias and the adjacent church were destroyed.
Emperor Justinian had it rebuilt and the prioress, Sergia, transferred the remains of the foundress from the ruined church of St Thomas in Brokhthes, where she had been buried. We possess an account of this translation by Sergia herself.
Another Father and Doctor of the Church, St Gregory Nazianzen, called her “the glory of the widows in the Eastern Church”.
St Judicaël
St Lazarus of Bethany
BL Mariano Alarcón Ruiz
Bl Mathilde Téllez Robles
St Maxentiolus
St Modestus of Jerusalem St Olympias of Constantinople (c 361-365 – 408)
Bl Peter of Spain
St Sturmi of Fulda
St Tydecho
St Wivina
St Yolanda
Martyrs of Eleutheropolis – (60+ Martyrs-Beati): Approximately 60 Christian soldiers in the imperial Roman army of emperor Heraclius; they were murdered as a group for their faith by invading Saracen Muslims. We know the names of two of them – Calaoicus and Florian. 638 in Eleutheropolis (Beit Jibrin), Palestine.
Thought for the Day – 16 December – Monday of the Third Week of Advent, Year A, Readings: Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17, Psalm 25:4-9, Matthew 21:23-27
“By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” … Matthew 21:23
He Loved us First
William of Saint Thierry (c 1075-1148)
Abbot
An excerpt from his On the Contemplation of God
Truly You alone are the Lord. Your dominion is our salvation, for to serve You, is nothing else but to be saved by You! O Lord, salvation is Your gift and Your blessing is upon Your people, what else is Your salvation but receiving from You the gift of loving You or being loved by You? That, Lord, is why You willed, that the Son at Your right hand, the man whom You made strong for Yourself, should be called Jesus, that is to say, Saviour, for He will save His people from their sins and, there is no other, in whom there is salvation. He taught us to love Him by first loving us, even to death on the cross. By loving us and holding us so dear, He stirred us to love Him who had first loved us to the end.
And this is clearly the reason – You first loved us so that we might love You—not because You needed our love but because, we could not be what You created us to be, except by loving You.
In many ways and on various occasions You spoke to our fathers through the prophets. Now in these last days You have spoken to us in the Son, Your Word, by Him the heavens were established and all their powers came to be, by the breath of His mouth.
For You to speak thus in Your Son, was to bring out, in the light of day, how much and in what way You loved us, for You did not spare Your own Son but delivered Him up for us all. He also loved us and gave himself up for us.
This, Lord, is Your Word to us, this is Your all-powerful message – while all things were in midnight silence (that is, were in the depths of error), He came from His royal throne, the stern Conqueror of error and the gentle Apostle of love. Everything He did and everything He said on earth, even enduring the insults, the spitting, the buffeting—the cross and the grave—all of this, was actually You speaking to us in Your Son, appealing to us by Your love and stirring up our love for You.
You know that this disposition could not be forced on men’s hearts, my God, since You created them, it must rather be elicited. And this, for the further reason, that there is no freedom, where there is compulsion and where freedom is lacking, so too is Righteousness.
You wanted us to love You, then, we, who could not with justice have been saved, had we not loved You, nor could we have loved You except by Your gift. So, Lord, as the Apostle of Your Love tells us and, as we have already said, You first loved us – You are first to love all those who love You.
Thus we hold You dear by the affection You have implanted in us. You are the one supremely good and ultimate goodness. Your love is Your goodness, the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son! From the beginning of creation it was He who hovered over the waters—that is, over the wavering minds of men, offering Himself to all, drawing all things to Himself. By His inspiration and holy breath, by keeping us from harm and providing for our needs, He unites God to us and us to God.
William of Saint Thierry (c 1075-1148), was a twelfth century French Benedictine Abbot of Saint-Thierry, theologian and mystic who became a Cistercian monk and writer. William wrote throughout all of his abbatial career as a Benedictine and his final years as a Cistercian monk. His earliest works reflect a monk seeking God continually and investigating, the various and best ways of furthering the soul’s ascent to God in spiritual union, William’s ultimate goal. When read chronologically, one can discern the development and evolution of William’s thought. Besides his letters to St Bernard and others, William wrote several works – there were twenty two works by William (twenty one extant), all written in Latin between c 1121 and 1148. William’s writings were widely read in the later Middle Ages. However, they were frequently attributed to St Bernard of Clairvaux – a sign of their quality and also another reason for their continued popularity. Only in the early twentieth century, did interest in William as a distinct writer, begin to develop again and was his name correctly attached to all of his own writings.
“At this Christmas, when Christ comes, will He find a warm heart? Mark the season of Advent, by loving and serving others, with God’s own love and concern.”
St Mother Teresa (1910-1997) (Love-A Fruit Always in Season)
Quote of the Day – 16 December – The Memorial of Blessed Mary of the Angels Fontanella OCD (1661-1717) “The Fragrant Rose of Turin”
“When you commit some infidelity, do not be anxious but with humility and confidence, immediately turn to the Lord. Do not flee from the Offended but embrace Him as a lover and ask for forgiveness.”
Advent Reflection – 16 December – Monday of the Third Week of Advent, Year A, Readings: Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17, Psalm 25:4-9, Matthew 21:23-27
“The Lord is at hand, come, let us adore him.”
“We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” … Matthew 21:27
REFLECTION – “In truth, brethren, what God promised seemed humanly unbelievable, that starting from this mortal state in which people are corruptible, despicable, weak, dust and ashes, they would become equal to God’s angels! That is why God wasn’t satisfied with making a scriptural covenant for them, to believe but put forward a mediator as proof of His faith – no prince, no angel or archangel but His only Son. In this way, He would point out and bestow through His own Son, the way by which He would lead us to the end promised to us. Yet for God it was too small a thing that His Son should show us the way, He made of Him the Way (cf. Jn 14:6), the Way by which you would go under His direction, the Way you would follow…
How far we were from Him! He who is so high and we so low! We were sick, with no hope of healing. A doctor was sent but the patient did not recognise Him, “for if they had known him they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1Cor 2:8). But the death of the doctor has been the cure of the patient, the doctor came to visit him and died to heal him. He made those who believed in Him understand He was God and man, God who created us, man who recreated us. The one was visible in Him, the other hidden and that which was hidden, far exceeded what was seen… The patient has been healed by what was visible, that later he might be able to see in full. God postponed this final vision by concealing it, He did not refuse it.” … St Augustine (354-430) Doctor of Grace – Discourses on the Psalms, Ps 110[109]
MEDITATION – “Now is the time to say to Jesus: “Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned Your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with You. I need you. Save me once again, Lord, take me once more into Your redeeming embrace”. … Pope Francis – The Joy of the Gospel
ADVENT ACTION – Let us go to Confession! Lead your family to the door of God’s love and mercy.
PRAYER – “My beloved Redeemer, how much did it cost You to raise me from the ruin, which I brought on myself through my sins? What can I do without Your grace? I can do nothing but pray that You will help me but even this prayer comes from the merits of Your suffering and death! O my Jesus, help me!” … St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most zealous Doctor
Our Morning Offering – 16 December – Monday of the Third week of Advent, Year A
Nunc, Sancte, nobis Spiritus By St Ambrose (340-397) Come, Holy Ghost, Who ever One Trans St John Henry Newman (1801-1890) Trans 1836
Come, Holy Ghost, Who ever One
Art with the Father and the Son.
Come, Holy Ghost, our souls possess
With Thy full flood of holiness.
In will and deed, by heart and tongue,
With all our powers, Thy praise be sung.
And love light up our mortal frame,
Till others catch the living flame.
Almighty Father, hear our cry
Through Jesus Christ our Lord most high,
Who with the Holy Ghost and Thee
Doth live and reign eternally
Come, Holy Ghost, Who Ever One is a translation from the original latin by St John Henry Newman of Nunc Sancte nobis Spiritus by St Ambrose (340-397). It was first published in Tracts for the Times (1836). It is included in the Latin Breviary as the hymn sung during Terce, for it was at the 3rd hour (9AM) that the Holy Spirit defended upon the Apostles at Pentecost.
Saint of the Day – 16 December – Blessed Mary of the Angels Fontanella OCD (1661-1717) “The Fragrant Rose of Turin,” Discalced Carmelite, Mystic, Stigmatist, Marian devotee and client of St Joseph, Prioress, Spiritual director – born as Marianna Fontanella on 7 January 1661 at Balderino, Italy and died on 16 December 1717 of natural causes at Turin, Iraly. Also known as Maria degli Angeli, Maria Fontanella of the Angels. Bl Mary studied with the Cistercians as a child and entered the Discalced Carmelites despite the protests of her mother and siblings – she soon became a noted abbess and prioress and in 1703 inaugurated a new convent she herself oversaw the establishment of and later, instigated the building of a beautiful Basilica in honour of the Blessed Virgin.
Marianna Fontanella came into the world on January 7, 1661. She was the youngest of 11 children born to Count Giovanni of Turin and his wife, Lady Maria Tana. The mother had among her close relatives, the mother of St Aloysius de Gonzaga SJ (1568-1591), a youthful aristocrat who renounced a life of privilege to become a holy Jesuit. The fact that there was an official Saint counted among her kin was undoubtedly a source of pride for the family but it wasn’t enough to impress Marianna to want to become one too. It was related that this Blessed initially lived her early years in a manner typical of her high social status – she was well-educated, pampered and exposed to all sorts of social niceties and assemblies … and she enjoyed it all, especially the fancy outfits and the dances.
However, on one particular day, while still a young child, she sat in front of a mirror admiring herself when her own reflection vanished to be replaced by a vision – Christ appeared in the mirror, sadly staring back at her, battered and crowned with thorns. The experience so shocked Marianna that it had the immediate effect of a lasting conversion. From that moment on she shunned her elaborate wardrobe and jewellery and began exercising a devout mode of living despite her tender age. In 1667 she schemed with a little brother to imitate the saints and to run off to live “in the desert” though, at the time they were meant to begin this journey, the two were so fast asleep that their plan was spoiled.
Due to her familial relationship with him, she adopted Saint Luigi Gonzaga as a model for personal holiness and made an effort to imitate the late saint’s example. In 1673 as a 12-year-old, Marianna accompanied one of her sisters to the Cistercian Monastery in Saluzzo where the latter was entering into religious life. Somehow, Marianna was able to persuade her parents to allow her to board with the nuns and she remained with them for over a year until her mother recalled her home due to the unexpected death of her father. Back at the family villa, she resisted her family’s efforts to marry her off and she practised a regimen of prayer and self-mortification. Apparently, while with the Cistercians, an earlier resolve she made to become a nun had strengthened but she was undecided as to which order to join.
After providentially meeting and speaking with a venerable Carmelite priest during one of the rare public exhibitions of the Holy Shroud of Turin, Marianna applied with the local Discalced Carmelite Monastery of Santa Cristina. Lady Maria reluctantly consented when it became clear that her daughter could not be dissuaded, so Marianna made her entrance into Carmel on 19 November 1675, she was 14-years-old and took the name Maria of the Angels.
The first year in the monastery was not easy for the aspiring nun. The sweetness of spirit and the divine favours she had started to enjoy before entering, evaporated, leaving Sr Maria with a terrible dryness in her soul. She clung desperately to her faith and, guided by a meticulous novice mistress, she managed to reach profession on 26 December 1676… but the sense of separation from God – the “dark night of the soul” – continued to torment her for the next 15 years. The devil aggravated the situation, via severe temptations and diabolic assaults.
Fortunately, the beleagured nun weathered her personal storm through the consistent practice of virtue, especially humility and obedience towards her superiors. All that she suffered, served to purify her spirit, as Jesus was leading her on a singular path of extraordinary mystical union with Himself, as was proven later on.
By 1691 Sr Maria was finally free of the darkness and began experiencing supernatural lights with greater intensity. Sublime visions of Christ and heavenly inhabitants resumed, along with other mystical gifts such as Prophecy, the Stigmata and the Fragrance of Sanctity. It was reported that the beautiful scent that constantly surrounded her was so obvious, that the other nuns could track her whereabouts by following the aroma she left in her wake. The Blessed, on her part, took to carrying small bundles of flowers and spices to try to disguise the heavenly scent but to no avail – it increased on feast days and during times when she was ill and unable to take precautions, to disguise the fragrance. Even things she handled, were imbued with the delightful scent!
Noting her many virtues and fine example of Carmelite spirituality, the community elected Sr Maria to the post of novice mistress in 1691 then prioress in 1694. Word soon spread outside of the monastery about the extraordinary prioress and people began seeking her counsel and prayers, including the reigning king of the region, Vittorio Amadeo II of the royal house of Savoy and other members of the nobility. Vocations to the Carmel of St Cristina increased, which necessitated the founding of another monastery in nearby Moncalieri in 1703, with the encouragement from Blessed Sebastian Valfrè CO (1629-1710). Sr Maria had hoped to transfer there, to be away from the centre of the limelight but the king explicitly forbade her to ever leave Turin, due to his dependence on her advice and his devotion to her.
A depiction of Bl Maria of the Angels interceding with Christ to spare Turin from a chastisement of the dreaded plague.
Public esteem for the prioress reached a pinnacle in 1696 when the city was besieged by an invading army. She publicly announced that the city would be saved if people turned to St Joseph, for help, which they did. Turin was liberated and, in gratitude, St Joseph was proclaimed the Patron Saint of the city by the king. Similarly, in 1706 when the French besieged the city, the citizens and royals turned to the intercession of their resident mystic – the nun invoked the Holy Virgin’s protection and the city’s army was again victorious. At Sr Mary’s urging, a church – the great Basilica of the Superga (Superga is a Hill in Turin) – was built to commemorate the victory and to honour Our Lady.
The beautiful Basilica of the Superga in Turin, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, and constructed under the prompting of Bl Maria of the Angels. Below is a window of Bl Maria in the Basilica.
Sr Maria of the Angels died peacefully in her monastery on 16 December 1717, after living a productive life of prayer, self-sacrifice and service to her beloved people. She was 56-years-old at the time of her death and all of Turin mourned the passing of she, who had saved them from wars and even a plague in 1714.
At the instigation of King Vittorio, the holy nun’s Cause for Canonisation was started just a few years after the death of Sr Maria. Pope Pius IX declared her a Blessed on 25 April 1865 but a second miracle has yet to be officially recognised for the prioress to reach sainthood. Let us pray for her speedy Canonisation.
St Adelard of Cysoing
St Ado of Vienne
Bl Adolphus of Tunis
Bl Arnaldo of Tunis
St Albina of Caesarea
St Ananias
St Azarias
St Bean of Lough Derg
St Beoc
Bl Clemente Marchisio
St Dominic Dosso
Bl Elizabeth of Saint Francis
Bl Filip Siphong Onphithakt
St Irenion
Bl James of Tunis
Bl Jaume Mases Boncompte
St Jean Wauthier
St Macarius of Collesano Blessed Mary of the Angels Fontanella OCD (1661-1717)
St Misael
St Nicholas Chrysoberges
Bl Raynald de Bar Bl Sebastian Maggi OP (1414–1496) Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2018/12/16/saint-of-the-day-16-december-blessed-sebastian-maggi-op-1414-1496/
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Martyred Women of North-West Africa: A large group of women martyred in the persecutions of Hunneric, Arian King of the Vandals. 482 in North-West Africa.
Martyrs of Ravenna – (4 saints): A group of Christians martyred together. Four names and no other information has survived – Agricola, Concordius, Navalis and Valentine. c 305 at Ravenna, Italy.
Thought for the Day – 15 December – Third Sunday of Advent, Year A, Gaudete Sunday – Readings: Isaiah 35:1-6, 10, Psalm 146:6-10, James 5:7-10, Matthew 11:2-11
The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness
Saint Augustine (354-430)
Bishop and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church An excerpt from his Sermon 293
…John is born of a woman too old for childbirth, Christ was born of a youthful virgin. The news of John’s birth was met with incredulity and his father was struck dumb. Christ’s birth was believed and He was conceived through faith.
Such is the topic, as I have presented it, for our inquiry and discussion. But as I said before, if I lack either the time or the ability to study the implications of so profound a mystery, He who speaks within you, even when I am not here, will teach you better, it is He whom you contemplate with devotion, whom you have welcomed into your hearts, whose temples you have become.
John, then, appears as the boundary between the two testaments, the old and the new. That he is a sort of boundary the Lord himself bears witness, when He speaks of the law and the prophets up until John the Baptist. Thus He represents times past and is the herald of the new era to come. As a representative of the past, he is born of aged parents, as herald of the new, he is declared to be a prophet while still in his mother’s womb. For when yet unborn, he leapt in his mother’s womb at the arrival of blessed Mary. In that womb, he had already been designated a prophet, even before he was born, it was revealed that he was to be Christ’s precursor, before they ever saw one another. These are divine happenings, going beyond the limits of our human frailty. Eventually he is born, he receives his name, his father’s tongue is loosened. See how these events reflect reality.
Zechariah is silent and loses his voice until John, the precursor of the Lord, is born and restores his voice. The silence of Zechariah is nothing but the age of prophecy lying hidden, obscured, as it were and concealed before the preaching of Christ. At John’s arrival, it becomes clear, when the one who was being prophesied is about to come. The release of Zechariah’s voice at the birth of John is a parallel to the rending of the veil at Christ’s crucifixion. If John were announcing his own coming, Zechariah’s lips would not have been opened. The tongue is loosened because a voice is born. For when John was preaching the Lord’s coming he was asked – Who are you? And he replied – I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. The voice is John but the Lord in the beginning was the Word. John was a voice that lasted only for a time, Christ, the Word in the beginning, is eternal.
Rejoice, O star that goes before the Sun. Rejoice, O womb of the Incarnate God. Rejoice, for through you, all creation is renewed, Rejoice, for through you, the Creator became a baby. Rejoice, O Virgin and Bride!
Akathist Hymn to Mary (c Fifth Century)
“Open wide your door to the One who comes. Open your soul, throw open the depths of your heart to see the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace, the sweetness of grace. Open your heart and run to meet the Sun of eternal light that illuminates all men.”
St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church
“Awake, you who lie in the dust, awake and give praise. Behold, the Lord comes with salvation. He comes with salvation, He comes with unction, He comes with glory. Jesus cannot come without salvation, Christ cannot come without unction, nor the Son of God without glory. For He Himself is salvation, He is unction, He is glory, as it is written, ‘A wise son is the glory of his father.'”
Advent Reflection – 15 December – Gaudete Sunday – Readings: Isaiah 35:1-6, 10, Psalm 146:6-10, James 5:7-10, Matthew 11:2-11
The Lord is at hand, come let us adore Him.
“Are you he who is to come…” … Matthew 11:3
REFLECTION – “It is part of the Baptist’s approaching witness-to-death, that, even in prison, he must put up with the darkness God has given him. He had expected a mighty One who would baptise with Spirit and fire. And now there appears in the Gospel, this gentle One, who “will not quench a smouldering wick” (Is 42:3). Jesus calms John’s disquie, by showing him that the prophecy is being fulfilled in Himself, in gentle miracles that still call for trusting faith: “Blessed is the man who finds no stumblimg block in me.” Perhaps the darkness that burdens John as a witness to Christ, is the very reason why Jesus praises him to the crowd – he really is what he understood himself to be – the messenger sent in advance of Jesus to prepare the way. John referred to himself as a mere voice in the wilderness, ringing out the marvel of the coming One.
The least among those belonging to the coming Kingdom is greater than John, who assessed himself as belong to the Old Covenant, yet, as “friend of the Bridegroom” he is showered with the light of new grace, as he humbly makes way for Christ.
On icons, he joins Mary the Mother, who also comes from the Old Covenant, yet steps across into the New Covenant, the two of them at the right and left hand, of the world’s Judge!” … Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988) Theologian
MEDIATION – “I speak out in order to lead Him into your hearts but He does not choose to come where I lead Him, unless you prepare the way for Him.”
To prepare the way means to pray well – it means thinking humbly of oneself. We should take our lesson from John the Baptist. He is thought to be the Christ, he declares he is not what they think. He does not take advantage of their mistake to further his own glory.” … St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church
ADVENT ACTION – We begin this third week of Advent asking to feel the joy that comes from knowing our Lord’s coming to us is near.
In these precious days ahead, we are praying, longing, hoping in the background of our everyday lives.
His mission is to the poor, the brokenhearted, prisoners and captives. His mission is for us. It is “good news,” full of healing, liberty and release. We can smile today as we imagine the freedom He has won for us and how liberating it will be to live it, with Him, for others.
It is right to give our God thanks and praise and to follow His mission in our lives.
Jesus will come again, very soon!
PRAYER – O infinite God and only love of my soul,
I thank You, for having given me Your Son.
For the sake of this same Son,
accept me and bind me with chains of love
to my Redeemer. Amen … St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
“The very Son of God, older than the ages, the invisible, the incomprehensible, the incorporeal, the beginning of beginning, the light of light, the fountain of life and immortality, the image of the archetype, the immovable seal, the perfect likeness, the definition and word of the Father: He it is who comes to His own image and takes our nature for the good of our nature and unites Himself to an intelligent soul for the good of my soul, to purify like by like.”
Our Morning Offering – 15 December – Gaudete Sunday
Let Your goodness, Lord, Appear to Us An Advent Prayer By St Bernard (1090-1153)
Let Your goodness, Lord,
appear to us,
that we, made in Your image,
conform ourselves to it.
In our own strength
we cannot imitate
Your majesty, power and wonder,
nor is it fitting for us to try.
But Your mercy reaches from the heavens
through the clouds to the earth below.
You have come to us as a small child
but You have brought us
the greatest of all gifts,
the gift of eternal love.
Caress us with Your tiny hands,
embrace us with Your tiny arms
and pierce our hearts
with Your soft, sweet cries.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 15 December – Blessed Maria Vittoria De Fornari Strata (1562–1617) Widow, Nun, Foundress of the Order of the Annunciation – or Blue Nuns, of which she is the Patron. Born in 1562 at Genoa, Italy as Victoria De Fornari and died on 15 December 1617 of natural causes.
Blessed Maria Vittoria was married for just under a decade and decided not to find another spouse after having a vision of the Madonna who instructed her to lead a chaste life of motherhood. The widow decided to found an order not long after this based on the Carmelite charism.
Maria Vittoria De Fornari was born in 1562 in Genoa as the seventh of nine children to Girolamo Fornari and Barbara Veneroso. When seventeen she desired to enter the convent but out of respect for her father’s wishes she married Angelo Strata.
It was a happy marriage. Angelo encouraged his wife in her charitable works and defended her against those who said she should take more part in social events. Maria Vittoria bore him six children, four boys and two girls – Angela, Barbara, Giuseppe, Leonardo, Alessandro, Angelo (1587–97). Unfortunately, Signor Strata died after only nine years of married life. Their eldest daughter Angela became a member of the Canons Regular of the Lateran – as did Barbara not long after – while Giuseppe entered the Minims – OM [the Mendicant Order founded by St Francis of Paola (1416–1507)] with Leonardo and Alessandro following him.
His death was traumatic to Vittoria. She worried that she could not raise so large a family alone. When a local nobleman asked her to marry him, she thought at first that it might be wise to accept, for the sake of her boys and girls. But then she had a vision of Mary (which she wrote up at the request of her confessor) in which Our Lady told her, “My child Vittoria, be brave and confident, for it is my wish to take both the mother and the children under my protection. I will care for your household. Live quietly and without worrying. All I ask is that you trust yourself to me and henceforth devote yourself to the love of God above all things.”
Mary’s words settled Vittoria’s mind completely. She took a vow of chastity and lived in retirement, giving all her time to prayer, the care of her family and the needs of the poor.
When eventually her children were raised (five of the six entered religious orders), Signora Strata revealed to the archbishop of Genoa a proposal that she had long been considering. It was to found a strict new religious order of contemplative nuns. Dedicated to Mary’s Annunciation, the sisters would imitate her hidden life at Nazareth, devoting themselves to prayer and making vestments and altar linens for poor churches. Each member would add the names “Maria Annunziata” to her baptismal name. The archbishop first had his doubts, since the money necessary to make the foundation was not available. However, when a benefactor named Vincent Lomellini offered to purchase a convent for the widow, the prelate gave his permission. Pope Clement VIII approved the order’s constitutions in 1604 and Maria Vittoria and ten companions made their solemn vows in the late summer of 1605.
Early difficulties threatened the project but Our Lady kept the movement going. A second house was established in Italy in 1612. Others followed in Burgundy, France and Germany. Each house was independent. Today there are only three houses and 44 nuns. To distinguish them from the order of the Annunciation established by St Joan of Valois, the Strata “Annunziate” are called “Le Turchine”, i.e. the “Turquoise Annunziate”, or “Blue Nuns” because of their sky-blue scapulars and cloaks.
She served as superior from the order’s founding until ill health saw her not re-elected in 1611 which she accepted with grace and tact. Her order received pontifical approval from Pope Paul V on 6 August 1613.
Blessed Maria Vittoria died on 15 December 1617 due to lung disease after having predicted the date of her own death. She is interred in Genoa.
Many widows like Maria Vittoria have had “second vocations” of this sort, entering religious orders after the death of their husbands. St Elizabeth Seton, foundress of the American Sisters of Charity, was, of course, a memorable example. Cloistered, contemplative orders are perhaps even more attractive to widows who are a little older.
The Beatification cause started under Pope Benedict XIV on 10 September 1746 and the late religious was titled as a Servant of God, while Pope Clement XIII confirmed her heroic virtue and named her as Venerable on 1 April 1759. Pope Leo XII later approved two miracles attributed to her intercession, on 1 April 1828 and later Beatified her in Saint Peter’s Basilica on 21 September 1828. Below is the Altar of her Relics, with Reverend Mother Maria Angela Borsa, Prioress of the Venerable Monastery of the Most Holy Annunciation and Incarnation in Genoa, Italy, before the relics of the Holy Foundress, Bl Maria Vittoria.
‘Vittoria Who Overcame the World’, is a play on the words of Holy Scripture, often seen in pictures of the Blessed: “For whatsoever is born of God, overcomes the world and this is the victory which overcomes the world, our faith.” [1 John 5,4] It is uplifting to see her spiritual daughters continuing to overcome the spirit of the world, the flesh and the devil.
The altar of Our Lady of Protection, a devotion particular to the order.
Martyrs of Drina – (5 beati): Also known as
• Daughters of Divine Charity of Drina
• Drina Martyrs
Five members of the Daughters of Divine Charity who were martyred while fighting off Chetnik rapists. They were –
Jozefa Bojanc
Jozefa Fabjan
Karoline Anna Leidenix
Kata Ivanisevic
Terezija Banja
Their martyrdom occured in December 1941 in Gorazde, Bosansko-Podrinjski, Bosnia-Herzegovina
They were Beatified on 24 September 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI.
Martyrs of North Africa – (7 saints): A group of Christians martyred together for their faith in North Africa. The only details about them that survive are their names – Caelian, Candidus, Faustinus, Fortunatus, Januarius, Lucius and Mark.
Martyrs of Rome – (22 saints): A group of 22 Christians martyred together in the persecutions of Valerian. The only details we have are five of their names – Antonius, Irenaeus, Saturnin, Theodorus and Victor. c 258 in Rome, Italy.
Second Thought for the Day – 14 December – Saturday of the Second week of Advent, Year A, the Memorial of St Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609) and a Marian Saturday
The Ave Maris Stella (“Hail Star of the Sea”) is a plainsong Vespers hymn to Mary. It was especially popular in the Middle Ages and has been used by many composers as the basis of other compositions. The creation of the original hymn has been attributed to several people, including Saint Venantius Fortunatus (6th century) Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (12th century) and Hermannus Contractus (11th century).
The text is found in 9th-century manuscripts, kept in Vienna and in the Abbey of Saint Gall.
The melody is found in the Irish plainsong “Gabhaim Molta Bríde”, a piece in praise of St Bridget of Ireland. There are many translations of this most beautiful and favourite Catholic prayer, the one below is found in The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Ave Maris Stella
Hail, O Star of the ocean,
God’s own Mother blest,
ever sinless Virgin,
gate of heav’nly rest.
Taking that sweet Ave,
which from Gabriel came,
peace confirm within us,
changing Eve’s name.
Break the sinners’ fetters,
make our blindness day,
Chase all evils from us,
for all blessings pray.
Show thyself a Mother,
may the Word divine
born for us thine Infant
hear our prayers through thine.
Virgin all excelling,
mildest of the mild,
free from guilt preserve us
meek and undefiled.
Keep our life all spotless,
make our way secure
till we find in Jesus,
joy for evermore.
Praise to God the Father,
honour to the Son,
in the Holy Spirit,
be the glory one.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 14 December – The Memorial of St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
The Knowledge of the Mystery Hidden in Christ Jesus
Saint John of the Cross
An excerpt from his Spiritual Canticle
Though holy doctors have uncovered many mysteries and wonders and devout souls have understood them, in this earthly condition of ours, yet the greater part, still remains, to be unfolded by them and even to be understood by them.
We must then dig deeply in Christ. He is like a rich mine with many pockets containing treasure – however deep we dig we will never find their end or their limit. Indeed, in every pocket new seams of fresh riches are discovered on all sides.
For this reason the apostle Paul said of Christ – in him are hidden all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God. The soul cannot enter into these treasures, nor attain them, unless it first crosses into and enters the thicket of suffering, enduring interior and exterior labours and unless it first receives from God very many blessings in the intellect and in the senses and has undergone long spiritual training.
All these are lesser things, disposing the soul for the lofty sanctuary of the knowledge of the mysteries of Christ – this is the highest wisdom attainable in this life.
Would that men might come at last to see that it is quite impossible to reach the thicket of the riches and wisdom of God except by first entering the thicket of much suffering, in such a way that the soul finds there its consolation and desire. The soul that longs for divine wisdom chooses first and in truth, to enter the thicket of the Cross.
Saint Paul therefore urges the Ephesians not to grow weary in the midst of tribulations but to be steadfast and rooted and grounded in love, so that they may know with all the saints the breadth, the length, the height and the depth—to know what is beyond knowledge, the love of Christ, so as to be filled with all the fullness of God.
The gate that gives entry into these riches of His wisdom is the Cross, because it is a narrow gate, while many seek the joys that can be gained through it, it is given to few to desire to pass through it.
Quote/s of the Day – 14 December – The Memorial of St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
“Silence is God’s first language.”
“Most holy Mary, Virgin of virgins, shrine of the most Holy Trinity, joy of the angels, sure refuge of sinners, take pity on our sorrows, mercifully accept our sighs and appease the wrath of your most holy Son. Amen”
“O blessed Jesus, give me stillness of soul in You. Let Your mighty calmness reign in me. Rule me, O King of Gentleness, King of Peace.”
“The road is narrow. He who wishes to travel it more easily must cast off all things and use the cross as his cane. In other words, he must be truly resolved to suffer willingly for the love of God in all things.”
“Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified and be silent!”
‘Song of the soul that is glad to know God by faith’
How well I know that fountain’s rushing flow Although by night
Its deathless spring is hidden. Even so Full well I guess from whence its source flow Though it be night.
Its origin (since it has none) none knows: But that all origin from it arose Although by night.
I know there is no other thing so fair And earth and heaven drink refreshment there Although by night.
Full well I know the depth no man can sound And that no ford to cross it can be found Though it be night
Its clarity unclouded still shall be: Out of it comes the light by which we see Though it be night.
Flush with its banks the stream so proudly swells; I know it waters nations, heavens, and hells Though it be night.
The current that is nourished by this source I know to be omnipotent in force Although by night.
(Translated by Roy Campbell)
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
Advent Reflection – 14 December – Saturday of the Second week of Advent, Year A, Readings: Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11, Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19, Matthew 17:10-13 and the Memorial of St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
Let us adore the Lord, the king who is to come.
“… but I tell you that Elijah has already come and they did not recognise him but did to him, whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands…” … Matthew 17:12
REFLECTION – “God fixed a time for His promises and a time for fulfilling what he had promised. The period of His promises was from the time of the prophets, up to John the Baptist and the period for fulfilling what He had promised is from John and henceforward, to the end. God is faithful, He made Himself our debtor, not by accepting anything from us but by promising us such great blessings. The promise was not enough, He even chose to be bound by writing, creating for us a kind of bond for His promises, so that, when He began to fulfil His promises, we might contemplate in scripture, the order of their accomplishment. The period of prophecy, therefore, as we have before now frequently said, was the announcement of the promises.
He promised everlasting salvation and an unending life of blessedness with the angels, an unfading inheritance (1Pt 1:4), everlasting glory, His own dear face, His sanctuary in heaven and, by the resurrection of the dead, no further fear of death. This is, as it were, His final promise, towards which all our endeavours tend and after we have received it, we shall seek nothing more, demand nothing more.
Nor has He passed over in silence in His promises and prophecies, how that final state will be reached. He promised us the divine nature, to mortals, immortality, to sinners, justification, to castaways, a state of glory.” … St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church
MEDIATION – “In giving us His Son, His only Word,
He spoke everything to us at once
in this sole Word – and He has no more to say…
because what He spoke before to the prophets in parts,
He has now spoken all at once by giving us
the ALL Who is His Son.” … St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
ADVENT ACTION – He gave us His ALL, perhaps today, we can give Him ourselves. May we be free of earthly things, just for today. Restore us, O God, let thy face shine, that we may be saved! Psalm 80:3
PRAYER – “O blessed Jesus, give me stillness of soul in You.
Let Your mighty calmness reign in me. Rule me, O King of Gentleness,
King of Peace.” … St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Our Morning Offering – 14 December – Saturday of the Second week of Advent, Year A, the Memorial of St Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609) and a Marian Saturday
The God whom earth and sea and sky For Mary, The Mother of God For the Annunciation and Christmas By St Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609)
The God whom earth and sea and sky
Adore and praise and magnify,
Whose might they claim, whose love they tell,
In Mary’s body comes to dwell.
O Mother blest! the chosen shrine
Wherein the architect divine,
Whose hand contains the earth and sky,
Has come in human form to lie.
Blest in the message Gabriel brought,
Blest in the work the Spirit wrought,
Most blest, to bring to human birth
The long desired of all the earth.
O Lord, the Virgin-born, to you
Eternal praise and laud are due,
Whom with the Father we adore
And Spirit blest for evermore.
Saint of the Day – 14 December – Saint Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609) Bishop, Poet, Hymnist, Writer – born c 530 at Rreviso, Italy and died c 609 at Poitiers, modern France of natural causes.
Today’s saint was unique, first a travelling lay poet, he later became a Priest and then a Bishop. But he always remained a professional author of poetry, a “troubadour” of Christ.
His impressive full name was Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus. Born near Treviso in northern Italy, he received a good education in literature and law.
While studying at Ravenna, he was cured of an eye ailment by the intercession of St Martin of Tours. To express his gratitude to the Gallic saint, he set out for France, intent on a thanksgiving visit to St Martin’s tomb. He did not take the shortest route, however. He went to Mainz, Cologne, Trier and Metz in Germany, then crossed into Gaul (France) and visited Verdun, Rheims, Soissons and Paris before he reached his destination. We know all this, because, we have the poetry he wrote for benefactors in each of these places. Thus he earned his fare.
After Venantius had thanked the Saint of Tours, he went over to Poitiers, also in France and became attached to the Monastery of the Holy Cross at that place. He had been attracted by the work that St Radegund was doing at Poitiers.
Radegund was the daughter of the King of Thuringia. King Clotaire of the Franks had captured her and forced her to marry him. Escaping from her husband, the unwilling queen had taken the veil at Poitiers and founded Holy Cross Abbey. She chose her adopted daughter Agnes as abbess. Venantius, who had a great sensitivity to women in need, volunteered to serve this monastery as its unofficial steward. Later, he entered the priesthood and became the monastery’s chaplain. His “mother” (as he called St Radegund) and his “sister” (as he called Abbess Agnes) were a good and gracious influence on him.
It was in 569, while Venantius was serving Holy Cross Abbey, that the Emperor Justin II sent to Queen Radegund a generous relic of the true Cross of Jesus. King Sigebert of Gaul arranged for a splendid ceremony to welcome this relic. Venantius composed the hymn Vexilla Regis, (“The royal banners forward go.”) One of the greatest of the medieval hymns, it continued to be chanted at the rites of Good Friday until the 1960s.
When St Radegund died in 587, Fortunatus was freer to travel about. Wherever he went, he was still prevailed on to write new poems. From 599 to 609 he was also bishop of Poitiers. As such, he was a close associate of three other notable bishops – Saints Felix of Nantes, Leontius of Bordeaux and Gregory of Tours. St Gregory urged him to collect and publish his poetical works. He did so and it amounted to ten fat volumes. More volumes were added after his death.
He had written cheerfully for every sort of celebration. Some of his poems were complimentary, some were lives of the saints but the most durable were his devotional works. Another of these was sung, like the Vexilla Regis, in the Good Friday liturgy: “Pange lingua gloriosi lauream certaminis” (“Sing, my tongue, the Saviour’s glory”). A third is still used (in translation) for Easter – Salve festa dies (“Hail thee, festival day”). St Venantius also wrote hymns to Mary – “Quem terra, fontes, aethera” (“To God whom earth and sea and sky”) and perhaps even the popular “Ave Maris Stella” (“Hail, bright star of ocean”).
Fortunatus wrote panegyrics and other types of poems, including praise, eulogies, personal poems to bishops and friends alike, consolations and poems in support of political issues, particularly those presented by his friends Gregory of Tours and Radegunde. His eleven books of poetry contain his surviving poems, all ordered chronologically and by importance of subject. For instance, a poem about God will come before the panegyric to a king, which will come before a eulogy to aBishop. This collection of poems is the main primary source for writing about his life.
Venantius died with a reputation for genial holiness. Although he has never been listed as a saint in the official Roman Martyrology, he was honoured as such even during his lifetime and now, in several French and Italian dioceses, great feasts are still held in his honour. As a poet, his devotional verge can show a depth of poetic piety. Thus, in addressing the Cross in his Vexilla Regis, he sings touchingly – (I took the liberty of making an image of this beautiful verse on the Salvidor Dali rendition of “Christ of St John of the Cross” based on St John’s drawing and on his Feast day today).
“On whose dear arms, so widely flung, The weight of this world’s ransom hung, The price of humankind to pay And spoil the spoiler of his prey All hail, O Cross, our only hope!”
In his time, Fortunatus filled a great social desire for Latin poetry . He was one of the most prominent poets at this point and had many contracts, commissions and correspondences with kings, bishops and noblemen and women from the time he arrived in Gaul until his death. He used his poetry to advance in society, to promote political ideas he supported, usually conceived of by Radegunde or by Gregory and, to pass on personal thoughts and communications. He was a master wordsmith and because of his promotion of the church, as well as the Roman tendencies of the Frankish royalty, he remained in favour with most of his acquaintances throughout his lifetime.
St Abundius of Spain
St Agnellus of Naples
Bl Buenaventura Bonaccorsi
St Folcuino of Therouanne
Bl Joan Lambertini
St John Pan y Agua (Bread-and-Water)
Bl John Discalceat
St Justus of Spain
St Matronianus of Milan
St Pompeius of Pavia
Bl Protasi Cubells Minguell St Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609)
St Viator of Bergamo
St Yusuf Jurj Kassab al-Hardini
Bl William de Rovira
—
Martyrs of Alexandria – 4 saints: A group of Egyptian Christians martyred together in the persecutions of Decius – Arsenius, Dioscurus, Heron and Isidore. They were burned to death in 250 at Alexandria, Egypt.
Martyrs of Apollonia – 7 saints: Martyred in the persecutions of Decius. The only surviving details are three names – Callinicus, Leucio and Tirso. Apollonia, Bithynia (in modern Turkey).
Martyrs of Ashkelon – 3 saints: Several pilgrims from Egypt to Cilicia (in modern Turkey) who planned to minister to fellow Christians suffering in the persecutions of emperor Maximinus. They were arrested, torture, mutilated and then imprisoned in Ashkelon. Some were ordered to forced labour in the mines, but we have the names of three who were martyred by order of governor Firmilian – Ares, Elijah and Promo. They were burned at the stake or beheaded at the gates of Ashkelon c 308.
Martyrs of Hayle – 2+ saints: Several Christians, including a brother and sister, who were martyred together by pagans. The only other information to survive are the names of the two siblings – Fingar and Phiala. 5th century at Hayle, Cornwall, England.
Martyrs of Syria – 3 saints: Three Christians who were martyred together. Known to Saint John Chrysostom who preached on their feast day, and left us the only details we have – their names – Drusus, Theodore and Zosimus. The date and precise location of their martyrdom is unknown, but it was in Syria, possibly in Antioch.
Today, 13 December 2019, may we all wish Pope Francis Congratulations on the 50th Anniversary of his Ordination on 13 December 1969
On 13 December 1969, four days before his 33rd birthday, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was ordained a priest.
The now Pope Francis, received this Sacrament with the imposition of hands of the Archbishop of Cordoba, Monsignor Ramon Jose Castellano.
Young Jorge discovered his vocation on 21 September 1953, the Memorial of Saint Matthew, the tax collector who converted when Jesus invited him to follow Him. During a Confession, he had a profound experience of God’s mercy, a joy that led him to decide to be a priest, reported “Vatican News.”
Our Congratulations, Best wishes and Prayers are yours, dear Holy Father Francis on the wonderful occasion of the 50th Anniversary of your Ordination
Thought for the Day – 13 December – The Memorial of St Lucy (c 283-304) Martyr “Bringer of Light”
Every little girl named Lucy must bite her tongue in disappointment, when she first tries to find out, what there is to know about her patron saint. The older books, will have a lengthy paragraph, detailing a small number of traditions. Newer books, will have a lengthy paragraph, showing that there is little basis in history for these traditions. The single fact survives, that a disappointed suitor accused Lucy of being a Christian and she was executed in Syracuse, Sicily, in the year 304. But it is also true, that her name is mentioned in the First Eucharistic Prayer, geographical places are named after her, a popular song has her name as its title and down through the centuries, many thousands of little girls, have been proud of the name Lucy.
One can easily imagine what a young Christian woman had to contend with in pagan Sicily in the year 300. If you have trouble imagining, just glance at today’s pleasure-at-all-costs world and the barriers it presents against leading a good Christian life.
Her friends must have wondered aloud about this hero of Lucy’s, an obscure itinerant preacher in a far-off captive nation that had been destroyed more than 200 years before. Once a carpenter, He had been crucified by the Romans after His own people turned Him over to their authority. Lucy believed with her whole soul that this man had risen from the dead. Heaven had put a stamp on all He said and did. To give witness to her faith she had made a vow of virginity.
What a hubbub this caused among her pagan friends! The kindlier ones just thought her a little strange. To be pure before marriage was an ancient Roman ideal, rarely found but not to be condemned. To exclude marriage altogether, however, was too much. She must have something sinister to hide, the tongues wagged.
Lucy knew of the heroism of earlier virgin martyrs. She remained faithful to their example and to the example of the carpenter, whom she knew to be the Son of God. She is the patroness of eyesight.
If you are a little girl named Lucy, you need not bite your tongue in disappointment. Your patron is a genuine authentic heroine, first class, an abiding inspiration for you and for all Christians. The moral courage of the young Sicilian Martyr shines forth as a guiding light, just as bright for today’s youth as it was in 304.
Saint Lucy’s name (Lucia in Latin) shares the root luc with the Latin word for light, lux. Because of this connection, Saint Lucy is often depicted in art and religious custom as a bringer of light – which also ties in to her patronage of eyes and sight. Her feast day today, is during Advent when we await the Light of Christ and is in winter, for the Northern Hemisphere, so there is significant iconography of Lucy as a bringer of light in the darkness. For this reason, she is particularly venerated as part of Scandinavian Christian custom – young girls dress in a white gown and wear wreaths of lights during celebrations in the darkest days of winter. Indeed, the fact that Saint Lucy’s feast day is celebrated as a festival of light, seems appropriate for a woman, who believed, she was bearing the light of Christianity in a world that punished her for it. Let us pray to St Lucy, for the intercession for all those with eye illnesses and for the protection of the ‘eyes of our faith’ of all of us.
O St Lucy, you preferred to let your eyes be torn out instead of denying the faith and defiling your soul and God, through an extraordinary miracle, replaced them with another pair of sound and perfect eyes to reward your virtue and faith, appointing you as the protector against eye diseases. I come to you for you to protect my eyesight and to heal the illness in my eyes.
O St Lucy, preserve the light of my eyes so that I may see the beauties of creation, the glow of the sun, the colour of the flowers and the smile of children.
Preserve also the eyes of my soul, the faith, through which I can know my God, understand His teachings, recognise His love for me and never miss the road that leads me to where you, St Lucy, can be found in the company of the angels and saints. St Lucy, protect my eyes and preserve my faith. Amen
St Lucy, “Bringer of Light” Pray for those with eye ailments,
Quote of the Day – 13 December – Friday of the Second week of Advent, Year A, Gospel: Matthew 11:16-19
“We played the flute for you but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.”
Matthew 11:17
“When some children are dancing and others are singing a dirge, their purpose does not agree. Both sides find fault with their friends for not being in harmony with them. So the Jews underwent such an experience when they accepted neither the gloominess of John the Baptist nor the freedom of Christ. They did not receive help one way or another. It was fitting for John as a lowly servant, to deaden the passions of the body through very hardy training and for Christ, by the power of his Godhead, freely to mortify the sensations of the body and the innate practice of the flesh and to do so, without reliance on strenuous ascetic labours.
Nevertheless John, “while he was preaching the baptism of repentance,” offered himself as a model for those who were obliged to lament, whereas the Lord “who was preaching the kingdom of heaven” similarly displayed radiant freedom in Himself.
In this way Jesus outlined for the faithful indescribable joy and an untroubled life. The sweetness of the kingdom of heaven is like a flute. The pain of Gehenna is like a dirge.”
Advent Reflection – 13 December – Friday of the Second week of Advent, Year A, Readings: Isaiah 48:17-19, Psalm 1:1-4, 6, Matthew 11:16-19
Let us adore the Lord, the king who is to come.
“For John came, neither eating nor drinking and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by her works.” … Matthew 11:18-19
REFLECTION – “Saint John the Baptist was separated from the world. He was a Nazarite (Lk 1:15; Nb 6:2). He went out from the world and placed himself over against it… and called it to repentance. Then went out all Jerusalem to him into the desert (Mk 3:5) and he confronted it face to face. But in his teaching he spoke of One who should come to them and speak to them in a far different way. He should not separate Himself from them, He should not display Himself as some higher being but as their brother, as of their flesh and of their bones, as one among many brethren, as one of the multitude and amidst them; nay, He was among them already: “There hath stood in the midst of you, whom you know not” (Jn 1:26)…
At length Jesus begins to disclose Himself and to manifest His glory in miracles but where? At a marriage feast… And how? in adding to the wine… Now compare this with what He says in St Matthew’s Gospel of Himself: “John came neither eating nor drinking—The Son of man came eating and drinking and they say: Behold a man that is a glutton and wine-drinker.” John might be hated but he was respected; Jesus was despised…
This was, O dear Lord, because Thou so loved this human nature which Thou has created. Thou did not love us merely as Thy creatures, the work of Thy hands but as men. Thou love all, for Thou has created all but Thou love man more than all. How is it, Lord, that this should be? What is there in man, above others? “What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?” (Ps 8,5)… Thou did not take on Thee an angelic nature when Thou did manifest Thyself for our salvation, so too Thou would not come in any shape or capacity or office which was above the course of ordinary human life—not as a Nazarene, not as a Levitical priest, not as a monk, not as a hermit but in the fullness and exactness of that human nature, which, so much Thou love… in that very flesh which had fallen in Adam and with all our infirmities, all our feelings and sympathies, sin excepted.” … St John Henry Newman (1801-1890) – Meditations and Devotions, Part III, VII God with us 1
MEDITATION – Oh, if sinners knew My mercy, they would not perish in such great numbers. Tell sinful souls not to be afraid to approach Me, speak to them of My great mercy. . . . The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness. You always console Me when you pray for sinners. The prayer most pleasing to Me, is prayer for the conversion of sinners. Know, My daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered. …St Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy in My Soul, 1396-1397
ADVENT ACTION – With St Augustine we pray, “All my hope lies only in Your great mercy.”So, we turn in repentance and tell of His great love and mercy for us all, sinners though we are!
PRAYER – Lord, watch over Your people, who come to You in confidence. Strengthen the hearts of those who hope in You. Give courage to those who falter because of their failures. In this holy season of Advent, lead them closer to You in hope, by the power of Your Holy Spirit. May they one day proclaim Your saving acts of kindness in Your eternal kingdom. Through Christ, our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for all eternity, amen.
She took a vow of chastity and lived in retirement, giving all her time to prayer, the care of her family and the needs of the poor.
AnaStpaul 
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