Thought for the Day – 14 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Tabernacle Lamp
“Look up at the lamp quietly glowin before the Taberncle in honour of the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus, the Light of the world. We also, should be like living lamps of love.
The lamp burns night and day in the Presence of Jesus and burns itself out for Him. For what do we wear out our lives? In useless and unnecessary projects, perhaps for worldly reasons, for the satisfaction of our ego or of our passions? We shall certainly never find peace this way but only disillusionment and remorse.
The lamp is the light in the darkness. Our lives should be a light of good example to others.
The lamp has a flame which gives heat. We should burn with love for God, our one and only good and, for all men, whom we should regard as our brothers in Jesus Christ.
The lamp is raised above the ground and is suspended from tbe ceiling by three chains. We should be above earthly things and should be attached to Heaven by the three chains of faith, hope ad charity. As the lamp opens out, only on top, so should we be open to Heavenly inspirations and closed to worldly preoccupations. God should be tbe centre of our thoughts and our lives should be dedicated to Him. In this way, we shall find peace on earth and happiness hereafter.”
Quote/s of the Day – 14 April – Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter, Readings: First: Acts 5: 17-26, Psalm: Psalms 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, Gospel: John 3: 16-21 *Readings below
“Light came into the world”
John 3:19
“In You is the source of life and in Your Light Lord, we see light”
Psalm 35(36)
“The Lord has turned all our sunsets into sunrises.”
St Clement of Alexandria (150-215) Father of the Church
“In the face of my darkness, You are light. In the face of my mortality, You are life.”
St Gregory of Narek (950-1003) Father & Doctor of the Church
“He is the origin of all wisdom. The Word of God in the heights, is the source of wisdom. Christ is the source of all true knowledge, for He is “the way, the truth and the life.” (Jn 14:6). … As way, Christ is the teacher and origin of knowledge … Without this Ligh, which is Christ, no-one can penetrate the secrets of faith.”
One Minute Reflection – 14 April – Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter, Readings: First: Acts 5: 17-26, Psalm: Psalms 34: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, Gospel: John 3: 16-21 *Readings below
“Light came into the world” – John 3:19
REFLECTION – “The commandment of the Lord shines clearly, enlightening the eyes” (Ps 18 [19].9). Receive Christ, receive power to see, receive your light, that you may plainly recognise both God and man… Let us open ourselves to the light, then and so to God. Let us open ourselves to the light and become disciples of the Lord… Let us, then, shake off forgetfulness of truth, shake off the mist of ignorance and darkness that dims our eyes and contemplate the true God… For upon us, buried in darkness, imprisoned in the shadow of death, a heavenly light has shone, a light of a clarity, surpassing the sun’s and of a sweetness, exceeding any this earthly life can offer. That light is eternal life and those who receive it live. Night, on the other hand, is afraid of the light, and melting away in terror gives place to the day of the Lord. Unfailing light has penetrated everywhere and sunset has turned into dawn.
This is the meaning of the new creation (Gal 6,15; Rv 21,1) for the Sun of Righteousness (Mal 3,20), pursuing His course through the universe, visits all alike, in imitation of His Father, “who makes his sun rise upon all” (Mt 5,45) and bedews everyone with His truth… He, it is, who has changed sunset into dawn and death into life by His Crucifixion, He, it is, who has snatched the human race from perdition and exalted it to the skies. Transplanting what was corruptible, to make it incorruptible, He has transformed earth into heaven…
He deifies us by His heavenly teaching, by “instilling his laws into our minds, and writing them on our hearts. That all, be they of high estate or low, shall know God. And I will be merciful to them, God says and I will remember their sin no more” (Jr 31,33f.). Let us accept the laws of life, then; let us obey God’s promptings, let us learn to know Him.” – St Clement of Alexandria (150- 215) Theologian, Father of the Church – Exhortation to the Greeks, 11, 113
PRAYER – Shed your clear light on our hearts, Lord, so that walking continually in the way of Your commandments, we may never be deceived or misled. Your ways are not our ways, teach us to willingly agree to them, for You know which way we should go. Help us to say “yes” always to Your plan and to render ourselves as a sacrament of Your divine love to all we meet. Fill us with the grace to be your tools to bring glory to Your kingdom. May the prayers of your Angels and Saints and Your Blessed Mother and ours, bring us strength. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ with You, in the union of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Acts 5: 17-26 17 Then the high priest rising up and all they that were with him, (which is the heresy of the Sadducees,) were filled with envy. 18 And they laid hands on the apostles,and put them in the common prison. 19 But an angel of the Lord by night opening the doors of the prison and leading them out, said: 20 Go and standing, speak in the temple to the people, all the words of this life. 21 Who having heard this, early in the morning, entered into the temple and taught. And the high priest coming and they that were with him, called together the council and all the ancients of the children of Israel and they sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the ministers came and opening the prison, found them not there, they returned and told, 23 Saying: The prison indeed we found shut with all diligence and the keepers standing before the doors but opening it, we found no man within. 24 Now, when the officer of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were in doubt concerning them, what would come to pass. 25 But one came and told them: Behold, the men whom you put in prison are in the temple standing and teaching the people. 26 Then went the officer with the ministers and brought them without violence; for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned.
John 3: 16-21 16 For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish but may have life everlasting. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world but that the world may be saved by him. 18 He that believeth in him is not judged. But he that doth not believe, is already judged – because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the judgement: because the light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. 20 For everyone that doth evil hateth the light and cometh not to the light, that his works may not be reproved. 21 But he that doth truth, cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest because they are done in God.
Our Morning Offering – 14 April – Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter
May I Be United with You, Good Jesus St Peter Canisius (1521-1597) Doctor of the Church
Let my eyes take their sleep but may my heart always keep watch for You. May Your right hand bless Your servants who love You. May I be united with the praise that flows from You, Lord Jesus, to all Your saints; united with the gratitude drawn from Your heart, good Jesus, that causes Your saints to thank You; united with Your passion, good Jesus, by which You took away our guilt; united with the divine longing that You had on earth, for our salvation; united with every prayer that welled from Your divine heart, good Jesus and flowed into the hearts of Your saints. Amen
Saint of the Day – 14 April – Saint John of Montemarano OSB (Died 1095) First Bishop of Montenarano, Italy in 1074, Benedictine Monk, thaumaturge. Died on 14 April 1095 of natural causes. Patronage – Montemarano, Italy. Additional Memorial – 21 August in Motemarano.
Montemarano, Italy may be a sleepy little vineyard Town now but from 1059 to 1818, it was the seat of a Diocese. The Town’s first Bishop is appropriately its Patron Saint.
I can find no information online about his early life and path to the Priesthood. His career begins with Pope Gregory VII, who had been exiled by Emperor Henry IV; during that exile, he agreed with the good folks of Montemarano that they should have their own Bishop. John was appointed and duly consecrated.
When John took over his seat, the building was in a state of decay. John then led the congregation in prayer for the means to restore the building. As they prayed, it was revealed to John, that the local Priest had been living a sinful life and actually using the Church as a rendezvous for evil friends. Once this Priest had repented and performed suitable penance, the Church was miraculously restored to its former glory.
Another miracle involved, wine. Some workers were clearing land so that more vineyards could be planted. One source suggests that John was the inspiration for this land-clearing project and he was involved in the labour as well. The work was hard and they demanded more wine before they continued. But there wasn’t enough wine, so they needed more vineyards. They couldn’t expand the vineyards until they gave the workers more wine. Bishop John, drew a quantity of water from the nearby river and blessed it. The Lord, recalling the second chapter of the Gospel of John, changed the water into wine!
Santa Maria de Camarino / Our Lady of Guam, Mariana Islands (1825), Patron of Guam – 14 April:
Our Lady of Guam, the miraculous Statue to which the natives have such deep devotion, is three feet high, all ivory from the delicate classical face of Our Lady to the hem of her exquisite gown. She has a head of long brown hair, adorned with a beautiful crown and golden rings hang from her tiny ears. According to the Jesuit history of the island, Our Lady’s coming was miraculous. A Spanish soldier, in the year 1825, was fishing a distance from the shore between the villages of Mirizo and Umatac, when he saw a strange object floating upon the waves. He moved closer and saw that it was a Statue, supported by giant golden crabs, holding lighted candles in their claws. The soldiers claiming the Statue as their own, installed it as Patroness in their barracks. They made a Shrine for her, a wall recess with doors like a cupboard or camarino, from which Our Lady of the Cupboard takes her name. She is called Santa Maria de Camarino.
She made her home for many years in the barracks but the atmosphere did not always please her. She would be found missing, only to return with the edge of her mantle full of burs. When the soldiers were drunk with coconut brew, she would slam the doors of her cupboard shut against them. No-one remembers how she came to leave the barracks for the Cathedral of Agana but on 14 April, a great earthquake occurred, terrorising the natives and destroying their homes. It is believed that on that day, she deserted the uncouth soldiers and showed herself to be the Patroness of the people and of Guam in particular. Many miracles of protection are attributed to Our Lady of Guam on this day.
The Cathedral of Agana
On the eve of this day, the people place a lighted candle outside their tight-closed shutters, they do this in memory of their Fathers who made the promise to Santa Maria de Camarino. In 1825 and again in 1834, they vowed to celebrate yearly a special feast for her protection from Linao, the earthquake and Pagyo, the typhoon.
On its part the miraculous Statue has seen to it ,that no devout life has since that time been lost. Earthquakes and typhoons have come and left destruction, yet they have never taken one life or harmed the children of Santa Maria de Camarino, Our Lady of Guam. Such is the story of Our Lady of the Cupboard, the miraculous Virgin of Guam; to the eyes of fact simply a beautiful Statue, some three feet height, executed with all the refinement of eighteenth century art, yet to the eye of faith, she is power incarnate. She is all ivory, but where that ivory came from, or what artist fashioned those exquisite hands, she alone can tell, just as she is the only one who knows the truth of her coming to Guam. The Statue has real human hair and two crowns are used to dress the Statue. One of the crowns is made from gold pieces given to the Church by the late Ana Martinez Underwood, who donated the gold pieces (given to her by her husband as a wedding gift) in thanksgiving for the safe return of her husband from prison camp following World War II.
One of the more famous miraclesis that of a great earthquake in 1902, when the Dulce Nombre de Maria Church was severely damaged. Many of the Statues were broken but not that of Our Lady of Camarin, which the Priest, Father José Palomo, found standing intact on the ground.
The Statue also survived fire, when on 8 December 1945, it was rescued from a burning float by Jose D Leon Guerrero.
Because the Statue has suffered discolourations, nicks and other minor defects in the course of time, minor repairs have been made. According to one story, during one occasion when repairs were being made, the scraping of her face was too rough and the face began to bleed.
Other miracles attributed to her include, belief in her powers of intercession, cures of dreadful diseases and safe removal from great danger. She has long been considered, the protectress of the island and its people. Flags of various nations have flown over the royal coconut trees of Agana, admirals and governors have come and gone and each, in his proper time, has departed. Spanish architecture has had its day and the Seabee buildings mushroomed all over the island. Yet, Santa Maria de Camarino abides through all changes to cherish her strangely chosen people. She reigns affectionately in the hearts of the people, the natives, as their Queen and Patroness.
When American Marines and Soldiers during the latter part of July, 1944, captured the island of Guam, the native population was, for the most part, Catholic. The Faith was brought there, no doubt, by Spanish Priests who accompanied Magellan when he sailed around the world. And Mary, Our Lady of Guam, Our Lady of the Cupboard, loves them and protects them.
AnaStpaul 
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