Thought for the Day – 22 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” Our Daily Bread
“We can find this teaching which is contained in these words of the “Our Father” in another section of the Gospel, where Jesus tells us that not to ask for riches and not to hoard goods for the future but, to pray and work from day to day, for our daily needs.
“ Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, nor yet for your body, what you shall put on … Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them … Consider how the lilies of the fields grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I say to you, that not even Solomon, in all his glory, was arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which flourishes today but tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more you, O you … you of little faith! … Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow; for tomorrow will have anxieties of its own. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Cf Mt 6:25-34).“
“Let Your Name, not mine, be praised. Let Your Work, not mine, be magnified. Let Your Holy Name be blessed but let no human praise be given to me. You are my glory. You are the joy of my heart. In You I will glory and rejoice all the day and for myself I will glory in nothing but my infirmities. … ”
Thomas `a Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
The Imitation of Christ – Book 3 Chapter 40
“And like the little grain of mustard seed … we should set it in the garden of our soul, all weeds being pulled out for the better feeding of our faith. Then shall it grow and … through the true belief of God’s word … we shall be well able to command a great mountain of tribulation to void from the place where it stood in our hearts, whereas with a very feeble faith and faint, we shall scarcely be able to remove a little hillock.”
St Thomas More (1478-1535)
“Never listen to those, who are speaking evil of another and never say anything evil of anyone, excepting of yourself and when you take pleasure in doing this, you will be advancing rapidly.”
St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) Doctor of the Church
“All our goodness is a loan; God is the owner; God works and His work is God.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 22 October – “Month of the Holy Rosary”– Readings: Romans 7: 18-25a; Psalm 119: 66, 68, 76, 77, 93, 94; Luke 12: 54-59
“You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?”… Luke 12:56
REFLECTION – “People focus their attention on things of this kind. From long observation and practice, they tell beforehand when rain will fall or violent winds will blow. One especially sees that sailors are very skillful in this matter. He says that it would be suitable for those, who can calculate things of this sort and may foretell storms that are about to happen, to focus the penetrating eyes of the mind also on important matters. What are these?
The law showed beforehand the Mystery of Christ, that He would shine out, in the last ages of the world, on the inhabitants of the earth and submit to be a Sacrifice for the Salvation of all. It even commanded a lamb to be sacrificed as a type of Him, Who died towards evening and at lighting of lamps. We might now understand, that when, like the day, this world was declining to its close, the great, precious and truly saving Passion would be fulfilled. The door of salvation would be thrown wide open to those who believe in Him and abundant happiness be their share. In the Song of Songs, we also find Christ calling to the bride described there. The bride personally represents the Church, in these words, “Arise, come, my neighbour, my beautiful dove. Look, the winter is past and the rain is gone. It has passed away. The flowers appear on the ground. The time of the pruning has come.” As I said, a certain springlike calm was about to arise, for those who believe in Him.” – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Bishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor (Commentary on Luke, Homily 95)
PRAYER – Lord God, You fill us with Your grace and teach us true faith. Strengthen in our hearts that faith that no trials may quench the fire, that we may seek Your Face in every moment and accept AND LIVE all of Your will. Send us Your Spirit to keep the fire blazing. By the inspiration and prayers of the Blessed Virgin, may we grow in sanctity and may the humble love and intercession of Mary Mother of our faith, be our succour. Through Jesus Your Son our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 22 October – Prayer of a Martyr, St Thomas More (1478-1535)
The prayer below, was written by Saint Thomas More while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London, awaiting execution by King Henry VIII.
Give Me Thy Grace, Good Lord! A Prayer of Hope By St Thomas More (1478-1535)
Give me Thy grace, good Lord. To set the world at naught. To set the mind firmly on Thee and not to hang upon the words of men’s mouths. To be content to be solitary. Not to long for worldly pleasures. Little by little, utterly to cast off the world and rid my mind of all its business. Not to long to hear of earthly things but that the hearing of worldly fancies, may be displeasing to me. Gladly to be thinking of God, piteously to call for His help. To lean into the comfort of God. Busily to labour to love Him. To know mine own vileness and wretchedness. To humble myself under the mighty Hand of God. To bewail my sins past, for the purging of them, patiently to suffer adversity. Gladly to bear my purgatory here. To be joyful in tribulations. To walk the narrow way that leads to life. To bear the Cross with Christ. To have the last thing in remembrance. To have ever before mine eyes, my death that is ever at hand. To make death no stranger to me. To foresee and consider, the everlasting fire of Hell. To pray for pardon before the Judge come. To have continually in mind, the Passion that Christ suffered for me. For His benefits, unceasingly to give Him thanks. To buy the time again, that I before have lost. To abstain from vain conversations. To shun foolish mirth and gladness. To cut off unnecessary recreations. Of worldly substance, friends, liberty, life and all, to set the loss at naught, for the winning of Christ. To think my worst enemies, my best friends, for the brethren of Joseph could never have done him so much good with their love and favour, as they did him, with their malice and hatred. These minds are more to be desired of every man, than all the treasures of all the princes and kings, Christian and heathen, were it gathered and laid together, all in one heap. Amen
Saint of the Day – 22 October – Blessed Lucia Bartolini Rucellai (Died 1520) Widow, Tertiary of the Order of Preachers, Penitent, Prioress, Born in the 15th Century in Florence as Camila Bartolini and died in 1520 of natural causes.
Lucia was born in Florence, Italy, in the 15th century; She was a member of the noble Bartolini family and was Baptised with the name of Camila. When she was a teenager, she married Rodolfo Rucellai and went to live in the splendid Albertino Palace.
At thirty, however, Savonarola’s words took her out of worldly concerns, enkindling i her the fire of the deepest and most painful spirituality. Even Rudolfo, her husband, was shaken by the prophetic prayers of the preacher and decided, somewhat hastily, to part from his wife, who had no children, to wear the Dominican habit at San Marco.
Camila accepted her husband’s decision and became a tertiary of Saint Dominic. After a few months, Rodolfo Rucellai, more impulsive but less strong than his wife, got tired of the religious state and wanted to return to the world, trying to convince his wife to do the same. But then she was the one who objected with unexpected tenacity and indeed, Lucia, after painful work, had found in the new state, a spiritual wealth in comparison with which, all the flattery of the world seemed empty and doomed.
Rodolfo died shortly after and Camila became a nun with the name of Lucia, she remained in the Convent of the Dominican tertiaries, becoming the promoter of a new foundation, dedicated to Saint Catherine of Siena . After the tragic end of Savonarola, hanged and burned as a heretic, in the Piazza della Signoria, in May 1498, Lucia Bartolini was a wise and rigorous guide to the Florentine Convent of Santa Catalina, as Prioress, obtaining permission for her tertiaries to issue three vows and then wear the habit of the nuns of the Second Order.
Lucia was a mortified, penitent and very strict with herself,. She prayed with such fervour that, it was said, the Convent of Santa Catalina appeared crowned with flames, at the times when she was in prayer. And as soon as he died, in 1520, after a serenely accepted illness, her halo as a Blessed came to embellish the glory of the very wealthy Rucellai family, showering them with the glory of Heavenly riches.
Notre-Dame de Talant / Our Lady of Talant, near Dijon, France (also known as the Virgin of St Luke(1443) – 22 October:
Until the twelfth Century, the French “Mons de Talant,” located at the gates of Dijon and belonging to the Estate of the Abbey of Saint-Benigne, was a completely uninhabited place. Considered as if accursed by some, the grounds were given a wide berth and altogether avoided. To others, possessing a more lively imagination, the location was said to be frequented by fairies. In 1208, the Duke of Burgundy, Eudes III, undertook the construction of the Fortress of Talant in order to ensure a safer shelter of its treasures and archives, then in his Ducal Palace of Dijon. He founded north of the castle, a new fortified City and a Priory for some Monks of Saint Benedict. A Church, begun at the same time as the other works, was one of the earliest Gothic Churches in the Duchy of Burgundy. The finished enclosure of the City was 1110 meters long and flanked by 33 towers. Duke Eudes III welcomed, particularly all the serfs who fled the oppression of their lord. Many peasants, attracted by the notion of freedom and the ability to work freed from all hindrance, began to arrive in droves. In 1216, the Duke granted the inhabitants the right to administer themselves by promulgating “the Charter of Commune,” exempting them from taxation and military service. So many people were attracted to Talant that it became necessary to enlarge the Church. A bell tower was also added but the extra weight was too great and the walls began to bow outward. External buttresses were added in the 15th century to solve the problem. John the Fearless, eldest son of Philip the Bold, returning from the Crusade in 1396, brought back as a trophy the Statue “Virgin of St Luke” that he offered to Talant. The Statue of the Virgin is exposed in the Church and in 1443, the Bishop of Langres, Charles de Poitiers, Consecrated the Church to the Mother of God. During the Eighth War of Religion, in 1585, the partisans of Guise seized the fortress by cunning. After its return to the hands of the King in 1598, the decision was made to demolish the castle and the ramparts of the City. The work was finished in 6 months and Talant was reduced to the condition of a simple village. The Church of Notre-Dame remains, however and has been classified as an historic monument since 20 July 1908. The Statue of the Virgin of St Luke, can still be seen there.
St Abericus Marcellus St Alodia of Huesca St Apollo of Bawit St Benedict of Macerac St Bertharius of Monte Cassino St Cordula
St Donatus of Fiesole (Died 874) Bishop of Fiesole, Irish Nobleman, Monk, Priest, Poet, Confessor, Writer, Scholar, Professor, Adviser to Emperors Louis the Pious and Lothair I, Founder of San Martino a Mensola Abbey and leader of two military expeditions against the Saracens. His Life: https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/22/saint-of-the-day-22-october-st-donatus-of-fiesole-died-874/
Bl Esclaramunda of Majorca St Hermes of Adrianople St Ingbert St Leothade of Auch Blessed Lucia Bartolini Rucellai (Died 1520) St Lupenzius St Mark of Jerusalem
St Maroveus of Precipiano St Mellon St Moderan of Rennes St Nepotian of Clermont St Nunctus of Mérida St Nunilo of Huesca St Philip of Adrianople St Philip of Fermo St Rufus of Egypt St Symmachus of Capua St Valerius of Langres St Verecundus of Verona — Martyrs of Heraclea – 4 saints: A group of four clerics in Heraclea (modern Marmara Ereglisi, Turkey) who were arrested in the persecutions of Diocletian. They were imprisoned, abused and ordered to turn over all the scriptures that they had hidden from authorities; they refused and were executed together. Martyrs. – Eusebius, Hermes, Philip and Severus. They were burned at the stake in 304 in Adrianople (modern Edirne, Turkey).
Martyrs of Adianople: • Blessed Alexander • Blessed Anna • Blessed Elisabeth • Blessed Glyceria • Blessed Heraclius • Blessed Theodota
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War: • Blessed Álvaro Ibáñez Lázaro • Blessed Andrés Zarraquino Herrero • Blessed Estanislao García Obeso • Blessed Germán Caballero Atienza • Blessed José Menéndez García • Blessed Josep Casas Lluch • Blessed Luis Minguel Ferrer • Blessed Pedro Lorente Vicente • Blessed Victoriano Ibañez Alonso
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