St Acculus of Alexandria St Antanansio Bazzekuketta St Barbara Kim St Barbara Yi
St Bruno of Würzburg (c 1005-1045) Bishop Prince, Imperial Chancellor of Italy from 1027 to 1034. Bruno rebuilt the existing Cathedral, constructed many new Churches and improved education, to which purpose he composed a well-known exegesis on the Psalms to which he appended an analysis of ten Biblical hymns, consisting of extracts from the writings of the Church Fathers. Under his direction the Cathedral school flourished. About St Bruno: https://anastpaul.com/2020/05/27/saint-of-the-day-27-may-st-bruno-of-wurzburg-c-1005-1045-bishop-prince/
Bl Dionysius of Semur St Eutropius of Orange St Evangelius of Alexandria St Frederick of Liège Bl Gausberto of Montsalvy St Gonzaga Gonza St James of Nocera St John I (Died 526) Pope and Martyr. Bishop of Rome from 13 August 523-his death on 18 May 526. St Julius the Veteran and Companions St Liberius of Ancona St Matiya Mulumba Bl Matthias of Nagasaki St Melangell St Ranulphus of Arras St Restituta of Sora and Companions St Secundus of Troia
Bend the stubborn heart and will; Melt the frozen, warm the chill; Guide the steps which go astray!
Embodying all the other gifts, as charity embraces all the other virtues, Wisdom is the most perfect of the gifts. Of Wisdom it is written: “all good things come to me with her and innumerable riches through her hands.” It is the gift of Wisdom which strengthens our faith, fortifies hope, perfects charity and promotes the practice of virtue in the highest degree. Wisdom enlightens the mind to discern and relish things Divine, in the appreciation of which, earthly joys lose their savour, whilst the Cross of Christ, yields a Divine sweetness, according to the words of the Saviour: “Take up thy cross and follow Me, for My Yoke is sweet and My Burden light.”
Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Wisdom and reveal to my soul, the Mysteries of heavenly things, their exceeding greatness, power and beauty. Teach me to love them above and beyond all the passing joys and satisfactions of earth. Help me to attain them and possess them forever. Amen
Our Father and Hail Mary – ONCE. Glory be to the Father – SEVEN TIMES.
ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT To be recited daily during the Novena
On my knees, I, before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, offer myself, soul and body to Thee, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Thy Purity, the unerring keenness of Thy Justice and the might of Thy Love. Thou art the Strength and Light of my soul. In Thee, I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve Thee by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against Thee. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Thy Light, listen to Thine Voice and follow Thy gracious inspirations. I cling to Thee and give myself to Thee and ask Thee, by Thy compassion, to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus, looking at His Five Wounds and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore Thee, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Thy grace that I may never sin against Thee. Give me grace O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and of the Son, to say to Thee, always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Thine servant hears.” Amen.
Thought for the Day – 26 May – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“All Generations Shall Call Me Blessed”
“O Mary, my loving Mother, I wish to add my voice to the millions of voices which have proclaimed thy blessedness throughout the ages. Grant that my recognition of thy sanctity may not be merely verbal but may be proved by deeds. Let me do more than pray to thee as my Mother, my Queen and my powerful Mediatrix with God. Let me also acknowledge that thou are all this to me by a practical and filial imitation of thou outstanding virtues. Amen.”
Quote/s of the Day –26 May – The Memorial of St Philip Neri (1515-1595) Confessor
When summoned to hear Confessions or to see someone who had called, St Philip came down instantly, with the words:
“We must leave Christ for Christ.”.
“It is an old custom with the servants of God, always to have some little prayers ready and to be darting them up to Heaven frequently during the day, lifting their minds to God out of the filth of this world. He who adopts this plan, will get great fruit, with little pains.”
“Watch me, O Lord, this day – for, abandoned to myself, I shall surely betray Thee!”
“He who wishes for anything but Christ, does not know what he wishes; he who asks for anything but Christ, does not know what he is asking; he who works and not for Christ, does not know what he is doing.”
“If a man finds it very difficult to forgive injuries, let him look at a Crucifix and think that Christ shed all His Blood for him and not only forgave His enemies but, even prayed His Heavenly Father, to forgive them too. Let him remember, that when he says the Pater Noster, everyday, instead of asking pardon for his sins, he is calling down VENGEANCE UPON HIMSELF!”
“We are generally, the carpenters of our own crosses.”
One Minute Reflection – 26 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and the Memorial of St Philip Neri (1515-1595) Confessor – Wisdom 7:7-14, Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.” – Luke 12:35-36
REFLECTION – “God, the Word, stirs up the lazy and arouses the sleeper. For indeed, someone who comes knocking at the door is always wanting to come in. But it depends on us, if He does not always enter or always remain.,, May your door be open to Him who comes; open your soul, enlarge your spiritual capacities, that you may discover the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace and sweetness of grace. Expand your heart; run to meet the Sun of that Eternal Light that “enlightens everyone” (Jn 1,9). It is certain, that this true Light shines for all but, if anyone shuts their windows, then they themselves, shut themselves off from this Eternal Light.
So even Christ remains outside, if you shut the door of your soul. It is true, that He could enter but He does not want to use force, He does not put those who refuse under pressure. Descended from the Virgin, born from her womb, He shines throughout the universe to give light to all. Those who long to receive the light, that shines with an everlasting brightness, open up to Him. No night comes to intervene. Indeed, the sun we see each day, gives way to night’s darkness but the Sun of Justice (Mal 3,20) knows no setting, for Wisdom is not overcome by evil.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan and Father and Doctor of the Church (12th Sermon on Psalm 118).
PRAYER – O God, Who raised blessed Philip, Thy Confessor, to the glory of Thy Saints, graciously grant that we, who rejoice in his Feast, may profit by the example of his virtues.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 26 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and the Memorial of St Philip Neri (1515-1595) Confessor
Immaculate Virgin By St Philip Neri (1515-1595)
Immaculate Virgin, thou hast to save me. Grant that I may always remember thee and thou, do thou never forget me. The happy day, when I shall go to behold thy beauty in paradise, seems a thousand years off. So much do I long to praise and love thee more than I can now do, my Mother, my Queen, my beloved, most beautiful, most sweet, most pure, Immaculate Mary. Amen
Saint of the Day – 26 May – Blessed Francis Patrizi of Siena OSM (1266-1328) Priest of the Order of the Servites “the Servants of Mary,” known as a Peacemaker and Mediator, Patronage – of Reconciliation. Born in 1266 in Siena, Italy and died on 26 May 1328 in Siena, Italy of natural causes. Also known as – Francisco Patrizi, Francis of Siena, Francesco… Francis was Beatified on 11 September 1743 by Pope Benedict XIV. His body is incorrupt.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “In Siena, blessed Francesco Patrizi, Priest of the Order of the Servants of Mary, who dedicated himself with admirable zeal to preaching, to the direction of souls and to the ministry of penance.”
Francis was born in Siena of a noble family. After listening to a moving sermon delivered by Blessed Ambrose Sansedoni, whose eloquence was the final inspiration for Francis to enter the religious life. However, he had first to care for and discharge all his duties to his blind mother. After her death, now aged twenty two, he asked to join the “Servants of Mary” in homage to the Madonna to whom he was very devoted.
The decision was made with some hesitation, as the longing for a solitary life always lived within him. The period in which he entered among the Servants of Mary was the one in which the decree of the Second Council of Lyons (1274), was incumbent on the Order, decreeing its extinction but the passionate work of the Prior General St Philip Benizi, obtained a Bull from Pope Honorius IV, which authorised some Convents, including that of Siena, to receive new members.
Among these, Francis entered and t Philip Benizi himself received Francis into the Servites and here he became the brother Friar of Blessed Joachim Piccolomini in 1272 and St Pellegrine Laziosi in around 1290. Three years after the novitiate, Francis was Ordained a Priest, his work was directed especially towards the poor and dispossessed – in this work, he did not hesitate to present himself to the nobles of the time to ask for donations for the needy.
Francis became an excellent preacher and the Spiritual director of many, from the lowly to those in positions of power. Francis distinguished himself by his holiness and his remarkable ability to solve crises of various kinds through his personal mediation. Proof of the affection shown to him by the souls he guided, can be read in a will dated 1309 of a certain Grace, who appoints him Executor, after having made donations, both to him, for his charitable works and to the Convent of the Servites of Siena.
His biographer, Brother Cristoforo da Parma, describes him as rather corpulent, dedicated to voluntary sacrifices to defend his chastity, completely absorbed in his love for the Virgin, saying up to 500 Hail Marys per day and very busy hearing Confessions of the queues which constantly sought his spiritual assistance.
He died at the age of 62 on 26 May 1328 and his incorrupt body is venerated under the Altar of the Seven Holy Founders, opposite that of Blessed Joachim, in the Basilica of the Servites in Siena. Pope Benedict XIV confirmed his cult on 11 September 1743, his Feast is celebrated in Siena on the Sunday after the Ascension and in the Order of the Servants of Mary on 12 May. He is variously depicted in 15th-Century frescoes. Forty years after his death, five lilies grew out of his mouth, each flower representing the letter of the Holy Name “Maria.”
Bl Francis’ incorrupt body under the Altar in the Basilica of the Servites in Siena
St Alphaeus St Anderea Kaggwa Bl Andrea Franchi St Becan of Cork Bl Berengar of Saint-Papoul St Damian the Missionary St Desiderius of Vienne St Eleuterus Pope and Martyr St Felicissimus of Todi Blessed Francis Patrizi of Siena OSM (1266-1328)Priest of the Order of the Servites “the Servants of Mary.” His body is incorrupt. St Fugatius the Missionary St Gioan Ðoàn Trinh Hoan St Guinizo of Monte Cassino St Heraclius of Todi Bl Lambert Péloguin of Vence
St Odulvald of Melrose St Paulinus of Todi St Peter Sanz St Ponsiano Ngondwe St Priscus of Auxerre and Companions St Quadratus of Africa St Quadratus the Apologist St Regintrudis of Nonnberg St Simitrius of Rome and Companions St Zachary of Vienne
Heal our wounds our strength renew; On our dryness pour Thy dew; Wash the stains of guilt away!
THE GIFT OF COUNSEL
The gift of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence, enabling it to judge promptly and rightly, that which must be done, especially in difficult circumstances. Counsel applies, the principles furnished by Knowledge and Understanding, to the innumerable concrete cases which confront us, in the course of our daily duty, as parents, teachers, public servants and Christian citizens. Counsel is supernatural common-sense, a priceless treasure in the quest of salvation. “Above all things, pray to the Most High, that He may direct thy way in truth.”
Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all my ways, that I may always fulfill Thine Holy Will. Incline my heart to that which is good; turn it away from all that is evil and direct me, by the straight path of Thy commandments, to that goal of eternal life for which I long. Amen
Our Father and Hail Mary – ONCE. Glory be to the Father – SEVEN TIMES.
ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT To be recited daily during the Novena
On my knees, I, before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, offer myself, soul and body to Thee, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Thy Purity, the unerring keenness of Thy Justice and the might of Thy Love. Thou art the Strength and Light of my soul. In Thee, I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve Thee by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against Thee. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Thy Light, listen to Thine Voice and follow Thy gracious inspirations. I cling to Thee and give myself to Thee and ask Thee, by Thy compassion, to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus, looking at His Five Wounds and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore Thee, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Thy grace that I may never sin against Thee. Give me grace O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and of the Son, to say to Thee, always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Thine servant hears.” Amen.
Thought for the Day – 25 May – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Search for God
“Holy Mary, help me to aim at pleasing God throughout my life. Help me to see Him in all things, to love Him in all my affections, to direct all my thoughts and desires towards Him. This is the only way in which I can become like you, my Mother. In this way, I shall find peace on earth, even in the midst of suffering and the happiness in Heaven, which will never pass away. Amen.”
Quote/s of the Day –25 May – The Memorial of St Gregory VII (1015-1085) Confessor and Pope
“It is the custom of the Roman Church which I unworthily serve with the help of God, to tolerate some things, to turn a blind eye to some, following the spirit of discretion, rather than the rigid letter of the law.”
“I have loved justice and hated iniquity and, therefore, I die in exile.”
One Minute Reflection – 25 May – The Octave Day of the Ascension and the Memorial of St Gregory VII (1015-1085) Confessor and Pope – Acts 1:1-11, Mark 16:14-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And the Lord Jesus, after He spoke to them, was taken up into Heaven and took His seat at the Right Hand of God.” – Mark 16:19
REFLECTION – “Father, all those Thou gave Me, I would have in My company where I Am, to see this glory of Mine.” (Jn 17:24) Happy are they who now have, as their Advocate before God, their Judge in person; happy are they, who have interceding for them, the One Whom we must adore, equally with the Father, to Whom He Himself addresses this prayer. The Father cannot refuse to grant this desire which His Lips expressed (Ps 21:3), for He is united with Him in His Will, in His Power, since He is One and the Same God… “All those Thou gave Me I would have in My company where I Am.” What assurance for those who have faith, what confidence for the believers! … The saints, whose “youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Ps 103:5) “soar as with eagles’ wings.” (Isa 40:31) …
On that day, Christ “was lifted up before the eyes of the disciples in a cloud which took him from their sight.” (Acts 1:9) … He strove to draw their hearts to follow Him, by making Himself loved by them and He promised them, through the example of His Body that their body could be lifted up in the same way… Today, Christ in truth “mounted a cherub and flew, borne on the wings of the wind,” (Ps 18:11) which is to say, He goes beyond the power of the Angels. And yet, in His condescendence before your weakness, “as an eagle… hovering over its brood,” He wants to “receive you and to bear you up on His pinions.” (Deut 32:11) … Some people fly with Christ by means of contemplation; for you, let it at least be through love!
Brother, since Christ your Treasure was lifted up to Heaven today, may your heart also be there (Mt 6:21). Your origin is from there and that is where you will find your inheritance (Ps 16:6); from there, you are awaiting the Saviour (Phil 3:20).” – Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (Sermon for the Ascension).
PRAYER – O God, the strength of those who trust in Thee, Who fortified blessed Gregory, Thy Confessor and Pontiff, with the virtue of firmness to protect the freedom of the Church, grant us, by his example and intercession, bravely to overcome all evil. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 25 May – The Octave Day of the Ascension
Sing We Triumphant Hymns of Praise By St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Father and Doctor of the Church
Sing we triumphant hymns of praise, New hymns to Heaven exulting raise. Alleluia, alleluia. Christ, by a road before untrod, Ascendeth to the Throne of God. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. The holy apostolic band Upon the Mount of Olives stand, Alleluia, alleluia. And with the Virgin Mother see Jesu’s resplendent Majesty. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
To whom the Angels, drawing nigh, “Why stand and gaze upon the sky?” Alleluia, alleluia. “This is the Saviour!” thus they say, “This is His noble triumph day!” Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
“Again ye shall behold Him, so As ye today have seen Him go.” Alleluia, alleluia. In glorious pomp ascending high, “Up to the portals of the sky.” Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
O grant us thitherward to tend, And with unwearied hearts ascend, Alleluia, alleluia. Toward Thy Kingdom’s Throne, where Thou, As is our faith, art seated now. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Be Thou our Joy and Strong Defence, Who art our Future Recompense. Alleluia, alleluia. So shall the Light that springs from Thee Be ours through all eternity. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
O Risen Christ, aAcended Lord, All praise to Thee, let earth accord, Alleluia, alleluia. Who art, while endless ages run, With Father and with Spirit One. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Saint of the Day – 25 May – St Aldhelm of Sherborne (640-709) Confessor, Abbot of Malmesbury Abbey and Bishop of Sherborne, England. Latin Scholar and Poet and Ecclesiastical writer. Born in 640 in England and died on 25 May 709 at Doulting, Somerset, England of natural causes. Also known as – Adhelm, Aldelmus, Ealdhelm, Ældhelm, Adelelmus, Adelme.
The Roman Martyrology states: “In England, Saint Aldelmo, Bishop, who, famous for his doctrine and writings, former Abbot of Malmesbury, was later Ordained as the first Bishop of Sherborne among the western Saxons.”
Aldhelm was of Royal blood, the son of Kenten, who was of the Royal House of Wessex, a kinsman of of Ine, the King of Wessex. He received his first education in the school of the Irish Scholar, Missionary and Monk, St Maeldulph of Malmersbury Abbey. Aldhelm himself attributes his progress in letters to the famous St Adrian, formerly a Monk of Monte Cassino, who came to England in the train of Archbishop Theodore and was made Abbot of St Augustine’s Monastery, Canterbury. Aldhelm addresses St Adrian as the ‘venerable preceptor of my rude childhood.‘
Ill health compelled Aldhelm to leave Canterbury and he returned to Malmesbury Abbey, where he was a Monk under St Maeldulph for fourteen years, dating probably from 661 and including the period of his studies with St Adrian.
When St Maeldulph died our Saint succeeded him both in the direction of the Malmesbury School and also as Abbot of the Monastery; but the exact dates given by some of the Saint’s biographers cannot be trusted, since they depend upon charters of very doubtful authenticity. As Abbot his life was most austere and it is particularly recorded of him that he was wont to recite the entire Psalter standing up to his neck in ice-cold water.
From being the companion of the Monks in their studies, Aldhelm soon became their teacher and his reputation for learning spread so rapidly that the small society gathered around him at Malmesbury was increased by scholars from France and Scotland. Under his rule, the Abbey of Malmesbury prospered so greatly that new Monasteries were founded from it and a Chapel dedicated to St Lawrence, built by Aldhelm in the village of Bradford-on-Avon, is standing to this day and here it is below.
During the Pontificate of Pope Sergius (687-701), the Saint visited Rome and is said to have brought back from the Pope, a privilege of exemption for his Monastery.
At the request of a Synod, held in Wessex, Aldhelm wrote a letter to the Britons of Devon and Cornwall upon the Paschal question, by which many of them are said to have been brought back to unity. In the year 705 Hedda, Bishop of the West Saxons, died and, his Diocese, being divided, the western portion was assigned to Aldhelm, who reluctantly became the first Bishop of Sherborne.
Wall Plaque at the Catholic Church of St Aldhelm, Malmesbury. The inscription says ‘St Aldhelm 639–709, Abbot of Malmesbury and Bishop of Sherborne, Latin Poet and Ecclesiastical Writer.’
His Episcopate was short in duration. Some of the stone-work of a Church he built at Sherborne still remains. Aldhelm was on his rounds in his Diocese when he died at the Church in Doulting village in 709, the Church of St Aldhelm and St Aldhelm’s Well there are highly venerated to this day. There are at least 14 Churches dedicated to St Aldhelm across England. His body was conveyed to Malmesbury, a distance of fifty miles and crosses were erected along the way at each halting place where his remains rested for the night. Many miracles were attributed to the Saint both before and after his death. His Feast was on 25 May and in 857 King Ethelwulf erected a magnificent silver Shrine at Malmesbury in his honour.
Church of St Aldhelm, Doulting, Somerset
“Aldhelm was the first Englishman who cultivated classical learning with any success and the first of whom any literary remains are preserved” (Stubbs). Both from Ireland and from the Continent, men wrote to ask him questions on points of learning. His chief prose work is a treatise, “De laude virginitatis – In praise of virginity” which Aldhelm afterwards versified. The prose treatise on virginity was dedicated to the Abbess and Nuns of Barking, a community which seems to have included more than one of the Saint’s own relatives.
Besides the tractate on the Paschal controversy already mentioned, several other letters of Aldhelm are preserved. A few shorter extant poems are interesting, like all Aldhelm’s writings, for the light which they throw upon religious thought in England at the close of the seventh Century. We are struck by the writer’s earnest devotion to the Mother of God, by the veneration paid to the Saints and notably to S. Peter, “the key-bearer,” by the importance attached to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mas, to prayer for the dead and by the esteem in which he held the monastic profession.
Statue of St Aldhelm in niche 124 of the West Front of Salisbury Cathedral
St Pope Gregory VII (1015-1085) Confessor, Bishop of Rome 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085, Monk, Priest, Reformer, Administrator, Adviser. Pope Gregory “was probably the most energetic and determined man ever to occupy the See of Peter and was driven by an almost mystically exalted vision of the awesome responsibility and dignity of the papal office” (Eamonn Duffy, Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes). Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2018/05/25/saint-of-the-day-25-may-st-pope-gregory-vii-c-1015-1085/
St Aldhelm of Sherborne (640-709) Confessor, Abbot of Malmesbury and Bishop of Sherborne Bl Antonio Caixal Bl Bartolomeo Magi di Amghiari St Canio St Denis Ssebuggwawo St Dionysius of Milan St Dunchadh of Iona St Egilhard of Cornelimünster Bl Gerardo Mecatti St Gerbald St Injuriosus of Auvergne St Iosephus Chang Song-Jib Bl James Bertoni Bl Juan of Granada St Leo of Troyes
St Madeleine Sophie Barat RSCJ (1779-1865) Virgin, Religious, Foundress of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Institute of Teachers. Patronage – Teachers. Her body is incorupt. Saint Madeleine Sophie died in Paris on 25 May, 1865. Ascension Day. She was buried in the cemetery at Conflans. In 1904, when the French Sisters were expelled by the Combes laws, her body was transferred to the Sacred Heart at Jette, Brussels. Since her Beatification in 1908 by St Pius X, her well-preserved body has been exposed in a Shrine. She was Canonised n 24 May 1908 by Pope Pius XI Her Life of Love: https://anastpaul.com/2022/05/25/saint-of-the-day-25-may-st-madeleine-sophie-barat-rscj-1779-1865-v/
St Matthêô Nguyen Van Ðac Phuong St Maximus of Evreux Bl Nicholas Tsehelsky St Pasicrates of Dorostorum Bl Pedro Malasanch St Pherô Ðoàn Van Vân St Scholastica of Auvergne St Senzio of Bieda St Urban I, Pope St Valentio of Dorostorum St Victorinus of Acquiney St Winebald of Saint Bertin St Worad of Saint Bertin St Zenobius of Florence
If Thou take Thy grace away, Nothing pure in man will stay; All his good is turned to ill.
THE GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING
Understanding, as a Gift of the Holy Ghost, helps us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our holy religion. By faith we know them but, by Understanding, we learn to appreciate and relish them. It enables us to penetrate the inner meaning, of revealed truths and through them, to be quickened to newness of life. Our faith ceases to be sterile and inactive but, inspires a mode of life, which bears eloquent testimony, to the faith which is in us, we begin to: “walk worthily of God in all things, pleasing Him and increasing, in the knowledge of God.”
Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Understanding and enlighten our minds, that we may know and believe all the Mysteries of salvation and may merit, at last, to see the eternal light of Thy Light and in the light of glory, to have a clear vision of Thee and the Father and the Son. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary – ONCE. Glory be to the Father – SEVEN TIMES.
ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT To be recited daily during the Novena
On my knees, I, before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, listen to Your Voice and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion, to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus, looking at His Five Wounds and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, t o keep me in Your grace, that I may never sin against You. Give me grace O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son, to say to You always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Your servant hears.” Amen.
Thought for the Day – 24 May – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Recollection of Mary
“Holy Mary, thou who are constantly close to God, obtain for me too, this interior spirit of prayer. Then, I shall be able to raise my thoughts to God in the midst of worldly confusion and I shall not surrender to the enchantments of worldly pleasures. Under thou protection, I shall always remain united to God, Who is my only true good. Amen.”
Quote/s of the Day – 24 May – The Memorial of Saint Vincent of Lérins (Died c445) Confessor, Monk, Writer, the Author of the ‘Commonitorium.’
“Hold fast to that Faith, which has been received, everywhere, always by all.”
“All novelty in faith, is a sure mark of heresy.”
“True piety admits no other rule than that, whatsoever things have been faithfully received from our fathers, the same are to be faithfully consigned to our children and that, it is our duty, not to lead religion whither we would but rather, to follow religion whither it leads and that, it is the part of Christian modesty and gravity, not to hand down our own beliefs or observances to those who come after us but, to preserve and keep what we have received, from those who went before us.”
“What, then, shall a Catholic do … if some novel contagion attempts to infect, no longer a small part of the Church alone but the whole Church alike? He shall then see to it that he cleave unto antiquity, which is now utterly incapable of being seduced by any craft or novelty.”
“Avoid the profane novelty of words, St Paul says (I Timothy 6:20) … For if novelty is to be avoided, antiquity is to be held to, tightly and if novelty is profane, antiquity is sacred!”
St Vincent of Lérins (Died c445) Author of the ‘Commonitorium.’
One Minute Reflection – 24 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and the Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians/Auxilium Christianorum – Within the Octave of the Ascension – Acts 1:1-11, Mark 16:14-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“He who believes and is baptised, shall be saved ...” – Mark 16:16
REFLECTION – “When He says, “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me,” He touches on their unbelief, showing, that whoever does not believe in Him transgresses the Will of the Father. He covertly shows, that unbelievers are not only at variance with Him but also, with the Father. For if this is [the Son’s] Will and if this is the reason He came, that is, that He might save the entire world, then those who do not believe transgress His Will.
When, therefore, He says, the Father guides someone, there is nothing that hinders that person from coming to [Jesus]. And Paul says, that [the Son] delivers them up to the Father. Now, just as the Father, when He gives, does not take from Himself, so neither does the Son take from Himself when He gives up. The Son is said to give up to the Father because we are brought to the Father by Him. And at the same time, we read that it was the Father “by whom you were called to the fellowship of His Son,” that is, by the Will of the Father.
Faith in Me, He intimates here, is no ordinary thing or one that comes from human reason but [it] needs a revelation from above. And this He establishes throughout His discourses, showing, that this faith requires a noble sort of soul and one drawn on by God. The expression “that the Father gives Me” shows, that it is no accident whether a person believes or not. It shows, that belief is not the work of human reasoning but requires a revelation from on high and a mind devout enough to receive the revelation. “Whoever then,” our Lord says, “comes to Me, shall be saved,” meaning they shall be greatly cared for. For to save such as these, I took up flesh and the form of a servant.” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople, Father and Doctor of the Church (Homilies on the Gospel of John 45)
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants, that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin and our help in all our needs, may be delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of thine eternal gladness. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 24 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and the Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians/Auxilium Christianorum
Most Holy Virgin Mary, Help of Christians By St John Bosco (1815-1888)
Most Holy Virgin Mary, Help of Christians, how sweet it is to come to thy feet imploring thy perpetual help. If earthly mothers cease not to remember their children, how can thou, the most loving of all mothers, forget me? Grant then to me, I implore thee thy perpetual help in all my necessities, in every sorrow and especially in all my temptations. I ask for thy unceasing help for all who are now suffering. Help the weak, cure the sick, convert sinners. Grant through thy intercession, many vocations to the religious life. Obtain for us, O Mary, Help of Christians, that having invoked thee on earth we may love and eternally thank thee in Heaven. Amen
Saint of the Day – 24 May – Saint Vincent of Lérins (Died c445) Confessor, Monk, Writer, the author of the ‘Commonitorium.’ Born in Toulouse, France and died in c445 in Lerins, France of natural causes.
After the Church was given the green light with the Edict of the Emperor Constantine and was able to come out into the open, becoming part of the new society which was born from the ashes of the secular Roman empire, many Christians felt a more yearning desire for “detachment from world” and the reference to the “desert,” that is to say, to the quiet and solitude of the contemplative life.
This yearning was translated into various forms of eremitucal, monastic or community life. St Jerome lived for a long time in a cave near Betlem; St Paulinus of Nola stripped himself of all his wealth to live in a small room next to the tomb of the Martyr St Felix. Many chose the real desert, such as St Antony Abbot; others put the sea between themselves and the tumultuous society and took refuge on a small island.
Among the main monastic refuges of the Fifth Century was the Island of Lérins, in the Mediterranean, right opposite of Cannes in France. Founded by St Honoratius, future Bishop of Arles, the Monastery of Lérins became a seedbed for Bishops, Saints and Writers. Let us recall St Eucherius who, before becoming the Archbishop of Lyons, stayed for a long time on the islet with his wife and children and wrote two books there with significant titles: In Praise of Solitude and Contempt for the World. He is remembered for his letters advocating extreme self-abnegation.
But the most famous name which came out of this “nurse of saints” is our Saint today St Vincent of Lérins. Born to a noble family, he is believed to be the brother of St Lupus of Troyes. In his early life he engaged in secular pursuits; it is unclear whether these were civil or military, although the term he uses, “secularis militia,” may imply the latter. He entered Lérins Abbey on Île Saint-Honorat, where, under the pseudonym Peregrinus, he wrote the Commonitorium in c434, about three years after the Council of Ephesus. Vincent defended the Blessed Virgin as the Mother of God, against the heretical teachings of the condemned Nestorius. St Eucherius of Lyon called him a “conspicuously eloquent and knowledgeable” holy man.
We do not have much information about his life. His fame is linked to a booklet on the tradition of the Church, entitled Commonitorium, which St Robert Bellarmine defined as “a golden book.” It is a manual of rules of conduct to be followed in order to fully experience the Gospel message. In 434 (the year in which the precious booklet was published), the Monk provided future Theologians with the famous canon of orthodoxy, i.e. the yardstick for judging the goodness of a Theological affirmation: “Quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est” – “Let us hold fast to what has been believed everywhere, always and by everyone.”
However, Vincent hoped for progress: “It is necessary for understanding to grow and to progress very vigorously,” Living during the years of the Church’s struggle against the Pelagian heresy, Vincent of Lérins, born in northern France, perhaps in Belgium and landed definitively in Lérins, in whose peace he died around 450, with his writings provided a very effective weapon against “the frauds and snares of heretics.”
His relics are preserved at Lérins. Hid work is still quoted by Popes and Theologians.
Our Lady of China: Our Lady of China is a title for the Virgin Mary in China who is believed to have appeared at the small village of Donglu in 1900. In Chinese she is called Zhōnghuá Shèngmǔ. She is also known as Our Lady of Donglu.
St Afra of Brescia Bl Benedict of Cassino
St David, King of Scotland (1085-1183) King David was a social and religious Reformer, a man of great administrative skills, apostle of charity and of holy piety. He transformed his Kingdom by the widespread introduction of Catholic Churches and Monasteries, thus also assisting in the international diplomatic influence of his country, it’s farming and agricultural wealth and it’s education. He was the main force and instrument of God in Christianising Scotland. St David’s life: https://anastpaul.com/2020/05/24/saint-of-the-day-24-may-st-david-king-of-scotland-1085-1183/
Bl Diego Alonso St Donatian of Nantes St Gennadius of Astroga St Hubert of Bretigny St Joanna the Myrrhbearer Bl John del Prado Bl John of Montfort Bl Juan of Huete St Manahen St Marciana of Galatia St Meletius the Soldier Bl Nicetas of Pereslav St Palladia St Patrick of Bayeux
St Rogatian of Nantes St Sérvulo of Trieste St Simeon Stylites the Younger
St Susanna Martyr (Died 2nd Century) One of a group of wives of 2nd century Martyred soldiers under the command of Saint Meletius. Following the death of the soldiers, the wives and children were Martyred, as well.
Martyrs of Istria: A group of early Martyrs in the Istria peninsula. We know little more than some names – Diocles, Felix, Servilius, Silvanus and Zoëllus.
Bl Thomas Vasière St Vincent of Lérins (Died c445) Monk, Ecclesiatical Writer St Vincent of Porto Romano
Martyrs of Plovdiv: 38 Christians Martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian and Maximian. We don’t even known their names. They were beheaded in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Light immortal! Light Divine! Visit Thou these hearts of Thine, And our inmost being fill!
THE GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE
The Gift of Knowledge enables the soul to evaluate created things, at their true worth, in their relationship to God. Knowledge unmasks the pretence of creatures, reveals their emptiness and points out their only true purpose, as instruments, in the service of God. It shows us the loving care of God, even in adversity and directs us to glorify Him in every circumstance of life. Guided by its light, we put first things first and prize the friendship of God, beyond all else. “Knowledge is a fountain of life to him who possesseth it.”
Prayer
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Knowledge and grant that I may perceive the Will of the Father; show me the nothingness of earthly things, that I may realise their vanity and use them, only for Thy glory and my own salvation, looking ever beyond them to Thee and Thine Eternal Rewards. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary – ONCE. Glory be to the Father – SEVEN TIMES.
ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT To be recited daily during the Novena
On my knees, I, before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, offer myself, soul and body to Thee, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Thy Purity, the unerring keenness of Thy Justice and the might of Thy Love. Thou art the Strength and Light of my soul. In Thee, I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve Thee by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against Thee. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Thy Light, listen to Thine Voice and follow Thy gracious inspirations. I cling to Thee and give myself to Thee and ask Thee, by Thy compassion, to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus, looking at His Five Wounds and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore Thee, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Thy grace that I may never sin against Thee. Give me grace O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and of the Son, to say to Thee, always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Thine servant hears.” Amen.
Thought for the Day – 23 May – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Prayer to Mary, Our Mother
“O Mary, be my merciful and kind Mother always but especially when you see me struggling against temptation and against the wiles of the devil. Grant that I may never fall and offend God again. I need you so much. Help me and save me. Amen.”
Quote/s of the Day – 23 May – Within the Octave of the Ascension
“Through the Holy Spirit comes our restoration to paradise, our ascension into the Kingdom of Heaven, our return to the adoption of sons, our liberty to call God, Our Father, our being made partakers of the grace of Christ, our being called children of Light, our sharing in eternal glory and, in a word, our being brought into a state of all “fulness of blessing,” both in this world and in the world to come, of all the good gifts that are in store for us, by promise hereof, through faith, beholding the reflection of their grace, as though they were already present, we await the full enjoyment.”
St Basil the Great (329-379) Father and Doctor of the Church
“And He departed from our sight that we might return to our hearts and find Him there. For He left us and behold, He is here!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“May your heart be an Altar, from which the bright flame of unending thanksgiving ascends to Heaven.”
One Minute Reflection – 23 May – Within the Octave of Ascension – The Memorial of St John Baptiste de Rossi (1698-1764) Priest, Confessor – Acts 1:1-11, Mark 16:14-20 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Go ye into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” – Mark 16:15
REFLECTION – “You have heard what the Lord said to His disciples after the Resurrection. He sent them out to preach the Gospel and they did so. Listen: “Through all the earth their voice resounds and to the ends of the world, their message” (Ps 18[19],5). Step by step, the Gospel has reached even to us and the ends of the earth. In a few words, the Lord addressing Himself to His disciples, set out what we are to do and what we have to hope for. Just as you have heard, He said: “Whoever believes and is Baptised will be saved.” He asks for our faith and offers us salvation. What He offers us is so precious, that what He asks of us is as nothing.
“The children of men take refuge in the shadow of Thy wings, O my God… from Thy delightful stream, Thou give them to drink, for with Thee is the fountain of life” (Ps 35[36],8f.). Jesus Christ is the Fountain of Life. Before the Fountain of Life came to us, we had only a human salvation like that of the beasts, of which the psalm speaks: “Man and beast you save, O Lord” (Ps 35[36],7). But now the Fountain of Life has come even to us, the Fountain of Life died for our sakes. Will He refuse us, His Life, Who, for our sakes, gave His Death? He is Salvation and this Salvation is not worthless, like the other one. Why? Because it does not pass away. The Lord has come. He died but he killed death. In Himself, He brought an end to death. He assumed it and He killed it. Where is death now, then? Look for it in Christ and it is no longer there. It used to be there but there it died. O life, Death of death! Take heart – it will also die in us! What was fulfilled in the Head will also be fulfilled in the members and death will die in us, too.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo and Father and Doctor of the Church (Excerpt from Sermon 233 ).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that as we do believe Thine Only-Begotten Son our Saviour to have this day Ascended into the Heavens, so we may also, in heart and mind thither ascend and with Him, continually dwell. And may the merits and intercession of Thy Confessor, John Baptiste de Rossi, be an aid on our journey. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Saint of the Day – 23 May – Saint Ivo of Chartres (1040-1116) Bishop of Chartres from 1090 until his death, Confessor, renowned Scholar, Writer, Expert in Canon Law. Ivo was an important Canon Lawyer during the Investiture Crisis. He left extensive Canon writings as well as much correspondence and wonderful sermons. Born in 1040 in Beauvais, France and died on 23 December in 1116 of natural causes at Chartres. Also known as – Ives, Yves, or Yvo.Patronages – of Canon Lawyers, Lawyers. . He was Canonised on 18 December 1570 by St Pius V. Additional Memorials – 20 May and 23 December, on some Calendars.
Ivo was born of a noble family in Beauvais. From the neighbourhood of Beauvais, his native country, he went for his studies first to Paris and thence to the Abbey of Bee in Normandy, at the same time as St Anselm of Canterbury, to attend the lectures given by St Lanfranc.
In about 1080 he became, at the desire of his Bishop, Prior of the Canons of St-Quentin at Beauvais. He was then one of the best teachers in France and so prepared himself to infuse a new life into the celebrated schools of Chartres, of which City he was appointed Bishop in 1090, his predecessor, Geoffroy, having been deposed for simony.
His Episcopal government, ranged over a period of twenty-five years. No man, perhaps, is better portrayed in his writing than is Ivo in his letters and sermons – in both, he appears as a man always faithful to his duties, high-minded, full of zeal and piety, sound in his judgements, a keen jurist, straight-forward, mindful of others’ rights, devoted to the Papacy and to his country, at the same time, openly disapproving of all which he considered wrong and which IS wrong by Sacred Scripture. Very often, Ivo was consulted on Theological, Liturgical, Political and especially Canonical matters. Ivo was regarded as a moral and intellectual authority by many Prelates in northern Europe.
During his Episcopacy, he wrote the majority of his extant works, for which he later became famous and is considered among the greatest scholars of the mediaeval era.
Of his life, little more is known than may be gathered from his own letters. As Bishop, he strongly opposed Philip the First, who wished to desert Bertha, his legitimate wife and marry Bertrade of Anjou (1092) – his opposition gained him a prison cell.
In the Investiture struggle then raging in France and especially in Germany, Ivo represented the moderate party. Although he died too early to witness the final triumph of his ideas, with the Concordat of Worms (1122), his endeavours and his doctrines may be said to have paved the way for an agreement satisfactory to both sides. His views on the subject are fully expressed in several of his letters, especially those of the years 1099, 1106 and 1111. These letters are still of interest as to the question of the relationship between Church and State, the efficacy of the Sacraments administered by heretics, the sin of simony and much more.
The printed works of Ivo of Chartres may be arranged into three categories – canonical writings, letters and sermons. Some of his works had great influence and his letters are a valuable reflection of his era. Many of his letters and sermons circulated already in his lifetime and were copied widely, especially in the mid-twelfth century. The same is true for the canonical collections; they were copied frequently and used in the making of other collections.
His works are replete with treatments of charity and dispensation in a pastoral manner regarding the Holy See. He believed that caritas was the solution for sin and not harsh punishment without contrition. This theme is most evident in his Prologus, which is most often compared to the teachings of the Church Fathers than those of the scholars of his day. Paul’s message of loving one’s fellow man as one would oneself, is particularly prevalent in Ivo’s works:
“He was called to teach. His lesson was love. It was all that mattered.” Saint Ivo of Chartres (1040-1116)
Martyrs of Béziers: 20 Mercedarian Friars murdered by Huguenots for being Catholic. Martyrs. 1562 at the Mercedarian convent at Béziers, France.
Martyrs of Cappadocia: A group of Christians tortured and Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian and Galerius. Their names and the details of their lives have not come down to us. They were crushed to death in c.303 in Cappadocia (in modern Turkey).
Martyrs of Carthage: When a civil revolt erupted in Carthage in 259 during a period of persecution by Valerian, the procurator Solon blamed it on the Christians, and began a persecution of them. We know the names and a few details about 8 of these martyrs – Donatian, Flavian, Julian, Lucius, Montanus, Primolus, Rhenus and Victorius. They were beheaded in 259 at Carthage (modern Tunis, Tunisia).
Martyrs of Mesopotamia: A group of Christians Martyred in Mesopotamia in persecutions by imperial Roman authorities. Their names and the details of their lives have not come down to us. They were suffocated over a slow fire in Mesopotamia.
Martyrs of North Africa: A group of 19 Christians Martyred together in the persecutions of the Arian Vandal King Hunneric for refusing to deny the Trinity. We know little more than a few of their names – Dionysius, Julian, Lucius, Paul and Quintian. c430.
Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts
FOURTH DAY
Thou in toil art comfort sweet, Pleasant coolness in the heat, Solace in the midst of woe.
The Gift of Fortitude
By the Gift of Fortitude, the soul is strengthened against natural fear and supported to the end, in the performance of duty. Fortitude imparts to the will, an impulse and energy which move it to undertake, without hesitancy, the most arduous tasks, to face dangers, to trample underfoot, human respect and, to endure, without complaint, the slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation. “He who shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved.”
Prayer
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold my soul in time of trouble and adversity, sustain my efforts, after holiness, strengthen my weakness, give me courage against all the assaults of my enemies that I may never be overcome and separated from Thee, my God and greatest Good. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary – ONCE. Glory be to the Father – SEVEN TIMES.
ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT To be recited daily during the Novena
On my knees, I, before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, offer myself, soul and body to Thee, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Thy Purity, the unerring keenness of Thy Justice and the might of Thy Love. Thou art the Strength and Light of my soul. In Thee, I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve Thee by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against Thee. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Thy Light, listen to Thine Voice and follow Thy gracious inspirations. I cling to Thee and give myself to Thee and ask Thee, by Thy compassion, to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus, looking at His Five Wounds and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore Thee, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Thy grace that I may never sin against Thee. Give me grace O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and of the Son, to say to Thee, always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Thine servant hears.” Amen.
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