Thought for the Day – 20 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
CARELESSNESS
“Reflect on the infinite generosity of God, Who created us, redeemed us from sin by shedding the Blood of His Divine Son and enriched our souls with grace and supernatural gifts. How can we remain indifferent and fail to correspond willingly with such goodness? Virtue cannot be achieved without diligence and we cannot be true Christians, without virtue. Let us consider the example given us by the Saints. They lived in a continual and prayerful union with God; they never refused any task or any sacrifice, in order to show their love for Jesus and their total dedication to His will; they made every effort to attract others towards holinesss and to bring about the triumph of the Kingdom of Christ in the world.
What are we doing? What are we prepared to do in future? Are we carelessly wiling away our days in indolence and pleasure?”
Quote/s of the Day – 20 September – Wisdom 5:16-20, Luke 6:17-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.”
Luke 6:20
“He had added nothing which would explain the sort of poor and then, that poverty by itself, would appear sufficient to win the Kingdom of Heaven, which many suffer from, hard and heavy necessity. But when He says “blessed are the poor in spirit,” He shows that the Kingdom of Heaven must be assigned to those who are recommended by the humility of their spirit, rather than, by the smallness of their means. Blessed, therefore, is poverty which is not possessed with a love of temporal things and does not seek to be increased with the riches of the world but is eager to amass heavenly possessions.”
St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church
“True humility consists in persuading and convincing oneself that without God, we are insignificant and despicable and, in accepting to be treated as such!”
St Ignatius Loyola SJ (1491-1556)
“One day, I started thinking about what the last office can be in the world. And, I discovered that the last place, is at the feet of the traitor, Judas. And I wanted to place myself there but I could not because there, I found Jesus Christ kneeling, washing Judas’ feet! Since then, my appreciation for and understanding of humility, has grown.”
“He who desires to consecrate himself to God must, in the first place, trample under his feet, all regard for what others will say of him. O my God, why do we not ask what Jesus Christ or His holy Mother, will think of our conduct?”
One Minute Reflection – 20 September – “Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – The Vigil of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist – Wisdom 5:16-20, Luke 6:17-23 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And He, lifting up His eyes on His disciples, said: Blessed are you …” – Luke 6:20
REFLECTION – “Lord Jesus Christ, to teach us the summit of virtue, You ascended the mountain with Your disciples and taught them the Beatitudes and highest virtues, promising them the rewards applicable to each. Grant that my weakness may hear Your Voice, that I may apply myself, through their practice, to acquire the merit of the virtues, so that by Your Mercy, I may receive the promised reward. As I consider the payment, do not let me refuse the effort of the labour. Make my hope of eternal salvation, sweeten the bitterness of the cure, inflaming my soul with the splendour of Your work. Out of the wretched person I am, create one of the blessed; from the blessedness here below, lead me, by Your Grace, to the blessedness of the homeland.
Come, Lord Jesus Christ, in search of Your servant, seeking Your erring and exhausted sheep. Come, Spouse of the Church, in search of Your lost coin. Come, Father of mercies, welcome the prodigal son returning to You. Come, then, Lord, for You are the only One, able to call back the sheep that has strayed, to find the lost drachma, to reconcile the runaway son. Come, that there may be salvation on earth and joy in Heaven! Turn me towards You and grant that I may carry out a true and perfect repentance, so that I may become an occasion for joy, among the Angels. Sweetest Jesus, I pray Thee, by the immensity of Thine Love for me, a sinner, grant that I may love Thee alone, above all things, that I may be consoled by none but Thee, my sweetest God!” – Ludolph of Saxony (c1300-1378) Monk, Theologian, Writer, Dominican then a Carthusian (Prayers to Jesus Christ).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God that the worshipful Feast of Thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist, St Matthew, on the eve whereof we now stand, may avail us, to the increase, both of godliness toward Thee and of health to our own souls. 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 – 20 September – “Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross”
Morning Offering May Every Beat of My Heart Be a Prayer By St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier (1796-1868)
O my God, may every beat of my heart, be a prayer, to obtain grace, and pardon for sinners. May all my sighs, be so many appeals, to Your infinite mercy. May each look, have the virtue to gain to Your love, those souls, whom I shall look on. May the food of my life, be to work without ceasing for Your glory and the salvation of souls. Amen
Saint of the Day – 20 September – St Pope Agapetus I (c489-536) the 57th Bishop of Rome Papal Reign from 13 May 535 – 22 April 536. Agapetus was born in Rome, although his exact date of birth is unknown. He was the son of Gordianus, a Roman Priest who had been slain during the riots in the days of Pope Symmachus (term 498–514). The name ‘Gprdianus’ might point to a familial relationship with 2 Popes – Felix III (Reign – 483–492) and Gregory I the GREAT (Reign – 590–604).
Agapetus was Ordained as a Deacon perhaps as early as 502, then elevated to Archdeacon and from there to Suprme Pontiff on 13 May 535.
As Pope, he confirmed the Decrees of the Council held at Carthage, after the liberation of Africa from the Vandal yoke, according to which, converts from Arianism were declared ineligible to Holy Orders and those already Ordained, were merely admitted to lay communion.
Agapetus assisted the Servant of God, Senator Cassiodorus, in the founding of his Monastery, named Vivarium in Calabria, Italy.
He accepted an appeal from Contumeliosus, Bishop of Riez in France, whom a Council at Marseilles had condemned for immorality and he ordered St Caesarius of Arles, the Archbishop, to grant the accused a new trial before Papal delegates, the outcome we believe went against Bishop Contumeliosus.
During his short Papacy, the Byzantine Empire, under the helm of General Belisarius, looked to invade Italy. It was the Ostrogothic King, Theodahad who informed Pope Agapetus of this. Following his advice, Agapetus and five Bishops, left in winter to meet with the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. They made it to Constantinople in February of 536. Unfortunately, Emperor claimed he could not prevent Belisarius.
Seeing the situation as a religious issue and not as a political problem, Agapetus sought out the Byzantine Patriarch, Anthimus I. Things quickly unraveled into a heated debate of faith and power. Agapetus questioned Anthimus I’s faith, demanding a written confession of faith and that he resign as Patriarch. When Anthimus refused, Agapetus further and more vigorously questioned him. To this, Emperor Justinian I said he would banish the Pope if need be!
Agapetus replied with spirit: “With eager longing have I come to gaze upon the Most Christian Emperor Justinian. In his place I find a Diocletian, whose threats, however, terrify me not!” This intrepid language made Justinian pause and being finally convinced that Anthimus was unsound in faith, he made no objection to the Pope’s exercising the plenitude of his powers in deposing and suspending the intruder and, for the first time in the history of the Church, personally Consecrating his legally elected successor, Mennas. This memorable exercise of the Papal prerogative was not soon forgotten by the Orientals, who, together with the Latins, venerate him as a Saint even before death.
In order to clear himself of every suspicion of abetting heresy, Justinian delivered, to the Pope, a written confession of faith which the latter accepted with the judicious proviso that “although he could not admit, in a layman. the right of teaching religion, yet, he observed, with pleasure that the zeal of the Emperor was in perfect accord, with the decisions of the Fathers.”
Shortly afterwards, Agapetus fell ill and died, after a glorious and very busy reign of just ten months. His remains were brought in a leaden coffin to Rome and deposited in St Peter’s. His memory is kept on 20 September, the day of his deposition.
St Pope Agapetus I (c489-536) Bishop of Rome Papal Reign from 13 May 535 – 22 April 536 St Candida of Carthage St Clicerius of Milan Bishop St Dionysius of Phrygia St Dorimedonte of Synnada St Eusebia of Marseilles St Evilasius of Cyzicum St Fausta of Cyzicum St Glycerius of Milan Bl John Eustace St Priscus
Martyrs of Constantinople – 3 Saints: A Priest and two Bishops who were imprisoned, tortured and Martyred for the defence of icons in the iconoclast persecutions of Emperor Leo the Isaurian. – Andrea, Asiano and Hypatius. They were Martyred in 735 in Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey) and their bodies were thrown to the dogs.
Martyrs of Pergen – 6 Saints: A group of lay people Martyred in the persecutions of Emperor Elagabalus. The names that have come down to us are Dionysius, Dioscorus, Philippa, Privatus, Socrates and Theodore. They were crucified c 220 at Pergen, Pamphylia, Asia Minor (in modern Turkey).
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