Thought for the Day – 10 December – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
HOLY PURITY
“Most Pure Virgin, Immaculate Mother of God, thou sees how many dangers and snares surround my soul. Thou sees how weak I am and how much I need thy help. Assist me, I beseech thee when I am tempted. Gran, I cry unto thee, that I may die in the state of grace, rather than fall into sin. Amen”
Quote/s of the Day – 10 December – The Second Sunday of Advent
“For this is He of Whom it is written: Behold. I send My Angel before My face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee.”
Matthew 11:10
“For everyone who exalts himself, will be humbled and he who humbles himself, will be exalted.”
Luke 14:11
“We must erect the mystical ladder of Jacob, where Angels, ascending and descending, appeared to him. Ascent and descent means, that we go downward when we exalt ourselves and rise, when we are humbled. The ladder represents our life in this world, which our Lord erects to Heaven, when our heart is humbled. The sides of the ladder represent our soul and body, sides between which, God has placed several rungs of humility and, discipline, whereby we are to ascend if we would answer His call.”
(Rule of Benedict #7)
St Benedict (480-547) Father of the Church
“There is no road to Heaven but that of innocence or penance.”
St Cajetan (1480-1547)
“Worldly love aims at pleasing everyone and saddening no-one. Many call this politeness! but, it is simply self-praise and flattery!”
St Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539)
“What better penance can a heart do which commits faults, than to submit to a continual abnegation of self-will?”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
“Let us be humble like Mary. Let us make God’s glory, rather than our own satisfaction, the object of our actions. Only one thing should count with us and that is, the testimony of a good conscience before God. Everything else is passing and futile.”
One Minute Reflection – 10 December – The Second Sunday of Advent, Within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God – Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 11:2-10 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Behold I send My Angel before My face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee.” – Matthew 11:10
REFLECTION – “Since our Divine Saviour is so near, what are we to do to prepare ourselves for His coming ? Saint John the Baptist teaches us : “Repent!” he says, “bring low those mountains of pride, fill those valleys of laziness and pusillanimity, for salvation is near at hand.” The ‘valleys’ are nothing other than fear which, when it becomes too great, leads to discouragement. The sight of the great sins we have committed, brings with them, a shock and fear which strikes the heart. These are the valleys we have to fill, with trust and hope for the coming of our Lord.
“Bring low mountains and hills:”what are these but presumption, pride and self-esteem, which is a very great hindrance to our Lord’s coming, Who is accustomed to humble and bring low the proud, for He penetrates right to the bottom of our hearts to uncover the pride hidden within them. “Level the highways, the crooked ways make straight to make them a plain.” This is as though He were to say: “Put right all those doubtful intentions, so that you may have none but that of pleasing God, by doing penance, this being the goal to which we should all aim.”
Make straight the path, smooth down your feelings by the mortification of your passions, inclinations and aversions. Oh, what a desirable thing it is, this equanimity of mind and feeling; how faithfully we ought to work to acquire it! For, we are more changing and inconstant, than can be told. People are to be found, who at one moment, being in a good temper, will be of a pleasant and joyful conversation; yet look on the other side and you will find them sad and restless –in sum, the winding and uneven ways, are to be made straight for the coming of our Lord!” – St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Bishop of Geneva, Doctor of the Church (Sermon for the 4th Sunday of Advent).
PRAYER – O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, prepared a worthy dwelling for Thy Son,and Who, by Thy Son’s death, foreseen by Thee, preserved her from all taint, grant, we beseech Thee, through her intercession, that we too may come to Thee unstained by sin.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 – 10 December – The Second Sunday of Advent, Within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”
Creator Alme Siderum Creator of the Starry Frame 7th Century Advent Hymn
Creator of the starry frame; Eternal Light of all who live; Jesu, Redeemer of mankind, An ear to Thy poor suppliants give.
When man was sunk in sin and death, Lost in the depth of Satan’s snare, Love brought Thee down to cure our ills, By taking of those ills a share.
Thou for the sake of guilty men, Causing Thine own pure blood to flow, Didst issue from Thy Virgin-shrine, And to the Cross a Victim go.
So great the glory of Thy might, If we but chance Thy Name to sound, At once all Heaven and Hell unite In bending low with awe profound.
Great Judge of all, in that last day, When friends shall fail and foes combine, Be present then with us, we pray, To guard us with Thy arm divine.
To God the Father and the Son, All praise and power and glory be, With Thee, O holy Comforter, Henceforth through all eternity.
Also known as Advent Hymn, this translation of the Latin hymn Creator Alme Siderum (Pope Urban VIII’s 1632 revision of the 7th Century Hymn Conditor alme siderum) was first published in Fr Edward Caswall’s Lyra Catholica,
Saint of the Day – 10 December – Saint Thomas of Farfa (Died c720) Abbot, Hermit, Pilgrim, expert Restorer and Abbot extraordinaire! Born at Maurienne, Savoy, France and died in c720 of natural causes at his famous Monastery of Farfa. Also known as – Thomas of Maurienne.
“This is the place which I promised you”
Words addressed by the Madonna to Thomas, the Restorer of Farfa Monastery, to indicate to him the ruins of the destroyed Abbey which were, later rebuilt by the Saint – it is the place of the current Monastery.
Thomas is believed to have hailed from Maurienne, where he was a Monk before he travelled to the Holy Land. According to the 12th Century Chronicon Farfense, by the renowned Monk Historian Gregory of Catino, Thomas was on a pilgrimage when, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, he had a vision of the Virgin Mary, who told him to go to Italy and re-establish an abandoned Abbey which had been founded in her name.
Together with a small group of disciples and by the gracious assistance of Divine guidance, Thomas found the ruins of an Abbey in a deserted region in the Sabina Hills in central Italy.
The foundation of Farfa p dates to around 560-570 by St Laurence of Syria (Lorenzo Siro), who arrived from Syria together with his sister Susannah, to carry out an apostolate in Sabina, where he was elected as the Bishop but he himself soon left this position to become a Monk and dedicate himself to the foundation of this Monastery which had attracted him by the position of 3 beautiful tall Cypresses, representing the glorious Blessed Trinity..
At the time of the death of San Lorenzo, which occurred towards the end of the 6th Century, the Monastery suffered complete devastation and abandonment, due to the arrival of the Lombards but, our Saint Thomas managed to find the remains of the place dedicated to the Blessed Mother – being still marked by the same three cypresses.
Finally the ancient Church, now in ruins, was given new life in 680, under the protection of the Duke of Spoleto, Faroaldo II, who offered land and buildings.
It is precisely thanks to Saint Thomas that a period of profound recovery began in Farfa. In addition to the reclamation of the land, the Abbey patrimony expanded so considerably, to the point that Popes, Dukes, Kings and Governors granted great exemptions and privileges, so that Farfa quickly became an economically and politically powerful entity.
During Thomas’s 40+ year Abbacy, three Monks from Farfa established the Monastery of San Vincenzo al Volturno. According to San Vincenzo’s Vita, it was Thomas who directed the Monks to “the oratory of Christ’s Martyr Vincent [where] on each side of the river is a thick forest (which serves as a habitation for wild beasts and a hiding-place for robbers.”
Also during Thomas’ tenure, the Abbey received a privilege in 705, from Pope John VII which recognised that the Abbey was founded by “Bishop Laurence.” This Papal privilege included a confirmation of the Abbey’s first grant of land, from Duke Faroald II of Spoleto. Through his donations Faroald claimed to have “restored that place through Abbot Thomas and your [Papal] recommendation.” Thomas was ordered to put the Papal privilege on display.
The working Farfa today
Saint Thomas died in c720, after forty years of regency of the Farfa Monastery and was buried right there. According to the 11th Century Martyrology of the Abbey, Thomas was buried at the 30th Milestone, as later was Abbot Hilderic (Died 857). Thomas had been succeeded by Aunepert around 720.
St Pope Melchiades (Died 314) Bishop of Rome from 2 July 311- 19 or 11 January 314)
St Abundius St Albert of Sassovivo St Angelina of Serbia Blessed Brian Lacey (Died 1591) Lay Martyr BL Bruno of Rommersdorf St Caesarius of Epidamnus St Carpophorus St Deusdedit of Brescia (Died c700) Bishop
St Edmund Gennings St Emérico Martín Rubio St Florentius of Carracedo St Fulgentius of Afflighem St Gemellus of Ancyra St Gonzalo Viñes Masip Bl Guglielmo de Carraria St Guitmarus St Hildemar of Beauvais Bl Jerome Ranuzzi Bl John Mason
St Julia of Merida St Lucerius St Maurus of Rome St Mercury of Lentini St Polydore Plasden Bl Sebastian Montanol Bl Sidney Hodgson St Sindulf of Vienne St Swithun Wells St Thomas of Farfa (Died c720) Abbot, Hermit Bl Thomas Somers St Valeria
Martyrs of Alexandria – 3 Saints: A group of Christians murdered for their faith in the persecutions of Galerius Maximian – c 312. The only details that have survived are three of the names – Eugraphus, Hermogenes and Mennas.
AnaStpaul 
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