Thought for the Day – 20 July – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)
HUMILITY Meditations for a Month
Consciousness of Humility
How are we to know whether we are humble? If we think we are humble, we may be quite sure that we are not really humble at all! There is no more certain sign of pride, than to be unaware of its existence in ourselves. Which Saint ever lived, who did not acknowledge and lament his pride and self-love? A Saint who should believe himself to be thoroughly humble, would be no Saint at all. How far do I recognise in myself an ever-running sore of pride, making me foul and unsightly before God, who hates the proud and gives grace only to the humble?!
If I find that I take disparaging remarks, attacks and contradictions from others, with patience and good humoor, it is a good sign but, not a certain sign that I am humble. Pride, which apes humility, often renders man proof, against that which others think. He wraps himself in his cloak of pride and looks down on their opinion of him. Indifference to the praise and honour of those around us, is not a certain sign, for this too may come from pride and a spirit of contempt!
But if anyone:
+++ recognises himself as full of pride; +++ dislikes the idea of being honoured and praised; +++ desires humiliations and prays for them; or +++ thinks himself to deserve the worst of everything and the lowest place,
he may hope that he has begun to walk the road which, in the end, may through God’s grace, produce in him the virtue of humility. Examine yourself on these points, thank God for any signs of progress and lament over still -remaining defects.
Quote/s of the Day – 20 July – St Jerome Emiliani (1486–1537) Confessor
“For God, … does not work in those who refuse to place all their confidence and hope in Him alone. But He does impart the fullness of His love upon those who possess a deep faith and hope; for them He does great things!”
“God wishes to test you, like gold in the furnace. The dross is consumed by the fire but the pure gold remains and its value increases. It is in this manner, that God acts with His good servant, who puts his hope in Him and remains unshaken in times of distress. God raises him up and, in return for the things, he has left out of love for God, He repays him a hundredfold in this life and with eternal life hereafter. If then, you remain constant in faith, in the face of trial, the Lord will give you peace and rest for a time in this world and forever in the next.”
One Minute Reflection – 20 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – St Jerome Emiliani (1486–1537) Confessor – Isaias 58:7-11, Matthew 19:13-21 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Suffer the little children and forbid them not to come to Me, for the Kingdom of Heaven is for such. ” – Matthew 19:14
REFLECTION – “What a great and wonderful gift God has given us, my brethren! On this, the day of Easter, day of Salvation, the Lord rises again and gives resurrection to the world. … We are His Body (1 Cor 12:27) … and His Members rise with Him; He makes us rise from death to life. In Hebrew the word “passover” means a passing over … and what a passing! From sin to righteousness, from vice to virtue, from age to infancy. Yesterday, sins’ decay set us on a decline but Christ’s Resurrection gives us rebirth in newborn innocence!
Christian simplicity makes childhood its own. Children are without rancour, ignorant of deceit, not daring to strike. So, this child whom the Christian has become, does not fall into a rage if someone insults him, does not resist, if something is taken from him, does not return blows, if someone strikes him. Our Lord even demands us to pray for our enemies, give up our tunic and cloak to anyone who would steal it, turn the other cheek to those who would slap it (Mt 5:39). The childhood of Christ surpasses human childhood. …
To the Apostles, who were already mature, adult men, the Lord said: “Unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 18:3). He returns them to the origin of their lives, encourages them to rediscover their childhood, so that these men, whose vigour is declining, may be born again to innocence of heart.” – St Maximus of Turin (Died c420) Bishop, Father of the Church (Homily 58 for Easter).
PRAYER – O God, the Father of mercies, by the merits and intercession of St Jerome, whom Thou willed to be the helper and father of orphans, grant that we may faithfully guard the spirit of adoption which makes us Thy sons both in name and reality.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 July – St Jerome Emiliani (1486–1537) Confessor and Our Lady’s Day
O Mary, Twice Mother of Mercy By St Jerome Emiliani (1486–1537)
O Mary, thou art twice Mother of Mercy because thou hast been made Mother of our most merciful Saviour, and, furthermore because, thou hast given to us so many signs of thy maternal care and love. Turn upon us, we beseech thee, thy glance of compassion and grant, that we may always live free from sin, which is the only impediment to receiving the fruits of the Divine Mercies. Amen.
Saint of the Day – 20 July – St Elias the Prophet (Elias from the Greek) lived during the reign of King Ahab (9th Century BC), according to the Books of Kings. The spelling ‘Elijah’ is from the Hebrew. Patronages – for rain, against drought, coachmen, Air Forces, civil aeronautics, Romanian Air Force, the Carmelite Order, Mount Carmel, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Akka, Haifa, Israel, in Italy: Buonabitacolo, Malito, Peschici.
Ludovico Carracci (1555–1619) The TGransfiguration with Moses and Elias
The Roman Martyrology states: “On Mount Carmel, the holy Prophet Elias.”
Born in Thisbe in the 9th Century BC, at the time of King Ahab, he dedicated his life to turning the people away from the worship of idols and bringing them back to the one true God, consistent with the name given to him – Elias in fact means: “The Lord is my God”.
Precursor of Saint John the Baptist: A virtuous and austere man, he wore a camel-hide cloak over a simple apron tied around his hips, thus prefiguring St John the Baptist eight centuries in advance. Elias was gifted with the heart of a warrior and a refined intellect, he combined in his soul, the burning fire of faith and zeal for the Lord, so much so, that St John Chrysostom defined him as “an angel of the earth and a man of Heaven.” Centuries later, the Church presented him as a model of Christian life and passion for God.
The Clash with the Followers of Baal: A striking example of Elias’ prophetic power can be read in the first Book of Kings, chapter 18 which tells how, at the time of King Ahab, Israel succombing to the seduction of idolatry: in fact, they worshipped Baal because they believed he brought rain and, therefore, fertility to the fields, livestock and mankind. Precisely to unmask this lying belief, Elias gathered the people on Mount Carmel and put before a choice – follow the Lord or follow Baal. The Prophet invited over 400 idolaters to a confrontation – each one would prepare a sacrifice and each woulf pray to their own god, so that he would reveal himself. The one who responded unequivocally, was the Lord, “God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel,” Who burned the offering for the sacrifice prepared by Elias on an altar made of twelve stones, “according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to which the Lord had given the name of Israel.” Thus the hearts of the people were converted, faced with the evidence of the Truth. Baal, however, remains silent and powerless because – and this is Elijah’s teaching – “the true adoration of God is to give oneself to God and to men, the true adoration is love.”
Elias’ offering is consumed by fire from Heaven
The Encounter with the Lord on Mount Horeb: A new test, however, awaits the Prophet he, who has fought for the faith, must escape the wrath of Queen Jezebel, Ahab’s idolatrous wife, who wishes him to be removed permanently. Exhausted and frightened, Elias asks God that he might be taken out of this life and abandons himself to an uninterrupted sleep. But an Angel wakes him and orders him to climb Mount Horeb to meet the Lord. Elias obeys – he walks for 40 days and 40 nights to reach the destination, in a journey which is the metaphor of the pilgrimage and purification of the heart, ascending towards the experience of God.
The Sonorous Silence: As prefigured, the encounter with the Lord occurs but not in a human sensational way – God reveals himself, in fact, in the form of a light breeze. It is a “thread of a sonorous silence” – which exhorts Elias not to be discouraged and to retrace his steps to complete his mission. And the prophet, covering his face as a sign of adoration and humility, obeys God’s call because he understands its value – that of testing, obedience and perseverance. Once again, therefore, Elias challenges Ahab and Jezebel, who had usurped a farmer’s land, prophesying terrible misfortunes to them, until he induces them to repent. The Prophet also alleviates the suffering and misery of a widow, feeding her and healing her son who is on the brink of death. Once his mission was accomplished, Elias disappeared, ascending to Heaven on a Chariot of Fire and entering the infinity of that God, Whom he had served with such passion. His cloak remained on earth, destined for the disciple Elisha as a sign of investiture.
St Elias and the widow
Prophetic Zeal: Today the religious Order of the Hermits of Mount Carmel (The Carmelites) recalls this great Prophet in its Shield-shaped Coat of Arms – it depicts an arm holding a flaming sword and a ribbon with the words “Zelo zelatus sum pro Domino Deo exercitum”, or “full of zeal for the God of hosts”.
Carmelite Coat of Arms
Elias, along with Elisha and Samuel, is one of the greatest Prophets of Ion (distinct from the writing Prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, who have left anonymous writings of the Sacred Books) and his mission was to incite the people to be faithful to the One True God, without being seduced by the influence of the idolatrous and licentious cult of Canaan.
The work of spiritual rebuilding, so laboriously begun, was carried forward with complete success by his disciple, Elisha, to whom he communicated the Divine call while he was in the fields behind the plough, throwing his cloak over his shoulders. Elisha was also the only witness to the mysterious end of Elias’s earthly sojourn which occurred around 850 BC.
Bl Anne Cartier St Ansegisus St Aurelius of Carthage
St Bernward of Hildesheim (c960-1022) Bishop – Bernward was the thirteenth Bishop of Hildesheim from 993 until his death in 1022. He was an exceptionally gifted and talented Creative Artist and Craftsman, in particular, in the creation of Sacred Vessels and adornments of Holy items, in precious metals. Patronages – Architects, Builders, Goldsmiths, Sculptors, Craftsmen, Painters, This Holy and Creative Shepherd: https://anastpaul.com/2023/07/20/saint-of-the-day-20-july-st-bernward-of-hildesheim-c960-1022-bishop/
St Cassian of Saint Saba St Elias the Prophet (Elias from the Greek) lived during the reign of King Ahab (9th Century BC), according to the Books of Kings. The spelling ‘Elijah’ is from the Hebrew.
St Elswith St Frumentius of Ethiopia
Blessed Gregory Lopez (1542-1596) “The Mystery Man” – Hermit, Spiritual Advisor, Writer. Around 1585, word of a “Mystery Man” began to leak into Mexico City, a strange hermit who lived out in the lonely valley of Guesteca, who walked miles to go to Mass, lived totally subject to “Lady Poverty” and had travelled from the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Spain (which dates from 712), to her Shrine in Mexico (which dates from 1531). Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2018/07/20/saint-of-the-day-20-july-blessed-gregory-lopez-1542-1596/
St Joseph Barsabbas the Just (1st Century) Disciple of Jesus, Bishop, Martyr. The Roman Martyrology states today: “The birthday of the blessed Joseph, surnamed the Just, whom the Apostles selected with the blessed Matthias, for the Apostleshop in the place of the traitor, Judas. The lot having fallen upon Matthias, Joseph, notwithstanding, continued to preach and advance in virtue and after having sustained from the Jews, many persecutions for the Faith of Christ, happoily ended his life in Judea.” His Life and Death: https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/20/saint-of-the-day-20-july-saint-joseph-barsabbas-the-just-1st-century-disciple-of-jesus/
St Mère St Paul of Saint Zoilus St Rorice of Limoges St Severa of Oehren St Severa of Saint Gemma St Wulmar
Martyrs of Corinth – 22 Saints: 22 Christians who were Martyred together. We know nothing else about them but the names – • Appia • Calorus • Cassius • Celsus • Cyriacus • Donatus • Emilis • Felix • Fructus • Magnus • Maximus • Nestita • Partinus • Pasterus • Paul • Romanus • Spretus • Tertius • Theodolus • Ueratia • Valerian • Victor. They were martyred in Corinth, Greece.
Martyrs of Damascus – 16 Saints: 16 Christians who were Martyred together. We know the names of six of then, but no details about any of them – Cassia, Julian, Macrobius, Maximus, Paul and Sabinus. They were martyred in Damascus, Syria, date unknown.
AnaStpaul 
You must be logged in to post a comment.