Thought for the Day –9 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Carrying our Cross
“We also read in the Imitation of Christ: “No man has so heartfelt a sense of the Passion of Christ, as he whose lot it has been, to suffer like things.” (Imitation of Christ, Bk II, Ch 12) If you carry your cross willingly, it will lead you to your longed for destination, where suffering ends and everlasting joy begins. If you carry it unwillingly, the weight will become unbearable and you will have to bear it in any case! If you fling away the cross which you are carrying, immediately, an even heavier one will be laid upon you! Look upon them as wonderful consolations because, the sufferings of this life cannot be regarded as the measure of that glory which will be ours in Heaven … (Rom 8:18). We are fortunate and greatly blessed, if we deserve to suffer a little, for the Name of Jesus … Only when we begin to die ourselves, can we begin to live in God. Nothing is more acceptable to God and more helpful for us in this world, than to suffer willingly for love of Christ.”
Quote/s of the Day – 9 September – St Peter Claver SJ (1581-1654) Confessor, “Slave of the slaves”
“To love God as He ought to be loved, we must be detached from all temporal love. We must love nothing but Him, or if we love anything else, we must love it, only for His sake.”
“Seek God in all things and you shall find God by your side!”
“Man’s salvation and perfection consists in doing the Will of God which he must have in view in all things and, at every moment of his life.”
One Minute Reflection – 9 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Peter Claver SJ (1581-1654) Confessor, Priest of the Society of Jesus, Missionary – 2 Timothy 2:8-10; 3:10-12 – Matthew 10:26-32 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather, be afraid of him, who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” – Matthew 10:28
REFLECTION – “The Gospel is life. Impiety and infidelity are the death of the soul. So then, if the soul can die, how then is it yet immortal? Because, there is always a dimension of life in the soul which can never be extinguished. And how does it die? Not in ceasing to be life but by losing its proper life. For the soul is both life to something else and it has it own proper life. Consider the order of the creatures. The soul is the life of the body. God is the life of the soul. As the life which is the soul, is present with the body, that the body may not die, so the life of the soul (God), ought to be with the soul that it may not die.
How does the body die? By the departure of the soul. I say, by the departure of the soul, the body dies and it lies there as a mere carcass, what was a little before, a lively, not a contemptible object. There are in it still, its several members, the eyes and ears. But these are merely the windows of the house – its inhabitant is gone. Those who bewail the dead, cry in vain at the windows of the house. There is no-one there within it to hear. Why is the body dead? Because the soul, its life, is gone . But at what point is the soul itself dead? When God, its life, has forsaken it! This then we can know and hold for certain – the body is dead without the soul and the soul is dead without God. Everyone without God has a dead soul. You who bewail the dead rather, should bewail sin! Bewail ungodliness! Bewail disbelief! – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 65).
PRAYER – God of mercy and love, Thou offer all peoples the dignity of sharing in Thy Light and Life. By the example and prayers of St Peter Claver, strengthen us to love each other as brothers. 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
Saint of the Day – 9 September – Saint Omer (c595-670) Bishop, a most zealous shepherd, founder of Monasteries and Churches, renowned scholar of Sacred Scripture, powerful preacher and evangeliser, converting his entire region to Christ. Born in France in c595 in near Constance and died in 670 in Thérouanne i France. Patronages – Luxeuil-les-Bains, Saint-Omer, Thérouanne. Also known as – Audomaro, Audomarus.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “In the territory of Thérouanne St Omer, Bishop.”
Omer was born of a distinguished noble family of Coutances, then under the Frankish realm of Neustria, towards the close of the 6th or the beginning of the 7th Century. His parents paid great attention to his education, in particular, they strove to inspire him with a love for God and for virtue.
Upon the death of his mother Omer entered the Monastery of Luxeuil in the Diocese of Besançon and persuaded his father to accompany him. They sold their worldly goods and distributed the proceeds among the poor. The father and son made their religious profession together.
Under the direction of St Eustachius, Omer studied the Scriptures, in which he acquired remathe Abbot, rkable proficiency. The humility, obedience, mildness and devotion, together with the admirable purity of intention which shone forth in every action of Saint Omer, distinguished him even among his saintly brethren.
When, in 639, King Dagobert requested the appointment of a new Bishop for the important City of Thérouanne, the capital of the ancient territory of the Morini in Neustria, he was appointed and Consecrated.
The greater number of the inhabitants of the region were still pagans and even the few Christians, through a scarcity of Priests, had lapsed. The holy Bishop applied himself to his task with such efficacious zeal that, in a short time, his Diocese became one of the most flourishing in France. Even a pagan overlord, who had persecuted the Christians could not resist his exhortations and after his Baptism gave large grants to the Church. On one of those properties, Bishop Omer built a Monastery in honour of the Blessed Virgin.
In 654, Bishop Omer founded the Abbey of Saint Peter (now the Abbey of Saint Bertin) in Sithiu, soon to rival the old Monastery of Luxeuil for the number of learned and zealous men educated there. Several years later, Omer erected the Church of Our Lady of Sithiu, with a small Monastery adjoining it which he granted to the administration and care of the Monks of Saint Bertin.
The exact date of his death is unknown but he is believed to have died in 670. The place of his burial is uncertain but he was probably laid to rest in the Church of Our Lady which is now the Cathedral of Saint Omer, where there is a 13th Century Cenotaph dedicated to him and where his Feast is celebrated today, 9 September.
St Peter Claver SJ (1581-1654) Confessor, Priest of the Society of Jesus, Missionary, Confessor, Patron of the missions to African peoples and Human Rights Defender, Apostle of Charity. Also known as “The Apostle of Cartagena” and “The Slave of the Slaves.” Wonderful St Peter: https://anastpaul.com/2017/09/09/saint-of-the-day-9-september-st-peter-claver-s-j/
St Gorgonius of Nicomedia (Died c303) Martyr, Confessor, Soldier, Imperial Court Official and companions, St Dorotheus. After many horrific tortures these two were finally strangled to death in 303 in Nicomedia, Bithynia (modern Izmit, Turkey). The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Nicomedia, the holy Martyrs, Gorgontius, Dorotheus and others. The greatest honours had been conferred on them by the Emperor Diocletian but, as they detested the cruelty which he exercised against the Christians, they were, by his orders, suspended in his presence and lacerated with whips; then their skin being torn from their bodies and vinegar and salt poured over them, they were burned on a gridiron and finally, strangled. After some time, the body of the blessed Gorgonius was brought to Rome and deposited on the Latin Way. Thence, it was transferred to the Basilica of St Peter and later some Relics went to France.” His Life and Death: https://anastpaul.com/2023/09/09/saint-of-the-day-9-september-st-gorgonius-of-nicomedia-died-c303-confessor-martyr/
St Alexander of Sabine St Basura of Masil St Bettelin St Dorotheus of Nicomedia (Died c303) Martyr, Soldier St Gorgonio of Rome St Gorgonius of Nicomedia(Died c303) Martyr, Soldier St Isaac the Great St Joseph of Volokolamsk (c1439-1515) Abbot, Founder
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