Thought for the Day – 8 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” The First Sorrowful Mystery The Agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
“Let us pay particular attention to the scene in Gethsemane. Jesus is lying prostrate on the ground. He has given everything for sinful humanity. He has given His heavenly teaching, His miracles and His mercy. Even more, He has given Himself in the Blessed Eucharist which He has instituted in the form of food and drink, to sustain men on their earthly journey.
Now, He lies prostrate in prayer. Near Him, are His Apostles who, already forgetful of the immense favours which they have received, are asleep!
Not far away, there is another Apostle, Judas, who has sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver, as a slave would be sold and is about to deliver Him to His executioners. But Jesus can see across the centuries – many other Judases, so many traitors, who will be indifferent and sleep, never thinking of Him and neglecting to make any return for His Infinite Love. His Passion is beginning now, here in Gethsemaneand will be protracted throughout the centuries. Before His Crucifixion, He drinks the bitter chalice of human ingratitude and, in His tremendous Agony, He perspires drops of Blood!”
Quote/s of the Day – 8 October – St Bridget of Sweden (c1303-1373) Widow
“My Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Blessed, Royal and magnificent Heart could never, by torments or terrors or persuasions, be swayed from the defence of Thy Kingdom of Truth and Justice.”
Supplication to St Bridget For Those Separated from the True Church (Can be used as a Novena)
With trusting hearts we turn to thee, blessed Bridget, in these hostile and unbelieving days, to implore thine intercession on behalf of those who are separated from the True Church of Jesus Christ. By that clear knowledge thou didst have of the bitter sufferings of our Crucified Redeemer, the price of our salvation, we offer thee our supplications to obtain the grace of faith for those who are outside the One True fold, so that the sheep who are scattered, may return to the One Trrue Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Saint Bridget, fearless in thy service of God, pray for us. Saint Bridget, patient in the midst of suffering and humiliation, pray for us. Saint Bridget, wonderful in thy love for Jesus and Mary, pray for us.
One Minute Reflection – 8 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – St Bridget of Sweden (c 1303-1373) Widow – 1 Timothy 5:3-10 – Matthew 13:44-52 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field; he who finds it, hides it and in his joy, goes and sells all he has and buys that field.” – Matthew 13:44
REFLECTION – “Never be obsessed about appearing to be superior or in control. I do npt share the opinion of someone who said to me a few days ago that, to keep a firm hold on one’s authority, one should let one’s superiority be seen. My God! Our Lord Jesus Christ, never spoke like that! In both Word and Example, He taught us quite the contrary, telling us that He hHmself, had come, not to be served but to serve and, whoever wishes to be first among you, must become the slave of all (Mk 10:44-45)…
For this reason, give yourself to God, so that you can speak in the lowly spirit of Jesus Christ, confessing that your teaching, is not your own, nor does it come from you but is the Gospel’s. Above all, imitate the simple Words and comparisons made by Our Lord in Holy Scripture when speaking to the people. Alas! What wonderful things might He not have taught the people! What secrets might He not have disclosed about the Divinity and Its marvellous perfections, He Who was His Father’s Eternal Wisdom! But yet, you see how He speaks intelligibly and makes use of familiar comparisons of labourer, vinedresser, field, vine, mustard seed. This is how you ought to speak, if you would make yourself understood by the people to whom you are proclaiming the Word of God.
Something else, to which you ought to give special attention, is to rely heavily on the Son of God’s method of acting. In other words, when you have to do something, you should ask yourself: “Does this conform to the Sayings of the Son of God?” If you find that it does so, then say: “Let us do it when the opportunity arises” but, if not, say: “I’ll have nothing to do with it.” In addition, when there is some question of carrying out a good work, say to the Son of God: “Lord, if Thou were in my place, what would Thou have done in this instance? How would Thou have taught this people? How would Thou have consoled this sick person in body or soul?”… Let us aim to make Jesus Christ reign in us!” – St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) Priest, Confessor, Founder of religious communities (Conversations; Counsels to Antoine Durand 1656)
PRAYER – O Lord, our God, Who through Thy Only-begotten Son revealed secrets to blessed Bridget, grant that through her kind intercession, we, Thy servants, may rejoice and be glad in the revelation of Thy eternal glory. 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 – 8 October – “The Month of The Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and today St Joseph’s Wednesday
Glorious St Joseph! Prayer for the Intercession of St Joseph in All Our Needs By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritatis
Glorious St Joseph, Spouse of Mary, grant us thy paternal protection, we beseech thee, by the Heart of Jesus Christ. O thou, whose power extends to all our necessities and can render possible for us, the most impossible things. Open thy fatherly eyes to the needs of thy children. In the trouble and distress which afflicts us, we confidently have recourse to thee. Deign to take under thy charitable charge this important and difficult matter, cause of our worries. Make its happy outcome be for God’s glory and for the good of His devoted servants. Amen
Saint of the Day – 8 October – Saint Evodius (5th Century) the 9th Bishop and Confessor of Rouen in France. Also known as – Yves, Lisoie, Yvoire, or Evodius.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Rouen, St Evodius, Bishop and Confessor.”
Stained glass depiction of Saint Evodius in the Chapel of the Virgin, of the Rouen Cathedral
The good-quality Episcopal list of Rouen places him 9th in line. His Episcopate can be dated around 420-430. His Vita, written very late, places him at the time of King Clotaire I, who reigned from 511 to 561, so these dates are in contention with other sources.
Evodius is said to have died in Andelys and been buried in Rouen. At the time of the Norman invasions (9th Century), his Relics were translated to Braine in the Diocese of Soissons. In 1130, they passed to the Premonstratensians, who founded an Abbey in Braine which lasted until the Revolution of 1789. In 1874, Braine returned a fragment of Evodius’ Relics to Rouen Cathedral.
There is a legend which relates a fire which would cease burning when “wet with tears [of his] prayers.”
His Feast was initially celebrated in Rouen on 8 October which date is considered the day of his death. : then the occurrence of other Feasts caused it to be moved to other days of the same month (10, 12, 21).
The Abbey Church of St Yves, below, in Braine is dedicated to him and the Choir School of the Rouen Cathedral is known today as St.Evodius Choir School.
St Evodius (5th Century) Bishop and Confessor of Rouen
St Felix (Died 390) the first Bishop of Como. Felix was a friend of Saint Ambrose, who praised him for his missionary activity and Ordained him a Priest in 379 and Consecrated him as Bishop in 386. St Ambrose sent him to evangelise the City of Como, as a testimony to the great missionary drive of the Church of Milan. St Felix is honoured as a zealous shepherd of souls. Blessed St Felix: https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/08/saint-of-the-day-8-october-saint-felix-of-como-died-390/
Pelagia among her courtesans, as Saint Nonnus prays for her
St Peter of Seville
St Ragenfrida (Died 9th Century) Virgin, Abbess. Daughter of Adalbert, Count of Ostrevant and Regina, who is also remembered as a Saint. Patronage – of Denain, Northern France, where her Monastery was. Her Blessed Life: The Roman Martyrology: “In Denain in Hainault, in today’s France, Saint Ragenfrida, Abbess, who built a Monastery in this place with her assets, of which she was a worthy guide.” Her Blessed Life: https://anastpaul.com/2023/10/08/saint-of-the-day-8-october-saint-ragenfrida-virgin-abbess-died-9th-century/
AnaStpaul 
You must be logged in to post a comment.