Thought for the Day – 24 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” “As We Also Forgive Our Debtors”
“If thou art offering thy gift at the altar,” Jesus tells us “and thou remember that thy brother has anything against thee, leave thy gift before the altar and go first to be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift” (Mt 5:23-24). Prayer is futile, therefore, unless we have first forgiven our enemies!
“Learn from me,” Jesus said when He proposed Himself as a model to be imitated, “for I am meek and humble of heart.” Then He added, “you will find rest for your souls” (Cf Mt 11:29). The foundation of our hatred, anger and resentment, is always our wounded pride. We need Christlike gentleness and humility, if we are to forgive sincerely and generously. Only when we have this gentleness and humility, moreover, shall we find joy in forgiving and only then, shall we have peace. As long as there is room in our hearts for pride and hatred, we can never enjoy peace of soul!”
Quote/s of the Day – 24 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – The Feast of St Raphael the Archangel – Tobit 12:7-15, John 5:1-4 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“For it is good to hide the secret of a king but honourable to reveal and confess, the works of God.
Prayer is good with fasting and alms, more than to lay up treasures of gold.
For alms delivereth from death and the same is that which purges away sins and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting.
But they that commit sin and iniquity, are enemies to their own soul.”
Tobit 12:7-10
“I am the Angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord.”
Tobit 12:15
“Raphael frees us from the wrath of God which we incur by sinning against God. He does this by inducing us to pray earnestly. This is what Raphael the Archangel told Tobias in the twelfth chapter: “When thou didst pray with tears, I offered thy prayer to the Lord” the angels themselves, as far as they are able, try to reconcile us with God.”
St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Doctor of the Church
O Raphael, Divinely Sent Guide St Raphael Archangel, 24 October From the Ambrosian Breviary
O Raphael, divinely sent guide, graciously receive the hymn we suppliants address to thee with joyful voice.
Make straight for us the way of salvation and forward our steps, lest at any time, we wander astray and turn from the path to heaven.
Look down upon us from on high; reflect into our souls the splendour shining from above, from the holy Father of lights.
Give perfect health to the sick, dispel the darkness of the blin and while driving away diseases of the body, give spiritual strength to our souls.
Thou who standest before the Sovereign Judge, plead for the pardon of our crimes and, as a trusty advocate, appease the avenging wrath of the Most High.
Renewer of the great battle, crush our proud enemy; against the rebel spirits give us strength and increase our grace.
To God the Father be glory, and to His Only Son, together with the Paraclete Spirit, now and forevermore. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 24 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – The Feast of St Raphael the Archangel – Tobias 12:7-15 – John 5:1-4 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“In these lay a great multitude of sick, of blind, of lame, of withered, waiting for the moving of the water (by the Angel). ” – John 5:3
REFLECTION – “The cripple beside the pool of Bethsaida was waiting for someone (to help him into the pool). For whom was he waiting, if not for the Lord Jesus, born of a Virgin? When He came, it was no longer only a matter of some mere prefiguration which was healing people but Truth itself, was healing them all. And so it was, He, Whose descent was awaited, He of Whom God the Father spoke to John the Baptist: “On Whomever you see the Spirit descend and remain, He is the One Who will Baptise with the Holy Spirit” (Jn 1:33) … But why did the Spirit come down like a Dove, if not so that you might see and acknowledge that the Dove which righteous Noah sent out from the ark, was the image of that Dove and, might recognise in it, a prefiguring of the Sacrament of Baptism. ..?
Can you still waver, when the Father is unquestionably proclaiming to you in the Gospel: “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3:17); when the Son, over Whom the Holy Spirit was manifested, in the form of a Dove, is proclaiming it too; when the Holy Spirit, Who descended in the form of a Dove, is also proclaiming it; when David proclaims: “The voice of the Lord is over the waters, the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over vast waters” (Ps 28:3)? Scripture also affirms that Fire came down from Heaven at Gideon’s prayers and again, that Fire was sent to consecrate the sacrifice at the prayer of Elijah. (Jgs 6:21; 1Kgs 18:38).
Do not attend to a Priest’s personal worth but to his office … Believe that our Lord Jesus is present, when invoked at the prayer of the Priest, He Who said: “Where two or three are gathered together, there Am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:0). How much more, then, does He deign to grant us His presence where the Church is, where the Mysteries are celebrated. And so, you have gone down to the Baptistery. Remember what you have said – that you believe in the Father, you believe in the Son, you believe in the Holy Ghost … With similar words of commitment. you asserted your belief in the Son, as you believe in the Father, your belief in the Holy Spirit as you believe in the Son, with this sole difference – that you profess the need to believe in the Cross of our only Lord Jesus.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan, Father and Doctor of the Church (On the Mysteries 24).
PRAYER – O God, Who gave blessed Raphael the Archangel as a traveling companion to Your servant Tobias, grant us, Your servants, ever to be protected by his guardianship and by his help.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).
Saint of the Day – 24 October – Saint Regnobert (7th Century) Bishop of Bayeux, France,“ The Second Apostle of Bessin” Founder of Churches, Born in Noron-la-Poterie, a Village southwest of Bayeux and died there in c666. Patronage – of Caen, France. Also known as – Ragnobertus, Raimbert, Regnoberto, Rennobert, Renobert, Rénobert.
St Regnobert portrayed in a stained glass window in Notre-Dame Cathedral, Bayeux
Regnobert is described as “ The Second Apostle of Bessin”having completed the work begun by Saint Exuperius, the conversion of the Saxons in the 620s.
Regnobert was the Founder of four Churches in the region – St Saviour, Notre Dame, Saint Pierre and Saint Jean. He is also credited with founding the Chapel at the origin of the pilgrimage to the Délivrande.
In c627 Ragnobert was appointed the Bishop of Bayeux. He was present at the Council of Clichy in the same year.
He died around 666. His Feast day is celebrated on 24 October.
In the times of the invasion of the Vikings, Regnobert’s Relics were translated from Bayeux and eventually were deposited at Corbeil; the Saint-Spire Cathedral in Corbeil-Essonnes is dedicated to him. T hose kept in Corbeil were thrown into the Seine by the revolutionaries in 1793. egnobert is sometimes called a Bishop of Corbolium (Corbeil) as a result of this translation.
Saint Raphael the Archangel The Feast day of Saint Raphael was included for the first time in the General Roman Calendar in 1921, for celebration on 24 October. With the 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar, the Feast was transferred to 29 September for celebration together with Archangels Saints Michael and Gabriel. St Raphael: https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/24/saint-of-the-day-24-october-st-raphael-the-archangel/
St Audactus of Thibiuca St Cadfarch St Ciriacus of Hierapolis St Claudian of Hierapolis St Ebregislus of Cologne St Felix of Thibiuca St Fortunatus of Thibiuca St Fromundus of Coutances
St Maglorius (Died 575) Bishop of Dol and Solitaire in France, Confessor, Monk, Missionary, Abbot, Miracle-worker, “Apostle to Guernsey and Sark” (Sark, French “Sercq” one of the Channel Islands, a dependency of Guernsey, located in the English Channel, south of England’s coast. S St Maglorius\ Life of Grace: https://anastpaul.com/2023/10/24/saint-of-the-day-24-october-saint-maglorius-of-wales-died-c575-bishop/
St Marcius of (Died c679) Hermit St Mark of Campania Hermit
St Regnobert (7th Century) Bishop of Bayeux, France
St Senoch (536-576) Abbot, Priest, Ascetic, Apostle of the needy, the poor, of slaves, Founder of a Monastery , Miracle-worker granted the charism of curing the sick, especially the blind, those sick in soul and body. Born in 536 in Tiffauges, Poitou, Gaul (in modern France) and died in 576 aged 40, Touraine, France from a fever. Patronages – against eye diseases, of the blind, Saint-Senoch, France, Sassenay, France. His Holy Life: https://anastpaul.com/2024/10/24/saint-of-the-day-24-october-st-senoch-536-576-abbot/
St Senócus of Tours St Septimus of Thibiuca
Martyrs of Ephesus – 3 Saints: Three Christians Martyred together. All we know about them are the names Mark, Sotericus and Valentina. They were stoned to death near Ephesus, Asia Minor (in modern Turkey). Their relics are enshrined on the island of Tasos.
Thought for the Day – 23 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” “Forgive Us Our Debts”
“Finally, we owe God a great deal on account of our sins. Unfortunately, our only return for God’s continual favours, has been negligence, ingratitude and sin! How many failings we have been guilty of throughout our lives? Since it is an offence against God, Who is infinitely good and amiable, even venial sin cannot properly be atoned for by the merits of all the Angels and of all the Saints of Heaven. Therefore, it was necessary for the Son of God, made Man, to offer Himself as a Victim of Expiation, on our behalf.
Remembering His infinite merits, we should humbly ask God – ‘forgive us our debts.‘ that is, our many sins and failings and, whatever punishment is owing to us, for every sin demands some expiation, either in this life or in the next!
Meanwhile, we should accept, with resignation, all the sufferings which God sends us in reparation for our sins and, we should promise never to offend Him again.”
Quote/s of the Day – 23 October – St Anthony Mary Claret CMF (1807-1870) Archbishop and Founder of the Claretians
“An apostolic missionary must have both heart and tongue ablaze with charity.”
“Love is the most necessary of all virtues. Love in the person who preaches the Word of God is like fire in a musket. If a person were to throw a bullet with his hands, he would hardly make a dent in anything but, if the person takes the same bullet and ignites some gunpowder behind it, it can kill. It is much the same with the Word of God. If it is spoken by someone who is filled with the fire of charity- the fire of love of God and neighbor- it will work wonders!”
“Lord, by the Words of Consecration , the substance of the bread and wine, is converted into the substance of Thy Body and Blood. All powerful Lord, say over me the Word which will change me into Thee.”
One Minute Reflection – 23 October – Ferial Day – The Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer – The Feast day of St Anthony Mary Claret CMF (1807-1870) Archbishop and Founder of the Claretians – Ephesians 4:23-28 – Matthew 22:1-14 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” – Matthew 22:12
REFLECTION – “But you, my friends, since you have already come into the house of the marriage feast, our holy Church, as a result of God’s generosity, be careful lest, when the King enters, He finds fault with some aspect of your heart’s clothing!
What do we think is meant by the wedding garment, dearly beloved? For if we say it is Baptism or faith, is there anyone who has entered this marriage feast without them? A person is outside because he has not yet come to believe. What then must we understand by the wedding garment but love? That person enters the marriage feast but without wearing a wedding garment, who is present in the holy Church. He may have faith but he does not have love. We are correct when we say that love is the wedding garment because this, is what our Creator Himself possessed, when He came to the marriage feast, to join the Church to Himself. Only God’s Love brought it about, that His Only-Begotten Son, united the hearts of His chosen, to Himself. John says “God so Loved the world that He gave His Only-Begotten Son for us.” – St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father and Doctor of the Church – (Sermons on the Gospel No 38).
PRAYER – O Lord, we beseech Thee, graciously grant Thou faithful, forgiveness and peace that they may be cleansed of all sin and serve Thee with minds free from care. 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 – 23 October – The Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer and St Anthony Mary Claret CMF (1807-1870) Archbishop and Founder of the Claretians
I Wish to Love Thee, My God By St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)
I wish to love Thee, my God, with all my heart, with all my being, with all my strength. I consecrate to Thee, my thoughts, desires, words and actions, whatever I have and whatever I can be. Let me use what I have for Thy greater honour and glory, according to Thy will. Amen
Saint of the Day – 23 October – St Domitius (8th Century) Priest (?) or Deacon, in Picardy, France. Amiens is the regional Capital of the Province of Picardy. Also known as – Domica, … of Picardy, … of Amiens.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “In Picardy, St Domitius, Priest.”
A former Canon of Notre-Dame of Amiens, Domitius had given up his prebend, to live a solitary life. Based on the readings for his Feast, Hagiographer and Historian, the 16th Century Carthusian Priest and Monk, Laurentius Surius says that Domitius was not a Priest but a Deacon of the Church of Amiens, who became a Hermit at Saint-Acheul, along the banks of the Avre River.
Domitius is remembered for providing spiritual guidance to Saint Ulphia, an 8th Century Consecrated Virgin and Recluse, who is celebrated on 31 January.
One of the Statues in the portal of Amiens Cathedral has been identified as Domitius. There is also a painting of St Domitius with St Ulphia in the Cathedral. The painting is attributed to the 19th Century Artist, Jean de Franqueville.
Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer – The Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer is a Liturgical Feast. It is celebrated in Venice as the Festa del Redentore. It is also celebrated by the Redemptorists and was celebrated in the City of Rome. The Feast is found only in the special calendar of some Diocese and religious Orders and is celebrated with proper Mass and Office either on the third Sunday of July or on 23 October. https://anastpaul.com/2019/10/23/the-feast-of-the-most-holy-redeemer-23-october/
St Anthony Mary Claret CMF (1807-1870) Known as “The Spiritual Father of Cuba.” In the first years, records show, that he Confirmed 100,000 people and performed 9,000 Sacramental Marriages.Archbishop of Cuba, one of the Fathers of the First Vatican Council,Confessor to the Queen of Spain, Missionary, Founder of the Congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, commonly called the Claretians, Confessor, Mystic, Social Reformer, Spiritual Director, Writer, Publisher, Preacher, Apostle of Charity. He was declared venerable by Pope Leo XIII in 1899. He was Beatified in 1934 and in 1950, Canonised by Pope Pius XII. His heart is incorrupt. The 1969 revision of the calendar moved St Anthony Feast to the day of his death, 24 October (from the 23rd) but the 24th is and had been the Feast of Saint Raphael the Archangel since 1921. About St Anthony Mary here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/10/24/saint-of-the-day-24-october-st-anthony-mary-claret-1807-1870-cmf/
St Arethas of Negran St Benedict of Sebaste St Clether St Domitius (8th Century) Priest St Elfleda St Ethelfleda Sts Germanus and Servandus of Cadiz St Gratien of Amiens Bl Henry of Cologne OP (Died 1225) Priest and Friar of the Order of Preachers, one of the first Disciples of St Dominic St Ignatius of Constantinople
St Severinus of Cologne (c330-c400) the 3rd Bishop of Cologne, Confessor, Defender of the Faith against heretics, Miracle-worker. He heard about the death of St Martin of Tours by the message of Angels’ voices. He founded a Monastery in honour of the Martyrs, Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, which is nowadays the Basilica of St. Severinus. This Zealous Patron of Cologne: https://anastpaul.com/2023/10/23/saint-of-the-day-23-october-saint-severinus-of-cologne-c330-c400-bishop-confessor/
St Syra of Faremoutiers St Theodoret of Antioch Blessed Thomas Thwing Priest Martyr Beatified on 15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI St Verus of Salerno
Martyrs of Nicaea – 3 Saints Euerotas Socrates Theodota
Martyrs of Valenciennes – 6 Beati: A group of Urusuline and Briggittine nuns murdered together in the anti-Christian excesses of the French Revolution. They were guillotined on 23 October 1794 in Valenciennes, Nord, France and Beatified on 13 June 1920 by Pope Benedict XV. Anne-Joseph Leroux Clotilde-Joseph Paillot •Jeanne-Louise Barré Marie-Augustine Erraux Marie-Liévine Lacroix Marie-Marguerite-Joseph Leroux
Thought for the Day – 22 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” The Our Father Our Daily Bread
“In the Pater Noster, Jesus instructs us to ask for our daily bread – that is, for sufficient bread for today, not for tomorrow. In this way, He warns us not to be too preoccupied with the future but, to trust in Providence and accept, from God’s hands, from day to day, whatever is necessary for us. God is our Father and loves us as His children. Knowing this, why should we worry about the future?
We are in the hands of God, Who looks after all His children. Let us entrust ourselves completely to His care. This does not mean that we should indulge in any kind of fatalism, expecting everything from God and doing nothing ourselves. We cannot and should not expect unnecessary miracles. We are under an obligation to work because work, is the result of and the punishment for, sin. It enable us to co-operate with God in His work of creation and has ben ennobled and sanctified by Jesus Christ, Who chose to be “the carpenter’s son,” (Mt 13:55) and a carpenter Himself (Cf Mk 6:3). We should work, therefore but, should not worry!
When we have done everything of which we ae capable, we should leave the rest to Divine Providence.”
Quote/s of the Day – 22 October – Ferial Day – Ephesians 4:23-28 – Matthew22:1-14 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“ Friend how did you come in here without a wedding garment?”
Matthew 22:12
“So then, have faith with love. This is the “wedding garment!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church
“Totally love Him, Who gave Himself totally, for your love.”
St Clare (1194-1253)
“Do much for God and do nothing without love: refer everything to this love; eat and drink with it in mind!”
(Letter to Madame de Chantal)
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity
“What is it to serve God and to go to Heaven? Nothing else but to love!”
St Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591)
“You must be reconciled to your enemies, speak to them, as if they had never done you anything but good, all your life, keeping nothing in your heart but the charity, which the good Christian should have, for everyone, so that we may all appear with confidence, before the tribunal of God.”
St John Vianney (1786-1859)
Daily Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Prayers to the Sacred Heart 1936 – 15th Edition, Dublin
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love, broken by our ingratitude and pierced by our sins, yet loving us still, accept the Consecration we make to Thee, of all that we are and all that we have. Take every faculty of our souls and bodies, only day by day draw us, nearer and nearer to Thy Sacred Heart, and there, as we shall hear the lesson, teach us Thy Holy Way. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 22 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – Ferial Day – Ephesians 4:23-28 – Matthew22:1-14 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
Now the king went in to see the guests and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?‘” – Matthew 22:11-12
REFLECTION – “What is that “wedding garment” then? … The wedding garment” is such charity as this. “Although I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal.” Tongues have come in alone and it is said to them, “Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment? “I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and although I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing.”
See, these are the miracles of men who very often have not “the wedding garment.” “Although,” he says,” I have all these and have not Christ, I am nothing.” … If then I have not charity, although I bestow alms freely upon the poor, although I have come to the confession of Christ’s Name even unto blood and fire, these things may be done even through the love of glory and so are vain. … For “the wedding garment” is taken in honour of the union, the union, that is, of the Bridegroom to the Bride. You know the Bridegroom – it is Christ. You know the Bride – it is the Church. Pay honour to the Bride, pay honour to the Bridegroom. If you pay due honour to them both, you will be their children. Therefore, in this make progress. Love the Lord and so learn to love yourselves, that when, by loving the Lord, you shall have loved yourselves, you may securely love your neighbour as yourselves. …So then, have faith with love. This is the “wedding garment!” … St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace.
PRAYER – Grant us, Thou servants, O Lord God, we beseech Thee, to enjoy lasting health of mind and body and, by the intercession of glorious and blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may we be delivered from present sorrow and partake to the full of eternal happiness. 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 – 22 October – Wednesday is devoted to Saint Joseph who is known as the prince and most efficacious Patron of the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ. As the earthly Father of Jesus, he had a special role in protecting, providing for and instructing Jesus during His earthly life. Now that Christ is ascended into Heaven, St Joseph continues his fatherly guardianship of Christ’s Body, the Church. He is a very powerful friend and aid to all of us.
Hail, Holy Joseph, Hail! By Father Frederick W Faber CO (1814-1863)
Hail, holy Joseph, hail! Chaste spouse of Mary hail! Pure as the lily flow’r In Eden’s peaceful vale. Hail, holy Joseph, hail! Prince of the House of God! May His best graces be By thy sweet hands bestowed.
Hail, holy Joseph, hail! Comrade of Angels, hail! Cheer thou the hearts that faint, And guide the steps that fail. Hail, holy Joseph, hail! God’s choice wert thou alone! To thee the Word made flesh, Was subject as a Son. Hail, holy Joseph, hail! Teach us our flesh to tame And, Mary, keep the hearts That love thy husband’s name. Mother of Jesus! bless, And bless, ye Saints on high, All meek and simple souls That to Saint Joseph cry. Amen
Saint of the Day – 22 October – Saint Abericus (Died 2nd Century) Bishop of Hierapolis in Phrygia. Also known as – Abercius of Geropoli, Abercius of Hieropolis, Abercio…
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Hierapolis, in Phrygia, St Abericus, Bishop, who flourished under the Emperor Marcus Antonius.”
The life of Saint Abericus was written in the 4th Century, two centuries after his death. Naturally, elements were added to the actual events, about which perhaps, little was known. This rendered certain harsh responses from secular historians, considering Abericus a figure little more than fictional.
But Abericus would be vindicated when in 1882, in Kelendre, near ancient Hierapolis, the Capital of Salutari Phrygia, the Archaeologist William Ramsay, discovered a Greek inscription embedded in a pillar. They were precisely the beginning and end of the Epitaph of Bishop Abericus which had been preserved from his lifetime.
The following year, 1883, Ramsay himself discovered two more fragments of the central part of the Epitaph which was thus fully confirmed. The prestigious Relic was donated to Pope Leo XIII in 1892, on the occasion of his Jubilee and is, therefore, now preserved in the Lapidary Gallery of the Lateran Museum in Rome. The text of this Epitaph is one of the most precious documents for the history of Christianity, as it attests to its diffusion and, certain dogmatic and liturgical characteristics, at a time which is certainly not later than 216.
Here is this important Relic: “Citizen of a chosen city, I have made this monument to myself while alive, to have here a worthy burial for my body. I am called Abericus, disciple of the Chaste Shepherd Who feeds flocks of sheep on mountains and plains; He has large eyes which look down on everything. He taught me the Scriptures, worthy of faith; He sent me to Rome to contemplate the palace and see a Queen with golden robes and shoes; I saw there, a people who wear a shining seal. I also visited the plain of Syria and all its cities and, beyond the Euphrates, Nisibis and, everywhere I found brothers … having Paul with me and faith guided me everywhere and He gave for food the very large, pure fish from the stream, which the chaste Virgin Mother is accustomed to catch and offer to her faithful friends everyday for eating, having an excellent wine which she is accustomed to give with the bread. I, Abercius, have had these things written here, in my presence, being seventy-two years old. Whoever understands what I say and thinks as I do, let him pray for Abericus. Let no-one place another in my Tomb, otherwise he will pay two thousand gold coins to the Roman treasury and one thousand to my beloved country.”
St Abericus (Died 2nd Century) Bishop St Alodia of Huesca St Apollo of Bawit St Benedict of Macerac St Bertharius of Monte Cassino St Cordula
St Donatus (Died 874) Bishop of Fiesole, Confessor, Irish Nobleman, Monk, Priest, Poet, Writer, Scholar, Professor, Adviser to Emperors Louis the Pious and Lothair I, Founder of San Martino a Mensola Abbey and leader of two military expeditions against the Saracens. His Life: https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/22/saint-of-the-day-22-october-st-donatus-of-fiesole-died-874/
Bl Esclaramunda of Majorca St Hermes of Adrianople St Ingbert St Leothade of Auch
St Moderan of Rennes St Nepotian of Clermont (Died c388) Bishop St Nunctus of Mérida St Nunilo of Huesca St Philip of Adrianople St Philip of Fermo St Rufus of Egypt
St Verecundus Bishop and Confessor of Verona. The details of his labors are lost but the Goths ruled Verona at the time. St. Valens succeeded him.
Martyrs of Heraclea – 4 Saints: A group of four clerics in Heraclea (modern Marmara Ereglisi, Turkey) who were arrested in the persecutions of Diocletian. They were imprisoned, abused and ordered to turn over all the Scriptures they had hidden from authorities; they refused and were executed together. Martyrs. – Eusebius, Hermes, Philip and Severus. They were burned at the stake in 304 in Adrianople (modern Edirne, Turkey).
Thought for the Day – 21 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” “Give Us this Day Our Daily Bread”
“Note that each one of us prays for “Our Daily Bread” not for “MY Daily Bread.” We should not ask only for our own requirements but, for those of all our fellowmen, as well.
There are many poverty-stricken people for whom bread is very scarce. We should pray especially for them and should be prepared to share our bread with those who have none. Both charity and justice demand this of us. Let us ask, moreover, only for our necessary requirements, not for wealth and luxury. Anything superfluous which we possess does not belong to us but, to the poor. “Give that which remains,” the Gospel commands, “as alms” (Lk 11:41). Let us remember that, whether we are rich or poor, we are all one great family. Our love for one another should not be merely theoretical but practical, otherwise we are not sincere Christians!”
Quote/s of the Day – 21 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels”
Remember the Angels especially during October
“See, I am sending My Angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared.”
Exodus 23:20
“It was pride which changed Angels into devils; it is humility which makes men as Angels!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“We are like children, who stand in need of masters, to enlighten us and direct us and God has provided for this, by appointing His Angels, to be our teachers and guides.”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus / Doctor Communis
“The good Angels are around you, like a company of Sentinels on guard!”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritatis
“The powers of hell will assail the dying Christian but his Angel Guardian will come to console him. His Patrons and St Michael, who has been appointed by God to defend his faithful servants, in their last combat with the devils, will come to his aid.”
St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
“Nor then do thou leave me, Angelical friend! But at the tribunal Of Judgement attend And cease not to plead For my soul, till, forgiven, Thou bear it aloft To the Palace of Heaven!”
From “Sweet Angel of Mercy!” By Fr Edward Caswell C.Orat. (1814-1878)
One Minute Reflection – 21 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – Saint Ursula and Companions (Died c 238) Virgin Martyrs – Ecclesiasticus 45:1-6 – Matthew 19:27-29 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“… Shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting.” – Matthew 19:29
REFLECTION – “The possessions which we have, are not our own: God has given them to us to cultivate and He wishes us to render them fruitful and profitable … Always deprive yourself, therefore, of some part of your means, giving them to the poor with a willing heart … It is true that God will return it to you, not only in the next world but also in this, for there is nothing which makes a person prosper, in temporal matters, so much, as almsgiving. But until such time as God shall repay it, you will always be impoverished to that extent. Oh! how holy and rich is the impoverishment which is caused by almsgiving.
Love the poor and poverty, for by this love you will become truly poor, since, as Scripture says: “We become like the things that we love” (cf Hos 9:10). Love makes those who love, equal to one another: “Who is weak and I am not weak?” says St Paul (2 Cor 11:29). He might have said: “Who is poor, with whom I am not poor?” For love made him become, such as those whom he loved. If, then, you love the poor, you will be truly participating in their poverty and poor like them. Now, if you love the poor, be often among them; be pleased to see them in your house and to visit them in theirs; associate willingly with them; be glad that they are near you in the Churches, in the streets and elsewhere. Be poor in speech with them, speaking to them as their equal but be rich in deed, giving them of your goods, as one who possesses more abundantly.
Will you do even more? … Become a servant of the poor; go to serve them … with your own hands … and at your own expense. This service has more glory in it than a throne!” – St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church (Introduction to the devout life, Part three Ch 15).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord our God that we may never cease devoutly, to venerate the triumphs of Thy holy Virgins and Martyrs, Ursula and her companions that, as we cannot worthily shew forth their praises, yet we may continually honour them, with lowly service. 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).
Saint of the Day – 21 October – Saint Malchus (Died c390) Monk and Hermit of Syria. Born around the 4th Century near Antioch, Syria and died there in c390. Malchus is the subject of Saint Jerome’s “Life of Malchus the Captive Monk” (Vita Malchi Monachi Captivi), written in Latin around 391. Also known as – Malchus of Chalcis, Malchus of Maronia.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Marconia near Antioch, in Syria, St Malchus, Monk.”
In 375, Saint Jerome retired to Maronia (a small village around 50 kms south of Antioch), on the estates of his friend St Evagrius Ponticus (c345-399), to lead a Hermit’s life. There he met the Monk Malchus, who recounted the romantic details of his life.
A few years later (390-391), St Jerome recounted these events in the “Vita Malchus Monachi Captivi.” The work, as St Jerome himself states, has the feel of a literary exercise (“I wish to try my hand at a small work and thus, put aside a certain rustiness of the tongue”) and has a parenetic-ascetic purpose (“I expose to chaste people, a tale about chastity… You tell this to posterity, so that they may know that, among swords and deserts and wild beasts, modesty is never enslaved and, the man consecrated to God, can die and never be defeated”).
From a literary perspective, it is highly valuable. Perhaps based on a historical figure he knew, St Jerome composed the Vita with a purposes in favor of monasticism and chastity.
According to the Vita Malchus, descended from a noble family, had retreated to the desert of Chalcis to devote himself to monastic life, despite his father’s staunch opposition. In the Monastery, however, he clashed with the Abbot because, following his father’s death, he intended to take possession of the family property to distribute it to the poor and build a Monastery.
For this attachment to worldly things, Ma;chus was punished; in fact, having left the Monastery, he fell in with a group of Bedouins in the desert, who sold him to a landowner from a distant region. He was entrusted with the care of the flock, a task he did not dislike, as in the midst of the pastures he was able to pray and enrich his spiritual life by contemplation.
In recognition of his faithfulness and excellent service, his master intended to marry him to a slave who had been violently separated from her husband. The idea of an adulterous marriage aroused a sense of despair in Malchus but the woman proposed a sham marriage, living in absolute chastity. They spent some time together, then attempted an escape. St Jerome’s narrative at this point takes on romantic overtones. The two, joined in the desert by their master and a servant, took refuge in the den of a lioness, who first mauled the servant and then the master. Malchus and the woman, using the camels of the slain, reached the Monastery where Malchus had begun his monastic life. Having been rejected, Malchus moved, followed by the woman, to Maronia, where he met St Jerome . There, the woman retired to a Convent.
The episode of the spouses, who lived in perfect chastity, is a very common motif in ancient hagiography. St Jerome’s work was translated into verse by Jean de la Fontaine, a 17th Century French Poet. Three ancient versions of the Vita exist (Latin, Greek, Syriac) which differ only marginally.
St Malchus’ cult spread widely in the East, where the he is remembered on 26 March and in the West on 21 October.
St Malchus on the North Colonnade at St Peter’s Basilica
Saint Ursula and Companions: (Died c238) Virgin Martyrs This Amazing Story: https://anastpaul.com/2022/10/21/saint-of-the-day-21-october-saint-ursula-and-companions-died-c-238-virgin-martyr/ There are other Saints closely associated with Ursula and her story – travelling companions who were Martyred with her. They are: Antonia of Cologne Cesarius of Cologne Cyriacus of Cologne Daria Fiolanus of Lucca Ignatius of Cologne James of Antioch Mauritius of Cologne Pontius of Cologne Sulpitius of Ravenna Vincent of Cologne Travelling companion, but escaped the massacre: Cunera Led by a dove to the lost tomb of St Ursula: Cunibert of Cologne.
St Agatho the Hermit St Asterius of Périgord St Asterius of Rome
Thought for the Day – 20 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” The First Part of the “Our Father”
“Our second aspiration is: “Thy Kingdom come.” It is true, that God reigns over Heaven, earth and the infernal regions. Everything is subject to His Will – the sun, the stars, the birds of the air, the fishes of the sea and the tiniest insects carry out His commands. Even the demons of Hell, who He has condemned to eternal punishment, are obedient to His Will. But what about the human race?
Man possesses the precious but dangerous privilege of free will which he has power to abuse by rebelling against God. We should pray that the sovereignty of God may be triumphant in all hearts, beginning with our own and, that all men may willingly subject themselves to His commandments and to His grace. This is the only way in which they can find peace. “Take my yoke upon you and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:29).
We should pray, moreover, for the Church, which is the Kingdom of God upon earth. We should pray for her peaceful victory over her enemies, who persecute her and impede her work for the salvation of souls. We should love the Church even as we love Jesus Christ, for the Church is His handiwork and the fruit of His Precious Blood.”
One Minute Reflection – 20 October – “The Month of The Most Holy Rosary and The Holy Angels” – St John Cantius (1390-1473) Confessor – The Feast of Mater Admirabilis / Mother Most Admirable – James 2:12-17 – Luke 12:35-40 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.” – Luke 12:35-36
REFLECTION – “God, the Word, stirs up the lazy and arouses the sleeper. For indeed, someone who comes knocking at the door is always wanting to come in. But it depends on us, if He does not always enter or always remain. … May your door be open to Him who comes; open your soul, enlarge your spiritual capacities, that you may discover the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace and sweetness of grace. Expand your heart; run to meet the Sun of that Eternal Light which “enlightens everyone” (Jn 1:9). It is certain, that this true Light shines for all but, if anyone shuts their windows, then they themselves, shut themselves off from this Eternal Light.
So even Christ remains outside, if you shut the door of your soul. It is true, He could enter but He does not wish to use force, He does not put those who refuse under pressure. Descended from the Virgin, born from her womb, He shines throughout the universe to give Light to all. Those who long to receive the Light, Who shines with an everlasting brightness, open up to Him. No night comes to intervene . Indeed, the sun we see each day, gives way to night’s darkness but the Sun of Justice (Mal 3:20) knows no setting, for Wisdom is not overcome by evil.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Bishop of Milan and Father and Doctor of the Church (12th Sermon on Psalm 118).
PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that by following the example of blessed John, Thy Confessor, we may advance in a knowledge of holiness and, by showing pity for others, obtain Thou forgiveness through his merits. 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 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Feast of Mater Admirabilis / Mother Most Admirable
O Purest of Creatures, Sweet Mother, Sweet Maid By Fr Frederick W Faber C.Orat. (1814-1863)
O Purest of creatures, sweet Mother, sweet maid, The one spotless womb wherein Jesus was laid! Dark night hath come down on us, Mother! and we Look out for thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!
Deep night hath come down on this rough-spoken world, And the banners of darkness are boldly unfurled; And the tempest-tossed Church,— all her eyes are on thee; They look to thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!
He gazed on thy soul, it was spotless and fair, For the empire of sin—it had never been there; None ever had owned thee, dear Mother but He. And He blest thy clear shining, sweet Star of the Sea!
Earth gave Him one lodging; t’was deep in thy breast, And God found a home where the sinner finds rest; His home and His hiding-place, both were in thee, He was won by thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!
Saint of the Day – 20 October – Saint Caprasius (Died c303) Martyr of Agen. Born in France and died there by being beheaded in c303. Born in France he is known as St Capraise. Some sources consider him to have been the 1st Bishop of Agen but there are no records to substantiate this claim. However, St Caprasius is most often depicted as a Bishop.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Agen in France, St Caprasius, Martyr. As he was hiding himself in a cavern, to avoid the violence of the persecution, the report of the blessed virgin Faith’s courage in suffering for Christ, animated him to endure torments and he prayed to God that, if he were deemed worthy of the glory of Martyrdom, clear water might flow from the rock of his cavern. God, having granted his prayer, he went with confidence to the scene of combat and, after a valiant struggle, merited the Palm of Martyrdom under Maximian.”
On 20 October, in the additions to the Martyrology of St Jerome, Caprasius is commemorated, to whom, as St Gregory of Tours recalls, a Church was dedicated which later, after various vicissitudes and following the Concordat of 1801, became the Cathedral of Agen.
Unfortunately, information regarding Caprasius has been transmitted through hagiographic legends no earlier than the 9th Century, in which it is difficult to distinguish truth from embellishment. In a 10th Century codice, there is a Passion of Caprasius which, however, is a pure and simple reproduction of that of St Symphorian of Autun; in general, however, all the other codici narrate the events of Caprasius together with those of St Faith, also a Martyr in Agen.
According to these texts, therefore, Caprasius, to escape Diocletian’s persecution, had retreated to a cave. Upon learning of Faith’s Martyrdom, he desired to share it and, encouraged by a miracle, presented himself to the Judge Dacianus, who, flattering him, initially tried to persuade him to apostatise but then, seeing his steadfastness, handed him over to the executioners.
Statue of St Caprasius in the Cathedral of Agen
While the Martyr was being tortured, two brothers, Primus and Felicianus, converted and, along with Faith and Caprasius, were beheaded on 6 October. The bodies of the four, displayed in a square, were stolen by Christians and buried honourably. They were later transferred by Bishop Dulcitius, to the Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
After the discovery of the body (5th Century), the cult of St Caprasius flourished, so much so that, in the 14th Century, he was considered the 1st Bishop of Agen.
Blessed James Strepar OFM (c1340-1409) Archbishop of Halicz, Poland from 1392 until his death Religious Priest of the Order of Friars Minor, Missionary. St Pius X proclaimed Blessed James, along with St Anthony of Padua, the Patrons of the Conventual Franciscan Order of Krakow Province. He was given the title of “Protector of the Kingdom, Defender and Guardian of the Homeland,” for his exceptional merits, including civil ones. Such was he considered by all. He was Canonised by by Pope Pius VI on 11 September 1791. His body is incorrupt. His Life: https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/20/saint-of-the-day-20-october-blessed-james-strepar-ofm-c-1340-1409/
St Leopardo of Osimo St Lucas Alonso Gorda St Martha of Cologne + Virgin Martyr
St Maximus of Aquila (c228-c250) Deacon Martyr. The Roman Martyrology reads: “At Aveia, near Aquila in Abruzzo, Italy, the birthday of blessed Maximus, Deacon and Martyr, who, through the desire of suffering, presented himself to the persecutors who sought him. After answering with great constancy, he was racked and tortured, then beaten with rods and finally, he died by being precipitated from an elevated place.” His Life and Death: https://anastpaul.com/2023/10/20/saint-of-the-day-20-october-saint-maximus-of-aquila-c228-c250-deacon-martyr/
St Orora St Saula of Cologne + Virgin Martyr St Sindulphus of Rheims St Usthazanes St Vitalis of Salzburg (Died c730) Bishop
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