To You we Cry, O Queen of Mercy! By St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Doctor mellifluus (Mellifluous Doctor)
To you we cry,
O Queen of Mercy!
Return, that we may
behold you dispensing favours,
bestowing remedies,
giving strength.
Ah, tender Mother!
Tell your all-powerful Son
that we have no more wine.
We are thirsty after the wine of His love,
of that marvelous wine
that fills souls with a holy inebriation,
inflames them,
and gives them the strength to despise
the things of this world
and to seek with ardor heavenly goods.
Amen
Mary, Full of Grace! By St ATHANASIUS (c296-373) Doctor of the Church
It is becoming for you, O Mary,
to be mindful of us,
as you stand near Him
who bestowed upon you all graces,
for you are the Mother of God and our Queen.
Come to our aid for the sake of the King,
the Lord God and Master who was born of you.
For this reason you are called “full of grace.”
Be mindful of us, most holy Virgin,
and bestow on us gifts
from the riches of your graces,
O Virgin full of grace. Amen
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up and a cloud took him from their sight……….Acts 1:9
REFLECTION – “Today our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven; let our hearts ascend with Him. Listen to the words of the Apostle: If you have risen with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth. For just as He remained with us even after His ascension, so we too are already in heaven with Him, even though what is promised us has not yet been fulfilled in our bodies.”………………………St. Augustine
When we went down into the Font of Baptism we were incorporated into Jesus Christ, made members of His Body, the Church. Therefore, as Augustine also wrote, “Where the Head is, there is the Body, where I am, there is my Church, we too are one; the Church is in me and I in her and we two are your Beloved and your Lover.” In other words, we have ascended with the Lord!
PRAYER – Holy Father, teach me and help me to ‘abide’ in Your Son, who by ascending to You, took me too with Him. For He is my root and my foundation and I live only in Him! My Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus Christ my Lord, be with me always and intercede for us all with our Father. Amen
“Think of the Father as a spring of life begetting the Son like a river and the Holy Spirit like a sea, for the spring and the river and sea are all one nature. Think of the Father as a root and of the Son as a branch and the Spirit as a fruit, for the substance in these three is one. The Father is a sun with the Son as rays and the Holy Spirit as heat.”
St John Damascene (675-749) – Doctor of the Church
This St Bede, this is a life of total self-giving in love!
It sounds to our ears to be a boring, closed, narrow existence –
ever occupied with learning, writing and teaching.
Almost from the time of his entry to study in the monastery as a young child,
until he died, he managed to remain in his own monastery,
although eagerly sought by kings and other notables, even Pope Sergius
Only once did he leave for a few months in order to teach in the school
of the Archbishop of York.
And amazingly, here was a saint who worked no miracles,
saw no visions and found no new way to God BUT
he is one of the few saints honoured as such even during his lifetime.
His writings were filled with such faith and learning
that even while he was still alive, a Church council
ordered them to be read publicly in the churches.
And he said of his life, “I have spent the whole of my life . . . devoting all of my pains to the study of the Scriptures and amid the observances of monastic discipline and the daily task of singing in church, it has ever been my delight to learn or teach or write.”
St Bede died in 735 praying his favourite prayer: “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As in the beginning, so now, and forever.”
We remember and honour him as a Doctor of the Church,
so many centuries have gone by, the world in which we live is such a different place and still he teaches us from his eternal monastery in heaven!
“He alone loves the Creator perfectly who manifests a pure love for his neighbour.”
“Unfurl the sails and let God steer us where He will.”
“Christ is the Morning Star, who, when the night of this world is past, gives to his saints the promise of the light of life, and opens everlasting day.”
St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Doctor of the Church
“Come, Holy Spirit. Spirit of truth, You are the reward of the saints, the comforter of souls, light in the darkness, riches to the poor, treasure to lovers, food for the hungry, comfort to those who are wandering. To sum up: You are the one in whom all treasures are contained.”
St Mary Magdalene de Pazzi – Memorial today 25 May
Jesus said to them, “You are badly misled because you fail to understand the Scriptures…….”….Matthew 22:29
REFLECTION – “The whole series of the Divine Scriptures is interpreted in a fourfold way.
We should ascertain what everlasting truths are intimated therein,
what deeds are narrated, what future events are foretold and what commands or counsels are … therein.” …St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, teach me how to read Your wonderful words in the Scriptures with true understanding. Let me adhere always to the interpretations given by Your Holy Church. Come O Holy Spirit and guide my mind. Lord Jesus Christ,
stand beside me and bless my footsteps. Holy St Bede, intercede for us and pray for us all, amen.
O Christ, our Morning Star By St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Doctor of the Church
O Christ, our Morning Star,
Splendour of Light Eternal,
shining with the glory of the rainbow,
come and waken us
from the greyness of our apathy,
and renew in us Your gift of hope.
Amen
And, as May is still with us, let us greet our Mother!
A Salutation to Mary (adaped) By St John Eudes
Hail Mary, Daughter of God the Father;
Hail Mary, Mother of God the Son;
Hail Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit;
Hail Mary, Temple of the Most Holy Trinity.
Hail Mary, white Lilly of the resplendent and ever
unchanging Trinity.
Hail Mary, red Rose of Paradise.
Hail Mary, Virgin full of sweetness and humility,
from whom the King of Heaven willed to be
born and to suckle at the breast.
Hail Mary, Virgin of virgins.
Hail Mary, Queen of martyrs, who spent
Thy life for Heaven while on this earth.
Hail Mary, Queen of my heart, my sweetness,
my life and my entire hope.
Hail Mary, Mother most amiable.
Hail Mary, Mother most admirable.
Hail Mary, Mother of fair love.
Hail Mary, Mother of mercy.
Hail Mary, conceived without sin.
Thou art full of grace,
the Lord is with Thee;
blessed art Thou among all women,
and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus.
Blessed be the Eternal Father who elected Thee.
Blessed be Thy Son, who has loved Thee.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, who has espoused Thee.
And blessed forever be those who love Thee and bless Thee.
O Blessed Virgin, bless us all, in the Name of Thy dear Son.\
Amen
Saint of the Day – 25 May – St Bede the Venerable OSB (673-735) – Confessor, Priest, Monk, Father and Doctor of the Church, Linguist, Translator, Historian – also known as Venerable Bede, Father of English History. Patronages – of Lectors, English writers and historians; Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, England. In 1899, Pope Leo XIII declared him a Doctor of the Church; he is the only native of Great Britain to achieve this designation; Anselm of Canterbury, also a Doctor of the Church, was born in Italy. St Bede was moreover a skilled linguist and translator and his work made the Latin and Greek writings of the early Church Fathers much more accessible to his fellow English, which contributed significantly to English Christianity.
St Bede was born in Wearmoth-Jarrow, England, and at age seven was sent to the nearby monastery of St Peter and St Paul to be educated by the monks. From his writings, it appears that his family was wealthy and noble. Given his name, Bede—a derivative of the English bedtime prayer, it is likely that his parents had planned a religious life for him from birth. Under the holy tutelage of the monks, the natural intellect and spiritual zeal of St Bede magnified into one of the finest minds of his time. He studied all the known sciences: natural philosophy, the philosophical principles of Aristotle, astronomy, arithmetic, grammar, ecclesiastical history, the lives of the saints and, especially, Holy Scripture. St Bede spent his days in scholarly pursuits, prayer and contemplation. St Bede was ordained a deacon at the young age of nineteen and ordained a priest at 30.
He spent his days subsequent to ordination teaching, writing and studying. A prolific writer, he composed 45 texts on varied subjects, including science, literature, philosophy, and spirituality. “Through all the observance of monastic discipline,” Bede wrote, “it has ever been my delight to learn and teach and write.” His best known text, the Ecclesiastical History of the English People, is widely regarded as a decisive historical text which inspired the recording of written history. This text described the history of the English Church, and is a primary source of English history. Thirty of his manuscripts focused on Biblical commentary and theology. Aside from those he wrote, St Bede copied many texts by hand, translating a significant number of them into Latin to aid in teaching those of other languages.
Saint Bede remained in the monastery his entire life, leaving few times, including a brief visit to teach in a school in York and a visit to the monastery at Lindisfarne, where he began correspondence with St Cuthbert. Despite this, his counsel and teaching was sought by royalty and the Pope. His writings and homilies were read throughout the Church.
In his own words, from the Ecclesiastical History of the English People:
“Thus much concerning the ecclesiastical history of Britain and especially of the race of the English, I, Baeda, a servant of Christ and a priest of the monastery of the blessed apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which is at Wearmouth and at Jarrow (in Northumberland), have with the Lord’s help composed so far as I could gather it either from ancient documents or from the traditions of the elders, or from my own knowledge. I was born in the territory of the said monastery and at the age of seven I was, by the care of my relations, given to the most reverend Abbot Benedict and afterwards to Ceolfrid, to be educated. From that time I have spent the whole of my life within that monastery, devoting all my pains to the study of the Scriptures and amid the observance of monastic discipline and the daily charge of singing in the Church, it has been ever my delight to learn or teach or write. In my nineteenth year I was admitted to the deaconate, in my thirtieth to the priesthood, both by the hands of the most reverend Bishop John and at the bidding of Abbot Ceolfrid. From the time of my admission to the priesthood to my present fifty-ninth year, I have endeavoured for my own use and that of my brethren, to make brief notes upon the holy Scripture, either out of the works of the venerable Fathers or in conformity with their meaning and interpretation.”
“The Father of English History,” Saint Bede died peacefully at the monastery in Jarrow in 735. He was buried at Jarrow, though his remains now rest in Durham Cathedral.
Saint Cuthbert recorded his final hours, indicating the words of Saint Bede: “If it be the will of my Maker, the time has come when I shall be freed from the body and return to Him Who created me out of nothing when I had no being. I have had a long life, and the merciful Judge has ordered it graciously. The time of my departure is at hand, and my soul longs to see Christ my King in His beauty.”He further wrote of Bede’s life and death, citing a poem that Saint Bede had written in preparation for meeting his Maker: “And he used to repeat that sentence from St Paul, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” and many other verses of Scripture, urging us thereby to awake from the slumber of the soul by thinking in good time of our last hour. And in our own language,—for he was familiar with English poetry,—speaking of the soul’s dread departure from the body:
More prudent than he has good call to be, If he consider, before his going hence, What for his spirit of good or of evil After his day of death shall be determined.”
The conclusion of his Ecclesiastical History records his piety, humility, and wisdom: “And I pray thee, loving Jesus, that as Thou hast graciously given me to drink in with delight the words of Thy knowledge, so Thou wouldst mercifully grant me to attain one day to Thee, the fountain of all wisdom and to appear forever before Thy face.”
The life of Saint Bede is highly regarded as instrumental in the recording of written history and the translation of Biblical texts from ancient languages into modern languages. His commentary and theological writings—the goal to explain the teachings of the Church Fathers to all—are highly regarded, like those of Saint Augustine and Saint Ambrose. More than that, the simple monastic life of Saint Bede demonstrates the call of the Lord and the gifts of the Holy Spirit to those who listen and obey.
“The saints must be honoured as friends of Christ
and children and heirs of God.
Let us carefully observe the manner of life of all
the apostles, martyrs, ascetics and just men
who announced the coming of the Lord.
And let us emulate their faith, charity, hope, zeal,
life, patience under suffering and perseverance unto death
so that we may also share their crowns of glory.”
St John Damascene (675-749) – Doctor of the Church
MARY, I BEG YOU By St Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) Magnificent Doctor Marian Doctor
Mary, I beg you,
by that grace through which
the Lord is with you
and you will to be with him,
let your mercy be with me.
Let love for you always be with me,
and the care for me be always with you.
Let the cry of my need,
as long as it persists,
be with you,
and the care of your goodness,
as long as I need it,
be with me.
Let joy in your blessedness
be always with me,
and compassion for my wretchedness,
where I need it,
be with you.
Amen
“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”
I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shalll I send?….”Here I am.” I said, “send me!”……………Isaiah 6:8
REFLECTION – “You ask what you might offer to God?
Offer yourself!
What does God expect from you – except yourself?”
PRAYER – Help me to discern through prayer and meditation what You truly want of me.
The enable me to offer it to You and indeed, to offer myself and all I have and all I am, to You.
St Rita of Cascia, you prayed so earnestly to give yourself totally to the Lord and suffer for Him, please pray for us, amen.
Mother of Mercy
By St Bonaventure (1217-74)
Seraphic Doctor
Virgin full of goodness,
Mother of Mercy,
I entrust to you my body and soul,
my thoughts, my actions,
my life and my death.
O my Queen, help me,
and deliver me from all
the snares of the devil.
Obtain for me the grace
of loving my Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, with a true and perfect love,
and after Him, O Mary,
to love you with all my heart
and above all things.
Amen
I Call Upon You, Mother of God By St Bonaventure (1217-1274) – Seraphic Doctor
I shall call upon you, Mother of God
and you will hear me;
your praises will gladden my heart.
I have called to you in trouble
and you have heard me at your throne in heaven.
Take up my cause, Mother,
for I have departed from my innocence;
but because I have hoped in you,
I shall not lose my soul.
To you, Mother, have I pleaded,
after having wandered from God
and I was saved by the power of your intercession.
In you, Mother, I place all my hope
because of your most loving compassion.
Into your hands I entrust my soul and body,
my whole life and the hour of my death.
Intercede for us, Mother of God and Mediatrix,
who have brought salvation to mankind. Amen
The Saint Who Influenced Pope St. John Paul II’s Profound Devotion to Mary
Pope St. John Paul II was well known for having a deep and abiding love for the Blessed Virgin Mary. His devotion to her was evident in all that he did: his teaching, his prayer life, even his papal motto and coat of arms were dedicated to the Blessed Mother.
When he was nearly fatally shot during his papacy he credited the intercession of the Virgin Mary, specifically Our Lady of Fatima, with the miraculous save of his life.
Pope St. John Paul II with an Our Lady of Fatima statue after the assasination attempt on his life
But how did he develop this life-long devotion to Mary?
In his book, Gift and Mystery, Blessed Pope John Paul II credits his home parish and the nearby Carmelites for their early influence on him. He also had a very devout father who regularly took him on pilgrimages to local Marian shrines.
However, as he matured in his faith as a young adult, he singles out one overwhelming influence which changed his life. He gleaned his profound devotion to Mary largely through the writings of one man: St. Louis de Montfort.
The book that changed Karol Wojtyla’s life was True Devotion to Mary. The Pope relates that,
“At one point I began to question my devotion to Mary, believing that, if it became too great, it might end up compromising the supremacy of the worship owed to Christ. At that time, I was greatly helped by a book by Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort…
There I found the answers to my questions, Yes, Mary does bring us closer to Christ; she does lead us to him, provided that we live her mystery in Christ… The author was an outstanding theologian. His Mariological thought is rooted in the mystery of the Trinity and in the truth of the Incarnation of the Word of God”.
Pope John Paul II thought so highly of the writing of St. Louis De Montfort that he spoke about the saint on many occasions. In addition, on December 8, 2003, he wrote a special letter on the occasion of the 160th Anniversary of De Montfort’s publication. In this letter he wrote: “I myself, in the years of my youth, found reading this book a great help.”
True Devotion to Mary had such a lasting influence on him that when he was elected Supreme Pontiff in 1978, he chose his papal motto, Totus Tuus, from words written by St. Louis De Montfort, as he describes below:
“As is well known, (in) my episcopal coat of arms … the motto Totus tuus is inspired by the teaching of St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort. These two words express total belonging to Jesus through Mary: “Tuus totus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt.” (“I am all Yours, and all that I have is Yours.”) . . . “This Saint’s teaching has had a profound influence on the Marian devotion of many of the faithful and on my own life.”
There is no better way to advance quickly in holiness, no better way to please God, and no better way to guarantee one’s present sanctity and eternal salvation than with a true devotion to Mary. Pope John Paul II learned this and demonstrated this truth in his life, proven now that he has been raised to the altars and numbered with the saints in heaven.
Those who love me I also love and those who seek me find me…….Proverbs 8:17
REFLECTION – “Blessed are those who abandon themselves into Our Lady’s hands. Their names are written in the Book of Life.”………………St Bonaventure (1217-74) Doctor seraphicus (Seraphic Doctor)
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, make a devoted client of Your beloved Daughter, Mary. Let me entrust myself always into her hands so that she may protect me as she took cate of Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in His infancy, childhood and throughout His life. Make me unto her, Lord my God! Mary, my beloved Mother, give me your spirit and pray for us all amen!
Blessed Virgin Mary, Holy Mary Excerpt from a prayer by St Augustine (354-430) Doctor gratiae (Doctor of Grace)
Holy Mary, help those who are miserable,
strengthen those who are discouraged,
comfort those who are sorrowful,
pray for your people,
plead for the clergy,
intercede for all women consecrated to God.
May all who venerate you
experience your assistance and protection.
Be ready to aid us when we pray,
and bring back to us the answers to our prayers.
Make it your continual concern
to pray for the People of God,
for you were blessed by God
and were made worthy
to bear the Redeemer of the world,
who lives and reigns forever.
Amen.
MOST HOLY MARY
St FRANCIS DE SALES (1567-1622)
Doctor caritatis (Doctor of Charity)
Most Holy Mary Virgin Mother of God,
I am unworthy to be your servant.
Yet moved by your motherly care for me
and longing to serve you,
I choose you this day to be my Queen,
my Advocate and my Mother.
I firmly resolve ever
to be devoted to you
and to do what I can to encourage others
to be devoted to you.
My loving Mother,
through the Precious Blood of your Son shed for me,
I beg you to receive me
as your servant forever.
Aid me in my actions
and beg for me the grace
never by thought, word, or deed
to be displeasing in your sight
and that of your most holy Son.
Remember me, dearest Mother,
and do not abandon me at the hour of death. Amen
Mary, our Queen and Mother of Mercy
By St ANTHONY OF PADUA (1195-1231)
Doctor evangelicus (Evangelical Doctor)
Mary, our Queen,
Holy Mother of God,
we beg you to hear our prayer.
Make our hearts overflow with Divine grace
and resplendent with heavenly wisdom.
Render them strong with your might
and rich in virtue.
Pour down upon us the gift of mercy
so that we may obtain the pardon of our sins.
Help us to live in such a way
as to merit the glory and bliss of heaven.
May this be granted us by your Son Jesus
Who has exalted you above the angels,
has crowned you as Queen,
and has seated you with Him
forever on His refulgent throne.
Amen
“Whoever consistently looks at God and themselves
through this attractive mirror (Mary), will sooner or later
turn into another Mary.”
Servant of God, Fr Joseph Kentenich (1885-1968) – Founder of Schoenstatt
“If the Church shows respect and veneration for everything
that came in contact with the Saviour’s Body: the Cross,
the Nails, the Thorns, the Winding Sheet of His Sepuchre,
the Swathing-bands of His infancy and similar things – what
honour must be due to this venerable body of the
Blessed Virgin from which the Body of the Redeemer was formed!”
St John Eudes
“The flesh of Christ is the flesh of Mary
and although it was raised to great glory
in His Resurrection, yet it still remained
the same that was taken from Mary.”
St Augustine (354-430) – Fathe & Doctor gratiae (Doctor of Grace)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading,
kept in heaven for you………1 Peter 1:3-4
REFLECTION – “You have within you everything that
you need to purchase the kingdom of heaven.
Joy will be purchased by your sorrow,
rest by your labour,
glory by your humiliation
and eternal life by your passing death.”……St Augustine, Father and Doctor of the Church (354-430) Doctor gratiae (Doctor of Grace)
PRAYER – Loving Father, teach me how to make very event on earth lay up treasures for me in heaven. Help me to endure my sorrows, labours, humiliations and death willingly so as to attain heaven. Holy Martyrs Sts Nereus, Achilleus and Pancras, Pray for us, amen!
Mary our Mother! By St Anselm (1033-1109) Doctor magnificus (Magnificent Doctor); Doctor Marianus (Marian Doctor)
Mother of Salvation
Blessed Lady,
you are the Mother of Justification
and of those who are justified;
the Mother of Reconciliation
and of those who are reconciled;
the Mother of Salvation
and of those who are saved.
What a blessed trust,
and what a secure refuge!
The Mother of God is our Mother.
The Mother of the One in whom alone
we hope and whom alone we fear, is our Mother!
The One who partook of our nature,
and by restoring us to life
made us children of His Mother,
invites us by this to proclaim
that we are His brothers and sisters.
Therefore, our Judge is also our Brother.
The Saviour of the world is our Brother.
Our God has become, through Mary, our Brother!
“By asking the beloved disciple
to treat Mary as his mother,
Jesus founded Marian devotion.”
St John Paul (1920-2005)
“The Mother of God,
is the Ladder of Heaven.
God came down by this Ladder
that men might,
by Mary,
climb up to Him in Heaven.”
St Fulgentius (460-533)
“Consider this great mystery!
The Son of God has passed whole and entire,
from the heart of the Father
to the womb of Mary
and from the womb of the Mother
to the lap of the Church.”
St Peter Damian (1007-72) Doctor of the Church
“Let us not imagine that we obscure
the glory of the Son by the great praise
we lavish on the Mother;
for the more she is honoured,
the greater is the glory of her Son.
There can be no doubt that whatever we say
in praise of the Mother gives equal praise to the Son.”
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) – Doctor of the Church
Mother of my God, Lady Mary, Queen of Mercy
By St Alphonsus Ligouri (1696-1787)
Doctor zelantissimus (Most Zealous Doctor)
Mother of my God and my Lady Mary;
as a beggar, all wounded and sore,
presents himself before a great Queen,
so do I present myself before you,
who are Queen of heaven and earth.
From the lofty throne on which you sit,
disdain not, I implore you,
to cast your eyes on me,
a poor sinner.
God has made you so rich
that you might assist the poor,
and has made you Queen of Mercy
in order that you might relieve the miserable.
Behold me then and pity me:
behold me and abandon me not,
until you see me changed
from a sinner into a saint. Amen
“A single ‘Blessed be God!’ when things go wrong, is of more value than a thousand acts of thanksgiving, when things are to our liking.”
“Turn yourself round like a piece of clay
and say to the Lord:
I am clay, and you, Lord, the potter.
Make of me what you will.”
“Your life consists in drawing nearer to God.
To do this you must endeavour to detach yourself
from visible things and remember that
in a short time they will be taken from you.”
St John of Avila – Doctor of the Church
“The Blessed Sacrament is indeed
the stimulus for us all,
for me as it should be for you,
to forsake all worldly ambitions.”
Thought for the Day – 10 May – the Memorial of St John of Avila (1499-1569) Doctor of the Church
St Teresa of Ávila, herself a Doctor of the Church, praised John of Ávila for his mastery of elements of the spiritual life. While he remains a little known and quoted figure, one saint celebrated among many, Master Ávila stands before us today as a witness to the need for continual reform, a commitment to reflection and renewal within the Church and for each one of us as followers of Jesus.
He understood that it is only through a spirit-filled engagement with the Word of God and a steadfast commitment to the pursuit of virtue that individual Christians would be able to fulfil the demands of the Gospel. In one of his sermons for Pentecost, John of Ávila asked his hearers, “What effect did the coming of the Holy Ghost have on the Church? What did the Holy Ghost accomplish in the hearts of those believers to whom He came? He gave them life, gave them gifts of infinite value, strengthened them and brought them near perfection.” St John of Ávila, in his life, his teachings and in his legacy, reveals that the Holy Spirit remains at work in the Church and, in this lesser known saint (sadly one who needs to be studied by all) of more than four centuries ago we discover a man, a saint, whose heart burned so purely with the fire of this same Spirit that he remains a light for us today. (BROTHER HENDERSON, O.S.B., is a Benedictine monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey.)
And to help us along the way, that is the only way, the way of the Cross of Christ, perhaps this practical bit of advice left us by St John of Avila, will be of assistance in our spiritual growth. St John of Avila, please pray for us for we all wish to join you as Saint in heaven!
This Doctor and Teacher of our Faith, St John of Avila divides the week into stages of the Passion of Christ:
• Monday think of our Lord’s agony in the garden and what passed in the house of Annas and Caiphas
• Tuesday, of the accusations, the removal from judge to judge, and the flagellation
• Wednesday, of the crowning with thorns and the mockery
• Thursday, of the washing of the feet, and the Blessed Eucharist
• Friday, of the sentence, the carrying of the cross, the crucifixion and death
• Saturday, of the piercing of the side, the taking down from the cross, the burial, and the grief of the Blessed Virgin
• Sunday, of the resurrection and the state of future glory.
Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” ………Luke 9:23-25
REFLECTION – “Dear brothers and sisters, I pray God may open your eyes and let you see what hidden treasures He bestows on us in the trials from which the world thinks only to flee. Shame turns into honour when we seek God’s glory. Present affliction become the source of heavenly glory. To those who suffer wounds in fighting His battles God opens His arms in loving, tender friendship. That is why He (Christ) tells us that if we want to join Him, we shall travel the way He took. It is surely not right that the Son of God should go His way on the path of shame while the sons of men walk the way of worldly honour: “The disciple is not above his teacher, nor the servant greater than his master.” – from a letter by Saint John of Avila
PRAYER – Holy God, teach me to accept my cross and to follow Your Son’s way wihout fear or weakess. Grant me he couage to accept the trails I face for the glory of Your Kingdom. Let me learn and understand that in the persecution You allow, You show me Your love! St John of Avila pray for the whole Church, pray for us all, amen.
Mary, our Mother,
the whole world reveres you
as the holiest shrine of the living God,
for in you the salvation of the world dawned.
The Son of God was pleased
to take human form from you.
You have broken down the wall of hatred,
the barrier between heaven and earth
which was set us by the
disobedience of Adam and Eve.
In you heaven met earth
when divinity and humanity
were joined in one person – the God-Man.
Mother of God,
we sing your praises,
but we must praise you even more.
Our speech is too feeble to honour you as we ought,
for no tongue is eloquent enough
to express your excellence.
Mary, most powerful,
most holy, and worthy of all love.
Your name brings new life,
and the thought of you inspires love
in the hearts of those devoted to you. Amen
Saint of the Day – 10 May – St John of Avila (1499-1569) – Priest, Doctor of the Church, known as the Apostle of Andalusia, Mystic, Author, Preacher, Scholastic teacher, Founder of Schools and Universities – Patron of Andalusia, Spain, Spain, Spanish secular clergy, World Youth Day 2011. His Relics are interred in the Jesuit church at Montilla, Spain.
St John was born in Almodóvar del Campo, in the Province of Ciudad Real, to Alfonso de Ávila, of Jewish converso descent and Catalina Xixón (or Gijón), a wealthy and pious couple. At the age of fourteen, in 1513, he was sent to the University of Salamanca to study law; he withdrew in 1517, however, without receiving a degree.
Returning home, Ávila spent the next three years in the practice of austere piety. His sanctity impressed a Franciscan friar journeying through Almodóvar, on whose advice he resumed his studies. Thereafter, he undertook the study of philosophy and theology, in which he was fortunate to have as his teacher the noted Dominican friar Domingo de Soto. It appears that Ávila earned his bachelor’s degree during his years at Alcalá and then left without completing requirements for the licentiate degree.
Both his parents died while Ávila was still a student, and after his ordination in spring 1526, he celebrated his first Mass in the church where they were buried. He then sold the family property and gave the proceeds to the poor. He saw in the severing of natural ties a vocation to foreign missionary work and prepared to go to Mexico. He, therefore, traveled to Seville to await departure for the Indies in January 1527 with the Dominican friar, Julián Garcés, appointed the first Bishop of Tlaxcala. While waiting in Seville, his unusually great devotion in celebrating Mass and his skills in catechesis and preaching, attracted the attention of Hernando de Contreras, a local priest, who mentioned him to the Archbishop of Seville and Inquisitor General, Alonso Manrique de Lara. The archbishop saw in the young cleric a powerful instrument to stir up the faith in Andalusia, and after considerable persuasion Juan was induced to abandon his journey to America.
The basement of the family home of John of Ávila in Almodóvar del Campo, Ciudad Real, Spain
John seems to have lived in the initial years after 1526 in a small house in Seville with another priest, probably Contreras and disciples gathered around him, in a loosely structured fraternal life. It was at the request of the younger sister of one of these disciples, Sancha Carrillo, that he began in 1527 to write the Audi, filia (Listen, Daughter), a work he continued expanding and editing until his death.
Apostle of Andalusia
John’s first sermon was preached on 22 July 1529 and immediately established his reputation. During his nine years of missionary work in Andalusia, crowds packed the churches at all his sermons. However, his strong pleas for reform and his denunciation of the behaviour of the aristocracy meant that he was denounced to the office of the Inquisition in Seville in 1531 and put in prison in the summer of 1532. He was charged with exaggerating the dangers of wealth and with closing the gates of heaven to the rich. The charges were refuted and he was declared innocent and released in July 1533.
Around the end of 1534 or the beginning of 1535, John of Ávila was incardinated into the Diocese of Córdoba, from which he received a small benefice. This city became his base for directing his disciples and moving around Andalusia, preaching and establishing schools and colleges in various neighbouring cities such as Granada, Baeza, Montilla and Zafra. It is thought that during this time Ávila received the title of Master of Sacred Theology, probably in Granada around 1538.
Of special importance was the University of Baeza, established in 1538 by a papal bull of Pope Paul III. Ávila served as its first rector and it became a model for seminaries and for the schools of the Jesuits.
Ávila stayed in Granada from 1538-9, where it appears some kind of community was taking shape. Likewise, during the years 1546 to 1555, John lived with about 20 disciples in Córdoba, making it seem that he intended to begin some kind of formal foundation of apostolic priests. However, the foundation and fast expansion of the Jesuits meant that these ideas never came to fruition; from early 1551, when Ávila began to experience poor health, he began actively encouraging his disciples who so desired to join the Jesuits (around 30 in total seem to have joined).
From early 1551 Ávila was in constant ill-health. He spent the last years of his life in semi-retirement in the town of Montilla, in the Province of Córdoba. He died there on 10 May 1569 and in accordance with his wishes was buried in that city, in the Jesuit Church of the Incarnation, which now serves as the sanctuary to his memory.
St John of Ávila was declared Venerable by Pope Clement XIII on 8 February 1759 and beatified by Pope Leo XIII on 15 November 1893. On 31 May 1970 he was canonized by Pope Paul VI.
Pope Benedict XVI named him a Doctor of the Church on 7 October 2012, the Feast of the Holy Rosary. The proclamation of the two new Doctors of the Church was made by Pope Benedict before tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square. During his homily, Pope Benedict said that John of Ávila was a “profound expert on the sacred Scriptures, he was gifted with an ardent missionary spirit. He knew how to penetrate in a uniquely profound way the mysteries of the redemption worked by Christ for humanity. A man of God, he united constant prayer to apostolic action. He dedicated himself to preaching and to the more frequent practice of the sacraments, concentrating his commitment on improving the formation of candidates for the priesthood, of religious and of lay people, with a view to a fruitful reform of the Church”.
AnaStpaul 
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