Thought for the Day – 9 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” The Second Sorrowful Mystery The Scourging
“Think about the manner in which Jesus was scourged. His chaste body, is stripped by the jeering soldiers, His hands are tied and He is bound to a pillar. The soldiers come forward with their whips and begin to beat Him mercilessly. As His Blood flows freely to the ground, Jesus quivers with pain and emits a half-suppressed groan. But fresh blows continue to rain down on His bruised flesh. So the prophecy is fulfilled in which Isaias described the punishment of the chosen people, whose sins and whose chastisement, the divine Redeemer has chosen to take on Himself. “From the sole of the foot unto the top of the head, there is no soundness therein – wounds and bruises and swelling sores …“ (Is 1:6).
By means of this fearful torment, Jesus willed to offer satisfaction in a special manner, for the sins of the flesh. In ancient times, sins of impurity provoked the anger of God so much, that they were blotted out by the universal deluge. Now these sins are still numberless, both in the pagan and, unfortunately, in the Christian world but, they are washed away by the saving Blood of Jesus Christ, Who came on earth to make reparation for all the iniquities of men.
Kiss the wounds of Jesus, bleeding and suffering. Ask for pardon if you have on occasions, failed to preserve the purity of your body, the dwelling of your immortal soul and the tabernacle of the Holy Spirit. Resolve to die rather than stain again, with impurity, the soul, which was redeemed and sanctified, by the precious Blood of the Redeemer.”
Quote/s of the Day – 9 October – The Memorial ofSt Louis Bertrand OP (1526-1581) “Apostle of South America”, St John Leonardi OMD (1541-1609), Founder of the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God and St John Henry Newman C.Orat (1801-1890)
“If, because of your preaching, men lay aside enmities, forgive injuries, avoid occasions of sin and scandals and reform their conduct, you may say that the seed has fallen on good ground. But to God alone give all the glory and acknowledge yourselves ever unprofitable servants.”
St Louis Bertrand (1526-1581)
“The medicine of God, is Jesus Christ, Crucified and Risen, the measure of all things.”
“Christ first of all, Christ in the centre of the heart, in the centre of history and of the cosmos. Humanity needs Christ intensely because, He is our “measure.” There is no realm, that cannot be touched by His strength; there is no evil, that cannot find remedy in Him, there is no problem, that cannot be solved in Him. Either Christ or nothing!”
One Minute Reflection – 9 October – Friday of the Twenty Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Galatians 3:7-14, Psalms 111:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, Luke 11: 15-26 and the Memorial of Saint Denis of Paris (Died c 258) and Companions, the First Bishop of Paris, Martyr
“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came…” – Luke 11:24
REFLECTION – “The unclean spirit dwelt in us before we believed, before we came to Christ when our soul was still committing fornication against God and was with it’s lovers, the demons. Afterward it said, “I will return to my first husband” and came to Christ, who “created” it from the beginning “in his image.” Necessarily, the adulterous spirit gave up his place when it saw the legitimate husband. Christ received us and our house has been “cleansed” from it’s former sins. It has been “furnished” with the furnishing of the sacraments of the faithful that they who have been initiated know. This house does not deserve to have Christ as it’s resident immediately, unless it’s life and conduct are so holy, pure and incapable of being defiled, that it deserves to be the “temple of God.” It should not still be a house but a temple in which God dwells. If it neglects the grace that was received and entangles itself in secular affairs, immediately, that unclean spirit returns and claims the vacant house for itself. “It brings with it seven other spirits more wicked,” so that it may not be able again to be expelled “and the last state of that kind of person is worse than the first.” It would be more tolerable, that the soul would not have returned to it’s first husband once it became a prostitute, than having gone back after confession, to her husband, to have become an adulteress again. There is no “fellowship,” as the apostle says, “between the temple of God and idols,” no “agreement between Christ and Belial.” – Origen of Alexandria (c 185-253) (Homilies on Exodus, 8)
PRAYER – Lord God, You sent St Denis and his companions to proclaim Your glory to the nations and gave them the fortitude to die for Your sake. Help us, by their exmple, to meet with a like indifference, the triumphs and afflictions this world has to offer. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, one God with You and the Holy Spirit, now and for all eternity, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 9 October – Friday of the Twenty Seventh Week in Ordinary Time and the Memorial of St John Henry Newman C.Orat (1801-1890)
O Heart of Jesus, All Love By St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
O Heart of Jesus all love, I offer You these humble prayers for myself and for all those, who unite themselves with me in spirit to adore You. O holiest Heart of Jesus most lovely, I intend to renew and to offer to You, these acts of adoration and these prayers, for myself, a wretched sinner and for all those, who are associated with me in Your adoration, through all moments which I breathe, even to the end of my life. I recommend to You, O my Jesus, Holy Church, Your dear spouse and our true Mother, all just souls and all poor sinners, the afflicted, the dying and all mankind. Let not Your Blood be shed for them in vain. Finally, deign to apply it in relief of the souls in Purgatory and of these in particular …………………..…. Amen
Saint of the Day – 9 October – Saint Denis of Paris (Died c 258) and Companions, the First Bishop of Paris, Martyr, Missionary, Confessor. St Denis was Bishop of Paris (then Lutetia) in the third century and, together with his companions the Priest Rusticus and Deacon Eleutherius, was Martyred for his faith by decapitation. He is also known as Denis of France, Dennis, Denys, Dionysius. Patronages – against frenzy, against headaches, against hydrophobia or rabies, against strife, France, Paris, possessed people. The feast of Saint Denis was added to the Roman Calendar in the year 1568 by Pope Pius V, although it had been celebrated since at least the year 800. St Denis was for a time, confused with the writer St Dionysuis the Areopagite, now called Pseudo-Dionysius.
Denis is the most famous cephalophore in Christianiaty (a cephalophore [from the Greek for “head-carrier”] is a saint who is generally depicted carrying their own severed head. The decapitated Bishop picked up his head and walked several miles while preaching a sermon on repentance.
St Gregory of Tours states that Denis was Bishop of the Paris and was Martyred by being beheaded by a sword. The earliest document giving an account of his life and Martyrdom, the “Passio SS. Dionysii Rustici et Eleutherii” dates from c 600, is mistakenly attributed to the poet Venantius Fortunatus and is legendary.
Nevertheless, it appears from the Passio that Denis was sent from Italy to convert Gaul in the third century, forging a link with the “apostles to the Gauls” reputed to have been sent out with six other Missionary Bishops under the direction of Pope Fabian. There Denis was appointed first Bishop of Paris. The persecutions under Emperor Decius had all but dissolved the small Christian community at Lutetia (Paris). Denis, with his inseparable companions Rusticus and Eleutherius, who were Martyred with him, settled on the Île de la Cité in the River Seine. Roman Paris lay on the higher ground of the Left Bank, away from the river.
Saint Denis and his miraculous neck, shining like a light-bulb, seconds after his decapitation, as portrayed in a painting in the Pantheon
Denis and his companions were so effective in converting people that the pagan priests became alarmed over their loss of followers. At their instigation, the Roman Governor arrested the Missionaries. After a long imprisonment, Denis and two of his clergy were executed by beheading on the highest hill in Paris (now Montmartre), which was likely to have been a druidic holy place.
The Martyrdom of Denis and his companions is popularly believed to have given the site its current name, derived from the Latin Mons Martyrum “The Martyrs’ Mountain.”
After he was decapitated, Denis picked his head up and walked several miles from the summit of the hill, preaching a sermon on repentance the entire way, making him the most renowned cephalophores in hagiology. Of the many accounts of this Martyrdom, this is noted in detail in the Golden Legend and in Butler’s Lives Of The Saints.
The site where he stopped preaching and actually died was marked by a small shrine that developed into the Saint Denis Cathedral Basilica, which became the burial place for the Kings of France.
The Cathedral Basilica of St Denis
Montmartre’s heritage pays tribute in it’s own way to Saint Denis and you will find many famous landmarks commemorating the saint around the hill. You can marvel at the statue of Saint Denis, holding his head in the quiet square Suzanne Buisson. Or even walk in his steps on rue Mont-Saint Denis), which is said to follow the same route the Saint took after being decapitated.
The beautiful Rue du St Denis, as seen by painter Utrillo in 1910Saint Denis, holding his head in the quiet square Suzanne Buisson, Montmartre
Since at least the ninth century, the legends of Dionysius the Areopagite and Denis of Paris have often been confused. Around 814, Louis the Pious brought certain writings attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite to France and since then it became common among the French legendary writers to argue that Denis of Paris was the same Dionysius who was a famous convert and disciple of Saint Paul.
Our Lady of Good Help (1859) USA – 9 October: “I am the Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners.” Such is the way the Mother of God introduced herself to a twenty-eight-year-old Belgian immigrant, Adele Brise, on 9 October 1859. The pious young woman was on her eleven mile walk home to Robinsonville (now Champion), Wisconsin, after attending Mass in Bay Settlement. Adele was travelling at the time with two companions, her sister and another woman, as well as a male guardian who was working for the Holy Cross Fathers at the Settlement. Our Lady had appeared earlier to Adele the day before and, again, that same morning at the same spot but she had not spoken. Her companions did not see or hear anything. The young woman was told by Heaven’s Queen that she must pray for the conversion of sinners and warn them, for if they do not convert, her Son was going to punish them. She was told to gather together the children in this remote area and teach them the truths they must know for their salvation; teach them the catechism; teach them how to bless themselves with the Sign of the Cross; and teach them how to approach the sacraments. Our Lady ended by telling Adele, whose faith was strong but simple, to fear nothing and be confident in her help. For the next thirty-seven years of her life, until her death in 1896, Sister Adele Brise was faithful to this mission.
Bl Aaron of Cracow St Abraham the Patriarch St Alfanus of Salerno St Andronicus of Antioch St Athanasia of Antioch Bl Bernard of Rodez St Demetrius of Alexandria St Deusdedit of Montecassino St Domninus St Dorotheus of Alexandria St Donnino of Città di Castello St Eleutherius St Geminus St Gislenus St Goswin Bl Gunther
St Lambert St Louis Bertrand OP (1526-1581) Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2018/10/09/saint-of-the-day-9-october-st-louis-bertrand-o-p-1526-1581-apostle-of-south-america/ St Publia St Rusticus St Sabinus of the Lavedan St Valerius — Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War – Martyrs of Astoria – (9 saints): Also known as Martyrs of Turon: A group of Brothers of the Christian Schools and a Passionist priest martyred in the persecutions during the Spanish Civil War. They are – • Aniceto Adolfo • Augusto Andrés • Benito de Jesús • Benjamín Julián • Cirilo Bertrán • Inocencio de la Immaculada • Julián Alfredo • Marciano José • Victoriano Pío They were martyred on 9 October 1934 in Turón, Spain and Canonised on 21 November 1999 by St Pope John Paul II. — Martyrs of Laodicea – (3 saints): Three Christians martyred together in Laodicea, but no other information about them has survived but their names – Didymus, Diodorus and Diomedes. They were martyred in Laodicea, Syria.
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
The life of Mary, like that of her divine Son, was a life of suffering and of sacrifice.
When Simeon held the divine Child in his arms, he had prophesied: “This child is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel and, for a sign that shall be contradicted. And thy own soul, a sword shall pierce” (Cf Lk 2:35). There was suffering from the very beginning – in the arduous journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem to fulfil the obligation of the census; in the refusal of the people of Bethlehem to give shelter to the Holy Family; in the birth of Jesus in a cold cave; in the flight into Egypt to escape from the cruelty of Herod; in the loss of Jesus when He was twelve years old; in the hard life of a humble artisan in Nazareth; in the difficulties of the public life of Jeuse and, in the final tragedy which brought Jesus from Gethsemane to Calvary and, from Calvary to the sepulchre.
When faced with this spectacle of the Man-God and of His Mother Mary suffering for love of us, how can we complain that our own cross is too heavy? How can we rebel against the merciful God Who afflicts us for our own good, purifies us with suffering and demands, that we should be detached from worldly things, so that we may give more thought to Heaven, for which our souls are destined? To meditate on all that Jesus and Mary suffered for us, should be enough to make us embrace our cross generously and resign ourselves to the physical or moral afflictions which God sens us.”
Quote/s of the Day – 8 October – Thursday of the Twenty Seventh week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Galatians 3:1-5, Responsorial Psalm: Luke 1:69-70, 71-72,73-75, Luke 11:5-13
“I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. And I tell you, ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.”
Luke 11:8-9
“Immortality is given to the one who perseveres; everlasting life is offered; the Lord promises His Kingdom.”
St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258) Bishop and Martyr
“Patience is the companion of wisdom.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ, was the only one to see Him. … At first she sought but did not find but when she persevered, it happened that she found what she was looking for. … And so Mary, once addressed by name, recognises who is speaking. She immediately calls Him Rabboni, that is to say, teacher, because the One whom she sought outwardly, was the One who inwardly taught her to keep on searching.”
St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father and Doctor
“We must pray incessantly, for the gift of perseverance.”
St Philip Neri (1515-1595)
“In prayer one must hold fast and never let go, because the one who gives up, loses all. If it seems that no-one is listening to you, then cry out even louder. If you are driven out of one door, go back in by the other.”
St Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
“Aspire to God with short but frequent outpourings of the heart, admire His bounty, invoke His aid, cast yourself in spirit at the foot of His Cross, adore His goodness, treat with Him of your salvation, give Him your whole soul – a thousand times in the day.”
“Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves…If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit, to those who ask him!” – Luke 11:5,13
REFLECTION – “In one place it is said that the Father “will give good things to those that ask him” (Mt 7:11), elsewhere, that he will “give the Holy Spirit to those that ask him” (Lk 11:13).
From this we learn that those who pray to God with steadfast faith in these promises receive, not only remission of sins but also heavenly gifts of grace. The Lord promised these “good things” not to the righteous but to sinners, saying: “If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those that ask him?” (Lk 11:13). Ask then, unremittingly and without doubting, however poor your efforts to gain holiness, however weak your strength, you will receive great gifts, far beyond anything that you deserve. (…)
Struggle to preserve unimpaired the light that shines within your intellect. If passion begins to dominate you when you look at things, this means that the Lord has left you in darkness; He has dropped the reins with which He was guiding you (cf. Jb 30:11) and the light of your eyes is gone from you (cf. Ps 37[38]:10 LXX). Yet even if this happens, do not despair or give up but pray to God with the words of David: “O send out thy light and thy truth” to me in my gloom, “for thou art the salvation of my countenance and my God” (cf. Ps 42[43]:3, 5 LXX).
For “thou shalt send forth thy Spirit and they shall be created and thou shalt renew the face of the earth” (Cf. Ps 103[104]:30 LXX).” – John of Karpathos(Seventh century) Bishop and Monk – One Hundred Texts for the encouragement of the monks in India, nos. 45, 82
PRAYER – Lord God and Father, who entrusted the earth to men and each to the other, grant us the grace this day, to see Your Face in our neighbour and to seek all who need our help. Grant us the grace to work faithfully for Your glory, for the salvation of our souls through the light of faith You have given us. We beg the grace of Your love and mercy and the light of love You send with Your Holy Spirit. May the prayers of Mary our Holy Mother, keep us ever in her guiding care. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 8 October – Thursday of the Twenty Seventh week in Ordinary Time
Eternal Light A Prayer for Enlightenment By St Alcuin of York (735-804)
Eternal light, shine into our hearts, Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil, Eternal Power, be our support, Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance, Eternal Pity, have mercy on us; that with all our heart and mind and soul and strength, we may seek Your Face and be brought by Your infinite mercy to Your Holy Presence, through Jesus Christ, our Lord Amen
Saint of the Day – 8 October – St Pelagia the Penitent (Fourth or Fifth Century) Hermit – also known as Pelagia of Antioch, The Beardless Hermit, Marina (the Latin equivalent of “Pelagia”), Margarita. Patronage – actresses.
Like St Mary Magdalen and St Mary of Egypt, St Pelagia inspired Christians of the Middle Ages as an enchanting icon of repentance. Storytellers probably spun her winsome tale from an anonymous factual illustration embedded in one of St John Chrysostom’s homilies on St Matthew’s Gospel. He told of a nameless actress of Antioch, famous for her glamour and notorious for her wickedness, who suddenly repented, was baptised and afterwards embraced the austere life of a hermit.
Pelagia among her courtesans, as Saint Nonnus prays for her
Later a gifted writer who pretended to be St James, a Deacon working for St Nonnus of Edessa, named the actress Pelagia and created the story that still speaks to our spirit.
As he told it: “One day Pelagia, dressed provocatively and surrounded by an entourage of her fans, passed by a group of Bishops sitting at St Julian’s tomb near Antioch. All but one Bishop was scandalised by her evil charms. But Pelagia’s carefully appointed beauty touched St Nonnus and led him to a spiritually disturbing conclusion. He said to the other Bishops:
. . .we have vast promises in the supernatural heights stored up with our hidden Lord who cannot be seen. It is He we should please but we fail to do so; it is for Him that we should adorn our bodies and souls but we totally fail to do so. We should take pains over ourselves in order to scrub away the dirt of sins, to become clean from evil stains but we have paid no attention to our souls, in the attempt to adorn them with good habits so that Christ may desire to dwell in us. What a reproach to us, seeing that we have not taken pains to make ourselves pleasing to God nearly as much as this prostitute . . . has taken pains to please men—in order to captivate them, leading them into perdition by her wanton beauty. . . . Maybe we should even go and become the pupils of this lascivious woman.”
The next day, the story continues, Pelagia made a rare appearance in Church where she heard Nonnus preach on judgement and salvation. His words stabbed her heart. On the spot Pelagia repented and was converted to Christ.
Then she demanded that Nonnus baptise her, a request he happily obliged. A Deaconess named Romana took Pelagia under her wing, until one day, after giving away all her possessions, Pelagia slipped away. She hid herself in Jerusalem, where disguised as a man, she became a Hermit on the Mount of Olives. Word about the holiness of the monk “Pelagios” spread throughout the Holy Land. And when it was discovered upon her death that the Hermit was the repentant prostitute Pelagia, she was honoured and loved even more.
Thought for the Day – 7 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” The Fifth Joyful Mystery The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
“Mary and Joseph came, according to custom, to celebrate the feast of the Pasch in Jerusalem. They took with them, Jesus, Who was now twelve years of age. When the feast was over, the pilgrims came together to return to Nazareth. As usual, they gathered in the temple to say a final prayer and then divided into two companies, one consisting of men, the other of women. The children were assigned to either caravan.
At any rate, when the two groups came together for the night after a day’s journey, Mary and Joseph looked in vain for Jesus. He could not be found in either caravan! We can imagine how they suffered. However, they returned without delay to Jerusalem to look for their Child. They searched for three days. At last, when they went into the Temple to pour out their troubles to God, they found Jesus, sitting among the doctors, who were amazed at the wisdom of His answers and of His questions. There was joy and sorrow in Mary’s countenance as she regarded Him. “Son,” she said gently. “why hast thou done so to us? Behold, in sorrow, thy father and I have been seeking thee.” Jesus’ reply was also mild and at the same time, mysterious. “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”
Then He returned with them to Nazareth, where He remained “subject to them.” But His mother, we are told, “kept all these things carefully in her heart” (Cf Lk 2:41-51).
This Mystery of the Rosary is, at the same time, joyful and sorrowful. We can learn a good deal by meditating on it. We can admire the divine wisdom of Jesus, Who, even from childhood, desired to reveal a little of the truth and also His obedience to Mary and Joseph, until He reached thirty years of age. We can admire, too, His hidden life in the workshop in Nazareth, interrupted only by this brief demonstration of His divinity and the anxiety of Mary and Joseph to find Jesus when they had lost Him, as well as their delight when He was restored to them.
If we should ever have the great misfortune of losing Jesus, let us have recourse at once, to Mary and Joseph, who lost Him without any fault on their part, searched anxiously for Him and did not rest, until they had found Him. Amen”
Quote/s of the Day – 7 October – The Memorial of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary and the Month of the Most Holy Rosary
“The Rosary is the scourge of the devil.”
Pope Adrian VI (1459-1523)
“Among all the devotions approved by the Church, none has been favoured by so many miracles, as the devotion of the Most Holy Rosary.”
Blessed Pope Pius IX (1792-1878)
“If there were one million families praying the Rosary everyday, the entire world would be saved.”
Saint Pope Pius X (1835-1914)
“The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life. It is the remedy for all our evils, the root of all our blessings. There is no more excellent way of praying.”
Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903)
“The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin… If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labours.”
Pope Pius XI (1857-1939)
“We put great confidence in the Holy Rosary, for the healing of evils which afflict our times.”
One Minute Reflection – 7 October – Wednesday of the Twenty Seventh week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14, Psalms 117:1, 2, Luke 11: 1-4 and The Memorial of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary and the Month of the Most Holy Rosary
“He was praying in a certain place and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.” – Luke 11:1-2
REFLECTION – “If you wish to pray, you have need of God: “who gives prayer to the one who prays” (1 Sam 2:9). Invoke Him, then, saying: “Hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come” (Mt 6:9-10) — that is, the Holy Spirit and Your only-begotten Son. For so He taught us, saying: “Worship the Father in spirit and in truth” (Jn 4:24). (…)
Whoever prays in spirit and truth is no longer dependent on created things when honouring the Creator but, praises Him for and in Himself. (…) The Holy Spirit, out of compassion for our weakness, comes to us (…). And if only He finds our intellect truly praying to Him, He enters it and puts to flight the whole array of thoughts and ideas circling within it and He arouses it to a longing for spiritual prayer. (…)
Know that the holy angels encourage us to pray and stand beside us, rejoicing and praying for us (cf. Tob 12:12). Therefore, if we are negligent and admit thoughts from the enemy, we greatly provoke the angels. For while they struggle hard on our behalf we do not even take the trouble to pray to God for ourselves but we despise their services to us, abandoning their Lord and God. (…)
Pray gently and calmly, sing with understanding and rhythm, then you will soar like a young eagle high in the heavens.” – Evagrius Ponticus (345-399) Desert Monk in Jerusalem and Egypt – Chapters on prayer, nos. 59, 60, 63, 81, 82; wrongly attributed to Neilos the ascetic
PRAYER – Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Teach us Almighty Father to pray, fill us with the love of Your Spirit and guide us always by the Word and Trust of our lives. With the Blessed Mother of God and of the Holy Rosary, we kneel in love and adoration. May her prayers lead us to heaven. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 7 October – The Memorial of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary and the Month of the Most Holy Rosary
Excerpt from the Petition to Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii also known as Supplication to the Queen of the Holy Rosary By Blessed Bartholomew Longo (1841-1926) Apostle of the Holy Rosary
O Blessed Rosary of Mary, sweet Chain, which binds us to God, Bond of love, which unites us to the Angels, Tower of salvation against the assaults of hell, safe Port in our universal shipwreck, we shall never abandon you. You will be our comfort in the hour of agony. To you, the last kiss of our dying life. And the last word from our lips will be your sweet name, O Queen of the Rosary of Pompeii, O dearest Mother, O Refuge of Sinners, O Sovereign Consoler of the Afflicted. Be Blessed everywhere, today and always, on earth and in Heaven. Amen
7 October – Blessed Virgin Mother of Victory of the Most Holy Rosary.
Can you imagine a hostile foreign navy just a few miles off the Italian coast, threatening not only to destroy Rom, but to wipe out Christianity in Italy and perhaps in all of Europe? This was the situation facing Pope Pius V in the autumn of 1571.Word had come that a huge navy from Turkey was on its way to try to add Italy to the Ottoman Empire and to make all Christians into Muslim slaves.
On 7 October, the Rosary Confraternity of Rome met at the Minerva, the church that served as Dominican headquarters, to recite the Rosary for a Christian victory over the Turkish navy. Meanwhile, in Venice, a Christian navy with ships from Venice, Naples, Genoa and Spain assembled under the leadership of Don John of Austria. They engaged the Turkish fleet on 7 October and routed the enemy in a sea battle near Lepanto, on the Greek coast. The Holy Father attributed the victory to Our Lady’s intercession after the campaign to pray the Rosary in Rome.
The Blessed Virgin Mother of Victory with Pope Pius V and St Dominic
St Pope Pius V introduced in 1572, the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mother of Victory. In 1573, his successor, Pope Gregory XIII, changed this title to “Feast of the Holy Rosary” to be celebrated on the first Sunday of October. The privilege to celebrate this feast was granted to all those churches which had a Rosary altar. Pope Clemens XI extended it to the whole Church.
The Blessed Virgin Mother of Victory with St Pope Pius V by Cosali
Under St Pope Pius X, the Feast was again scheduled for 7 October; it changed name in 1960 and became “Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary.” This appellation was changed again in 1969 to “Our Lady of the Rosary” and it is now a mandatory memorial.
The Blessed Mother of Victory of Lepanto by Paolo Veronese Girelli
The reference to victory or Our Lady of Victory was maintained in titles and for sanctuaries the world over, in particular in Spain, Italy, France and Germany. The title frequently commemorates, even before Lepanto, the victory over heresy and paganism. Already Gregory Pisides (c 600-650) sees in Mary, the only and unique victor over nature (miraculous birth of Christ and unarmed victory over the Avares in 626).
One of the most famous sanctuaries dedicated to Our Lady of Victories is in Paris (Notre Dame des Victoires, The sanctuary is intimately connected with the Miraculous Medal and the Archconfraternity devoted to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This devotion had its origin at the Basilica of Notre Dame des Victoires in Paris and expanded during the latter half of last century over much of the Catholic world.
Our Lady of Victory in the Basilica of Notre Dame des Victoires in Paris
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary/Our Lady of Victory (Memorial) – (Commemorating the Victory of Lepanto – 1571 [Mandatory Memorial): On Sunday 7 October 1571 the combined Christian fleets under Don John of Austria achieved a significant naval victory over the Turks in the Straits of Lepanto. Thousands of Christians were liberated, the Turkish fleet was destroyed and they suffered their first great defeat at sea. In gratitude to God and Our Lady, Pope Saint Pius V ordered an annual commemoration to be made of Our Lady of Victory. In 1573 Pope Gregory XIII transferred the feast to the first Sunday of October with the title Feast of the Most Holy Rosary since the victory was won through invocation of Our Lady of the Rosary. In 1716 Pope Clement XII extended the feast to the whole Latin Rite calendar, assigning it to the first Sunday in October. Saint Pope Pius X changed the date to 7 October in 1913. In 1969 Pope Paul VI changed the name of the feast to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.
Martyrs of Arima: Eight lay people Japan who were martyred together in the persecutions of Christianity in Japan: • Blessed Hadrianus Takahashi Mondo • Blessed Ioanna Takahashi • Blessed Leo Hayashida Sukeemon • Blessed Martha Hayashida • Blessed Magdalena Hayashida • Blessed Didacus Hayashida • Blessed Leo Takedomi Kan’Emon • Blessed Paulus Takedomi Dan’Emon They were martyred on 7 October 1613 in Arima, Hyogo, Japan and Beatified on 24 November 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI.
Mercedarian Nuns of Seville: Five Mercedarian nuns at the monastery of the Assumption in Seville, Spain noted for their piety – Sisters Agnese, Bianca, Caterina, Maddalena and Marianna.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War • Blessed José Llosá Balaguer
Novena to Our Lady of the Rosary – Day Nine – 6 October
Day Nine: We Pray for the Virtue of Wisdom and for our private intentions
At the end of this journey of prayer together, Let us today, turn to Our Divine Father and pray, so that we may be granted the gift of wisdom and discernment, to enable us to Understand, Distinguish, Separate and Decide between the good and evil. We pray for the ability to make the right judgement for and about others, as well as for ourselves, according to God’s Will. Amen
Daily Prayer along with our Daily Rosary:
My dearest Mother Mary, behold me, your child, in prayer at your feet. Accept this Holy Rosary, which I offer you in accordance with your requests at Fatima, as a proof of my tender love for you, for the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in atonement for the offenses committed against your Immaculate Heart and for this special favour which I earnestly request in my Rosary Novena: ………………………….. (Mention your request).
I beg you to present my petition to your Divine Son. If you will pray for me, I cannot be refused. I know, dearest Mother, that you want me to seek God’s holy Will concerning my request. If what I ask for should not be granted, pray that I may receive that which will be of greater benefit to my soul.
I offer you this spiritual Bouquet of Roses because I love you. I put all my confidence in you, since your prayers before God are most powerful. For the greater glory of God and for the sake of Jesus, your loving Son, hear and grant my prayer. Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for our Holy Mother Church and for our country.
Our Lady of Fatima, obtain for humanity a lasting peace.
Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love.
Sweet Heart of Mary, at the hour of my death, lead me home.
Thought for the Day – 6 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” The Fourth Joyful Mystery The Purification of Our Lady and The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple
“Since the fall of our first parents, human mothers have carried in their wombs, souls dead to grace and have given birth to children stained with sin. Therefore, it is necessary for the waters of Baptism to confer on these infants, a second life, the supernatural life. A ceremony of purification is also required for these mothers, a rite which was of obligation under the Old Law but, under the New Law, remains only as a pious custom.
The Blessed Virgin was not subject to the rule of sin. By a special privilege, she was preserved free from the stain of original sin and was created and conceived in the fullness of grace. Moreover, she became a mother, not by any human agency but, by the power of the Holy Spirit, which preserved intact, her angelic virginity. For this reason, Mary was not bound by the Mosaic Law which laid down the ceremony of purification as necessary for all mothers. Nevertheless, in order to give us an example of humility and of absolute obedience to the law of God, she chose to fulfil this sacred rite.
How well do we comply with the law of God, with the precepts of the Church and with the commands of our superiors who represent divine authority? Perhaps we can excuse ourselves too easily from our obligations. Perhaps we are not sufficiently ready to give good example to others. We may evade the sacrifices which our duty demands of us, or we may fail to see God in the person who gives us our instructions.
Let us learn from the Blessed Virgin. Even when she was not obliged to do so, she obeyed the law and gave us a wonderful example of humility and submission to Almighty God.”
Quote/s of the Day – 6 October – The Memorial of St Bruno O.Cart (c 1030-1101)
The Order founded by st Bruno — the Carthusians — is one of the strictest in the Church. Carthusians follow the Rule of St Benedict but accord it a most austere interpretation; there is perpetual silence and complete abstinence from flesh meat (only bread, legumes and water are taken for nourishment). Bruno sought to revive the ancient eremitical (hermit) way of life. His Order enjoys the distinction of never becoming unfaithful to the spirit of it’s founder, never needing a reform.
Saint Bruno’s Profession of Faith, which he pronounced in the presence of all his assembled brothers, when he felt the time was approaching for him to go the way of all flesh, because he had urgently requested us to be witnesses of his faith before God:
I firmly believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: the Father unbegotten, the only begotten Son, the Holy Spirit proceeding from them both and I believe that these three Persons are but one God.
I believe that the same Son of God was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. I believe that the Virgin was chaste before she bore her child, that she remained a virgin while she bore her child and continued a virgin ever after. I believe that the same Son of God was conceived among men, a true Man with no sin. I believe the same Son of God was captured by the hatred of some of the Jews who did not believe, was bound unjustly, covered with spittle and scourged. I believe that He died, was buried and descended into hell to free those of His who were held there. He descended for our redemption, He rose again, He ascended into heaven and from there, He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe also in the Sacraments that the Church believes and holds in reverence and especially that, which has been consecrated on the altar, is the true Flesh and the true Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we receive for the forgiveness of our sins and in the hope of eternal salvation.
I believe in the resurrection of the flesh and everlasting life.
I acknowledge and believe the holy and ineffable Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to be but only one God, of only one substance, of only one nature, of only one majesty and power.
We profess that the Father was neither begotten nor created but that He has begotten. The Father takes His origin from no-one; of Him the Son is born and the Holy Spirit proceeds. He is the source and origin of all Divinity. And the Father, ineffable by His very nature, from His own substance has begotten the Son ineffably but, He has begotten nothing, except what He is Himself: God has begotten God, light has begotten light and it is from Him that all Fatherhood in heaven and on earth proceeds. Amen.
The Creed Every late of the night, in a cell at the end of the Office of Lauds of Our Blessed Virgin Mary, about around 2:30 am, the Carthusians always recite a choice between three catholic creeds: The Athanasian Creed [QUICUNQUE VULT] | The Apostle’s Creed The Nicene Creed. This is a deep transforming contemplative prayer of our revealed Creed, like a constant heartbeat and is the defining of the heart of the Carthusian souls in Trinitarian life and of Saint Bruno’s followers’ vocation of devoted presence, like the Seraphim before the revealed God, in the Church for the world.
“Rejoice, my dearest brothers, because you are blessed and because of the bountiful hand of God’s grace upon you. Rejoice, because you have escaped the various dangers and shipwrecks of the stormy world. Rejoice, because you have reached the quiet and safe anchorage of a secret harbour. Many wish to come into this port and many make great efforts to do so, yet do not achieve it. Indeed many, after reaching it, have been thrust out, since it was not granted them from above. By your work you show what you love and what you know. When you observe true obedience with prudence and enthusiasm, it is clear that you wisely pick the most delightful and nourishing fruit of divine Scripture.”
“What benefits What divine exultation The solitude and silence of the desert Hold in store for those who love it!”
One Minute Reflection – 6 October – Tuesday of the Twenty Seventh week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Galatians 1:13-24, Psalms 139:1-3, 13-14, 14-15, Luke 10: 38-42 and the Memorial of St Bruno O.Cart. (c 1030-1101)
“As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak…”– Luke 10:38-39
REFLECTION – “Adopt the habit of conversing one to one with God, familiarly, trustingly and with love, as though with the dearest and most affectionate friend you have. (…)
You are not being asked for a continual application of spirit that makes you forget your duties or even your recreational times. Without neglecting your occupations, you are only being asked to behave with God, in the different circumstances that present themselves, as you act with people who love you and whom you love. Your God is always beside you, not to say within you: “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Whoever wishes to speak to Him has no need of setting up an antechamber, far from it! God wants to see you treat Him without ceremony. Converse with Him about your affairs, projects, annoyances, fears and all that interests you. The essential thing, I repeat, is that you do it without embarrassment and with an open heart. Indeed, God does not speak at all, to the soul that does not speak to Him and who, in consequence, only hears His voice with difficulty, not being accustomed to speak to Him. (…)
It is true that we owe God sovereign respect. But when He favours you with the feeling of His presence and encourages you to speak to Him as to the best of your friends, open your heart freely and with all confidence.” – St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop and Doctor of the Church – To converse with God is both pleasant and easy
PRAYER – Lord God, You called St Bruno to serve You in a life of solitude. Amidst this world’s changes, help us, by his prayers, to set out hearts always on You. Heavenly Father, let me realise that You guide our lives through Your Providence, Your Word and Sacraments. Help me to be obedient to the rules for my state in life and so be obedient to Your will for me. Grant that the prayers of St Bruno may assist us as we strive to grow in humility. Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Your Son in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 6 October – Tuesday of the Twenty Seventh week in Ordinary Time
Transform me into Yourself By St John Gabriel Perboyre (1802-1840) Martyr
O my Divine Saviour, Transform me into Yourself. May my hands be the hands of Jesus. Grant that every faculty of my body May serve only to glorify You. Above all, Transform my soul and all it’s powers So that my memory, will and affection May be the memory, will and affections Of Jesus. I pray You To destroy in me all that is not of You. Grant that I may live but in You, by You and for You, So that I may truly say, with Saint Paul, “I live – now not I – But Christ lives in me. Amen
Saint of the Day – 6 October – Blessed Adalbero of Lambach (c 1010–1090) Bishop of Würzburg and Count of Lambach-Wels, Reformer, Mediator and Advisor, founder of Churches and Monasteries – born c 1010 in Lambach an der Traun, Austria and died on 6 October 1090 at the Abbey at Lambach, Austria of natural causes, where his mortal remains were buried. Blessed Adalbero’s Episcopal Motto was “Christ yesterday, today and forever.”
Adalbero was born around 1010 in Lambach an der Traun. He was the youngest son of the Carinthian Margrave. Arnold II of Lambach-Wels (Upper Austria) and his wife, the East Franconian Countess Reginlindis. The youngest and, after the violent death of his brothers in 1050, the last male offspring of the family. He was sent to study at the Würzburg Cathedral School, which at the time was highly regarded.
After his studies in the Cathedral School at Würzburg and later in Paris, Adalbero became a Canon of Würzburg. In 1045, King Henry III, nominated Adalbero successor to Bruno, who was Adalbero’s Uncle, as Bishop of Würzburg.
Bishop Adalbero continued the construction of the new Würzburg Cathedral begun by Bruno, adding the east crypt and the east choir. He established the “Neumünsterkirche” (“New Minster Church”) (built between 1058 and 1063). Significant contributions in the reform of ecclesiastical life are attributed to him. He was in close contact with the reformers at Cluny, Gorze and Hirsau. He brought the monk Egbert from Gorze, who proved extremely effective firstly in bringing about renewal.
In 1056 he began the restoration of the Abbey of Lambach, founded by his father in the family castle. After the death of Henry III that same year, Adalbero, Godfather to Henry IV, spent more time attending court, where he gained a reputation as an advisor and mediator. He also intensified his involvement in the councils of the empire and in the synods.
Lambach Abbey
In 1057 Adalbero re-settled the Abbey of St Peter, Paul and Stephen in Würzburg, until then a College of Canons Regular, with Benedictines from Münsterschwarzach. In 1066 in Würzburg he performed the marriage ceremony between Henry IV and Bertha of Savoy. Together with other Princes he brokered the Peace of Speyer in 1075.
Steadfast fighter for the Church and the Pope: In the Investiture Controversy (Controversy between Church and State related to the choosing and investiture of Bishops) which broke out shortly afterwards, Adalbero took the side of Pope Gregory VII in opposition to Henry IV (remember he was the Godfather of Henry IV and his tutor). Gregory objected to the practice of the appointment of Bishops being vested in territorial princes rather than in the Papacy. The Synod of Worms however, supported Henry against Gregory’s ideas and declared the Pope deposed, whereupon Gregory excommunicated Henry, forcing him to set off on the famous “walk to Canossa” (January 1077) to see the Pope and seek absolution.
Having obtained this, however, the dependency of the Bishops on the King was once again reinforced. Adalbero and other Princes, therefore, in March 1077 appointed as anti-king Duke Rudolf of Rheinfelden. Henry IV, hastened to return to Germany and in the same year besieged Wurzburg. Wurzburg was strategically important because it controlled communications between the rebel areas of Saxony and Swabia. Having succeeded in raising the citizens against Adalbero, the Bishop had to leave the city. King Henry appointed a series of anti-bishops.
In 1086 Rudolf of Rheinfelden returned him to Würzburg but he was soon ejected again. Adalbero rejected all attempts at mediation and compromise proposals – Henry IV is said to have offered him the diocese again, saying that he would die rather than yield. At the Synod of Mainz in 1085, therefore, he was formally deposed and forced into exile. He remained faithful to the Pope and was sent to his Monastery in Lambach. In 1088 Adalbero renounced his episcopal dignity and dedicated the Monastery of Komburg, near Schwabisch Hall, in Württemberg. The following year, he was also co-founder of Zwiefalten Abbey in Swabia. On 6 October 1090 he died in Lambach and was buried in the Abbey church which he himself had founded and dedicated.
Soon after his death he began to be venerated as a saint in his Austrian home and his veneration in Münsterschwarzach is evidenced since the 17th century.
In 1883 Pope Leo confirmed Adalbero’s cult and Beatified him. Since 1948, in the “Neumünsterkirche” in Würzburg there has been a glass shrine, by Josef Amberg, containing a thighbone of Adalbero as a relic. Also in Würzburg is the neo-Romanesque St Adalbero’s Church.
Blessed Adalbero of Lambach (c 1010–1090) Bishop St Alberta of Agen Bl Artaldo of Belley St Aurea of Boves St Ceollach St Epiphania St Erotis St Faith of Agen St Francis Trung Von Tran Bl François Hunot Bl Isidore of Saint Joseph St Iwi St John Xenos Bl Juan de Prunera St Magnus of Orderzo St Mary Frances of the Five Wounds TOSF (1715-1791) Mystic, Stigmatist Her Life: https://anastpaul.com/2019/10/06/saint-of-the-day-6-october-saint-mary-frances-of-the-five-wounds-tosf-1715-1791/ St Pardulf St Renato of Sorrento St Romanus of Auxerre St Sagar of Laodicea — Martyrs of Capua – 4 saints: A group of martyrs who were either killed in Capua, Italy, or that’s where their relics were first enshrined. We now know nothing but their names – Aemilius, Castus, Marcellus and Saturninus.
Martyrs of Kyoto – 52 beati: Fifty-two Japanese lay people, some single, some married, some parents, some children, who were martyred together during one of the government sponsored persecutions of Christians.
Martyrs of Trier: Commemorates the large number of martyrs who died in Trier, Germany in the persecutions of Diocletian. 287 in Trier, Germany.
Novena to Our Lady of the Rosary – Day Eight – 5 October
Day Eight: We Pray for the Virtue of Faith and for our private intentions
Thank You, Jesus You our Great Mystery, For Your life that transcends our understanding, For Your presence from which we can never flee, for Your Resurrection which is never defeated and for the gift of faith that enables us to trust even in the midst of our doubts and fears. Amen
Daily Prayer along with our Daily Rosary:
My dearest Mother Mary, behold me, your child, in prayer at your feet. Accept this Holy Rosary, which I offer you in accordance with your requests at Fatima, as a proof of my tender love for you, for the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in atonement for the offenses committed against your Immaculate Heart and for this special favour which I earnestly request in my Rosary Novena: ………………………….. (Mention your request).
I beg you to present my petition to your Divine Son. If you will pray for me, I cannot be refused. I know, dearest Mother, that you want me to seek God’s holy Will concerning my request. If what I ask for should not be granted, pray that I may receive that which will be of greater benefit to my soul.
I offer you this spiritual Bouquet of Roses because I love you. I put all my confidence in you, since your prayers before God are most powerful. For the greater glory of God and for the sake of Jesus, your loving Son, hear and grant my prayer. Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for our Holy Mother Church and for our country.
Our Lady of Fatima, obtain for humanity a lasting peace.
Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love.
Sweet Heart of Mary, at the hour of my death, lead me home.
Thought for the Day – 5 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” The Third Joyful Mystery The Birth of Jesus
“When God became man in order to instruct and redeem the lost and erring human race, the gesture would have been deprived of it’s real significance if He had chosen to be born in a palace, surrounded by the splendour of worldly glory and wealth.
It would have been meaningless, not only for God but also, for us, if He had abandoned the imperishable glory of Heaven and the infinite wealth of everlasting happiness, in order to assume the kind of earthly grandeur which, in His eyes is but a vanishing cloud. What we needed, was to learn the way of humility and of detachment from worldly things, which can so easily lead us to forget the supernatural. We needed someone to come and sanctify suffering, which purifies and elevates the soul. We needed someone to appease divine justice on our behalf and to teach us, that the way of the cross, is the only one which can lead to Heaven. This was why the Eternal Word of God became a poor and lowly infant, choosing a stable, rather than a palace and the little village of Bethlehem in Judea, in preference to the imperial city of Rome. He wished His extreme poverty and deprivation, to be His first lesson to mankind.”
Quote/s of the Day – 5 October – the Memorial of Blessed Raymond of Capua OP (c 1330-1399) “The Second Founder,” Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos CSsR (1819-1867), Blessed Bartholomew Longo (1841-1926) “Apostle of the Holy Rosary”
“My brothers, keep away from the beast of boasting and concern for one’s reputation, for these destroy and weaken, every good work.”
Bl Raymond of Capua (c 1330-1399)
“It is only through suffering that we become holy. And to become holy is our only purpose in life, our only preparation for heaven.”
TOP 10 Practical Guide to Holiness
Go to Mass with deepest devotion.
Spend a half hour to reflect upon your main failing and make resolutions to avoid it.
Do daily spiritual reading for at least 15 minutes, if a half hour is not possible.
Say the rosary every day.
Also daily, if at all possible, visit the Blessed Sacrament and toward evening, meditate on the Passion of Christ for a half hour.
Conclude the day with evening prayer and an examination of conscience over all the faults & sins of the day.
Every month make a review of the month in confession.
Choose a special patron every month and imitate that patron in some special virtue.
Precede every great feast with a novena, that is, nine days of devotion.
Try to begin and end every activity with a “Hail Mary.”
Bl Francis Xavier Seelos CSsR (1819-1867)
“The Rosary could very well be called, the poem of human redemption.”
“The Rosary is the prayer dearest to Mary, most loved by the Saints, most frequently used by Christian peoples, most honoured by God with astounding wonders, most enriched with great promises, by the Virgin.”
Bl Bartholomew Longo (1841-1926) “Apostle of the Holy Rosary
One Minute Reflection – 5 October – Monday of the Twenty Seventh week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Galatians 1:6-12, Psalms 111:1-2, 7-8, 9 and 10, Luke 10: 25-37 and the Memorial of Blessed Raymond of Capua OP (c 1330-1399) “The Second Founder,” Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos CSsR (1819-1867), Blessed Bartholomew Longo (1841-1926) “Apostle of the Holy Rosary”
“The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’” – Luke 10:35
REFLECTION – “Who is my neighbour?” In answer the Word explained, in the form of a story, God’s entire economy of salvation. He told of man’s descent from heaven, the robbers’ ambush, the stripping of the garment of immortality, the wounds of sin, the progress of death over half of man’s nature while his soul remained immortal. Then came the passage of the Law that brought no help—neither the priest nor the Levite tended the wounds of the man who fell among robbers—for “it was impossible for the blood of goats and oxen to remove man’s sin” (Heb 10:4). And then He came, clothed in our human nature as the first-fruits of the mass in which there was a portion of every race, Jewish, Samaritan, Greek — all mankind. With His body (that is, the beast of the story) He proceeded to the place of man’s disaster, healed his wounds and set him upon His own beast. He created for him the inn of His loving providence, in which all those who labour and are burdened can find rest (Mt 11,28) (…)
“Whoever abides in me, and I in him” (Jn 6:56) (…) Whoever finds shelter in Christ’s mercy accepts two denarii from Him, one of which signifies the love of God with one’s whole heart and the other the love of one’s neighbour as oneself, according to the lawyer’s reply (Mk 12:30f). But “not the hearers of the law are just before God but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Rm 2:13). Hence we must not merely accept these two coins (…) but we must, by our own good deeds, co-operate in the fulfilment of these two commandments. And so, the Lord says to the innkeeper, that whatever he does in caring for the wounded man will be made up to him at the Lord’s second coming according to the measure of his devotion.” … St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–C 395) Father of the Church, Monk, Bishop – Sermons on the Song of Songs, no14 – [Brother of St Basil the Great (Father & Doctor)]
PRAYER – God our Father, we are Your children and You have set us aside to come home to You by the light of the way of Your divine Son. Grant we pray, that we may grow in faith and love for You and our neighbour daily, by the intercession of Saints Bl Raymond of Capua, Francis Xavier Seelos, Bartholomew Longo, may we learn the gentleness and tenderness of love, to all around us. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 5 October – Monday of the Twenty Seventh week in Ordinary Time
Excerpt from St Patrick’s Breastplate Christ be Near St Patrick (c 386 – 461)
Christ be near, at either hand, Christ behind, before me stand, Christ with me, where’er I go, Christ around, above, below.
Christ be in my heart and mind, Christ within my soul enshrined, Christ control, my wayward heart, Christ abide and ne’er depart.
Christ my life and only way, Christ my lantern, night and day, Christ be my unchanging friend, guide and shepherd to the end.
We have this prayer and his own story in one of the few certainly authentic writings of Patrick – his Confessio, which is above all an act of homage to God for having called Patrick, unworthy sinner, to the apostolate.
AnaStpaul 
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