Quote/s of the Day – 7 June
“How can anyone be lonely, with Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament?”
“Three things I cannot escape:
the eye of God,
the voice of conscience,
the stroke of death.
In company, guard your tongue.
In your family, guard your temper.
When alone guard your thoughts.”
Venerable Matt Talbot – Memorial today 7 June
One Minute Reflection – 7 June
I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live by loving the LORD, your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him…..Deuteronomy 30:19-20
REFLECTION – “The false gods competing for people’s allegiance today, are associated with the worship of material things, possessive and manipulative forms of love and power. The cult of material possessions, the cult of possessive love and the cult of power often lead people to attempt to ‘play God,’ to try to seize total control with no regard for the wisdom of the commandments that God has made known to us. This is the path that leads toward death.” …..Pope Benedict XVI whilst visiting a Rehabilitation Centre in 2008
PRAYER – Lord, in Your servant, Venerable Matt Talbot you have given us a wonderful example of triumph over addiction, of devotion to duty and charity and commitment to daily prayer. May his life of prayer and penance give us courage to take up our crosses and follow in the footsteps of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Venerable Matt Talbot please pray for all those who are slaves to addiction and for the whole world, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 7 June
Prayer to the Sacred Heart
by Saint Francis De Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity
May Your heart dwell always in our hearts!
May Your blood ever flow in the veins of our souls!
O sun of our hearts, You give life to all things by the rays of Your goodness!
I will not go, until Your heart has strengthened me, O Lord Jesus!
May the heart of Jesus be the king of my heart!
Blessed be God. Amen
Saint of the Day – 7 June Venerable Matt Talbot OFS (1856 – 1925) (born Matthew Talbot) – Layman, Ascetic, Mystic – known as the “Saint in Overalls” and “the Workers’ Saint”, disciple of Eucharistic Adoration and the Blessed Virgin – Patron of Struggling and Recovering Addicts and Alcoholics and many addiction treatment programs, retreats and centres throughout the world bear his name. His grave is at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Seán McDermott Street, Dublin.
Ven Matt Talbot lived at an incredibly difficult time. He and his 13 siblings were born into poverty in Dublin shortly after the Irish Potato Famine. One million people died from this largely human-made disaster that saw, even while starvation was rampant, the British government’s siphoning off profit from Irish crops and livestock. Another million people emigrated and alcoholism was rampant among those who stayed behind.
His father beat him, made him change jobs—but nothing could stop Matt’s habit. After work he and his buddies went straight to the pub. Matt spent every penny on drink and once pawned his boots for a pint. Remarkably, his drinking did not prevent his putting in a good day’s work. And he said that when he was intoxicated he occasionally thought about the Blessed Mother and prayed an off-handed Hail Mary. Matt believed later that our Holy Mother may have had something to do with his conversion.
One day in 1884, when Matt was 28 years old, an incident occurred that changed his entire life. For a week he had stayed away from work, drinking heavily. Saturday found him sober, thirsty and penniless. But confident that his workmates, for whom he had often bought drink, would come to his assistance, he stood with his brother near O’Meara’s pub on the North Strand to meet his colleagues coming from Pembertons. The men passed in twos and threes but none stopped to ask the brothers to have a drink. Matt said later that he was “cut to the heart” by this treatment and went home. Mary Andrews, his sister, reported what happened when Matt came home that day:
My mother said, “You’re home early, Matt, and you’re sober!” He replied, “Yes, mother, I am.” After dinner he remained in the house which was not usual, and finally he remarked to my mother. “I’m going to take the pledge.” She smiled and said, “Go, in God’s name, but don’t take it unless you are going to keep it.” He said, “I’ll go, in God’s name.”
As he was going out mother said, “God give you strength to keep it.” He went to Clonliffe, made his confession, and took the pledge for three months. He had been a couple of years away from the sacraments then. Next morning—Sunday—he went to Holy Communion. On Monday he went to 5 a.m. Mass in Gardiner Street and was at his work as usual at 6 a.m. This he made a regular practice from that time on.
But after his work, to keep away from his companions, he used to walk to a distant church, either St Joseph’s, Berkeley Road, or St. Peter’s, Phibsboro and remain there until bedtime.
Once or twice—possibly on a Saturday—he went with the men to the public house but he drank only mineral waters and he usually spent Saturday afternoons away from where he might meet his old companions and generally in a church. He had a bad time of it at first and sometimes said to my mother, that, when the three months were up, he would drink again.
But Matt extended the three months into forty-one years. His new behaviour flabbergasted everyone. Matt supported his sobriety with traditional Catholic disciplines such as prayer, frequent communion, weekly confession, spiritual reading, fasting and charitable works. He also seems to have taken guidance from a wise spiritual director but the person’s name is not known. In 1891, Matt found community support by joining the Franciscan Third Order.
Matt often read the Bible and the lives of saints and he also began reading papal encyclicals on social justice and books on the labour movement. His faith and his concern for the poor led him to action and in 1900 he joined a strike from the Dublin Port & Docks Board to demand a modest raise of sixpence to their daily pay of four and sixpence. When management refused, he was one of four workers who held out from returning to work while the rest slowly gave in to the financial pressure.
He became a loyal member of Ireland’s Transport and General Workers Union. When the Dublin Lockout of 1913 led to sympathy strikes throughout the city, Matt consulted a trusted priest as he discerned joining the strike. The priest encouraged him and Matt joined the strike also came to quote a phrase from a book the priest gave him: “No man has the right to starve a worker into submission.” During this strike, he refused the strike pay given by the union to ease financial hardship, saying that he had not earned it. Later he accepted the pay but shared it among the other strikers. Matt was a vocal supporter of James Larkin, a famous union organizer and major figure in Ireland’s labor movement. One union leader, Stephen McGonagle, described Matt as “a beacon of light to Irish workers.”
Prayer and mortification
Matt Talbot mortified himself rigorously. He slept on a plank bed with a piece of timber for a pillow. This left his face numb in later years. He slept in chains which he wore for 14 years before his death, round his leg and on his body.
He prayed each night from 2 to 4 a.m., then dressed and prayed again until it was time to leave for Mass in St. Francis Xavier’s Church. He would arrive at 5am, if not earlier,and would kneel in prayer at the church’s iron railings, waiting for it to open. On entering he would kneel and kiss the ground, then make the Stations of the Cross.
In 1892 Matt took up employment as a bricklayer’s labourer with the firm of T & C Martin, on the North Wall, where he remained until his death. He fasted constantly. His breakfast consisted of cocoa prepared the previous evening by his sister, which he often drank cold. With this he ate some dry bread. For his midday meal he had cocoa to which he would add a pinch of tea and again drank cold. With this he took a slice of bread. His sister would bring him a small evening meal. If she brought fish he would insist that she take it home with her and would make do with bread soaked in the fish juice.
On Sundays he remained in the church for every Mass. Only on returning to his room at about 2 p.m. would he break his fast for the first time since 6.30 p.m. the previous day. The remainder of the day was spent in prayer, reading the Scriptures and the lives of the saints. He gave all his money to neighbours in need and to the missions.
Collapsed and died
Matt was on his way to Mass in St Saviour’s on Trinity Sunday, 7 June 1925, when he collapsed and died on Granby Lane. A paragraph in The Irish Independent of the following day stated, “An elderly man collapsed in Granby Lane yesterday and, on being taken to Jervis Street Hospital, was found to be dead. He was wearing a tweed suit, but there was nothing to indicate who he was.”
He was buried the following Thursday, the feast of Corpus Christi, in Glasnevin Cemetery.
In 1952 Matt Talbot’s remains were exhumed and transferred to a double coffin bearing the inscription, ‘The Servant of God, Matthew Talbot.’ The coffin was placed in a vault in the central circle of the cemetery to which pilgrims began to flock from all over the world.
In 1972 Matt Talbot’s remains were removed to the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Sean McDermott Street. The tomb has a glass panel through which the coffin may be seen.
He was declared Venerable by Blessed Pope Paul VI in 1975.
PRAYER for the CANONISATION OF VENERABLE MATT TALBOT
Lord, in your servant, Matt Talbot
you have given us a wonderful example of triumph over addiction,
of devotion to duty and of lifelong reverence of the Holy Sacrament.
May his life of prayer and penance give us courage
to take up our crosses and follow in the footsteps of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Father, if it be Your will that Your beloved servant
should be glorified by your Church,
make known by Your heavenly favours
the power he enjoys in your sight.
We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord,
in union with the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever, Amen.
Anyone who receives a favour through the intercession of Matt Talbot is requested to write to Fr John Flaherty, Vice-Postulator of the Cause, Our Lady 83 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1.
Bl Anne of Saint Bartholomew
St Anthony Mary Gianelli
St Aventinus of Larboust
Bl Basilissa Fernandez
St Colman of Dromore
Bl Demosthenes Ranzi
St Deochar
St Gotteschalk
St Justus of Condat
St Landulf of Yariglia
St Lycarion of Egypt
Venerable Matt Talbot – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlLa7RqoAIw
St Meriadoc I of Vannes
St Meriadoc II of Vannes
St Odo of Massay
St Potamiaena of Alexandria the Younger
St Quirinus of Cluny
St Robert of Newminster
St Sergius of Cluny
St Vulflagius of Abbeville
—
Martyrs of Africa – 7 saints: A group of seven Christians who were martyred together. No details about them have survived except the names – Donata, Evasius, Guirillus, Januaria, Privata, Spisinna, Victurus. The precise location in Africa and date are unknown.
Martyred in Córdoba, Spain:
Habentius of Córdoba
Jeremiah of Córdoba
Peter of Córdoba
Sabinian of Córdoba
Wallabonsus of Córdoba
Wistremundus of Córdoba
Art Dei Series
The Defenders of the Eucharist
by Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish 1577-1640
SN 214 Oil on Canvas c1625
Artist:
Peter Paul Rubens, along with the Italian sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini, was one of the greatest artists of the 17th century. His canvases can be said to define the scope and style of high baroque painting through their energy, earthy humanity and inventiveness. A devoutly religious man, a man of learning and a connoisseur of art and antiquities, he was also a man of the world who succeeded not only as an artist but as a respected diplomat in the service of Isabella and Albrecht of the Spanish Netherlands.
Travels to Venice where he studied Titian, Veronese & Tintoretto freed his artistic talent from rigid classicism. While he did incorporate copies of classical statues in his paintings he always avoided the appearance and coldness of stone. To the contrary, his nudes, for which he became famous, always depicted an ample female form of vitality and good health as well as of sensuousness. His mastery of color along with his knowledge of antiquity is seen particularly in his mythological paintings.
As court painter and confidant to the Archduchess Isabella Clara Eugenia, Rubens recognized the role art was to play in the Counter Reformation. His genius found expression in his designs for the Triumph of the Eucharist tapestries which he and his assistants completed between 1625 and 1628.
Knighted by two monarchs and master of a successful workshop, Rubens became rich and famous in his own time. Having executed over 3,000 paintings, woodcuts and engravings of all types, he died the most respected artist of his time in 1640.
Subject:
This painting shows seven saints, all of whom were considered to be defenders of the doctrine of Transubstantiation an integral tenet of the Catholic Church. From the right the figures represent –
(1) St Jerome, (Feast Day 3 September) noted for his translation of the bible from Hebrew into Latin;
(2) St Norbert, (Feast Day 6 June) a German archbishop and saint, who preached against dissenters who attacked the Christian sacraments and official clergy;
(3) St Thomas Aquinas, (Feast Day 28 January) a medieval theologian of the Dominican order, whose writings became the basis for much of the doctrine of the Catholic Church;
(4) St Clare, (Feast Day 11 August) the founder of the Poor Clares, was a Franciscan heroine who repulsed the Saracens at Assisi by confronting them holding the Host in her hands;
(5) Gregory the Great, (Feast Day 3 September) who established, as Pope, the form of the Roman liturgy;
(6) St Ambrose, (Feast Day 7 December) renowned as both theologian and statesman of the Church, who in an age of controversy, was instrumental in crushing Arianism, a doctrine concerning the relationship of God the Father to Christ which was considered heresy and in direct opposition to orthodox teaching about the Trinity; and
(7) St Augustine, (Feast Day 28 August) perhaps the Church’s most celebrated and influential theologian.
Painting:
Seven Saints, including the four Latin Doctors of the Church, progress with great dignity from right to left, their heads seen in different views in a fashion similar to the heads of the Four Evangelists. The Dove of the Holy Ghost hovers protectively over the saints in the very center of the composition emitting golden light that illuminates the procession. Above the dove, a putti holds two trumpets to herald the message of the Church Fathers.
Leading the procession are Sts. Ambrose, Augustine and Gregory the Great, all wearing elaborate gold copes. The first two are crowned with bishop’s mitres, while the third wears the papal tiara. In the center of the procession, St. Clare carries a monstrance and looks directly out at the viewer. Rubens has shown his patroness, the Archduchess Isabella as St. Clare garbed in the black and white habit of the Discalced Carmalites, clothes she wore at the Convent of the Discalzas Reales in Madrid when she was a girl and later as a widow after her husband the Archduke Albert had died in 1621.
St. Thomas Aquinas follows, a large book under his arm wearing a gold chain from which is hung a blazing sun. Behind Aquinas is a monk in a white habit who is St. Norbert. Last in line is St. Jerome the fourth Doctor of the Church dressed in red as a cardinal, intensely reading from a large book. In the centre of the bottom of the composition, below the apron of the “stage” is a burning lamp (the lamp of truth), open books and writing supplies of ink pots and quill pens, all in reference to the writings of the Church Fathers.
All seven saints were known as defenders of the Eucharist, particularly the Four Doctors of the Church who developed the doctrine of transubstantiation and defended it against heretics.
Historical Context:
The cycle of eleven paintings of The Triumph of the Eucharist was commissioned by the Archduchess Isabella who was the daughter of Philip II of Spain and the Governor of the Spanish Netherlands. It was planned as a gift for the convent of the Descalzas Reales in Madrid in 1625 where it still hangs today. This Franciscan Order of Poor Clares was one with which Isabella was closely associated.
The series is a mixture of allegory and religious evangelisation intended to promote the worship of the Eucharist, the bread and wine consecrated as the body and blood of Christ and distributed at communion which had been strengthened recently by the Council of Trent and which constituted an important element in Counter Reformation Catholicism.
This was a time of great concern on the part of the Catholic church as it attempted to correct not only the abuses of the clergy but also to reaffirm its tenets / dogma in the face.
St Anthony of Padua Novena for all our needs – Day Three 6 June
DAY THREE
O purest St. Anthony,
who through your angelic virtue
was made worthy to be caressed by the Divine Child Jesus,
to hold him in your arms and press him to your heart.
I entreat you to cast a benevolent glance upon me.
O glorious St. Anthony,
born under the protection of Mary Immaculate,
on the Feast of her Assumption into Heaven
and consecrated to her and now so powerful an intercessor in Heaven,
I beseech you to obtain for me the favour I ask in this novena
(State your intention).
O great wonder-worker, intercede for me that God may grant my request.
One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honour of Saint Anthony.
Saint Anthony, pray for us!
Quote of the Day – 6 June
On the day of his ordination, St Norbert said:
“O Priest! You are not of yourself because you are of God. You are not of yourself because you are the servant and minister of Christ.
You are not your own because you are the spouse of the Church.
You are not yourself because you are the mediator between God and man.
You are not from yourself because you are nothing.
What then are you? Nothing and everything.
O Priest! Take care, lest what was said to Christ on the cross be said to you:
‘He saved others, himself he cannot save!”
Thought for the Day – 6 June
The name of St Norbert’s order is unfamiliar to most but the Premonstratensians are an ancient order, founded in 1121. His Canons Regular of Premontre made a huge contribution to the religious culture of Europe and athe world and are as active today as they were when they were founded. One of it’s members, founded and directs the “Church in Need”, which works quietly to assist Catholics in those countries where the faith is suppressed.
St Norbert showed himself to be a forceful reformer and was almost assassinated several times. He was a friend of, and highly regarded by St Bernard of Clairvaux, who assisted him wherever he could. Even with the aid of a goodly number of men who joined his Order, he realised that nothing could be effectively done without God’s power. Finding this help especially in devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, he and his Norbertines praised God for success in converting heretics, reconciling numerous enemies and rebuilding faith in indifferent believers.
St Norbert was 33 years old before he took God seriously and during the next 20 years he made up for lost time. He did not stop to bewail lost years but gave everything he had to God. It is never too late to begin and God is always waiting for our service. We do not need a bolt of lightening to get started.
Unswerving loyalty to the Church and fervent devotion to the Eucharist, as practiced by Norbert, will continue immeasurably toward maintaining the people of God in accord with the heart of Christ.
Let us get going!
St Norbert, pray for us.
One Minute Reflection – 6 June
When you have done all you have been commanded to do, say “We are useless servants. We have done no more than our duty.”…………Luke 17:9-10
REFLECTION – “Lord, what do you want me to do?” ……St Norbert
PRAYER – Holy Father, you made the Bishop St Norbert, an outstanding minister of Your Church,
renowned for his preaching and pastoral zeal. for his love of the Blessed Sacrament and for his love of the priesthood. Grant to Your Church faithful shepherds to lead your people to eternal salvation.
St Norbert, help us hear the answer to our prayer “Lord what do you want me to do?” and please pray for us and for the whole Church of our Lord Jesus Christ,amen.
Our Morning Offering – 6 June
Prayer of Consecration to the Holy Spirit
On my knees before the multitude of heavenly witnesses,
I offer myself, soul and body, to You, eternal Spirit of God.
I adore the brightness of Your purity,
the unerring keeness of Your justice,
and the power of Your love.
You are the strength and light of my soul,
In You I live and move and have my being.
I desire never to grieve You by infidelity to Your grace,
and I pray wholeheartedly to be preserved
from the slightest sin against You.
Make me faithful in my every thought,
and grant that I may always listen to Your voice,
watch for Your light
and follow Your gracious inspirations.
I cling to You
and beg You, in Your compassion,
to watch over me in my weakness.
Holding the pierced feet of Jesus,
gazing as His five wounds,
trusting to His Precious Blood
and adoring His open side and stricken Heart,
I implore You, adorable Spirit,
so to keep me in Your grace
that I may never sin against You.
Grant me the grace,
O Holy Spirit of the Father and the Son,
to say to You always and everywhere:
“Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”
Amen.
Saint of the Day – 6 June – St Norbert (c 1080-1134) – also known as St Norbert of Xanten – Bishop, Confessor, Founder, “Defender of the Eucharist” and “Apostle of the Eucharist”, Exorcist, Reformer, Preacher – (c1080 at Xanten, Germany – 6 June 1134 at Magdeburg, Germany, relics in Prague) – Patron for peace, invoked during childbirth for safe delivery, of infertile married couples, Bohemia (Czech Republic), Archdiocese of Magdeburg, Germany – Attributes – monstrance, cross with two cross-bars.
St Norbert was a German from illustrious Frankish and Salic German stock. Offered as a youth to the collegiate church of St Victor in Xanten, he was educated both in literature and the ways of the court and the world. At Xanten, he became a Subdeacon and at this period of his life, showed no inclination to pursue the dignity of the Priesthood. Rather, St Norbert, who was wealthy, handsome, thin and somewhat tall, sought approval in the courts of the great and of the emperor. Known to be an eloquent speaker and possessed of an affability that won him admiration and friendships, St Norbert used these natural gifts, not to seek the glory of God but to gain the love and esteem of men. His biographer describes him at this period before his conversion as one who “had no time for piety and quiet” and that he “lived his life according to his own desires.”
But soon life became one of interior strife for St Norbert. He had witnessed Emperor Henry V’s mistreatment of Pope Paschal II in Rome in 1111, when he travelled there in Frederick of Cologne’s retinue. These events left St Norbert with a sense of uneasiness he could not dispel. The man who had been so happy to live at court no longer felt comfortable in that atmosphere of intrigue, where the emperor’s arrogance took the place of law. He left the court and returned to Xanten, where we find him in 1115. In late spring of this year, St. Norbert, accompanied by a single servant, was travelling on the road to Freden when a storm suddenly came up. A bolt of lightning struck the ground before his horse’s feet and he was thrown to the ground. Shaken, he asked, “Lord what do you want me to do?” In response, he seemed to hear these words from Psalm 34, “Turn from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.” St Norbert underwent a profound conversion. Under the influence of grace and led by the Gospel, he became sure of one thing: he wanted to put on the new man (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10) and live a life of perfection in the service of the Church, according to the Gospel of Christ and in the footsteps of the Apostles.
From the beginning of his conversion, St Norbert aimed at a life of priestly perfection through imitation of the Apostles. He sought ordination to the priesthood and gave his considerable wealth to the poor, in order “that he may follow the naked cross naked” ( Vita Norberti B, IX 22). Inflamed with the zeal of divine fervour, St Norbert went about with “no purse, no sandals nor two tunics,” (Mk. 6:8) proclaiming by his words and example the necessity of poverty of spirit in order to enter the kingdom of God. As Christ had sent out his Apostles not only “to proclaim the message,” but also “to have authority to cast out demons,” (Mk. 3:15) St Norbert was well known as an exorcist and his biographer records many instances when he was called upon to exercise this office. Regarded as a “minister of peace and concord,” he had the gift of reconciling people and establishing peace between feuding parties.
At the centre of St Norbert’s spiritual life and ministry was the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Contrary to custom of his times, he celebrated Mass every day and it was after offering the Eucharistic sacrifice that he loved to preach, while his heart was overflowing with the love he had drawn from intimate contact with Christ. The Acts of the Apostles record how the first Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers,” (2:42) and that “the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul” (4:32). St Norbert sought to realise the fullness of this Apostolic ideal in the founding of a new religious family.
In 1121, St Norbert established the first monastery of our Order in Prémontré, France. He had a great talent to speak to people, to fill people with enthusiasm for the kingdom of God, so much so that in a short period of time he was able to attract many men and women to the Apostolic Life and to start many foundations of religious communities of this “ordo novus”. Liturgical prayer held a central place in the life of Norbert and his first companions. The Eucharist, the heart of liturgical prayer occupied such a place at Prémontré and in the life of St Norbert that later tradition made Norbert the Apostle of the Eucharist. His order, the Premonstratensian or Norbertine Canons and Sisters are today in Europe, the US, Canada, South America, Zaire, South Africa, India and Australia are involved in education, parochial ministry, university chaplaincy and youth work.
In 1126, St Norbert was elected archbishop of Magdeburg, Germany. He worked for the kingdom of God on all levels and ready to commit himself to peace and justice, did not shy away from arguments and conflicts, neither in his own diocese nor in the conflict between emperor and pope, as he courageously defended the rights of the Church.
St Norbert died on 6 June 1134, the Wednesday after Pentecost. By order of the emperor, his body was laid at rest in Abbey Church of St. Mary’s at Magdeburg, where he had installed the confreres of his Order. St Norbert’s body was transferred to the Norbertine Abbey of Strahov in Prague in 1627 after numerous attempts were made over the centuries by the Abbey of Strahov in Prague to retrieve the saint’s body. Only after several military defeats at the hand of Emperor Ferdinand II was the abbot of Strahov able to claim the body. On 2 May 1627 the body was finally brought to Prague where it remains to this day, displayed in a glass-fronted tomb in the Royal Canonry of Strahov, Prague and is venerated by his sons and daughters from all over the world. As mentioned above, St. Norbert is venerated as the “Apostle and Defender of the Eucharist.” He is usually depicted with a ciborium or monstrance in his hand on account of his extraordinary devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament. St Norbert is also a patron of childbirth/expectant mothers, as well as traditionally invoked by married couples who want to conceive a child, with many favours attributed to his intercession.
Why is St Norbert Patron of Expectant Mothers & Infertile Married Couples?
A pious woman once approached St Norbert asking whether she and her husband ought to separate and enter monasteries because they lived in an infertile marriage. St Norbert prophesied that they would be blessed with children, the first of whom would be dedicated to God. This child, Nicholas, did indeed become a Norbertine at Prémontré. St Norbert is traditionally invoked for a good childbirth. The Norbertine Canonesses at Doksany (Czech Republic) in modern times promote this devotion to St. Norbert as patron of infertile couples or endangered pregnancies and report hundreds of families now blessed with children, the sisters having well over 3,000 spiritual children as of 2012.
St. Norbert, great and faithful servant of God!
You venerated the holy and miraculous birth of our Saviour,
Who His Mother, the purest Virgin Mary,
conceived without the loss of her virginity
and gave birth remaining a virgin.
You connected the origin of the Premonstratensian Order
with the day of the birth of Jesus Christ.
I humbly pray to you, St. Norbert,
as a great protector, so that God will give me the grace,
through your intercession,
to give birth to this conceived child.
And so that He will give me also the grace
that this child will join the Church of Christ
through the sacrament of Baptism
and that he/she will serve Him, Our Lord,
the whole of his/her life
so that in the end we both will reach eternal salvation.
Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen.
(Translated from The Little Hours, 1749, by one of our Norbertine Sisters at Doksany)
St Norbert of Magdeburg (Optional Memorial)
—
St Agobard of Lyon
St Alexander of Fiesole
St Alexander of Noyon
St Amantius of Noyon
St Anoub of Skete
St Artemius of Rome
St Bazalota of Abyssinia
St Bertrand of Aquileia
St Candida of Rome
St Ceratius of Grenoble
St Claudius of Besançon
St Cocca
St Colmán of Orkney
Bl Daniel of Bergamo
St Euphemia of Abyssinia
St Eustorgius II of Milan
Bl Falco of La Cava
Bl Gerard Tintorio
Bl Gilbert of Neufontaines
St Grazia of Germagno
St Gudwall
Bl Gundisalvus of Azebeyro
St Hilarion the Younger
St Jarlath of Tuam
St John of Verona
Bl Józef Wojciech Guz
Bl Lorenzo de Masculis
St Marcelino Champagnat
St Paulina of Rome
St Phêrô Dung
St Phêrô Thuan
St Rafael Guízar y Valencia
St Vincent of Bevagna
St Vinh-Son Duong
Bl William Greenwood
—
Marytrs of Tarsus: A group of 20 martyrs who were killed together during the persecutions of Diocletian. They were martyred in Tarsus (in modern Turkey).
St Anthony of Padua Novena for all our needs – Day Two – 5 June
DAY TWO
O miracle-working St. Anthony,
remember that it never has been heard,
that you left without help or relief anyone
who in his need had recourse to you.
Animated now with the most lively confidence,
even with full conviction of not being refused,
I fly for refuge to thee, O most favoured friend of the Infant Jesus.
O eloquent preacher of the divine mercy,
despise not my supplications
but, bringing them before the throne of God,
strengthen them by your intercession
and obtain for me the favour I seek in this novena
(State your intention).
One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony.
Saint Anthony, pray for us!
Quote of the Day – 5 June
An excerpt from a letter by St. Boniface, bishop and martyr:
“Let us stand fast in what is right and prepare our souls for trial.
Let us wait upon God’s strengthening aid and say to Him:
“O Lord, you have been our refuge in all generations.”
Let us trust in Him who has placed this burden upon us.
What we ourselves cannot bear, let us bear with the help of Christ.
For He is all-powerful and He tells us:
“My yoke is easy and my burden light.”
Let us continue the fight on the day of the Lord.
The days of anguish and of tribulation have overtaken us; if God so wills,
“let us die for the holy laws of our fathers”,
so that we may deserve to obtain an eternal inheritance with them.
Let us be neither dogs that do not bark nor silent onlookers nor paid servants
who run away before the wolf.
Instead let us be careful shepherds watching over Christ’s flock.
Let us preach the whole of God’s plan to the powerful and to the humble,
to rich and to poor, to men of every rank and age,
as far as God gives us the strength, in season and out of season.”
St Boniface, Pray for us!
Thought for the Day – 5 June
“Boniface, known as the apostle of the Germans, was an English Benedictine monk who gave up being elected abbot to devote his life to the conversion of the Germanic tribes. Two characteristics stand out: his Christian orthodoxy and his fidelity to the pope of Rome.
How absolutely necessary this orthodoxy and fidelity were, is borne out by the conditions Boniface found on his first missionary journey in 719 at the request of Pope Gregory II. Paganism was a way of life. What Christianity he did find had either lapsed into paganism or was mixed with error. The clergy were mainly responsible for these latter conditions since they were in many instances uneducated, lax and questionably obedient to their bishops. In particular instances their very ordinations were questionable.
These are the conditions that Boniface was to report in 722 on his first return visit to Rome. The Holy Father instructed him to reform the German Church. The pope sent letters of recommendation to religious and civil leaders. Boniface later admitted that his work would have been unsuccessful, from a human viewpoint, without a letter of safe-conduct from Charles Martel, the powerful Frankish ruler, grandfather of Charlemagne. Boniface was finally made a regional bishop and authorized to organize the whole German Church. He was eminently successful.
Boniface bears out the Christian rule: To follow Christ is to follow the way of the cross.
For Boniface, it was not only physical suffering or death but the painful, thankless, bewildering task of Church reform.
Missionary glory is often thought of in terms of bringing new persons to Christ”, which he did in the thousands too.
“It seems—but is not—less glorious to heal the household of the faith.” (Fr Don Miller OFM)
So those little deeds we do in our lives and in our ‘online lives’ – they too can be seen – where we remain true to the Church and to the Holy Father and Magisterium – as following St Boniface in orthodoxy and faithfulness and contributing to the teaching of the faith.
St Boniface, pray for us!
One Minute Reflection – 5 June
“Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”………….Luke 10:16
REFLECTION – “In her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship but to keep her on her course.”……….St Boniface
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, help me to remain ever faithful to Your Church. Let me aid, build up and defend her. Let me never be a cause of division and schism – for in denying the direction we receive, that is exactly what we do. Help me always Lord to remain true to the Your representative in our world. St Boniface, pray for us all and for the whole world, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 5 June
Eternal God, our Refuge
By St Boniface
Eternal God,
the refuge and help of all Your children,
we praise You for all You have given us,
for all You have done for us,
for all that You are to us.
In our weakness, You are strength,
in our darkness, You are light,
in our sorrow, You are comfort and peace.
We cannot number Your blessings,
we cannot declare Your love:
For all Your blessings we bless You.
May we live as in Your presence,
and love the things that You love,
and serve You in our daily lives;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Saint of the Day – 5 June – St Boniface – Martyr, Bishop, the “The Apostle of Germany” – born Winfrid, Wynfrith, or Wynfryth – (c 673-680 at Crediton, Devonshire, England – martyred 5 June 754 at Dokkum, Freisland (modern Nederlands) – relics interred at Monastery at Fulda, Germany). Bishop/Archbishop, Martyr, Missionary and Evangelist, Teacher, Writer, Preacher, Theologian, Founder of Schools, Convents, Monasteries and Churches – known as “The Apostle of Germany”. Patron of brewers, file cutters, tailors, Germany, archdiocese of Saint-Boniface, Manitoba, Canada, diocese of Fulda, Germany. Attributes book, fountain, fox, oak tree, raven, scourge, spring of water, sword, with axe in hand at the foot of an oak tree, book stabbed with a sword, cutting down a tree.
St Boniface was killed in Frisia in 754, along with 52 others. His remains were returned to Fulda, where they rest in a sarcophagus which became a site of pilgrimage. Facts about Boniface’s life and death as well as his work became widely known, since there is a wealth of material available—a number of vitae, especially the near-contemporary Vita Bonifatii auctore Willibaldi and legal documents, possibly some sermons, and above all his correspondence.
Norman F. Cantor (Historian) notes the three roles Boniface played that made him “one of the truly outstanding creators of the first Europe, as the apostle of Germania, the reformer of the Frankish church and the chief fomentor of the alliance between the papacy and the Carolingian family.” Through his efforts to reorganise and regulate the church of the Franks, he helped shape Western Christianity and many of the dioceses he proposed remain today. After his martyrdom, he was quickly hailed as a saint in Fulda and other areas in Germania and in England. His cult is still notably strong today. Boniface is celebrated as a missionary; he is regarded as a unifier of Europe and he is seen by Catholics as a Germanic national figure.
Born and named Winfrith in Devonshire, England, Boniface grew up in a noble family of some wealth. As a boy Boniface begged his parents to allow him to enter the nearby monastery at Exeter following a visit by some local monks. So impressed with their life, Boniface joined the community, learning all he could and proving himself to be an apt and scholarly student. After a short time, he transferred to a larger monastery, in Nursling and there became a well-respected teacher.
He spent the next ten years teaching and was so well respected that students traveled great distances to attend his lectures, circulating their notes throughout the whole of England. At age thirty, Boniface was ordained a priest and began preaching, as well as teaching, with great impact. His life, while diligent and obedient, was comfortable and he was assured continued success in the English church. However, Winfrith felt called to missionary work. He petitioned his abbot several times, until was finally granted leave to travel to modern-day Netherlands, to assist a missionary there, Willibrord, struggling to bring the Gospel to those there who continued to practice paganism. Upon arriving in Friesland, Winfrith discovered that the ruler of those parts, Duke Radbold, had virtually declared war on Christianity and without support, their mission would not succeed. Prudently, Winfrith returned to England where his community welcomed him back, attempting to elect him abbot. He refused and instead traveled to Rome for a personal audience with the pope, hoping to secure a Papal Commission to return to Friesland.
Pope Gregory II welcomed the adventurous and obedient servant that Winfrith had become, renaming him Boniface and providing him with a general Papal Commission to bring the Word of God “to the heathen.” Saint Boniface set off with zeal, traveling through modern-day Germany and Bavaria, locating and working with the missionary Willibrord (who by this time was well advanced in years). Willibrord wished for Boniface to assume his work but Boniface felt called to continue traveling deeper into non-Christian territories, asserting that his commission led him not just to one dioceses, but to all “the heathen.”
St Boniface had amazing success, converting two local chieftains who became zealous Christians, leading to the conversion of their tribes. He was granted a plot of land, upon which he founded the monastery at Amoeneburg. His preaching style was direct and easy to understand and he took care to incorporate local traditions—whenever possible—into his teachings. For example, there was a local game in which they sticks called kegels were thrown at smaller sticks called heides. Boniface bought religion to the game, having the heides represent demons and knocking them down showing purity of spirit. However, Saint Boniface was also extremely orthodox in his teaching and would quickly point out any discrepant or pagan practices that crept into the worship of the people. Such was his success that he was summoned by Pope Gregory II back to Rome. There, Boniface was consecrated a bishop and granted general jurisdiction over “the races in the parts of Germany and east of the Rhine who live in error, in the shadow of death.” Gregory II also provided Boniface with a Papal Letter to Charles Martel, the duke who ruled Bavaria and had earned himself the nickname “Hammer” due to his swift and authoritarian rule and retribution. Boniface delivered the letter on his return trip to, and was granted civil protection. Between the commission of the pope and the support of the duke, Boniface was free to increase his efforts. He decided to drive the pagan beliefs from the region by attacking their source.
Many in the area continued to worship Norse gods, including Thor, who were believed to reside in the forms of large stately trees. After announcing his intentions to the tribes, who watched, awaiting the retribution of Thor, Boniface walked up to the tree, removed his shirt, took up an axe and without a word he hacked down the six foot wide wooden god. The tree fell, splintering into four parts, upon one of which Boniface climbed, addressing the crowd that had gathered. “How stands your mighty god? My God is stronger than he.” From his perspective, the saint could see that the fallen tree landed in the shape of the cross. Also, the only tree spared in the area was a small fir tree, which many consider the origin of the Christmas tree. The crowd’s reaction was amazement and confusion and conversions began. Using the oak wood from the tree, Boniface had a chapel built on the spot, dedicated to Saint Peter.
Boniface continued his mission across Bavaria, Germany, and Holland, encountered previous missionaries who had not remained true to the teachings of the Church. He undertook significant Church reform, instructing the missionaries, priests, and brothers, and re-establishing obedience to the authority of the Church. In many cases, Boniface worked with the individuals in question, not to defrock them and remove them from service—citing the increased damage that would do to the faithful—but to reform, renew and reconsecrate them to the Lord. He was both practical and obedient, seeking the will of the Lord, the counsel of respected bishops, and the success of the growth of the one, true Church. Following successful re-establishment of discipline and communication between these misguided missions and the Church, as well as establishing several new monastic communities, was consecrated Archbishop of the entire region. Nearing seventy years old but no less zealous in his desire for conversion, Boniface returned to Friesland—the first place of his work in Bavaria—to minister to his first congregation who were slipping back into paganism. He gave up his archbishopric, dressed again in the simple robes of the monk and carried with him only what he needed, including the text written by Saint Ambrose, “The Advantage of Death”.
Upon arrival at Friesland, he arranged for a group of recent converts to join him, that he might teach and Confirm them. While waiting in his tent, reading the Bible, a group of pagans appeared in the encampment with intent to harm Boniface and his companions. His companions would have opposed them but he said, “My children, cease your resistance; Spill no useless blood. The long-expected day is come at last. Scripture forbids us to resist evil with evil. Let us put our hope in God: He will save our souls.” He and 52 of his followers were killed. In the moment of his death, Saint Boniface raised the Bible he was reading above his head. The sword of his slayer passed through the Book before cleaving the blessed saint.
Following the departure of the pagan barbarians, a small group of Christians came to the campsite. They carried the relics and body of Saint Boniface to the cathedral at Fulda for burial, where it remains today. The Bible that Boniface was reading can also be found at the cathedral at Fulda.
St Boniface and Companions (Memorial)
Beata Vergine dell’Aiuto
—
St Adalar of Erfurt
Bl Adalbert Radiouski
Bl Adam Arakawa
St Austrebertus of Vienne
St Claudius of Egypt and Companions
St Ðaminh Huyen
St Ðaminh Toai
St Dorotheus of Tyre
St Elleher
St Eoban of Utrecht
St Eutichius of Como
St Evasius of Africa
St Felix of Fritzlar
Bl Ferdinand of Portugal
St Franco of Assergi
St Genesius, Count of Clermont
St Gregory of Lilybaeum
St Gundekar
St Hadulph
St Luke Loan
Bl Malgorzata Lucja Szewczyk
Bl Meinwerk of Paderborn
St Privatus of Africa
St Sanctius of Córdoba
St Tudno of Caernarvon
St Waccar
St ANTHONY of PADUA NOVENA for all our needs – DAY ONE – 4 June
DAY ONE
O holy St. Anthony, gentlest of saints, your love for God and charity for His creatures
made you worthy while on earth to possess miraculous powers.
Miracles waited your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety.
Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me the favour I seek in this novena
(State your intention).
The answer to my prayer may require a miracle;
even so, you are the saint of miracles.
O gentle and loving Saint Anthony,
whose heart was ever full of human sympathy,
whisper my petition into the ears of the Infant Jesus,
who loved to be folded in your arms
and the gratitude of my heart will always be yours.
One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honoUr of Saint Anthony.
Saint Anthony, pray for us!
Thought for the Day – 4 June
“If the damned were asked: Why are you in Hell? they would answer: ‘For having resisted the Holy Spirit.’
And if the saints were asked: Why are you in Heaven? they would answer: ‘For having listened to the Holy Spirit.’
When good thoughts come into our minds, it is the Holy Spirit who is visiting us.
The Holy Spirit is a power.
The Holy Spirit …. sustained the martyrs. Without the Holy Spirit, the martyrs would have fallen like the leaves from the trees. When the fires were lighted under them, the Holy Spirit extinguished the heat of the fire by the heat of divine love.
The good God, in sending us the Holy Spirit, has treated us like a great king who should send his minister to guide one of his subjects, saying, “You will accompany this man everywhere and you will bring him back to me safe and sound.”
How beautiful it is, my children, to be accompanied by the Holy Spirit!
He is indeed a good Guide; and to think that there are some who will not follow Him!
The Holy Spirit is like a man with a carriage and horse, who should want to take us to Pans. We should only have to say “yes,” and to get into it. It is indeed an easy matter to say “yes”!… Well, the Holy Spirit wants to take us to Heaven; we have only to say “yes,” and to let Him take us there.“…St John Vianney
“O Divine Spirit, draw us to the highest heaven where Jesus lives forever, interceding for us. Come, fill our hearts with Your fire, show us the way to the Lord that we may find Him shining with beauty and love. Amen”
One Minute Reflection – 4 June 2017
“The Spirit of truth…remain with you and will be within you…….John 14:17
REFLECTION – The Holy Spirit does not remain inactive in us: He wipes away sins, purifies hearts, revivifies the tepid and enlightens the ignorant.
His inspirations suggest to us what we ought and what we ought not to do. There exists an infinite variety of His commandments…….St Anthony of Padua
PRAYER – Come, Holy Spirit, fill the heart of Your servant and kindle in me the fire of Your gifts! Be with me, in me and lead me to the light, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 4 June
PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
By St Bonaventure
We beg the all-merciful Father through You,
His only-begotten Son made man for our sake,
crucified and glorified for us,
to send upon us from His treasure-house,
the Spirit of sevenfold grace,
who rested upon You in all His fullness:
the spirit of wisdom:
enabling us to relish the fruit of the tree of life,
which is indeed Yourself;
the gift of understanding: to enlighten our perceptions;
the gift of prudence, enabling us to follow in Your footsteps;
the gift of strength: to withstand our adversary’s onslaught;
the gift of knowledge: to distinguish good from evil
by the light of thy holy teaching;
the gift of piety: to clothe ourselves with charity and mercy;
the gift of fear: to withdraw from all ill-doing
and live quietly in awe of Your eternal majesty.
These are the things for which petition.
Grant them for the honour of Your Holy Name,
to which, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
be all honour and glory,
thanksgiving, renown and lordship for ever and ever. Amen
“VENI SANCTE SPIRITUS” (Come, Holy Spirit) – (chant – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pU34vUoO9g)
One of the most widely used hymns in the Church, Veni, Creator Spiritus, is attributed to Blessed Rabanus Maurus (776-856), Archbishop of Mainz. It is commonly sung in the feast of Pentecost liturgy and other occasions when the Holy Spirit is solemnly invoked. The Veni Creator is also the official opening prayer for Church councils and synods. A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who devoutly recite the hymn and a plenary indulgence if recited publicly in church on the 1st of January and on the feast of Pentecost. There are many translations of this beautiful Hymn which all differ slightly just as the Holy Scriptures do in it’s various translations.
Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
and in our souls take up Thy rest;
come with Thy grace and heavenly aid
to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.
O comforter, to Thee we cry,
O heavenly gift of God Most High,
O fount of life and fire of love,
and sweet anointing from above.
Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known;
Thou, finger of God’s hand we own;
Thou, promise of the Father, Thou
Who dost the tongue with power imbue.
Kindle our sense from above,
and make our hearts o’erflow with love;
with patience firm and virtue high
the weakness of our flesh supply.
Far from us drive the foe we dread,
and grant us Thy peace instead;
so shall we not, with Thee for guide,
turn from the path of life aside.
Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow
the Father and the Son to know;
and Thee, through endless times confessed,
of both the eternal Spirit blest.
Now to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death, be glory given,
with Thou, O Holy Comforter,
henceforth by all in earth and heaven.
Amen
Solemnity of Pentecost – 4 June 2017 – Wishing you all a Holy, Blessed and inspired Pentecost!
The Church was made manifest to the world on the day of Pentecost by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Spirit ushers in a new era in the “dispensation of the mystery” the age of the Church, during which Christ manifests, makes present, and communicates his work of salvation through the liturgy of His Church, “until he comes.” (CCC, #1076)
Pentecost is not just an isolated feast of the Holy Spirit but an integral feast of the Easter season. Pentecost is also an elementary feast — not as in getting to back to the basics or beginnings of the Catholic Church but can be described elementary as in the four elements of Aristotle: earth, wind, fire and water.
Red Easter: Pentecost closes the Easter season and not in an anticlimactic fashion but in a grand finale. We so often tend to look at this feast as a separate entity for the Holy Spirit but the Church integrates this feast into the Easter season as a whole. there is significance in the number of days and weeks during the Easter season and in the eyes of the Church, the 50 days are viewed as “one feast day.” The Italian name for Pentecost, Pasqua rossa (Red Easter) is a great reminder of this connection.
22. The fifty days from the Sunday of the Resurrection to Pentecost Sunday are celebrated in joy and exultation as one feast day, indeed as one “great Sunday.” These are the days above all others in which the Alleluia is sung.
23. The Sundays of this time of year are considered to be Sundays of Easter and are called, after Easter Sunday itself, the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Sundays of Easter. This sacred period of fifty days concludes with Pentecost Sunday. (From the General Norms of the Liturgical Year and Calendar).
The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is closely linked to the feast of the Resurrection, our Passover Feast:
On the day of Pentecost when the seven weeks of Easter had come to an end, Christ’s Passover is fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, manifested, given and communicated as a divine person: of his fullness, Christ, the Lord, pours out the Spirit in abundance. On that day, the Holy Trinity is fully revealed. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #731-732)
In reading the account of Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles, there is very pronounced imagery. It is easy to recognise the wind and fire but all four classic elements of Greek philosopher, Aristotle, are present at Pentecost, earth, wind, fire and water.
Wind
First in the account of Pentecost from Acts 2:1-11 came the wind: “And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.”
Most Biblical renderings of the God or the Holy Spirit is through a gentle breath, such as Jesus breathing on the Apostles in the Resurrection appearance in the Upper Room. At Pentecost it is the same room, but here the Holy Spirit comes as wind of strength and power.
There is nothing subtler than the wind, which manages to penetrate everywhere, even to reach inanimate bodies and give them a life of their own. The rushing wind of the day of Pentecost expresses the new force with which divine love invades the Church and souls (p. 592, In Conversation with God, Volume 2, by Francis Fernandez).
Fire
Next came the fire: “Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them.” It is this combination of wind and fire that is the gift of tongues. One of the optional readings for Pentecost is the story of the Tower of Babel. Pius Parsch, as quoted on the Catholic Culture’s Pentecost page, explains that is was the sin of pride that separated and divided those at Babel. The Holy Spirit brings unity and love, which allows those languages to be spoken and understood by all.
The liturgical color for Pentecost is red, the color of fire and blood and the symbol of love. The last time we have seen red vestments outside of the feasts of martyrs or apostles is Palm Sunday and Good Friday. The red for those days recalled the blood of Christ. Today the red recalls the tongues of fire and we ask the Holy Spirit to ignite our hearts, just as we pray:
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy Faithful; and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love….
“In medieval times, many churches had a “Holy Ghost Hole”, a small circular opening in the ceiling of the church. The holes would be decorated on Pentecost, with various items symbolising the Holy Spirit lowered through the hole. This practice calls to mind the elements of wind and fire. Father Francis Weiser describes the tradition (emphasis mine):
In medieval times the figure of a dove was widely used to enact in a dramatic way the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday. When the priest had arrived at the sequence, he sang the first words in a loud and solemn voice: Veni Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Ghost). Immediately there arose in the church a sound “as of a violent wind blowing” (Acts 2, 2). This noise was produced in some countries, like France, by the blowing of trumpets; in others by the choir boys, who hissed, hummed, pressed windbags, and rattled the benches. All eyes turned toward the ceiling of the church where from an opening called the “Holy Ghost Hole” there appeared a disc the size of a cart wheel, which slowly descended in horizontal position, swinging in ever-widening circles. Upon a blue background, broken by bundles of golden rays, it bore on its underside the figure of a white dove.
Meanwhile the choir sang the sequence. At its conclusion the dove came to rest, hanging suspended in the middle of the church. There followed a “rain” of flowers indicating the gifts of the Holy Spirit and of water symbolizing baptism. In some towns of central Europe people even went so far as to drop pieces of burning wick or straw from the Holy Ghost Hole, to represent the flaming tongues of Pentecost. This practice, however, was eventually stopped because it tended to put the people on fire externally, instead of internally as the Holy Spirit had done at Jerusalem. In the thirteenth century in many cathedrals of France real white pigeons were released during the singing of the sequence and new around in the church while roses were dropped from the Holy Ghost Hole (Weiser, Holyday Book).
Except for the burning bits, some of these practices have been revived in these older churches. In parts of Italy and Sicily, red rose petals are dropped through the hole. This is an especially spectacular sight in the church in Rome dedicated to St. Mary and the Martyrs that was formerly the Pantheon. There is an opening in the dome and the rose petals are dropped, filling the church and covering the floor.
Red and fire are the dominant images used in Pentecost celebrations. In many places of the Northern Hemisphere, this is height of strawberry season and the red fruits shapes like tongues of fire seem perfect for the feast day that falls in the warmer months.”
Earth
The earth element doesn’t seem to be as obvious with the connection more as it relates to God’s creation. Pentecost, which means “Fiftieth Day” in Greek, was a Jewish festival marking the 7 weeks or 50 days after the Passover. It was a harvest festival, offering the first fruits in thanksgiving to God. Later the feast also commemorated the giving of the Law or Ten Commandments to Moses at Sinai. Our civilization has become less agrarian but this “earth element” should be a universal reminder to us as respect and thanksgiving for creation. Pope Benedict explains and elaborates:
“From its earliest prehistory [Pentecost] has been a feast of harvest. In Palestine the crops were ripe in May; Pentecost was the thanksgiving for the grain harvest. Man sees the fruitfulness which results from the interplay of heaven and earth as the miracle by which he lives and he acknowledges that gratitude is the appropriate response to this miracle….Has this become meaningless today? If we think of “Holy Spirit” only in terms of Christian inwardness and of “harvest” only in terms of technology and commerce, our view of the world has become schizophrenic. At Pentecost the church prays a verse from the psalms which runs: Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth. Initially this refers to the creative Spirit which has called the world into being and maintains it in being. It is important to have a new reality of this at Pentecost: the Holy Spirit who came down upon the apostles is the same Spirit who fashioned the world….”
Against this background we must also understand that, in Israel, Pentecost was the remembrance of the arrival at Sinai and the celebration of the Covenant which had set out a path for Israel to travel in the form of the law. Christians have always seen their Pentecost as a continuation of this idea: the New Law is love, breaking down barriers and uniting people in the New Covenant. Love, too, is not formless or arbitrary; it is a formation from within, a wakefulness of the heart which takes up the rhythm of creation and perfects it. (Seek That Which is Above, 79-81)”
Water
The final element, water, is not an image of the Holy Spirit but a direct result of the coming of the Paraclete upon the Disciples. After they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they left the Upper Room and began to proclaim the Gospel. And on hearing their words, 3000 were baptised that day. The matter of baptism is water.
From the very day of Pentecost the Church has celebrated and administered holy Baptism. Indeed St. Peter declares to the crowd astounded by his preaching: “Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
26. The apostles and their collaborators offer Baptism to anyone who believed in Jesus: Jews, the God-fearing, pagans. 27 Always, Baptism is seen as connected with faith: “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household,” St. Paul declared to his jailer in Philippi. And the narrative continues, the jailer “was baptised at once, with all his family” (CCC, #1226)
With every baptism comes the reminders of the first Pentecost. Today is also a good feast to celebrate our reception of the sacraments of baptism and confirmation. ( Jennifer Gregory Miller)
Saints & Solemnities – 4 June
Pentecost Sunday (2017)
Mary the Planter
—
St Aldegrin of Baume
St Alexander of Verona
St Alonio
Bl Antoni Zawistowski
St Aretius of Rome
Bl Boniface of Villers
St Breaca of Cornwall
St Buriana of Cornwall
St Christa of Sicily
St Clateus of Brescia
St Cornelius McConchailleach
St Croidan
St Cyrinus of Aquileia
St Dacian of Rome
St Degan
St Edfrith of Lindisfarne
St Elsiar of Lavedan
St Ernin of Cluain
St Filippo Smaldone
Bl Francesco Pianzola
St Francis Caracciolo
Bl Francis Ronci
Bl Margaret of Vau-le-Duc
St Medan
Bl Menda Isategui
St Metrophanes of Byzantium
St Nennoc
St Nicolo of Sardinia
St Optatus of Milevis
St Petroc of Cornwall
St Quirinus of Croatia
St Quirinus of Tivoli
St Rutilus of Sabaria
Saturnina of Arras
Bl Stanislaw Kostka Starowieyski
St Trano of Sardinia
St St Walter of Fontenelle
Walter of Serviliano
—
Martyrs of Cilicia – 13 saints: A group of 13 Christians who were martyred together. The only details about them that have survived are their names –
• Cama
• Christa
• Crescentia
• Eiagonus
• Expergentus
• Fortunus
• Italius
• Jucundian
• Julia
• Momna
• Philip
• Rustulus
• Saturnin
They were martyred in in Cilicia, Asia Minor (in modern Turkey), date unknown
Martyrs of Nyon – 41 saints: A group of 41 Christians martyred together for refusing to sacrifice to imperial Roman idols. We know the names of some but no other details.
• Amatus
• Attalus
• Camasus
• Cirinus
• Dinocus
• Ebustus
• Euticus
• Eutychius
• Fortunius
• Galdunus
• Julia
• Quirinus
• Rusticus
• Saturnina
• Saturninus
• Silvius
• Uinnita
• Zoticus
Martyred by being beheaded in Noviodunum (modern Nyon, Switzerland)
Announcing a Novena to SAINT ANTHONY FOR ALL OUR INTENTIONS
St Anthony of Padua is also known as Saint Anthony the Wonder-Worker and so it is no surprise that Catholics often turn to him with their requests—more often, perhaps, than to any other saint, with the exception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Best known as the patron saint of lost items, Saint Anthony is invoked for many other needs as well. In this novena, or nine-day prayer, we not only ask for Saint Anthony’s intercession but promise to live more Christian lives.
Saint Anthony received an apparition of the Christ Child, Who, lying in the saint’s arms, kissed him and told St Anthony that He loved him for his preaching. (Saint Anthony was renowned for his zealous preaching of the True Faith against heretics.) In this prayer, we recognise that our greatest need is for grace—the life of God in our souls—which saves us from sin. Our particular need—our request to Saint Anthony—is secondary.
This prayer, however, does not shy away from asking Saint Anthony to intervene in a miraculous fashion to fulfill our particular need. In return for the good that we desire, we promise to live our lives as Saint Anthony did—conforming our actions to the truths taught to us by the Church, living and preaching the Gospel and serving the poor.
Begining tomorrow – 4 June – Let us Pray:
NOVENA from ASCENSION to PENTECOST DAY NINE – SATURDAY 3 June 2017
The Holy Spirit
Only one thing is important: eternal salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared: sin. Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness and indifference. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Strength and of Love. With His sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will and inflames the heart with the love of God. To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, because the Spirit comes to us in our needs. When we don’t know what to say, it is the Spirit who speaks within us.
The Fruits of the Holy Spirit
The gifts of the Holy Spirit perfect the supernatural virtues by enabling us to practice them with greater docility to divine inspiration. As we grow in the knowledge and love of God under the direction of the Holy Spirit, our service becomes more sincere and generous, the practice of virtue more perfect. Such acts of virtue leave the heart filled with joy and consolation and are known as Fruits of the Holy Spirit. These Fruits in turn render the practice of virtue more attractive and become a powerful incentive for still greater efforts in the service of God, to serve Whom is to reign.
Prayer
Come and fill me, O Divine Spirit. Fill my heart with your heavenly fruits: Your Love for others, Your Joy, Your Peace, Your Kindness, Your Generosity, Your Faithfulness, Your Gentleness and Your temperance for Self-Control, that I may never weary in the service of God. Keep me close to You so that my life produces Your fruits in ever-increasing abundance. Help me to continually and faithfully submit to Your divine inspiration so that I will be united eternally with You in the love of the Father and the Son. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father
Act of Consecration
Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer to the Holy Spirit.
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