#mari begs for alms
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Guys, I hate doing this. It makes me feel like I'm begging for alms and like I can't take care of myself. But pride isn't worth starving for, so here goes.
I live in an apartment where internet is provided with the space. I have zero control over my internet, and no ability to negotiate anything with the ISP itself. I work remotely for a company with stringent security requirements because of the nature of the information we handle, and am only able to use a wired workstation provided by my employer. My internet has been down for three days now, so I've lost out on three days' work, and multiple calls to the middle man internet tech support has resulted in only non-updates of that they are working on it, but they have no idea when it will be back.
All this to say: Due to circumstances out of my control, I am going to come up $250+ short on my check this pay period, depending on how soon my internet is back (though with the holiday, it's unlikely there will be much work available even when my internet works). I know it's holiday time and we're all strapped and struggling, which is why I hate to need help, but the fact is that I do.
Last year, my partner @trashprinceward helped set up a Ko-fi when I was in difficult circumstances. Bros, I gotta bring it back, and I'm being flippantly casual because I don't like to be a burden on anyone or to look like I can't take care of myself. If you have a few bucks you can toss to someone extremely worried about not getting evicted and also being able to feed her adorable cat, it would be very, extremely appreciated.
Thank you for attending my TED Talk about swallowing my pride and asking for help from my friends. I expect nothing, but anything is appreciated, even just a signal boost. Thank you, guys. Thank you for all your support and companionship.
Marisa's Internet Catastrophe Fund
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3rd April >> Mass Readings (USA)
Easter Wednesday
(Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II))
First Reading
Acts of the Apostles 3:1–10
What I do have I give you: in the name of the Lord Jesus, rise and walk.
Peter and John were going up to the temple area for the three o’clock hour of prayer. And a man crippled from birth was carried and placed at the gate of the temple called “the Beautiful Gate” every day to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms. But Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.” Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with amazement and astonishment at what had happened to him.
The Word of the Lord
R/ Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 105:1–2, 3–4, 6–7, 8–9
R/ Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or
R/ Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R/ Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or
R/ Alleluia.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R/ Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or
R/ Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R/ Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or
R/ Alleluia.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations—
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R/ Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or
R/ Alleluia.
Sequence
Victimae Paschali Laudes
Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen;
to Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia.
Gospel Acclamation
Psalm 118:24
Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 24:13–35
They recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread.
That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his Body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the Eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
The Gospel of the Lord
R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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I saw this at work and I don’t know how, I don’t know when, but this jade pendant better be Wukong’s first gift to Mari.
---
Oh my god! The butterflies! The gold and jade colours! Xiaodie's golden wings and jade green robes!
With something as expensive-looking as that though, I imagine Wukong probably robbed someone of that pendant. Sanzang expected the pilgrims to be humble begging monks, and they had to beg for alms in every village they go to.
This might also just be Wukong's way of proposing as they did in Ancient China, the groom's side of the family must offer gifts to the bride. Although, they don't have a matchmaker to initiate the engagement, so Wukong is just going straight for the gift-giving.
#submission#lego monkie kid#lmk#journey to the west#jttw#sun wukong x oc#monkey king x oc#oc: marisol orozco leong#oc: mariposa#oc: liang xiaodie#lego monkie kid oc#lmk oc#journey to the west oc#jttw oc#sun wukong#monkey king
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SAINT OF THE DAY (March 8)
The Catholic Church celebrates the extraordinary life of St. John of God on March 8.
The saint lived through decades of sin and suffering before a profound conversion that led him to embrace poverty, humility and charity.
John was born in Portugal on 8 March 1495 to middle-class parents. Tragically, at the age of 8, he was kidnapped by a stranger and was later abandoned to homelessness in a remote part of Spain.
He worked as a shepherd until age 22, when the opportunity came along for him to join the army of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
This apparent stroke of fortune, however, would eventually lead John into greater misery.
For the next 18 years, John lived and fought among the emperor's foot soldiers, first against the French and later the Turks.
His morals began to decline, as he completely abandoned the piety of his earliest youth for a greedy and brutal way of life.
John's conscience was occasionally troubled, particularly by the memories of his early years before he was taken from his parents.
And despite falling into a lifestyle of violence and plundering, he had a certain weakness for those who were poor or in extreme distress, and would give alms to them.
He was narrowly saved on two occasions from what seemed like certain death – once after instinctively uttering a prayer to the Virgin Mary after falling wounded in enemy territory; and again, when he was falsely suspected of theft and nearly executed but for another soldier's intervention.
Events such as these weighed heavily upon him, and when his regiment was disbanded, he decided to amend his life – beginning with a pilgrimage to Spain's Santiago de Compostela Cathedral along the “Way of St. James.”
There, he confessed his sins and committed himself to living a life of repentance.
Soon after this, he returned to Portugal and discovered what had become of his parents.
His mother had died, brokenhearted, after the loss of her son, after which his father had become a Franciscan monk.
At age 42, John returned to Spain and picked up nearly where he had left off 20 years before, working again as a shepherd.
This time, however, he was committed to living out the faith in God that he had regained.
He traveled briefly to North Africa, seeking to help Christians there who had been enslaved by Muslims.
Eventually, however, he returned to Spain and settled for a time in the occupation of selling religious books and other goods, always encouraging his customers to live their faith sincerely.
St. John of God's later reputation as the patron saint of booksellers derives from this period of his life.
Later, however, he felt compelled to give himself entirely to the service of the poor, sick and vulnerable.
He opened his house to them – allowing it to become a combined hospital, homeless shelter, and halfway-house, run entirely by John himself.
When he was not bandaging wounded occupants or breaking up fights between them, he would go out begging on their behalf.
The Bishop of Granada approved his work and gave him the name “John of God.”
A group of volunteers came to accompany him in his work, many of whom had first come to him while in dire need themselves.
Others, who resented his work, assaulted John's reputation by focusing on his past sins, but John, unfazed in his humility, would acknowledge the truth of what was said as a testament to God's grace in his life.
He once offered to pay a woman to tell the entire city what she had been saying about him in private.
John served the sick and poor for 15 years before meeting his death through an act of charity.
He jumped into a freezing river and managed to save a drowning man, but came home shivering and weakened from the ordeal.
He lay down in one of his own hospital beds, where his condition further declined.
The Bishop of Granada came to administer the last rites. As the bishop prepared him for death, John expressed a number of anxieties.
“There are three things that make me uneasy,” he said. “The first is that I have received so many graces from God, have not recognized them, and have repaid them with so little of my own.”
“The second is that after I am dead, I fear lest the poor women I have rescued and the poor sinners I have reclaimed may be treated badly.”
“The third is that those who have trusted me with money, and whom I have not fully repaid, may suffer loss on my account.”
The bishop, however, assured him that he had nothing to fear. John then asked to be alone. He summoned his last strength to rise from bed and kneel before a crucifix.
He died in prayer, with his face pressed against the figure of Christ, on the night of 7 March 1550.
He was beatified by Pope Urban VIII on 21 September 1630 and canonized by Pope Alexander VIII on 16 October 1690.
In 1886, Pope Leo XIII declared him patron of hospitals and the sick.
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Good evening, my dears. Today I would like to tell you about a very interesting historical person, about whom there are many legends and histories, namely Mary I Tudor, nicknamed "Bloody Mary".
🖇️The way to the throne
the birth of the daughter of the English king Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon was a real miracle. Before her, all the queen's pregnancies ended with the child dying in the mother's womb or immediately after giving birth. therefore, the happiness of the parents knew no bounds when they finally had a live, healthy baby girl, who was named in honor of Henry's beloved sister, Mary Tudor, Queen of France.
the girl grew up, got an education, was engaged in horse riding and falconry, and also studied the work of Christian poets and, for fun, read stories about women who sacrificed themselves - Christian saints and ancient warrior maidens.
Her life changed when Henry decided to annul the marriage with her mother, as a result of which Maria lost all rights to the crown, turning into an illegitimate daughter. in the following years, her life depended on how her relationship with her stepmothers developed (and she had plenty of them - Henry VIII married 6 times, and all his wives, except the last one, either died, or he executed them, or divorced them) . so, for example, in his father's second wife, Anna Boleyn, whom he later beheaded due to a false accusation of treason, Mary was made a servant of the queen.
But her fate is such that at the age of 37 she still becomes the queen of England.
🖇️ Where did the nickname "bloody" come from?
• it turns out that Maria was not called "bloody" during her life. The nickname "Bloody Mary" appeared in English written sources only at the beginning of the 17th century, about half a century after her death!
•On the contrary, during her lifetime Maria was known as the kindest and most merciful ruler of England in the 16th century. if you compare the degree of bloodthirstiness of Maria and her father with her successor-sister Elizabeth I, then you get a completely different picture.
•Under Henry VIII, 72,000 people were executed, under Elizabeth I there were 89,000 executed, and under Mary - only 287! that is, the same "Bloody Mary" executed 250 times less people than her father, and 310 times less than her younger sister!
•because under Maria I the common people were not executed (with the exception of a few isolated cases), mostly representatives of the elite were executed, for example, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer and his close associates. And during the reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, mass executions were carried out. under her father, most of the executed consisted of peasants.
•At that time, it became more profitable to sell sheep's wool to the Netherlands than grain, and much less labor was needed to graze sheep than to grow grain. therefore, land plots were taken from the peasants en masse, which immediately turned into fenced pastures. Many peasants throughout the kingdom were left without land and homes. They were forced to wander, begging for alms. then Henry VIII decided to get rid of the surplus population, which did not bring him any economic benefit, and established the death penalty for vagrancy and begging.
under Elizabeth I, to the mass executions of the homeless and beggars, which resumed again under her, mass executions of participants in popular uprisings were added (they began to occur almost every hour) plus executions of women suspected of witchcraft.
•in 1563, Elizabeth I issued the "Act Against Spells, Witchcraft and Witchcraft", after which the "witch hunt" began in England. Since the queen was an educated, intelligent woman, it is doubtful that she really believed in witchcraft, especially in such a ridiculous one as causing a storm by removing stockings. by the way, this is a real "Stocking Affair" that happened in Huntingdon. A woman and her 9-year-old daughter were hanged because, according to the court, they sold their souls to the devil and unleashed a storm by taking off their stockings!
•Why then did Elizabeth issue this act? the point was that at that time the economy of England was in a very deplorable state (due to the decrease in profitability from the export of wool and woolen fabrics). Due to this, taxes were constantly raised to make up for the lack of money in the treasury. and the increase in taxes caused a storm of indignation among the people and the above-mentioned numerous uprisings. In order to explain all these difficulties and failures, it was necessary to find a "scapegoat" and turn the anger of the people on him. Therefore, it was decided to blame "witches" for everything. it's like they cast a spell on the silent man, and life in the kingdom is getting more and more complicated.
Taking into account the scale of the bloody massacres of Henry and Elizabeth, one wonders why it was Mary who called it bloody. and the whole point is that during the 16th and 17th centuries in England there was a struggle for power between the representatives of the two branches of Western Christianity - Catholics and Protestants. Henry and Elizabeth were Protestants, and Maria was Catholic. Protestants finally won only in 1688.
but no matter what we say about poor Maria, she remains an interesting person about whom books are written and movies are made.
-Thank you for your consideration 💋
˚₊⋆Your Charlotte 💓˚₊⋆
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Saints&Reading: Mon., July 18, 2022
July 18_July 5
MARTYR ST. ELIZABETH (Romanov_1918)
Grand Duchess Elisabeth Romanov was a loving wife who served her husband in good faith as a true Christian. After her husband's tragic death, she continued to advance in Christ, dedicating herself fully to the service of God and the neighbour. We talked to historian Dmitry Grishin, about her two principal roles - spouse and alms giver. Dmitry is the author of a literary biography of Elisabeth Romanov published in Russian as a part of the book series "Outstanding People".
What made you interested in the life of Grand Duchess Elisabeth Romanov and motivated you to write a book about her?
I found it an immense challenge to trace the evolution of her personality throughout the greater part of her biography. From her arrival in Russia in 1884, she placed herself fully in the shadow of her husband Sergey Alexandrovich. She dissolved herself in him fully. He was an immense influence on her person, her ideas and her worldview. Her husband was her window on Russian culture, tradition and the people; through his eyes, she saw her world. From this perspective, I explored her character and person in my book.
I did not model the narrative of my book on the somewhat distant and reserved style of the lives of the saints. I portrayed her as a living person from a realistic perspective. My idea was to write a secular biography of an outstanding person with her unique strengths and weaknesses, virtues and character flaws. Yet, the more I worked on the book, the more it became clear to me that this kind of approach was problematic because I was writing a biography of a saint.
How would you describe the role that faith played in her actions and life choices?
Progressively, I came to see her life as her ascent to sainthood. In her childhood and adolescent years, she developed her character, and eventually, she began her ascent on a spiritual ladder, knowing very well about the sorrows ahead...continue
SAINT BARBARA NUN, NEW MARTYR OF RUSSIA (1918)
Barbara Yakovlena was a maidservant to the Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia and her husband, Grand Duke Sergius Alexandrovich. When the Grand Duke was assassinated in 1905, Elizabeth founded the convent of Saints Martha and Mary in Moscow. On April 15, 1910, Mother Elizabeth became the superior or abbess of the convent. Barbara, whose nickname was Varya, also took the vows of a nun and became one of her novices. Together the women of the convent devoted their lives to prayer and fasting, as well as helping the poor and sick. Their charitable work, begun with the blessing from St. Patriarch Tikhon, was wellknown and spread throughout Moscow and Russia from World War I through the Bolshevik Revolution. They took food to the poor, opened a home for women with tuberculosis, founded a hospital and school, and set up homes to care for those who were disabled, widowed, or elderly. They also founded an orphanage to care for homeless children. The Bolshevik Revolution began in 1917. All members of the Tsar's family and other royal family members were arrested or exiled (sent out of Russia). Tsar Nicholas and his family were sent to Siberia. In April of 1918, Patriarch Tikhon paid a visit to the convent. Mother Elizabeth, her fellow nuns, and other members of the royal family were rounded up and arrested. The nuns who were not royalty were to be released. Nuns Barbara and Catherine begged their captors to allow them to accompany Mother Elizabeth, but were refused. These two brave women got on their knees and begged to be with their superior. The soldiers allowed Nun Barbara to join her beloved Mother, but only after signing an agreement that she would be willing to die with her. She did, saying, "I agree to give you the requested signature, not only in ink but, if necessary, in my own blood." The soldiers, stunned at this loyalty in the face of possible death, allowed Nun Barbara to join her beloved Mother Elizabeth, and Nun Catherine was released. The two women, Mother Elizabeth and Nun Barbara, were reunited and sent to Ekaterinburg, and then to Alapaevsk, in Siberia. While imprisoned, Mother Elizabeth and Nun Barbara prayed and ministered to the others. The members of the royal family as well as the soldiers who guarded them were deeply impressed by their constant prayer, many times finding them in prayer all night. The two women also impressed their captors by their dignified manner and their care for the other prisoners, who all knew they did not have long to live. On July 18, 1918, Mother Elizabeth, Nun Barbara and members of the royal family were awakened, and taken by cart to a deep, flooded mineshaft. They were thrown down the shaft, and thought to have drowned. Instead, the soldiers heard hymns sung from the bottom of the shaft! Despite agonizing pain and suffering, their singing continued for many hours, to the amazement of their captor
MATTHEW 15:21-28
21Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed."23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."24 But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."25Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" 26 But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." 27 And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
ROMANS 16:17-24
17Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 19 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. 20And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.21 Timothy, my fellow worker, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my countrymen, greet you. 22 I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord. 23 Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, and Quartus, a brother. 24The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
#orthodoxy#orthodoxchristianity#easternchristianity#originofchristianity#spirituality#holyscriptures#bible#gospel
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DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Wed April 03rd, 2024 ... Wednesday in the Octave of Easter, Year B
Reading 1
_________
Acts 3:1-10
Peter and John were going up to the temple area
for the three o’clock hour of prayer.
And a man crippled from birth was carried
and placed at the gate of the temple called “the Beautiful Gate” every day
to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple.
When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple,
he asked for alms.
But Peter looked intently at him, as did John,
and said, “Look at us.”
He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.
Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold,
but what I do have I give you:
in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”
Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up,
and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong.
He leaped up, stood, and walked around,
and went into the temple with them,
walking and jumping and praising God.
When all the people saw him walking and praising God,
they recognized him as the one
who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple,
and they were filled with amazement and astonishment
at what had happened to him.
Responsorial Psalm
_________________
105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9
R. (3b) Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations--
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sequence -- optional
Victimae paschali laudes
___________________
Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen;
to Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia.
Alleluia
________
Ps 118:24
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
__________
Lk 24:13-35
That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus’ disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
“What are you discussing as you walk along?”
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?”
And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”
They said to him,
“The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his Body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see.”
And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?”
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, “Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
“Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the Eleven and those with them who were saying,
“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
***
FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD
"Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?"
Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
I grew up virulently anti-Catholic. It wasn’t that we hated individual Catholics. I was taught never to treat anyone poorly, even if they were one of those Biblically illiterate Catholics. Anti-Catholicism was simply in the water we drank.
I did not realize it until later that I was also raised in a debating society. My dad never said a word. How could he? My mom sucked all of the air out of the room. She even debated television shows and movies. I caught the bug honestly. By high school I was debating Catholics.
A funny thing happened after graduate school, serving many years as a minister, and raising a family: I became less and less convinced by words. Sure, I made a living from reading, analyzing, interpreting, and then speaking words. I was all about words. Sometimes those words had power. Sometimes they caused people’s hearts to burn. But too often those words simply fell to the ground with no impact whatsoever. I never could quite understand why.
Then I met two people who changed my life. I did not actually personally meet them, mind you, but I felt the power of their words. Mother Teresa actually said very little, yet there was obvious power in her words. Why? When she spoke, things happened. I also remember being introduced to another person with those famous words, “Habemus papam.” He actually spoke a lot of words but it was the impact of his travels and the way he treated people that made me think that there was a lot more to life than words.
This really should not surprise us when we read about those earliest disciples. They were just like Jesus. Jesus spoke with authority, meaning that things actually happened when he spoke. Peter and John told a man who had been crippled from birth to rise and walk. What a shock it must have been to the people around him to see the man “walking and jumping and praising God.” I remember a commercial from many years ago. “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen.” Peter and John were the E.F. Huttons of the early church. When they spoke, not only did people listen, but you just knew that something was going to happen.
After spending thirty years as a minister, I have preached a lot of sermons. Now that I have been Catholic for ten years, I have heard a lot of homilies. My friends have asked me to compare the preaching of my sermons with those homilies. I do not do this for one simple reason: it is impossible to compare them. In the former setting you have powerful sermons and sometimes it causes hearts to burn. But where is Jesus? In the latter, whether or not your heart burns from the homily, Jesus is known in the breaking of the bread. Would I like to hear better homilies? Yes. But I cannot imagine giving up the risen Jesus for a better homily. The homily is not the only words spoken in the Mass. We also hear: “This is my body” and “This is my blood.” Whether or not the homily causes our hearts to burn, when those words of institution are spoken, things happen. Oh to have eyes to recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread!
***
SAINT OF THE DAY
Saint Benedict
(1526 – 1589)
Saint Benedict the African’s Story
Benedict held important posts in the Franciscan Order and gracefully adjusted to other work when his terms of office were up.
His parents were slaves brought from Africa to Messina, Sicily. Freed at 18, Benedict did farm work for a wage and soon saved enough to buy a pair of oxen. He was very proud of those animals. In time, he joined a group of hermits around Palermo and was eventually recognized as their leader. Because these hermits followed the Rule of Saint Francis, Pope Pius IV ordered them to join the First Order.
Benedict was eventually novice master and then guardian of the friars in Palermo—positions rarely held in those days by a brother. In fact, Benedict was forced to accept his election as guardian. And when his term ended, he happily returned to his work in the friary kitchen.
Benedict corrected the friars with humility and charity. Once he corrected a novice and assigned him a penance only to learn that the novice was not the guilty party. Benedict immediately knelt down before the novice and asked his pardon.
In later life, Benedict was not possessive of the few things he used. He never referred to them as “mine,” but always called them “ours.” His gifts for prayer and the guidance of souls earned him throughout Sicily a reputation for holiness. Following the example of Saint Francis, Benedict kept seven 40-day fasts throughout the year; he also slept only a few hours each night.
After Benedict’s death, King Philip III of Spain paid for a special tomb for this holy friar. Canonized in 1807, he is honored as a patron saint by African Americans. The liturgical feast of Saint Benedict the African is celebrated on April 4.
Reflection
_________
Among Franciscans, a position of leadership is limited in time. When the time expires, former leaders sometimes have trouble adjusting to their new position. The Church needs men and women ready to put their best energies into leadership—but also men and women who are gracefully willing to go on to other work when their time of leadership is over.
Saint Benedict the African is a Patron Saint of:
African Americans
***
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1836 Oct[obe]r Sat[urday] 22
6 55/..
12 1/2
N
L
V
No kiss fine b[u]t hazy morn[in]g (r[ai]n in the night and recently) – F[ahrenheit] 45 1/2° at 7 55/.. a.m. fr[om]
then to 8 1/4 wr[ote] the last 14 lines of yest[erday] then look[e]d ov[e]r bills and wr[ote] no[te] enclos[in]g check for £100 (5 p[ou]nds of it in silv[e]r)
to go by John Booth this morn[in]g to ‘Mr. Mackean Yorkshire Dist[ric]t bank H[alifa]x’ and s[e]nt als[o]
my let[ter] writ[ten] last night to ‘Miss Marian Lister M[arke]t Weighton’ and then in 25 min[ute]s till
9 10/.. wr[ote] 2 1/2 p[ages] to M- [Mariana] meant to ha[ve] writ[ten] immed[iatel]y aft[e]r the fun[era]l (on Mon[day]) ‘b[u]t so[me]how
‘I ha[ve] felt unus[uall]y disinclin[e]d to writ[in]g, and ha[ve] writ[ten] to nobod[y] - I w[a]s sure you w[oul]d, aft[e]r
‘all, feel a lit[tle] tak[e]n by surprise at the last - when I wr[ote] to you last, I knew that your
‘com[in]g m[u]st be too late; b[u]t I knew als[o] that to alt[e]r your plans w[a]s alm[o]st imposs[ible]; and
‘I griev[e]d ov[e]r it the less, bec[ause], for the last fortn[i]ght, any exert[io]n or excitem[en]t w[a]s caref[ull]y
‘avoid[e]d - I mys[elf] sat in the r[oo]m w[i]thout speak[in]g - For your vis[i]t to ha[ve] been a comf[or]t,
‘you ought to ha[ve] co[me] 6 w[ee]ks or 2 m[on]ths ago - we sh[oul]d all ha[ve] been gl[a]d to see
‘you – B[u]t no matt[e]r, those who are left will still be gl[a]d to see you; and do n[o]t
‘delay ver[y] long ev[e]n now - It is alread[y] alm[o]st the end of the m[on]th
‘when shall we exp[ec]t you? Let me kno[w] as soon as you can, for it is poss[ible]
‘we may be in York for a day ver[y] soon - Do n[o]t let this ma[ke] any diff[eren]ce - only arrive
‘bef[ore] or aft[e]r – eith[e]r will do - if bef[ore], why sh[oul]d you n[o]t go w[i]th us? I th[in]k we can gi[ve] you
‘24 h[ou]rs for your moth[e]r, and the rest in the minst[e]r court – Perh[aps] the eff[or]t of this m[i]ght be ver[y]
‘good up[on] s[u]ch pars[o]ns at the Mick[lega]te Crompt[o]ns, cum multis aliis - it m[i]ght help to
‘uproot the sickly ideas that grew up[on] your pass[in]g me by twice – B[u]t foll[ow] your own
‘inclinat[io]n - or do as you th[in]k best - all will be right to me; and you may
‘count up[on] our being delight[e]d to see you - the h[ou]se is in terrib[le] disord[e]r - the who[le]
‘pl[a]ce full of workmen inside and out – b[u]t we can ta[ke] in you and Watson and a
‘f[oo]tman, too, if you like - we ha[ve] no regul[a]r cook, b[u]t do n[o]t be too fastid[iou]s, and
‘you need n[o]t starve w[i]th us - I fancy, I ha[ve] m[u]ch to ask you, b[u]t it is all out of my
‘head at this mom[en]t - I hope your h[ou]se, if full of comp[an]y, is agreeab[l]y so - I ma[ke] so sure of see[in]g
‘you in a few days at the utm[o]st, that is useless to add mo[re] than bel[ieve] me, my d[ea]r[e]st Mary,
‘alw[a]ys ver[y] espec[iall]y and affect[ionatel]y yours AL- [Anne Lister]’ – s[e]nt by John Booth my let[ter] (the ab[ov]e is the wh[ole] of it
exc[ept] the 1st 5 or 6 lines) to ‘Mrs. Lawton Lawton Hall Lawton Cheshire’ - br[eak]f[a]st at 9 3/4 - A- [Ann] d[i]d
h[e]r Fr[en]ch - out at 10 1/4 – h[a]d Mr. Husb[an]d –w[i]th Rob[er]t Mann + 3 at lower[in]g in front of the h[ou]se – h[a]d been at
the Lodge r[oa]d lagg[in]g fr[om] 6 to 9 a.m. – st[ai]d ov[e]r h[ou]rs this aft[ernoo]n – st[ai]d till 6 inst[ea]d of go[in]g away as us[ua]l on
a Sat[urday] at 4 p.m. – Ingh[a]m + 2 men and a boy beg[a]n the outside wall of the cross arch this morn[in]g –
Mar k Hepw[or]th and co. cart[in]g rubble to the Lodge this morn[in]g and foot[in]gs fr[om] Hipperh[olme] quarry for Ingh[a]m in
the aft[ernoo]n – Dav[i]d Booth beg[a]n this morn[in]g cart[in]g st[one] for rubble fr[om] N[orth]ow[ra]m this morn[in]g and Matt[hew]’s
broth[e]r beg[a]n this morn[in]g to br[ea]k the st[one] by the load at the Lodge – Jos[e]ph Sharpe (Rob[er]t Schof[iel]d’s man) spread[in]g
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1836
Oct[obe]r
rubble on the Lodge - the gard[ene]r and Rob[er]t Schof[iel]d in the walk (bot[tom] of Dolt in the morn[in]g) and till ab[ou]t
3 p.m. when I br[ou]ght them up to the Lodge r[oa]d w[i]th a few young trees – plant[e]d a nice beech in the
rough wall[in]g - Booth + 2 or 3 at the west tow[e]r and Ab[raha]m and Ja[me]s jobb[in]g and d[i]d a lit[tle] at the ash-pl[a]ce etc
in the new court - sat w[i]th A- [Ann] (who h[a]d Mr. Horner at 10 a.m. to 12 1/2 p.m.) 1/2 h[ou]r
fr[om] 1 to 1 1/2, exc[ept] this, and when settl[in]g w[i]th Booth the mason at 2 1/2 , out all the day - or in
and out -saw Holt in the walk at 2 and Joseph Mann – walk[e]d homew[ar]ds w[i]th H- [Holt]
and part of the way up the r[oa]d to bey[on]d the Conery Ing to point out the bot[tom] corner of Park farm Ing
for a pit - the idea ca[me] int[o] my head on[l]y last night - H- [Holt] nev[e]r thought that I w[oul]d
ha[ve] a pit so n[ea]r the h[ou]se - I s[ai]d I d[i]d n[o]t see that it w[oul]d be any nuis[an]ce - it w[oul]d be well wall[e]d
and bank[e]d up out of sight – wh[a]t nuis[an]ce c[oul]d accrue fr[om] it - it w[oul]d be n[ea]rly opp[osi]te the
b[a]ck Lodge b[u]t wh[a]t w[oul]d that signify? - H- [Holt] s[ai]d the pit w[oul]d be 80 y[ar]ds deep - and w[oul]d be sunk for
20/. a y[ar]d - £100 w[oul]d do the who[le] consid[eri]ng that I ha[ve] gin and all ready - At H-‘s [Holt] pit in
Siddal they ha[ve] g[o]t 33DW. in ten y[ea]rs - the railr[oa]d to go close past on the oth[e]r side of Raggolds Inn –
all Stocks’s coal to the s[ou]th of it, that n[o]t a y[ar]d of his coal will be loos[e]d by the railr[oa]d
but Shugden head coal (Illingworth) will be loos[e]d, and the coal in the farm b[ou]ght by Mr.
Holmes of Mr. Rawson - Holt c[oul]d n[o]t settle ab[ou]t the Machan coal on Thurs[day] - expects
to meet all the p[ar]ties on Mon[day] or Tues[day] ab[ou]t it - told h[i]m to get 2 respectab[le] peop[le]
to go d[o]wn and investigate the trespass of Mr. R- [Rawson] and that of Hinscliffe at Walk[e]r pit and SW. [Samuel Washington] to lay d[o]wn
the latter on the coal plan - Holt told him to do it bef[ore] b[u]t he s[ai]d it w[a]s of no use
so d[i]d n[o]t do it - H- [Holt] to get his coal stew[ar]d Jos[e]ph Clayton and --- Cookson of Elland to
go d[o]wn Walker pit and exam[ine] the trespasses on Mon[day] or Tues[day] next, or as soon as he can –
ca[me] in at 6 – dress[e]d – din[ner] at 6 1/2 – coff[ee] upst[ai]rs – r[ea]d Sat[urday]’s H[alifa]x Guard[ia]n - then look[in]g ov[e]r
roy[a]l genealogies w[i]th A- [Ann] till 10 1/2 then till 10 55/.. wr[ote] the ab[ov]e of today at w[hi]ch h[ou]r F[ahrenheit] 46°
fine day, and ver[y] fine moonlight night –
Pit oppos[i]te b[a]ck Lodge
exp[ense] of sink[in]g
the Railr[oa]d will
n[o]t loose Stocks
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The loving Church is the mother of all
From the opening address of Pope John XXIII to the Second Vatican Council
Today, Venerable Brethren, is a day of joy for Mother Church: through God’s most kindly providence the longed-for day has dawned for the solemn opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, here at St Peter’s shrine. And Mary, God’s Virgin Mother, on this feast day of her noble motherhood, gives it her gracious protection.
Certain it is that the critical issues, the thorny problems that wait upon man’s solution, have remained the same for almost twenty centuries. And why? Because the whole of history and of life hinges on the person of Jesus Christ. Either men anchor themselves on Him and His Church, and thus enjoy the blessings of light and joy, right order and peace; or they live their lives apart from Him; many positively oppose Him, and deliberately exclude themselves from the Church. The result can only be confusion in their lives, bitterness in their relations with one another, and the savage threat of war.
In these days, which mark the beginning of this Second Vatican Council, it is more obvious than ever before that the Lord’s truth is indeed eternal. Human ideologies change. Successive generations give rise to varying errors, and these often vanish as quickly as they came, like mist before the sun.
The Church has always opposed these errors, and often condemned them with the utmost severity. Today, however, Christ’s Bride prefers the balm of mercy to the arm of severity. She believes that present needs are best served by explaining more fully the purport of her doctrines, rather than by publishing condemnations.
Not that the need to repudiate and guard against erroneous teaching and dangerous ideologies is less today than formerly. But all such error is so manifestly contrary to rightness and goodness, and produces such fatal results, that our contemporaries show every inclination to condemn it of their own accord – especially that way of life which repudiates God and His law, and which places excessive confidence in technical progress and an exclusively material prosperity. It is more and more widely understood that personal dignity and true self-realization are of vital importance and worth every effort to achieve. More important still, experience has at long last taught men that physical violence, armed might, and political domination are no help at all in providing a happy solution to the serious problems which affect them.
The great desire, therefore, of the Catholic Church in raising aloft at this Council the torch of truth, is to show herself to the world as the loving mother of all mankind; gentle, patient, and full of tenderness and sympathy for her separated children. To the human race oppressed by so many difficulties, she says what Peter once said to the poor man who begged an alms: “Silver and gold I have none; but what I have, that I give thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk.” In other words it is not corruptible wealth, nor the promise of earthly happiness, that the Church offers the world today, but the gifts of divine grace which, since they raise men up to the dignity of being sons of God, are powerful assistance and support for the living of a more fully human life. She unseals the fountains of her life-giving doctrine, so that men, illumined by the light of Christ, will understand their true nature and dignity and purpose. Everywhere, through her children, she extends the frontiers of Christian love, the most powerful means of eradicating the seeds of discord, the most effective means of promoting concord, peace with justice, and universal brotherhood.
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Today is the feast day of my patron saint, Joseph of Cupertino.
Joseph was born in "the heel" of the boot of Italy, which was appropriate, because during his early life he was pretty much walked all over. Born into poverty, his mother was forced to give birth to him in a stable. From childhood on, he was considered "remarkably unclever," prone to wondering about with his mouth gaping open, dropping things when distracted by sudden noises, and seemingly unable to do anything right. His mother wanted little to do with him, and tried to apprentice him to a shoe-maker, with predictable bad results.
He decided he could support himself as a mendicant friar, and wished to join the Franciscans, but was initially refused. He was instead excepted into the Capuchins, but was sent away after a period of 8 months due to his seeming inability to do even the simplest tasks - he would suddenly become distracted and drop piles of dishes while washing up, and couldn't even be trusted to hand out bread as he would forget the difference between brown bread and white. Joseph would later say that when his habit was taken from him, it felt as if they had torn off his skin.
He returned to his mother, several times along the way being mistaken for a vagabond or robber, who was not at all happy to see him return. Eventually, through the influence of her Franciscan brother, she saw to it that Joseph was employed as a servant tending the stables in a monastery, where he became known as "Brother Ass."
Eventually, Brother Ass's kindness, gentleness, humility, and devotion led the monks to think he might make a Franciscan after all, and he was readmitted to the Order in the hope that he might become a priest.
Joseph learned to read with great difficulty, but was still considered a dunce. He famously could only explain one passage of scripture well, Luke 11:27 ("Blessed is the womb that bore you..."). Miraculously, this was what he was asked to explain during his seminary exams, and he was ordained a deacon and later a priest.
It eventually became clear that Joseph, though unclever and easily distracted (he often returned from begging for alms missing his shoes, his rosary, and parts of his habit), had a gift for contemplative prayer, and did many miracles, most famously levitation. He would frequently rise into the air while praying or celebrating Mass; at times, the mere mention of the name Jesus or Mary was enough to make him float. (He even began levitating while brought before the Inquisition on charges of witchcraft).
Joseph's superiors disliked the attention Joseph's levitation brought, and he spent much of his late career in seclusion, in fact as a virtual prisoner. He died 18 September, 1663, aged 60. He often spoke about how his heart felt like it was burning, and when his body was opened, his heart looked as though it had been roasted.
He is the patron of people with learning disabilities, pilots, and students sitting exams. St Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us.
"Just as you were lifted up from the earth on hearing the sweet names of Jesus and Mary, pray that we, too, may detach ourselves from the things of earth, realize the vanity of the world, detest our sins and obtain pardon for them.
Strengthen our faith, o good St Joseph, revive our hope and inflame our love, so that we may have Jesus always in our minds and hearts, and after a good Christian death may merit to enjoy His glory with you in Paradise. Amen."
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12th April >> Mass Readings (USA)
Easter Wednesday
(Liturgical Colour: White: A(1))
First Reading
Acts of the Apostles 3:1–10
What I do have I give you: in the name of the Lord Jesus, rise and walk.
Peter and John were going up to the temple area for the three o’clock hour of prayer. And a man crippled from birth was carried and placed at the gate of the temple called ��the Beautiful Gate” every day to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms. But Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.” Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with amazement and astonishment at what had happened to him.
The Word of the Lord
R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 105:1–2, 3–4, 6–7, 8–9
R/ Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or
R/ Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R/ Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or
R/ Alleluia.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R/ Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or
R/ Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R/ Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or
R/ Alleluia.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations—
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R/ Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or
R/ Alleluia.
Sequence
Victimae Paschali Laudes
Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen;
to Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia.
Gospel Acclamation
Psalm 118:24
Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 24:13–35
They recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread.
That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his Body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the Eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
The Gospel of the Lord
R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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SAINT OF THE DAY (March 8)
The Catholic Church celebrates the extraordinary life of St. John of God on March 8.
The saint lived through decades of sin and suffering before a profound conversion that led him to embrace poverty, humility and charity.
John was born in Portugal during the year 1495 to middle-class parents.
Tragically, at the age of 8, he was kidnapped by a stranger and was later abandoned to homelessness in a remote part of Spain.
He worked as a shepherd until age 22, when the opportunity came along for him to join the army of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
This apparent stroke of fortune, however, would eventually lead John into greater misery.
For the next 18 years, John lived and fought among the emperor's foot soldiers, first against the French, and later the Turks.
His morals began to decline, as he completely abandoned the piety of his earliest youth for a greedy and brutal way of life.
John's conscience was occasionally troubled, particularly by the memories of his early years before he was taken from his parents.
And despite falling into a lifestyle of violence and plundering, he had a certain weakness for those who were poor or in extreme distress and would give alms to them.
He was narrowly saved on two occasions from what seemed like certain death – once after instinctively uttering a prayer to the Virgin Mary after falling wounded in enemy territory, and again, when he was falsely suspected of theft and nearly executed but for another soldier's intervention.
Events such as these weighed heavily upon him, and when his regiment was disbanded, he decided to amend his life – beginning with a pilgrimage to Spain's Santiago de Compostela Cathedral along the “Way of St. James.”
There, he confessed his sins and committed himself to living a life of repentance.
Soon after this, he returned to Portugal and discovered what had become of his parents.
His mother had died, brokenhearted, after the loss of her son, after which his father had become a Franciscan monk.
At age 42, John returned to Spain and picked up nearly where he had left off 20 years before, working again as a shepherd.
This time, however, he was committed to living out the faith in God that he had regained.
He traveled briefly to North Africa, seeking to help Christians there who had been enslaved by Muslims.
Eventually, however, he returned to Spain and settled for a time in the occupation of selling religious books and other goods, always encouraging his customers to live their faith sincerely.
St. John of God's later reputation as the patron saint of booksellers derives from this period of his life.
Later, however, he felt compelled to give himself entirely to the service of the poor, sick, and vulnerable.
He opened his house to them – allowing it to become a combined hospital, homeless shelter, and halfway-house, run entirely by John himself.
When he was not bandaging wounded occupants or breaking up fights between them, he would go out begging on their behalf.
The Bishop of Granada approved his work and gave him the name “John of God.”
A group of volunteers came to accompany him in his work, many of whom had first come to him while in dire need themselves.
Others, who resented his work, assaulted John's reputation by focusing on his past sins.
But John, unfazed in his humility, would acknowledge the truth of what was said, as a testament to God's grace in his life.
He once offered to pay a woman to tell the entire city what she had been saying about him in private.
He also organized his followers into the Order of Hospitallers, approved by the Holy See in 1572 as the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, a Catholic religious institute dedicated to the care of the poor, sick and those with mental disorders.
One mark of honour to his labours is that this Order has been officially entrusted with the medical care of the pope.
John served the sick and poor for 15 years before meeting his death through an act of charity.
He jumped into a freezing river and managed to save a drowning man, but came home shivering and weakened from the ordeal.
He lay down in one of his own hospital beds, where his condition further declined.
The Bishop of Granada came to administer the last rites.
As the bishop prepared him for death, John expressed a number of anxieties.
“There are three things that make me uneasy,” he said.
“The first is that I have received so many graces from God, have not recognized them, and have repaid them with so little of my own.”
“The second is that after I am dead, I fear lest the poor women I have rescued, and the poor sinners I have reclaimed, may be treated badly.”
“The third is that those who have trusted me with money and whom I have not fully repaid, may suffer loss on my account.”
The bishop, however, assured him that he had nothing to fear.
John then asked to be alone. He summoned his last strength to rise from bed and kneel before a crucifix.
He died in prayer, with his face pressed against the figure of Christ, on the night of 8 March 1550.
He was beatified by Pope Urban VIII on 21 September 1630. He was canonized by Pope Alexander VIII on 16 October 1690.
He is the patron saint of the sick, hospitals, nurses, firefighters, alcoholics, and booksellers.
#Saint of the Day#St. John of God#St. John of God Confessor#Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God
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O almighty and eternal God,
who throughout all the world made in blessed Pope John
a living, radiant example of Christ the Good Shepherd,
grant us, we ask, through his intercession,
we may be enabled to pour out an abundance of Christian charity.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
The Church is the Most Loving Mother of All
(An Address In Solemn Inauguration of the Second Vatican Council)
Today, Venerable Brethren, is a day of joy for Mother Church: through God's most kindly providence the longed-for day has dawned for the solemn opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, here at St. Peter's shrine. And Mary, God's Virgin Mother, on this feast day of her noble motherhood, gives it her gracious protection.
Certain it is that the critical issues, the thorny problems that wait upon man's solution, have remained the same for almost twenty centuries. And why? Because the whole of history and of life hinges on the person of Jesus Christ. Either men anchor themselves on Him and His Church, and thus enjoy the blessings of light and joy, right order and peace; or they live their lives apart from Him; many positively oppose Him, and deliberately exclude themselves from the Church. The result can only be confusion in their lives, bitterness in their relations with one another, and the savage threat of war.
In these days, which mark the beginning of this Second Vatican Council, it is more obvious than ever before that the Lord's truth is indeed eternal. Human ideologies change. Successive generations give rise to varying errors, and these often vanish as quickly as they came, like mist before the sun.
The Church has always opposed these errors, and often condemned them with the utmost severity. Today, however, Christ's Bride prefers the balm of mercy to the arm of severity. She believes that, present needs are best served by explaining more fully the purport of her doctrines, rather than by publishing condemnations. Not that the need to repudiate and guard against erroneous teaching and dangerous ideologies is less today than formerly. But all such error is so manifestly contrary to rightness and goodness, and produces such fatal results, that our contemporaries show every inclination to condemn it of their own accord—especially that way of life which repudiates God and His law, and which places excessive confidence in technical progress and an exclusively material prosperity. It is more and more widely understood that personal dignity and true self-realization are of vital importance and worth every effort to achieve. More important still, experience has at long last taught men that physical violence, armed might, and political domination are no help at all in providing a happy solution to the serious problems which affect them.
The great desire, therefore, of the Catholic Church in raising aloft at this Council the torch of truth, is to show herself to the world as the loving mother of all mankind; gentle, patient, and full of tenderness and sympathy for her separated children. To the human race oppressed by so many difficulties, she says what Peter once said to the poor man who begged an alms: "Silver and gold I have none; but what I have, that I give thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk." (Acts 3:6) In other words it is not corruptible wealth, nor the promise of earthly happiness, that the Church offers the world today, but the gifts of divine grace which, since they raise men up to the dignity of being sons of God, are powerful assistance and support for the living of a more fully human life. She unseals the fountains of her life-giving doctrine, so that men, illumined by the light of Christ, will understand their true nature and dignity and purpose. Everywhere, through her children, she extends the frontiers of Christian love, the most powerful means of eradicating the seeds of discord, the most effective means of promoting concord, peace with justice, and universal brotherhood.
(emphases added)
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Japanese Postwar Period Drama As a Modern Metaphor
Japanese Postwar Period Drama As a Modern Metaphor
Japanese Postwar Period Drama As a Modern Metaphor
By Thomas Martel
With globalization cinema as a whole is becoming an art form without country, without borders and even without a definitive national language. An idea that buds in one country’s cinema may blossom in another. Cinema and the ideas that go along with it travel back and forth across oceans and continents. Japan imported it’s first Edison Kinetoscopes in 1896, and Japanese filmmakers immediately utilized cinema to engage the masses at home and abroad.
My inquiry is to examine how post-war Japanese cinema took on the role of fictional historical narratives to interact with the psyche of the postwar Japanese nation. In many ways, all films made in Japan since the end of World War II can be considered post-war cinema, because of the way in which that war affected the country, and because of the way of cinema always reflects society. Japanese directors chose to represent the war, its aftermath, and apprehension about the future of the nation as a whole through the medium of chinema, and more specifically, through fictional historical narrative, or jidaigeki.
Jidaigeki, meaning “period drama”, is a term applies to fictional narrative films set before the industrialization and modernization of Japan; typically before or during the Meiji Restoration of 1868 when the Emperor Meiji reclaimed political power from the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Japanese are a very historically conscious people, and often draw on history for examples relevant to current events. Japanese film is no exception, and jidaigeki are full of metaphors for the present day. As American coauthors George Lakoff and Mark Johnson state, “We draw references, set goals, make commitments, and execute plans all on the basis of how we in part structure our experience, consciously and unconsciously, by means of metaphor”.
Indeed, it is through the use of metaphor that Japanese cinema uses characters, dialogue, and imagery to depict modern international relations and concerns, as well as specific fundamental elements of Japanese society, such as ie, or “household;”which was put under significant stress during and after the war. Due to the popularity of the genre, there were, of course, many jidaigeki produced during the Second World War. Take, for example, Kenji Mizoguchi’s 1941 film Genroku Chushingura, an oft- told story of forty-seven loyal samurai who avenge their innocent master’s execution and then proceed to dutifully follow him into death through disembowelment. There have been hundreds of film adaptations of the story, but this is perhaps the only one financed by The Ministry of Information while under military rule to boost morale. Even stylistically it is clear; the soundtrack consists of bugles, trumpets, and deep, plodding drum beats. Unlike many other adaptations, this one doesn’t show any blood, despite the gory nature of the story. The forty seven ronin are heroic, yes, but equally as
heroically depicted are their wives, who, with great strength and resilience remain true to their doomed husbands, not unlike the wives and families of soldier sent to war to die.
Akira Kurosawa’s 1945 film The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail is also a retelling of a classic history-based story. The viewer follows a young war hero, Yoshitsune, in disguise and on the run with a small band of loyal followers after being betrayed by his own brother- the military dictator of Japan. Because the story was so well known and respected, perhaps it was not viewed as the protest film that it actually was, further, the film was banned by the American Occupation supposedly for promoting feudal values, although the ban may have been in response to the film’s persuasive power. After WWII, jidaigeki re-emerged to perform new metaphorical functions.
Because the real and fictionalized events of jidaigeki are supposedly removed from the events of modern-day they serve as ideal, safe metaphors for a people in need of a means of discussing their present concerns- the disastrous results of imperialism and militarism, both Japanese and Western. Popular cinema was the ideal tool for these demilitarizing metaphors, and that is exactly where they were reinvested. As Japanese- American scholar Marie Thorsten Morimoto has suggested,“a nation’s metaphors converse with its politics. Hence, with the dismantling of the Japanese Empire at the close of the Second World War, the images which shaped the... state also, in a sense, became ‘demilitarized.’ Like the guns and missiles they supported, war metaphors were ‘left over,’ waiting to be reinvested into peacetime Japan.” (Morimoto, 11).
Typically in jidaigeki, samurai cast as the main role in Japanese cinema had represented the Japanese masculine ideal: strong, courageous, courteous and polite, and chaste. However, after the war this masculine machismo was seen as somewhat fascist, and the heroes onscreen changed into imperfect, often lost or wandering swords in a tumultuous, war savaged country. Alternatively, they are disenfranchised warriors in time of peace that has no need for bushido and the real lords are mob bosses and gamblers who dominate the fictional-historical and post-war Japanese and international society.
The 1966 film Dai-bosatsu toge, or “The Pass of the Boddhisattva” by director Kihachi Okamoto is a good example of cinema filled with metaphors. The story follows a young and sword-skilled samurai named Ryunosuke, who, while initially abiding by the samurai code, bushido, more or less embodies opposite. He is quite, contemplative, but also cold and merciless. His peers respect his finesse with the sword, but he is at times seen him as brutal and without remorse. He is constantly challenged by “good-hearted” samurai, and is left with no option but to cut them down one by one. Ryunosuke seems unbeatable. He is an intriguing model for postwar Japan; a nation grasping to traditional ideals all the while reevaluating them as brutal and cold, particularly after the atrocities committed during the Pacific expansion and conquest of China, of which to this day there remains a strong denial. Controversially, events such as the “Nanjing
Massacre” are not even included in Japanese textbooks. Therefore, the only way to speak about these events is through metaphor and cinema.
Ryunoske’s world is thrown upside-down when for the first time in his life, he meets as a sword of comparable ability. Ryunosuke and Shimada play opposites, with an ever growing tension between the two. Despite this, they always remain civil, bound by societal form. These characters represent conflicted and confused views of Japan’s supposedly noble warrior class. Could they be cold, brutal, sociopathic murderers or indeed, honest and humble protectors?
In the end, all of Ryunoske’s brutal acts, such as mercy-killing an old man he heard begging for death, killing an opponent out of self- defense in a tournament, cutting down his wife after she threatens to kill their baby, and other seemingly justifiable acts (just as the atrocities of WWII may have seemed justifiable) drive the anti hero mad with guilt at realization of the impossibility of his circumstances. The film concludes with Ryunosuke drunkenly and madly cutting his way through a burning mansion- an apt metaphor for the state that Japan was left in at the end of the war. He is injured, bleeding, and surrounded by enemies, but he refuses to lay down his sword. It is never revealed if he escapes or is killed, and this represented the uncertainty of Japan’s future that was prevalent in post-war Japan.
Japan had long considered itself the most virile, strongest and superior race in Asia, but defeat by a western power certainly posed a new threat to this nationalistic ideal. In this way Japan’s metaphors became increasingly trans- sexual; submissive to western “barbarians”, yet clinging to the position of an aggressive power in Asia. This persistent attitude became even more apparent during post-war cinema. Feminine characters (who represent Japan as a nation victimized by western powers) are starkly contrasted with brutish, old- fashioned, almost comical masculine characters, as is aptly illustrated in Masaki Kobayashi’s 1962 film Seppuku.
Seppuku tells the story of a young samurai named Chijiiwa who is fonder of the brush than the sword. When Chijiiwa’s father is forced by the Shoguante to commit seppuku, or ritual disembowelment, he goes to live with a family friend in poverty. He is forced to sell his sword, then, when his infant son becomes sick, Chijiiwa goes to a neighboring powerful household to beg for alms by means of threatening suicide, and he is then forced to slowly and painfully kill himself with a bamboo sword. The young and un-warrior like samurai’s body is then dumped off at the house unceremoniously . The rest of the film tells the story of how the family friend, a dangerous and impoverished ronin named Hanshiro, exacts and bring calamity to the household at fault for the destruction of the young and innocent family. Hanshiro arrives at the clan’s gate, threatening, like, Chijiiwa, to commit seppuku. He is admitted, but each of the clan’s assistants that he calls upon to act as a second happen to be home sick that day. Then, when he is about to be killed, he throws on the ground the topknots of each of the
supposedly honorable warriors responsible for Chijiiwa’s death, revealing their hypocrisy and sadistic nature. In the end, Hanshiro is unable to be killed by any of the clan’s warriors, so instead his is gunned down while carrying on his shoulders the clan’s ancestral armor. The empty suit of armor represents the vapidity and non-existence of the so-called bushido that was essentially reanimated for political use during the Second World War. Meanwhile, the dying Hanshiro represents a more realistic view of the nation’s recent past; that of a bleeding population struggling to maintain a dead ideal in the face of vain leaders. Moreover, Hanshiro’s death by a superior technology shows the viewer that modernity leaves little room for tradition.
A film that skillfully represents post-war Japan on an international stage through period drama is Akira Kurosawa’s 1961 film Yojimbo. A “yojimbo” is the old Japanese term for a “sword for hire,” essentially, a masterless samurai willing to sell his skills as a swordsman for assassination, dispute settlement, or protection. The main character of the film is just that, a lone swordsman walking down a dusty path without a name or direction. Like Japan, all he has left is his wit, and a remnant of whatever life he once led- his sword. Unlike the heroes of old Japanese cinema, he is carefree, blown about by the the winds of chance. He is lax, even comical at times. Not only this, but his name is never even revealed to the audience. He is not a famous or noteworthy hero; he represents any man, or every man.
Yojimbo is set in the 1860’s; a time when the warrior caste had essentially collapsed in favor of capitalism. Warlords no longer sought to hire famous or skilled swordsmen, they were too concerned with their own political preservation to even arm themselves to any great extant with modern weaponry. The protagonist wanders into a provincial town that is caught in a war between two rival factions. The yojimbo finds his skills as a swordsman lucrative, but his wit perhaps even more lucrative, as he plays to both factions of the town. He is a gruff, masculine samurai more than proficient with his sword, but he is also very cunning, and uses his wits to dupe the whole town, all the while making himself all the richer. This representation is relevant to post-war Japan primarily as a way of representing the disarmament of military super-power Japan and the transition into the scientific- economic superpower that it has become. “The transition was also one from a society threatened by the scarcity of food, where physical resources translated into physical strength, to a society hungry for knowledge, where young people began competing with their wits in a new game of “human capitalism” (Morimoto 21). Morimoto’s point is true, and can be seen in the rigorous preparation and competition between high school students applying for University. As such, this transition may be seen as beneficial but it also conveys the widespread feelings of nostalgia that the Japanese people felt during the difficult times immediately following the end of the war. Japan, and all of it history and traditions would be sold on the global market.
Besides serving as a metaphor for Japan’s transition from a militaristic
nation to an economically driven nation, Yojimbo illustrates Japan’s position in the Cold War as tension between the United States and the Soviet Union escalated. The village in which the entire film takes place can be seen as a miniaturized version of the world- in a transition phase, shrinking with huge gains being made in communication and transportation, but also dominated by two opposing forces. In the context of the film, these forces are rivaling factions, but in actuality the were the America/ NATO and the U.S.S.R./ Warsaw Pact. Much like Japan during the cold war, the unnamed yojimbo is often both detached and heavily involved in the “mutual assured destruction” of the town. He is ambivalent, an outsider, and the combined forces of the town are far more numerous and powerful than him and yet they both seeks his aid. Fitting with previous descriptions on how Japan views itself, “dominant themes in Japanese cultural self-representations have long been those of uniqueness, isolation, and victimization- hence, of a lone nation struggling against all odds” (Morimoto 22). In the end, the protagonist has prospered even more than either of the two factions, whose battle for dominance has ended in a clash leaving the town a quieter place than before. The “hero” of the film has saved a family, perhaps representative of the Japanese family as a whole, while dogs wander the streets feasting upon the remains of those less fortunate.
There are many more jidaigeki films with equally potent metaphors. Because of the context of film and viewership, we must be careful not to confuse metaphors or imagine them where they do not exist. However, metaphors are a powerful tool in the hands of Japanese filmmakers, and their many uses and examples should not go unnoticed.
Dissanayake, Wimal.1994. Colonialism and Nationalism in Asian Cinema. Indiana: Idianana University Press.
Morimoto, Marie Thorsten. 1994. The ‘Peace Dividend’ in Japanese Cinema, Metaphors of a Demilitarized Nation. Indiana: Indiana University Press. Mellen, Joan. 1976. The Waves at Genji’s Door: Japan Through it’s Cinema. New York: Pantheon Books.
Said, Edward W. 1985. Orientalism Reconsidered. New York: Vintage Books. Lakoff, George, and Mark Johnson. Metaphors We Live by. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1980. Print.
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DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Wed April 03rd, 2024 ... Wednesday in the Octave of Easter, Year B
Reading 1
_________
Acts 3:1-10
Peter and John were going up to the temple area
for the three o’clock hour of prayer.
And a man crippled from birth was carried
and placed at the gate of the temple called “the Beautiful Gate” every day
to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple.
When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple,
he asked for alms.
But Peter looked intently at him, as did John,
and said, “Look at us.”
He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.
Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold,
but what I do have I give you:
in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”
Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up,
and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong.
He leaped up, stood, and walked around,
and went into the temple with them,
walking and jumping and praising God.
When all the people saw him walking and praising God,
they recognized him as the one
who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple,
and they were filled with amazement and astonishment
at what had happened to him.
Responsorial Psalm
_________________
105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9
R. (3b) Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations--
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sequence -- optional
Victimae paschali laudes
___________________
Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen;
to Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia.
Alleluia
________
Ps 118:24
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
__________
Lk 24:13-35
That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus’ disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
“What are you discussing as you walk along?”
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?”
And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”
They said to him,
“The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his Body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see.”
And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?”
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, “Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
“Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the Eleven and those with them who were saying,
“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
***
FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD
"Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?"
Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
I grew up virulently anti-Catholic. It wasn’t that we hated individual Catholics. I was taught never to treat anyone poorly, even if they were one of those Biblically illiterate Catholics. Anti-Catholicism was simply in the water we drank.
I did not realize it until later that I was also raised in a debating society. My dad never said a word. How could he? My mom sucked all of the air out of the room. She even debated television shows and movies. I caught the bug honestly. By high school I was debating Catholics.
A funny thing happened after graduate school, serving many years as a minister, and raising a family: I became less and less convinced by words. Sure, I made a living from reading, analyzing, interpreting, and then speaking words. I was all about words. Sometimes those words had power. Sometimes they caused people’s hearts to burn. But too often those words simply fell to the ground with no impact whatsoever. I never could quite understand why.
Then I met two people who changed my life. I did not actually personally meet them, mind you, but I felt the power of their words. Mother Teresa actually said very little, yet there was obvious power in her words. Why? When she spoke, things happened. I also remember being introduced to another person with those famous words, “Habemus papam.” He actually spoke a lot of words but it was the impact of his travels and the way he treated people that made me think that there was a lot more to life than words.
This really should not surprise us when we read about those earliest disciples. They were just like Jesus. Jesus spoke with authority, meaning that things actually happened when he spoke. Peter and John told a man who had been crippled from birth to rise and walk. What a shock it must have been to the people around him to see the man “walking and jumping and praising God.” I remember a commercial from many years ago. “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen.” Peter and John were the E.F. Huttons of the early church. When they spoke, not only did people listen, but you just knew that something was going to happen.
After spending thirty years as a minister, I have preached a lot of sermons. Now that I have been Catholic for ten years, I have heard a lot of homilies. My friends have asked me to compare the preaching of my sermons with those homilies. I do not do this for one simple reason: it is impossible to compare them. In the former setting you have powerful sermons and sometimes it causes hearts to burn. But where is Jesus? In the latter, whether or not your heart burns from the homily, Jesus is known in the breaking of the bread. Would I like to hear better homilies? Yes. But I cannot imagine giving up the risen Jesus for a better homily. The homily is not the only words spoken in the Mass. We also hear: “This is my body” and “This is my blood.” Whether or not the homily causes our hearts to burn, when those words of institution are spoken, things happen. Oh to have eyes to recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread!
***
SAINT OF THE DAY
Saint Benedict
(1526 – 1589)
Saint Benedict the African’s Story
Benedict held important posts in the Franciscan Order and gracefully adjusted to other work when his terms of office were up.
His parents were slaves brought from Africa to Messina, Sicily. Freed at 18, Benedict did farm work for a wage and soon saved enough to buy a pair of oxen. He was very proud of those animals. In time, he joined a group of hermits around Palermo and was eventually recognized as their leader. Because these hermits followed the Rule of Saint Francis, Pope Pius IV ordered them to join the First Order.
Benedict was eventually novice master and then guardian of the friars in Palermo—positions rarely held in those days by a brother. In fact, Benedict was forced to accept his election as guardian. And when his term ended, he happily returned to his work in the friary kitchen.
Benedict corrected the friars with humility and charity. Once he corrected a novice and assigned him a penance only to learn that the novice was not the guilty party. Benedict immediately knelt down before the novice and asked his pardon.
In later life, Benedict was not possessive of the few things he used. He never referred to them as “mine,” but always called them “ours.” His gifts for prayer and the guidance of souls earned him throughout Sicily a reputation for holiness. Following the example of Saint Francis, Benedict kept seven 40-day fasts throughout the year; he also slept only a few hours each night.
After Benedict’s death, King Philip III of Spain paid for a special tomb for this holy friar. Canonized in 1807, he is honored as a patron saint by African Americans. The liturgical feast of Saint Benedict the African is celebrated on April 4.
Reflection
_________
Among Franciscans, a position of leadership is limited in time. When the time expires, former leaders sometimes have trouble adjusting to their new position. The Church needs men and women ready to put their best energies into leadership—but also men and women who are gracefully willing to go on to other work when their time of leadership is over.
Saint Benedict the African is a Patron Saint of:
African Americans
***
【Build your Faith in Christ Jesus on #dailyscripturereadingsgroup 📚: +256 751 540 524 .. Whatsapp】
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Five Ways to Seek Grace in Your Life
On one occasion the great mystic, Saint Catherine of Siena, was granted a vision into the state of one soul imbued with sanctifying grace. Upon contemplating the beauty of this one soul in God’s grace, she fell to her knees. Enthralled and totally captivated by its beauty, she thought it was God Himself!
Of all of the gifts that we can receive on earth, as pilgrims travelling towards our eternal home, the grace of God is by far the greatest treasure. It is the pearl of infinite price!
Whereas the worldly and sensual pursue money, fame, power, and pleasure as their ultimate source of happiness (which really is a lie and illusion), God’s true friends pursue ardently and constantly to grow in grace. Another rather simple way to understand the life of grace is simply this: friendship with God. God desires ardently to be our Friend; however, He respects our freedom to accept Him.
The life of grace all starts in the moment that we receive the Sacrament of Baptism. The graces that flow from Baptism are extraordinary, almost mind-boggling—how good God really is. Once the water is poured on the head and the words: “I baptize you, In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”, invisible but real miracles occur: an intimate relationship with the Blessed Trinity, the infusion of the theological virtues, moral virtues, and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Still of paramount importance is the reality of Grace that permeates and imbues the soul in the moment of Baptism!
With the waters of Baptism we enter into a deep and intimate friendship with the Triune God and we become partakers of His divine nature—we become sons of God and have as inheritance—if we persevere in grace—heaven forever! For that reason the saints teach us: grace is the seed of eternal life.
Given that grace in our souls is the greatest gift and presence, we should do all in our power to preserve grace, grow in grace, so as to die in the state of grace. Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church and author of the classic Glories of Mary, states that the grace of all graces is to die in the state of grace. This should be our prayer every day for our souls, that of our loved one as well as for the whole world. Indeed Jesus came as universal Savior—to save the whole world through His Paschal mystery—His passion, death and Resurrection from the dead!
Then there are the two worse things in the universe are the following: 1) Committing a mortal sin (this indeed is terrible); 2) Worse still is dying in the state of mortal sin; this, of course results in an eternal separation from God for all eternity! May God save us from the reality of mortal sin. Nonetheless, if we do have the misfortune of falling into mortal sin, we should never give into despair. On the contrary, we should have a limitless confidence in God’s infinite mercy and have recourse to the wonderful Sacrament of God’s mercy that we call Confession! The Psalmist reminds us with these encouraging words: “God is slow to anger and rich in kindness.” Saint Paul reiterates the same theme: “Where sin abounds, the grace of God abounds all the more.”
Ways to Grow in the Grace of God
We should do all in our power to preserve God’s grace in our souls, but also to grow daily in God’s grace. God’s grace and His intimate Friendship in our soul are worth more than the whole created universe. The natural realm in which we live can never be compared to the supernatural realm in which we find the concept and reality of grace. As a fish swims in water, as a bird flies in the sky so should we be swimming and flying in the atmosphere of grace! This should be the most ardent desire of our hearts, mind and souls!
1. Prayer.
Every time we pray with humility of heart, purity of intention and a desire to please God we immediately grow in grace. For that reason we should treasure prayer, our prayer life and the prayer life of others as the highest and greatest of all realities. Parents who teach their children to pray are the best of parents; parents who are slothful and negligent in the education of their children in the arena of prayer will have to give an account on the day of their judgment! Because of the numerous distractions of daily life, how easy it is for parents—who must be the first educators of their children—to be negligent and sloppy in teaching their children to pray! May God have mercy on us!
2. Charity.
The Word of God teaches us this consoling truth: “Love covers a multitude of sins.” If we can find ways and opportunities that God offers us on a daily basis to practice charity and service or even alms-giving towards others then we have another means to augment grace in our souls. In the movie Little Boy, the little boy was given what the priest called the “Magic list” to accomplish so that his father would return home safe and sound from the World War. The magic list is nothing more than less than the corporal works of mercy listed in (Mt. 25:31-46) “ I was hungry and you gave me to eat; thirsty and you gave me to drink; a foreigner and you welcomed me; sick and in prison and you came to visit me; dead and you provided burial…” Beg the Holy Spirit in prayer which of these He is calling you to carry out in practice in your life so as to increase grace in your soul!
3. Penance.
Jesus stated that some devils can be cast out only through prayer and fasting. The Lord also reminds us: “Anyone who wants to be my follower must renounce himself, take up his cross and follow me.” Every time we say “no” to our selfish desires and “yes” to a sacrifice that the Holy Spirit has inspired in our hearts then once again the grace of God rises in our hearts! An added blessing from God when we undertake a life of sacrifice is conquering our bad habits and interior peace of mind, heart and soul! Let us be generous with a God who loves us so much!
4. Sacraments: The Eucharist.
Of course the greatest action in the whole universe is that of receiving the greatest of all Sacraments—The Eucharist! The Holy Eucharist, Holy Communion, is truly and substantially the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Receiving Our Lord with the best of dispositions, in grace, with faith, love, humility and desire for a deeper conversion to His love is an infinite source of grace because this Sacrament is God Himself! For this reason there is no greater action we can do as pilgrims and wayfarers on earth than to receive Jesus with lively faith, frequency and burning love! If you like a simple image, upon receiving Jesus with burning love the gas gauge in your spiritual tank (your soul) shoots up way beyond the full. Beg for the grace to have a daily hunger for the Bread of life so as to constantly skyrocket in grace—to penetrate the high heavens even while on earth! In the Our Father we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread…” Perhaps Jesus is challenging you to aim at daily Mass and daily Holy Communion so as to surmount the highest mountains in the realm of grace.
5. Our Lady: Hail Mary.
On one occasion, the German mystic and saint, Saint Gertrude, saw Jesus in heaven. He was resplendent in glory, but He was doing an intriguing gesture: placing a golden coin on top of a huge mound of other gold coins. The saint was just finishing praying to our Lady the Hail Mary. Jesus responded in this manner. “Gertrude, every time you pray to my mother the Hail Mary with faith and devotion, I am depositing a Golden coin in heaven that will be yours for all eternity.” If we want to be multi-billionaires in heaven let us love Mary and the prayer that Mary loves so much—Hail Mary. In the Hail Mary we greet the Queen of Heaven and earth with these beautiful words: “Hail Mary, Full of Grace.”
Therefore, let us get into the habit of praying the daily Rosary, with the beautiful prayer Hail Mary. If done, Our Lady, through her powerful intercession will be storing up for you infinite treasures and an eternal home in heaven! May we love grace, treasure grace, strive to grow in grace and finally die in grace through the intercession of Mary, the “Full of grace.”
BY: FR. ED BROOM, OMV
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