aeternus

“What honey is sweeter than to know the wisdom of God? others, if they will, may possess riches, drink from a jewelled cup, shine in silks, and try in vain to exhaust their wealth in the most varied pleasures. Our riches are to meditate in the law of the Lord day and night, to knock at the closed door, to receive the `three loaves’ of the Trinity, and, when the Lord goes before us, to walk upon the water of the world.”

St. Jerome — a letter to Paula, written at Rome a.d. 384.

I did not know about our saint today , St. Brocard, and so I thought to find out a little. The good work by the Benedictines over at Christ Desert had this to say about him…

This 12th century saint was of French ancestry and a hermit monk at Mount Carmel, near the Fountain of Elias, in Palestine. The superior of this community, St. Berthold, died about the year 1195 and Brocard or Burchard as he is sometimes known, was elected superior.

At this time in its history, the Carmelite hermit community had no common rule of life. Brocard approached St. Albert, the papal legate and Latin Patriarch of Palestine for assistance. St. Albert was a canon regular and at some time between 1205 and 1210 he composed a brief, 16 chapter rule, which Brocard imposed on the community. The rule obliged the hermits to live alone in their cell, to come together daily for Mass, to recite the Divine Office, to support themselves with the work of their hands and to follow the observance of poverty, perpetual abstinence and silence. They were to be obedient to Brocard as their prior during his lifetime and to his successors.

In the early part of the 13th century, the 4th Lateran Council had passed a resolution that no new orders could be founded. The community at Mount Carmel was flourishing and spreading throughout Palestine. Attempts were made to suppress it on the grounds that it had not received papal approval, but only the approval of the legate of Palestine. Tradition tells us that originally Pope Honorius III had intended to suppress the order, but in a dream or vision was asked by the Blessed Mother to approve their rule instead, which he did about the year 1226.

During this time of struggle, Brocard was a true example of prudence and virtuous living. He took seriously the example of monasticism as lived by Elias and other Old Testament Prophets. Tradition tells us that he was well-versed in Scripture and that St. Albert planned to take him to the next Lateran Council, but Albert was murdered before the Council took place. Brocard died about the year 1231. He was revered for his holy life and is credited with the healing and conversion of a very prominent Moslem Emir, as well as with the stabilization of the new Carmelite community during its founding and subsequent expansion throughout Palestine and beyond.

One might accuse Mother’s of being too “harsh” sometimes.  With all the discipline that falls under our domain as educators of our children in their formative years it is easy to criticize her as the one who “always dampens the fun” or “chills the spirit”.  

Mother’s are no censors of fun mind you, we only admonish in love and to teach but when we say “eat your peas or you can not have desert” it seems we are always the bad guys! Now, I am really hopeful that I will not always appear the “bad guy” and dare I imagine that one day they will thank me for loving them so much!  But as I see it, Mothers (and Father’s) will be held accountable for the “deposit of faith” they try to instill in their charges as they rear them in life to deploy them into the world as good little independent souls ready to make their own way to eternity.  

This, I think, was also the philosophy of Blanche.  Mother of Louis, she was devoted to his upbringing and wished him to become a man of upright moral character.  Apparently she used to say to him quite often during his formative years, ”I love you my dear son, as much as a mother can love her child; but I would rather see you dead at my feet than that you should commit a mortal sin.” Now, could we say Blanche was trying to “spoil the fun” of her son or “dampen his spirit”?!  And before you answer, you may also want to know that Blanche was the Queen of France and Louis became Louis IX a King and even more importantly a SAINT!

I wish Blanche had written a book for us.  And maybe St. Monica too.  Surely they would be helpful to us all.  But I suppose we will just have to mutter through and prayerfully try to do the best we can as mothers.  We must just remember to call upon these good ladies in heaven as often as we need them.  Surely they will help us!

So for St. Louis, Missouri it is not just a feast day but a Solemnity to  our City’s Patron.  I’m not sure the local media will mention it but surely we have reason to celebrate him today.  I was truly thankful today at mass (at a new church for me since I am getting into a new routine with my son going to a new school this year… more on this later) this morning.  When I bowed down before receiving the Eucharist, I noticed an inscription on the floor at the altar.  I had only a glance at it but it said something quite like “this church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and St. Louis, King of France.”  I was happily surprised and thankful for that brief encounter with the Saint’s memory and felt thankful to him for his inspiration.  

For more on St. Louis, I would direct you to a great article at EWTN’s website.  It starts out this way: “In Louis IX of France were united the qualities of a just and upright sovereign, a fearless warrior, and a saint. This crusading king was a living embodiment of the Christianity of the time: he lived for the welfare of his subjects and the glory of God….”

Also, if you have not ever read the letter that St. Louis wrote to one of his own 11 children, please read it here below.  Maybe you would like to print it out for a special “Father” in your life as I am sure it would be an inspirational and perhaps motivational bit of writing for them in their role as spiritual educator.  Its a long letter (a little bit edited) with some “kingly” stuff in it but I am sure you will agree how beautiful and wonderful it is and how he taught much in the same manner his Mother taught him!

“Dear son, since I desire with all my heart that you be  well instructed in all things, it is in my thought to give  you some advice by this writing. For I have heard you  say, several times, that you remember my words better  than those of any one else. 


Therefore, dear son, the first thing I advise is that  you fix your whole heart upon God, and love Him with all your strength, for without this no one can be saved or be of any worth.  

You should, with all your strength, shun everything which you believe to be displeasing to Him. And you ought especially to be resolved not to commit mortal sin, no matter what may happen, and you should permit all your limbs to be hewn off, and suffer every manner of torment, rather than fall knowingly into mortal sin. 


If our Lord send you any adversity, whether illness or other thing, you should receive it in good patience, and  thank Him for it, and be grateful for it, for you ought to believe that He will cause everything to turn out for your good ; and likewise you should think that you have well 
merited it, and more also, should He will it, because you 
have loved Him but little, and served Him but little, and 
have done many things contrary to His will. 


If our Lord send you any prosperity, either health 
of body or other thing, you ought to thank Him humbly 
for it, and you ought to be careful that you are not the 
worse for it, either through pride or anything else, for 
it is a very great sin to fight against our Lord with His 
gifts. 


Dear son, I advise you that you accustom yourself 
to frequent confession, and that you choose always, as 
your confessors, men who are upright and sufficiently 
learned, and who can teach you what you should do and 
what you should avoid. You should so carry yourself 
that your confessors and other friends may dare confidently 
to reprove you and show you your faults. 


Dear son, I advise you that you listen willingly and 
devoutly to the services of Holy Church, and, when you 
are in church, avoid frivolity and trifling, and do not 
look here and there ; but pray to God with lips and heart 
alike, while entertaining sweet thoughts about Him, and 
especially at the mass, when the body and blood of our 
Lord Jesus Christ are consecrated, and for a little time 
before. 


Dear son, have a tender and pitiful heart for the 
poor, and for all those whom you believe to be in misery 
of heart or body, and, according to your ability, comfort 
and aid them with some alms. 


Maintain the good customs of your realm, and put 
down the bad ones. Do not oppress your people and do not burden them with tolls or failles, except under very 
great necessity. 


If you have any unrest of heart, of such a nature 
that it may be told, tell it to your confessor, or to some 
upright man who can keep your secret ; you will be able 
to carry more easily the thought of your heart. 


See to it that those of your household are upright 
and loyal, and remember the Scripture, which says: ” 
Elige viros timentes Deum in quibus sit justicia et qui 
oderint avariciam ; ” that is to say. “Love those who 
serve God and who render strict justice and hate covet- 
ousness ; ” and you will profit, and will govern your kingdom 
well. 


Dear son, see to it that all your associates are upright, 
whether clerics or laymen, and have frequent good 
converse with them ; and flee the society of the bad. And 
listen willingly to the word of God, both in open and in 
secret ; and purchase freely prayers and pardons. 


Love all good, and hate all evil, in whomsoever it 
may be. 


Let no one be so bold as to say, in your presence, 
words which attract and lead to sin, and do not permit 
words of detraction to be spoken of another behind his 
back. 


Suffer it not that any ill be spoken of God or His 
saints in your presence, without taking prompt vengeance. 
But if the offender be a clerk or so great a person that 
you ought not to try him, report the matter to him who is 
entitled to judge it. 


Dear son, give thanks to God often for all the good 
things He has done for you, so that you may be worthy to receive more, in such a manner that if it please the 
Lord that you come to the burden and honor of governing 
the kingdom, you may be worthy to receive the sacred 
unction wherewith the kings of France are consecrated. 


Dear son, if you come to the throne, strive to have 
that which befits a king, that is to say, that in justice and 
rectitude you hold yourself steadfast and loyal toward 
your subjects and your vassals, without turning either to 
the right or to the left, but always straight, whatever may 
happen. And if a poor man have a quarrel with a rich 
man, sustain the poor rather than the rich, until the truth 
is made clear, and when you know the truth, do justice to 
them. 


Love your brothers, and always wish their well- 
being and their good advancement, and also be to them 
in the place of a father, to instruct them in all good. But 
be watchful lest, for the love which you bear to one, you 
turn aside from right doing, and do to the others that 
which is not meet. 


Dear son, I advise you to bestow the benefices of 
Holy Church which you have to give, upon good persons, 
of good and clean life, and that you bestow, them with the 
high counsel of upright men. And I am of the opinion 
that it is preferable to give them to those who hold nothing 
of Holy Church, rather than to others. For, if you 
inquire diligently, you will find enough of those who have 
nothing who will use wisely that entrusted to them.

In conclusion, dear son, I give you all the blessings 
which a good and tender father can give to a son, and I 
pray our Lord Jesus Christ, by His mercy, by the 
prayers and merits of His blessed Mother, the Virgin 
Mary, and of angels and archangels and of all the saints, 
to guard and protect you from doing anything contrary 
to His will, and to give you grace to do it always,so that He may be honored and served by you. And 
this may He do to me as to you, by His great bounty, so 
that after this mortal life we may be able to be together 
with Him in the eternal life, and see Him, love Him, and 
praise Him without end. Amen. And glory, honor, and 
praise be to Him who is one God with the Father and the 
Holy Spirit ; without beginning and without end. 

Amen.”

You can read more of the letter here: From Saint Louis’ Advice to His Son, in Medieval Civilization, trans. and eds. Dana Munro and George Clarke Sellery (New York: The Century Company, 1910), pp. 366 -75.

Photographs are from the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis after yesterday’s mass.

“But the believing soul longs and faints for God; she rests sweetly in the contemplation of Him. She glories in the reproach of the Cross, until the glory of His face shall be revealed. Like the Bride, the dove of Christ, that is covered with silver wings [Ps. 68.13], white with innocence and purity, she reposes in the thought of Thine abundant kindness, Lord Jesus; and above all she longs for that day when in the joyful splendor of Thy saints, gleaming with the radiance of the Beatific Vision, her feathers shall be like gold, resplendent with the joy of Thy countenance.”

– St. Bernard of Clairvaux “On Loving God”

Well, the novena to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is over. I pray that many graces were given to the participants who attended with hearts purposefully devoted and united in prayer to the needs and aspirations of our most Blessed Mother. And, as a friend said to me, “surely many graces also came because everyone endured such great heat!” You see, it seems the temperature reached 107 last night! Praise be to God those beautiful priests, seminarians, decons and altar boys did not melt into the ground wearing all those beautiful vestments!

Today’s saint gave me much to think about so far today. I thought I would pass along my favorite passages from this morning’s Office of Readings:

“There is a spiritual life that we share with the angels of heaven and with the divine spirits, for like them we have been formed in the image and likeness of God. The bread that is necessary for living this life is the grace of the Holy Spirit and the love of God. But grace and love are nothing without faith, since without faith it is impossible to please God. And faith is not conceived unless the word of God is preached. Faith comes through hearing, and what is heart is the word of Christ…

For the word of God is a light to the mind and a fire to the will. In enables man to know God and to love him. And for the interior man who lives by the Spirit of God through grace, it is bread and water, but a bread sweeter than honey and the honeycomb, a water better than wine and milk. For the soul it is a spiritual treasure of merits yielding an abundance of gold and precious stones. Against the hardness of a heart that persists in wrongdoing, it acts as a hammer. Against the word, the flesh and the devil it serves a sword that destroys all sin.”

– From a sermon by Saint Lawrence of Brindisi

I really loved reading from St. Isidore’s Book of Maxims this morning. He gives me hope that although I may not have the most “clever of minds” it is o.k. As long as we try our best, all will be well. Getting to heaven is not about great mental capacity. It is about a mind which knows its weakness but which has a heart devoted in love to its Creator.

Isidore says:

“If a man wants to be always in God’s company, he must pray regularly and read regularly. When we pray we talk to God; when we read, God talks to us.

All spiritual growth comes from reading and reflection. By reading we learn what we did no know; by reflection we retain what we have learned…

Some people have great mental powers but cannot be bothered with reading; what reading could have taught them is devalued by their neglect. Others have a desire to know but are hampered by their slow mental processes; yet application to reading will teach them things which the clever fail to learn through laziness.

The man who is slow to grasp things but who really tried hard is rewarded; equally he who does not cultivate his God-given intellectual ability is condemned for despising his gifts and sinning by sloth.

Leaning unsupported by grace may get into our ears; it never reaches the heart. It makes a great noise outside but serves no inner purpose. But when God’s grace touches our innermost minds to bring understanding, his word which has been received by the ear sinks deep into the heart…”

Photo of the children walking along the shore in South Carolina.

Today the Carmelites celebrate a feast day of an intriguing holy man, Blessed Nuno Alvarez Pereira. I confess that I did not know much about him until yesterday when I did a little searching, but I have found him to be just wonderful and an inspiring. In fact, I believe him to be a great holy man for young fellows because he has been called not only a Blessed by Holy Church, but also the “Last of the Medieval Knights”. — cool news for all young boys (not unlike my young son!)

Richard over at Unity Publishing starts off his short biography of him thus:

“Seven centuries ago Portugal trembled on the abyss of losing her national identity, of ceasing to be an independent nation. In that dread hour God raised up a knight of such great purity and valor who like his contemporary Saint Joan of Arc in France, was the tool that brought order to Portugal and the Master of Aviz to the throne as King John I. His name was Nuno Alvares Pereira and his code of honor based on the legendary Knights of the round table whom he truly believed to be a member. He was in fact the last great medieval knight!”

If this biography is to be further investigated, it seems Blessed Nuno is also related to Fatima. You can read more here.

In this morning’s office of readings in the Carmelite liturgy, and to help us understand Blessed Nuno better, there was a short exhortation by Blessed John Soreth which fits in so well with describing the honor of knighthood as Christians we are united in. (No doubt it reminds us of St. Paul) Blessed John says:

“On your head set the helmet of salvation, and so be sure of
deliverance by our only Savior, who sets his own free from their
sins. The helmet of salvation is hope, which looks forward to
eternal salvation; and it is called the helmet of salvation because,
just as the helmet is the uppermost piece of a soldier’s armor,
worn on the head, so hope is the uppermost of the virtues, always
facing upwards and sighing for the joys of heaven. Of salvation
means that hope obtains what it longs for: salvation; or rather, just
as the shield of faith is faith itself, the helmet of salvation is
salvation—Jesus Christ himself—for salvation is from the Lord,
and we are to hope for salvation from our only Savior. The
remembrance of, or longing for, his lasting salvation is the
headpiece of our minds, which makes us safe against any blows
the evil one can deal us.

But it is better to be armed for attack than for mere
defense. This is why the Rule adds: The sword of the spirit, the
word of God, must abound in your mouths and hearts; let
whatever you do have the Lord’s word for accompaniment. The
pieces of armor we have been considering, the breastplate of
holiness, the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation, will keep
you safe enough from ever giving into the devil or any of his
minions; but there is another weapon which will enable you to
subdue him completely with his whole horde and his works. This
is the sword of the spirit, that spiritual blade, the word of God.
There are four reasons why the word of God is called the sword
of the spirit: first, it is made by the Holy Spirit, for it is not you
who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Second, it slays our spiritual foes as Isaiah says: With the breath
of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Third, it divides spirit from
flesh as we find in the Letter to the Hebrews: The word of God is
living and active, piercing to the division of soul and spirit.
Fourth, it wounds and penetrates our innermost spiritual parts,
which is why it is compared to sharp arrows in the Psalms: A
warrior’s sharp arrows.

The temptations our enemy subjects us to may be cruel,
but far more cruel to him is a text from the word of God. And if
armor and weapons are not defense enough for us and we feel the
need of rations, we need not think we have been left without
supplies; God’s word is our provision. Though an army encamp
against me and temptation lays siege, I will trust in the word of
my God, the sword of the spirit, and it will bring me easy victory.
Then I can wash my hands, knowing that he has prepared a table
before me that I may not live by bread alone, but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of God, and in the strength of that
food I shall run with our father Elijah to the mountain of God by
way of his commandments. That is why the Rule adds: The word
of God must abound in your mouths in preaching, and in your
hearts in meditation. Just as our Order’s patroness the Blessed
Virgin Mary kept all these words in her heart, so must they
abound in your hearts by meditation, and in your mouths by
instruction. It is by your Rule then brothers, and from the Order’s
first institution that you are bidden to preach the word of God like
our father Elijah whose word burned like a torch; after his
example let the word of God abound in your mouths and hearts,
and let all you do, whatever it may be, have the Lord’s word for
accompaniment.”

Blessed Nuno understood this Chivalric ideal and lived his life in devotion to our Lord in this way. May we all do our part to know that through virtue of our baptism we are all also called to live a life of holiness and purity. In this, we courageously serve our Lord too…

Lord God,
you called Blessed Nuno Alvarez Pereira
to put aside his sword and follow Christ
under the Patronage of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Through his prayers may we too deny ourselves,
and devote ourselves to you with all our hearts.
We ask this through Christ, Our Lord.
Amen.

With so many things happening these past weeks in the world, not the least is this Golden Compass debacle and locally here in St. Louis the “womenpriest” shannanagins, it was so VERY awesome to hear from St. Ambrose this morning in the Office of Readings. His imagery of the water and the rock are so very well presented and speak to the firmness of truth and the Eternity of God. Here are his words…

From a letter of St Ambrose:


You win the people over with the grace of your words You have entered upon the office of bishop. Sitting at the helm of the Church, you pilot the ship against the waves. Take firm hold of the rudder of faith so that the severe storms of this world cannot disturb you. The sea is mighty and vast, but do not be afraid, for as Scripture says: he has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters.


The Church of the Lord is built upon the rock of the apostles among so many dangers in the world; it therefore remains unmoved. The Church’s foundation is unshakeable and firm against the assaults of the raging sea. Waves lash at the Church but do not shatter it. Although the elements of this world constantly beat upon the Church with crashing sounds, the Church possesses the safest harbour of salvation for all in distress. Although the Church is tossed about on the sea, it rides easily on rivers, especially those rivers that Scripture speaks of: The rivers have lifted up their voice. These are the rivers flowing from the heart of the man who is given drink by Christ and who receives from the Spirit of God. When these rivers overflow with the grace of the Spirit, they lift up their voice.


There is also a stream which flows down on God’s saints like a torrent. There is also a rushing river giving joy to the heart that is at peace and makes for peace. Whoever has received from the fullness of this river, like John the Evangelist, like Peter and Paul, lifts up his voice. Just as the apostles lifted up their voices and preached the Gospel throughout the world, so those who drink these waters begin to preach the good news of the Lord Jesus.
Drink, then, from Christ, so that your voice may also be heard. Store up in your mind the water that is Christ, the water that praises the Lord. Store up water from many sources, the water that rains down from the clouds of prophecy.


Whoever gathers water from the mountains and leads it to himself or draws it from springs, is himself a source of dew like the clouds. Fill your soul, then, with this water, so that your land may not be dry, but watered by your own springs.


He who reads much and understands much, receives his fill. He who is full, refreshes others. So Scripture says: If the clouds are full, they will pour rain upon the earth.


Therefore, let your words be rivers, clean and limpid, so that in your exhortations you may charm the ears of your people. And by the grace of your words win them over to follow your leadership. Let your sermons be full of understanding. Solomon says: The weapons of the understanding are the lips of the wise; and in another place he says: Let your lips be bound with wisdom. That is, let the meaning of your words shine forth, let understanding blaze out. See that your addresses and expositions do not need to invoke the authority of others, but let your words be their own defence. Let no word escape your lips in vain or be uttered without depth of meaning.

Tomorrow would be the Feastday for St. Rose Phillipine Duchesne but since we will not celebrate it this year, I thought I would take today to remember her a bit. She is our “local” Saint here in St. Louis and we owe here a great deal in helping to make our little city a Catholic one. If you are ever driving through town, you can visit the Saint’s shrine here or just have a look at their website.

ROSE PHILIPPINE DUCHESNE (1769-1852) religious, of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was born August 29, 1769 in Grenoble, France. She was baptized in the Church of St. Louis and received the name of Philip, the apostle, and Rose of Lima, first saint of the new continent. She was educated at the Convent of the Visitation of Ste. Marie d’en Haut, then, drawn to the contemplative life, she became a novice there when she was 18 years old.

At the time of the Revolution in France, the community was dispersed and Philippine returned to her family home, spending her time nursing prisoners and helping others who suffered. After the Concordat of 1801, she tried with some companions to reconstruct the monastery of Ste. Marie but without success.

In 1804, Philippine learned of a new congregation, the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and offered herself and the monastery to the Foundress, Mother Madeleine Sophie Barat. Mother Barat visited Ste. Marie in 1804 and received Philippine and several companions as novices in the Society.

Even as Philippine’s desire deepened for the contemplative life, so too her call to the missions became more urgent - a call she had heard since her youth. In a letter she wrote to Mother Barat, she confided a spiritual experience she had had during a night of adoration before the Eucharist on Holy Thursday: “I spent the entire night in the new World … carrying the Blessed Sacrament to all parts of the land … I had all my sacrifices to offer: a mother, sisters, family, my mountain! When you say to me ‘now I send you’, I will respond quickly ‘I go”‘. She waited, however, another 12 years.

In 1818 Philippine’s dream was realized. She was sent to respond to the bishop of the Louisiana territory, who was looking for a congregation of educators to help him evangelize the Indian and French children of his diocese. At St. Charles, near St. Louis, Missouri, she founded the first house of the Society outside France. It was in a log cabin - and with it came all the austerities of frontier life: extreme cold, hard work, lack of funds. She also had difficulty learning English. Communication at best was slow; news often did not arrive from her beloved France. She struggled to remain closely united with the Society in France.

Philippine and four other Religious of the Sacred Heart forged ahead. In 1820 she opened the first free school west of the Mississippi. By 1828 she had founded six houses. These schools were for the young women of Missouri and Louisiana. She loved and served them well, but always in her heart she yearned to serve the American Indians. When she was 72 and no longer superior, a school for the Potawatomi was opened at Sugar Creek, Kansas. Though many thought Philippine was too sick to go, the Jesuit head of the mission insisted: “She must come; she may not be able to do much work, but she will assure success to the mission by praying for us. Her very presence will draw down all manner of heavenly favors on the work”.

She was with the Potawatomi but a year; however, her pioneer courage did not weaken, and her long hours of contemplation impelled the Indians to name her, Quah-kah-ka-num-ad, “Woman-Who-Prays-Always”. But Philippine’s health could not sustain the regime of village life. In July 1842, she returned to St. Charles, although her heart never lost its desire for the missions: “I feel the same longing for the Rocky Mountain missions and any others like them, that I experienced in France when I first begged to come to America…”.

Philippine died at St. Charles, Missouri, November 18, 1852 at the age of 83.

There are two short quotes that the school uses to remember her which I think wonderful.  I really must try to get a book about her to know more.   She said:

Let us bear our cross and leave it to God to determine the length and the weight.

and

Humility is the virtue that requires the greatest amount of effort.

I love today’s Saint, Margaret of Scotland, a woman who emulates the virtues of charity and familial love. She was a woman of such great influence to her people and who taught her husband by her own great example how to lead a life of holiness. A very honorable woman, and in St. Louis we have one of the greatest parishes in the city dedicated to her. They have a choir which is absolutely wonderful and no one can deny their outstanding quality of musicianship. They are an inspiration to all the mass goers there for sure!

But let me put that aside and focus instead on another “Saint of the day” because today is also the feast of a great mystical Saint, Getrude the Great.

Gertrude’s life was not lead out on the open as a ruler of a country like Margaret. Instead she lead a hidden life of mystical prayer in a Benedictine cloister uniting herself with Jesus through His Sacred Humanity and had a great devotion to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Gertrude was so loved by St. Teresa of Avila that Teresa took this mystic as her devotional and spiritual exemplar. Both women were so entranced in the mystery of our Lord’s most Sacred Heart.

In a prayer Gertrude wrote:

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
fountain of eternal life,
Your Heart is a glowing furnace of Love.
You are my refuge and my sanctuary.

O my adorable and loving Saviour,
consume my heart with the burning fire
with which Yours is aflamed.
Pour down on my soul those graces
which flow from Your love.
Let my heart be united with Yours.
Let my will be conformed to Yours in all things.
May Your Will be the rule of all my desires and actions.

Amen.

In a book entitled: “Spiritual Works of Louis of Blois” by Louis of Blois he writes of Gertrude:

The Lord sensibly imprinted on her heart the glorious stigmata of His five Wounds, and He prepared for Himself in her so pleasing a dwelling, and so sweetly manifested to her His Heart, that if men did not know the power and goodness of the Lord to be boundless, they could hardly believe that He had shown as much familiar friendship to His most holy Mother on the earth as He showed to her.

Gertrude indeed had many mystical dreams and visions one of which I will include here below. It is from the same book by Blois:

St. Gertrude saw the soul of a certain man of a religious order well known to her, as it were sitting at a table, sad, and with a dejected countenance, as not being yet purified nor worthy to enjoy the blissful contemplation of God. On this table were presented all the Masses, the Office of the Church, the prayers, and other pious works that were offered for that soul, and by these the soul was wonderfully strengthened. The Lord also, moved by his own loving-kindness, and the supplication of intercessors, always added something, in virtue of which that soul rejoiced, being greatly strengthened and relieved. In like manner the Blessed Virgin Mary seemed to place something upon it, that the soul might receive more consolation, which had, while it was in the body, worshipped her with especial devotion. Those also of the Saints whom the soul had more particularly venerated on earth, added to the table in proportion as the soul being in the body had deserved by its greater or less labour and devotion. By all which means the soul, becoming more and more soothed from hour to hour, began more and more to lift its eyes to the most sweet light of the Divinity, which to behold in open vision is in truth to have laid aside the sad memory of all sorrows, and to have found the abundance of all good and of all joy.

Chapter XIII. On the Pains of Purgatory.
Spiritual Works of Louis of Blois by Blois, Louis

Now, most importantly for us today is to remember the prayer our Lord gave to Gertrude. I think you will obviously recognize parts of this prayer which were given to her in the early part of the 14th century because they are so similar to those he gave to dear Saint Faustina in the early middle of the 20th century!

“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.”

Our Lord told St. Gertrude the Great that this prayer would release 1,000 souls from Purgatory each time it is said. O.K. like that is 1,000 souls! So, for the love of these souls I am sure you will write this prayer down and say it MANY times today and each day thereafter! (Of course, this is no magical incantation. The prayer, as all prayers, must come from the depths of your heart united to His most Sacred Heart…)

Thanks be to Augustine for looking beyond himself and in humility accepting Gods great mercy. How hard it must have been for Augustine, the intellectual, to finally admit that the truth of Jesus Christ was the TRUTH which lay before him for so long. The truth he did not embrace and the truth he tried to “intelligently” explain away.

Praise the Lord, Augustine did not allow his past to keep him from God. Once he found the truth, he embraced it with pure contrition and love. By the reformation of his mind and his heart he was able to reform his rambunctious lifestyle. Augustine serves as a great example of how our sins, however great, are no match for the INFINITE MERCY of GOD!

This great saint has helped to convert countless souls with his rich and well reasoned theology by uniting his rational and scholarly mind with his heart and soul aflame with love. What a great son of the Church!

I really like the passage from Augustine’s Confessions that we read in today’s Office of Readings. In chapter 10 he speaks of his “mystical conversion” so beautifully. I will add a little snippet here…

“And being thence admonished to return to myself, I entered even into my inward self, Thou being my Guide: and able I was, for Thou wert become my Helper. And I entered and beheld with the eye of my soul (such as it was), above the same eye of my soul, above my mind, the Light Unchangeable. Not this ordinary light, which all flesh may look upon, nor as it were a greater of the same kind, as though the brightness of this should be manifold brighter, and with its greatness take up all space. Not such was this light, but other, yea, far other from these. Nor was it above my soul, as oil is above water, nor yet as heaven above earth: but above to my soul, because It made me; and I below It, because I was made by It. He that knows the Truth, knows what that Light is; and he that knows It, knows eternity.”

Excerpt from the Public Domain version of the Confessions of Saint Augustine at the Christian Classic Ethereal Library.

Image: Sandro Botticelli, Saint Augustine, Ognissanti’s Church, Firenze

Happy feast day to St. Louis, King of France and to all Saint Louisians here in Missouri. We will be heading down to the Cathedral today for the annual “Fete” celebration. It is too bad that they do not have the Medieval Knights demonstrating their battling techniques. The boys LOVED that. I guess we’ll have to find pleasure in strolling through the artisan tents. But, I do not mean to make light of this feast day. What an amazing man we have to remember today. King, Crusader, man of virtue and piety…

It is say “Of St. Louis of France (1214-70) that “without counting his other prayers the holy King knelt down each evening fifty times and each time he stood upright repeated slowly an Ave Maria”.

When we speak of a ‘genuflection’ today we think of going down on one knee but in the present context I think we should understand the act of ‘genuflection’ or ‘prostration’ as going down on both knees, bowing so as to touch the ground with the forehead. [The literature is not clear on this and a single genuflection may have been used ]. The double genuflection is known in the Orthodox church as a great metany (metanœa), referred to in Latin as a veniae (a pardon) and to the Irish monks as the slectain. Those who practised this form of asceticism on a regular basis developed hard callouses on the knees and bumps on the forehead.”

What a beautiful, beautiful act to honor our God! This practice helps us to show our Lord how much we love and adore Him. This prostration is an outward sign of love which speaks also to those who might see us exampling this in front of the Eucharistic presence in the tabernacle or monstrance.

Of course it is of little use to mention Saint Louis unless we hear some of the man’s words. Perhaps one of the most famous lines written is from a letter he wrote to his son. The glimpse it gives us into this earthly king’s heart is inspirational. He says:

“If God send thee adversity, receive it in patience and give thanks to our Saviour and bethink thee that thou hast deserved it, and that He will make it turn to thine advantage. If He send thee prosperity, then thank Him humbly, so that thou becomest not worse from pride or any other cause, when thou oughtest to be better. For we should not fight against God with his own gifts.”

Photograph from and oil painting and shrine at the Basilica of St. Louis, King in St. Louis.

Genuflection quote from:Beads and Prayers: The Rosary in History and Devotion
© John Desmond Miller June 2002

When I hear the litany of saints my ears perk up when we get close to today’s feast saint, Rose of Lima. I don’t know exactly why this happens. I think it first happened by chance when our Holy Father, John Paul II visited South America a few years ago. I was listening to his mass on the radio and it was during a chanted narration of the great Litany of Saints.

As I was listening to the litany I concentrated on attuning my ears for my favorite saints. As the chant continued through the martyrs and doctors of the church as well as holy presbyters the litany encroached on the intercession of the holy women of God. They sang, Saint Agatha - Pray for Us , Saint Agnes - Pray for Us, Saint Cecilia - Pray for Us, Saint Catherine - - Pray for Us, Saint Teresa (of Avila) - Pray for Us. But then it happened, I heard them sing “Santa Rosa de Lima” (ssss - ahh - n - tah rrr - oh - ssah de lee - mah) - pray for us!

This intercession hits me like a ball of lighting. Her name and the musical way they chanted it gets stuck in my head. I then say it over and over and over a million times and I think it will never stop playing inside me !

At first I thought maybe her name was like a bad broken record because it seemed a bit annoying. I mean, she would not leave me. I was kinda laughing at this but after consideration I finally took this recital of her name to be a grace. The first step to understanding this grace was that I decided to discover more about her.

When I learned of her mystical life, of her love of penance as expiation for souls and her deep union with God in contemplative prayer, I was very humbled. I was able to then beg her not to abandon me as I seemed to have her name always circling around in my brain. In this way I was able to overcome the repetative musical sound of her name and focus on prayer. (kinda like meditating on the mysteries as you recite Ave Maria after Ave Maria).

It was pretty funny sometimes before I had mastered this though. When her musical named called over and over in my head it would sometimes end in a fury. The song would build up so much inside of me that I would just have to shout out the litany for all the world to hear. Picture a mother quietly cooking diner at the stove for everyone and then just sing out with gusto “Santa Rosa de Lima - Pray for us”! I think the children got many a kick out of this happening! We would all laugh and then soon they would chime in with me and we would sing together! (maybe I’ll try this at dinner tonight!)

O.K, well now that you all know just how crazy I am, I hope you realize it is a great happiness and joy to live this way. It is a blessing to keep one’s interior close to the Lord and to surround ourselves with His great friends. It is certainly hard to live in the world today. We must live in it and yet not be a part of it. Like Rose of Lima, praying out in her back yard in a little hermitage she built to escape the daily clatter. Let us listen to the words our Lord spoke to her as He helped her to understand the value of trials and sufferings:

“Let all men know that grace comes after tribulation. Let them know that without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. Let them know that the gifts of grace increase as the struggles increase. Let men take care not to stray and be deceived. This is the only true stairway to paradise, and without the cross they can find no road to climb to heaven”.

We must heap trouble upon trouble to attain a deep participation in the divine nature, the glory of the sons of God and perfect happiness of soul”.

St. Maximilian Kolbe:

“He was beaten, tortured, injected with poison, and suffered from tuberculosis. But not even the Nazis soldiers could break his courage.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe was born in January, 1984, and was the second of three sons. He was born into a poor but devout Catholic family in Poland. His father was hanged by Russians for being a fighter for the freedom of Poland. His mother became a Benedictine nun and his brother became a priest.

When Maximilian was twelve he had a vision of Mary. He wrote down: “I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me. Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, and the other red. She asked if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity and the red one that I should become a martyr. I said I would accept them both” This meeting with Mary changed his life.” — Jeff Owens

Today’s saint is such an inspiration to my son. He read Maximilian Kolbe: Saint of Auschwitz by Elaine Murray Stone last year and it made a deep impression on him. He seemed so inspired by the choice given to St. Maximlian by Mary to choose the color crown he wanted to wear for her. I know that he thought about this choice for a very long time. I hope today he will think again on this beautiful and corageous man. Indeed, I am sure all boys would be inspired by such a man!

There is an amazing article on St. Maximilian and his understanding of the Immaculate Conception at the Catholic Culture website. My favorite part being this:

” … he would often ask, “Who are you?” For Our Lady did not say “I was immaculately conceived,” but rather identified herself, her very being (”I am”) with the “Immaculate Conception.” Kolbe says these words of Mary “point up not only the fact that she was conceived without sin, but also the manner in which this privilege belongs to her. It is not something accidental; it is something that belongs to her very nature. For she is Immaculate Conception in person.”

The above words are taken from the Polish Martyr’s last writing, a few hours before his final arrest by the Nazis…”
You can find the entire article here:

St. Maximilian Kolbe and the Immaculate Conception by Dwight P. Campbell at CatholicCulture.org

p.s.  Happy birthday to my young nephew.  May he oneday read and be inspired by St. Maximilian… 

Of Saint Lawrence.

The deacon Lawrence hath done a good work, he who gave light to the blind through the sign of the cross.
V: He dispersed and gave to the poor.
R: His justice remaineth forever.
Oratio: Amen.

Prayer:  Grant to us, we beseech, O omnipotent God, to quench the flames of our vices, thou who didst grant to blessed Lawrence thy martyr the power to overcome the fires of his torments. Through Christ our Lord, thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, O God, world without end.

Amen.

From the Suffrages in the  “Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary” in the Book of Hours. 

ABOVE IMAGE:  Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, lunette mosaic, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Italy, c. 425-26 CE