tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70940582648877612752024-03-16T17:00:33.303-04:00ST. SCHOLASTICA PRIORYSt.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.comBlogger202125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-46320609118493722232024-03-16T17:00:00.000-04:002024-03-16T17:00:00.130-04:005th Sunday of Lent, Year B<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">This week we are presented with a powerful gospel text (John 12:20-33) with the simple and clear imagery of a grain of wheat. "If a grain of wheat falls on the ground and dies, it yields a rich harvest," says Christ. It is a striking and confronting message, and yet Jesus reassures us that a self-sacrificing death will yield an abundance of life. St. Cyril of Alexandria adds that we do not do this in isolation, but as many members of one body. He writes:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujL2tBao4yPiUXJY0c7UEhv-bTA7WfSsD2Xf428wZYLRxJffBDDGyoDK67wWx5dPvhjRZNzOHHIufm6oYs9JJZHr-h6WLRZ7N8KKAC0tYBsh4k2iN4SqYFglbgn3KGegQ1h_nrmEJe7k/s1600/Grain+of+wheat.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujL2tBao4yPiUXJY0c7UEhv-bTA7WfSsD2Xf428wZYLRxJffBDDGyoDK67wWx5dPvhjRZNzOHHIufm6oYs9JJZHr-h6WLRZ7N8KKAC0tYBsh4k2iN4SqYFglbgn3KGegQ1h_nrmEJe7k/s1600/Grain+of+wheat.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujL2tBao4yPiUXJY0c7UEhv-bTA7WfSsD2Xf428wZYLRxJffBDDGyoDK67wWx5dPvhjRZNzOHHIufm6oYs9JJZHr-h6WLRZ7N8KKAC0tYBsh4k2iN4SqYFglbgn3KGegQ1h_nrmEJe7k/s320/Grain+of+wheat.jpg" width="320" /></a><blockquote>Christ became like one of us; he sprang from the holy Virgin like a spike of wheat from the ground. Indeed, he spoke of himself as a grain of wheat when he said: “I tell you truly, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains as it was, a single grain; but if it dies its yield is very great.” And so, like a sheaf of grain, the first fruits, as it were, of the earth, he offered himself to the Father for our sake.<br />
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For we do not think of a spike of wheat in isolation, any more than we do of ourselves. We think of it rather as part of a sheaf, which is a single bundle made up of many spikes. The spikes have to be gathered into a bundle before they can be used, and this is the key to the mystery they represent, the mystery of Christ who, though one, appears in the image of a sheaf to be made up of many, as in fact he is.<br />
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Spiritually, he contains in himself all believers. “As we have been raised up with him,” writes Saint Paul, “so we have also been enthroned with him in heaven.” He is a human being like ourselves, and this has made us one body with him, the body being the bond that unites us. We can say, therefore, that in him we are all one, and indeed he himself says to God, his heavenly Father: “It is my desire that as I and you are one, so they also may be one in us.”</blockquote></div>
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St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-12711354873884060922024-03-09T17:00:00.000-05:002024-03-09T17:00:00.250-05:004th Sunday of Lent, Year BAs the Church approaches Holy Week, we are given Jesus's words to Nicodemus, recorded by St. John (3:14-21): <i>For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. </i>St. John Chrysostom reflects in a homily on this great love of God for humanity, a love that was revealed in the self-sacrifice of Christ on the cross for our redemption. This love should inspire awe and gratitude in us, for it reveals the very nature of who God is: love itself.<br />
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St. John Chrysostom says:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIL8CGRNINn9kD6vfDmtVEwVzpLk60SLKZ84ND7PwaXj886tOjLblBa2W5pbYeBnCj2C2acUc8JxApjPMPKM9uchlYaxo5Cmw1XkX82Xr9GmfJxKnLMSHYAHwXgEaHwkVUlPlSDKrmzt4/s1600/Crucifix%252C+Paolo+Veneziano+%2528ca.+1350%2529.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIL8CGRNINn9kD6vfDmtVEwVzpLk60SLKZ84ND7PwaXj886tOjLblBa2W5pbYeBnCj2C2acUc8JxApjPMPKM9uchlYaxo5Cmw1XkX82Xr9GmfJxKnLMSHYAHwXgEaHwkVUlPlSDKrmzt4/s400/Crucifix%252C+Paolo+Veneziano+%2528ca.+1350%2529.gif" width="323" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crucifix, Paolo Veneziano (ca. 1350)</td></tr>
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Although we praise our common Lord for all kinds of reasons, we praise and glorify him above all for the cross. It fills us with awe to see him dying like one accursed.<br />
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It is this death for people like ourselves that Paul constantly regards as the sign of Christ’s love for us. He passes over everything else that Christ did for our advantage and consolation and dwells incessantly on the cross. “The proof of Gods love for us,” he says, “is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.”<br />
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Then in the following sentence he gives us the highest ground for hope: “If when we were alienated from God, we were reconciled to him by the death of his Son, how much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life!”<br />
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...What wonder, indeed, if Paul rejoices and glories in the cross, when the Lord himself spoke of his passion as his glory. “Father,” he prayed, “the hour has come: glorify your Son.”</blockquote>
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St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-27990691666884823422024-03-02T17:00:00.001-05:002024-03-02T17:00:00.239-05:003rd Sunday of Lent, Year BToday's Gospel, taken from John 2:13-25, tells the dramatic story of Jesus driving the moneychangers from the temple. “God’s temple is holy,” and, says St. Augustine:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrM9B-mz123uoLestMkyPGO0FMufNh4-8YfA4WXpz7OqJDz1D0exfjz12TWHzKTFveabvcxQ6vk_7WZzO5pHlE_8-0ZNpT1l3YRViARX6mgbw_yNEzlr6IkJ_6ma6np98RnSmmThCONA/s1600/Expulsion+of+the+Money+changers+from+the+Temple%252C+Giotto+Scrovegni.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrM9B-mz123uoLestMkyPGO0FMufNh4-8YfA4WXpz7OqJDz1D0exfjz12TWHzKTFveabvcxQ6vk_7WZzO5pHlE_8-0ZNpT1l3YRViARX6mgbw_yNEzlr6IkJ_6ma6np98RnSmmThCONA/w367-h361/Expulsion+of+the+Money+changers+from+the+Temple%252C+Giotto+Scrovegni.jpg" width="367" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption">Expulsion of the Money changers from the Temple, Giotto</td></tr></tbody></table>You are that temple: all you who believe in Christ and whose belief makes you love him. Real belief in Christ means love of Christ: it is not the belief of the demons who believed without loving and therefore despite their belief said: “What do you want with us, Son of God?” No; let our belief be full of love for him we believe in, so that instead of saying: “What do you want with us,” we may rather say: We belong to you, you have redeemed us. </blockquote>
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To pray in God’s temple we must pray in the peace of the Church, in the unity of the body of Christ, which is made up of many believers throughout the world. When we pray in this temple our prayers are heard, because whoever prays in the peace of the Church prays in spirit and in truth.</blockquote>
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The temple of God, this body of Christ, this assembly of believers, has but one voice, and sings the psalms as though it were but one person. If we wish, it is our voice; if we wish, we may listen to the singer with our ears and ourselves sing in our hearts. But if we choose not to do so it will mean that we are like buyers and sellers, preoccupied with our own interests.</blockquote>
St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-20626988549840044342024-02-24T17:00:00.000-05:002024-02-24T17:00:00.133-05:002nd Sunday of Lent (Gospel of the Transfiguration), Year B<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><p>On this Second Sunday of Lent, Jesus takes Peter, James and John up a mountain and is transfigured before their eyes. Here are some words about this event by Pope Francis: </p><blockquote><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6gJqoWUC2iJ5aYbOGY38_g1mxjCW4LCp4svWWGQkVKm5anMqAaqgXSpolfU_VT43y9TeuedhpACJo_1YIWwcoOFxAWHAL_1r0lUbIPBkx2OeyXWDS78Shr4oejM1MDzXRhr7RAjCaQg/s1600/2014-08-transfiguration-fresco-visoki-decani-monastery-serbia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6gJqoWUC2iJ5aYbOGY38_g1mxjCW4LCp4svWWGQkVKm5anMqAaqgXSpolfU_VT43y9TeuedhpACJo_1YIWwcoOFxAWHAL_1r0lUbIPBkx2OeyXWDS78Shr4oejM1MDzXRhr7RAjCaQg/w426-h320/2014-08-transfiguration-fresco-visoki-decani-monastery-serbia.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Transfiguration, Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Decani, Kosovo<strong style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"> </strong></td></tr></tbody></table>Jesus shows the Apostles how he is in Heaven: glorious, luminous, triumphant, victorious. He<span style="text-align: right;"> does this in order to prepare them to withstand the Passion, the scandal of the Cross, because they could not understand that Jesus was to die as a criminal; they could not understand it. They thought that Jesus was a liberator, but as earthly liberators are, those who win in battle, those who are always triumphant. But Jesus’ path is a different one: Jesus triumphs through humiliation, the humiliation of the Cross. But seeing that this would be a scandal for them, Jesus shows them what happens afterwards, what happens after the Cross, what awaits us, all of us: this glory and this Heaven. And this is really beautiful! It is really beautiful because Jesus — and listen carefully to this — always prepares us for trial; in one way or another, but this is the message: he always prepares us. He gives us the strength to go forward in times of trial and to overcome them with his strength. Jesus never forsakes us in the trials of life...</span></blockquote><blockquote>We can glean the second thing from the Word of God: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him” (Mk 9:7). This is the message the Father gives to the Apostles. Jesus’ message is preparing them by showing them his glory; the Father’s message is: “Listen to him”. There is no moment in life that cannot be fully lived by listening to Jesus. In beautiful moments, let us stop and listen to Jesus; in difficult moments, let us stop and listen to Jesus. This is the way. He will tell us what we have to do. Always.</blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><p> </p>
St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-16281413623666365452024-02-17T17:00:00.003-05:002024-02-17T17:00:00.164-05:001st Sunday of Lent, Year BThe Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent is taken from St. Mark, and is on the temptation of Christ in the desert. Here is a talk on it given by Pope Francis in 2015 (and here's a link to the <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2015/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20150222.html" target="_blank">full version</a>):<br />
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This is the meaning of this First Sunday of Lent: to place ourselves decisively on the path of Jesus, the road that leads to life. To look at Jesus. Look at what Jesus has done and go with Him.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Temptations of Christ (12th c. , St. Mark's Basilica, Venice)</td></tr>
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This path of Jesus passes through the desert. The desert is the place where the voice of God and the voice of the tempter can be heard. In the noise, in the confusion, this cannot be done; only superficial voices can be heard. Instead we can go deeper in the desert, where our destiny is truly played out, life or death. And how do we hear the voice of God? We hear it in his Word. For this reason, it is important to know Scripture, because otherwise we do not know how to react to the snares of the Evil One. And here I would like to return to my advice of reading the Gospel every day. Read the Gospel every day! Meditate on it for a little while, for ten minutes. And also to carry it with you in your pocket or your purse.... But always have the Gospel at hand. The Lenten desert helps us to say ‘no’ to worldliness, to the “idols,” it helps us to make courageous choices in accordance with the Gospel and to strengthen solidarity with the brothers.</blockquote>
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St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-35784030415069633042024-02-14T00:00:00.001-05:002024-02-14T00:00:00.125-05:00Ash Wednesday, Year B<div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhVEw7C74BITfUmIJDRAC-T-m_1tWMm1qePhhjMQB4_x_Wy5S9mvzIKjd7qmvnVtL-Cx70k4SpGknEWMoToGyJliH99gM8-1IG1A3DlxjgLu_6k9dIAvwltR01lTYHPTe9XA8-RTq0v8/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhVEw7C74BITfUmIJDRAC-T-m_1tWMm1qePhhjMQB4_x_Wy5S9mvzIKjd7qmvnVtL-Cx70k4SpGknEWMoToGyJliH99gM8-1IG1A3DlxjgLu_6k9dIAvwltR01lTYHPTe9XA8-RTq0v8/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="507" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhVEw7C74BITfUmIJDRAC-T-m_1tWMm1qePhhjMQB4_x_Wy5S9mvzIKjd7qmvnVtL-Cx70k4SpGknEWMoToGyJliH99gM8-1IG1A3DlxjgLu_6k9dIAvwltR01lTYHPTe9XA8-RTq0v8/w388-h288/Avignon-BM-ms.+0138+imposition+of+ashes-cropped.jpg" width="388" /></a><i>Here is a little reflection from Mother Mary Elizabeth:<br /></i>|<br />Today is Ash Wednesday. It is always a very important time for us here and for the entire world. It is the beginning of an annual Lenten retreat that God takes the world on in order to try to recenter our focus and get our priorities more in line with the true reality: God and our eternal life. We get so caught up by things that won’t matter next week, let alone in a year or ten!<br /><br />We also include this passage of Isaiah, is taken from the liturgy of the day:</div></div><blockquote>
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This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:</div>
releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke;<br />
Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke;<br />
Sharing your bread with the hungry,<br />
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;<br />
Clothing the naked when you see them,<br />
and not turning your back on your own,<br />
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,<br />
and your wound shall quickly be healed;<br />
Your vindication shall go before you,<br />
and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.<br />
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer,<br />
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!</blockquote>St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-83833840144375219202024-02-10T17:00:00.003-05:002024-02-10T20:32:20.654-05:006th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year BThe story of Jesus's healing the leper in today's Gospel (Mark 1: 40-45) is a source of great hope for us all. Paschasius Radbertus (785–865), the Benedictine abbot and theologian, encourages us to trust in God's mercy and forgiveness:<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jesus heals the leper (XII-XIII s. mosaic)<br />Cathedral of Monreale, Sicilia</td></tr>
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However great our sinfulness, each one of us can be healed by God every day. We have only to worship him with humility and love, and wherever we are to say with faith: <i>Lord, if you want to you can make me clean. It is by believing from the heart that we are justified, </i>so we must make our petitions with the utmost confidence, and that the slightest doubt of God’s power.</blockquote>
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If we pray with a faith springing from love, God’s will need be in no doubt. He will be ready and able to save us by an all-powerful command. He immediately answered the leper’s request, saying: I do want to. Indeed, no sooner had the leper begun to pray with faith than the Savior’s hand began to cure from his leprosy. </blockquote>
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St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-75335483405489064132024-02-03T17:00:00.001-05:002024-02-03T17:00:00.131-05:005th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1-6ZhM_CL0LVc6xF2ByaFd7qVcixLKxvaKNRpoUBO_4wFJymcvX_WWtebp2BscvWpGeyluUkilpKbygdHBodruVZlSuHo-rPsqt3QCUHGo1nfiZCtLDosOlzhvUwxPsurNp3xd79UEA/s1600/Healing+of+Peter%2527s+mother-in-law.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1-6ZhM_CL0LVc6xF2ByaFd7qVcixLKxvaKNRpoUBO_4wFJymcvX_WWtebp2BscvWpGeyluUkilpKbygdHBodruVZlSuHo-rPsqt3QCUHGo1nfiZCtLDosOlzhvUwxPsurNp3xd79UEA/s1600/Healing+of+Peter%2527s+mother-in-law.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1-6ZhM_CL0LVc6xF2ByaFd7qVcixLKxvaKNRpoUBO_4wFJymcvX_WWtebp2BscvWpGeyluUkilpKbygdHBodruVZlSuHo-rPsqt3QCUHGo1nfiZCtLDosOlzhvUwxPsurNp3xd79UEA/s1600/Healing+of+Peter%2527s+mother-in-law.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1-6ZhM_CL0LVc6xF2ByaFd7qVcixLKxvaKNRpoUBO_4wFJymcvX_WWtebp2BscvWpGeyluUkilpKbygdHBodruVZlSuHo-rPsqt3QCUHGo1nfiZCtLDosOlzhvUwxPsurNp3xd79UEA/s400/Healing+of+Peter%2527s+mother-in-law.jpg" width="400" /></a>This Sunday's gospel (Mark 1: 29-39) recounts Jesus's healing of Peter's mother-in-law, who was sick with a fever. Christ did not enter Peter's house, says St. John Chrysologus,<br />
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to obtain sustenance for himself, but to restore vitality to another. God wants human beings, not human goods. He desires to bestow what is heavenly, not to acquire anything earthly. Christ came to seek not our possessions but us. </blockquote>
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As soon as Jesus crossed the threshold he saw Peter’s mother in law lying ill in bed with a fever. On entering the house he immediately saw what he had come for.... At a glance he saw her desperate plight, and at one stretched out his hands to perform their divine work of healing; nor would he sit down to satisfy his human needs before he had made it possible for the stricken woman to rise up and serve her God. So he took her by the hand, and the fever left her. Here you see how fever loosens its grip on a person whose hand is held by Christ’s; no sickness can stand its ground in the face of the very source of health. Where the Lord of life has entered, that is no room for death.</blockquote>
St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-74981015348312064802024-01-27T17:00:00.000-05:002024-01-27T17:00:00.235-05:004th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year BToday's Gospel (<a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/1?21">Mk 1:21-28</a>) sees Our Lord curing a man with an unclean spirit. The crowd is amazed and wonders who this man is who teaches with such authority. In his <i>Parochial and Plain Sermons, </i>St. John Henry Newman writes about the revelation of Jesus to humankind:<blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Iq-IUIY2T5MJWEbjr7jxkLymjn5EELYR6CiKC-GyffvML-jLVmucelAiIfdrxPfzj463CGtN_qXHcP1MswXFNATOwFkG4hSHh7ASaqS0jP7eLxKNAKJLhryMhcndYXxTWSxSjCdlHWk/s1600/rembrandt-head-of-christ-c1648-56-detail-pma-thumb-310x322-11826+(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Iq-IUIY2T5MJWEbjr7jxkLymjn5EELYR6CiKC-GyffvML-jLVmucelAiIfdrxPfzj463CGtN_qXHcP1MswXFNATOwFkG4hSHh7ASaqS0jP7eLxKNAKJLhryMhcndYXxTWSxSjCdlHWk/w316-h329/rembrandt-head-of-christ-c1648-56-detail-pma-thumb-310x322-11826+(1).jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rembrandt, Head of Christ</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Those who look towards him for teaching, who worship and obey him, will by degrees see “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in his face, and will be changed into the same image from glory to glory.”<br /><br />And thus it happens that people of the lowest class and the humblest education may know fully the ways and works of God; fully, that is, as human beings can know them; far better and more truly than the most sagacious of this world from whom the gospel is hidden.<br /><br />Religion has a store of wonderful secrets which cannot be communicated to others, but which are most pleasant and delightful to know. “Call on me,” says God by the prophet, “and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things of which you have no knowledge.” This is no mere idle boast, but a fact which all who seek God will find to be true, though they cannot perhaps clearly express their meaning.<br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><i><br /></i></div>
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</div></blockquote>St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-13986164780430287532024-01-20T17:00:00.001-05:002024-01-20T17:00:00.125-05:003rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year BToday's Gospel tells of Jesus calling his disciples. In 2014 Pope Francis spoke to a group of priests in the Chapel of Santa Marta who were concelebrating the Mass on their 60th anniversary of Ordination. He told them:<br /> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5e7cw7lhxScNKIju8Zinm9m7_NS919-lki2c52cvap_5EZXLXf6sV5xuUoAR8UyPvs_UX8v4JRSvcs4FGnHqSE4Se_F7rt9sc30cLprOaNA9zMqiBWfyjXbtbVT64OH0Ads7UZNpY_qQ40CIHQ377SoHKskBnRqq12XjClijIJYzdnW6sU0dVns7jX3k" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="843" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5e7cw7lhxScNKIju8Zinm9m7_NS919-lki2c52cvap_5EZXLXf6sV5xuUoAR8UyPvs_UX8v4JRSvcs4FGnHqSE4Se_F7rt9sc30cLprOaNA9zMqiBWfyjXbtbVT64OH0Ads7UZNpY_qQ40CIHQ377SoHKskBnRqq12XjClijIJYzdnW6sU0dVns7jX3k=w288-h293" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption">Calling of the Apostles (1481) Domenico Ghirlandaio</td></tr></tbody></table>God in his love prepares the way, and he prepares our lives for each of us. He does not make us Christians through spontaneous generation. He prepares our path, he prepares our lives over time.... He is the Lord of the preparation, who has always loved us and never abandons us. Perhaps the act of faith to believe this is not easy, it is true. Because our rationalism tells us: why would the Lord, with all the people he has to deal with, think of me? And yet he has prepared the way for me, by our mothers, our grandmothers, our fathers, our grandfathers, and by our great grandparents, everyone: this is what the Lord does. And this is his love: concrete, eternal and also an art.<div><br /> <div></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div></div>St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-29825221317793603022024-01-13T17:00:00.000-05:002024-01-13T17:00:00.127-05:002nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B<div class="MsoNormal"><p align="left">In today’s Gospel (Jn 1:35-42) John the Baptist points Jesus out to his disciples as “the Lamb of God.” They respond by following him. The following reflection on the passage was given by Pope Francis at his Angelus talk. Here's a link to the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/2/#">original talk</a> if you'd like to read the full text.<br /></p><blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/2/#" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cNtL8hjC_FKMTAw6NlyQdeRhlu11UEVYkues1Vxmr-5tnUW6chnbWx-PUNpSIzw7CMvgk_n4Dkmo27ujEsJeObie6sTZKYhaqybigviMfmb1nCsAwM8V9ef0I8SgUG2PFGGxZcRzHG0/w368-h291/Caravaggio+Calling+of+Saints+Peter+and+Andrew.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-left;">The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew by Caravaggio</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Thus it is for us: the One whom we have contemplated in the Mystery of Christmas, we are now called to follow in daily life. Therefore, today’s Gospel passage introduces us perfectly into Ordinary Liturgical Time, a time that helps to invigorate and affirm our journey of faith in ordinary life, in a dynamic that moves between epiphany and <i>sequela</i>, between manifestation and vocation.<p align="left">... Only a personal encounter with Jesus engenders a journey of faith and of discipleship. We will be able to experience many things, to accomplish many things, to establish relationships with many people, but only the appointment with Jesus, at that hour that God knows, can give full meaning to our life and render our plans and our initiatives fruitful.<br /><br />It is not enough to build an image of God based on the words that are heard; one must go in search of the divine Master and go to where he lives. The two disciples ask Jesus, “where are you staying?” (v. 38). This question has a powerful spiritual meaning: it expresses the wish to know where the Lord lives, so as to abide with him. The life of faith consists in the wish to abide in the Lord, and thus in a continuing search for the place where he lives.</p></blockquote><p align="left"></p></div><div class="MsoNormal">
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St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-40069645786885974722024-01-08T00:00:00.000-05:002024-01-08T00:00:00.139-05:00Baptism of the Lord, Year B<div>
Today is the feast of the Baptism of the Lord today, and the last day of the Christmas season. This feast is marked with the Father speaking his love for his own beloved Son at his baptism by St. John the Baptist in the Jordan River. Originally part of the feast of Epiphany, it was only in 1955 that Pope Pius XII instituted a separate liturgical celebration of the Baptism. </div>
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In Rome a new custom was started by St. (Pope) John Paul II for the Pope to baptize babies in the Sistine Chapel on this day. Here's part of a homily that his successor, Pope Benedict, gave to the parents at this ceremony in 2007:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baptism of Christ, British Library<br />
(ms. illumination, England, 13th century)</td></tr>
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These children of yours, whom we will now baptize, are not yet able to collaborate, to manifest their faith. For this reason, your presence, dear fathers and mothers, and yours, dear godfathers and godmothers, acquires a special value and significance. Always watch over your little ones, so that they may learn to know God as they grow up, love him with all their strength and serve him faithfully. May you be their first educators in faith, offering together with your teaching also the examples of a coherent Christian life. Teach them to pray and to feel as living members of the concrete family of God, of the Ecclesial Community. </blockquote>
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... Above all, do not forget that it is your witness, it is your example, that has the greatest effect on the human and spiritual maturation of your children's freedom. Even caught up in the sometimes frenetic daily activities, do not neglect to foster prayer, personally and in the family, which is the secret of Christian perseverance.</blockquote>
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Let us entrust these children and their families to the Virgin Mother of Jesus, Our Savior, presented in today's liturgy as the beloved Son of God: may Mary watch over them and accompany them always, so that they can fully carry out the project of salvation which God has for each one. Amen.</blockquote></div>
St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-79972221026394644072024-01-06T17:00:00.000-05:002024-01-06T17:00:00.239-05:00Feast of the EpiphanyBlessed Feast of the Epiphany! This day’s liturgical celebration (from the Greek <i>epiphania</i>, “manifestation,” of Christ, that is) has many layers: the Adoration of the Magi, the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, and the first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana. The feast is so rich in meaning that it’s difficult to choose from among the wealth of commentaries, let alone edit out sections of the one selected. We hope this commentary by from St. Basil the Great isn’t too long, but we couldn't bear to cut any of it! Perhaps you might read parts of it throughout the coming week:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Journey & Adoration of the Magi<br />
Codex Bruschal, ca 1220</td></tr>
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The star came to rest above the place where the child was. At the sight of it the wise men were filled with great joy and that great joy should fill our hearts as well. It is the same as the joy the shepherds received from the glad tidings brought by the angels. Let us join the wise men in worship and the shepherds in giving glory to God. Let us dance with the angels and sing: To us is born this day a savior who is Christ the Lord. The Lord is God and he has appeared to us, not as God which would have terrified us in our weakness, but as a slave in order to free those living in slavery. Could anyone be so lacking in sensibility and so ungrateful as not to join us in our gladness, exultation, and radiant joy? This feast belongs to the whole universe. It gives heavenly gift to the earth, it sends archangels to Zechariah and to Mary, it assembles a choir of angels to sing, Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.</blockquote>
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Stars cross the sky, wise men journey from pagan lands, earth receives its savior in a cave. Let there be no one without a gift to offer, no one without gratitude as we celebrate the salvation of the world, the birthday of the human race. Now it is no longer, <i>Dust you are and to dust you shall return</i>, but “You are joined to heaven and into heaven you shall be taken up.” It is no longer, In sorrow you shall bring forth children, but, “Blessed is she who has borne Emmanuel and blessed the breast that nursed him.” <i>For a child is born to us, a son is given to us, and dominion is laid upon his shoulder.</i><br />
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Come, join the company of those who merrily welcome the Lord from heaven. Think of shepherds receiving wisdom, of priests prophesying, of women who are glad of heart, us Mary was when told by the angel to rejoice and as Elizabeth was when John leapt in her womb. Anna announced the good news; Simeon took the child in his arms. They worshipped the mighty God in a tiny baby, not despising what they beheld but praising his divine majesty.</blockquote>
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Like light through clear glass the power of the Godhead shone through that human body for those whose inner eye was pure. Among such may we also be numbered, so that beholding his radiance with unveiled face we too may be transformed from glory to glory by the grace and loving kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be honor and power for endless ages. Amen.</blockquote>
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St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-88585406904409374622024-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:002024-01-01T00:00:00.136-05:00January 1, Mary Mother of God<div class="tab-content active" id="poem-top" style="background-color: white;">
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<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">On this Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, to whom our church is dedicated, we remember you in our prayers, and wish you a blessed and grace-filled New Year.</span></h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Jesus and Mary rest, St. Joseph blows on the fire.<br />Detail from the Wildung altarpiece by Konrad von Soest</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">In the Bleak Midwinter</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />In the bleak mid-winter,</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Frosty wind made moan,</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Earth stood hard as iron,</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Water like a stone;</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Snow had fallen, snow on snow,<br />Snow on snow,<br />In the bleak mid-winter<br />Long ago.<br /><br />Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him,<br />Nor earth sustain;<br />Heaven and earth shall flee away<br />When He comes to reign.<br />In the bleak mid-winter<br />A stable-place sufficed<br />The Lord God Almighty,<br />Jesus Christ.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Enough for Him, whom cherubim,</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Worship night and day,</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">A breastful of milk,</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">And a mangerful of hay;</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Enough for Him, whom angels</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Fall down before,</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">The ox and ass and camel</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Which adore.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Angels and archangels</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">May have gathered there,</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Cherubim and seraphim</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Thronged the air;</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">but His mother only,</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">In her maiden bliss,</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Worshipped the beloved<br />With a kiss.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">What can I give Him,</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Poor as I am?</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">If I were a shepherd,<br />I would bring a lamb;<br />If I were a wise man,</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">I would do my part;</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Yet what can I give Him -</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Give him my heart.</span></div>
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St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-9459941244151083382023-12-30T17:00:00.001-05:002023-12-30T20:25:39.947-05:00Feast of the Holy Family<div class="MsoBodyText">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="letter-spacing: 0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; tab-stops: 0in .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in;">The Feast of the Holy Family, which honors Jesus, Mary and Joseph, is relatively recent: it was instituted by Pope Leo XIII in 1893 and it commemorates the Holy Family's life at Nazareth. The holiness of their ordinary lives is held up as a model for all Christian families. In his Wednesday audience of December 29, 2011, Pope-emeritus Benedict spoke of the feast:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; tab-stops: 0in .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in;"></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; tab-stops: 0in .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZDd-Sjnvr9xuUcRF-4BJfkoczcWxZ8LAJoEClBKGBiDidUw7gURgu1dvVH3c_o01_EwjGGxRF89KI1JrUu741fE1AOhxkQkLcZLQJwdHCp0Cn1I6MguFO3jVmLR2HEgN9XXY8uGrCzY/s1600/Holy+Family+2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZDd-Sjnvr9xuUcRF-4BJfkoczcWxZ8LAJoEClBKGBiDidUw7gURgu1dvVH3c_o01_EwjGGxRF89KI1JrUu741fE1AOhxkQkLcZLQJwdHCp0Cn1I6MguFO3jVmLR2HEgN9XXY8uGrCzY/s320/Holy+Family+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nativity, Philippe de Champaigne (1602-1674)</td></tr></tbody></table>The house of Nazareth is a school of prayer where we learn to listen, to meditate, to penetrate the deepest meaning of the manifestation of the Son of God, drawing our example from Mary, Joseph and Jesus.
And in 1964 on the Feast of the Holy Family, Saint (Pope) Paul VI spoke these beautiful words at Nazareth:</div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; tab-stops: 0in .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in;">
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The home of Nazareth is
the school where we begin to understand the life of Jesus — the school of the
Gospel....</blockquote>
</div><div class="MsoBodyText"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span lang="EN-GB" style="letter-spacing: 0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">First, then, a lesson of silence.
May esteem for silence, that admirable and indispensable condition of mind,
revive in us, besieged as we are by so many uplifted voices, the general noise
and uproar, in our seething and over-sensitised modern life. May the silence of
Nazareth teach us recollection, inwardness, the disposition to listen to good
inspirations and the teachings of true masters. May it teach us the need for
and the value of preparation, of study, of meditation, of personal inner life,
of the prayer which God alone sees in secret.</span></blockquote>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="letter-spacing: 0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Next, there is a lesson on family
life. May Nazareth teach us what family life is, its communion of love, its
austere and simple beauty, and its sacred<b> </b>and inviolable character. Let
us learn from Nazareth that the formation received at home is gentle and
irreplaceable. Let us learn the prime importance of the role of the family in
the social order.</span></blockquote>
<i>May the Holy Family grant </i><i>peace and unity to </i><i>all the families of the world!<span id="goog_506772990"></span><span id="goog_506772991"></span></i> </div>
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St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-44666249185089077102023-12-24T17:00:00.001-05:002023-12-30T20:24:39.340-05:00Nativity of the Lord<i>We wish all who read this the peace of which the angels sang.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq7MVUodSUPXAog2xtbRDvxPu39nS-Lk43p4A7MKRtLQvvVlxRc01qHrEiDT6T-IaOXJGfKy8J9T0NbuO9-GnDzI4ysAw8j60IACHLKRE5L5l1pvlNSQ8Dg4ah1mTF3MCl8AIPBZnVt0Q/s1600/caption--Wilton_Diptych,_Virgin_and_Child_with_Angels_(1395).jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq7MVUodSUPXAog2xtbRDvxPu39nS-Lk43p4A7MKRtLQvvVlxRc01qHrEiDT6T-IaOXJGfKy8J9T0NbuO9-GnDzI4ysAw8j60IACHLKRE5L5l1pvlNSQ8Dg4ah1mTF3MCl8AIPBZnVt0Q/s1600/caption--Wilton_Diptych,_Virgin_and_Child_with_Angels_(1395).jpg" width="433" /></a></div>
Dearly beloved, today our Savior is born; let us rejoice. Sadness should have no place on the birthday of life. The fear of death has been swallowed up; life brings us joy with the promise of eternal happiness. And so at the birth of our Lord the angels sing in joy: <i>Glory to God in the highest</i>, and they proclaim <i>peace to his people on earth</i> as they see the heavenly Jerusalem being built from all nations of the world. When the angels on high are so exultant at this marvelous work of God's goodness, what joy should it not bring to the lowly hearts of men?<br />
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<i>From a sermon by St. Leo the Great, pope </i><br />
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<i><br /></i>St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-77963730626164860862023-12-23T17:00:00.000-05:002023-12-23T17:00:00.134-05:004th Sunday of Advent, Year BThe fourth Sunday of Advent leads us directly into the first moment of the Incarnation: the Annunciation (Lk 1:26-38). At this glorious encounter, Mary accepts the plan of God to redeem the human race through a divine child born of her womb. Here, St. Bede the Venerable sheds light on this beautiful Gospel:<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4N9ELQdBhPBC4YkMNLWkyVp-6I9DGlFQ8eZS4ekfnLV-DJKlysuuU8OkPe0AsUIg2z1dQPxtOMdBm7eWqH69fIeKK91jdNbK0LSJYoPX5q8lg3SmQflx_Tdx115n6R7U10laFMDH68pM/s1600/Fra_Angelico_043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1040" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4N9ELQdBhPBC4YkMNLWkyVp-6I9DGlFQ8eZS4ekfnLV-DJKlysuuU8OkPe0AsUIg2z1dQPxtOMdBm7eWqH69fIeKK91jdNbK0LSJYoPX5q8lg3SmQflx_Tdx115n6R7U10laFMDH68pM/s320/Fra_Angelico_043.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annunciation, Fra Angelico (1437-46)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Today’s reading of the gospel calls to mind the beginning of our redemption, for the passage tells us how God sent an angel from heaven to a virgin. He was to proclaim the new birth, the incarnation of God’s Son, who would take away our age-old guilt; through him it would be possible to be made new and numbered among the children of God. And so, if we are to deserve the gifts of the promised salvation, we must listen attentively to the account of its beginning.</blockquote>
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The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. What is said of the house of David applies not only to Joseph but also to Mary. It was a precept of the law that each man should marry a wife from his own tribe and kindred. St Paul also bears testimony to this when he writes to Timothy: Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached in my Gospel. Our Lord is truly descended from David, since his spotless mother took her ancestry from David’s line.</blockquote>
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He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. The house of Jacob here refers to the universal Church which, through its faith in and witness to Christ, shares the heritage of the patriarchs. This may apply either to those who are physical descendants of the patriarchal families, or to those who come from gentile nations and are reborn in Christ by the waters of baptism. In this house Christ shall reign forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. During this present life, Christ rules in the Church. By faith and love he dwells in the hearts of his elect, and guides them by his unceasing care toward their heavenly reward. In the life to come, when their period of exile on earth is ended, he will exercise his kingship by leading the faithful to their heavenly country. There, for ever inspired by the vision of his presence, their one delight will be to praise and glorify him.</blockquote>
St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-77779698948802503732023-12-16T17:00:00.000-05:002023-12-16T17:00:00.134-05:003rd Sunday of Advent, Year BIn this Sunday's Gospel (Jn 1:6-8; 19-28), the spotlight focuses intensely on John the Baptist. He declares that he is not the messiah, but one who testifies to his coming. John Scotus Erigena, in the homily below, describes more fully who the Baptist was, and who he is in relation to the Christ.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLCPiDGH9tW7FZ-SGoQ5H0RX79Y8FJa1TOtE3ta8cZWIHSpk29JGvUC20Ho9m8Cuca-uZoczjVeW4M39ePPNGES3THVKQuCXhAvyLxFGnaHsmwP5Hn0nriNTsGS0seVk0nG3jwUSP8ZA/s1600/Mathis_Gothart_Gr%25C3%25BCnewald_024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLCPiDGH9tW7FZ-SGoQ5H0RX79Y8FJa1TOtE3ta8cZWIHSpk29JGvUC20Ho9m8Cuca-uZoczjVeW4M39ePPNGES3THVKQuCXhAvyLxFGnaHsmwP5Hn0nriNTsGS0seVk0nG3jwUSP8ZA/s320/Mathis_Gothart_Gr%25C3%25BCnewald_024.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">John the Baptist, Mathis Gothart Grunewald (1512-16)</td></tr>
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So then, the Lord’s forerunner was a man, not a god; whereas the Lord whom he preceded was both man and God. The forerunner was a man destined to be divinized by God’s grace, whereas the one he preceded was God by nature, who, through his desire to save and redeem us, lowered himself in order to assume our human nature.</blockquote>
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A man was sent. By whom? By the divine Word, whose forerunner he was. To go before the Lord was his mission. Lifting up his voice, this man called out: The voice of one crying in the wilderness! It was the herald preparing the way for the Lord’s coming. John was his name; John to whom was given the grace to go ahead of the King of kings, to point out to the world the Word made flesh, to baptize him with that baptism in which the Spirit would manifest his divine Sonship, to give witness through his teaching and martyrdom to the eternal light. </blockquote>
St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-59322840940170518792023-12-09T17:00:00.000-05:002023-12-09T17:00:00.239-05:002nd Sunday of Advent, Year BThe Gospel given for the Second Sunday of Advent (Mk 1:1-8) encourages us to make straight the paths of the Lord. Indeed, it is Christ himself who makes us "straight"; we have only to open ourselves to his presence and grace. Origen, in an ancient homily, speaks of this truth:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtF6G7o76r7wtGdDphL-D66dzWGIu5oankrfM9RwWd7bYX2fg3J1mdP02RVecdBcNSkfGnSKLzaH3HGOsHZYLB-XUUy3uSCVjSv3BhurmLMVHkBKlrKu7UKVsFEf0Y2ppv9vXxeenpX0/s1600/Accademia_-_St_John_the_Baptist_by_Titian_Cat314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1078" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtF6G7o76r7wtGdDphL-D66dzWGIu5oankrfM9RwWd7bYX2fg3J1mdP02RVecdBcNSkfGnSKLzaH3HGOsHZYLB-XUUy3uSCVjSv3BhurmLMVHkBKlrKu7UKVsFEf0Y2ppv9vXxeenpX0/s320/Accademia_-_St_John_the_Baptist_by_Titian_Cat314.jpg" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John the Baptist, Tiziano (1542)</td></tr>
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Let as examine the scriptural texts foretelling the coming of Christ. One such prophecy begins with a reference to John the Baptist: The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight. What follows, however, applies directly to our Lord and Saviour, since it is by Jesus rather than by John that every valley has been filled in. [...]</blockquote>
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Now let us turn to that part of the prophecy which also concerns the coming of Christ and see whether this too has been fulfilled. The text continues: Every crooked way shall be straightened. Each one of us was once crooked; if we are no longer so, it is entirely due to the grace of Christ. Through his coming to our souls all our crooked ways have been straightened out. If Christ did not come to your soul, of what use would his historical coming in the flesh be to you? Let us pray that each day we may experience his coming and be able to testify: It is not I who now live, but Christ who lives in me.</blockquote>
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So then, by his coming Jesus my Lord has smoothed out your rough places and changed your disorderly ways into level paths, so that an even, unimpeded road may be constructed within you, clear enough for God the Father to walk along, and Christ the Lord may himself set up his dwelling in your hearts and say: My Father and I will come to them and make our home in them. </blockquote>
<br />St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-89047374245439444992023-12-02T17:00:00.000-05:002023-12-02T17:00:00.145-05:001st Sunday of Advent, Year B"Watch! Stay awake!," declares Christ in the Gospel for this First Sunday of Advent (Mk 13:33-37). We are called to shake off the sloth that drags us down so that we may eagerly await him and desire the things of heaven. Godfrey of Admont explains further how to spend these holy days of the Advent season:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7q2fR-1pwVxivXW4AxHH3JNT-GlO2OROAw00kOs-DvI7WeXhQUSSospEDLXRS4TKP_rTOEpk48MOIn0QKACkAYYpfXwBX0MDETUJCMEw7kLXXKziAgKSGNA8BnpW6HxHsA1rbCOv0vHg/s1600/Saint_Mary_of_the_Presentation_Catholic_Church_%2528Geneva%252C_Indiana%2529_-_stained_glass%252C_Behold_I_Stand_at_the_Door_and_Knock%252C_detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="428" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7q2fR-1pwVxivXW4AxHH3JNT-GlO2OROAw00kOs-DvI7WeXhQUSSospEDLXRS4TKP_rTOEpk48MOIn0QKACkAYYpfXwBX0MDETUJCMEw7kLXXKziAgKSGNA8BnpW6HxHsA1rbCOv0vHg/s320/Saint_Mary_of_the_Presentation_Catholic_Church_%2528Geneva%252C_Indiana%2529_-_stained_glass%252C_Behold_I_Stand_at_the_Door_and_Knock%252C_detail.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Behold I Stand at the Door and Knock,<br /> stained glass detail, Geneva, Indiana</i></td></tr>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Take heed, watch, and pray, the Scripture says. By these words our Lord and Saviour admonished not only his disciples whom he was addressing in the flesh; by these same words he also made clear to us what we must do, and how we should keep watch. The three parts of this saying plainly show how all destined to be saved, who forget what lies behind them and desire to press on toward what lies ahead, can attain the summit of perfection which is their goal. [...]</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Take heed, watch, and pray our text says; meaning, take heed by understanding what is right; watch by doing what is good; and pray by desiring what is eternal. And the following words show clearly why they must be so very heedful, watchful, and prayerful. You do not know, the text says, when the time will be. So since we are ignorant of the time of this great visitation, we must be always watching and praying; that is to say, for the grace of so great a visitation we must prepare the innermost recesses of our hearts by vigilant effort.</blockquote>
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St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-13837337950744999522023-11-25T17:00:00.000-05:002023-11-25T19:42:08.088-05:00Christ the King, Year A<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaci6zQ4ZvllMyr-Jwv0Lv6T1UmSVcsoNXKJgV3Ik_eZiD7IXSUMacxpYxrAEfUitpMf3bOg2RRU3QlKkJ2oBOQWmMNnVXb_IGlL0viOijohnJcxQ9WWI7da4A-QWe5hQpUunW0-pGGt0/s1600/van+der+weyden+last+judgment+%25282%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="283" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaci6zQ4ZvllMyr-Jwv0Lv6T1UmSVcsoNXKJgV3Ik_eZiD7IXSUMacxpYxrAEfUitpMf3bOg2RRU3QlKkJ2oBOQWmMNnVXb_IGlL0viOijohnJcxQ9WWI7da4A-QWe5hQpUunW0-pGGt0/s400/van+der+weyden+last+judgment+%25282%2529.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Last Judgment,<br /> Rogier van der Weyden (1446-52)</td></tr>
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The Solemnity of Christ the King is the final Sunday of Ordinary Time, which closes the liturgical year with a profound and powerful act of worship. As the seasons of the church year mirror the entire drama of salvation, this last week draws our attention to the four last things: death, judgment, heaven and hell. The Gospel from Matthew (25:31-46) reminds us that our eternal destiny begins with this life, and is shaped by our efforts to love God and all whom we encounter. What great joy is in store, and for all eternity! St. Hippolytus describes this in detail:<br />
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As the holy gospel clearly proclaims, the Son of Man will gather together all nations. He will separate people one from another, as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. The sheep he will place at his right hand, the goats at his left. Then he will say to those at his right: Come, my Father’s blessed ones, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Come, you lovers of poor people and strangers. Come, you who fostered my love, for I am love. Come, you who shared peace, for I am peace.</blockquote>
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Come, my Father’s blessed ones, inherit the kingdom prepared for you who did not make an idol of wealth, who gave alms to the poor, help to orphans and widows, drink to the thirsty, and food to the hungry. Come, you who welcomed strangers, clothed the naked, visited the sick, comforted prisoners, and assisted the blind. Come, you who kept the seal of faith unbroken, who were swift to assemble in the churches, who listened to my Scriptures, longed for my words, observed my law day and night, and like good soldiers shared in my suffering because you wanted to please me, your heavenly King. Come, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Look, by kingdom is ready, paradise stands open, my immortality is displayed in all its beauty. Come now, all of you, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.... Enjoy forever the gifts of my heavenly Father, and of the most holy and life-giving Spirit. What tongue can describe those blessings? Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, not human heart conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.</blockquote>
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<br />St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-22917306183510582192023-11-18T17:00:00.001-05:002023-11-18T17:00:00.129-05:0033rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year AThe Parable of the Talents (Mt. 25:14-30) is a story that Christ uses to challenge and encourage us. It is a call to be zealous for God, to be resourceful in our ways of serving him and to avoid fear. As St. Augustine says in a homily: <span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11pt;">“</span>Love makes all, the hardest and most distressing things, altogether easy, and almost nothing.<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11pt;">”</span> Indeed, loving God enables us to use the gifts we have been given to bear much fruit for the Kingdom. Here, St. John Chrysostom reflects on this week's Gospel:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iUkmdsBpaYaWLkqWhOTuUH9TB4pcV-KWkC5yLSvJYX8xpHErRRpzJ3YXha82A7ezIGIuvRjMvROc15jlLw99wmp65gdwOiNUCd4sYpqLRhg3udsZMdQABSlOzctL3Fh4IrNf6kJglNc/s1600/Parable_of_the_Talents._Mironov+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iUkmdsBpaYaWLkqWhOTuUH9TB4pcV-KWkC5yLSvJYX8xpHErRRpzJ3YXha82A7ezIGIuvRjMvROc15jlLw99wmp65gdwOiNUCd4sYpqLRhg3udsZMdQABSlOzctL3Fh4IrNf6kJglNc/s320/Parable_of_the_Talents._Mironov+%25283%2529.jpg" width="266" /></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Parable of the Talents, A. N. Mironov (2013)</i></td></tr>
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In the parable of the talents the Master entrusted money to his servants and then set out on a journey. This was to help us understand how patient he is, though in my view this story also refers to the resurrection. Here it is a question not of a vineyard and vine dressers, but of all workers. The Master is addressing everyone, not only rulers, or the Jews.</blockquote>
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Those bringing him their profit acknowledge frankly what is their own, and what is their Master’s. One says: Sir, you gave me five talents; another says: You gave me two, recognising that they had received from him the means of making a profit. They are extremely grateful, and attribute to him all their success.</blockquote>
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What does the Master say then? Well done, good and faithful servant (for goodness shows itself in concern for one’s neighbour). Because you have proved trustworthy in managing a small amount, I will give you charge of a greater sum: come and share your Master’s joy.</blockquote>
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<br />St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-17883275021625948962023-11-11T17:00:00.000-05:002023-11-11T17:00:00.128-05:0032nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A<div style="text-align: right;">
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"Stay awake," says Christ in this week's Gospel passage from Matthew (25:1-13). In short, our Lord exhorts us to be spiritually alert, vigilant and eager for his coming. While we know he will come again at the end of the ages, we are called to be ready to welcome Jesus who comes lovingly into our lives at every moment. Pope Francis expounds further on this Gospel:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsj0jOGSAgQkDXS2po8EN07MNie1omrjQjv503t7qxb9UfGNYE3YLYOptUHZmyjE_3q8i1IuvoJRBJ2D9yxC2AVLwF2uTic-NTAg5g2woJGed9hvVsCLd6nxXx9CuXeBA9ZFp3Wzh32ro/s1600/tue_devy-france-12c.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsj0jOGSAgQkDXS2po8EN07MNie1omrjQjv503t7qxb9UfGNYE3YLYOptUHZmyjE_3q8i1IuvoJRBJ2D9yxC2AVLwF2uTic-NTAg5g2woJGed9hvVsCLd6nxXx9CuXeBA9ZFp3Wzh32ro/s320/tue_devy-france-12c.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Five Foolish Virgins, France (12th century)</i></td></tr>
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The Bridegroom is the Lord, and the time of waiting for his arrival is the time he gives to us, to all of us, before his Final Coming with mercy and patience; it is a time of watchfulness; a time in which we must keep alight the lamps of faith, hope and charity, a time in which to keep our heart open to goodness, beauty and truth. It is a time to live in accordance with God, because we do not know either the day or the hour of Christ’s return.</blockquote>
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What he asks of us is to be ready for the encounter — ready for an encounter, for a beautiful encounter, the encounter with Jesus, which means being able to see the signs of his presence, keeping our faith alive with prayer, with the sacraments, and taking care not to fall asleep so as to not forget about God. The life of slumbering Christians is a sad life, it is not a happy life. Christians must be happy, with the joy of Jesus. Let us not fall asleep!</blockquote>
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St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-40408647148733478342023-11-04T17:00:00.001-04:002023-11-04T17:00:00.128-04:0031st Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A<div>
A beautiful but demanding Gospel is presented to us this Sunday in Matthew (23:1-12). Jesus strongly rebukes the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, pride and egoism; likewise, we are challenged by our Lord to look at our own duplicity of heart. In short, Jesus asks: are we seeking ourselves, our reputation, prestige or honor, or God and his glory? In a homily by Paschasius Radbertus written in the 9th century, the importance of humility is stressed, in imitation of Christ himself:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbsH-rnUDobaQV61Pvzz-2efyKEdppXmpsvuelHZoW3w89Ufe-kHL79A8MW_WRk_Y-eNqU6oTIXDjggvrPgVOheRUDkxbvCZ-6UpDPuQAhqvRvn0qDE3pRW26vih2TZ7N46zUSzZBzSQ/s1600/Washing+of+Feet+%2528ca.+1305%2529+Giotto+%25282%2529.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbsH-rnUDobaQV61Pvzz-2efyKEdppXmpsvuelHZoW3w89Ufe-kHL79A8MW_WRk_Y-eNqU6oTIXDjggvrPgVOheRUDkxbvCZ-6UpDPuQAhqvRvn0qDE3pRW26vih2TZ7N46zUSzZBzSQ/s400/Washing+of+Feet+%2528ca.+1305%2529+Giotto+%25282%2529.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Washing of Feet (ca. 1305), Giotto</td></tr>
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Christ is called master, or teacher, by right of nature rather than by courtesy, for all things subsist through him. Through his incarnation and life upon earth we are taught the way to eternal life. Our reconciliation with God is dependant on the fact of his being greater than we are. Yet, having told his disciples not to allow themselves to be called master, or to love seats of honour and things of that kind, he himself set an example and was a model of humility. It is as though he said: Even as I do not seek my own glory (though there is One who seeks it), so neither must you love to be honoured above others, or to be called master. Look at me: The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life for many....<br />
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Those who delight in serving and caring for others are the ones who humble themselves so as to be exalted by God. Note th<span style="background-color: white;">at it is not those whom the Lord exalts who will be humbled, but those who exalt themselves, and similarly it is those who of their own accord humble themselves who will be exalted by the Lord.</span></blockquote>
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St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094058264887761275.post-70896627188364848742023-10-28T17:00:00.000-04:002023-10-28T17:00:00.131-04:0030th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year AJesus reminds in today's Gospel that love is at the heart of Christian life. "The whole law and the prophets depend on the twofold commandment" (Mt. 22:40) to love God and neighbor. All things are measured by love: “love and do what you will ... let the root of love be in you,” says St. Augustine. He emphasizes the importance of this greatest commandment in his homily:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Eb99RP2ZRH6pjHkBu_-ITPsjMz6xCcytG1QUtBpeolg_dzWW6dV16jQbJeeXPDWQWXd5ZnQlxCxPWJcKtSuGabBx_1d9uA4v_hlQk8oy1jj15OGqNBYECBMiD53usl1aoYcbroUrBGI/s1600/Mother+Teresa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Eb99RP2ZRH6pjHkBu_-ITPsjMz6xCcytG1QUtBpeolg_dzWW6dV16jQbJeeXPDWQWXd5ZnQlxCxPWJcKtSuGabBx_1d9uA4v_hlQk8oy1jj15OGqNBYECBMiD53usl1aoYcbroUrBGI/s400/Mother+Teresa.jpg" width="400" /></a>What else is there to speak of apart from love? To speak about love there is no need to select some special passage of Scripture to serve as a text for the homily; open the Bible at any page and you will find it extolling love. We know this is so from the Lord himself, as the gospel reminds us, for when asked what were the most important commandments of the law he answered: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself....</blockquote>
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People are renewed by love. As sinful desire ages them, so love rejuvenates them. Enmeshed in the toils of his desires the psalmist laments: I have grown old surrounded by my enemies. Love, on the other hand, is the sign of our renewal as we know from the Lord’s own words: I gave you a new commandment – love one another.</blockquote>
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St.Scholastica Prioryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272975144051023530noreply@blogger.com0