Veil, Deuteronomy 4:1-9, Psalms 147:12-20, Matthew 5:17-19, Saint Colette, Ghent Belgium, Colette Poor Clares, Catholic Catechism Part One Section 2 The Creeds Chapter 3:9:1 The Church in God's Plan
Good Day Bloggers! Wishing everyone a Blessed Week!
Year of Faith - October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013
P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens). It has a remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience and tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. Its your choice whether to rise towards eternal light or lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to Purgatory and/or Heaven is our Soul, our Spirit...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
Heed the Solemnity of Lent! This Lent instead of "Giving Up" something, why not "Give" by volunteering time to a worthy cause, or extending a simple act of kindness! This blog is an act of giving, simply "opening a door" to all to learn about God, the history and cultures of humanity, the geography of our biosphere, the catechism of the Catholic Church and more; its you choice of "free will" to walk through this blog with an open mind, to learn, to evaluate, to contemplate,. Start by familiarizing yourself with the Beatitudes, they are universal to all mankind, of which one is the gift of knowledge, utilize.
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’(Matthew 25:34-40)
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Prayers for Today: Wednesday in Lent
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Prayer For the Holy Election of Our New Pope
May the Lord preserve the sanctity of the enclave as they embark on electing our new Holy Father, give him life, and make him blessed upon earth, and deliver him not to the will of his enemies.
LET US PRAY:
O God, the Shepherd and Ruler of all the faithful, in Thy mercy look down upon Thy servant, (Our New Pope), whom Thou will appoint to preside over Thy Church, and grant we beseech Thee that both by word and example he may edify those who are under his charge; so that, with the flock entrusted to him, he may attain life everlasting. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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March 2, 2013 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
“Dear children; Anew, in a motherly way, I am calling you not to be of a hard heart. Do not shut your eyes to the warnings which the Heavenly Father sends to you out of love. Do you love Him above all else? Do you repent for having often forgotten that the Heavenly Father, out of His great love, sent His Son to redeem us by the Cross? Do you repent for not having accepted the message? My children, do not resist the love of my Son. Do not resist hope and peace. Along with your prayers and fasting, by His Cross, my Son will cast away the darkness that wants to surround you and come to rule over you. He will give you the strength for a new life. Living it according to my Son, you will be a blessing and a hope to all those sinners who wander in the darkness of sin. My children, keep vigil. I, as a mother, am keeping vigil with you. I am especially praying and watching over those whom my Son called to be light-bearers and carriers of hope for you – for your shepherds. Thank you.”
February 25, 2013 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
“Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. Sin is pulling you towards worldly things and I have come to lead you towards holiness and the things of God, but you are struggling and spending your energies in the battle with the good and the evil that are in you. Therefore, little children, pray, pray, pray until prayer becomes a joy for you and your life will become a simple walk towards God. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
“Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. Sin is pulling you towards worldly things and I have come to lead you towards holiness and the things of God, but you are struggling and spending your energies in the battle with the good and the evil that are in you. Therefore, little children, pray, pray, pray until prayer becomes a joy for you and your life will become a simple walk towards God. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
February 2, 2013 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
"Dear children, love is bringing me to you - the love which I desire to
teach you also - real love; the love which my Son showed you when He
died on the Cross out of love for you; the love which is always ready to
forgive and to ask for forgiveness. How great is your love? My motherly
heart is sorrowful as it searches for love in
your hearts. You are not ready to submit your will to God's will out of
love. You cannot help me to have those who have not come to know God's
love to come to know it, because you do not have real love. Consecrate
your hearts to me and I will lead you. I will teach you to forgive, to
love your enemies and to live according to my Son. Do not be afraid for
yourselves. In afflictions my Son does not forget those who love. I will
be beside you. I will implore the Heavenly Father for the light of
eternal truth and love to illuminate you. Pray for your shepherds so
that through your fasting and prayer they can lead you in love. Thank
you."
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Today's Word: veil veil [veyl]
Origin: 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English veile < Anglo-French < Latin vēla, neuter plural (taken in VL as feminine singular) of vēlum covering; (v.) Middle English veilen < Anglo-French veiler, derivative of veile
noun
1. a piece of opaque or transparent material worn over the face for concealment, for protection from the elements, or to enhance the appearance.
2. a piece of material worn so as to fall over the head and shoulders on each side of the face, forming a part of the headdress of a nun.
3. the life of a nun, especially a cloistered life.
4. something that covers, separates, screens, or conceals: a veil of smoke; the veil of death.
5. a mask, disguise, or pretense: to find fault under a veil of humor.
6. Botany, Anatomy, Zoology . a velum.
7. Mycology . a membrane that covers the immature mushroom of many fungi and breaks apart as the mushroom expands, leaving distinctive remnants on the cap, stalk, or stalk base.
8. Scot. and North England . a caul.
Idioms
9. take the veil, to become a nun.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 147:12-20
12 Praise Yahweh, Jerusalem, Zion, praise your God.
13 For he gives strength to the bars of your gates, he blesses your children within you,
15 He sends his word to the earth, his command runs quickly,
16 he spreads the snow like flax, strews hoarfrost like ashes,
19 He reveals his word to Jacob, his statutes and judgements to Israel.
20 For no other nation has he done this, no other has known his judgements.
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Today's Epistle - Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9
1 'And now, Israel, listen to the laws and customs which I am teaching you today, so that, by observing them, you may survive to enter and take possession of the country which Yahweh, God of your ancestors, is giving you.
5 Look: as Yahweh my God commanded me, I have taught you laws and customs, for you to observe in the country of which you are going to take possession.
6 Keep them, put them into practice, and other peoples will admire your wisdom and prudence. Once they know what all these laws are, they will exclaim, "No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation!"
7 And indeed, what great nation has its gods as near as Yahweh our God is to us whenever we call to him?
8 And what great nation has laws and customs as upright as the entirety of this Law which I am laying down for you today?
9 'But take care, as you value your
lives! Do not forget the things which you yourselves have seen, or let
them slip from your heart as long as you live; teach them, rather, to
your children and to your children's children.
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Today's Gospel Reading - Matthew 5: 17-1
'Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. In truth I tell you, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, is to disappear from the Law until all its purpose is achieved. Therefore, anyone who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but the person who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of Heaven.
Reflection
• Today’s Gospel (Mt 5, 17-19) teaches
how to observe the law of God in such a way that its practice indicates
in what its complete fulfilment consists (Mt 5, 17-19). Matthew writes
in order to help the communities of the converted Jews to overcome the
criticism of the brothers of their own race who accused them saying: You
are unfaithful to the Law of Moses”. Jesus himself had been accused of
infidelity to the Law of God. Matthew has the clarifying response of
Jesus concerning his accusers. Thus, he gives some light to help the
communities solve their problems.
• Using images of daily life, with simple and direct words, Jesus had said that the mission of the community, its reason for being, is that of being salt and light! He had given some advice regarding each one of the two images. Then follow two or three brief verses of today’s Gospel.
• Matthew 5, 17-18: Not one dot, nor one stroke is to disappear from the Law. There were several different tendencies in the communities of the first Christians. Some thought that it was not necessary to observe the laws of the Old Testament, because we are saved by faith in Jesus and not by the observance of the Law (Rm 3, 21-26). Others accepted Jesus, the Messiah, but they did not accept the liberty of spirit with which some of the communities lived the presence of Jesus. They thought that being Jews they had to continue to observe the laws of the Old Testament (Acts 15, 1.5). But there were Christians who lived so fully in the freedom of the Spirit, who no longer looked at the life of Jesus of Nazareth, nor to the Old Testament and they even went so far as to say: ”Anathema Jesus!” (1 Co 12, 3). Observing these tensions, Matthew tries to find some balance between both extremes. The community should be a space, where the balance can be attained and lived. The answer given by Jesus to those who criticized him continued to be actual for the communities: “I have not come to abolish the law, but to complete it!” The communities could not be against the Law, nor could they close up themselves in the observance of the law. Like Jesus, they should advance, and show, in practice, which was the objective which the law wanted to attain in the life of persons, that is, in the perfect practice of love.
• Matthew 5, 17-18: Not one dot or stroke will disappear from the Law. It is for those who wanted to get rid of all the law that Matthew recalls the other parable of Jesus: “Anyone who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but the person who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the Kingdom of Heaven”. The great concern in Matthew’s Gospel is to show that the Old Testament, Jesus of Nazareth and the life in the Spirit cannot be separated. The three of them form part of the same and unique project of God and communicate to us the certainty of faith: The God of Abraham and of Sarah is present in the midst of the community by faith in Jesus of Nazareth who sends us his Spirit.
Personal questions
• How do I see and live the law of God: as a growing horizon of light or as an imposition which limits my freedom?
• What can we do today for our brothers and sisters who consider all this type of discussion as obsolete and not actual? What can we learn from them?
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
• What can we do today for our brothers and sisters who consider all this type of discussion as obsolete and not actual? What can we learn from them?
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: Saint Colette
Feast Day: March 6
Patron Saint: Women seeking to conceive, expectant mothers and sick children
Attributes: none
Saint Colette (13 January 1381 – 6 March 1447), born Nicole Boellet (or Boylet), was a French abbess and the foundress of the Colettine Poor Clares, a reform branch of the Order of Saint Clare, better known as the Poor Clares. Due to a number of miraculous events claimed during her life, she is venerated as the patron saint of women seeking to conceive, expectant mothers and sick children.
Life
Early life
Nicolette was born in Corbie in the Picardy region of France, in January 1381, to Robert Boellet, a poor carpenter at the noted Benedictine Abbey of Corbie, and to his wife, Marguerite Moyon. Her contemporary biographers say that her parents had grown old without having children, before praying to Saint Nicholas for help in having a child. Their prayers were answered when, at the age of 60, Marguerite gave birth to a daughter. Out of gratitude, they named the baby after the saint to whom they credited the miracle of her birth.[1]After her parents died in 1399, Nicole--henceforth known as Colette--joined the Beguines but found their manner of life unchallenging. She received the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis in 1402,[2] and became a hermit under the direction of the Abbot of Corbie, living near the abbey church. After four years of following this ascetic way of life (1402–1406), through several dreams and visions she came to believe that she was being called to reform the Franciscan Second Order, and to return it to its original Franciscan ideals of absolute poverty and austerity.
Foundress of Colette Poor Clares
In October 1406, she turned to the Antipope Benedict XIII of Avignon who was recognized in France as the rightful pope. Benedict received her in Nice, in southern France, and allowed her to transfer to the Order of Poor Clares. Additionally, he empowered her through several papal bulls, issued between 1406 and 1412, to found new monasteries and to complete the reform of the Order.[3]With the approval of the Countess of Geneva and the aid of the Franciscan itinerant preacher, Henry of Beaume (her confessor and spiritual director), Colette began her work at Beaune, in the diocese of Geneva. She remained there only a short time. In 1410, she opened her first monastery at Besançon, in an almost-abandoned house of Urbanist Poor Clares. From there, her reform spread to Auxonne (1412), to Poligny (1415), to Ghent (1412), to Heidelberg (1444), to Amiens, to Pont-à-Mousson in Lorraine and to other communities of Poor Clares. During her lifetime 18 monasteries of her reform were founded. For the monasteries which followed her reform, she prescribed extreme poverty, going barefoot, and the observance of perpetual fasting and abstinence.
During the Council of Constance she wrote to disavow Benedict, and during the Council of Basel she wrote to ask the bishops to withdraw.
In addition to the strict rules of the Poor Clares, the Colettines follow their special Constitutions, sanctioned in 1434 by the then-Minister General of the friars, William of Casale, and approved in 1448 by Pope Nicholas V, again in 1458 by Pope Pius II, and in 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV.
Colettine friars
Together with friar Henry of Beaume, Colette also inaugurated a reform among the Franciscan friars (who were known as the Coletans), not to be confounded with the Observants. These friars formed a unique branch of the Order of Friars Minor under Henry's authority, but remained obedient to the authority of the Minister Provincial of the Observant Franciscan friaries in France, and never attained much importance, even there.In 1448 they had only thirteen friaries, all attached to monasteries of the Colettine nuns. Together with other small branches of the Order of Friars Minor, they were merged into the wider Observant branch in 1517 by Pope Leo X.
Legacy
Colette died at Ghent in March 1447. She was beatified 23 January 1740, by Pope Clement XII (just a few weeks before his death) and was canonized 24 May 1807 by Pope Pius VII. Currently (2011) outside of France, the Colettine nuns are found in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Norway, the Philippines, Spain and throughout the United Kingdom and the United States.[4]Miracles
Conception
According to tradition, Colette's parents had grown old without being able to have children. In desperation, her mother-to-be prayed to Saint Nicholas, a patron saint of children, to intercede for her that she might be able to bear a child. Despite her advanced age (she was sixty, according to some accounts), she did indeed conceive, and a daughter was born to them. The child was baptized Nicolette in honor of the saint whom the parents credited with the miracle of her birth.Healing a mother in childbirth
While traveling to Nice to meet the Pope, Colette stayed at the home of a friend. His wife was in labor at that time with their third child, and was having major difficulties in the childbirth, leaving her in danger of death. Colette immediately went to the local church to pray for her. The mother gave birth successfully, and survived the ordeal. She credited Colette's prayers for this. The child born, a girl named Pierinne, later entered a monastery founded by Colette. She would become Colette's secretary and biographer.Saving a sick child
After the Pope had authorized Colette to establish a regimen of strict poverty in the Poor Clare monasteries of France, she started with that of Besançon. The local populace was suspicious of her reform, with its total reliance on them for the sustenance of the monastery. One incident helped turn this around. According to legend, a local peasant woman gave birth to a stillborn child. In desperation, out of fear for the child's soul, the father took the baby to the local parish priest for baptism. Seeing that the child was already dead, the priest refused to baptize the body. When the man became insistent, out of frustration, the priest told him to go to the nuns, which he did immediately. When he arrived at the monastery, Mother Colette was made aware of his situation by the portress. Her response was to take off the veil given to her by the Pope, when he gave her the habit of the Second Order, and told the portress to have the father wrap the child's body in it and for him to return to the priest. By the time he arrived at the parish church with his small bundle, the child was conscious and crying. The priest immediately baptized the baby.[5]References
- ^ Ty Mam Duw Monastery "St Colette's life"
- ^ Farmer, David (ed.) Oxford Dictionary of Saints, Oxford University Press (1997), p. 108
- ^ Farmer, David (ed.) Oxford Dictionary of Saints, p. 108
- ^ Status as of 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia: Saint Colette
- ^ Ty Mam Duw Monastery "St Colette and the babies!"
- Colette of Corbie (1381 - 1447): Learning and Holiness, Franciscan Institute Publications, 2010. ISBN 978-1-57659-217-5
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Today's Snippet I: Ghent, Belgium
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| Ghent in 1775 |
The municipality comprises the city of Ghent proper and the surrounding towns of Afsnee, Desteldonk, Drongen, Gentbrugge, Ledeberg, Mariakerke, Mendonk, Oostakker, Sint-Amandsberg, Sint-Denijs-Westrem, Sint-Kruis-Winkel, Wondelgem and Zwijnaarde. With 240,191 inhabitants in the beginning of 2009,[2] Ghent is Belgium's second largest municipality by number of inhabitants. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 1,205 km2 (465 sq mi) and has a total population of 594,582 as of 1 January 2008, which ranks it as the fourth most populous in Belgium.[3][4] The current mayor of Ghent, Daniël Termont, leads a coalition of the sp.a, Groen and Open VLD.
Every year the ten-day-long "Ghent Festival" (Gentse Feesten in Dutch) is held. About two million visitors attend every year.
History
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| Justitiepaleis, Ghent, ca. 1895 |
Most historians believe that the older name for Ghent, 'Ganda', is derived from the Celtic word 'ganda' which means confluence.[5] There are no written records of the Roman period but archaeological research confirms that the region of Ghent was further inhabited.
When the Franks invaded the Roman territories (from the end of the 4th century and well into the 5th century) they brought their language with them and Celtic and Latin were replaced by Old Dutch.
Around 650, Saint Amand founded two abbeys in Ghent: the Saint Peter Abbey (nl) (Blandinium) and the Saint Bavo Abbey (nl). The city grew from several nuclei, the abbeys and a commercial centre. Around 800, Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne, appointed Einhard, the biographer of Charlemagne, as abbot of both abbeys. In 851 and 879, the city was however attacked and plundered twice by the Vikings.
The city recovered and flourished from the 11th century on. Until the 13th century, Ghent was the biggest city in Europe after Paris; it was bigger than Cologne, or Moscow. Within the city walls lived up to 65,000 people. Today, the belfry and the towers of the Saint Bavo Cathedral and Saint Nicholas' Church are just a few examples of the skyline of the period.
The rivers flowed in an area where a lot of land was periodically inundated. These richly grassed 'meersen' ("water-meadows": a word related to the English 'marsh' were ideally suited for herding sheep, the wool of which was used for making cloth. In fact, Ghent was, during the Middle Ages, the most important city for cloth.
The wool industry, originally established at Bruges, created the first European industrialized zone in Ghent in the High Middle Ages. The mercantile zone was so highly developed that wool had to be imported from Scotland and England. This was one of the reasons for Flanders' good relationship with Scotland and England. Ghent was the birthplace of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. The trade with England (but not Scotland) suffered significantly during the Hundred Years' War.
The city recovered in the 14th century, while Flanders was united with neighbouring provinces under the Dukes of Burgundy. High taxes led to a rebellion and eventually the Battle of Gavere in 1453, in which Ghent suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of Philip the Good. Around this time the center of political and social importance in the Low Countries started to shift from Flanders (Bruges–Ghent) to Brabant (Antwerp–Brussels), although Ghent would continue to play an important role.
In 1500, Juana of Castile gave birth to Charles V, who became Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. Although native to Ghent, he punished the city after the 1539 Revolt of Ghent and obliged the city's nobles to walk in front of the emperor barefoot with a noose (Dutch: strop) around the neck; since this incident, the people of Ghent have been called "Stroppendragers" (noose bearers). The Saint Bavo Abbey (nl) was abolished, torn down, and replaced with a fortress for Spanish troops. Only a small portion of the abbey was spared demolition.
The late 16th and the 17th century brought devastation because of the Eighty Years' War. The war ended the role of Ghent as a center of international importance. In 1745, the city was captured by French forces during the War of the Austrian Succession before being returned to Austria following the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.
In the 18th and 19th century the textile industry flourished again in Ghent. In 1800 Lieven Bauwens, having smuggled the plans out of England, introduced the first mechanical weaving machine on the European continent.
Ghent was also the site of the signing of the Treaty of Ghent which formally ended the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States. After the Battle of Waterloo, Ghent became a part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands for 15 years. In this period, Ghent established its own university (1817) and a new connection to the sea (1824–27).
After the Belgian Revolution, with the loss of port access to the sea for more than a decade, the local economy collapsed and the first Belgian trade-union originated in Ghent. In 1913 there was a World exhibition in Ghent. As a preparation for these festivities, the Sint-Pieters railway station was completed in 1912. Ghent was occupied by the Germans in both World Wars but escaped severe destruction and was liberated by the British 7th Desert Rats Armoured Division on 6 September 1944.
Architecture
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| Historical centre of Ghent |
In the nineteenth century Ghent's most famous architect, Louis Roelandt, built the university hall Aula, the opera house and the main courthouse. Highlights of modern architecture are the university buildings (the Boekentoren or Book Tower) by Henry Van de Velde. There are also a few theatres from diverse periods.
The beguinages, as well as the belfry and adjacent cloth hall, were recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites in 1998 and 1999.
In Ghent and other regions of East-Flanders,
bakeries sell a donut-shaped bun called a "mastel" (plural
"mastellen"), which is basically a bagel. "Mastellen" are also called "Saint Hubert
bread", because on the Saint's feast day, which is 3 November, the
bakers bring their batches to the early Mass to be blessed.
Traditionally, it is thought that blessed mastellen immunize against rabies.
Other local delicacies are the praline chocolates from local producers such as Leonidas and Daskalidès, the cuberdons or 'neuzekes' ('noses'), cone-shaped purple jelly-filled candies, 'babeluten' ('babblers'), hard butterscotch-like candy, and of course, on the more fiery side, the famous 'Tierenteyn', a hot but refined mustard that has some affinity to French 'Dijon' mustard.
'Stoverij' is a classic Flemish meat stew, preferably made with a generous adittion of brown 'Trappist' (strong abbey beer) and served with French fries. 'Waterzooi' is a local stew originally made from freshwater fish caught in the rivers and creeks of Ghent, but nowadays often made with chicken instead of fish. It is usually served nouvelle-cuisine-style, and will be supplemented by a large pot on the side.
The city promotes a meat-free day on Thursdays called Donderdag Veggiedag with vegetarian food being promoted in public canteens for civil servants and elected councillors, in all city funded schools, and promotion of vegetarian eating options in town (through the distribution of "veggie street maps"). This campaign is linked to the recognition of the detrimental environmental effects of meat production, which the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization has established to represent nearly one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The Festival of Flanders had its 50th celebration in 2008. In Ghent it opens with the OdeGand City festivities that takes place on the second Saturday of September. Some 50 concerts take place in diverse locations throughout the medieval inner-city and some 250 international artists performs. Other major Flemish cities hold similar events, all of which form part of the Festival of Flanders (Antwerp with Laus Polyphoniae; Bruges with MAfestival; Brussels with KlaraFestival; Limburg with Basilica, Mechelen and Brabant with Novecento and Transit).
Museums
Important museums in Ghent are the Museum voor Schone Kunsten (Museum of Fine Arts), with paintings by Hieronymus Bosch, Peter Paul Rubens, and many Flemish masters; the SMAK or Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (City Museum for Contemporary Art), with works of the 20th century, including Joseph Beuys and Andy Warhol; and the Design Museum Gent (nl) with masterpieces of Victor Horta and Le Corbusier. The Huis van Alijn (House of the Alijn family) was originally a beguinage and is now a museum for folk art where theatre and puppet shows for children are presented. The Museum voor Industriële Archeologie en Textiel or Museum voor Industriële Archeologie en Textiel (nl) displays the industrial strength of Ghent with recreations of workshops and stores from the 1800s and original spinning and weaving machines that remain from the time when the building was a weaving mill. Stadsmuseum Gent (nl), the new Ghent City Museum, is committed to recording and explaining the past of the city and its inhabitants, and to preserve the present for future generations.Restaurants and culinary traditions
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| Ghent at Night |
Other local delicacies are the praline chocolates from local producers such as Leonidas and Daskalidès, the cuberdons or 'neuzekes' ('noses'), cone-shaped purple jelly-filled candies, 'babeluten' ('babblers'), hard butterscotch-like candy, and of course, on the more fiery side, the famous 'Tierenteyn', a hot but refined mustard that has some affinity to French 'Dijon' mustard.
'Stoverij' is a classic Flemish meat stew, preferably made with a generous adittion of brown 'Trappist' (strong abbey beer) and served with French fries. 'Waterzooi' is a local stew originally made from freshwater fish caught in the rivers and creeks of Ghent, but nowadays often made with chicken instead of fish. It is usually served nouvelle-cuisine-style, and will be supplemented by a large pot on the side.
The city promotes a meat-free day on Thursdays called Donderdag Veggiedag with vegetarian food being promoted in public canteens for civil servants and elected councillors, in all city funded schools, and promotion of vegetarian eating options in town (through the distribution of "veggie street maps"). This campaign is linked to the recognition of the detrimental environmental effects of meat production, which the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization has established to represent nearly one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Festivities
The city is host to some big cultural events such as the Gentse Feesten, I Love Techno in Flanders Expo, "10 Days Off" musical festival, Flanders International Film Festival Ghent (with the World Soundtrack Awards) and the Gent Festival van Vlaanderen (nl). Also, every five years, a huge botanical exhibition (Gentse Floraliën) takes place in Flanders Expo in Ghent, attracting numerous visitors to the city.The Festival of Flanders had its 50th celebration in 2008. In Ghent it opens with the OdeGand City festivities that takes place on the second Saturday of September. Some 50 concerts take place in diverse locations throughout the medieval inner-city and some 250 international artists performs. Other major Flemish cities hold similar events, all of which form part of the Festival of Flanders (Antwerp with Laus Polyphoniae; Bruges with MAfestival; Brussels with KlaraFestival; Limburg with Basilica, Mechelen and Brabant with Novecento and Transit).
References
- "Ghent", Belgium and Holland: Handbook for Travellers (6th ed.), Leipsic: Karl Baedeker, 1881
- The visitors universal handybook and guide to Antwerp, Brussels, Waterloo, Ghent, Bruges, Liege, etc. etc. (5th ed.). Antwerp: John De Wit & Joris. 1884.
- W. Pembroke Fetridge (1885), "Ghent", Harper's hand-book for travellers in Europe and the east: being a guide through Great Britain and Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Switzerland, Tyrol, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Spain, and Portugal, New York: Harper & Brothers
- "Ghent", Belgium and Holland, including the grand-duchy of Luxembourg (15th ed.), Leipzig: Karl Baedeker, 1910, OCLC 397759
- "Ghent", The Encyclopaedia Britannica (11th ed.), New York: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1910, OCLC 14782424
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Today's Snippet II: Colettine Poor Clares
The Colettine Poor Clares are a reform branch of the Order of St. Clare, founded by Clare of Assisi in Italy in 1211. They follow the interpretation of the Rule of St. Clare established by Saint Colette in 1410, originally a French hermit and member of the Third Order of St. Francis.
Colette was born in Corbie, a town in the Picardy region of France in January 1381 to an elderly couple. Tradition holds that her mother was aged sixty at her birth. She lost her parents in 1399 and, after a brief stint in a beguinage, in 1402 she received the religious habit of the Third Order of St. Francis and became a hermit, living in a hut near the parish church, under the spiritual direction of the abbot of the local Benedictine abbey.
After four years of following this ascetic way of life, in 1406, as a result of a number of dreams and visions, Colette came to believe that she was being called to reform the Poor Clares, the Second Order of the Franciscan movement, and return that Order to its original Franciscan ideals of absolute poverty and austerity. In October of that year, she traveled to Nice to seek the blessing of the Antipope Benedict XIII, who was recognized in France at that time as the rightful pope. Benedict received her and allowed her to take vows as a Poor Clare nun, giving her mission his blessing through several papal bulls, which authorized her both to reform existing monasteries and to found new ones according to her reform.
After spending several years in Beaune in the Duchy of Burgundy, under the guidance of the Blessed Henry of Beaume, O.F.M., (ca. 1367-1439) in 1410 they transferred to the County of Burgundy in 1408, where she established the first successful community of Poor Clare nuns under her inspired way of life in a semi-derelict monastery of the Order in Besançon. From there, her reform spread to Auxonne (1412), to Poligny (1415) and to Amiens. It began to spread outside of France with foundations in Ghent in Flanders (1442) and Heidelberg, Germany (1444), and from there to other communities of Poor Clares around Europe. In total, 18 monasteries were founded before her death in March 1447.
For the monasteries which followed her reform, Colette prescribed extreme poverty, going barefoot, and the observance of perpetual fasting and abstinence. The Colettines follow their own Constitutions sanctioned in 1434 by the then-Minister General of the friars, William of Casale, and approved in 1448 by Pope Nicholas V, in 1458 by Pope Pius II, and in 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV.
A branch of the friars following the spirit of Colette's reform was established and approved, under the leadership of Henry. They were known as Coletans, and were connected to the monasteries of the Colettine nuns. By 1448, there were 13 friaries of this branch, but, along with other smaller reforms, they were merged by the Holy See into the Observant branch of the friars in 1517.
Colettines in the United States
In Germany, the late 19th-century saw a major wave of suppressions of monastic institutions under the government policy of Kulturkampf. Among them was the Colettine monastery in Düsseldorf, whose members had been expelled from their home. They sought a place of refuge in the United States and sent requests to various dioceses around the country. The Bishop of Cleveland agreed to receive them into his diocese, and five nuns of the German community travelled there in 1877, establishing a small monastery in the city on Perry Street. They were the first monastery of the Order of St. Clare in North America.From there, Colettine communities were established throughout the nation. Today there are monasteries in California, Illinois and South Carolina. Foundations from the American monasteries have been established in Brazil (1950) and the Netherlands (1990).
References
- ^ Our Lady of Mercy Monastery "St. Colette of Corbie"
- ^ Notable Friars Minor
- ^ Colettine Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament, Cleveland, Ohio
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Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part One: Profession of Faith, Sect 2 The Creeds, Ch 3:9
CHAPTER THREE
I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
Article 9
"I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY CATHOLIC
CHURCH"
Paragraph 1. THE CHURCH IN GOD'S PLAN
I. NAMES
AND IMAGES OF THE CHURCH
751
The word "Church" (Latin ecclesia, from the Greek ek-ka-lein, to
"call out of") means a convocation or an assembly. It designates the
assemblies of the people, usually for a religious purpose.Acts
19:39 Ekklesia
is used frequently in the Greek Old Testament for the assembly of the Chosen
People before God, above all for their assembly on Mount Sinai where Israel
received the Law and was established by God as his holy people.Ex 19 By
calling itself "Church," the first community of Christian believers
recognized itself as heir to that assembly. In the Church, God is "calling
together" his people from all the ends of the earth. the equivalent Greek
term Kyriake, from which the English word Church and the German Kirche are
derived, means "what belongs to the Lord."
752
In Christian usage, the word "church" designates the liturgical
assembly,1 Cor 11:18 but also the local community1 Cor 1:2 or the whole
universal community of believers.1 Cor 15:9 These three meanings are
inseparable. "The Church" is the People that God gathers in the whole
world. She exists in local communities and is made real as a liturgical, above
all a Eucharistic, assembly. She draws her life from the word and the Body of
Christ and so herself becomes Christ's Body.
Symbols of
the Church
753
In Scripture, we find a host of interrelated images and figures through which
Revelation speaks of the inexhaustible mystery of the Church. the images taken
from the Old Testament are variations on a profound theme: the People of God.
In the New Testament, all these images find a new center because Christ has
become the head of this people, which henceforth is his Body.Eph 1:22;
⇒ Col 1:18; LG 9 Around
this center are grouped images taken "from the life of the shepherd or
from cultivation of the land, from the art of building or from family life and
marriage." LG 6
754
"The
Church is, accordingly, a sheepfold, the sole and necessary gateway to which is
Christ. It is also the flock of which God himself foretold that he would be the
shepherd, and whose sheep, even though governed by human shepherds, are
unfailingly nourished and led by Christ himself, the Good Shepherd and Prince
of Shepherds, who gave his life for his sheep.LG 6; Cf. ⇒ Jn 10:1-10
755
"The
Church is a cultivated field, the tillage of God. On that land the ancient
olive tree grows whose holy roots were the prophets and in which the
reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles has been brought about and will be brought
about again. That land, like a choice vineyard, has been planted by the
heavenly cultivator. Yet the true vine is Christ who gives life and
fruitfulness to the branches, that is, to us, who through the Church remain in
Christ, without whom we can do nothing.LG 6; Cf. 1 Cor 39
756
"Often,
too, the Church is called the building of God. the Lord compared himself to the
stone which the builders rejected, but which was made into the comer-stone. On
this foundation the Church is built by the apostles and from it the Church
receives solidity and unity. This edifice has many names to describe it: the
house of God in which his family dwells; the household of God in the Spirit;
the dwelling-place of God among men; and, especially, the holy temple. This
temple, symbolized in places of worship built out of stone, is praised by the
Fathers and, not without reason, is compared in the liturgy to the Holy City,
the New Jerusalem. As living stones we here on earth are built into it. It is
this holy city that is seen by John as it comes down out of heaven from God
when the world is made anew, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.LG 6; Cf. ⇒ 1 Cor 3:9;
⇒ Mt 21:42 and parallels
757
"The
Church, further, which is called 'that Jerusalem which is above' and 'our
mother', is described as the spotless spouse of the spotless lamb. It is she
whom Christ 'loved and for whom he delivered himself up that he might sanctify
her.' It is she whom he unites to himself by an unbreakable alliance, and whom
he constantly 'nourishes and cherishes.'"LG 6; Cf. ⇒ Gal 4:26; ⇒ Rev
12:17
II. THE
CHURCH'S ORIGIN, FOUNDATION AND MISSION
758
We begin our investigation of the Church's mystery by meditating on her origin
in the Holy Trinity's plan and her progressive realization in history.
A plan born
in the Father's heart
759
"The eternal Father, in accordance with the utterly gratuitous and
mysterious design of his wisdom and goodness, created the whole universe and
chose to raise up men to share in his own divine life,"LG 2 to
which he calls all men in his Son. "The Father . . . determined to call
together in a holy Church those who should believe in Christ."LG 2
This "family of God" is gradually formed and takes shape during the
stages of human history, in keeping with the Father's plan. In fact,
"already present in figure at the beginning of the world, this Church was
prepared in marvellous fashion in the history of the people of Israel and the
old Advance. Established in this last age of the world and made manifest in the
outpouring of the Spirit, it will be brought to glorious completion at the end
of time."LG 2
The Church
- foreshadowed from the world's beginning
760
Christians of the first centuries said, "The world was created for the
sake of the Church."Pastor Hermae, Vision 2, 4, 1: PG 2,899; cf. Aristides, Apol. 16,
6; St. Justin, Apol. 2,7: PG 6, 456; Tertullian, Apol. 31, 3; 32, 1:
PL 1, 508-50 God created the world for the sake of
communion with his divine life, a communion brought about by the "convocation"
of men in Christ, and this "convocation" is the Church. the Church is
the goal of all things,Cf. St.
Epiphanius, Panarion 1, 1, 5: PG 41, 181C and God permitted such painful upheavals as
the angels' fall and man's sin only as occasions and means for displaying all
the power of his arm and the whole measure of the love he wanted to give the
world:
Just as God's will is creation
and is called "the world," so his intention is the salvation of men,
and it is called "the Church."Clement of Alex., Paed. 1, 6, 27: PG 8, 281
The Church
- prepared for in the Old Covenant
761
The gathering together of the People of God began at the moment when sin
destroyed the communion of men with God, and that of men among themselves. the
gathering together of the Church is, as it were, God's reaction to the chaos
provoked by sin. This reunification is achieved secretly in the heart of all
peoples: "In every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is
acceptable" to God.Acts 10:35; cf. LG 9; 13; 16
762
The remote preparation for this gathering together of the People of God begins
when he calls Abraham and promises that he will become the father of a great
people.Cf.
⇒ Gen 12:2; ⇒ 15:5-6 Its immediate preparation begins with Israel's election as
the People of God. By this election, Israel is to be the sign of the future gathering
of All nations.Cf. ⇒ Ex 19:5-6 But the prophets accuse Israel of breaking the
covenant and behaving like a prostitute. They announce a new and eternal
covenant. "Christ instituted this New Covenant."LG 9; cf. ⇒ Hos 1
The Church
- instituted by Christ Jesus
763
It was the Son's task to accomplish the Father's plan of salvation in the
fullness of time. Its accomplishment was the reason for his being
sent.Cf. LG 3; AG 3 "The Lord Jesus inaugurated his Church by preaching the
Good News, that is, the coming of the Reign of God, promised over the ages in
the scriptures."LG 5 To fulfill the Father's will, Christ ushered
in the Kingdom of heaven on earth. the Church "is the Reign of Christ
already present in mystery."LG3
764
"This Kingdom shines out before men in the word, in the works and in the
presence of Christ."LG 5 To welcome Jesus' word is to welcome
"the Kingdom itself."LG 5 The seed and beginning of the
Kingdom are the "little flock" of those whom Jesus came to gather
around him, the flock whose shepherd he is. Lk 12:32 They form Jesus' true
family.Mt 12:49 To those whom he thus gathered around him, he taught a new
"way of acting" and a prayer of their own. Mt 5-
6
765
The Lord Jesus endowed his community with a structure that will remain until
the Kingdom is fully achieved. Before all else there is the choice of the
Twelve with Peter as their head. Mk 3:14-15 Representing the twelve tribes of
Israel, they are the foundation stones of the new Jerusalem. Mt 19:28 The
Twelve and the other disciples share in Christ's mission and his power, but
also in his lot.Mk 6:7 By all his actions, Christ prepares and builds his
Church.
766
The Church is born primarily of Christ's total self-giving for our salvation,
anticipated in the institution of the Eucharist and fulfilled on the cross.
"The origin and growth of the Church are symbolized by the blood and water
which flowed from the open side of the crucified Jesus."LG 3; cf. ⇒ Jn 19:34
"For it was from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon
the cross that there came forth the 'wondrous sacrament of the whole
Church.'"SC 5 As Eve was formed from the sleeping Adam's side, so
the Church was born from the pierced heart of Christ hanging dead on the
cross.Cf. St. Ambrose, In Luc. 2, 85-89 PL 15,1666-1668
The Church
- revealed by the Holy Spirit
767
"When the work which the Father gave the Son to do on earth was
accomplished, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost in order that he
might continually sanctify the Church."LG 4; Cf. ⇒ Jn 17:4 Then "the Church
was openly displayed to the crowds and the spread of the Gospel among the
nations, through preaching, was begun."AG 4 As the
"convocation" of all men for salvation, the Church in her very nature
is missionary, sent by Christ to all the nations to make disciples of
them.Cf. ⇒ Mt 28:19-20; AG 2; 5-6
768
So that she can fulfill her mission, the Holy Spirit "bestows upon [the
Church] varied hierarchic and charismatic gifts, and in this way directs
her."LG 4 "Henceforward the Church, endowed with the gifts of
her founder and faithfully observing his precepts of charity, humility and
self-denial, receives the mission of proclaiming and establishing among all peoples
the Kingdom of Christ and of God, and she is on earth the seed and the
beginning of that kingdom."LG 5
The Church
- perfected in glory
769
"The Church . . . will receive its perfection only in the glory of
heaven,"LG 48 at the time of Christ's glorious return. Until that
day, "the Church progresses on her pilgrimage amidst this world's
persecutions and God's consolations."St. Augustine, De civ. Dei, 18, 51: PL 41, 614; Cf. LG 8 Here below she knows that
she is in exile far from the Lord, and longs for the full coming of the Kingdom,
when she will "be united in glory with her king."LG 5; Cf. 6; ⇒ 2 Cor 5:6 The
Church, and through her the world, will not be perfected in glory without great
trials. Only then will "all the just from the time of Adam, 'from Abel,
the just one, to the last of the elect,' . . . be gathered together in the
universal Church in the Father's presence."LG 2
III. THE
MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH
770
The Church is in history, but at the same time she transcends it. It is only
"with the eyes of faith"Roman Catechism 1, 10, 20 that one can see her in her
visible reality and at the same time in her spiritual reality as bearer of
divine life.
The Church
- both visible and spiritual
771
"The one mediator, Christ, established and ever sustains here on earth his
holy Church, the community of faith, hope, and charity, as a visible
organization through which he communicates truth and grace to all
men."LG 8 The Church is at the same time:
- a "society structured with hierarchical organs and the mystical body of Christ;
- the visible society and the spiritual community;
- the earthly Church and the Church endowed with heavenly riches."LG 8
These dimensions together constitute "one complex reality which comes together from a human and a divine element":LG 8
- a "society structured with hierarchical organs and the mystical body of Christ;
- the visible society and the spiritual community;
- the earthly Church and the Church endowed with heavenly riches."LG 8
These dimensions together constitute "one complex reality which comes together from a human and a divine element":LG 8
The Church is essentially both
human and divine, visible but endowed with invisible realities, zealous in
action and dedicated to contemplation, present in the world, but as a pilgrim,
so constituted that in her the human is directed toward and subordinated to the
divine, the visible to the invisible, action to contemplation, and this present
world to that city yet to come, the object of our quest.SC 2, Cf. ⇒ Heb 13:14
O
humility! O sublimity! Both tabernacle of cedar and sanctuary of God; earthly
dwelling and celestial palace; house of clay and royal hall; body of death and
temple of light; and at last both object of scorn to the proud and bride of
Christ! She is black but beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem, for even if the
labor and pain of her long exile may have discolored her, yet heaven's beauty
has adorned her.St.
Bernard of Clairvaux, In Cant. Sermo 27:14 PL 183:920D
The Church
- mystery of men's union with God
772
It is in the Church that Christ fulfills and reveals his own mystery as the
purpose of God's plan: "to unite all things in him."Eph
1:10 St.
Paul calls the nuptial union of Christ and the Church "a great
mystery." Because she is united to Christ as to her bridegroom, she
becomes a mystery in her turn.Eph 5:32;
⇒ 3:9-11;
⇒ 5:25-27 Contemplating this mystery in her,
Paul exclaims: "Christ in you, the hope of glory."Col 1:27
773
In the Church this communion of men with God, in the "love [that] never
ends," is the purpose which governs everything in her that is a
sacramental means, tied to this passing world.1 Cor 13:8; cf. LG 48
"[The Church's] structure is totally ordered to the holiness of Christ's members. and holiness is measured according to the 'great mystery' in which the Bride responds with the gift of love to the gift of the Bridegroom."John Paul II, MD 27 Mary goes before us all in the holiness that is the Church's mystery as "the bride without spot or wrinkle."Eph 5:27 This is why the "Marian" dimension of the Church precedes the "Petrine." Cf. John Paul II, MD 27
"[The Church's] structure is totally ordered to the holiness of Christ's members. and holiness is measured according to the 'great mystery' in which the Bride responds with the gift of love to the gift of the Bridegroom."John Paul II, MD 27 Mary goes before us all in the holiness that is the Church's mystery as "the bride without spot or wrinkle."Eph 5:27 This is why the "Marian" dimension of the Church precedes the "Petrine." Cf. John Paul II, MD 27
The
universal Sacrament of Salvation
774
The
Greek word mysterion was translated into Latin by two terms: mystenum and
sacramentum. In later usage the term sacramentum emphasizes the visible sign of
the hidden reality of salvation which was indicated by the term mystenum. In
this sense, Christ himself is the mystery of salvation: "For there is no
other mystery of God, except Christ."St. Augustine, Ep. 187,11,34: PL 33, 846 The saving work of his
holy and sanctifying humanity is the sacrament of salvation, which is revealed
and active in the Church's sacraments (which the Eastern Churches also call
"the holy mysteries"). the seven sacraments are the signs and
instruments by which the Holy Spirit spreads the grace of Christ the head
throughout the Church which is his Body. the Church, then, both contains and
communicates the invisible grace she signifies. It is in this analogical sense,
that the Church is called a "sacrament."
775
"The Church, in Christ, is like a sacrament - a sign and instrument, that
is, of communion with God and of unity among all men."LG 1 The
Church's first purpose is to be the sacrament of the inner union of men with
God. Because men's communion with one another is rooted in that union with God,
the Church is also the sacrament of the unity of the human race. In her, this
unity is already begun, since she gathers men "from every nation, from all
tribes and peoples and tongues";Rev 7:9 at the same time, the Church
is the "sign and instrument" of the full realization of the unity yet
to come.
776
As sacrament, the Church is Christ's instrument. "She is taken up by him
also as the instrument for the salvation of all," "the universal
sacrament of salvation," by which Christ is "at once manifesting and
actualizing the mystery of God's love for men."LG 9 # 2, 48 # 2; GS 45 # 1 The Church
"is the visible plan of God's love for humanity," because God desires
"that the whole human race may become one People of God, form one Body of
Christ, and be built up into one temple of the Holy Spirit."Paul VI, June
22, 1973; AG 7 # 2; cf. LG 17
IN BRIEF
777 The word
"Church" means "convocation." It designates the assembly of
those whom God's Word "convokes," i.e., gathers together to form the
People of God, and who themselves, nourished with the Body of Christ, become
the Body of Christ.
778 The Church is both the
means and the goal of God's plan: prefigured in creation, prepared for in the
Old Covenant, founded by the words and actions of Jesus Christ, fulfilled by
his redeeming cross and his Resurrection, the Church has been manifested as the
mystery of salvation by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. She will be
perfected in the glory of heaven as the assembly of all the redeemed of the
earth (cf ⇒ Rev 14:4).
779 The Church is both
visible and spiritual, a hierarchical society and the Mystical Body of Christ.
She is one, yet formed of two components, human and divine. That is her
mystery, which only faith can accept.
780 The Church in this world
is the sacrament of salvation, the sign and the instrument of the communion of
God and men.
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