Sunday, July 12, 2015 - Litany Lane Blog:
Perseverance, Amos 7:12-15, Psalms 85:9-14, Mark 6:7-13 , Pope Francis's,Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages, Hymn
of the Week, Feast of the Saint Benedict, Rules of Saint Benedict, Origin of Monasteries, Featured Read - Mystical City of God Book 1 Chapter 5-8 Immaculate Conception and childhood of Blessed Mary, Catholic Catechism - The Profession of Faith Chapter Two - I Believe In Jesus Christ, The Only Son of God: Article 6 He Ascended Into Heaven, RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults
"Where there is a Will, With God, There is a Way", "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014
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, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and 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 the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...~ Zarya Parx 2013
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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Prayers for Today: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Hymn of the Week
You Raised Me Up
....But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. - Isaiah 53:5
Isaiah 53
1Who has given credence to what we have heard? And who has seen in it a revelation of Yahweh's arm?
2 Like a sapling he grew up before him, like a root in arid ground. He had no form or charm to attract us, no beauty to win our hearts;
3 he was despised, the lowest of men, a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering, one from whom, as it were, we averted our gaze, despised, for whom we had no regard.
4 Yet ours were the sufferings he was bearing, ours the sorrows he was carrying, while we thought of him as someone being punished and struck with affliction by God;
5 whereas he was being wounded for our rebellions, crushed because of our guilt; the punishment reconciling us fell on him, and we have been healed by his bruises.
6 We had all gone astray like sheep, each taking his own way, and Yahweh brought the acts of rebellion of all of us to bear on him.
7 Ill-treated and afflicted, he never opened his mouth, like a lamb led to the slaughter-house, like a sheep dumb before its shearers he never opened his mouth.
8 Forcibly, after sentence, he was taken. Which of his contemporaries was concerned at his having been cut off from the land of the living, at his having been struck dead for his people's rebellion?
9 He was given a grave with the wicked, and his tomb is with the rich, although he had done no violence, had spoken no deceit.
10 It was Yahweh's good pleasure to crush him with pain; if he gives his life as a sin offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his life, and through him Yahweh's good pleasure will be done.
11 After the ordeal he has endured, he will see the light and be content. By his knowledge, the upright one, my servant will justify many by taking their guilt on himself.
12 Hence I shall give him a portion with the many, and he will share the glory with the mighty, for having exposed himself to death and for being counted as one of the rebellious, whereas he was bearing the sin of many and interceding for the rebel.
When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.
There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.
Isaiah 53
1Who has given credence to what we have heard? And who has seen in it a revelation of Yahweh's arm?
2 Like a sapling he grew up before him, like a root in arid ground. He had no form or charm to attract us, no beauty to win our hearts;
3 he was despised, the lowest of men, a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering, one from whom, as it were, we averted our gaze, despised, for whom we had no regard.
4 Yet ours were the sufferings he was bearing, ours the sorrows he was carrying, while we thought of him as someone being punished and struck with affliction by God;
5 whereas he was being wounded for our rebellions, crushed because of our guilt; the punishment reconciling us fell on him, and we have been healed by his bruises.
6 We had all gone astray like sheep, each taking his own way, and Yahweh brought the acts of rebellion of all of us to bear on him.
7 Ill-treated and afflicted, he never opened his mouth, like a lamb led to the slaughter-house, like a sheep dumb before its shearers he never opened his mouth.
8 Forcibly, after sentence, he was taken. Which of his contemporaries was concerned at his having been cut off from the land of the living, at his having been struck dead for his people's rebellion?
9 He was given a grave with the wicked, and his tomb is with the rich, although he had done no violence, had spoken no deceit.
10 It was Yahweh's good pleasure to crush him with pain; if he gives his life as a sin offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his life, and through him Yahweh's good pleasure will be done.
11 After the ordeal he has endured, he will see the light and be content. By his knowledge, the upright one, my servant will justify many by taking their guilt on himself.
12 Hence I shall give him a portion with the many, and he will share the glory with the mighty, for having exposed himself to death and for being counted as one of the rebellious, whereas he was bearing the sin of many and interceding for the rebel.
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Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages
July 2, 2015 message form our Lady of Medjugorje:
Dear children, I am calling you to spread the faith in my Son - your faith. You, my children illuminated by the Holy Spirit, my apostles, transmit it to others - to those who do not believe, who do not know, who do not want to know - but for that you must pray a lot for the gift of love, because love is the mark of true faith - and you will be apostles of my love. Love always, anew, revives the pain and the joy of the Eucharist, it revives the pain of the Passion of my Son, by which He showed you what it means to love immeasurably; it revives the joy for having left you His body and blood to feed you with Himself - and in this way, to be one with you. Looking at you with tenderness, I feel immeasurable love which strengthens me in my desire to bring you to a firm faith. Firm faith will give you joy and happiness on earth and in the end the encounter with my Son. This is His desire. Therefore, live Him, live love, live the light that always illuminates you in the Eucharist. I implore you to pray a lot for your shepherds, to pray so as to have all the more love for them because my Son gave them to you to feed you with His body and to teach you love. Therefore, also you are to love them. But, my children, remember, love means to endure and to give, and never, ever to judge. I love you with immeasurable love. Thank you for having responded to my call.” ~ Blessed Mother Mary
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
Pope Francis Daily Catechesis:
July 12, 2015
(2015-06-07 Vatican Radio)
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| Marian Shrine of Caacupé near Asuncion |
Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Saturday (July 11th) at the Marian
Shrine of Caacupé near Asuncion on the first full day of his pastoral
visit to Paraguay, the third and final leg of his journey to Latin
America. Caacupe is the most important pilgrimage site in Paraguay. Tens
of thousands of people, including many from the Pope’s native
Argentina, attended the mass held in the square outside the Basilica.
In his homily, the Pope told those present that Mary’s life testifies
that God never abandons us even in moments when it might seem he is not
there. He also once again had special words of praise for the women of
Paraguay whom he said were able to lift up a country defeated,
devastated and laid low by war.
Please find below an English translation of the Pope’s prepared remarks for the homily at the Mass:
Being here with you makes me feel at home, at the
feet of our Mother, the Virgin of Miracles of Caacupé. In every shrine
we, her children, encounter our Mother and are reminded that we are
brothers and sisters. Shrines are places of festival, of encounter, of
family. We come to present our needs. We come to give thanks, to ask
forgiveness and to begin again. How many baptisms, priestly and
religious vocations, engagements and marriages, have been born at the
feet of our Mother! How many tearful farewells! We come bringing our
lives, because here we are at home and it is wonderful to know there is
someone waiting for us.
As so often in the past, we now come because we want to renew our desire to live the joy of the Gospel.
How can we forget that this shrine is a vital part of
the Paraguayan people, of yourselves? You feel it, it shapes your
prayers, and you sing: “Here, in your Eden of Caacupé, are your people,
Virgin most pure, who offer you their love and their faith”. Today we
gather as the People of God, at the feet of our Mother, to offer her our
love and our faith.
In the Gospel, we have just heard the greeting of the
angel to Mary: Rejoice, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Rejoice,
Mary, rejoice. Upon hearing this greeting, Mary was confused and asked
herself what it could mean. She did not fully understand what was
happening. But she knew that the angel came from God and so she said
yes. Mary is the Mother of Yes. Yes to God’s dream, yes to God’s care,
yes to God’s will.
It was a yes that, as we know, was not easy to live.
A yes that bestowed no privileges or distinctions. Simeon told her in
his prophecy: “a sword will pierce your heart” (Lk 2:35), and indeed it
did. That is why we love her so much. We find in her a true Mother,
one who helps us to keep faith and hope alive in the midst of
complicated situations. Pondering Simeon’s prophecy, we would do well
to reflect briefly on three difficult moments in Mary’s life.
1. The birth of Jesus. There was no room for them. They
had no house, no dwelling to receive her Son. There was no place where
she could give birth. They had no family close by; they were alone.
The only place available was a stall of animals. Surely she remembered
the words of the angel: “Rejoice, Mary, the Lord is with you”. She
might well have asked herself: “Where is he now?”.
2. The flight to Egypt. They had to leave, to go into
exile. Not only was there no room for them, no family nearby, but their
lives were also in danger. They had to depart and go to a foreign
land. They were migrants, on account of the envy and greed of the
King. There too she might well have asked: “What happened to all those
things promised by the angel?
3. Jesus’ death on the cross. There can be no more
difficult experience for a mother than to witness the death of her
child. It is heartrending. We see Mary there, at the foot of the
cross, like every mother, strong, faithful, staying with her child even
to his death, death on the cross. Then she encourages and supports the
disciples.
We look at her life, and we feel understood, we feel
heard. We can sit down to pray with her and use a common language in
the face of the countless situations we encounter each day. We can
identify with many situations in her own life. We can tell her what is
happening in our lives, because she understands.
Mary is the woman of faith; she is the Mother of the
Church; she believed. Her life testifies that God does not deceive us,
or abandon his people, even in moments or situations when it might seem
that he is not there. Mary was the first of her Son’s disciples and in
moments of difficulty she kept alive the hope of the apostles. A woman
attentive to the needs of others, she could say – when it seemed like
the feast and joy were at an end – “they have no wine” (Jn 2:3). She
was the woman who went to stay with her cousin Elizabeth “about three
months” (Lk 1:56), so that Elizabeth would not be alone as she prepared
to give birth.
We know all this from the Gospel, but we also know
that in this land she is the Mother who has stood beside us in so many
difficult situations. This shrine preserves and treasures the memory of
a people who know that Mary is their Mother, and that she has always
been at the side of her children.
Mary has always been in our hospitals, our schools
and our homes. She has always sat at table in every home. She has
always been part of the history of this country, making it a nation.
Hers has been a discreet and silent presence, making itself felt through
a statue, a holy card or a medal. Under the sign of the rosary, we
know that we are never alone.
Why? Because Mary wanted to be in the midst of her
people, with her children, with her family. She followed Jesus always,
from within the crowd. As a good Mother, she did not want to abandon
her children, rather, she would always show up wherever one of her
children was in need. For the simple reason that she is our Mother.
A Mother who learned, amid so many hardships, the
meaning of the words: “Do not be afraid, the Lord is with you”. A
Mother who keeps saying to us: “Do whatever he tells you”. This is what
she constantly says to us: “Do whatever he tells you”. She doesn’t
have a plan of her own; she doesn’t come to tell us something new. She
simply accompanies our faith with her own.
You know this from experience. All of you, all
Paraguayans, share in the living memory of a people who have made
incarnate these words of the Gospel. Here I would like especially to
mention you, the women, wives and mothers of Paraguay, who at great cost
and sacrifice were able to lift up a country defeated, devastated and
laid low by war. You are keepers of the memory, the lifeblood of those
who rebuilt the life, faith and dignity of your people. Like Mary, you
lived through many difficult situations which, in the eyes of the world,
would seem to discredit all faith. Yet, like Mary, inspired and
sustained by her example, you continued to believe, even “hoping against
all hope” (Rom 4:18). When all seemed to be falling apart, with Mary
you said: “Let us not be afraid, the Lord is with us; he is with our
people, with our families; let us do what he tells us”. Then and now,
you found the strength not to let this land lose its bearings. God
bless your perseverance, God bless and encourage your faith, God bless
the women of Paraguay, the most glorious women of America.
As a people, we have come home, to this house of all
Paraguayans, to hear once more those words which are so comforting:
“Rejoice, the Lord is with you”. They are a summons to cherish your
memory, your roots, and the many signs which you have received as a
people of believers tested by trials and struggles. Yours is a faith
which has become life, a life which has become hope, and a hope which
leads to eminent charity. Yes, like Jesus, may you be outstanding in
love. May you be bearers of this faith, this life and this hope. May
you continue to build these up in Paraguay’s present and for its future.
Gazing once more on Mary’s image, I invite you to
join me in saying: “Here, in your Eden of Caacupé, are your people,
Virgin most pure, who offer you their love and their faith”. Pray for
us, Holy Mother of God, that we may be worthy of the promises and graces
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2015 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 07/12/2015
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Liturgical Celebrations to be presided over by Pope: 2015
Vatican City, Spring 2015 (VIS)
The following is the English text of the intentions – both universal and for evangelization – that, as is customary, the Pope entrusted to the Apostleship of Prayer for 2015.
January
Universal: That those from diverse religious traditions and all people of good will work together for peace.
Evangelization: That in this year dedicated to consecrated life, religious men and women may rediscover the joy of following Christ and strive to serve the poor with zeal.
February
Universal: That prisoners, especially the young, may be able to rebuild lives of dignity.
Evangelization: That married people who are separated may find welcome and support in the Christian community.
March
Universal: That those involved in scientific research may serve the well-being of the whole human person.
Evangelization: That the unique contribution of women to the life of the Church may be recognized always.
April
Universal: That people may learn to respect creation and care for it as a gift of God.
Evangelization: That persecuted Christians may feel the consoling presence of the Risen Lord and the solidarity of all the Church.
May
Universal: That, rejecting the culture of indifference, we may care for our neighbours who suffer, especially the sick and the poor.
Evangelization: That Mary’s intercession may help Christians in secularized cultures be ready to proclaim Jesus.
June
Universal: That immigrants and refugees may find welcome and respect in the countries to which they come.
Evangelization: That the personal encounter with Jesus may arouse in many young people the desire to offer their own lives in priesthood or consecrated life.
July
Universal: That political responsibility may be lived at all levels as a high form of charity.
Evangelization: That, amid social inequalities, Latin American Christians may bear witness to love for the poor and contribute to a more fraternal society.
August
Universal: That volunteers may give themselves generously to the service of the needy.
Evangelization: That setting aside our very selves we may learn to be neighbours to those who find themselves on the margins of human life and society.
September
Universal: That opportunities for education and employment may increase for all young people.
Evangelization: That catechists may give witness by living in a way consistent with the faith they proclaim.
October
Universal: That human trafficking, the modern form of slavery, may be eradicated.
Evangelization: That with a missionary spirit the Christian communities of Asia may announce the Gospel to those who are still awaiting it.
November
Universal: That we may be open to personal encounter and dialogue with all, even those whose convictions differ from our own.
Evangelization: That pastors of the Church, with profound love for their flocks, may accompany them and enliven their hope.
December
Universal: That all may experience the mercy of God, who never tires of forgiving.
Evangelization: That families, especially those who suffer, may find in the birth of Jesus a sign of certain hope.
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2015 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 07/12/2015.
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November 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children; Anew, in a motherly way, I am calling you to love; to continually pray for the gift of love; to love the Heavenly Father above everything. When you love Him you will love yourself and your neighbor. This cannot be separated. The Heavenly Father is in each person. He loves each person and calls each person by his name. Therefore, my children, through prayer hearken to the will of the Heavenly Father. Converse with Him. Have a personal relationship with the Father which will deepen even more your relationship as a community of my children – of my apostles. As a mother I desire that, through the love for the Heavenly Father, you may be raised above earthly vanities and may help others to gradually come to know and come closer to the Heavenly Father. My children, pray, pray, pray for the gift of love because 'love' is my Son. Pray for your shepherds that they may always have love for you as my Son had and showed by giving His life for your salvation. Thank you."
October 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: “Dear children! Today I call you to open yourselves to prayer. Prayer works miracles in you and through you. Therefore, little children, in the simplicity of heart seek of the Most High to give you the strength to be God’s children and for Satan not to shake you like the wind shakes the branches. Little children, decide for God anew and seek only His will – and then you will find joy and peace in Him. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
October 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children, I love you with a motherly love and with a motherly patience I wait for your love and unity. I pray that you may be a community of God’s children, of my children. I pray that as a community you may joyfully come back to life in the faith and in the love of my Son. My children, I am gathering you as my apostles and am teaching you how to bring others to come to know the love of my Son; how to bring to them the Good News, which is my Son. Give me your open, purified hearts and I will fill them with the love for my Son. His love will give meaning to your life and I will walk with you. I will be with you until the meeting with the Heavenly Father. My children, it is those who walk towards the Heavenly Father with love and faith who will be saved. Do not be afraid, I am with you. Put your trust in your shepherds as my Son trusted when he chose them, and pray that they may have the strength and the love to lead you. Thank you." - See more at: http://litanylane.blogspot.com/2013/11/tuesday-november-12-2013-litany-lane.html#sthash.1QAVruYo.bk3E9rXR.dpuf
October 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: “Dear children! Today I call you to open yourselves to prayer. Prayer works miracles in you and through you. Therefore, little children, in the simplicity of heart seek of the Most High to give you the strength to be God’s children and for Satan not to shake you like the wind shakes the branches. Little children, decide for God anew and seek only His will – and then you will find joy and peace in Him. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
October 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children, I love you with a motherly love and with a motherly patience I wait for your love and unity. I pray that you may be a community of God’s children, of my children. I pray that as a community you may joyfully come back to life in the faith and in the love of my Son. My children, I am gathering you as my apostles and am teaching you how to bring others to come to know the love of my Son; how to bring to them the Good News, which is my Son. Give me your open, purified hearts and I will fill them with the love for my Son. His love will give meaning to your life and I will walk with you. I will be with you until the meeting with the Heavenly Father. My children, it is those who walk towards the Heavenly Father with love and faith who will be saved. Do not be afraid, I am with you. Put your trust in your shepherds as my Son trusted when he chose them, and pray that they may have the strength and the love to lead you. Thank you." - See more at: http://litanylane.blogspot.com/2013/11/tuesday-november-12-2013-litany-lane.html#sthash.1QAVruYo.bk3E9rXR.dpuf
Today's Word: perseverance [pur-suh-veer-uh ns]
Origin: 1300-50; Middle English perseverance < Middle French perseverance < Latin persevērantia.
1. steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
2. Theology. continuance in a state of grace to the end, leading to eternal salvation.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 85:9-14
9 His saving help is near for those who fear him, his glory will dwell in our land.10 Faithful Love and Loyalty join together, Saving Justice and Peace embrace.
11 Loyalty will spring up from the earth, and Justice will lean down from heaven.
12 Yahweh will himself give prosperity, and our soil will yield its harvest.
13 Justice will walk before him, treading out a path.
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Today's Epistle - Amos 7:12-15
12 To Amos himself Amaziah said, 'Go away, seer, take yourself off to Judah, earn your living there, and there you can prophesy!13 But never again will you prophesy at Bethel, for this is a royal sanctuary, a national temple.'
14 'I am not a prophet,' Amos replied to Amaziah, 'nor do I belong to a prophetic brotherhood. I am merely a herdsman and dresser of sycamore-figs.
15 But Yahweh took me as I followed the flock, and Yahweh said to me, "Go and prophesy to my people Israel."
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Today's Gospel Reading -
The mission of the twelve
Mark 6:7-13
Mark 6:7-13
1. Opening prayer
Father, grant that we may see in your Son the face of your love, the Word of salvation and mercy, so that we may follow him with generous heart and proclaim him in word and deed to our brothers and sisters who look for the Kingdom and his justice. Pour out your Spirit upon us that we may listen attentively and that our witness may be authentic and free, even in difficult times and in times when we do not understand. Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
Father, grant that we may see in your Son the face of your love, the Word of salvation and mercy, so that we may follow him with generous heart and proclaim him in word and deed to our brothers and sisters who look for the Kingdom and his justice. Pour out your Spirit upon us that we may listen attentively and that our witness may be authentic and free, even in difficult times and in times when we do not understand. Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
2. Reading
a) The context:
After the calling (in the text "institution") of the twelve (Mk 3: 13-19), Jesus teaches and heals as part of their schooling. Now the time has come for their first public practice: as a first experience, they have to go and proclaim. Two by two, they go among the people with tasks, which in Mark seem to be rather simple: a generic proclamation to conversion and various types of prodigies against evil. Jesus does not let the violent refusal of himself in Nazareth frighten him, a fact first recalled by Mark: Mk 6:1-6. He does not suspend his mission because our closed minds cannot block him.
The other two Synoptic Gospels (Mt 10: 1-42; Lk 9: 1-10) recount with greater precision the tasks and challenges the twelve will meet. However, in all the Gospels it is important to note that the mission comes from Jesus and only after they have learnt from him the manner and the content. The number "twelve" - so often repeated in connection with the foundation of the new community, even to the glories of the Apocalypse - signify continuity, but also the surpassing of the preceding saving economy. The sending "two by two" must be understood according to the Jewish mentality that accepts any witness only if it is brought by a "community" (at least minimal) and not by one person.
The other two Synoptic Gospels (Mt 10: 1-42; Lk 9: 1-10) recount with greater precision the tasks and challenges the twelve will meet. However, in all the Gospels it is important to note that the mission comes from Jesus and only after they have learnt from him the manner and the content. The number "twelve" - so often repeated in connection with the foundation of the new community, even to the glories of the Apocalypse - signify continuity, but also the surpassing of the preceding saving economy. The sending "two by two" must be understood according to the Jewish mentality that accepts any witness only if it is brought by a "community" (at least minimal) and not by one person.
b) The Gospel:
And he went about among the villages teaching. 7 And he called to him the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10 And he said to them, "Where you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them." 12 So they went out and preached that men should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.
And he went about among the villages teaching. 7 And he called to him the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10 And he said to them, "Where you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them." 12 So they went out and preached that men should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.
3. A moment of silent prayer to re-read the text with our heart and to recognise in the words and structure, the presence of the mystery of the living God.
4. Some questions to see the important points in the text and begin to assimilate them.
a) In Mark, why is the driving out of the unclean spirits so important?
b) What is the sense of this insistence on poverty of means?
c) What is the content of this first proclamation?
d) Why does Jesus place together poverty and courage and freedom?
e) Why does the proclamation have to be itinerant and not stable?
f) What do the other Synoptic Gospels explain better?
5. A deepening of the reading
"He began to send them out two by two"
The mission of the disciples does not come from personal enthusiasm or from a desire for greatness. It begins when Jesus thinks that they are ready to speak, based on what they have heard and assimilated. According to Mark, until then they had seen many miracles, heard some teachings, important among the teachings being the theme of the seed that grows in several ways; they have also assisted at some arguments between Jesus and the leaders.
They were to refer themselves to Jesus' practice as healer, his call to conversion, his availability to move among the people, his itinerant preaching. They are certainly not mature yet. Under Jesus' supervision they will learn and better themselves: they will come up with the right words and the proper gestures. They will experience the enthusiasm that comes from great success, but in the end, they will have to go beyond even their focus on miracles in order to announce the death and resurrection of the Saviour.
They were to refer themselves to Jesus' practice as healer, his call to conversion, his availability to move among the people, his itinerant preaching. They are certainly not mature yet. Under Jesus' supervision they will learn and better themselves: they will come up with the right words and the proper gestures. They will experience the enthusiasm that comes from great success, but in the end, they will have to go beyond even their focus on miracles in order to announce the death and resurrection of the Saviour.
"He gave them authority over the unclean spirits"
This concerns "exousia" which Jesus practised too: they are therefore empowered and authorised to use the same power. For Mark, it almost seems that this is the main exercise at this time; in fact, he concentrates on this aspect of Jesus as "thaumaturge" and one who drives out evil spirits.
We need to understand that "unclean spirits" meant many things: psychic diseases, forms of epilepsy, destructive spiritual forces, the enslaving power of the law, every form of psychic disability, physical malfunctions, etc.
Power is exercised in walking among these sufferings, accepting the challenge to faith in God provided by these challenges, accepting to live in solidarity, accepting the dignity of each human being. We must not identify "unclean" with sexual or legal impurity. It is a matter of "purity" as God sees it, that is, love, solidarity, justice, mercy, collaboration, welcoming, etc. That is why the twelve will have to call "to conversion" from these prejudices, perverse and "unclean" forms to live as children of God.
"Nothing for their journey, except a staff…"
We need to understand that "unclean spirits" meant many things: psychic diseases, forms of epilepsy, destructive spiritual forces, the enslaving power of the law, every form of psychic disability, physical malfunctions, etc.
Power is exercised in walking among these sufferings, accepting the challenge to faith in God provided by these challenges, accepting to live in solidarity, accepting the dignity of each human being. We must not identify "unclean" with sexual or legal impurity. It is a matter of "purity" as God sees it, that is, love, solidarity, justice, mercy, collaboration, welcoming, etc. That is why the twelve will have to call "to conversion" from these prejudices, perverse and "unclean" forms to live as children of God.
"Nothing for their journey, except a staff…"
Their mission must be an itinerant one, not sedentary; that is, the mission must constantly stimulate the going, new encounters, detachment from results, interior and exterior freedom. Hence the recommendation, found in all the Synoptic Gospels, to practice material poverty in dress and food, in security and guarantees. It was probably also a matter of the shortness of the experience: as a first exercise, it was not supposed to last long, and so, they had to travel light, free, focused more on the importance of the proclamation than on the consolidation of results.
But when this text was written, the situation of the community of disciples was a lot more developed and consolidated. Thus, the memory of these recommendations not only served to recall this first joyful and adventurous experience, but also to confront the present style of life and customs with those of the time of Jesus, now so long ago. Thus the text aims at remembering and at a new missionary impetus, less fearful of the demands of comfort and security.
But when this text was written, the situation of the community of disciples was a lot more developed and consolidated. Thus, the memory of these recommendations not only served to recall this first joyful and adventurous experience, but also to confront the present style of life and customs with those of the time of Jesus, now so long ago. Thus the text aims at remembering and at a new missionary impetus, less fearful of the demands of comfort and security.
"When you leave, shake off the dust…"
The Lord's recommendations bring together two aspects, which only appear to be in contradiction. On the one hand, the disciples must be completely available to meet the people, without thinking of gain or survival. They must seek out sick people - that is, those sick for personal or social reasons, from the oppression of the law or from of human evil - and free them, pour the oil of consolation on them, heal their wounds and interior hurts. But, on the other hand, they must also avoid accepting any form of hypocrisy and irresponsible do-gooders.
Besides charity and care for the suffering, they must also have the courage to unmask hypocrisy, react to closed minds and accept personal failure. Where they are not received, they must leave without regrets or weakness. Rejection or hypocrisy render proclamation and witness sterile. He asks for a clear and unequivocal break, a thing that Jesus himself, perhaps, had not experienced much. He always tried to go back and dialogue, suffered from the closed minds of the Pharisees and the Scribes. He challenged their tenacious and insidious teachings. Yet now he imposes on his disciples the direction not to waste time on those who will not receive them. Probably, in this recommendation there is also an adaptation to the situation of the community: they must not regret the break with the Israelite community. There had been a closed attitude and a ferocious and aggressive refusal: well, Jesus had foreseen this too. There was no need to grieve. They must go to other people and they must not waste time trying to win back that which could not be won back.
Besides charity and care for the suffering, they must also have the courage to unmask hypocrisy, react to closed minds and accept personal failure. Where they are not received, they must leave without regrets or weakness. Rejection or hypocrisy render proclamation and witness sterile. He asks for a clear and unequivocal break, a thing that Jesus himself, perhaps, had not experienced much. He always tried to go back and dialogue, suffered from the closed minds of the Pharisees and the Scribes. He challenged their tenacious and insidious teachings. Yet now he imposes on his disciples the direction not to waste time on those who will not receive them. Probably, in this recommendation there is also an adaptation to the situation of the community: they must not regret the break with the Israelite community. There had been a closed attitude and a ferocious and aggressive refusal: well, Jesus had foreseen this too. There was no need to grieve. They must go to other people and they must not waste time trying to win back that which could not be won back.
6. Psalm 85
Prayer for justice and peace
Show us thy steadfast love,
O Lord, and grant us thy salvation.
O Lord, and grant us thy salvation.
Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints,
to those who turn to him in their hearts.
for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints,
to those who turn to him in their hearts.
Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
that glory may dwell in our land.
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
that glory may dwell in our land.
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
Yea, the Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him,
and make his footsteps a way.
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him,
and make his footsteps a way.
7. Closing prayer
Lord our God, keep your Son’s disciples from the easy ways of popularity, of cheap glory, and lead them to the ways of the poor and scourged of the earth, so that they may recognise in their faces the face of the Master and Redeemer. Give them eyes to see possible ways of peace and solidarity; ears to hear the requests of sense and salvation of so many people who seek as by feeling; enrich their hearts with generous fidelity and a sensitiveness and understanding so that they may walk along the way and be true and sincere witnesses to the glory that shines in the crucified resurrected and victorious one. Who lives and reigns gloriously with you, Father, forever and ever. Amen.
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 Benedict
Feast Day: July 11Died: 542 AD Carthage (Tunisia)
Patron Saints: Europe, students and speliologists (cave explorers).
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| St Benedict of Nursia Francesca 1440's |
Saint Benedict of Nursia (Italian: San Benedetto da Norcia) (c.480–543) is a Christian saint, honored by the Roman Catholic Church as the patron saint of Europe and students.
Benedict
founded twelve communities for monks at Subiaco, about 40 miles (64 km)
to the east of Rome, before moving to Monte Cassino in the mountains of
southern Italy. There is no evidence that he intended to found a
religious order.
The Order of St Benedict is of later origin and, moreover, not an
"order" as commonly understood but merely a confederation of autonomous
congregations.
Benedict's
main achievement is his "Rule", containing precepts for his monks. It
is heavily influenced by the writings of John Cassian, and shows strong
affinity with the Rule of the Master. But it also has a unique spirit of
balance, moderation and reasonableness (ἐπιείκεια, epieikeia),
and this persuaded most religious communities founded throughout the
Middle Ages to adopt it. As a result, the Rule of Benedict
became one of the most influential religious rules in Western
Christendom. For this reason, Benedict is often called the founder of
western Christian monasticism.
Biography
Apart from a short poem attributed to Mark of Monte Cassino, the only
ancient account of Benedict is found in the second volume of Pope Gregory I's four-book Dialogues,
thought to have been written in 593. The authenticity of this work has
been hotly disputed, especially by Dr Francis Clarke in his two volume
work The Pseudo-Gregorian Dialogues. Book Two consists of a prologue and thirty-eight succinct chapters.
Gregory’s account of this saint’s life is not, however, a biography
in the modern sense of the word. It provides instead a spiritual
portrait of the gentle, disciplined abbot. In a letter to Bishop
Maximilian of Syracuse, Gregory states his intention for his Dialogues, saying they are a kind of floretum (an anthology, literally, ‘flowers’) of the most striking miracles of Italian holy men.
Gregory
did not set out to write a chronological, historically
anchored story of St. Benedict, but he did base his anecdotes on direct
testimony. To establish his authority, Gregory explains that his
information came from what he considered the best sources: a handful of
Benedict’s disciples who lived with the saint and witnessed his various
miracles. These followers, he says, are Constantinus, who succeeded
Benedict as Abbot of Monte Cassino; Valentinianus; Simplicius; and
Honoratus, who was abbot of Subiaco when St Gregory wrote his Dialogues.
In Gregory’s day, history was not recognized as an independent field of study; it was a branch of grammar or rhetoric, and historia (defined as ‘story’) summed up the approach of the learned when they wrote what was, at that time, considered ‘history.’ Gregory’s Dialogues
Book Two, then, an authentic medieval hagiography cast as a
conversation between the Pope and his deacon Peter, is designed to teach
spiritual lessons.
Early life
Benedict
was the son of a Roman noble of Nursia, the modern Norcia, in Umbria. A
tradition which Bede accepts makes him a twin with his sister
Scholastica.
St Gregory's narrative makes it impossible to suppose him younger than
19 or 20. He was old enough to be in the midst of his literary studies,
to understand the real meaning and worth of the dissolute and licentious
lives of his companions, and to have been deeply affected himself by
the love of a woman (Ibid. II, 2). He was at the beginning of life, and
he had at his disposal the means to a career as a Roman noble; clearly
he was not a child. If we accept the date 480 for his birth, we may fix
the date of his abandonment of his studies and leaving home at about
500.
Benedict does not seem to have left Rome for the purpose of becoming a hermit,
but only to find some place away from the life of the great city. He
took his old nurse with him as a servant and they settled down to live
in Enfide, near a church to St Peter, in some kind of association with
"a company of virtuous men" who were in sympathy with his feelings and
his views of life. Enfide, which the tradition of Subiaco identifies
with the modern Affile, is in the Simbruini mountains, about forty miles from Rome and two from Subiaco.
St Benedict orders Saint Maurus to the rescue of Saint Placidus, by Fra Filippo Lippi, 1445 A.D. .
A
short distance from Enfide is the entrance to a narrow, gloomy
valley, penetrating the mountains and leading directly to Subiaco.
Crossing the Aniene and turning to the right, the path rises along the
left face off the ravine and soon reaches the site of Nero's villa and
of the huge mole which formed the lower end of the middle lake; across
the valley were ruins of the Roman baths,
of which a few great arches and detached masses of wall still stand.
The path continues to ascend, and the side of the ravine, on which it
runs, becomes steeper, until a cave is reached above which the mountain
now rises almost perpendicularly; while on the right, it strikes in a
rapid descent down to where, in St Benedict's day, 500 feet (150 m)
below, lay the blue waters of the lake. The cave has a large
triangular-shaped opening and is about ten feet deep. On his way from
Enfide, Benedict met a monk, Romanus of Subiaco, whose monastery was on
the mountain above the cliff overhanging the cave. Romanus had discussed
with Benedict the purpose which had brought him to Subiaco, and had
given him the monk's habit. By his advice Benedict became a hermit and
for three years, unknown to men, lived in this cave above the lake.
Later life
St Gregory tells us little of these years. He now speaks of Benedict no longer as a youth (puer), but as a man (vir)
of God. Romanus, he twice tells us, served the saint in every way he
could. The monk apparently visited him frequently, and on fixed days
brought him food.
During these three years of solitude, broken only by occasional
communications with the outer world and by the visits of Romanus,
Benedict matured both in mind and character, in knowledge of himself and
of his fellow-man, and at the same time he became not merely known to,
but secured the respect of, those about him; so much so that on the
death of the abbot of a monastery in the neighbourhood (identified by
some with Vicovaro), the community came to him and begged him to become
its abbot. Benedict was acquainted with the life and discipline of the
monastery, and knew that "their manners were diverse from his and
therefore that they would never agree together: yet, at length, overcome
with their entreaty, he gave his consent" (ibid., 3). The experiment
failed; the monks tried to poison him. The legend goes that they first
tried to poison his drink. He prayed a blessing over the cup and the cup
shattered. Then they tried to poison him with poisoned bread. When he
prayed a blessing over the bread, a raven swept in and took the loaf
away. Benedict returned to his cave at Subiaco. From this time his
miracles seem to have become frequent, and many people, attracted by his
sanctity and character, came to Subiaco to be under his guidance. He
founded 12 monasteries in the vicinity of Subiaco, and, eventually,
founded the great Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino, which lies on a
hilltop between Rome and Naples.
Veneration
He died at Monte Cassino, Italy, while standing in prayer to God.
According to tradition, this occurred on March 21, 547. He was named
patron protector of Europe by Pope Paul VI in 1964. In 1980, Pope John Paul II declared him co-patron of Europe, together with Saints Cyril and Methodius.
In
the pre-1970 Roman Calendar, his feast is kept on the day of his death,
March 21. Because on that date his liturgical memorial would always be
impeded by the observance of Lent,
the reform of the General Roman Calendar
set an obligatory memorial for him on July 11, the date on which some
monasteries commemorated the translation of his relics to the monastery
of St. Benoit-sur-Loire in northern France. His memorial on March 21 was
removed from the General Roman Calendar but is retained in the Roman
Martyrology. The Orthodox Church commemorates St. Benedict on March 14.
The Anglican Communion has no single universal calendar, but a
provincial calendar of saints is published in each province. In almost
all of these, St Benedict is commemorated on July 11 annually.
The Saint Benedict Medal
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Jubilee Saint Benedict Medal
1400th anniversary of his birth in 1880 |
This medal originally came from a cross in honor of St Benedict. On
one side, the medal has an image of St Benedict, holding the Holy Rule
in his left hand and a cross in his right. There is a raven on one side
of him, with a cup on the other side of him. Around the medal's outer
margin are the words "Eius in obitu nostro praesentia muniamur" ("May we, at our death, be fortified by His presence"). The other side of the medal has a cross with the initials CSSML on the vertical bar which signify "Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux" ("May the Holy Cross be my light") and on the horizontal bar are the initials NDSMD which stand for "Non Draco Sit Mihi Dux" ("Let not the dragon be my overlord"). The initials CSPB stand for "Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti" ("The Cross of the Holy Father Benedict") and are located on the interior angles of the cross. Either the inscription "PAX" (Peace) or the Christogram "IHS" may be found at the top of the cross in most cases. Around the medal's margin on this side are the Vade Retro Satana initials VRSNSMV which stand for "Vade Retro Satana, Nonquam Suade Mihi Vana" ("Begone Satan, do not suggest to me thy vanities") then a space followed by the initials SMQLIVB which signify "Sunt Mala Quae Libas, Ipse Venena Bibas" ("Evil are the things thou profferest, drink thou thy own poison").
This
medal was first struck in 1880 to commemorate the fourteenth
centenary of St Benedict's birth and is also called the Jubilee Medal;
its exact origin, however, is unknown. In 1647, during a witchcraft
trial at Natternberg near Metten Abbey in Bavaria, the accused women
testified they had no power over Metten, which was under the protection
of the cross. An investigation found a number of painted crosses on the
walls of the abbey with the letters now found on St Benedict medals, but
their meaning had been forgotten. A manuscript written in 1415 was
eventually found that had a picture of Saint Benedict holding a scroll
in one hand and a staff which ended in a cross in the other. On the
scroll and staff were written the full words of the initials contained
on the crosses. Medals then began to be struck in Germany, which then
spread throughout Europe. This medal was first approved by Pope Benedict
XIV in his briefs of December 23, 1741, and March 12, 1742.
Saint
Benedict has been also the motive of many collector's coins around the
world. The Austria 50 euro 'The Christian Religious Orders', issued on
March 13, 2002 is one of them.
The influence of St. Benedict
Austria 50 euro 'The Christian Religious Orders' commemorative coin
The early Middle Ages have been called "the Benedictine centuries."[12] In April 2008, Pope Benedict XVI
discussed the influence St Benedict had on Western Europe. The pope
said that “with his life and work St Benedict exercised a fundamental
influence on the development of European civilization and culture” and
helped Europe to emerge from the "dark night of history" that followed
the fall of the Roman empire.[13]
To this day, The Rule of St. Benedict is the most common and
influential Rule used by monasteries and monks, more than 1,400 years
after its writing.
The influence of St Benedict produced "a true spiritual ferment" in
Europe, and over the coming decades his followers spread across the
continent to establish a new cultural unity based on Christian faith.
References:
Courtesy of Wikipedia, wikipedia .org and Catholic online, www.catholic.org.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "St. Benedict of Nursia". Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.
- Gardner, Edmund G. (editor) (1911. Reprinted 2010). The Dialogues of Saint Gregory the Great. Merchantville, NJ: Evolution Publishing. ISBN 978-1-889758-94-7. http://www.evolpub.com/CRE/CREseries.html#CRE9.
- "The Life of St Benedict," by St. Gregory the Great, Rockford, IL: TAN Books and Publishers, ISBN 0-89555-512-3
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Today's Snippet I: The Rule of Saint Benedict
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| Rules of St Benedict 1926 Nieg |
Seventy-three short chapters comprise the Rule. Its wisdom is of two kinds: spiritual (how to live a Christocentric life on earth) and administrative (how to run a monastery efficiently). More than half the chapters describe how to be obedient and humble, and what to do when a member of the community is not. About one-fourth regulate the work of God (the Opus Dei). One-tenth outline how, and by whom, the monastery should be managed. And two chapters specifically describe the abbot’s pastoral duties.
The spirit of St. Benedict's Rule is summed up in the motto of the Benedictine Confederation: pax ("peace") and the traditional ora et labora ("pray and work").
Compared to other precepts, the Rule provides a moderate path between individual zeal and formulaic institutionalism; because of this middle ground it has been widely popular. Benedict's concerns were the needs of monks in a community environment: namely, to establish due order, to foster an understanding of the relational nature of human beings, and to provide a spiritual father to support and strengthen the individual's ascetic effort and the spiritual growth that is required for the fulfillment of the human vocation, theosis.
The Rule of Saint Benedict has been used by Benedictines for fifteen centuries, and thus St. Benedict is sometimes regarded as the founder of Western monasticism. There is, however, no evidence to suggest that Benedict intended to found a religious order. Not until the later Middle Ages is there mention of an "Order of Saint Benedict". His Rule is written as a guide for individual, autonomous communities, and to this day all Benedictine Houses (and the Congregations in which they have associated themselves) remain self-governing. Advantages seen in retaining this unique Benedictine emphasis on autonomy include cultivating models of tightly bonded communities and contemplative lifestyles. Perceived disadvantages comprise geographical isolation from important projects in adjacent communities in the name of a literalist interpretation of autonomy. Other perceived losses include inefficiency and lack of mobility in the service of others, and insufficient appeal to potential members.
Origins
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| 8th-century copy of the Rule of St. Benedict |
Within a generation, both solitary and communal monasticism became very popular and spread outside of Egypt, first to Palestine and the Judean Desert and thence to Syria and North Africa. Saint Basil of Caesarea codified the precepts for these eastern monasteries in his Ascetic Rule, or Ascetica, which is still used today in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
In the West in about the year 500, Benedict became so upset by the immorality of society in Rome that he gave up his studies there, at age fourteen, and chose the life of an ascetic monk in the pursuit of personal holiness, living as a hermit in a cave near the rugged region of Subiaco. In time, setting an example with his zeal, he began to attract disciples. After considerable initial struggles with his first community at Subiaco, he eventually founded the monastery of Monte Cassino in 529, where he wrote his Rule near the end of his life.
In chapter 73, St Benedict commends the Rule of St Basil and alludes to further authorities. He was probably aware of the Rule written by Pachomius (or attributed to him); and his Rule also shows influence by the Rule of St Augustine of Hippo and the writings of Saint John Cassian. Benedict's greatest debt, however, may be to the anonymous document known as the Rule of the Master, which Benedict seems to have radically excised, expanded, revised and corrected in the light of his own considerable experience and insight.
Overview
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Regula, 1495
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The Rule opens with a hortatory preface, in which St. Benedict sets forth the main principles of the religious life, viz.: the renunciation of one's own will and arming oneself "with the strong and noble weapons of obedience" under the banner of "the true King, Christ the Lord" (Prol. 3). He proposes to establish a "school for the Lord's service" (Prol. 45) in which the way to salvation (Prol. 48) shall be taught, so that by persevering in the monastery till death his disciples may "through patience share in the passion of Christ that [they] may deserve also to share in his Kingdom" (Prol. 50, passionibus Christi per patientiam participemur, ut et regno eius mereamur esse consortes; note: Latin passionibus and patientiam have the same root, cf. Fry, RB 1980, p. 167).
- Chapter 1 defines four kinds of monks: (1) Cenobites, those "in a monastery, where they serve under a rule and an abbot"; (2) Anchorites, or hermits, who, after long successful training in a monastery, are now coping single-handedly, with only God for their help; (3) Sarabaites, living by twos and threes together or even alone, with no experience, rule and superior, and thus a law unto themselves; and (4) Gyrovagues, wandering from one monastery to another, slaves to their own wills and appetites.
- Chapter 2 describes the necessary qualifications of an abbot, forbids the abbot to make distinctions between persons in the monastery except for particular merit, and warns him he will be answerable for the salvation of the souls in his care.
- Chapter 3 ordains the calling of the brothers to council upon all affairs of importance to the community.
- Chapter 4 lists 73 "tools for good work" "tools of the spiritual craft" for the "workshop" that is "the enclosure of the monastery and the stability in the community". These are essentially the duties of every Christian and are mainly Scriptural either in letter or in spirit.
- Chapter 5 prescribes prompt, ungrudging, and absolute obedience to the superior in all things lawful, "unhesitating obedience" being called the first degree, or step, of humility.
- Chapter 6 recommends moderation in the use of speech, but does not enjoin strict silence, nor prohibit profitable or necessary conversation.
- Chapter 7 divides humility into twelve degrees, or steps in the ladder that leads to heaven:(1) Fear God; (2) Subordinate one's will to the will of God; (3) Be obedient to one's superior; (4) Be patient amid hardships; (5) Confess one's sins; (6) Accept oneself as a "worthless workman"; (7) Consider oneself "inferior to all"; (8) Follow examples set by superiors; (9) Do not speak until spoken to; (10) Do not laugh; (11) Speak simply and modestly; and (12) Be humble in bodily posture.
- Chapters 8-19 regulate the Divine Office, the Godly work to which "nothing is to be preferred", namely the eight canonical hours. Detailed arrangements are made for the number of Psalms, etc., to be recited in winter and summer, on Sundays, weekdays, Holy Days, and at other times.
- Chapter 19 emphasizes the reverence owed to the omnipresent God.
- Chapter 20 directs that prayer be made with heartfelt compunction rather than many words. It should be prolonged only under the inspiration of divine grace, and in community always kept short and terminated at a sign from the superior.
- Chapter 21 regulates the appointment of a Dean over every ten monks.
- Chapter 22 regulates the dormitory. Each monk is to have a separate bed and is to sleep in his habit, so as to be ready to rise without delay [for early Vigils]; a light shall burn in the dormitory throughout the night.
- Chapters 23-29 specify a graduated scale of punishments for contumacy, disobedience, pride, and other grave faults: first, private admonition; next, public reproof; then separation from the brothers at meals and elsewhere; and finally excommunication (or in the case of those lacking understanding of what this means, corporal punishment instead).
- Chapter 30 directs that a wayward brother who has left the monastery must be received again, if he promises to make amends; but if he leaves again, and again, after the third time all return is finally barred.
- Chapters 31 and 32 order the appointment of officials to take charge of the goods of the monastery.
- Chapter 33 forbids the private possession of anything without the leave of the abbot, who is, however, bound to supply all necessities.
- Chapter 34 prescribes a just distribution of such things.
- Chapter 35 arranges for the service in the kitchen by all monks in turn.
- Chapters 36 and 37 address care of the sick, the old, and the young. They are to have certain dispensations from the strict Rule, chiefly in the matter of food.
- Chapter 38 prescribes reading aloud during meals, which duty is to be performed by those who can do so with edification to the rest. Signs are to be used for whatever may be wanted at meals, so that no voice interrupts the reading. The reader eats with the servers after the rest have finished, but he is allowed a little food beforehand in order to lessen the fatigue of reading.
- Chapters 39 and 40 regulate the quantity and quality of the food. Two meals a day are allowed, with two cooked dishes at each. Each monk is allowed a pound of bread and a hemina (probably about half a pint) of wine. The flesh of four-footed animals is prohibited except for the sick and the weak.
- Chapter 41 prescribes the hours of the meals, which vary with the time of year.
- Chapter 42 enjoins the reading an edifying book in the evening, and orders strict silence after Compline.
- Chapters 43-46 define penalties for minor faults, such as coming late to prayer or meals.
- Chapter 47 requires the abbot to call the brothers to the "work of God" (Opus Dei) in choir, and to appoint chanters and readers.
- Chapter 48 emphasizes the importance of daily manual labour appropriate to the ability of the monk. The hours of labour vary with the season but are never less than five hours a day.
- Chapter 49 recommends some voluntary self-denial for Lent, with the abbot's sanction.
- Chapters 50 and 51 contain rules for monks working in the fields or travelling. They are directed to join in spirit, as far as possible, with their brothers in the monastery at the regular hours of prayers.
- Chapter 52 commands that the oratory be used for purposes of devotion only.
- Chapter 53 deals with hospitality. Guests are to be met with due courtesy by the abbot or his deputy; during their stay they are to be under the special protection of an appointed monk; they are not to associate with the rest of the community except by special permission.
- Chapter 54 forbids the monks to receive letters or gifts without the abbot's leave.
- Chapter 55 says clothing is to be adequate and suited to the climate and locality, at the discretion of the abbot. It must be as plain and cheap as is consistent with due economy. Each monk is to have a change of clothes to allow for washing, and when travelling is to have clothes of better quality. Old clothes are to be given to the poor.
- Chapter 56 directs the abbot to eat with the guests.
- Chapter 57 enjoins humility on the craftsmen of the monastery, and if their work is for sale, it shall be rather below than above the current trade price.
- Chapter 58 lays down rules for the admission of new members, which is not to be made too easy. The postulant first spends a short time as a guest; then he is admitted to the novitiate where his vocation is severely tested; during this time he is always free to leave. If after twelve months' probation he perseveres, he may promise before the whole community stabilitate sua et conversatione morum suorum et oboedientia -- "stability, conversion of manners, and obedience". With this vow he binds himself for life to the monastery of his profession.
- Chapter 59 allows the admission of boys to the monastery under certain conditions.
- Chapter 60 regulates the position of priests who join the community. They are to set an example of humility, and can only exercise their priestly functions by permission of the abbot.
- Chapter 61 provides for the reception of strange monks as guests, and for their admission to the community.
- Chapter 62 deals with the ordination of priests from within the monastic community.
- Chapter 63 lays down that precedence in the community shall be determined by the date of admission, merit of life, or the appointment of the abbot.
- Chapter 64 orders that the abbot be elected by his monks, and that he be chosen for his charity, zeal, and discretion.
- Chapter 65 allows the appointment of a provost, or prior, but warns that he is to be entirely subject to the abbot and may be admonished, deposed, or expelled for misconduct.
- Chapter 66 appoints a porter, and recommends that each monastery be self-contained and avoid intercourse with the outer world.
- Chapter 67 instructs monks how to behave on a journey.
- Chapter 68 orders that all cheerfully try to do whatever is commanded, however hard it may seem.
- Chapter 69 forbids the monks from defending one another.
- Chapter 70 prohibits them from striking one another.
- Chapter 71 encourages the brothers to be obedient not only to the abbot and his officials, but also to one another.
- Chapter 72 briefly exhorts the monks to zeal and fraternal charity
- Chapter 73, an epilogue, declares that the Rule is not offered as an ideal of perfection, but merely as a means towards godliness, intended chiefly for beginners in the spiritual life.
Secular significance
Charlemagne had Benedict's rule copied and distributed to encourage monks throughout western Europe to follow it as a standard. Beyond its religious influences, the Rule of St Benedict was one of the most important written works to shape medieval Europe, embodying the ideas of a written constitution and the rule of law. It also incorporated a degree of democracy in a non-democratic society, and dignified manual labor.Outline of the Benedictine life
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| Ora et Labora (Pray and Work). This 1862 painting by John Rogers Herbert depicts monks at work in the fields with an abbey (the Trappist Mount St. Bernard Abbey) in the background |
St Benedict's Rule organises the monastic day into regular periods of communal and private prayer, sleep, spiritual reading, and manual labour – ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus, "that in all [things] God may be glorified" (cf. Rule ch. 57.9). In later centuries, intellectual work and teaching took the place of farming, crafts, or other forms of manual labour for many – if not most – Benedictines.
Traditionally, the daily life of the Benedictine revolved around the eight canonical hours. The monastic timetable or Horarium would begin at midnight with the service, or "office", of Matins (today also called the Office of Readings), followed by the morning office of Lauds at 3am. Before the advent of wax candles in the 14th century, this office was said in the dark or with minimal lighting; and monks were expected to memorise everything. These services could be very long, sometimes lasting till dawn, but usually consisted of a chant, three antiphons, three psalms, and three lessons, along with celebrations of any local saints' days. Afterwards the monks would retire for a few hours of sleep and then rise at 6am to wash and attend the office of Prime. They then gathered in Chapter to receive instructions for the day and to attend to any judicial business. Then came private Mass or spiritual reading or work until 9am when the office of Terce was said, and then High Mass. At noon came the office of Sext and the midday meal. After a brief period of communal recreation, the monk could retire to rest until the office of None at 3pm. This was followed by farming and housekeeping work until after twilight, the evening prayer of Vespers at 6pm, then the night prayer of Compline at 9pm, and off to blessed bed before beginning the cycle again. In modern times, this timetable is often changed to accommodate any apostolate outside the monastic enclosure (e.g. the running of a school or parish).
Many Benedictine Houses have a number of Oblates (secular) who are affiliated with them in prayer, having made a formal private promise (usually renewed annually) to follow the Rule of St Benedict in their private life as closely as their individual circumstances and prior commitments permit.
In recent years discussions have occasionally been held concerning the applicability of the principles and spirit of the Rule of St Benedict to the secular working environment.
Reforms
During the more than 1500 years of their existence, the Benedictines have not been immune to periods of laxity and decline, often following periods of greater prosperity and an attendant relaxing of discipline. In such times, dynamic Benedictines have often led reform movements to return to a stricter observance of both the letter and spirit of the Rule of St Benedict, at least as they understood it. Examples include the Camaldolese, the Cistercians, the Trappists (a reform of the Cistercians), and the Sylvestrines. At the heart of reform movements, past and present, lie hermeneutical questions about what fidelity to tradition means. For example are sixth-century objectives, like blending in with contemporary dress or providing service to visitors, better served or compromised by retaining sixth-century clothing or by insisting that service excludes formal educational enterprises?Popular legend
A popular legend claims that the Rule of St Benedict contains the following passage:- If any pilgrim monk come from distant parts, if with wish as a guest to dwell in the monastery, and will be content with the customs which he finds in the place, and do not perchance by his lavishness disturb the monastery, but is simply content with what he finds: he shall be received, for as long a time as he desires.
- If, indeed, he find fault with anything, or expose it, reasonably, and with the humility of charity, the Abbot shall discuss it prudently, lest perchance God had sent [him] for this very thing.
- But if he have been found gossipy and contumaceous in the time of his sojourn as guest, not only ought he not to be joined to the body of the monastery, but also it shall be said to him, honestly, that he must depart. If he does not go, let two stout monks, in the name of God, explain the matter to him.
The version above, first published in Hubbard's Little Journeys (1908), omits a part of the passage which enjoins the monastery, given good behaviour, to accept the guest as a permanent resident. The words "gossipy and contumaceous" replace the original "lavish or vicious"; and the words following "he must depart" were originally "lest, by sympathy with him, others also become contaminated."
No language corresponding to the last sentence about "two stout monks" appears in the Rule, though it is a popular myth that it does, with several reputable publications (and more than one church, and at least one Benedictine organization) repeating and propagating the error. At least one of the sources cited attributes the passage to a mythical Chapter 74; the Rule of St Benedict contains only 73 chapters.
An early source for the quotation is the University of California, Berkeley faculty club, which has, for years, posted a version of the above passage on its bulletin board in Gothic script. (There, the notice was not attributed to St Benedict).
According to another urban legend, the Benedictine motto is supposedly Ora est labora, which would mean "[To say] 'Pray!' equals [saying] 'Work!'" The actual motto, however, is, Ora et labora meaning "pray and work!", which refers to two major components of a monastic life: first prayer and then work to support the community and its charities.
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Rule of St. Benedict". Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.- R. W. Southern, Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages. Pelican, 1970
- Henry Mayr-Harting, The Venerable Bede, the Rule of St Benedict, and Social Class. Jarrow Lecture 1976; Jarrow: Rector of Jarrow, 1976. ISBN 0-903495-03-1
- Christopher Derrick, The Rule of Peace: St. Benedict and the European Future. Still River, Mass.: St. Bede's Publications. 2002. ISBN 978-0-932506-01-6
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Snippet II: Origin Of Christian Monasteries
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| Abbey Melk ,Austria |
Monasteries may vary greatly in size, comprising a small dwelling accommodating only a hermit, or in the case of communities anything from a single building housing only one senior and two or three junior monks or nuns, to vast complexes and estates housing tens or hundreds. A monastery complex typically comprises a number of buildings which include a church, dormitory, cloister, refectory, library, balneary and infirmary. Depending on the location, the monastic order and the occupation of its inhabitants, the complex may also include a wide range of buildings that facilitate self-sufficiency and service to the community. These may include a hospice, a school and a range of agricultural and manufacturing buildings such as a barn, a forge or a brewery.
In English usage, the term "monastery" is generally used to denote the buildings of a community of monks. "Convent" tends to be used (inaccurately) for the buildings accommodating female monastics (nuns). It may also be used to reflect the Latin usage for houses of friars, more commonly called a "friary", or for communities of teaching or nursing Religious Sisters. Various religions may use these terms in more specific ways.
In most religions the life inside monasteries is governed by community rules that stipulate the gender of the inhabitants and require them to remain celibate and own little or no personal property. The degree to which life inside a particular monastery is socially separate from the surrounding populace can also vary widely; some religious traditions mandate isolation for purposes of contemplation removed from the everyday world, in which case members of the monastic community may spend most of their time isolated even from each other. Others focus on interacting with the local communities to provide services, such as teaching, medical care, or evangelism. Some monastic communities are only occupied seasonally, depending both on the traditions involved and the local weather, and people may be part of a monastic community for periods ranging from a few days at a time to almost an entire lifetime.
The life within the walls of a monastery may be supported in several ways: by manufacturing and selling goods, often agricultural products, by donations or alms, by rental or investment incomes, and by funds from other organizations within the religion, which in the past formed the traditional support of monasteries. There has been a long tradition of Christian monasteries providing hospitable, charitable and hospital services. Monasteries have always been associated with the provision of education and the encouragement of scholarship and research, which has led to the establishment of schools and colleges and the association with universities. Christian monastic life has adapted to modern society by offering computer services, accounting services and management as well as modern hospital and educational administration
Etymology
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| The Plan of Saint Gall the ground plan of an unbuilt abbey providing for all of the needs of the monks within the confines of the monastery walls. |
In England the word monastery was also applied to the habitation of a bishop and the cathedral clergy who lived apart from the lay community. Most cathedrals were not monasteries, and were served by canons secular, which were communal but not monastic. However some were run by monastic orders, such as York Minster. Westminster Abbey was for a short time a cathedral, and was a Benedictine monastery until the Reformation, and its Chapter preserves elements of the Benedictine tradition. See the entry cathedral. They are also to be distinguished from collegiate churches, such as St George's Chapel, Windsor.
Monastic life
In most religions the life inside monasteries is governed by community rules that stipulate the gender of the inhabitants and require them to remain celibate and own little or no personal property. The degree to which life inside a particular monastery is socially separate from the surrounding populace can also vary widely; some religious traditions mandate isolation for purposes of contemplation removed from the everyday world, in which case members of the monastic community may spend most of their time isolated even from each other. Others focus on interacting with the local communities to provide services, such as teaching, medical care, or evangelism. Some monastic communities are only occupied seasonally, depending both on the traditions involved and the local weather, and people may be part of a monastic community for periods ranging from a few days at a time to almost an entire lifetime.The life within the walls of a monastery may be supported in several ways: by manufacturing and selling goods, often agricultural products, by donations or alms, by rental or investment incomes, and by funds from other organizations within the religion, which in the past formed the traditional support of monasteries. There has been a long tradition of Christian monasteries providing hospitable, charitable and hospital services. Monasteries have often been associated with the provision of education and the encouragement of scholarship and research, which has led to the establishment of schools and colleges and the association with universities. Christian monastic life has adapted to modern society by offering computer services, accounting services and management as well as modern hospital and educational administration.
Christian Monastic Terms
In most of this article, the term monastery is used generically to refer to any of a number of types of religious community. In the Roman Catholic religion and to some extent in certain other branches of Christianity, there is a somewhat more specific definition of the term and many related terms.A Christian monastery may be an abbey (i.e., under the rule of an abbot), or a priory (under the rule of a prior), or conceivably a hermitage (the dwelling of a hermit). It may be a community of men (monks) or of women (nuns). A charterhouse is any monastery belonging to the Carthusian order. In Eastern Christianity a very small monastic community can be called a skete, and a very large or important monastery can be given the dignity of a lavra. The great communal life of a Christian monastery is called cenobitic, as opposed to the anchoretic (or anchoritic) life of an anchorite and the eremitic life of a hermit. There has also been, mostly under the Osmanli occupation of Greece and Cyprus, an "idiorrhythmic" lifestyle where monks come together but being able to own things individually and not being obliged to work for the common good.
Christianity
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| The Monastery of Saint Anthony in Egypt, built over the tomb of Saint Anthony, the "Father of Christian Monasticism". |
Monasticism in Christianity, which provides the origins of the words "monk" and "monastery", comprises several diverse forms of religious living. It began to develop early in the history of the Church, but is not mandated as an institution in the scriptures. It has come to be regulated by religious rules (e.g. the Rule of St Basil, the Rule of St Benedict) and, in modern times, the Church law of the respective apostolic Christian churches that have forms of monastic living.
The Christian monk embraces the monastic life as a vocation for God. His goal is to attain eternal life in his presence. The rules of monastic life are codified in the "counsels of perfection".
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| Coptic monks between 1898 and 1914 |
The need for some form of organized spiritual guidance was obvious; and around 318 Saint Pachomius started to organize his many followers in what was to become the first Christian cenobitic or communal monastery. Soon, similar institutions were established throughout the Egyptian desert as well as the rest of the eastern half of the Roman Empire. Notable monasteries of the East include:
- Monastery of Saint Anthony, one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world.
- Mar Awgin founded a monastery on Mt. Izla above Nisibis in Mesopotamia (~350), and from this monastery the cenobitic tradition spread in Mesopotamia, Persia, Armenia, Georgia and even India and China.
- St. Sabbas the Sanctified organized the monks of the Judean Desert in a monastery close to Bethlehem (483), now known as Mar Saba, which is considered the mother of all monasteries of the Eastern Orthodox churches.
- Saint Catherine's Monastery was founded between 527 and 565 in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt by order of Emperor Justinian I.
In the West, the most significant development occurred when the rules for monastic communities were written, the Rule of St Basil being credited with having been the first. The precise dating of the Rule of the Master is problematic; but it has been argued on internal grounds that it antedates the so-called Rule of Saint Benedict created by Benedict of Nursia for his monastery in Monte Cassino, Italy (c. 529), and the other Benedictine monasteries he himself had founded (cf. Order of St Benedict). It would become the most common rule throughout the Middle Ages and is still in use today. The Augustinian Rule, due to its brevity, has been adopted by various communities, chiefly the Canons Regular. Around the 12th century, the Franciscan, Carmelite, Dominican, Servite Order (see Servants of Mary) and Augustinian mendicant orders chose to live in city convents among the people instead of being secluded in monasteries.
Today new expressions of Christian monasticism, many of which are ecumenical, are developing in various places such as the Bose Monastic Community in Italy, the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem throughout Europe, the New Skete, the Anglo-Celtic Society of Nativitists, the Taizé Community in France, and the mainly Evangelical Protestant New Monasticism.
References
- Dunn, Marilyn. The Emergence of Monasticism: From the Desert Fathers to the Early Middle Ages. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishers, 2000. p29.
- Lawrence, C. H. (2001). Medieval Monasticism (3rd ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education. ISBN 0-582-40427-4.
- Chitty, D. J. (1966). The Desert a City. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
- Meyer, R. T. (1950). St. Athanasius: The Life of Anthony. ACW 10. Westminster, Md.: Newman Press.
- "Idiorrhythmic Monasticism". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
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FEATURED BOOK
THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD
Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the
Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace.
Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new
enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.
Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace.
Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new
enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.
THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE
OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD
OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD
Venerable Mary of Agreda
Translated from the Spanish by Reverend George J. Blatter
1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..
IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne
Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison
(George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.
(George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.
This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most
Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.
Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.
Book 1, Chapter 5
PROPAGATION OF MANKIND.
EXPECTATION OF A REDEEMER. SAINT JOACHIM AND ANNE
The posterity and race of Adam spread
out in great numbers, for the just and the unjust were multiplied;
likewise did increase the clamors of the just for the Redeemer, and
the transgressions of the wicked in demerit of that benefit. The
people of the Most High and the plans for the triumph of the Lord in
assuming human nature, were already in the last stages of preparation
for the advent of the Messias. The kingdom of sin in the generation
of the wicked had now spread its dominion to the utmost limits and
the opportune time for the remedy had arrived.
When the ancient serpent had infected
the whole earth with its poisonous breath and apparently enjoyed
peaceful control over mortals who had become blind to the light of
reason (Rom. 1, 20) and to the precepts contained in the ancient
written law, when, instead of seeking the true Divinity, men set up
for themselves many false laws and each one created a god for himself
according to his liking, without considering, that the confusion of
so many gods was repugnant to all goodness, order, and peace, when by
these errors malice, ignorance and forgetfulness of the true God had
become naturalized; when ignorant of its mortal disease and lethargy,
the world had grown mute in its prayer for deliverance; when pride
reigned supreme and fools had become innumerable (Eccles. 9, 15);
when Lucifer in his arrogance was about to swallow the pure waters of
the Jordan (Job 40, 18): when through these injuries God was more and
more deeply offended and less and less beholden to man; when his
justice had such an excellent cause for annihilating all creation and
reducing it to its original nothingness:
At this juncture (according to our
way of understanding), the Most High directed his attention to the
attribute of his mercy, counterbalanced the weight of his
incomprehensible justice with the law of clemency, and chose to yield
more to his own goodness, to the clamors and faithful services of the
just and the prophets of his people, than to his indignation at the
wickedness and sins of all the rest of mankind. In this dark night of
the ancient law, He resolved to give most certain pledges of the day
of grace, sending into the world two most bright luminaries to
announce the approaching dawn of the sun of Justice, Christ our
Salvation. These were saint Joachim and Anne, prepared and created by
especial decree according to his own heart. St. Joachim had his home,
his family and relations in Nazareth, a town of Galilee. He, always a
just and holy man and illumined by especial grace and light from on
high, had a knowledge of many mysteries of the holy Scriptures and of
the olden Prophets. In continual and fervent prayer he asked of God
the fulfillment of his promises, and his faith and charity penetrated
the heavens. He was a man most humble and pure, leading a most holy
and sincere life, yet he was most grave and earnest, and incomparably
modest and honest.
The most fortunate Anne had a house in Bethlehem
and was a most chaste, humble and beautiful maiden. From her
childhood she led a most virtuous, holy and retired life, enjoying
great and continual enlightenment in exalted contemplation. Withal
she was most diligent and industrious, thus attaining perfection in
both the active and contemplative life. She had an infused knowledge
of the divine Scriptures and a profound understanding of its hidden
mysteries and sacraments. In the infused virtues of faith, hope and
love she was unexcelled. Equipped with all these gifts, she continued
to pray for the coming of the Messiah. Her prayers were so acceptable
to the Lord, that to her He could but answer with the words of the
Spouse: “Thou hast wounded my heart with one of the hairs of
thy neck” (Cant. 4, 9). Therefore, without doubt, saint Anne
holds a high position among the saints of the old Testament, who by
their merits hastened the coming of the Redeemer.
This woman also prayed most fervently, that the
Almighty deign to procure for her in matrimony a husband, who should
help her to observe the ancient law and testament, and to be perfect
in the fulfillment of all its precepts. At the moment in which saint
Anne thus prayed to the Lord, his Providence ordained, that saint
Joachim made the same petition: both prayers were made at the same
time before the tribunal of the holy Trinity, where they were heard
and fulfilled, it being then and there divinely disposed, that
Joachim and Anne unite in marriage and become the parents of Her, who
was to be the Mother of the incarnate God. In furtherance of this
divine decree the archangel Gabriel was sent to announce it to them
both. To saint Anne he appeared in visible form, while she was
engaged in fervent prayer for the coming of the Savior and the
Redeemer of men. When she saw the holy prince, most beautiful and
refulgent, she was disturbed and frightened and yet at the same time
interiorly rejoiced and enlightened. The holy maiden prostrated
herself in profound humility to reverence the messenger of heaven;
but he prevented and encouraged her, as being destined to be the ark
of the true manna, Mary most holy, Mother of the Word. For this holy
angel had been informed of this sacramental mystery on being sent
with this message. The other angels did not yet know of it, as this
revelation or illumination had been directly given from God only to
Gabriel. Nevertheless the angel did not then manifest this great
sacrament to St. Anne; but he asked her to attend and said to her:
“The Most High give thee his blessing, servant of God, and be
thy salvation. His Majesty has heard thy petitions and He wishes thee
to persevere therein and that thou continue to clamor for the coming
of the Redeemer. It is his will, that thou accept Joachim as the
spouse, for he is a man of upright heart and acceptable to the Lord:
in his company thou wilt be able to persevere in the observance of
his law and in his service. Continue thy prayers and thy
supplications and be not solicitous for anything else, for the Lord
will see them fulfilled. Walk in the straight paths of justice and
let thy soul’s converse be in heaven. Continuing to pray for
the Messiah, be thou joyful in the Lord, who is thy salvation.”
With these words the angel disappeared, leaving her enlightened in
many mysteries of holy Scriptures, and comforted and renewed in
spirit.
To saint Joachim the archangel did not appear in a
corporeal manner, but he spoke to the man of God in sleep as follows:
“Joachim, be thou blessed by the right hand of the Most High!
Persevere in thy desires and live according to rectitude and
perfection. It is the will of the Almighty, that thou receive saint
Anne as thy spouse, for her the Lord has visited with his blessing.
Take care of her and esteem her as a pledge of the Most High and give
thanks to his Majesty, because he has given her in thy charge.”
In consequence of this divine message saint Joachim immediately asked
for the hand of the most chaste Anne and, in joint obedience to the
divine ordainment, they espoused each other. But neither of the
manifested to each other the secret of what had happened until
several years afterwards, as I will relate in its place. The two holy
spouses lived in Nazareth, continuing to walk in the justification of
the Lord. In rectitude and sincerity they practiced all virtue in
their works, making themselves very acceptable and pleasing to the
Most High and avoiding all blemish in all their doings. The rents and
incomes of their estate they divided each year into three parts. The
first one they offered to the temple of Jerusalem for the worship of
the Lord; the second they distributed to the poor, and the third they
retained for decent sustenance of themselves and family. God
augmented their temporal goods on account of their generosity and
charity.
They themselves lived with each other
in undisturbed peace and union of heart, without quarrel or shadow of
a grudge. The most humble Anne subjected herself and conformed
herself in all things to the will of Joachim: and that man of God,
with equal emulation of humility, sought to know the desires of holy
Anne, confiding in her with his whole heart (Prov. 31, 11), and he
was not deceived. Thus they lived together in such perfect charity,
that during their whole life they never experienced a time, during
which one ceased to seek the same thing as the other (Matth. 27, 20).
But rather as being united in the Lord, they enjoyed his presence in
holy fear. Saint Joachim, solicitous to obey the command of the
angel, honored his spouse and lavished his attention upon her.
This fortunate couple passed twenty
years of their married life without issue. In those times and among
the people of the Jews this was held to be the greatest misfortune
and disgrace. On this account they had to bear much reproach and
insult from their neighbors and acquaintances, for all those that
were childless, were considered as excluded from the benefits of the
Messiah. But the Most High wished to afflict them and dispose them
for the grace which awaited them, in order that in patience and
submission they might tearfully sow the glorious Fruit, which they
were afterwards to bring forth. They continued in most fervent
prayers from the bottom of their hearts, mindful of the command from
on high. They made an express vow to the Lord, that if He should give
them issue, they would consecrate It to his service in the temple of
Jerusalem.
Having, at the command of the Lord, persevered a
whole year in fervent petitions, it happened by divine inspiration
and ordainment, that Joachim was in the temple of Jerusalem offering
prayers and sacrifices for the coming of the Messias, and for the
fruit, which he desired. Arriving with others of his town to offer
the common gifts and contributions in the presence of the high
priest, Isachar, an inferior priest, harshly reprehended the old and
venerable Joachim, for presuming to come with the other people to
make offerings in spite of his being childless. Among other things he
said to him: “Why dost thou, Joachim, come with thy offerings
and sacrifices, which are not pleasing in the eyes of God, since thou
art a useless man? Leave this company and depart; do not annoy God
with thy offerings and sacrifices, which are not acceptable to Him.”
The holy man, full of shame and confusion, in humble love thus
addressed the Lord: “Most high Lord and God, at thy command and
desire I came to the temple; he that takes thy place, despises me; my
sins merit this disgrace; but since I accept it according to thy
will, do not cast away the creature of thy hands” (Ps. 275,
10). Joachim hastened away from the temple full of sorrow, though
peaceful and contented, to a farm or storehouse, which he possessed,
and there in solitude he called upon the Lord for some days, praying
as follows:
“Most high
and eternal God, on whom depends the whole existence and the
reparation of the human race, prostrate in thy living presence, I
supplicate thy infinite goodness to look upon the affliction of my
soul and to hear my prayers and those of thy servant Anne. To thine
eyes are manifest all our desires (Ps. 37, 10) and if I am not worthy
to be heard, do not despise my humble spouse. Lord God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, our first forefathers, do not hide thy kindness from
us, nor permit, since Thou art a Father, that I be numbered among the
reprobate and the outcasts in my offerings, because Thou givest me no
issue. Remember, O Lord, the sacrifices (Deut. 11, 27) and oblations
of thy servants and prophets, my ancestors, and look upon their
works, which were pleasing to thy divine eyes. Since Thou commandest
me, my Lord to pray to Thee in confidence, grant me, according to the
greatness of thy mercy and power, that which at thy wish I pray for.
In beseeching Thee I fulfill thy will and render the obedience, in
which Thou hast promised to grant my petition. If my sins hinder the
exercise of thy mercies, take away what displeases and hinders Thee.
Thou art mighty, Lord God of Israel, and all that Thou wishest, Thou
canst accomplish without hindrance. Let my prayers reach thy ears,
and if I am poor and insignificant, Thou art infinite and always
ready to exercise mercy with the downcast. Whither shall I flee from
Thee, who art the King of kings and the Lord of lords? Thou hast
filled thy sons and servants with benedictions in their generations
and Thou hast instructed to expect and desire from thy bounty what
Thou hast wrought in my brethren. If it is Thy pleasure to yield to
my petition, and grant me issue I will offer it and consecrate it to
thy holy temple in perpetual service. I have riveted my eyes and my
will on thy holy Will and have always desired to keep them free from
the vanishing things of this world. Fulfill in regard to me, what is
according to thy pleasure, and rejoice our spirit with the
accomplishment of our hopes. Look down from thy throne upon this vile
dust, and raise it up, in order that it may magnify Thee and adore
Thee, and let in all things be fulfilled thy will, and not mine.”
While Joachim was making these petitions in his
retirement, the holy angel manifested to holy Anne, that her prayer
for an issue, accompanied by such holy desires and intentions, was
pleasing to the Almighty. Having thus recognized the will of God and
of her husband Joachim, she prayed with humble subjection and
confidence, that it be fulfilled. “Most high God, my Lord,
Creator and Preserver of the universe, whom my soul reserves as the
true God, infinite, holy and eternal! Prostrate in thy real presence
I will speak, though but I am but dust and ashes (Esther 13, 9)
proclaiming my need and my affliction. Lord God uncreated, make us
worthy of thy benediction, and give us holy fruit of the womb, in
order that we may offer it to thy service in the temple (Gen. 18,
27). Remember, O Lord, that Anne, thy servant, the mother of Samuel,
was sterile and that by thy generous mercy she received the
fulfillment of her desires. I feel within me a courage which incites
and animates me to ask Thee to show me the same mercy. Hear then, O
sweetest Lord and Master, my humble petition: remember the
sacrifices, offerings and services of my ancestors and the favors,
which thy almighty arm wrought in them. I wish to offer to Thee, O
Lord, an oblation pleasing and acceptable in thy eyes: but the
greatest in my power, is my soul, my faculties and inclinations given
to Thee, and my whole being. If Thou look upon me from thy throne
giving me issue, I will from this moment sanctify and offer it for
thy service in the temple. Lord God of Israel, if it should be thy
pleasure and good will to look upon this lowly and impoverished
creature, and to console thy servant Joachim, grant me my prayer and
may in all things be fulfilled thy holy and eternal will.”
These were the prayers, which saint
Joachim and Anne offered. On account of my great shortcoming and
insufficiency I cannot fully describe what I was made to understand
concerning the holiness of these prayers and of these saintly
parents. It is impossible to tell all; nor is it necessary, since
what I have said is sufficient for my purpose. In order to obtain a
befitting idea of these saints, it is necessary to estimate and judge
them in connection with the most high end and ministry, for which
they were chosen by God; for they were the immediate grandparents of
Christ our Lord, and parents of his most holy Mother.
The petitions of the most holy Joachim and Anne
reached the throne of the holy Trinity, where they were accepted and
the will of God was made known to the holy angels. The three divine
Persons, according to our way of expressing such things, spoke to
them as follows: “We have in our condescension resolved, that
the person of the Word shall assume human flesh and that through Him
all the race of mortals shall find a remedy. We have already
manifested and promised this to our servants, the Prophets, in order
that they might announce it to the whole world. The sins of the
living, and their malice are so great, that We are much constrained
by the rigor of justice. But our goodness and mercy is greater than
all their evil–doing, nor can it extinguish our love toward
men. We will look with mercy upon the works of our hands, which We
have created according to our image and likeness, so as to enable
them to become inheritors and participators of our eternal glory (I
Pet. 3, 22). We will consider the services and pleasure derived from
our servants and friends and regard the multitude of those, who shall
distinguish themselves in our praise and friendship. And above all
have We before our eyes Her, who is to be the chosen One, who is to
be acceptable above all creatures and singled out for our delight and
pleasure; because She is to conceive the person of the Word in her
womb and clothe Him with human flesh. Since there must be a beginning
of this work, by which we shall manifest to the world the treasures
of the Divinity, this shall be the acceptable and opportune time for
its execution. Joachim and Anne have found grace in our eyes; We look
upon them with pleasure and shall enrich them with choicest gifts and
graces. They have been faithful and constant in their trials and in
simplicity and uprightness their souls have become acceptable and
pleasing before Us. Let Gabriel as our ambassador bring tidings of
joy for them and for the whole human race; let him announce to them,
that in our condescension We have looked upon them and chosen them.”
Thus the celestial spirits were instructed in
regard to the will and the decree of the Almighty. The holy archangel
Gabriel humbled himself before the throne of the most blessed
Trinity, adoring and revering the divine Majesty in the manner which
befits these most pure and spiritual substances. From the throne an
intellectual voice proceeded saying: “Gabriel, enlighten,
vivify and console Joachim and Anne, our servants, and tell them,
that their prayers have come to our presence and their petitions are
heard in clemency. Promise them, that by the favor of our right hand
they will receive the Fruit of benediction, and that Anne shall
conceive a Daughter, to whom We give the name of MARY.”
Together with this mandate of the Most High many
mysteries and sacraments pertaining to this message were revealed to
saint Gabriel. With it he descended from the vault of the empyrean
heaven and appeared to holy Joachim, while he was in prayer, saying
to him: “Just and upright man, the Almighty from his sovereign
throne has taken notice of thy desires and has heard thy sighs and
prayers, and has made thee fortunate on earth. Thy spouse Anne shall
conceive and bear a Daughter, who shall be blessed among women (Luc.
42, 48). The nations shall know Her as the Blessed. He who is the
eternal God, increate, and the Creator of all, most upright in his
judgments, powerful and strong, sends me to thee, because thy works
and alms have been acceptable. Love has softened the heart of the
Almighty, and has hastened his mercies, and in his liberality He
wishes to enrich thy house and thy family with a Daughter, whom Anne
shall conceive; the Lord himself has chosen for Her the name of MARY.
From her childhood let Her be consecrated to the temple, and in it to
God, as thou hast promised. She shall be elected, exalted, powerful
and full of the Holy Ghost; on account of the sterility of Anne her
conception shall be miraculous; She shall be a Daughter wonderful in
all her doings and in all her life. Praise the Lord, Joachim, for
this benefit and magnify Him, for in no other nation has He wrought
the like. Thou shalt go to give thanks in the temple of Jerusalem and
in testimony of the truth of this joyful message, thou shalt meet, in
the Golden Gate, thy sister Anne, who is coming to the temple for the
same purpose. Remember that marvelous is this message, for the
Conception of this Child shall rejoice heaven and earth.”
In the meanwhile the thrice blessed Anne was
exalted in prayer and divine contemplation and totally wrapped up in
the mystery of the Incarnation, which, after having been previously
filled with a most high understanding and a specially infused light,
she solicited from the eternal Word. With the profoundest humility
and lively faith she was praying for the hastening of the coming of
the Redeemer of the human race in the following words: “Most
high King and Lord of all creation, I, a most vile and despicable
creature, and yet the work of thy hands, desire at the price of the
life which Thou hast given me, to urge Thee to hasten in thy mercy
the time of our salvation. O may thy infinite kindness incline toward
our need! O that our eyes might look upon the Restorer and the
Redeemer of men! Remember, O Lord, the mercies of old shown to thy
people, wherein Thou hast promised thy Onlybegotten, and may this
promise of infinite kindness unbend Thee! May it come now, that day
so much longed for! Is it possible, that the Most High should descend
from his holy heaven? Is it possible, that He is to have a
terrestrial Mother? What woman shall She be, that is so fortunate and
blessed? O who shall be so favored as to look upon Her? Who shall be
worthy to be the servant of her servants? Blessed the race, that
shall be able to see Her and prostrate themselves at her feet to
reverence Her! How sweet shall be the sight of Her and her company!
Blessed the eyes, that shall see Her and the ears, that shall listen
to her words, and the family, from whom the Most High shall select
his Mother! Execute, O Lord, this decree: fulfill thy divine
benevolence!”
“The
humility, faith and the alms of Joachim and of thyself have come
before the throne of the Most High and now He sends me, his angel, in
order to give thee news full of joy for thy heart: His Majesty
wishes, that thou be most fortunate and blessed. He chooses thee to
be the mother of Her who is to conceive and bring forth the
Onlybegotten of the Father. Thou shalt bring forth a Daughter, who by
divine disposition shall be called MARY. She shall be blessed among
women and full of the Holy Ghost. She shall be the cloud that shall
drop the dew of heaven for the refreshment of mortals (III Kings 18,
44): and in Her shall be fulfilled the prophecies of thy ancestors.
She shall be the portal of life and salvation for the sons of Adam.
Know also that I have announced to Joachim, that he shall have a
Daughter who shall be blessed and fortunate: but the full knowledge
of the mystery is not given him by the Lord, for he does not know,
that She is to be the Mother of the Messias. Therefore thou must
guard this secret; and go now to the temple to give thanks to the
Most High for having been so highly favored by his powerful right
hand. In the Golden Gate thou shalt meet Joachim, where thou wilt
confer with him about this tiding. Thou art the one, who art
especially blessed of the Lord and whom He wishes to visit and enrich
with more singular blessings. In solitude He will speak to thy heart
and there give a beginning to the law of grace, since in thy womb He
will give being to Her, who is to vest the Immortal with mortal flesh
and human form. In this humanity, united with the Word, will be
written, as with his own blood, the true law of Mercy.”
In order that the humble heart of the
holy Anne might not faint away with admiration and joy at these
tidings of the holy angel, she was strengthened by the holy Spirit
and thus she heard it and received it with magnanimity and
incomparable joy. Immediately arising she hastened to the temple of
Jerusalem, and there found saint Joachim, as the angel had foretold
to them both. Together they gave thanks to the Almighty for this
wonderful blessing and offered special gifts and sacrifices. They
were enlightened anew by the grace of the Holy Spirit, and, full of
divine consolation, they returned to their home. Joyfully they
conversed about the favors, which they had received from the
Almighty, especially concerning each one’s message of the
archangel Gabriel, whereby, on behalf of the Lord, they had been
promised a Daughter who should be most blessed and fortunate. On this
occasion they also told each other, how the same angel, before their
espousal, had commanded each to accept the other, in order that
together they might serve God according to his divine will. This
secret they had kept from each other for twenty years, without
communicating it, until the same angel had promised them the issue of
such a Daughter. Anew the made the vow to offer Her to the temple and
that each year on this day they would come to the temple to offer
special gifts, spend the day in praise and thanksgiving, and give
many alms. This vow they fulfilled to the end of their lives,
spending this day in great praise and exaltation of the Most High.
The prudent matron Anne never
disclosed the secret, that her Daughter was to be the Mother of the
Messias, either to Joachim or to any other creature. Nor did that
holy parent in the course of his life know any more than that She was
to be a grand and mysterious woman. However, in the last moments of
his life the Almighty made the secret known to him, as I will relate
in its place.
Book 1, Chapter 6
THE
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
In the tribunal of the divine will,
as the inevitable source and universal cause of the whole creation,
all things with their conditions and circumstances, are decreed and
determined, so that nothing is forgotten and no created power can in
the least impede the fulfillment of the decree. All the spheres and
the inhabitants contained in them are dependent on this ineffable
government that rules them and cooperates with the natural causes
unfailingly and unerringly in all that must be done. God works in all
and sustains all by his sole will; in Him lies the preservation of
all things or their annihilation, for without Him they would return
to the non–existence, from which they were drawn. But since He
has created the universe for his glory and for the glory of the
incarnate Word, therefore He has from the beginning opened the paths
and prearranged the ways by which the same Word should lower Himself
to assume human flesh and to live among men, and by which they might
ascend toward God, know Him, fear Him, seek Him, serve Him, love Him,
praise Him and enjoy Him eternally. As the opportune and preordained
time had arrived, the three divine Persons conferred with each other
saying: “Now is the time to begin the work of our pleasure and
to call into existence that pure Creature and that soul, which is to
find grace in our eyes above all the rest. Let Us furnish Her with
richest gifts and let Us deposit in Her the great treasures of our
grace. Since all others, whom We called into existence, have turned
out ungrateful and rebellious to our wishes, frustrating our
intention and impeding by their own fault our purpose, namely, that
they conserve themselves in the happy state of their first parents,
and since it is not proper, that our will should be entirely
frustrated, let Us therefore create this being in entire sanctity and
perfection, so that the disorder of the first sin shall have no part
in Her. Let Us create a soul according to our pleasure, a fruit of
our attributes, a marvel of our infinite power, without touch or
blemish of the sin of Adam. Let Us perfect a work which is the object
of our Omnipotence and a pattern of the perfection intended for our
children, and the finishing crown of creation. All have sinned in the
free will and resolve of the first man (Rom. 5, 12); let Her be the
sole creature in whom We restore and execute that which they in their
aberration have lost. Let Her be a most special image and likeness of
our Divinity and let Her be in our presence for all eternity the
culmination of our goodwill and pleasure. In Her We deposit all the
prerogatives and graces which in our first and conditional resolve We
had destined for the angels and men, if they had remained in their
first estate. What they have lost We renew in that Creature and We
will add to these gifts many others. Thus our first decree shall not
be frustrated, but it shall be fulfilled in a higher manner through
this our first and chosen One (Cant. 6, 8). And since We assigned and
prepared the most perfect and estimable of our gifts for the
creatures who have lost them, We will divert the stream of our bounty
to our Well–beloved. We will set Her apart from the ordinary
law, by which the rest of the mortals are brought into existence, for
in Her the seed of the serpent shall have no part. I will descend
from heaven into her womb and in it vest Myself from her substance
with human nature.”
“It is
befitting and due to the infinite goodness of our Divinity, that It
be founded and enclosed in the most pure matter, untouched and
unstained by fault. Nor is it proper that our equity and providence
overlook what is most apt, perfect and holy, and choose that which is
inferior, since nothing can resist our will (Esther 13, 9). The Word,
which is to become man, being the Redeemer and Teacher of men, must
lay the foundation of the most perfect law of grace, and must teach
through it, that the father and mother are to be obeyed and honored
as the secondary causes of the natural existence of man. The law is
first to be fulfilled by the divine Word by honoring Her as his
chosen Mother, by exalting Her with a powerful arm, and lavishing
upon Her the most admirable, most holy and most excellent of all
graces and gifts. Among these shall be that most singular honor and
blessing of not subjecting Her to our enemy, nor to his malice; and
therefore She shall be free from the death of sin.”
“On earth
the Word shall have a Mother without a father, as in heaven He has a
Father without a mother. And in order that there may be the proper
correspondence, proportion and consonance in calling God his Father
and this Woman his Mother, We desire that the highest correspondence
and approach possible between a creature and its God be established.
Therefore at no time shall the dragon boast of being superior to the
Woman, whom God will obey as his true Mother. This dignity of being
free from sin is due and corresponds to that of being Mother of the
Word, and it is in itself even more estimable and useful. It is a
greater good to be holy than to be only mother; but all sanctity and
perfection is nevertheless due to the motherhood of God. The human
flesh, from which He is to assume form, must be free from sin. Since
He is to redeem in it the sinners, He must not be under the necessity
of redeeming his own flesh, like that of sinners. Being united to the
Divinity his humanity is to be the price of Redemption, wherefore it
before all be preserved from sin, and We have already foreseen and
accepted the merits of the Word in this very flesh and human nature.
We wish that for all eternities the Word should be glorified through
this tabernacle and habitation of the human nature.”
“She is to
be the daughter of the first man; but in the order of grace She is to
be singularly free and exempt from fault; and in the order of nature
She is to be most perfect, and to be formed according to a special
providence. And since the incarnate Word is to be the Teacher of
humility and holiness and for this end is to endure labors,
confounding the vanity and deceitful fallacies of mortals by choosing
for Himself sufferings as the treasure most estimable in our eyes. We
wish that She, who is to be his Mother, experience the same labors
and difficulties, that She be singularly distinguished in patience,
admirable in sufferings, and that She, in union with the
Onlybegotten, offer the acceptable sacrifices of sorrow to Us for her
greater glory.”
“Now the
time has arrived,” added his Majesty, “which was resolved
upon by our Providence for bringing to light the Creature most
pleasing and acceptable to our eyes. That Creature, in whom the human
nature is freed from its first sin, who is to crush the head of the
dragon, who was typified by that singular sign, the Woman that
appeared in the heavens in our presence, and who is to clothe the
eternal Word with human flesh. The hour is at hand, so blessed for
mortals, in which the treasures of our Divinity are to be opened and
the gates of heaven to be unlocked. Let the rigor of our justice be
softened by the chastisements, which we have until now executed upon
the mortals; let the attribute of our mercy become manifest; let the
creatures be enriched, and let the divine Word merit for them the
treasures of grace and of eternal glory.”
“Now let the
human race receive the Repairer, the Teacher, the Brother and Friend,
to be life for mortals, a medicine for the sick, a consoler for the
sorrowful, a balsam for the wounded, a guide and companion for those
in difficulties. Let now the prophecies of our servants and the
promises made to them that We would send a Savior to redeem them, be
fulfilled. And in order that all may be executed according to our
good pleasure, and that We may give a beginning to the mystery hidden
since the constitution of the world, We select for the formation of
our beloved Mary the womb of our servant Anne; in her be She
conceived and in her let that most blessed Soul be created. Although
her generation and formation shall proceed according to the usual
order of natural propagation, it shall be different in the order of
grace, according to the ordainment of our Almighty power.”
“You do
already know how the ancient serpent, since he saw the sign of this
marvelous Woman, attempts to circumvent all women, and how, from the
first one created, he persecutes all those, whom he sees excelling in
the perfection of their works and life, expecting to find among them
the One, who is to crush his head (Gen. 3, 15). When he shall
encounter this most pure and spotless Creature, he shall find Her so
holy that he will exert all his powers to persecute Her in pursuance
of the concept which he forms of Her. But the arrogance of this
dragon shall be greater than his powers (Is. 12, 7); and it is our
will that you have particular charge of this our holy City and
tabernacle of the incarnate Word, protecting, guarding, assisting and
defending Her against our enemies, and that you enlighten, strengthen
and console Her with all due solicitude and reverence as long as She
shall be a wayfarer among the mortals.”
At this proposal of the Most High all
the holy angels, prostrate before the royal throne of the most holy
Trinity, avowed their promptitude and eagerness to obey the divine
mandate. Each one desired in holy emulation to be appointed, and
offered himself for such a happy service; all of them gave to the
Almighty praise and thanksgiving in new songs, because the hour had
arrived for the fulfillment of that for which they had, with the most
ardent desires, prayed through many ages. I perceived on this
occasion that from the time of that great battle of saint Michael
with the dragon and his allies, in which they were hurled into
everlasting darkness while the hosts of Michael remained victorious
and confirmed in grace and glory, these holy spirits commenced
immediately to pray for the fulfillment of the mysteries of the
Incarnation of the Word, of which they became cognizant at that time.
And they persevered in these oft repeated prayers up to the hour in
which God manifested to them the fulfillment of their desires and
petitions.
On this account the celestial spirits at this new
revelation conceived an additional joy and obtained new accidental
glory, and they spoke to the Lord: “Most High and
incomprehensible God and Lord, Thou art worthy of all reverence,
praise and eternal glory; and we are thy creatures and made according
to thy divine will. Send us, most powerful Lord, to execute thy most
wonderful works and mysteries, in order that in all things thy most
just pleasure may be fulfilled.” In such terms of affection the
heavenly princes acknowledged themselves as subjects; and if it had
been possible, they desired to increase in purity and perfection in
order to be more worthy guardians and servants of Mary.
Then the Most High chose and
appointed those who were to be occupied in this exalted service (the
guardianship of Mary) from each of the nine choirs of angels. He
selected one hundred, being nine hundred in all. Moreover he assigned
twelve others who should in a special manner assist Mary in corporeal
and visible forms; and they were to bear the emblems or escutcheons
of the Redemption. These are the twelve which are mentioned in the
twenty–first chapter of the Apocalypse as guarding the portals
of the city; of them I will speak in the explanation of that chapter
later on. Besides these the Lord assigned eighteen other angels,
selected from the highest ranks, who were to ascend and descend by
that mystical stairs of Jacob with the message of the Queen to his
Majesty and those of the Lord to Her.
In addition to all these holy angels
the Almighty assigned and appointed seventy seraphim, choosing them
from the highest ranks and from those nearest to the Divinity, in
order that they might communicate and converse with this Princess of
heaven in the same way as they themselves interact with each other,
and as the higher communicate with the lower ones.
In order that this invincible
warrior–troop might be well appointed, saint Michael, the
prince of the heavenly militia was placed at their head, and although
not always in the company of the Queen, he was nevertheless often
near Her and often showed himself to Her. The Almighty destined him
as a special ambassador of Christ our Lord and to act in some of the
mysteries as the defender of his most holy Mother. In a like manner
the holy prince Gabriel was appointed to act as legate and minister
of the eternal Father in the affairs of the Princess of heaven. Thus
did the most holy Trinity provide for the custody and the defense of
the Mother of God.
The divine wisdom had now prepared
all things for drawing forth the spotless image of the Mother of
grace from the corruption of nature. The number and congregation of
ancient Patriarchs and Prophets had been completed and gathered, and
the mountains had been raised, on which this mystical City of God was
to be built (Ps. 86, 2). By the power of his right hand He had
already selected incomparable treasures of the Divinity to enrich and
endow Her. A thousand angels were equipped for her guard and custody,
that they might serve as most faithful vassals of their Queen and
Lady. He had provided a noble and kingly ancestry from whom She
should descend and had selected for Her most holy and perfect
parents, than whom none holier or more perfect could be found in the
world. For there is no doubt that if better and more apt parents
existed, the Almighty would have selected them for Her, who was to be
chosen by God as his Mother.
In the formation of the body of the
most holy Mary the wisdom and power of the Almighty proceeded so
cautiously that the quantities of the four natural elements of the
human body, the sanguine, melancholic, phlegmatic and choleric, were
compounded in exact proportion and measure; in order that by this
most perfect proportion in its mixture and composition it might
assist the operations of that holy Soul with which it was to be
endowed and animated. This wonderfully composed temperament was
afterwards the source and the cause, which in its own way made
possible the serenity and peace that reigned in the powers and
faculties of the Queen of heaven during all her life. Never did any
of these elements oppose or contradict nor seek to predominate over
the others, but each one of them supplemented and served the others,
continuing in this well ordered fabric without corruption or decay.
Never did the body of the most Holy Mary suffer from the taint of
corruption, nor was there anything wanting or anything excessive
found in it; but all the conditions and proportions of the different
elements were continuously adjusted, without any want or excess in
what was necessary for her perfect existence and without excess or
default in dryness or moisture. Neither was there more warmth than
was necessary for maintenance of life or digestion; nor more cold
than was necessary for the right temperature and for the maintenance
of the bodily humors.
On the Saturday next following, the
Almighty created the soul of his Mother and infused it into the body;
and thus entered into the world that pure Creature, more holy,
perfect and agreeable to His eyes than all those He had created, or
will create to the end of the world, or through the eternities. God
maintained a mysterious correspondence in the execution of this work
with that of creating all the rest of the world in seven days, as is
related in the book of Genesis. Then no doubt He rested in truth,
according to the figurative language of Scripture, since He has now
created the most perfect Creature of all, giving through it a
beginning to the work of the divine Word and to the Redemption of the
human race. Thus was this day a paschal feast for God and also for
all creatures.
By the force of this divine
pronouncement and through the love with which it issued from the
mouth of the Almighty, was created and infused into the body of most
holy Mary her most blessed Soul. At the same time She was filled with
grace and gifts above those of the highest seraphim of heaven, and
there was not a single instant in which She was found wanting or
deprived of the light, the friendship and love of the Creator, or in
which She was touched by the stain or darkness of original sin. On
the contrary She was possessed of the most perfect justice, superior
to that of Adam and Eve in their first formation. To Her was also
concealed the most perfect use of the light of reason, corresponding
to the gifts of grace, which She had received. Not for one instant
was She to remain idle, but to engage in works most admirable and
pleasing to her Maker.
Although She was adorned as the
Bride, descending from heaven, endowed with all perfections and with
the whole range of infused virtues, it was not necessary that She
should exercise all of them at once, it being sufficient that She
exercise those, which were befitting her state in the womb of her
mother. Among the first thus exercised were the three theological
virtues, faith, hope and charity, which relate immediately to God.
These she at once practiced in the most exalted manner recognizing by
a most sublime faith the Divinity with all its perfections and its
infinite attributes, and the Trinity with its distinction of Persons.
This knowledge by faith was not impeded by the higher knowledge which
God gave her, as I will soon demonstrate. She exercised also the
virtue of hope, seeing in God the object of her happiness and her
ultimate end. Toward this her sanctified Soul at once hastened and
aspired with the most intense desires of uniting Herself with God and
without having for one moment turned to any other object or tarried
one moment in her upward flight. At the same instant also She put
into action the virtue of charity, seeing in God the infinite and
highest Good, and conceiving such an intense appreciation of the
Divinity, that not all the seraphim could ever reach such an eminent
degree of fervor and virtue.
The other virtues which adorn and
perfect the rational part of the creature, She possessed in a
proportion corresponding to the theological virtues. The moral and
natural virtues were hers in a miraculous and supernatural measure,
and in a still more exalted manner was She possessed of the gifts and
fruits of the Holy Ghost in the order of grace. She had an infused
knowledge and habit of all these virtues and of all the natural arts,
so that She knew and was conversant with the whole natural and
supernatural order of things, in accordance with the grandeur of God.
Hence from her first instant in the womb of her mother, She was
wiser, more prudent, more enlightened, and more capable of
comprehending God and all his works, than all the creatures have been
or ever will be in eternity, excepting of course her most holy Son.
In correspondence with this wonderful
knowledge of her most holy soul at the instant of its union with the
body, Mary exerted Herself by eliciting heroic acts of virtue, of
incomparable admiration, praise, glorification, adoration, humility,
love of God and sorrow for the sins committed against Him whom She
recognized as the Author and end of these admirable works. She
hastened to offer Herself as an acceptable sacrifice to the Most
High, beginning from that instant with fervent desire to bless Him,
love Him and honor Him, because She perceived that the bad angels and
men failed to know and love Him. She requested the holy angels whose
Queen She already was, to help Her to glorify the Creator and Lord of
all, and to pray also for Her.
The Lord in this instant showed Her
also her guardian angels, whom she recognized and accepted with
joyful submission, inviting them to sing canticles of praise to the
Most High alternatively with Her. She announced to them beforehand
that this was to be the service which they were to render Her during
the whole time of Her mortal life, in which they were to act as her
assistants and guards. She was informed moreover of her whole
genealogy of all the rest of the holy people chosen by God, the
Patriarchs and Prophets, and how admirable his Majesty was in the
gifts, graces and favors wrought in them. It is worthy of admiration,
that, although the exterior faculties of her body at the creation of
her most holy Soul were hardly large enough to be distinguished,
nevertheless, in order that none of the miraculous excellence with
which God could endow his Mother might be wanting, He ordained by the
power of right hand, that in perceiving the fall of man She shed
tears of sorrow in the womb of her mother at the gravity of the
offense against the highest Good.
In this wonderful sorrow at the
instant of her coming into existence, She began to seek a remedy for
mankind and commenced the work of mediation, intercession and
reparation. She offered to God the clamors of her ancestors and of
the just of the earth, that his mercy might not delay the salvation
of mortals, whom she even looked upon as her brethren. Before She
ever conversed with them with the most ardent charity and with the
very beginning of her existence She assumed the office of
Benefactress of men and exercised the divine and fraternal love
enkindled in her heart. These petitions the Most High accepted with
greater pleasure than the prayers of all the saints and angels and
this pleasure of God was also made known to Her, who was created to
be the Mother of God. She perceived the love of God and his desire to
descend from heaven in order to redeem men, though She knew not how
it should be consummated. It was befitting that God should feel
Himself impelled to hasten his coming on account of the prayers and
petitions of this Creature; since it was principally for the love of
Her that He came, and since in Her body He was to assume human flesh,
accomplish the most admirable of all his works, and fulfill the end
of all other creatures.
In writing of these sacraments of the
King, howsoever honorable it is to reveal his works, I confess my
inaptitude and incapacity, being only a woman, and I am afflicted,
because I am speaking in such common and vague terms, which fall
entirely short of that, which I perceive in the light given to my
soul for the understanding of these mysteries. In order to do justice
to such sublimity, there were need of other words, more particular
and especially adapted terms and expressions, which are beyond my
ignorance. And even if they were at my service, they would be weighed
down and made insipid by human weakness. Let therefore this human
imbecility acknowledge itself unequal and incapable of fixing its
eyes on this heavenly sun, with which the rays of the Divinity break
upon the world, although yet beclouded in the maternal womb of holy
Anne. If we seek permission to approach this wonderful sight, let us
come near free and unshackled. Let us not allow ourselves to be
detained, neither by our natural cowardice nor by a base fear and
hesitation, even though it be under the cloak of humility. Let us all
approach with the greatest devotion and piety, free from the spirit
of contention (Rom. 13, 12); then we will be permitted to examine
with our own eyes the fire of the Divinity burning in the bush
without consuming it (Exodus 2, 2).
WORDS OF THE QUEEN
The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain
It is an act of justice due to the
eternal God that the creature coming to the use of reason, direct its
very first movement toward God. By knowing, it should begin to love
Him, reverence Him and adore Him as its Creator and only true Lord.
The parents are naturally bound to instruct their children from their
infancy in this knowledge of God and to direct them with solicitous
care, so that they may at once see their ultimate end and seek it in
their first acts of the intellect and will. They should with great
watchfulness withdraw them from the childishness and puerile
trickishness to which depraved nature will incline them if left
without direction. If the fathers and mothers would be solicitous to
prevent these vanities and perverted habits of their children and
would instruct them from their infancy in the knowledge of their God
and Creator, then they would afterwards easily accustom them to know
and adore Him. My holy mother, who knew not of my wisdom and real
condition, was most solicitously beforehand in this matter, for when
She bore me in her womb, she adored in my name the Creator and
offered worship and thanks for his having created me, beseeching Him
to defend me and bring me forth to the light of day from the
condition in which I then was. So also parents should pray with
fervor to God, that the souls of their children, through his
Providence, may obtain Baptism and be freed from the servitude of
original sin.
And if the rational creature has not
known and adored the Creator from the first dawn of reason, it should
do this as soon as it obtains knowledge of the essential God by the
light of faith. From that very moment the soul must exert itself
never to lose Him from her sight, always fearing Him, loving Him, and
reverencing Him.
Book 1, Chapter 7
THE
BLESSED BIRTH OF MARY IMMACULATE
The most holy Mary, being conceived
without sin as described above, was entirely absorbed in spirit and
entranced by her first vision of the Divinity. At the first instant,
and in the narrow dwelling of the maternal womb, began the love of
God in her most blessed soul, never to be interrupted, but to
continue through all the eternities of that high glory, which She now
enjoys at the right hand of her divine Son.
The most happy mother, holy Anne
passed the days of her pregnancy altogether spiritualized by the
divine operations and by the sweet workings of the Holy Ghost in all
her faculties. Divine Providence, however, in order to direct her
course to greater merit and reward, ordained, that the ballast of
trouble be not wanting, for without it the cargo of grace and love is
scarcely ever secure. In order to understand better, what happened to
this holy woman, it must be remembered, that satan, after he was
hurled with the other bad angels from heaven into the infernal
torments, never ceased, during the reign of the old Law, to search
through the earth hovering with lurking vigilance above the women of
distinguished holiness, in order to find Her, whose sign he had seen
(Gen. 3, 15) and whose heel was to bruise and crush his head.
Lucifer’s wrath against men was so fierce, that he would not
trust this investigation to his inferiors alone; but leaving them to
operate against the virtuous women in general, he himself attended to
this matter and assiduously hovered around those, who signalized
themselves more particularly in the exercise of virtue and in the
grace of the Most High.
Filled with malice and astuteness, he
observed closely the exceeding great holiness of the excellent matron
Anne and all the events of her life; and although he could not
estimate the richness of the Treasure, which was enclosed in her
blessed womb (since the Lord has concealed this as well as many
mysteries from him), yet he felt a powerful influence proceeding from
saint Anne. The fact that he could not penetrate into the source of
this activity, threw him at times into greater fury and rage. At
other times he quieted himself with the thought, that this pregnancy
arose from the same causes as others in the course of nature and that
there was no special cause for alarm; for the Lord left him to his
own hallucinations and to the vagaries of his own fury. Nevertheless
the whole event was a source of great misgiving to this perverse
spirit, when he saw how quietly her pregnancy took its course and
especially, when he saw, that many angels stood in attendance. Above
all he was enraged at his weakness in resisting the force, which
proceeded from the blessed Anne and he suspected that it was not she
alone, who was the cause of it.
Filled with this mistrust, the dragon
determined, if possible, to take the life of the most felicitous
Anne; or, if that was impossible, to see that she should obtain
little satisfaction from her pregnancy. For the pride of Lucifer was
so boundless as to persuade him of his ability to overcome or take
away the life of Her, who was to be the Mother of the incarnate Word,
or even the life of the Messias and Redeemer of the world, if only he
could obtain knowledge of their whereabouts. His arrogance was
founded upon the superiority of his angelic nature to the condition
and power of mere human nature; as if both were not subject to grace
and entirely dependent upon the will of their Creator. Audaciously
therefore he set himself to tempt holy Anne, with many suggestions,
misgivings, doubts and diffidences about the truth of her pregnancy,
alleging her protracted years. All this the demon attempted in order
to test the virtue of the saint, and to see, whether these
temptations would not afford some opening for the perversion of her
will.
But the invincible matron resisted
these onslaughts with humble fortitude, patience, continued prayer
and vivid faith in the Lord. She brought to naught the perplexing
lies of the dragon and on account of them gained only additional
grace and protection from on high. For besides the protection
abundantly merited by her past life She was defended and freed from
the demons by the great princes, who were guarding her most holy
Daughter. Nevertheless in his insatiable malice the enemy did not
desist on that account; and since his arrogance and pride far exceeds
his powers, he sought human aid; for with such help he always
promises himself greater ease of victory. Having at first tried to
overthrow the dwelling of saint Joachim and Anne, in order that she
might be frightened and excited by the shock of its fall, but not
being able to succeed on account of the resistance of the holy
angels, he incited against saint Anne one of the foolish women of her
acquaintance to quarrel with her. This the woman did with great fury,
insolently attacking saint Anne with reproach and scorn; she did not
hesitate to make mockery of her pregnancy, saying, that she was the
sport of the demon in being thus found pregnant at the end of so many
years and at so great an age.
The blessed Anne did not permit
herself to be disturbed by this attack, but in all meekness and
humility bore the injuries and treated her assailants with kindness.
From that time on she looked with greater love upon these women and
lavished upon them so much the greater benefits. But their wrath was
not immediately pacified, for the demon had taken possession of them,
filling them with hate against the saint; and, as any concession to
this cruel tyrant always increases his power over his victims, he
incited these miserable dupes to plot even against the person and
life of saint Anne. But they could not put their plots into
execution, because divine power interfered to foil their natural
womanly weakness. They were not only powerless against the saint, but
they were overcome by her admonitions and brought to the knowledge
and amendment of their evil course by her prayers.
The dragon was repulsed, but not
vanquished; for he immediately availed himself of a servant, who
lived in the house with Joachim and Anne, and exasperated her against
the holy matron. Through her he created even a greater annoyance than
through the other women, for she was a domestic enemy and more
stubborn and dangerous than the others. I will not stay to describe,
what the enemy attempted through this servant, since it was similar
to that of the other woman, only more annoying and malicious. But
with the help of God saint Anne won a more glorious victory than
before; for the watcher of Israel slumbered not, but guarded his holy
City (Ps. 120, 4) and furnished it so well with sentinels, chosen
from the strongest of his hosts, that they put to ignominious flight
Lucifer and his followers. No more were they allowed to molest the
fortunate mother, who was already expecting the birth of the most
blessed Princess of heaven, and who, enriched by heroic acts of
virtue and many merits in these conflicts, had now arrived at the
fulfillment of all her highest wishes.
The day destined for the parturition
of saint Anne and for the birth of Her, who was consecrated and
sanctified to be the Mother of God, had arrived: a day most fortunate
for the world. This birth happened on the eighth day of September,
fully nine months having elapsed since the Conception of the soul of
our most holy Queen and Lady. Saint Anne was prepared by an interior
voice of the Lord, informing Her, that the hour of her parturition
had come. Full of the joy of the Holy Spirit at this information, she
prostrated herself before the Lord and besought the assistance of his
grace and his protection for a happy deliverance. The most blessed
child Mary was at the same time by divine providence and power
ravished into a most high ecstasy. Hence Mary was born into the world
without perceiving it by her senses, for their operations and
faculties were held in suspense.
She was born pure and stainless,
beautiful and full of grace, thereby demonstrating, that She was free
from the law and the tribute of sin. Although She was born
substantially like other daughters of Adam, yet her birth was
accompanied by such circumstances and conditions of grace, that it
was the most wonderful and miraculous birth in all creation and will
eternally redound to the praise of her Maker. At twelve o’clock
in the night this divine Luminary issued forth, dividing the night of
the ancient Law and its pristine darknesses from the new day of
grace, which now was about to break into dawn. She was clothed,
handled and dressed like other infants, though her soul dwelt in the
Divinity; and She was treated as an infant, though She excelled all
mortals and even all the angels in wisdom. Her mother did not allow
Her to be touched by other hands than her own, but she herself
wrapped Her in swaddling clothes: and in this Saint Anne was not
hindered by her present state of childbirth; for she was free from
the toils and labors, which other mothers usually endure in such
circumstances.
So then saint Anne received in her arms Her, who
was her Daughter, but at the same time the most exquisite Treasure of
all the universe, inferior only to God and superior to all other
creatures. With fervent tears of joy she offered this Treasure to his
Majesty, saying interiorly “Lord of infinite wisdom and power,
Creator of all that exists, this Fruit of my womb, which I have
received of thy bounty, I offer to Thee with eternal thanks, for
without any merit of mine Thou hast vouchsafed it to me. Dispose Thou
of the mother and Child according to thy most holy will and look
propitiously down upon our lowliness from thy exalted throne. Be Thou
eternally blessed, because Thou hast enriched the world with a
Creature so pleasing to thy bounty and because in Her Thou hast
prepared a dwelling–place and a tabernacle for the eternal Word
(Sap. 9, 8). I tender my congratulations to my holy forefathers and
to the holy Prophets, and in them to the whole human race, for this
sure pledge of Redemption, which Thou hast given them. But how shall
I be able to worthily to treat Her, whom Thou hast given me as a
Daughter? I that am not worthy to be her servant? How shall I handle
the true ark of the Testament? Give me, O my Lord and King, the
necessary enlightenment to know thy will and to execute it according
to thy pleasure in the service of my Daughter.”
The Lord answered the holy matron
interiorly, that she was to treat her heavenly Child outwardly as
mothers treat their daughters, without any demonstration of
reverence; but to retain this reverence inwardly, fulfilling the laws
of a true mother toward Her, and rearing Her up with all motherly
love and solicitude. All this the happy mother complied with; making
use of this permission and her mother’s rights without losing
her reverence, she regaled herself with her most holy Daughter,
embracing and caressing Her in the same way as other mothers do with
their daughters. But it was always done with a proper reverence and
consciousness of the hidden and divine sacrament known only to the
mother and Daughter. The guardian angels of the sweet Child with
others in great multitudes showed their veneration and worship to
Mary as She rested in the arms of her mother; they joined in heavenly
music, some of which was audible to blessed Anne. The thousand angels
appointed as guardians of the great Queen offered themselves to her
service. This was also the first time, in which the heavenly Mistress
saw them in a corporeal form with their devises and habiliments, as I
shall describe in another chapter and the Child asked them to join
with Her in the praise of the Most High and to exalt Him in her name.
At the moment of the birth of our
Princess Mary the Most High sent the archangel Gabriel as an envoy to
bring this joyful news to the holy Fathers in limbo. Immediately the
heavenly ambassador descended, illumining that deep cavern and
rejoicing the just who were detained therein. He told them that
already the dawn of eternal felicity had commenced and that the
reparation of man, which was so earnestly desired and expected by the
holy Patriarchs and foretold by the Prophets, had been begun, since
She, who was to be the Mother of the Messias, had now been born; soon
they would now see the salvation and glory of the Most High. The holy
prince gave them an understanding of the excellence of the most holy
Mary and of what the Omnipotent had begun to work in Her, in order
that they might better comprehend the happy beginning of the mystery,
which was to end their prolonged imprisonment. Then all the holy
Patriarchs and Prophets and the rest of the just in limbo rejoiced in
spirit and in new canticles praised the Lord for this benefit.
All these happenings at the birth of
our Queen succeeded each other in a short space of time. The first
exercise of her senses in the light of the material sun, was to
recognize her parents and other creatures. The arms of the Most High
began to work new wonders in Her far above all conceptions of men,
and the first and most stupendous one was to send innumerable angels
to bring the Mother of the eternal Word body and soul into the
empyrean heaven for the fulfilling of his further intentions
regarding Her. The holy princes obeyed the divine mandate and
receiving the child Mary from the arms of her holy Mother Anne, they
arranged a new and solemn procession bearing heavenward with
incomparable songs of joy the true Ark of the covenant, in order that
for a short time it might rest, not in the house of Obededon, but in
the temple of the King of kings and of the Lord of lords, where later
on it was to be placed for all eternity. This was the second step,
which most holy Mary made in her life, namely, from this earth to the
highest heaven.
Who can worthily extol this wonderful
prodigy of the right hand of the Almighty? Who can describe the joy
and the admiration of the celestial spirits, when they beheld this
new and wonderful work of the Most High, and when they gathered to
celebrate it in their songs? In these songs they acknowledged and
reverenced as their Queen and Mistress, Her, who was to be the Mother
of their Lord, and the source of the grace and glory, which they
possessed; for it was through his foreseen merits, that they had been
made the recipients of the divine bounty. But above all, what human
tongue, or what mortal could ever describe or comprehend the
heart–secrets of that tender Child during these events? I leave
the imagination of all this to Catholic piety, and still more to
those who in the Lord are favored with an understanding of it, but
most of all to those who, by divine bounty shall have arrived at the
beatific vision face to face.
Borne by the hands of the angels the
child Mary entered the empyrean heaven where She prostrated Herself
full of love before the royal throne in the presence of the Most
High. Then (according to our way of understanding), was verified what
long before had happened in figure, when Bethsabee entered into the
presence of her son Solomon, who, while presiding over his people of
Israel, arose from his throne, received her with honor and reverence,
and seated her at his side as queen. Similarly, but in a more
glorious and admirable manner, the person of the divine Word now
received the child Mary, whom He had chosen as Mother, as Queen of
the universe. Although her real dignity and the purpose of these
ineffable mysteries were unknown to Mary, yet her infant faculties
were strengthened by divine power for the reception of these favors.
New graces and gifts were bestowed upon Her, by which her faculties
were correspondingly elevated. Her powers of mind, besides being
illumined and prepared by new grace and light, were raised and
proportioned to the divine manifestation, and the Divinity displayed
Itself in the new light vouchsafed, revealing Itself to Her
intuitively and clearly in a most exalted manner. This was the first
time in which the most holy soul of Mary saw the blessed Trinity in
unveiled beatific vision.
The sole witnesses of the glory of
Mary in this beatific vision, of the sacraments then again revealed
to Her, of the divine effect that overflowed into her most pure soul,
was God the Author of this unheard of wonder, and the astounded
angels, who in some measure perceived these mysteries in God Himself.
The Queen seated at the side of the Lord, who was to be her Son, and
seeing Him face to face, was more successful in her prayer than
Bethsabee (III Kings 2, 21). For She prayed that He bestow the
untouched Sunamite Abisag, his inaccessible Divinity, upon his
sister, human nature by the hypostatic union be fulfilled in the
person of the Word. Many times He had pledged Himself to it among men
through the ancient Patriarchs and Prophets and now Mary besought Him
to accelerate the reparation of the human race, expected for so many
ages amid the multiplied iniquity and the ruin of souls. The Most
High heard this most pleasing petition of his Mother, and acting more
graciously than Solomon of old toward his mother, He assured Her that
soon his promises should be fulfilled, and that He should descend to
the world in order to assume and redeem human nature.
In this divine consistory and tribunal of the most
holy Trinity it was determined to give a name to the Child Queen. As
there is no proper and legitimate name, except it be found in the
immutable being of God himself (for from it are participated and
determined according to their right weight and measure all things in
infinite wisdom) his Majesty wished himself to give and impose that
name in heaven. He thereby made known to the angelic spirits, that
the three divine Persons, had decreed and formed the sweet names of
Jesus and Mary for the Son and Mother from the beginning before the
ages, and that they had been delighted with them and had engraved
them on their eternal memories to be as it were the Objects for whose
service They should create all things. Being informed of these and
many other mysteries, the holy angels heard a voice from the throne
speaking in the person of the Father: “Our chosen One shall be
called MARY, and this name is to be powerful and magnificent. Those
that shall invoke it with devout affection shall receive most
abundant graces; those that shall honor it and pronounce it with
reverence shall be consoled and vivified, and will find in it the
remedy of their evils, the treasures for their enrichment, the light
which shall guide them to heaven. It shall be terrible against the
power of hell, it shall crush the head of the serpent and it shall
win glorious victories over the princes of hell.” The Lord
commanded the angelic spirits to announce this glorious name to saint
Anne, so that what was decreed in heaven might be executed on earth.
The heavenly Child, lovingly prostrate before the throne, rendered
most acceptable and human thanks to the eternal Being; and She
received the name with most admirable and sweet jubilation. If the
prerogatives and graces, which She then was favored with, were to be
described, it would necessitate an extra book of many volumes. The
holy angels honored and acknowledged most holy Mary as the future
Mother of the Word and as their Queen and Mistress enthroned at the
right hand of her Son; they showed their veneration of her holy name,
prostrating themselves as it proceeded from the throne in the voice
of the eternal Father, especially those, who had it written on the
devises over their breast. All of them gave forth canticles of praise
for these great and hidden mysteries. In the meanwhile the infant
Queen remained ignorant of the real cause of all that She thus
experienced, for her dignity of Mother of the incarnate Word was not
revealed to Her till the time of the Incarnation. With the same
reverential jubilee did the angels return in order to replace Her
into the arms of holy Anne, to whom this event remained a secret, as
was also the absence of her Daughter; for a guardian angel, assuming
an aerial body, supplied her place for this very purpose. More than
that, during a great part of the time in which the heavenly Child
remained in the empyrean heaven, her mother was wrapped in ecstasy of
highest contemplation, and in it, although she did not know what was
happening to the Child, exalted mysteries concerning the dignity of
the Mother of God, to which She was to be chosen, were revealed to
her. The prudent matron kept them enshrined within her breast,
conferring them in her thoughts with the duties she owed to her
Child.
On the eighth day after the birth of
the great Queen multitudes of most beautiful angels in splendid array
descended from on high bearing an escutcheon on which the name of
MARY was engraved and shone forth in great brilliancy. Appearing to
the blessed mother Anne, they told her, that the name of her daughter
was to be MARY, which name they had brought from heaven, and which
divine Providence had selected and now ordained to be given to their
child by Joachim and herself. The saint called for her husband and
they conferred with each other about this disposition of God in
regard to the name of their Daughter. The more than happy father
accepted the name with joy and devout affection. They decided to call
their relatives and a priest and then, with much solemnity and
festivity, they imposed the name of MARY on their Child. The angels
also celebrated this event with most sweet and ravishing music,
which, however, was heard only by the mother and her most holy
Daughter.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN
The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain
My admonition to thee, whom in spite
of thy weakness and poverty I have chosen with such generous kindness
as my disciple and companion, is this: that thou strive with all thy
powers to imitate me in an exercise, in which I persevered during my
whole life from the very first moment of my birth, omitting it on not
a single day, however full of cares and labors it might have been.
This exercise was the following: every day at the beginning of dawn,
I prostrated myself in the presence of the Most High, and gave Him
thanks and praise for his immutable Being, his infinite perfections,
and for having created me out of nothing; acknowledging myself as his
creature and the work of his hands, I blessed Him and adored Him,
giving Him honor, magnificence and Divinity, as the supreme Lord and
Creator of myself and of all that exists. I raised up my spirit to
place it into his hands, offering myself with profound humility and
resignation to Him and asking Him to dispose of me according to his
will during that day and during all the days of my life, and to teach
me to fulfill whatever would be to his greater pleasure. This I
repeated many times during the external works of the day, and in the
internal ones I first consulted his Majesty, asking his advice,
permission and benediction for all my actions.
Be very devout toward my most sweet
name. I wish that thou be convinced of the great prerogatives and
privileges, which the Almighty concedes to it, so that I myself, when
I saw them in the Divinity, felt most deeply obliged and solicitous
to make a proper return; and whenever the name MARY occurred to my
mind (which happened often) and whenever I heard myself called by
that name, I was aroused to thankfulness and urged to new fervor in
the service of the Lord, who gave it to me. Thou hast the same name
and I wish, that in proportion it should cause the same effects in
thee and that thou imitate me faithfully by following the lesson
given thee in this chapter, without failing in the least point from
this day onward. And if in thy weakness thou shouldst fail, rouse
thyself immediately, and in the presence of thy Lord and mine,
acknowledge thy fault, confessing it in sorrow. Repeating these holy
exercises over and again with solicitous care, thou shalt find
forgiveness for imperfections and grow accustomed to strive after
what is highest in all virtues and most pleasing and agreeable to thy
own tastes and mine, thou shalt not be denied the grace of employing
thyself entirely in listening, attending to and obeying in all things
thy Spouse and Lord, who seeks in thee only what is most pure, most
holy and perfect, and a will prompt and eager to put the same into
practice.
Book 1, Chapter 8
HER
CHILDHOOD YEARS
The sovereign Child was treated like
other children of her age. Her nourishment was of the usual kind,
though less in quantity; and so was her sleep, although her parents
were solicitous that She take more sleep. She was not troublesome,
nor did She ever cry for mere annoyance, as is done by other
children, but She was most amiable and caused no trouble to anybody.
That She did not act in this regard as other children caused no
wonder; for She often wept and sighed (as far as her age and her
dignity of Queen and Mistress would permit) for the sins of the world
and for its Redemption through the coming of the Savior. Ordinarily
She maintained, even in her infancy, a pleasant countenance, yet
mixed with gravity and a peculiar Majesty, never showing any
childishness. She sometimes permitted Herself to be caressed, though,
by a secret influence and a certain outward austerity, She knew how
to repress the imperfections connected with such endearments. Her
prudent mother Anne treated her Child with incomparable solicitude
and caressing tenderness; also her father Joachim loved Her as a
father and as a saint, although he was ignorant of the mystery at
that time. The Child on its part showed a special love toward him, as
one whom She knew for her father and one much beloved of God.
Although She permitted more tender caresses from her father than from
others, yet God inspired the father as well as all others, with such
an extraordinary reverence and modesty towards Her whom He had chosen
for his Mother, that even his pure and fatherly affection was
outwardly manifested only with the greatest moderation and reserve.
In all things the infant Queen was
most gracious, perfect and admirable. Though She passed her infancy
subject to the common laws of nature, yet did this not hinder the
influx of grace. During her sleep her interior acts of love, and all
other exercises of her faculties which were not dependent on the
exterior senses, were never interrupted. This special privilege is
possible also in other creatures, if the divine power confers it on
them; but it is certain that in regard to Her whom He had chosen as
his Mother and the Queen of all creation, He extended this special
favor beyond all previous or subsequent measure in other creatures
and beyond the conception of any created mind.
The enforced silence of other
children in their first years, and the slow evolution of their
intellect and of their power of speech arising from natural weakness,
was heroic virtue in the infant Queen. For if speech is the product
of the intellect and as it were the result of its activity, and if
She was in perfect possession of all her faculties since her
Conception, then the fact of her not speaking as soon as She was
born, did not arise from the want of ability, but because She did not
wish to make use of her power. Other children are not furnished with
the natural forces, which are required to open their mouth and move
their tender tongue as required for speech, but in the child Mary
there was no defect; for as far as her natural powers were concerned
She was stronger than other children, and as She exercised
sovereignty and dominion over all creation, She certainly could
exercise it in regard to her own powers and faculties, if She had
chosen to do so. Her not speaking therefore was virtue and great
perfection, which opportunely concealed her science and grace, and
evaded the astonishment naturally caused by one speaking in infancy.
Besides, if it is wonderful that one should speak, who according to
the natural course ought to be incapable of speech, I do not know,
whether it is not more wonderful, that one, who is able to speak from
her birth should be silent for one year and a half.
It was ordained therefore by the Most
High, that the sovereign Child should voluntarily keep this silence
during the time in which ordinarily other children are unable to
speak. The only exception made was in regard to the conversation held
with the angels of her guard, or when She addressed Herself in vocal
prayer to the Lord. For in regard to interaction with God, the Author
of speech, and with the holy angels, his messengers, when they
treated in a visible manner with Her, this reason for maintaining
silence did not hold good: on the contrary it was befitting, that,
since there was no impediment, She should pray with her lips and her
tongue; for it would not be proper to keep them unemployed for so
long a time. But her mother never heard Her, nor did she know of her
being able to speak during that period; and from this it can be
better seen, what perfection it required in Her to pass that year and
a half of her infancy in total silence. But during that time,
whenever her mother freed her arms and hands, the child Mary
immediately grasped the hands of her parents and kissed them with
great submission and reverent humility, and in this practice She
continued as long as her parents lived. She also sought to make them
understand during that period of her age, that She desired their
blessing, speaking more by the affection of her heart than by word of
mouth. So great was her reverence for them, that never did She fail
in the least point concerning the honor and obedience to them. Nor
did She cause them any trouble or annoyance, since She knew
beforehand all their thoughts and was anxious to fulfill them before
they were made manifest.
When She reached the age of two years
She began to exercise her special pity and charity toward the poor.
She solicited alms for them of saint Anne, and both the kind–hearted
mother readily granted her petitions, both for the sake of the poor
and to satisfy the tender charity of her most holy Daughter, at the
same time encouraging Her who was the Mistress of mercy and charity,
to love and esteem the poor. Besides giving what She obtained
expressly for distribution among the poor, She reserved part of her
meals for the same purpose, in order that from her infancy it might
be said of Her more truly than of Job: from my infancy compassion
grew with me (Job 31, 18). She gave to the poor not as if conferring
a benefit upon them, but as paying a debt due in justice, saying in
her heart: this my brother and master deserves what he needs and what
I possess without desert. In giving alms She kissed the hands of the
poor, and whenever She was alone, She kissed their feet, or, if this
was impossible, She would kiss the ground over which they passed.
Never did She give an alms to the poor without conferring still
greater favors on their souls by interceding for them and thus
dismissing them relieved in body and soul.
Not less admirable were the humility
and obedience to the most holy Child in permitting Herself to be
taught to read and to do other things as other children in that time
of life. She was instructed in reading and other arts by her parents
and She submitted, though She had infused knowledge of all things
created. The angels were filled with admiration at the unparalleled
wisdom of this Child, who willingly listened to the teaching of all.
Her holy mother Anne, as far as her intuition and love permitted,
observed with rapture the heavenly Princess and blessed the Most High
in Her. But with her love, as the time for presenting Her in the
temple approached, grew also the dread of the approaching end of the
three years set by the Almighty and the consciousness, that the terms
of her vow must punctually be fulfilled. Therefore the child Mary
began to prepare and dispose her mother, manifesting to her, six
months before, her ardent desire of living in the temple. She
recounted the benefits, which they had received at the hands of the
Lord, how much they were obliged to seek his greater pleasure, and
how, when She should be dedicated to God in the temple, She would be
more her Daughter than in their own house.
The holy Anne heard the discreet arguments of her
child Mary; but though She was resigned to the divine will and wished
to fulfill her promise of offering up her beloved Daughter, yet the
natural force of her love toward such an unequalled and beloved
Treasure, joined with the full understanding of its inestimable
value, caused a mortal strife in her most faithful heart at the mere
thought of her departure, which was closely at hand. There is no
doubt, that she would have lost her life in this fierce and vivid
sorrow, if the hand of the Almighty had not comforted her: for the
grace and dignity of her heavenly Daughter was fully known to her and
had entirely ravished her heart, making the presence of Mary more
dear to her than life. Full of this grief she said to the Child: “My
beloved Daughter, for many years I have longed for Thee and only for
a few years do I merit to have thy company; but thus let the will of
God be fulfilled; I do not wish to be unfaithful to my promise of
sending Thee to the temple, but there is yet time left for fulfilling
it: have patience until the day arrives for the accomplishment of thy
wishes.”
A few days before most holy Mary reached the age
of three years, She was favored with an abstract vision of the
Divinity, in which it was made known to Her that the time of her
departure for the temple ordained by God, had arrived, and that there
She was to live dedicated and consecrated to his service. Her most
pure soul was filled with new joy and gratitude at this prospect and
speaking with the Lord, She gave Him thanks saying: “Most high
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, my eternal and highest Good, since I
cannot praise Thee worthily, let it be done in the name of this
humble slave by the angelic spirits; since Thou, immense Lord, who
hast need of none, dost look upon this lowly wormlet of the earth in
thy unbounded mercy. Whence this great benefit to me, that Thou
shouldst receive me into thy house and service, since I do not even
merit the most abject spot of the earth for my place of habitation?
But as Thou art urged thereto by thy own greatness, I beseech Thee to
inspire the hearts of my parents to fulfill thy holy will.”
At the same time saint Anne had a
vision, in which the Lord enjoined her to fulfill her promise by
presenting her Daughter in the temple on the very day, on which the
third year of her age should be complete. There is no doubt that this
command caused more grief in saint Anne, than that given to Abraham
to sacrifice his son Isaac. But the Lord consoled and comforted Her,
promising his grace and assistance in her loneliness during the
absence of her beloved Daughter.
Saint Joachim also had a vision of
the Lord at this time, receiving the same command as Anne. Having
conferred with each other and taking account of the will of the Lord,
they resolved to fulfill it with humble submission and appointed the
day on which the Child was to be brought to the temple. Great was
also the grief of this holy old man, though not quite as that of
saint Anne, for the high mystery of her being the future Mother of
God was yet concealed from him.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN
The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain
My dearest daughter, keep in mind,
that all the living are born destined for death, but ignorant of the
time allowed them; this they know for certain however, that the term
of life is short, that eternity is without end, and that in this life
only they can harvest what will yield life or death eternal. In this
dangerous pilgrimage of life God has ordained, that no one shall know
for certain, whether he is worthy (Eccles. 9, 1) of his love or hate;
for if he uses his reason rightly, this uncertainty will urge him to
seek with all his powers the friendship of that same Lord. God
justifies his cause as soon as the soul acquires the use of reason;
for from that time onward He enlightens and urges and guides man
toward virtue and draws him away from sin, teaching him to
distinguish between water and fire, to approve of the good and reject
evil, to choose virtue and repel vice. Moreover, God calls and rouses
the soul by his holy inspirations and continual promptings, provides
the help of the sacraments, doctrines and commandments, urges man
onward through his angels, preachers, confessors, ministers and
teachers, by special tribulations and favors, by the example of
strangers, by trials, death and other happenings and dispositions of
his Providence; He disposes the things of life so as to draw toward
Him all men, for He wishes all to be saved. Thus he places at the
disposal of the creature a vast field of benevolent help and
assistance, which it can and should use for its own advancement.
Opposing all this are the tendencies of the inferior and sensitive
nature, infected with the fomes peccati, the foment of sin,
tending toward sensible objects and by the lower appetites and
repugnances, disturbing the reason and enthralling the will in the
false liberty of ungoverned desires. The demon also, by his
fascinations and his deceitful and iniquitous suggestions obscures
the interior light, and hides the deathly poison beneath the pleasant
exterior. But the Most High does not immediately forsake his
creatures; He renews his mercy and his assistance, recalling them
again and again, and if they respond to his first call, He adds
others according to his equity, increasing and multiplying them in
proportion as the soul corresponds. As a reward of the victory, which
the soul wins over itself, the force of his passions and
concupiscences is diminished, the spirit is made free to soar higher
and rise above its own inclinations and above the demons.
But if man neglects to rise above his
low desires and his forgetfulness, he yields to the enemy of God and
man. The more he alienates himself from the goodness of God, so much
the more unworthy does he become of the secret callings of the Most
High, and so much less does he appreciate his assistance, though it
be great. For the demon and the passions have obtained a greater
dominion and power over his intellect and have made him more unfit
and more incapable of the grace of the Almighty. Thereon, my dear
daughter, rests the whole salvation or condemnation of souls, that
is, in commencing to admit or resist the advances of the Lord. I
desire thee not to forget this doctrine, so that thou mayest respond
to the many calls which thou receivest of the Most High. See thou be
strong in resisting his enemies and punctually solicitous in
fulfilling the pleasure of thy Lord, for thereby thou wilt gratify
Him and attend to the commands made known to thee by divine light. I
loved my parents dearly, and the tender words of my mother wounded my
heart; but as I knew it to be the will of the Lord to leave them, I
forgot her house and my people in order to follow my Spouse. The
proper education and instruction of children will do much toward
making them more free and habituated to the practice of virtue, since
thus they will be accustomed to follow the sure and safe guiding star
of reason from its first dawn.
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Catholic Catechism
PART ONE - THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
SECTION TWO -THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
CHAPTER TWO - I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, THE ONLY SON OF GOD
ARTICLE 6 - "HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER"
659 "So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God."532 Christ's body was glorified at the moment of his Resurrection, as proved by the new and supernatural properties it subsequently and permanently enjoys.533 But during the forty days when he eats and drinks familiarly with his disciples and teaches them about the kingdom, his glory remains veiled under the appearance of ordinary humanity.534 Jesus' final apparition ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory, symbolized by the cloud and by heaven, where he is seated from that time forward at God's right hand.535 Only in a wholly exceptional and unique way would Jesus show himself to Paul "as to one untimely born", in a last apparition that established him as an apostle.536
660 The veiled character of the glory of the Risen One during this time is intimated in his mysterious words to Mary Magdalene: "I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."537 This indicates a difference in manifestation between the glory of the risen Christ and that of the Christ exalted to the Father's right hand, a transition marked by the historical and transcendent event of the Ascension.
661 This final stage stays closely linked to the first, that is, to his descent from heaven in the Incarnation. Only the one who "came from the Father" can return to the Father: Christ Jesus.538 "No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man."539 Left to its own natural powers humanity does not have access to the "Father's house", to God's life and happiness.540 Only Christ can open to man such access that we, his members, might have confidence that we too shall go where he, our Head and our Source, has preceded us.541
662 "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."542 The lifting up of Jesus on the cross signifies and announces his lifting up by his Ascension into heaven, and indeed begins it. Jesus Christ, the one priest of the new and eternal Covenant, "entered, not into a sanctuary made by human hands. . . but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf."543 There Christ permanently exercises his priesthood, for he "always lives to make intercession" for "those who draw near to God through him".544 As "high priest of the good things to come" he is the center and the principal actor of the liturgy that honors the Father in heaven.545
663 Henceforth Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father: "By 'the Father's right hand' we understand the glory and honor of divinity, where he who exists as Son of God before all ages, indeed as God, of one being with the Father, is seated bodily after he became incarnate and his flesh was glorified."546
664 Being seated at the Father's right hand signifies the inauguration of the Messiah's kingdom, the fulfillment of the prophet Daniel's vision concerning the Son of man: "To him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed."547 After this event the apostles became witnesses of the "kingdom [that] will have no end".548
IN BRIEF
665 Christ's Ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus' humanity into God's heavenly domain, whence he will come again (cf. Acts 1:11); this humanity in the meantime hides him from the eyes of men (cf. Col 3:3).
666 Jesus Christ, the head of the Church, precedes us into the Father's glorious kingdom so that we, the members of his Body, may live in the hope of one day being with him for ever.
667 Jesus Christ, having entered the sanctuary of heaven once and for all, intercedes constantly for us as the mediator who assures us of the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
532 Mk 16:19.
533 Cf Lk 24:31; Jn 20:19,26.
534 Cf. Acts 1:3; 10:41; Mk 16:12; Lk 24:15; Jn 20:14-15; 21:4.
535 Cf. Acts 1:9; 2:33; 7:56; Lk 9:34-35; 24:51; Ex 13:22; Mk 16:19; Ps 110:1.
536 1 Cor 15:8; cf. 9:1; Gal 1:16.
537 Jn 20:17.
538 Cf. Jn 16:28.
539 Jn 3:13; cf. Eph 4:8-10.
540 Jn 14:2.
541 Roman Missal, Preface of the Ascension: "sed ut illuc confideremus, sua membra, nos subsequi quo ipse, caput nostrum principiumque, praecessit."
542 Jn 12:32.
543 Heb 9:24.
544 Heb 7:25.
545 Heb 9:11; cf. Rev 4:6-11.
546 St. John Damascene, Defide orth. 4,2:PG 94,1104C.
547 Dan 7:14.
548 Nicene Creed.
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RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults
To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assistance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...
Reference
- Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.
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