Feast of All Saints

Feast of All Saints
November First
Taken from, “Divine Intimacy,” by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D., pp. 1164-1166

PRESENCE OF GOD – Through the intercession of Your saints, O Lord, may I tread the way of holiness courageously.

MEDITATION

1. Holy Mother Church, always solicitous and anxious for our salvation, exults today with exceeding joy as she contemplates the glory of her children who, having reached their heavenly fatherland, are safe for all eternality, forever delivered from the snares of the evil one, and now numbered everlastingly among the elect, the people of God. Like a mother, proud of the triumph of her children, she presents them to the whole Christian world, inviting all the faithful to share her maternal joy: “Let us all rejoice in the Lord, celebrating a feast in honor of all the saints, at whose solemnity the angels rejoice and give praise to the Son of God” (Introit).

The Epistle (Ap 7, 2-12) offers us the apocalyptic vision of the glory of the saints: “I saw a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and in the sight of the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and with palms in their hands.” Ranks of martyrs, apostles, confessors, and virgins, luminous hosts who delight unceasingly in the vision of God, adore Him continually and praise Him as they repeat: “Benediction and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Who are these glorious saints? Men who have lived upon earth as we have, who have known our miseries, our difficulties, our struggles. Some of them we recognize easily, for the Church has raised them to the honors of the Altar, but the great majority are entirely unknown to us. They are humble people who lived obscurely in the accomplishment of duty, without display, without renown, whom no one here below remembers, but whom the heavenly Father looked upon, knew in secret, and, having proved their fidelity, called to His glory. The honorable positions occupied by some in this vast gathering, or the mighty deeds accomplished by others, no longer possess any value of themselves: eternal beatitude is not determined by the great things achieved here below. One thing only endures, for the humble and the great, the poor and the wealthy: the degree of glory which now renders them eternally happy.

2. While the Epistle gives us a glimpse of the life of the saints in heavenly glory, the Gospel (Mt 5, 1-12), citing a passage from the beatitudes, unveils the life which was theirs upon earth: “Blessed are the poor in spirit…Blessed are the meek…Blessed are they that mourn…Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice…Blessed are the merciful… Blessed are the clean of heart…Blessed are the peacemakers…Blessed are they who suffer persecution.” Poverty, humility, detachment from earthly goods; meekness of heart, resignation and patience in sorrow, uprightness, hunger for justice; kindness and understanding toward one’s neighbor; purity of mind and heart; peacefulness of spirit and bearer of peace; fortitude and generosity, which, for love of God, embrace every suffering and endure every injustice: such are the characteristics of the life led by the saints on earth, and such must be our program, too, if we wish to attain sanctity as they did.

We want to become saints, but in the easiest way possible, without effort, without fatigue or violence to ourselves; we should like to practice virtue, but only to a certain point, only when it does not ask for great sacrifice, or go too much against the grain. And so it happens that when faced with acts of virtue which exact greater self-renunciation, of the acceptance of difficult and repugnant things, such as quelling the resentments of self-love, renouncing an attempt to make our opinion prevail, submitting ourselves and meekly condescending to one who is opposed to us, very often-if not always-we refuse, thinking it unnecessary to go to such lengths.
Yet our progress in holiness depends precisely upon these acts which we hesitate to make; without them we shall always lead a mediocre life, we shall always remain on the same level, if indeed we do not lose ground. Let us the saints whom we honor today to help us overcome our laziness, our lassitude, our cowardice; let us ask those who have gone before us in the arduous way of sanctity to obtain for us the strength to follow them. “If such as these [have attained to sanctity], why not I?” (St. Augustine). God offers us the grace which He gave to the saints; but alas! what is lacking is our correspondence with it.

St. Cecilia

St. Cecilia – Patroness of Musicians, Poets, Singers and Organ-Builders – November 22nd

This famous Patroness of music was a Roman noblewoman, who had given her heart to Christ. Beneath the rich clothes worn by women of her class, Cecilia wore a rough shirt that caused her suffering; she wanted to be able to offer this suffering to Jesus, whose bride she intended to be.

But Cecilia’s father gave her in marriage to young pagan nobleman! During the celebration of the wedding, the lovely bride sat apart singing to God in her heart and praying for His help. When she and Valerian, her husband, were alone, she gathered up courage and said to him: “I have a secret to tell you. You must know that I have an angel of God watching over me. If you let me keep my promise to be Christ’s bride only, my angel will love you as he loves me.”

“Show me this angel,” answered Valerian. “If he comes from God, I will do as you wish.”

Cecilia said, “If you believe in the one true God and receive the waters of Baptism, then you shall see the angel.” Valerian went to the Bishop Urban and was received with joy. After he had professed his belief in the Christian religion, he was baptized and returned to St. Cecilia.

There by the Saint’s side, the young man saw the splendid angel! The angel raised his hand and placed a crown of roses and lilies on the heads of the young couple. What joy filled their pure, holy hearts at that moment!

Valerian’s brother, Tiburtius, learned of the Christian faith from Cecilia and she spoke so beautifully of Jesus that before long, he too was baptized. Together the two brothers performed many works of holy charity. When they were arrested for being Christians, they went bravely to death rather than give up their new faith in Jesus.

St. Cecilia lovingly buried their bodies, before she too was arrested. She converted the very officers who tried to make her sacrifice to false gods! When she was put into a fire, it did no harm her. At last, a man was sent to behead her. He struck her at the neck three times, but she did not die right away. She lay on the floor of her own home unable to move. Yet by holding out three fingers of one hand, and one of the other, she still professed her faith in the Blessed Trinity.

Today I will think often that I have a Guardian Angel watching over me.

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

– November 21st

When she was only three years old, the Blessed Virgin Mary was taken to the Temple in Jerusalem by her holy parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne. Mary’s whole life was to belong to God because He had chosen her to be the Mother of His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.


The Blessed Virgin was happy to begin serving God in the Temple of Jerusalem, even though she had to leave her dear father and mother. And St. Joachim and St. Anne were content to offer their saintly little girl to God, for they knew that He had sent her to them.


In the Temple, the High Priest received the child Mary among the maidens who were dedicated to prayer and the service of the Temple. He kissed and blessed the holy child, seeing that the Lord had great plans for her. Then he set her down upon the altar step. Mary did not weep or turn back to her parents. She came so happily to the altar that everyone in the Temple loved her at once.


St. Joachim and St. Anne went back home, praising God for their blessed daughter. And Mary remained in the Temple, where she grew more beautiful and holy every year. She spent her days in loving God, reading the Bible, praying and serving the priests of the Temple. She made beautiful linens and splendid vestments, and was loved by all the other young girls because she was so kind. In doing each of her duties well, to please God, the Blessed Virgin Mary gained immense grace and gave great glory to the Lord.


Every morning I will offer myself to God with my whole heart.

St. Edmund the Martyr

St. Edmund the Martyr – November 20th


Edmund was an English prince who became king when he was only fourteen. Yet his high position did not make him proud or conceited. Instead, he took as his model the holy King David and tried to serve God as well as David did. In fact, Edmund even learned all David’s Psalms by heart. The Psalms are beautiful hymns of praise to God contained in the Holy Bible.


King Edmund governed wisely, showing kindness to all his subjects. When the Danish barbarians invaded his land, he fought them bravely, even though their army was much larger than his. At last, he was captured.


The barbarian leader offered to spare Edmund’s life if he would agree to certain terms. But since these terms were opposed to his country and his religion, the king refused. He declared he would never purchase his life by offending God and his people. In anger, the pagan chief condemned this Christian hero to death.


St. Edmund was tied to a tree and then cruelly whipped. The holy king took it all patiently, invoking the Name of Jesus. Next, his torturers shot arrows into every part of his body. They were careful not to hit any vital organ, so that the poor martyr would suffer longer before dying. At last, he was dragged down from the tree and beheaded.


Devotion to St. Edmund the martyr became very popular in England, and many churches were dedicated in his honor.


From this saint let us learn loyalty to God and to our country, and be good Christians and good citizens.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

St. Elizabeth of Hungary – Patroness of Third Order Members – November 19th


This daughter of the King of Hungary was married to Louis, the ruler of Thuringia, while she was very young. She was a beautiful bride who dearly loved her handsome husband, and Louis returned her affection with all his heart. God sent them three children and they were as happy as can be for six years.


Then St. Elizabeth’s sorrows began. Louis died of the plague, and she was so heart-broken that she cried: “The world is dead to me and all that is joyous in the world!” Louis’ relatives had never liked Elizabeth because she had given so much food away to the poor. While Louis was alive, they had not been able to do anything, but now they could and they did. Within a short time, this beautiful, gentle princess and her three children were sent away from the castle and suffered hunger and cold. Yet Elizabeth did not complain at her terrible sufferings. Instead she blessed God and prayed with great fervor, just as she had done in her years of joy.


Elizabeth’s relatives came to her rescue and she and her children had a home once more. Her uncle wanted her to marry again, for she was still very young and attractive. But the Saint had determined to give herself to God, imitating the poverty of St. Francis. She went to live in a poor cottage and spent the last few years of her life serving the sick and the poor. She would even go fishing to try to gain more money for her beloved poor, and when she was sick herself, she still spun wool for them.


St. Elizabeth was only twenty-four when she died. On her death bed, she was heard to sing softly. She had great confidence that Jesus would take her to Himself.


Today I want to take everything from the hands of God. If He sends me joys, I will thank Him. If He asks me to suffer a little, I will offer it up for His love.

St. Odo of Cluny

St. Odo of Cluny – November 18th

This French saint was not a very holy young man when he first began his service to the Church. He was more interested in music than in divine things. But one day, this young student realized how different his life was from the perfect life taught by the Rule of St. Benedict. So Odo entered a monastery, and tried to please God in every way. Sometimes, however, his kind heart caused him to do unwise things, but as he grew older, he learned to be more prudent.

St. Odo was forty-eight when he became Abbot of Cluny, which was to be the most famous monastery in Europe. Many other monasteries copied Odo’s way of keeping all the monks fervent and close to God. He was called to Rome by the Holy Father to try to keep peace between two angry kings. He was invited to many monasteries by Abbots who wanted his advice. Yet he still found time to write several books, hymns and holy poems.

All through his life, St. Odo showed charity to those who were opposed to him. Once a peasant tried to kill him with a rock, shouting that Odo’s monks owed his money. Odo escaped, and then went to pay the man the money he had demanded. He thought no more about the matter until he heard that he king had ruled the peasant’s right arm should be cut off in punishment. At once the Saint went to court and persuaded the ruler to set the man free.

Just before he died, St. Odo wrote a hymn in honor of St. Martin of Tours, whose great charity he had always imitated.

Today I will try hard to imitate the charity of this saint in words and deeds.

Bl. Philippine Duchesne

Bl. Philippine Duchesne – November 17th

This Saint, who labored for Christ in the United States, was born into a wealthy French family. As a youngster, there was nothing especially holy about Philippine. In fact, she often did her best to get her own way and was apt to command everyone else to do what she wanted. In school, her favorite subject was history, and she later became very interested in stories about the American Indians.

At the age of seventeen, Philippine entered the convent, but she was not allowed to take her vows when the time came, because of the French Revolution. All the Professed Sisters were forced by the Revolutionaries to leave the country, and Philippine had to go home. Still she did not give up her desire to belong to Jesus, and several years later she joined the newly Society of the Sacred Heart.

Mother Philippine Duchesne’s great desire was to be a missionary, but she was fifty before she was sent to the United States, which was still a mission land at this time. In Mississippi, she and a small group of Sisters started a free school for the children of poor families, both white and Indian. The work was hard, because of the different languages and ways of the people. But despite the many difficulties, Mother Duchesne never lost her youthful enthusiasm, even though she did become less commanding and more gentle as she grew older.

Mother Duchesne was a real heroine who went through terrible journeys, nearly died from yellow fever and overcame all kinds of obstacles to open Convents in the New World. Then when she was seventy-one, she resigned her position as Superior and went off to open a school among her beloved Indians. She died at the age of eighty-three in a tiny room in which she had chosen to live in great poverty.

I will ask Our Divine Lord to increase my faith and confidence in Him, especially when things are hard.

Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King

Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King
Last Sunday of October
Taken from, “Divine Intimacy,” by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D., pp.1161-1163

PRESENSE OF GOD – O Jesus, Prince of Ages, King of Nations, be the sole Ruler of my mind and heart.

MEDITATION

1. The liturgy today is truly a triumphant hymn celebrating the Kingdom of Christ. From the First Vespers of the Feast, the figure of Jesus is majestically portrayed, seated on a royal throne and dominating the entire world; “His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and all kings shall serve and obey Him…. He shall sit and rule and shall speak peace unto the nations.”

The Mass opens with the apocalyptic vision of this extraordinary King whose majesty is intimately linked to His immolation for the salvation of souls…. “The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power and divinity and wisdom and strength and honor. To Him belong glory and power forever and ever.”(Introit).

In the Epistle (Col. 1, 12-20) St. Paul enumerates the titles which make Christ King of all kings: He is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature; for in Him were all things created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.” These titles belong to Jesus Christ inasmuch as He is God, perfect image of the Father, exemplary cause of all earthly and heavenly creatures and, at the same time, Creator, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, of all that exists, for nothing has existence without Him, but “all things were created by Him and in Him…by Him all things consist.”

Then come His titles to Kingship as Man: “He is the Head of the Mystical Body, the Church…. Through Him [God]…reconciled all things unto Himself, making peace through the Blood of His Cross.” He, who is already our King by reason of His divinity, is also King through His Incarnation, which has constituted Him the Head of all humanity, and through His Passion, by which at the price if His Blood He has regained our souls, which already belonged to Him as His creatures.

Jesus is our King in the full sense of the word: He has created us, redeemed us, vivified us by His grace, He nourishes us with His Flesh and Blood, He governs us with love, and by love He draws us to Himself. In the face of such considerations, the cry of St. Paul rises spontaneously from our heart: “Giving thanks to God the Father…who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption…the remission of sins.”

2. In today’s Gospel (Jn. 18, 33-37) we have the most authoritative proclamation of the Kingship of Christ, since it comes from His own lips in that most solemn moment during the trial which preceded His Passion. Pilate explicitly questioned Him on the subject: “Art Thou the King of the Jews?” Jesus did not reply directly to this first question; actually, He is not King of any one determined nation; His Kingdom has nothing to do with the kingdoms of the earth. But to Pilate’s second and more precise question, “Art Thou a King then?” Jesus replied unhesitatingly: “Thou sayest it; I am a King.” He proclaims His Kingship in the most formal manner before the highest civil authority in Palestine; He proclaims it, not in the midst of an enthusiastic crowd, nor in the triumph of His miracles, but bound with chains, before him who is about to condemn Him to death, before being dragged to Calvary where, from the heights of the Cross, above His thorn-crowned head, will appear for the first time the title of His royalty: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (Jn. 19, 19). He had fled when the enthusiastic crowd wished to make Him their King; now He proclaims Himself King in the midst of the unspeakable humiliations of His Passion, thus affirming in the clearest manner that His Kingdom is not of this world, that His Kingdom is so sublime that no dishonor, no insults can eclipse it. But by this act Jesus also tells us that He prefers to manifest his Kingship far more as a conquest of His Blood than as a title belonging to Him in virtue of His divine nature.

We should go to meet this divine King with all the yearning of our soul. He presents Himself to us under an appearance so human, so loving, so welcoming, stretching out His arms on the Cross to invite all to come to Him, showing us the wound in his side as the symbol of His Love. Far from trying to escape His dominion, we should beseech Him to be the sole Ruler of our mind and heart, and the complete master of our will. We should submit ourselves and all that belongs to us to “His most gentle rule” (Collect).

St. Gertrude the Great

St. Gertrude the Great - Patroness of the West Indies - November 16th


Gertrude entered a Convent in Saxony when she was very young and under the care of St. Mechtildis, she grew to be a very happy and holy nun.


Gertrude was a likeable, intelligent young woman who did very well in Latin studies. In fact, she liked the study of religion less than her other subjects her other subjects at first. But when she was twenty-six, Jesus appeared to her and told her that from now on, she would think only of loving Him and trying to become perfect. Now she began to study the Holy Bible with deep delight and became very learned in our holy religion.


Jesus appeared to St. Gertrude many times. He showed her His own Sacred Heart and twice He let her rest her head on this Heart of His. Because of her great love for Jesus, her divine Spouse, St. Gertrude tried to correct her every fault, not matter how small. She trusted in Him with her whole heart and was full of peace and joy.


St. Gertrude had a great devotion to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and loved to receive Holy Communion often, even though in those days, it was not the custom. She was also very devoted to St. Joseph, and foster-father of Jesus.


St. Gertrude wrote many beautiful prayers, which have been very helpful in teaching many souls. After suffering for about ten years, but always very cheerfully, St. Gertrude went to join the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who had made her His spouse.


I will have a picture of the Sacred Heart enthroned in my bedroom. Also, I will spread devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

St. Albert the Great

St. Albert the Great - Patron of Scientists - November 15th

This Saint was born in a castle on the Danube River in Swabia. He went to the University of Padua and there he decided to become a Dominican. His uncle tried to persuade him not to enter, but Albert entered anyway, as God wanted. His father, the Count of Bollstadt, was very angry, and it was thought that might make Albert come out. The young monk was moved to another monastery, however, and his father did not pursue him.

St. Albert loved to study. He especially was interested in natural sciences-physics, geography, biology, and so forth-and of course in the study of religion and the Holy Bible. He used to go out to watch the ways of animals and write down what he saw, just as scientists do today. He wrote a great number of books on these subjects, as also on philosophy, and was a very popular teacher in different schools.

One of St. Albert’s pupils was the great St. Thomas Aquinas, and when Thomas died, St. Albert learned of it directly from God. He had guided St. Thomas in beginning his great works in Philosophy and Theology and he defended his teachings after Thomas died.

As he grew older, St. Albert grew more holy. Before, he had expressed his deep thoughts in his writings. Now he expressed them in tears, in his whole way of living for God.

Two years before his death, St. Albert’s memory failed him and his end came very peacefully while he was sitting in his chair with his fellow Dominicans. St. Albert is the Patron Saint of students and natural sciences.

I will try to force myself to study well, especially my religious subjects.