Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar

There is also an excessive zeal, ever strained ever restless, tormented, agitated ; nothing is ever perfect enough for the soul possessed by this ardor. Benedict warns the Abbott wisely against this unseasonable zeal. ” Let him not be turbulent and over anxious, not impatient or self-opinionated, not zealous and prone to suspicion or else he will never be at rest” “In corrections let him act with prudence abd not committ any excess for fearr that in wanting to srip off the rust from thel vessel he not render it too clean that he break it!” It is of this zeal that our Lord speaks in the parable of the sower, when the servants ask the master of the field if they may go to pull up the weeds sown by the enemy, not thinking how they run the risk of also rooting up the good grain. “Wilt thou not that we go ? ” It is this zeal that carried away the disciples with indignation and made them want to call down fire from heaven upon the city of Samaria in punishment for not having received their Divine Master. ” Lord, wilt Thou ? ” But what does Christ Jesus reply to this headstrong ardour ? ” You know not of what spirit you are ” . The Son of man came not to destroy souls, but to save them.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team

Today “the Word was made flesh and began to dwell among us”… So today Wisdom began to build himself the house of our body in the Virgin’s womb… Without the intervention of man he fashioned for himself from a virginal body the flesh of our redemption. From this day “the Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our champion,” because today we are exalted in the Lord so that “glory may dwell in our land”. Indeed today, Lord, you did “bless that earth” of yours, “blessed among women”. Today you did bestow the kinndess of the Holy Spirit, so that “our earth might yield the blessed fruit of her womb” and, as the heavens dropped down dew from above a virginal womb, might bring forth a Savior. Accursed is the earth on account of the Accursed one, bringing forth as it does, even when cultivated, thorns and thistles to the heirs of the curse. But now, blessed is the earth in the work of the Redeemer, for it brings to birth the remission of sins and the fruit of life to all and frees the sons of Adam from the doom with which their origin was cursed. Indeed that earth is blessed which, wholly untouched, not dug nor sown, from heaven’s dew alone brings forth a Savior and provides mortal men with the Bread of angels and the Food of eternal life. So this earth which was not cultivated, seemed to be derelict but it was full of rich fruit; it seemed to be a lonely waste but it was a paradise of happiness. Truly the waste was a garden of God’s delight. ( Biblical references : Jn 1,14; 1Co 1,24; Pr 9,1; Ps 46[45],8; Ps 85[84],10.2; Lk 1,28; Ps 85[84],13 & Lk 1,42; Is 45,8; Gn 3,17-18; Jn 8,44; Ps 78[77],25)
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team

We are celebrating today the heavenly birthday of a martyr. We must not consider ourselves altogether strangers to his virtue of patience. If with the Lord’s help we are striving to observe the virtue of patience, though we are living in a time of peace for the Church, yet we are holding the palm of martyrdom. There are in truth two kinds of martyrdom: one in the heart, the other in heart and action at the same time. And so we can be martyrs, even if we are not slain by anyone’s sword. To die at the hands of a persecutor is unmistakably martyrdom; to bear insults, to love one who hates us, is martyrdom in our secret thought. Truth, who asked the sons of Zebedee: “Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” testifies that there are two kinds of martyrdom, one in our secret actions, the other in public. When they immediately answered: “We are able,” the Lord replied: “You will indeed drink my cup”. What do we understand by his cup except his passion, of which he said elsewhere: “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me”? (Mt 26,39) But the sons of Zebedee, James, that is, and John, did not both die as martyrs; yet each heard that he would drink of the cup. John did not end his life in martyrdom, yet was a martyr, because he sustained in his heart the suffering he did not undergo in his body. We too, following his example, can be martyrs without a sword, if we truly guard patience in our minds.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team