predication.net

Saint Rose was born in Lima, Peru, on April 20, 1586, as her parents’ tenth child. Rose had 12 siblings. Her father, Gaspar Florez, and her mother, Mária Olivia, were high-ranking nobles with considerable wealth. They emigrated to Latin America long before she was born. The very circumstances of Rosenka’s birth were miraculous. Her mother was often in danger of death due to unrest on the border, but she was never in danger during her pregnancy with Rose. Rose herself was born “encased” in a double placenta, much like a beautiful pink rose that slowly develops from bright green leaves. She was baptized with the name Isabela, but this name should not have belonged to her. Her mother understood three months after her birth that the name she had chosen for her daughter was not pleasing to God. In a strange vision, as she bent down to face her sleeping daughter, she saw a beautiful rose floating above her cradle. Admonished in this way, she named her daughter after this flower. Even though the archbishop of Lima gave her the same name as her Burmese, Rose still felt a particular sadness whenever she was addressed in this way. It was not the name she had received at baptism, and she feared it might serve her vanity. She worried about her name until the Mother of God gave her the will of God. One day, she went to the Church of the preaching brothers, threw herself at the feet of the Holy Mother in the rosary chapel, and poured out the confusion she felt. Mother God accepted her request, comforted Ruženka, and asked her to take the name Ruža. The Virgin Mary told her that this name of the rose pleased her Son Jesus Christ and that as proof of love, she would be called the Rose of Saint Mary from now on. Her childhood was extraordinarily patient and obedient, which strongly resembled that of Saint Catherine of Siena. It is recorded that when she was still a child, she had already given evidence of this heroic patience in suffering, which soon became the rule of her life.

Someone inadvertently slammed the box shut and caught little Rose’s thumb. Instead of starting to scream loudly and piteously like the other children, she made every effort to conceal the suffering she had received. When her injury worsened and she lost part of her nail, a surgeon was forced to amputate her thumb. She went through the suffering and pain of this operation with such extraordinary sweetness that the doctor remarked that she never once cried out nor even changed the expression on her face, which would be considered natural, even in a person who has been suffering for years. Rose began with the ascetic by living at an incredibly young age. She was only five when she decided to fast every other day. At age six, she hid needles in the holiday crown she wore in her hair to suppress vanity. She was sincerely afraid of sin, so strong renunciation and physical sacrifices were a matter of course for her. Her little brother was an instrument from God to teach her to judge the vain things of this transitory world. One day, he was playing with her, accidentally throwing a lot of mud on her beautiful, wavy hair. Rose was groomed and dressed neatly and exceptionally nicely, so she was naturally proud of her appearance and angry with her brother. However, her brother said with an unexpectedly deep voice that seemed to come from God himself: “My dear sister, do not be angry with me for this accident. The curled hair of girls are like beautiful cords that surround people’s hearts and draw them unhappily into the eternal flame.” Rose listened to these words as if they were spoken by a holy preacher of God or as words from heaven. She immersed herself, gave up this world forever, and devoted herself to God. From this moment, she received the gift of prayer. Day and night, she devoted herself to this holy conversation with God and did not interrupt her prayers, even while asleep. During the rest, when she slept, her imagination painted so many vivid pictures of her Lord and Savior to entertain her mind that she might say she never ceased to pray. In this way, she received a call from God to follow the path of St. Catherine of Siena. Immersed in the Holy Spirit, she consecrated herself with an irrevocable vow to her pure God Almighty at the age of five. She solemnly vowed never to have any other partner but the Lord Himself.

Rose grew into a lovely girl. Therefore, her parents wanted to marry her to a rich young man. But she was firmly determined to give priority to the spiritual life. To thwart her planned marriage, which her mother stubbornly adhered to, Ruženka cut off her beautiful, long hair but also allegedly rubbed her face with pepper and soaked her hands in lime. She was afraid that her beauty might continue to tempt others. She was habitually rubbing her eyes with pimento, a type of hot Indian pepper, after which her eyes were red as fire and so painful that she could not bear the light. She replied to her mother, who was angry with her: “It would be better for me, my dear mother, to be blind all my life than to be forced to look at the vanities of the world!” When she was asked to marry by the only son of a certain most eminent lady of the city, she went to Canto, a small village near one of the most famous mines in Peru, and remained there for four years without leaving the house. The proposal was very agreeable to her mother, who wished to provide for her family in this way. Still, Ruženka gave her virginity to God and, with perfect rejection of the idea of ​​marriage, openly declared that she would never consent. She decided to join the order to defeat the plans of the enemies of her purity. Two miracles confirmed this calling. She doubted her vocation and intended to enter the Incarnation monastery, where religious sisters were already expecting her. But before she set out on her journey, she went to say goodbye to our blessed Virgin in the rosary chapel belonging to the monastery of St. Dominica. She remained on her knees in prayer for a long time at the foot of the altar, and when she had finished her prayer, she tried to get up but could not. She called her brother to help her, but suddenly she felt a hand that grabbed her sharply, and no one could take her away from the place. She immediately understood that it was a sign from heaven not to leave Saint Dominic. She decided to enter the third order of St. Dominika and could stand up and leave the chapel without any problems. The second of the signs that confirmed her calling was nature itself. On the vast plains of Lima, countless butterflies fly. One in particular is beautifully colored in black and white, exactly the colors of the Order of St. Dominica. One of these butterflies flew in and kept circling the Sleeping Beauty. Again, she followed the steps of St. Catherine of Siena and entered the third order of St. Dominica. Her wish finally came true on August 10, 1606, and she became a Dominican Tertiary. She was 20 years old then. She set up a wooden hut in the garden of her birthplace, where she lived and prayed ever since. She almost stopped eating and rarely slept. She endured the most severe mental and physical pains with unspeakable patience. She repeatedly received manifestations of mystical graces. She often prayed: “Lord, multiply my suffering and my love!” In the small room, which she built with the help of her brother from bare boards and sycamore leaves, she had only a modest, ascetic bed, which consisted of seven logs connected by straps, and she poured shards and pebbles between them. She read spiritual books and long prayers in this refuge, bringing her various mystical experiences. In moments of her deepest devotion to God, she wore a hair shirt and a forged crown of thorns and scourged herself with leather thongs. She hardly took food and slept only two to three hours a day; the rest of the time, she devoted herself to work or prayer. Her deep spirituality and extreme penance aroused astonishment and outrage among the inhabitants of Lima. Some considered her crazy, while others, on the contrary, began to visit her. She never stopped believing in what Jesus Christ entrusted her in her visions: achieving God’s grace and salvation is impossible without suffering and renunciation. The most frequent object of her meditation was the cross of Christ, towards which her gaze was often directed. She went to take care of the sick, the impoverished, and the marginalized. Physically tortured herself, she survived fifteen long years of spiritual dryness and despondency. She experienced immense physical and mental suffering amid mystical experiences. She sacrificed all her suffering for the conversion of sinners. She received such sweet and noble consolation, especially from the words of the Lord himself: “Rose of my heart, be my Bride!” and a wonderfully intimate relationship with the Guardian Angel, Saint Catherine of Siena, and the Mother of God. She often went for seven weeks without drinking water or any other liquid. And towards the end of her life, she lived for several consecutive days without eating or drinking at all. Her supernatural abstinence from food was well known to all the inhabitants of Lima: it was generally believed that she passed weeks without eating or drinking and that when circumstances compelled her to appease the burning heat consumed her, she drank warm water to mitigate the pleasure of cold water. She was not even satisfied with the physical fasting itself. Streams of blood flowed daily from her body caused by iron chains and other instruments of penance. After becoming a religious, she was not satisfied with the usual discipline. She made herself two iron chains, with which she inflicted such terrible wounds every night that her blood sprinkled the wall and flowed into the middle of the room. She died seven times: for her sins, for the souls who commit sins, for the pressing needs of the Church, for the time when Peru or Lima was threatened with great calamity, for the souls in purgatory, for those in agony of death, and as compensation for insults against God.

When her confessor, disturbed by the number of deaths, ordered her to stop using iron chains, she wrapped them in three rows and wore them on her body. She locked the chain on a padlock and threw the key in a corner where no one could find it. However, the chain soon passed through her skin and dug so deep into her flesh that her wounds remained visible until her death. One night, she felt such a terrible agony of pain that she fainted and was almost on the verge of death. Marianna, the helper, who woke up to her screams, quickly ran to her aid. Rose was now forced to tell the truth and asked her to help remove the chain before her mother entered the room. However, Mariana could not break the padlock. So she ran into the garden to find a stone and somehow broke it. While she was gone, Rose feared that her mother would enter the room. She began to pray. When Mariana entered the room with the stone, she saw a padlock separated from the chain links! Ruženka managed to do everything without much pain and loss of blood. Her wounds were almost healed, but she tightened the chain again. But as soon as it began to be carved into her body, the confessor ordered her to send it to him. She obeyed but suffered the same pain and blood loss as before. After her death, Maria of Usategui kept several embers of this bloody chain, which emitted such a sweet fragrance that everyone recognized it as supernatural. In addition to this chain, she wore the heaviest hairpin full of needles. She scourged herself with nettles and thorns, causing numerous wounds and blisters to form on her body. Tireless in her desire for pain, she decided to more accurately copy her Lord and Savior, whom they crowned with thorns. When she was young, she made a pewter crown with small, sha,rp nai, ls. She wore it for several years of innocent life. Later, she made a crown of silver plates as wide as three fingers, in which she placed three rows of sharp spikes, representing the 33 years of Jesus’ life on earth. She cut her hair so the spikes would dig into her head better. She wore the crown under her robes so that even the slightest movement of her body would cause these iron spikes to injure her body in 99 places. Every Friday, she tied this crown tighter and lower on her forehead until she pierced the cartilage of her ears in many places. From childhood, she invented many ways to make her bed harder until her mother forced her to sleep with it. Even then, she continued to be humble and obedient. As soon as the mother fell asleep, she gathered the feathers from the side of the bed she was lying on to lie on the wooden structure and put a stone under her head. After a long time, her mother, though displeased, allowed her to sleep as she pleased. Then, she made a bed in the form of a chest and filled it with rough stones of various sizes. However, the bed seemed too soft to her, so she added three bundles of wood and filled the space with three hundred pieces of broken tiles, which were placed so that the body was injured and torn. She never trembled in this terrible cross while the blood seemed to freeze in her veins. On these occasions, Jesus Christ often appeared to her to soothe her and speak in sweet and gracious words: “Remember, my child, that the cross on which I died for you was heavier, narrower, and more painful than the one on which you lie. Please think of the bile I drank because of you and remember the nails that pierced my hands and feet. Only then will you feel comfort in the terrible pains you are experiencing on your bed.” To live completely apart from men, she often stayed only in a small hermitage in her father’s garden, where she experienced many visions and miracles. Among others, Jesus Christ once appeared to her and took her as his bride in the presence of the Blessed Virgin, saying to her: “Rose of my heart, I take you as my bride.” Through spiritual prayer, in which she exercised herself in the deepest love of God, she attained the closest and most intimate union with Him and was never out of His holy presence. The birds themselves felt the influence of her sanctity and joined her devotion. One day, when she was ill, a little bird came and sat by the window of her room and began to sing, which so captivated her that she sincerely pondered the goodness of God who had given this little bird such sweet notes to sing praises to God. This put her in an ecstasy, in which she remained from nine in the morning until evening. In the year of her death, another bird whose song sounded the most beautiful sat in front of her room during the entire Lent period. As soon as the sun rose, blessed Rosa ordered him to light a fire in praise of God. He obeyed her and raised his voice, singing with all his might, until this servant of Christ, who did not want to be left behind, offered God a song of praise and blessing. She began to sing a hymn to his glory very sweetly. When she had finished, this little choir began again, and together, they formed a chorus in which they sang the praises of God alternately. At six o’clock, she released him until the next day. He always arrived on time.Our Saint loved Jesus Christ and His Most Holy Mother, the Virgin Mary, Saint Catherine of Siena, and her angel with such genuine love that they rewarded her. They visited her often and spoke to her in a friendly tone. They taught her how to gain victory over the evil spirits that appeared to her and tempted her to sin, appearing to her in special apparitions. This is how she learned that she was to die on St. Bartholomew’s Day. She did not know that she would die after reaching the age of 31, nor did she know that in the last moments of her life, she would have to endure incredible suffering. On August 1, she entered her room at night in perfect health. But at midnight, she was heard crying piteously, and the wife of Don Gonzalez, into whose house she had moved before her illness, found her half dead on the ground, cold, pulseless, motionless, scarcely breathing. The doctors came to see her in this condition and, together with her confessor, who feared that her humility prevented her from making clear the nature and extent of her sufferings, ordered her out of obedience to describe her feelings and pains to the doctors as best she could. “It seems to me,” she said, “as if a ball of fire had driven into my temples, descended to my legs, and passed through my left side over my right side in an intolerable heat—as if my heart had been torn asunder by a flaming dagger. The invisible hand that holds it sometimes pierces me from head to foot with it, and then walks from side to side and carves the form of a cross on my body with this instrument, which burns me with the hottest fire. I feel as if my bowels were being torn open with flaming tongs, and my head burns as if it were hot coals taken from a burning furnace. In fact, I believe that when I die, they will find my bones burned to ashes and the marrow dried up by the burning heat I endured.” All those present agreed that these sufferings were miraculous, and Ružena told them they were right and meant to be understood. ; Because they all came only from God and were sent as a special favor so she could become more like her Lord and Master. Although she had suffered so much, she begged her Divine Bridegroom not to ease her pain. On the contrary, she begged Him with all her heart to intensify them, to punish her severely for the crimes which she believed constituted sin in the eyes of God’s majesty. The merciful God had compassion on His servant and was moved by her tears and groans. He kept her mind sane to the last breath amid the depressions which the fever of the internal organs sent to her brain and which caused frequent delirium. Another kindness he imparted to her was her ability to express her feelings, although she suffered greatly. During her last days, she was often seen as if unconscious or in an ecstasy in which her soul seemed to leave her body to become more united with God. Despite extreme thirst, she did not taste a single drop of water to quench it. Following the example of her groom, she only asked for bile and vinegar to increase her suffering.During her illness, she usually confessed her sins every day. And to better prepare herself for death, she made a general confession of her whole life, with such signs of deep resentment that her sorrow and lamentations were heard in the adjoining rooms. She received the holy Viaticum and the last anointing on the third day. When the Blessed Sacrament was brought to her, she changed color. Her face lit up and burned, and amid the joy that filled her, she fell into ecstasy. After receiving this bread of angels, she remained motionless and completely rested in God. Almighty God revealed to her that her soul would immediately go to heaven after leaving the body and would not have to suffer the pain of purgatory. She often let herself be heard that she was a Christian and wanted to live in the faith of the Church and that she was the daughter of the great Saint Dominic. As proof of this, she reverently kissed the scapular and always wore it when sick. To imitate the love of the Son of God, she prayed with all her heart for those who offended her by word or deed, asking him to fill them with his graces and show them the same mercy that she experienced. Holding the holy cross in her hand, she could not calm herself without kissing it, softly repeating: “Father, forgive them.” She begged for mercy for all the servants in the house with tears in her eyes. She told Don González about herself that he would soon be freed from this unfortunate sinner (she meant herself) who had caused so much trouble and trouble to her whole family. Everything was translated into tears in the deep humility of this bride of Jesus Christ. At midnight of her death, she heard a mysterious noise that announced the coming of the Lord. She accepted him joyfully and asked her brother to remove the support from under her head and place a piece of wood in its place. As if she expected that these pieces of wood would also die on the cross. Twice she said: “Jesus, be with me, Jesus, be with me!” Immediately after that, her pure soul left her mortal body and flew into the bosom of God to receive the heavenly inheritance prepared for her from eternity. She died on August 24, the feast of St. Bartholomew in 1617, aged 31 years and five months. to fill them with his graces and show them the same mercy she experienced. Holding the holy cross in her hand, she could not calm herself without kissing it, softly repeating: “Father, forgive them.” She begged for mercy for all the servants in the house with tears in her eyes. She told Don González about herself that he would soon be freed from this unfortunate sinner (she meant herself) who had caused so much trouble and trouble to her whole family. Everything was translated into tears in the deep humility of this bride of Jesus Christ. At midnight of her death, she heard a mysterious noise that announced the coming of the Lord. She accepted him joyfully and asked her brother to remove the support from under her head and place a piece of wood in its place. As if she expected that these pieces of wood would also die on the cross. Twice she said: “Jesus, be with me, Jesus, be with me!” Immediately after that, her pure soul left her mortal body and flew into the bosom of God to receive the heavenly inheritance prepared for her from eternity. She died on August 24, the feast of St. Bartholomew in 1617, aged 31 years and five months. to fill them with his graces and show them the same mercy she experienced. Holding the holy cross in her hand, she could not calm herself without kissing it, softly repeating: “Father, forgive them.” She begged for mercy for all the servants in the house with tears in her eyes. She told Don González about herself that he would soon be freed from this unfortunate sinner (she meant herself) who had caused so much trouble and trouble to her whole family. Everything was translated into tears in the deep humility of this bride of Jesus Christ. At midnight of her death, she heard a mysterious noise that announced the coming of the Lord. She accepted him joyfully and asked her brother to remove the support from under her head and place a piece of wood in its place. As if she expected that these pieces of wood would also die on the cross. Twice she said: “Jesus, be with me, Jesus, be with me!” Immediately after that, her pure soul left her mortal body and flew into the bosom of God to receive the heavenly inheritance prepared for her from eternity. She died on August 24, the feast of St. Bartholomew in 1617, aged 31 years and five months.

In my Father’s house are many mansions › Jn 14, 2.  Since we commemorate the coronation of the Virgin Mary a week after the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, let’s stay with the Marian theme. When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger reflected on this topic, he pointed out that today’s teaching about the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is somewhat foreign to us. We perceive almost all words in this context as foreign and cannot perceive their meaning: Mary, heaven, glory. We understand only one word well—the body. However, if we start from this one word, which is understandable, the possibility opens up for us to reach everything. What is affirmed here is faith in the body and, thus, in the earth, matter, and the future of everything. The Church, seemingly hostile to the body, seems to have sung a new hymn to the body with this dogma. In this sense, the human body is related to heaven and, thus, to God. 

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger explains it this way: “This statement is very timely: today there is a danger that the discovery of the body will turn into dehumanization. In seeking to possess it freely, it is removed from the sphere of moral responsibility and is reduced to a mere thing that can be used without the guarantee of human relations. The human body is transformed into matter; a new dualism arises, the destructive effects of which we have already experienced. Only when the wholeness of the human being is completely preserved, only then does the future for the body open up. Only when the human dignity of the body is recognized will the spirit retain its human character; only when we know how to appreciate a person in the light of God’s promise, we give honor to the body.” 

Therefore, the true rooting of God’s action in profound physicality is very important. It began with the birth of the Virgin Mary, culminating in the Lord’s resurrection, and the eyes of God through his Son could be realized in the eyes of the first Christian woman. And this is how all the words of the dogma are connected: first heaven and body, now also Mary and glory, body and heaven. The name Mary refers to everything concretely realized in a simple woman who calls herself a humble servant (cf. Lk 1:48). Let’s not forget that the glory rested on her. Not the queen, but the humble servant is glorified. Not to power, but to faith is the promised future.

Real name Jozef (Giuseppe) Sarto

Saint

Holiday: August 21

* June 2, 1835, Riese, today Riese Pio X near Treviso, Italy

† August 20, 1914, Rome

Pontificate: 1903 – 1914

Meaning of the name: pious, religious (lat.)

St. Pius X was born on June 2, 1835, in the village of Riese near Castelfranco Veneto in the Diocese of Treviso as the second of ten children. His father was a postman and a farmer. Jozef liked to minister, wanted to learn, and had great talent. Even though his parents were poor, he managed to graduate from the grammar school in Castelfranco and Padua, where he continued studying philosophy and theology. A native of Riese, the Venetian patriarch Jakub Monica also gave him a place in the seminary. Jozef was ordained a priest in 1858 in Castelfranco. He worked as a chaplain in Tombolo, from 1867 as a parish priest in Salzano, and in 1875 he was called as a canon and vicar general in Treviso. In addition, he also taught in the seminary. In 1884, Pope Leo XIII. appointed as bishop in Mantua and in 1893 as patriarch and cardinal in Venice. He was elected Pope in 1903. According to the “Malachi Prophecy,” he was supposed to be “ignis ardens,” a roaring fire. As he said during his election, he took Pius after the holy popes who were “mighty and kindly protected” the Church. He chose “Renew everything in Christ” as his motto.

Predecessor Pius X. Leo XIII. Focused on restoring the Church’s external relations, Pius X decided on internal reform. In the first days after the election, he ordered a new codification of church law. In 1908, the Acta Apostolicae Sedis began to be published – a circular for the whole Church, in which statements and information about the happenings in the Church were published. It is a common practice not only of the Holy See but of every diocese. Pius X had excellent organizational and reforming talent. Administration became much more straightforward; he eliminated clutter and unnecessary bureaucracy. He proposed new methods and means for pastoral care. He cared a lot about the holiness and education of priests. He reformed the liturgical music, removed the long interminable preludes during the liturgy, and paid great attention to the Gregorian chant. A college for church music was established in Rome.

At his initiative, a new edition of the Roman Missal and the Roman Breviary was published. The Pope had an excellent feeling for errors and anti-Catholic directions. He was adamant in faith and morals, but he tried to lead strays to the right path with kindness and goodness. He drew attention to the so-called modernism that began to spread. He radically rejected it in 1907 with his encyclical Pascendi.

On the other hand, however, many did not understand the Pope correctly. When condemning modernism, they went to the other extreme (integralism) – they opposed any adaptation of the Church to modern life. They wanted to enter worldly affairs with the decisive word as well. However, the Pope did not do politics. He was only interested in the purity of faith and the renewal of religious life. He tried to separate the Church from the state. He issued a decree that no secular power should interfere in the election of the Pope. Even during his election, the Austrian Emperor František Jozef interfered in the election, announcing an “exclusive objection” to the election of Cardinal Rampolla, who was most likely to be elected.

As his role model, the Pope had the parish priest of Ars, John Maria Vianney, whom he declared blessed in 1905. He had a picture of him on his desk. He also declared other zealous priests to be blessed – St Johann Eudes and Klement Maria Hoffbauer. He greatly respected the work of priests. He himself was a zealous pastor. As a bishop, he helped his priests with confession and preaching. His speeches as the Pope were always clear and understandable, and you could feel the fatherly love and strictness in them. He was very zealous for respect for the Eucharist and the renewal of spiritual life. The much-mentioned “active participation of the laity in the liturgy” began during his era. His goal was “so that people do not pray at Mass, but pray Mass.” He also called for frequent St. reception. He allowed the children to receive the first St. communion as soon as possible, which was perceived already the difference between ordinary bread and St. receiving. Until then, they had to wait until they were fourteen. An incident from the childhood of this Pope is mentioned when he wanted to receive the Body of Christ but could not because he had not yet reached the prescribed age of 14 years. When he begged the bishop to allow him after all, the bishop said, “Once you become pope, you can change it.” It happened…

Towards the end of his life, he felt that war was approaching. On August 2, 1914, he issued an apostolic letter expressing great pain over the unrest and called on people to cling to Christ, the Prince of Peace. Shortly after that, he got pneumonia. The disease continued rapidly and insidiously. The Pope died on August 20, 1914. He was not embalmed and buried in the Vatican crypts at his request. His testament was written: “I was born poor, I lived poor, I die poor.” He was declared blessed by Pope Pius XII in 1951 and as a saint three years later.

Pius X was the greatest reformer after Pope St. Pius V- (1566-1572). Several historians say he completed the reform of the Council of Trent (1545-1563). He reformed the missal, breviary, church law, music, sacramental life, seminaries, biblical and theological studies, and the Roman Curia.

Holiday: August 20

* around 1090 Fontaine-lès-Dijon, today part of the city of Dijon, France

† August 20, 1153 Clairvaux, today Longchamp-sur-Aujon, France

Attributes: skull, dog, devil, book of religious rules, beehive

Patron of beekeepers, waxers, bartenders; in obsessions, childhood diseases; at the hour of death

St. Bernard, painting from the 16th century. In Troyes Cathedral

Abbot and teacher of the Church, he was born around 1090 in Fontaines-les-Dijon, France, as the third of seven children of the Burgundian noble Tezelin at the family castle. Together with his four brothers and about 30 young men, Bernard entered the 22-year-old 1112 to the reformed monastery of Citeaux, the first monastery of the Cistercian order, founded in 1098 by Robert of Molesme. Just three years later, at the age of 25, he became the founding abbot of the Clairvaux monastery. During his lifetime, he founded almost 70 other monasteries.

Bernard of Clairvaux, who went down in history as the “second founder” of the Cistercian order, maintained relations for the next four decades until his death with almost all the great personalities of his time. Not only were popes, bishops, priests, and brothers of all orders interested in his advice, but he also had contact with the monarchs of different countries. He also became known as a fiery preacher of the crusades. Vezelay is inextricably linked to his name. Bernard delivered his first sermon on Easter in 1146 before Louis VII in this Burgundian basilica. He spoke so persuasively that the king and all the nobles assembled there eagerly accepted the cross from the hands of the abbot of Clairvaux. From Vézelay, Bernard went north of the country to Flanders and Rhineland. He was met with great enthusiasm everywhere.

Despite having all the opportunities for a ‘career’ in the church hierarchy, Bernard of Clairvaux remained humble and modest throughout his life. He embodied the ideal image of a monk, resolutely refusing all the honorary offices that were offered to him, such as appointment as bishop in Genoa and Milan. His commitment to his beliefs was unwavering, even in the face of disappointment. He experienced his worst disappointment when the second crusade, which he had enthusiastically supported, was wrecked in 1149. He never fully recovered from this pain, a testament to his deep commitment to his beliefs.

At the age of 63, Bernard of Clairvaux passed away on August 20, 1153, after a severe stomach ailment. His death marked the end of a life dedicated to the Church and its teachings. He was buried in Cluny Abbey, but today his grave is in Clairvaux, a fitting resting place for a man who had such a profound impact on the Church.

What respect this monk enjoyed not only in his time but also among church scientists and scholars of all centuries is shown by the epithets that Bernard of Clairvaux received:

• The arch father of European sentiment (Friedrich Heer)

• The leader and judge of his time (Jozef Lortz)

• The religious genius of his of the time (Adolf von Harnack)

In addition, he was given the title “doctor melfifluus” (“honey-flowing” teacher) for his zealous way of preaching. Pope Alexander III. declared Bernard a saint on January 18, 1174—Pope Pius VIII. He was appointed by 1830 as a teacher of the Church.

On images from the 15th century. He is sometimes seen with the devil on a chain as a sign of overcoming all temptations. Such a statue from the 15th century is in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. He also wields a cross, a dead man’s skull, the instruments of suffering, a rosary, or a white dog, which points to the legend that Bernard’s mother had a dream before his birth that she would give birth to a white dog that would raise its voice against its enemies.

Holiday: 

* November 14, 1601 Rinear Argentan, France

† August 19, 1680 Caen, France

Meaning of the name: God is gracious (Hebrew)

St. John Eudes

St. John Eudes was born on November 14, 1601, in the village of Rinear Argentan (west of Paris). His father, Izák Eudes, originally wanted to become a priest, but as the only descendant of a family that died of the plague, he had to renounce his intention. He married Martha Corbin and made a living as a farmer and village doctor. He prayed the breviary every day and was very pious. Ján was the first of seven children. As a child, his parents offered him to the Virgin Mary as a sign of gratitude for the gift of a child. Ján was very clever; he had a kind heart and a strong will. At the age of fourteen, he made a vow of lifelong chastity. The Jesuits educated him in Caen. In 1618, he joined the Marian Congregation. His classmates called him “pious Eudes”. After consulting with his spiritual leader, he decided to become a priest. However, his parents somehow forgot their old desires and wanted him to get married instead. But he didn’t give up. Finally, they gave way to him, and on February 25, 1623, he joined the Society of Oratorians in Paris, founded in 1611 by the holy priest Peter de Bérulle. Under his guidance, he trained in the life of prayer and virtues. He was ordained a priest on December 20, 1625. The second year, however, he fell ill and had to be treated. In 1627, he was definitively accepted among the oratorians and began preparing to preach. But then he received an urgent message from his father. He begged him to come and attend to the sick of the plague. With the superior’s permission, he cared for all those who needed it for two months. After the end of the epidemic, he returned and prepared to conduct parish missions. But the plague came again to the city he lived in, Caen. He took care of the sick again; he got ill and almost died. But he got over it. In 1632, he held the first six missions. He preached and confessed with such fervor that everyone considered it a feat of mastery. But then he went to study again and, after two years, became responsible for the Oratorian missions in Normandy.

In the years 1635-1641, John preached in various places and his activity was very successful. Many people were converted or confessed years later to his preaching. However, John was troubled that these successes of his did not last long, as the local priests – parish priests – were uneducated and did not continue what he had started with his sermons. And so he came up with the idea of ​​founding a priestly seminary. He wanted to do it within his order, but the superior considered it too progressive and did not allow it. On the advice of several, he decided to leave the Oratorians and found a new congregation. At the end of 1642, he received permission from the king. On March 24 of the following year, he left the Oratorian monastery and traveled to the old chapel of Our Lady, which was about thirteen kilometers from Caen. There, together with their five collaborators, they consecrated themselves to Jesus and Mary and began their activity. In the years 1643-1670, they founded six seminaries. The bishops welcomed this activity and begged him to help them. On the other hand, Ján also met with misunderstanding. Many criticized him for this, envied his achievements and hindered him. But he didn’t give up. He also continued to preach. He went about Normandy, Brittany and other regions and attracted crowds. During his missions, he converted several public sinners, showing his deep compassion and empathy. Therefore, he begged the order of the Visitation in Caen to give him some sisters to help him work with these penitents. Three sisters, including Mother Patinová, were released. Together with Mother Patinová, he founded the Congregation of Notre Dame de Charité (Our Lady of Mercy) according to the Rule of St. Augustina. To the three usual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, they added a vow to dedicate themselves to the conversion of fallen women. John greatly revered the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Thanks to him, respect for them spread not only throughout France, but also beyond the borders. Some of his writings have survived: The Life of Jesus and His Kingdom, The Good Confessor and The Admirable Heart of the Mother of God.

Towards the end of his life, he suffered greatly from slander and illnesses. In 1680, he renounced the office of superior general. Before his death, he gave his last instructions to his fellow brothers. He died on August 19, 1680. He was buried in Caen. Pope Pius X declared him blessed in 1909 and under the Holy Pope Pius XI. in 1925.

Today, we can reflect on a scene that is, unfortunately, authentic: “Little children were brought to Jesus so that he would lay his hands on them in prayer. But the disciples criticized those who brought them (Mt 19, 13).” Jesus immensely loves children, but we, with our typical and characteristic thinking of “adults,” do not allow them to approach Jesus and the Father: – When they grow up, if they want, they choose…! What a big mistake! The poor, those who are in need, and those who have nothing are the object of the Lord’s special affection. And children and infants are very “poor.”

They are poor in age, and they are inadequate in formation. They are defenseless. That is why the Church – our “Mother” – decided that parents should bring their children to baptism as soon as possible so that the Holy Spirit could settle in their souls and they could join the warmth of the community of believers. This is stated by the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Code of Canon Law, the highest-ranking legislators of the Church (which, like any other community, must have its legislation). But no! When they are adults! Such a procedure is nonsense. Otherwise, we can ask ourselves:

What will this child eat? What his mother gives him, without specifying what she would prefer. ▪  Or what language will this child speak? The same is true for his parents (in other words, the child will never be able to choose another language). ▪ Which school will this child attend? Wherever his parents decide to take him, without waiting for him to determine which study he will prefer… ▪ What did Jesus eat? What his mother Maria gave him. ▪ What language did Jesus speak? The language of his parents. ▪ What religion did the Infant Jesus learn and practice? The one his parents practiced, Judaism. ▪ Later, as an adult, thanks to the formation given to him by his parents, he founded a new religion… But first, his parents’ religion, naturally.

“…for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven”. What kind? As they are like children. Not in the sense of being immature, irresponsible, and egotistical, but in the sense of being open to new things, free, and trusting. If you have such an opportunity, adore the child today and ask how it is with you…

Serve the Lord with joy » Ps 100, 2.

Teachers of the spiritual life point out that there is more than a verbal difference between a smile and laughter, because the joy of the earth is not yet the joy of heaven, and therefore it inevitably retains a certain kind of attraction. Besides, the world is too marked by sin, death and injustice, tears and suffering, for joy to be expressed more outwardly.

Nevertheless, there is no lack of joy in the lives of deeply religious people. Albín Luciani, later Pope John Paul I, did not lack joy and a smile. His rich journalistic activity was published collectively in the nine-volume work Opera omnia. He writes about joy: “Learn to turn what you hear and see into laughter in due measure and form.” Sv. Philip Neri, a saint, on one occasion to Pope Clement VIII. he said: “I hope they would kill you!” Everyone present gasped, but Philip continued: “For faith in Jesus Christ. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and laughed.” After all, one can wish the Pope to die as a martyr. It is not a crime to pretend to be a comedian if we want to entertain people.”

He continues: Mark Twain with his humorous magazines and books, Charlie Chaplin with his brilliant and at the same time human pieces, Carlo Goldoni with his comedies, according to St. Thomas could have become saints if they had added the right intention and other Christian virtues to their art and talent. We would have sympathetic, smiling patron saints in them who teach Christians how to laugh and how to laugh. We would need them.

In today’s chaos, what Thomas Aquinas said is true: Italians are like toothless old men. They cannot laugh without spitting. Sv. Tomáš goes even further and claims that even rudeness or excessive seriousness can be a sin. “Those who do not take part in jokes, who do not say anything to make others laugh, sin. Those who talk are sorry for not responding to appropriate jokes.” One can only agree with that. Humor belongs to faith, says the well-known moralist P. Bernard Haring: “Christians who do not know humor live far from the mountain of the Beatitudes!” Karel Vrána adds: “A Christian who has no sense of humor, who cannot smile at the world and the world that he can’t laugh at human snobbery and steaming, he’s probably a bad Christian. We could say the maxim: Tell me how you laugh and I’ll tell you who you are.’

Luther claims that only faith saves us. A classic example of faith, according to St. Paul, is Abraham, the father of all believers (cf. Rom 4:1-3). Mary and Abraham were mainly compared by Protestant theologians. The comparison then served as a polemic against Marian piety. Let us note one of them who has a world renown: Sören Kierkegaard, who has gained great respect in many ways. His teaching about Mary deserves attention. It is based on the conviction that Mary has primary importance of faith in salvation. He does not primarily admire her motherhood in the physical sense, but sees Mary’s greatness above all in her faith. As he meditates on the Gospel texts that discuss how the fullness of salvation will take place, Kierkegaard concludes that Mary’s faith surpasses that of Abraham. However, both remain in the same orientation of faith. In both cases, it is a heroic faith, full of sacrifices. Both Abraham and Mary receive God’s word with absolute obedience. Therefore, they remain alone with God alone, if we can say so. They have no human support and sympathy. They are in situations of tension. Abraham is subjected to ridicule because he believed that he could have a son in his old age, as God had promised him. Mary hides her secret from Joseph, her fiancé, keeps everything only in her heart. Joseph gradually learns what happened thanks to the angel’s announcement in the dream, Mary does not tell him anything. In the strength of faith, Mary follows Jesus throughout his life, in his suffering and in his death.

Kierkegaard therefore sees all of Mary’s greatness, her extraordinaryness, in faith. But heroic faith includes sacrifice because it is the essential bond of union with Christ. And by the same principle, faith purifies. The Virgin Mary, because she has faith of an extraordinary quality, is purified in a way that surpasses all other ways. Therefore, Mary remains the greatest example of spiritual life for Christians. In his diary, Kierkegaard writes: “No one who understands how religion is feminine in its nature will not be surprised that a woman is represented as a teacher, as a model of true piety. Because a woman must be silent (cf. 1 Cor 14:34), therefore she cannot teach, therefore silence before God is what belongs to the essence of religion. How we must learn from women! We learn from a woman a humble faith that does not rule, that doubts and hesitates: “Why?”, “What will it be for?”, “How is this possible?”, she asks, but at the same time she humbly believes and as Mary says: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord”. It speaks, but let us note well that this is silence. Learn true listening to the word from a woman, from Mary, who does not understand and does not understand, but keeps the word in her heart (Luke 8:15). Take over from the woman the silent, deep and religious pain that will be silent before the face of God. Learn from Mary. Because it is certain that even her heart – as was predicted – will be pierced by the sword of pain (cf. Lk 2:15); he does not despair either when he hears the prophecy or when it begins to be fulfilled.

In this context we can come to a conclusion: if the message of salvation in the Old Testament begins with the faith of Abraham, the father of all believers, at the beginning of the New Testament we meet Mary’s faith, the mother of all believers in Christ. Faith, participation in God’s knowledge, in Christ’s truth, gradually grows. According to St. Basil and the Fathers, the growth of faith in Mary’s life reached its critical point at the moment under the cross. Here Simeon’s prophecy was fulfilled: “And a sword will pierce your own soul” (Luke 2:35). At first, a doubt penetrated her whether the incarnation of the Son of God was worth it, when he was thus disfigured in front of his own people. On the icons, Christ himself teaches the Virgin Mary to understand the supreme wisdom of the cross. With this, her faith reaches its peak and becomes a vision. Christ dies on the cross, rises from the dead and ascends to heaven. The Ascended Virgin Mary follows him, and thus the mystery of Christ is completed.

In the West, we are used to images in which we see the Virgin Mary ascending to heaven above the empty tomb, surrounded by the apostles and looking up in amazement, while the liturgy reminds us that we, together with them, already live, at least in our mind, in heaven. In the East, the same mystery is expressed by the icon of the Dormition, i.e. the death of the Virgin. It is not she who ascends, but rather Christ who descends from heaven to take her soul into his hands: “The souls of the righteous are in God’s hands, the torment of death will not touch them (Mud 3,1). At the end of the world, Christ must descend to earth to restore everything permanently as the kingdom of God. For the Virgin Mary, this happened already at the moment of her death, when he descended to her. Everything is completed with that. According to V. Lossy, he is “the eschaton, a realized created person before the end of the world”.