Thus says the Lord: Stand By the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is: and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. - Jeremiah; Chap. 6, Vs. 16 THE MEDITATION September 28th A.D. 2014 The 15th Sunday After Trinity Sunday JESUS PREACHING TO HIS DISCIPLES Sermon on the Mount Fra Angelico, 15th cent. Italy Italian Renaissance Painter The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew; Chapter 6, Verses 24-33 The 1928 Book of Common Prayer, Pages 211 The People's Anglican Missal, Pages C 78 & C79 St. Joseph Sunday Missal ( 1958 Ed.), Pages 900-901
2. SUMMARY OF THE GOSPEL FOR THE DAY: If first we seek the kingdom of Heaven and trust in the Father, He will take care of all our needs. BE NOT ANXIOUS Our Lord Jesus pleads with us a bit today in the Gospel: No man can serve two masters : for either he will hate the one, and love the other ; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve both God and mammon ( mammon being; the wealth, enticements, trappings and titles of the world). God and mammon both demand the fullest possible love and dedication from us, with no halfway compromising. Each is a master over our thinking and doing, and Jesus knows the human condition enough to make the truest statement: No man can serve two masters. It's not a question of being able to multitask, but a question of where our loyalties lie. This is indeed a very hard lesson to get across to mankind, but Jesus spares no efforts in this matter, loving us as he does, and knowing how essential to our final happiness this teaching is. Jesus says to us that we cannot serve God and mammon at the same time, and immediately He draws a conclusion that seems almost as though He has left out one of the steps in the argument: Therefore I say unto you, be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Jesus goes on and drives home the point with the lovely examples of His Father's care for the birds of the air and of the lilies of the field. He feeds the birds and clothes the lilies. Jesus then says to us, will not the Father see to our needs too? Are we not of much more value to Him than birds and flowers? This is a positive and workable lesson in living, that Jesus gives to us. It is trust, love, the gift of self... to the Father with that child-like confidence that knows no doubt, no hesitation. It is worship.. the kind of service that the Father deeply desires from His children. We will be at peace and will never fall victim to any false ideas about the deification of worldly riches, things, and security, if we have this trust as the abiding, permanent directing ideal for our life in this world... for all of those things are merely transitory, especially when held up to the window of eternity. TASTE AND SEE Each of us has to admit that this is not a very easy ideal for us to put into practice. The World ( mammon) seems to call to us from every corner of our lives. We all live facing uncertain futures filled with inevitable sickness, grief, possible loss of all things, and eventually, death. God has created us as body-spirit beings that have human needs and affections which are very real to us. Are we to deny this nature? Here may lie the answer. Jesus does not want us to deny our nature at all, but rather to safeguard it and bring it to full development by submitting it to a higher law, the law of His love and of the Father's love for us. The Psalmist's words ring so very true to us: It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put any confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put any trust in princes. ( Psalm 118). O come, let us sing unto the Lord : let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation (Psalm 95) Our Lord speaks to us from personal experience of His Father's love when he says to us, Your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. These are the key words in Jesus' whole argument: The Father has known and has chosen and loved us from all eternity. I knew thee before I formed thee, and before thou camest out of the womb I sanctified thee. (Jeremiah; Ch.1, Vs. 5) For thou hast possessed my reins : thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. ( Psalm 139, Vs 13).
3. He will not abandon those whom He loves. What great consolation this should be to us in these very troubled times! A verse from an old R & B song from the 1960's goes: Vote for me, and I'll set you free. This mantra is still getting played out today by politicians, activists, and even some churches bent on their own interpretations of what religion should be. Real and actual freedom of the whole person can only come from a relationship with God through his beloved Son, Jesus. Everything else is just; dust in the wind ( to quote the words of another popular 70's rock song.). O Lord Jesus, we sincerely believe what you tell us, not just because you have said these things (which should be enough in itself), but most of all You, Your Holy Mother Mary, and Foster Father St. Joseph have lived them. Help us, help us, O Blessed Jesus in our unbelief. Help us to seek first Your kingdom and Your justice always, not so that we may achieve all those things that the world prizes, but that we may more and more become worthy of Your Father's love and Yours. It is only through that way that we will truly; Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusts in him. ( Psalm 34; verse 8). PRAYER OF THE DAY: SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD. PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Grant unto me, above all things that can be desired, to rest in Thee, O Lord, and in Thee to have my heart at peace! Thou only, art the true Peace of the heart, Thou its only rest ; outside of Thee all things are hard and restless. In this very Peace, that is, in THEE, the one Chiefest Eternal Good, I will sleep and rest! PRO CLERICIS FOR THE CLERGY Carefully study to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babbelings : for they grow much towards ungodliness. (2 Timothy; Chap. 2, Vs. 15. )
4. The Meditation is produced by the Benedictine Community of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Priory 4 Shaw Road Raymond, Maine 04071 This is a free on-line ministry of our community to anyone who wishes to receive it. Please feel free to copy and pass on this meditation to anyone you feel might benefit from it. To be placed on our weekly mailing list, please contact Father Prior Kevin at : klamarre@ourladyofsevensorrows.org * Visit our Website to view past editions of The Meditation at: www.ourladyofsevensorrows.org and go to 'Meditation' section. * SUNDAY Public MASS with the Office of TERCE: 9:00 a.m. (The Chapel is located on the second floor of the garage. Please enter by left side door and go up the stairs. Please keep silence upon entering the building. ) Also, Please Note: There are no Public Rest Room facilities at the Priory, please plan accordingly. PRIORY KALENDAR A.D. 2014 Week of September 28th to October 5th Sunday, September 28th... Fifteenth Sunday After Trinity Monday, September 29th.. St. Michael and All Angels A.K.A. Michaelmass Tuesday, September 30th.. St. Jerome; C. & D. - ( 5th cent. Italy ) Wednesday, October 1st... St. Remigius; B. C. - ( 8th cent. Gaul ) Thursday, October 2nd... Holy Guardian Angels Friday, October 3rd... St. Therese of Lisieux; D. & N. -( 19th cent.) - - - ( Please see Note 1 ) Saturday, October 4th.. St. Francis of Assisi; C. - ( 12th cent. Italy ) - - ( Please See Note 2 ) Sunday, October 5th... Sixteenth Sunday After Trinity - - - - - ( Please see Note 3 ) KALENDAR KEY: Ab. = Abbot, Abs. = Abbess, Abp. = Archbishop, Ap = Apostle, Bp. = Bishop, C. or Conf. = Confessor, Comm. = Commemorate. Dcn. = Deacon, Doct. = Doctor of the Church, Ev. = Evangelist, H = Hermit, K = King, M. = Monk, Myr. = Martyr, N. = Nun, P= Priest Po. = Pope, R.= Recluse, Q. = Queen, Vir. = Virgin, W = Widow, O.F.M. = Order of Friars Minor Franciscans, O.S.B. = Order of St. Benedict. O.C.O. = Order of the Cistercian Observance (Trappists), A = Abstinence, F = Fast, F & A = Fast and Abstinence NOTES: 1. October 3rd The Feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus ( A.K.A. The Little Flower ) Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul; II St. Therese has influenced millions of souls in their journey of faith by her Little Way... a childlike simplicity to approaching God. She
5. is one of the patron saints of this community. A Mass in her honor will be celebrated this day at 10:00 a.m. In the Priory Chapel. Her relics will be displayed for veneration by the faithful. 2. October 4th; The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi Fr. Prior Kevin will be conducting the Blessing of the Animals at St. Augustine's Parish in Saco, ME. at a special service on this day at 3:00 p.m. Please come and bring your animal friends and take part in this venerable tradition. St. Augustine's is located at the Saco Grange Hall, on 168 North Street in Saco, Maine. 3. October 5th - Sixteenth Sunday After Trinity No public Mass at the Priory Chapel today as Fr. Prior Kevin will be celebrating Mass at St. Augustine's in Saco, ME. Today. Mass begins at St. Augustine's at 10:00 a.m. ----------------------------------------------- Feasts, Fasts and Other Things October 3rd - St. Francis of Assisi A portrait of St. Francis bearing the Stigmata of Christ Francis is unique among the countless saints of the Catholic Church. He is one of the very few really great reformers, exerting a far-reaching influence upon the Middle Ages and the centuries following up to our very day. The current Pontiff of the Holy Roman Catholic Church bears this saint's name in his honor and spirit. Down through the many years since this saint walked the fields of
6. Umbria in Italy, Francis has been the inspiration of artists, poets, and writers. He was the originator of a new type of piety. Our Savior was again brought down from the remote pedestals, due to Francis' inspiration and loved in a human way as the Child of Bethlehem and as the Man of Sorrows who suffered unspeakable agonies upon the Cross. He who was neither rich, nor learned has drawn all to himself. St. Francis' habit patched and re-patched many times. He was nicknamed The Poverello ( the poor man), he lived a life of extreme simplicity and poverty in imitation of his Master and Savior, Jesus Christ. Francis was born in Assisi in 1182 and given the baptismal name of Giovanni. He preferred being called Francesco (Francis), out of an affection for the French language. He decided to be a merchant like his father, as a young man, and became involved in the many workings of the world around him; in short, he lived the high life of his day. It was fashionable for men of his class to become a man-atarms and he took up the sword. He made a terrible soldier and was captured in a battle at Perigua in 1201. This was a turning point in his life... he became more serious minded and more zealous in the practice of generosity and charity. His father became increasingly more upset over his son's change in life, and eventually disinherited him before the local bishop. The conversion that had been taking place in Francis culminated with this act, and Francis returned all his possessions and clothes to his father, now happy in the thought of being able to call Almighty God alone his Father. Francis and twelve others of like mind went on to found the Order of Friars Minor ( O.F.M.), after interpreting a verse from the Gospel of St. Matthew; ( Chap 10, Verse 9 : provide neither, gold, nor silver, nor scrip for the workman is worthy of his meat. ) as a definitive Divine Call. The petition to found the order was, at first, refused but in 1209, Pope Innocent approved the institution of the friars as an order within the Holy Catholic Church. The Pope, in a dream, saw how a poor, barefooted man with a girdle about his loins ( symbolizing extreme poverty), propped up the tumbling Lateran palace with his shoulders. This dream symbolized the saint's work of spiritual renovation in the Church. Francis directed his brethren to go into the towns and crossroads of the world to preach the Gospel. His small circle of brothers grew rapidly throughout Italy and into all Europe. Two years before his death, he received the stigmata of Christ. Seriously ill from years of extreme self-denial, he was carried to the church of St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi, the chapel where he originally received his vocation and while his brethren prayed Psalm 141, he died on October 3, 1226. Francis was canonized a saint by Pope Gregory IX, his friend and supporter, in the year 1228, just two years after his death.
7. It's beyond the scope of this little column to venture into the deep spirituality and overall biography of St. Francis that would require many more pages. Let me close this weeks offering with a few items of information about this dear and beloved saint you may not be aware of: St. Francis was a Deacon. One might think that the founder of a religious order would have been or become a priest in the course of his life. Not so with the humble Francis. He contented himself to receive orders as a deacon ( and did this under obedience). Let no man who serves God's Holy Catholic Church as Deacon think of himself as a second fiddle. Francis saw this office of service closer to the life of His Master, Jesus than the others not better, not worse but proper for his life. Animals at Christmas. It was a widespread practice to be especially kind to animals at Christmas and to allow them to share in the joy of the feast. Farmers would put out sheaves of grain for the birds and give their farm animals extra fodder on Christmas eve. This custom was instituted by St. Francis. He admonished the farmers to give their oxen and asses extra corn and hay at Christmas. Francis is to have said: for reverence of the Son of God, whom on such a night the Blessed Virgin Mary did lay down in the stall between the ox and the ass. The Christmas Crib. The child in the manger and various other representations of the story of Bethlehem have been used in church services from the earliest centuries of the Church. The Christmas Crib in its present form and its use outside the church is credited to St. Francis. He made the Christmas Crib popular through his famous celebration at Greccio, Italy, on Christmas Eve 1223, with a Bethlehem scene including live animals. A Love for all Animals. Francis' extreme humility, and outward sensitivity radiated beyond the human race. Stories abound about his interaction with all creatures both domestic and wild. The healing of the wolf of Gubbio being a familiar story. Imagine seeing a poor, ragged looking man walking down the street of a large Italian town with a 100 + pound wolf at his side following obediently like a puppy! Love can transcend natural barriers this dear saint proved this. St. Francis Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation is the name of our rehabilitation center here at Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Priory. A little statue of St. Francis adorns the barn where most of our large animals live, and we have had many wonderful healings of animals here over the years that we attribute to the assistance of our beloved saint, given through the care of Sr. Mary Francis, all supported by our very kind benefactors. - Br. Chip, O.S.B. Br. Chip is back! Feasts, Fasts, and Other Things; from The Chipmunk's Nutshell Library Presented by Br. A. Chip Monk. O.S.B. A munk of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Priory in Raymond, Maine
8. We are always looking for benefactors to help financially with the animals. Winter is on the way and we are going into it at a deficit. If you or someone that you know would like to help, simply mark your check for the animals. It will be gratefully received and deeply appreciated. St. Francis heals the Wolf of Gubbio Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brothers, ye have done it unto me. - ( St. Matthew; Chap. 25 Verse, 40. KJV ) Please make all checks payable to the Servant of the Holy Family, 4 Shaw Rd. Raymond, Maine.04071 and please indicate for the animals so the money will go to them. Thank you! Please consider including our Animal Outreach and Rescue in your Estate Planning. Contact Sr. Mary Francis, O.S.B. For details. THANK YOU!!! SAGE
9. Thanks to those of you who care for the animals with your donations. You make a difference in the lives of all these animals here at the priory with your gifts large or small. The animals say thank you!...we especially want to thank those of you who participated in the raffles to support the animals at Synod, and donated money to start us into the colder weather. It takes a lot of money just to feed these creatures that have been left in our care. We are not extravagant in any way with them but give them exactly what they need to thrive with their handicaps. Consider this... A bale of hay runs between $3.50 $5.00 depending on the supply. We use 2 2.5 bales a day, grain is $11.00 to $18.00 per 50lb bag depending on the type of grain, price of gas, good crop/bad crop of oats, corn etc... Shavings $4.79 $5.50 per bag and we use several bags per week. Hoof trimming $100.00 $160.00 each time the farrier comes. These are just some of the expenses for just the barn animals not to mention the dogs etc. So we appreciate each heartfelt donation and thank you! - Sr. Mary-Francis. O.S.B. A very Sincere WELCOME to all our new subscribers who joined us at last week's diocesan Synod in Tuxedo, New York! - Fr. k.l.l. + P A X