"I have loved you with an everlasting love...And I know the plans I have for you says the Lord"
Jeremiah:29-31
St Anselm was a Benedictine abbot and Doctor of the Church know for his writings on mystical theology. Today we celebrate this holy man's life and the witness he gives in loving God before everything else. The Rule of St Benedict calls all Benedictine monks, nuns and oblates to First Seek God! St Anselm gives a powerful testimony of this seeking in his Proslogion which he wrote in 1077. This is a taste of his powerful work...Let it sink in and nourish your soul. Let me know you and love you, so that I may find my joy in you My soul, have you found what you are looking for? You were looking for God, and you have discovered that he is the supreme being, and that you could not possibly imagine anything more perfect. You have discovered that this supreme being is life itself, light, wisdom, goodness, eternal blessedness and blessed eternity. He is everywhere, and he is timeless. Lord my God, you gave me life and restored it when I lost it. Tell my soul that so longs for you what else you are besides what it has already understood, so that it may see you clearly. It stands on tiptoe to see more, but apart from what it has seen already, it sees nothing but darkness. Of course it does not really see darkness, because there is no darkness in you, but it sees that it can see no further because of the darkness in itself. Surely, Lord, inaccessible light is your dwelling place, for no one apart from yourself can enter into it and fully comprehend you. If I fail to see this light it is simply because it is too bright for me. Still, it is by this light that I do see all that I can, even as weak eyes, unable to look straight at the sun, see all that they can by the sun’s light. The light in which you dwell, Lord, is beyond my understanding. It is so brilliant that I cannot bear it, I cannot turn my mind’s eye toward it for any length of time. I am dazzled by its brightness, amazed by its grandeur, overwhelmed by its immensity, bewildered by its abundance. O supreme and inaccessible light, O complete and blessed truth, how far you are from me, even though I am so near to you! How remote you are from my sight, even though I am present to yours! You are everywhere in your entirety, and yet I do not see you; in you I move and have my being, and yet I cannot approach you; you are within me and around me, and yet I do not perceive you. O God, let me know you and love you so that I may find my joy in you; and if I cannot do so fully in this life, let me at least make some progress every day, until at last that knowledge, love and joy come to me in all their plenitude. While I am here on earth let me learn to know you better, so that in heaven I may know you fully; let my love for you grow deeper here, so that there I may love you fully. On earth then I shall have great joy in hope, and in heaven complete joy in the fulfilment of my hope. O Lord, through your Son you command us, no, you counsel us to ask, and you promise that you will hear us so that our joy may be complete. Lord, I am making the request that you urge us to make through your Wonder-Counsellor. Give me then what you promise to give through your Truth. You, O God, are faithful; grant that I may receive my request, so that my joy may be complete. Meanwhile, let this hope of mine be in my thoughts and on my tongue; let my heart be filled with it, my voice speak of it; let my soul hunger for it, my body thirst for it, my whole being yearn for it, until I enter into the joy of the Lord, who is Three in One, blessed for ever. Amen. Your Cross The everlasting God has in His wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross that He now presents to you as a gift from His inmost heart. This cross He now sends you He has considered with His all-knowing eyes, understood with His divine mind, tested with His wise justice, warmed with loving arms and weighed with His own hands to see that it be not one inch too large and not one ounce too heavy for you. He has blessed it with His holy Name, anointed it with His consolation, taken one last glance at you and your courage, and then sent it to you from heaven, a special greeting from God to you, an alms of the all-merciful love of God. St. Francis de Sales I love the Liturgy of the Hours and have been praying it for over 6 years. If I am unable to keep my usual Loh schedule my day always feels off. I can't imagine not praying it! It's really interesting reading about the structure and original intention of the hours that Saint Benedict put together. I'm always in awe when I think about this great form of prayer which began in the Jewish tradition nearly 4000 years ago. It was in learning about the Liturgy of the Hours and its beginnings in the Benedictine tradition that confirmed my vocation as an Oblate of St Benedict. This was truly my spiritual call. I came across this Horarium from St Benedict's Monestary in Tx which gave me more insight regarding what each hour represents.
6:00am Vigils as we pray the ancient night office of the Church; 6:40am Lauds as the rising of the sun calls us to praise the Risen Christ, the Light of the World; 9:00am Terce (Mid-morning prayer) as we commemorate the hour when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles; Terce is the first of the "Little Hours"; 11:30am Sext (Mid-day prayer) as we recognize the double symbolism of the good and evil effects of the noonday sun; 3:00pm None (Mid-afternoon prayer) as we remember the hour at which Christ's emptying of himself (kenosis) for our sake, for our salvation, was completed; 4:30pm Vespers as we come to the time of the lighting of the lamps, a thanksgiving for a day of salvation; 7:00pm Compline as we complete the day and "sing ourselves to rest"; This is one of my favorite passages in the book of Hebrews. It articulates some of the beautiful virtues we are called to cultivate as Christians; Hospitality, Charity, Chastity, Trust in the Lord etc...
What truths, images, words stand out for you when reading this passage? What does it mean that at times you may unknowingly entertain angels? What would that be like? What angels Have you unknowingly entertained? What does it mean to be a prisoner? How does it make you feel to know that the Lord is your helper? Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels. Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment, and of the ill-treated as of yourselves, for you also are in the body. Let marriage be honored among all and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the immoral and adulterers. Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you. Thus we may say with confidence: The Lord is my helper,/ and I will not be afraid./ What can anyone do to me? Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The word of the Lord. |
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I'm not really a writer, but it's on my long list of aspirations to become one. The first on the list is to become a great Saint! My hope is to share knowledge and inspiration as we walk together during our pilgrim journey on earth and guide each other, hand in hand to the gates of Heaven... If you for find this website helpful please consider making a donation today! Archives
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