Today we remember....

[winsome]

 Today we remember.....

On many weekdays of the year we remember the Saints of the Church, and some special feasts. Sunday of course is the Lord's Day, when we "call to mind the passion, the resurrection and the glorification of the Lord Jesus" (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 106).

I am fortunate to be able to go to Mass most weekday morning in a nearby convent. Before Mass we all pray together the Morning Prayer of the Church (Lauds). In my Daily Prayer book it has a brief summary of the Saint whose life we are remembering that day (if there be one). They remind me of the huge variety of those who have served the Lord in an extraordinary way over the centuries, men and women, priests, religious and lay, rich and poor, missionaries and enclosed contemplatives. Some of these are in the general calendar, some are in the national calendar (for England and Wales)

I propose to give a brief summary of these ending with the Concluding Prayer from the Office – not every day, which will leave some to be introduced in further years.

I'll start with today.

15 October
Today we remember .... St. Teresa of Avila.

Teresa was born in 1515 in Avila, in Spain. She became a Carmelite nun at the age of 17. Soon after joining she became very ill and never fully recovered. The convents of the time were fairly lax in their discipline and with the help of her spiritual director, St. John of the Cross, she undertook to reform the order. She founded several convents and her reformed group became know as the Discalced Carmelites.
She was made a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI in 1970, along with St. Catherine of Sienna. They became the first women Doctors of the Church.  This title, given by a Pope, denotes that the writings of the person are of spiritual benefit regarding theology or doctrine. Perhaps her best know are The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle.

She died in 1562

Concluding Prayer
Almighty God, Our Father,
you sent Saint Teresa of Avila
to be witness in the Church
to the way of perfection.
Sustain us by he spiritual doctrine,
and kindle in us the longing for true holiness.
(We make our prayer) through our Lord.

[winsome]

 17 October
Today we remember....... St. Ignatius of Antioch

Ignatius of Antioch (also called Theophorus) died probably around 107 -110 AD. The Church historian Eusebius said he was a bishop for 40 years, so although his death and major writings are in the second century, most of his episcopate is in the first. He was a contemporary of some of the apostles. Indeed Theodoret of Cyrus (5^th century) says he was appointed to the see of Antioch by St. Peter himself and was the third bishop there, Peter himself being the first (before he moved to Rome). He and his friend Polycarp were reputed to be disciples of the apostle John.

He was martyred during the reign of the Emperor Trajan, (98-117 AD.  During his long journey, by sea and land to his martyrdom in Rome, he met up with delegations from various churches and wrote letters to six churches and his friend Polycarp.  These letters are a valuable source for understanding the Church in the sub-apostolic times.

Extracts:
-on Bishops, Priests, Deacons
"Take care to do all things in harmony with God, with the bishop presiding in the place of God and with the presbyters in the place of the council of the apostles, and with the deacons, who are most dear to me, entrusted with the business of Jesus Christ, who was with the Father from the beginning and is at last made manifest" (Letter to the Magnesians. 6:1). 

-on The Eucharist
"They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that Father, in his goodness, raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes" (Letter to the Smyrnaeans 7:1)


Concluding Prayer
Almighty, ever-living God,
the sufferings of the martyrs
adorn the Church, which is the body of Christ.
As we celebrate the martyrdom of St. Ignatius of Antioch.
grant that it may be for us a constant source of strength,
as it was for him the entry into glory.
(We make out prayer) though our Lord.

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 22 October
Today we remember..... Pope John Paul II

John Paul II is one of our most recent Saints, being canonised on 27^th April this year along with the other great Pope of recent times John XXIII.

John Paul II was remarkable in many ways. He was the first non-Italian Pope since Pope Adrian VI (1522-1523). He was the most widely travelled, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate. He was also a prolific writer, leaving the Church a rich legacy of Encyclicals, Apostolic Letters and Exhortations.

He was also one of the longest serving Popes, from 16 October 1978 to his death on 2^nd April 2005. His inauguration as Pope was on 22^nd October – hence his feast day being today.

There is a long article on Pope John Paul II in Wikipedia which covers his involvement in the downfall of communism and his relationships with other faiths - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II .

Concluding prayer
Almighty, ever living God,
by whose choice blessed John Paul II,
was placed over your whole people and served them by word and example,
at his intercession protect the pastors of your Church
together with the flocks committed to their care
and lead them on the way to salvation.
We make or prayer through Christ, Our Lord.

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 24 October
Today we remember.... St. Anthony Mary Claret

Anthony was born in Spain 1807. He was ordained a priest on the feast day of another Anthony – St. Anthony of Padua. He spent many years preaching throughout Catalonia. He founded an order of missionaries (Claretian Fathers). In 1849 he was appointed Archbishop of Santiago in Cuba where he reorganised the seminary and opened churches and schools, and credit unions for the poor.

In 1857 he became the confessor of Queen Isabella II of Spain and took up the Bishopric of Trajanopolis in Spain. He did many good works both in Cuba and in Spain. He died in 1870

Concluding Prayer
Lord God,
You strengthened Saint Anthony Mary
with great charity and patience
In his work as a missionary bishop.
Help us, at his intercession,
to seek your will in all things,
and to devote ourselves, in Christ,
to winning our brethren
We make our prayer through Christ, Our Lord

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 25 October
Today we remember..... The Forty Martyrs.

In the National Calendar of England and Wales we remember 40 martyrs of the 16^th & 17^th Protestant persecutions of Catholics. The proper title of the feast day is "Saints Cuthbert Mayne, John Houghton, Edmund Campion, Richard Gwynn and Thirty Six Companions".  They were seven lay men and women, thirteen secular priests and twenty religious. There were two women – Margaret Clitheroe, who was pressed to death, and Margaret Ward who was hung, drawn and quartered. They are but representative of the nearly 400 who gave their lives rather than deny their faith during this period.

They were canonised by Pope Paul VI on 25^th October 1970. As Cardinal Heenan (English Cardinal) said at the time of the canonisation: "These men and women gave their lives to defend the truths of the Catholic Faith and the authority of the Vicar of Christ"

Concluding Prayer
God our Father,
You raised up martyr-saints among our countrymen
from every walk of life.
They vindicated the authority of your Church
In teaching and worship.
Through their prayers
may our whole nation be gathered once again
to celebrate the sacraments
under one pastor.
We make our prayer through Christ our Lord

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4 November
Today we remember... Saint Charles Borromeo

Saint Charles Borromeo was born in Lombardy in 1538. He studied at the University of Pavia and gained a doctorate in civil law and canon law. In his youth he showed great diplomatic skills. IN 1559 his uncle became Pope Pius IV. He recognised Charles' skills and gave him the administration of the papal states, and created him a cardinal-deacon. He became administartor of the diocese of Milan and later became bishop there..

Perhaps his most important work for the Church was to reconvene, in January 1562, the Council of Trent which had been suspended for 10 years. He brought the Council to a successful conclusion in December 1563.

He was very active in his diocese, implementing the reforms of the Council, calling synods and travelling around the diocese. He did a great many other services to the Church, including the founding of  the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, to makes sure that children were properly instructed in the faith – in what became Sunday schools. He was instrumental in the production of the Roman Catechism, also called the Catechism of the Council of Trent.

He died in 1584, at the relatively young age of 46.

Concluding Prayer
Lord,
keep alive in your people
the spirit you gave to your bishop Saint Charles Borromeo.
Shape and renew your Church
until it bears the image of Christ,
and shows his true likeness to the world.
We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord

[winsome]

 10 November
Today we remember...... Pope Saint Leo I (Leo The Great)

Leo became Pope in 400 and died in 461. These were difficult times for the Church. The Roman Empire had collapsed and the barbarians (Goths, Vandals etc) were in control of much of Europe. There were also problems with heresies.

Pope Leo made three great contributions to the Church

Firstly was in the calling and successful conclusion of the Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon. It was here that the definition was made that Christ was one person with two natures, human and divine.

Secondly he left a great body of teaching, sermons etc. some of which can still be found in the daily Office of Readings. For this contribution he had been declared a Doctor of The Church

Thirdly he is credited with turning back or alleviating the rampages of the barbarians upon Rome itself. He went out to face Attila the Hun with no army and persuaded him to retreat and leave Rome alone.

Concluding Prayer
Lord God,
you built your Church
on the foundation of the apostle Peter,
and you promisedthat the gates of hell would never overcome it.
Supported by the prayers of Pope Saint Leo,
we ask that you will keep the Church faithful to your truth,
and maintain it in enduring peace.
We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord.

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 15 NovemberToday we remember.... Saint Albert the great

Albert was born at Lauingen on the Danube in about 1206. He studied in Pardua and Paris and joined the Dominicans. In 1254 he was elected the principal of the Dominicans in Germany. In 1260 he was ordained bishop of Regensburg but resigned the position a year later to return to his duties as a professor in Cologne. The great theologian, Thomas Aquinas, was one of his pupils. Albert was a theologian and a scientist and wrote many works in both areas. He was made a Doctor of the Church. He died in 1280.

It was Albert the Great, Doctor of the Church, who took chemistry out of the realms of alchemy. Many scientists call him the father of the experimental method. He was also a great botanist and anatomist.
Albertus was an avid student of nature, and conducted careful observations and experiments in every area of medieval science.
(http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Albertus_Magnus)

Another extract from the New World Encyclopaedia says:
"No botanist who lived before Albert can be compared with him, unless it be Theophrastus, with whom he was not acquainted; and after him none has painted nature in such living colors, or studied it so profoundly, until the time of Conrad, Gesner, and Cesalpini. All honor, then, to the man who made such astonishing progress in the science of nature as to find no one, I will not say to surpass, but even to equal him for the space of three centuries." (Meyer, Gesch. der Botanik).

Concluding Prayer
Lord God,
you made Saint Albert great by his gift
for reconciling human wisdom with divine faith.
Help us top follow his teaching
that every advance in science
may lead us to a deeper knowledge and love of you.
We make our prayer though Christ, our Lord.

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 17 November
Today we remember....... Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

Elizabeth was born in 1207 and was the daughter of King Andrew of Hungary. At 14 she was married to the Landgrave of Thuringia and had 3 children. The marriage is reported to have been a happy one. She was widowed at the age of 20.

She was very prayerful and devoted much of her life to the poor. She embraced poverty herself and set up a hospital to look after the sick just outside Wartburg castle Later she moved to Marburg and set up another hospital. She died at Marburg in 1231 at the age of 24.


Concluding Prayer
Lord God,
you taught Saint Elizabeth of Hungary
to see and reverence Christ in the poor.
May her prayers help us
to give constant love and service
to the afflicted and the needy.
We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord.