IP#311 Vivian Dudro – Grzegorz Gorny’s Three Kings, Ten Mysteries on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

IP#281 Vivian Dudro - Meriol Trevor's "Shadows and Images" on Inside the Pages 1
Vivian Dudro

Another delightful conversation with editor, Vivian Dudro, about another great Ignatius Press book!  This time we discuss Grzegorz Gorny’s “Three Kings, Ten Mysteries:  The Secrets of Christmas and Epiphany.”  Not only do we discuss, the Wise Men of the Bible, but we also explore the importance of their presence and witness to our world today!  A beautiful book that is the perfect gift for anyone who is on the journey “seeking
Truth.”

You can find the book here

From the book description:

Were the Three Kings, or Magi, who the Bible says traveled to Bethlehem in search of the Christ Child real, historical figures or simply the stuff of legend?

For generations, the Magi have inspired art and music. Epiphany, the important Christian feast twelve days after Christmas, is a national holiday in many countries throughout the world. What lies at the heart of this celebration and is it still relevant today?

Turning to discoveries made by historians, scientists, and theologians, Polish author Grzegorz Górny answers these questions. With gorgeous four-color photographs on every page, he traces the mysteries of the Magi from the Gospel of Matthew to modern-day astronomy to revived Epiphany celebrations on the streets of secularized European capitals.
1. The Phantom Apostle
2. The Gospel’s Veracity
3. Messianic Prophecies
4. Magi or Kings?
5. The Magi’s Homeland
6. Jesus’ Birth Date
7. Signs in the Sky
8. Bethlehem’s Secrets
9. The Case of King Herod
10. The Oldest Feast

LOH5-V5 – How do I Pray the Liturgy of the Hours? – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

BA6 - "Refuse to Accept Discouragement" - Begin Again: The Spiritual Legacy of Ven. Bruno Lanteri with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Episode 5 – How do I Pray the Liturgy of the Hours? – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

From “Praying the Liturgy of the Hours “, Fr. Gallagher discusses:

The renewed Liturgy of the Hours offers five daily times of prayer: Morning Prayer, to be said as the day begins; Daytime Prayer, to be said in late morning, midday, or midafternoon; Evening Prayer, to be said in the evening; Night Prayer, to be said just before retiring; and the Office of Readings, a longer and more meditative prayer to be said at any convenient time during the day. Morning and Evening Prayer, depending on how they are prayed— alone or in a group, with or without singing, and so forth— may take ten to fifteen minutes. Daytime Prayer is shorter and Night Prayer shorter still. The Office of Readings may take twenty minutes, or more if one has time for further reflection on the readings.

The two “hinge” (principal) hours, Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer, follow essentially the same pattern. After an invocation of God’s help and a brief prayer of praise, the hour begins with a hymn. As a hymn, ideally this is sung, though in individual prayer it is often recited. Two psalms and a biblical canticle follow, each introduced and concluded by an antiphon. A short passage from Scripture is next read, together with a prayer of response to its message. A Gospel canticle— Zechariah’s Benedictus in the morning and Mary’s Magnificat in the evening— with its antiphon is then prayed. The hour concludes with intercessions for various needs, the Our Father, and a final prayer.

Daytime Prayer consists of a hymn, three psalms, a short scriptural reading, and a final prayer. Night Prayer follows a similar pattern, shortened, however, to one psalm and with prayers appropriate to the day’s end. The Office of Readings begins with a hymn and three psalms that prepare for two longer readings, one from the Bible and the other from a Church Father, a saint, or another classic spiritual writer. These readings offer daily nourishment for reflection and meditation.

The Liturgy of the Hours harmonizes with the Mass of the day. If, for example, the Mass is for the Second Sunday of Advent, then Morning Prayer, the Office of Readings, and the other hours will focus on the theme of Advent: preparing for the coming

For the audio podcast only:

For more episodes in this series visit Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours

Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life: The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola”.

Praying the Liturgy of the Hours

For more information on how to obtain copies of Fr. Gallaghers’s various books and audio which are available for purchase, please visit his website: frtimothygallagher.org

For the other episodes in this series check out Fr. Timothy Gallagher’s “Discerning Hearts” page

FW4 – Abba, Crown Me with These Thorns – Healing the Father Wound with Sonja Corbitt

“But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery which they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me . . . then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land” (Baruch 1:40-42).

For other episodes in this series, visit the Discerning Hearts Sonja Corbitt page

Out now! My newest book with Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers: Ignite, Read the Bible Like Never Before. Get a preview of the introduction and first chapter here. 

Here’s the private Facebook discussion page for the Healing the Father Woundseries, if you want to join in the conversation with a little more privacy, as I do.

JPII’s Encyclical Letter, Dives in Misericordia, on God as Father

REFERENCES

Exodus 20:5-6, Thou shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Deuteronomy 7:9, His love is extended to a thousand generations.

Lamentations 5: 7, Our forefathers have sinned and are now dead, and we bear their punishment.

John 9:3, Jesus condemns the common Jewish teaching that ancestral sin is the universal explanation for suffering.

Romans 8:15, For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!”

LOVE the Word™ is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. This week’s LOVE the Word™ exercise is according to a Augustinian* personality approach.

Listen (Receive the Word.)

“[A] thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me; but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:7-10).

Observe (Connect the passage to recent events.)

After hearing this week’s show and working through the action items (above), what do you consider the “thorn” in your side? Have you asked God to miraculously remove it? How do Jesus’ example and this passage illustrate the way God can turn “thorns” into a crown for us? What is your responsibility in this process, according to the passage?

Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)

In your journal or on your journal page (get a free page to the right), write down your thoughts and feelings about these verses, as they relate to your thorn(s). What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through the mystery of Jesus’ Crowning with Thorns?

Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)

Abba, Father, show me how your grace is meant to be sufficient in my weakness.

Visit here for more on Sonja’s “LOVE the Word” journal

*LOVE the Word™ exercises vary weekly according to the four personalities, or “prayer forms,” explored in Prayer and Temperament, by Chester Michael and Marie Norrisey: Ignatian, Augustinian, Franciscan, and Thomistic. These prayer forms correspond to the Myers-Briggs personality types.

Sonja refers to this particular video by Dr. Candace in her podcast

We need Mary’s tender love – a reflection from Msgr. John Esseff

Msgr. Esseff reflects on our need to reconnect with our source of life.  Our Mother can teach us how to pray.  Turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary to heard when we are afraid and anxious.  She waiting to lead you to her Son.  Let her help you discover your Abba.  Allow her, as mother, to show you how to receive the Spirit.  You are her child.  She is the one who waits for you now.

Reading 2 GAL 4:4-7

Brothers and sisters:
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son,
born of a woman, born under the law,
to ransom those under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as sons.
As proof that you are sons,
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
crying out, “Abba, Father!”
So you are no longer a slave but a son,
and if a son then also an heir, through God.

Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton.  He was ordained on May 30, 1953, by the late Bishop William J. Hafey, D.D. at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton, PA.  Msgr. Esseff served a retreat director and confessor to St.  Teresa of Calcutta.    He continues to offer direction and retreats for the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity around the world.  Msgr. Esseff encountered St.  Padre Pio,  who would become a spiritual father to him.  He has lived in areas around the world,  serving in the Pontifical Missions, a Catholic organization established by St. Pope John Paul II to bring the Good News to the world especially to the poor.  Msgr. Esseff assisted the founders of the Institute for Priestly Formation and continues to serve as a spiritual director for the Institute.  He continues to serve as a retreat leader and director to bishops, priests and sisters and seminarians and other religious leaders around the world.  

“Nazareth – School of the Gospel” Building a Kingdom Love with Msgr. John Esseff

Msgr. Esseff focuses on the importance of the family in our lives.  He uses the teachings of Blessed Pope Paul VI  in reflection.

 

Reflections at Nazareth

An Address of Pope Paul VI at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth

(taken from “The Pope Speaks”, Vol. 9 #3, 1964)

At Nazareth Our very first thoughts must be turned toward Mary Most Holy, to offer her the tribute of Our devotion and to nourish that devotion with reflections that will make it genuine, profound and unique, in conformity with the plan of God. It is Mary who is full of grace, who is the Immaculate, the ever-virgin, the Mother of Christ and hence God’s Mother and ours, she who was assumed into heaven, our most blessed Queen, the model for the Church and our hope.

Before all else We offer Our humble filial promise to venerate her with that special devotion which recognizes the wonders God has accomplished in her; with singular homage manifesting the most holy, pure affectionate, personal and confident movements of Our Heart; with such devotion as causes her encouraging example of human perfection to shine upon the world from on high.

Then We present to her Our requests for what is closest to Our heart, because We wish to honor both her goodness and the power of her love and intercession. We pray that she may preserve in our hearts a sincere devotion to her. We beg her to give us understanding, desire, and then the peace of possessing purity of body and soul, purity in thought and word, art and love; the purity that the world of today attempts to shock and violate; the purity to which Christ has linked one of His promises, one of His beatitudes, that of penetrating into the vision of God Himself.

We ask therefore the favor of joining Our Lady, mother of the home at Nazareth, and her humble but courageous husband St. Joseph, in their intimacy with Jesus Christ, her human and divine Son.

Nazareth – school of the Gospel

Nazareth is the school in which we begin to understand the life of Jesus. It is the school of the Gospel. Here we learn to observe, to listen, to meditate, and to penetrate the profound and mysterious meaning of that simple, humble, and lovely manifestation of the Son of God. And perhaps we learn almost imperceptibly to imitate Him. Here we learn the method by which we can come to understand Christ. Here we discover the need to observe the milieu of His sojourn among us – places, period of time, customs, language, religious practices, all of which Jesus used to reveal Himself to the world. Here everything speaks to us; everything has meaning. Everything possesses twofold significance.

“The letter” …

The first is exterior, that which the spectators’ senses and perceptiveness can immediately derive from the Gospel scene. It is the impression gained by those who look merely at externals, who study and examine only the philological and historical trappings of the holy books, that part of which in Biblical terminology is called “the letter.” This study is important and necessary, but it is opaque to one who stops there, and even capable of engendering illusions and intellectual pride in the observer who approaches the external elements in the Gospel without clear vision, humility, a good intention, and a prayerful spirit.

… and “the spirit”

There is also an interior significance – that is, the revelation of divine truth, of supernatural reality – which the Gospel not only contains but also manifests, though, to be sure, only to the person who puts himself in harmony with its light. This harmony is due partly to uprightness of spirit, that is of mind and heart – a subjective and human condition which depends on the personal initiative of each person. At the same time it flows from the mysterious, free, and unmerited outpouring of grace, which, in keeping with the mystery of mercy governing mankind’s destiny, is never lacking; indeed, at the proper time and in the appropriate manner it never fails any man of good will. This second element, distinct from “the letter” of the Gospel, is called the “the spirit.”

It is here, in this school, that one comes to grasp how necessary it is to be spiritually disciplined, if one wishes to follow the teachings of the Gospel and to become a follower of Christ. Oh, how We would like to repeat, so close to Mary, Our introduction to the genuine knowledge of the meaning of life, and to the higher wisdom of divine truth!

But Our steps here are hurried, and We must take leave of Our desire to pursue here this never-ending education in understanding of the Gospel. Nevertheless, We cannot depart without recalling briefly and fleetingly some fragments of the lesson of Nazareth.

The lesson of silence…

The lesson of silence: may there return to us an appreciation of this stupendous and indispensable spiritual condition, deafened as we are by so much tumult, so much noise, so many voices of our chaotic and frenzied modern life. O silence of Nazareth, teach us recollection, reflection, and eagerness to heed the good inspirations and words of true teachers; teach us the need and value of preparation, of study, of meditation, of interior life, of secret prayer seen by God alone.

… of domestic life

The lesson of domestic life: may Nazareth teach us the meaning of family life, its harmony of love, its simplicity and austere beauty, its sacred and inviolable character; may it teach is how sweet and irreplaceable is its training, how fundamental and incomparable its role on the social plane.

… of work

The lesson of work: O Nazareth, home of “the carpenter’s son,” We want here to understand and to praise the austere and redeeming law of human labor, here to restore the consciousness of the dignity of labor, here to recall that work cannot be an end in itself, and that it is free and ennobling in proportion to the values – beyond the economic ones – which motivate it. We would like here to salute all the workers of the world, and to point out to them their great Model, their Divine Brother, the Champion of all their rights, Christ the Lord!

And so Our thoughts leave Nazareth and range those mountains of Galilee which once provided the natural backdrop for the words of the Divine Teacher. We lack time and sufficient strength to proclaim at this moment the divine message intended for the entire universe. But We cannot neglect to glance at the nearby mount of the beatitudes, which are the synthesis and summit of evangelical preaching, and to listen to the echoes of that discourse which, in this mysterious atmosphere, now seem audible to Us.

The motive of love

It is the voice of Christ promulgating the New Testament, the new law which both absorbs and surpasses the old, and raises human endeavor to the very peak of perfection. The great motive of man’s activity is a sense of duty which controls the exercise of his freedom. In the Old Testament it was fear; and at all times including our own it is instinct and self-interest. But for Christ, who is the Father’s gift of love to the world, the motive is love. He taught us to obey through love; it is love that moved Him to set us free. According to the teaching of St. Augustine, “God gave less difficult precepts to those who had still to be bound by fear; through His Son He gave more difficult ones to those whom He had deigned to free by love.”

Christ in His Gospel has spelled out for the world the supreme purpose and the noblest force for action and hence for liberty and progress: love. No goal can surpass it, be superior to it, or supplant it. The only sound law of life is His Gospel. The human person reaches his highest level in Christ’s teaching. Human society finds therein its most genuine and powerful unifying force.

We believe, O Lord, in Thy word; we will try to follow and live it.

Echoes of the Beatitudes

Now we hear its echo reverberating in the souls of men of our century. It seems to tell us: Blessed are we, if in poverty of spirit we learn to free ourselves from false confidence in material things and to place our chief desires in spiritual and religious goods, treating the poor with respect and love as brothers and living images of Christ.

Blessed are we, if, having acquired the meekness of the strong, we learn to renounce the deadly power of hate and vengeance, and have the wisdom to exalt above the fear of armed force the generosity of forgiveness, alliance in freedom and work, and conquest through goodness and peace.

Blessed are we, if we do not make egoism the guiding criterion of our life, nor pleasure its purpose, but learn rather to discover in sobriety our strength, in pain a source of redemption, in sacrifice the very summit of greatness.

Blessed are we, if we prefer to be the oppressed rather than the oppressors, and constantly hunger for the progress of justice.

Blessed are we, if for the Kingdom of God in time and beyond time we learn to pardon and to persevere, to work and to serve, to suffer and to love.

We shall never be deceived.

In such accents do We seem to hear His voice today. Then, it was stronger, sweeter, and more awe-inspiring: it was divine. But as we try to recapture some echo of the Master’s words, we seem to be won over as His disciples and to be genuinely filled with new wisdom and fresh courage.

 

Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton.  He was ordained on May 30, 1953, by the late Bishop William J. Hafey, D.D. at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton, PA.  Msgr. Esseff served a retreat director and confessor to St.  Teresa of Calcutta.    He continues to offer direction and retreats for the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity around the world.  Msgr. Esseff encountered St.  Padre Pio,  who would become a spiritual father to him.  He has lived in areas around the world,  serving in the Pontifical Missions, a Catholic organization established by St. Pope John Paul II to bring the Good News to the world especially to the poor.  Msgr. Esseff assisted the founders of the Institute for Priestly Formation and continues to serve as a spiritual director for the Institute.  He continues to serve as a retreat leader and director to bishops, priests and sisters and seminarians and other religious leaders around the world.  

Spiritual Exercise #2 Dealing with Frustration with Msgr. John Esseff

Msgr. Esseff was taken to the ER Thursday afternoon and then admitted to the hospital.  Believe or not, he wanted to continue his series of podcasts on the Year-end retreat for his listeners.  He phoned in this reflection from his hospital bed Saturday morning.  He discusses frustration with God and the marvels of His goodness when we surrender.  This is a very special podcast, please keep Msgr. Esseff in your prayers.

USCCA12 – Mary: The Church’s First and Most Perfect Member – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 12:

The Second Vatican Council remains us that Mary is a member of the Church who “occupies a place in the Church which is the highest after Christ and also closest to us” (LG, no. 54).  She is the first and the greatest of all the disciples of Christ.

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha. 

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This program is based on:

 

More information can be found .

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of  relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Fr. Ryan Lewis for their vocal talents in this episode.

IP#317 Fr. Joseph Fessio S.J. – Robert Cardinal Sarah’s “The Power of Silence” on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

Fr. Joseph Fessio, founder and editor-in-chief of Ignatius Press discusses one of the most important books of our time,  “The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise” by Robert Cardinal Sarah.

 

You can find the book here

From the book description:

In a time when technology penetrates our lives in so many ways and materialism exerts such a powerful influence over us, Cardinal Robert Sarah presents a bold book about the strength of silence. The modern world generates so much noise, he says, that seeking moments of silence has become both harder and more necessary than ever before.

Silence is the indispensable doorway to the divine, explains the cardinal in this profound conversation with Nicolas Diat. Within the hushed and hallowed walls of the La Grande Chartreux, the famous Carthusian monastery in the French Alps, Cardinal Sarah addresses the following questions: Can those who do not know silence ever attain truth, beauty, or love? Do not wisdom, artistic vision, and devotion spring from silence, where the voice of God is heard in the depths of the human heart?

After the international success of God or Nothing, Cardinal Sarah seeks to restore to silence its place of honor and importance. “Silence is more important than any other human work,” he says, “for it expresses God. The true revolution comes from silence; it leads us toward God and others so as to place ourselves humbly and generously at their service.”

Cardinal Sarah

“This book shows Cardinal Sarah to be one of the most spiritually alert churchmen of our time.”
–Bishop Robert Barron, Creator and Host, Catholicism film series

Cardinal Robert Sarah’s profound exploration of the silence in which we hear the still, quiet voice of God, and thus come to know the truth about ourselves, is a powerful challenge to the cacophony of our times and a summons to a more Gospel-centered way of life.”
–George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow and William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies, Ethics and Public Policy Center

 

HR30 -“Who Broke The Bell?” The Life of St. Benedict – The Holy Rule with Fr. Mauritius Wilde O.S.B

The Life of St. Benedict pt 3 – Who Broke The Bell?

In this episode of “The Holy Rule of St. Benedict: A Spiritual Path for Today’s World,” hosted by Kris McGregor and featuring Father Mauritius Wilde O.S.B., listeners are invited to explore the life and spiritual journey of St. Benedict.

The podcast highlights a pivotal moment in St. Benedict’s life when disgusted by his surroundings in Rome, he chooses to follow God’s call over his father’s wishes. This journey leads him to live in a cave for three years, where he is sustained by the monk Romanus, who discreetly delivers food to him. The narrative takes an intriguing turn when St. Benedict, in his quest for total solitude and detachment from worldly needs, mistakenly believes he no longer needs Romanus’s help. This leads to a deeper exploration of the themes of solitude, the dangers of spiritual extremism, and the necessity of community and moderation in spiritual life.

Father Mauritius skillfully connects St. Benedict’s experiences to broader spiritual lessons, emphasizing the importance of humility, community, and the balance between spiritual devotion and practical needs. The episode concludes with a reflection on St. Benedict’s realization that he had gone too far in his detachment, leading to an understanding of the need for balance between solitude and community.

Listeners are encouraged to learn from St. Benedict’s journey, understanding that while solitude and detachment are valuable, they must be balanced with community and humility. The podcast serves as a reminder that in the spiritual journey, extremism can be as dangerous as apathy, and that true holiness lies in recognizing our human limits and the grace of God in all aspects of life.


Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts:

  1. Balancing Solitude and Relationships: Reflect on your ability to balance the call to solitude and contemplation with the responsibilities and relationships in your daily life, and consider how you can create a harmonious balance between these aspects.
  2. Guarding Against Spiritual Extremism: In light of St. Benedict’s story, which highlights the dangers of spiritual extremism, think about ways you can guard against going to extremes in your own spiritual practices and beliefs.
  3. Practicing Detachment: The concept of detachment is a key theme in the episode. Contemplate how you understand and practice detachment in your own life and how this brings you closer to God.
  4. The Role of Community: Consider the role of community in your spiritual life. Reflect on how your faith community supports your spiritual growth and how you contribute to the spiritual well-being of others in your community.
  5. Cultivating Spiritual Humility: Think about the idea of spiritual humility as discussed in the podcast. Explore ways in which you can cultivate a more humble approach to your spiritual life and your relationship with God.
  6. Embracing Moderation: Given St. Benedict’s realization of the importance of moderation in his spiritual journey, identify how you can apply the principle of moderation to your own practices of prayer, fasting, work, and leisure.
  7. Supporting and Being Supported: The story of St. Benedict and Romanus underscores the importance of mutual support in our spiritual journeys. Reflect on how you experience this mutual support in your life and how you can be more open to both giving and receiving spiritual support.
  8. Responding to Disruption: Recall the moment when the bell, signaling Romanus’s delivery of food to St. Benedict, was broken. Think about moments in your spiritual journey where your ‘bell’ – a symbol of guidance or support – was broken, how you responded to this disruption, and what it taught you about reliance on God and others in your faith journey.
  9. Integrating Lessons into Daily Life: Lastly, ponder how you can integrate the lessons from St. Benedict’s life into your daily actions, decisions, and relationships, keeping in mind the central message of finding balance between solitude, community, and service in your walk with God.

From the Life of Our Most Holy Father St. Benedict by St. Gregory the Great:

 CHAPTER I.

As he was travelling to this place, a certain monk called Romanus met him and asked whither he was going. Having understood his intention, he both kept it secret and afforded him help, moreover he gave him a religious habit and assisted him in all things. The man of God being come to this place lived for the space of three years in an obscure cave, unknown to any man except Romanus the Monk, who lived not far off in a Monastery governed by Father Deodatus. But he would piously steal forth, and on certain days bring to Benedict a loaf of bread which he had spared from his own allowance. But there being no way to the cave from Romanus his cell by reason of a steep and high rock which hung over it, Romanus used to let down the loaf by a long cord to which also he fastened a little bell, that by the sound of it, the man of God might know when Romanus brought him the bread, and going out may receive it. But the old enemy, envying the charity of the one and the refection of the other, when on a certain day he beheld the bread let down in this manner, threw a stone and brake the bell. Notwithstanding, Romanus afterwards failed not to assist him in the best manner he was able.

Father Mauritius Wilde, OSB, Ph.D., did his philosophical, theological and doctoral studies in Europe. He is the author of several books and directs retreats regularly. He serves as Prior at Sant’Anselmo in Rome. For more information about the ministry of the the Missionary Benedictines of Christ the King Priory in Schuyler, Nebraska 

“In the fullness of time, the fullness of divinity appeared” – St. Bernard from the Office of Readings

From a sermon by Saint Bernard, abbot

(Sermo 1, in Epiphania Domini, 1-2: PL 133,141-143)

In the fullness of time, the fullness of divinity appeared.

 

The kindness and love of God our saviour for mankind were revealed. Thanks be to God, through whom we receive such abundant consolation in this pilgrimage, this exile, this distress.

Before his humanity appeared, his kindness lay concealed. Of course it was already in existence, because the mercy of the Lord is from eternity, but how could men know it was so great? It was promised but not yet experienced: hence many did not believe in it. At various times and in various different ways, God spoke through the prophets, saying I know the plans I have in mind for you: plans for peace, not disaster.

What reply did man make, man who felt the affliction, and knew nothing of peace? ‘How long will you keep saying “Peace, peace” when there is no peace?’ And so the angels of peace weep bitterly saying Lord, who has believed our report?

But now at last let men believe their own eyes, because all God’s promises are to be trusted. So that it cannot escape the notice of even troubled eyes, He has set up his tabernacle in the sun.Behold, peace is no longer promised, but conferred; no longer delayed, but given; no longer predicted, but bestowed. Behold, God has sent down to earth a bag bulging with his mercy, a bag that, at the passion, is torn open so that our ransom pours out of it onto us. A small bag, perhaps, but a full one: for it was a small child that was given to us, but in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead.

After the fullness of time had come, there came too the fullness of the Godhead. He came in the flesh, so that at least he might make himself manifest to our earthly minds, so that when this humanity of his appeared, his kindness might also be acknowledged. Where the humanity of God appears, his kindness can no longer be hidden. In what way, indeed, could he have better commended his kindness than by assuming my flesh? My flesh, that is, not Adam’s, as it was before the fall.

What greater proof could he have given of his mercy than by taking upon himself that very thing which needed mercy? Where is there such perfect loving-kindness as in the fact that for our sake the Word of God became perishable like the grass? Lord, what is man, that you make much of him or pay him any heed?

Let man infer from this how much God cares for him. Let him know from this what God thinks of him, what he feels about him. Man, do not ask about your own sufferings; but about what God suffered. Learn from what he was made for you, how much he makes of you, so that his kindness may show itself to you from his humanity.

The lesser he has made himself in his humanity, the greater has he shown himself in kindness. The more he humbles himself on my account, the more powerfully he engages my love. The kindness and humanity of God our Saviour appeared says St Paul. The humanity of God shows the greatness of his kindness, and he who added humanity to the name of God gave great proof of this kindness.

Excerpts from the English translation of The Liturgy of the Hours (Four Volumes) © 1974, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.