"Beseeching Christ on behalf of one's friend...the attention and affection are all directed to the friend; but suddenly and unawares love changes its object, and being so near touches the sweetness of Christ and begins to taste and feel how sweet he is.Thus rising from that holy love which reaches the friend to that which reaches Christ, he will joyfully pluck the rich spiritual fruit of friendship."--St. Ailred of Rievaulx.

"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light."--Matthew 11:28-30

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up....And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him. [And] a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10,12)  

The Society has been richly blessed this past week by visitors from abroad. We pray for their safe return home today.

"It [is] easy to pass from man's friendship to God's, by reason of the resemblance between them." (St. Ailred of Rievaulx, 1109-1167)

St. Bartholomew

Tomorrow is the feast of St. Bartholomew, one of the Twelve as listed in the Synoptic Gospels, and, in the opinion of most scholars, to be the same person as Nathanael, the "Israelite indeed," in the Gospel of John, Nathanael being a surname.

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile!" 

Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?"

 Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

 Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.

 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." (John 1:47-51)

"It was because the saints were absorbed in God that they were truly capable of seeing and appreciating created things and it was because they loved Him alone that they alone loved everybody"--Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation.

Our Lady in Pink

Glorious things are spoken of you, O Mary, who today were exalted above the choirs of angels into eternal triumph with Christ -- Entrance antiphon for Vigil Mass of the Assumption.




"God well deserves to be loved by women, for he did not shun to be born of a woman. Marvelous and precious was the privilege he thus gave to all women; it was not granted to a man to be or to be called father of God, but it was given to a woman to bear God." -- St. Hugh of Lincoln (d. 1200)

Never Satisfied, Are We?

Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land.  (Ps 37:3)

-Let us then consider, Glaucon, what will be their way of life, now that we have thus established them. Will they not produce corn, and wine, and clothes, and shoes, and build houses for themselves? And when they are housed, they will work, in summer stripped and barefoot, but in winter substantially clothed and shod. They will feed on barley-meal and flour of wheat, baking and kneading them, making noble cakes and loaves. For dessert we shall give them figs, with acorns and myrtle-berries to roast at fire. And they and their children shall feast, drinking the wine they have made and hymning the praises of the gods, in happy converse with one another. And they will take care that their families do not exceed their means, having an eye to adversity. With such a life, they may be expected to live in peace and health to a good old age, and bequeath a similar life to their children after them.

-Yes, Socrates, if you were providing for a city of pigs.

-But what would you have, Glaucon?

-Why, you should give them the ordinary conveniences of life, in the modern style.

-In my opinion the true and healthy condition of the State is the one I have just described. But if you wish to see a state at fever-heat, very well--we shall be more likely to see how injustice originates.  [Plato, The Republic, paraphrase of the B. Jowett translation]

The lowly shall inherit the earth, and shall delight in abundance of peace. (Ps 37:11)

Dewfall

Haec ergo dona, quaesumus,

        Spìritus tui rore sanctìfica.

Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray,
     by sending down your Spirit like the dewfall.







The Eucharistic Prayer II of the 1969 Paul VI Mass in Latin was either adapted from the prayer of St. Hippolytus, or was inspired by the prayer of St. Hippolytus, or was concocted by a sinister committee at the instigation of Cardinal Bugnini. No one is really sure, as it happened in the mists of the last century. But no matter what you think of it, the word rore ("like the dewfall") was in there all along. The old ICEL chose to ignore it, although, as one wag gently put it, both Caesar and Vergil seemed to like the word just fine. I like the touch of poetry. I also like the more potent phrasing of the new translation: "Make holy...by sending down your Spirit," rather than the more passive-sounding "Let your Spirit come upon..." I mean, we're talking God the Father here, right?

Let's give St. Hippolytus himself a say: "Certainly it is not necessary for [the bishop] to recite the exact words we have set down....Rather, let each one pray according to his ability. Indeed, if he is able to pray in an accomplished manner and with a lofty style of prayer, it is well. But even if he has only a moderate ability in praying and in giving praise, let no one forbid it, so long as his prayer is of sound faith."


Hath the rain a father?...

                                                                                          Who hath begotten the dew?--Job 38:28