Posted on 04/06/2014 8:36:56 PM PDT by Salvation
Saint John Baptist de la Salle was born in Rheims, France, known as the Father of Modern Pedagogy. He opened free schools for poor children, introducing new teaching methods. He organized the congregation called the Brothers of the Christian Schools which made great contributions to popular education.
Source: Daily Roman Missal, Edited by Rev. James Socías, Midwest Theological Forum, Chicago, Illinois ©2003
Collect:
O God, who chose Saint John Baptist de la Salle
to educate young Christians,
raise up, we pray, teachers in your Church
ready to devote themselves wholeheartedly
to the human and Christian formation of the young,
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.
First Reading: 2 Timothy 1:13-14 - 2:1-3
Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 18:1-5
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them, and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
"Whoever receives one such child in my name receives Me."
Feast Day: April 7
Born: 1651 at Rheims, France
Died: 1719 at Rouen, France
Canonized: 24 May 1900 by Pope Leo XIII
Major Shrine: Sanctuary of John Baptist de La Salle, Casa Generalizia, Rome, Italy.
Patron of: educators, school principals, teachers
St. John Baptist De La Salle
Feast Day: April 07
Born: 1651 :: Died: 1719
This Benedictine monk had once been a sickly child. He had a very noticeable speech impediment all his life. Notker was determined not to let it get in his way. This made him even more likable than he already was.
He and two other friends, Tutilo and Radpert, were very happy monks. They encouraged each other in their vocations at the monastery of Saint Gall in Germany. Their common love for God and for music made them lifelong friends. You can read about St. Tutilo on March 28.
King Charles visited the great monastery from time to time. He highly respected Notker and asked him for advice. Unfortunately, he didn't usually follow the advice. One time King Charles sent his messenger to ask to see the monk. Notker was taking care of his garden. He sent this message: "Take care of your garden as I am taking care of mine." King Charles understood that he should be taking better care of his own soul and of his kingdom.
The king's personal chaplain was educated but very conceited. He was upset because the king valued Notker's opinion so much. In front of everybody at court one day, he asked Notker, "Since you are so intelligent, tell me what God is doing right now." The priest smiled at the monk, thinking he would never have an answer. Instead, Notker responded quickly, "God is doing now what he has always done. He is pushing down those who are proud and is raising up the lowly." The people started laughing as the chaplain quickly left the room.
St. John Baptist De La Salle spent the rest of his life in his chosen vocation. He did many little extra things to make monastery life pleasant for the monks. With his friends, Tutilo and Radpert, he created beautiful music for the worship of God.
Reflection: "God is doing now what he has always done. He is pushing down those who are proud and is raising up the lowly."-St. John Baptist De La Salle
Catholic
Almanac:
Saturday, April 7 |
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Liturgical Color: Violet |
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Daily Readings for:April 07, 2014
(Readings on USCCB website)
Collect: O God, who chose Saint John Baptist de la Salle to educate young Christians, raise up, we pray, teachers in your Church ready to devote themselves wholeheartedly to the human and Christian formation of the young. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
RECIPES
ACTIVITIES
PRAYERS
o Prayer for the Fifth Week of Lent
LIBRARY
o Popular Education During the Middle Ages | Hugh Graham Ph.D.
o The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium | Congregation for Catholic Education
o What Would the World be, Ancient and Modern, without Consecrated Life? | Pope John Paul II
· Lent: April 7th
· Optional Memorial of St. John the Baptist de la Salle
St. John Baptist de La Salle was born in Rheims, France. He was known as the Father of Modern Pedagogy. He opened free schools for poor children, introducing new teaching methods. He organized the congregation called the Brothers of the Christian Schools, which made great contributions to popular education.
St. John Baptist de la Salle
Generations of schoolboys have been taught by the Christian Brothers, and their founder, St. John Baptist de la Salle, is familiar in their prayers and devotions. "Brothers Boys" are scattered all over the world and all of them have fond memories of their "De la Salle" days.
John Baptist de la Salle was born at Rheims in 1651, became a member of the cathedral chapter at Rheims when he was sixteen, and was ordained a priest in 1678. Soon after ordination he was put in charge of a girls' school, and in 1679 he met Adrian Nyel, a layman who wanted to open a school for boys. Two schools were started, and Canon de la Salle became interested in the work of education. He took an interest in the teachers, eventually invited them to live in his own house, and tried to train them in the educational system that was forming in his mind. This first group ultimately left, unable to grasp what the saint had in mind; others, however, joined him, and the beginnings of the Brothers of the Christian Schools were begun.
Seeing a unique opportunity for good, Canon de la Salle resigned his canonry, gave his inheritance to the poor, and began to organize his teachers into a religious congregation. Soon, boys from his schools began to ask for admission to the Brothers, and the founder set up a juniorate to prepare them for their life as religious teachers. At the request of many pastors, he also set up a training school for teachers, first at Rheims, then at Paris, and finally at St.-Denis. Realizing that he was breaking entirely new ground in the education of the young, John Baptist de la Salle wrote books on his system of education, opened schools for tradesmen, and even founded a school for the nobility, at the request of King James of England.
The congregation had a tumultuous history, and the setbacks that the founder had to face were many; but the work was begun, and he guided it with rare wisdom. In Lent of 1719, he grew weak, met with a serious accident, and died on Good Friday. He was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1900, and Pope Pius XII proclaimed him patron of schoolteachers.
Excerpted from The One Year Book of Saints, Rev. Clifford Stevens
Patron: Educators; school principals; teachers.
Things to Do:
The Station, at Rome, is in the church of St. Chrysogonus, one of the most celebrated martyrs of the Church of Rome. His name is inserted in the Canon of the Mass. The church was probably built in the 4th century under Pope Sylvester I.
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English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
John 8 |
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1. | AND Jesus went unto mount Olivet. | Jesus autem perrexit in montem Oliveti : | ιησους δε επορευθη εις το ορος των ελαιων |
2. | And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him, and sitting down he taught them. | et diluculo iterum venit in templum, et omnis populus venit ad eum, et sedens docebat eos. | ορθρου δε παλιν παρεγενετο εις το ιερον και πας ο λαος ηρχετο [προς αυτον] και καθισας εδιδασκεν αυτους |
3. | And the scribes and the Pharisees bring unto him a woman taken in adultery: and they set her in the midst, | Adducunt autem scribæ et pharisæi mulierem in adulterio deprehensam : et statuerunt eam in medio, | αγουσιν δε οι γραμματεις και οι φαρισαιοι προς αυτον γυναικα επι μοιχεια κατειλημμενην και στησαντες αυτην εν μεσω |
4. | And said to him: Master, this woman was even now taken in adultery. | et dixerunt ei : Magister, hæc mulier modo deprehensa est in adulterio. | λεγουσιν αυτω [πειραζοντες] διδασκαλε ταυτην ευρομεν επ αυτοφωρω μοιχευομενην |
5. | Now Moses in the law commanded us to stone such a one. But what sayest thou? | In lege autem Moyses mandavit nobis hujusmodi lapidare. Tu ergo quid dicis ? | εν δε τω νομω ημων μωυσης ενετειλατο τας τοιαυτας λιθοβολεισθαι συ ουν τι λεγεις [περι αυτης] |
6. | And this they said tempting him, that they might accuse him. But Jesus bowing himself down, wrote with his finger on the ground. | Hoc autem dicebant tentantes eum, ut possent accusare eum. Jesus autem inclinans se deorsum, digito scribebat in terra. | τουτο δε ελεγον πειραζοντες αυτον ινα εχωσιν κατηγοριαν κατ αυτου ο δε ιησους κατω κυψας τω δακτυλω εγραφεν εις την γην μη προσποιουμενος |
7. | When therefore they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said to them: He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. | Cum ergo perseverarent interrogantes eum, erexit se, et dixit eis : Qui sine peccato est vestrum, primus in illam lapidem mittat. | ως δε επεμενον ερωτωντες αυτον ανακυψας ειπεν προς αυτους ο αναμαρτητος υμων πρωτος επ αυτην τον λιθον βαλετω |
8. | And again stooping down, he wrote on the ground. | Et iterum se inclinans, scribebat in terra. | και παλιν κατω κυψας εγραφεν εις την γην |
9. | But they hearing this, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest. And Jesus alone remained, and the woman standing in the midst. | Audientes autem unus post unum exibant, incipientes a senioribus : et remansit solus Jesus, et mulier in medio stans. | οι δε ακουσαντες και υπο της συνειδησεως ελεγχομενοι εξηρχοντο εις καθ εις αρξαμενοι απο των πρεσβυτερων [εως των εσχατων] και κατελειφθη μονος ο ιησους και η γυνη εν μεσω ουσα |
10. | Then Jesus lifting up himself, said to her: Woman, where are they that accused thee? Hath no man condemned thee? | Erigens autem se Jesus, dixit ei : Mulier, ubi sunt qui te accusabant ? nemo te condemnavit ? | ανακυψας δε ο ιησους και μηδενα θεασαμενος πλην της γυναικος ειπεν αυτη [γυναι] που εισιν εκεινοι οι κατηγοροι σου ουδεις σε κατεκρινεν |
11. | Who said: No man, Lord. And Jesus said: Neither will I condemn thee. Go, and now sin no more. | Quæ dixit : Nemo, Domine. Dixit autem Jesus : Nec ego te condemnabo : vade, et jam amplius noli peccare. | η δε ειπεν ουδεις κυριε ειπεν δε [αυτη] ο ιησους ουδε εγω σε κατακρινω πορευου και [απο του νυν] μηκετι αμαρτανε |
Saint John Baptist de la Salle, Priest
Neither do I condemn you. (John 8:11)
In Victor Hugo’s classic novel Les Miserables, the main character, Jean Valjean, is imprisoned several years for stealing a loaf of bread. When he is finally released, he is so desperate for money that he steals a pair of silver candlesticks from a kindly bishop—only to be arrested again. Knowing he is guilty, Valjean fears a return to prison. But the bishop surprises him by telling the police that Valjean didn’t steal the candlesticks; the bishop had given them to him as a gift. Speechless in the face of such mercy, Valjean turns his life around completely. From that day on, he leads a life of generosity and charity, treating other people with the same compassion that he had received.
In today’s Gospel reading, we find a woman who, having been caught committing adultery, is also well aware of her sin and trembling in fear of the punishment that she surely deserved. But like Valjean, she too was stunned to find that rather than condemnation, she received mercy. Instead of being met with stones, she felt the healing touch of Jesus’ words. And her heart was so softened by them that she was prepared to respond in love when he told her, “Go, and from now on do not sin any more” (John 8:11).
Both stories show us what conversion looks like. Someone who is headed in one direction—toward selfishness and sin—has an encounter with God’s deep love and mercy and begins to move in a completely different direction. Touched by love and moved by grace, he or she becomes a new creation.
Lent is a time of conversion for all of us—even those of us who have been following the Lord for years. Is there an area of your life where you are heading in the wrong direction? Bring it to the Lord. Let him show you his mercy so that you can turn it around. Take it to Confession so that you can hear the stunning, surprising, life-giving words that have saved so many other people: “Neither do I condemn you. Go and do not sin any more.”
“Oh, the love and mercy of God—where would we be without it! Lord, thank you, thank you! Your mercy endures forever!”
Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62; Psalm 23:1-6
Daily Marriage Tip for April 7, 2014:
Do you find yourself giving your spouse the dregs of your time? Whatever your life circumstances, making time for one another is an ongoing challenge. Try taking a good hard look at how you spend your time: what could be cut out? Could you schedule in your spouse more often?
O Passio Magna
Saturday, 05 April 2014 18:46
A Compunctionate Prayer
There are a number of variants of this beautiful prayer on the Passion of Christ. This particular version is found in a book of spiritual exercises by Father Timothée de Raynier of the Order of Minims, published at Marseille in 1778. The same prayer, in a slightly different version, was dear to Mother Yvonne-Aimée of Malestroit. Those who have prayed the prayer know that it is full of compunction and sweetness. I have discovered the prayer in several languages and with many variants. It has been variously attributed to Saint Gertrude, Saint Bridget of Sweden, Saint Bernard, Saint Bonaventure, Blessed Angelo of Foligno, and Blessed Julian of Norwich.
O passio magna!
O profunda vulnera!
O inestimabilis dolor!
O largissima effusio sanguinis!
O abundantissima effusio lacrimarum!
O dulcis dulcedo!
O mortis amaritudo!
Da mihi vitam aeternam.
O great Passion!
O profound wounds!
O immeasurable sorrow!
O most copious shedding of blood!
O most abundant outpouring of tears!
O surpassing sweetness!
O death suffered in every bitterness!
Give me eternal life.
Can This Marriage Be Saved? | ||
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Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent
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John 8:1-11 Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She replied, "No one, sir." Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore." Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in you though I often forget to exercise my faith. I trust in you, though I often lose my peace over little matters. I love you, though I miss so many opportunities to exercise my love throughout the day because I get wrapped up in myself. I am so grateful to realize that you smile on me in my weakness and misery and only desire the good for me in return. Petition: Lord, help me to be faithful in my marriage. 1. “They Have No Wine.” The words of the Blessed Mother — “they have no wine” (see John 2:3) — have a relevance that is as permanent as it is poignant. The wedding feast ran out of wine for the same reasons as many marriages do: lack of awareness, a failure to anticipate needs, taking things for granted. Few events manifest the “lack of wine” more profoundly than adultery. We cannot know all the circumstances surrounding the act of adultery of the woman in today’s Gospel reading. Perhaps she was “more sinned against than sinning.” But whatever emotional pain, neglect or temptation brought her down, Jesus’ formula is simple: “Go and from now on do not sin anymore.” Easier said than done for a marriage now beyond repair? Jesus isn’t just a therapist. He is God. Remember that he turned water into wine. 2. The Blessing of Accountability: The woman probably felt dead already, filled with terror as she was led through the streets to the taunts and whistling of bystanders. We feel compassion for her, precisely because we know that we, too, are sinners. Jesus’ mercy towards her inspires us, because love stirs our hearts at a far deeper level than fear. But we also know that, as disagreeably self-righteous as those elders were, getting caught was a good thing for the woman. Through it, she was able to experience the mercy of Christ and have another chance. Marriages don’t thrive when there are dark corners and hidden places that are off-limits to one’s spouse. Accountability and transparency, on the other hand, continually engender that most precious of marital virtues: trust. The daily and consistent effort to be accountable, to embrace “mutual submission” (Cf. Ephesians 5:21), and constantly to make “trust deposits” in the love bank account are the best insurance against marital shipwreck. 3. Second Chances: “Go and from now on do not sin any more”: words both stirring and challenging. What happened after that? That’s a complicated question because second chances in marriage involve two people. Having received a vocation to become “one flesh,” both spouses need to embrace the need to accept God’s grace, accept responsibility, forgive, and work together to overcome whatever wound has been inflicted on their relationship. This mutual work can only begin with oneself. That’s why Jesus says, “Do not sin anymore.” In fact, changing one’s own heart, centering it on God and then striving to be the best husband or wife one can be, is frequently the best way to stir things up positively for the relationship as a whole. Jesus is all about second chances. When two people stand before the altar to pledge their love, it is indissoluble. But that’s not only about the bond between them. It’s also the bond between them and Christ. “Do whatever he tells you!” Conversation with Christ: Lord, you know how many tests and temptations we are subject to. Give us strength! Don’t allow the corrosive effects of time to wear down our relationships. Help us to be faithful to each other and to you. Resolution: I will make a special spiritual sacrifice today for my marriage (or for the faithfulness of married couples if I am unmarried.) |
April 7, 2014
Considering human nature, Jesus as a teacher did not pronounce any condemnation against the sinner. Being apprehended is already very shameful for the woman. At that time there were no feminine groups to help a condemned woman. If we consider adultery here, it is not only the woman who was at fault but both man and woman. Does it mean that man can play with women without being charged with adultery and left unpunished?
When God created man in his own image and likeness, it appears that it was only man that was given importance for the woman came later. We understand how Holy Scripture written by man is very inadequate. Now we have a better grasp of God’s love. The mission of God the Son to make us know, love and serve God is very well manifested in this action of Christ. Respect for people as image of God is very clear in this episode. This season of Lent gives us a chance to reflect on God’s care for all of us.
In our world today, it seems only the strong, the powerful, and the wise lord over nature. Do we blame others and excuse ourselves? So here Jesus gives us the example. He who is blameless can blame others. But is there any among us who is blameless? Would we not rather pray for one another and help one another in our not-so-easy journey to God’s kingdom?
Language: English | Español
All Issues > Volume 30, Issue 3
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Why does the Church celebrate the liturgy so often?
The people of Israel interrupted their work "seven times a day" (Ps 119:164) in order to praise God. Jesus participated in the liturgy and prayer of his people; he taught his disciples to pray and gathered them in the Upper Room so as to celebrate with them the liturgy of all liturgies: the gift of himself in the Last Supper. The Church, which calls us to the liturgy, obeys his command, "Do this in remembrance of me".
Just as a man breathes air in order to stay alive, so too the Church lives and breathes by celebrating the liturgy. God himself is the one who breathes new life into her day by day and enriches her with gifts through his Word and his sacraments. We can use another image, too: every liturgy is like a rendezvous of love that God writes on our calendar. Anyone who has already experienced God's love is glad to go to church. Someone who from time to time feels nothing and goes nevertheless shows God his faithfulness. (YOUCAT questions 166-167)
Dig Deeper: CCC section (1066-1070) and other references here.
Part 2: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery (1066 - 1690)
Why the liturgy? ⇡
In the Symbol of the faith the Church confesses the mystery of the Holy Trinity and of the plan of God's "good pleasure" for all creation: the Father accomplishes the "mystery of his will" by giving his beloved Son and his Holy Spirit for the salvation of the world and for the glory of his name.1
Such is the mystery of Christ, revealed and fulfilled in history according to the wisely ordered plan that St. Paul calls the "plan of the mystery"2 and the patristic tradition will call the "economy of the Word incarnate" or the "economy of salvation."
1.
2.
"The wonderful works of God among the people of the Old Testament were but a prelude to the work of Christ the Lord in redeeming mankind and giving perfect glory to God. He accomplished this work principally by the Paschal mystery of his blessed Passion, Resurrection from the dead, and glorious Ascension, whereby 'dying he destroyed our death, rising he restored our life.' For it was from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth 'the wondrous sacrament of the whole Church."'3 For this reason, the Church celebrates in the liturgy above all the Paschal mystery by which Christ accomplished the work of our salvation.
3.
SC 5 § 2; cf. St. Augustine, En. in Ps. 138,2:PL 37,1784-1785.
It is this mystery of Christ that the Church proclaims and celebrates in her liturgy so that the faithful may live from it and bear witness to it in the world: For it is in the liturgy, especially in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, that "the work of our redemption is accomplished," and it is through the liturgy especially that the faithful are enabled to express in their lives and manifest to others the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church.4
4.
SC 2.
What does the word liturgy mean? ⇡
The word "liturgy" originally meant a "public work" or a "service in the name of/on behalf of the people." In Christian tradition it means the participation of the People of God in "the work of God."5 Through the liturgy Christ, our redeemer and high priest, continues the work of our redemption in, with, and through his Church.
5.
Cf. Jn 17:4.
In the New Testament the word "liturgy" refers not only to the celebration of divine worship but also to the proclamation of the Gospel and to active charity.6 In all of these situations it is a question of the service of God and neighbor. In a liturgical celebration the Church is servant in the image of her Lord, the one "leitourgos";7 she shares in Christ's priesthood (worship), which is both prophetic (proclamation) and kingly (service of charity): The liturgy then is rightly seen as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ. It involves the presentation of man's sanctification under the guise of signs perceptible by the senses and its accomplishment in ways appropriate to each of these signs. In it full public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and his members. From this it follows that every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the priest and of his Body which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others. No other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree.8
6.
Cf. Lk 1:23; Acts 13:2; Rom 15:16,27; 2 Cor 9:12; Phil 2:14-17,25,30.
7.
Cf. Heb 8:2,6.
8.
SC 7 § 2-3.
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