"The Monastery": Episode 2

So, last night at 9 PM Central Time, I sat down and watched episode 2 of "The Monastery" on TLC. I was disappointed. Over the summer I spent a few days in retreat with Benedictine monks, and found it such a spiritual oasis. "The Monastery" doesn't portray the true serenity of a monastery. Plus, it would have been much better if the reality-TV quality was greatly reduced. It would definitely have made a good 1-2 hour documentary instead of a reality TV series drawn out over the course of several weeks.

I was also ashamed at the conduct of some of the men when they actually stole liquor from the monks. Plus Jon's "lapsed-Catholic Syndrome" is annoying honestly. He grew up in the Faith and just because he's seen disaster as a pandemic and the like, he feels that God doesn't exist. Preposterous! All of the disasters in the world result from our sins. God is good. And Jon said the Psalms portray God as vengeful. Again, preposterous! Some of the psalms talk about God's rightful judgments, but many of them talk about God's wonder and beauty. Look to the very often cited Psalm 23: "The Lord is my Shepherd". In the words of St. John: "God is love" (1 John 4:8).

It's not a very good program.

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"The Monastery"

I'm sure most of my readers remember "God or the Girl" - the A&E reality documentary about four men deciding whether to enter the priesthood. After reading updates following the documentary, all of them have decided not to enter as of the moment.

Well, if you liked it, you'll like this (probably)...

TLC has come out with "The Monastery", which is about five men spending 40 days at the desert Monastery Our Lady of the Desert in New Mexico. However, I honestly don't think they could have picked a set of people more likely never to enter a monastery. I'm doubtful, but hopeful, these people will truly find Christ in this monastery. It premeries on October 22nd at 10 PM ET/PT.

Updates:

I didn't watch the first episode because I forgot about it. But, it appears other blogs agree with me. In the comments at Lamland, Willa writes: "I nearly threw a pillow at the screen when the Marine amputee (Alex?) refused to make a show of respect at Mass and then said he wouldn't even go through the motions until he knew exactly what it was all about."

Blog Reviews of the First Episode:

1. LAMland: "Unlike God or the Girl, it's very artificial in every possible way...right now I'm tempted to give this one two big thumbs down."
2. Thresing Grain: "My favorite moment: Brother Rodrigo's conversation about the Virgin Mother--the question-'was the Virgin-really a virgin?' (I paraphrase here) He so lovingly spoke of his mother-stating she was 'his mother' and you don't speak or blaspheme her at all. You could see the love on his face and hear the tone of love in his voice. He got the point across to the men. You could hear a pin drop when he was speaking with them. And there were other moments. I recommend viewing this program and ask that prayers be offered for the success of the Holy Spirit."
3. Against all Heresies: "It seems that a majority of the participants are atheists, agnostics or malcontents who engage the monks in debate about "women rights and gay rights". How tiresome and completely predictable."

My Reviews of following episodes:

• Episode 2
• Episode 3
• Episode 4

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St. Bruno

Optional Memorial (1969 Calendar): October 6
Double (1954 Calendar): October 6

St. Bruno was born in 1030 in Cologne, Germany to St. Matilda (his mother), patroness of Maude and a widow of King Henry I. Except St. Norbert, he is the only German having such an honor. St. Bruno became a priest, the founder of the religious Order, the Carthusians. He achieved fame as a professor of theology at Rheims but ultimately decided to live a life of complete solitude and prayer. After establishing a hermitage in Chartreuse, near Grenoble, France, he attracted many followers. They led him to establish the first monastery of Carthusian monks. Pope Urban II called him to Rome, but later St. Bruno was able to establish a second monastery in Italy. He died in 1101 at Calabria.

He was proclaimed a saint "vivae vocis oraculo" by Pope Leo X on July 19, 1514. His feast was observed almost immediately and was extended to the Univeral Church in 1623. Those interested in the unique Carthusian Rite, of which St. Bruno is the founder, should consult "Liturgies of the Religious Orders" by Archdale Arthur King.

Traditional Matins Reading:

Bruno, the founder of the Carthusian Order, was born at Cologne, and from his very cradle gave great promise of future sanctity. Favoured by divine grace, the gravity of his character made him shun all childishness; so that, even at that age, one might have foreseen in him the future father of monks and restorer of the anachoretical life. His parents, who were distinguished for virtue and nobility, sent him to Paris, where he made great progress in philosophy and theology, and took the degrees of doctor and master in both faculties. Soon after this, he was, for his remarkable virtue, appointed to a canonry in the church of Rheims.

After some years, Bruno, with six of his friends, renounced the world, and betook himself to Hugh, bishop of Grenoble. On learning the cause of their coming, the bishop understood that they had been signified by the seven stars he had seen falling at his feet in his dream of the previous night. He therefore made over to them some wild mountains called the Chartreuse, belonging to his diocese, and himself conducted them thither. After having there led an eremitical life for several years; Bruno was summoned to Rome by Urban II who had been his disciple. In the great trials through which the Church was then passing, the Pontiff gladly availed himself of the saint’s prudence and knowledge for some years, until Bruno, refusing the archbishopric of Reggio,obtained leave to retire.

Attracted by the love of solitude he went to a desert place near Squillace in Calabria. Count Roger of Calabria was one day hunting, when his dogs began to bark round the saint’s cave. The Count entered and found Bruno at his prayers, and was so struck by his holiness, that thenceforward he greatly honoured him and his companions and supplied their wants. His generosity met with its reward. A little later, when this same Count Roger was besieging Capua, and Sergius, an officer of his guard, had determined to betray him, Bruno, who was still living in his desert, appeared to the Count in sleep, revealed the whole treason to him, and thus saved him from imminent peril. At length, full of virtues and merits, and as renowned for holiness as for learning, Bruno fell asleep in our Lord, and was buried in the monastery of St. Stephen built by Count Roger, where he is greatly honoured to this day.

Prayer:

May we be helped by the intercession of St. Bruno, Thy Confessor, O Lord, we beseech Thee, so that we who by our evil deeds have grievously offended Thy Majesty, may by his merits and prayers obtain forgiveness of our sins. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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Pray the Liturgy of the Hours in Latin!

Please consider the resources below to pray the Traditional (pre-Vatican II) Breviary in Latin.

Print Resources:

1. Breviarium Romanum ex decreto ss. concilii tridentini restitutum By Pars Hiemalis
2. Breviarium Romanum Ex Decreto SS Concilii Tridentini Restitutum S. PII V Pontificis Maximi (Jussu Editum Aliorumque Pontificum Cura Recognitum PII Papae X Auctoritate Reformatum Editio II Juxta Typicam Vaticanam Amplificata I, Pars Hiemalis)
3. Learning the New Breviary by S. J. Bernard A Hausmann.  The title word "new" is rather misleading today, as it actually refers to the new code of rubrics promulgated in July 1960 for the traditional Roman Breviary. In this handy, concise and easy-to-read book, Fr. Hausmann leads the reader step by step through each of the 8 canonical hours, their contents, special particulars, and how they are said, all the while providing important tips on how to recite the Divine Office with a correct liturgical spirit. An indispensable book for any Catholic who would like to become better acquainted with the traditional Roman Breviary, the Church's liturgical treasure that in connection with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass forms the Church's official daily prayer. 
4. A Short Breviary for Religious and the Laity By Monks of St. John's Abbey

Electronic Resources:

1. Breviary.net
2. Divinum Officium (Latin for "Divine Office)

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St. Giles

Simple (1955 Calendar): September 1

St. Giles is said to have been born in Athens, Greece, and as a youth, he cured a sick beggar by giving him his own cloak. Following the death of his parents, he was frequently showered with the applause of men, which he dreaded. He hated both applause and temporal prosperity. He took a ship and landed in Marseilles, France. After two years of journeying with St. Caesarius at Arles, he made a hermitage in the woods.

During his time of solitude and prayer, he was, according to tradition, nourished by the milk of a hind. The hind took refuge in the cave of St. Giles. The hounds of Favius, king of the Goths, were hunting the hind. On the third day, Favius and the bishop approached the area, and Favius fired an arrow into the bushes. The arrow wounded St. Giles. When the two men found the wounded St. Giles with the hind with him, they ordered him to account for himself. After St. Giles told his story, Favius and the bishop asked for his forgiveness and offered him medical help and gifts. St. Giles refused all gifts.

King Flavius continued to visit St. Giles, who eventually asked the King to found a monastery. The King agreed but only if St. Giles would serve as the abbot. The monastery was built near the cave where St. Giles lived. Soon Charles, the King of France, heard of St. Giles. They talked on spiritual matters, but the King Charles was too ashamed to admit one particular sin to the saint during their discourse.

"On the following Sunday, when the holy man was celebrating Mass according to custom and praying to God for the king during the canon, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and laid on the altar a scroll on which was written the sin which the king had committed, and which further said that he would be forgiven at Giles's intercession, provided he did penance and desisted from that sin in the future...When Mass was ended Giles gave the scroll to the king to read, who fell at the saint's feet, begging him to intercede with the Lord for him. And so the man of the Lord commended him to God in prayer and gently admonished him to refrain from that sin in the future."

St. Giles returned to his monastery and then, soon afterward, went to Rome to commend his monks to the Holy See. The pope granted them many privileges and gave him a present - two carved doors of cedar. St. Giles threw the doors in the Tiber River trusting in God's guidance, that they would arrive in France before him. And, behold, they did just that.

After being warned in a dream, St. Giles died on Sunday, September 1 in c. 710 AD. He is remembered on September 1st every year.

Source: Butler's Lives of the Saints (457 - 458)

Dom Gueranger (c. 1880) writes of the impact of his life:

"After the death of the servant of God, the place became more and more frequented. From north and east and south pilgrims poured in, to offer up their prayers and fulfil their vows at the tomb of one, who soon became known as one of the most helpful saints in heaven. Among the crowds came Pontiffs and kings. But the most numerous classes of visitors to the holy relics were soldiers and little children, the former equipped for the crusades, the latter borne in their mothers’ arms; all confiding in the humble, gentle monk who, at the risk of his life, calmed the terror of the poor little hind; all imploring his assistance against the fear which even the bravest may feel in the hour of battle, or the fright that disturbs the little one in his cradle. St. Giles’s ranked as one of the three great pilgrimages of the west; the other two being Rome and Compostello...

"We should never end, were we to enumerate the churches, parishes, abbeys, and altars consecrated to St. Giles, in all parts of Christendom, which are so many sources of grace, and new centres for pilgrimages. Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Bavaria, Poland, rival France in this respect. England is second to no country in the world; she has one hundred and forty-six sanctuaries dedicated to the pious monk, and even the established church continues to honour him."

Prayer:

May the intercession of blessed Giles the Abbot commend us unto Thee, we beseech Thee, O Lord: so that what we cannot acquire by any merits of ours, we may obtain by his patronage. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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St. Benedict

St. Benedict by Georges Jansoone

Memorial (1969 Calendar): July 11
Greater Double (1955 Calendar): March 21

St. Benedict is probably one of the Catholic Church's most recognized saints, who died in March, but his feast day was moved to July because during Lent feast days are optional [Note: This applies only to the modern calendar and not the Traditional Catholic Calendar]. Yet, the Church views this saint so importantly that his feast day became required to celebrate.

Saint Benedict of Narsia (c. 480 - c. 547) is called the Founder of Western Monasticism. He was born c. 480 in Narsia, Italy as part of the Roman nobility and as the twin brother of Saint Scholastica. He studied in Rome but was dismayed by the lack of discipline there. St. Benedict retreated to the mountains near Subiaco and lived as a hermit in a cave for three years. Legend even says that during this time of meditation and prayer, he was fed by a raven.

Because of his virtues, he was requested to lead an abbey of monks. So he founded the monastery at Monte Cassino. It was there that he wrote the Rule of St. Benedict, which Benedictine Monks still follow today. However, his inforced discipline and holiness was not liked by everyone.

Several monks tried to poison him. Yet as St. Benedict said the prayer of blessing and made the sign of the Cross over his meal before he ate and drank, the poison was rendered harmless. St. Benedict returned to his cave, but he attracted many followers. He would found 12 monasteries.

St. Benedict had the ability to read consciences, prophesy, and forestall attacks from the devil. He destroyed many pagan statues and altars and drove demons from groves sacred to pagans. Many people wear the St. Benedict's Crucifix today.

St. Benedict died on March 21, 547, due to a fever while in prayer at Monte Cassino, Italy. His remains are beneath the High Altar in the same tomb as his twin brother, St. Scholastica. At one point over 40,000 monasteries followed the Benedictine Rule. His Rule has been summed into three words: Ora et labora (Pray and work).

Collect:

Let the blessed Abbot Benedict intercede for us, O Lord. May his prayers win us Your help, since our own actions cannot merit it. Through Our Lord . . .

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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The Community of the Monks of Adoration need donations

June 30, 2007 Update: The Monks of Adoration in the Venice diocese have been suppressed due to lack of vocations

While I was searching the Internet for the best site to find a copy of the Liturgy of Hours, I found the website for the Community of the Monks of Adoration. It is a contemplative order following the Rule of St. Augustine. They wear a gray tunic and scapular with a hood, a black rosary worn on the belt, and a medallion with the symbol of their community (the photo to the left).

While on the site, I read that the Monks of Adoration are in need of money for a new monastery building. They desperately need the money, so they are asking that everyone that visits their website to participate in the BUCK A BRICK program. They are asking readers to send them one dollar. That's all they ask for! Please, visit their website and send a dollar to them today. A dollar isn't worth much, but if everyone of their millions of visitors sends a dollar, they will have a new monastery.

Please send contributions to this address:

The Community of The Monks of Adoration
Saint Joseph the Worker Monastery Fund
2241 Englewood Road
Englewood, FL 34223.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be."

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St. Anthony of Egypt

Memorial (1969 Calendar): January 17
Double (1954 Calendar): January 17

Today is the feastday of St. Anthony of Egypt (251-356). After the death of his parents, St. Anthony, only 20 years old, left the world and its riches after hearing the Gospel: “Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor” (Mark 10:21). St. Anthony sold his house, furniture, and the land he owned, and he gave the proceeds to the poor. He joined the anchorites who lived nearby. At age 35 he moved alone to the desert and lived for 20 years in an abandoned fort.

Although he barricaded himself inside in order to achieve solitude, admirers broke in. St. Anthony miraculously healed people while agreeing to be the spiritual counselor of others. He also founded two monasteries on the Nile: one at Pispir, one at Arsinoe. In 311 AD, he left his solitude in order to combat Arianism and comfort the victims of Emperor Maximinus' persecution. While there, he again met his sister, who had also left the world and lived as a nun.

St. Anthony was modest and courteous. He died in solitude in 356 AD at Mount Colzim of natural causes at the age of 105; his relics are located near Vienne.

Prayer:

May the intercession of blessed Anthony the Abbot commend us unto Thee, we beseech Thee, O Lord: so that what we cannot acquire by any merits of ours, we may obtain by his patronage. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

Traditional Matins Reading:

Antony was born in Egypt, of noble and Christian parents, who left him an orphan at an early age. Having one day entered a Church, he heard these words of the Gospel being read: If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell all thou hast, and give to the poor. He took them as addressed to himself, and thought it his duty to obey these words of Christ his Lord. Selling therefore his possessions, he distributed all the money among the poor. Being freed from these obstacles, he resolved to lead on earth a heavenly life. But at his entrance on the perils of such a combat, he felt that besides the shield of faith, wherewith he was armed, he must needs fortify himself with the other virtues; and so ardent was his desire to possess them, that whomsoever he saw excelling in any virtue, him did he study to imitate.

Nothing, therefore, could exceed his continency and vigilance. He surpassed all in patience, meekness, mercy, humility, manual labour, and the study of the Sacred Scriptures. So great was his aversion for the company of, or conversation with, heretics, especially the Arians, that he used to say that we ought not even to go near them. He lay on the ground when necessity obliged him to sleep. As to fasting, he practised it with so much fervour that his only nourishment was bread seasoned with salt, and he quenched his thirst with water; neither did he take this his food and drink until sunset, and frequently abstained from it altogether for two successive days. He very frequently spent the whole night in prayer. Antony became so valiant a soldier of God that the enemy of mankind, ill-brooking such extraordinary virtue, attacked him with manifold temptations; but the Saint overcame them all by fasting and prayer. Neither did his victories over Satan make him heedless, for he knew how innumerable are the devil’s artifices for injuring souls.

Knowing this, he betook himself into one of the largest deserts of Egypt, where such was his progress in Christian perfection that the wicked spirits, whose attacks grew more furious as Antony’s resistance grew more resolute, became the object of his contempt, so much so indeed, that he would sometimes taunt them for their weakness. When encouraging his disciples to fight against the devil, and teaching them the arms wherewith they would vanquish him, he used often to say to them: 'Believe me, Brethren, Satan dreads the watchings of holy men, and their prayers, and fasts, and voluntary poverty, and works of mercy, and humility, and above all, their ardent love for Christ our Lord, at the mere sign of whose most holy Cross he is disabled and put to flight.' So formidable was he to the devils that many persons in Egypt who were possessed by them were delivered by invoking Antony's name. So great. too, was his reputation for sanctity, that Constantine the Great and his sons wrote to him, commending themselves to his prayers. At length, having reached the hundred and fifth year of his age, and having received a countless number into his institute, he called his Monks together; and having instructed them how to regulate their lives according to Christian perfection, he, venerated both for the miracles he had wrought, and for the holiness of his life, departed from this world to heaven on the sixteenth of the Calends of February (January 17).

St. Anthony Receives His Vocation by St. Athanasius:

When Anthony was about eighteen or twenty years old, his parents died, leaving him with an only sister. He cared for her as she was very young, and also looked after their home.

Not six months after his parents’ death, as he was on his way to church for his usual visit, he began to think of how the apostles had left everything and followed the Saviour, and also of those mentioned in the book of Acts who had sold their possessions and brought the apostles the money for distribution to the needy. He reflected too on the great hope stored up in heaven for such as these. This was all in his mind when, entering the church just as the Gospel was being read, he heard the Lord’s words to the rich man: If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor – you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me.

It seemed to Anthony that it was God who had brought the saints to his mind and that the words of the Gospel had been spoken directly to him. Immediately he left the church and gave away to the villagers all the property he had inherited, about 200 acres of very beautiful and fertile land, so that it would cause no distraction to his sister and himself. He sold all his other possessions as well, giving to the poor the considerable sum of money he collected. However, to care for his sister he retained a few things.

The next time he went to church he heard the Lord say in the Gospel: Do not be anxious about tomorrow. Without a moment’s hesitation, he went out and gave the poor all that he had left. He placed his sister in the care of some well-known and trustworthy virgins and arranged for her to be brought up in the convent. Then he gave himself up to the ascetic life, not far from his own home. He kept a careful watch over himself and practised great austerity. He did manual work because he had heard the words: If anyone will not work, do not let him eat. He spent some of his earnings on bread and the rest he gave to the poor.

Having learned that we should always be praying, even when we are by ourselves, he prayed without ceasing. Indeed, he was so attentive when Scripture was read that nothing escaped him and because he retained all he heard, his memory served him in place of books.

Seeing the kind of life he lived, the villagers and all the good men he knew called him the friend of God, and they loved him as both son and brother.

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St. Dominic of Silos

St. Dominic of Silos (1000 - 1073) was born into a peasant family and spent much time in the solitude of the fields. He became a priest. However, one day he quarreled with the king and was exiled with two other monks. St. Dominic of Silos established a monastery in what was believed to be an unfavorable area of Spain. But, the monastery soon became the site of numerous reported healings.

Nearly 100 years after his death, a young woman visited his tomb. She was Joan of Aza, and there St. Dominic of Silos appeared to her and told her that she would bear another son. That son was to be St. Dominic who founded the Dominicans.

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St. Jerome

Memorial (1969 Calendar): September 30
Double (1955 Calendar): September 30

Today the Church remembers St. Jerome (347 - 419). St. Jerome was born to a wealthy pagan family, and he spent his youth in pursuit of worldly values before going to study law in Rome. In 365 AD, St. Jerome was baptized and converted to the Catholic Faith, the only Christian Faith at the time. After his interior conversion, St. Jerome began to live as a monk. He lived for many years in the Syrian Desert as a hermit.

It is said that on one occasion, St. Jerome removed a thorn from a lion's paw, and the animal stayed loyally at his side for years. St. Jerome was a student of Saint Gregory of Nazianzen and became a priest. He was also the Secretary to Pope Damasus I, who commissioned St. Jerome to revise the Latin text of the Bible. After 30 years, the Latin Vulgate was created. St. Jerome was also the friend and teacher of Saint Paula, Saint Marcella, and Saint Eustochium. After all of this, St. Jerome returned to live as a hermit in the Syrian deserts and remained there for the last 34 years of his life.

St. Jerome wrote translations of Origen, histories, biographies, and much more. He is also a Doctor of the Church as well as a Father of the Church. St. Jerome died in 419 AD, and his relics reside in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome.

We can learn from Saint Jerome, not that sainthood is only for hermits, but that sainthood is made of many paths that all intersect in the one to come on the narrow road. We can be hermits, priests, layman, etc. But we can still find Christ. The most important thing though is that no matter what title we have in front of our name (Mr., Fr., etc) we remember that we have a more important title - Catholic. And we should live the Catholic life in its entirety by not only going to Mass but by prayer to God and love for Him and others. Love is the road to Heaven.

Spiritus Paraclitus:

Since the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, had bestowed the Scriptures on the human race for their instruction in Divine things, He also raised up in successive ages saintly and learned men whose task it should be to develop that treasure and so provide for the faithful plenteous "consolation from the Scriptures."[1] Foremost among these teachers stands St. Jerome. Him the Catholic Church acclaims and reveres as her "Greatest Doctor," divinely given her for the understanding of the Bible. And now that the fifteenth centenary of his death is approaching we would not willingly let pass so favorable an opportunity of addressing you on the debt we owe him. For the responsibility of our Apostolic office impels us to set before you his wonderful example and so promote the study of Holy Scripture in accordance with the teaching of our predecessors, Leo XIII and Pius X, which we desire to apply more precisely still to the present needs of the Church. For St. Jerome -- "strenuous Catholic, learned in the Scriptures,"[2] "teacher of Catholics,"[3] "model of virtue, world's teacher"[4] -- has by his earnest and illuminative defense of Catholic doctrine on Holy Scripture left us most precious instructions. These we propose to set before you and so promote among the children of the Church, and especially among the clergy, assiduous and reverent study of the Bible.

ENCYCLICAL OF POPE BENEDICT XV ON ST. JEROME SEPTEMBER 15, 1920

Prayer:

O God, Who in blessed Jerome, Thy Confessor, didst vouchsafe to provide for Thy Church a great teacher for expounding the Sacred Scripture: grant, we beseech Thee, that through his merits and prayers we may be able, by the help of Thy grace, to practice what he taught by both word and example. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Memorial (1969 Calendar): August 20
Double (1955 Calendar): August 20

Today the Church remembers St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), abbot and Doctor of the Church, who was canonized, 21 years after his death. He is referred to as the second founder of the Cistercians, the Mellifluous Doctor, the Apostle of the Crusades, the miracle-worker, the reconciler of kings, the leader of peoples, and the counselor of popes. In 1830, he was given the title of Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius VIII.

He was born in 1090, the third son of a noble Burgundian family. At an early age he was sent to college at Chatillon. He studied Holy Scripture and Theology. St. Bernard, at the age of 22, entered the monastery of Citeaux (where the Cistercian order began) following the death of his mother and fearing the ways of the world. He convinced 25 other youths in the noble class as well as four his brothers to follow him. His father and a fifth brother later followed. St. Stephen, the abbot at Citeaux, after seeing the great progress of Bernard in the spiritual life, sent him with twelve monks to found a new monastery. St. Bernard would found the famous Abbey of Clairvaux. St. Bernard became abbot in 1115; he founded numerous other monasteries too. St. Bernard dedicated his work, De Consideratione, to his disciple, Bernard of Pisa, who later became Pope Eugene III. Pope Eugene III later asked St. Bernard to preach the second Crusade, so St. Bernard traveled France and Germany preaching. After the failure of the crusade, some people turned on St. Bernard. St. Bernard countered by saying that the knights failed because of their sinfulness.

St. Bernard's influence on the princes, clergy, and people of his time was remarkable. He was an advisor to King Louis the Fat and King Louis the Young. St. Bernard attended the Second Lateran Council and both fought Albigensianism and helped to end the schism of anti-Pope Anacletus II. He was also endowed with the gift of miracles. He died on August 20, 1153. St. Bernard was the first Cistercian monk placed on the calendar of saints. He was canonized just 21 years after his death by Pope Alexander III. In 1830 Pope Pius VIII declared him a Doctor of the Church.

Traditional Matins Reading:

Bernard was born of a distinguished family at Fontaines in Burgundy. As a youth, on account of his great beauty he was much Bought after by women, but could never be shaken in his resolution of observing chastity. To escape these temptations of the devil, he, at twenty-two years of age, determined to enter the monastery of Citeaux, the first house of the Cistercian Order, then famous for sanctity. When his brothers learnt Bernard’s design, they did their best to deter him from it; but he, more eloquent and more successful, won them and many others to his opinion; so that together with him thirty young men embraced the Cistercian Rule. As a monk he was so given to fasting, that whenever he had to take food he seemed to be undergoing torture. He applied himself in a wonderful manner to prayer and watching, and was a great lover of Christian poverty; thus he led a heavenly life on earth, free from all anxiety or desire of perishable goods.

The virtues of humility, mercy, and kindness shone conspicuously in his character. He devoted himself so earnestly to contemplation, that he seemed hardly to use his senses except to do acts of charity, and in these he was remarkable for his prudence. While thus occupied he refused the bishoprics of Genoa, Milan, and others, which were offered to him, declaring that he was unworthy of so great an office. He afterwards became Abbot of Clairvaux, and built monasteries in many places, wherein the excellent rules and discipline of Bernard long flourished. When the monastery of SS. Vincent and Anastasius of Rome was restored by Pope Innocent II, St. Bernard appointed as Abbot the future Sovereign Pontiff, Eugenius III; to whom he also sent his book 'De Considera tione.'

He wrote many other works which clearly show that his doctrine was more the gift of God than the result of his own labours. On account of his great reputation for virtue, the greatest princes begged him to act as arbiter in their disputes, and he went several times into Italy for this purpose, and for arranging ecclesiastical affairs. He was of great assistance to the Supreme Pontiff Innocent II in putting down the schism of Peter de Leone, both at the courts of the emperor and of King Henry of England, and at a Council held at Pisa. At length, being sixty-three years old, he fell asleep in the Lord. He was famous for miracles, and Pope Alexander III placed him among the saints. Pope Pius VIII, with the advice of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, declared St. Bernard a Doctor of the universal Church, and commanded all to recite the Mass and Office of a Doctor on his feast. He also granted a plenary indulgence yearly for ever, to all who visit churches of the Cistercian Order on this day.

Quotation:

“In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name depart from your lips, never suffer it to leave your heart. And that you may more surely obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps. With her for guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you are safe from deception; while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection you have nothing to fear; if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favor, you shall reach the goal.”

Doctor Mellifluus:

The "Doctor Mellifluus," "the last of the Fathers, but certainly not inferior to the earlier ones,"[1] was remarkable for such qualities of nature and of mind, and so enriched by God with heavenly gifts, that in the changing and often stormy times in which he lived, he seemed to dominate by his holiness, wisdom, and most prudent counsel. Wherefore, he has been highly praised, not only by the sovereign Pontiffs and writers of the Catholic Church, but also, and not infrequently, by heretics. Thus, when in the midst of universal jubilation, Our predecessor, Alexander III, of happy memory, inscribed him among the canonized saints, he paid reverent tribute when he wrote: "We have passed in review the holy and venerable life of this same blessed man, not only in himself a shining example of holiness and religion, but also shone forth in the whole Church of God because of his faith and of his fruitful influence in the house of God by word and example; since he taught the precepts of our holy religion even to foreign and barbarian nations, and so recalled a countless multitude of sinners . . . to the right path of the spiritual life."[2] "He was," as Cardinal Baronius writes, "a truly apostolic man, nay, a genuine apostle sent by God, mighty in work and word, everywhere and in all things adding luster to his apostolate through the signs that followed, so that he was in nothing inferior to the great apostles, . . . and should be called . . . at one and the same time an adornment and a mainstay of the Catholic Church."[3]

ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XII ON ST. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, THE LAST OF THE FATHERS MAY 24, 1953

Prayer:

O God, Who didst give blessed Bernard to Thy people as a minister of eternal salvation: grant, we beseech Thee, that we, who have had him for our teacher on earth, may deserve to have him for our advocate in heaven. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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Morning Prayer

I would like to take a minute and explain the great importance of a morning offering (Lauds). In a morning offering we offer up to God our prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of the day for His glory and for His intentions.

"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted" (St. John Vianney)

I strongly recommend learning a morning offering and reciting it everday when you wake. This is not only showing that we wish to serve God that day but also that we love Him enough to put Him first at the beginning of a new day.

A Morning Offering:

O, My Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary I offer thee my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation of sin, and the reunion of all Christians. I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and all the apostles of prayer, and in particular those recommended by our Holy Father this month.

For those that are interested, the Liturgy of the Hours is a great way to pray each day. It is the prayer of the Church, which is prayed a specific times each day by the pope, priests, bishops, nuns, monks, and many lay people. Ebrievary offers some of the daily prayers online, but I would suggest purchasing a book instead.

"Now, throughout the day, offer up your harships and sacrifices to Jesus, uniting them with His sufferings and merits so that our works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him. It is especially beneficial to offer them to Mary to give to Jesus so that her intercession as Queen Mother of Israel renders them more pleasing.

The Morning Offering can be renewed throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "ejaculations" or "aspirations"), for ex., 'All for Thee, Jesus!'" (Source Read More Here)

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain, Title Unknown

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St. Benedict, Founder of Western Monasticism

 

Greater Double (1954 Calendar): March 21
Memorial (1969 Calendar): July 11

St. Benedict is probably one of the Catholic Church's most recognized saints. Dom Gueranger writes at the beginning of his entry for March 21st the following:

Forty days after the white dove of Cassino had mounted to heaven, Benedict, her glorious brother, ascended by a bright path to the blissful abode, where they were to be united for ever. Both of them reached the heavenly country during that portion of the year which corresponds with the holy season of Lent. It frequently happens, however, that St. Scholastica’s feast is kept before Lent has begun; whereas St. Benedict’s day, the twenty-first of March, always comes during the season of penance. God, who is the sovereign Master of time, willed that the faithful, whilst practising their exercises of penance, should always have before their eyes a saint whose example and intercession would inspire them with courage. With what profound veneration ought we to celebrate the festival of this wonderful saint, who, as St. Gregory says, was filled with the spirit of all the just! If we consider his virtues, we find nothing superior in the annals of perfection presented to our admiration by the Church.

Saint Benedict of Norsia (c. 480 - c. 547) is called the Founder of Western Monasticism. He was born c. 480 in Norsia, Italy as part of the Roman nobility and as the twin sister, Saint Scholastica. He studied in Rome but was dismayed by the lack of discipline there. St. Benedict retreated to the mountains near Subiaco and lived as a hermit in a cave for three years. Legend even says that during this time of meditation and prayer, he was fed by a raven.

Because of his virtues, he was requested to lead an abbey of monks. So he founded the monastery at Monte Cassino. It was there that he wrote the Rule of St. Benedict, which Benedictine Monks still follow today. However, his enforced discipline and holiness was not liked by everyone.

Several monks tried to poison him. Yet as St. Benedict said the prayer of blessing and made the sign of the Cross over his meal before he ate and drank, the poison was rendered harmless. St. Benedict returned to his cave, but he attracted many followers. He would found 12 monasteries.

St. Benedict had the ability to read consciences, prophesy, and forestall attacks from the devil. He destroyed many pagan statues and altars and drove demons from groves sacred to pagans. Many people wear the St. Benedict's Crucifix today, which is a powerful Sacramental.  St. Benedict was a shining example of holiness and brought back from the dead several of those who had died.

The Life of St. Benedict written by Pope St. Gregory the Great is an absolute must-read.

St. Benedict died on March 21, 547, due to a fever while in prayer at Monte Cassino, Italy. His remains are beneath the High Altar in the same tomb as his twin sister, St. Scholastica. At one point over 40,000 monasteries followed the Benedictine Rule. His Rule has been summed into three words: Ora et labora (Pray and work).

Taken from the New Liturgical Movement Website on the timing of the Feast of St. Benedict:

St Benedict died on March 21 in the year 543 or 547, and this was the date on which his principal feast was traditionally kept, and is still kept by Benedictines; it is sometimes referred to on the liturgical calendars of Benedictine liturgical books as the “Transitus - Passing”

There was also a second feast to honor the translation of his relics, which was kept on July 11. The location to which the relics were translated is still a matter of dispute, with the Abbey of Monte Cassino in Italy, founded by the Saint himself, and the French Abbey of Fleury, also known as Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire, both claiming to possess them. This second feast is found in many medieval missals and breviaries, even in places not served by monastic communities. (It was not, however, observed by either the Cistercians or Carthusians.). 

The second feast was in a certain sense the more solemn in the traditional use of the Benedictines; March 21 always falls in Lent, and the celebration of octaves in Lent was prohibited, but most monastic missals have the July 11 feast with an octave. In the post-Conciliar reform of the Calendar, many Saints, including St Benedict, were moved out of Lent; in his case, to the day of this second feast in the Benedictine Calendar.

Fulgens Radiatur:

Like a star in the darkness of night, Benedict of Nursia brilliantly shines, a glory not only to Italy but of the whole Church. Whoever considers his celebrated life and studies in the light of the truth of history, the gloomy and stormy times in which he lived, will without doubt realize the truth of the divine promise which Christ made to the Apostles and to the society He founded "I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world."[1] At no time in history does this promise lose its force; it is verified in the course of all ages flowing, as they do, under the guidance of divine Providence. But when enemies assail the Christian name more fiercely, when the fateful barque of Peter is tossed about more violently and when everything seems to be tottering with no hope of human support, it is then that Christ is present, bondsman, comforter, source of supernatural power, and raises up fresh champions to protect Catholicism, to restore it to its former vigor, and give it even greater increase under the inspiration and help of heavenly grace.

Encyclical of His Holiness Pope Pius XII On St. Benedict March 21, 1947

Prayer:

May the intercession of blessed Benedict the Abbot commend us unto Thee, we beseech Thee, O Lord: so that what we cannot acquire by any merits of ours, we may obtain by his patronage. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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