The Meditation The Fifth Sunday After the Epiphany

February 5th - A.D. 2017

The Sower ( Le Semeur) 1886/94

Painting by James Joseph Tissot (1836 – 1902 )

2.

The Collect for the Fifth Sunday After the Epiphany - A.D. 2017

O Lord, we beseech thee to keep thy Church and household continually in thy true

religion; that they who do lean only upon the hope of thy heavenly grace may evermore be

defended by thy mighty power; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Paul writes to Timothy: “They will preserve all outward forms of religion, although they

have long been strangers to its meaning. From these too, turn away.” (II Timothy; Ch. 3, Vs. 5 –

from the Vulgate translation for clarity.) It’s an appropriate verse which is reflected in today’s collect,

and a good place to begin this meditation.

Christ compares hypocrisy, in its lifelessness and fruitlessness, to death and corruption; that

great doom that is pronounced on sin by the wrath and judgement of God which is the grave. . .

the End. Jesus calls out to the Pharisees: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For

ye are like unto whitewashed sepulchers which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within

full of dead men’s bones and all manners of corruption.” (St. Matthew; Ch. 23, Vs. 27.) “Now

do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and platter; but your inward part is full of

ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is

within also? But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and behold all things are clean

within you.” (St. Luke; Ch. 11 Vss 39-41).

There must be a unity between our exterior and our interior lives if, as is our earthly task, we

are to bear fruit for both our souls and the souls of others that God may send to us. This is an

essential condition of apostleship. Jesus says: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought

to desolation; And every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.” (Matt.; Ch. 12, Vs.

25). These words for us today are realistically relevant on so many levels, but let’s focus on the

individual. A person who accepts any such divisions within themselves in order to be judged

more favorably by their friends and ‘society’, will by their own fault, bear no fruit, and in the end

it is Almighty God who judges them. Scripture is quite clear on the measure of judgement,

despite human efforts to try to “spin” it to contemporary thinking and mores.

Domine, Miserere nobis! Kyrie Eleaison! Lord, have mercy upon us! This should be

humanity’s cry. We implore our heavenly Lord to teach us how to be sincere and open with

Him, the Father, and our fellow human-beings. Save us, O Lord, from exaggerated desires of

self-preservation, self-esteem, and self-development as the world would have it. Save us from

all foolish cravings for the respect and esteem of others; protect us from complacency, from false

piety, and scrupulosity in faith and worship. Let us beg our Lord to heal us from the blindness

which prevents us from seeing ourselves as He sees us. Let us ask for true humility, complete

3.

humility that comes from self-abandonment, which brings peace, because it is the truth which

sets us free. (ref. St. John: Ch. 8, vs. 32) * The truth being that Jesus is all and we are nothing in His

sight. He knows us better than we know ourselves or better than any human can know us. He

alone has the right to judge each one of us, and His judgement alone is just.

Jesus Christ knows that it is difficult for us to each see our own hypocrisy, and that’s where it

is of great importance that we should ask in our prayers, for His help daily to see ourselves as we

really are, and never try to make ourselves out to be better than we ‘know’ ourselves to be, for

we might fool ourselves, we might even fool others, but we won’t fool our Lord! It’s like trying

to bluff and then drawing the joker in a card-game …! Let us be content with Christ, Who is

true peace and rest; without Him is trouble and anxiety. We must not let our peace be disturbed

by the judgements of mankind, whether they be favorable or unfavorable, unless they come

through those who hold place for Christ. We should let the judgements of others merely make us

more observant and even more critical of our conduct. Let us ask in our daily prayers to be

granted the grace to desire above all things, peace and rest in Christ, and to find in Him alone

(soli Christi) that peace for which we all long, and what the world cannot ever give. We will find

the highest and eternal Good in the peace of God and Christ which is beyond understanding.

It’s only in that peace that we will take our rest.

There’s another form of discord which is the direct opposite of hypocrisy. Just as the

hypocrite is anxious to hide their faults and shortcomings, so too, do some seem anxious to hide

the graces which God gives them. This may sound a little strange, but it’s worth examining.

Such souls will often say willingly enough that God is good, but not that He is good to them!

Now, this may be the result of a certain amount of natural reserve, or even shyness or fear of

being misunderstood, or even disbelieved . . . or of even seeming to be boastful, but whatever the

reason may be, it is often a most unfortunate mistake. In any case, it is the result of two errors.

First, the soul forgets that every grace is as its name implies, gratuitous, the result of God’s

mercy, not of our own merits; “What hast thou that thou hast not received?” (I Corinthians;

Chap. 4, Vs. 7.) Second, the person forgets that they are a member of an association having all

things in common; the Church. They defraud their community if they don’t add their spiritual

gains to the common stock. This kind of silence is unfruitful and can’t be justified by the verse:

“It is good to close the secret of a king.” - which is only half the text, that concludes with:

“ but it is honorable to reveal the works of God.” (Tobit: Ch. 12, Vs. 7.). The Blessed Virgin

Mary didn’t hesitate to sing her Magnificat and to proclaim “the great things” God had done in

her.

4.

Mankind’s union with God requires a foundation of natural unity, a harmony if you will,

which partly comes from Him and is partly used by Him, for although His love makes us

resemble Him, it doesn’t do so without our co-operation. Our minds and wills must be one, and

be expressed in the same manner, so that neither seems to predominate. Being and doing unite,

as Fr. Gazelle ** describes with a charming simplicity:

What I do not give,

Is not within me.

Hypocrite can no one name me.

My mind and voice,

My actions and intentions,

As they are within,

So are they without.

My heart is in my hands –

Who can shame me?

The tide of pure intention, with its ebb and flow, is clearly visible in the lives of Saints. The

living waters of grace never cease to flow in them. St. John Marie Vianney (the Cure of Ars) says

that saintly hearts are “liquid”; they flow into the hearts of Christ and their brethren ; hearts that

know they possess nothing, and so they keep nothing for themselves. Everything is on loan,

which nourished by the living waters whose streams they can’t contain, yields an interest through

our neighbors.

Blessed John van Ruysbroeck,*** a Flemish mystic writing in his “Espousals” has a

wonderful chapter on “ the rich and generous overflow of God in every creature.” - an

overflow which must eventually return to its origin.

Let us ask our Lord in our prayers, to make us simple, to open our hearts in deep humility to

receive Him, that we may reach that supernatural harmony.

“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee. My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh also

longeth after thee, in a barren and dry land where no water is.” - Psalm 63, Vss. 1 & 2

5.

* “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John; Ch. 8, Vs. 32)

Fr. Guido Peter Gazelle

1831 - 1899

** Fr. Guido Peter Gazelle (1831-1899) was a Belgian Roman Catholic priest who was a

writer, poet, and linguist. He is little known to Americans, but is well-known to Europeans for

his writings and poetry and especially in his work in attempting to develop an independent

Flemish language native to Belgium and free of Dutch linguistic influence. Also fluent in

English, he was an Anglophile and held a great interest in studying American Indian culture and

their conversion to Christianity. He translated Longfellow’s poem ‘Hiawatha’ into Flemish. He

lived an obscure life serving as chaplain & confessor to an English-speaking convent in Belgium.

6.

Bl. John van Ruysbroeck

***Blessed John van Ruysbrueck (1293 – 1381) was a Flemish mystic. He served as a parish

priest in the early years of his vocation. He was influenced by both the local Carthusian and

Poor Clare communities, and in mid-life, sought to live in contemplation and seclusion. He and

several like-minded clerics formed a community of cannons and lived in a small monastery in

the Belgian woods. It was during this time in his life he wrote his spiritual treaties. His best

known works are: Divine Lovers, The Spiritual Espousals, and The Little Book of

Enlightenment.

Priory Kalendar For the week of:

February 5th to February 12th - A.D. 2017

In Epiphanytide - Septuagessimatide

_________________________________________________________________

Sunday, February 5th . . . .Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany… comm. St. Agatha; V. & Myr. Note 1

Monday, February 6th . . . . St. Titus; Bp. & Myr. – 1st century Crete

Tuesday, February 7th . . . St. Romauld; Abt. and founder of the Camaldolese Order :

Benedictine Hermits – 11th cent. Italy.

Wednesday, February 8th. . St. John of Matha; C. & founder of Trinitarian Order - 12th cent. France

Thursday, February 9th . . . St. Cyril of Alexandria; Bp. Conf. & Doct. - 5th cent. Egypt.

7.

Friday, February 10th . . . .St. Scholastica, V. O.S.B. sister of St. Benedict & first Benedictine nun.

Saturday, February 11th . . . . Alleluia Saturday . . . we bid ‘farewell’ to the Alleluia at NONE today. It

returns at the Easter Vigil on Saturday, April 15th.

Sunday, February 12th . . . Septuagessima . . .comm. St. Benedict Biscop; Abt. OSB - 7th cent. England.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Note 1: February 5th, Feast of St. Agatha - Note from the Medieval Sarum Kalendar; ‘The Sunday after the

first moon after St. Agatha’s Day will be XL Sunday (Quadragessima Sunday – a.k.a. the First Sunday in Lent.’

__________________________________________________

KALENDAR KEY

Ab. = Abbot, Abs. = Abbess, Abp. = Archbishop, Anc. = Anchorite, Ancs. = Anchoress,

Ap. = Apostle, Bl. = Blessed, Br. = Brother, Bp. = Bishop, Card. = Cardinal,

C. or Conf. = Confessor, Comm. = Commemoration/Commemorate, Dcn. = Deacon, Doct.

= Doctor of the Church, Ev. = Evangelist, H. = Hermit, LBr. = Lay Brother, LSr. = Lay

Sister, K. = King, Mat. = Matron, M. = Monk, M.M. = Month’s Mind ( Requiem for the

recently departed on the 30th day after death or burial). Myr. = Martyr, N. = Nun, Obl. =

Oblate, P. = Priest, Po. = Pope, Pr. = Prior, Prs. = Prioress, R. = Recluse, RM =

Requien Mortuorum, ( Mass and Offices for the departed once a month as designated on

Kalendar). S Dcn. = Sub Deacon, Q. = Queen, Ven. = Venerable, Vir. = Virgin, W. =

Widow.

FASTING KEY: ……… A = Abstinence, F = Fast, F & A = Fast and Abstinence

RELIGIOUS ORDER ABBREVIATIONS: C.O = Congregation of the Oratory (Oratorians),

C.P. = Congregation of the Passion (Passionists), C.S.J. = Congregation of the Society of Jesus

(Jesuits), Er. Cam. = Camaldolese Hermits, F.P. O. = Franciscans of the Primitive Observance,

O. Car. = Carmelite Order, O. Cart. Carthusian Order, O.C.D. = Order of Discalced Friars

(Carmelites), O.F.A. = Augustinian Order, O.F.M = Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans),

O.F.M. Cap = Capuchin Order, O.P. = Order of Preachers (Dominicans also called ‘Blackfriars’),

O. Praem. = Order of Cannons Regular (Norbertines), O.S.B. = Order of St. Benedict

(Benedictines), O.Ss. S. = Bridgettines, O.S.U = Ursulines, O.C.O. = Order of the Cistercian

Observance (Trappists/Trappistines), O.C.S.O. = Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance

(Trappists/ Trappistines).

The Meditation is an online apostolate of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Priory in Raymond, Maine, USA.

We are an Anglican-Catholic Benedictine contemplative community that follows the Holy Rule of St.

Benedict, the 5th century Father of Western Monasticism. We are affiliated within the Diocese of the

Northeast (DNE), of the Anglican Church in America (ACA), a member of the worldwide Traditional

Anglican Communion (TAC).

The Meditation is a weekly online offering that is sent out free of charge to anyone who desires to receive

it. Subscribers may copy and pass along the Meditation to their families and friends, or send us their e-

address (with their permission) to add to our subscription list so they may receive it directly from us. Each

issue is sent out as a BCC (Blank Copy) in respect to subscriber privacy and online security. To subscribe,

contact us at: klamarre@maine.rr.com

In respect to our contemplative vocation and the animals in our rescue and rehab center, we do not have

guest facilities and do not regularly receive visitors.

__________________________________________________________________

Animal News

Sr. Mary Francis, O.S.B.

Winter Kids !

Br. Raymond does some sledding!

Even though he’s off taking some classes for the winter, our Br. Raymond knows a good

‘snow day’ when he sees it! Here are a few photos taken by one of his school mates of our

brother doing a bit of sledding on a roof covered with freshly-fallen snow using a bottle cap as

his sled!

Speaking of sledding…

One way of getting around the Priory in Winter!

Fr. Kevin in route to paying a visit to Br. Chip at his hermitage in the woods this week. it’s

all downhill . . . navigating the woods added a bit of thrill to the trip, however!

PAX