Memorial of Saints on February 13

Blessed Jordan of Saxony entered the Dominicans, the Order of Preachers. He succeeded St. Dominic de Guzman (founder of the Dominicans) as master general of their religious Order in 1222 A.D. He died in ca. 1237 A.D.

St. Catherine de' Ricci was a Dominican nun known for her wisdom and concern for the sick. Over a 12-year period, she had deep spiritual experiences that led to her reception of the stigmata - the physical wounds of Christ crucified manifested in the body (died ca. 1590 A.D.).

St. Ermengild was of English nobility in 7th-8th century Kent, England. By her holy life, she converted her pagan husband and influenced him to lead their people to Christianity. After her husband's death, Ermengild entered a convent founded by her mother. After her mother's death, she became the third abbess of that convent (died ca. 703 A.D.).

St. Polyeuctus was a pagan Roman officer at first. Converted to Christianity by his friend Nearchus, he was imprisoned and tortured when ordered to renounce his faith in Christ. Zealous of his faith, he was eventually beheaded and died as a martyr for Christ (died ca. 259 A.D.).

St. Stephen of Rieti was abbot of a monastery near Rieti, Italy. There are not many sources about his life except for a mention of him by St. Gregory the Great. Gregory, who died in 604 A.D., and was an Italian who became pope in 590 A.D., praised St. Stephen of Rieti in one of his homilies (died ca. 560 A.D.).

St. Modomnoc became a monk and went to Wales to study under St. David. Catholic tradition tells the story how Modomnoc introduced bees to his native Ireland. When Modomnoc returned to Ireland from Wales, the bees accompanied him. Back home in Ireland, Modomnoc settled at Kilkenney and became bishop of Ossory (died ca. 6th century).

St. Licinius became a courtier at the court of his cousin King Clotaire I. He was then named count of Anjou by King Chilperic. After his intended marriage was discontinued because his bride-to-be got sick with leprosy, he decided rather to enter religious life. He entered a monastery and was elected as bishop of Anjou in 586 A.D. (died ca. 616 A.D.).

St. Martinian became a hermit when he was eighteen years old. He lived a solitary life for about twenty-five years. Catholic tradition tells many stories about Martinian: his resistance to the flattery of Zoe, a wealthy woman; his rescue of a girl from drowning because of a shipwreck; and his final years at Athens (died ca. 4th century A.D.).

7th Sunday of the Year (A)

(Edited) Sunday reflections: (From:) Liturgical years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)

February 23, 2014
Liturgical readings
Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18
Psalm 103
1 Corinthians 3:16-23
Matthew 5:38-48

"His sun rises on the bad and the good."

When Christ spoke of the importance of love of enemies in the gospel of Matthew, He emphasized this counsel with a reference to Jewish Law in Exodus 21:23-25. In that Exodus passage from the Old Testament, the Jewish Law quotes an "eye for eye". The context of this quote is a law that must be obeyed when a man hurts another man's pregnant wife, and causes her to have a miscarriage:

"...you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe" (Exodus 21:24).

Christ however puts love and forgiveness as a value greater than this Jewish law. By sacrificing His life on the cross to save mankind, He exemplified well this teaching. St. Gregory (ca. 540-604 A.D.) also made a comment on this:

"[Christ's] prayer to God was pure...for in the midst of His suffering...He prayed for His persecutors: 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing'".

It is natural for man to strike back when it is struck by another. This is instinctive for any man's survival. However, Christ teaches a wisdom that connects us to heaven, more than to this world with its animal instincts. It is a wisdom that helps us to pray and work for the perfection God wants of us. We all know the basic command that men should not kill. Christ's counsel to forgive our enemies elevates our soul from just the instinctual level to hurt whoever offended us. It is not an easy counsel to practice, but through the Spirit of Christ in the Sacraments, and perseverance in doing what is good and right, we can be more merciful and forgiving.

Scripture quotes for reflection:
You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart (Leviticus 19)
The Lord pardons all your iniquities; He heals all your ills (Psalm 103)
The temple of God is holy, and we are His temple (1 Corinthians 3)
Give to the man who begs from you; do not turn your back on the borrower (Matthew 5)

Celtic Christianity and its Monastic Influence on the Church

Introduction

Before the predominant model of monasticism began by St. Benedict of Nursia at Monte Cassino in 520 A.D., monasticism had another way of life and prayer in the newly converted Celtic lands of the Far West. This was rooted in the faith introduced by St. Patrick (ca. 461 A.D.). The monasteries of Celtic Christianity became centers of ecclesiastical life, as well as great schools of learning. Those in the forefront of the Celtic school were famous abbots like: Sts. Samson, Cadoc, Gildas, and David. They carried their monastic ideals across most of Europe: at Luxeuil in ca. 590 A.D.; at Jumieges in France; at Stavelot and Malmedy in Belgium; at St. Gall in Switzerland; and at Bobbio in Italy. These monasteries were founded by the Irish monks.

Historical notes: St. Patrick Christianizes Ireland

After being carried as a slave to Ireland around ca. 401 A.D., Patrick became acquainted with both the country and the language. When he was able to return to England in 407 A.D., some writings say he became a monk in the monastery of Lerin, then became a cleric in Auxerre, and eventually was sent as a missionary to Ireland where he acted as bishop. St. Patrick not only converted the Celtic tribes very well but organized them ecclesiastically. Because of St. Patrick's monastic formation, a monastic character thus became typical of Irish Christianity. It was the Irish monasteries that became the religious centers for each of the numerous Celtic tribes. Aside from the monastic leaders already mentioned above, there are other great holy founders like: Finnian, Columban the Elder of Hy, Comgall of Bangor, Brendan, Kevin, and Columban the Younger.

Irish Catholicism and private confession

In the sixth century, the monastic ideal that blossomed in Ireland became popular. Monasteries eventually became advanced schools of intellectual life and piety. The island produced countless saints and scholars and was called the "Insula Sanctorum". This golden age of the Irish Church lasted until about 740 A.D. It was from this golden age of Irish monasticism that the entire Catholic Church inherited the practice of private confession. The custom of private confession was first practiced by the Irish monks, who eventually recommended it to the lay faithful since they ask for advice on spiritual matters. Private confession thus became an instrument for spiritual guidance.

A monasticism which has a missionary spirit

In spite of its strong anchoritic (hermit) character, Irish monasticism also had a strong missionary spirit. Holy pilgrimage, the "Perigrinari pro Christo", was their ascetic ideal. This active Irish missionary monks were especially active in northwestern Germany, in Franconia, in Thuringia, Alemannia, Swabia, and Bavaria. Among the better known missionary monks were St. Kilian of Wurzburg (martyred in 689 A.D. with Colonatus and Totnanus), Pirminius (d. 753 A.D.), Corbinianus of Freising (d. 725 A.D.), Fridolin of Sackingen (ca. 600 A.D.), Trudpert of the Untermunster valley (d. ca. 607 A.D.), Rupertus of Worms (d. ca. 718 A.D.), Emmeranus of Regensburg (d. 715 A.D.), Findan of Rheinau (d. 878 A.D.), Furseus (d. ca. 647 A.D.), Eligius (d. ca. 660 A.D.), Amandus, Lambert, and Hubertus.

Conclusion

This summarized history of monasticism in the Celtic Church, makes one see that the monastic charism is like a prism which reflects many colors when the rays of the sun shine upon it. Each color of the monastic charism represents a specific monastic spiritual tradition that has sprung from the following of Christ and His gospel. Of the many monastic ideals (such as that of St. Basil in the East, the monks of the desert in Egypt, and the Benedictine monks of the West), the specific contribution of Irish monasticism to the whole Church is a sophisticated and ascetic striving for perfection through the individual guidance given in private confession. With Vatican II's introduction of communal penitential services, because of the Irish monastic influence, private confession still remains as a cherished tradition of confession in the Church today.