- Psalm 91:1-6 -
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your ****eld and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
______________________________________________________________________
God is a shelter, a refuge when we are afraid. The writer's faith in the
Almighty God as protector would carry him through all the dangers and
fears of
life. This should be a picture of our trust - trading all our fears for
faith in
him, no matter how intense our fears. To do this we must "dwell" and
"rest" with
him. By entrusting ourselves to his protection and pledging our daily
devotion
to him, we will be kept safe.
<<>><<>><<>>
October 3rd - Saint Gerard, Abbot in Belgium
(d. 959)
Saint Gerard was born of a noble family towards the end of the ninth
century, in
the county of Namur in Belgium. An engaging sweetness of temper, added to
a
strong inclination to piety and devotion, gained for him from the cradle,
the
affection and esteem of all. He at first followed the career of arms, but
never
lost his piety amid the distractions and temptations of camp life. When
sent on
an im****tant mission to the court of France by the Count of Namur, he was
greatly edified by the fervor of the Benedictine monks of Saint Denis in
Paris,
and earnestly desired to consecrate himself to God with them. Returning
home he
settled his tem****al affairs, and went back with great joy to the
monastery of
Saint Denis.
He lived for eleven years with great fervor in this monastery, and then
was
ordained a priest. In 931 he was sent by his French abbot to found an
abbey upon
his own estate at Brogne, three leagues from Namur. He established this
new
abbey, then built himself a little cell near the church, where he lived as
a
recluse until called to introduce strict monastic discipline in eighteen
other
abbeys, which he did successfully, assuming the duties of a Benedictine
Abbot
General. When he had spent almost twenty years in these zealous labors, he
again
retired to his cell at the Abbey of Brogne, which is now named for him, to
prepare his soul for the final journey. To this he was called on October
3, 959.
Reflection: Though we are in the world, let us strive to separate
ourselves from
it and consecrate ourselves to God, remembering that "the world p*****
away, but
he who does the Will of God abides forever." (I John 2:17)
Sources: Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, a compilation based on
Butler's
Lives of the Saints and other sources by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger
Brothers:
New York, 1894); The Catholic Encyclopedia, edited by C. G. Herbermann
with
numerous collaborators (Appleton Company: New York, 1908).
Saint Quote:
As without faith it is impossible to please God, so without mildness it is
impossible to please men and to govern them well.
-St. Bernard
Bible Quote
29 His disciples say to him: Behold, now thou speakest plainly, and
speakest no
proverb. 30 Now we know that thou knowest all things, and thou needest not
that
any man should ask thee. By this we believe that thou camest forth from
God.
(John 16:29-30)
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Prayer for a Happy Death
By St. Charles Borromeo
IN THE NAME of the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I, a
poor,
unhappy sinner, make this solemn declaration before thee, O beloved Angel,
who
has been given me as a protector by the Divine Majesty:
1. I desire to die in the Faith which the Holy, Roman and Apostolic Church
adheres to and defends, in which all the Saints of the New Testament have
died.
I pray thee, provide that I may not depart out of this life before the
Holy
Sacraments of that Church have been administered to me.
2. I pray that I may depart from this life under thy holy protection and
guidance, and I beseech thee, therefore, to assist me at the hour of my
death
and to propitiate the Eternal judge, whose Sacred Heart was inflamed with
most
ardent love for sinners upon the Cross.
3. With my whole heart I long to be made a partaker of the merits of Jesus
Christ and His holy Mother Mary, thine exalted Queen, and I pray thee,
through
the sufferings of Jesus on the Cross, to mitigate the agonies of my death
and to
move the Queen of Heaven to cast her loving glance upon me, a poor sinner,
in
that dreadful hour, for my sweetest consolation.
O my dearest Guardian Angel! Let my soul be placed in thy charge, and when
it
has gone forth from the prison of this body, do thou deliver it into the
hands
of its Creator and Redeemer, that with thee and all the Saints, it may
gaze upon
Him in the bliss of Heaven, love Him perfectly and find its blessedness in
Him
throughout eternity. Amen.
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