- 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 -
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is
made
perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my
weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for
Christ's
sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions,
in
difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
__________________________________________________________________
When I was at my lowest . . . confounded by obstacles . . . I discovered
an
astonishing truth: God is attracted to my weakness. He can't resist those
who
humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need him. Our weakness . .
.
makes room for his power.
- Jim Cymabala
<<>><<>><<>>
October 23rd - St. Severinus Boëthius M (RM)
Born at Rome c. 480; died at Pavia, 524; canonized by Pope Leo XIII in
1883.
"In other living creatures the ignorance of themselves is nature,
abut in men it is vice."
-Severinus Boëthius
Anicius Manlius Torquatus Severinus Boëthius was the scion of an
illustrious
and Christian Roman family. His father Flavius Manlius Boëthius, who was
consul in 487, died and left Boëthius a young orphan. He became the ward
and
then friend of the noble Aurelius Symmachus, whose daughter Rusticiana he
eventually married.
By the age of 30, the man who is best known as Boëthius was renowned for
his
learning, and he is recognized as one of the makers of the Christian West.
This is partly through his translation from the Greek of the works of
Plato,
Aristotle, Pythagoras the musician, Euclid, Ptolemy the astronomer, but
also
his own contributions to theology, logic, music, mathematics, and even
applied scientific engineering as in his designs for improved timepieces.
Under the Ostrogoth Emperor Theodoric in the West, Severinus Boëthius
became
a consul, and in due course his two sons were elevated into the
consulship.
But so high and influential a position in public and political life was
not
to be maintained. Suspicion, whether rightly or wrongly, that some of the
Roman senators were conspiring with Justin, the Eastern emperor at
Constantinople, the aged Theodoric charged an ex-consul named Albinus.
Boëthius publicly defended him in court, and for this quite proper
proceeding in Roman law, he was thrown into prison at Ticinum (Pavia).
(Delaney says that Boëthius himself was charged with treason and sacrilege
for allegedly using astronomy for impious purposes. Bentley states that he
was accused of being a magician and of writing letters subversive of good
order.)
During his 9-month imprisonment, he wrote his most famous work, "The
Consolation of Philosophy". Only his father-in-law Symmachus was brave
enough to speak for him and, after torture, he was brutally beheaded.
Theodoric was an Arian, and this, combined with St. Severinus's stand for
justice in public life, led to his acclaim as a martyr. His relics are
enshrined in the church of St. Peter in Ciel d'Oro at Pavia. His feast is
also kept at the church of Santa Maria in Portico, Rome.
His extant writings include the notable "de sancta Trinitate", a treatise
attacking the heresies of Eutyches and Nestorius, and three other
theological works. He also wrote on arithmetic and music. He translated
books by Aristotle and Porphyry, as well as writing commentaries on
Aristotle and Cicero.
But his loved and revered "Consolation of Philosophy" (which has had many
translators, including King Alfred the Great, Geoffrey Chaucer, and Queen
Elizabeth I), remains his masterpiece. Its five books are filled with
snatches of poetry.
He recounts how suffering has brought him to a premature old age. But that
he takes comfort that God rules the world. He begins to learn the true
nature of himself. Evil, philosophy tells him, can have no real existence,
since the all-powerful God does not wish it. Vice never goes ultimately
unpunished. Virtue in the end is rewarded. And true happiness can be found
only in God Himself.
Fairly recent attempts to show that this could not have been composed by a
'practicing' Christian have proven ephemeral (Attwater, Bentley, Delaney,
Encyclopedia).
Bible Quote:
18 And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in
heaven and in earth. 19 Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 20
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and
behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.
(Matthew 28:18-20)
<><><><>
Prayer for the Helpless Unborn
Heavenly Father, in your love for us,
protect against the wickedness of the
devil, those helpless little ones to
whom you have give the gift of life.
Touch with pity the hearts of those
women pregnant in our world today
who are not thinking of motherhood.
Help them to see that the child they
carry is made in your image- as well
as theirs- made for eternal life.
Dispel their fear and selfishness and
give them for womanly hearts to love
their babies and give them birth and
all the needed care that a mother
alone can give.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
your Son, our Lord, who lives and
reigns in the Holy Spirit, one God,
forever and ever.
Amen.
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