Restraining the tongue
The tongue should be prudently restrained, but not completely tied up.
It is written: Whoever is wise will keep silence until the right moment.
In
other words, when it
is seen that speech would be op****tune the censor****p of silence is
relaxed,
and an effort
made to speak some appropriate word. Elsewhere it is written: There is a
time to keep silence
and a time to speak. Different cir***stances should be prudently judged;
the
tongue should
not be unprofitably loosened in speech when it ought to be restrained; nor
should it indolently
withhold speech when it could speak with profit. Reflecting well upon
these
things, the psalmist
says: Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord, and a door of discretion before
my
lips. He does
not ask for a wall to be set before his lips but a door, in other words,
something that can be
opened and closed. We must take care to learn, then, when we should
discreetly and at the
proper time open our mouths to speak, and when we should keep them closed
and preserve
a fitting silence.
-Gregory the Great
<<>><<>><<>>
April 6th - St. William of Eskhill, OSA Abbot (RM)
..(also known as William of Aebelholt or Eskilsoë)
Born in Paris, France, c. 1125; died in Denmark, on April 6, 1203;
canonized
in 1224 by Pope Honorius III. William of Eskilsoë, the English equivalent
of
Eskiloë (Ise Fjord), a Danish town that once housed an abbey, was one of
the
most revered saints of Denmark, and his extant letters are a valuable
source
for the history of the Danish church. His early experiences stood him in
good stead in Denmark. After being educated by the monks of
Saint-Germain-des-Pres in Paris under the direction of his uncle Hugh, he
became a canon of the church of Sainte-Geneviève-du-Mont. But his
fellow-canons were lax, and frequently mocked their new recruit for his
disciplined life. They so disliked him that William was forced to resign
and
take a living at Epinay outside Paris.
Fortunately, Pope Eugenius III visited Paris in 1148, perceived the laxity
of the canons of Sainte-Geneviève-du-Mont, and replaced them with more
devout men. William rejoined the canons and became the sub-prior, where
his
reputation for canonical discipline and holiness grew and reached the ears
of Bishop Axel (or Absalom) of Roskilde, Denmark. About 1170, the bishop
sent a young Dane, Saxo Grammaticus, who became a leading historian, to
invite William to undertake the reformation of the monasteries in his
diocese. William accepted the invitation.
His early trials in Paris fitted him for reforming the abbey of Eskilsoë.
William first expelled two monks, setting about the reformation of the
rest.
His enemies tried to overcome his zeal by appealing to powerful lords, but
for 30 years William unflinchingly persisted, in spite of inner strain and
painful illnesses. He also founded the Abbey of St. Thomas in Aebelhold
(Ebelholt), Zeeland.
William sanctified himself by a life of prayer and austere mortification,
added to the suffering caused by extreme poverty and a severe climate. He
wore a hair-****rt, lay on straw, and fasted every day. Imbued with a deep
sense of the greatness and sanctity of our mysteries, he never approached
the altar without watering it with his tears, offering himself to God in
the
spirit of adoration and sacrifice.
About 1194, William went to Rome on behalf of Ingelburga, sister of the
Danish king, who had been repudiated by her husband, King Philip Augustus
of
France, but he returned to Eskilsoë to die (Attwater, Benedictines,
Bentley,
Encyclopedia, Husenbeth, Walsh).
In art, Saint William has a torch which lights itself on his grave.
Sometimes he is shown as Saint Geneviève appears to him (Roeder).
Saint Quote:
There is a general rule concerning all special graces granted to any human
being. Whenever the divine favor chooses someone to receive a special
grace,
or to accept a lofty vocation, God adorns the person chosen with all the
gifts of the Spirit needed to fulfill the task at hand.
-Saint Bernardine of Siena (from a sermon on Saint Joseph)
Bible Quote:
40 They took therefore the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths,
with
the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now there was in the
place where he was crucified, a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre,
wherein no man yet had been laid. 42 There, therefore, because of the
parasceve of the Jews, they laid Jesus, because the sepulchre was nigh at
hand. (John 19:40-42)
<><><><>
Psalm 94
O Lord, avenging God,
avenging God, appear!
Judge of the earth, arise,
give the proud what they deserve!
How long, O Lord, shall the wicked,
how long shall the wicked triumph?
They bluster with arrogant speech;
the evil-doers boast to each other.
They crush your people, Lord,
they afflict the ones you have chosen.
They kill the widow and the stranger
and murder the fatherless child.
And they say: "The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob pays no heed."
Mark this, most senseless of people;
fools, when will you understand?
Can he who made the ear, not hear?
Can he who formed the eye, not see?
Will he who corrects nations, not punish?
Will he who teaches men, not have knowledge?
The Lord knows the thoughts of men.
He knows they are no more than a breath.
Happy the man whom you teach, O Lord,
whom you train by means of your law:
to him you give peace in evil days
while the pit is being dug for the wicked.
The Lord will not abandon his people
nor forsake those who are his own;
for judgment shall again be just
and all true hearts shall uphold it.
Who will stand up for me against the wicked?
Who will defend me against those who do evil?
If the Lord were not to help me,
I would soon go down into the silence.
When I think: "I have lost my foothold,"
your mercy, Lord, holds me up.
When cares increase in my heart
your consolation calms my soul.
Can judges who do evil be your friends?
They do injustice under cover of law;
they attack the life of the just
and condemn innocent blood.
As for me, the Lord will be a stronghold;
my God will be the rock where I take refuge.
He will repay them for their wickedness,
destroy them for their evil deeds.
The Lord, our God, will destroy them.
|
