- John 14:6 -
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through me."
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Most great stories are about searching for the truth and finding it in
unexpected places. We see ourselves in those who we are seeking to
understand something true about the world and themselves, and we envy them
when they experience moments of revelation. The search for truth is a
universal one, and truth often seems to slip through our grasp. But Jesus
tells us that He is the truth - He is the ultimate revelation about the
world, the human condition and the God who saves. "The Word was God . . .
the Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood," John
writes (in John 1:16, 14 The Message). In Jesus, the truth of God has come
near. Because of Jesus, we can know the truth.
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March 13th - St. Gerald of Mayo
Gerald was born in Northumbria, England in the later half of the 7th
century. Nothing is known of his early life except that he had a sister,
Segretia, whom tradition tells us, he placed in charge of a monastery of
women.
Gerald was a novice at Lindisfarne under St. Colman when the Council of
Whitby prohibited the observance of Easter on the Celtic date. St. Colman
went to Inishbofin, an island off the coast of Mayo. He brought with him
all
of the Irish monks from Lindisfarne as well as about thirty English
novices.
There was difficulty between the English and the Irish monks, so St.
Colman
founded a second monastery on the mainland at Mayo. Initially St. Colman
was
abbot of both communities, but later Gerald succeeded him as abbot and the
community at Mayo flourished.
Gerald is sometimes referred to as a bishop, but this has been strongly
questioned. Many miracles are attributed to Gerald. The monastery at Mayo
was the forming ground for many saints in the Middle Ages. Gerald was
considered a very wise, prudent and charitable leader. Tradition tells us
that Gerald lived to a very old age, so it is likely that he saw the
introduction of the Roman date of the observance of Easter. His death was
at
Mayo about the year 732.
Several of the legends about his life may be doubtful, but they do give a
history of the relation****ps between Christians and Druids in those early
centuries. We don't know very much about Gerald, but what we do glean from
the writings about his life, is the picture of a strong but gentle abbot
whose absolute faith and trust in God enabled him to keep peace between
factions and to encourage his monks to a life of simple holiness. Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
Another Life of St. Gerald of Mayo
Bishop of Mayo, an English monk, date of birth unknown; died 13 March,
731;
followed St. Colman, after the Synod of Whitby (664), to Ireland, and
settled in Innisboffin, in 668. Dissensions arose, after a time, between
the
Irish and the English monks, and St. Colman decided to found a separate
monastery for the thirty English brethren. Thus arose the Abbey of Mayo
(Magh Eo, the yew plain), known as "Mayo of the Saxons", with St. Gerald
as
the first abbot, in 670. St. Bede writes: "This monastery is to this day
(731) occupied by English monks ... and contains an exemplary body who
gathered there from England, and live by the labour of their own hands
(after the manner of the early Fathers), under a rule and canonical abbot,
leading chaste and single lives." Although St. Gerald was a comparatively
young man, he proved a wise ruler, and governed May until 697, when, it is
said, he resigned in favour of St. Adamnan. Some authors hold that St.
Adamnan celebrated the Roman Easter at Mayo, in 703, and then went to
Skreen, in Hy Fiachrach, and that after his departure the monks prevailed
on
St. Gerald to resume the abbacy. The Saxon saint continued to govern the
Abbey and Diocese of Mayo till his death. His feast is celebrated on 13
March. Mayo, though merged in Tuam for a time, remained a separate see
until
1579.
From
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06464b.htm
Saint Quote:
Draw near to our Lord, thoroughly aware of your own nothingness, and you
may
hope all things from His Goodness and Mercy. Never forget that Jesus
Christ
is no less generous in the Blessed Sacrament than He was during His mortal
life on earth.
--Saint Mary Euphrasia Pelletier
Bible Quote:
20 Behold the doors of the orchard are shut, and nobody seeth us, and we
are
in love with thee: wherefore consent to us, and lie with us. 21 But if
thou
wilt not, we will bear witness against thee, that a young man was with
thee,
and therefore thou didst send away thy maids from thee. 22 Susanna sighed,
and said: I am straitened on every side: for if I do this thing, it is
death
to me: and if I do it not, I shall not escape your hands. 23 But it is
better for me to fall into your hands without doing it, than to sin in the
sight of the Lord. (Daniel 13:20-23)
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In this season of Lent, we are drawn to not only abstain as sacrifice, but
to offer deeds and prayers as reparation for our past sins. Christ is the
perfect Sacrifice; the perfect oblation unto God. This Sacrifice in
expiation of our sins continues upon the altars of the world every day.
Giving thanks to God for the Sacrifice of His only begotten Son, and that
continual renewal in the Mass, let us offer the Mysteries of the
traditional Eucharistic Rosary, before our Lord in the Blessed
Sacrament. The prayer for the first joyful mystery:
The Annunciation of Mary, offered for the virtue of humility:
O Jesus, born of Thy Father from all eternity; filled with an
incomprehensible love for humanity, Thou didst become man in the womb of
the Blessed Virgin Mary through the operation of the Holy Ghost, humbling
Thyself to such a degree as to take the form of a servant. The same
charity hath prompted Thee to perpetuate, in the Eucharist, this mystery
of
annihilation and love, even to improve on it by becoming the food of our
souls.
Divine Jesus, we adore Thee in these unfathomable debasements, and we beg
of Thee, through the intercession of Thy holy Mother, a deep and heartfelt
humility.
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