Saint Margaret of Scotland Nov. 16, 2004
Monday, November 15, 2004
+JMJPT+ Saint Margaret pray for us all and lead us to Christ through the heart of Mary!!
Saint Margaret of Scotland
c. 1045 - 1093
Margaret, despite her appellation, was born a Saxon in 1046 and raised in Hungary. She came to England in 1066 when her uncle, King Edward the Confessor, died and Margaret's brother, Edgar Atheling, decided to make a claim to the English throne. The English nobles preferred Harold of Wessex over Edgar, but later that year Duke William of Normandy made it all rather a moot point by invading England and establishing himself as King. Many members of the English nobility sought refuge in the court of King Malcolm III Canmore of Scotland, who had himself been an exile in England during the reign of Macbeth. Among the English refugees were Margaret and Edgar. While King Malcom was hospitable to all his new guests, he was rather more hospitable to Margaret, marrying her in 1070 to make her Queen of Scotland.
Margaret impressed not only Malcolm but many other members of the Scottish Court both for her knowledge of continental customs gained in the court of Hungary, and also for her piety. She became highly influential, both indirectly by her influence on Malcolm as well as through direct activities on her part. Prominent among these activities was religious reform. Margaret instigated reforms within the Scottish church, as well as development of closer ties to the larger Roman Church in order to avoid a schism between the Celtic Church and Rome. Further, Margaret was a patroness both of the célidé, Scottish Christian hermits, and also the Benedictine Order. Although Benedictine monks were prominent throughout western continental Europe, there were previously no Benedictine monasteries known to exist in Scotland. Margaret therefore invited English Benedictine monks to establish monasteries in her kingdom.
On the more secular side, Margaret introduced continental fashions, manners, and ceremony to the Scottish court. The popularization of continental fashions had the side-effect of introducing foreign merchants to Scotland, increasing economic ties and communication between Scotland and the continent. Margaret was also a patroness of the arts and education. Further, Malcolm sought Maragret's advice on matters of state, and together with other English exiles Margaret was influential in introducing English-style feudalism and parliament to Scotland.
Margaret was also active in works of charity. Margaret frequently visited and cared for the sick, and on a larger scale had hostels constructed for the poor. She was also in the habit, particularly during Advent and Lent, of holding feasts for as many as 300 commoners in the royal castle.
King Malcolm, meanwhile, was engaged in a contest with William the Conqueror over Northumbria and Cambria. After an unsuccessful 1070 invasion by Malcom into Northumbria followed by an unsuccessful 1072 invasion by William into Scotland, Malcom paid William homage, resulting in temporary peace. William further made assurance of this peace by demanding Malcolm's eldest son Donald (by Malcolm's previous wife Ingibjorg) as a hostage. Time passed, William the Conqueror died, and The Conqueror's son William Rufus took the throne of England. Hostilities again arose between Scotland and England, and in the ensuing unpleasantness Malcolm was killed along with Edward, the eldest son of Malcom and Margaret.
Margaret had already been ill when Malcolm and Edward went off to battle. Her surviving children tried to hide the fact of their deaths, for fear of worsening her condition. But Margaret learnt the truth, and whether due to her illness or a broken heart, Margaret died four days after her husband and son, on November 16, 1093.
The death of both King and Queen led, unfortunately, to yet another unpleasant disagreement, this time over who should take their places on the throne. The most likely candidate was Malcom's eldest son Donald, the one who had been taken hostage by William the Conqueror. This was also the favorite candidate of William Rufus, for during his stay in England Donald had developed a favorable view of the Normans. However, Donald's claim to the throne was contested by Malcom's brother, Donald Bán, together with Malcom and Margaret's son Edmund. Donald Bán was opposed to having a Norman sympathizer on the throne of Scotland, and claimed the throne for himself. Both Donald MacMalcom and Donald Bán held the throne briefly, and lost it violently, before Edgar, son of Malcom and Margaret, came to the throne. He was succeeded by his brothers, Alexander and David. Alexander smoothed over relations with England by marrying the daughter of King Henry I and arranging for Henry to marry Alexander's sister Matilda. Edgar and David carried on their mother's reputation for sanctity, both in their service to the poor and their patronage of religious orders, and David was later canonized. Quite a celebrated family when you consider that Margaret's uncle is also known as Saint Edward the Confessor.
Margaret herself was declared a saint in 1250, particularly for her work for religious reform and her charitable works. She herself was considered to be an exemplar of the just ruler, and also influenced her husband and children to be just and holy rulers. She was further declared Patroness of Scotland in 1673.
Feast Day: June 10 (celebrated November 16 in Scotland)
Sources
* Barrow, G.W.S. The Kingdom of the Scots. Edward Arnold, London, 1973.
* Glover, J.R. The Story of Scotland. Faber and Faber, London, 1960.
* Mitchison, R. A History of Scotland. Methuen & Co., London, 1970.
* Thurston, H.J., Attwater, D. Butler's Lives of the Saints. Christian Classics, Inc., Westminster, MD 1938. 
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ST. GERTRUDE THE GREAT Feast: November 16
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Saint Gertrude pray for us and lead us to Christ through the heart of Mary!!
ST. GERTRUDE THE GREAT
Feast: November 15
Benedictine and mystic writer; born in Germany, 6 Jan., 1256; died at Helfta, near Eisleben, Saxony, 17 November, 1301 or 1302. Nothing is known of her family, not even the name of her parents. It is clear from her life (Legatus, lib. I, xvi) that she was not born in the neighbourhood of Eisleben. When she was but five years of age she entered the alumnate of Helfta. The monastery was at that time governed by the saintly and enlightened Abbess Gertrude of Hackerborn, under whose rule it prospered exceedingly, both in monastic observance and in that intellectual activity which St. Lioba and her Anglo-Saxon nuns had transmitted to their foundations in Germany. All that could aid to sanctity, or favour contemplation and learning, was to be found in this hallowed spot. Here, too, as to the centre of all activity and impetus of its life, the work of worksthe Opus Dei, as St. Benedict terms the Divine Officewas solemnly carried out. Such was Helfta when its portals opened to receive the child destined to be its brightest glory. Gertrude was confided to the care of St. Mechtilde, mistress of the alumnate and sister of the Abbess Gertrude. From the first she had the gift of winning the hearts, and her biographer gives many details of her exceptional charms, which matured with advancing years. Thus early had been formed between Gertrude and Mechtilde the bond of an intimacy which deepened and strengthened with time, and gave the latter saint a prepondering influence over the former.
Partly in the alumnate, partly in the community, Gertrude had devoted herself to study with the greatest ardour. In her twenty-sixth year there was granted her the first of that series of visions of which the wonderful sequence ended only with life. She now gauged in its fullest extent the void of which she had been keenly sensible for some time past, and with this awakening came the realization of the utter emptiness of all transitory things. With characteristic ardour she cultivated the highest spirituality, and, to quote her biographer, "from being a grammarian became a theologian", abandoning profane studies for the Scriptures, patristic writings, and treatises on theology. To these she brought the same earnestness which had characterized her former studies, and with indefatigable zeal copied, translated, and wrote for the spiritual benefit of others. Although Gertrude vehemently condemns herself for past negligence ( Legatus, II, ii), still to understand her words correctly we must remember that they express the indignant self-condemnation of a soul called to the highest sanctity. Doubtless her inordinate love of study had proved a hindrance alike to contemplation and interior recollection, yet it had none the less surely safeguarded her from more serious and grievous failings. Her struggle lay in the conquest of a sensitive and impetuous nature. In St. Gertrude's life there are no abrupt phases, no sudden conversion from sin to holiness. She passed from alumnate to the community. Outwardly her life was that of the simple Benedictine nun, of which she stands forth preeminently as the type. Her boundless charity embraced rich and poor, learned and simple, the monarch on his throne and the peasant in the field; it was manifested in tender sympathy towards the souls in purgatory, in a great yearning for the perfection of souls consecrated to God. Her humility was so profound that she wondered how the earth could support so sinful a creature as herself. Her raptures were frequent and so absorbed her faculties as to render her insensible to what passed around her. She therefore begged, for the sake of others, that there might be no outward manifestations of the spiritual wonders with which her life was filled. She had the gift of miracles as well as that of prophecy.
When the call came for her spirit to leave the worn and pain-stricken body, Gertrude was in her forty-fifth or forty-sixth year, and in turn assisted at the death-bed and mourned for the loss of the holy Sister Mechtilde (1281), her illustrious Abbess Gertrude of Hackeborn (1291), and her chosen guide and confidante, St. Mechtilde (1298). When the community was transferred in 1346 to the monastery of New Helfta, the present Trud-Kloster, within the walls of Eisleben, they still retained possession of their old home, where doubtless the bodies of St. Gertrude and St. Mechtilde still buried, though their place of sepulture remains unknown. There is, at least, no record of their translation. Old Helfta is now crown-property, while New Helfta has lately passed into the hands of the local municipality. It was not till 1677 that the name of Gertrude was inscribed in the Roman Martyrology and her feast was extended to the universal church, which now keeps it on 15 November, although it was at first fixed on 17 November, the day of her death, on which it is still celebrated by her own order. In compliance with a petition from the King of Spain she was declared Patroness of the West Indies; in Peru her feast is celebrated with great pomp, and in New Mexico a town was built in her honour and bears her name. Some writers of recent times have considered that St. Gertrude was a Cistercian, but a careful and impartial examination of the evidence at present available does not justify this conclusion. It is well known that the Cistercian Reform left its mark on many houses not affiliated to the order, and the fact that Helfta was founded during the "golden age" of Citeaux (1134-1342) is sufficient to account for this impression.
Many of the writings of St. Gertrude have unfortunately perished. Those now extant are:
The "Legatus Divinae Pietatis",The "Exercises of St. Gertrude";The "Liber Specialis Gratiae" of St. Mechtilde.
The works of St. Gertrude were all written in Latin, which she used with facility and grace. The "Legatus Divinae Pietatis" (Herald of Divine Love) comprises five books containing the life of St. Gertrude, and recording many of the favours granted her by God. Book II alone is the work of the saint, the rest being compiled by members of the Helfta community. They were written for her Sisters in religion, and we feel she has here a free hand unhampered by the deep humility which made it so repugnant for her to disclose favours personal to herself. The "Exercises", which are seven in number, embrace the work of the reception of baptismal grace to the preparation for death. Her glowing language deeply impregnated with the liturgy and scriptures exalts the soul imperceptibly to the heights of contemplation. When the "Legatus Divinae Pietatis" is compared with the "Liber Specialis Gratiae" of St. Mechtilde, it is evident that Gertrude is the chief, if not the only, author of the latter book. Her writings are also coloured by the glowing richness of that Teutonic genius which found its most congenial expression in symbolism and allegory. The spirit of St. Gertrude, which is marked by freedom, breadth, and vigour, is based on the Rule of St. Benedict. Her mysticism is that of all the great contemplative workers of the Benedictine Order from St. Gregory to Blosius. Hers, in a word, is that ancient Benedictine spirituality which Father Faber has so well depicted (All for Jesus, viii).
The characteristic of St. Gertrude's piety is her devotion to the Sacred Heart, the symbol of that immense charity which urged the Word to take flesh, to institute the Holy Eucharist, to take on Himself our sins, and, dying on the Cross, to offer Himself as a victim and a sacrifice to the Eternal Father (Congregation of Rites, 3 April, 1825). Faithful to the mission entrusted to them, the superiors of Helfta appointed renowned theologians, chosen from the Dominican and Franciscan friars, to examine the works of the saint. These approved and commented them throughout. In the sixteenth century Lanspergius and Blosius propagated her writings. The former, who with his confrere Loher spared no pains in editing her works, also wrote a preface to them. The writings were warmly received especially in Spain, and among the long list of holy and learned authorities who used and recommended her works may be mentioned :
St. Teresa, who chose her as her model and guide,Yepez,the illustrious Suarez,the Discalced Carmelite Friars of France,St. Francis de Sales,M. Oliver,Fr. Faber,Dom Gueranger.
The Church has inserted the name of Gertrude in the Roman Martyrology with this eulogy: "On the 17th of November, in Germany (the Feast) of St. Gertrude Virgin, of the Order of St. Benedict, who was illustrious for the gift of revelations."
Gertrude Casanova
Transcribed by Joseph P. Thomas
In memory of Sabina Jablonski
St. Gertrude the Great is invoked for souls in purgatory and for living sinners. Our Lord told St. Gertrude that the following prayer would release 1000 souls from purgatory each time it is said. The prayer was extended to include living sinners as well.
"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."
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Tuesday Nov 16th 2004 Mass Readings and personal note.
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Here are the Mass readings for Tuesday November 16, 2004. Right now I can only post the readings and information on the saints in english but I am working on some things so that at least a couple more languages can be included..more languages..more possibilities to proclaim the glory of Christ and His Church to others. Please continue to pray for me especially with the holidays coming up (I will be alone this Thanksgiving and Christmas-not my holiday turn I guess). Please continue to pray for my daughter too. Know that I pray for all who run across my site and take some time to read a bit. May Christ bless you and your families today and always and may Mary keep you underneath Her loving mantle. Please remember to pray for the Bishops of the U.S. who are meeting this week to guide the Church.
November 16, 2004
Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Reading I
Rev 3:1-6, 14-22
I, John, heard the Lord saying to me:
"To the angel of the Church in Sardis, write this:
"‘The one who has the seven spirits of God
and the seven stars says this: "I know your works,
that you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
Be watchful and strengthen what is left, which is going to die,
for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.
Remember then how you accepted and heard; keep it, and repent.
If you are not watchful, I will come like a thief,
and you will never know at what hour I will come upon you.
However, you have a few people in Sardis
who have not soiled their garments;
they will walk with me dressed in white,
because they are worthy.
"‘The victor will thus be dressed in white,
and I will never erase his name from the book of life
but will acknowledge his name in the presence of my Father
and of his angels.
"‘Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
"To the angel of the Church in Laodicea, write this:
"‘The Amen, the faithful and true witness,
the source of God's creation, says this:
"I know your works;
I know that you are neither cold nor hot.
I wish you were either cold or hot.
So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold,
I will spit you out of my mouth.
For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,'
and yet do not realize that you are wretched,
pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich,
and white garments to put on
so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed,
and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see.
Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise.
Be earnest, therefore, and repent.
"‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
then I will enter his house and dine with him,
and he with me.
I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne,
as I myself first won the victory
and sit with my Father on his throne.
"‘Whoever has ears ought to hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
Responsorial Psalm
15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5
R (Rev. 3: 21) I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
Gospel
Lk 19:1-10
At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus,
who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was;
but he could not see him because of the crowd,
for he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus,
who was about to pass that way.
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,
"Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house."
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
"He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner."
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
"Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor,
and if I have extorted anything from anyone
I shall repay it four times over."
And Jesus said to him,
"Today salvation has come to this house
because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save what was lost."
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Novena Prayer to St. Leopold of Austria
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Novena Prayer to St. Leopold
Oh God who govern all things, you granted to the holy Margrave Leopold the gifts of Your Spirit for service to Holy Church, the just exercise of his office, and fidelity to his family.
Through his intercession grant us the grace to remain true to the Church and to our God-given obligations and the wisdom to recognize your Spirit in the world.
Grant moreover, oh merciful Father, by St. Leopold's intercession, Your grace to those who pursue the holy canonical vocation in the hopes of founding a house dedicated to your glory in America. Bless them with an abundance of strong and virtuous vocations, and with many lay cooperators to assist them in Your holy will.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
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ST. ALBERT the GREAT
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O Divine Creator, Saint Albert was a bishop who introduced Greek and Arabic science to medieval Europe, raising understanding of botany, biology, physics, and other studies of nature. A scientist himself, he wrote many books on these subjects. I ask him to pray for all scientists today, for their talents to be used to promote life rather than to destroy it, for elusive cures to be found, and for the moral use of the discoveries that they have already made. O Lord, fill them with Your Holy Spirit to guide them into understanding and respecting that You are the Author and Master of all creation. Saint Albert, pray for us. Amen.
ST. ALBERT the GREAT (Died 1280 A.D.)
Feast: November 15
He was known as the "teacher of everything there is to know," was a scientist long before the age of science, was considered a wizard and magician in his own lifetime, and became the teacher and mentor of that other remarkable mind of his time, St. Thomas Aquinas.
St. Albert the Great was born in Lauingen on the Danube, near Ulm, Germany; his father was a military lord in the army of Emperor Frederick II. As a young man Albert studied at the University of Padua and there fell under the spell of Blessed Jordan of Saxony, the Dominican who made the rounds of the universities of Europe drawing the best young men of the universities into the Dominicans.
After several teaching assignments in his order, he came in 1241 to the University of Paris, where he lectured in theology. While teaching in Paris, he was assigned by his order in 1248 to set up a house of studies for the order in Cologne. In Paris, he had gathered around him a small band of budding theologians, the chief of whom was Thomas Aquinas, who accompanied him to Cologne and became his greatest pupil.
In 1260, he was appointed bishop of Regensberg; when he resigned after three years, he was called to be an adviser to the pope and was sent on several diplomatic missions. In his latter years, he resided in Cologne, took part in the Council of Lyons in 1274, and in his old age traveled to Paris to defend the teaching of his student Thomas Aquinas.
It was in Cologne that his reputation as a scientist grew. He carried on experiments in chemistry and physics in his makeshift laboratory and built up a collection of plants, insects, and chemical compounds that gave substance to his reputation. When Cologne decided to build a new cathedral, he was consulted about the design. He was friend and adviser to popes, bishops, kings, and statesmen and made his own unique contribution to the learning of his age.
He died a very old man in Cologne on November 15,1280, and is buried in St. Andrea's Church in that city. He was canonized and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1931 by Pope Pius XI. His writings are remarkable for their exact scientific knowledge, and for that reason he has been made the patron saint of scientists.
Thought for the Day: St. Albert the Great was convinced that all creation spoke of God and that the tiniest piece of scientific knowledge told us something about Him. Besides the Bible, God has given us the book of creation revealing something of His wisdom and power. In creation, Albert saw the hand of God.
From "The Catholic One Year Bible": Since we have a kingdom nothing can destroy, let us please God by serving him with thankful hearts, and with holy fear and awe. For our God is a consuming fire.Hebrews 12:28-29
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Saint Leopold Markgraf von Österreich (St. Leopold of Austria) Nov. 15, 2004
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Saint Leopold Pray for us and lead us to Christ!!
There are more links about St. Leopold of Austria at the bottom of this posting.
St. Leopold of Babenberg (1075-1136)
The memory of this holy man lived long after his death. The people called him "Leopold the Good." He was so popular an intercessor in Austria that eventually his sanctity was officially recognized by the Catholic Church. Pope Innocent VIII canonized him in 1485, noting in his homily the juxtaposition between a Germany engulfed in bloody warfare, death and devastation, besides an Austria enjoying the God given blessings of peace, justice and human kindness that lasted through the 20 year reign of the margrave of Austria, St. Leopold.
He was born at Gars, near Melk in Lower Austria in 1073, the year that Pope St. Gregory VII (1073-85; feast: May 25) assumed the leadership of the Church and commenced his sweeping reforms. The Babenbergs cames to Austria from Bavaria where the family had risen to prominence in the 10th Century. The family took possession of the Bavarian Ostmark, "eastern military frontier," that more or less followed the course of the Danube down into Slovenia.
He was born n a time of great conflict between the German emperor and Pope, which historians call the "Investiture Controversy." The nature of the conflict had to do with question of authority with respect to the internal governance of the Church. Put simply, who may appoint bishops and abbots to their offices? The emperor believed this fell under his authority since the he was a Christian ruler. Whereas the popes believed the emperor had overstepped his authority, trespassing papal (and episcopal) governance the Church.
St. Leopold grew up in the diocese of Passau under the influence of the saintly reformer and bishop, St. Altmann (feast: August 9th). Inspired by the first Lateran Council's exhortation to the common life for clergy, St. Altmann introduced the canons regular to St. Nikola in Passau in 1067. Later St. Altmann and three other south German bishops stood firmly with Pope Gregory VII against emperor Henry IV during the investiture controversies. This would cost St. Altmann his diocese and lead him to exile in Austria. His strength and holiness left their mark on the young margrave.
Leopold succeeded his father as margrave of Austria at the age of 23 in 1096. Ten years later in 1106 he married Agnes, daughter of emperor Henry IV. She was the widow of Frederick of Hohenstaufen with whom she already had two children. The couple would have another 17 children of whom 11 would survive childhood. Many of these children married spouses from neighboring lands encouraging peaceful relations.
The saint managed to avoid much of the quagmire that was the confluence of ecclesiastical and imperial politics. He remained faithful to the papacy and a strong support of the bishops of Salzburg, Passau and Gurk. Moreover he was a great promoter of the Church in his realm. He returned Stifts Gottweig, Kremsmunster, St. Nikola and St. Peter in Salzburg to the bishop of Passau, all of which had been appropriated by his father. Moreover, he gave the Benedictine monastery of Melk, which his family had founded, directly to the Holy See.
Additionally he built a pilgrim hostel and founded a secular canonry next in Klosterneuburg. Regarding the latter, he probably expected his son Otto to become a bishop and live at the collegiate church. However, God had other plans for Otto, which would eventually lead him to sainthood as the holy bishop of Freising in Bavaria (feast: September 7). While away in Paris at the university Otto was drawn to a monastic vocation with the Cistericians. He entered the abbey of Morimond in Burgundy in 1132 with 15 members of his retinue. St. Leopold did not oppose his son's discernment and let him go to join the Cistericians.
The following year with encouragement of his son and the bishops of Passau and Salzburg, St. Leopold decided to relinquish his control of the canonry and gave it to the reform movement that St. Altmann had begun in Passau many years earlier. So in 1133 the secular canons were pensioned off and Blessed Hartmann of Chiemsee and canons regular from Chiemsee, St. Nikola and Rottenbuch succeeded them. Again St. Leopold manifested his magnanimity through giving up his designs for new bishop's see in his capital, Klosterneuburg. By giving up the secular canonry he put the plans of others before his own. This points as well to his humility for which he is remembered.
Later Leopold's Otto became abbot of Morimond and asked his father to found a Cistercian abbey in Austria, which he did in the Wienerwald named Heiligenkreuz ("holy cross"). St. Leopold also founded the Benedictine monastery at Kleinmariazell, which no longer exists. In addition he donated over 100 parcels of land in the areas surrounding these Stifts so as to provide for their economic upkeep.
A man of strong convictions, Leopold's stand in the investiture controversies made him the preferred candidate among the Bavarians for the position of Holy Roman Emperor in 1125. However Leopold refused the nomination and the glory of the empire, in favor of governing Austria. Through wise governance and faith in God, he succeeded in securing the blessings of peace and justice for his people. He was a much loved ruler, faithful husband and generous father.
"The mild margrave" died during a hunting accident in 1126 and was buried in the church of the Augustinian canonry, the Nativity of Our Lady, where he was genuinely mourned by his people. For nearly 900 years St. Leopold has been honored and venerated in his native Austria. His feast day, November 15th, is still one of the most important celebrations at Stift Klosterneuburg and the annual pilgrimage, held on the Sunday preceding the feast day, still draws thousands.
Austrian Catholic Church website in German
Catholic german language information portal
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St. Albert the Great Nov. 15, 2004, Patron of Scientists
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Saint Albert the Great pray for us and lead us all to Christ!!
Albert, the oldest son of the Count of Bollstadt, was born in the castle of Lauingen on the Danube River in the southern German province of Swabia.
At the age of sixteen, while studying at the University of Pauda in northern Italy, he was impressed with a group who called themselves "Brothers" ("Friars"). Their purpose was to evangelize the Christian people, that is, to preach the Gospel effectively so the lax would become faithful, the faithful fervent, the fervent become zealous. Their purpose was also to counteract the heresies in the Church. The leader of these Preaching Brothers (Friars Preachers) was Father Dominic. The group soon became commonly known as the "Dominicans" a title more common today than their formal designation "Order of Preachers".
Albert was received as a postulant by Blessed Jordan of Saxony, the immediate successor of Saint Dominic. Leaving all, and taking the vow of obedience to live a chaste and simple life, he became "Friar Albert". Beginning all his study with prayer, he directed his whole life that he might become worthy to preach the Word of God and work for the salvation of souls. After some time in religious life studying for the holy priesthood, he became "Father Albert". Most of his priestly life was spent teaching in Cologne, although he spent some time teaching in Paris and other places, and also some time engaged in administration and various other obediences.
Albert had a remarkably investigative, persevering, highly scientific (in a most modern sense) approach to all knowledge. His natural interest was ruled by an unlimited and intense desire to serve God. He infused this spiritual and intellectual eagerness, care, and perceptiveness into his students, the most famous of whom is St. Thomas Aquinas. While Father Thomas dug firm foundations for a lasting scholastic philosophy and systematic theology, it was his professor, Father Albert, who did the daring initial spadework.
Saint Albert may be referred to as the "Father of the Natural Sciences". It was his contemporaries who dubbed him "The Great", referring to the scope and depth of his learning. As a great natural scientist, he stands beside Friar Roger Bacon, who referred to some of Albert's works as "original sources". Albert was in his own lifetime and for centuries that followed an authority on physics, geography, astronomy, mineralogy, chemistry, and biology. As a geographer he received special praise in later times for he traced the chief mountain ranges of Europe, explained the influence of latitude on climate, and gave an excellent physical description of the earth, which he demonstrated by an elaborate argument to be spherical in shape. He wrote thirty six volumes on the natural sciences. But there were other writings. Father Albert had a great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and wrote penetratingly of it. This same devotion was characteristic of his pupil, Saint Thomas Aquinas, who composed the beautiful Mass we use today on the Feast of Corpus Christi (Feast of the Body of Christ).
In the late 1250's Father Albert was appointed the pope's personal theologian and canonist. In 1260 Pope Alexander IV prevailed upon him to be consecrated Bishop of Regensburg. In a few years he resigned and returned to teaching at Cologne until 1274, the Council of Lyons. In spite of failing health and the shock of the sudden death of his former pupil, Saint Thomas, Saint Albert took part in the Council and used all his influence in the cause of peace and reconciliation for the reunion of the Orthodox with the See of Peter.
At the age of seventy three he died among his religious brothers in Cologne on November 15, 1280. He was beatified in 1622. On December 16, 1941, near the beginning of the nuclear age, Pope Pius XII proclaimed Saint Albert the Great to be the Patron of all Students and Researchers of the Natural Sciences.
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Mass Readings for Monday November 15, 2004
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Here are the Mass readings for Monday November 15th, 2004. Please take some time to read and pray today and while you are praying please remember me in your prayers..remember my daughter too please. My prayers are with all of you who read my blog..May Christ bless you and your famlies and may Mary keep you beneath Her mantle of love and grace. amen.
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November 15, 2004
Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Reading I
Rev 1:1-4; 2:1-5
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him,
to show his servants what must happen soon.
He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
who gives witness to the word of God
and to the testimony of Jesus Christ by reporting what he saw.
Blessed is the one who reads aloud
and blessed are those who listen to this prophetic message
and heed what is written in it, for the appointed time is near.
John, to the seven churches in Asia: grace to you and peace
from him who is and who was and who is to come,
and from the seven spirits before his throne.
I heard the Lord saying to me:
"To the angel of the Church in Ephesus, write this:
"‘The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand
and walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands says this:
"I know your works, your labor, and your endurance,
and that you cannot tolerate the wicked;
you have tested those who call themselves Apostles but are not,
and discovered that they are impostors.
Moreover, you have endurance and have suffered for my name,
and you have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you:
you have lost the love you had at first.
Realize how far you have fallen.
Repent, and do the works you did at first.
Otherwise, I will come to you
and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent."'"
Responsorial Psalm
1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R (Rev. 2:17) Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Gospel
Lk 18:35-43
As Jesus approached Jericho
a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging,
and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening.
They told him,
"Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."
He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"
The people walking in front rebuked him,
telling him to be silent,
but he kept calling out all the more,
"Son of David, have pity on me!"
Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him;
and when he came near, Jesus asked him,
"What do you want me to do for you?"
He replied, "Lord, please let me see."
Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."
He immediately received his sight
and followed him, giving glory to God.
When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.
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