//Life Is – Facebook – 4/19/2024//
Never Stop . . .
Never Stop . . .
Saint of the Day – December 7 – Saint Ambrose
Saint Ambrose’s Story (337 – April 4, 397)
One of Ambrose’s biographers observed that at the Last Judgment, people would still be divided between those who admired Ambrose and those who heartily disliked him. He emerges as the man of action who cut a furrow through the lives of his contemporaries. Even royal personages were numbered among those who were to suffer crushing divine punishments for standing in Ambrose’s way.
When the Empress Justina attempted to wrest two basilicas from Ambrose’s Catholics and give them to the Arians, he dared the eunuchs of the court to execute him. His own people rallied behind him in the face of imperial troops. In the midst of riots, he both spurred and calmed his people with bewitching new hymns set to exciting Eastern melodies.
In his disputes with the Emperor Auxentius, he coined the principle: “The emperor is in the Church, not above the Church.” He publicly admonished Emperor Theodosius for the massacre of 7,000 innocent people. The emperor did public penance for his crime. This was Ambrose, the fighter sent to Milan as Roman governor, and chosen while yet a catechumen to be the people’s bishop.
There is yet another side of Ambrose—one which influenced Augustine of Hippo, whom Ambrose converted. Ambrose was a passionate little man with a high forehead, a long melancholy face, and great eyes. We can picture him as a frail figure clasping the codex of sacred Scripture. This was the Ambrose of aristocratic heritage and learning.
Augustine found the oratory of Ambrose less soothing and entertaining but far more learned than that of other contemporaries. Ambrose’s sermons were often modeled on Cicero, and his ideas betrayed the influence of contemporary thinkers and philosophers. He had no scruples in borrowing at length from pagan authors. He gloried in the pulpit in his ability to parade his spoils—“gold of the Egyptians”—taken over from the pagan philosophers.
His sermons, his writings, and his personal life reveal him as an otherworldly man involved in the great issues of his day. Humanity for Ambrose was, above all, spirit. In order to think rightly of God and the human soul, the closest thing to God, no material reality at all was to be dwelt upon. He was an enthusiastic champion of consecrated virginity.
The influence of Ambrose on Augustine will always be open for discussion. The Confessions reveal some manly, brusque encounters between Ambrose and Augustine, but there can be no doubt of Augustine’s profound esteem for the learned bishop.
Neither is there any doubt that Saint Monica loved Ambrose as an angel of God who uprooted her son from his former ways and led him to his convictions about Christ. It was Ambrose, after all, who placed his hands on the shoulders of the naked Augustine as he descended into the baptismal fountain to put on Christ.
Reflection
Ambrose exemplifies for us the truly catholic character of Christianity. He is a man steeped in the learning, law, and culture of the ancients and of his contemporaries. Yet, in the midst of active involvement in this world, this thought runs through Ambrose’s life and preaching: The hidden meaning of the Scriptures calls our spirit to rise to another world.
Saint Ambrose is the Patron Saint of:
Beekeepers
Beggars
Learning
Milan
//Franciscan Media//
60 Second Wisdom – The Leading Indicator of Success with Matthew Kelly
The Leading Indicator of Success – There Are Two Types of People – Matthew Kelly – 60 Second Wisdom
“The great predictor of success is not talent or opportunity, but attitude towards learning. Developing the habit of continuous learning leads to success both personal and professionally.
Benjamin Barber wrote: “I divide the world into learners and non-learners. There are people who learn, who are open to what happens around them, who listen, who hear the lessons. When they do something stupid, they don’t do it again. And when they do something that works a little bit, they do it even better the next time. The question to ask is not whether you are a success or a failure, but whether you are a learner or a non-learner.”
Become a life-long learner. It is essential in our quest to live more meaningful lives. Read books, take courses, listen to podcasts, and watch videos that help you become the-best-version-of-yourself.”
Sermon Notes – July 25 – We Repeat What We Do Not Repair
“We Repeat What We Do Not Repair”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
July 24 – 25, 2021
Gospel: John 6:1-15
It is said that lessons must be repeated until they are learned which means, for most of us, lessons need to be constantly repeated. Sometimes, you think you’ve learned a lesson, but you learned it incorrectly. Other times, we see things and know right away this means this and that means that. We’ve taken something away from the lesson that wasn’t really there. Oops! We need to be better students and learners. Do you know which virtue “learning” is connected to? Justice. I remember one man, a seminarian and now a priest, who asked me for advice. I told him to always take his books into the chapel before the Blessed Sacrament. If you are going to read about the Man, then be with the Man. Good idea…I have a few now and again.
In the story about God’s miracle involving the loaves and fishes, 5,000 men were there who could not find places to sit…that’s a lot of men. There were no women and children there…apparently, they had not been vaccinated. Now, this scripture was written in Hebrew, so 5,000 was a number beyond all counting… an infinite number. Philip told our Lord that “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little bit.” So, was Philip like Stuart Varney, a market watcher? Did he watch the market and know the cost of food? No, Philip was using a hyperbole…a number beyond comprehension. After everyone had eaten, the apostles collected 12 baskets of leftover food. The number 12 is another mystical number in Hebrew representing the 12 nations of Israel. So, it was a huge number beyond counting, demonstrating the power of Christ and what He can do. And, what did they learn from the miracle? They learned the wrong thing. They thought He was the “bread king.” “Hey, He fed us, so He’s going to give us stuff we didn’t have to work for. Cool! We will make Him king, and we’ll get all the stuff we want.” This was another temptation of Christ. Remember, the first temptation? After spending 40 days of fasting in the desert, Satan said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” After seeing the miracle with the loaves and fishes, did people want holiness and their souls filled? No, they wanted their stomachs filled. They wanted stuff. The temptation of Christ was to give people stuff even though He came for the salvation of souls. First things first.
People come every day and want stuff from the church. Their stories are really fun, but it’s not what we can give. In Acts, Peter said, “Silver and gold I have none; but what I have, I give you. Pick up your mat and walk.” At first, even the apostles didn’t get the lesson. He came down to redeem you. That was the lesson to take away. After all the miracles our good Lord did, how many were there with Him at the end? They did not learn the lesson until they were enlightened by grace. They had the knowledge, because they had heard Him. They weren’t idiots, but they didn’t know what the knowledge meant. This is when we have to go to prayer to listen and to be enlightened. You may have the knowledge, but that doesn’t guarantee you know what it means.
I was reading an article this morning about the old Latin Mass. “People did not participate in the Latin Mass.” Or, in the order of the Mass we do now, “People must participate. They have to run up and down the aisle. We have to do a better job.” I say, at best, that is blasphemy and at worst, it’s sacrilegious, because you know nothing about the Mass. If you took a picture at Calvary, how many people were running around? Do you think the Blessed Mother was crucifying Jesus? No. They stood there and shared in His suffering. They became part of His suffering through love. Whose human nature suffered on the cross? The Blessed Mother’s. Whose human nature suffered along with Him? That of Saint John the Apostle, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. This is what the faithful do, because in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, you give your human nature to me, as the priest functioning in the person of Christ, and you are just like Saint John, Mary, and Mary at the cross suffering with Christ. You cannot get more participation than that. The people who say these things never offered Mass, and they probably aren’t priests. If they are, they are stupid ones. When I offer Mass in nursing homes, I don’t get much singing and all that. Sometimes, the mentally challenged residents will yell out during Mass, “Father, I have an idea!” We’ll talk about it after Mass. Do they participate? Yes, as much as they can.
People have heard the lesson and they have the knowledge, but they have no idea what it means. In order to have knowledge, we have to be humble, and we have to become small. As Saint Therese of Lisieux said, “When I am small, I am safe.” We must surrender to judgement. Sometimes, we tell God, “I cannot do this…I don’t understand.” Well, I don’t understand a lot of things. Each day I’m mystified by something, and that’s okay. I don’t have to understand everything. I know a lot of bright people I can call up or text, not while I’m driving, and probably get some guidance. Why does God allow this? Why did God allow this to happen? It’s always good to ask, not for understanding, but for the strength to bear what we cannot endure. Sometimes, our lives and our crosses seem too much to bear. To learn the proper lessons our Lord is teaching us today is a precursor to the Eucharist. Lord, speak for your servant is listening.
How will you apply this message to your life? You may have the knowledge, but do you know what it means? Go to prayer to listen and to be enlightened.
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.” From a cell phone, click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories” (located at the end of page). There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.
Daily Reflection – A Teacher Who Loves Learning. . .
Saint of the Day – April 4th – Saint Isidore of Seville
Saint Isidore (C. 560 – APRIL 4, 636)
The 76 years of Isidore’s life were a time of conflict and growth for the Church in Spain. The Visigoths had invaded the land a century and a half earlier, and shortly before Isidore’s birth they set up their own capital. They were Arians—Christians who said Christ was not God. Thus, Spain was split in two: One people (Catholic Romans) struggled with another (Arian Goths).
Isidore reunited Spain, making it a center of culture and learning. The country served as a teacher and guide for other European countries whose culture was also threatened by barbarian invaders.
Born in Cartagena of a family that included three other sibling saints—Leander, Fulgentius and Florentina—he was educated by his elder brother, whom he succeeded as bishop of Seville.
An amazingly learned man, he was sometimes called “The Schoolmaster of the Middle Ages” because the encyclopedia he wrote was used as a textbook for nine centuries. He required seminaries to be built in every diocese, wrote a Rule for religious orders, and founded schools that taught every branch of learning. Isidore wrote numerous books, including a dictionary, an encyclopedia, a history of Goths, and a history of the world—beginning with creation! He completed the Mozarabic liturgy, which is still in use in Toledo, Spain. For all these reasons, Isidore has been suggested as patron of the Internet. Several others—including Anthony of Padua—also have been suggested.
He continued his austerities even as he approached age 80. During the last six months of his life, he increased his charities so much that his house was crowded from morning till night with the poor of the countryside.
Reflection
Our society can well use Isidore’s spirit of combining learning and holiness. Loving, understanding and knowledge can heal and bring a broken people back together. We are not barbarians like the invaders of Isidore’s Spain. But people who are swamped by riches and overwhelmed by scientific and technological advances can lose much of their understanding love for one another.
Saint Isidore of Seville is the Patron Saint of:
Internet
Computers
//Franciscan Media//
Daily Reflection – Excellence and Continuous Learning
Daily Reflection – January 26, 2021
