Daily Gospel for Friday, 10 January 2014
“Peter replied, “Master, to whom would we go? You have the words
of real life, eternal life.”(John 6:68, The Message).
Friday after Epiphany
Saint of the Day:
SAINT WILLIAM
Archbishop
(† 1209)
William Berruyer, of the illustrious family of the ancient Counts
of Nevers, was educated by Peter the Hermit, Archdeacon of Soissons, his uncle
by the mother's side. From his infancy William learned to despise the folly and
emptiness of the world, to abhor its pleasures, and to tremble at its dangers.
His only delight was in exercises of piety and in his studies, in which he
employed his whole time with indefatigable application.
He was made canon, first of Soissons and afterwards of Paris;
but he soon resolved to abandon the world, and retired into the solitude of
Grandmont, where he lived with great regularity in that austere Order until
finally he joined the Cistercians, then in wonderful odor of sanctity. After
some time he was chosen Prior of the Abbey of Pontigny, and afterwards became
Abbot of Chaalis.
On the death of Henri de Sully, Archbishop of Bourges, William
was chosen to succeed him. The announcement of this new dignity which had
fallen on him overwhelmed him with grief, and he would not have accepted the
office had not the Pope and his General, the Abbot of Citeaux, commanded him to
do so.
His first care in his new position was to conform his life to
the most perfect rules of sanctity. He redoubled all his austerities, saying it
was incumbent on him now to do penance for others as well as for himself. He
always wore a hair-shirt under his religious habit, and never added to his
clothing in winter or diminished it in summer; he never ate any flesh-meat,
though he had it at his table for strangers.
When he drew near his end, he was, at his request, laid on ashes
in his hair-cloth, and in this posture expired on the 10th of January, 1209.
His body was interred in his cathedral, and, being honored by many miracles,
was taken up in 1217, and in the year following William was canonized by Pope
Honorius III.
Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]
Saint Françoise De Sales (Léonie Aviat)
Religious
(1844-1914)
Léonie Aviat was born in Sézanne, in the region of Champagne
(France) on September 16, 1844. She attended school at the Monastery of the
Visitation in the city of Troyes, where Mother Marie de Sales Chappuis, the
superior, and Father Louis Brisson, the chaplain, exerted a decisive influence
on her. Having thus been formed at the school of St. Francis de Sales, she
prepared herself for the mission with which she was to be entrusted: the
foundation of a Congregation committed to the Salesian spirituality and to the
evangelization of young workers.
The beginnings came in the year 1866. This was the time when
large industrial concerns were attracting an underpaid labor force to the
cities. This was also the case in the city of Troyes, where textile mills
engaged young girls of rural extraction. Father Brisson, a zealous apostle and
already one of the forerunners of the great social movement that developed at
the end of the 19th century, had opened a center, in 1858, to welcome young
girls working in the textile mills in order to give them a complete education,
both human and Christian. Unable to find a suitable directress and a stable
supervisory staff for this center, known as the "Oeuvre Saint-François de
Sales", with God's inspiration, he decided to establish a religious
congregation. He found in Léonie Aviat an incomparable co-worker, in whom he
discerned a vocation to the consecrated life as well. Indeed, upon completing
her studies, the young lady left the Visitation monastery with the firm
intention of returning to it as a lay Sister. But Father Brisson and Mother
Chappuis advised her to wait. Obedient to what she regarded as God's will, she
received a special sign from Him a little later, one that couldn't be mistaken
for an illusion: obliged to go to the factory, where glasses were manufactured
and repaired, in Sézanne, her native city, an inspiration enlightened her mind
and guided her decision. The sight of the workroom filled with young factory
workers busily engaged in their work beneath the watchful and maternal gaze of
a supervisor aroused in her heart the desire to take her place among them in
order to counsel and guide them. This attraction would press her even more
strongly the day that Father Brisson invited her to visit the "Oeuvre
ouvrière" which he had founded in Troyes.
On April 18, 1866, she joined the "Oeuvre Saint-François de
Sales", with one of her former classmates of the Visitation, Lucie Canuet.
On October 30, 1868, the young foundress was clothed with the
religious habit and received the name of Sister Françoise de Sales. This name
was a sign indicating what would be her life's work, as she herself expressed
it in the form of a prayer in her personal notes: "St. Francis de Sales,
you have chosen me to be at the head of this little group; give me your spirit,
your heart... Grant me a share of your union with God and of that interior
spirit which knows how to do everything in union with Him and nothing without
Him" (August, 1871). The "little group" which she guided placed
itself under the protection of the saintly Bishop of Geneva and completely
adopted his method of spirituality and of pedagogy; hence, the name that it
chose for itself: the "Oblate Sisters of St. Francis de Sales", which
means offered to God and to the neighbor by means of their whole life.
On October 11, 1871, Sister Françoise de Sales professed her
vows, and the following year, she was elected Superior General of the new
Congregation which was thus canonically established and able to expand rapidly.
Under her guidance, the community grew in numbers, and the social apostolate developed.
At the same time, grade schools were opened in parishes, and in Paris the first
boarding school for young ladies was also opened, an establishment which Mother
Aviat directed for eight years. The apostolate of the Oblate Sisters thus
extended to the different classes of society and to all forms of education,
and, from the very first years of its foundation, to the missions ad gentes as
well.
In 1893, after a period of effacement which brought to light her
humility, Mother Françoise de Sales was again elected Superior General, an
office she held until her death. During this time, she endeavored to develop
the apostolate of the Congregation in Europe, South Africa, and Ecuador, while
lavishing her untiring solicitude on every community and on each of her
Sisters. In 1903, she had to cope with the persecution directed against
religious orders in France. While maintaining the houses of her Congregation
that could be maintained in France, she transferred the Mother House to
Perugia, Italy. In 1911, she secured the final approbation of the Constitutions
of the Institute from Pope St. Pius X.
On January 10, 1914, she died in Perugia with serenity, totally
entrusting herself to God. To the very end, she remained faithful to the
resolution made at the time of her Profession: "To forget myself
entirely". To her daughters in every age, she left this very Salesian
precept: "Let us work for the happiness of others".
She was beatified on September 27, 1992 and canonized on
November 25, 2001 at Rome by John Paul II. - Copyright © Libreria Editrice
Vaticana
Blessed María Dolores Rodríguez Sopeña
(1848-1918)
Dolores Rodríguez Sopeña was born in Velez Rubio, Almería,
Spain, on December 30, 1848, the fourth of seven siblings. Her parents, Tomas
Rodríguez Sopeña and Nicolasa Ortega Salomon, had moved from Madrid to Velez
Rubio due to employment. Don Tomas had received his law degree at a young age,
and because of this, could not work as a lawyer. He was able to find employment
as an administrator of the Marqueses de Velez farms.
She grew up in the Andalucía region where her father began to
work as a magistrate, an even though he was transferred often, she defined this
time of her life as a "lake of tranquility".
In 1866, her father was named Judge of Almería. Dolores was 17,
and was formally introduced to society, though she did not enjoy the parties or
the social life. Her interest was in doing good for others. In Almería, she had
her first apostolic experiences: she attended, materially and spiritually, to
two sisters who had typhoid fever, and to a leper. She kept this hidden from
her parents because she was afraid that they might forbid her from continuing
her work. She also visited the poor of Saint Vicent de Paul with her mother.
Three years later her father was sent to Puerto Rico. There he traveled with
one of his sons while the rest of his family moved to Madrid. Dolores chose a
spiritual advisor, and began teaching the Catholic doctrine to women in prison,
in the Princess Hospital, and in the Sunday Schools.
In 1872, the family reunited in Puerto Rico. Dolores was 23
years old and would remain in the Americas' until she was 28. She began her
contact with the Jesuits and Father Goicoechea became her spiritual advisor. In
Puerto Rico, she founded the Association of the Sodality of the Virgin Mary and
the schools for the disadvantaged where she taught reading and writing, as well
as catechism.
In 1873, her father was named state attorney of Santiago de
Cuba. These were difficult times, because a religious schism was raging on the
island. Because of this, her actions were curtailed to visiting the sick in a
military hospital. She requested admission into the Sister of Charity community
but was not admitted due to her poor eye sight. At the age of 8, Dolores had an
eye operation and this disability remained with her the rest of her life.
At the conclusion of the schism, she began working in the poor
neighborhoods and founded the "Centers of Instruction". There she
taught catechism, general instruction, and provided medical assistance to those
in need. For these efforts she was able to get much assistance and was able to
establish the centers in three different neighborhoods.
Her mother died in Cuba, and her father requested his
retirement. The family returned to Madrid in 1877. In Madrid she organized her
life on three fronts: her home and the care of her father, her apostolic work
(the same work she did before leaving Spain) and her spiritual life (she chose
a spiritual advisor and annually participated in Saint Ignatius Spiritual
Retreat). In 1883 her father died, and once again she began to struggle with
her vocation.
At the advice of her spiritual advisor, Father López Soldado,
S.I., she entered the convent of the Salesians, even though she had never
thought of devoting her whole life to contemplation. After 10 days she left the
convent as she came to the realization that this was not her vocation. She then
began to give all of her attention to her apostolic work.
In 1885, Dolores opened a center similar to modern social work
centers. There, the poor and the needy were able to take their issues and
concerns were addressed and resolved. During one of her visits, to one of the
women prisoners that had just being released, she gets to know the neighborhood
of the Injurias.
When she saw the moral, material and spiritual condition of the
people, she began visiting this neighborhood every week and invited many of her
friends to help her with her work. There she began the organization "Works
of the Doctrines", later named "Center for the Workers".
In 1892, at the suggestion of the Bishop of Madrid, D. Ciríaco
Sancha, she founded the Association of the Apostolic Laymen (which today is
known as the Sopeña Lay Movement). The following year she received approval
from the government which allowed her to expand her work to 8 neighborhoods of
Madrid.
In 1896 she began her activities outside Madrid. In 4 years she
took 199 trips all over Spain to establish and consolidate the "Works of
the Doctrines". At the same time she accompanied Father Tarin to Andalucía
to help in the missions.
In 1900, Dolores participated in a pilgrimage to Rome for the
celebration of the Holy Year. There she took part in a retreat at the Saint
Peter's tomb and received approval to establish a Religious Institute that
would provide continuation of her "Work of Doctrines" and help to
sustain spiritually the Sopeña Lay Movement. Cardinal Sancha, then Archbishop
of Toledo, proposed founding it there.
The "Ladies of Catechistical Institute" was founded On
September 24, 1901. Dolores with 8 companions had just participated in
Spiritual Exercises, in Loyola, where St. Ignatius was born and in the city of
Toledo, on October 31 they started living as a religious community.
One of the greatest inspirations that Dolores had was to
establish at the same time, the Civil Association which today is known as OSCUS
or Social & Cultural Work Sopeña. In 1902 the Association was officially
recognized by the Spanish government.
In 1905, the Institute received from the Holy See the Degree of
Praise. Two years later, on November 21, 1907, Dolores received the approval
directly from Pope Pius X. Today the Institute is known as the "Sopeña
Catechetical Institute".
During these years, her "Works of the Doctrines" were
slowly changed to Centers for Workers' Instruction. These occurred because many
of the workers that participated in the Centers were influenced by the
anti-cleric sentiments and the instruction could not be called religious out
right. The anti clerical sentiment was an important facet in the decision for
the religious community of this Institute not to wear a 'habit' and did not to
wear any outward sign of religion. These changes were made with the end result
in mind: to get close to the workers who were "alienated from the
church", that had been unable to receive any cultural, moral or religious
instruction and to unite those socially distant.
One of the main objectives of the centers were to bring people
together to give them an opportunity to learn from each other. These encounters
would result in mutual respect and a desire to help each other.
Her deep faith, rich in spirituality was the reason for her
commitment to the service to others. Her commitment to the dignity of people
was born through her experience that God the Father of all, who loves us with
infinite tenderness and who wishes for us to live as sons and brothers and
sisters, was the driving force behind all that she did. From there, she had a
great desire to "Make of all, one family in Christ Jesus". Her total
immersion in Christ allowed her to see Him in everything and feel Him in
everyone, especially in those that were in the most need of dignity and love.
Towards the end of the 19th century, it was inconceivable to
find a woman, who would go out to work in the poor neighborhood. The secret of
her fearlessness was her deep faith, her confidence without limit. She
recognized this as her greatest treasure, and it made her feel that she had
become the instrument of God's work, the instrument of love, hope, dignity, and
justice.
In a few years, she was able to established communities and
centers in industrialized cities. In 1910 the community celebrated the first
General Chapter and Dolores was reelected Superior General. In 1914 she founded
a community in Rome and in 1917 opened their first house in the Americas.
The following year, on January 10, 1918, Dolores Sopeña died in
Madrid. Talk had already began of her being a saint.
On July 11, 1992, John Paul II declared Dolores' life work heroic
and on April 23, 2002 he certified the miracle attributed to Dolores Sopeña
which advanced her to beatification status.
Currently the Sopeña Family which encompasses the three
institutions founded by Dolores Sopeña are: the Sopeña Catechetical Institute,
The Sopeña Lay Movement and the Sopeña Social and Cultural Work, can be found
in Spain, Italy, Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and the
Dominican Republic. - Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Friday after Epiphany
Psalm 147: 12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O
Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your
children within you.
14 He grants peace[a] within your borders;
he fills you with the
finest of wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 147:14 Or prosperity
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and
ordinances to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his
ordinances.
Praise the Lord!
1 John 5: 5 Who is it that conquers the world but the one who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Testimony concerning the Son of God
6 This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not
with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one
that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth. 7 There are three that testify:[a]
8 the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree. 9 If we
receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the
testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. 10 Those who believe in the
Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in
God[b] have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has
given concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal
life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever
does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Epilogue
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Footnotes:
a. 1 John 5:7 A few other authorities read (with variations) 7
There are three that testify in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy
Spirit, and these three are one. 8 And there are three that testify on earth:
b. 1 John 5:10 Other ancient authorities read in the Son
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 5: Jesus
Cleanses a Leper
12 Once, when he was in one of the cities, there was a man
covered with leprosy.[a] When he saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the
ground and begged him, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” 13 Then
Jesus[b] stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do choose. Be made
clean.” Immediately the leprosy[c] left him. 14 And he ordered him to tell no
one. “Go,” he said, “and show yourself to the priest, and, as Moses commanded,
make an offering for your cleansing, for a testimony to them.” 15 But now more
than ever the word about Jesus[d] spread abroad; many crowds would gather to
hear him and to be cured of their diseases. 16 But he would withdraw to
deserted places and pray.
Footnotes:
a. Luke 5:12 The terms leper and leprosy can refer to several
diseases
b. Luke 5:13 Gk he
c. Luke 5:13 The terms leper and leprosy can refer to several
diseases
d. Luke 5:15 Gk him
Friday after Epiphany
Commentary of the Day:
Origen (c.185-253), priest and theologian
Homilies on Saint Luke's Gospel, no.32 ; SC 87
"The eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at
him"
When you read that Jesus “taught in their synagogues and was
praised by all”, beware of thinking that those who heard Christ then were happy
and that you are, as it were, deprived of his teaching. For if Scripture is
true then our Lord did not just speak in former times in the congregations of
the Jews but today as well in our own congregation, and not just here and now
but in congregations throughout the world... Today Jesus is “praised by all”
even more than in the days when he was only known in a single place...
“The Lord has sent me,” he said, “to bring glad tidings to the
poor.” The poor, here, refer to the gentiles who were indeed poor since they
possessed nothing: neither God, nor the Law, nor the prophets, nor
righteousness, nor support of any kind. Why did God send him as a messenger to
the poor? To “proclaim deliverance to captives” - captives, that is what we
were: prisoners in chains for so long, subjected to the power of Satan. And to
“tell the blind they will see the light”, for his word restores sight to the
blind...
“Jesus rolled up the scroll again, handed it back to the
attendant and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at
him.” Right now once more, if you want to, here in our own assembly, you can
fix your eyes on the Lord. When you direct your heart's deepest regard towards
contemplating Wisdom and Truth, the only Son of God, then you have your eyes
fixed on Jesus. Blessed is that assembly of whom Scripture says that “the eyes
of all were fixed on him”! How I should like our own assembly to be worthy of
the same testimony and for the eyes of all, catechumens and faithful, women,
men and children, to be fixed on Jesus with the eyes of their soul! For once
you have contemplated him your face and your look will be illuminated with his
light and you will be able to say: “O Lord, the light of your face has set its
seal upon us” (Ps 4,7 LXX).
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