‘Ora et Labora’

The Meditation The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity – A.D. 2016

(August 28th

)

Landscape Within an Italian Hill Town – 1710 ?

By Frans Hendrik van Lint ( 1684 - 1763)

Flemish Landscape painter

2.

The Collect for the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity

Almighty and everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and

that we may obtain that which thou dost promise, make us to love that which thou doest

command ; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Contempt for the world, but hope in God’s promises

We’ve always been taught that we must despise both the world and ourselves, and that all the

great Saints of the Church did so. There’s a caveat here, however. The person that really

despises themselves will discover that such an attitude is both unhealthy and fruitless. There is

too much good in us, to allow us to despise ourselves, thanks to the God who never despises any

of us. Given the number of evil people that history has recorded, and who also exist today, that’s

a difficult concept for us to grasp, no less accept, but perhaps in itself there lies a lesson. The

lesson being that we should not try to understand or even pretend to know the Mind of God.

The world, and by that word, we mean not creation only, but life itself, however changing, is

so intensely beautiful, and so worthy of its Creator, its ‘ joyous Maker’, as the great Italian writer

Dante Alighieri loved to call God, that it should be impossible to despise it!

What then, does the ascetically used phrase contempt for the world, consist of? Let us

consult with our Lord, our Model for the answer. Jesus didn’t despise the world, but He despised

the evil that is in the world, just as He despises sin but, He never despises the sinners that every

one of us are. We too, then must love the world…God’s creations, but not its desires and lusts

which all too often are called its spirit. The world as God created it was pure and beautiful.

Mankind, through Original Sin brought corruption into it; a corruption that continues to

propagate itself today.

Thomas a Kempis, the author of The Imitation of Christ bids us to: “look upon the passing

things with the left eye, and with the right those of heaven.” (Book III, Ch. 38). It is wise advice,

but it’s an attitude, when taken literally, has some humor in it ! Practically speaking, it’s

impossible. We can’t walk through life keeping both eyes fixed on heaven, for bad things can

happen there as well. There are old slapstick comedy movies showing an inattentive person

walking along and walking into an open manhole as a result of their preoccupations!

That which is transitory is passed through by the clear light of eternity. It is God Himself

Who has placed us in the midst of the great beauty and wonder which we call the universe. He

surrounds us with the radiance of his own glory, and bids us to see the Creator in His creation,

loving and revering in it its joyful Maker. It’s important that we should open both our eyes to the

astounding beauties of nature, and heart and ears to all that in our civilization is humanly good

and loveable. Isn’t it not all a gift of God’s infinite goodness?

3.

God has filled the earth’s valleys with the dew of tears, but His smile upon them makes them

sparkle like the richest of gems. Is one eye enough with which to contemplate and appreciate

such beauty? Or are we, in our rush through life, bound to avoid it? The person who avoids the

circumstances in which they are placed and seeks other circumstances, avoids God who placed

that person there. So then, the first of all these circumstances is our life in this world; a gift that

is so precious that the Son of God chose it for Himself and wore it like a jewel.

Jesus loved the world, its nature, its civilizations, and mankind above all . . . even with all of

our faults! He was the first to show us the great jewels of mutual love, of joy, of sorrow, and

compassion. It’s true that these same things were already things of this earth, human virtues and

aptitudes, but He didn’t disdain them, but elevated and sanctified them.

Jesus not only used and enjoyed all these things, worldly in the widest sense of the word; He

raised them to the level of the supernatural order of salvation, giving them all a divine

background, and thus, making them shine with divine radiance. Yet, He says to His disciples:

“They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” St. John; Ch. 17, Vs. 16). That is,

they have not lost themselves in those things that are passing. They stand above the world which

they are free of. Poor in spirit, the earth does not possess them, they possess it. This is what is

meant by true contempt for the world. St. John writes: “For whatsoever is born of God

overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world.” ( I John: Ch. 5, Vs.

4). St. John also warns us; “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any

man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of

the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” -

( I John; Ch. 2, Vss. 15 & 16). And more pointedly so does St. James: “Ye adulterers and

adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever

therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in

vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?” St. James; Ch. 4, Vss. 5 & 6.)

So we are warned by the Apostles that the world must not be the object of our affections ;

All our love must be reserved for the “jealous God” (ref: Exodus; Ch. 20 Vs. 5 ). We can and

must love the world as a means however, for it comes from God and leads us back to Him.

St. Augustine of Hippo gives us a good summary: “Admire that which He has made, but love

the Maker. Do not be so absorbed by the wonders of creation that you forget the Creator.”

No man can serve two masters; by serving God, we care for His creation. We leave the world

for its Creator, because we loved it and desired its happiness and we know that there was no

better means of serving it than by leaving it and surrendering ourselves to Him who made it.

We are asking our Creator, in the Collect for today, to give us those things with which we can

better serve Him and His creation: Faith, Hope, and Charity. Receiving these gifts we follow His

command, and in time receive those wonderful things He promises to us all.

All that we have left behind, we have found again in Jesus Christ, the Son. It became dearer

than ever to us, because we now see as an object of His infinite love.

4.

“Walk with your eyes wide open,

unless you be like one who is asleep!” Speaking of manholes . . .

Rome’s glory still exists in her manhole covers. Translations: S.P.Q.R. -Senatus Populusque Romanus:‘The Senate and the People of Rome’

Servizio Di Innaffiamento: Water District (of Rome) - - - - SPQR is the municipal symbol of Rome today.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Words of the Fathers St. Augustine of Hippo

“We learn to live well so that we may live forever. but there are many precepts of the law.

Therefore God, so that there would be no excuse for any of us, sums them up in a simple and

clear formula. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy whole heart and thy whole soul and

thy whole mind . . .Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Matt. Ch. 22, Vss. 367-40). This is

what you are taught in this house of learning (the Church); to love God and your neighbor. God,

as God, and your neighbor as yourself. There is nobody found equal to God, so that you can be

told, Love God as you love that man. But on the other hand, so far as your neighbor is

concerned, a rule has been found which is of use to you, because one has been found equal to

your neighbor – namely, yourself. Do you want to know how you should love your neighbor?

Then look to yourself, and as you love yourself, love him.

There is no room for error here.”

“Just as man could not make himself, neither can he make himself happy. Something which

was not man made man, and something which is not man must make him happy. Therefore, man

seeing that he cannot make himself happy, errs, and loves other things which will give him that

happiness. And what do you think he loves and thinks will give him this happiness? Gold, silver,

possessions – in a word, money; because all that men possess and of which they are masters in

this world is all reduced to money. . . . Therefore what you love, O man, is money and it is

money which you think will make you happy, that is why you love it so much. Is that so? Then if

you love your neighbor as yourself, divide your wealth with him. You were talking about what

you

5.

are; well, now you know. You are not prepared to divide your wealth with your neighbor. . . .

Give something to your brother, to your neighbor, to your companion. You are rich; he is poor;

but this life is a journey and you are on that journey together.”

- St. Augustine of Hippo; Extracts from: “De Disciplina Christiana”

The Meditation is an online apostolate of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Priory in Raymond, Maine, USA. We

are an Anglican-Catholic Benedictine contemplative community that follows the Holy Rule of St. Benedict,

the 5th

-century Father of Western Monasticism. We are affiliated within the Diocese of the Northeast (DNE), of the Anglican Church in America (ACA), a member of the worldwide Traditional Anglican Communion

(TAC).

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In respect to our contemplative vocation and the animals in our rescue and rehab center, we do not have

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Priory Kalendar For the week of

August 28th to September 4th - A.D. 2016 In Trinity tide

Sunday, August 28th

. . . . . Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity … see Note 1.

Monday, August 29th

. . . . . . Beheading of St. John the Baptist

Tuesday, August 30th

. . . . . St. Rose of Lima; V. 16th

cent. 1st Saint in the Americas.

Wednesday, August 31st . . . St. Aiden; Bp., Conf. & monk O.S.B. 7

th cent. England

Thursday, September 1st . . . St. Giles; Abt. O.S.B. –France/England 8

th cent.

Friday, September 2nd

. . . . . St. Stephen of Hungry; K. & conf. 11th

cent.

Saturday, September 3rd

. . . Saturday of Our Lady; Mass & Offices for the day.

Sunday, September 4th

. . . . .Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

Note 1: Sunday, August 28th - Today St. Augustine of Hippo; Bp. Conf. & Doct. Of the Church (4th cent. Africa) is

Commemorated at the Mass of the Day and Offices.

6.

Animal News from the Priory

Passin’ through

Mom and her kids

We are blessed here to be able to share this property with wildlife of all sorts. We have deer that winter with us and eat with our horses. We have a family of raccoons who eat Jack’s leftover cat food each night. There are the usual chipmunks and squirrels, weasels, mink, and more…We have coyotes who sing the most eerily beautiful songs for us when they pass through. There are owls, ducks, hawks, geese,

7. loons, Great Blue Herons and so many other birds including turkeys who happily remove ticks and other such things from our area to feed their young. The horses are happy to share their space with them. We leave the day time to the day time creatures and the night time to the night creatures and all live in peace.

Joseph enjoying the ‘turkey parade’ on an August afternoon

We are looking for regular and/ or “when you can” benefactors for the animals that are in our care. Each animal has come from an abusive or neglectful situation and has handicaps over which they triumph on a daily basis. Many of these animals have to live out their lives with us and we have found that with love and a little attention, they tend to live much longer than was expected. We, nor they, cannot do this alone or without your help. Winter is on the way. Would you or someone that you know like to help these creatures? All checks should be made out to The Servants of the Holy Family and “ for the animals” noted on the check. Your kind donation is tax deductible and received with the deepest gratitude. 100% of all donations go directly to feeding and caring for the animals.

PAX