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DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
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UID:12950-1735084800-1735171199@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - Nativity of the Lord
DESCRIPTION:THE NATIVITY KERYGMA \nBy Thomas Merton3 \n◊◊◊ \nIn its prayers\, the Church plunges us into the Light of God shining in the \ndarkness of the world\, in order that we may be illuminated and transformed by \nthe presence of the newborn Savior\, and thus that he may be born and truly live \nin us by making all our thoughts and actions light in himself. What joy\, then\, \nthat he who dwells eternally in the inaccessible light and peace of the Father has \nleft the throne of his glory and descended to be one of us! Or rather\, without \nleaving the bosom of the Father\, veiling the too brilliant light of his glory in the \ncloud of human nature\, he who is enthroned above the cherubim takes up his \nabode among us in a poor manger. \nThis Child who the shepherds\, dazzled by the brilliance of the angelic \nhost\, can scarcely see in the darkness of the cave lit by Joseph’s lantern\, this \nChild is (by his divinity) the Ancient of Days\, the Creator and Judge of Heaven \nand earth\, of whom the prophet Daniel wrote: “I beheld till thrones were placed \nand the Ancient of Days sat\, his garment was as white as snow\, and the hair of \nhis head like clean wool; his throne like flames of fire: the wheels of it like a \nburning fire. A swift stream of fire issued forth before him: thousands of \nthousands ministered to him and ten thousand times a hundred thousand stood \nbefore him.” \nThis\, is Daniel’s vision of the divinity of the Word Who\, in his human \nnature\, lies here helpless in the dark. But the Son of Man\, who is here born\, is \nhimself the Word\, consubstantial with the Father. To this only-begotten Son\, \nwho is equal to the Father in all things as God\, but less than the Father in so far \nas he is human\, all power is given by the Father. So\, Daniel says again: “I beheld \ntherefore in the vision of the night\, and lo one like the Son of Man came with the \nclouds of heaven\, and he came even to the Ancient of Days and they presented \nhim before him\, and he gave him power and glory and a kingdom\, and all \npeoples\, tribes and tongues shall serve him\, his power is an everlasting power \nthat shall not be taken away and his kingdom that shall not be destroyed.” This\, \nthen is the King promised from the beginning of the world and of whose \nKingdom there shall be no end. \nDo not be afraid of him. God has emptied himself and come to us as a \nchild\, in order that we who have not been saved by fear\, but only destroyed by it\, \nmay now take heart and be saved by confidence. In “Emptying himself” and \ntaking the form of a servant the Lord laid aside his majesty and his divine power\, \nin order to dwell among us in goodness and mercy. \n  \n3 SEASONS OF CELEBRATION by Thomas Merton (Farrar\, Straus & Giroux\, NY 1965) pp. 108-08.9
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-nativity-of-the-lord-3/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241226
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241227
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20241222T130647Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241222T130647Z
UID:12952-1735171200-1735257599@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - St Stephen
DESCRIPTION:THE GIFT OF LOVE \nFrom a sermon by St Fulgentius \n◊◊◊ \nYesterday we celebrated the birth in time of our eternal king; today we \ncelebrate the triumphant suffering of a soldier. For yesterday our king\, nobly \narrayed in flesh\, proceeding from the chaste womb of the Virgin Mary\, deigned \nto visit this world; today a soldier\, leaving the confines of the body\, made his \nway in triumph to heaven. \nOur king\, though he is the Most High\, for our sake came in humility; yet \nhe could not come empty-handed. It was indeed a generous gift that he brought \nfor us\, one by which he not only abundantly enriched us but gave us the strength \nto do battle and never be vanquished. What he brought was the gift of love\, \nwhich was to lead us to become sharers in the godhead. He brought it only to \nexpend it\, without in any way diminishing his own store; while turning the \npoverty of his followers into riches he remained himself\, as by a miracle\, fully \npossessed of his own inexhaustible treasury. \nLove then\, the same love that brought Christ down from heaven to earth\, \nraised Stephen from earth to heaven; the same love shown first in the king was \nreproduced in its splendor in the warrior. \nAnd so Stephen\, in order to earn his right to the crown his name signifies\, \narmed himself with love\, and by that same love won every battle. It was love of \nGod that made him yield not an inch\, love of his neighbor that led him to \nintercede for those who stoned him. It was through love that he was able to \nexpose those in error so that they might change their ways; through love that he \nprayed for those who stoned him so that they should not be punished. Trusting \nonly in love\, he overcame Saul’s cruel rage\, and the very man who had been his \npersecutor on earth he won as his companion in heaven. That same holy and \nuntiring love longed to win over by prayer those whom it could not convert by \npersuasion… \nLove is therefore the source and origin of every good\, an unrivaled \nprotection\, the road that leads to heaven. Those who walk in love can be neither \nlost nor afraid; love is the guide and protector\, and brings them to the end of \ntheir journey. For this reason\, beloved\, since Christ has set up a stairway of love \nby which every Christian can mount up to heaven\, keep a firm hold on love \nalone; love one another\, and by growing in love climb together up to heaven.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-st-stephen-2/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241227
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241228
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20241222T130802Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241222T130802Z
UID:12954-1735257600-1735343999@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - St John
DESCRIPTION:THE ROOT OF CHARITY \nFrom a sermon by St John Henry Newman \n◊◊◊ \nThe love of God is not the same thing as the love of our parents\, though \nparallel to it; but the love of mankind in general should be in the main the same \nhabit as the love of our friends\, only exercised towards different objects… What \nis meant by loving all people is\, to feel well disposed to all\, to be ready to assist \nthem\, and to act towards those who come in our way\, as if we loved them. We \ncannot love those about whom we know nothing; except indeed we view them in \nChrist\, as the objects of his Atonement\, that is\, rather in faith than in love. And \nlove\, besides\, is a habit\, and cannot be attained without actual practice\, which \non so large a scale is impossible. \nWe see then how absurd it is when writers (as is the manner of some who \nslight the Gospel) talk magnificently about loving the whole human race with a \ncomprehensive affection\, of being the friends of all\, and the like. Such vaunting \nprofessions\, what do they come to? That such men or women have certain \nbenevolent feelings towards the world\, — feelings and nothing more – nothing \nmore than unstable feelings\, the mere offspring of an indulged imagination\, \nwhich exist only when their minds are wrought upon\, and are sure to fail them \nin the hour of need. This is not to love people; it is but to talk about love. The \nreal love of another must depend on practice\, and therefore\, must begin by \nexercising itself on our friends around us; otherwise it will have no existence. \nBy trying to love our relations and friends\, by submitting to their wishes\, \nthough contrary to our own\, by bearing with their infirmities\, by overcoming \ntheir occasional waywardness by kindness\, by dwelling on their excellences\, and \ntrying to copy them\, thus it is that we form in our hearts that root of charity\, \nwhich\, though small at first\, may\, like the mustard seed\, at last even overshadow \nthe earth. The vain talkers about philanthropy…usually show the emptiness of \ntheir profession\, by being morose and cruel in the private relations of life\, which \nthey seem to account as subjects beneath their notice. \nFar different indeed\, far different…with the great Apostle\, whose memory \nwe are today celebrating\, utterly the reverse of this fictitious benevolence was \nhis elevated and enlightened sympathy for all men. We know he is celebrated for \nhis declarations about Christian love. “Beloved\, let us love one another\, for love \nis of God. If we love one another\, God dwells in us\, and his love is perfected in \nus…” \nNow did he begin with some vast effort at loving on a large scale? Nay\, he \nhad the unspeakable privilege of being the friend of Christ. Thus he was taught \nto love others; first his affection was concentrated then it was expanded. Next he \nhad the solemn and comfortable charge of tending our Lord’s Mother\, the \nBlessed Virgin\, after his departure. Do we not here discern the secret sources of \nhis especial love of the brethren? Could he\, who first was favored with his \nSavior’s affection\, then trusted with a son’s office towards his Mother\, could he \nbe other than a memorial and pattern (as far as man or woman can be)\, of love\, \ndeep\, contemplative\, fervent\, unruffled\, unbounded?
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-st-john-3/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241228
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241229
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20241222T130911Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241222T130911Z
UID:12956-1735344000-1735430399@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - Holy Innocents
DESCRIPTION:THE HOLY INNOCENTS \nFrom the letters of St Cyprian \n◊◊◊ \nThe martyrdom of children marked the very beginning of Christ’s life: for \nhis name’s sake\, all those of two years old and under were put to death. Too \nyoung to fight\, they were yet able to win a martyr’s crown\, and by their \ninnocence bear witness to the innocence of all who shed their blood for Christ. \nWhen even such as these make martyrs\, clearly no one is immune from the peril \nof persecution. \nWhat a shameful thing it would be for Christ’s servants to recoil from \nsuffering when their Master suffered first; for us to be unwilling to endure \nsomething for our sins\, when he\, though sinless\, endured so much for us! The \nSon of God suffered in order to make us children of God; will the children of this \nworld refuse to persevere in that sonship through suffering? If we have to bear \nwith the world’s hatred\, we must remember that Christ bore it before we did. \nWe may have to endure insults\, exile\, torture in this world\, but the Creator and \nLord of the world knew them first in harsher form\, and warned us of them\, \nsaying\, “If the world hates you\, remember that it hated me before you. If you \nbelonged to the world\, the world would love its own. But you are not of the \nworld; I chose you out of it\, and therefore it hates you. Remember the saying I \ngave you\, ‘The servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecute me\, they \nwill persecute you also.” Our Lord and God practiced all he taught\, so there can \nbe no excuse for a disciple who hears his teaching but does not act on it… \nLet these be the sentiments\, dearly beloved brethren\, that ever abide in \nyour hearts. And may we thus make ready our arms by fixing our thoughts\, day \nand night\, on this reflection\, by holding before our eyes and turning over \nconstantly in our minds and our hearts what tortures are inflicted upon the \nwicked\, what rewards are merited by the just\, what the Lord threatens by way of \npunishment to those who deny\, what\, by contrast\, He promises by way of glory \nto those who confess. If the day of persecution should come upon us whilst we \nmeditate upon and contemplate these thoughts\, then the soldier of Christ\, being \nthus instructed by His precepts and counsels\, shows no fear in the face of battle \nbut is now ready for his crown.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-holy-innocents-3/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241229
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241230
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20241229T115255Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241229T115255Z
UID:12965-1735430400-1735516799@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Skema
DESCRIPTION:Biblical Readings for Office and Mass\nChristmas Season\n\n\nMass Readings: Sunday (C)\, Weekdays (I)\nDec. 29\, 2024 – Jan. 4\, 2025\n\n\n\nSun\n29\nMon\n30\nTue\n31\nWed\n1\nThu\n2\nFri\n3\nSat\n4\n\n\nOffice\nHoly Family\n6th Day in Octave\n7th Day in Octave\nMary\, Mother of God\nSS Basil & Gregory\nChristmas Weekday\nSt Elizabeth Ann Seton\n\n\nVigils\nEph 5:21-6:4\nCol 1:15-2:3\nCol 2:4-15\nSir 24:1-12\, 19-22\nCol 2:16-3:4\nCol 3:5-16\nCol 3:17-4:1\n\n\nLauds\nSir 26:1-4\, 13-16\nIsa 44:1-5\nIsa 44:6-8\, 21-23\n1 Sam 2:1-10\nIsa 54:1-5\nIsa 54:6-10\nIsa 55:1-5\n\n\nMass\n17\n203\n204\n18\n205\n206\n207\n\n\n1st\n1 Sam 1:20-22\, 24-28\n1 John 2:12-17\n1 John 2:18-21\nNum 6:22-27\n1 John 2:22-28\n1 John 2:29-3:6\n1 John 3:7-10\n\n\n2nd\n1 John 3:1-2\, 21-24\n\n\nGal 4:4-7\n\n\n\n\n\nGospel\nLuke 2:41-52\nLuke 2:36-40\nJohn 1:1-18\nLuke 2:16-21\nJohn 1:19-28\nJohn 1:29-34\nJohn 1:35-42\n\n\nVespers\n1 Cor 13:1-8a\nEph 1:11-14\nHeb 2:10-18\nJames 3:13-18\nEph 1:15-23\nEph 2:1-10\nRev 21:22-27
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/skema-98/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241229
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241230
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20241229T115658Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241229T115658Z
UID:12967-1735430400-1735516799@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - Holy Family Sunday
DESCRIPTION:THE FAMILY AT NAZARETH \nBy Fr Ambroise-Marie Carré \n◊◊◊ \nIn these days when the Church is experiencing a renewal of its youth\, how \nmany families would be enriched by contemplation of the extraordinary beauty \nto be seen in the unique love of the family at Nazareth! For centuries it has been \nby constantly returning to the marriage of Joseph and Mary\, to the home to \nwhich Jesus first brought his radically new message of salvation\, that \ntheologians have defined the principles of marriage for those baptized into the \nChristian faith. St Augustine never spoke of marriage without reference to the \nHoly Family. And there are wonderful pages in Bossuet devoted to the subject \nof that union\, which was\, he said\, “most true\,” because Mary and Joseph\, \ntrusting each other with their virginity\, “gave themselves to each other” in love. \nA sentence of St. Luke’s sheds light on this great mystery: Mary “kept all \nthese things in her heart”. The family at Nazareth lived in complete harmony\, \ncherishing “compassion\, kindness\, lowliness\, meekness\, and patience”. The \npresence of God incarnate\, and of his love\, transfigured all in joy and wonder. \nSuch things as Mary and Joseph were able to understand penetrated them to the \nvery depths of their being. And what they could not understand\, such as that \noccasion when their young son disappeared and was later found in the temple\, \nthey kept within them\, so that those gestures and words of his whose meaning \nthey could not grasp with their minds might act on their hearts\, and gradually \nopen them to the measure of the Father’s will. \nSurely this is\, very specially\, the right way to live for any who have taken \nvows in the name of the Lord. If you wish the ideal\, you must let Christ live \namong you and within you. Whatever you find in your lives that seems to you \nclear\, happy and fruitful\, you should learn how to appreciate it: there are so \nmany who do not! And as for your misunderstanding\, which are the cause of \nsuffering in so many homes…you should keep all these things in your heart\, not \nto swell into bitterness\, but so as to let suffering and the divine force of you \nsacramental vow transform that self-centered heart. Nor will the love which is \nblessed by God and which follows God’s command ever leave us: it can only be \ndismissed. But you have not dismissed love. So let God purify and renew your \nlove\, as he purifies and renews the faith of those who seek him. On the third day\, \nin the love of Jesus\, it will rise again.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-holy-family-sunday-2/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241230
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241231
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20241229T115815Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241229T115815Z
UID:12969-1735516800-1735603199@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - 6th Day in Octave
DESCRIPTION:THE ABSOLUTE GOODNESS \nOF GOD \nFrom a treatise by St John Eudes \n◊◊◊ \nOur loving Savior\, in various places in the Scriptures\, assures us that he is \never watchful over us\, that we are and always will be in his most compassionate \ncare. How he carries us in his heart… In one place [in Isaiah] he even repeats it \nfive times in succession: Hearken to me\, O house of Jacob\, all the remnant of \nthe house of Israel\, who have been borne by me from your birth\, carried from \nthe womb; even to your old age I am He\, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I \nhave made\, and I will bear; I will carry and will save. \nElsewhere [in Scripture] he tells us the same thing in many ways. \nAlthough\, he says\, it may sometimes happen that a mother can forget her child\, \nyet he will never forget us\, and he has engraved us on his hands to have us ever \nbefore him. Whoever touches one of us\, he says\, touches the apple of his eye. \nAgain\, we should not be anxious about how we are going to get enough to eat or \nwear\, because he well knows our needs and takes care of them. He has even \ncounted the very hairs of our heads\, and not one shall perish. He also tells us \nthat as he loves his Father so his Father loves us\, and that his own love for us is \nthe same as his Father’s love for him. He wishes us to be where he is — that is\, he \nwishes us to dwell with him in his Father’s heart… \nLet us beware of being dependent on the power or favor of our friends\, or \non our own possessions\, on our minds\, knowledge\, strength\, good desires and \nresolutions\, prayers\, or even on the faith we believe we have in God\, or on \nhuman means of any sort\, or on anything in creation\, but rely entirely on the \nmercy of God. We should indeed use all these things I have mentioned\, and \ncontribute in every way we can to the suppression of vice\, the practice of virtue\, \nthe carrying to completion of whatever God has entrusted to our care\, and the \nfulfillment of the duties which accompany our station in life. What we have to do \nis to give up all tendency to rely on our own means\, and put our trust in the \nabsolute goodness of our Lord. Therefore we must take as much care\, and work \nas hard\, as if we expected no help from God\, and at the same time regard this \nwork of ours as nothing\, and put all our hope in God’s mercy. \nThis is what the Holy Spirit exhorts us to do\, speaking through the mouth \nof the King and Prophet David: Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him\, and \nhe will act. And elsewhere: Cast your burden on the Lord\, and he will sustain \nyou. And in the words of Peter\, the leader of the Apostles\, the Spirit advises us to \ncast all our anxieties on God\, for he cares about us. Our Lord spoke the same \ncomfort to Saint Catherine of Siena: “My daughter\, forget yourself and think of \nme\, and I shall never cease to think of you.”
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-6th-day-in-octave/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241231
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250101
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20241229T115937Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241229T115937Z
UID:12971-1735603200-1735689599@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - 7th Day in Octave
DESCRIPTION:GOD’S DESIGN FOR LOVE \nFrom the writing of Pope St Paul VI \n◊◊◊ \nAs holy scripture teaches us\, before it is a sacrament marriage is a great \nearthly reality: God created man in his own image; he created him in the image \nof God: he created them man and woman. We always have to go back to that \nfirst page of the Bible if we want to understand what a human couple\, a family\, \nreally is and what it ought to be. Psychological analyses\, psychoanalytical \nresearch\, sociological surveys\, and philosophical reflection may of course have a \ncontribution to make with the light they shed on human sexuality and love; but \nthey would blind us if they neglected this fundamental teaching which was given \nto us at the very beginning: the duality of the sexes was decreed by God\, so that \ntogether man and woman might be the image of God and\, like him\, the source of \nlife: Be fruitful and increase\, fill the earth and subdue it… \nThe Christian knows that human love is good by its very origin; and if\, like \neverything else in us\, it is wounded and deformed by sin\, it finds its salvation \nand redemption in Christ. Besides\, isn’t this the lesson that twenty centuries of \nChristian history have taught us? How many couples have found the way to \nholiness in their conjugal life\, in that community of life which is the only one to \nbe founded on a sacrament! \nLove one another\, as I have loved you. The ways in which they express \ntheir affection are\, for Christian husband and wife\, full of the love which they \ndraw from the heart of God. And if its human source threatens to dry up\, its \ndivine source is as inexhaustible as the unfathomable depths of God’s affection. \nThat shows us the intimacy\, strength\, and richness of the communion which \nconjugal love aims at. It is an inward and spiritual reality\, transforming the \ncommunity of life of husband and wife into what might be called…“the domestic \nChurch”… \nSuch is the mystery in which conjugal love takes root\, and which \nilluminates all its expressions. The rapture which moves husband and wife to \nunite is the carrier of life\, and enables God to give himself children. On \nbecoming parents\, the husband and wife discover with a sense of wonder\, at the \nbaptismal font\, that their child is from now on a child of God\, reborn from \nwater and the Spirit; and that the child is entrusted to them so that they may \nwatch over its physical and moral growth\, certainly\, but also the opening out \nand blossoming in him of the new nature. Such a child is no longer just what \nthey see\, but just as much what they believe\, “an infinity of mystery and love \nwhich would dazzle us if we say it face to face”… Therefore [the] upbringing [of \nchildren] becomes true service of Christ\, according to his own saying: whatever \nyou do for one of these little ones\, you do for me.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-7th-day-in-octave/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250101
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250102
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20241229T120053Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241229T120053Z
UID:12973-1735689600-1735775999@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - Mary\, Mother of God
DESCRIPTION:LOOK TO MARY \nFrom the letters of Adam of Perseigne \n◊◊◊ \nYou\, Lady\, are my all. In your hands has been stored for me the fullness of \nall good. With you have been hidden the unfailing treasures of truth and grace\, \nof peace and pity\, of salvation and wisdom\, of glory and of honor. You are my \nanchor amid the billows\, port in shipwreck\, support in tribulation\, comfort in \ngrief. You are\, for those who are yours\, aid in oppression\, help in time of crisis\, \ntemperance in prosperity\, joy in time of waiting\, refreshment in toil… \nWhen you conceive the sun of righteousness\, you like the moon are \nillumined by the good office of the blazing sun… Therefore whatever beauty it \npossesses it has through the gift of its borrowed splendor. When you bring forth \nthe sun of righteousness\, you are compared to the sun because of the close \nlikeness. Just as the body of the sun is not injured or diminished when it puts \nforth its rays\, so the bringing forth of the holy birth does not violate the mother. \nAnd what\, you who are glorious as the sun\, what is your offspring but the eternal \nsplendor of a certain sun?… \nTherefore\, dear friend\, all our confidence lies in the childbearing of our \nVirgin and though I may be unworthy I shall not cease to dwell upon her praises. \nIf you stand in need of mercy\, it is found in full measure in the heart of the \nVirgin. If you reverence the truth\, give thanks to the Virgin\, since from the \nground of her virgin flesh the truth which you worship has arisen. No less give \nthanks to the Virgin if you follow after peace\, since from her is born for you the \npeace which passes all understanding. If you pursue justice\, see that you are not \nungrateful to the Virgin\, for at the opening of her womb justice looked forth \nfrom heaven. \nIf your faith is shaken by some assault from an enemy\, turn your eyes \nupon the Virgin and that in which was wavering will be firmly fixed. If the lust of \nthe flesh delights you\, turn your gaze upon the Virgin\, and the danger to your \nchastity is removed. If pride disturbs your spirit\, turn your gaze upon the \nVirgin\, and by the merit of her unsullied humility your swelling spirit will \nsubside. If you are set on fire by anger’s torches\, lift your eyes to the Virgin and \nyou will grow gentle through her calm. If ignorance or error have led you astray \nfrom the way of life\, look to Mary\, star of the sea\, and in her light you will be led \nback to the path of truth… In every peril the goodness of the Virgin comes to our \naid. Give thanks for her childbearing… For us the Virgin brought forth\, ours is \nthe birth\, for us the child was born and to us the son was given.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-mary-mother-of-god-3/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20241229T120213Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241229T120213Z
UID:12975-1735776000-1735862399@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - SS Basil & Gregory
DESCRIPTION:THE QUALITIES OF THE MONK \nFrom a discourse by St Basil the Great \n◊◊◊ \nFirst and foremost\, the monk should own nothing in this world\, but he \nshould have as his possessions solitude of the body\, modesty of bearing\, a \nmodulated tone of voice\, and a well-ordered manner of speech. He should be \nwithout anxiety as to his food and drink\, and should eat in silence. In the \npresence of his superiors\, he should hold his tongue; before those wiser than he\, \nhe should hearken to their words. He should have love for his equals\, give \ncharitable counsel to his inferiors\, and keep aloof from the wicked\, the carnal\, \nand the officious. He ought to think much but speak little\, be not forward in \nspeech nor given to useless discoursing\, not easily moved to laughter\, respectful \nin bearing\, keeping his eyes cast down and his spirit uplifted\, not answering \ncontradiction with contradiction\, docile. He should work with his hands\, be ever \nmindful of his last end\, joyful in hope\, patient in adversity\, unceasingly \nprayerful\, giving thanks in all things\, humble toward everyone\, hating pride\, \nsober and watchful to keep his heart from evil thoughts. \nHe ought to heap up treasures in heaven by observing the \ncommandments\, examining himself as to his daily thoughts and actions\, not \nentangling himself in the occupations and superfluities of the world. It ill befits \nhim to concern himself about those who lead careless lives; he should emulate \nthe life of the holy fathers\, rejoicing with those who are successful in the practice \nof virtue and not envying them. He must sympathize with the suffering and \nweep with them\, sorrowing deeply for these\, but not on any account should he \ncondemn them\, nor upbraid him who has renounced his sin\, nor ever justify \nhimself. He should\, above all\, confess before God and men that he is a sinner. It \nis his duty\, moreover\, to admonish the undisciplined\, encourage the faint- \nhearted\, minister to the sick\, wash the feet of the saints\, and be mindful of the \nduties of hospitality and fraternal charity. He must preserve peace with the \nmembers of the household of the faith\, shun the heretic\, read the canonical \nScriptures. He should spend his time in good words and deeds. He should \nconverse without deceit\, speak no word against anyone\, and neither gossip nor \ntake pleasure in listening to gossip. He should not be quick to trust evil report of \nanyone\, nor be mastered by ill temper nor overcome by despondency. He ought \nnot to become angry with his neighbor without cause\, nor nurse wrath against \nanyone\, nor return evil for evil. It behooves him to be reviled rather than to \nrevile\, to be struck rather than to strike\, to be wronged rather than to do wrong\, \nto be despoiled rather than to despoil. \nHe must not grow weary in observing the precepts of the Lord to the best \nof his ability\, but he should await reward and praise from Him\, continuing in his \ndesire for the enjoyment of everlasting life. Moreover he should love God as a \nson\, with his whole heart and strength and mind and with all the power that is in \nhim; but as a servant he should reverence\, fear\, and obey Him and work out his \nsalvation in fear and trembling\, fervent in spirit\, girt about with the full armor of \nthe Holy Spirit. \nBut\, over and above all this\, he must be mindful of the words of the \nApostle: “For the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with \nthe glory to come that will be revealed in us”.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-ss-basil-gregory-2/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20241229T120316Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241229T120316Z
UID:12977-1735862400-1735948799@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:CHRIST AMONG US \nFrom a homily by St Basil the Great \n◊◊◊ \nGod is on earth\, God is among us\, not now as lawgiver – there is no fire\, \ntrumpet blast\, smoke-wreathed mountain\, dense cloud\, or storm to terrify \nwhoever hears him but as one gently and kindly conversing in a human body \nwith his fellow men and women. God is in the flesh. Now he is not acting \nintermittently as he did through the prophets. He is bringing back to himself the \nwhole human race\, which he has taken possession of and united to himself. By \nhis birth he has made the human race his own kin. \nBut how can glory come to all through one man? How can the Godhead be \nin the flesh? In the same way as fire can be in iron: not by moving from place to \nplace but by the one imparting to the other its own properties. Fire does not \nspeed toward iron\, but without itself undergoing any change it causes the iron to \nshare in its own natural attributes. The fire is not diminished and yet it \ncompletely fills whatever shares in its nature. So is it also with God the Word. \nHe did not relinquish his own nature and yet he dwelt among us. He did not \nundergo any change and yet the Word became flesh. Earth received him from \nheaven\, yet heaven was not deserted by him who holds the universe in being. \nLet us strive to comprehend the mystery. The reason God is in the flesh is \nto kill the death that lurks there. As diseases are cured by medicines and \nassimilated by the body\, and as darkness in a house is dispelled by the coming of \nlight\, so death\, which held sway over human nature\, is done away with by the \ncoming of God. As ice formed on water covers its surface as long as night and \ndarkness last but melts under the warmth of the sun\, so death reigned until the \ncoming of Christ; but when the grace of God our Savior appeared and the Sun of13 \nJustice arose\, death was swallowed up in victory\, unable to bear the presence of \ntrue life. How great is God’s goodness\, how deep his love for us! \nLet us join the shepherds in giving glory to God\, let us dance with the \nangels and sing: Today a Savior has been born to us. He is Christ the Lord. The \nLord is God and he has appeared to us!
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-249/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250104
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250105
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20241229T120426Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241229T120426Z
UID:12979-1735948800-1736035199@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - St Elizabeth Ann Seton
DESCRIPTION:O SOUL OF MY SOUL \nBy St Elizabeth Ann Seton \n◊◊◊ \nHow often have I felt my soul awakened by your Light and warmed by the \nfire of your Love – then I approach you – I find you – but Alas instantly after\, I \nlose you; often I think myself received – then fear I am rejected – and in this \ncontinual change of interior dispositions I walk in darkness and often go astray \n– I desire and know not how to desire\, I love\, and know not how to love\, nor how \nto find what I love. \nThus my soul loses itself without ceasing to hope in you – It knows by its \nown experience that it desires much\, and is unable to do anything – you see its \ntrouble O lord – and in that happy moment when fatigued with so many \nvicissitudes it falls at last into entire diffidence of itself then you open its eyes \nand it sees the true way to Peace and Life – it knows you were nearer than it \nimagined – you instruct it all at once without Voice or Words\, it thinks only of \nwhat possesses it\, abandoning all things else it then possesses you – It sees \nwithout knowing what it sees\, it hears\, and is ignorant of what it hears\, it knows \nonly Who he is to whom it is attentive\, it contents itself with loving HIM\, it loves \nHim continually more and more – Words cannot express\, nor the mind \ncomprehend what it receives from you O MY GOD even in this place of \nBanishment. \nHow happy is that moment O divine Jesus! How pure is that Light\, how \nineffable is that communion of your Blessings! You know O Lord how precious \nthat gift is\, and your Creature that receives it knows also – Ah! if it were faithful\, \nif it never departed from you – if it knew how to preserve the Grace it had \nreceived\, how happy would it be! And yet this is but a drop of that infinite Ocean \nof Blessings which you are one day to communicate to it. \nO Soul of my Soul – what is my Soul and What Good can it have without \npossessing you – Life of my Life! What is my Life when I live not in you – Is it \npossible that my Heart is capable of possessing you – of enjoying you all alone – \nof extending and dilating itself in you – can your creature thus be elevated above \nitself to repose in your Breast\, and after that depart from you? Bury itself in the \nEarth? Ah Lord I know not what I ought to say to You: but hear the voice of your \nlove and of my misery; live always in me\, and let me live perpetually in You and \nfor You as I live only by You. \nEnlighten me\, O Divine Light! Conduct me\, O supreme Truth! Raise me \nagain\, O uncreated Life! Separate me from every thing that displeases you. \nSuffer me to remain at your Feet!
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-st-elizabeth-ann-seton-3/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250106
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250103T205922Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250103T205922Z
UID:12990-1736035200-1736121599@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Skema
DESCRIPTION:Biblical Readings for Office and Mass\nEpiphany Week\n\n\nMass Readings: Sunday (C)\, Weekdays (I)\nJanuary 5 – 11\, 2025\n\n\n\nSun\n5\nMon\n6\nTue\n7\nWed\n8\nThu\n9\nFri\n10\nSat\n11\n\n\nOffice\nEpiphany of the Lord\nWeekday after Epiphany\nWeekday after Epiphany\nWeekday after Epiphany\nWeekday after Epiphany\nSt Gregory of Nyssa\nWeekday after Epiphany\n\n\nVigils\nIsa 60:1-22\nIsa 61:1-11\nIsa 62:1-12\nIsa 63:7-19\nIsa 64:1-11\nIsa 65:13-25\nIsa 66:10-14\, 18-23\n\n\nLauds\nBaruch 4:36-5:9\nIsa 59:14-21\nIsa 60:1-7\nIsa 60:10-14\nIsa 60:15-22\nBaruch 4:30-37\nBaruch 5:1-9\n\n\nMass\n20\n212\n213\n214\n215\n216\n217\n\n\n1st\nIsa 60:1-6\n1 John 3:22-4:6\n1 John 4:7-10\n1 John 4:11-18\n1 John 4:19-5:4\n1 John 5:5-13\n1 John 5:14-21\n\n\n2nd\nEph 3:2-3a\, 5-6\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGospel\nMatt 2:1-12\nMatt 4:12-17\, 23-25\nMark 6:34-44\nMark 6:45-52\nLuke 4:14-22a\nLuke 5:12-16\nJohn 3:22-30\n\n\nVespers\n2 Tim 1:6-14\nEph 4:1-6\nEph 4:17-24\nEph 4:25-32\nEph 5:6-20\nEph 6:10-17\nCol 2:8-15
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/skema-99/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250106
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250103T210137Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250103T210137Z
UID:12992-1736035200-1736121599@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - Epiphany of the Lord
DESCRIPTION:THE GLORY OF CHRIST \nFrom a sermon by St John Henry Newman \n◊◊◊ \nThe Epiphany is a season especially set apart for adoring the glory of \nChrist. The word may be taken to mean the manifestation of His glory\, and leads \nus to the contemplation of Him as a King upon His throne in the midst of His \ncourt\, with His servants around Him\, and His guards in attendance. At \nChristmas we commemorate His grace; and in Lent His temptation; and on \nGood Friday His sufferings and death; and on Easter Day His victory; and on \nAscension Thursday His return to the Father; and in Advent we anticipate His \nsecond coming. And in all of these seasons He does something\, or suffers \nsomething: but in the Epiphany and the weeks after it\, we celebrate Him\, not as \non His field of battle\, or in His solitary retreat\, but as an august and glorious \nKing; we view Him as the Object of our worship. \nThen only\, during His whole earthly history\, did He fulfil the type of \nSolomon\, and held (as I may say) a court\, and received the homage of His \nsubjects; namely\, when He was an infant. His throne was His undefiled \nmother’s arms; His chamber of state was a cottage or a cave; the worshippers \nwere the wise men of the East\, and they brought Him presents\, gold\, \nfrankincense and myrrh. All around and about Him seemed of earth\, except to \nthe eye of faith; one note alone had He of divinity. As the great of this world are \noften plainly dressed\, and look like other people\, except for having some one \ncostly ornament on their breast or on their brow; so the Son of Mary in His lowly \ndwelling\, and in an infant’s form\, was declared to be the Son of God Most High\, \nthe Father of ages\, and the Prince of Peace\, by His star; a wonderful appearance \nwhich had guided the wise men all the way from the East\, even unto Bethlehem. \nThis being the character of this Sacred Season\, our services throughout it\, \nas far as they are proper to it\, are full of the image of a king in his royal court\, of a \nsovereign surrounded by subjects\, of a glorious prince upon a throne. There is \nno thought of war\, or of strife\, or of suffering\, or of triumph\, or of vengeance \nconnected with the Epiphany\, but of august majesty\, of power\, of prosperity\, of \nsplendor\, of serenity\, of benignity. Now\, if at any time\, it is fit to say\, “The Lord \nis in His holy temple\, let all the earth keep silence before Him.” “The Lord sits \nabove the waters\, and the Lord remains a king forever.” “The Lord of Hosts is \nwith us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” “O come\, let us worship\, and fall down\, \nand kneel before the Lord our Maker.” “O magnify the Lord our God\, and fall \ndown before His footstool\, for He is holy.” “O worship the Lord in the beauty of \nholiness; bring presents\, and come into His courts.”
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-epiphany-of-the-lord-2/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250106
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250107
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250103T210305Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250103T210305Z
UID:12994-1736121600-1736207999@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:THE SEASON OF MAJESTY \nThe continuation of a sermon by St John Henry Newman \n◊◊◊ \nYou will observe\, then\, that the only display of royal greatness\, the only \nseason of majesty\, homage and glory\, which our Lord had on earth\, was in His \ninfancy and youth. Gabriel’s message to Mary was in its style and manner such as \nbefitted an Angel speaking to Christ’s Mother. Elizabeth\, too\, saluted Mary\, and the \nfuture Baptist his hidden Lord\, in the same honorable way. Angels announced His \nbirth\, and the shepherds worshiped. A star appeared\, and the wise men rose from \nthe East and made Him offerings. He was brought to the temple\, and Simeon took \nHim in his arms\, and returned thanks for Him. He grew to twelve years old\, and \nagain He appeared in the temple\, and took His seat in the midst of the doctors. But \nhere His earthly majesty had its end\, or if seen afterwards\, it was but now and then\, \nby glimpses and by sudden gleams\, but with no sustained light and no diffused \nradiance. \nWe are told at the close of the last-mentioned narrative\, “And He went down \nwith His parents\, and came to Nazareth\, and was subject to them.” His subjection \nand servitude now began in fact. He had come in the form of a servant\, and now He \ntook on a servant’s office. How much is contained in the idea of His subjection! and \nit began\, and His time of glory ended\, when He was twelve years old. \nSolomon\, the great type of the Prince of Peace\, reigned for forty years\, and \nhis name and greatness was known far and wide through the East. Joseph\, the \nmuch-loved son of Jacob\, who in an earlier age of the Church\, was a type of Christ \nin His kingdom\, was in power and favor eighty years\, twice as long as Solomon. But \nChrist\, the true Revealer of secrets\, and the Dispenser of the Bread of life\, the true \nwisdom and majesty of the Father\, manifested His glory only in His early years\, \nand then the sun of Righteousness was clouded. For He was not to reign really\, till \nHe left the world. He has reigned ever since; nay\, reigned in the world\, though He is \nnot sensible presence in it – the invisible King of a visible kingdom – for He came \non earth only to show what His reign would be\, after He had left it\, and to submit to \nsuffering and dishonor\, that He might reign. Christ descends to the shadows of this \nworld\, with the transitory tokens on Him of that future glory into which He could \nnot enter till He had suffered. The star burned brightly over Him for a while\, \nthough it then faded away.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-250/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250107
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250108
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250103T210418Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250103T210418Z
UID:12996-1736208000-1736294399@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:A HYMN ON THE MANIFESTATION \nOF CHRIST \nBy St Ephrem the Syrian \n◊◊◊ \nBlessed is the King Who has come and will come! \nThe Redeemer shone forth to the blind\, but they looked to others. \nThe Sun showed His rays\, but they were clothed in darkness. \nThe Resplendent One sent His light\, and it summoned the children of light \nto reveal to the children of darkness\, “Behold in your midst is the light\, \nbut over your eyes a veil.” To You be glory\, New Sun! \nThe prophets announced His birth but did not specify His time. \nHe sent the Magi\, and they came and declared His time. \nBut the Magi who made known the time did not specify where the Infant was. \nThe glorious star of light ran and showed were the Infant was… \nA pair of announcers expressed the properties of the Only-Begotten: \nthe star of light and John – one a shining forth\, the other a voice. \nFor the One Announced was also a Word and a Light. \nVoice and ray serve Him. The shining forth announced His light \nand the voice His wisdom. More blessed is the First-born than His announcers! \nJohn gazed at Him and cried\, “This is the Lamb of God!” \nThe Lamb grew fat and matured\, and He came to be an offering. \nJohn was not afraid to cry\, “Behold\, it is He!” – \neven if the slayers attack\, even if it was the time of sprinkling \nso that forgiveness would be by His blood\, Blessed is the Compensator of our \nsins. \nThe glorious star of light was not like John\, \nfor there was a place where it rose and made straight the way for the simple\, \nbut there was a place where it sank and made the path of the wolves go astray. \nIt kept the Lamb from the slaughter so that the day for the slaughter would \ncome\, that in Him the flock would be pardoned. Blessed is He in Whom \nHis possessions were redeemed!
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-251/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250108
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250109
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250103T210548Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250103T210548Z
UID:12998-1736294400-1736380799@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:TAKING GOD ON HIS OWN TERMS \nBy Fr Edward Leen4 \n◊◊◊ \nEverybody knows that the call of the Magi typifies the vocation of the \nGentiles to the Church of God. But to penetrate more deeply into this mystery \nand to read therein an experience common to a multitude of souls demands a \ndeeper understanding of God’s way of manifesting himself to his creatures\, and \na keener discernment of his action in human souls. God is a hidden God\, and \nmust be so for us. He manifests himself obscurely. God does not hide himself \nfrom us purposely or to make approach to him more difficult. He desires \nrevelation of himself to us\, and approach to him on our part. God in his \napproach to us but tempters his brilliancy to accommodate it to our weak and \ndiseased spiritual vision. He\, as it were\, takes care not to hurt our soul’s sight. \nBut he aims at revelation through dimmed radiance. The incarnation\, which is \nthe utmost concealment of the Godhead that there is\, or that can be — except \nthat of the Eucharist alone — is the greatest revelation of God. \nThat we are dull of perception is certainly not due to the mode in which \nGod reveals himself\, but must be traceable to our fault. It is the poor quality of \nour faith that is responsible for this dullness. We do not take God on his own \nconditions. We are always given to imposing ours on him. We have a tendency \nto decide for ourselves what shall be the sensible exterior vesture of God’s \nmessage. We clothe that message with a garment woven of our own ideas and \nimaginings\, and we reject the material selected by God himself for his \nrevelation. \nNot so the wise men. They took God on his own terms. We choose a \ncertain mode for his manifestation\, and they acknowledged him as God in the \nlowliness of the guise in which he appeared. They looked on a babe and they said \nGod. Their faith was superb. That the three wise men were able to discern in the \nform of a helpless babe\, lying in an earthly Mother’s frail arms\, under a \nmiserable roof\, the king of kings\, the great redeemer of the human race that had \nbeen spoken of in prophecy for centuries before\, was a truly marvelous thing. It \nis a proof that they must have been men of very pure lives and to a large extent \nimmune from the corruption of the world in which they lived. Gifted with great \nscience\, as their name implies\, they must have had clear and docile and simple \nminds\, minds eager to acquire the truth and ready to submit to it\, no matter how \nmuch it might conflict with the traditions and prejudices of their race. \nThe wonderful faith of these men passes all belief. Their appearance in the \npages of Saint Matthew is like a sudden burst of glorious sunshine\, breaking in a \nflood of glory\, through a sky wrapped in a mantle of somber grey. And the star \nwent before them\, until it came and stood over where the child was; and seeing \nthe star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And entering into the house \nthey found the child with Mary his Mother. Their long quest had come to an \nend. As they saw the humble roof under which the child was\, and as they \nperceived the lowly simple conditions of his parents\, were they taken aback? \nHad they any misgivings? Were they harassed by any doubts? Were they \nexpected to discern in this humble babe an object of their kingly homage? It was \nthe supreme test to which they were put\, and their magnificent faith triumphed \nover all appearances. Their hearts responded loyally to the touch of grace\, for \nthey were unprejudiced and ready to concede to God whatever form he should \nchoose for his manifestation. \n  \n4 In the Likeness of Christ\, pp. 56-68; reprinted in Meditations on the Sunday Gospels: Year A; introduced and edited by John \nE. Rotelle\, Hyde Park\, NY: New City Press\, 1995\, pp. 32-33.9 \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-252/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250109
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DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250103T210702Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250103T210702Z
UID:13000-1736380800-1736467199@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:GOD’S DISCRETION IN \nREVEALING HIMSELF \nBy Réné Voillaume \n◊◊◊ \nJesus appears in the world without giving any warning of his coming and \nwithout making known to any neighbor who he is. Had he come into the world \nin his house at Nazareth\, all his relatives would have made an event of his birth \nwith the neighbors and the other inhabitants of the town. He would have been \nheralded and celebrated. He would thus have allowed himself to behave well \nenough like a true little Nazarene\, but he would have been confiscated\, as it \nwere\, by his earthly family and his earthly country. Quite to the contrary\, he \nelects to be born away from home\, on a journey\, amid an anonymous crowd; in \nthis way\, he would really belong to everybody\, and could come quietly and \ndiscreetly\, with no tumult and excitement. \nGod\, if he had so wished\, could naturally have made all sorts of efforts to \nspread the news abroad. And if any proof were needed of this\, one could point to \nhis having mobilized the angels but contented himself with bringing a few poor \nshepherds to the manger. It is also clear from this that he could easily have \nbrought the whole of Jerusalem and all the just among the Israelites with pure \nand upright hearts\, worshipers of God and living in expectancy of the Messiah. \nAnd there were in fact many of them\, all true friends of his\, in the country of \nJudea and Galilee! \nBut it is obvious that God did not wish to impose his Son: people must \ncome to him by seeking and discovering him. Even the shepherds and the Wise \nMen\, though warned personally\, had to search for him with the help of a sign \nwhich\, rather than leading them easily and directly to the manger\, was little \nmore than a suggestion to send them on their way. The shepherds must have \ngone to many houses and stables before they found the right babe wrapped in \nswaddling clothes. \nAs for the Magi\, they had to show some initiative in order to discover\, by \nthe normal means at their disposal\, the birthplace of the young king of Israel. \nJesus was infinitely discreet; he simply waited\, and such a way of appearing \ncould have made us somewhat impatient\, had it not been proved for centuries \nback that people have found in this very discretion a true sign of God. That sign \nof weakness\, which draws people in spite of themselves\, makes them surrender \nand acknowledge themselves outdone\, without Jesus ever having forced himself \nupon them in any way other than a certain presence — a presence that waits\, and \ninvites\, and demonstrates God’s heaven in a humble manner which gives hope \nand humility\, peace and love — just how\, one does not really know! God is a \nmaster who knows how to go about speaking to us with the use of the things of \nthe earth — these various beings\, both animate and inanimate — and the events \nof human history.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-253/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250110
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250111
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250103T210825Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250103T210825Z
UID:13002-1736467200-1736553599@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - St Gregory of Nyssa
DESCRIPTION:ON PURITY OF HEART \nFrom a commentary by St Gregory of Nyssa \n◊◊◊ \nNow the divine nature\, as it is in itself\, according to its essence\, \ntranscends every act of comprehensive knowledge\, and it cannot be approached \nor attained by our speculation. Mortals have never discovered a faculty to \ncomprehend the incomprehensible; nor have we ever been able to devise an \nintellectual technique for grasping the incomprehensible. For this reason the \ngreat Apostle calls God’s ways unsearchable\, teaching us that the way that leads \nto knowledge of the divine nature is inaccessible to our reason; and hence none \nof those who have lived before us has given us the slightest hint of \ncomprehension suggesting that we might know that which in itself is above all \nknowledge. \nYet the Lord does not deceive us when he promises that the pure of heart \nshall see God; nor does Paul deceive us when he teaches that no one has seen \nGod nor can see Him. The Lord does not say that it is blessed to know something \nabout God\, but rather to possess God in oneself: Blessed are the clean of heart\, \nfor they shall see God. And this teaches us that the one who purifies his heart of \nevery creature and of every passionate impulse will see the image of the divine \nnature in his own beauty. So too in this short sentence the Word\, I think\, is \ngiving us the following advise: All you mortals who have within yourselves a \ndesire to behold the supreme Good\, when you are told that the majesty of God is \nexalted above the heavens\, that the divine glory is inexpressible\, its beauty \nindescribable\, its nature inaccessible\, do not despair at never being able to \nbehold what you desire. For you do have within your grasp that degree of the \nknowledge of God which you can attain. For\, when God made you\, Hr at once \nendowed your nature with this perfection: upon the structure of your nature He \nimprinted an imitation of the perfections of His own nature\, just as one would \nimpress upon wax the outline of an emblem. But the wickedness that has been \npoured all over this divine engraving has made your perfection useless and \nhidden it with a vicious coating. You must then wash away\, by a life of virtue\, the \ndirt that has come to cling to your heart like plaster\, and then your divine beauty \nwill once again shine forth. \nIt is just like those who look at the sun in a mirror. Even though they \ncannot look up directly at the heavens\, they do see the sun in the mirror’s \nreflection just as much as those who look directly at the sun. So it is\, says our \nLord\, with you. Even though you are not strong enough to see the light itself\, yet \nyou will find within yourselves what you are seeking\, if you would but return to \nthe grace of that image which was established within you from the beginning. \nFor the Godhead is all purity\, freedom from passion\, the absence of all evil. And \nif you possess these qualities\, God will surely be within you. When your mind is \nuntainted by any evil\, free of passion\, purified of all stain\, then will you be \nblessed because your eye is clear. Then because you have been purified you will \nperceive things that are invisible to the unpurified. The dark cloud of matter will \nbe removed from the eye of your soul\, and then you will see clearly the blessed \nvision within the pure brilliance of your own heart. And what is this vision? It is \npurity\, holiness\, simplicity\, and other such brilliant reflections of the nature of \nGod; for it is in these that God is seen.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-st-gregory-of-nyssa/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250111
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250112
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250103T210923Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250103T210923Z
UID:13004-1736553600-1736639999@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:TODAY HE MANIFESTED \nHIS GLORY \nFrom a sermon by Blessed Guerric of Igny \n◊◊◊ \n“Arise\, be enlightened\, Jerusalem\, for your Light has come.” This present \nday of lights has been enlightened for us and consecrated by the Light of Light. \nHe had lain hidden and unknown\, but today he has vouchsafed to reveal himself \nto the world for the enlightenment of all nations. For today he revealed himself \nto the Chaldeans by the sign of a new star\, dedicating in them as in first fruits the \nfaith of all nations. Today he revealed himself to the Jews\, by the witness not \nonly of John but also of the Father and of the Holy Spirit\, when\, baptized in the \nJordan\, he consecrated the baptism of all. Today he manifested his glory before \nhis disciples when by changing water into wine he prefigured that ineffable \nmystery in which by his word the substance of things are changed… \nThe Lord indeed had come; he was in the world\, and the world was made \nthrough him\, but the world did not know him. He was born\, but he was not \nknown\, until the day of light began to manifest him. So the Prophet says: “O new \nJerusalem\, great city of the new king\, arise\, be enlightened\, for your light has \ncome.” Arise\, you who sit in darkness; look at the light which has risen up in the \ndarkness but is not mastered by the darkness. Draw near to him and be \nenlightened\, in his light you shall see the light\, and it will be said to you: “You \nwere once darkness\, but now you are light in the Lord.” Look upon the Eternal \nLight which has tempered itself to your gaze\, so that he who dwells in \ninaccessible light affords access even to weak and bleary eyes. See the Light in a \nlamp of earthenware\, the Sun in a cloud\, God in man\, the Splendor of Glory and \nBrightness of Eternal Light in the clay vessel of your flesh. \nMajesty indeed lies hid in human nature\, power in lowliness; but signs \nand prodigies break through the covering and leave no doubt as to their origin. \n“The works which I do\,” he says\, “bear witness to me.” Great indeed is the \nwitness of John\, who came to bear witness as a lamp to the light. But much \ngreater is that heavenly witness which the Father and the Holy Spirit bore to the \nSon\, the Father by his voice\, the spirit in the form of a dove; since on the \nevidence of two witnesses every claim is established… A new-born child cries on \nearth while in the heavens he creates a new star\, so that light may witness to \nLight\, a star to the Sun\, and so that kings in the splendor of its rising may be led \nto the Eternal Splendor which has also risen up… \nThanks be to you who bade light shine out of darkness and have kindled a \nlight in our hearts whose shining is to make known your glory as you have \nrevealed it in the features of Jesus Christ… We know indeed through faith\, \nholding on to it as to a trustworthy pledge so that we shall know by sight too. In \nthe meantime increase our faith\, leading us on from faith to faith\, from \nbrightness to brightness\, by your Spirit\, so that from day to day we may enter \nmore deeply into the treasures of light…until\, through faith\, we are led to the \nvision of your face\, as if led by a leading star to our Leader at Bethlehem.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-254/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250112
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250113
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250111T211512Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250111T211512Z
UID:13012-1736640000-1736726399@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Skema
DESCRIPTION:Biblical Readings for Office and Mass\n1st Week in Ordinary Time\n\n\nMass Readings: Sunday (C)\, Weekdays (I)\nJanuary 12 – 18\, 2025\n\n\n\nSun\n12\nMon\n13\nTue\n14\nWed\n15\nThu\n16\nFri\n17\nSat\n18\n\n\nOffice\nBaptism of the Lord\nWeekday\nWeekday\nSS Maur & Placid\nOffice for Vocations\nSt Anthony\, Abbot\nMemorial of the BVM\n\n\nVigils\nIsa 42:1-9\, 49:1-9\n1 Kings 1:1-31\n1 Kings 1:32-53\n1 Kings 2:1-12\n1 Kings 2:13-35\n1 Kings 2:36-46\n1 Kings 3:1-15\n\n\nLauds\nActs 19:1-7\nJoel 1:1-8\nJoel 1:9-12\nJoel 1:13-20\nJoel 2:1-6\nJoel 2:7-11\nJoel 2:12-17\n\n\nMass\n21\n305\n306\n307\n308\n309\n310\n\n\n1st\nIsa 40:1-5\, 9-11\nHeb 1:1-6\nHeb 2:5-12\nHeb 2:14-18\nHeb 3:7-14\nHeb 4:1-5\, 11\nHeb 4:12-16\n\n\n2nd\nTitus 2:11-14; 3:4-7\n1 Cor 1:1-9\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGospel\nLuke 3:15-16\, 21-22\nMark 1:14-20\nMark 1:21-28\nMark 1:29-39\nMark 1:40-45\nMark 2:1-12\nMark 2:13-17\n\n\nVespers\nRev 21:1-7\n1 Cor 1:1-9\n1 Cor 1:10-17\n1 Cor 1:18-25\n1 Cor 1:26-31\n1 Cor 2:1-5\n1 Cor 2:6-13
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/skema-100/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250112
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250113
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250111T211828Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250111T211828Z
UID:13014-1736640000-1736726399@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - Baptism of the Lord
DESCRIPTION:BY WATER AND \nTHE HOLY SPIRIT \nFrom a commentary by Hippolytus of Rome \n◊◊◊ \nAs soon as he had been baptized\, Jesus came out of the water. The \nheavens were opened to him and the Spirit of God in the form of a dove came \ndown and rested on him. Then a voice from heaven said: This is my beloved \nson\, in whom I am well pleased. \nIf the Lord had yielded to John’s persuasion and had not been baptized\, \ndo you realize what great blessings and how many we should have been \ndeprived of? Heaven was closed until then; our homeland on high was \ninaccessible. Once we had descended into the depths we were incapable of rising \nagain to such lofty heights. The Lord was not only baptized himself; he also \nrenewed our fallen nature and restored to us our status as God’s children. At \nonce the heavens were opened to him. The world we see was reconciled with the \nworld that lies beyond our vision; the angels were filled with joy\, earthly \ndisorders were remedied; mysteries were revealed; enemies were made friends. \nThe heavens were opened to him you have heard the evangelist say. This \nhappened for three wonderful reasons. The heavenly bridal chamber had to \nopen its shining gates to Christ at his baptism because he was himself the \nbridegroom. The gates of heaven also had to be lifted up to allow the Holy Spirit \nto descend in the form of a dove and the Father’s voice to resound far and wide. \nThe heavens were opened to him and a voice said: This is my beloved Son\, in \nwhom I am well pleased. \nThis is my beloved Son who appeared on earth without leaving his \nFather’s side. He both appeared and did not appear\, for he was not what he \nseemed. As far as appearance goes the one who gives baptism is superior to the \none who receives it. This is why the Father sent the Holy Spirit down on him \nfrom heaven. As in Noah’s ark a dove revealed God’s love for the human race\, so \nnow it was in the form of a dove\, as though with an olive branch in its beak that \nthe spirit descended. He did so to make sure that the Father’s voice would be \nrecognized and the ancient mystery would be believed. Which prophesy? The \none that says: The Father’s voice resounded over the waters. The God of glory \nthunders. The Lord thunders across many waters. And what does he say? This \nis my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. \nPay close attention now\, I beg you\, for I want to return to the fountain of \nlife and contemplate its healing waters at their source. The Father of \nimmortality sent His immortal Son and Word into the world; he came to us to \ncleanse us with the water and the spirit. To give us a new birth that would make \nour bodies and souls immortal\, He breathed into us the Spirit of life and armed \nus with incorruptibility. \nTherefore in a herald’s voice I cry: Peoples of every nation; come and \nreceive the immortality given in baptism. To you who have spent all the days of \nyour life in the darkness of ignorance I bring the good news of life. Leave your \nslavery for freedom\, the tyrant’s yoke for a kingdom. corruptibility for eternal \nlife. Do you wish to know how to do this? By water and the Holy Spirit. That is to \nsay\, by the water through which we are born again and given life\, and by the \nSpirit who is the Comforter sent for your sake to make you a child of God.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-baptism-of-the-lord-2/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250113
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250114
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250111T211943Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250111T211943Z
UID:13016-1736726400-1736812799@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:THE LIVING \nAPOSTOLIC CHURCH \nBy Cardinal Jean Danielou \n◊◊◊ \nIt is the manhood of Jesus that is the Temple of the new Law\, but this \nmanhood must be taken as a whole\, that is to say\, it is the Mystical Body in its \nentirety; this is the complete and final Temple. The dwelling of God is the \nChristian community whose Head is in heaven\, and whose members are still \nmaking their earthly pilgrimage; it is the true Temple of which the Temple of \nstone was the figure. “Be you also as living stones built up\, a spiritual house\, a \nholy priesthood\, to offer up spiritual sacrifices\, acceptable to God by Jesus \nChrist“… \nThere is a basic difference between the Temple at Jerusalem and the \nChristian Church. Under the old law\, the presence of God is connected with the \nbuilding of stone; under the new law\, it is connected with the spiritual \ncommunity. The church of stone is not in the succession of the Temple\, but of the \nsynagogue; it is the assembly\, the ecclesia\, the meeting-place. Or rather\, at the \nsame time it continues both of them\, since it is the normal place for the sacrifice. \nBut it can be dispensed with; it is not necessary that it should be there for the \ncelebration of the Mass\, while the community is necessary. \nThus is fulfilled the saying of Jesus: “Where there are two or three \ngathered together in my name\, there am I in the midst of them“. It is the \nessential condition required for the offering of an acceptable host that is \npresented in the Sermon on the Mount\, where it is written: “If you offer your gift \nat the altar\, and there you remember that your brother has any thing against \nyou\, go first to be reconciled to your brother: and then coming you shall offer \nyour gift“. No offering is accepted save that which is made in charity\, in \ncommunity. For there the temple is\, the one and only place where man is in the \npresence of God. \nThis is an extraordinary fact\, as extraordinary in its own order as the \npresence of God in the Temple at Jerusalem. God enters into relationship not \nwith isolated souls\, but with the community. Through the baptismal rites\, the \nentry of the catechumen into the church of stone is a figure of entry into the living \nChurch\, into the community which is the place of meeting with God. Of this \nmeeting the Eucharist is the permanent sign\, being at once the sacrament of the \nmystical body and the sign of the real presence\, and bringing about at the same \ntime union with God and the strengthening of the bonds of charity. Sin has the \neffect simultaneously of alienating the sinner from the presence of God\, and of \nseparating the sinner from the community. The primitive discipline of the \nChurch made this clear when it excluded the sinner publicly from the community. \nThe sinner still remains excluded from communion; and reconciliation with God \nis necessarily required by the community as intermediary. This is the meaning of \nconfession\, in which the priest represents the people\, which itself represents God. \nThis is why the Church has the deposit of the living Word of God. It is in her \nthat the Word mysteriously dwells\, thus continuing the Incarnation of the Logos. \nWe come to faith in Christ not by the study of dead literary documents\, but in a \npreliminary way through the living witness of an organism sustained and \nanimated by Christ\, through the teaching of the living Apostolic Church; in a full \nand effective way by immediate contact with the living Christ in the Church\, \nthrough the operation of grace acting in all its fullness in the sacrament.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-255/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250114
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250115
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250111T212058Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250111T212058Z
UID:13018-1736812800-1736899199@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:HE INCLINES TO ME \nAND I TO HIM \nFrom a sermon on the Song of Songs by St Bernard of Clairvaux \n◊◊◊ \n[In the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians\, he quotes Scripture\, saying “It \nis written in the law of Moses: ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the \ngrain.'”] It is obvious that what the Apostle says about oxen has no reference to the \nBride [of Christ\, which is the Church]; he who loves her and gave himself for her \nmust needs care for her. Is she not that lost sheep whose care came before even that of \nthe heavenly flock? The shepherd left the rest and came to earth to find her. He \nsought her diligently\, and when he found her he did not lead her\, but carried her \nback! Then on her account he called the angels together and celebrated a new and \njoyful festival with her. How then can it be said that he will not care for her\, when he \ndeigned to carry her on his shoulders? \nShe is not mistaken\, then\, when she says\, ‘The Lord takes thought for me’\, nor \nis she deceived when she says\, ‘The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me’\, or when she \nsays anything else which shows God’s love for her. Thus it is that she speaks of the \nLord of Hosts as her beloved\, and glories that he who judges all things in tranquility \ncares for her. Why should she not glory? She has heard him saying to her\, ‘Can a \nwoman forget her child\, and not have compassion on him? And even if she does \nforget him\, yet I will not forget you.’ Again\, ‘The eyes of the Lord are upon the \nrighteous.’ \nNow what is the Bride but the congregation of the righteous? What is she but the \ngeneration of those who seek the face of the Bridegroom? It cannot be that he should \nincline to her\, and she not incline to him. Therefore she says\, ‘He inclines to me and I \nto him.’ He inclines to me because he is good and gracious; I incline to him because I \nam not ungrateful. He gives me grace from his graciousness; I give him gratitude for \ngrace. He has a care for my deliverance and my salvation; I for his honor and the \nfulfillment of his will. He has a care for me\, and for no other\, for I am his only dove; I \nhave a care for him and for no other; I do not hear the voice of others\, nor do I listen to \nthose who say “Look\, here is Christ” or “look\, there he is!”’ It is the Church who \nspeaks.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-256/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250115
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250116
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250111T212451Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250111T212451Z
UID:13020-1736899200-1736985599@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - SS Maur & Placid
DESCRIPTION:SAINTS MAUR AND PLACID \nFrom the “Dialogues” of St Gregory the Great \n◊◊◊ \nThe holy man\, St Benedict\, having returned to Subiaco\, long continued to \nshine by his virtue and miracles\, and assembled a great number of solitaries \nwho consecrated themselves to the service of God\, so that\, with the aid of our \nLord Jesus Christ\, he built twelve monasteries\, placing in each twelve Religious \nwith an Abbot to govern them. He retained with himself only a few of his \ndisciples who\, he thought\, still needed his presence to be better formed to \nperfection. It was at this time that many persons in Rome\, conspicuous for their \nnobility and virtue\, began to visit him and offer their children that he might \nmold them to piety\, and teach them to live for God alone. Aequitas and \nTertullus\, who had the honor of being Roman Patricians\, came to see the saint \nand confided to his care their two children; the former was distinguished for \nspotless innocence of life\, and merited\, though young\, to be chosen by his \nmaster to assist him in his functions. As to Placid\, being only a boy\, he was \nsubject to the weaknesses inseparable from tender age… \nThe venerable Benedict being one day in his cell\, the boy Placid…went out \nto fetch water from the lake\, but\, when dipping his pitcher into the water\, not \ntaking sufficient heed\, his body followed the vessel and he fell into the lake. The \nwaves immediately bore him out from the land as far as the usual flight of an \narrow. The saint\, who was in his cell\, knew of the sad accident at that very \ninstant\, and at once calling Maurus\, his disciple\, said to him: “Brother Maurus\, \nrun with all speed; the boy who went to fetch water fell into the lake and has \nbeen already carried off a long distance.” \nThe thing wonderful and unheard of since that instance of the Apostle \nPeter! Maurus having asked and received the blessing\, ran to the lake to execute \nthe order of his Abbot. Thinking he was treading upon dry land\, he advanced to \nthe very place whither the waves had carried off the child\, and laying hold of him \nby the hair\, brought him back with great haste to the shore. Having reached the \nland\, he began to reflect on what he did\, and casting a look behind\, saw that he \nhad been running over the waves. He was astonished thereat and very much \nafraid\, seeing that he had performed what he would not have dared to undertake \nif he had been aware of what he was doing. Having returned to the monastery\, \nhe narrated the whole occurrence to the Abbot. The venerable Benedict did not \nattribute this miracle to his own merit\, but to the obedience of the disciple. \nMaurus\, on the other hand\, said he was only fulfilling a command\, and could \nhave no share in a miracle which he unconsciously performed. \nDuring this pious dispute arising from the humility of the holy Abbot and \nhis disciple\, the boy rescued from peril presented himself as arbitrator\, and put \nan end to the contest thus: “When I was being drawn out of the waves\, I saw the \nAbbot’s robe above my head\, and it seemed to me that it was he who delivered \nme from the water.”… \nAn ancient tradition says that the monk Maurus was sent into Gaul by the \nsame holy Father. There\, according to the same tradition\, he founded a \nmonastery at Glannofol; after having governed it for a long time\, he died in the \nLord in a good old age\, renowned for his sanctity and miracles… while Placid died \na martyr’s death in Sicily in 541\, a few years before the death of St Benedict \nhimself.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-ss-maur-placid-2/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250116
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250117
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250111T212609Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250111T212609Z
UID:13022-1736985600-1737071999@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - Office for Vocations
DESCRIPTION:THE PROMISES WHICH \nYOUR LIPS HAVE UTTERED \nFrom “The Mirror of Charity” by St Aelred of Rievaulx \n◊◊◊ \nThese three elements — stability\, conversion of life\, and obedience — \nconstitute the essential character of monastic profession… Blessed Benedict \nrecommends obedience\, which he wants to be neither tardy nor tepid\, neither \nmorose nor grumbling\, unwavering in the face of injuries and adversities\, and \nunflagging even in the face of death… \nHow then can anyone who does not keep these things keep to his \nprofession? Someone will say: if someone is proud\, stubborn\, impatient\, and yet \nobserves all the things mentioned above\, must we say that he keeps the Rule of \nSaint Benedict? I maintain that if a monk has committed any of these faults \nagainst God’s law\, he will not be guilty of transgressing his profession if he \nmakes amends for them according to the means prescribed by the Rule. \nBut what if someone looks at the Rule of Saint Benedict as a tool for \npruning away vices more easily and fulfilling the gospel precepts more carefully\, \nand yet\, as could happen\, abusing this excellent tool\, he neither prunes away his \nvices nor acquires virtues by it. Does he not keep the Rule to his peril then\, and \nstill not fulfill Christ’s precepts? Does blessed Benedict not allude to this? We \nare going to establish\, he says\, a school of the Lord’s service\, in which we hope \nnot to institute anything harsh or burdensome… \nTo beginners\, of course\, this strictness seems not inconsiderable when \nthey think about the meager\, paltry quantity of food and drink\, the roughness of \nthe clothing\, the discomforts of fasts and vigils\, the wearing grind of daily work\, \nand all the other things we find he instituted in the Rule. If anyone does not \nagree that the Rule consists of these alone\, at least let him admit what cannot be \ndenied except by stubborn obstinacy: that our profession and Rule consist of \nboth\, that is\, of virtues and observances\, and let him therefore not refuse to \nadmit that we necessarily practice both. \nIf you have charity it is not necessary for you to be forced to fulfill the \npromises which your lips have uttered. If you scorn fulfilling the things you \npromised by putting your signature to them and calling on God and his saints as \nyour witnesses\, you can be very sure you do not have charity. For do you love \nsomeone you mock? If anyone does other than he has promised\, he said\, let him \nknow that he will be condemned by the God whom he mocks.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-office-for-vocations-19/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250117
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250118
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250111T212746Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250111T212746Z
UID:13024-1737072000-1737158399@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - St Anthony\, Abbot
DESCRIPTION:THE PATH OF VIRTUE \nFrom “The Life of Anthony” by St Athanasius \n◊◊◊ \nAll the monks were one day gathered around Anthony so as to hear his \nwords. He said to them with the authority of a prophet: “The Holy Scriptures are \nsufficient for our instruction; nevertheless it is a good thing to encourage each \nother mutually in the faith and to urge one another in discourse. You\, therefore\, \nin a filial manner\, bring what you know to your father\, and I\, your elder\, will \ntransmit to you something of what I have experienced. \nIn the first place\, let us all endeavor together not to become lax after \nhaving begun well\, and not to be discouraged in the face of difficulties. Let us \nnot say to ourselves: We have been living the ascetical life for a long time. On \nthe contrary\, let us increase our ardor every day as if we were just beginning\, for \na person’s whole life is very short compared with the centuries to come\, and the \nwhole of time present is nothing compared with eternal life… After combating \non earth we shall obtain no earthly inheritance but a celestial one\, and when we \nhave left this corruptible body we shall receive it again incorruptible. Therefore\, \ndear sons\, let us not be discouraged nor find the time long. Let us not believe \nourselves doing too much\, for ‘The sufferings of this present time cannot be \ncompared to the glory that will be revealed in us.’ \nFor this reason\, my sons\, let us remain firm in asceticism and flee from \nsloth. The Lord is working with us\, as it is written: ‘God collaborates for good \nwith the one who has chosen what is good.’ In order to avoid negligence we will \ndo well to meditate upon the Apostle’s words: ‘I die every day’. If\, in fact\, we live \nas if each day were that of our death\, we shall not sin. This means that every day\, \non waking\, we must think that we shall not last until evening; and every night\, in \nfalling asleep\, we must think that we shall not reawaken. \nHaving thus begun and walked along the path of virtue\, let us press \nstraight on\, straining forward. Let no one look back\, like Lot’s wife\, especially as \nthe Lord has said: ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for \nthe kingdom of God.’ Looking back is nothing else than feeling regret\, and \nrenewing a taste for things of the world. \nDo not fear\, on hearing talk of virtue\, that it will remain foreign to you. It is \nnot far from us nor outside of us. It is a work which is taking place within us\, and \nan easy thing if only we wish it. The Greeks leave their country and cross the sea \nto gain learning\, but as for us we have no need to travel to obtain the kingdom of \nheaven\, nor to cross the ocean to become instructed in virtue. The Lord indeed \nsaid: ‘The kingdom of God is within you.’ So virtue has need only of our will\, as it \nis in us and finds its source in ourselves… If we had to go outside of ourselves to \nacquire virtue\, it would be difficult; but since it is actually within us\, let us keep \nourselves from evil thoughts and preserve our soul for the Lord as a trust received \nfrom him\, to the end that he may recognize his handiwork\, for it is in the state in \nwhich he formed it.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-st-anthony-abbot/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250118
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250119
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250111T212855Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250111T212855Z
UID:13026-1737158400-1737244799@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - Memorial of the BVM
DESCRIPTION:IN PRAISE OF THE \nBLESSED VIRGIN MARY’S HUMILITY \nFrom a sermon by St Bernard of Clairvaux \n◊◊◊ \nNot everyone is a virgin\, but there are still fewer who join humility to \nvirginity\, as does Mary. So if you can do no more than admire Mary’s virginity\, \ntry to imitate her humility and for you this will be enough. \nBut in Mary there is something else still more admirable [than humility \njoined to her virginity]; her childbearing allied with her virginity. Never since \nthe world began has it been known for any woman to be at once a mother and a \nvirgin. If you just think whose mother she is surely you must be astounded at \nsuch marvelous greatness. Who could ever admire this enough? To your way of \nthinking\, or rather\, not yours but Truth’s\, should she not be exalted above all the \nchoirs of angels\, she who bore God the Son? Who else would dare\, as Mary did\, \nto call ‘son’ the Lord and God of angels\, and to say “son\, why have you treated us \nso?” Would any angel dare this? They already consider it a great favor to be \ncalled\, and to be\, angels\, when they are no more than spirits\, as David suggests \nwhen he says “He makes the spirits his angels.” Yet his was the same Majesty \nwhom they serve with awe and reverence that Mary\, knowing herself the \nmother\, confidently called her son. \nNor did God disdain to be called what he had deigned to become. As the \nEvangelist tells us a bit later\, “he was obedient to them.” Who? God. To whom? \nTo men. God\, I repeat\, to whom the angels are subject\, he whom the \nprincipalities and the power obey\, he was obedient to Mary. And not only to \nMary but to Joseph\, too\, for Mary’s sake. Marvel then at these two things: the \ngracious kindness of the Son and the surpassing dignity of the mother. Choose \nwhich you consider more wonderful. Just imagine!.. God does what a woman \nsays—unheard of humility. A woman outranks God — unparalleled sublimity. In \npraise of the virgins we sing that “they follow the Lamb wherever he goes.” Of \nwhat praise then do you consider her worthy\, who preceded him? \nMan\, learn to obey! Earth\, learn to be subject! Dust\, I say\, learn to submit \nyourself! The Evangelist tells you that your Creator was obedient to them – \nmeaning to Mary and Joseph\, of course. Blush for shame… God stoops down in \nhumility\, and you exalt yourself? God is obedient to men\, and you\, anxious to lord \nit over men\, set yourself up as your own authority? God preserve me from ever \nthinking such a thing! And if I should\, may he be so kind as to rebuke me with that \nanswer he have to the apostle: “Get behind me\, Satan! You do not know the things \nof God.” Every time I seek to lord it over men\, I am trying to get in front of my God \n– and then\, in all truth\, I do not know the things of God. For it was said of him \nthat he was obedient to them.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-memorial-of-the-bvm-6/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250119
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250120
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250119T113929Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250119T113929Z
UID:13029-1737244800-1737331199@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Skema
DESCRIPTION:Biblical Readings for Office and Mass\n2nd Week in Ordinary Time\n\n\nMass Readings: Sunday (C)\, Weekdays (I)\nJanuary 19 – 25\, 2025\n\n\n\nSun\n19\nMon\n20\nTue\n21\nWed\n22\nThu\n23\nFri\n24\nSat\n25\n\n\nOffice\n2nd Sunday\nBl Cyprian Tansi\nSt Agnes\nWeekday\nWeekday\nSt Francis de Sales\nConversion of St Paul\n\n\nVigils\n1 Kings 3:16-28\n1 Kings 4:1-7\, 20-28\n1 Kings 4:29-5:12\n1 Kings 5:13-6:13\n1 Kings 6:14-38\n1 Kings 7:1-22\n2 Macc 3:22-36\n\n\nLauds\nJoel 2:18-22\nJoel 2:23-27\nJoel 3:1-5\nJoel 4:1-8\nJoel 4: 9-16\nJoel 4:17-21\nSir 39:1-10\n\n\nMass\n66\n311\n312\n313\n314\n315\n519\n\n\n1st\nIsa 62:1-5\nHeb 5:1-10\nHeb 6:10-20\nHeb 7:1-3\, 15-17\nHeb 7:25-8:6\nHeb 8:6-13\nActs 22:3-16\n\n\n2nd\n1 Cor 12:4-11\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGospel\nJohn 2:1-11\nMark 2:18-22\nMark 2:23-28\nMark 3:1-6\nMark 3:7-12\nMark 3:13-19\nMark 16:15-18\n\n\nVespers\n1 Cor 2:14-3:4\n1 Cor 3:5-9\n1 Cor 3:10-17\n1 Cor 3:18-23\n1 Cor 4:1-5\n1 Cor 4:6-13\n2 Cor 4:7-18
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/skema-101/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250119
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250120
DTSTAMP:20260403T175733
CREATED:20250119T114047Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250119T114047Z
UID:13031-1737244800-1737331199@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - 2nd Sunday
DESCRIPTION:THE NEW CHALICE \nOF ETERNAL SALVATION \nFrom a commentary by St Maximus of Turin \n◊◊◊ \nThe Son of God went to the wedding so that marriage which had been \ninstituted by his own authority\, might be sanctified by his blessed presence. He \nwent to a wedding of the old order when he was about to take a new bride for \nhimself through the conversion of the Gentiles\, a bride who would forever \nremain a virgin. He went to a wedding even though he himself was not born of \nhuman wedlock. He went to the wedding not…to enjoy a banquet\, but rather to \nmake himself known by miracles. He went to the wedding not to drink wine\, but \nto give it\, for when there was none left for the wedding guests\, the most blessed \nMary said to him: They have no wine. \nJesus answered as though he was displeased: Woman\, he said\, is that my \nconcern or yours? It can hardly be doubted that these were words of \ndispleasure. However\, this\, I think\, was only because his mother mentioned to \nhim so casually the lack of wine\, when he had come to offer the peoples of the \nwhole world the new chalice of eternal salvation. By his reply\, My hour has not \nyet come\, he was foretelling the most glorious hour of his passion and the wine \nof our redemption which would obtain life for all. Mary was asking for a \ntemporal favor\, but Christ was preparing joys that would be eternal. \nNevertheless the Lord in his goodness did not refuse this small grace while great \ngraces were awaited. \nHoly Mary\, therefore\, since she was in very truth the Mother of the Lord\, \nand in her spirit knew in advance what would happen and foresaw the Lord’s \nwill\, took care to advise the servants to do whatever he told them. Of course this \nholy Mother knew that the rebuke of her Son and Lord was not an insult born of \nanger\, but that it contained a mysterious compassion. \nThen\, to save his Mother from embarrassment because of his reproach\, \nthe Lord revealed his sovereign power. Addressing the expectant servants\, he \nsaid\, Fill the jars with water. The servants promptly obeyed\, and suddenly in a \nmarvelous way the water began to acquire potency\, take on color\, emit \nfragrance\, and gain flavor – all at once it changed its nature completely.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-2nd-sunday/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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