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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231208
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231209
DTSTAMP:20260403T172310
CREATED:20231203T110810Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231203T110810Z
UID:11363-1701993600-1702079999@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - Immaculate Conception
DESCRIPTION:MARY REVEALS HER NAME \nFrom the final writing of St Maximilian Kolbe6 \n◊◊◊ \nIMMACULATE CONCEPTION. These words fell from the lips of the Immaculata herself. Hence\, they must tell us in the most precise and essential manner who she really is. Who then are you\, O Immaculate Conception? Not God\, of course\, because he has no beginning. Not an angel\, created directly out of nothing. Not Adam\, formed out of the dust of the earth. Not Eve\, molded fromAdam’s rib. Not the Incarnate Word\, who exists before all ages… You\, O Mary\, are different from all other children of Eve. They are conceptions stained by original sin; whereas you are the unique\, Immaculate Conception. \nIf the fruit of created love is a created conception\, then the fruit of divine Love\, that prototype of all created love\, is necessarily a divine “conception.” The Holy Spirit is\, therefore\, the “uncreated\, eternal conception\,” the prototype of all the conceptions that multiply life throughout the whole universe. The Father begets; the Son is begotten; the Spirit is the “conception” that springs from their love; there we have the intimate life of the three Persons by which they can be distinguished one from another. But they are united in the oneness of their Nature\, of their divine existence. The Spirit is\, then\, this thrice holy “conception\,” this infinitely holy\, Immaculate Conception. \nIn what does this life of the Spirit in Mary consist? He himself is uncreated Love in her; the Love of the Father and of the Son\, the Love by which God loves himself\, the very love of the Most Holy Trinity. He is a fruitful Love\, a “Conception.” Among creatures made in God’s image the union brought about by married love is the most intimate of all. In a much more precise\, more interior\, more essential manner\, the Holy Spirit lives in the soul of the Immaculata\, in the depths of her very being. He makes her fruitful\, from the very first instant of her existence\, all during her life\, and for all eternity. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nThis eternal “Immaculate Conception” (which is the Holy Spirit) produces in an immaculate manner divine life itself in the depths of Mary’s soul\, making her the Immaculate Conception\, the human Immaculate Conception. And the virginal womb of Mary’s body is kept sacred for him; there he conceives in time…the human life of the Man-God. And so the return to God (which is love)…by the Spirit the Son becomes incarnate in the womb of the Immaculata; and through this Son love returns to the Father. In the Holy Spirit’s union with Mary we observe more than the love of two beings; in one there is all the love of the Blessed Trinity; in the other\, all of creation’s love. So it is that in this union heaven and earth are joined; all of heaven with all the earth\, the totality of eternal love with the totality of created love. It is truly the summit of love… \nIf among human beings the wife takes the name of her husband because she belongs to him\, is one with him\, becomes equal to him and is\, with him\, the source of new life\, with how much greater reason should the name of the Holy Spirit\, who is the divine Immaculate Conception\, be used as the name of her in whom he lives as uncreated Love\, the principle of life in the whole supernatural order of grace \n\n\n6 H.M. Manteau-Bonamy\, OP. Immaculate Conception and the Holy Spirit. Trans. Richard Arnandez\, FSC. Libertyville\, IL: Franciscan\, Marytown Press\, 1977. 2-5. \n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n  \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-immaculate-conception-2/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231209
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231210
DTSTAMP:20260403T172310
CREATED:20231203T110937Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231203T110937Z
UID:11365-1702080000-1702166399@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:CHRISTIAN UNITY \nFrom the writing of Matthew the Poor7 \n◊◊◊ \nIt is because the Christian seeks God that he seeks unity; he feels it present in his soul\, according to the measure in which he feels the presence of God. Christian unity is\, therefore\, a supreme demand of faith; we seek it because it is entreating us from the bottom of our hearts. Yet\, since all do not have the same awareness of God\, unity is not approached from the same angle; it expands or contracts within men in proportion to their hearts’ relationship with God. Some do not feel it at all; others even deny it. It is a test of faith… \nThe unity of men is an ideal that surpasses human strength if it is sought at a divine level. It flows\, as a necessity\, as an inevitable and direct consequence\, from the union of man with God… The first commandment says\, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart\, and with all your soul\, and with all your mind\,” and the second: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. Scripture affirms here that the second commandment springs from the first… The second without the first would have no value; it would indeed be near to sin… \nIf there were indeed a spiritual renaissance\, a deep fervor for the faith\, unity would have taken the form of a collective and individual return to God\, a sweeping movement for conversion\, repentance\, and begging God for forgiveness — as has always happened to God’s people after a period of half-heartedness or aberration… \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn order for us to secure for the weak and persecuted Churches the true meaning of “Christian unity” in their journey through history and in their encounters with temporal situations\, and in order for the divine consciousness to rise in them\, the first necessity is that they should understand that Christian unity is a state of divine weakness over against the world — like that of their Master\, who surrendered His infinite power to be crucified by anyone who wished and in whatever way they wished. \nChrist\, desiring to reveal to us “the strength of His weakness”… drew His disciples’ attention to it at the very moment of His testing\, although He was being subjected to the most appalling trials that a defenseless man could endure… The Church that has temporal power cannot taste a crucifixion that is forced upon it\, for one cannot be crucified except through weakness\, like the Master of all\, who “was crucified in weakness”… The cross in our life is a foundation; the cross is “the power of God for salvation. . .” and His “power is made perfect in weakness”. With our free will we pray for weakness\, and we bear it without fear if it comes to us\, for with weakness there is always grace… We wish and we pray that the Churches may have a unity\, divine both in appearance and in essence\, a unity above the realm of time \n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n7 Matthew the Poor. The Communion of Love. Crestwood\, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press\, 1984. 224-225\, 231-234. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-138/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231210
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231211
DTSTAMP:20260403T172310
CREATED:20231210T112940Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231210T112940Z
UID:11373-1702166400-1702252799@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Skema
DESCRIPTION:Biblical Readings for Office and Mass\n2nd Week of Advent\n\n\nMass Readings: Sunday (B)\, Weekdays (II)\nDecember 10 – 16\, 2023\n\n\n\nSun\n10\nMon\n11\nTue\n12\nWed\n13\nThu\n14\nFri\n15\nSat\n16\n\n\nOffice\n2nd Sunday of Advent\nAdvent Weekday\nOur Lady of Guadalupe\nSt Lucy\nSt John of the Cross\nAdvent Weekday\nAdvent Weekday\n\n\nVigils\nIsa 14:1-21\nIsa 27:1-13\nProv 8:32-9:11\nIsa 30:15-26\nIsa 32:1-20\nIsa 34:1-17\nIsa 35:1-10\n\n\nLauds\nIsa 4:2-6\nIsa 10:20-27a\nSir 4:11-18\nIsa 12:1-6\nIsa 55:6-12\nZeph 3:14-20\nIsa 11:10-16\n\n\nMass\n5\n181\n690A\n183\n184\n185\n186\n\n\n1st\nIsa 40:1-5\, 9-11\nIsa 35:1-10\nRev 11:19a; 12:1-6a\, 10ab\nIsa 40:25-31\nIsa 41:13-20\nIsa 48:17-19\nSir 48:1-4\, 9-11\n\n\n2nd\n2 Pet 3:8-14\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGospel\nMark 1:1-8\nLuke 5:17-26\nLuke 1:39-47\nMatt 11:28-30\nMatt 11:11-15\nMatt 11:16-19\nMatt 17:9a\, 10-13\n\n\nVespers\nRom 5:1-11\nRom 6:1-11\nGal 3:23-29\nRom 6:16-23\nRom 7:14-25\nRom 8:1-6\nRom 8:9-17
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/skema-54/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231210
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231211
DTSTAMP:20260403T172310
CREATED:20231210T113140Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231210T115018Z
UID:11375-1702166400-1702252799@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - 2nd Sun of Advent
DESCRIPTION:PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD \nFrom a sermon by St Francis de Sales1 \n◊◊◊ \nNOW\, since our divine Savior is near\, what must we do to prepare for his \ncoming? St. John tells us this when he says in his preaching\, that we must do \npenance. All must do this without exception\, for as we are all sinners\, we all have \nneed of penance. \nBut that is too general: let us hint at certain particular features. St. John has \npointed out some in the Gospel. “Prepare the way of the Lord\, straighten out his \npaths\,” he says\, “every valley is to be bridged\, and the rough paths made into \nsmooth roads.” \n“Do penance\,” \n… that is to say\, humble these mountains of pride\, fill these \nlukewarm and faint-hearted valleys because salvation is at hand. Now these \nvalleys that this glorious saint wishes us to fill are simply fear\, which\, when it is \ntoo great\, leads us into discouragement. The sight of great faults committed brings \nwith it a certain dread\, an astonishment and a fear which depresses the heart. \nThese are the valleys which must be filled with confidence and hope for the coming \nof our Lord. \n“Humble the mountains and hills\,” says the glorious St. John. What are these \nmountains but presumption\, pride and that self-esteem which is a great hindrance \nto the coming of our Lord\, who is accustomed to humiliate and reduce the proud; \nfor he penetrates the depth of the heart in order to discover the pride which is \nhidden therein. \nLevel the roads\, straighten those which are crooked so as to make them \neven\, which is as if he said: Correct so many dodging and crooked intentions\, so as \nto have only that of pleasing God in doing penance\, which should be the end \ntowards which we ought to aim. As the sailor\, when he guides his ship\, always has \nhis eye on the compass to see if he is going straight to his goal\, so we ought always \nto have our eyes open to see what acts of penance we can undertake\, so that we \nmay come to that heaven to which we aspire. \nTo smoot the paths is to calm moods by the mortification of the passions\, \ninclinations and aversions. How desirable it is\, this equality of spirit and mood\, \nand how we ought to work faithfully to acquire it! For we are more variable and \ninconstant than words can tell. We find people who are now in a good humor\, \ntalking pleasantly and joyfully: but in a twinkling\, you find them vexed and \nunquiet. You will find others to whom it is necessary to speak now in this manner\, \nnow in another; such men are at present mild-hearted\, who a moment after\, for \nlittle reason\, will be impatient. In short\, what does one see among men except \ncontinual oddities and inequalities of spirit which are the tortuous\, rugged ways \nwhich we must make straight before the coming of our Lord. \nBut in order to do it well\, we must go to the school of the glorious St. John \nthe Baptist and beg him to receive us as his disciples\, and if he does so he will put \nus into the hands of our divine Savior\, who in turn will put us into those of the \nEternal Father who will give us his grace in this world and his glory in the next\, \nwhere we shall praise him eternally. \n  \nSermon for the 4th Sunday of Advent\, Trans.\, Lectionary and Martyrology\, ed. Encalcat Abbey\, Dourgne-Tarn 1956\, 27-28.3 \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/2nd-sun-advent/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231211
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231212
DTSTAMP:20260403T172310
CREATED:20231210T113607Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231210T113607Z
UID:11377-1702252800-1702339199@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:THE RESURRECTION OF THE FLESH \nFrom a sermon by St Bernard of Clairvaux2 \n◊◊◊ \nAt the first coming John the Baptist cries out like a herald— or rather\, as his \nherald— Behold the Lamb of God\, behold him who takes away the sins of the world! He \ndoes not say ‘diseases of the body ’ or ‘vexations of the flesh’\, but ‘sin’\, which is a \ndisease of the soul and a corruption of the mind. Behold him who takes away the sins \nof the world. [Take away] from where? From the hand\, from the eye\, from the \nneck…from the very flesh on which it has been so deeply impressed. He takes sin \naway from the hands when he wipes out the sins they have committed. He takes it \naway from the eye when he purifies the purpose of the heart. He takes it from the neck \nwhen he sets aside abusive domination\, as is written: You have vanquished the rod of \ntheir oppressor as on the day of Midian… \nYou grasp why Christ came and what a Christian’s purpose should be. For this \nreason\, O body\, do not anticipate the time! You can hinder the soul’s salvation\, you \ncannot bring about your own… Let the soul work now for itself—or rather\, you work \nwith it— because if you suffer with it you will also reign with it. To the degree you \nhinder its restoration\, you hinder your own\, because you cannot be restored at all \nuntil God sees his image re-formed in your soul. You have a noble guest\, O flesh\, noble \nindeed\, and your welfare depends entirely on its welfare. Honor so great a guest! You \nare dwelling in your own land\, but the soul is a pilgrim\, an exile\, lodging with you. \nI ask you\, if someone noble and powerful should want to lodge with them\, \nwould any peasant not willingly sleep in some corner of the house— or under the \nstairs or even in the ashes— giving up the best place to the guest\, as is appropriate? \nAnd you\, therefore\, do likewise. Take no notice of your own slights or inconvenience \nso long as your guest can stay with you with honor. The honor is yours if for his sake \nyou meanwhile present yourself as being without honor. \nAnd in case you look down on or undervalue your guest because it seems to \nyou to be a pilgrim and a stranger\, think carefully about what you gain from the \npresence of this guest. This is who grants sight to the eyes and hearing to the ears; \nwho supplies sound to the tongue\, taste to the palate\, movement to all your limbs… \nIndeed… just as soon as the soul departs the tongue will fall silent\, the eyes will see \nnothing\, the ears will go deaf\, the whole body will stiffen\, and the face will lose its \ncolor. In a short time the whole corpse will decay and become putrid; all its \nattractiveness will turn to corruption. \nWhy then do you distress and wound this guest for the sake of some transient \npleasure which you could not even experience except through it? Besides\, if it confers \nso much on you when it is an exile\, estranged from its master’s face because of \nhostilities\, what all will it give you when it has been reconciled? Do not\, O body\, do \nnot impede this reconciliation; abundant glory is prepared for you from it. Patiently— \nor rather\, gladly— surrender yourself to everything. Omit nothing that seems capable \nof furthering this reconciliation. Say to your guest: Your Lord will remember you and \nrestore you to your former position. Just remember me!… Then all our longings are \ngoing to be fulfilled and the whole earth shall be filled with the majesty of the Lord. \nTo this glory\, to this happiness\, to this peace which surpasses all understanding may \nhe in his mercy lead us. May he not disappoint us in our expectation\, he who is the \nSaviour we expect Jesus Christ our Lord\, who is over all\, God blessed forever \n2 Bernard of Clairvaux. Sermons for Advent and the Christmas Season. CF 51. Kalamazoo\, MI: Cistercian Publications\, \n2007. 36-40.5 \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-139/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231212
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231213
DTSTAMP:20260403T172310
CREATED:20231210T113825Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231210T113825Z
UID:11379-1702339200-1702425599@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - Our Lady of Guadalupe
DESCRIPTION:THE APPEARANCE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY \nAT GUADALUPE \nFrom the first written Aztec account of the apparition3 \n◊◊◊ \nUpon his reaching the top of the hillock\, Juan Diego catches sight of a \nwoman\, one who has been taking her stand there. She beckons him to come on\, \ncloser up to herself. Upon reaching her presence\, he greatly marvels at her \nextreme\, her surpassing\, her perfect wonderfulness. \nHer garments are as the sun\, gleaming\, glittering. Even the boulder\, the crag\, \non which she takes her stand sparkles in resplendence\, like fine emerald jade or a \nbangle when it shines\, like the swarming glow of a rainbow in the gloom. Even the \nsoil\, the brambles and prickles and the rest of the varied weeds that struggle to \nsurvive there are shining like emerald\, like divine turquoise\, to the tip of every \nleaf; are glittering like the golden scourings of the gods up every stalk and twig and \nthorn. \nIn her presence he prostrates; he listens to her utterance\, her declaration. \nThese are as of one who sets others at ease\, one whose manner is to attract\, one \nwhose attitude is to esteem. She addresses him: “Do listen to me\, my littlest one\, \nJuanito!… \n“Do know this\, do be assured of it in your heart\, my littlest one\, that I \nmyself\, I am the entirely and ever Virgin Saint Mary\, Mother of the True Divinity\, \nGod Himself: Because of Him\, life goes on\, Creation goes on; His are all things afar\, \nHis are all things near at hand\, things above in the heavens\, things here below on \nthe earth. How truly I wish it\, how greatly I desire it\, that here they should erect \nme my temple! Here would I show forth\, here would I lift up to view\, here would I \nmake a gift of all my fondness for my dear ones\, all my regard for my needy ones\, \nmy willingness to aid them\, my readiness to protect them. For truly I myself\, I am \nyour compassionate mother\, yours\, for you yourself\, for everybody here in the \nland\, for each and all together\, for all others too\, for all folk of every kind\, who do \nbut cherish me\, who do but raise their voices to me\, who do but seek me\, who do \nbut raise their trust to me. \nFor here I shall listen to their groanings\, to their saddenings; here shall I \nmake well and heal up their each and every kind of disappointment\, of exhausting \npangs\, of bitter aching pain… Therefore\, to realize all that my clemency claims\, go \nto the palace of the Bishop of Mexico\, and say that I sent you to make manifest to him \nmy great desire; namely\, that here in the valley a temple should be built to me. Tell \nhim word for word all that you have seen and heard and admired. Be assured that I \nshall be grateful and that I will reward you\, for I will make your life happy and cause \nyou to become worthy of the labor you have taken and the trouble you perform to \ndo what I enjoin you. Now you have heard all my bidding\, least of my sons. Go and \ndo your utmost.’ \n“At this point he bowed before her and said\, ‘Lady\, I go to do your bidding. As \nyour humble servant\, I take my leave of you.’ Then he went on to accomplish her \nwill\, taking the causeway that leads directly to Mexico City. \n3 GUADALUPE\, a translation of the NICAN MOPOHUA by Fr Martinus Cawley\, OCSO; CARA Studies on \nPopular Devotion\, vol.II; Guadalupan Studies Monograph No. 6.7 \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-our-lady-of-guadalupe-2/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231213T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231213T170000
DTSTAMP:20260403T172310
CREATED:20231210T114016Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231210T114016Z
UID:11381-1702454400-1702486800@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - St Lucy
DESCRIPTION:THE HISTORICAL MEETING POINT OF MARTYRDOM \nAND MONASTICISM \nFrom the writing of St Christian de Chergé4 \n◊◊◊ \nFrom the beginnings of Christian monasticism\, there has been both \ncontinuity and discontinuity between the monastic choice and martyrdom. As we \nknow\, there is continuity in time: during the first centuries of persecutions there \nwere certainly vocations to the solitary life\, dedicated to prayer and intercession \nfor all. It is easy to imagine John the Evangelist withdrawing into solitude and \ninspiring followers. But the threat was there for them and for everyone\, and there \nwas need to sustain believers’ courage and faith in that direct form of sequela \nChristi—the offering of martyrdom—to which they left themselves exposed by the \nvery fact of being Christian. And there is discontinuity\, because Constantine’s \n“peace of the Church” was needed in order for monasticism to find its specific \nplace\, when laxity and ease were quickly undermining the vitality of gospel \nwitness. \nIt was indeed the gospel that incited Anthony to “lose his life” in a way \ndifferent from the shedding of blood through “pagan” hatred. Paganism was not \ndead; it transplanted itself in the Church\, where “secularization” made rapid \nheadway. Anthony\, therefore\, would be “pursued” by the Word. He heard it and \nembodied it by following it literally and on the spot. It happened as quickly as the \nfall of the ax on the neck of Cecilia or Lucy. But for Anthony it was only the first \nstep of the Pasch\, the passing over. It then took dozens of years for the letter to be \ntruly rewritten in terms of the spirit\, in order to find\, following Jesus’ example\, \nCahier de Tibhirine 1\, Abbaye Notre-Dame d’Aiguebelle\, p. 449. Trans. Fr. Elias Dietz\, OCSO.9 \nways of combining time and eternity\, the earth and the things above. Anthony and \nmany others instinctively returned to the place of the first Passover\, the desert\, for \nthis unique kind of martyrdom. \nEarlier persecutions had singled out towns—and even big cities—to offer \nthe spectacle of faith to the crowds in the arenas as if it were a game. The \npersecutions faded away\, but the Adversary remained and continued to have his \nfun. He\, then\, was the one to take on directly. Anthony’s combat was not against \npeople\, pagans or not\, but against the traditional Enemy of humankind\, whom he \nconfronted as a solitary\, confident that he could contribute to conquering him \nwhere he is most rampant. \nThis flight from the spirit of the world and this fierce but humble solitude \nwill become\, strangely enough\, “the seeds of Christianity\,” to use the phrase \nTertullian applied to the early martyrs. It is to this drop by drop spending of flesh \nand blood in the desert that we must constantly return\, in order to sustain the \nspecific fruitfulness of our lives here and now \n4 Christian de Chergé\, Dieu pour tout jour. Chapitres de Père Christian de Chergé à la communauté de Tibhirine [1986–1996]\, Les \n  \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-st-lucy-2/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231214
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231215
DTSTAMP:20260403T172310
CREATED:20231210T114234Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231210T114234Z
UID:11383-1702512000-1702598399@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - St John of the Cross
DESCRIPTION:LOVE OF THE CROSS \nFrom an essay by St Edith Stein \n◊◊◊ \nWe hear repeatedly that St. John of the Cross desired nothing for himself but \nto suffer and be despised. We want to know the reason for this love of suffering. Is \nit merely the loving remembrance of the path of suffering of our Lord on earth\, a \ntender impulse to be humanly close to him by a life resembling his? This does not \nseem to correspond to the lofty and strict spirituality of the mystical teacher. And \nin relation to the Man of Sorrows\, it would almost seem that the victoriously \nenthroned king\, the divine conqueror of sin\, death and hell is forgotten. Did not \nChrist lead captivity captive? Has he not transported us into a kingdom of light and \ncalled us to be happy children of our heavenly Father? \nThe sight of the world in which we live\, the need and misery\, and the abyss \nof human malice\, again and again dampens jubilation over the victory of light. The \nworld is still deluged by mire\, and still only a small flock has escaped from it to the \nhighest mountain peaks. The battle between Christ and the Antichrist is not yet \nover. The followers of Christ have their place in this battle\, and their chief weapon \nis the cross… \nThe entire sum of human failures from the first Fall up to the Day of \nJudgment must be blotted out by a corresponding measure of expiation. The way \nof the cross is this expiation. The triple collapse under the burden of the cross \ncorresponds to the triple fall of humanity: the first sin\, the rejection of the Savior \nby his chosen people\, the falling away of those who bear the name of Christian… \nThe Savior is not alone on the way of the cross… The archetype of followers \nof the cross for all time is the Mother of God. …Everyone who\, in the course of time\, \nhas borne an onerous destiny in remembrance of the suffering Savior or who has \nfreely taken up works of expiation has by doing so canceled some of the mighty \nload of human sin and has helped the Lord carry his burden.… The disciples\, both \nmen and women\, who surrounded [the Savior] during his earthly life\, assist him \non the second stretch. The lovers of the cross whom he has awakened and will \nalways continue to awaken anew in the changeable history of the struggling \nchurch\, these are his allies at the end of time. We\, too\, are called for that purpose… \nBut because being one with Christ is our sanctity\, and progressively \nbecoming one with him our happiness on earth\, the love of the cross in no way \ncontradicts being a joyful child of God. Helping Christ carry his cross fills one with \na strong and pure joy\, and those who may and can do so\, the builders of God’s \nkingdom\, are the most authentic children of God. And so those who have a \npredilection for the way of the cross by no means deny that Good Friday is past \nand that the work of salvation has been accomplished. Only those who are saved\, \nonly children of grace\, can in fact be bearers of Christ’s cross. Only in union with \nthe divine Head does human suffering take on expiatory power. To suffer and to \nbe happy although suffering\, to have one’s feet on the earth\, to walk on the dirty \nand rough paths of this earth and yet to be enthroned with Christ at the Father’s \nright hand\, to laugh and cry with the children of this world and ceaselessly sing \nthe praises of God with the choirs of angels — this is the life of the Christian until \nthe morning of eternity breaks forth \n  \n5 from The Hidden Life\, volume 4 of The Collected Works of Edith Stein\, edited by L. Gelber and Michael Linnsen; ICS Publications\, 1992\, pp. 91-93.11 \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-st-john-of-the-cross/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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UID:11385-1702598400-1702684799@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:CHRIST IS WITH US \nFrom “Love Letters from Cell 92” \n– The correspondence between \nDietrich Bonhoeffer and his fiancé Maria von Wedemeyer6 \n◊◊◊ \n[Tegel] 13 December\, 1943 \nWithout abandoning all hope that things may yet take a turn for the better \njust in time\, I must now write you a Christmas letter. Be brave for my sake\, dearest \nMaria\, even if this letter is your only token of my love this Christmas-tide. We shall \nboth experience a few dark hours – why should we disguise that from each other? \nWe shall ponder the incomprehensibility of our lot and be assailed by the question \nof why\, over and above the darkness already enshrouding humanity\, we should be \nsubjected to the bitter anguish of a separation whose purpose we fail to \nunderstand. How hard it is\, inwardly to accept what defies our understanding; \nhow great is the temptation to feel ourselves at the mercy of blind chance; how \nsinister the way in which mistrust and resentment steal into our hearts at such \ntimes; and how readily we fall prey to the childish notion that the course of our \nlives reposes in human hands! \nAnd then\, just when everything is bearing down on us to such an extent that \nwe can scarcely withstand it\, the Christmas message comes to tell us that all our \nideas are wrong\, and that what we take to be evil and dark is really good and light \nbecause it comes from God. Our eyes are at fault\, that is all. God is in the manger\, \nwealth in poverty\, light in darkness\, succor in abandonment. No evil can befall us; \nwhatever men may do to us\, they cannot but serve the God who is secretly revealed \nas love and rules the world and our lives. We must learn to say: “I know how to be \nabased and I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learned the \nsecret of facing plenty and hunger\, abundance and want. I can do all things in him \nwho strengthens me” \n– and this Christmas\, in particular\, can help us to do so. What \nis meant here is not stoical resistance to all extraneous occurrences\, but true \nendurance and true rejoicing in the knowledge that Christ is with us. \nDearest Maria\, let us celebrate Christmas in that way. Be as happy with the \nothers as a person can only be at Christmas-time. Don’t entertain any awful \nimaginings of me in my cell\, but remember that Christ\, too\, frequents prisons\, and \nthat he will not pass me by. Besides\, I hope to find myself a good book for \nChristmas and read it in peace. May you do likewise. A little oblivion is \npermissible in view of everything else. First one has and finally one is entitled to \nforget it; but the reverse order would be mistaken and unproductive. Dearest \nMaria\, let’s not talk of what we both feel; we know it\, and every word merely makes \nthe heart heavier. Above all\, let us be careful not to feel sorry for ourselves; to do \nso would truly be a blasphemy on God\, who means us well. For all our difficulties\, \nlet us say\, with Isaiah: “Do not destroy it\, for there is a blessing in it” \n– even in this Christmas \n  \n6 Love Letters From Cell 92 – The Correspondence between Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Maria von Wedemeyer. Ed. Ruth-Alice von \nBismarck and Ulrich Kabitz. Trans. John Brownjohn. Nashville: Abingdon Press\, 1995. 133-135.13 \n  \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-140/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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CREATED:20231210T114608Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231210T114608Z
UID:11387-1702684800-1702771199@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:ON REPENTANCE \nFrom the writing of St Silouan the Athonite \n◊◊◊ \nGlory be to the Lord that He gave us repentance. Through repentance we \nshall all\, every one of us\, be saved. Only those who refuse to repent will not find \nsalvation\, and therein I see their despair\, and shed abundant tears of pity for them. \nThey have not known through the Holy Spirit how great is God’s mercy. But if \nevery soul knew the Lord\, knew how deeply He loves us\, no one would ever \ndespair\, or murmur against his lot. Every soul that has lost peace should repent \nand the Lord will forgive her her sins\, and there will be joy and peace in the soul… \nHere is a token of forgiveness: if you detest sin\, it means the Lord has forgiven you \nyour sins… \nThe truly repentant man readily bears every affliction – hunger and \nnakedness\, cold and heat\, sickness and poverty\, humiliation and exile\, injustice \nand slander; for his soul is turned with longing towards God\, and he has no care \nfor earthly things but prays to God with a pure mind. But the man who is attached \nto worldly goods and riches can never have a mind pure in God\, since in the depths \nof his soul he is constantly preoccupied with his possessions; and if he does not \nrepent whole-heartedly\, and mourn at having grieved God\, he will die bearing the \nburden of his passions\, without having come to know the Lord… \nLet us not be distressed over the loss of worldly goods: such losses are a \nsmall matter. My own father taught me this early in life. When some misfortune \nhappened at home\, he would remain serene. When our house caught fire and the \nneighbours said\, ‘Ivan Petrovich\, your house is burnt down!’ he replied\, ‘With \nGod’s help I’ll build it up again.’ Once we were walking along the side of our field\, \nand I said\, ‘Look\, they’re stealing our sheaves!’ ‘Aye\, son\,’ he answered me\, ‘the \nLord has given us corn and to spare\, so if anyone steals it\, it means he’s in want.’ \n… \nThe Lord is quick to forgive the sins of the merciful. The merciful man bears \nno ill-will. He will suffer injury or the loss of his goods with unconcern\, for he \nknows the mercy of God\, and no one can take the Lord’s mercy from us: it comes \nfrom on high; it is of God… But we here below are swept about like dust before the \nwind\, while our minds cling to the things of this world… A little wind can blow it \nout like a candle; but the spirit of the saints glowed with fire like the burning bush\, \nfearless of the wind… The love of God is a consuming fire. For the love of God the \nsaints bore every affliction… \nAll my desire is to learn humility and the love of Christ\, that I may offend no \nman but pray for all as I pray for myself… This is the law we have: if you forgive \nothers\, it is a sign that the Lord has forgiven you; but if you refuse to forgive\, then \nyour own sin remains with you. The Lord wants us to love our fellow-man; and if \nyou reflect that the Lord loves him\, you have a sign of the Lord’s love for you… If \nyou do not feel pity for the sinner destined to suffer the pains of hellfire\, it means \nthat the grace of the Holy Spirit is not in you\, but an evil spirit. While you are still \nalive\, therefore\, strive by repentance to free yourself from this spirit. \n  \n7 Saint Silouan the Athonite. Trans. Rosemary Edmonds. Crestwood\, NY: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press\, 1999. 345- \n352.15 \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-141/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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UID:11394-1702771200-1702857599@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Skema
DESCRIPTION:Biblical Readings for Office and Mass\n3rd Week of Advent\n\n\nMass Readings: Sunday (B)\, Weekdays (II)\nDecember 17 – 23\, 2023\n\n\n\nSun\n17\nMon\n18\nTue\n19\nWed\n10\nThu\n21\nFri\n22\nSat\n23\n\n\nOffice\n3rd Sunday of Advent\nAdvent Weekday\nAdvent Weekday\nAdvent Weekday\nAdvent Weekday \n175 Years\nAdvent Weekday\nAdvent Weekday\n\n\nVigils\nMicah 4:1-14\nIsa 40:12-31\nIsa 41:8-20\nIsa 41:21-29\nIsa 42:10-25\nIsa 43:1-15\nIsa 43:16-28\n\n\nLauds\nZech 2:10-17\nIsa 45:1-8\nIsa 45:18-25\nIsa 46:5-13\nIsa 49:8-13\nIsa 49:14-21\nIsa 49:22-26\n\n\nMass\n8\n194\n195\n196\n701.1\, 704.4\, 706.4\n198\n199\n\n\n1st\nIsa 61:1-2a\, 10-11\nJer 23:5-8\nJudg 13:2-7\, 24-25a\nIsa 7:10-14\n1 Kgs 8:22-23\, 27-30\n1 Sam 1:24-28\nMal 3:1-4\, 23-24\n\n\n2nd\n1 Thess 5:16-24\n\n\n\n1 Pet 2:4-9\n\n\n\n\nGospel\nJohn 1:6-8\, 19-28\nMatt 1:18-24\nLuke 1:5-25\nLuke 1:26-38\nJn 4:19-24\nLuke 1:46-56\nLuke 1:57-66\n\n\nVespers\nRom 9:1-8\nPhil 1:3-11\nPhil 3:17-21\nPhil 4:4-9\n\n1 Cor 4:1-5\nJas 5:7-11
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/skema-55/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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UID:11396-1702771200-1702857599@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - 3rd Sunday Advent
DESCRIPTION:THE AUTHENTIC WITNESS \nFrom the writings of Fr Jean Danielou \n◊◊◊ \nAs John the Baptist was the Lord’s precursor even before his birth\, so \nalso he was the forerunner of Christ’s public life. After the desert period came \nthe crowning moment of a life spent preparing the way for Christ. There was a \nman named John sent by God\, who came as a witness to testify to the light\, \nso that through him all might believe. \nThis text shows that the essential mission of John the Baptist was to bear \nwitness to the light\, to point to Jesus. His was a pre-eminent role in the \npreparation for the coming of Christ and of Christ’s own work. John it was who \npaved the way for our Lord’s public life and teaching by predisposing the souls \nof his hearers to receive it. One might say he was an educator of souls; his task \nwas…to do the preliminary chiseling that would make them more receptive to \nChrist’s message. Our Lord’s teaching would have been too strong for souls not \npreviously prepared for it. They needed some schooling in advance. Their \ninterests had to be re-directed; it was necessary to wean them from worldly \nhabits and to arouse a spiritual dissatisfaction in their hearts. \nThat was John the Baptist’s assignment. Sent to people utterly heedless \nof the things of God\, it was his task to awaken in them sufficient concern to \ndisturb their subtle ways and to stir up their initial goodwill\, so that they might \nbe capable of understanding Christ. \nJohn the Baptist thus joins the long succession of those who have taken \npart in the work of preparing for the Lord’s coming\, those who\, like John\, were \nwithdrawn by God from the things of this world and mysteriously admitted to \nthe divine plans\, in order that they might blaze the way for God among the \npeople. John in his turn will move among his contemporaries to mark out the \nLord’s way\, smoothing paths and leveling hills. But for such a mission he must \nfrom the outset be possessed by the Lord in the depths of his being\, since it is \na hard furrow he will have to plow. The people of the Baptist’s generation were \nabsorbed in the same pursuits as the people of our own day. St. Luke describes \nthem in a memorable passage: the soldiers engaged in violence and false \ncharges\, and the tax collectors in demanding more than their due. \nSuch is human nature. It was so in the time of John\, and it is the same \ntoday. Preoccupied with worldly affairs\, people are completely heedless of \nGod. As one goes here and there in the world it is very painful to experience \nthe utter indifference of the rank and file. To shake the world out of this [kind \nof] vision\, who can rouse the masses from their inertia? They have to be \nauthentic witnesses. A witness is someone who has first been granted an inner \nvision; God has introduced him to the divine viewpoint so that he can pass on \nwhat he has seen to others. \nSo it was with John the Baptist. God first admitted him to his own \ncouncil\, revealing to him the mystery of the divine plan\, drawing him into the \ndesert to share with him his own joy. Then came the essential part of his \nvocation: he was a witness to Christ; that is to say\, he was the one who pointed \nout Christ to the people \n1 Le mystère de l’Avent\, Paris 1948\, pp. 82-84; reprinted in Meditations on the Sunday Gospels: Year A; introduced \nand edited by John E. Rotelle\, Hyde Park\, NY: New City Press\, 1995\, pp. 18-19.3 \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-3rd-sunday-advent/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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DTSTAMP:20260403T172310
CREATED:20231217T111959Z
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UID:11398-1702857600-1702943999@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:“O ADONAI” \nTHE LORD WHO LOVED US FIRST \nFrom the writings of William of St Thierry \n◊◊◊ \nYou alone are the Lord. By ruling us you save us and we are saved by \nserving you. Lord\, you save your people and bless them\, but what does it mean \nto be saved by you if not to receive the grace of loving you and of being loved \nby you? And so\, Lord\, you willed the Son at your right hand\, the man you made \nstrong for your service\, to be called Jesus\, which means Savior\, for he will save \nhis people from their sins\, and indeed salvation is to be found in him alone. \nHe taught us to love him by first loving us\, even to the extent of dying on the \ncross. By loving us and holding us so dear he aroused our love for him who first \nloved us to the very end… \nOne seldom meets a person who can say: “I love you\, in order that you \nmay love me!” This is what really happened. You loved us first to make us love \nyou\, not because you needed our love\, but because we could not be what you \ncreated us to be\, except by loving you. \nIn many ways and on various occasions you spoke to our ancestors \nthrough the prophets. Now in these last days you have spoken to us through \nthe Son\, your Word\, by whom the heavens were made\, by whose breath the \nwhole heavenly host came to be. \nBy speaking through your Son you made the extent of your love for us as \nplain as day. You did not spare your own Son but gave him up for all of us. And \nhe himself loved us and gave himself up for us. This Lord is your Word to us\, \nyour omnipotent Word. While all things were in profound silence (that is\, in \nthe depths of error) he came from his royal throne\, the stern conqueror of error \nand gentle apostle of love. You wanted us to love you because otherwise our \nsalvation would not have been just\, and we could not do so unless you made it \npossible. Therefore\, Lord\, you loved us first. For our part\, we love you with the \nlove you yourself have given us. Your love is your goodness. It is the Holy Spirit. \nBy his inspiration\, by keeping us from harm and by providing for our needs\, he \nunites God to us and us to God \n  \nWilliam of St Thierry. On the Contemplation of God. CF 3. Trans. Unknown (Different from CF 3). 51-53.5 \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-142/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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CREATED:20231217T112137Z
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UID:11400-1702944000-1703030399@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:WHEN PRAYER IS SILENCED \nFrom a commentary by Servant of God Dolindo Ruotolo \n◊◊◊ \nZechariah was Priest of the eighth class… Elizabeth\, his wife was also of priestly \nbirth. They lived in a holy manner\, and they did not have children\, because Elizabeth was \nsterile. In those times to be sterile was the greatest disgrace\, because every woman hoped \nto be the mother of the awaited Messiah. Being both old\, notwithstanding all the prayers \nto God to conceive a son\, now they had lost all hope… But what prayer is useless before \nGod? Even when it seems not granted\, even when it seems now absurd to even think that \nit can be granted\, is instead granted in a way far above any expectations\, and blooms like \na blooming tree in spring… \nIt was the hour of the Vespers\, and Zechariah entered the Sanctuary to offer \nincense. The multitude of the people fervently prayed\, asking to be freed\, since they were \noppressed by foreign domination… Zechariah\, on hearing the lamentations of his people\, \nlifted with more eagerness his heart to the Lord\, and considering his own affliction\, deeply \nhumiliated himself… He put the incense on the flame\, and in the solemnity of the \nmoment… his prayer\, like the spiral of the perfumed smoke of the incense\, rose highly… \nWhen all of a sudden… a mysterious fright took hold of him: on the right side of the \nAltar…a human figure had appeared\, most beautiful\, majestic… The Angel spoke to him; \nhis words peaceful and penetrating… <Zechariah’s> prayer was granted and Elizabeth \nwould have a son… \nInstead of exulting and thanking God\, <Zechariah> said with great distrust and \nunbelief: “How shall I know this?” \n… It was the manifestation of the “I”\, the “I” that \npretends to raise himself to be the judge in the plans of God; the “I” that chokes the most \ndelicate germs of grace\, assuming to want to evaluate everything with his own idea; it was \nthe word of his own mind in opposition to the word of God; thus\, and rightly so\, Zechariah \nwas deprived of his word and became mute. The Angel became stern\, his majesty flashed \nlike a thunderbolt. Zechariah had not considered in answering him that he was speaking \nwith a superior being… Now the Angel called him up to reality\, telling him: “I am Gabriel \n(which means the strong one of God)\, and I stand before God.” \nIn pronouncing those words… a ray of divine majesty enveloped him. He was the \nstrong one\, the expression of the true strength\, something immense\, deep… towering… It \nwas a celestial word\, that made its meaning known and by saying it\, it made it alive. These \nwords hit Zechariah like a thunderbolt of extraordinary power; they…made him dumb… \nand his dumbness became a sign of truth: he showed with a visible punishment that what \nhe heard\, was not a deception. \nWhat a lesson for us\, who are used to oppose with great ease the plan of God with \nour own plans… Here our program comes before the grace that can touch and transport \nus… thus our spirit faints and our prayer remains mute… We believe that it is our \ngraciousness to comply… instead it is all a gift of God. When we are not worthy of the \nLord because of our pride\, we cannot believe and speak to God… Our words of faith and \nthe voice of our prayers are the measure of our soul; as soon as our soul is misled\, by the \nproud misery of our “I” or by the degradation of our senses\, we lose our word\, the interior \nword that makes us to say “I believe” and the exterior words that can speak to God… When \na faithful person does not know how to speak to God\, he needs to purify or renew himself\, \nbecause his spiritual muteness is a sign of an interior paralysis… This should be the path \nfollowed by a hardened soul: to pray\, to attempt to do some work of sacred zeal… \nPessimism is always deadly for the life of the spirit. Yet\, hope and abandonment to the \nDivine Mercy is the secret of a great life. \n  \nRuotolo\, Dolindo. The Sacred Scripture – The Gospel According to Luke. Trans. Giovanna I. Ellis. Accessed online\, 2014.7 \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-143/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231220
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DTSTAMP:20260403T172310
CREATED:20231217T112329Z
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UID:11402-1703030400-1703116799@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:“O KEY OF DAVID” \nFrom a treatise by St John Chrysostom \n◊◊◊ \nChrist had the power to set the human race free from all evils\, not only \nthe Romans\, but the Persians\, and simply every race of barbarians. And he \nsucceeded in doing this with no force of arms\, nor expenditure of money\, nor \nby starting wars of conquest\, nor by inflaming men to battle. He had only \neleven men to start with\, men who were undistinguished\, without learning\, ill- \ninformed\, destitute\, poorly clad\, without weapons or sandals\, men who had but \na single tunic to wear. …He was able to persuade so many nations of men to \npursue the true doctrine\, not only in what concerns the present life but also the \nlife hereafter. He succeeded in winning over these men to drag down their \nancestral laws\, to tear out their ancient customs\, long and deeply rooted as they \nwere\, and to plant in their place other ways\, which led them from the easy- \ngoing life to his own program of austerity. And he succeeded in doing this when \nthe whole world was waging war against him\, when they jeered at him\, and \nforced him to endure the most shameful death of the cross. \nThese successes are not confined to the cities. They have spread to the \ndesert\, the villages\, the fields\, the islands\, the ship basins\, and harbors. Not \nonly simple citizens and petty rulers but even those who wear the imperial \ncrown have shown great faith and served as subjects to him who was crucified… \nI do not wish you to suspect that what I say had not been foretold. \nTherefore\, I must bring forward as evidence the books of the Jews\, the \nScriptures\, over which the Jews have kept such careful guard\, and set before the \neyes of those who are still unbelieving the predictions and testimonies about \n<how> Christ would become man and still stay God. “This is our God; no other \nwill be compared to him. He has discovered the whole way of understanding\, \nand has given it to Jacob\, his servant\, and to Israel\, his well-beloved. Since \nthen he has appeared on earth and moved among men.” \nDo you see how\, in a few words\, the prophet made it altogether clear that \nChrist\, still remaining God\, became man\, that he moved among men\, and that \nhe is\, himself\, the Lawgiver of the Old Testament? For the prophet said: “He \nhas discovered the whole way of understanding and has given it to Jacob\, his \nservant\, and to Israel\, his well-beloved.” For here the prophet shows that\, \nbefore his coming in the flesh\, he arranged and disposed all things\, that he did \nall things by giving the Law\, by exercising his providence\, and by granting to \nmen the blessings of his care. \n  \nDemonstration Against the Pagans That Christ is God. Trans. Paul W. Harkins\, Fathers of the Church Series\, vol. 73. \nWashington\, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press\, 1985. pp. 191ff. \n  \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-144/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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DTSTAMP:20260403T172310
CREATED:20231217T112551Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231217T112551Z
UID:11404-1703116800-1703203199@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - 175 year Anniversary
DESCRIPTION:GETHSEMANI ABBEY: \nITS FOUNDATION \nFrom the account of Dom Eutropius Proust \n◊◊◊ \nWe arrived at Gethsemani on the twenty-first of December\, at two P.M. \n… The cold was excessive\, and all we could do the first days was to gather \nfirewood in the forest with which to warm ourselves. We also collected or \nshucked a field of corn that had remained. In the mornings and evenings we \nshelled the corn in the workshop\, while one of the brothers\, in a loud voice\, read \na spiritual book. Such were our occupations during these first days. \nWe improvised a dormitory\, refectory\, chapter-room… choosing for this \npurpose the most suitable places. The old cabins were torn down to make room \nfor a kitchen\, adjoining the refectory. But the kitchen was so exposed to the \nweather that\, when it rained\, all our dishes were not sufficient to collect the \nwater… The little chapel used by the Sisters of Loretto served us for a church\, \nbut\, as a great number of people flocked to our offices\, attracted by the novelty \nof the religious ceremonies\, which\, notwithstanding our poverty\, we conducted \nwith great solemnity\, our chapel was much too small. We were obliged to \nenlarge it one-half\, which we did\, with the debris of the old cabins… \nIt is impossible to describe the impression produced on these sylvan \ninhabitants on seeing our religious ceremonies and hearing for the first time the \nsolemn and majestic chant of La Trappe. At the approach of grand feasts\, the \nrumor spread far that on that day the Trappists of Gethsemani would have \nbeautiful ceremonies\, a thing which generally brought vast assemblies… The \npeople came from Bardstown and neighboring villages to see us and satisfy \nthemselves of that which had been said in the journals concerning those \nextraordinary solitaries of Gethsemani… \nOne of the salutary effects that our presence created was the elevation of \nthe negro-slave in his own estimation… These unfortunate slaves were \nastonished to see priests in the morning at the altar\, and sometimes later at the \nplough…devoted to all kinds of agricultural work. In thus seeing men who were \nvenerated in their country\, work like themselves\, they are honored before their \nown eyes\, and the humble occupation of labor is elevated. They realized at last \nthat manual labor does not degrade\, nor work enslave the tiller of the soil. \nThus\, from the commencement\, we gained the good will of all our \nneighbors… There was not\, even amongst the Protestant ministers themselves\, \na single one who did not show us some marks of good will… “These are the good \ncitizens\, ” they would say\, “who have just come from Europe. They are French\, \nwho bring us excellent methods of farming. They are going to effect much good \nin our country. It is not necessary to disturb them; but on the contrary to hold \nthem in high esteem.”… So you see that in a short time Gethsemani put on a \nnew aspect \n  \nDom Eutropius Proust. Gethsemani Abbey: Its Foundation. Messenger Magazine\, 1898. (Complete manuscript \navailable in CSQ 2021).11 \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-175-year-anniversary/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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UID:11406-1703203200-1703289599@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:RAISE YOUR HEADS\, \nBECAUSE YOUR REDEMPTION IS DRAWING NEAR \nFrom the writings of St Rafael Arnaiz6 \n◊◊◊ \nThere are many ways to wait for the God who is to be born among human beings. \nThere are many ways that the world celebrates the event of God’s coming… \nChristmastime in La Trapa… Joy in the liturgy\, hope in the songs we sing in church\, \nhymns that speak of love and gentleness of heart. Thinking\, in the silence of the temple\, \nabout Mary’s humility\, Joseph’s chastity… God’s love. The harmonious blend of angels’ \nmelodies and shepherds’ ballads… Christmas in La Trapa… Frankincense and myrrh \noffered up by souls who quietly live their lives in the divine service… the gold of \nsacrifices. No loud cheers or external expressions or music or drums…The parties\, the \njoy\, the music\, the drumbeat… he carries all that in his heart\, which loves Jesus so \nmuch\, in a joyful silence… an inner song… a quiet\, silent love. \nDuring this time\, he meditates upon the great mysteries of his faith… and \nvery\, very deep within his soul\, he delights in the consolations that the Child \nJesus offers him through sacred Scripture… In peace and quiet\, he meditates \nupon the psalms\, the hymns\, and the whole liturgical arsenal that the church \nprovides for this season. He contemplates with amazement how the young \nwoman is with child and shall bear a son\, and shall name him Emmanuel\, and \nhow the uneven ground shall become level and the rough places a plain. \nYou don’t need to make noise to love God. You won’t mind solitude\, \nsilence\, austerity\, penance\, or any amount of suffering if you know that the \nwilderness and the dry land shall be glad\, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; \nlike the crocus it shall blossom abundantly\, and rejoice with joy and singing… \nEverything balances out in this world… In the perfect harmony of creation\, \nevery person and thing follows the path that God has laid out before them. \nWhat a joy it is to know we are rooted in His will… Wherever we might go\, \nwherever we are\, so long as we don’t separate our heart from Jesus’ heart\, what \ndo we have to fear?… The world is very small\, and God is so great that it cannot \ncontain Him… But no matter\, God has made Himself small in order to save \nhumanity… To God\, the whole world is a vast temple… and the Son has come \ndown into it\, and it is in this world that He does the will of His Father… \nNow that Christmas is approaching\, and perhaps my struggles on this \nfront are harder\, God is calling me to account. Without letting anyone else \noverhear\, He is saying to me very softly\, “What does it matter?” \n… And then I \ncome to see the poverty of this world\, the brevity of this life… we must make \ngood use of it… We must not waste time…thinking about our past joys that will \nnever come back again. And then the soul comes to understand and \ncontemplate the only truth… and that is Christ. Christ\, who transforms the \nworld into a great big stable! Christ\, with Joseph and Mary… Christ\, made \nhuman for love of humanity… Christ\, born among the animals and hay\, with no \nshelter or clothing\, in great solitude… And faced with the thought of an \nincarnate God\, faced with the grandeur of His boundlessness\, the soul \nstretches…and the voice of Christ sweetly draws me in\, speaks to me of love\, and \nmakes me forget all my cares. \nToday\, at prayer\, a little monk was thinking about this. Looking around \nhim\, he could not help but close his eyes as he realized that nothing in this world \nwill remain… Leaving behind his feelings and sorrows\, he lifted his eyes to \nheaven and heard his soul cry out clearly… “Brother!…Brother!…Love \nChrist…As for everything else…what does it matter?” \n… “The Lord is now near; \ncome\, let us adore him. \n  \nSaint Rafael Arnaiz. The Collected Words. MW 61. Trans. Catherine Addington. Collegeville\, MN: Cistercian \nPublications\, 2022. 502-506.13 \n  \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-145/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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UID:11408-1703289600-1703375999@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:IF YOU KNEW THE GIFT OF GOD \nFrom the writing of St Elizabeth of the Trinity \n◊◊◊ \nWhat is the gift of God if not Himself?… The beloved disciple tells us: “He \ncame to His own and His own did not accept Him.” St. John the Baptist could \nstill say to many souls these words of reproach: “There is one in the midst of \nyou\, ‘in you\,’ whom you do not know… If you knew the gift of God…” \nThere is one who knew this gift of God\, one who did not lose one particle \nof it\, one who was so pure\, so luminous that she seemed to be Light itself. One \nwhose life was so simple\, so lost in God that there is hardly anything we can say \nabout it. \nFaithful Virgin\, “who kept all these things in her heart.” She remained so \nlittle\, so recollected in God’s presence\, in the seclusion of the temple\, that she \ndrew down upon herself the delight of the Holy Trinity: “Because He has looked \nupon the lowliness of His servant\, henceforth all generations shall call me \nblessed!” The Father bending down to this beautiful creature\, who was so \nunaware of her own beauty\, willed that she be the Mother in time of Him whose \nFather He is in eternity. Then the Spirit of love who presides over all of God’s \nworks came upon her; the Virgin said her fiat: “Behold the servant of the Lord\, \nbe it done to me according to Your word\,” and the greatest of mysteries was \naccomplished. By the descent of the Word in her\, Mary became forever God’s \nprey. \nIt seems to me that the attitude of the Virgin during the months that \nelapsed between the Annunciation and the Nativity is the model for interior \nsouls\, those whom God has chosen to live within\, in the depths of the bottomless \nabyss. In what peace\, in what recollection Mary lent herself to everything she \ndid! How even the most trivial things were divinized by her! For through it all \nthe Virgin remained the adorer of the gift of God! This did not prevent her from \nspending herself outwardly when it was a matter of charity; the Gospel tells us \nthat Mary went in haste to the mountains of Judea to visit her cousin Elizabeth. \nNever did the ineffable vision that she contemplated within herself in any way \ndiminish her outward charity. For… if contemplation “continues toward praise \nand towards the eternity of its Lord\, it possesses unity and will not lose it. \nIf an order from Heaven arrives\, contemplation turns towards men\, \nsympathizes with their needs\, is inclined towards all their miseries; it must cry \nand be fruitful. It illuminates like fire\, and like it\, it burns\, absorbs and devours\, \nlifting up to Heaven what it has devoured. And when it has finished its work \nhere below\, it rises\, burning with its fire\, and takes up again the road on high. \n  \nElizabeth of the Trinity. I Have Found God\, The Complete Works: Volume One. Trans. Sister Aletheia Kane\, O.C.D. ICS \nPublications\, 1984. 110-111.15 \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-146/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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UID:11410-1703376000-1703462399@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Skema
DESCRIPTION:Biblical Readings for Office and Mass\n4th Sunday/Christmas Octave\n\n\nMass Readings: Sunday (B)\, Weekdays (II)\nDecember 24 – 30\, 2023\n\n\n\nSun\n24\nMon\n25\nTue\n26\nWed\n27\nThu\n28\nFri\n29\nSat\n30\n\n\nOffice\n4th Sunday of Advent\nNativity of the Lord\nSt Stephen\nSt John\nHoly Innocents\n5th Day in Christmas Octave\n6th Day in Christmas Octave\n\n\nVigils\nIsa 44:1-8\, 21-23\n*vigil and midnight Mass\nActs 6:1-15\nWis 7:21-8:1\nExod 1:6-22\nSong 1:1-11\nSong 1:12-2:7\n\n\nLauds\nIsa 63:15-19\nBaruch 3:36-4:4\n2 Chron 24:17-22\nProv 8:22-30\nBaruch 4:21-29\nIsa 51:1-8\nIsa 52:8-12\n\n\nMass\n11\n16\n696\n697\n698\n202\n203\n\n\n1st\n2 Sam 7:1-5\, 8b-12\, 14a\, 16\nIsa 52:7-10\nActs 6:8-10; 7:54-59\n1 John 1:1-4\n1 John 1:5-2:2\n1 John 2:3-11\n1 John 2:12-17\n\n\n2nd\nRom 16:25-27\nHeb 1:1-6\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGospel\nLuke 1:26-38\nJohn 1:1-18\nMatt 10:17-22\nJohn 20:1a\, 2-8\nMatt 2:13-18\nLuke 2:22-35\nLuke 2:36-40\n\n\nVespers\n2 Pet 3:8-14\n1 John 4:7-16\nActs 7:51-8:2\nActs 4:13-20\n1 Pet 4:12-19\nCol 1:1-8\nPhil 2:1-11\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n*Midnight Mass: 1) Isa 9:1-6 2) Titus 2:11-14 Gospel) Luke 2:1-14
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/skema-56/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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UID:11412-1703376000-1703462399@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - 4th Sunday Advent
DESCRIPTION:YOU SHALL CONCEIVE AND BEAR A SON \nFrom a commentary by St Bede the Venerable \n◊◊◊ \nToday’s reading of the gospel calls to mind the beginning of our \nredemption\, for the passage tells us how God sent an angel from heaven to a \nvirgin. He was to proclaim the new birth\, the incarnation of God’s Son\, who \nwould take away our age-old guilt; through him it would be possible for us to be \nmade new and numbered among the children of God. And so\, if we are to \ndeserve the gifts of the promised salvation\, we must listen attentively to the \naccount of its beginning. \nThe angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named \nNazareth\, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house \nof David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. What is said of the house of David \napplies not only to Joseph but also to Mary. It was a precept of the law that \neach man should marry a wife from his own tribe and kindred. Saint Paul also \nbears testimony to this when he writes to Timothy: Remember Jesus Christ\, \nrisen from the dead\, descended from David\, as preached in my gospel. Our \nLord is truly descended from David\, since his spotless mother took her ancestry \nfrom David’s line. \nThe angel came to her and said\, “Do not be afraid\, Mary\, for you have \nfound favor with God. And behold\, you will conceive in your womb and bear \na son\, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great\, and will be called \nthe Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his \nfather David.” The angel refers to the kingdom of the Israelite nation as the \nthrone of David because in his time\, by the Lord’s command and assistance\, \nDavid governed it with a spirit of faithful service. The Lord God gave to our \nRedeemer the throne of his father David\, when he decreed that he should \ntake flesh from the lineage of David. As David had once ruled the people with \ntemporal authority\, so Christ would now lead them to the eternal kingdom by \nhis spiritual grace. Of this kingdom the Apostle said: He has delivered us from \nthe dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved \nSon. \nHe will reign over the house of Jacob for ever. The house of Jacob here \nrefers to the universal Church which\, through its faith in and witness to Christ\, \nshares the heritage of the patriarchs. This may apply either to those who are \nphysical descendants of the patriarchal families\, or to those who come from \ngentile nations and are reborn in Christ by the waters of baptism. In this house \nChrist shall reign for ever\, and of his kingdom there will be no end. During this \npresent life\, Christ rules in the Church. By faith and love he dwells in the hearts \nof his elect\, and guides them by his unceasing care toward their heavenly \nreward. In the life to come\, when their period of exile on earth is ended\, he will \nexercise his kingship by leading the faithful to their heavenly country. There\, \nfor ever inspired by the vision of his presence\, their one delight will be to praise \nand glorify him \n  \n1 Journey with the Fathers – Year B – New City Press – NY -1993 – pg 16-17.3 \n  \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-4th-sunday-advent/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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UID:11414-1703462400-1703548799@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading -Nativity of the Lord
DESCRIPTION:TODAY A SAVIOR HAS BEEN BORN FOR YOU \nFrom a commentary by St Aelred of Rievaulx \n◊◊◊ \nToday\, in the city of David\, the Savior of the world is born for us: he is \nChrist the Lord. That city is Bethlehem. We must run there as the shepherds \ndid when they heard these tidings\, and so put into action the words we \ntraditionally sing at this season: They sang of God’s glory\, they hastened to \nBethlehem. \nAnd this shall be a sign for you: you will find the child wrapped in \nswaddling bands and lying in a manger. Now this is what I say: you must love. \nYou fear the Lord of angels\, yes\, but love the tiny babe; you fear the Lord of \nmajesty\, yes\, but love the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes; you fear him \nwho reigns in heaven\, yes\, but love him who lies in the manger. \nWhat sort of sign were the shepherds given? You will find the child \nwrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. It was by this that they \nwere to recognize their Savior and Lord. But is there anything great about being \nwrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a stable – are not other children also \nwrapped in swaddling clothes? What kind of sign\, then\, can this be? \nIndeed it is a great one\, if only we understand it rightly. Such \nunderstanding will be ours if this message of love is not restricted to our \nhearing\, but if our hearts too are illuminated by the light which accompanied \nthe appearance of the angels. The angel who first proclaimed the good tidings \nappeared surrounded by light to teach us that only those whose minds are \nspiritually enlightened can truly understand the message. \nMuch can be said of this sign; but as time is passing\, I shall say little\, and \nbriefly. Bethlehem\, the house of bread\, is holy Church\, in which is distributed \nthe body of Christ\, the true bread. The manger at Bethlehem is the altar of the \nchurch; it is there that Christ’s creatures are fed. This is the table of which it is \nwritten\, You have prepared a banquet for me. In this manger is Jesus\, wrapped \nin the swaddling clothes which are the outward form of the sacraments. Here \nin this manger\, under the species of bread and wine\, is the true body and blood \nof Christ. We believe that Christ himself is here\, but he is wrapped in swaddling \nclothes; in other words\, he is invisibly contained in these sacraments. We have \nno greater or clearer proof of Christ’s birth than our daily reception of his body \nand blood at the holy altar\, and the sight of him who was once born for us of a \nvirgin daily offered in a sacrifice for us. \nAnd so let us hasten to the manger of the Lord. But before drawing near \nwe must prepare ourselves as well as we can with the help of his grace; and then\, \nin company with the angels\, with pure heart\, good conscience\, and unfeigned \nfaith\, we may sing to the Lord in all that we do throughout the whole of our life: \nGlory to God in the highest\, and peace to his people on earth; through our Lord \nJesus Christ\, to whom be honor and glory for ever and ever \n  \n2 Journey with the Fathers – Year B – New City Press – NY -1993 – pg 18-19.5 \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-nativity-of-the-lord-2/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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UID:11416-1703548800-1703635199@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - St Stephen
DESCRIPTION:THE GIFT OF LOVE \nFrom a sermon by St Fulgentius\, Bishop of Ruspe \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 unrivalled \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 heave \n  \n3 Sermon 3\,1-3\,5-6: CCL 91A\, 905-909. cf. A Word in Season\, I (1st series) p132f.7 \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-st-stephen/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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UID:11420-1703721600-1703807999@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - Holy Innocents
DESCRIPTION:CHILDREN OF GOD \nFrom the letters of St Cyprian of Carthage \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 \nthis world refuse to persevere in that sonship through suffering? If we have to \nbear with the world’s hatred\, we must remember that Christ bore it before we \ndid. We may have to endure insults\, exile\, torture in this world\, but the Creator \nand Lord 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 \nof punishment to those who deny\, what\, by contrast\, He promises by way of \nglory to those who confess. If the day of persecution should come upon us whilst \nwe meditate upon and contemplate these thoughts\, then the soldier of Christ\, \nbeing thus instructed by His precepts and counsels\, shows no fear in the face of \nbattle but is now ready for his crown. \n  \n5 St. Cyprian of Carthage. The Letters of St. Cyprian of Carthage – Vol. 3 (Letter 58). Trans. G.W. Clarke. New York: \nNewman Press\, 1986. 64-65\, 68.11 \n  \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-holy-innocents-2/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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UID:11422-1703808000-1703894399@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Readings - 5th day in Christmas Octave
DESCRIPTION:WHY CHRIST HAD TO BE BORN \nFrom the missionary letters of St Nikolai Velimirovich \n◊◊◊ \nYou have asked why Christ had to be born\, grow and be tormented? Why \ndid he not suddenly appear out of the Heavens in the form of a grown man\, like \nApollo does in Hellenic fairy tales? A completely inappropriate comparison! \nHow can one compare a true man with a phantom and the true man with made- \nup monsters? \nAs much as heaven is above the earth\, so much is the wisdom of God \nbeyond the reason of man. According to the wisdom of the Most High\, Christ \nhad to come into the world as a child and as a youth and as a mature man\, so \nthat He could be accessible to everyone and gain everyone. Had He never been \na child\, His words would have been pale and cold – \n“Let the children come to \nme and forbid them not\, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” And also the \nother saying\, \n“Indeed I say to you\, if you do not return and become as children\, \nyou will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” \n… \nChrist could have undoubtedly appeared to the world as you imagine. But \nhad He done that\, He could not have been for the human race what He wanted \nto be\, that is\, the Teacher and Savior of all\, and an example to all generations. \nA thought torments you. You think that the Lord has magnified the \nmystery of His being for our reason by His unusual birth. But would His \nmystery not be far greater and less comprehensible had He suddenly appeared \namong men\, outside of any kinship with them? Would the world then not talk \nof Him as of an apparition? In that case\, His person\, and along with it His \nteaching and sacrifice\, would lose their true foundation and true meaning. For \nif He had been an apparition\, who would listen to and imitate an apparition? \nThe Lord also had to be born\, exactly in the way in which He was\, in order \nto show us the possibility and point out the importance of our spiritual rebirth\, \nwhich is in the center of His teaching about man. According to His word\, “If \none is not born again\, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” As He was born of \nthe Holy Spirit from the body of Mary the Virgin\, so can we be spiritually born \nof the Holy Spirit in the purity of our soul. Great Orthodox elders have always \ntaught that the rebirth of a man is conditioned by a virginal purity of the soul. \nIn other words\, souls which completely cleanse themselves\, even from impure \nthoughts\, come to resemble the pure Virgin\, and are deemed worthy by God’s \ngoodwill to become the habitation of Christ. If Christ’s birth from the Virgin \nMary is not easily comprehended by the human mind\, it is fantastically \nbeneficial and inspiring for all those who desire a spiritual and mortal rebirth \nof their being. \nSo\, be at peace and thank the eternal Wisdom that the Savior of mankind \nhad appeared as He Himself thought it was best. And exclaim with Apostle \nPaul\, “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and understanding of God! \n  \n6 Saint Nikolai Velimirovich. Missionary Letters of Saint Nikolai Velimirovich. Trans. Hierdeacon Serafim. Grayslake\, IL: \nNew Gracania Monastery\, 2008. 177-179.13 \n  \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-readings-5th-day-in-christmas-octave/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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UID:11424-1703894400-1703980799@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - 6th day in Christmas Octave
DESCRIPTION:A MORE GRACIOUS VISITATION \nOF THE LORD AT CHRISTMAS \nFrom the writing of St Gertrud the Great \n◊◊◊ \nO unattainable height of marvellous power! O depth of the abyss of \ninscrutable wisdom! O immense breadth of desirable love!… Even in my \nwandering exile I was allowed…to experience again the foretaste of the most \npleasing delights and sweetest pleasures\, by which anyone who clings to God \nbecomes one spirit with him. The boundless nature of his blessedness\, spread \nabroad so abundantly\, permitted me\, just a speck of dust\, to have the audacity \nto lap up some of its droplets\, in the way I shall describe. \nOn that most holy of nights\, when by the sweetening dew of divinity the \nheavens rained down honey on the whole world\, my soul\, drenched like \nGideon’s fleece with dew on the threshing-floor of the convent\, was intent by \nmeditation\, and through the practice of certain devotions\, on being present and \noffering help at the heavenly birth\, at which the Virgin brought forth her son\, \ntrue God and true man\, like a ray of light. As in a moment of revelation my soul \nrealized that it had been offered\, and had received\, in place of its heart so to \nspeak\, a tender little boy. In him there lay hidden the gift of complete \nperfection\, which is truly the best endowment… \nThen my soul perceived a meaning that defies explication in the sweet \nwords\, ‘God shall be all in all’. It felt that it held within itself the Beloved\, \ninstalled in the heart\, and it rejoiced that it was not without the welcome \npresence of its Spouse\, with his most enjoyable caresses. Offered the honeyed \ndraughts of the following\, divinely inspired words\, it drank them in with a thirst \nthat could not be satisfied: ‘Just as I bear the stamp of the substance of God the \nFather in regard to my divine nature\, so you bear the stamp of my substance in \nregard to my human nature\, for you receive in you deified soul the outpourings \nof my divine nature\, just as the air receives the sun’s rays. Penetrated to the \nvery marrow by this unifying force\, you will become fit for a more intimate \nunion with me’ \n. \nO noble balm of the divine\, sending out streams of love on every side\, \nflourishing and flowering for ever\, but to be spread everywhere when time shall \ncome to an end! O true power of the invincible hand of the Most High\, when a \nvessel so fragile and disgraced by its own imperfection contained so precious a \nliquid to be poured out! O proof most clear of the abundance of God’s loving- \nkindness! It did not shrink from me\, who wandered so far into the pathless \nwastes of my sins\, but rather made known to me\, as far as I was capable of it\, \nthe sweetness of that most blessed union. \n  \n7 Gertrud the Great of Helfta. The Herald of God’s Loving-Kindness – Books 1 & 2. CF 35. Trans. Alexandra Barratt. \nKalamazoo\, MI: Cistercian Publications\, 1991. 116-118.15 \n  \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-6th-day-in-christmas-octavd/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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UID:11433-1703980800-1704067199@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Skema
DESCRIPTION:Biblical Readings for Office and Mass\nChristmas Season\n\n\nMass Readings: Sunday (B)\, Weekdays (II)\nDecember 31\, 2023 – January 6\, 2024\n\n\n\nSun\n31\nMon\n1\nTue\n2\nWed\n3\nThu\n4\nFri\n5\nSat\n6\n\n\nOffice\nHoly Family\nMary Mother of God\nSS Basil & Gregeory\nChristmas Weekday\nSt Elizabeth Ann Seton\nSt John Neumann\nChristmas Weekday\n\n\nVigils\nProv 31:10-31\nSir 24:1-12\, 19-22\nSong 4:1-5:1\nSong 5:2-6:3\nSong 6:4-7:10\nSong 7:11-8:7\nIsa 49:1-13\n\n\nLauds\nSir 26:1-4\, 13-16\nWis 7:7-12\nIsa 60:1-7\nIsa 60:10-14\nIsa 60:15-22\nIsa 62:1-7\nIsa 62:8-12\n\n\nMass\n17\n18\n205\n206\n207\n208\n209\n\n\n1st\nGen 15:1-6; 21:1-3\nNum 6:22-27\n1 John 2:22-28\n1 John 2:29-3:6\n1 John 3:7-10\n1 John 3:11-21\n1 John 5:5-13\n\n\n2nd\nHeb 11:8\, 11-12\, 17-19\nGal 4:4-7\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGospel\nLuke 2:22-40\nLuke 2:16-21\nJohn 1:19-28\nJohn 1:29-34\nJohn 1:35-42\nJohn 1:43-51\nLuke 3:23-38\n\n\nVespers\n2 John 4-9\nRev 11:19-12:6\nCol 1:15-20\nCol 1:21-23\nCol 1:24-29\nCol 2:1-7\n2 Tim 1:6-14
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/skema-57/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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UID:11435-1703980800-1704067199@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - Holy Family Sunday
DESCRIPTION:THE DUTIES OF EACH MOMENT \nFrom “Abandonment to Divine Providence” by Jean-Pierre de Caussade \n◊◊◊ \nThere are remarkably few extraordinary characteristics in the outward \nevents of the life of the most holy Virgin\, at least there are none recorded in holy \nScripture. Her exterior life is represented as very ordinary and simple. She did \nand suffered the same things that anyone in a similar state of life might do or suffer. \nShe goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth as her other relatives did. She took shelter \nin a stable in consequence of her poverty. She returned to Nazareth from whence \nshe had been driven by the persecution of Herod\, and lived there with Jesus and \nJoseph\, supporting themselves by the work of their hands. It was in this way that \nthe holy family gained their daily bread. But what a divine nourishment Mary and \nJoseph received from this daily bread for the strengthening of their faith! It is like \na sacrament to sanctify all their moments. What treasures of grace lie concealed \nin these moments filled\, apparently\, by the most ordinary events. That which is \nvisible might happen to anyone\, but the invisible\, discerned by faith\, is no less than \nGod operating very great things… God reveals Himself to the humble under the \nmost lowly forms\, but the proud\, attaching themselves entirely to that which is \nextrinsic\, do not discover Him hidden beneath\, and are sent empty away. \nHe who knows that a certain person in disguise is the king\, behaves towards \nhim very differently to another who\, only perceiving an ordinary man\, treats him \naccordingly. In the same way the soul that recognises the will of God in every \nsmallest event\, and also in those that are most distressing and direful\, receives all \nwith an equal joy\, pleasure and respect. It throws open all its doors to receive with \nhonour what others fear and fly from with horror. The outward appearance may \nbe mean and contemptible\, but beneath this abject garb the heart discovers and \nhonours the majesty of the king. The deeper the abasement of his entry in such a \nguise and in secret the more does the heart become filled with love. Ah! how the \nsight of God\, poor and humble\, lodged in a stable\, lying on straw\, weeping and \ntrembling\, pierced the loving heart of Mary! Ask the inhabitants of Bethlehem \nwhat they thought of the Child. You know what answer they gave\, and how they \nwould have paid court to Him had He been lodged in a palace surrounded by the \nstate due to princes. \nThen ask Mary and Joseph\, the Magi and the Shepherds. They will tell you \nthat they found in this extreme poverty an indescribable tenderness\, and an \ninfinite dignity worthy of the majesty of God. Faith is strengthened\, increased and \nenriched by those things that escape the senses; the less there is to see\, the more \nthere is to believe… \nThose souls that have this disposition adore God with redoubled love and \nrespect in each consecutive humiliating condition; nothing can hide Him from the \npiercing eye of faith. The louder the senses proclaim that in this\, or that\, there is \nno God; the more firmly do these souls clasp and embrace their “bundle of myrrh.” \nNothing daunts them\, nothing disgusts them. Mary\, when the apostles fled\, \nremained steadfast at the foot of the Cross. She owned Jesus as her Son when He \nwas disfigured with wounds\, and covered with mud and spittle. The wounds that \ndisfigured Him made Him only more lovable and adorable in the eyes of this tender \nMother. The more awful were the blasphemies uttered against Him\, so much the \ndeeper became her veneration and respect. \n  \n1 Jean-Pierre de Caussade. Abandonment to Divine Providence. Grand Rapids\, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal \nLibrary\, 2001. 7\, 17.3 \n  \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-holy-family-sunday/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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UID:11437-1704067200-1704153599@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 fulness \nof all good. With you have been hidden the unfailing treasures of truth and \ngrace\, of peace and pity\, of salvation and wisdom\, of glory and of honor. You \nare my anchor amid the billows\, port in shipwreck\, support in tribulation\, \ncomfort in grief. You are\, for those who are yours\, aid in oppression\, help in \ntime of crisis\, temperance in prosperity\, joy in time of waiting\, refreshment in \ntoil… \nWhen you conceive the sun of righteousness\, you like the moon are \nillumined by the good office of the blazing sun. The moon borrows from the sun \nthe light which the nature of its gross body denies it. Therefore whatever beauty \nit possesses it has through the gift of its borrowed splendor. When you bring \nforth the 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 \nnot ungrateful to the Virgin\, for at the opening of her womb justice looked forth \nfrom heaven. If your faith is shaken by some assault from an enemy\, turn your \neyes upon the Virgin and that in which was wavering will be firmly fixed. If the \nlust of the flesh delights you\, turn your gaze upon the Virgin\, and the danger to \nyour chastity 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 \n<our aid>. Give thanks…for us the Virgin brought forth\, ours is the birth\, for \nus the child was born and to us the son was given. \n  \n2 Adam of Perseigne. The Letters of Adam of Perseigne. CF 21. Trans. Grace Perigo. Kalamazoo\, MI: Cistercian \nPublications\, INC\, 1976\, 72-75.5 \n  \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-mary-mother-of-god-2/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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UID:11439-1704153600-1704239999@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - SS Basil & Gregory
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 \nthe whole human race\, which he has taken possession of and united to himself. \nBy his birth he has made the human race his own kin. \nBut how can glory come to all through one man? How can the Godhead \nbe in the flesh? In the same way as fire can be in iron: not by moving from place \nto place 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 \nto share 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 \nof light\, 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 Sun7 \nof Justice arose\, death was swallowed up in victory\, unable to bear the presence \nof true 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… The Lord is God and he has appeared to us!
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-ss-basil-gregory/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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UID:11441-1704240000-1704326399@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:THE ETERNAL SON \nFrom the writing of St Mechthild of Magdeburg \n◊◊◊ \nI saw and still see three Persons in the eternal heights before God’s Son \nwas conceived in the body of St. Mary. They were then known and seen by all \nthe holy angels in their distinctness\, in their completeness\, in their name\, and \nin how the Three were one God. No matter how good the angels’ eyes were\, they \nsaw neither bone nor flesh nor color nor the glorious name Jesus. This was \nmiraculously hidden from them in the breast of the eternal Father. They called \nthe Father the uncreated eternal God\, the Son wisdom with no beginning\, the \nSpirit of them both they called right knowledge of truth. \nThe fiery angels of the highest order\, who are suspended opposite the \nloving Godhead in the breath of the whole Trinity\, served and were witness to \nthe blissful decision when God became man. Gabriel brought only the name \ndown at the Annunciation. He was entrusted with neither bone nor flesh nor \nblood. The Second Person — that was always the eternal Son. Although he had \nnot yet assumed human nature\, he had always been ours but had not been given \nto us before Gabriel brought the message… Although Adam’s nature was broken \nand changed and his inheritance lost forever\, God never gave up on him. Hence \nwe were and still are able to return. God has kept his noble loving nature intact… \nHe cannot withhold himself. God immediately cast Lucifer from himself into \nthe eternal prison\, but he pursued Adam\, asked him where he was\, and brought \nhim back to the path. Lucifer had only a single nature in God. When he \ndestroyed it\, he could not return. \nMan has a complete nature in the Holy Trinity\, and God saw fit to fashion \nit with his own divine hands. When his holy efforts on our behalf went for \nnaught\, he was forced back within himself by a threefold delight. For this reason \nhe wanted to restore us with his own feet and his own hands so that we would \nhave great oneness with him. If man had remained in paradise\, God would have \nbeen immediately visible to him\, would have greeted his soul and refreshed his \nbody. Thus did I see God come from heaven to paradise\, like a great angel. \nAlso\, this same nature forces God to greet us with knowledge and with \nholy intimacy to the extent that we are prepared through holy virtues and true \ninnocence. When I reflect that divine nature now includes bone and flesh\, body \nand soul\, then I become elated in great joy\, far beyond what I am worth. But \nangels are to some degree formed according to the Holy Trinity\, but they are \npure spirits. The soul alone with its flesh is mistress of the house in heaven\, sits \nnext to the eternal Master of the house\, and is most like him. There eye reflects \nin eye\, there spirit flows in spirit\, there hand touches hand\, there mouth speaks \nto mouth\, and there heart greets heart. Thus does the Lord and Master honor \nthe mistress at his side. But the princes and the vassals — these are the holy \nangels — these the Master keeps in full view. All service and all praise the angels \nengage in are offered totally to the mistress as well as to the Master. \n  \n3 Mechthild of Magdeburg. The Flowing Light of the Godhead. Trans. Frank Tobin. New York: Paulist Press\, 1998. 156- \n158.9 \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-147/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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