The way to glory and honor

The way to glory and honor

    "Ponder how profound this is. They were conferring with him about
glory. He intended to precede loftiness with humility and, only
through humility, to ready the way for loftiness itself. For, of
course, even those disciples who wanted to sit, the one on his right,
the other on his left, were looking to glory (Mt. 20:20-23; Mark
10:35-40). They were on the lookout, but did not see by  what way. In
order that they might come to their homeland in due order, the Lord
called them back to the narrow way.
    For the homeland is on high and the way to it is lowly. The
homeland is life in Christ; the way is dying with Christ (Mt. 6:25;
Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; 17-33). The way is suffering with Christ; the
goal is abiding with him eternally. Why do you seek the homeland if
you are not seeking the way to it?"
--St. Augustine--(excerpt from TRACTATE ON JOHN 28.5.2.13)

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January 24th =E2=80=93 Bl. Marcolino Amanni, OP, Mystic
(also known as Marcolino of Forl=C3=AC)

Born at Forl=C3=AC in 1317; died January 2, 1397; cultus confirmed in 1750.
Marcolino Amanni entered the Dominicans at age 10. He occupies a place
unique in Dominican annals because he was almost purely contemplative
.

There is outwardly little to record of Blessed Marcolino, except that
for 70 years he kept the Dominican Rule in all its rigor. That is a
claim to sanctity that can be made by very few, and is of itself
enough to entitle him to canonization. He did accomplish the reform of
several convents that had fallen from their primitive fervor, but this
he did by his prayers and his example rather than by teaching or
preaching.

It is related that Marcolino was most at home with the lay brothers,
or with the neighborhood children who enjoyed talking to him. He
seldom went out of his cell, and could not have engaged in any active
works; neither did he leave any writings. His work was the unseen
labor presided over by the Holy Spirit, the work of contemplation.

"To give to others the fruits of contemplation," is the Dominican
motto and one might be curious to know how Blessed Marcolino
accomplished this. In order to understand the need for just such a
type of holiness, it is well to remember the state of the Church in
the 14th century. Devastated by plague and schism, divided and held up
to scorn, preyed upon by all manner of evils, the Church militant was
in need, not only of brave and intelligent action, but also of prayer.
Consistently through the centuries, God has raised up such saints as
could best avert the disasters that threatened the world in their day,
and Marcolino was one answer to the need for mystics who would plead
ceaselessly for the Church.

The interior life of Marcolino was not recorded by himself or by
others. He lived the mystical life with such intensity that he was
nearly always in ecstasy and unconscious of the things around him. One
of his brothers recorded that he seemed "a stranger on earth,
concerned only with the things of heaven." Most of his brethren
thought him merely sleepy and inattentive, but actually he was, for
long periods, lost in converse with God. Some had heard him talking
earnestly to the statue of Our Lady in his cell; some fortunate few
had heard Our Lady replying to his questions, with the same
simplicity.

At the death of Marcolino, a beautiful child appeared in the streets,
crying out the news to the little town that the saintly friar was
dead. As the child disappeared when the message was delivered, he was
thought to have been an angel. Many miracles were performed at the
tomb of Marcolino. One was the miraculous cure of a woman who had been
bedridden for 30 years. Hearing of the death of the blessed, she
begged him to cure her so that she could visit his tomb (Attwater2,
Benedictines, Dorcy).


Saint Quote:
"Humility and charity are the two master-chords: one, the lowest; the
other, the highest; all the others are dependent on them. Therefore it
is necessary, above all, to maintain ourselves in these two virtues;
for observe well that the preservation of the whole edifice depends on
the foundation and the root"
--St. Francis de Sales

Bible Quote:
"Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: far be it from
God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he
should commit iniquity. For the work of a man shall he render unto
him, and cause every man to find according to his ways. Yea, surely
God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment
(Job 34:10-12 )


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Maxims of Saint Francis de Sales

Undertake all of your duties with a calm mind and try to do them one
at a time. If you try to do them all at once, or without order, your
spirits will be so overcharged and depressed that they will likely
sink under the burden and nothing will be done.

In all of your affairs, rely on the Providence of God through which
alone you must look for success. Strive quietly to cooperate with its
designs. If you have a sure trust in God, the success that comes to
you will always be that which is most useful to you, whether it
appears good or bad in your private judgment.

Think of the little children who with one hand hold fast to their
father while with the other they gather berries. If you handle the
goods of this world with one hand, you must also always hold fast with
the other to your heavenly Father's hand, and turn toward him from
time to time to see if you are pleasing
him. Above all, be sure that you never leave his hand and his
protection, thinking that with your own two hands you can gather more
or get some other advantage.
--Saint Francis de Sales, from Introduction to the Devout Life