-- Psalm 1:1-3 --

=C2=A0-- Psalm 1:1-3 --

Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
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There is simple wisdom in these verses--the more we delight in God's
presence, the more fruitful we are. On the other hand, the more we
allow those who ridicule God to affect our thoughts and attitudes, the
more we separate ourselves from the source of nourishment. We must
have contact with unbelievers if we are to witness to them, but we
must not join in or imitate their sinful behavior. If you want
despair, spend time with a mocking sinner; but if you want God's
happiness, make friends with those who love God and his Word.

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October 15th - Thecla of Kitzingen (Tecla of England), OSB Abbess

Boniface's request for help brought Thecla

The savage Teutonic people of Northern Europe were brought to Christ
by missionaries in the eighth century. The most famous of these
gospel-bearers was Boniface. Among his helpers were women.

Christianity succeeds best where it reaches both sexes in a
double-pronged attack. The importance of mature Christian women as
examples for new converts and as educators of children was not lost on
Boniface. He asked Tetta, the abbess of Wimborne, Dorset, to send him
assistants. Tetta sent Lioba and Thecla to his aid.

Boniface appointed these women as heads of monastic institutions where
they observed the Benedictine rule. Their work endured even after he
had been butchered by pagans. Many a man has been able to work on his
feet because others supported him on their knees. Boniface relied on
his "daughters" as more than heads of abbeys. He called on them to be
his prayer partners.

In a famous letter to the "...revered and dearly loved sisters
Leobgith and Thecla, and to Cynehild," he wrote: "I urge and direct
you, beloved daughters, to pray to our Lord frequently, as we trust
you do constantly, and will continue to do, as you have in the past .
. . and know that we praise God, and our heart's yearning grows that
God our Lord, refuge of the poor and hope of the lowly, will free us
from our straits and the trials of this evil age, that His word may
spread, and the wonderful Gospel of Christ be held in honor, that His
grace be not fruitless in me. . . And. . . pray that I may not die
without some fruit for that Gospel."

It seems that Thecla's character was so noble that when she oversaw
Kitzingen, she was simply called Heilga, which means "The Saint." This
day, October 15, is her feast day in various church calendars.

A grisly story is associated with the remains of St. Thecla. During
the Peasant Wars in Germany, rebels desecrated the graves of St.
Thecla and St. Adelheid (or Adelaide). One of the ruffians used their
heads to play a game of skittles. Their bodies were covered with
rubbish when a new church was built. Despite this outrage, the good
they did cannot be obliterated and we are sure that they will rise
again at the resurrection.


Saint Quote
Resist your impatience faithfully, practicing, not only with reason,
but even against reason, holy courtesy and sweetness to all, but
especially to those who weary you the most.
--St. Francis de Sales

Bible Quote
Now when the apostles, who were in Jerusalem, had heard that Samaria
had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John. 15
Who, when they were come, prayed for them, that they might receive the
Holy Ghost. 16 For he was not as yet come upon any of them; but they
were only baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid
their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost. =C2=A0(Acts
8:14-17) DRB


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Meditation:
=C2=A0When danger lurks, what kind of protection do you seek? Jesus came to
free us from the greatest danger of all--the corrupting force of evil
which destroys us from within and makes us slaves to sin and Satan
(John 8:34). Evil is not an impersonal force that just happens. It has
a name and a face and it seeks to master every heart and soul on the
face of the earth (1 Peter 5:8-9). Scripture identifies the Evil One
by many names, 'Satan', 'Beelzebul--the 'prince of demons', the
'Devil', the 'Deceiver', the 'Father of Lies', and 'Lucifier', the
fallen angel who broke rank with God and established his own army and
kingdom in opposition to God.

Prayer:
"Lord Jesus, be the ruler of my heart and the master of my home. May
there be nothing in my life that is not under your lordship."=20