God wants a contrite heart'

God wants a contrite heart'

"The reason why our prayers ought to be frequent and brief is in case
the enemy, who is out to trap us, should slip a distraction to us if ever we
are long-drawn-out. There lies true sacrifice. `The sacrifice which God
wants is a contrite heart' (Ps. 50:19). This indeed is the saving oblation,
the pure offering, the sacrifice of justification, the sacrifice of praise.
These are the real and rich thank offerings, the fat holocausts offered
by contrite and humble hearts."
--St. John Cassian.

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July 23rd - John Cassian

This patriarch of monachism, commonly known simply as Cassian, was
born about 360, probably in the Dobruja (Romania), and may have fought
against Goths at the battle of Adrianople. Somewhere about the year
380 he set out with a friend, Germanus, to visit the holy places of
Palestine. In Bethlehem they became monks. In those days the heart of
the contemplative life was in Egypt, and before long they went into
that country, and visited in turn the famous holy men who from their
solitudes "had a great mission to the world, not only a mission of
prayer for the needs of the world, but a great mission to edify and
instruct the ages after them" (Ullathorne).

   For a time they lived as hermits under Archebius, and then Cassian
penetrated into the desert of Skete, there to hunt out the anchorites
concealed among its burning rocks and live with the monks in their
cenobia. For some reason unknown, about the year 400 he crossed over
to Constantinople. He became a disciple of St. John Chrysostom, by
whom he was ordained deacon, and when that great saint was
uncanonically condemned and deposed Cassian was among those sent to
Rome to defend the archbishop's cause to Pope St. Innocent I.  It is
possible that he was ordained priest while in Rome, but nothing more
is known of his life until several years later, when he was in
Marseilles.

Here Cassian founded two monasteries, one, whose church was built over
the tomb of St. Victor the martyr, for monks, the other for nuns; and
there radiated from him and his foundations the spirit and ideal of
Egyptian asceticism which had great effect on the Church of southern
Gaul.  For the instruction and guidance of religious he drew up his
Institutes of the Monastic Life and Conferences*...{*Collationes, a
word which has crept into our common speech. For "collation", in the
sense of a meal, derives from the monastic custom of reading
collationes (not necessarily Cassian's) while food is taken.}... on
the Egyptian Monks, and these were destined to have an influence far
beyond anything within the intention of the author;  for, with the
Vitae patrum and the Rule of St Basil, they were recommended by St
Benedict as the most suitable reading for his monks after the Bible,
and had the greatest influence on his rule, both in the planning of
its life and the adumbration of its spirituality.

Through St. Benedict, Cassian has left his mark on all Christendom. In
the first four books of the Institutes he describes a way of living as
a pattern for the monastic state; the rest of the work is devoted to
the virtues which the monk must strive for and the deadly sins that
lie in wait for him in common with all Christians.

He prefaces the book with the declaration that, "I shall make no
attempt to relate anecdotes of  miracles and prodigies.  For although
I have heard of many unbelievable marvels from my elders and have seen
some with my own eyes, I have wholly omitted them because they
contribute nothing but astonishment to the instruction of the reader
in the perfect life."

That sobriety is characteristic of Cassian.

It is surprising that Cassian is not named in the Roman Martyrology;
but doubtless he was not included by Baronius because he came to be
regarded as the originator and leading exponent of that teaching which
is now known as Semi-Pelagianism. His views were expressed in the
course of a controversy about St. Augustine's “On Rebuke and Grace”,
and may more fairly be called "anti-Augustinian". All St. John
Cassian's later life was passed at Marseilles, where he died about
433; there his feast is kept today and by the Byzantines on February
29.

There is no ancient life of Cassian, but a good deal of information
may be found collected in the Acta Sanctorum, July, vol. v; see also
the introduction to Petschenig's edition of his works in the Vienna
Corpus script. eccl. Lat. English trans. of works by E.C.S. Gibson
(1894). Most writers who are concerned with early monasticism make
frequent reference to him, e.g. Herwegen, Albers and C. Butler.
Cassian has received a good deal of attention lately, e.g. L.
Cristiani's Cassien (2 vols., 1946); but an even better book on the
strictly biographical side is O. Chadwick's John Cassian (1950), full
bibliography.  Cf. also DHG., vol. xi.

Saint Quotes:
“Whoever has achieved love
has God within himself
and his intellect is always with God.”

“No structure of virtue
can possibly be raised in our soul
unless, first, the foundations
of true humility are laid in our heart.”

“The thief on the cross certainly did not receive
the Kingdom of Heaven as a reward for his virtues
but as a grace and a mercy from God.
He can serve as an authentic witness
that our salvation is given to us
only by God’s mercy and grace.
All the holy masters knew this
and unanimously taught
that perfection in holiness
can be achieved only through humility.”
--St John Cassian (c 360- c 435)

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O Lord our God, grant us grace to desire you with a whole heart,
so that desiring you we may seek you with a whole heart,
so that desiring you we may seek and find you;
and so finding you, may love you; and loving you,
may hate those sins which separate us from you,
for the sake of Jesus Christ.
--St. Anselm (1033-1109)