• =?UTF-8?Q?October_3rd_=2D_St=2E_G=C3=A9rard=2C_Abbot_of_Brogne?=

    From rich@1:396/4 to All on Mon Oct 2 10:08:36 2017
    From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

    October 3rd - St. G=C3=A9rard, Abbot of Brogne

    Born at Staves in the county of Namur, towards the end of the ninth
    century; died at Brogne or St-G=C3=A9rard, 3 Oct. 959.

    The son of Stance, of the family of dukes of Lower Austrasia, and of
    Plectrude, sister of Stephen, Bishop of Li=C3=A8ge, the young G=C3=A9rard, = like
    most of the men of his rank, followed at first the career of arms. His
    piety, however, was admirable amid the distractions of camp. He
    transformed into a large church a modest chapel situated on the estate
    of Brogne which belonged to his family. About 917, the Count of Namur
    charged him with a mission to Robert, younger brother of Eudes, King
    of France. He permitted his followers to reside at Paris, but himself
    went to live at the Abbey of St-Denis, where he was so struck by the
    deifying lives of the monks that, at the conclusion of his embassy,
    with the consent of the Count of Namur and Bishop Stephen, his
    maternal uncle, he returned to St-Denis, took the religious habit, and
    after eleven years was ordained priest. He then requested to be
    allowed to return to Brogne, where he replaced the lax clerics with
    monks animated by a true religious spirit. Thereupon he himself
    retired to a cell near the monastery for more austere mortification.
    From this retreat he was summoned by the Archbishop of Cambrai who
    confided to him the direction of the community of St-Ghislain in
    Hainault. Here also he established monks instead of the canons, whose
    conduct had ceased to be exemplary, and he enforced the strictest
    monastic discipline. Gradually he became superior of eighteen other
    abbeys situated in the region between the Meuse, the Somme, and the
    sea, and through his efforts the Order of St. Benedict was soon
    completely restored throughout this region.

    Weighed down by age and infirmities, he placed vicars or abbots in his
    stead, in the various abbeys with which he was charged, and retired to
    that of Brogne. He still had courage to take a journey to Rome in
    order to obtain a Bull confirming the privileges of that abbey. On his
    return he paid a final visit to all the communities which he had
    reorganized, and then awaited death at Brogne. His body is still
    preserved at Brogne, now commonly called St-G=C3=A9rard.

    Reflection: Though we are in the world, let us strive to separate
    ourselves from it and consecrate ourselves to God, remembering that =E2=80=9Cthe world passes away, but he who does the Will of God abides forever.=E2=80=9D (I John 2:17)

    Saint Quote:
    The more you devote yourself to study of the sacred utterances, the
    richer will be your understanding of them, just as the more the soil
    is tilled, the richer the harvest.

    The man who is slow to grasp things but who really tries hard is
    rewarded, equally he who does not cultivate his God-given intellectual
    ability is condemned for despising his gifts and sinning by sloth.

    Learning unsupported by grace may get into our ears; it never reaches
    the heart. But when God's grace touches our innermost minds to bring understanding, his word which has been received by the ear sinks deep
    into the heart.
    -- Saint Isidore of Seville


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    The Litany of Humility

    O Jesus! Meek and humble of heart, hear me.
    From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me oh Jesus.
    From the desire of being loved.
    From the desire of being extolled.
    From the desire of being honored.
    From the desire of being praised.
    From the desire of being preferred to others.
    From the desire of being consulted.
    From the desire of being approved.
    From the fear of being humiliated.
    From the fear of being despised.
    From the fear of suffering rebukes.
    From the fear of being calumniated.
    From the fear of being forgotten.
    From the fear of being ridiculed.
    From the fear of being wronged.
    From the fear of being suspected.

    That others may be loved more than I, .Jesus grant me the grace to desire
    it.
    That others may be esteemed more than I, .
    That in the opinion of the world others may increase and I may decrease, .
    That others may be chosen and I set aside, .
    That others may be praised and I unnoticed, .
    That others may be preferred to me in everything, .
    That others become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, .

    -- Cardinal Merry del Val

    The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
    A broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
    --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
    * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)