On Recluses, Hermits, and Anchorites
The last four blog posts in these series are on the lives of the
following solitaries: St. John of Egypt, Sts. Gundleus and
Gwladys, St. Francis of Paola, St. Fiacre, Blessed Juliana of
Norwich, St. Paul the Hermit, St. Simeon Stylites, St. Martinian
the Hermit, and St. Hilarion.
Saints are the images of Christ for their time and our time also.
They imitate Christ by living out a particular virtue or a
specific spiritual character of the Lord - as it is recorded for
us by the evangelists. For recluses, hermits, and anchorites,
these saints imitate Christ as He is portrayed in the gospel of
Luke and in many other gospel accounts:
"But so much the more the report went abroad concerning Him; and
great multitudes gathered to hear and to be healed of their
infirmities. But He withdrew to the wilderness and prayed."
(Luke 5:15-16)
On the Writings of Pope Benedict XVI
Probably one of the best ways to update our theological knowledge
and understanding of our faith, is to read the writings of our
present pope, Pope Benedict XVI. His first two encyclicals, "Deus
Caritas Est" and "Spe Salvi", are good sources of how we can learn
more of our faith for the present times, and then find space for
us to reflect how we can apply all these in our daily lives.
As we read these encyclicals, some parts of it may be beyond our
capacity to understand. What is more important though is that we
learn from those parts of the encyclical where we can understand
well what is meant by the teaching. It is good also to have a
Bible beside us as we read so that we can check on the Scripture
passages that have been mentioned in the encyclical. Reading
these passages can help us see what its context is in the Bible.
One interesting part also in the encyclical of the Pope (in
"Spe Salvi") is his mention of the Sudanese Canossian sister,
Bhakita - how her life was well-grounded in that hope that God
can give to her despite the many trials she had to undergo since
her youth. Not only was Bhakita's life very inspiring, it also
illustrates well what the Pope wanted to convey in "Spe Salvi".
learn more about encyclicals
Benefits of the Rosary According to Montfort
Many saints wrote about the rosary and encouraged everyone to
pray it. In his book, "The Secret of the Rosary", St. Louis-
Marie Grignion de Montfort, says that the rosary recited with
the meditation of the mysteries brings about the following
marvelous results:
- 1 it brings us to a perfect knowledge of Jesus
- 2 it purifies our souls from sin
- 3 it gives us victory over our enemies
- 4 it makes the practice of virtue easy
- 5 it makes our love for God more ardent and fervent
- 6 it enriches us with graces and merits
- 7 it supplies us with what is needed to pay our debts to God
and to others - 8 it obtains all kinds of graces from God
17th Sunday of the Year (B)
Last 19 Jul, we saw clearly how Jesus is the Good Shepherd of
Israel - both to His apostles and to His people. That passage of
last Sunday came from the gospel of Mark chapter 6. Last 26 Jul,
the 17th Sunday of the Year, is from the gospel of John - also
from chapter 6. In this passage from John, we will learn about
the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves of bread and the
dried fish, for about five thousand men. How did this crowd who
followed Jesus become so big? Because Jesus was performing many
great signs and cures for the sick, a vast crowd was developing
a following after Him. And this time, in this passage of John,
we find five thousand men following Jesus. Jesus and His two
apostles Philip and Andrew, then felt responsible for this vast
crowd of people and discussed how they would be able to feed them.
Andrew remarked that there was a lad with five barley loaves and
a couple of dried fish. What Philip and Andrew deemed impossible,
Jesus made possible. Jesus made the people recline, and then He
performed another sign that would make the people say, "This is
undoubtedly the Prophet who is to come into the world".
learn more about the Sunday gospel
18th Sunday of the Year (B)
We continue reflecting on the gospel of John. Between August 2's
Sunday's gospel passage, & the passage last 26 Jul, there is the
story of Jesus walking on the water. But the common theme that
links the two Sunday gospels, is the theme on bread and the
Eucharist. After hearing the story of the multiplication of the
loaves last 26 July, we now continue seeing the crowds seeking
Jesus again. When they had found Him, Jesus retorted that they
were looking for Him because they had eaten their fill of the
loaves. Jesus took this occasion to teach them about the
importance of faith in Him, as the One God sent to His people,
to be the Bread of Life (just as God had done so with His people
Israel when He gave them the manna to eat while they were in the
desert). Jesus emphasizes that anyone who comes to Him and
acknowledges Him as the Bread of Life, shall never be hungry or
thirst again.
learn more about the Sunday gospel
For Catholic web site developers and bloggers
This article will seek to remind web developers of three basic
computing tips that are sometimes overlooked when working on the
computer. The three tips which can make working on the computer
more efficient are: creating shortcuts of folders/files to the
computer's desktop area; bookmarking frequently visited sites and
organizing them into folders; creating a number of needed browser
tabs and saving them for the next computer session. The first tip
relates to web development work offline, while the last two
relates to work online. Using these three basic tips can save us
time, energy, and money.
learn more about computer tips
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