Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent
ST. STANISLAUS
Judges, Chapter 7, Verse 3
So
announce in the hearing of the soldiers, “If anyone is afraid or fearful, let
him leave! Let him depart from Mount Gilead!”
Twenty-two thousand of the soldiers left, but ten thousand remained.
Fear! Those who are fearful are ruled by their
emotions. Gideon knew this emotion well for he was a man afraid. What changed
him? It was God! God had changed his fear into hope and love for the reign of
God. God had changed his unbelief into resolute iron will.
Saint John Paul II was a sword of Gideon; he reminded
us that we too must be unafraid that we must be bold and remember that Gideon
did not defeat the Midianites with the sword but with fear.
Gideon
needed to lead a night attack against the Midianites and Amalekites. His plan
was to have every soldier carry a trumpet and a torch, the latter inside a clay
pot, and blow the trumpet and reveal the torch upon command. The racket and the
sudden appearance of hundreds of torches would doubtlessly panic the enemy
troops, who would have no idea as to how many enemies had come out of nowhere.
A night attack, however, involves considerable risk. Even today, only the most
skilled soldiers are willing to undertake such a mission. A lot of things can
go wrong, and it is very easy to mistake friend for foe in the darkness. There
is a good chance of shooting or, in ancient times, stabbing one’s own people
unless the operation goes perfectly. Any premature action or loud noise can
allow the enemy to draw up his soldiers into formations that can repel an
attack. If, for example, one of Gideon’s men dropped his pot by accident during
the approach to the enemy camp, the exposed torch would have told the enemy
sentries that something was amiss. The job was clearly not one for amateurs, or
people who lacked commitment.
The
first step was therefore to send away the more than two-thirds of Gideon’s army
that was hesitant to fight the enemy. This made eminent sense because fear
might easily result in the kind of false move—and it would take only one—that
would ruin the operation. Ten thousand soldiers were still, however, ten
thousand opportunities for something to go wrong. It wasn’t enough that they
were committed and willing to fight; they also had to have the discipline and
training necessary to participate in a night attack. As Judges 7.4 through 7.7
continues: “And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring
them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be,
that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with
thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same
shall not go.
“So he
brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every
one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou
set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.[1]
Now
those who drank like dogs what do you suppose they had in their hands. Their
weapons! They were ready for the battle at any moment. God needs stout hearted
men and women. Are you ready?
Thursday
of the Fifth Week of Lent[2]
Prayer. GRANT, we beseech Thee, Almighty
God, that the dignity of human nature, wounded by intemperance, may be re
formed by healthful abstinence.
EPISTLE.
Daniel iii. 34-45.
In those days Azarias prayed to the
Lord, saying: O Lord our God, deliver us not up forever, we beseech Thee, for
Thy name s sake, and abolish not Thy covenant. And take not away Thy mercy from
us for the sake of Abraham Thy beloved, and Isaac Thy servant, and Israel Thy
holy one: to whom Thou hast spoken promising that Thou wouldst multiply their
seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is on the seashore. For we, O
Lord, are diminished more than any nation, and are brought low in all the earth
this day for our sins. Neither is there at this time prince, or leader, or
prophet, or holocaust, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense, or place of
first-fruits before Thee, that we may find Thy mercy: nevertheless, in a
contrite heart and humble spirit let us be accepted. As in holocausts of rams,
and bullocks, and as in thousands of fat lambs: so let our sacrifice be made in
Thy sight this day, that it may please Thee: for there is no confusion to them
that trust in Thee. And now we follow Thee with all our heart, and we fear
Thee, and seek Thy face. Put us not to confusion, but deal with us according to
Thy meekness, and according to the multitude of Thy mercy. And deliver us
according to Thy wonderful works, and give glory to Thy name, O Lord: and let
all them be confounded that show evils to Thy servants, let them be confounded
in all Thy might, and let their strength be broken. And let them know that Thou
art the Lord, the only God, and glorious over all the world, O Lord our God.
GOSPEL.
Luke vii. 36-50.
At
that time one of the Pharisees desired Him to eat with him. And He went into
the house of the Pharisee, and sat down to meat. And behold a woman that was in
the city a sinner, when she knew that He sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house,
brought an alabaster box of ointment: and standing behind at His feet, she
began to wash His feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head,
and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment. And the Pharisee, who
had invited Him, seeing it, spoke within himself, saying: This man if He were a
prophet, would know surely who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth Him:
that she is a sinner. And Jesus answering, said to him: Simon, I have somewhat
to say to thee. But he said: Master, say it. A certain creditor had two debtors:
the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And whereas they had not
wherewith to pay, he forgave them both. Which therefore of the two loveth him
most?
Simon
answering said I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And He said to him:
Thou hast judged rightly. And turning to the woman, He said unto Simon: Dost
thou see this woman?
I
entered into thy house, thou gavest Me no water for My feet: but she with tears
hath washed My feet, and with her hairs hath wiped them. Thou gavest Me no kiss:
but she, since she came in, hath not ceased to kiss My feet. My head with oil
thou didst not anoint: but she with ointment hath anointed My feet. Wherefore I
say to thee: Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. But to
whom less is forgiven, he loveth less. And He said to her: Thy sins are
forgiven thee. And they that sat at meat with Him began to say within them selves:
Who is this that forgiveth sins also?
And
He said to the woman: Thy faith hath made thee safe: go in peace.
Lenten
Calendar[3]
Read:
The Servant Songs,
Day Four:
(Within the Book of the Prophet Isaiah we encounter
four poetic sections known as the Songs of the Suffering Servant. The specific
identity of this Servant of the Lord remains the topic of scholarly debate.
Perhaps it refers to the prophet Isaiah himself, perhaps the entire nation of
Israel, or possibly the promised Messiah. Christian faith sees these prophetic
utterances fulfilled in the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus
the Lord.
Because of the Christian identification of the
Suffering Servant with Jesus, the four Servant Songs become a way of
encountering the Lord during this Lenten Season. Not only do they give us a
sense of the commitment and endurance that characterized his messianic
ministry, but they become a way of touching the bruised face of the Messiah, of
hearing the resolute determination that sustained him in the midst of trial,
and of rejoicing with him in God’s
ultimate vindication of his calling and service.)
The
fourth song proclaims the salvific value of the Servant’s innocent suffering
that will justify many and blot out their offenses.
Pray:
Take time with the
fourth Servant Song today. Read from Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 53:12.
Act:
Here the prophet
proclaims the “prosperity” of God’s servant, but it is not a worldly
prosperity accomplished through human wisdom. “Who would believe what we have heard?” God’s silent and afflicted servant
prospers through a life given to God as an offering for sin. Through suffering,
the servant acquires great wealth and “offspring” before God: many are justified
before God, iniquity is removed, wounds are healed, and sinners receive an
intercessor. The servant prospers in what is true wealth to God.
I shall content
myself with relating the history of St. Stanislaus, Bishop of Cracow, Poland,
who restored to life a man who had been dead for three years, attended by such
singular circumstances, and in so public a manner, that the thing is beyond the
severest criticism.... This incident was known by countless persons and by all
the court of King Boleslaus II (reigned 1058-1080) St. Stanislaus, bought from
a man named Piotr [Peter] an estate situated on the banks of the Vistula in the
territory of Lublin for the use of his church at Cracow. The Prelate gave the
full price of it to the seller. This was done in the presence of witnesses, and
with the solemnities required in that country, but without written deeds, for
written accounts of transactions of this kind were seldom made in Poland at
that time. They contented themselves with having witnesses. Stanislaus took
possession of this estate, and his church enjoyed it peaceably for about three
years. In the interim, Piotr, who had sold it, happened to die. The King of
Poland, Boleslaus, had conceived an implacable hatred against the holy Bishop
because he had frequently reproved him for his excesses. Therefore, seeking to
cause him trouble, the King excited the three sons of Piotr, his heirs, against
their father and told them to claim the estate which their father had sold, on
the pretense that it had not been paid for. He promised to support their
demand, and to cause the estate to be restored to them. Thus, these three men
had the Bishop cited to appear before the King, who was then at Solec, occupied
in rendering justice under some tents in the country, according to the ancient
custom of the land, in the general assembly of the nation. The Bishop was cited
before the King and maintained that he had bought and paid for the estate in
question. The day was beginning to close, and the Bishop ran great risk of
being condemned by the King and his counselors. Suddenly, as if inspired by the
Holy Spirit, the Bishop promised the King to bring before him in three days Piotr,
the deceased man who had sold it to him. The condition was accepted mockingly,
as a thing impossible to be executed. The holy Bishop retired to his Church a
distance away, where he prayed and fasted
with his household for three days. On the third day, he went in his
pontifical robes, accompanied by his clergy and a multitude of people, ordered
the gravestone to be raised, and made them dig until they found the corpse of
the defunct, all fleshless and corrupted. Then St. Stanislaus commanded him to
come forth and bear witness to the truth before the King's tribunal. The Bishop
touched the bones with his crosier, and they filled out with flesh. The dead
Piotr rose; they covered him with a cloak. The Saint took him by the hand and
led him alive to the feet of the King. No one had the boldness to interrogate
him. But Piotr himself spoke out freely and declared that he had in good faith
sold the estate to the Prelate and that he had received the value of it. After
stating this, he severely reprimanded his sons, who had so maliciously accused
the holy Bishop. Stanislaus asked Piotr if he wished to remain alive to do
penance. Piotr thanked him and said he would not expose himself anew to the
danger of sinning. Stanislaus re-conducted him to his tomb, where he again fell
asleep in the Lord. It may be supposed that such a scene had numerous
witnesses, and that all Poland was quickly informed of it. The King was only
the more irritated against the Saint. Sometime after [on May 8, 1079], he
killed the Bishop with his own hands as he was coming from the altar in Wawel
Castle outside the walls of Cracow. He then ordered that the Prelate’s body be
hacked into 72 pieces so that they might never be collected together to be paid
the honor due to them as the body of a martyr for the truth and for pastoral
liberty. St. Stanislaus was canonized in 1253 by Pope Innocent IV. He is the
patron of Poland and of the city and Diocese of Cracow and is invoked in
battle.
Things to Do:[5]
·
Sometimes
evil has to be confronted boldly, whatever the consequences. Brave men like St.
Stanislaus of Cracow risked death in facing evil. There is little chance today
that we will ever be in that danger, but we must always be willing to defend
the truth, and it should be very clear, in the face of genuine evil, where we
stand. Christ our Lord can expect no less from us. Say an extra prayer today
for the gift of fortitude.
·
Learn
a little more about the city of Kracow where both St. Stanislaus and Pope John Paul II came
from.
·
For
those who are extremely interested in knowing more about Polish history this
online book, Polish Americans and Their Communities of Cleveland may prove
to be a good source of information.
·
The
final work of Franz Liszt is the unfinished oratorio St. Stanislaus, for which
he left two scenes (one and four) and two polonaises. Learn more about this
oratorio here and if you are able find a copy and listen.
Christ is alive! He is our hope, and in a wonderful
way he brings youth to our world, and
everything he touches becomes young, new, full of life. The very first words,
then, that I would like to say
to every young Christian are these: Christ is alive, and he wants you to be
alive! He is in you; he is with
you and he never abandons you. However far you may wander, he is always there, the Risen One. He calls you
and he waits for you to return to him and start over again. When you feel you are growing old
out of sorrow, resentment or fear, doubt or failure, he will always be there to restore your
strength and your hope.
Do you think Christ feels the pain of the unborn? When
we murder the unborn is Christ crucified again?
Archbishop Naumann:
“This bill draws the public’s attention to
the shameful reality that the United States is one of only seven nations
worldwide that allows the barbaric practice of late-term abortion, when a child
likely feels pain and might even live outside the womb with appropriate medical
assistance. Such abortion procedures after the middle point of pregnancy also
pose serious physical dangers to women. With the vast majority of Americans
strongly supporting a ban on late-term abortions, it is time for Congress to
pass this bill. I also pray that consideration of this bill moves our country
closer to recognizing all unborn babies as legal persons worthy of our love and
respect.”
Do you think
congress would pass a pain bill for the protection of pets before the
protection of “our Posterity” stated in the preamble of the constitution?
Learn about Pet Day[8]
Pet Day is a chance for
those of us who own pets to show them how much we love them. Now, we all can
think of the traditional things: a new toy, some tasty treats, or a long walk
in the park, maybe a game of fetch, assuming you have a dog! But, think outside
the box and come up with some ideas to celebrate your relationship with your
pet. Once you have indulged your own animals with their favourite
treats, why not consider donating to a shelter or
or other animal welfare organization?
There are so many neglected and unwanted
animals waiting for some love and attention. You can donate your time, or you
can donate food or other supplies. Every little bit helps. If you don’t already
own a pet, what better time to adopt one?
A good phrase to keep in mind is “adopt,
don’t shop.”
Daily Devotions
[2]
Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896
[5]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-04-11
[7]
http://www.usccb.org/news/2019/19-066.cfm
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