Lay Dominican
6 October is the memory of Blessed Bartolo Longo, the great apostle of the Rosary and one of the prominent Church personage in the last quarter of the XIX century and the first quarter of XX century.
Touched by the grace of conversion through the Virgin, he became a zealous apostle of the rosary devotion and made it as an instrument of social reform and spiritual renewal. The famous SAnctuary of Pompeii and the complex around it give witness to his great love to the mother of God and his great concern for the poor and the marginalized.
May this great man of God continue to inspire men and women to serve the poor and the needy as an authentic manifestation of their constant contemplation of Christ's mysteries in union with Mary.
Here is the text of the two readings presented by the Proprium LHOP. My own translation from the Spanish text.
Second Reading
From the writings of Blessed Bartolo Longo, lay person of the Order of Preachers
(Come si deve pregare, Pompei, 1914, apend. XXVI, p. 320)
The marvels of the union to the Divine Will
Among all the many marvels of the omnipotence of God there is no other thing more marvelous than the union of the human nature with the divine nature in the person of the Divine Word whom we adore in the person of Jesus Christ. And in the same way, it seems that there is no other union which can be more stupendous than the divine maternity which we venerate in Mary.
But beyond these two masterpieces of the most High, is there any other that is most sublime than that of the union of our will with the holy will of God? What this is more agreeable to God and what other thing can make us more similar to Jesus Christ? Effectively San Clement of Alexandria said that those who obey God make themselves similar to the Lord Jesus who is God in human form. (Strom. 7)
Already it is considered as it is ennobled and is elevated to the divine will which is identified with that of God be it be considered as the abasement of the divine will that comes to unite itself with the human, does this prodigious union not have traces of similarity with the Word who was made flesh?
In the incarnation of Christ, human nature does not subsist in itself but in the person of the Word, which makes it subsist and work in such a way that is totally divine. Also in our union with God, human will already does not act alone, that is to say, by its own proper natural movements but his conduct, his power, his support and his action comes to it principally from the divine will
In the incarnation, God who is pure spirit invisible by nature is made sensible and palpable by its union with the flesh, which is visible and mortal. In the same way, the will of God which is itself hidden and unperceivable to the eyes of men, manifests in life and in the virtue of the saints, who follow the impulses of the divine will.
In the incarnation, man who is truly nothing, can truly say: I am God in the same way in the union of conformity with the will of God man can also say: “ My will which is in itself nothing, is made to become the divine will.
Human will that conforms to the divine is made totally holy and is ennobled with the most perfect assimilation that can be given between the Creator and the created.
Thus he who renounces his own will in order to embrace that of God has his soul illumined in such a way and a heart so dilated that only God can be its joy and happiness. And at the same time the human person is converted to be the object of complacency and of delights of his God.
RESPONSORY 2Mac 1:5,3
R/: May he hear your prayers and be reconciled with you, * and not abandon you in time of evil.
V/: May he give you all a heart to worship him and to do his will with a generous mind and a willing spirit. * and not abandon you in time of evil.
Alternative Second Reading
From the writings of Blessed Bartolo Longo lay person of the Order of Preachers
(Il Terz’Ordine della Penitenza di San Domenico, Valle di Pompei, 1885, pp. 14, 43-50)
The laity in the great Dominican family
In order to discover the origins of this ecclesial and social institution: the great Dominican family which had given innumerable heroes and had brought great benefit to the Church and to the civil society, firstly, it is necessary to remember Saint Dominic in his activity in France the birthplace of his Order.
Given to the fact that whether in the supernatural as well as in the natural order, the work always carry the profile of its author, in such a way that since the first moments it already reveal its usefulness, its power, its end and the means of his work the very personality of the author itself. It is just therefore to know this man first so well known in our times both by his friends as well as his enemies.
The Third Order of Saint Dominic is a state of life which has as its finality to raise the laity towards a greater perfection, making them participants, though still living in the world the spirit and the pious practices and the works of the religious family which accepts them. It is called order by the authority and stability of its rules approved by the Holy See as those of religious Orders. Another reason is given to be known as an order is because of its close bond with the Dominican Order which is one of the most ancient orders approved by the Church. The Third Order participates so fully in the spiritual life of the sons of Saint Dominic of its observances of his spirit and of the graces granted to her. For this she is worthy of being known as an Order.
The Confraternity of the Rosary although closely united to the Dominican order, is not an order. The rosary is undoubtedly a marvelous prayer. Each tertiary must recite the Rosary and propagate it. But this devotion, even though imposed upon the faithful together with some other excellent acts of devotion, nevertheless does not reach to constitute it in its entirety a state of life and under a particular rule approved by the Holy See. That is why the Confraternity of the Rosary is not considered an Order and its members do not take part so intimately in the life of the Dominicans in the absolute way as the tertiaries would, whether it be internal or external. What happens here is similar to tow lakes found beside the same river: both receive its waters, but in accordance to the capacity of each one and the way they are communicated to the river.
The Third Order thus receives in its fullness all the faithful of whatever state: parents, children, married and virgins, who continue to live within their own families, disposed to comply to the proper obligations and which unite themselves together only through the bond of charity and through the observance of the same rule. The end of the third order of the laity and of priests had always been to let blossom anew the primitive spirit of Catholicism which is a spirit of vibrant faith, of penance and self denial, of charity towards others. As it was written by Lacordaire: “With the institution of the friars preachers, Dominic had brought the monastic corps out from the desert, arming them with the sword of apostolate; with the third order he introduced religious life into the homes. He witnessed the world filled with young people, widows, married people, persons from all states of life who publicly carry the symbols of a religious order which produced saints with the simple observance of its rules. Each of them observe them in the secret of their own homes with all its exactitude. That is wh1y, it is not necessary that in order to imitate the saints to flee the world; each room can be converted into a cell and each home can be a desert”.
The holy founder wished to unite three forms of life the contemplative, the active and the third as the fusion of the two, or the equilibrium of the three: and this is reduced to three orders: the nuns in contemplation, the friars in preaching and the laity in action.
That great heart of his would have been satisfied with what he had already done in Languedoc. But just as in Languedoc as in Lombardy, he was asked to do something more tedious. It was necessary to repel the force with force, arms with arms. But who will take up these arms? Who in fact animated them? The people thought that between monastic life and active life there is not middle way: it is either one would lead to this end: either one lives enclosed in a monastery professing the evangelical counsels , or to live in the breath of the world . either to live all that is worldly or all that is religious. To unite both things, to unite for example, in the palace of a noble a convent with a convent and a family; to unite the instruments of penance with the arms of the solider, to unite things so opposite: this was proposed and obtained by Saint Dominic. The glorious patriarch enrolled many under his banner. He bestowed on them a common rule of life through daily prayer, abstinence, mortification and practices used by the nuns in Prouille and the friars under the rule of Saint Augustine; and later their own constitutions. He gave them a way of life in accordance to his own spirit and in the condition of those times and for the edification of those with they ought to meet and with those whom they ought to live together. And on them they were given a cross to carry on their breasts, which according to the chroniclers, was in black and white in relation to penance. The principal end of this institution was to introduce to the families, the spirit of mortification and penance, and to promote among the laity of all social classes the practice of the virtues proper of the Order of Preachers.
RESPONSORY Eph 6:10-11, 12-13
V/: Finally, grow strong in the Lord, with the strength of his power. Put on the full armour of God so as to be able to resist the devil's tactics.* For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the principalities and the ruling forces who are masters of the darkness in this world, the spirits of evil in the heavens.
R/: You must take up all God's armour, or you will not be able to put up any resistance on the evil day, or stand your ground even though you exert yourselves to the full.* For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the principalities and the ruling forces who are masters of the darkness in this world, the spirits of evil in the heavens.
MORNING PRAYER
Canticle of Zechariah Antiphon: Bartolo lived by the grace of God, while in this world he lived in such a way that his faith and customs were a perfect praise to the name of God.
Or especially with chant: The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and they are already untouched by the torment of the evildoers.
Prayer
All-powerful and merciful God, in Blessed Bartolo Longo, a promoter of the rosary of the Blessed Virgin, you showed a wonderful example of holiness and of charity for needy children and orphans. Through his prayers may we learn to see Christ your Son in our neighbors and to love him through them. (We make our prayer) through our Lord. (Through Christ our Lord.)
EVENING PRAYER
Canticle of Mary Antiphon: The Father in calling the world to the wedding feast of His Son, sent his servant promising the delights of life.
Or better especially with chant: Virgin Mary no one is born like you: blooming like a rose, spreading the sweetest scent like a lily. Holy Mother of God, pray for us!
From the writings of Blessed Bartolo Longo, lay person of the Order of Preachers
(Come si deve pregare, Pompei, 1914, apend. XXVI, p. 320)
The marvels of the union to the Divine Will
Among all the many marvels of the omnipotence of God there is no other thing more marvelous than the union of the human nature with the divine nature in the person of the Divine Word whom we adore in the person of Jesus Christ. And in the same way, it seems that there is no other union which can be more stupendous than the divine maternity which we venerate in Mary.
But beyond these two masterpieces of the most High, is there any other that is most sublime than that of the union of our will with the holy will of God? What this is more agreeable to God and what other thing can make us more similar to Jesus Christ? Effectively San Clement of Alexandria said that those who obey God make themselves similar to the Lord Jesus who is God in human form. (Strom. 7)
Already it is considered as it is ennobled and is elevated to the divine will which is identified with that of God be it be considered as the abasement of the divine will that comes to unite itself with the human, does this prodigious union not have traces of similarity with the Word who was made flesh?
In the incarnation of Christ, human nature does not subsist in itself but in the person of the Word, which makes it subsist and work in such a way that is totally divine. Also in our union with God, human will already does not act alone, that is to say, by its own proper natural movements but his conduct, his power, his support and his action comes to it principally from the divine will
In the incarnation, God who is pure spirit invisible by nature is made sensible and palpable by its union with the flesh, which is visible and mortal. In the same way, the will of God which is itself hidden and unperceivable to the eyes of men, manifests in life and in the virtue of the saints, who follow the impulses of the divine will.
In the incarnation, man who is truly nothing, can truly say: I am God in the same way in the union of conformity with the will of God man can also say: “ My will which is in itself nothing, is made to become the divine will.
Human will that conforms to the divine is made totally holy and is ennobled with the most perfect assimilation that can be given between the Creator and the created.
Thus he who renounces his own will in order to embrace that of God has his soul illumined in such a way and a heart so dilated that only God can be its joy and happiness. And at the same time the human person is converted to be the object of complacency and of delights of his God.
RESPONSORY 2Mac 1:5,3
R/: May he hear your prayers and be reconciled with you, * and not abandon you in time of evil.
V/: May he give you all a heart to worship him and to do his will with a generous mind and a willing spirit. * and not abandon you in time of evil.
Alternative Second Reading
From the writings of Blessed Bartolo Longo lay person of the Order of Preachers
(Il Terz’Ordine della Penitenza di San Domenico, Valle di Pompei, 1885, pp. 14, 43-50)
The laity in the great Dominican family
In order to discover the origins of this ecclesial and social institution: the great Dominican family which had given innumerable heroes and had brought great benefit to the Church and to the civil society, firstly, it is necessary to remember Saint Dominic in his activity in France the birthplace of his Order.
Given to the fact that whether in the supernatural as well as in the natural order, the work always carry the profile of its author, in such a way that since the first moments it already reveal its usefulness, its power, its end and the means of his work the very personality of the author itself. It is just therefore to know this man first so well known in our times both by his friends as well as his enemies.
The Third Order of Saint Dominic is a state of life which has as its finality to raise the laity towards a greater perfection, making them participants, though still living in the world the spirit and the pious practices and the works of the religious family which accepts them. It is called order by the authority and stability of its rules approved by the Holy See as those of religious Orders. Another reason is given to be known as an order is because of its close bond with the Dominican Order which is one of the most ancient orders approved by the Church. The Third Order participates so fully in the spiritual life of the sons of Saint Dominic of its observances of his spirit and of the graces granted to her. For this she is worthy of being known as an Order.
The Confraternity of the Rosary although closely united to the Dominican order, is not an order. The rosary is undoubtedly a marvelous prayer. Each tertiary must recite the Rosary and propagate it. But this devotion, even though imposed upon the faithful together with some other excellent acts of devotion, nevertheless does not reach to constitute it in its entirety a state of life and under a particular rule approved by the Holy See. That is why the Confraternity of the Rosary is not considered an Order and its members do not take part so intimately in the life of the Dominicans in the absolute way as the tertiaries would, whether it be internal or external. What happens here is similar to tow lakes found beside the same river: both receive its waters, but in accordance to the capacity of each one and the way they are communicated to the river.
The Third Order thus receives in its fullness all the faithful of whatever state: parents, children, married and virgins, who continue to live within their own families, disposed to comply to the proper obligations and which unite themselves together only through the bond of charity and through the observance of the same rule. The end of the third order of the laity and of priests had always been to let blossom anew the primitive spirit of Catholicism which is a spirit of vibrant faith, of penance and self denial, of charity towards others. As it was written by Lacordaire: “With the institution of the friars preachers, Dominic had brought the monastic corps out from the desert, arming them with the sword of apostolate; with the third order he introduced religious life into the homes. He witnessed the world filled with young people, widows, married people, persons from all states of life who publicly carry the symbols of a religious order which produced saints with the simple observance of its rules. Each of them observe them in the secret of their own homes with all its exactitude. That is wh1y, it is not necessary that in order to imitate the saints to flee the world; each room can be converted into a cell and each home can be a desert”.
The holy founder wished to unite three forms of life the contemplative, the active and the third as the fusion of the two, or the equilibrium of the three: and this is reduced to three orders: the nuns in contemplation, the friars in preaching and the laity in action.
That great heart of his would have been satisfied with what he had already done in Languedoc. But just as in Languedoc as in Lombardy, he was asked to do something more tedious. It was necessary to repel the force with force, arms with arms. But who will take up these arms? Who in fact animated them? The people thought that between monastic life and active life there is not middle way: it is either one would lead to this end: either one lives enclosed in a monastery professing the evangelical counsels , or to live in the breath of the world . either to live all that is worldly or all that is religious. To unite both things, to unite for example, in the palace of a noble a convent with a convent and a family; to unite the instruments of penance with the arms of the solider, to unite things so opposite: this was proposed and obtained by Saint Dominic. The glorious patriarch enrolled many under his banner. He bestowed on them a common rule of life through daily prayer, abstinence, mortification and practices used by the nuns in Prouille and the friars under the rule of Saint Augustine; and later their own constitutions. He gave them a way of life in accordance to his own spirit and in the condition of those times and for the edification of those with they ought to meet and with those whom they ought to live together. And on them they were given a cross to carry on their breasts, which according to the chroniclers, was in black and white in relation to penance. The principal end of this institution was to introduce to the families, the spirit of mortification and penance, and to promote among the laity of all social classes the practice of the virtues proper of the Order of Preachers.
RESPONSORY Eph 6:10-11, 12-13
V/: Finally, grow strong in the Lord, with the strength of his power. Put on the full armour of God so as to be able to resist the devil's tactics.* For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the principalities and the ruling forces who are masters of the darkness in this world, the spirits of evil in the heavens.
R/: You must take up all God's armour, or you will not be able to put up any resistance on the evil day, or stand your ground even though you exert yourselves to the full.* For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the principalities and the ruling forces who are masters of the darkness in this world, the spirits of evil in the heavens.
MORNING PRAYER
Canticle of Zechariah Antiphon: Bartolo lived by the grace of God, while in this world he lived in such a way that his faith and customs were a perfect praise to the name of God.
Or especially with chant: The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and they are already untouched by the torment of the evildoers.
Prayer
All-powerful and merciful God, in Blessed Bartolo Longo, a promoter of the rosary of the Blessed Virgin, you showed a wonderful example of holiness and of charity for needy children and orphans. Through his prayers may we learn to see Christ your Son in our neighbors and to love him through them. (We make our prayer) through our Lord. (Through Christ our Lord.)
EVENING PRAYER
Canticle of Mary Antiphon: The Father in calling the world to the wedding feast of His Son, sent his servant promising the delights of life.
Or better especially with chant: Virgin Mary no one is born like you: blooming like a rose, spreading the sweetest scent like a lily. Holy Mother of God, pray for us!
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