Enjoy today's Pause+Pray, which calls for peace in our divided times! đ
Hello John,
In my lifetime I have had the privilege of meeting two "popes"âour Holy Father, Pope Francis and Mr. Pope, a subsistence farmer near the cane fields of Jamaica. Both radiated Godâs love, and both challenged me to live a life of prayer. We all are called to a life of prayer by using words, actions, and simply being. Every encounter you have today is an invitation to prayerâeven this newsletter. I am praying for you. When you are finished reading todayâs newsletter, go and share Godâs love through prayer. |
Saint of the Day for June 5: Boniface Saint Bonifaceâs Story Boniface, known as the apostle of the Germans, was an English Benedictine monk who gave up being elected abbot to devote his life to the conversion of the Germanic tribes. Two characteristics stand out: his Christian orthodoxy and his fidelity to the pope of Rome. How absolutely necessary this orthodoxy and fidelity were is borne out by the conditions Boniface found on his first missionary journey in 719 at the request of Pope Gregory II. Paganism was a way of life. What Christianity he did find had either lapsed into paganism or was mixed with error. The clergy were mainly responsible for these latter conditions since they were in many instances uneducated, lax and questionably obedient to their bishops. In particular instances their very ordinations were questionable. These are the conditions that Boniface was to report in 722 on his first return visit to Rome. The Holy Father instructed him to reform the German Church. The pope sent letters of recommendation to religious and civil leaders. Boniface later admitted that his work would have been unsuccessful, from a human viewpoint, without a letter of safe-conduct from Charles Martel, the powerful Frankish ruler, grandfather of Charlemagne. Boniface was finally made a regional bishop and authorized to organize the whole German Church. He was eminently successful. In the Frankish kingdom, he met great problems because of lay interference in bishopsâ elections, the worldliness of the clergy and lack of papal control. During a final mission to the Frisians, Boniface and 53 companions were massacred while he was preparing converts for confirmation. In order to restore the Germanic Church to its fidelity to Rome and to convert the pagans, Boniface had been guided by two principles. The first was to restore the obedience of the clergy to their bishops in union with the pope of Rome. The second was the establishment of many houses of prayer which took the form of Benedictine monasteries. A great number of Anglo-Saxon monks and nuns followed him to the continent, where he introduced the Benedictine nuns to the active apostolate of education. Reflection Boniface bears out the Christian rule: To follow Christ is to follow the way of the cross. For Boniface, it was not only physical suffering or death, but the painful, thankless, bewildering task of Church reform. Missionary glory is often thought of in terms of bringing new persons to Christ. It seemsâbut is notâless glorious to heal the household of the faith. Saint Boniface is the Patron Saint of: Germany
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Just released! A Franciscan classic by one of today's top spiritual teachers, Ilia Delio! The Humility of God: A Franciscan Perspective. |
The Place You Call Holy Forget your cell, your cave, your place of prayer and be where you areâand in no other place. Be about your work, the demands of your world, of your day. Bring your whole self to serve wherever you are called. I can say this with confidence because the self you bring is shaped by the place you call holy. It is like bringing the body that has exercised to sit at your desk. Even though you will not be exercising, the muscles you have stretched and strengthened will support you in your new task, one in which you are exercising your mind more than your muscles. This will happenâif you are spiritually in tuneâmuch like gears shifting automatically in your car. You will choose what is best. You will be at home.
âfrom the book A Retreat with Saint Anthony: Finding Our Way
by Carol Ann Morrow
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A Franciscan classic by one of today's top spiritual teachers, Ilia Delio! The Humility of God: A Franciscan Perspective. |
Countering Discord Reflect We live in divided times. In this time of discordant rhetoric it is crucial that we stand as a model for virtue and civility.
Pray Lord, you are
the eternal word,
by which all things
came to be.
Your word brings life,
healing, and mercy.
May my words today
be in service
of your kingdom.
Let me sow peace
where there is division,
love where there is hatred,
and patience
in the presence
of impertinence.
Amen.
Act Today before engaging someone on social media, ask yourself, âWill this post serve the Kingdom of God?â Donât hit send unless the answer is âyes.â Today's Pause+Pray was written by Shannon K. Evans. Learn more here! |
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