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Divine Office | The word made flesh makes us divine

In today's Office of Readings we encounter a reading from the treatise of St Hippolytus "On the Refutation of All Heresies" ( - 235 A.D.). Hippolytus was a priest and a learned man, the most important writer of the Church at Rome in the early third century. He strongly attacked the popes of the time, and was set up as a rival Pope to St Callistus. Some time later, in Maximin’s persecution, he was sent to labour in the quarries of Sardinia. There he met the then Pope, Pontian, and was reconciled with him. (Pontian was made Pope in 231, and was sent to the quarries in 235, where he resigned the papacy and died; Hippolytus must have died at about the same time). For a reflection, "The word made flesh makes us divine," please click on the image. Peace be with you!

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Divine Office | In the fullness of time there came also the fullness of God

In today's Office of Readings we encounter a reading from a sermon by St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153). Bernard was born near Dijon, in France, in 1090, of a noble family. In 1112 he joined the new monastery at Cîteaux. This had been founded fourteen years before, in a bid to reject the laxity and riches of much of the Benedictine Order of the time (as exemplified by the great monasteries such as Cluny) and to return to a primitive poverty and austerity of life. Bernard was a man of great holiness and wisdom, and although he was often in very poor health, he was active in many of the great public debates of the time. He strongly opposed the luxurious lives of some of the clergy, and fought against the persecution of the Jews. He was also a prolific writer, and the Liturgy of the Hours uses extracts from many of his sermons. For a reflection, "In the fullness of time there came also the fullness of God," please click on the image. Peace be with you!

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Divine Office | The example of Nazareth

In today's Office of Readings we encounter a reading from an address given at Nazareth by Pope Paul VI (1897-1978). He was born Giovanni Battista Montini on 26 September 1897 in the village of Concesio, in the province of Brescia, Lombardy. He was ordained priest on 29 May 1920 and worked in the Roman Curia, the Vatican civil service, until he was made Archbishop of Milan in 1954. He was elected Pope on 21 June 1963, successfully saw the Vatican Council through to its completion, promoted the renewal of the Church’s life and especially of the liturgy. He also promoted ecumenical dialogue and the proclamation of the Gospel to the modern world. He died on 6 August 1978. He was canonized by Pope Francis in 2018. For a reflection "The example of Nazareth," please click on the image. Peace be with you!

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Divine Office | The flesh revealed Life itself

In today's Office of Readings we encounter a reading from a treatise by St Augustine on the first epistle of John (354-430 A.D.). He wrote an enormous amount and left a permanent mark on both philosophy and theology. His Confessions, as dazzling in style as they are deep in content, are a landmark of world literature. The Second Readings in the Office of Readings contain extracts from many of his sermons and commentaries and also from the Confessions. For a reflection, "The flesh revealed Life itself," please click on the image. Peace be with you!