The lowly of heart empty themselves of pride

Who is the greatest in God's kingdom? The one who is humble and lowly
of heart--who instead of asserting their rights willingly empty
themselves of pride and self-seeking glory by taking the lowly
position of a servant and child before God. The simple of heart know
that they belong to God--he is their father, teacher, and
provider--the one who shows them the way of peace, joy, and life
everlasting. They are content to recognize their total dependence on
God who is the source of all goodness and every good gift.

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15 May – Blessed Andrew Abellon O.P.

Dominican Priest, Confessor, Preacher, Apostle of the Sick, noted
Artist in his day, he was especially known for his manuscript
illuminations. Blessed Andrew was born in 1375 at Saint Maximin,
Provence, France and he died on 15 May 1450 at Aix-en-Provence, France
of natural causes. Patronages – of Artists and against fevers.

Blessed Andrew was born near the world-famous shrine of Mary Magdalen.
His entire life was centred around the shrine and it is greatly due to
his efforts that devotion to the great penitential has become so well established.

As a young man, Andrew may have heard the stirring sermons of Saint
Vincent Ferrer, who was at that time preaching in France. Perhaps the
purity and penitential zeal for which this great preacher was renowned
gave the young Andrew the pattern for his own life. He soon
demonstrated his choice of purity and penance by joining the
Dominicans in his home town. After a happy and holy novitiate, he made
his profession and was ordained. In a few years, a preacher and a
guide for souls, he turned his attention to the neglected shrine of
Saint Mary Magdalen.

This rugged and penitential region of France had been honored from the
time of the Apostles as the chosen retreat for Mary Magdalen, who did
penance there for the sins of her youth. From earliest days, it had
been a place of pilgrimage but had no definite arrangements for the
care of pilgrims, nor any way of supplying their spiritual needs. In
Blessed Andrew’s time, Dominican fathers from Saint-Maximin had taken
over the spiritual care of the pilgrims as a mission work but without
financial help and in the face of great trials.

Seeing the need of a permanent foundation at the shrine, Andrew set
about creating one. He interested the queen in his project and
obtained enough money from her to build a monastery, which was a gem
of architecture as well as a source of spiritual power. Andrew had
studied art before his entry into the order and he used his talents in building, beautifully and permanently, whatever he was called upon to
do.

A lover of great beauty in the physical order, Andrew was the same in
the spiritual. He was famous as a confessor and his wise government as
prior, gave help to the spiritual growth of the new convent. A
practical man as well as deeply spiritual, Andrew established two
mills near the shrine that would provide the people with a means of
earning a living while remaining there. Quite naturally, a priest who interested himself in the welfare of the people to this extent could
hope for great influence with them and this he had, both at Saint
Maximin and at Aix, where an altarpiece he painted may still be seen.

After his death, Blessed Andrew was buried in the Church of the
Magdalene. His tomb soon became a place of pilgrimage, his help
especially was sought in the cure of fevers and many miracles were
reported. His beatification was approved on 19 August 1902 after Pope
Leo XIII signed a decree, that recognised the late priest’s
longstanding and popular “cultus” – or veneration – which acted as a prerequisite for beatification for older causes of sainthood.

https://anastpaul.com/2018/05/15/


Mary, Mother of Grace
St Athanasius (297-373) Father & Doctor

It becomes you to be mindful of us,
as you stand near Him who granted you all graces,
for you are the Mother of God and our Queen.
Help us for the sake of the King,
the Lord God and Master, who was born of you.
For this reason,
you are called full of grace.
Remember us, most holy Virgin,
and bestow on us gifts
from the riches of your graces,
Virgin full of graces.
Amen

Saint Quote:
God, in his promises to hear our prayers, is desirous to bestow
Himself upon us; if you find anything better than Him, ask it; but if
you ask anything beneath Him, you put an affront upon Him, and hurt
yourself by preferring to Him a creature which He framed: Pray in the
spirit and sentiment of love, in which the royal prophet said to Him,
'Thou, O Lord, are my portion.' Let others choose to themselves
portions among creatures, for my part, You are my portion, You alone I
have chosen for my whole inheritance.
--Saint Augustine (Austin) of Canterbury

Bible Quote:
: . . . The High Priest tore at his clothes and said: "What more do we
need? Why wait for witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy. What is
your verdict?" And the vote for the death sentence was unanimous.
(Mark 14:63-64)


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Splinters from the Cross:

Little headaches, little heartaches
Little griefs of every day,
Little trials and vexations
How they throng around our way!

One great cross, immense and heavy,
So it seems to our weak will,
Might be borne with resignation,
But these many small ones kill,
Yet all life is formed of small things,
Little leaves, make up the trees,
Many tiny drops of water blending,
Make the mighty seas.

Let us not then by impatience
Mar the beauty of the whole,
But for love of Jesus bear all
In the silence of our soul.
Asking Him for grace sufficient
To sustain us through each loss,
And to treasure each small offering
As a splinter from His Cross.

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