From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   Do not exalt thyself   
      
   Do not exalt thyself on account of the gifts of God, which are often a   
   help to thy weakness, always the effect of His bounty, and ordinarily   
   above thy deserts. When, in the act of offending Him, thou perceivest   
   thy heart touched at the sight of thine ingratitude and infidelity,   
   thou oughtest to humble thyself and be confounded before Him at seeing   
   Him so full of goodness and thyself so replete with wickedness.   
   Penetrated with a lively sorrow for having offended God, who seeks   
   thee even when thou art fleeing away from Him, and loads thee with His   
   graces, even when thou provest thyself unworthy of them, return to Him   
   by true repentance; ask pardon for thy fault, and think only of   
   avenging Him by punishing thyself.   
   --Thomas à Kempis, From the Imitation of Christ   
      
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   OCT 11 – BL JAMES OF ULM (JACOB GRISSINGER/ GRIESINGER), OP   
      
    (1407-1491)   
      
   THE ART OF OBEDIENCE   
      
   “I will honor those who honor Me.” – 1 Samuel 2:30   
      
   “What would you do? You’ve been working on a project for hours. The   
   end is in sight, and you’ve done well. This might be some of your best   
   work. All that’s left to do is to watch carefully over the final   
   process--a slight error in timing might ruin everything. Suddenly,   
   someone enters the room and tells you that you’re needed elsewhere   
   immediately.   
      
   A thousand protests come to mind. Does it have to be right now? Is it   
   really so urgent? Couldn’t it wait for just an hour? Am I the only one   
   who could do this? Who is it that needs me?   
      
   It was in a situation just like this that Blessed James of Ulm found   
   himself one day. But he didn’t make any of those protests. The order   
   had come from his superior, and somehow James knew there was nothing   
   to be done but to obey. He immediately left his stained glass   
   window--a labor of love that he had spent days preparing--in the   
   furnace to be ruined. And he went out to beg for his community, as his   
   superior had ordered.   
      
   Someone once said that you can know the depth of a man’s love by how   
   much he is willing to suffer for the beloved. Blessed James’ act of   
   obedience wasn’t a bitter and constrained act, but we can imagine how   
   painful it was for him. This gives us some insight into the depth of   
   his love for his brothers and for God. Today, people have mostly   
   forgotten the windows which James made over 500 years ago, but they   
   remember this story of his love and obedience.   
      
   James was used to following orders. He had served for years as a   
   soldier, first under King Alfonso V of Aragon and later under one   
   Captain Tartari. One day, when the army was stationed in Bologna,   
   James, who had always been devout, decided to make a visit to one of   
   the local churches – the one that happened to have the relics of St.   
   Dominic. While praying before those relics, he was suddenly inspired   
   to give up military life and consecrate himself to God as a cooperator   
   brother in St. Dominic’s Order.   
      
   Throughout history, Dominican cooperator brothers have been assigned a   
   variety of offices: doorkeeper, housekeeper, infirmarian, cook, to   
   name a few. In his youth, Blessed James’ father had trained him in the   
   craft of making stained glass windows, and to this craft James   
   returned as a religious brother. He had been working at it for a   
   number of years when the event described above took place.   
      
   There is actually more to that story. When James returned from his   
   begging trip, he found to his astonishment that the window was intact   
   and the colors were set perfectly--an impossible thing, as he knew   
   from long experience. Sometimes God rewards obedience in remarkable   
   ways even in this life.   
      
   James spent 50 years in religious life, beautifying various churches   
   in Italy. After his death in 1491, so many attested to his sanctity   
   and to miracles obtained through his intercession that he was   
   eventually beatified and himself entombed in the church of San   
   Domenico, where he had received the call of God. Blessed James had   
   sought to honor God by religious art and religious life; now, in San   
   Domenico, God has honored him.”   
      
   https://soul-candy.info/category/october/page/2/   
   -by Br James Wallace, OP   
      
      
   Saint Quote:   
   In all He did from the Incarnation to the Cross, the end Jesus Christ   
   had in mind was the gift of the Eucharist, His personal and corporal   
   union with each Christian through Communion.  He saw in it the means   
   of communicating to us all the treasures of His Passion, all the   
   virtues of His Sacred humanity, and all the merits of His Life.   
   --Bl. Peter Julian Eymard   
      
   Bible Quote:   
   God loves a cheerful giver.  (II Cor. 9:7)   
      
   <><><><>   
   Lauds:   
   Ant. Well done, good and faithful servant, because Thou hast been faithful in   
   a few things, I will set thee over many, sayeth the Lord.   
   V. The just man shall blossom like the lily.   
   R. And shall flourish forever before the Lord.   
      
      
   <><><><>   
   Memorare to Jesus, Mary and St. Joseph   
      
   Remember, O Merciful Jesus, Immaculate Mary and glorious St. Joseph   
   that no one has ever had recourse to Your Protection, or implore Your   
   assistance without obtaining relief. Animated with a like confidence,   
   but weighted down by my sins, I prostrate myself before You. O! Reject   
   not my petitions, but graciously hear and grant them. Amen.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)