From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   The master of humility   
      
   "The master of humility is Christ who humbled himself and became   
   obedient even to death, even the death of the cross.  Thus he does not   
   lose his divinity when he teaches us humility... What great thing was   
   it to the king of the ages to become the king of humanity? For Christ   
   was not the king of Israel so that he might exact a tax or equip an   
   army with weaponry and visibly vanquish an enemy. He was the king of   
   Israel in that he rules minds, in that he gives counsel for eternity,   
   in that he leads into the kingdom of heaven for those who believe,   
   hope, and love.  It is a condescension, not an advancement for one who   
   is the Son of God, equal to the Father, the Word through whom all   
   things were made, to become king of Israel.  It is an indication of   
   pity, not an increase in power." --Augustine, the great 5th century   
   church father, comments on the significance of Jesus' entry into   
   Jerusalem:(Tractates on John 51.3-4)   
    Psalm 24 is another prophetic passage which echoes this triumphal   
   procession of the King of glory:   
   Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors!  that   
   the King of glory may come in.   
      
      
   <<>><<>><<>>   
   March 27th - St. Gelasius of Armagh   
      
   In 1169, the English pope, Adrian IV, by the bull Laudabiliter,   
   granted sovereignty over Ireland to King Henry II of England, who   
   wreaked havoc in the Irish Church by pillaging monasteries and   
   replacing Irish bishops with Norman bishops. The archbishop of Armagh   
   at the time was St. Gelasius who tried desperately to undo the damage   
   done by the Normans and work for the upbuilding of the Irish Church.   
      
   Before the Norman takeover, Ireland was undergoing something of a   
   religious renaissance: literary, artistic, and architectural activity   
   flourished throughout Ireland; the art of illumination was recovered;   
   monastic centers, like Clonmacnoise, were flourishing; Clonfert was   
   rebuilt; Mellifont had been founded; and Irish monks were staffing the   
   remarkable monastery founded by Marianus Scotus in Regensburg.   
      
   No one really knows the reason for Adrian IV's "donation of Ireland"   
   to Henry II, but it spelled the end of a uniquely Irish Church.   
      
   Gelasius had been abbot of Derry, St. Columba's famous monastery. His   
   father was a bard, an honored profession among the Irish and most   
   probably a teacher at Derry, where Gelasius was educated.   
      
   Gelasius called a synod at Armagh in 1170 to try to deal with the   
   Anglo-Norman takeover, but a synod at Cashel in the following year   
   called by the papal legate who supported the Normans made any effort   
   of the Irish useless. Norman usages and customs were imposed on the   
   Irish, many Irish princes submitted to Henry II, and the English   
   king's religious decrees became the law of the land. In 1172, Pope   
   Alexander II confirmed Adrian's "donation" to Henry, with Gelasius   
   trying to undo the harm until his death in 1174. It was a sad time in   
   the history of the Irish Church, and Gelasius died a broken man with a   
   broken heart.   
      
   Gerald of Wales thus describes what happened in the time of Gelasius:   
   "The clergy of Ireland are reduced to beggary, the cathedral churches   
   have been stripped of their possessions." It would take almost 700   
   years for Ireland to recover.   
      
   Taken from "The One Year Book of Saints" by Rev. Clifford Stevens   
   published by Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Our Sunday   
   Visitor, Inc., Huntington, IN 46750.   
      
      
   Reflection:   
   Sometimes we have to face complete failure, and there is often a   
   mystery of Divine Providence in the work of the Church. God does not   
   always ask us to succeed, only to give our best. When that best is not   
   enough, we have to leave the rest in His hands.   
      
   Bible Quote:   
   Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect hospitality, for through it   
   some have unknowingly entertained angels.  (Hebrews 13:1-2)   
      
      
   <><><><>   
    The Golden Sequence   
      
   Come, holy Ghost, and bring from above   
   The splendor of thy light.   
      
   Come, father of the poor, come, giver of graces,   
   Come, light of our hearts.   
      
   Best of consolers, sweet guest of the soul,   
   And comfort of the weary.   
      
   Thou rest in labor, relief in burning toil,   
   Consoling us in sorrow.   
      
   O blessed light, fill the innermost hearts   
   Of those who trust in thee.   
      
   Without thy indwelling there is nothing in man,   
   And nothing free of sin.   
      
   Cleanse what is sordid, give water in dryness,   
   And heal the bleeding wounds.   
      
   Bend what is proud, make warm what is cold,   
   Bring back the wayward soul.   
      
   Give to the faithful who trustingly beg thee   
   Thy seven holy gifts.   
      
   Grant virtue's reward, salvation in death,   
   And everlasting joy.   
      
   Amen.   
      
   Alleluia.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)