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The Secret Read: Mathew 8:5-17 |
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Carthusian monk and bishop, defender of papal authority. Anthelm was born in 1107 in a castle near Chambery, in Savoy, France. He was ordained a priest and visited the Carthusian Charterhouse at Portes, where he entered the Order at the age of thirty. Two years later, in 1139, he was appointed abbot of Le Grande Chartreuse, which had been damaged. Anthelm made the monastery a worthy motherhouse of the Carthusians, constructing a defensive wall and an aqueduct. As minister-general, Anthelm also united the various charterhouses of the Order. |
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Simply faith (not simple faith). That’s all this gentile Roman official had. Being an officer, he knew what authority was all about. And he knew the kind of authority that Jesus had. Je didn’t demand any signs from heaven like the Pharisees did. Jesus knew who He was and this Roman official knew that.
This reminds me of a popular healing priest, Fr. Surarez. He heals so quietly without much fanfare just by touching and conversing casually at times with the people asking for healing. None of that demon whipping, casting out screams and mantras as if the demons inside the sick person were deaf. If that’s the kind of healing session you’re used to, you are in for a surprise when you watch Fr.Suarez at work. It’s seemingly effortless but the number of healings speaks for the power at work.
When you know who you are and whose you are, life will suddenly cease to be complicated. Life only becomes hard when you are truing to live it out on your own. When you recognize the true source of life and power, everything becomes real simple. |
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Reflection:
“I came that they might have life and have it abundantly.”
Lord, give me a child like faith. |
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TODAYS SAINT: St. Anthelm |
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Today’s Bible Reading :
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Rules were standardized, and women were given the opportunity to enter the Carthusians in their own charterhouses. After a few years as a hermit, starting in 1152, Anthelm returned to Le Grande Chartreuse and defended Pope Alexander III against the antipope Victor IV. In 1163, the pope appointed him as bishop of Belley, France. Anthelm reformed the clergy and regulated affairs, going as far as to excommunicate a local noble, Count Humbert of Maurienne, who had taken one priest captive and murdered another priest trying to free him. When Humbert appealed to Rome and won a reversal, Anthelm left Belley in protest. Pope Alexander then sent Anthelm to England to mediate the dispute between Henry II and St. Thomas Becket. Anthelm was unable to undertake that journey. He returned to Belley to care for the poor and for the local lepers. On his deathbed, Anthelm received a penitent Count Humbert. Anthelm died on June 26, 1178. His feast has been celebrated by the Carthusians since 1607. His relics were enshrined in Belley. In liturgical art, Anthelm is depicted with a lamp lit by a divine hand.
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DAILY HIGHLIGHTS |
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“...only say the word and my servant will be healed.” Matthew 8:8 |
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