The Weekly Bulletin of the Catholic Community at The Family Foundation School
Pauca Verba (a few words)
Number 16 – March 14, 2010
O Jesus, I have promised
to serve thee to the end;
be thou forever near me,
my Master and my Friend.
I shall not fear the battle
if thou art by my side,
nor wander from the pathway
if thou wilt be my guide.
O let me hear thee speaking
in accents clear and still
above the storms of passion,
the murmurs of self-will.
O speak to reassure me,
to hasten or control;
O speak, and make me listen,
thou guardian of my soul.
O Jesus, thou hast promised
to all who follow thee
that where thou art in glory
there shall thy servant be.
And Jesus, I have promised
to serve thee to the end;
O give me grace to follow,
my Master and my Friend.
Text: John Ernest Bode 1816-1874
Music: William Harold Ferguson (1874-1950)
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Wednesday, March 17 is the Feast of Saint Patrick. Patrick, who was born about 385 in the British Isles, was carried off while still very young during a raid on England by the Irish and sold as a slave. At the end of six years he managed to escape to Europe, became a monk and was ordained; he then returned to Ireland to preach the Gospel. During the thirty years that his missionary labors continued he covered the Island with churches and monasteries. St. Patrick died in 461. After fifteen centuries he remains for all the Irish the great bishop whom they venerate as their father in the Faith. Here is part of his prayer which has come to be known as Saint Patrick’s Breastplate.
May the strength of God pilot us.
May the power of God preserve us.
May the wisdom of God instruct us.
May the hand of God protect us.
May the way of God direct us.
May the shield of God defend us.
May the host of God guard us
against the snares of evil
and the temptations of the world.
May Christ be with us.
Christ before us.
Christ in us.
Christ over us.
May your salvation, O Lord,
be always our this day
and forever more. Amen.
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And Friday, March 19 is the Feast of Saint Joseph. Here is a meditation from Father Stephen’s new book on the Earlier Mysteries of the Blessed Virgin Mary – meditating on the Betrothal of Mary to Joseph.
There are only a few gospel-sentences that tell us anything about the relationship of Mary and Joseph, however it is quite clear that it was a relationship of committed love. Joseph was tempted to divorce Mary because he wasn’t the biological father of her baby, but an angel told him what was happening and how he was needed. Then the drama unfolded and in the middle of the night Joseph, warned in a dream that the newborn’s life was in danger, quickly moved his family to safety in Egypt. (Matthew 2:14,15) And all of this was accomplished in silence. We never hear a word from Joseph. What a contrast with the world of chat rooms, Twittering, Tweeting and Skyping, on-line polls and endless talk show entertainment – this silent but strong and protective man of action.
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Let us fast, O faithful, from the corrupting snares,
from harmful passions, so that
we may receive a new life from the
Cross of Christ and return with the
good thief to our initial home.
While fasting physically, brothers and sisters,
let us remember also to fast spiritually:
Let us loose every knot of iniquity,
and let us tear up all bondage from evil.
Let us distribute bread to the hungry,
and welcome into our homes those who have no roof over their heads,
so that upon completing the Lenten fast
we may receive great mercy from Christ, our God.
(Lenten Byzantine Text).
