Dec. 2 Blessed Rafal Chylinski. breski1 | November 30, 2007 Blessed Rafal Chylinski Born near Buk in the Poznan region of Poland, Melchior showed early signs of religious devotion; family members …More
Dec. 2 Blessed Rafal Chylinski.
breski1 | November 30, 2007 Blessed Rafal Chylinski
Born near Buk in the Poznan region of Poland, Melchior showed early signs of religious devotion; family members nicknamed him "the little monk." After completing his studies at the Jesuit college in Poznan, Melchior joined the cavalry and was promoted to the rank of officer within three years. Against the urgings of his military comrades, in 1715 Melchior joined the Conventual Franciscans in Kraków, receiving the name Rafal, and was ordained two years later. After pastoral assignments in nine cities, he came to Lagiewniki (central Poland), where he spent the last 13 years of his life, except for 20 months ministering to flood and epidemic victims in Warsaw. In all these places, Rafal was known for his simple and candid sermons, for his generosity as well as his ministry in the confessional. People of all levels of society were drawn to the self-sacrificing way he lived out his religious profession and priestly ministry.
Rafal played the harp, lute and mandolin to accompany liturgical hymns. In Lagiewniki he distributed food, supplies and clothing to the poor. After his death, the Conventual church in that city became a place of pilgrimage for people throughout Poland. He was beatified in Warsaw in 1991.
breski1 | November 30, 2007 Blessed Rafal Chylinski
Born near Buk in the Poznan region of Poland, Melchior showed early signs of religious devotion; family members nicknamed him "the little monk." After completing his studies at the Jesuit college in Poznan, Melchior joined the cavalry and was promoted to the rank of officer within three years. Against the urgings of his military comrades, in 1715 Melchior joined the Conventual Franciscans in Kraków, receiving the name Rafal, and was ordained two years later. After pastoral assignments in nine cities, he came to Lagiewniki (central Poland), where he spent the last 13 years of his life, except for 20 months ministering to flood and epidemic victims in Warsaw. In all these places, Rafal was known for his simple and candid sermons, for his generosity as well as his ministry in the confessional. People of all levels of society were drawn to the self-sacrificing way he lived out his religious profession and priestly ministry.
Rafal played the harp, lute and mandolin to accompany liturgical hymns. In Lagiewniki he distributed food, supplies and clothing to the poor. After his death, the Conventual church in that city became a place of pilgrimage for people throughout Poland. He was beatified in Warsaw in 1991.
DECEMBER 2, 2010
DAILY PRAYER WITH REGNUM CHRISTI
[2]
-------------------------
FLOOD-PROOF
Father Edward McIlmail, LC
Matthew 7:21, 24-27
Jesus said to his disciples: "Not everyone who says to me,
‘Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the
one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Everyone who listens to
these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who
built …More
DECEMBER 2, 2010
DAILY PRAYER WITH REGNUM CHRISTI
[2]
-------------------------
FLOOD-PROOF
Father Edward McIlmail, LC
Matthew 7:21, 24-27
Jesus said to his disciples: "Not everyone who says to me,
‘Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the
one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Everyone who listens to
these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who
built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the
winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had
been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of
mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house
on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and
buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."
Introductory Prayer:Lord, I come before you in humility and with a
spirit of hope. You no doubt have something to tell me. I approach
you in prayer, confident of your love and trustful of your grace to
enable me to carry out whatever you ask. I offer this prayer for
those in my family who might be far away from you.
Petition:Lord, help me deepen my life of faith and charity, to
better prepare for the trials ahead.
1. THE FAçADE It is easy to address Jesus as "Lord, Lord." After
all, we know by faith that he is the Son of God. His miracles and the
endurance of his Church attest to his divine nature. Yet, our
recognition of his divinity isn't enough. Our admission that "Jesus
is my savior" won't guarantee us a place in heaven. Faith in Christ
can't just remain on our lips; it must penetrate our hearts and minds
as well. Faith, then, implies doing the will of God the Father - in
thoughts, words and deeds. How does my faith in Christ translate into
acts? Am I satisfied with saying a few prayers, and little else?
2. OUT OF SIGHT Christ exhorts his disciples to build their faith
on rock, not on sentimentality. To dig a solid foundation of faith
takes hard work. It demands constancy in prayer, charity and
generosity. It also requires humility and purity of intention, since
the work of preparing a foundation is not glamorous. There's nothing
particularly beautiful about a big hole in the ground at a
construction site. So it is in the spiritual life, too; digging a
foundation forces us to go deep, to remove our worst faults. The
process isn't pretty. It forces us to face our vices honestly and to
rip away the mask we might wear in front of others. Without this
step we risk building our lives on sand. How well am I digging my
foundation?
3. TOO LATE Foundations seem firm when all is calm. Fair weather
doesn't test the strength of a building. The real test comes when the
climate turns nasty. The same occurs in the spiritual life. When
serenity reigns around us, peace blossoms effortlessly. But when a
crisis befalls us - a rejection, an illness, a bit of opposition over
a moral matter - that's when we learn the sturdiness of our faith.
Peter, who boasted that he would stand by Our Lord "though all may
have their faith in you shaken" (Matthew 26:33), learned the hard
way that his courage wasn't what he thought it was. He abandoned
Christ in the garden of Gethsemane, as did all the apostles. How well
do I face ordinary temptations and setbacks? How well could I face a
serious crisis?
Conversation with Christ: Lord, I fear sometimes that I'm not much
better than Peter, who bragged that he would stand by you, but then
fled when the guards arrested you on Holy Thursday night. I want to
be a true Christian witness in the world, but I need your help to
overcome my human respect and laziness.
Resolution: I will do one external act of witness to the faith.
meditation.regnumchristi.org
DAILY PRAYER WITH REGNUM CHRISTI
[2]
-------------------------
FLOOD-PROOF
Father Edward McIlmail, LC
Matthew 7:21, 24-27
Jesus said to his disciples: "Not everyone who says to me,
‘Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the
one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Everyone who listens to
these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who
built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the
winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had
been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of
mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house
on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and
buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."
Introductory Prayer:Lord, I come before you in humility and with a
spirit of hope. You no doubt have something to tell me. I approach
you in prayer, confident of your love and trustful of your grace to
enable me to carry out whatever you ask. I offer this prayer for
those in my family who might be far away from you.
Petition:Lord, help me deepen my life of faith and charity, to
better prepare for the trials ahead.
1. THE FAçADE It is easy to address Jesus as "Lord, Lord." After
all, we know by faith that he is the Son of God. His miracles and the
endurance of his Church attest to his divine nature. Yet, our
recognition of his divinity isn't enough. Our admission that "Jesus
is my savior" won't guarantee us a place in heaven. Faith in Christ
can't just remain on our lips; it must penetrate our hearts and minds
as well. Faith, then, implies doing the will of God the Father - in
thoughts, words and deeds. How does my faith in Christ translate into
acts? Am I satisfied with saying a few prayers, and little else?
2. OUT OF SIGHT Christ exhorts his disciples to build their faith
on rock, not on sentimentality. To dig a solid foundation of faith
takes hard work. It demands constancy in prayer, charity and
generosity. It also requires humility and purity of intention, since
the work of preparing a foundation is not glamorous. There's nothing
particularly beautiful about a big hole in the ground at a
construction site. So it is in the spiritual life, too; digging a
foundation forces us to go deep, to remove our worst faults. The
process isn't pretty. It forces us to face our vices honestly and to
rip away the mask we might wear in front of others. Without this
step we risk building our lives on sand. How well am I digging my
foundation?
3. TOO LATE Foundations seem firm when all is calm. Fair weather
doesn't test the strength of a building. The real test comes when the
climate turns nasty. The same occurs in the spiritual life. When
serenity reigns around us, peace blossoms effortlessly. But when a
crisis befalls us - a rejection, an illness, a bit of opposition over
a moral matter - that's when we learn the sturdiness of our faith.
Peter, who boasted that he would stand by Our Lord "though all may
have their faith in you shaken" (Matthew 26:33), learned the hard
way that his courage wasn't what he thought it was. He abandoned
Christ in the garden of Gethsemane, as did all the apostles. How well
do I face ordinary temptations and setbacks? How well could I face a
serious crisis?
Conversation with Christ: Lord, I fear sometimes that I'm not much
better than Peter, who bragged that he would stand by you, but then
fled when the guards arrested you on Holy Thursday night. I want to
be a true Christian witness in the world, but I need your help to
overcome my human respect and laziness.
Resolution: I will do one external act of witness to the faith.
meditation.regnumchristi.org
Born near Buk in the Poznan region of Poland, Melchior showed early signs of religious devotion; family members nicknamed him "the little monk." After completing his studies at the Jesuit college in Poznan, Melchior joined the cavalry and was promoted to the rank of officer within three years. Against the urgings of his military comrades, in 1715 Melchior joined the Conventual Franciscans in Kraków …More
Born near Buk in the Poznan region of Poland, Melchior showed early signs of religious devotion; family members nicknamed him "the little monk." After completing his studies at the Jesuit college in Poznan, Melchior joined the cavalry and was promoted to the rank of officer within three years. Against the urgings of his military comrades, in 1715 Melchior joined the Conventual Franciscans in Kraków, receiving the name Rafal, and was ordained two years later. After pastoral assignments in nine cities, he came to Lagiewniki (central Poland), where he spent the last 13 years of his life, except for 20 months ministering to flood and epidemic victims in Warsaw. In all these places, Rafal was known for his simple and candid sermons, for his generosity as well as his ministry in the confessional. People of all levels of society were drawn to the self-sacrificing way he lived out his religious profession and priestly ministry.
Rafal played the harp, lute and mandolin to accompany liturgical hymns. In Lagiewniki he distributed food, supplies and clothing to the poor. After his death, the Conventual church in that city became a place of pilgrimage for people throughout Poland. He was beatified in Warsaw in 1991.
Comment:
The sermons preached by Rafal were powerfully reinforced by the living sermon of his life. The Sacrament of Reconciliation can help us bring our daily choices into harmony with our words about Jesus’ influence in our life.
Quote:
During the beatification homily, Pope John Paul II said, "May Blessed Rafal remind us that every one of us, even though we are sinners, has been called to love and to holiness" (L'Osservatore Romano, 1991, vol. 25, number 19).
www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx
Rafal played the harp, lute and mandolin to accompany liturgical hymns. In Lagiewniki he distributed food, supplies and clothing to the poor. After his death, the Conventual church in that city became a place of pilgrimage for people throughout Poland. He was beatified in Warsaw in 1991.
Comment:
The sermons preached by Rafal were powerfully reinforced by the living sermon of his life. The Sacrament of Reconciliation can help us bring our daily choices into harmony with our words about Jesus’ influence in our life.
Quote:
During the beatification homily, Pope John Paul II said, "May Blessed Rafal remind us that every one of us, even though we are sinners, has been called to love and to holiness" (L'Osservatore Romano, 1991, vol. 25, number 19).
www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx