Saints celebrated on the 15th of June
Prayer to the Angels and the Saints
Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.
In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.
Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.
Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.
SAINT ORSISIUS, ABBOT
June 15 is the feast day of Saint Orsisius. He was born in the 4th century in North Africa and at a young age became interested in monastic life through his meeting with Saint Pachomius. This saint asked Saint Orsisius, and another monk named Theodore, to accompany him on his travels, and to help him write a rule of life for the monks.
DESPITE HIS YOUTH, HE WAS APPOINTED ABBOT
Despite his youth, Saint Orsisius was appointed Abbot at the monastery of Khenoboski, Egypt, but the older monks took exception to him being appointed so young. They wondered how someone so young could presume to guide the older experienced monks in spiritual matters. Others defended the appointment by arguing, ‘Is the Kingdom of God only for the elderly?’
IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD ONLY FOR THE ELDERLY?
Saint Orsisius stayed in that community for some time and was then chosen to be the Abbot at the monastic community of Tabennisi. All began well, but after some years complaints were made that St Orsisius was observing their rule of life too strictly and, not wishing to bring division to the community, he stepped down from being Abbot as a sign of his humility.
The new Abbot, the same Theodore mentioned earlier, realising that Saint Orsisius was a monk of great spirituality, consulted him on many matters, seeing his advice on how to draw the monks closer to God. When Theodore died the monks again chose St Orsisius as their abbot, a position he held until his death twelve years later.
THE POWER OF HUMILITY
Saint Orsisius reminds us that young people can have a lot to share with us older people about spiritual truths. Also he shows us the power of humility and the need to forgo oneself for the greater good of others.
(From: Spiritual Thought from Fr Chris - June 2014)
Comments
Post a Comment