Wednesday 11 November 2020
Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop
on Wednesday of week 32 in Ordinary Time
Spiritual Reading
Your Second Reading from the Office of Readings:
Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop
St Martin and the Beggar, by Louis Galloche, c.1737.
A letter of Sulpicius Severus
Martin was poor and humble
Martin knew long in advance the time of his death and he told his brethren that it was near. Meanwhile, he found himself obliged to make a visitation of the parish of Candes. The clergy of that church were quarrelling, and he wished to reconcile them. Although he knew that his days on earth were few, he did not refuse to undertake the journey for such a purpose, for he believed that he would bring his virtuous life to a good end if by his efforts peace was restored in the church.
He spent some time in Candes, or rather in its church, where he stayed. Peace was restored, and he was planning to return to his monastery when suddenly he began to lose his strength. He summoned his brethren and told them he was dying. All who heard this were overcome with grief. In their sorrow they cried to him with one voice: “Father, why are you deserting us? Who will care for us when you are gone? Savage wolves will attack your flock, and who will save us from their bite when our shepherd is struck down? We know you long to be with Christ, but your reward is certain and will not be any less for being delayed. You will do better to show pity for us, rather than forsake us.”
Thereupon he broke into tears, for he was a man in whom the compassion of our Lord was continually revealed. Turning to our Lord, he made this reply to their pleading: “Lord, if your people still need me, I am ready for the task; your will be done.”
Here was a man words cannot describe. Death could not defeat him nor toil dismay him. He was quite without a preference of his own; he neither feared to die nor refused to live. With eyes and hands always raised to heaven he never withdrew his unconquered spirit from prayer. It happened that some priests who had gathered at his bedside suggested that he should give his poor body some relief by lying on his other side. He answered: “Allow me, brothers, to look towards heaven rather than at the earth, so that my spirit may set on the right course when the time comes for me to go on my journey to the Lord.” As he spoke these words, he saw the devil standing near. “Why do you stand there, you bloodthirsty brute?” he cried. “Murderer, you will not have me for your prey. Abraham is welcoming me into his embrace.”
With these words, he gave up his spirit to heaven. Filled with joy, Martin was welcomed by Abraham. Thus he left this life a poor and lowly man and entered heaven rich in God’s favour.
________
The ferial reading for today:
Wednesday of week 32 in Ordinary Time
A sermon of the second century
Let hope give us endurance
And so, my brethren, let us do the will of the Father who has called us to life. Let us try harder for virtue and abandon bad habits which pave the way for crimes to follow. For if we try hard to do good, peace will always be with us. That is why men can never be at peace while they are dragged along by human fears and put present pleasure above the promise of the future. They are ignorant of how much torment worldly indulgence brings and how much delight is promised in the future.
If they alone behaved like that, it might be tolerable; but they go one step further and imbue the souls of the innocent with their perverse teachings – not realising that this will condemn them twice, once for themselves and once for their hearers.
Therefore let us serve God with a pure heart, and we shall be justified. On the other hand, if we do not serve him, disbelieving in his promises, we shall be miserable. For in the words of the prophecy: Unhappy those who are undecided, those who hesitate in their hearts and say “We have heard these things before, in our fathers’ time, but now we look for them day after day and see nothing.” Fools, compare yourselves to a plant: a vine, for instance. First its leaves fall, then comes the shoot, then a small unripe grape, and at last a mature and ripe fruit. In the same way my people has endured turmoil and suffering, and later will receive good from it.
So let us not be in two minds, my brethren, but let us endure in hope so that we receive our due reward. God is faithful and he has promised to give everyone the due reward of his actions. So if we have acted righteously in God’s eyes we shall enter into his kingdom and receive what he has promised, that no eye has seen and no ear has heard, things beyond the mind of man.
Let us expect the kingdom of God hourly in love and righteousness, seeing that we do not know the day of his coming. Let us do penance. At present we are full of malice and madness, so now let us revive, let us come back to life, to good life. Let us wipe off the slime of our old sins and by doing heartfelt penance let us recover our health. Let us not be sycophantic. Let us seek men’s favour solely by our righteousness, both in the Church and outside it, so that the holy Name is not blasphemed because of us.
Copyright © 1996-2020 Universalis Publishing Limited: see www.universalis.com. Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. Text of the Psalms: Copyright © 1963, The Grail (England). Used with permission of A.P. Watt Ltd. All rights reserved.