24 October
BLESSED
ALOYSIUS GUANELLA
priest
Aloysius
Guanella was born at Campodolcino, Italy, on 19 December 1842, the
ninth of thirteen children. He was ordained priest in 1866, and
worked for some years as a parish priest, showing a particular love
for the poor and solicitude for fostering among the faithful a
profoundly Christian life and promoting numerous social initiatives.
From 1875 he spent three years with Don Bosco helping him in his
work, and then returned to his native diocese of Como in obedience to
his Bishop. Various events, trials and difficulties led him towards
the poorest of the poor, for whom he opened refuges and schools. He
founded the Servants of Charity and the Daughters of Our
Lady of Providence. He died at Como on 24 October 1915, and was
beatified by Paul VI on 25 October 1964.
From
the Common of Men Saints: those who worked for the underprivileged.
Psalms of the day as in the Ordinary.
Office of Readings
SECOND READING
From the “Regulations of the Servants of Charity”, of Blessed Aloysius Guanella, priest.
Exhortations
to charity and to trust in Providence
No
Christian can be satisfied with thinking of and providing for himself
alone, but must think and
provide for the good of others, and among the latter those most in need of corporal and spiritual help.
It
follows that the Servants of Charity must always keep well in mind
the common desire and duty of coming to the help in body and spirit
of those who are, in fact, close relatives, their own brothers and
sisters, all of them children in the family of the heavenly Father.
We
must “bring everything together under Christ” (Eph 1,10). In
order to do this for both persons and works, we must fulfil the
desire of the divine Heart of Jesus who appears in the form of
burning flames and cries out to us: “1 came to cast the fire of
charity upon the earth; and my only wish is that such a fire be
kindled in the hearts of men!” (cf. Lk 12,49).
Oh,
may the fire of divine Charity come like a holy flame! May the Lord
send the spirit of his divine love, and the world will be renewed!
Furthermore
to live in real poverty and trust oneself to divine Providence is a
virtue of lofty perfection. Divine Providence is the natural and
dearest mother of her children.
Our
work was begun and has grown with the visible help of a Providence
which will never fail, provided it be not diverted by the spirit we
bring to our efforts.
The
same God who clothes the lilies of the field in a vesture more
splendid than that of Solomon, will never allow anything to be
wanting to those who work solely for him and for the greater glory of
his Name.
We
must therefore revive our faith and be convinced that no good can be
done except by climbing the laborious road to Calvary with the firm
confidence that the Lord has never failed those who trust in him,
that the bread that comes from the hand of the provident Lord is
always pleasant, especially when it has cost the sweat of hard work.
The
good Servants of Charity, who throughout the years and many times
every day have come in faith to the help of the poor, these same good
men who during their lives never say ‘enough’ in works of
charity and sacrifice, will ascend on high with Jesus and possess the
kingdom which the Lord in his infinite goodness has prepared for them
from the beginning of creation. What a reward! What a triumph!
RESPONSORY Mt 25,35.40; Prov 19,17
I
was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me. * Truly, I say to you, as
you did it to one of the least of these my brethren,
you did it to me.
He who is kind to the poor lends to the
Lord. Truly, …
Or:
SECOND READING
From the “Commentary on St John’s Letter to the Parthians” of Saint Augustine.
Nothing
is more delectable than charity
“No
one has ever seen God” (1 Jn 14,12). God is invisible; he must be
sought not with the eyes but with the heart. If we wanted to see the
sun, we would remove the impediments to our bodily eyes so that we
could see the light; similarly if we want to see God we must cleanse
the eye by which God can be seen. Where is this eye to be found?
Listen to what the Gospel says: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for
they shall see God” (Mt 5,8). No one can form an idea of God by
following the judgment of his eyes alone. Such a one would get the
impression of an immensely great form, or something immeasurably
great stretching out into space, like the light which strikes our
eyes and which he stretches out as far as he can towards infinity; or
maybe he would form am idea of God as an old man of venerable
appearance. You should put all such ideas aside. God himself gives
you the correct idea in the words of St John: “God is love” (1 Jn
4,16). What kind of countenance does love have? What form or stature
does it have? What are its feet and hands like? No one can say. And
yet it has feet, which lead to the Church; it has hands, which give
to the poor; it has eyes, through which we come to know those in
need; the psalmist says: “Blessed is he who thinks of the poor and
needy” (Ps 41,1). Love has ears, of which the Lord speaks: “He
who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Lk 8,8). These different
members are not found separated in different places, but the one who
loves sees everything in the mind and simultaneously.
You,
therefore, live in love and love will live in you; stay with it, and
it will stay in you. Is it possible, brothers, to love something you
cannot see? If not, when you extol love and charity, why do you rise
to your feet, why do you cry out in praise? What have I shown you?
Have I shown you something painful? Have I put gold and silver before
you? Have I shown you precious stones taken from some treasury? What
great thing have I put before your eyes? Has my countenance changed
as I speak to you? I am here in flesh and bone as I was when I came
in; you too are in the same form as when you arrived. And yet you
praise charity and break out into exclamations. Certainly your eyes
see nothing. But just as it pleases you when you sing the praises of
love, so you like to keep it in your heart.
Understand, brothers, what I am trying to tell you: I exhort you, to the extent that God so wills, to procure for yourselves a great treasure. If you were shown a casket of gold, artistically chiseled, would it not attract your eyes and excite a craving for it in your heart? Would not the artist’s skill and the weight and splendor of the metal delight you to the extent of saying to yourself: “Oh, if only that casket were mine!”? But it would be useless to say that, because there would be no possibility of you getting it. Or maybe you would want it so much that you might even think of stealing it from someone else’s house. You have heard great praises of love: if you are attracted to it, take it and possess it. You do not have to steal it from anyone; you do not need to think about buying it. It is free. Hold on to it; embrace it. Nothing is more delectable. And if it is judged to be so precious from even its description in words, imagine how more priceless still will be its actual possession.
RESPONSORY
1 Jn 3,11
This
is the message which you have heard from the beginning: * that
we should love one another.
The whole of the law is
expressed in this single command: that we should...
Concluding prayer as at Morning Prayer.
Morning Prayer
Benedictus ant. By this will all men know that you are my disciples: if you have love one for another.
INTERCESSIONS
Let
us give thanks to God our Father, who in his love has chosen us in
Christ to live in holiness and just ice every day of our lives; and
let us say with faith:
God
our Father, hear our prayer.
Merciful
Father, in Aloysius Guanella you have given us a model of complete
dedication to your divine plan:
— guide and strengthen us by
his example and intercession.
In
Blessed Aloysius we see assiduous prayer combined with a deep
interior life:
— help us to make of our own lives a spiritual
sacrifice pleasing in your sight.
At
the school of St John Bosco he brought to perfection his ideal of
dedication to poor and abandoned youth:
— grant that we may
carry out our own mission to the young with generous charity.
Father,
in every time and season you give new energy to your Church:
—
strengthen our fidelity and raise up many workers for the spreading
of your Kingdom.
You
who clothe the lilies of the field and feed the birds of the air:
—
remember those who have placed all their trust in your Providence.
Our Father.
O God, good and provident Father, you have made your priest, Blessed Aloysius Guanella, resplendent in your Church through his outstanding love for the poor and abandoned; grant that we too may live in intense love every day of our lives. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Evening
Prayer
Magnificat
ant. Let us not grow weary in doing good; let us do good to all,
and in due time we shall reap the harvest.
INTERCESSIONS
To
God our Father, the inexhaustible source of holiness and grace, let
us present our supplications with filial hearts.
God
of all goodness, hear our prayer.
Father,
in Blessed Aloysius Guanella we contemplate a sign of your loving
kindness to the suffering, the emarginated and the abandoned:
—
Grant that we may approach with the same dedication every individual
who is suffering in body and spirit.
Blessed
Aloysius took upon himself the needs and problems of his time:
— grant that we may imitate his generosity and spirit of sacrifice in welcoming our exiled brethren who lack both work and habitation.
His
life was resplendent for the practice of poverty, mortification and
humility:
— through his intercession, help us to accept with
faith our daily trials.
You
raised up Blessed Aloysius as a good Samaritan to bind up many
wounds:
— bless the Family he founded, grant increase to his
works, multiply the number of his followers.
To
the faithful departed who dedicated all their work to the service of
their neighbor:
— grant the reward promised by your Son to
the good and faithful servant.
Our
Father.
Concluding
prayer as at Morning Prayer.
