22 January

BLESSED LAURA VICUÑA
adolescent

For the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians: memorial

Laura Vicuña was born at Santiago, Chile, on 5 April 1891, and was educated in line with the preventive system of St John Bosco at the “Mary Help of Christians” College in the Argentinean Andes. As a happy and joyful adolescent she soon became a model of friendship with Jesus, of apostolic charity among her companions, and of fidelity to her daily duties.

In complete trust she endured with heroic fortitude physical and moral sufferings well beyond her age. Faithful to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, she did not hesitate to offer herself as a victim to bring her mother back to the way of salvation. She died on 22 January 1904 at Junin de los Andes, Argentina, and was beatified by John Paul II on 3September 1988 at Castelnuovo Don Bosco, Asti, on the Hill of the youthful beatitudes.

From the Common of Women Saints with ferial psalms.

Office of Readings

SECOND READING

From the “Life of Laura Vicuna” written by Fr Augusto Crestanello.

The will of God: my best prayer

From her entry to the College, says the Sister Superior, there was evident in Laura a degree of common sense above her age and a true inclination to piety. Her innocent heart found no peace or rest except in the things of God. Even though still a young child, her devotion was profound without any affectation or exaggeration.

In everything she was simple and natural. While praying it was clear that her mind was fixed on what she was doing. Rarely was she aware of what might be going on around her, and it was frequently necessary to tell her that someone was calling her or that it was time to leave the chapel.

The same attention she showed in fulfilling all her other duties. She had well understood and she applied to herself the saying: “Age quod agis” (“Do well whatever you are doing”), and with a holy freedom of spirit she moved joyfully and willingly from church to classroom, and from there to workshop or any other activity, or to recreation.

“For me”, she used to say, “praying or working is the same thing; it is all the same to me whether I am praying or playing, praying or sleeping. By doing as I am told I am doing what God wants me to do, and that is what I too want to do; this is my best way of praying”.

“After she had got to know what piety really means”, wrote her Sister Superior, “she loved it and att ained so high and constant a gift of prayer that even in recreation she was evidently absorbed in God”.

“It seems to me”, she used to say, “that it is God himself who keeps alive in me the awareness of his divine Presence. Wherever I am, in class or in the playground, this knowledge is with me, and it helps me and strengthens me”.

“But”, objected her confessor, “will it not happen that if you have such thoughts always in your mind it will lead you to neglect your duties?”

“Ah no, Father”, she replied. “I know that this thought helps me to do everything better and does not disturb me at all, because it is not that I am always thinking of it but that without thinking of it directly at all, the memory makes me happy”.

RESPONSORY Cf. Ps 70,17; 74,2; 88,1; Is 49,2

From my youth God has taught me: * I will for ever proclaim his wondrous deeds.
In the shadow of his hand he hid me: I will for ever...

Or:

SECOND READING

From the Sermons of St Augustine

(Sermon 96, 1.4.9; NBA 30/2, 177-187)

Concerning the universal call to holiness

‘If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me’ (Mt 16,24). The Lord’s command that if anyone wishes to follow him he must deny himself seems hard and difficult. But after all it is not hard and difficult, seeing that it is the command of him who himself aids in the carrying out of what he commands.

For what is said to him in the psalm is true, ‘Because of your command I have followed the hard road.’ True, too, are his own words, ‘My yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ In a word, whatsoever in the precept is hard is made easy by love.

What is the meaning of: ‘Let him take up his cross’? It means, let him bear whatever is vexatious; on that understanding, let him follow me. For when he begins to follow me in my character and my teaching, he will have many to contradict him, many to forbid him, many to dissuade him — and that takes place actually among those who are the companions of Christ. The people who wished to deter the blind man from calling out were at that time walking with Christ. Whether therefore it is a matter of threats or flatteries or any kinds of prohibitions, if you wish to follow, turn to the cross, endure, bear up, and refuse to surrender.

And so in this world, which is holy, good, reconciled, saved, — or rather in the process of being saved, but at present saved by hope, — ‘for in this hope we were saved’ — in this world, that is the Church which follows Christ in her totality, he has said to all men at once, ‘If any man would come after me, let him deny himself.’

This is not a case where virgins ought to hear the exhortation and married women not, where widows ought to hear and young wives not, where monks ought to hear and married men not, or clerics ought to hear but not the laity, but rather let the universal Church, the universal body, all her members divided and distributed in their several offices, let them all follow Christ.

Let her follow in her unique unity, let her follow as the dove, let her follow as the bride, let her follow, ransomed and endowed by the blood of her spouse. There the innocence of virgins has its place, there the chastity of widows has its place, there the purity of marriage has its place. Let all those members which have their place there, each in their natural kind, each in their own place, each in their own way, follow Christ; let them deny themselves, that is, let them not be presumptuous; let them take up their cross, that is, endure in the world for Christ whatever the world has brought on them. Let them love him who alone does not deceive, who alone is not cheated, who alone does not cheat. Let them love him because his promise is true. But because he does not give immediately, faith is shaken. Endure, persevere, bear, put up with delay, and then you have borne the cross.

RESPONSORY Cf. Job 31,18a; Eph 3,18; Ps 30,20

O God, your love has been with me from my earliest years and it has grown with me. * I cannot measure its breadth and depth.
How great is the kindness, 0 Lord, which you have reserved for those who love you. I cannot measure...

The concluding prayer as at Morning Prayer

Morning Prayer

Benedictus ant. God has revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.

INTERCESSIONS

Let us make our prayer in filial exultation to God our Father, the source of all holiness, and let us say:

You are our life, 0 Lord.

Father, in every age you enrich the Church with ever new models of youthful holiness:
— grant that we may be faithful to our baptismal promises, and so experience the joy of following Christ.

You inspire the making of courageous decisions in imitation of your Son:
— accept the offering of our life that we may grow in communion with you and with our neighbor.

You willed that the Christian family should be an image of your love:
— grant that parents may live their self-donation with faithful generosity.

By the gift of your Spirit you rendered the young Laura strong in faith, pure in heart, and heroic in love:
— stir up in adolescents and young people the will to serve you through joyful dedication to their companions.

You who nourish and renew us with your word and sacraments:
— make us a sign of your loving kindness for those we meet today on our path through life.

Our Father.

PRAYER

Father, in your infinite tenderness, you united strength of spirit and purity of innocence in the young girl Laura Vicufla; through her intercession give us courage to overcome the trials of life and to show the world the happiness of the pure of heart.

We ask you 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. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

INTERCESSIONS

Let us give thanks with joy to God our Father for the wonders he has worked in his saints, and let us say:

Father, hear our prayer.

Raise up in your Church wise and enlightened leaders:
— that they may help young people to know and courageously embrace your plan of life.

Protect the young who live amidst the difficulties and temptations of the present day:
— that they may not be overcome by selfishness, loneliness and confusion.

Give to those who are suffering in body and spirit the wisdom of the cross:
— that following the example of Blessed Laura they may come to know the purifying and redeeming value of affliction.

Strengthen and sustain the missionaries of the Gospel:
— that they may foster authentic human and Christian values for the progress of peoples.

Remember those who have today closed their eyes to this earthly life:
— admit them to your heavenly dwelling with the angels and saints.

Our Father.

PRAYER, as at Morning Prayer.