You Are My Hiding Place

Today's Bible Reading -- Genesis 18:2-5a, 6-14

¹ And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. ² He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth, ³ and said, "My Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. ⁴ Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, ⁵ while I fetch a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves,⁶ And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes." ⁷ And Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. ⁸ Then he took curds, and milk, and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate. ⁹ They said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And he said, "She is in the tent." ¹⁰The LORD said, "I will surely return to you in the spring, and Sarah your wife shall have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. ¹¹ Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. ¹² So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?" ¹³ The LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' ¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, in the spring, and Sarah shall have a son."

Our God Is an Awesome God

Today's Bible Reading -- Philippians 2:1-11

 ¹ So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³ Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

He Knows My Name

Today's Bible Reading -- Acts 11:19-29

¹⁹ Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoeni'cia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to none except Jews. ²⁰ But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyre'ne, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number that believed turned to the Lord. ²² News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. ²³ When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad; and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose; ²⁴ for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a large company was added to the Lord. ²⁵ So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul; ²⁶ and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church, and taught a large company of people; and in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians.

On My Knees

Today's Bible Reading -- Deutronomy 30:15-20

¹⁵ "See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil. ¹⁶ If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you this day, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in His ways, and by keeping His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD Your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to take possession of it. ¹⁷ But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, ¹⁸ I declare to you this day, that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land which you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. ¹⁹ I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, ²⁰ loving the LORD your God, obeying His voice, and cleaving to Him; for that means life to you and length of days, that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."

Today's Bible Reading--John 20:24-28

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." 26 Eight days later, His disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." 28 Thomas answered Him, "My Lord and my God!"

As The Deer

To St. Benedict

GLORIOUS ST. BENEDICT, sublime model of all virtues, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me, humbly kneeling at your feet. I implore your loving heart to pray for me before the throne of God. To you I have recourse in all the dangers which daily surround me. Sheild me against my enemies; inspire me to imitate you in all things. May your blessings be with me always, so that I may shun whatever God forbids and avoid the occasions of sin.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favours and graces of which I stand so much in need in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life. Your heart was always full of love, compassion, and mercy towards those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you. I therefore, invoke your powerful intercession, in the confident hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favour I so earnestly implore (mention it), if it be for the greater glory of God and the welfare of my soul.

Help me, O great St. Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to be ever submissive to His holy will, and to obtain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.


The Life of St. Benedict
from: www.officine.it/montecassino/storia_e/benedett.htm

ST. BENEDICT, founder of Montecassino and great legislator of Western monasticism, was born to a patrician family in Norcia (Perugia) in or about 480 A.D.

After his initial studies, he went to Rome. Disgusted by rampant vice, he abandoned everything and retired to the lonely rocks of Subiaco where he led a hermit's existence: "soli Deo placere cupiens" as his biographer St. Gregory Magnum wrote - "with the only desire to be agreeable to the Lord".


Some monks living in his neighbourhood and attracted by his saintly life, begged him to become their Superior and Teacher. Benedict accepted, but when he tried to correct their far from exemplary way of life, they made an attempt on his life with a goblet full of poison. But he shattered the goblet with a miraculous sign of the cross.

After having founded twelve small convents, St. Benedict left Subiaco and went southward with a few disciples. The reasons which made him chose the mountain "a cui Cassino è nella costa" (on which flank Cassino is located, Dante, Parad. XXII, 37) are not known but it may be related to some patrician benefactor.

Benedict who was gifted with practical sense, adjusted the existing temple, the actual entrance cloister, to become an oratory for his community, while using the remaining buildings to house the monks and pilgrims, as well as for various activities.

Another small oratory dedicated to St. John the Baptist is built at the mountain top where the graveyard will be located. It is still the site where the grave of St. Benedict and of his Sister St. Scolastica are venerated and it is exactly coinciding with the lower part of the High Altar in the Basilica.

In addition to founding his monastic order, St. Benedict also spread the Gospel to the population of the down below Plain. This mission is still entrusted to this monastic Community, so that the town of Cassino and its 20 surrounding municipalities all belong to the pastoral jurisdiction of the Abbot of Montecassino.

At Montecassino, St. Benedict completed writing his Regula monachorum, i.e. the Order Rule, while according to Bossuet, can be defined as a small compendium of the Gospel.

Nearing his 70th year, the Great Patriarch closed his hearthly life in Montecassino. Just before he died, as he felt his forces ebb away, he asked to be carried to the S. Martino Oratory where he was administered the Holy Communion and passed away while raising his arms to heaven. The date of his death is traditionally established on March 21, 547 A.D.

His mortal remains, and those of his sister Scolastica, rest beneath the High Altar (70). St. Benedict, Patron Saint of engineers, speleologists and of "Opera della Bonifica" (land reclaiming) was proclaimed main Patron of Europe by Pope Paul VI on the occasion of his visit to Montecassino on October 24, 1964 with the following motivation: "Messenger of Peace, Unifier, Master of Civilization and in particular Herald of Faith and Iniziator of monastic life in Western Europe". (Papal Brief - Pacis Nuntius).

Feast, March 21 and July 11.

Today's Bible Reading--Romans 8:18-27

18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. 27 And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

The Potter's Hand

Today's Bible Reading--1 Corinthians 6:12-20

12 "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything. 13 "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food" --and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two shall become one flesh." 17 But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Shun immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.