Blessed Nicholas Albergati

Born in 1375 in Bologna, Italy; it appeared that Nicholas Albergati was going to have a career in Law. He received his Law degrees in Bologna but Divine Providence had other plans for Nicholas. While visiting the Carthusian Charterhouse in Bologna, a storm prevented him from leaving. Because of his delayed departure he decided to sit in on the hour of Matins. This liturgical hour along with Lauds and Vespers are the three hours from the Divine Office which the Carthusians pray in community, except on Sundays and Solemnities when all the hours, except Prime, are prayed in community. Otherwise, all other hours normally are prayed by the monks in the solitude of their cells.

The soon to be a lawyer, Nicholas Albergati, however, became absorbed by the monks' singing of Matins and he was so impressed that he asked if he could stay and enter the community. He made his profession and would be ordained into the priesthood. He was an excellent monk and in 1407 was elected as Prior after twelve years of residing with the Bologna community.

Ten years later came the news that no Carthusian likely wants to hear. Bologna was in need of a bishop and Nicholas was elected by the city magistrates. He did, however, turn it down stating that he would only accept the episcopate if the Reverend Father of the Carthusian Order told him to do so. The Reverend Father of the Order at that time was Dom John Griffenberg who consulted the community at Bologna which felt that Dom Nicholas would be a worthy bishop. Thus he became the Bishop of Bologna but never abandoned his monastic lifestyle even though he was no longer in the cloister. He continued to wear his habit along with the hair shirt and remained faithful to the fasts and abstinences of the Carthusian Order.

In his spiritual life, he was said to have an exemplary interior life and would spend long nights in prayer. The Carthusian Order refers to Blessed Nicholas as a true son of Saint Bruno.

His life as bishop would eventually expand beyond Bologna as two popes would require his service. In 1426 he was made a cardinal. His titular Church was Santa Croce in Rome.

His life in the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church was certainly more visible than most Carthusians would ever experience but Blessed Nicholas never lost his simplicity and humility.

A very trying time in his life would have Nicholas fleeing Bologna and taking refuge with the Carthusians in Florence. The people of Bologna rebelled against him and it was something they would eventually repent of which at the insistence of Pope Eugene IV, returned Nicholas to his duties in the diocese of Bologna.

He died on May 9, 1443 in Siena while accompanying the pope on diplomatic business.

Certainly what we can learn from Blessed Nicholas Albergati is the need and the will to remain faithful to our spiritual life and our commitment of service to the Lord while still having other cares and duties in the world.

Blessed Nicholas Albergati, pray for us!

The Unseen World Of Holy Mass

Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, or perhaps more affectionately known as Padre Pio, was extraordinary to say the least. Well documented are his numerous Rosaries prayed daily, his countless hours in the Confessional, his ability to read hearts in the Confessional, his gift of bi-location, his daily minuscule caloric intake which doctors have said could not sustain a human being, the very little sleep he needed every night, about three to four hours, and of course the visible stigmata, the Wounds of Jesus which Padre Pio bore for some fifty years.

The extraordinary details of Padre Pio’s life go on and on but perhaps none had more comments or more witnesses than his daily Mass. At Padre Pio’s Mass, Calvary came to San Giovanni Rotondo. His Mass began at five o’clock in the morning. But he did not rise from sleep and go straight to the church to begin the Mass. There was much prayerful preparation before Mass as he would rise from his bed sometimes as early as 12:30 but seldom later than 3:30; and he would spend that time in his cell running his fingers through his Rosary beads, which it would be rare to see him not do throughout his long, edifying day.

Introibo ad altare Dei – I will go unto the altar of God (Psalm 42 [43]:4). These words are part of the preparatory prayers of what we now call the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. Padre Pio climbing the steps to approach the altar was indeed in persona Christi climbing the hill of Calvary. The great mystery of the Mass would unfold which would last up to three hours.

Tears would run from his eyes sometimes through the entirety of the Mass. At times those tears would be best described as sobbing.

Maria Winowska, author of Le Vrae Visage du Padre Pio, and a witness to Padre Pio’s Mass wrote in her book that the “Capuchin's face which a few moments before had seemed to me jovial and affable was literally transfigured” and “after the Sanctus great drops of sweat poured from his forehead, bathing his face which was distorted with sobs. Here was truly the man of sorrow at grips with the agony.”

During the Consecration the Wounds of the stigmata would bleed and remarkably Padre Pio would, during the elevation, hold our Eucharistic Lord for as long as ten minutes – and at times longer than that. Speaking about the Mass, Padre Alberto D'Apolito, who knew Padre Pio, said: “It produced such an impression that time and space between the altar and Calvary disappeared. The Mass of Padre Pio visibly reproduced the Passion of Christ, not only in a mystical form, but also physically, in his body. Waves of emotion made Padre Pio tremble at the altar as if the struggle with invisible persons filled him, time after time, with fear, joy, sadness, anguish, and pain. From the expression on his face, one could follow the mysterious dialogue. Whoever doubted the Real Presence had only to assist at Saint Pio’s Mass.”

After the Consecration, this great saint would sometimes need to lean on the altar, appearing extremely exhausted. But during these periods of rest on the altar he appeared to be engaged in a mysterious conversation.

He had very penetrating eyes which could easily be detected during the Consecration; but throughout the entire Mass he seemed to be looking at a world that no one else present could see. By Padre Pio’s own exhortation he said that the Blessed Mother and the entire celestial court are present at Mass which consumed him with the fire of divine love causing his face to feel like it was burning.

Fittingly, Padre Pio the mystic was canonized by another mystic: Pope John Paul II. Here is part of the Holy Father’s homily:

Throughout his life, he always sought greater conformity with the Crucified, since he was very conscious of having been called to collaborate in a special way in the work of redemption. His holiness cannot be understood without this constant reference to the Cross.

Padre Pio was a generous dispenser of divine mercy, making himself available to all by welcoming them, by spiritual direction and, especially, by the administration of the sacrament of Penance. I also had the privilege, during my young years, of benefiting from his availability for penitents. The ministry of the Confessional, which is one of the distinctive traits of his apostolate, attracted great crowds of the faithful to the monastery of San Giovanni Rotondo. Even when that unusual Confessor treated pilgrims with apparent severity, the latter, becoming conscious of the gravity of sins and sincerely repentant, almost always came back for the peaceful embrace of sacramental forgiveness. May his example encourage priests to carry out with joy and zeal this ministry which is so important today.

Teach us, we ask you, humility of heart so we may be counted among the little ones of the Gospel, to whom the Father promised to reveal the mysteries of His Kingdom.

Help us to pray without ceasing, certain that God knows what we need even before we ask Him.
Obtain for us the eyes of faith that will be able to recognize right away in the poor and suffering the Face of Jesus.

Sustain us in the hour of the combat and of the trial and, if we fall, make us experience the joy of the sacrament of forgiveness.

Grant us your tender devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our Mother.

Accompany us on our earthly pilgrimage toward the blessed homeland, where we hope to arrive in order to contemplate forever the glory of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Concerning the Mass, Padre Pio said: “It would be easier for the world to exist without the sun than without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.”

And Padre Pio the spiritual director advises us in this way: “The field of battle between God and Satan is the human soul. This is where it takes place every moment of our lives. The soul must give free access to our Lord and be completely fortified by Him with every kind of weapon. His light must illuminate it to fight the darkness of error. We must put on Jesus Christ, His truth and justice, the shield of faith, the word of God to overcome such powerful enemies. To put on Jesus Christ we must die to ourselves. Let us humble ourselves and confess that if God were not our armor and shield, we would be pierced by all kinds of sins. That is why we must live in God by persevering in our practices, and learn to serve Him at our own expense.”

Stewards And Caretakers Of The Altars

In order that My Body might be given honor and glory, I established the house of the Holy Church, where it was to be kept and preserved, as well as priests to be its special guardians, who in a certain way are above the angels by reason of their ministry. The One Whom angels fear to touch due to a reverent fear, priests handle with their hands and mouth.

They should be My standard-bearers and special friends by reason of the purity of their mind and body, for purity is the first position near to God, Whom nothing foul can touch nor adorn. It was not strange that marital relation was permitted to the priests of the law during the time in which they were not offering sacrifice, for they were carrying the shell, not the nut itself. Now, however, with the coming of the Truth and the disappearance of the figure, one must strive all the more fully for purity by as much as the nut is sweeter than the shell.

Clerics are ordained in order that they may become angelic men in all humility, for heaven is attained and the devil's pride is overcome through humility of mind and body.

Clerics are ordained for the purpose of being disciples of God through the constant reading of Holy Scripture. For this reason, a book is placed in their hands by the bishops, just as a sword is given to a knight, so that they understand what they must do and strive through prayer and meditation to placate God's anger for the sake of the people of God.

Clerics are ordained as guardians of God's temple and watchmen of souls. For this reason, the bishops give them keys in order that they may be deeply concerned for the salvation of their brethren and encourage them by word and deed and incite the weak to greater perfection.

They are ordained as stewards and caretakers of the altars and scorners of worldly things in order that they may serve at the altar, live by the altar, and occupy themselves with earthly matters only insofar as befits their position.

They are ordained to be apostolic men who preach the Gospel Truth and make their conduct fit their preaching.

They are ordained to be mediators between God and man through the Sacrifice of My Body.

~Revelations of Saint Birgitta of Sweden~

The Silence Of The Lamb's Mother

In the Apostolic Letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariæ, Pope John Paul II writes: “A discovery of the importance of silence is one of the secrets of practicing contemplation and meditation.”

In that same letter the Holy Father shares some thoughts on our Lady as a model contemplative: “The contemplation of Christ has an incomparable model in Mary. In a unique way the Face of the Son belongs to Mary. It was in her womb that Christ was formed, receiving from her a human resemblance which points to an even greater spiritual closeness. No one has ever devoted himself to the contemplation of the Face of Christ as faithfully as Mary. The eyes of her heart already turned to Him at the Annunciation, when she conceived Him by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the months that followed she began to sense His presence and to picture His features. When at last she gave birth to Him in Bethlehem, her eyes were able to gaze tenderly on the Face of her Son, as she 'wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger' (Luke 2:7). Thereafter Mary's gaze, ever filled with adoration and wonder, would never leave Him. At times it would be a questioning look, as in the episode of the finding in the Temple: 'Son, why have You treated us so?' (Luke 2:48); it would always be a penetrating gaze, one capable of deeply understanding Jesus, even to the point of perceiving His hidden feelings and anticipating His decisions, as at Cana (cf. John 2:5). At other times it would be a look of sorrow, especially beneath the Cross, where her vision would still be that of a Mother giving birth, for Mary not only shared the Passion and death of her Son, she also received the new son given to her in the beloved disciple (cf. John 19:26-27). On the morning of Easter hers would be a gaze radiant with the joy of the Resurrection, and finally, on the day of Pentecost, a gaze afire with the outpouring of the Spirit” (cf. Acts 1:14).

Does our Lady desire that her gazes of tenderness, of adoration and wonder, even of sorrow, of questions, of penetration and being able to understand her Son, perceive His feelings, anticipate what He will do – does our Blessed Mother desire that these gifts be possessed by her alone? Mary longs to draw us to a closer union with her Son, our God, and thus achieve that closeness with our Brother, our Father, the Paraclete, that we too may possess all these wonderful gifts given from silence and contemplation.

That gaze of our Lady surely speaks louder and more clearly than the most gifted orators among us. At the Annunciation the angel Gabriel begins with, “Ave, gratia plena; Dominus tecum; benedicta tu in mulieribus” (Luke 1:28). What follows is Mary’s troubled, fearful gaze but no spoken words. Scripture says she thought within herself trying to determine what was going on (cf. Luke 1:29). She was using her inner gift. Most of us would likely scream out of fear or frantically call for help; or the bold among us would directly ask: “Who are you and what do you want?” But that gaze of Mary spoke eloquently enough to the angel Gabriel, questioning the reason for his visit, that without any verbal response from Mary, he was able to continue to explain his mission.

Contemplatives are listeners, waiting to hear the gentle whisper that speaks not to the ears but to the heart. After Gabriel had said everything he was sent by God to say, I’ve often wondered how long was the pause before Mary gave to God, to Gabriel, to the souls imprisoned by death, and to the world her fiat. Many things must have been going through her mind; and at the top of that list was surely the possibility of being stoned for being with Child. It is then that her gaze turned inward and she could see the hidden God and then fearlessly and with love say yes to what God had called her to do.

In the Magnificat, Mary verbally extols the beauty of her interior life. She has a soul that proclaims the greatness of her Lord and a spirit that rejoices in God her Savior (cf. Luke 1:46-47). Perhaps by the Holy Spirit she verbally declares this not for Elizabeth's sake, but for the sake of her centuries of children who are unable to see her gaze of two-thousand years ago. And perhaps it was that same gaze of two-thousand years ago, unseen by us, which prompted her to tell us: “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5).

Our Lady is silent at the most agonizing time of her life. One can only imagine the interior battle that is waged between deep human sorrow and an unshakeable trust in God. This is her Son and her God she watches on the Cross. She experiences deep sorrow as a Mother for her Son and yet remains silent in order to hear every word spoken from her God as He hangs on that Cross. Such a tremendous gift of silence and contemplation!

On the day of Pentecost, after that very dramatic scene of heavy wind, tongues of fire, speaking in diverse tongues and the bewilderment of the various nationalities who witnessed it, and then finally some of the onlookers who accuse the apostles of having too much wine to drink, our Lady, who was present, never speaks. Perhaps that gaze of hers this time was aimed at Peter. Peter could easily have said to Mary: “Blessed Mother, you have much more experience with the Holy Spirit than I, He is your Spouse; perhaps you should speak to the people.” Of course, there is no such conversation recorded in the Acts of the Apostles and perhaps it was Mary’s gaze at Peter which spoke to him saying: "Peter, my Son appointed you His Vicar. This is the birth of His Church. Your flock is waiting to hear from you.” And as Scripture records, it was Peter who stood up and addressed the people. (cf. Acts, chapter 1).

O the power of her gaze, the depths of her silence and contemplation! How can we not go to the school of Mary! Is there anyone among us who wouldn’t have wanted to witness our Blessed Mother’s first Eucharist, or even any which followed? To see one of the apostles’ standing before our Lady, holding up the Eucharistic Host before her eyes and saying: “The Body of Christ.” What was that gaze like? What was happening to her interiorly after receiving Holy Communion?

Saint John Chrysostom says that, “Silence is a fiery chariot which takes us up to heaven. O silence, … the ladder of Paradise, the way to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, destroying all that can disturb us: how sweet is your yoke, and how delectable.”

Saint Bernard adds: “Silence is the mother of the virtues, and their faithful guardian. It is… the strength of the soul … the mark of the wise, the practice of the angels and the daily exercise of the contemplative.”

“Words dissipate the mind,” says Saint John of the Cross, “silence fosters a spirit of recollection and gives the soul strength to go to God. Our Lord teaches that he who loves to hold converse with men has but little time for God.”

Finally, Dom Rouvier states: “You see what the saints have thought of silence. Be quite certain that silence is the father of devotion, the teacher of the interior life, the joy of the heart, the source of all prayer, the perfection of solitude, and the gate of Paradise" (Le Mois de Marie).

Our Blessed Lady knew of all these attributes of silence, and then some. Most likely, Mary spent her remaining years in silence and contemplation, communing with her Son and her God.

OFFICIUM MISSÆ

The Carthusian Order has kept a liturgical prayer custom that dates back to the Middle Ages. The Carthusians call it Officium Missæ or the Office of the Mass. It has also been referred to as Missa Sicca or the Dry Mass, although today these titles are certainly not household terms. This form of liturgical prayer may seem a bit unusual for modern day thought.

It basically consists of the Proper and Ordinary texts from the Mass, without the Consecration, prayed similar to the Divine Office. The Missa Sicca is covered in Archdale A. King’s “Liturgies of the Religious Orders”.

For the Carthusians, however, the Office of the Mass is taken from the Common Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is usually the Salve, Sancta Parens except for the Season of Advent when it is Rorate Cæli.

Today in the Charterhouse, the monks pray the Divine Office and the Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary daily as well as the Office for the Dead once a week. Praying Officium Missæ is optional but for the monks who still use this prayer, it usually follows Prime of Our Lady or Terce of Our Lady and is prayed in the solitude of the monk’s cell.

In our modern day spiritual journeys, it could be an edifying practice to read and meditate upon the texts of the daily Mass, perhaps even as lectio divina, especially if one is unable to attend daily Mass.

In the Carthusian tradition there’s a story that goes like this:
At the instigation doubtless of the devil, certain Houses of the Order were once assailed with such numerous temptations that the religious discipline became burdensome to the monks. The Divine Office, prayer, meditation, the observance of fasting and abstinence, awakened in them nothing but repugnance. From every heart there arose to almighty God a loud cry, together with pleadings and tears, begging Him to free them from their persecutor. Whereupon God sent an angel who addressed these words to a Father of exemplar piety: “The Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, will take pity on you, if in addition to the Hours you recite daily in her honor, you are willing to say between Prime and Terce of the Office of the Blessed Virgin, the dry Mass Salve, Sancta Parens, and to celebrate each day a Mass to her glory.” As soon as this was known, everyone was delighted to accept the condition; and from that day the Carthusian Order has always been helped by the prayers of the Mother of God (Le Couteulx: Annales Vol. IV).

The Carthusian Officium Missæ outside of Advent looks basically like this with some minor changes during Lent and Eastertide:

Antiphon
Hail, holy Mother! The Child to Whom you gave birth is the King of heaven and earth forever.
Psalm 44:11 – The King shall desire your beauty, for He is your Lord, and you must worship Him.
Glory to the Father…
Hail, holy Mother!...

Lord, have mercy (three times)
Christ, have mercy (three times)
Lord, have mercy (three times)

GLORIA (except during Lent)

Prayer
Let us pray:
God our Father, You give joy to the world by the Incarnation of Your Son. May we welcome Jesus into our hearts with that same love with which Mary loved Him, for He lives and reigns…

Reading – Sirach 24:1, 3-4, 8-12, 18-20

Response
Blessed are you, Virgin Mary, for without any violation of your purity you became the Mother of our Savior.
Virgin Mother of God, the universe cannot hold Him and yet, becoming Man, He confined Himself in your womb.

ALLELUIA (except during Lent)
Alleluia. After giving birth to your Child you remain forever a Virgin. Mother of God, pray for us. Alleluia.

Gospel – Luke 11:27-28

Antiphon
Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary: she carried the Son of the eternal Father.

Prayer
Let us pray:
Lord, fill our hearts with Your love, and as You revealed to us by an angel the coming of Your Son as Man, so lead us through His suffering and death to the glory of His Resurrection, Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

O Lord, hear my prayer.
And let my cry come to You.
Let us praise the Lord.
And give Him thanks.

Last Gospel – John 1:1-14

Antiphon
You are worthy of praise, You are worthy of hymns. To You, O God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer
God our Father and Protector, without You nothing is holy, nothing has value. Guide us to everlasting life by helping us to use wisely the blessings You have given to the world. This we ask…

O Lord, hear my prayer.
And let my cry come to You.
Let us praise the Lord.
And give Him thanks.
May the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

SALVE REGINA

The Month Of Mary Begins -- Mary Is From The Beginning

Our Omniscient God, even before He created this vast universe, in a very deep mystery, had already willed that He would become Man and as Man He would need a Mother.

In the Extraordinary Form of the Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, we find these words from the Epistle: “The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His ways, before He made anything from the beginning. I was set up from eternity, and of old, before the earth was made. The depths were not as yet, and I was already conceived” (Proverbs 8:22-24). The Church applies these words and the remainder of that Epistle to our Lady.

In the Apostolic Constitution issued on December 8, 1854 are these words:
From the very beginning, and before time began, the eternal Father chose and prepared for His only-begotten Son a Mother in whom the Son of God would become Incarnate and from whom, in the blessed fullness of time, He would be born into this world. Above all creatures did God so love her that truly in her was the Father well pleased with singular delight. Therefore, far above all the angels and all the saints so wondrously did God endow her with the abundance of all heavenly gifts poured from the treasury of His divinity that this Mother, ever absolutely free of all stain of sin, all fair and perfect, would possess that fullness of holy innocence and sanctity than which, under God, one cannot even imagine anything greater, and which, outside of God, no mind can succeed in comprehending fully (Ineffabilis Deus – Pope Pius IX).

Saint Francis de Sales writes: “We plant the vine solely for the sake of its fruit; whence the fruit is the primary object in intention, although the leaves and flowers precede it in succession of time. In the same way, our divine Savior stood first in the eternal Mind and in the designs which Providence conceived as the purpose of creation. And it was in contemplating this desirable end that the divine Majesty planted the Vine of the universe, and established the passing of many generations, which like leaves and flowers were to produce the Fruit, as the forerunners and means of preparation which would fitly lead to the production of that Grape, so highly praised by the Virgin Bride, the juice of which rejoices both God and man” (Treatise on the Love of God, Bk. II, Ch. V).

Let us pray for all Christians who sadly see Mary as an obstacle rather than a loving Mother.

“He that shall find me shall find life, and shall have salvation from the Lord” (Proverbs 8:35).

NISI DOMINUS ÆDIFICAVERIT DOMUM...

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it (Psalm 126 [127]:1). On this feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, placed before us is the example of a man who never labored in vain. Saint Joseph was a carpenter by trade, but more so a humble servant in the Lord’s vineyard. And it was his gentle steps through that vineyard which compels us to give glory to God and be in awe of the graces He gave to Joseph.

Our God cared for him and protected him in what was a turbulent world. And in the mystery of the Person of Jesus Christ, Saint Joseph cared for and protected his God.

The Gospels record some of those turbulent times in the life of Saint Joseph and the Holy Family, but none of those words recorded in the Gospels flowed from the lips of Saint Joseph. His silence speaks volumes about his trust in God. In the great mystery of eternity, Joseph knew all about carrying the cross and living in the joy of the Resurrection. His eyes passed beyond God’s created beauty and thus were able to see God’s hidden beauty.

I have lifted my eyes to the mountains, from where shall help come to me. My help is from the Lord Who made heaven and earth (Psalm 120 [121]:1-2). Indeed, Saint Joseph overcame adversity by keeping his eyes fixed on God’s mountain. He is a model contemplative.

In the English translation of the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, titled Gaudium et Spes, are found the words “feverish activity”. Saint Joseph was certainly a witness to feverish activity but was not an active participant. He was in it but not of it. He would never disquiet himself.

God is at the Center of all things. Meteorologists tell us that in the tumultuous and usually destructive occurrence of a tornado, in the midst of those very chaotic winds is the eye of the tornado which is calm and still. God is the Eye in the storms of life. Saint Joseph may have been able to look all around and see the whirling winds of life, but in the Eye is where he kept his feet firmly planted.

In the book, Where Silence is Praise are these beautiful words: “In all that we do, and at every moment, God has ordained an exact balance between what we have to do and the necessary strength to do it; and this we call grace. Our part is to bring ourselves in line with grace. God uses all the horrors of this world for an infinitely perfect end, and always with an infinite calm. It is part of His plan that we should feel the blows and experience the wounds of life; but more than anything else He wants us to dominate them by the virtues of faith, hope and charity, and so live on His level. In these latter which will raise us up to Him, and then we shall share in His calm, in the highest part of our being.”

While those words were written by a Carthusian monk, they could easily have been authored by Saint Joseph; for he certainly lived those words.

Through the intercession of Saint Joseph, may we, in times of distress and suffering, learn how to restore the Image of God within us and live perpetually in His calm.