JUNE 8, 2025 – ST. MEDARD, BISHOP.

• Mary, Mediatrix of all graces. (Traditional)
• Sts. Medard & Gildard (560). Bishop. (Historical)

WHIT SUNDAY.

FIFTY days after Easter, the apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ were assembled in an upper chamber, engaged in prayer, according to the recommendation of the Divine Master, and awaiting the accomplishment of the promise He had made to them, of sending them a Comforting Spirit, the Paraclete, who should teach them all things. Lo! a great noise, as of a rushing tempest, was suddenly heard, the house was rocked to and fro, and tongues of fire were seen resting on the head of each one. At once all were changed into new men, their minds being endowed with full understanding of the Scriptures and of the wonders they had hitherto witnessed without comprehending, and their souls were filled with strength from on high; thenceforth they belonged no more to themselves but to the work of the Gospel. From that time forth this Divine Spirit has not ceased to pour itself forth upon the Church to enlighten, confirm, protect, and guide; it has not ceased communicating itself to each of the faithful individually, either by means of the sacraments or by grace, whenever it has found hearts well disposed.

The Fathers of the Church and all theologians are of one mind in recognizing, in the workings of the Holy Ghost in the hearts of the faithful, seven chief gifts: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and the Fear of the Lord. The gift of Wisdom helps us to judge healthily of all things concerning our last end; the gift of Understanding, to apprehend the truths revealed, and to submit our hearts thereto; the gift of Counsel, to choose in all things the part best fitted for the sanctification of our souls; the gift of Fortitude, to resist temptations and overcome dangers; the gift of Knowledge, to discern the best means of sanctifying ourselves; the gift of Piety, or Godliness, causes us to love religion and the practices having reference to Divine Worship; the gift of the Fear of the Lord turns us aside from sin and from whatever may displease God.

REFLECTION: “They that are according to the flesh mind the things that are of the flesh; but they that are according to the Spirit mind the things that are of the Spirit. For the wisdom of the flesh is death; but the wisdom of the Spirit is life and peace.”

ST. MEDARD, BISHOP.

ST. MEDARD, one of the most illustrious prelates of the Church of France in the sixth century, was born of a pious and noble family, at Salency, about the year 457. From his childhood, he evinced the most tender compassion for the poor. On one occasion, he gave his coat to a destitute blind man, and when asked why he had done so, he answered that the misery of a fellow-member in Christ so affected him that he could not help giving him part of his own clothes. Being promoted to the priesthood in the thirty-third year of his age, he became a bright ornament of that sacred order. He preached the word of God with an unction which touched the hearts of the most hardened; and the influence of his example, by which he enforced the precepts which he delivered from the pulpit seemed irresistible. In 530, Alomer, the thirteenth Bishop of that country, dying, St. Medard was unanimously chosen to fill the see, and was consecrated by St. Remigius, who had baptized King Clovis in 496, and was then exceeding old. Our Saint’s new dignity did not make him abate any thing of his austerities, and, though at that time seventy-two years old, he thought himself obliged to redouble his labors. Though his diocese was very wide, it seemed not to suffice for his zeal, which could not be confined: wherever he saw the opportunity of advancing the honor of God, and of abolishing the remains of idolatry, he overcame all obstacles, and by his zealous labors and miracles the rays of the Gospel dispelled the mists of idolatry throughout the whole extent of his diocese. What rendered this task more difficult and perilous was the savage and fierce disposition of the ancient inhabitants of Flanders, who were the most barbarous of all the nations of the Gauls and Franks. Our Saint, having completed this great work in Flanders, returned to Noyon, where he shortly after fell sick, and soon rested from his labors at an advanced age, in 545. The whole kingdom lamented his death as the loss of their common father and protector. His body was buried in his own cathedral, but the many miracles wrought at his tomb so moved King Clotaire that he translated the precious remains to Soissons.

REFLECTION: The Church takes delight in styling her founder “THE AMIABLE JESUS,” and He likewise says of Himself, “I am meek and humble of heart.”

WORD OF THE DAY

TWELVE FRUITS. The special graces of supernatural satisfaction in the performance of good works, infused by the Holy Spirit at baptism and possessed by everyone in the state of grace. They are: charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, and chastity. Their intensity depends on the degree of grace a person has and the generosity with which he or she performs the different virtues.

Modern Catholic Dictionary, Fr. John Hardon SJ (Get the real one at Eternal Life — don’t accept an abridged or edited version of this masterpiece!)

June, Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Sacred Heart of Jesus – Short Meditations for June. June 8 — The Sacred Heart at Nazareth.

This article, JUNE 8, 2025 – ST. MEDARD, BISHOP. is a post from The Bellarmine Forum.
https://bellarmineforum.org/june-8-2025-st-medard-bishop/
Do not repost the entire article without written permission. Reasonable excerpts may be reposted so long as it is linked to this page.