- St. Abrhaham (360). (Historical)
- St. Heribert (Herbert) (1021). Bishop. (Historical)
ABRAHAM was a rich nobleman of Edessa. At his parents desire he married, but escaped to a cell near the city as soon as the feast was over. He walled up the cell door, leaving only a small window through which he received his food. There for fifty years he sang God’s praises and implored mercy for himself and for all men. The wealth which fell to him on his parents’ death he gave to the poor. As many sought him for advice and consolation, the Bishop of Edessa, in spite of his humility, ordained him priest. St. Abraham was sent, soon after his ordination, to an idolatrous city which had hitherto been deaf to every messenger. He was insulted, beaten, and three times banished, but he returned each time with fresh zeal. For three years he pleaded with God for those souls, and in the end prevailed. Every citizen came to him for baptism. After providing for their spiritual needs, he went back to his cell more than ever convinced of the power of prayer. His brother died, leaving an only daughter, Mary, to the Saint’s care. He placed her in a cell near his own, and devoted himself to training her in perfection. After twenty years of innocence she fell, and fled in despair to a distant city, where she drowned the voice of conscience in sin. The Saint and his friend St. Ephrem prayed earnestly for her during two years. Then he went disguised to seek the lost sheep, and had the joy of bringing her back to the desert a true penitent. She received the gift of miracles, and her countenance after death shone as the sun. St. Abraham died five years before her, about A.D. 360. All Edessa came for his last blessing, and to secure his relics.
REFLECTION: Oh! that we realized the omnipotence of prayer. Every soul was created to glorify God eternally; and it is in the power of every one to add by the salvation of his neighbor to the glory of God. Let us make good use of this talent of prayer, lest our brother’s blood be required of us at the last.
WORD OF THE DAY
RECONCILIATION. The act or state of re-establishing friendship between God and a human being, or between two persons. Reconciliation with God is necessary after a person has lost the divine friendship through grievous sin. It requires repentance on the part of the sinner and forgiveness on the part of God. The willingness to be reconciled with another person is a necessary condition for obtaining God’s mercy.
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!)
LENT MEDITATION DAY 32
Enjoy daily meditations this lent from Fr. Richard Clarke, SJ. Short and powerful, written in 1880 for busy lay people to reap rewards through lent. (includes audio): Lent Day 32: Saturday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent— The Condemnation to Death.
March is the Month of St. Joseph
Daily devotional meditations on Saint Joseph: March 16th — St. Joseph’s Fifth Sorrow.
This article, MARCH 16, 2024 – LENT DAY 32 – SS. ABRAHAM AND MARY. is a post from The Bellarmine Forum.
https://bellarmineforum.org/march-16-2024-lent-day-32-ss-abraham-and-mary/
Do not repost the entire article without written permission. Reasonable excerpts may be reposted so long as it is linked to this page.