SAINT OF THE MONTH

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
(1090-1153)
Born in Burgundy, Bernard was the third child of
parents of the highest nobility. While yet unborn, a
devout man foretold that he would have a great
destiny so his parents saw that he was well
educated. Bernard did well in school, particularly
in literature and poetry, and he had a great desire
to study Sacred Scripture. His devotion to the
Blessed Virgin was very special. When his mother
died when he was nineteen years old, Bernard thought
of retiring from the world and living a life of
prayerful solitude.
Bernard was a charismatic young man. With thirty
other young noblemen, he made his way to the
monastery of Citeaux to seek admission, thus saving
a floundering foundation and making it flourish.
Three years later, Bernard, at the head of a band of
monks, founded a new house named Claire Vallee (Clairvaux)
on June 25, 1115. Bernard was made abbot of this new
foundation and lead it through some rigorous and
trying times. Under the influence of a bishop,
Bernard mitigated his austeries that were harming
his health. The monastery grew as young men entered
and new foundations were established.
Devoted to reviving the primitive spirit and fervor
in all monastic orders, Bernard was instrumental in
developing the first constitutions and regulations
for the Order. He continued to write and composed
many homilies, letters, and other works. He
successfully defended the Order against accusations
that the life was too rigorous and, in the process,
made more converts to the ascetic way of life.
In 1128, Bernard was made secretary at a papal
council convened to deal with certain matters in the
Church in France. At this council, Bernard outlined
the rule for the Knights Templar. However, when a
bishop was deposed after the Council, Bernard was
accused of meddling in papal affairs, a remonstrance
he addressed with grace and tact.
Bernard became involved in several Church matters
including the right of the Church to be free of
influences of kings and princes and a schism over
the election of the pope who, following its
settlement, came to Clairvaux and was served a few
common fish and the juice of herbs which was the
best fare the monks had at the time.
Because of his intelligence and tact, Bernard was
used frequently by Church officials and the Pope to
make peace, avert schism, preach the truth, make
peace, confront heresy, and create other monastic
foundations. He also continued to write. The Pope
asked Bernard to preach for the second Crusade whose
failure he felt keenly. By the time of his death at
the age of sixty three, he had lived in the
monastery for forty years and had founded 163
monasteries in different parts of Europe. He is
known today as a Doctor of the Church and honored as
one of the founding fathers of the Cistercians.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, pray for us.
QUOTE FROM SCRIPTURE
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And
this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
(Ephesians 2:8-9)
Salvation is a gift of God's grace, unmerited and
unearned. But we are free to reject or accept that
gift. When do we reject gifts? This discourtesy
happens when the receiver does not want or need the
gift or when the receiver dislikes the giver.
Certainly we all need salvation, whether or not we
think we do. Who could not want salvation if he or
she believed in God? Who could not love Him if they
knew Him?
As
penitents, we are called to pray for and witness to
those who reject the gift of salvation. May they
know they need it, may they come to love the Giver
so that they may desire salvation with all their
heart.
QUOTE FROM A SAINT
"Grace is necessary to salvation, free will is
equally so; but grace in order to give salvation,
free will in order to receive it. . . . Take away
free will, and there remains nothing to save. . . .
Salvation is given by God alone, and it is given
only to the free will. Even as it cannot be wrought
without the consent of the receiver, it cannot be
wrought without the grace of the Giver."
--Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
Saint Bernard makes the insightful observation
that salvation is given by God and only to the free
will. Those receiving the gift of salvation must
accept it. God's grace and our free will are equally
necessary to receive salvation. Without free will,
there can be no salvation because we must choose to
follow God. May God grant us wisdom to understand
this profound truth.
BIRTHDAYS
A Happy Birthday to:
Gregory G 6/5
Blair D 6/6
J.R. R 6/6
Ruth L 6/6
Jim N 6/6
Victor C 6/10
Bill E 6/13
Teresa R 6/18
Mary Grace E 6/20
Rhea S 6/21
Father Terry S 6/21
Nancy M 6/29
Damian A 6/30
FUNDS
The Confraternity
of Penitents requires no dues from its
membership. However, there are expenses to be
met (about $200 monthly) and we appreciate your
donations toward them. We also have an Alms Fund
for needy members. If you wish your contribution
to go toward the Alms Fund, please so specify.
Donations may be sent to CFP Treasurer, Robert
Boczek, 303 Town Green Way, Reisterstown MD
21136. Please make checks out to
Confraternity of Penitents.
OR
Make a secure, online donation through PayPal by
using the PayPal logo on our
Donations Link.
Your donation is tax-deductible.
May God reward you for your support!
Visitor: Father Michael Sisco
Spiritual Advisors: Fr. Martin Mary Fonte, FI; Dom
Julian Stead, OSB; Sister Eugenia Brady, SJC;
Father David Engo, FBM
Convert Contacts:
Deacon Joseph Pasquella and Karen Sadock
Please contact us if you have a question which
you feel a priest needs to answer and we will
put you in touch with one of our spiritual
advisors or with another person who can assist
you.
May God bless you
and let us pray for one another!

The Lord's Prayer
by J. J. Tissot
1899

"Repent and believe the Good News!"
Penance means conversion. The Confraternity of
Penitents is a world wide private Catholic
association of the faithful, completely loyal to our
Pope and the Magisterium.
Our Rule of Life has been reviewed by our bishop and
recognized in these words: "I wish to affirm
my support of the Confraternity of Penitents (CFP),
specifically its members' commendable efforts to
live according to the First Rule of the Third Order
of Saint Francis of 1221, as outlined in the CFP's
own Constitutions."
(Bishop Thomas Tobin, Diocese of Providence RI, 11
February 2009)
Members of the Confraternity of Penitents live this
Rule in their own homes, devoted to prayer, penance,
fasting, conversion, and works of mercy modeled on
Jesus Christ and inspired by the lives and teachings
of
St. Francis,
St. Dominic,
St. Therese,
St. Benedict,
St. Augustine,
St. Ignatius,
and all the saints, most especially Mary, the Mother
of God, who lived a life of true penance
(conversion) in perfect union with our Lord.
May Our Lady and all the saints intercede for all
who wish to embrace a life of penance, anywhere in
the world, so that the grace of God will assist them
to obtain every virtue necessary for a life of
holiness and surrender to the Will of God! Amen.
PRAYER OF PENITENTS
"Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness
of my mind, give me right faith, a firm hope and
perfect charity, so that I may always and in all
things act according to Your Holy Will. Amen."
(Saint Francis's prayer before the San Damiano
Crucifix)
MISSION OF PENITENTS
"Go and repair My House
which, as you can see, is falling into ruin." (The
message given to St. Francis in a voice from the San
Damiano Crucifix.)
ACTION OF PENITENTS
To pray for God's
specific direction in one's life so that, through
humbly living our Rule of Life, each penitent may
help to rebuild the house of God by bringing love of
God and neighbor to his or her own corner of the
world.
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NO GREATER LOVE
"There is no greater love than this: to lay down
one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13)
Monthly Newsletter for
All Who Wish to Do Penance
(Experience Conversion) in the
CONFRATERNITY OF PENITENTS
June 2012
Have you read our other on
line, monthly publications (Monthly Letter to
All Penitents; Following Francis, Following
Christ; and Repair God's House)? Find them
by following this
link.
For security reasons, penitents have requested
that we no longer publish their last names on
the internet.

Letter from One Who Serves the CFP
THEOLOGY, THE
UNIVERSITY, AND THE CHURCH
In 1990, Pope John Paul II issued the
encyclical, Ex Corde Ecclesiae, (From The
Heart Of The Church). In this letter, the Pope
laid out the parameters for Catholic Colleges
and Universities. But why was such an encyclical
necessary? Are not Catholic Universities
automatically “Catholic”?
In March and April of
1986, Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI,
gave lectures in Italy and Canada where he spoke
of the relationship between Theology and the
Church. He opened his presentation with the
following quote: It is unlikely that any
sensible Christian would contest that the care
for the Word of God among men is entrusted to
the church alone. Cardinal Ratzinger then
noted that the source of this quote was not a
functionary of the Vatican Curia. The statement
was made by Heinrich Schlier in 1935 to the
Confessing Evangelical Lutheran Church in Nazi
Germany. This was a time when the Nazi state was
attempting to subvert theology and convert
Lutheran Christianity into a German Christianity
which then could be easily molded to Nazi
purposes. Professor Schlier was forced to resign
his university professorship because of National
Socialist persecution. He understood that the
purpose of theology was “to acquire knowledge of
the Word of God with order and clarity” and the
church is needed for this to happen. Later, this
search for the Word of God brought Heinrich Schlier into the Catholic Church.
Cardinal Ratzinger then goes on to note that, if
there is no ecclesiastical magisterium, theology
is just another academic discipline which could
be the subject of debate, but one would never
stake one’s life on it. Nevertheless,
ecclesiastical authority appears to many to be
“wholly foreign to the nature of scientific
scholarship”. Only reasonable, objective
argument can decide disputes and not any outside
authority. He then goes on to say that, if the
Church and her authority constitute a factor
alien to scientific scholarship, then both
theology and the Church are in equal danger. In
fact, a church without theology impoverishes and
blinds, while a churchless theology melts into
caprice.
This cleavage is especially apparent in Catholic
Colleges and Universities in the USA. Some
Catholic Colleges do think of themselves as
coming from the “Heart of the Church” and try to
conform to Ex Corde Ecclesiae. Others
follow the lead of the famous Land O’Lakes
conference held in Land O’ Lakes Wisconsin in
July 1967. This conference did consider
ecclesiastical authority to be, in Cardinal
Ratzinger’s words “wholly foreign to the nature
of scientific scholarship”.
The Catholic
University today must be a university in the
full modern sense of the word, with a strong
commitment to and concern for academic
excellence. To perform its teaching and research
functions effectively, the Catholic university
must have a true autonomy and academic freedom
in the face of authority of whatever kind, lay
or clerical, external to the academic community
itself. To say this is simply to assert that
institutional autonomy and academic freedom are
essential conditions of life and growth and
indeed of survival for Catholic universities as
for all universities.
Later on, the statement refers to the Catholic
University as the “Critical Reflective
Intelligence of the Church”. Every
university, Catholic or not, serves as the
critical reflective intelligence of its society.
In keeping with this general function, the
Catholic university has the added obligation of
performing this same service for the Church.
Hence, the university should carry on a
continual examination of all aspects and all
activities of the Church and should objectively
evaluate them. The Church would thus have the
benefit of continual counsel from Catholic
universities.
Catholic universities in the
recent past have hardly played this role at all.
It may well be one of the most important
functions of the Catholic university of the
future.
Does this mean that we now have what some have
called a “parallel magisterium” in the Church?
Does the Catholic individual follow the teachings of the
Catholic Bishop or the Catholic Professor? Also,
could this “Critical Reflective Intelligence” be
subverted by the lure of grants and funding from
the government?
Cardinal Ratzinger recognized that the Church
and theological study as carried out in Catholic
Universities need each other. Yet he saw that
there are problems when Catholic Universities,
and the theological studies which they harbor,
assert independence from the Church authority.
We should understand that this tension between
the Church’s magisterium and the Academy is not
new. In the sixteenth century, Doctor Martin
Luther also rejected the teachings of the
Catholic Church and ended up founding the
Lutheran Church.
Even in the thirteenth century, during the early
days of Catholic Universities, St. Francis could
see problems here. It is well known that St.
Francis had a great distrust of book learning.
He could see that learning could easily lead to
pride. Of course, there are many examples of
humble scholars such as St. Anthony of Padua,
St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Bonaventure, and many
others right down to the present, including
Joseph Ratzinger who was an academic theologian
at various German universities before he became
a bishop. These all recognized that the
theologian was the servant of the magisterium
which ultimately gets its authority from Jesus
Christ Himself.
Unfortunately, the lure of pride and money does
seduce academics from the time of St. Francis
down to the present. St. Francis was trying to
protect his friars from all of that. Let us pray
that all who are called to academic careers in
the theological sciences have the humility to
see that they are servants of those whose
authority comes from the Lord Himself.
Jim Nugent (Jim
is a life pledged member of the Confraternity of
Penitents)
NO
GREATER LOVE
Speak To Me, Lord
One of the most important things in our lives,
in fact the thing that takes precedence over
every other activity, is discerning the will of
God for us from day to day. Often, we indirectly
come to know what God wants of us through
people, events, circumstances of everyday life,
things we may read or see around us. The most
direct approach to discerning the will of God is
through Lectio Divina or Divine Reading.
Lectio Divina is an age-old activity practiced
by monks and nuns in abbeys and monasteries
whereby passages of Scripture are read and
re-read until God speaks to the reader through
the written word by focusing his/her attention
on certain words/phrases. The spiritual riches
contained in Lectio Divina are no longer
available to monks and nuns only but to all of
us if we would only give it time, a hard thing
to do, a challenge in our busy world of today.
Lectio Divina is broken up into four segments:
a) lectio - repeated reading of a text until
certain words or phrases stand out, b) meditatio
- reflection on these words/phrases until the
heart of the text emerges, c) oratio - prayer,
prompted by the words/phrases drawn to our
attention, leading us to an awareness of God and
d) contemplatio - passing beyond these
words/phrases and just basking in the presence
of God, savouring the sweetness of His love.
It is normal to devote at least one hour to
Lectio to do justice to it. The common excuse
made by all of us is that we have no time. This
is not a valid excuse. If we have no time, we
just have to make the time, for, after all, how
much does it cost us to devote one hour to God?
Remember the old adage: "Early to bed, early to
rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise".
If this were translated into a religious context
it would imply getting up early, prior to the
rising of the sun while it is still dark, before
the work of the day begins. We need to note, and
note well: "For what was not destroyed by fire
was melted when simply warmed by the fleeting
rays of the sun, to make it known that one must
rise before the sun to give you thanks, and must
pray to you at the dawning of the light" (Wis
16: 27-28).
The breakup of time spent on lectio, meditatio,
oratio and contemplatio would normally be 15
minutes each. However, as just one, two or even
three readings of a passage may not draw one's
attention to particular words/phrases, it is
recommended to devote more time to lectio, thus:
lectio - 20 mins, meditatio - 15 mins, oratio -
10 mins and contemplatio - 15 mins.
For our daily exercise in Lectio, we take the
two readings of the Mass, one from the Old
Testament or the letters of the Apostles and one
from the Gospels. We should keep reading these
two texts over and over till one single thought
emerges from both the readings and touches our
hearts. This is what the Lord is asking or
telling us at that particular point of time. We
should let this thought guide us throughout the
day and at nightfall should examine how far we
have carried out what the Lord had asked of us.
To get the most out of Lectio, it should be done
in silence and solitude, in a calm and peaceful
atmosphere. Take the phone off the hook, switch
off the T.V., close the door of the room where
Lectio is to be done, put up a "DO NOT DISTURB"
sign on the door and do anything else that will
ensure that you are not disturbed for an hour.
This is the best way of discerning the will of
God for us from day to day. Knowing and
fulfilling the will of God everyday makes our
lives spiritually beneficial, pleasing to God
and contributes to His glory and honour.
In this short article, I have not been able to
cover everything on Lectio Divina. Much printed
material is available and ample information can
be found on the subject on the Internet. What I
have tried to do is share my experiences, doing
Lectio regularly as a part of my daily routine.
I can, however, recommend one good booklet for
those who may be interested in Lectio. It is
called "Lectio Divina" - Spiritual Reading of
the Bible by Jean Khoury. It comes under the
Deeper Christianity Series and is published by
the Catholic Truth Society. God bless and assist
us in our efforts at discerning His will for us.
--Patrick John Ashing, OSB Cam., CFP Affiliate

REFLECTION ON OUR RULE OF LIFE
Constitutions:
1. In
keeping with section 1 of the Rule:
1a.
Those belonging to this Confraternity shall dress in
humble and inexpensive cloth. Subdued, solid colors,
as opposed to patterns and designs, should be
chosen. Colors shall be neutral shades (black,
white, cream, ivory, beige, tan, camel, brown, gray,
charcoal, etc.) in conformity with the colors worn
by the first penitents and blue in honor of the
Blessed Mother who is the patron of the
Confraternity of Penitents. The penitent should
strive to have only the least expensive and minimum
amount of clothing needed for comfort, employment,
and utility.
REFLECTION:
It is interesting that the
original Rule of 1221 began immediately after
the preamble with a section on clothing. The
first stipulation of the Rule begins:
1. The men belonging
to this brotherhood shall dress in humble, undyed
cloth, the price of which is not to exceed six
Ravenna soldi
an ell,
unless for evident and necessary cause a temporary
dispensation be given. And breadth and thinness of
the cloth are to be considered in said price.
Why was clothing at the
beginning of the penitential Rule? Because the penitents were to distance
themselves from the secular worry about prestige
and social class, and clothing was the primary
mode of distinguishing one class from another. A
good place to begin was in the cost of the cloth
used to make the garments. If penitents had to
restrict themselves to a certain amount of
money, they could not buy the most expensive
clothes. However, the amount spent for the cloth
was reasonable for the day. An ell was a man's
arm length and six Ravenna soldi was about $5.29
in 2012, which means that the cost of the cloth
would not exceed $5.29 per yard. While not
many fabrics today are available for that price,
some are. In addition, penitents, in selecting
clothing, should take into account how many
yards of material are used in the garment. This
would give some idea of how much the original
Rule would allow one to spend on an item. Of
course, if a penitent shops at a second hand or
thrift store, often the price is considerably
lower and the quality much higher than in a
department store.
Penitents live the Rule of
1221 by following the Constitutions. Hence, the
rule of thumb in the Constitutions is that the
clothing should be inexpensive and humble and,
following the color of what undyed cloth would
have been in 1221, it needs to be of solid,
neutral colors or blue in honor of the Blessed
Mother. The solid blue color also helps the
penitent to conceal his or her penitential
practices from the general public which is used
to seeing colorful clothing on secular people.
In addition, the penitent
should have as few clothes as possible for his
or her state in life but as many as are needed
so that they can be mixed and matched to avoid
the appearance of wearing a habit.
Clothing is a marvelous way
to do penance, especially when we continue to
like styles and colors and fabrics that we see
on others but no longer wear ourselves.

AFFILIATE
ACTION
Affiliates can
follow the spirit of this part of the
Constitutions by choosing simple and inexpensive
clothing, as much as possible for their state in
life. They might also want to explore the joys
of thrift store shopping. And perhaps they will
want to give some of their clothing to those
thrift stores that resell it for charity. Even
though Affiliates are not bound to live the Rule
of the Confraternity of Penitents, they can use
that Rule to enhance their own lives.
REFLECTIONS ON THE SAN DAMIANO CRUCIFIX
Accepting the Gift of Salvation
Saint Bernard
observed that salvation is a free gift of God
that has to be accepted by the soul. The San
Damiano Crucifix portrays several people, many
of whom accepted Christ's saving act on the
cross and some who refused it. The Crucifix
portrays in a stunning fashion that Christ's
sacrifice, observed by all, was nevertheless
rejected by some. A close look at the figures on
the Crucifix will reveal those who accepted and
those who rejected. If many who witnessed
Christ's life and death nevertheless rejected
His teaching and His grace, why are we surprised
when so many today, who have never seen or heard
Christ in the flesh, do the same? Faith is a
gift. God be praised if we have it. Let us pray
for those who do not have it and ask the Holy
Spirit to open their hearts to receive it.
POETRY
Abundant Life
Life in Abundance
Feast on in joy
Fruit of the vine
All joys alloy
To God give thanks
He alone give credit
Your mind and soul and body
Owe a spiritual debit
One could say more
if we were to choose
O hope in God alone
One will never lose.
--Joseph Matose, CFP Affiliate (visit Joe's
website at
www.newportartist.com)

CONFRATERNITY PHOTO ALBUM

Richard M. Connors, Novice 2, Confraternity of
Penitents, went home to the Lord on May 9, 2012.
Richard was one of the founding members of
Blessed John Paul II Circle of the Confraternity
of Penitents that meets in Dedham MA. Father of
five children and grandfather of five
grandchildren, Richard had served for forty
years at the Carroll Center for the Blind. With
his gentle spirit and subdued sense of humor,
Richard had been a loving husband, father, and
grandfather and devoted CFP member. He will be
greatly missed. May he rest in peace.

On May 21, 2012, Anthony Cain, former
postulant with the Confraternity of Penitents,
became Brother Maximilian Kolbe of the Queen of
All Hearts. Attending his clothing as a novice
in the Franciscan Brothers Minor, Fort Wayne,
Indiana, were various members of the Fort Wayne
Chapter of the Confraternity of Penitents as
well as Nancy M, SFO, (pictured with Anthony),
CFP Associate who has completed formation who
had known Br. Max when he was part of Our Lady
of the Most Holy Rosary CFP Chapter in Michigan.
Also attending was Karen H, CFP Life Pledged and
privately vowed member of the same Michigan
Chapter. We ask God's blessings on Br. Max as he
begins his noviatiate and trust that he is
praying for us in the Confraternity as well.

HUMOR
More Love Is ... from 4 to 8 year old's
'Love is when you kiss all the
time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you
still want to be together and you talk more. My
Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross
when they kiss'
Emily - age 8
'Love is what's in the room with
you at Christmas if you stop opening presents
and listen.'
Bobby - age 7
'If you want to learn to love better, you should
start with a friend who you hate.'
Nikka - age 6
'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt,
then he wears it everyday.'
Noelle - age 7
'Love is like a little old woman and a little
old man who are still friends even after they
know each other so well.'
Tommy - age 6
CFP HOLY ANGELS GIFT SHOP
To see all the offerings in the CFP Holy Angels
Gift Shop, click on this
link.
"You shall love
the Lord your God with your whole heart, with
your whole soul, and with all your mind, (and)
you shall love your neighbor as yourself."
(Matthew 22:37-38)

Confraternity of Penitents
520 Oliphant Lane
Middletown RI USA
02842-4600
401/849-5421
bspenance@hotmail.com
copenitents@yahoo.com
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