Liturgical Calendar

Saint of the day

Saint Bertin (d.709)

Saint Bertin was born in France in the beginning of the seventh century. He began his religious life at the Abbey of Luxeuil, and then joined the bishop of Therouanne, who was sharing the message of Christ with the pagans. To spread their mission even farther, the monks founded two monasteries. Bertin ran the second monastery they founded for almost 60 years. Saint Bertin practiced great severities throughout his lifetime, and was in continuous communion with God. He traveled far and wide to share God's message, and trained his disciples to carry on his ministry after he was gone. Saint Berlin passed away at a very old age, some say older than 100, surrounded by his fellow monks.

Reflection

Saint Bertin intended always to be in full communion with God. As he walked, worked, ate, and rested, Saint Bertin included God, hoping always to grow in greater union with God. Do you strive to include God in all that you do? Think of ways that you could invite God to more actively participate in the entirety of your life.

Prayer

Dear Jesus, please enter my life in every way. Help me to be aware of your presence in all of my activities.

Meditations

Meditation for Reading 1

It is easy to be jealous, to feel that someone is better looking or stronger or smarter or more popular. Another team or school or town or country feels like a threat, and we slip into destructive competition. Sometimes we fall into jealous behavior without even realizing it. Keeping our perspective can be hard if we don't have a strong sense of who we are. We must be constantly on guard against acting out of jealousy and foolish rivalry. So much more can be accomplished with cooperation instead of jealousy and unhealthy competition. Dear Jesus, give me a cooperative spirit at home, at school, and at work. Inspire me to cooperate with, rather than compete with, those by whom I feel threatened. (Taken from “Take Ten – Daily Bible Reflections for Teens”)