From: rich <
richarra@gmail.com>
February 27th - St. John of Gorze, Abbot
Also known as Jean de Gorze, John of Lorraine
d. 974
THE father of John of Gorze was well on in years when his son was born
at Vandi=C3=A8res near Pont-=C3 -Mousson, and, though he lived long enoug=
h to
have him well educated at Metz and at Saint-Mihiel, he died before
John attained to manhood. The youth was called upon to look after the
family property, and was thus brought into touch with leading men in
church and state. The benefices of Vandi=C3=A8res and of Saint-Laurent in
the village of Fontenoy were vested in him, and he did much to adorn
and beautify these churches, especially Saint-Laurent, where he would
sometimes spend several days in prayer when he was free from secular
business. Although the world still had attractions for him, he was
greatly influenced by an old priest who had a special devotion to the
Divine Office and by a holy deacon named Bernier. The church and
monastery on his estate were dependent on the nunnery of St. Peter at
Metz, and he used often to go there to serve at Mass. The accidental
discovery of the austerity practised by the nuns and those who were
under their care brought home to him the ease and luxury in which he
was living. From that moment he turned his mind entirely to spiritual
matters. He is credited with having learnt the Bible by heart, and is
said to have acquired an extraordinary knowledge of the Comes, the Penitentials, the canons of ecclesiastical law, the homilies of the
fathers, and the lives of the saints, so that he could recite them as
though he were reading from a book.
A pilgrimage to Rome brought John into touch with various holy persons
who helped him to advance in the spiritual life, and he visited Monte
Gargano, Monte Cassino=E2=80=94and Vesuvius. Upon his return to Lorraine, h=
e
formed a great friendship with Archdeacon Einhold of Toul, whom he
persuaded to give away his possessions and to join him on another
pilgrimage to Rome. However, Adelborn, Bishop of Metz, interposed, and
the two then betook themselves to the almost deserted abbey of Gorze
in 933. They soon instilled new life into the monastery, and Einhold
became abbot, with John as his prior; so severe were the austerities
which he undertook that his superior felt obliged to moderate them.
The Emperor Otto I having asked for two monks to go as his ambassadors
to the court of the Caliph Abdur-Rahman of Cordova, John was chosen as
the chief spokesman, and he fulfilled his mission with so much courage
and wisdom that he won the admiration of the Mussulman chief. On his
return in 960 he was elected abbot of Gorze, and he proceeded to
introduce reforms which spread to other Benedictine monasteries in
Upper Lorraine; the reform, like that of the contemporary St. Gerard
of Brogne, was marked by its physical severity. It seems rather
uncertain whether John should be styled =E2=80=9CSaint=E2=80=9D, or =E2=80= =9CBlessed=E2=80=9D: the
Bollandists give the latter description, but he is popularly spoken of
as St. John of Gorze.
A full and historically important biography of John of Gorze was
written in 980 by his friend John, abbot of St. Arnulf at Metz, but
the only manuscript we possess is unfortunately incomplete. The text
has been edited by the Bollandists (Acta Sanctorum, February, vol.
iii), by Mabillon, and in the MGH., Scriptores, vol. iv, whence it has
been reprinted in Migne, PL., vol. 137, cc. 241-310. See also Mathieu,
De Joannis Abbatis Gorziensis Vita (1879), and Sackur, Die
Cluniacenser, vol. i.
Saint Quote:
Blessed the one who loves truth continually and has not lent his mouth
as an instrument of impiety by lying, for he fears the commandment
about idle speech.
--St. Ephrem of Syria
Bible Quote:
Now we are well aware that whatever the Law says is said for those who
are subject to the Law, so that every month may be silence, and the
whole world brought under the judgment of God. So then, no human being
can be found upright at the tribunal of God by keeping the Law; all
that the Law does is to tell us what is sinful. [Romans 3:19-20.]
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A Prayer for a Pure Heart and Heavenly Wisdom
Strengthen me, O Lord God, by the grace of Your Holy Spirit.(Ps.
51:12) Grant me inward power and strength (Eph.3:16) and empty my
heart of all profitless anxiety and care.(Matt.5:34) Let me never be
drawn away from You by desire for anything else, whether noble or
base, but help me to realize that all things are passing, and myself
with them. Nothing in this world is lasting, and everything in this
life is uncertain, troubling to the spirit (Eccles.1:14; 2:11) How
wise is the man who knows these truths! Grant me heavenly wisdom, O
Lord, that above all else I may learn to search for and discover You;
to know and love You; and to see all things as they really are and as
You in Thy wisdom have ordered them. May I prudently avoid those who
flatter me, and deal patiently with those who oppose me. True wisdom
cannot be swayed by every wordy argument, (Eph.4:14) and pays no
regard to the cunning flatteries of evil men. Only thus shall we go
forward steadily on the road on which we have set out.
--Thomas =C3 Kempis --Imitation of Christ Bk 3, Ch 27
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