Our debt to St Norbert

On this feast day of St Norbert (1080-1134), I discover that the Norbertines (Premonstratensians/Canons Regular of Prémontré) also have a lay branch.  From a website I discover that   'Norbertine spirituality includes the praise of God through the Divine Office, a zeal for the salvation of souls, a spirit of penance, devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. These are the 'five pillars' of Premonstratensian spirituality. How the Norbertine spirituality is lived out will very much depend on the situation and state of the tertiary…'   I suppose we can echo all of that while adding ‘contemplative prayer’ to the list.  Interestingly, according to their website, St Norbert was the first to establish a Third Order in the Catholic Church.  I guess we owe them a debt then for setting a precedent that we followed several hundred years after him in 1476.  Thank you, St Norbert!

Intercessions:

Brian Davis – cancer

Marie, Bernard (and wife Angela caring for him) - cancer

Siena, Elara – sick children

Wojtek – massive heart attack leaving him incapacitated

David - housebound

Sophia – blind infant

Joy Smith OCDS – seriously ill