St Teresa and St Ambrose

The Office of Readings for today contains some pearls from the wonderful St Ambrose (c.339-397), Bishop of Milan.  I often remember him for the extraordinary way in which he was made Bishop; by acclamation of the people at a time when he was actually a public servant; he was baptized, ordained, and consecrated within a week.  He had gone to the church where the episcopal election was to be held out of concern for public order because passions were running rampant due to the controversies over Arianism, but the cry went up for him to be made Bishop.  The thing is, he reminds me very much of Teresa’s Interior Castle when he writes in today’s Office of Readings:  ‘The apostle teaches us to pray anywhere, while the Saviour says Go into your room – but you must understand that this “room” is not the room with four walls that confines your body when you are in it, but the secret space within you in which your thoughts are enclosed and where your sensations arrive. That is your prayer-room, always with you wherever you are, always secret wherever you are, with your only witness being God.’ 

Intercessions:

Cancer: Brian Davis, Bernard (and wife Angela caring for him), Jacqui, Theresa K, Fr Jon B

Siena, Elara – sick children

Wojtek – massive heart attack leaving him incapacitated

David OCDS – housebound

Sophia – blind infant

Joy Smith OCDS – seriously ill

Grace – troubling ailments, job difficulties, family (deceased mother and health of father)

Lucia – Overwhelmed by weariness

Defence of the unborn and the elderly

RIP Martin Gilham, Sue Burton, little Matthew (six years old, died of cancer)