So let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father
who is in heaven. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today we celebrate the feast day in the extraordinary form of St. V de Benebel,
7th and 8th century monk of great esteem, truly a giant in his time and in the early English church.
He did much for the church and for all of us because it was through his learning and his writing
that we have the ecclesiastical history.
The history of England, which is not only a history of the church, but also a history of the time.
He was a great historian, and it was he who gives us the policy of writing A.D., Anno Domini,
in the year of our Lord. He was the first to use it, and it shows his extraordinary witness to Jesus Christ.
In the year of the Lord, this happened.
So we rejoice today for the glory of the English church and the glory of the whole church, of course.
And especially, you can't read the life of St. V de Benebel, of which we know very, very little.
He entered the monastery at seven years of age and lived a fruitful life, teaching and studying and writing.
They say that he would go from his studies to his work.
To his prayer and back and forth.
As I said, he was truly a great light, and he was certainly instrumental in the Church of England.
And you have to think and wonder about this time in England, the time of the monasteries.
So beautiful it was that these citadels of learning would teach the people and go out to the whole world.
And bring people to the Lord, and live such holy lives.
Having entered at seven years of age, and lived every day just about, except for a little trip he had gone to a monastery at York.
St. Bede was a model of what a monk should be.
Revered and loved by all.
And known by all, even as far away as Rome.
When, of course, travel was difficult.
And news didn't get about.
Pope Sergius himself wanted to bring him to Rome.
Because he was such a wonderful scholar.
And such a wonderful teacher of the truth.
And in his writings, he said, he always went to the fathers of the Church.
Copying down things that they had written, not trusting in himself.
And writing continuously.
About the various books of the Church.
Various books of the Bible.
And so on.
So we glory today in this wonderful saint.
Venerable Bede.
Of whom St. Boniface called a light that the Holy Spirit has lit.
A light for the English Church.
A light for us.
So revered that he was called Venerable in his day.
And has continued to be called Bede the Venerable.
Even though he was canonized a saint.
So we rejoice.
And we rejoice in the monastic tradition.
Which was the means of educating the people.
And also sustaining the people.
Hilaire Belloc, the historian, tells us,
England knew no poverty during the time of the monasteries.
Poverty only came into England when the monasteries were destroyed by King Henry VIII in the 16th century.
The monastery lands were sold off to the various English people.
Who were the favorites of the leaders of the English Church at that time.
But during the time of Venerable Bede in the 7th and 8th century.
And there on for a thousand years almost.
There was no poverty in England.
Because the monks would take care of the people.
They would till the land.
And they would be given the food.
The food of their work.
And also they would be educated by the monks.
And even given hospitalization and so on.
So it was a glorious time for the church.
And when you read the life of Saint Bede.
And you read around all the various bishops and abbots that were connected with him.
All canonized saints.
You must glory at this time.
Such great men.
Who lived such beautiful lives.
In their monasteries.
Morning, noon and night.
Ora et labora.
Work and pray.
All for the glory of God.
So Saint Bede certainly let his light be shine on the earth.
And he certainly was the salt of the earth.
A beautiful teacher and doctor of the church for us today.
And we glory in Saint Bede.
And we glory in the Church of England.
And we hope and pray.
That the English Church will come back.
To the one true and holy Catholic Church.
We pray for that.
And we pray to Our Lady.
Our Lady of Walsingham.
Who was the great shrine for the English Church.
So we rejoice at this time.
Especially now that the people of England are going back as pilgrims to Walsingham.
I believe it was Pope Leo XIII said that.
When England goes to Walsingham.
They will come back to the church.
So they're coming to Our Lady.
And we rejoice at that.
And we hope and pray with Saint Bede.
And all the other great English saints.
That the English people will again be united to the Church of Rome.
And we pray of course for all those people in the world.
Who are far from God.
Far from the Catholic Church.
And we hope and pray.
That they too.
Will see the light.
The truth.
Because Jesus Christ only established one Church.
Upon the Rock of Peter.
The Church that Saint Bede loved.
And that he served so faithfully for all his life.
So we pray for that.
And we ask Our Lady.
As she said at Fatima.
To pray for the many souls who are far from God.
We pray the Rosary.
Especially during this month of May.
To pray the Rosary.
For the intention for the conversion.
Of sinners in these times.
When so many people have lost the faith.
Convert the sinners back to the Lord.
And using the lights of the great saints.
And doctors of our Church.
We hope and pray.
That that will soon be forthcoming.
May the Lord bless you.
Make our soul limited.
And we pray.
Amen.