Camaldolese Benedictine Monk (1386-1439)
His life
+ Ambrose was born into a noble family in Portico di Romagna, Italy.
+ As a young man, he studied the arts, sciences, and languages in Venice.
+ In 1400, he became a Camaldolese Benedictine monk, adopting the Camaldolese monks’ balanced life of solitude and common life within a community.
+ A scholar and theologian, he composed several accounts of the lives of the saints and translated numerous works for the benefit of his community. He was elected superior-general of the Camaldolese Order in 1430 and was a leading figure at the Council of Florence in 1439.
+ Blessed Ambrose died in 1439.
Spiritual bonus
On this day, the Church honors the memory of Blessed Ángeles of St. Joseph Lloret Marti. A member of the Sisters of Christian Doctrine, she was serving as superior general of her congregation when she was martyred by anti-Catholic militants of the Spanish Civil War on November 20, 1936. Blessed Ángeles of St. Joseph was beatified in 1995.
For reflection
The just shall flourish like the palm tree,
shall grow like a cedar of Lebanon.
Planted in the house of the Lord,
they shall flourish in the courts of our God.—Psalm 92:13-14
Prayer
Grant us, O Lord, that amid the uncertainties of this world we may cling with all our heart to the things of heaven, for through the Abbot blessed Ambrose you have given us a model of evangelical perfection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal: Common of Holy Men and Women—For an Abbot)
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
And today we celebrate...