March 26: Saint Ludger, Bishop

Bonum est viro, cum portaveri juesum ab adolescentia sua. Lament. jer. 3.
It is good for man to wear the yoke of our Lord from his youth.
Infelix, qui in vitae huius lubrico fidens perituram insumit operam, nec advertit quoniam vapor est ad modicum parens. S. Bern. in Sent.
Unfortunate is the man who rests on the instability of this life. He wastes his time and his effort to establish himself, not realizing that his life is but an ephemeral breeze.

Example: Saint Ludger did not waste a single moment of his life from the time that he consecrated every single instant to the service of God. While still in the arms of his nurse, and not yet old enough to form but the most rudimentary sentences, he was able to answer her when she asked him how he had spent his day: "I wrote books" or "I read books that have already been written." This was quite miraculous and set the tone for the rest of his life. When the nurse had pressed him to reveal the name of his teacher, he simply responded with "God alone." Growing to be extremely learned, he spread the light of his knowledge to the Frisians and Saxons. As soon as he became Bishop of Munster, he decided to build a monastery in a heavily forested area. A great wind helped him topple all of the trees except for one which shaded Ludger during his prayers. On three seperate occasions, Charlemagne requested his presence while Ludger was praying the canonical hours. He did not dare disturb him because he acknowledged that he was speaking to a prince of higher authority. When Ludger passed away, Charlemagne raised his eyes to heaven and saw him shine like a new star.

Practice: Lover of God, we have ourselves a perfect time to serve God in resigning ourselves to His Will. He wants every moment of our life, so let's commit them to His service. They all belong to Him because He merits them. We owe them to Him because He asks for them. Why, then, all this vanity, sloth, and sensuality? All of this time that we commit to these vices is time spent in rebellion that only invites disaster, and that robs us of our days of joy.