7th Sunday of EasterOffice of Readings | Morning Prayer | Evening Prayer | Night Prayer | Mass(St Simon Stock (c.1165 - 1265))

He became a Carmelite, and in 1245 or 1247 was elected the sixth general of the order. The order was in a delicate position: founded on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land, it needed to adapt its Rule to European conditions and to obtain the toleration of the clergy. As a result of Simon’s work, Pope Innocent IV confirmed the Rule and placed the order under the special protection of the Holy See. After this the order grew greatly, especially in England.See also the articles in the Catholic Encyclopaedia and Wikipedia.(Saint Brendan (486 - 578))

Saturday of the 6th week of EastertideOffice of Readings | Morning Prayer | Evening Prayer | Night Prayer | Mass(St Isidore the Farmer (1070 - 1130))

He was born near Madrid to very poor parents. He was a labourer and later a bailiff on the estates of a landowner called Juan de Vargas. He was noted for his piety. He died on 15 May 1130.The biographical sources are unreliable, being essentially a catalogue of miracles. There is no reason, however, to doubt that he was a saint: devotion to him started shortly after his death, when many people who had known him were still alive. He is patron saint of Madrid.See the articles in Wikipedia and the Catholic Encyclopaedia.(Saint Carthage (c.555 - 637))

Saint Matthias, ApostleOffice of Readings | Morning Prayer | Evening Prayer | Night Prayer | MassSt Matthias, Apostle

He was not one of the Twelve; but after the treachery and death of Judas Iscariot, someone was needed to take his place. Two candidates were selected, and lots were drawn to see which of them should be made one of the Twelve: the choice fell on Matthias. Nothing is known for certain about his subsequent history.Drawing lots to select a candidate for an office sounds strange to us, but it was a recognised Jewish custom: for example, the priest who was to enter the Temple sanctuary and burn incense there was not chosen by some rota but by lot. Random events, independent of any obvious natural or human cause, were seen as a direct expression of God’s will. Drawing lots was not a substitute for human decision – human beings had chosen Matthias as a candidate, human beings decided which priests were eligible on which days – but a way of putting the final choice into the hands of God.When we attain some high or responsible position, we may be tempted to congratulate ourselves on being the best candidate for the job. We would do well to remember that we have got there because of the people we have met and the things we have found ourselves doing, and, more fundamentally, because of the gifts and talents that God has given us. These things are essentially random: like Matthias, we have been chosen by lot.See the articles in Wikipedia and the Catholic Encyclopaedia.