Saint John Cantius, Priest and Confessor
by VP
Posted on Friday October 20, 2023 at 12:00AM in Saints
"St. John Cantius born at Kenty, a market-town in the diocese of Cracow, he was raised up by Providence to keep alight the torch of faith and the flame of Christian charity during the 15th century in Poland. He obtained all the academical degrees at the University of Cracow, where he taught for several years.
Ordained a priest, he offered every day the Holy Sacrifice to appease heavenly justice, for he was deeply afflicted by the offenses of men against God."
Source: Daily Missal with Vespers for Sundays and Feasts, by Rev. Fr. Gaspar Lefebvre, 1925
Prayer to God to save the Church by Sanctifying His priests who have fallen away
O God, our Lord, we obey without delay
to Thy gracious invitation to pray. Encouraged by Thy desire, we worship
at your sacred feet, crying out to Thee for our guilty priests. Deign
to be reminded, Lord, that Thy priestly Body is Thy crown of
predilection, the splendor of Thy glory, the chosen part of Thy
heritage.
We implore Thee to arm Thyself with holy indignation
against Satan, who dared to plant the banner of sin in Thy own
sanctuary, and to chase him away in shame from Thy solemnly dedicated
domain.
What would it cost Thee, O Lord, to turn the most
hardened hearts into penitents? Only one simple glance at Peter was
enough to retrieve him from the abyss of a three times apostasy; would
it cost Thee more to touch and convert those who have had the misfortune
to imitate his weakness?
O Jesus, our King and Pontiff, we
beseech Thee on behalf of Mary, Thy Mother and ours, save the Church,
save Thy faithful, save Thy blessed honor, by saving priests! Amen.
Saint John Cantius, pray for our Bishop and priests!
St. Peter of Alcantara, CONFESSOR, A.D. 1562. reformer of the Franciscan Order
by VP
Posted on Thursday October 19, 2023 at 12:00AM in Saints
Artist Luis Tristán (1586–1624)
"Upon a time, the Count Orapsane, a devout nobleman, came to visit
him (Peter Alcantara), and falling into discourse, how much Almighty God
was moved with the sins of the world, out of his zeal breaketh into
these speeches, "O Father! what do you think? What will become of this
wicked world? Do you think the divine justice can contain itself any
longer from revenge? behold, how virtue is oppressed, and sin
triumpheth? How willfully
do we hoard up anger against the day of anger?"
To which the man of God modestly answered and said, "Noble Sir, do not afflict yourself, a remedy will easily be found to cure this disease; the point of the difficulty consisteth only in you and me, for the general perdition of mankind floweth from this fountain, that all and every one dissembling or cloaking their own sins, accuse the whole, when the whole cannot be dead to sin at all, but particular persons in the whole.
Wherefore, men cry out against the wickedness of the
world, that all are naught, and none that do good, when if they would but
look into their own particular, they should find matter enough of
sorrow, and to move themselves to do penance for their own faults; but
now because they blame the whole, they neglect their own particulars,
and justify themselves with a sottish presumption. Therefore, noble Sir,
let your Lordship and I,
mend one a piece, and then a great part of
the world will be amended; we shall appease the angry judge, and repair
a great part of the ruin of mankind by our good example." Source: The Golden Treatise of Mental Prayer by St. Peter Alcantara
"LOVE AFFECTIVE AND EFFECTIVE.-It is a mistake with many Christians to imagine that it is enough to love God, without accomplishing any work to glorify Him. No one loved God more tenderly than St. Peter of Alcantara; his two treatises on "Mental Prayer" and " Peace of the Soul" are two glorious memorials thereof; his whole existence was, so to speak, but one continued act of the love of God, accompanied oftentimes by ecstasies. He did not rest satisfied with loving God by himself alone, but desired that He should be loved by his brethren also; and hence devoted himself with ardent zeal to the preaching of the Divine Word, and had the happiness of converting thousands of sinners. This did not, however, suffice; the humble Franciscan, whose fame had spread throughout Spain and who was honored by the court, was given to the practice of such austerities that it became needful to restrain them. The relaxation that had crept into the Order caused him the keenest chagrin; by way of remedying it he instituted a reform known as that of "the strict observance," and died on the 19th October, at the monastery of Arenas.
MORAL REFLECTION. How can one feel safe about one's way of life, unless able to echo the saying of the Master: "The works that I do bear witness of me!"-(John v. 36.)" Pictorial half hours with the saints by Rev. Fr. Auguste François Lecanu
Prayer:
O
thou whom according to our Lord's promise, art never invoked in vain,
if thou deign thyself to present our prayers to Him; obtain for us that
relish for heavenly things, which causes an aversion for those of earth.
It is the petition made by the whole Church, through thy merits, to
the God who bestowed on thee the gift of such wonderful penance and
sublime contemplation. The great family of Friars Minor cherishes the
treasure of
thy teaching and example; for the honor of thy holy
Father Francis and the good of the Church, maintain in it the love of
its austere traditions. Withdraw not thy precious protection from the
Carmel of Teresa of Jesus; nay, extend it to the whole religious state,
especially in these days of trial.
Source: The Liturgical Year: Time after Pentecost (v. 11, 3rd ed.) By Don Prosper Guéranger
St John de Brebeuf, priest and martyr
by VP
Posted on Thursday October 19, 2023 at 12:00AM in Saints
Jean de Brébeuf and Gabriel Lalemant stand ready for boiling water/fire "Baptism" and flaying by the Iroquois in 1649.
"Fathers Brebeuf and Lallemant and a few Huron warriors were made prisoners. The town was fired. Immediately after their capture the Fathers were stripped of their clothes, and their finger-nails torn out by the roots, and were borne in wild triumph to the village of St. Ignatius, which had been taken the same morning. On entering its gates they both received a share of blows on their shoulders, loins, and stomach, no part of their exposed bodies escaping contumely. In the midst of this cruelty the unconquerable De Brebeuf thought only of others. his eye kindling with fire, he addressed the Christian Hurons who were his fellow-captives: "My children! Let us lift up our eyes to heaven in the midst of our sufferings; let us remember that God is a witness of our torments, and that He will soon be our reward exceedingly great. Let us die in this faith, and trust in his goodness for the fulfillment of His promises. I feel more for you than for myself; but bear with courage the few torments which yet remain. They will terminate with our lives. The glory which will follow them will have no end! "Echon" they replied, " Our hope shall be in heaven, while our bodies are suffering on earth. Pray to God for us, that He will grant us mercy. We will invoke Him even unto death."
Enraged at these words of the heroic Jesuit, the Iroquois led him apart and bound him to a stake. These fiendish savages scorched him from head to foot to silence him, whereupon, in the tone of a master, he threatened them with everlasting flames for persecuting the worshipers of God. As he continued to speak with voice and countenance unchanged, they cut away his lower lip, and thrust a red-hot iron down his throat. He still held his lofty form erect and defiant, with no sign or sound of pain, and they tried another means to overcome him.
They led our Lallemant that De Brebeuf might see him tortured. They had tied strips of bark smeared with pitch about his naked body. When Lallemant saw the condition of his superior he could not hide his agitation, and called out to him, with a broken voice, in the words of St. Paul "We are made a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men." Then he threw himself at De Brebeuf's feet, upon which the Iroquois seized him, made him fast to a stake, and set fire to the bark that enveloped him. As the flames rose he threw his arms upward with a shriek of supplication to heaven. Next they hung around De Brebeuf's neck a collar made of hatchets heated red-hot, but the indomitable priest stood it like a rock. A Huron in the crowd, who had been a convert of the mission, but was now an Iroquois by adoption, called out, with the malice of a renegade, to pour hot water on their heads, since they poured so much cold water on those of others, The kettle was accordingly slung, and the water boiled and poured slowly on the heads of the two missionaries.
"We baptize you," they cried, "that you may be happy in heaven, for nobody can be saved without a good baptism." De Brebeuf did not flinch, and in a rage they cut strips of flesh from his limbs, and devoured them before his eyes. Other renegade Hurons called out to him, "You told us that the more one suffers on earth the happier he is in heaven. We wish to make you happy. We torment you because we love you, and you ought to thank us for it." After a succession of other revolting tortures, they scalped him, when seeing him nearly dead, they laid open his breast, and came in a crowd to drink the blood of so valiant an enemy, thinking to imbibe with it some portion of his marvelous courage. A chief then tore out his heart and devoured it.
Thus died John De Brebeuf, the founder of the Huron mission, its truest hero and its greatest martyr. (...)
Source: The Catholic Record, Volume 14
Prayer of Saint John de Brebeuf
Jesus, my Lord and Savior, what can I give you in return for all the favors you have first conferred on me? I will take from your hand the cup of your sufferings and call on your name. I vow before your eternal Father and the Holy Spirit, before your most holy Mother and her most chaste spouse, before the angels, apostles and martyrs, before my blessed fathers Saint Ignatius and Saint Francis Xavier–in truth, I vow to you, Jesus my Savior, that as far as I have the strength, I will never fail to accept the grace of martyrdom, if someday you in your infinite mercy should offer it to me, your most unworthy servant...My beloved Jesus, here and now I offer my body and blood and life. May I die only for you, if you will grant me this grace, since you willingly died for me. Let me so live that you may grant me the gift of such a happy death. In this way, my God and Savior, I will take from your hand the cup of your sufferings and call on your name: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! Amen.
Source: Catholicity
Saint Luke, Evangelist
by VP
Posted on Wednesday October 18, 2023 at 12:00AM in Saints
El Greco. St. Luke
"He was bred up a physician in Antioch, and generally believed to be one of the seventy-two disciples. He wrote the Gospel, as he had received it from the apostles,
but particularly from St. Paul. He was his faithful companion in all
his persecutions; so that while many others forsook him, St. Luke did
not: Only Luke is with me. (2 Tim. iv. 11.) For this reason, he is often
commended by St. Paul in his epistles; and not only for his constancy,
but for his being a true disciple of Christ crucified: He always bore
about in his body the dying of Jesus. (2 Cor. iv. 10.) He wrote likewise the Acts of the Apostles.
History says that he was at length put to death in Achaia, whence his
relics, together with those of St. Andrew, were translated to
Constantinople, under the Emperor Constantius.
Read the Gospel, and Read the Gospel, and pray for grace to be faithful in the practice of it; and that no corrupt maxims of the world may take place of it in your heart.
Pray for the constancy of this saint, that no sort of persecution or trouble, no power of convenience or interest, may prevail on you to forsake the commandments or the creed.
Let his example teach you to be a comfort to such as are in trouble. To
be friendly to persons in power and plenty, is to be suspected of
self-love: but to be a friend to the poor and oppressed, is the effect of charity. Keep up your correspondence with these, give them no occasion of scandal, by forsaking those in their trouble, whom you have courted in their
prosperity.
Ask for grace to become a true follower of Christ crucified. Examine of what spirit you are. If you admire and follow the world, with its vanities, you have not yet learnt to be a disciple of Christ. Beseech God to protect you by his heavenly grace, and not suffer you to follow any other spirit than that of his gospel: that as it was His Holy Spirit that assisted the evangelists in writing the Gospel, the same Divine Helper may assist you also to follow it." The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev. John GOTHER
" [1] And after these things the Lord appointed also other seventy-two: and he sent them two and two before his face into every city and place whither he himself was to come. [2] And he said to them: The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send laborers into his harvest. [3] Go: Behold I send you as lambs among wolves. [4] Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes; and salute no man by the way. [5] Into whatsoever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house." Source: DouayRheims
V. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest.
R-. That He send laborers into His harvest. (St. Luke xi 2)
Let us pray:
O Holy Ghost, Spirit of Wisdom and Divine Love, impart Thy Knowledge, Understanding and Counsel to Youth that they may know the vocation wherein they can best serve God. Give them courage and strength to follow God’s Holy Will, guide their uncertain steps, strengthen their resolutions, shield their chastity, fashion their minds, conquer their hearts, and lead them to the vineyard where they will labor in God’s holy cause.
Mary, Queen of the Clergy and Mother of all Priests and Religious, turn a merciful ear to our petition that many will dedicate themselves to thy Divine Son. Prompt them to be zealous and self-sacrificing priests, Brothers and Sisters in our beloved country and in foreign missions. Help them to bring love and knowledge of the Most Holy Trinity to souls that otherwise might be lost for eternity. Amen.
Queen of Vocations, hear our prayer!
St. Joseph, pray for us!
St. Pius X, pray for us!
St. John Vianney, pray for us!
Source: Catholic Research Resources Alliance: The Catholic Standard and Times Volume 65, number 27, 25 March 1960
For more prayers for vocations, please visit this page:
Saint Gerard Majella, Redemptorist
by VP
Posted on Monday October 16, 2023 at 12:15PM in Saints
Prayer to St. Gerard Majella
St.
Gerard, true lover of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, do
thou who didst kneel long hours before the tabernacle, and there didst
taste the joy of paradise, obtain for us, we pray thee, the spirit of
prayer, and an undying love for this most Holy Sacrament, that receiving
frequently the Body and Blood of Jesus we may daily grow in His Holy
Love and merit the priceless grace of loving Him even to the end.
St
Gerard most favored child of Heaven, to whom Mary gave the Infant Jesus
in the days of thy Childhood, and to whom she sweetly came before thou
didst close thine eyes in death, obtain for us, we beseech thee, so to
seek and love our Blessed Mother during life, that she may be our joy
and consolation in this valley of tears until, with thee, before the
throne of God, we may praise her goodness for all eternity. Amen. (Life
of St. Gerard Majella.)
"Oh, how differently did the saints act! St Gerard Majella was once wickedly calumniated in the most painful, the most humiliating manner. The calumny was such that his pure heart must have been filled with horror at the very thought of it; and it was so cunningly planned, that it was scarcely possible not to hold him guilty. Holy Communion was forbidden him; all, even his superiors, believed him guilty; and he, the saint himself, said not a single word in his own defense, but lovingly left it all to his divine Lord. "It is thy affair, dear Lord," he said. "Wilt thou that I am humbled, that I walk the path which thou hast walked, I am content." With all others he was silent, till the calumniator acknowledged his own wickedness. (...) These are heroic acts, such as saints practice; but we ought often to bring them before our mind, to shame us for not having yet taken a single step along this path, or even turned our steps towards it.
To-day, then, we will make the resolution not to excuse ourselves; but rather-for once in our lives-let blame be put upon us for something we have not done. We will consider our own advantage, and therefore not push the blame on to others either; and if it should happen that we are accused of a thing without cause, we will submit to it in silence, and think to ourselves: "I have deserved it another time, if not now!" or, "For the love of my Lord !" Lenten Meditations By Mother Mary Louis Christine Clare Fey, Imprimatur 1923
Saint Gerard Majella's Resolutions
1.O my God, my only love, today and every day I give myself up to Thy good pleasure. In all temptations and trials I will say always: Thy will be done. All that Thou mayest ordain for me I will embrace with my whole heart, never ceasing to raise my eyes to heaven, there to adore the divine hands which cast towards me the precious pearls of Thy most holy will
2. Amongst all the virtues which are dear to Thee, O my God, that which I love with a love of predilection is holy purity. My trust is in Thee, O infinite holiness, to preserve me from any thought which might sully the brightness of my soul.
3. I will say nothing either good or bad about myself. I will attack no one in conversation, nor will I make any reference to the faults of others, even by way of a joke. I will be careful to excuse everyone, considering in my neighbor the person of Jesus Christ Himself, whom the Jews accused, notwithstanding His innocence. I will defends others, especially in their absence. If I should noting anyone committing a fault, I will be careful not to correct him in the presence of others. I will speak to him on the matter between ourselves and in a low tone of voice.
4. Never will I mix myself up with anyone else's business; I will never say that anyone has done anything badly.
5. In all interior conflicts I will be careful not to listen to self-love. If anyone blames or accuses me, I will strive to make all bitter feelings pass gently away; then tranquility will reign at the bottom of my soul.
6. My supreme resolution is to give myself unreservedly to God. For this reason I will have continually before my eyes this motto: Be thou deaf, blind, and mute. Only one thing do I desire - Thy good pleasure, O my God, and not mine own. In me, O Lord, may Thy will, not mine be done.
7. May my prayers, my communions, and all my good works be always applied for the salvation of poor sinners in union with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
8. In visiting the Blessed Sacrament I will make the following Acts: O Lord Jesus, I believe that Thou art present in the Blessed Sacrament, and I adore Thee will all my heart. I have the intention of adoring Thee by this visit wherever Thou art present in the sacred Host, and I offer Thee Thy precious blood for poor sinners; also, I desire to receive Thee spiritually as many times as there are sanctuaries on earth in which Thou dost dwell.
9. I will have all possible veneration for priests, beholding in them Jesus Christ Himself, and striving to be penetrated with the greatness of their dignity.
10. I have obliged myself always to do that which is most perfect. By this I mean that which seems to me to be the most perfect course to take in the sight of God.
Blessed Sacrament Book by Fr. Francis X. Lasance. Life of St. Gerard Majella, by Rev. Fr. O.R. Vassall-Phillips C.SSR.
Litany of St. Gerard Majella:
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus, hear us. Jesus, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help, Pray for us.
St. Joseph, foster-father of Christ, Pray for us.
St. Alphonsus, founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, enriched with extraordinary graces from early youth, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, perfect model of a faithful servant, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, bright pattern of the working class, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, seraph of love towards the Blessed Sacrament, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, living image of the crucified Savior, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, zealous client of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, bright mirror of innocence and penance, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, admirable model of heroic obedience, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, silent sufferer under ignominious calumny, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, great before God by thy deep humility, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, truly wise by thy childlike simplicity, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, supernaturally enlightened in divine mysteries, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, solely solicitous about the pleasures of God, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, indefatigably zealous for the conversion of sinners, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, wise counselor in the choice of a vocation, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, enlightened guide in the direction of souls, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, loving help of the poor and afflicted, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, wondrous patron of unbaptized children, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, compassionate intercessor in every necessity, Pray for us.
St. Gerard, honor and glory of the Order of Redemptorists, Pray for us.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Gracious hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.
Pray for us, Blessed Brother Gerard, That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
LET US PRAY.
(Prayer of the Church.)
O God, who wast pleased to draw to Thyself the Blessed Gerard from his youth, and to render him conformable to the image of Thy crucified Son,
grant, we beseech Thee, that following his example we may be transformed into the self-same image. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Manual of the Purgatorian Society: Containing Spiritual Reading and Prayers ...By Purgatorian Society
St. Teresa of Avila, Virgin, Carmelites 1582
by VP
Posted on Sunday October 15, 2023 at 12:00AM in Saints
St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Wake Forest, NC
"(...)
All the Discalceates of both sexes suffered great and terrible
persecutions, from the heavy accusations and violent oppositions of
almost all the brethren of the mitigated Rule, and from the Pope's
nuncio, Sega, who succeeded Hormaneto, the great favorer of the
Reformed. This new nuncio seemed to be resolved upon the ruin of the
Reformation; and hereupon began with extreme rigor to condemn, imprison
and banish those whom he conceived most likely to make resistance.(...)
As
the holy mother had a great share in this persecution, not only by the
sufferings she endured in her own person, but also by the fellow-feeling
she had for all her children, so it is not to be doubted but that the
happy issue of the whole, to God's greater glory, and the great
advancement of her Order, is in a great measure to be attributed to her
prayers." Source: The life of the Holy Mother Saint Teresa
Prayer for priests by Saint Teresa of Avila
O my Most Sweet Jesus, O Jesus, Eternal High Priest, keep Thy priests in
the shelter of Thy Sacred Heart, where no one can hurt them. Keep their
anointed hands unsullied, which daily handle Thy Sacred Body. Keep pure
the lips which are reddened with Thy Precious Blood. Keep pure and
unworldly their hearts which are sealed with the sublime token of Thy
glorious priesthood.
Cause them to grow in love and loyalty to
Thee and protect them from the contamination of the world. With their
power of transforming bread and wine, give them the power of
transforming hearts. Bless their work with rich fruit and grant them one
day the crown of eternal life. Amen. Source: Cure d'Ars Prayer Group
At the age of eighteen, she obtained leave of her father to take the habit of the Carmelite nuns; and being professed, she became an example to the rest in the exercises
of humility, patience, prayer, and 'mortification. Here God was pleased
to try her with violent temptations and tedious sickness for above
twenty years. In all which time she remitted nothing of her usual
devotions or austerities; being always accustomed to say: Either suffer, or die!
She undertook to reform the Order of the Carmelites, and bring it to its
primitive austerity; and though she met with great opposition, and many
jealousies, she accomplished her design, and saw two-and-thirty
monasteries built of this institution. Having finished this work, she endeavored to approach still nearer to God in prayer and penance;
making a vow of doing whatever she judged to be most perfect; ever
lamenting the blindness of infidels and
sinners, but above all, her own misery, in being at so great a distance
from God.
Her writings discover what her spirit was, which God was likewise pleased to evidence by many miracles; though of all these, her life was the greatest. She exchanged this for a better, in the year 1582.
Learn from this saint to accustom yourself and those under your care to the reading of good books; and to be careful in the choice of company. Good conversation edifies, but that which is evil and worldly, makes ill impressions, and corrupts the soul.
If you have youth under your charge, be still more solicitous in this
point; and never expose them to bad company on any pretext of education,
preferment, or the like.
Learn not to be discouraged with sickness, temptations, troubles, or opposition. These are often the effects of God's greatest mercy and means for the greater perfection of those who sincerely seek him. Learn to be diligent in humility, charity, prayer, and penance. Pray that you may practice these holy lessons; and pray in particular for all the religious who follow the holy institution of St. Teresa." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John GOTHER
Bring back the Cloistered Nuns! (Sensus Fidelium Video)St. Callistus, Pope and Martyr A.D. 222 (16th pope)
by VP
Posted on Saturday October 14, 2023 at 12:00AM in Saints
"He was bishop of Rome, under the Emperor Heliogabalus, and governed the Church five years and two months. He every way promoted exceedingly true religion and virtue, during his administration of the Church in very difficult times. The Emperor Alexander Severus who succeeded Heliogabalus, never persecuted, the Christians, but several martyrs suffered in his reign, through the implacable hatred borne to the Christians by his officers and magistrates. The apostolic labors of St. Callistus were thus crowned with martyrdom, in the year 222.
Pray for the Pope, and for all the pastors of the church; that being watchful over their flocks, they may lead all in the way of salvation.
Beg patience for all who are in troubles, and see that you be not dejected under the difficulties ordained for your portion. Humble yourself under them in the acknowledgment of your unworthiness; and confess God to be just in all his ways. Seek comfort in him who afflicts you, and pray for your persecutors. Keep your eyes on that crown, which is prepared for all who suffer with patience. By this method, your troubles may turn to much better account, than that quiet and peace which you so much desire.
Above all, be careful that your troubles hinder you not from prayer, and the exercise of other spiritual duties: for this would be yielding to the designs of your greatest enemy. But then seek God most, when you stand most in need of his help. All lawful states are capable of a religious spirit. If you make your ill circumstances your plea for neglect of religious duties, the fault is not in your circumstances, but in yourself; and if these were changed, there is too much reason to fear that you would be still the same. Patience is the best preservative of peace in all troubles; and if this proves no remedy to them, it will however crown you." The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Fr. John GOTHER
Saint Edward the Confessor: Piety and Grandeur of Soul
by VP
Posted on Friday October 13, 2023 at 12:00AM in Saints
King Edward the Confessor, holding a ring and a sceptre. Engraving by J. Smith, 1732.
Wellcome Collection. Public Domain Mark. Source: Wellcome Collection.
"PIETY AND GRANDEUR OF SOUL.-In the estimation of worldlings the word "piety" denotes littleness of mind; but this betokens littleness of judgment on their part, for religion shows forth the contrary by illustrious examples. No man was ever more pious, mortified, chaste, and charitable than St. Edward, king of England; but side by side with these purely Christian qualities he displayed a grandeur of soul worthy of the throne. He established a wisely-planned code, which still forms the groundwork of public law in England, and organized an administration so complete that the nation seemed to govern itself as of its own free will; and he proved himself fully able to repel his enemies by armed force whenever it was found needful to engage in war. His subjects loved him like a father. Providence seemed to have singled him out to repair the disasters resulting from forty years of invasion, and to restore his country. He died in 1066, after having founded the abbey of Westminster. "Weep not," he said to his queen Editha; "I am not about to die, but am beginning to live eternally."
MORAL REFLECTION.-"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," and thereby "a wise man will increase his wisdom."(Prov. i. 5, 7.) Pictorial half hours with the saints. By Rev. Fr. Auguste François Lecanu
Saint Wilfrid, Bishop and Confessor, A.D. 709
by VP
Posted on Thursday October 12, 2023 at 12:29AM in Saints
St. Wilfrid, St Etheldreda's, Ely
"But as for you and your companions, you certainly sin if, having heard the decrees of the Apostolic See and of the Universal Church, and that the same is confirmed by Holy Writ, you refuse to follow them; for, though your fathers were holy, do you think that their small number, in a corner of the remotest island, is to be preferred before the Universal Church of Christ throughout the world? and if that Columba of yours (and I may say, ours also, if he was Christ's servant," was a holy man and powerful in miracles, yet could he be preferred before the most blessed prince of the apostles, to whom our Lord said, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, and to thee I will give the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven." Lives of the English Saints. St. Wilfrid, Bishop of York p35
"Saint Wilfrid was bishop of York, in the beginning of the eighth century. He consecrated his youth to Almighty God, going into the monastery of Lindisfarne, at the age of fourteen. After some years, observing some remissness there, he went to Rome, that he might be there instructed in the rules of greater perfection. Returning into England, he made some stay at Canterbury, and thence carried the rule of St. Benedict into the North, which had not yet been received in those parts. His virtue and learning recommended him to the see of York. Egfrid soon after succeeding to the crown, this prelate's constancy was not accommodated to the temper of that prince, who therefore drove him from his see. But being again admitted, he died there in peace, having labored in all the duties of a good pastor nearly fifty years.
The good seed sown in his youth appeared afterwards in a plentiful harvest. Take the same method, if you have any under your care. Season youth with good principles; for thus only can you hope to secure it against the uncertain, vain, or vicious inclinations of those years, and against the infinite snares of a treacherous and corrupt world. They who are sensible of the many dangers to which these are exposed, will find all the care that they can take little enough to prevent their going astray. Therefore as for those, whose principal solicitude is for a fashionable education, and who for accomplishing this, venture their children into the midst of corruption; it is but too evident, that they are more concerned for this world, than for the next. If they live to see their children miserable, they can only thank themselves. But how will they make reparation for their fault, when it is beyond their power? Good education and example teach children to be saints; but to bring them up to the usual vanities and follies of the world, is putting them into the broad way, even the way of hell." The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev. Fr. John GOTHER
Saint Francis Borgia S.J., Confessor, Priest 1572
by VP
Posted on Tuesday October 10, 2023 at 12:00AM in Saints
Saint Francis Borgia praying at an altar.
How much the considerations of the things which we see on the earth ought to increase our humility:
"And, to commence with Bishops, I say that a Bishop has great matter for confusion before God, seeing how little care he takes of his people, despite the example of our Savior, who did not hesitate to give His life for the souls which His Father had confided to Him. Alas! how can anyone render an account of each individual under his charge, who does not even know his flock by sight?
What shall I say of the priest? What should be his confusion when he hears these words of Jesus Christ: "So likewise every one of you that doth not renounce all that he possesseth, cannot be My disciple;" (Luke xiv. 26) and when he compares the recklessness of his behavior with the sanctity of the Victim which he holds in his hands, and of which he is the sacrificer?
What ought also be the confusion of the preacher, when he reflects that he is called to the ministry of the Redeemer of the world, and that his life is so different from that of his Master? Let him consider the life which Jesus Christ led in the desert before He preached the Gospel, and let him form himself on this model. Unhappy is he who does not take care to make his conduct conformable to the doctrine which he teaches. Let him remember that the word of God is a holy word, and that an impure mouth is unworthy to announce it. Let him fear this terrible reproach that God made to the preachers by His Prophet: "But to the sinner God hath said: Why dost thou declare My justice, and take My covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hast hated discipline and hast cast My words behind thee." (Psalm xlix. 16, 17.) If the great Apostle feared to be a reprobate and a castaway when teaching others the way of salvation, should not the preacher tremble and keep himself in humility?" Spiritual Works of St. Francis Borgia, 1875 p 55."He was duke of Gandia in Spain. Having been educated in great piety by the archbishop of Saragossa, he was sent at the age of eighteen, by his father, to the court of the Emperor Charles V. There, being recommended by his singular piety, he was preferred by the emperor, and afterwards married to a Portuguese lady. Amidst these distractions at court, and a married life, he learned to contemn the world. After long soliciting, he obtained leave to quit the court; and the death of his lady gave him some release as to the distractions and dangers of the world. Having therefore founded a college for the fathers of the Society of Jesus, he settled his estate on his eldest son, took the habit of the Society, and was ordained priest. He retired into a hermitage; where he subjected himself to the meanest offices of the house, begged alms for the rest, and catechized children. Being taken from this obscure place by St. Ignatius, he was sent to preach through all Spain, which he did with great fruit. Afterwards, being called to Rome, he was chosen general of the Society; and having done great services to the Church, both by his labors and virtues, he made a holy end, in the year 1572. The instances of such a retreat have been rare in these latter ages; which being their reproach, is the commendation of our saint.
Reflect how little you can persuade yourself to leave for
Christ and then you will see reason to admire him. Let his example,
however, raise in you some desires of following it, though at a
distance. For if you take the other way of admiring the world, and seeking its greatness and riches, upon what title can you hope for heaven, which is promised only to the poor in spirit? And is it not an absurdity to live on with the hopes of heaven, while you are out of the way that leads to it? Carefully study the will of Christ, and the maxims of his gospel; and be conformed to them, and not to the world." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother.
"HIS FIRST MASS AND SERMON.
"It is," says Father Cepari, "altogether beyond the
power of words to express the spiritual content, the joy of soul
experienced by Francis, when he realized
the fact that he had now laid aside his title once and for ever, and
divested himself of all his dignities and possessions. He seemed now for
the first time truly to belong to himself, or, to speak more correctly,
to his Creator and his Lord, since there remained nothing which could
prevent him from giving himself altogether to Him.
Seeing himself to be clothed in the garb of poverty, feeling himself to be at last a Religious in very deed, he once more betook himself to the oratory. There prostrate on the ground before the Blessed Sacrament, with abundance of the sweetest tears, he gave thanks to God for having made him His servant, the bondsman of Jesus Christ. "O Lord," he exclaimed, "I am Thy servant; I am Thy servant and the son of Thy handmaid. Those hast broken my bonds; I will sacrifice to Thee the sacrifice of praise." Then, since he had enlisted beneath the banner of Christ, he desired to spread abroad the holy name of Jesus without regard to human respect or the judgments of men."
Francis was not one to allow his grateful joy to evaporate in outpourings of sentiment or bursts of rapture. His eager and energetic character delighted in action, and he now panted to be at work. Not a day did he lose in finding out what he was to do next. Having already, as the reader has seen, completed his studies, his immediate business was to prepare for the reception of Holy Orders. This he did not only by prayer, penance, and mortification, but by a careful and minute study of the ceremonies of the Mass. Even the least and apparently most unimportant of these, were regarded by him with the utmost respect and admiration, on account of the spirit in which the Church has instituted them, and the traditions of the holy Apostles and Pontiffs who have handed them on from age to age.
His
extreme reverence for holy things made him fear lest familiarity should
diminish his sense of the sacredness of the Mysteries of the Altar, and
of his own unfitness to approach them. When, at a subsequent period, his
position in the Society entitled him to speak with authority, he used
to endeavor by every means in his power to instill this reverential awe
into the minds of those who were preparing for the priesthood.
He dwelt with all the greater stress upon the necessity for it, because
he believed it to be too frequently lost sight of. To any one whom he
considered to be deficient in this respect, he would recall the terrible
fate of Oza. With a solemnity of manner which baffles description, he
would repeat and comment upon the words of Holy Scripture: "Oza put
forth his hand to touch the ark. And the Lord was angry with Oza, and
struck him, because he had touched the ark; and he died there before the
Lord." The Life of St. Francis Borgia of the Society of Jesus By A. M. Clarke 1894
