Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop and Confessor
by VP
Posted on Thursday October 24, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Tabernacle and Purgatory, Benedictine Nuns April 1959
Founder of the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Quotes:
- The faith I have when I am in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament is so strong that I find it impossible to express what I feel… When the time comes to leave I must force myself to overcome the inclination to prolong my stay with Jesus.
- Although the sinner does not believe in Hell, he shall nevertheless go there if he has the misfortune to die in mortal sin.
- A multitude of souls fall into the depths of Hell, and it is of the faith that all who die in mortal sin are condemned for ever and ever. According to statistics, approximately 80,000 persons die every day. How many of these will die in mortal sin, and how many will be condemned! For, as their lives have been, so also will be their end.
"In his studies at the seminary of Vich, Anthony Claret distinguished himself so notably by the steadfastness of his character that the bishop ordained him on his name-day, June 13, 1835, some time before his fellow-students. On the feast of St. Aloysius he celebrated his first Mass and began his first labors as assistant to the old pastor of his native town. He soon won the confidence of his neighbors. No one could resist the power of his words and in all the surrounding country he was venerated as a saint. But this field of activity was too small for the zeal of the young priest and he longed for the foreign missions. He went to Rome, made the Spiritual Exercises and applied for admission into the Society of Jesus. But he had hardly begun his novitiate when he was attacked by a disease of the foot, which forced him to leave the Order after a few months. Following the advice of his former superiors, he returned to Spain. After a brief employment in parish work, he devoted himself entirely to giving missions for the people, principally in Catalonia. What he accomplished there is almost incredible. He made his long journeys always on foot, preached three or four times a day, and was indefatigable in the confessional.
His activity brought upon him the hatred and persecutions of the impious, but it won at the same time the repute of a true apostle from the good. To have able co-laborers in his mission work, he founded in 1849 a Congregation called the Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which developed into a flourishing establishment. In 1900 it numbered sixteen hundred and seventy members distributed among fifty-six residences.17 By command of the papal Nuncio at Madrid, Anthony Claret accepted, in 1850, his appointment as archbishop of Santiago de Cuba. Accompanied by several priests and religious women he set out for his distant diocese. On the voyage he preached every day and brought the whole crew of the vessel, without an exception, to confession.
Sad, indeed, was the decay of religion in Cuba. But the new bishop did not despair. He went from place to place through his diocese and gave missions everywhere. The results were truly wonderful. At the end of the mission in Santiago, which lasted during the whole of Lent, the distribution of Holy Communion covered six hours. During a mission in another city he brought to their duty about four hundred couples living in concubinage. He did not forget to take precautions that these beginnings might be lasting in effect. He erected schools, provided for religious houses, and opened a seminary for the training of priests. Pius IX, who had heard of this new Spring of spiritual regeneration in Cuba, sent a letter of special approbation to Archbishop Claret, praising him for his apostolic zeal.
The enemy, however, did not lay down his arms. It was especially Claret's successful effort against concubinage that excited the degenerate to make an attempt on the archbishop's life. A secret plot was concocted, and an attack was made upon him which resulted in his being dangerously wounded. Prevented from efficient activity by the constant peril to his life, he asked the Pope to remove him from his archbishopric. The honorable appointment of confessor to Queen Isabella was given to him in 1860. Obedience alone prevailed on him to accept this office, but he remained the same apostle as before, full of zeal for souls. He withdrew as much as possible from life at the court and instead gave missions in the churches of Madrid, soon becoming the most beloved confessor in the city. His influence with the queen, which was very great, he used only for the benefit of the poor. Whenever he was traveling with the court, he preached and taught the catechism wherever they stopped. Seeing the evil caused by bad literature, he wrote and distributed very many good pamphlets, and founded the academic society of St. Michael for the spreading of good books.
"From the very beginning of his apostolate, St. Anthony Mary Claret was known throughout the whole countryside for the many cures he performed. Primarily, his apostolic zeal was expended in the cure of souls, as fitted his priestly vocation; but his compassionate and fatherly heart beat with tender pity at the sight of bodily infirmities as well, and his boundless charity moved him to pray with great fervor for the relief of the sufferers.
As a missionary, the saint was once asked his secret of obtaining the wonderful graces and cures granted to his prayers. He answered: “I pray to Our Lady and demand results of her.” The questioner continued, “But suppose she does not give them?”—“Then I take hold of the hem of her robe and refuse to let go until she has granted what I want,” the saint replied. St. Anthony Mary Claret loved Mary devotedly and put boundless trust in her intercession. Moreover, he was wont to put first things first, for his healing powers were first applied to the soul, by administration of the sacraments. Then he would concern himself with the needs of the afflicted body.
Those who call on St. Anthony Claret do well to follow this example and put things in their proper order, the soul before the body. And from him, too, may they learn to cling tenaciously to Mary, whose Immaculate Heart he so loved to honor.
Prayer to Saint Anthony Mary Claret
(For the cure of cancer or other serious ailments.)
O Saint Anthony Mary Claret, who during thy life on earth wert often a solace to the afflicted, and didst love and tenderly compassionate the sick: interecede for me, as thou rejoicest in the reward of thy virtues: cast a glance of pity on me and grant my petition (mention it) if such be the will of God. Make my troubles your own. Speak a word to the Immaculate Heart of Mary to obtain by her powerful intercession the grace I yearn for so ardently, and a blessing that may strengthen me during life, assist me at the hour of death, and lead me on to a happy eternity. Amen. (One Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory.)
Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Tabernacle and Purgatory, Benedictine Nuns April 1959
Saint Raphael, Archangel
by VP
Posted on Thursday October 24, 2024 at 12:00AM in Tradition
"AMONG the holy archangels, three are particularly distinguished in the Scriptures, SS. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. This day is appointed in honor of St. Raphael, whose name signifies the Healing of God. The archangel Raphael was sent to conduct the younger Tobias on his journey to Rages, and carefully directed and guarded him on his way, appearing as an Israelite, under the name of Azarias. He conducted the young man to the house of his virtuous kinsman, and procured for him the person, who by a special providence had been reserved for his wife. The holy angel brought them both home in safety to the aged parents of Tobias; and by his direction the young man anointed the eyes of his father who was blind, and he was immediately restored to sight. For all these valuable services, the father and son were anxious to reward the faithful Azarias, and begged him to accept of half of all things that they had brought. Then the heavenly messenger discovered to them who he really was; and invited them to bless the God of heaven, because he had shewn mercy to them. For," said he, "I am Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the Lord." And when they had heard these things, they were troubled, and being seized with fear, they fell upon the ground on their face. And the angel said to them: Peace be to you, fear not. For when I was with you, I was there by the will of God: bless ye Him, and sing praises to Him. It is time therefore that I return to Him that sent me: but bless ye God, and publish all His wonderful works. And when he had said these things, he was taken from their sight, and they could see him no more." (Tob. xii.) See, says St. Augustin, how great is the merit of alms-deeds, for which Tobias was so remarkable, and which brought down an archangel from heaven to serve him.
St. Raphael is also considered to have been that angel of the Lord, who went down at certain times into the pond at Jerusalem, called Probatica, and so moved the water, as to impart to it virtue to heal the first person who entered the pond after the motion of the water; as we read in the fifth chapter of St. John.
Pray on this day with the Church, that this most glorious prince of the heavenly host would be mindful of you, and ever beseech the Son of God in your behalf. Pray that St. Raphael would accompany you, and be your guide in every way, and your protector in every danger, as he was to Tobias. And beseech the Almighty to let his holy angels minister to you, and by their assistance defend you, and help you forward in the way of salvation." Source: The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev. Fr. John GOTHER, 1865
Prayer to Saint Raphael
Glorious Archangel, St. Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, illustrious by thy gifts of wisdom and grace, guide of travelers by land and sea, consoler of the unfortunate and refuge of sinners, I entreat thee to help me in all my needs and in all the trials of my life, as thou didst once assist the young Tobias in his journeying And since thou art the "physician of God," I humbly pray thee to heal my soul of its many infirmities and my body of the ills that afflict it, if this favor is for my greater good. I ask, especially, for angelic purity, that I may be made fit to be the living temple of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Pope Leo XIII, June 21, 1890 Source: My Prayer Book, Fr. Lasance
Tibi, Christe, Splendor Patris by Gloriae Dei Cantores (St. Raphael, October 24th)
Jesu, brightness of the Father!
Life and strength of all who live!
In the presence of the Angels,
Glory to Thy name we give,
And Thy wondrous praise rehearse,
Singing in alternate verse.
Hail, too ye angelic powers!
Hail ye thrones celestial!
Hail, Physician of salvation,
Guide of life, blest Raphael!
Who the foe of all mankind
didst in kinks of iron bind.
O may Christ, by the protection,
Shelter us from harm this day;
Keep us pure in flesh and spirit,
Save us from the enemy;
And vouchsafe us, of His grace,
In His paradise a place.
Glory to Th' Almighty Father
Sing we now in anthems sweet;
Glory to the great Redeemer,
Glory to the Paraclete;
Three in one, and one in three,
Throughout all eternity, Amen.
Source: Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity, The Official Prayer Book of the Catholic Church, 1916 Prepared and published by the order of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore.
Feast of Our Most Holy Redeemer
by VP
Posted on Wednesday October 23, 2024 at 12:00AM in Tradition
St. Joseph Catholic Church, Raleigh NC
All mankind lying under the guilt of sin, were by this rendered enemies to God, and incapable of doing
anything, whereby to make peace with Him; and therefore, had man not
been redeemed, he must have been lost for ever. But would God have been
less happy, if man had been for ever miserable? Or, if God had left man, as he did the fallen angels, under the eternal guilt of his sin, would this have lessened that infinite bliss, which God essentially enjoys within himself? Nothing of all this. Therefore, as leaving the fallen angels in their sin was the effect of his justice; so redeeming man from sin was the sole effect of his mercy. But then, to deliver up his Son to redeem a slave, is the excess of so infinite a mercy, that it is to be feared that we celebrate the memory of it without serious thought, or returning the least part of that adoration and gratitude which we are bound to pay.
Our hearts indeed should be impressed with a lasting sense of love and gratitude, sufficient to preserve us in perpetual fidelity to so merciful a God, and so loving a Redeemer. For this end the Church has appointed this day, to encourage all her children to make our redemption through Christ the serious entertainment of our hearts. The same ought to be renewed every day, and as often as we bow at the holy name of Jesus, to express our love and adoration for the mercies of our divine Redeemer." Source: The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev. Fr. John Gother
St. Philip of Heraclea and companions, Bishop and Martyr 3rd Century
by VP
Posted on Tuesday October 22, 2024 at 08:39AM in Saints
CONSTANCY.-St. Philip, bishop of Heraclea, having been denounced to the satellites of the emperor Dioclesian, was arrested together with the priest Severus and the deacon Hermes. The three confessors refused, as might have been anticipated, to deliver up the holy books and to burn incense in honor of the idols. They underwent repeated examinations, were beaten, or rather so torn with rods, that their entrails were laid bare; they were then cast into a frightful dungeon, where they were to remain seven months; Philip and Hermes being bound in heavy fetters, and Severus having his feet passed through a number of planks, so contrived as not to allow the slightest movement. As their prison had a secret communication with the public theater, the preaching of the Gospel was scarcely interrupted, for numerous Christians profited by the occasion to come to them, seeking for consolation and strength to confess, even as they had done, the faith of Jesus Christ. At length, after seven months of rude trials, they were condemned to the flames; it was found necessary to carry Hermes to the stake, as he had lost the use of his limbs.
MORAL REFLECTION. -The true Christian ranks not among "those who shrink back in the hour of temptation;" temptation, on the contrary, strengthens them in the faith.-(Luke viii. 13.) Pictorial Half Hour with the Saints by Fr. Lecanu 1865
For Zealous Priests:
Sanctify to Thyself, O my Lord, the
hearts of Thy priests, that, by the merits of Thy sacred humanity, they
may become living images of Thee, children of Mary, and full of the fire
of the Holy Ghost, that they may guard Thy house, and defend Thy glory,
and that through their ministry the face of the earth may be renewed,
and they may save those souls which have costs Thee all Thy blood. Amen
Queen of the Apostles, pray thy Son, the Lord of the Harvest, to send laborers into His harvest, and to spare His people.
(The Prayer Book. Imprimatur Samuel Cardinal Stritch Archbishop of Chicago, May 10, 1954.)
Saint John Paul II, Pope
by VP
Posted on Tuesday October 22, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
"The Eucharist: offering the Mass, communion, adoration
8. The two Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist remain closely linked. Without a continually renewed conversion and reception of the sacramental grace of forgiveness, participation in the Eucharist would not reach its full redemptive efficacy.(12) Just as Christ began his ministry with the words "Repent and believe in the gospel,"(13) so the Cure of Ars generally begins each of his days with the ministry of forgiveness. But he was happy to direct his reconciled penitents to the Eucharist. The Eucharist was at the very center of his spiritual life and pastoral work. He said: "All good works put together are not equivalent to the Sacrifice of the Mass, because they are the works of men and the Holy Mass is the work of God."(14)
It is in the Mass that the sacrifice of Calvary is made present for the Redemption of the world. Clearly, the priest must unite the daily gift of himself to the offering of the Mass: "How well a priest does, therefore, to offer himself to God in sacrifice every morning!"(15) "Holy Communion and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass are the two most efficacious actions for obtaining the conversion of hearts."(16) Thus the Mass was for John Mary Vianney the great joy and comfort of his priestly life. He took great care, despite the crowds of penitents, to spend more than a quarter of an hour in silent preparation. He celebrated with recollection, clearly expressing his adoration at the consecration and communion.
He accurately remarked: "The cause of priestly laxity is not paying attention to the Mass!"(17) The Cure of Ars was particularly mindful of the permanence of Christ's real presence in the Eucharist. It was generally before the tabernacle that he spent long hours in adoration, before daybreak or in the evening; it was towards the tabernacle that he often turned during his homilies, saying with emotion: "He is there!" It was also for this reason that he, so poor in his presbytery, did not hesitate to spend large sums on embellishing his Church. The appreciable result was that his parishioners quickly took up the habit of coming to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, discovering, through the attitude of their pastor, the grandeur of the mystery of faith.
(...)
The Eucharist is the source and summit of all the Christian life."(19) Dear brother priests, the example of the Cure of Ars invites us to a serious examination of conscience: what place do we give the Mass in our daily lives? Is it, as on the day of our Ordination - it was our first act as priests! - the principle of our apostolic work and personal sanctification? What care do we take in preparing for it? And in celebrating it? In praying before the Blessed Sacrament? In encouraging our faithful people to do the same? In making our Churches the House of God to which the divine presence attracts the people of our time who too often have the impression of a world empty of God?"
Source: Catholic Culture. From the Vatican, 16 March 1986, the Fifth Sunday of Lent, in the eighth year of my Pontificate. Joannes Paulus PP. II
St. Ursula and her Companions, VIRGINS AND MARTYRS.
by VP
Posted on Monday October 21, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
Vittore Carpaccio: Apotheosis of St Ursula
"THE names of St Ursula and her companions have been illustrious throughout the whole Church of Christ for many centuries. Yet it has happened to them, as to many others of the most eminent saints, and even to several of the apostles themselves, that we know at present little or nothing of their history. They are generally allowed to have been natives of Britain. It is probable that their martyrdom happened in the fifth century. They seem to have left Britain about that time, when the Pagan Saxons laid waste our isle, and many of its inhabitants fled into Gaul. Others made a settlement at the mouth of the Rhine. St. Ursula and her companions were most likely among those, who, flying from the fury of the Saxons, passed over the seas. Either by choice, or stress of weather, being carried to the coast of Lower Germany, they appear to have gone further up the country, and there fallen in with an army of Huns, who about that time ravaged those provinces, and were by them put to death in defence of their faith and purity. They were buried at Cologne, where a great church was built over their tombs. They have been honoured by the faithful for many ages, with extraordinary devotion in this part of Christendom. St. Ursula, who was the mistress and guide to heaven to so many holy maidens, whom she animated to the heroic practice of virtue, conducted to the glorious crown of martyrdom, and presented spotless to Christ, is regarded as the model and patroness of those who undertake to train up youth in the sentiments and practice of piety and religion.A Prayer to ST. URSULA:
O GLORIOUS St Ursula!
blessed Martyr of Jesus Christ! who didst despise the riches and
dignities of this world for the love of God, and wert so happy as to lay
down even thy life for his sake, take me under thy powerful
protection-shield me by thy prayers from the dangers of the world, and
teach me by thy example how to triumph over its temptations. I am not
worthy to lay down my life for him who died for me; yet, as I know that I
may have many temptations to suffer from the world and my own corrupt
inclinations, I have recourse to thee with confidence, to implore,
through thy intercession, the strength to resist and overcome them all;
and to remember, on all occasions, that the life of a Christian, if not
laid down for Christ by martyrdom, should at least be sacrificed to his
glory by penance and self-denial. Thou art, O great Saint! my special
Patroness, therefore I humbly recommend to thee all my undertakings, and
beg of thee, as thou wert so particularly gifted by God with the power
of persuading others to the practice of virtue, to obtain for me the
grace to love and fulfil the duties of a Christian, and to endeavour by
good example to engage others in the service of God. O glorious Martyr!
whose death was an act of the most perfect charity, be thou my
protectress in my last moments, and intercede for me now, that I may
prepare for them by the fervent practice of those solid virtues, which
alone will furnish ground for confidence in the mercy of God on the bed
of death. (The Ursuline manual; or, A collection of prayers, spiritual exercises, &c By Ursuline manual 1830)
HOW TO IMPROVE
by VP
Posted on Sunday October 20, 2024 at 12:00AM in Sermons
"He Who hath begun a good work in you will perfect it." PHIL. i. 6.
1. Everything good in us is from God.
2. It is for us to treasure and work with His graces.
3. Practically, we must do all-with a good intention, with exactitude, with fervor.
4. And God will perfect the good work.
SURELY we are all wise enough and humble enough to know and confess that there is nothing good in us from ourselves. We have learned that from sad experience of our many failings and infidelities. We are full of love of self, and of ease and comfort; we are uncharitable, cowardly, ungrateful, and yet within us there is something good. Ah! that is from God. He gives us this desire for something better; this remembrance of His gracious goodness, how He has given us the faith; implanted the hope of heaven in our heart; and made us conscious that He himself, the great God, is asking and longing for our love. He hath begun the good work in us.
It is for us to treasure those graces. We must not receive them like an ungracious child, and never say a word of thanks to our Father. How many of His favors, His forgivenesses, and opportunities for good have we sinfully wasted in the past! The proof of gratitude for graces is to make use of them and work with them. To receive blessings and favors is only the beginning: the work of our life is to correspond to them.
Then what does Almighty God expect from us? First to refer everything to Him. By a pure and holy intention to offer Him all our thoughts, words, actions, and sufferings. They may be poor things indeed, but coming from a child they are accepted and blessed by our Father. And this good intention would certainly keep us from anything unworthy and sinful, for how could we dare to offer that to our heavenly Father! Thus we see we have to renew this pure intention and offering to God many a time, for how often do sudden gusts of temper, of temptation sweep us from the path of perfection! But we must never despond. What God loves is that we should at once begin again, trusting that He will help us.
Another thing that God expects from us is that all we do for Him should be done with exactitude and promptness. Our work for God must not be done slovenly. Our self-respect would forbid us to act thus to our betters, even to one another: then how dare we treat God with disrespect! Duties have their fixed hours, and duties to God, then, must not be put off or curtailed. And punctuality is true politeness; then to Whom should we be polite if not to the Almighty? How many of our prayers and Mass attendances have been so spoiled by want of exactitude and punctuality! Promptitude shows a good and willing heart.
To persevere in acting up to grace requires, then, a pure intention, exactitude, and finally fervor. This is a devout disposition of heart, which enables us to offer to God our thoughts and our prayers with earnestness, zeal, and love. One devout Hail Mary from the heart is of more worth than a rosary hastily slurred over with a distracted mind. And here again, the good intention comes to our help. A moment's thought! and we should remember Whom we are addressing, and in Whose presence we are. We may be on our knees, but our hearts are not worshiping. The thought of our great needs and necessities; the thought that the great God in heaven is listening to us, the thought that we are supplicating help through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who died for us, Who purchased these blessings that we are imploring, and Who, perhaps, is present on the altar before us—this thought should make us reverent and fervent.
We have help, too, given us by our Blessed Savior, to keep us fervent and to increase our devotion. One such help that should spur us on is to remember purgatory. There all the penalties for remissness and carelessness have to be purged away in sufferings far greater than we can picture to ourselves here on earth. What a dreadful store of punishment are we, perhaps, accumulating for ourselves now! God knows. But would not this thought check us in our tepidity and sloth? Would it not spur us on to do our very utmost, praying and working, with zeal and generosity of heart?
Another and a more consoling help is to call on our Mother Mary," our life, our sweetness, and our hope." We offer up our prayers through her: surely, then, we should offer her of our best. And how transformed our poor prayers will be when they have passed through the hands of Mary Immaculate! She will not despise our petitions. She lovingly accepts every little prayer. And more than that: she prompts us to pray, and blesses our hearts with fervor and persevering love.
This life is the time for tilling and sowing the seed; the harvest-time comes later, when God perfects the good work. Look forward to that time, and we shall be strong and manly in acting up to God's graces and blessings. The wonder to us will be that our little efforts, our poor, faulty prayers, our beginning again at once after every failure, have been received and blessed by God; that day after day He has led us on to persevere, perfecting the good work, making us "sincere and without offense" until the day of recompense shall come. Our pure intention—all for God, our careful exactitude, our fervor have led us on safely to persevere "through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God." Short Sermons on the Epistles & Gospels of the Sundays of the Year By Fr. Francis Paulinus Hickey (Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost)
Saint John Cantius, Priest and Confessor
by VP
Posted on Sunday October 20, 2024 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
"He was born at Kenti in Poland, of a consular family, and of pious parents. From his very infancy he gave promise of great virtue by the sweetness of his temper, his innocence, and the seriousness of his behavior. After going through regular courses of philosophy and theology, he received the degree of doctor. In his lectures, he not only enlightened the minds of his hearers, but inflamed them with devotion, thus at the same time teaching and doing. He was eminent both for learning and piety; and frequently favored with the gift of miracles. Being ordained priest, he remitted nothing of his studies, while his desire of Christian perfection increased. Always grieving deeply to see God offended, he was solicitous to appease his divine majesty by daily offering up the holy sacrifice of the Mass, with many tears.
A fire having broken out in the town of Cracow, he announced that it would immediately cease; but that it was a chastisement for the sins of the people, and that if they did not amend their lives it would break out again, and make great devastation. Both events followed his predictions. Whatever time the saint could spare from his studies, while he taught in the university, he gave partly to benefit the souls of his neighbors, particularly by holy conferences,—but especially to prayer, in which he is recorded to have been favored with heavenly visions and communications. He was so devout to the Passion of our Savior, that he sometimes spent whole nights in meditating upon it. To avoid the honors intended for him, he absented himself more than once from the scene of his labors. With this view, he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in the dress of a poor man, where, burning with the desire of martyrdom, he would even preach Christ crucified to the infidels. He also made four pilgrimages to Rome. In one of these journeys he was robbed, and being asked by the robbers, if he had any more money, he said he had not; but afterwards recollecting that he had some more sewed up in his cloak, he called after the robbers, and offered it to them. But they not only refused it, but restored what they had already taken from him.
He was severe to himself, and indulgent to others. He often parted with his own clothes and shoes for the relief of the poor. He slept but little, and lay upon the ground: and preserved the purity of his
soul by wearing rough sackcloth, by disciplines, and severe fasting.
After a holy preparation for death, and distributing all he had to the poor, he died in the year 1473, in the seventieth year of his age: and many miracles were wrought by his intercession." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
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 John de Brebeuf, priest and martyr
by VP
Posted on Saturday October 19, 2024 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
St. Peter of Alcantara, CONFESSOR, A.D. 1562. reformer of the Franciscan Order
by VP
Posted on Saturday October 19, 2024 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
"He was born at the village of Alcantara, in Spain; piously educated, and at the age of sixteen, entered into the Order of the Franciscans. There he advanced so much in all virtues, that in a short time he undertook to bring it to the primitive spirit of its founder. His prayer and watching were almost continual. He usually eat but every third day, and slept only as he sat on a stone. His austerities were so extraordinary, that he seemed resolved to give no rest to his body. At the same time he was ever careful to preserve an humble mind. Such was his fervor, that the most painful austerities were neither frightful nor difficult to him. His disengagement from the world was so entire, that he seemed to be not only dead or insensible, but even crucified to it; and the union of his soul with his Creator seemed to suffer no interruption from external employments. Such was the restraint he put upon his eyes, that he had been a considerable time a religious man, without ever knowing that the church of his convent had a vaulted ceiling. He once lived in a house three years, without knowing any of his brethren but by their voices. His ecstasies in prayer were frequent, and he was once seen to remain in prayer a whole hour, with his arms stretched out, and his
eyes lifted up, without moving. After seven and forty years of this life, his penance was changed into joy, in the sixteenth century. The austerities of this saint can be practiced by very few: but all are taught by them, not to neglect the penitential part of a Christian life. His giving no rest to his body condemns the nice method of those,
who study all its inclinations, and avoid every thing which can make it
uneasy. If these have no passions to overcome, if they can find nothing
in themselves to be punished, they may go on safely.
But if all be. contrary in them, it is evident that their gratifying
method is contrary to justice, to prudence, and to that caution, which the security of their future state demands of them." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
"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
