Scarsellino:  Martyrdom of St. Venantius of Camerino

"A YOUTH of fifteen, of Camerino in Italy, who was accuesd under Decius the emperor, for his faith in Christ. He suffered many martyrdoms, being scourged, hung up by the heels over smoke, cast upon a dunghill with his teeth beaten out, and his jaws broken. He was also exposed to lions, dragged by horses, thrown off a rock, and at length beheaded with many others, who, moved by that divine power, which appeared so visibly in his protection, had believed in Christ. Pray for all those, who throughout the world suffer for their faith, for truth, or for justice. Pray for all of both sexes, who at the age of this martyr, being charmed with the follies and vanities of the world, are solicitous to please themselves, but forget God. It is an afflicting thought to consider the great corruption of youth; how early a knowledge they have of evil, and how ripe they are for vice. It is the care and duty of parents to prevent this mischief, by sweetly inspiring them with good principles, by teaching them the art of employing themselves usefully, of loving business and home. Reasonable diversions are not to be denied them; but care must be taken that they grow not too much in love with them. When diversions are allowed as an encouragement to duty, they are very commendable, and have a very good effect. But if a person is fond of idle conversation, loves gaming, plays, romances, entertainments, and late hours, is averse to all employment, to the methods of good discipline, and to whatever is serious and moderate; such a one is in the highway to ruin. It must be therefore the care of parents discreetly to moderate such inclinations in their children, and by easy self-denials insensibly lead them to the practice of overcoming themselves. This is laying in them the first seeds of martyrdom, and teaching them to be Christians.

Pray for patience and courage for yourself in all difficulties and troubles: and let the great sufferings of this martyr in his tender years be a subject of reproach and confusion to you, that you yet understand so little, what it is to suffer with resignation and patience." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother

Practise the humility of this saint. For though you are not obliged to follow him in habit, yet, unless, like him, you are truly humble and poor in spirit, you cannot be a true disciple. Pride has many subtle ways, and requires your best observation to discover it, and yet greater care to overcome it. Study all its ways, and by prayers call in heaven to your assistance." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother

"His parents neglected nothing to give him a good education; nor could a child give more promising hopes of future greatness by his mildness, gentleness, docility, devotion, and application to his studies. He had from his tender years regarded the priesthood as the great object of his pious ambition, that he might devote himself in the most perfect manner to promote the divine honour. Having produced great fruit after his ordination in extirpating vice, and recalling many who had strayed from the paths of virtue, he was chosen a canon of Prague, and afterwards called to preach at court before the Emperor Wenceslaus. He was much applauded by the court and by the emperor himself, whose wicked passions the saint was for some time enabled to check. The emperor offered him great dignities, but he constantly refused them all. He would only accept the office of almoner, which enabled him to assist the poor, and gain souls to God.

The empress chose him for her director, and under his guidance, made great progress in virtue and piety. But Wenceslaus, the emperor, was a man of savage and vicious inclinations, and only grew more impatient and extravagant by the piety of the empress, and by the tenderness and condescension with which she behaved towards him. In a fit of mad jealousy, he made her virtuous conduct an argument for suspicion; and made an impious attempt to extort from St. John what she had disclosed to him in the secret of confession. The saint was struck with horror at such a question; and could never be brought, either by promises or threats, or torments, to betray the confidence reposed in him. By the wicked emperor's command he was thrown into a dungeon, and afterwards released and tempted again by the same impious proposal. The saint firmly refused, and was again put into prison and inhumanly tortured. He was stretched on a sort of rack; burning torches were applied to his body; he was burnt at a slow fire, and tormented in other ways. Under his tortures, he pronounced no other words but the sacred names of Jesus and Mary, and when loosened from the rack, was left half dead. But our Lord visited his servant with the sweetest consolations. Soon after the barbarous emperor ordered the holy man to be thrown off a bridge into the river with his hands tied, which was executed on the 16th of May, 1383. A heavenly light appeared over his body in the waters. It was taken out of the river with great honour, and every one flocked to kiss the hands and feet of the glorious martyr, and recommend themselves to his prayers.

Implore his intercession this day; and pray that you may ever, like him, be firm and faithful to your duty to God, unmoved by any fear of men." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother

HORROR OF UNCHASTITY. It was at Lampsacus, a town of the Hellespont, during the persecution of the emperor Decius, that a youth, named Peter, was denounced to the proconsul as a Christian. He was ordered to burn incense in honour of the goddess Venus. "Would you have me," replied the generous confessor of the faith, "honour her whom you yourselves acknowledge to be dishonoured by her vices? The actions you impute to her strike me with disgust, and are punishable even by your own laws. No! I despise a woman of bad life, and I honour only the One God, my Lord Jesus Christ, the God made man for the expiation of the sins of the world." The proconsul caused torture to be applied, which racked, his limbs while wrenching them with most cruel grasp; but, at length, seeing his perseverance and the joy he manifested to suffer for the name of Jesus Christ, he shortened his torments by causing his head to be struck off.

MORAL REFLECTION. -How is it that, while despising vice, the worldly-minded hold in respect the persons of the vicious; and, while condemning vice, pardon it in their own case? "Know you not," says the Apostle, "that the unchaste shall not enter the kingdom of Heaven?"-(1 Cor. vi. 9.) The Pictorial Half Hours with the Saints by Abbe Lecanu

"He was a Roman citizen, and had lived wickedly for some time with a rich lady whom he served as her chief steward But at length being sensibly touched with the horror of his crimes, he not only quitted the occasion of his sin, but left the city too, and endeavoured to make the best satisfaction he could, by visiting those who were imprisoned for their faith. He encouraged them in their sufferings, and buried the bodies of such as were put to death. For which, being apprehended at Tarsus, he was put to most cruel torments; in all which, no other voice of his was heard than this: "I give thee thanks, O Jesus, Son of the living God." Being afterwards beheaded, he thus finished a happy penance and martyrdom.

DISCRETION. St. John, surnamed "the Silent," was born of one of the richest families at Nicopolis, in Armenia. He employed his wealth in constructing a church, dedicated to the Mother of God, and a monastery, into which he retired. His eminent virtues caused him to be elected bishop of Colonia at the age of 28. His piety, humility, and zeal for the salvation of the flock confided to his care, were producing the happiest results when serious differences, which arose between him and his brother-in-law, the governor of Armenia, against whom he found himself forced to complain to the emperor Zeno, caused him greatly to regret his previous manner of life. He resigned his charge at the expiration of nine years, and withdrew to a solitude, there to give himself to a mortified life and the fervent exercise of prayer. He subsequently retired to the monastery of St. Sabas, where he obtained the favour of still remaining alone, in order to apply himself more intimately to a contemplative life. He had adopted as a rule never to speak, save in case of necessity, and to speak with such discretion as that no word of his might be either wrong in itself or useless. He died about the year 560.

MORAL REFLECTION.-The Holy Spirit has said, by the mouth of the Wise Man: "In the multitude of words there shall not want sin, but he that refraineth his lips is most wise."-(Prov. x. 19.). The Pictuorial Half Hours with the Saints by Abbe Lecanu

See how persons of both sexes, of all ages and conditions, teach you to suffer, and shew you the way to a crown. If in patience they possess their souls and God, is not impatience the way to lose both? While then you honour these martyrs, renounce not their example. Pray for constancy and patience under all trials. There is no need of the hand of the executioner: for in every trouble which befals you, you are called to the exercise of these virtues. Take care then not to be provoked and moved to passion: let not ordinary accidents put you into disorder. The steadiness of a Christian spirit demands this of you. And under greater troubles, use all endeavours to keep up your spirits. Pray, read, advise, and see that you lay not your heart open to your enemy, by indulging in melancholy. Resolve rather to struggle with all difficulties. Remember that you are in the field of battle; a place not to sit down in and mourn, but to fight. Fight then with courage; arm yourself with faith and hope in God. God is looking on, heaven is waiting to crown the conquerors with bliss; and everlasting rest is to be the recompense of those, who with patience go through these temporal evils." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother

An engraving of Saint Mamertus from an 1878 book, Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints

PUBLIC PRAYER. Public prayer is the remedy for public calamities, even as private prayer is for individual evils. Towards the middle of the fifth century, Gaul was the victim of multiplied woes, civil wars, epidemics, inundations, earthquakes and conflagrations. All nature was in throes, and seemed awaiting still greater disasters; wild beasts, quitting their forest haunts, roamed at large in the midst of the thronging cities; every event was converted into dread forebodings, and the inhabitants generally were out of heart and sunk in discouragement. The church of Vienne then possessed a holy bishop who was the model, the hope, and object of love to all his flock. He directed that solemn supplications, not then usually resorted to, should be instituted in order to revive the courage of the faithful and turn aside the wrath of Heaven; he further ordered fasting and prayer to be combined. God, who had already favoured him with miracles, gave heed to these supplications, and the calamities ceased. Hence originated the "Rogation days, which were afterwards adopted by the Church at large. St. Mamertus, their founder, died in 477.

MORAL REFLECTION.-There is no instance of public prayer having remained without result. "All that you ask in my name shall be given unto you," has Jesus Christ promised.—(John xvi. 23.) Pictorial Half Hours with the Saints, Abbe Lecanu