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St. Ethelreda

"ANOTHER FAMILY OF SAINTS.-The pious Anna, king of the East Angles, was the father of St. Ethelreda, and her mother was St. Heruwyda; her sisters were St. Sexburga, St. Withburga, and St. Ethelburga, who died as a nun in France. Ethelreda was born at Ermyng, in the county of Suffolk, and was brought up in the fear of God. After having passed three years in married life, though in a state of continence, she retired to the island of Ely, in order to devote herself to practices of piety. Afterwards yielding to the entreaties of Egfrid, king of the Northumbrians, she consented to assume the dignity of queen, but only on condition of still keeping holy continence.

Notwithstanding all the good she effected by the influence of her example in the world, she preferred seeking anew the calm of retirement, and withdrew to the nunnery of Coldingham, and subsequently to the isle of Ely, where she founded a nunnery herself, and there died in 679. Her body having been exhumed eleven years after, was found exempt from corruption, and many miracles were wrought by mere contact therewith.

MORAL REFLECTION. -Happy those families where "the children's children are the crown of the old, and the glory of children are their fathers!"-(Prov. xvii. 6.)" The Pictorial Half Hours with the Saints by Fr. Lecanu

St. Alban

"So great was the glory of this first martyr of our country, that his name was famous over the whole Church. He was as yet a pagan, when the edicts of the Roman emperors against the Christians began to be put into execution in Britain. A certain priest sought by flight to escape the persecutors, and Alban afforded him a shelter in his house. He was much edified by the holy deportment of the stranger, and admired his faith and piety, and in particular his assiduity in prayer. Alban listened to his instructions, and in a short time became a Christian. Information was soon given to the Roman governor that the priest lay hid at the house of St. Alban. Soldiers were sent to search for him; but St. Alban changed clothes with his guest, that he might more easily escape, and he himself put on the garment worn by the priest. In this dress he presented himself boldly to the soldiers, and was by them led to the judge. He was highly provoked to find the cheat which the saint had put upon him, and ordered him to sacrifice to the pagan gods. Upon his heroic refusal, the judge commanded him to be scourged; and seeing him bear with unshaken constancy, and even with joy, the most cruel torments, he at last condemned him to be beheaded.

St. Paulinus:

"ADVANTAGES DERIVABLE FROM ADVERSITY. - Paulinus was born at Bordeaux in 353. He reckoned among his ancestors a long line of senators, and his father was prefect of Gaul. He had as preceptor the celebrated Ausonius, and at the age of twenty-five became prefect of the town of Rome. Theresa, belonging to one of the most noble families in Spain, brought him a large accession of wealth in marriage. He was at the height of worldly dignities when sudden changes happening in the empire snatched from him all his honours and a goodly portion of his wealth. Paulinus and Theresa thereupon, apprehending the nothingness of the things of the world, sold the remainder of their possessions in favour of the poor; Theresa dedicated her life to their service, and Paulinus embraced the religious state. His great virtue soon rendered his name famous, and caused him to be raised to the bishopric of Nola. This town, which was devastated by the Goths a year afterwards, stood in need of such a bishop, to prevent its entire destruction. He became the providence of the poor and the unfortunate. Although poor himself, he always found means to give in abundance. St. Paulinus died in 431.

MORAL REFLECTION.-We read in the book of Proverbs: "Whom the Lord loveth He chastiseth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth."-(Prov. iii. 12.)" Pictorial Half Hour with the Saints by Fr. Lecanu

"THIS saint was born of noble and pious parents. From the instructions and example of his devout mother, the deepest sentiments of religion and the fear of God were impressed upon his soul from his childhood, In the seventh year of his age, he began to conceive greater sentiments of piety, and recited every day the office of our Blessed Lady, the seven penitential psalms, and other prayers, which he never omitted even in sickness. He had a great esteem for the angelic virtue of chastity; and cultivated this by assiduous prayer, universal mortification, and careful avoidance of all dangerous occasions. But humility was in him the guardian of purity. When he was nine years old he made a vow of perpetual virginity before an altar of the Blessed Virgin at Florence. He had so tender a devotion to the B. Eucharist, that when hearing Mass, after the consecration, he often melted into tears, in profound sentiments of love and adoration. He frequently approached to the Holy Communion, and this great Sacrament became his greatest joy and consolation.

St Aloysius at length determined to enter into the Society of Jesus, in order to devote himself to the instructing and conducting souls to God. He renounced his right of succession to his father's title of Marquis, in favour of his younger brother; and entered his noviceship at Rome, in his eighteenth year. Here he strove to surpass all his companions in every religious duty. He was exact in the observance of every rule; possessed a thorough contempt of the world, and a most ardent love of God. Such was the general mortification of his senses, that he seemed wholly inattentive to exterior things. He never listened to reports or discourse about worldly matters; spoke very little, and never about himself. His whole life seemed a continual prayer. To appear poor, little, and contemptible was his delight, and he rejoiced to see the last and worst portion of any thing fall to his share.

"He was bishop of Rome; and for refusing to restore an heretical bishop who had been deposed by his predecessor, was persecuted by the Empress Theodora. He was stripped of his pontifical ornaments, and clothed with the habit of a monk. After this it was proclaimed that the pope was deposed, and become a monk. He was then led into banishment to Patara in Lycia. The emperor Justinian appeared startled at the atrocity of the proceedings against the holy pope, and gave orders that St. Silverius should be restored to his see. His enemies, however, contrived to seize him, and conveyed him into a small inhospitable island, where he died in a short time of hard usage; and it appears most probable that he was murdered at the instigation of his persecutors. His death happened in 538.

Pray for all that are oppressed for justice. They want help from above who are under these trials: beg it in their behalf. And for yourself, resolve to make the eternal truth and justice your constant rule, in letting these be the measure of whatever you do. It is not always agreeable to your convenience and interest to do so: but a Christian has no remedy. He must lay down the cause of temporal advantage, when God forbids such proceedings. Therefore, let neither the desire of quiet, gain, or preferment, persuade you to any weak compliance, nor temporal concerns prevail on you to transgress against your eternal interest. Be constant to your duty; and let God and His law be your guide. Pray for all those, who, being sensible of their duty, have not courage to perform it. It is but too common for Christians to hazard the displeasure of God, to gain the favour of men, and to enrich and raise themselves by ways contrary to justice and truth. Let all these partake of your prayers. They are certainly miserable, and deserve your compassion: let therefore your charity be extended to them." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother

Prayer for Persecuted Priests:

All Powerful and Eternal God, through the merits of Your Son Jesus, and Through Your love for Him, I implore You, have pity on the priests of the Holy Church. In spite of their sublime dignity, they are fearful and weak, like all created beings. In your infinite mercy, inflame their hearts with the fire of Divine Love. For the sake of Jesus, Your Son, bestow grace on the priests and uphold them. Do not let them fall into temptation and tarnish their noble vocation.
O Jesus, we implore you. Look with pity on the priests of the Holy Church: those who are serving You faithfully and proclaiming Your glory; those who are persecuted for tending your flock; those who are abandoned, weary and sorrowful: those who are lukewarm, confused and who have denied their faith; those who are sick, dying, or in Purgatory. Lord Jesus, we entreat You. Listen to our supplication, have pity and console them.
O Jesus, we entrust to You the priests of the whole world: the priests who baptized me, absolved my sins, offered Holy Mass and consecrated the Eucharist to nourish my soul. We entrust to You the priests that instructed me when I was ignorant, gave me strength in my weakness, showed me the Way and the Truth and comforted me in my sorrow and affliction. For all the blessings they obtained for me, I implore You to support them in Your Loving Kindness.
O Jesus, shelter our priests in Your Sacred Heart. Let them take refuge in Your mercy and love, in this life, and to the hour of death. Amen.

By his Eminence the late Ignatius Cardinal Kung, Bishop of Shanghai. Published 7/16/1953 during the early years of persecution of the Roman Catholic Church in China by its communist government. He was imprisoned from 1955 to 1988

Prayer to St. Juliana Falconieri: O Faithful spouse of Jesus Christ and most humble servant of the Virgin Mary, Mother of sorrows, glorious St. Juliana; at the end of a life entirely spent in the exercise of heroic virtues thou didst undergo one last trial, in that thou couldst not be united in holy Viaticum to thy Beloved by reason of bodily infirmity. But this trial was so acceptable to thy heavenly spouse, Jesus that He deigned Himself to the reward it with an extraordinary miracle; for at thy request Jesus in the Blessed  Sacrament was placed on thy virginal breast, and  He instantly entered within, leaving outwardly im pressed the image of Him self crucified, while with  a sweet smile thou didst breathe forth thy soul in  his holy embrace. O great saint and my special patroness obtain from God, I beseech thee, that like thee I may live a good life and die a holy death; and that being so prepared for the last passage, fortified with the holy sacraments, and invigorated by divine grace, I may finish my days in holiness and be preserved from eternal death.

Blessed Sacrament Book by Fr. Lasance

"He was a native of Orleans, and retiring into Auvergne, took the monastic habit in the abbey of Menat, which was at that time very small. His obedience was so universal, so without all exception or reserve, that instead of edifying the rest, he was despised by them, and looked upon as a fool. His superior, who best knew his spirit, gave him a charge in the house upon which his companions were so uneasy to him, that he quitted the place in silence, and retired into the forest of Orleans. There he lived in such sanctity, that after some time, the same religious, by their importunity, and the command of the bishop, obliged him to return, and be their abbot. He submitted; and having laboured to bring the spirit of his religious to the truth of what they professed, but with little effect, he judged himself useless, and departed from them. He hid himself in the thickest of the forest, where he enjoyed the comfort of his retirement. He was discovered by miracle, and others joining him, King Clotaire built a church and monastery for him and his companions. St. Avitus was soon after called to the company of the blessed, about the year 530. His body was carried to Orleans, and buried with great pomp in that city; and a church was built over his tomb, which still subsists.

"In her youth she was of a vain and worldly spirit, and thought of nothing but, as her father had promised, of being honourably married. But he, being disabled by great losses, could not accomplish what he designed; and she being disappointed, by her mother's importunity, entered into a monastery. There, not at all changed, she still found the same inclinations, as formerly to the world. But God at length giving her a true sense of her follies, she changed so truly to the other extreme, that she became an example of all virtue; which being found solid by the proof of twelve years' practice, she was chosen superior. This charge, however, not agreeing with her humble spirit, she removed to another house of the Bernardins. She made it her grand object to meditate on the life of Jesus Christ, and conform herself to it, as much as possible. Wholly occupied on eternity, she gave herself up to mortification, fasting, and the closest retreat. She lived in so perfect disengagement of spirit, that she had no care for her body; so that she was an example of every virtue of a true religious. Pouring forth floods of tears for the conversion of sinners, she lost her sight, and continued blind eleven years. On the day of her death, she opened her eyes to look towards heaven, to which she was then called, in the year 1246.

If that which Lutgarde esteemed her misfortune, was the first step to her becoming a saint, ought not you to be moderate under all that which seems your unhappiness; hoping that God has a design of hidden blessings, and that this is a preparation for them? Adore Providence, and peaceably submit to all its appointments, without any curiosity to discover its counsels. Thus will you be prepared for its greatest favours. Her first step out of the world was very imperfect, and yet how good was the effect! Be not then too severe in your reflections upon those, whose beginnings are yet weak. But if it be your case, that you were not sincere in what you have undertaken, make now amends for all such weaknesses, by a true conversion of yourself to God." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother

"VITUS, a youth of twelve years, being instructed in the Christian faith, was baptised, unknown to his father; who afterwards omitted no means, whether of love or cruelty, to oblige his son to return to the idolatry in which he had been educated. Finding him not to be overcome by stripes and such like chastisements, he delivered him up to Valerian the governor, who in vain tried all his arts to work him into compliance with his father's will, and the orders of the emperor. He escaped out of their hands, and together with Crescentia and Modestus, fled into Italy. After some time, they were all apprehended by order of Dioclesian; and having been put into a cauldron of boiling oil and lead, scourged and exposed to wild beasts, without hurt, finished a glorious martyrdom by the sword in the year 303. The heroic spirit of martyrdom which we admire in St. Vitus, was owing to the early impressions of piety which he received from the lessons and example of his virtuous nurse Crescentia. This shows the great importance of the choice of virtuous preceptors, nurses, and servants about children. Nothing is so easily imbibed as a spirit of vanity, pride, revenge, obstinacy, or sloth; or harder to be ever corrected. What a happiness then for a child to be formed early to virtue; and for the spirit of simplicity, meekness, goodness, and piety, to be moulded in its tender frame.

Pray on this day for all those, who in their tender years, having their parents the enemies of their faith, are exposed to their cruelty, and to the more dangerous temptations of their flattery and love. Happy they who leave father and mother for the sake of truth. And for yourself, let this example teach you, in all troubles, to place your confidence in God. You see the wonderful effects of His grace; and that none are so weak of themselves, but through Him they may overcome the devil and the world. Be not discouraged therefore by the violence of temptations, nor with the prospect of hardships and difficulties; but hope in God, and remember that though you are weak, yet his power and strength are superior to all." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother