Saint John of the Cross
by VP
Posted on Thursday December 14, 2023 at 07:44PM in Saints
Saint John of the Cross, by Zurbaran
"Live in faith and hope, though it be in darkness, for in this darkness God protects the soul. Cast your care upon God for you are His and He will not forget you. Do not think that He is leaving you alone, for that would be to wrong Him." St. John of the Cross.
"This saint was born near Avila in Spain. From his tender years, he showed great devotion to the Blessed Virgin, and was preserved from many dangers through her intercession. He had so great a love of suffering, that he slept on a hollow board and wore a rough hair shirt, besides practising severe fasts, and almost incredible mortifications. His constant prayer was to be allowed to suffer, and be despised for his Savour's sake. He embraced the reformed Order of barefooted Carmelites; and his example and exhortations inspired the religious with a perfect spirit of solitude, humility, and mortification. Almighty God, to purify his heart, allowed him to pass through most severe trials of spiritual dryness and desolation: but, after some time, rays of light, comfort and divine sweetness scattered these mists, and filled his soul with heavenly delights. This comfort was succeeded by other trials of various kinds, which this holy servant of God endured with invincible constancy, always rejoicing when he shared the cross of his Redeemer. It had always been his prayer that he might die in humiliation and contempt; and his prayer was granted. He died at Ubeda in the year 1591, being forty-nine years old.
The spirit of Christianity is the spirit of the cross. To attain to the pure love of God we must live and die in the spirit of the cross. Our divine Redeemer merited the graces,
which we receive, by suffering for us: and it is by suffering with Him,
that we are best prepared for His graces. This all the saints assure us by their own example. But in the divine
love, they found a recompense, which amply repaid them for all their
sufferings.
Impatience and dejection make ill impressions on all who witness these infirmities. Be careful to prevent them, and by your good example in your sufferings, endeavour to teach others how to suffer. Be watchful in suppressing the first motions of fretfulness and impatience, and pray for the true spirit of a Christian." The Catholic Year, Fr. John Gother
Saint Odo of Cluny, abbot
by VP
Posted on Friday November 17, 2023 at 11:00PM in Saints

"The Mass" says St. Odo, Abbot of Cluny, "is the act on which is based the salvation of the World."
The Holy Mass: The Sacrifice for the Living and the Dead, by Rev. Fr Michael Müller 1875 p 288.
When and how was this yearly commemoration of the departed introduced?
The time of the introduction of this commemoration cannot be determined; for as easily as the time of Tertullian he mentions that the Christians of his day held a yearly commemoration of the dead. Towards the end of the tenth century St. Odo, abbot of the Benedictines, at Cluny, directed this feast to be celebrated yearly, on the 2nd of November in all the convents of his Order, which usage was afterwards enjoined upon the whole Christian world by Pope John XVI. The feast of this day was probably established in order that, after having on day before rejoiced over the glory of the saints in heaven, we should this day remember in love those who are sighing in purgatory for deliverance.
Prayer:
O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins, that, by our pious supplications, they may obtain the pardon which they have always desires. Who livest and reignest,etc.
All Souls' Day. p456 Devout Instructions on the Epistles and Gospels for the Sundays and Holydays Front Cover Leonhard Goffiné Benziger, 1896
Saint Laurence O'Toole, Archbishop of Dublin
by VP
Posted on Monday November 13, 2023 at 11:00PM in Saints
clergy. He pursued by land and sea King Henry II, who had vowed vengeance against one of the kings of Ireland, and did not desist from his purpose until he had achieved a victory, that is, had brought about the reconciliation of the two monarchs. He died at Eu, France in 1081, whole returning home after having accomplished his charitable mission.'
Pictorial half hours with the saints. Abbe Auguste Francois Lecanu
SS. Crispin and Crispinian
by VP
Posted on Wednesday October 25, 2023 at 12:00AM in Saints
SS. Crispin and Crispinian, pd
"The sanctification of Labor .
-Labor is regarded by men in general as a thing of penance; for the greater number it is a matter of pure necessity, and to many has proved the powerful means of procuring sanctification. Hence it was that SS. Crispin and Crispinian, who accompanied St. Quentin to Gaul to preach the Gospel there, labored with their hands, although of noble and illustrious lineage, to support themselves, after the manner of St. Paul, thereby to avoid burthening the faithful and to enable them to contribute by their earnings to the maintenance of the poor. They took up their abode at Soissons, and occupied their vacant hours in making and repairing shoes. Having been denounced in 287 to Maximian Hercules, they were by his order transferred to the tribunal of the prefect Rictius Varus, the most inveterate enemy of the Christians. The prefect vainly employed in turn all the devices of persuasion, threats, and tortures to induce them to renounce Christianity; being unable to overcome them, he condemned them to be beheaded. They are held in great veneration throughout France, or rather through the Church at large, and their names are met with in the most ancient martyrologies.
MORAL REFLECTION.-Of how many may it be said that "they labor in vain," since God is not the end and purpose that inspires the labor!-(Wisd. iii. 2.)
Source: Pictorial half hours with the saints. by Rev. Fr. Auguste François Lecanu
Saint Hilarion de Gaza, Monk
by VP
Posted on Saturday October 21, 2023 at 12:00AM in Saints
"ST. HILARION was born of heathen parents, near Gaza, and was converted while studying grammar in Alexandria. Shortly after, he visited St. Antony, and, still only in his fifteenth year, he became a solitary in the Arabian desert. A multitude of monks, attracted by his sanctity, peopled the desert where he lived. In consequence of this, he fled from one country to another, seeking to escape the praise of men; but everywhere his miracles of mercy betrayed his presence. Even his last retreat at Cyprus was broken by a paralytic, who was cured by St. Hilarion, and then spread the fame of the Saint. He died with the words, "Go forth, my soul; why dost thou doubt? Nigh seventy years hast thou served God, and dost thou fear death?" Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, Rev. Fr. John Gilmary Shea.
"While Saint Hilarion was at prayer, the devil appeared to him, at times as a wolf that howls, at times as a fox that barks, and once set before him the awful spectacle of a band of gladiators; and it seemed to him that one of them, having received a death-wound, fell at his feet imploring the rites of burial. Another time, while the Saint was praying prostrate on the ground, some distraction or other passed through his mind. The devil, taking this opportunity, sat astride on his back, and driving spurs into his sides, and whipping him on the head, exclaimed, "Come, come; why art thou so sleepy?" As the servant of God grew faint under the weight and blows, the demon began to scoff and deride him, saying, "Would you like a little corn to restore your strength?"
I have alluded to these few examples, among
many others that might be alleged, that the reader may see with what
constancy we should struggle and persevere in mental prayer when
the devil comes, either with inward suggestions or outward terrors, to
assail us. Let me now conclude in the words of St Cyprian: "In the time
of prayer, let the heart be opened to
God, but closed against the devil, so as to leave him not even the least
aperture by which he may enter; for this deceiver uses a thousand wiles
to effect a stealthy entrance, and having made good his position,
deludes us and hinders our praying to God." Source: Guide to the Spiritual Life. By Rev. Fr. Giovanni Battista Scaramelli, SJ 1870
Prayer for Parish Priest to St. John Vianney
by VP
Posted on Friday August 04, 2023 at 09:15AM in Saints
Dear Saint John Vianney, your childhood
dream was to be a Priest, to win souls for God. You endured years of
toil and humiliation to attain the Priesthood. You became a Priest
truly after Godʼs own heart, outstanding in humility and poverty;
prayer and mortification. Totally devoted to the service of Godʼs
people.
The Church has exalted you as model and patron saint of
all Parish Priest, trusting that your example and prayers will help them
to live up to the high dignity of their vocation to be faithful
servants of Godʼs people, to be perfect imitators of Christ the Savior
Who came not to be served but to serve, to give His Life in ransom for
many.
Pray that God may give to His Church today many more
Priests after His own Heart. Pray for all the Priests under your
patronage, that they may be worthy representatives of Christ the Good
Shepherd. May they wholeheartedly devote themselves to prayer and
penance; be examples of humility and poverty; shining models of
holiness; tireless and powerful preachers of the Word of God; zealous
dispensers of Godʼs Grace in the Sacraments.
May their loving
devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist and to Mary His Mother be the Twin
Fountains of fruitfulness for their ministry. Amen
Saint Basil the Great
by VP
Posted on Wednesday June 14, 2023 at 09:26AM in Saints
Pd
"The good fight of the Lord: St. Basil, bishop of Caesarea, maintained, single-handed, the combat of the faith against the emperor Valens, the ardent partisan of Arianism. Although deserted by a great number of his colleagues, he did not lose heart; and though but freely seconded by those who remained faithful to him, he put himself in the foremost rank, in order to shield them with his protection. Having been first solicited and afterwards threatened by Modestus, the praetorian prefect, "What would you have, and what are your expectations?" he asked, "to lure me by the enticements of riches and dignities? these I despise. To drive me into exile? What matters it? To consign me to death? So much the better; I shall the sooner be with God!" "Never have I been spoken to thus," exclaimed Modestus. "That is because you have never had to deal with a bishop," replied Basil. Modestus went to give in his report to Valens, saying, " We are conquered." The emperor signed the sentence of exile; but his eldest son having been struck with sudden illness, he forthwith sent for Basil, who prayed for the child and cured it. The struggle did not terminate here, for heresy is as tenacious as faith is unbending; there was no further question of exiling him, however, and Basil died in peace in 379.
Moral Reflection: The combat is painful, but it is consolatory to die, saying, with St. Paul, "I have fought the good fight, and now I await the crown. " (2 Tim. 4. 7.)
Pictorial half hours with the saints By Auguste François Lecanu
Saint Bernardine
by VP
Posted on Saturday May 20, 2023 at 12:00AM in Saints
"And I say that the priest doth more grievous wrong by giving bad example merely by scandalizing his neighbor by a wicked life, than if a layman where to go out to rob in the highway.
The reason is this: that he who standeth in the highway doth rob the man who passeth by, and doth take from him his money, his horse, his garments, and all that which he findeth, but the other with his evil example doth make away with both soul and body of the man whom he doth scandalize thereby, and leaveth him to say and to do evil and to commit sin."
Source: Sermons (iv backbiters are treated of with most beautiful examples, page 28) Saint Bernardine of Siena
"Whenever you hear sodomy mentioned, each and every one of you spit on
the ground and clean your mouth out as well. If they don't want to
change their ways by any other means, maybe they will change when
they're made fools of. Spit hard! Maybe the water of your spit will
extinguish their fire." Lenten sermon preached in Santa Croce, 1424
"Apostle of peace! Italy, whose factions were so often quelled by thee, may well number thee among her protectors. Behold her now a prey to the enemies of Jesus, rebellious against the Church of God, and abandoned to her fate. Oh! Forget not, that she is thy native land, that she was obedient to thy preaching, and that thy memory was long most dear to her. Intercede in her favor; deliver her from her oppressors; and show, that when earthly armies fail, the hosts of heaven can always save both cities and countries.
Illustrious son of the great Patriarch of Assisi! The seraphic Order venerates thee as one of its main supports. Thou didst re-animate it to its primitive observance; continue, now from heaven, to protect the work thou commenced here on earth. The Order of St. Francis is one of the grandest consolations of holy Mother Church; make this Order for ever flourish, protect it in its trials, give it increase in proportion to the necessities of the Faithful; for thou art the second Father of this venerable family, and thy prayers are powerful with the Redeemer, whose glorious Name thou confessed upon earth."
Source: Dom Gueranger
St. Paschal Baylon , Patron Saint of Eucharistic Works
by VP
Posted on Wednesday May 17, 2023 at 10:23AM in Saints
" (...) Paschal was now eighteen years old. No ties bound him to the world, so he set out at once for a monastery. Think of the poor, footsore youth's disappointment, when after the long journey he was told he could not be admitted. Paschal found work near by, and after a little while applied again for admission to the monastery. Again he was told to wait longer. So two years passed away, and Paschal was still waiting.
It was a sore trial, and Our Blessed Lord consoled Him for it in wonderful ways; the following is an example: "One day when the ringing of the bell announced the approaching Elevation, Paschal, unable any longer to bear his privation, fell into a sort of agony, and in his distraction gave vent to one of those cries of desire and love that pierce the very Heart of God. "My Master, my adorable Master, oh, that I might see Thee!" he exclaimed. Scarcely had this loving plaint escaped his lips than, raising his eyes, he perceived high up in the firmament a luminous point, which riveted his gaze. It seemed like that brilliant star which led the Magi to the Crib at Bethlehem. Anon it blazed with wondrous splendor, and then as it faded away the sky seemed to part asunder, and Paschal, gazing through this lattice in the Heavens, saw the forms of Angels prostrated before the Sacred Host, surmounting a chalice. In presence of the Divine Majesty, Paschal fell flat on his face. Then regaining courage, he lifted up his head and gazed upon the heavenly vision. Turning to the other shepherds, he said: '"Kneel down! Do you not see on high yon golden chalice, and the bright rays darting from the Host?" And he pointed to the spot. It is the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. The Angels are adoring it. Come let us join our adorations to theirs."
"All fell on their knees and adored, though the vision was not seen by any of them. Yet they believed it most firmly on Paschal's word; for they knew he was incapable of an untruth, and too sturdy and practical to be deceived by his imagination." This was but one of the many wondrous miracles that are connected with him.
As a Franciscan Friar, his reputation for sanctity daily increased. The convent felt honored to have him, and well they might; for his whole life was a series of wonderful proofs of Our Divine Savior's predilection. The dominant note of his life was said to be adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. He was also most devout to Our Blessed Lady. On her feasts he was all but beside himself with joy. It is said he never pronounced the name of Mary without inclining his head; and when he came across an image of the Blessed Virgin he kissed it reverently, especially if it represented her as the Immaculate. Franciscans are pledged to defend the glorious title of the Immaculate Conception. Paschal Baylon was exceedingly chivalrous to Heaven's Queen. She nowhere found a more valiant champion. (...)
As soon as his duty was finished, he hastened back to the House of God. chapel, they said, might be called his headquarters. Every spare moment he had he would surely spend it there.Through reverence for the August Presence, in prayer he always joined his hands and knelt immovable as a statue. One Holy Thursday, absorbed in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, he knelt thus motionless as a statue five consecutive hours.
Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament cannot be separated from the Sufferings of Our Blessed Lord. Paschal's devotion to the Sacred Passion was most ardent. Moving around at his work, he would be heard whispering," My Love is crucified! Oh, my Love is crucified." Pondering the sufferings of Christ Our Saviour he wished to suffer, too; hence his great penances, which were rather outbursts of love than reparation for his sins, although he always thought of himself as a great sinner. (...)
When upon a time the late Sovereign Pontiff, Leo XIII, was selecting a patron for Eucharistic Works, a long list of illustrious names was handed to him, Saints like St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Bonaventure, St. Clare, and others well known for special devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament. Paschal Baylon's name was last. The Pope, not knowing of this hidden Lay Brother, asked for the records of his life. They were brought and read to the Holy Father, who was amazed and charmed. To make amends, as it were, for so great a Saint being left in obscurity during the past centuries, he issued the Apostolic Letter Providentissimus Deus, constituting St. Paschal Baylon “ the special heavenly Protector of Eucharistic Congresses and of all Societies, both present and future, taking their name from the most Holy Eucharist."
Source: Eucharistic Lilies: Youthful Lovers of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament By sister Mary Theodosia Mug, 1912
Saint John Nepomucen (Priest and Martyr of the Confessional)
by VP
Posted on Tuesday May 16, 2023 at 10:19AM in Saints
Settegast, Joseph Anton Nikolaus, 1813-1890
"The Seal of Confession: John Nepomucen was born in Bohemia about 1330. He dedicated to God and the Holy Virgin a life which had, in his case, been miraculously preserved from his very infancy, and embraced the ecclesiastical state, that he might devote himself wholly to the salvation of souls. The first efforts of his zeal having been attended with admirable results, particularly among the students of the town of Prague, the emperor Wenceslas wished to hear him preach, and named him his almoner. The empress and many of the greatest personages of the court put themselves under his spiritual direction; but as the pious empress had been accused of leading a disorderly life, the emperor wished to obtain information in that particular, from her confessor. The latter, as duty required, withheld all explanation. Wenceslas, who was of wrathful temper and had become cruel by dint of misfortune, maltreated John Nepomucen, submitted him to a protracted torture, and caused him at last to be thrown into the Moldau. The body of the holy martyr, by means of a celestial light, was discovered, withdrawn from the waters and fittingly interred. This happened in 1383. Benedict XIII. canonized John Nepomucen in 1729.
Moral reflection: When once initiated into the divine mysteries, the prophet Isaiah exclaimed: "My secret to myself!" That of the confessor being more sacred, belongs not to him, but is God's own. (Isa. XXIV. 16.)" Pictorial half hour with the Saints, Fr. Lecanu.
Prayer: "How great, glorious Martyr, was the honor reserved for you by the Son of God when He chose you to be the one who was to attest, by laying down his life, the sacredness of the secret which protects the Sacrament of Penance! Other priests, as well as yourself, have bravely suffered persecution for the sake of the secrecy of the mystery of Reconciliation. But you were the one chosen by Heaven to give a solemn testimony of priestly discretion. Your sufferings were known to more than to Angels. Your martyrdom was a public one, and the faithful honor your courage as an eloquent proof of how truly our good Shepherd, Jesus, removes every difficulty that could deter the strayed sheep from returning to the fold.
We address ourselves to you, holy Martyr, on this the day of your triumph, and we beg of you to intercede for sinners. Admirable minister of the Sacrament of Penance, you see how many Christians there are who neglect to avail themselves of the means of salvation prepared for them by our Risen Savior. Instead of laying hold of this “second plank after shipwreck,” they let themselves be carried on to the deep abyss by the tide of their sinful habits. There are thousands who have turned a deaf ear, even this Easter, to the call of holy Church who invited them, as an affectionate Mother, to approach the tribunal of mercy and Reconciliation. We beseech you, intercede for these blind, these unwary, these ungrateful men. Get them that grace which will lead them to the feet of the God of Mercy who is ever ready to grant pardon.
There are others, again, who go to Confession but who have not the dispositions requisite for receiving the grace of the Sacrament —the justification of their souls. Pray also for these that they may see the danger they thus incur of profaning the Blood of Christ. Obtain for all them who approach the holy tribunal an honest avowal of their sins and contrition of heart, that thus the life of our Risen Jesus may be imparted to them, and that they may never again lose it. By your powerful intercession, raise up zealous and faithful ministers of this great Sacrament of which you were the martyr. Draw down on their arduous labor the blessing of Heaven: then will the number of the children of God be increased and the grace of the Holy Ghost triumph in souls that have long been dead in sin." Dom Gueranger
Prayer for a priest before Confession
Prayer for a priest after Confession