SS. Crispin and Crispinian
by VP
Posted on Wednesday October 25, 2023 at 01:00AM 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
Fraternal Charity
by VP
Posted on Sunday October 22, 2023 at 01:00AM in Sermons
"Shouldst not thou then have had compassion also on thy fellow-servant ?"-MATT. xviii. 33.
Little things betray the spirit of our hearts in this respect. It is no excuse that they are only little things. There is nothing that is really little, that is for God or against God. Besides, if we are resentful and bitter about small matters, how can we reasonably expect to be forgiving, kind, and charitable when we have serious reason to be hurt and offended? For the safety of our soul we have to watch small failings in this matter of fraternal charity.
Naturally we are very prone and ready to fail in charity. We are keen to notice; to think evil; to repeat and exaggerate anything against another; self-love easily takes offence, and the offence rankles, and brotherly love is ruined. Whereas, with the aid of prayer, and with the grace of God, we should constantly try to be charitable; thinking no evil; saying no unkind word; doing kindnesses even to those who have been unkind Above all, to be ready to forgive from the heart whatever may have been said or done against us. In this matter we have either to mean and try to be saints, or we shall, eventually, find ourselves reprimanded and punished by our Master, Jesus Christ.
Take what the saints have done and said. The great St. Teresa prays thus: "Forgive us, O Lord, not because of our prayers and good deeds, but because we have forgiven." When Blessed Juvenal Ancina was dying, poisoned by an enemy, he not only refused to mention the name of the assassin, whom he knew well, but strictly forbade that any inquiry should be made to lead to his punishment. And St. John Gualbertus, about to kill the murderer of his brother, at the sign and mention of the Cross, forgave him from his heart. And this was the turning-point-a proud young nobleman changed into a saint.
Not only were the saints ready to forgive, but they practiced active and kindly charity amongst the poor, the sick, and the afflicted. When we read the lives of holy men we cannot help but be struck by this humble and penitential habit. Even exalted personages and profound scholars steal time from their other labors to visit hospitals and the poor in their homes. This is one of the surest marks of real holiness. And others, again, devoted their whole lives to such work and founded religious Orders to perpetuate their labors. Oh! they had compassion on their fellow-servants. Call to mind St. Vincent of Paul. Who shall ever tell all that has been done in his life and since his death, by himself and those he taught to succor human misery? Their name is legion who have followed in his footsteps. And St. Camillus, the patron of a holy death, whose holy calling it was to tend the dying, winning poor sinners over in his hospitals to repent and die in peace. These are the heroes of charity, and so many more that could be named, and whom you of yourselves will remember. Heroes of charity, who loved to tend the most loathsome diseases, and whose touch wrought so many miraculous cures. We cannot be like them heroes, but we can and must pray to have a little of their spirit of kindness and compassion.
We must be determined and ready to meet the trials of life with resignation and serenity, and being kind to others in their necessities and miseries will bring this grace to our own souls. We cannot help it; suffering is like our shadow-we cannot get away from it. But being mindful and tender towards the sufferings of others will enable us to bear our own with fortitude and hope. St. Laurence the Martyr first saw to the poor and afflicted, distributed the Church's treasures to them, and with the sign of the Cross opened the eyes of the blind; and then when roasted slowly to death, God blessed him so that the flames were like roses to him, and happily and triumphantly he died for Christ. This is how God blesses compassion and fraternal charity.
For ourselves let us take consolation from this thought: God seems blind to our failings, as long as He sees kindness to others in our hearts. He gives us Himself as an example. He was meekness itself; He went about doing good to all; He loved to be amongst the poor; and of all that were diseased, do we read of one being sent away uncured? And His blessed Mother is like to Him, as we should expect. We salute her as Queen of Heaven, but a title she loves better is "Mother of Mercy." Mother of Mercy." How often have we stood in need of her pity and her help, and how often again shall we receive it, for she will ask our Lord for us, and she cannot be denied, if only she sees us striving to be to each other kind, and charitable, and merciful, and compassionate." Source: Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost, Short Sermons on the Epistles & Gospels of the Sundays of the Year By Rev. Fr. Francis Paulinus Hickey
Saint Hilarion de Gaza, Monk
by VP
Posted on Saturday October 21, 2023 at 01:00AM 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
The Safeguard of our Soul
by VP
Posted on Sunday October 15, 2023 at 11:25AM in Poetry
Sacred Heart, Raleigh NC
"Lord, come down before that my son die."— St. John IV
"The Gospel narrative today is simple and touching. The ruler loved his son, and was sorely grieved that he was losing him. Opportunely he heard that our Blessed Lord had come from Judea to Galilee. He hastened therefore to Him; and the cry of his heart went forth, full of faith and trusting hope: Lord, come down and heal my son. And when our Savior chided him that unless he saw signs and wonders he believed not, the father's heart, not minding the rebuke, persevered in the prayer: "Lord, come down before that my son die."Have we not something that we should cherish even more than that father did his son? Should not our prayer be more earnest and persevering than that father's? Ours should be, "Lord, come down before that my soul die." And how this prayer of poor fallen man has been heard! God the Son came down from heaven and became Man to succor the soul of man. He taught it; He comforted it; He blessed it, and redeemed it. He, Who was the glory of heaven, came down, and became the Crucified Victim of Calvary for us. And lest in succeeding ages the memory of this atonement should grow dim, and lose its power over the hearts of men, the loving Lord perpetuated this Sacrifice, this oblation of Himself for man, lest that our soul should die. Faithful hearts gather round the altar, and their cry is, "Come down." During all these centuries, day after day, in every church the miracle of miracles is worked, and at the words of consecration in the Mass, Christ our Lord, true God, true Man, comes down in His Mercy and His love. Here is our salvation! What Calvary did, the Mass can do! The work of our redemption is renewed lest our souls die. For a moment reflect; what earnestness, devotion, gratitude should be ours for the daily Holy Mass. Christ comes down to heal us, strengthen us, to make our hearts live for and tend to their eternal destiny.
Come down! Yes, daily upon our altars, and yet the Sacred Heart of Jesus is not content. There is another yearning, another longing that inflames it. Come down, He bids us pray again. Come down, dear Lord, into the very depths of our poor souls, come down and heal them in Holy Communion. Have we no pity for our own poor souls, that are dying-frail, languishing, wasting for nourishment and health and strength? And our Blessed Lord comes down to us, saying to us, "I am the Bread of life. If any man eat of this Bread he shall live for ever (John vi. 48, 52). All that is wanting is our desire and longing to come to Him to be healed.
What shall we answer to Christ the Judge if our souls die? It will be all our own fault. No shadow of an excuse. No one upon whom to lay the blame except our own selves. We may say we were tempted by the devil; but here was our Lord to succor us. We were weak and sinful; yes, and we neglected to seek strength and holiness here in the Blessed Sacrament. We were busy and occupied with many cares and the pursuits of the world; ah! had we not time to secure eternity? Passing pleasures of an hour were more thought of than the eternal joys of heaven, of which the Blessed Eucharist is the token and the pledge.
Our divine Lord is longing to come to us; but we, alas! have little longing or desire to come to Him. Where is our faith, our hope, our love for Him? Where is the fear within us lest our soul should die? It humbles us to remember the devoutness of others, and how in response to the cry of their hearts, our Savior has come and made His abode with them, and transformed them into saints. Yes, they have become saints because they were anxious about their souls, and their faith taught them how their souls could be safeguarded. The cry of their heart was, "Lord, come down"; they knew they could not do without Him. And the safety, the growth, the perfecting of their souls was in this that our Lord had come with His blessed healing and nourishing, and had stayed with them. His Presence made them realize more and more His blessings and His love, and then on their part their desire and longing for Him and wholehearted response to His graces grew more and more.
Mass and Holy Communion must not become matters of custom and habit, and there is here a great danger, especially for the young and thoughtless. But they must be so prepared for and longed for each day, that this love of receiving our divine Lord may be intensified each time. We are humbled, when we think of the devotion of the saints that we read of. How St. Gerard, a mere little boy, longed so for his Lord that St. Michael the Archangel brought him his first Communion. How the Sacred Host left the altar and came of itself to St. Catherine of Siena at the end of the church.
Each time at Holy Communion let us try to learn to be more devout. And thus we shall come to be prepared for that last and final visit, when our days on earth are drawing to a close, and in response to our dying cry," Lord, come down," the Holy Viaticum will be brought to us, and for the last time on earth our wistful eyes will look upon our Blessed Lord in the Holy Eucharist! Soon to behold Him in His glory in that eternal home whither He will lead us." Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost. Short Sermons on the Epistles & Gospels of the Sundays of the Year By Francis Paulinus Hickey
The Calls of Grace
by VP
Posted on Sunday October 08, 2023 at 01:00AM in Sermons
Sacred Heart, Raleigh NC
'They that were invited were not worthy."-Matt. xxii. 8. "
"This gospel reminds us of the manifold invitations, the countless calls of grace, wherewith we are favored by our loving Lord and Savior. Here in God's church we cannot help but remember them. How often has He spoken to us those words, "Come to Me, all you that labor and are burdened: and I will refresh you (Matt. xi. 28). At another time, when He has seen us wasting the short and precious hours of life, He has bidden us, "Go you also into My vineyard, and I will give you what shall be just " (Matt. xx. 4). And when our souls have yearned for Him, wishing to give themselves devoutly to Him, He has said, as He did to St. Andrew, "Come and see" (John i. 39), and we have known where to find His home here in the tabernacle where He is waiting, always ready, to welcome us and bid us stay with Him.
And why all these merciful invitations? He has no need of us. He is supremely blessed and happy without us. There are so many countless multitudes better than we are. Have they been as favored as we feel that we have been? Then why these calls of grace to us? They are purely out of benevolence. "He is the Lord, who loveth souls."
If it were not our Lord Himself, Who tells us how His calls and invitations are received, we could not believe that human nature could be so perverse, so ungrateful. The gospel tells us first that some refused: they would not come." Others promised, perhaps half meant to accept, but " they neglected." Others - can it be possible? -insulted, outraged, and even put to death the servants who brought the Master's invitation.
How have we responded to the invitations of Almighty God? Please God, we have not outraged His mercy by insulting His ministers and by rebelliously disobeying His Church, as those do who neglect their Easter duties. Again, please God, we have not "refused," daringly saying, "I will not." But who is there that can plead not guilty to "neglecting"? Who is there that has not put God off? Another time will do for the service of God, at present the claims of the world are very pressing. Business has to be attended to; friends are importunate; health, leisure, pleasure all urge their claims. Some other time we will respond to God! He, Who gives us time and life, is begrudged a little of the time which we owe to His loving kindness. Sometime, as we know well, is repeatedly no time: tomorrow never comes! Today is the time to respond to God. Think for a moment the insult it is to keep God waiting for an answer. Every good resolution that, through God's grace, we have made, and that on looking back we see has come to naught, is a proof of our neglect. We began, but we neglected.
There are some who may try to excuse themselves by urging that many others have had better chances; more frequent calls of grace, opportunities of practicing piety denied to them; but none of us can truly say that we have not been invited and pressed to join God's service. Does not the gospel tell us, that the servants were at length sent out to bring in all that they could find, both good and bad? So we must have neglected or even resisted, or we should have found ourselves amongst the servants of God. Let us resolve now to take that word of St. Paul's, "I cast not away the grace of God" (Gal. ii. 21), and make it our own, and with a firm, resolute will promise, "I will never again cast away the grace of God."
Our Blessed Lord's parable tells us how the Master, hurt and grieved, complained, "They that were invited were not worthy." Let us pray for holy fear lest we be found unworthy; for a holy anxiety to look to ourselves carefully lest we neglect. We must beware of being self-satisfied. We see others, as we may think, worse than ourselves, but have they received as many graces and calls as we have? And if they are more negligent, more guilty than ourselves, how does that make us stand better in the sight of God? Again, let us not be self-satisfied by any little good that we may have done, which, very likely, is far outbalanced by our shortcomings and our faults. Take heed by the example of those who thought they would be well received by their divine Master. They had forgotten their neglect and putting God off till it was too late. The five foolish virgins came to the marriage festival after the door was shut. They were too late. The Gospel says, " But at last also came the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But He answering said, Amen, amen, I say to you, I know you not" (Matt. xxv. II). And remember those others of whom our Lord said: "Many will say to Me in that day: Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name, and cast out devils in Thy name, and done many miracles in Thy name? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you that work iniquity" (Matt. vii. 22).
Is not this enough to make us humble and ready to accept God's graces; to welcome His invitations; to be careful to respond to them; and to do our utmost day after day? If we do this and persevere loyally, zealously, we shall indeed hear a very different word from the Master, a blessed welcome indeed! "Then shall the King say to them, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess you the Kingdom prepared for you" (Matt. xxv. 34). (19th Sunday after Pentecost. Short Sermons on the Epistles & Gospels of the Sundays of the Year by Fr. Francis Paulinus Hickey
The Holy Guardian Angels
by VP
Posted on Monday October 02, 2023 at 09:04AM in Meditations
L' Ange Gardien: Nicolas Gabriel Dupuis (French, Paris 1698–1771 Paris)
All you legions and choirs of Angels, please make haste to come to the aid and defense of our One Holy Roman Catholic Church. Led by St. Michael, may She be protected from destruction within by all modernistic attempts that try to diminish the true presence of God and take away His proper and due respect! In particular, come to the aid of my parish (name your parish) that it may remain or be remade to be a place of reverence and a stronghold from which the One True Triune God may continue to lead and strengthen us. Amen.
"This day is observed by the universal Church in honor of our guardian angels. Fail not to give God thanks for all the help and protection which you receive from those ministering spirits. Let the many examples of both old and new Testament excite your faith and hope, as to this point. Recommend yourself to the charity and protection of your angel guardian: beseech him to go before you in all your ways, and deliver you from all the snares of the infernal spirits, and particularly to stand by you at the hour of death.
Eternal praise is due to God for His mercy to sinners, who knowing how very blind and weak we are in the midst of so many dangers, with which we are encompassed, has given us in charge to His holy angels, to take care of us, that what is wanting to us, through our manifold infirmities, may be supplied by their power and charity; and that by them we may be defended from enemies, delivered from dangers, and conducted to a place of rest, in the participation of that happiness which they enjoy. For this mercy, it is our duty, particularly on this day, to bow down and adore our God; and beg that under the care of our good angels, our lives, in virtue and good discipline, may be a perpetual homage of thanksgiving. We must beg those blessed spirits to supply for what is wanting in us, giving praise to the Lord of glory, in everlasting hymns, for His infinite goodness to us, who have every provision made for us to become eternally glorious with them in heaven.
At the same time it is our duty to make a good use of these mercies of our God, and be careful not to render his blessings unprofitable to us by our sins. Whatever helps we receive from His creatures, are the effects of his bounty, and thanks are due for them. And since the end of God's ordinances is His own glory and our salvation, we must take care that our lives be so directed, as to answer these purposes of his infinite wisdom and providence.
Pray therefore to your good angel, to direct your feet in ways of peace, to defend you from all evil spirits, and to help you, as often as the violence of temptation puts you in danger of sin. Always have a great reverence for your angel guardian, and remember his holy presence. Let the sense of his presence be a salutary check to every evil thought, word or action; and let it be a source of consolation to you, and an encouragement to good. Beseech him to procure for you help to avoid sin, to perform all your duties, to overcome the world and yourself, and persevere in the love and service of your Creator, till you come to praise him with the choirs of angels for ever." The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev. Fr. John GOTHER
State of Grace
by VP
Posted on Sunday October 01, 2023 at 01:00AM in Sermons
"The grace of God that is given to you in Christ Jesus."I COR. i. 4.
"Grace is the gift of God and the life of our soul. By it we participate in the divine nature. If we preserve our souls in the state of grace in life, we make certain of our everlasting reward and glory hereafter. Grace is given to us by God freely, lovingly, generously; our solicitude and daily endeavor must be to preserve it in our souls. But how few of us value it as we should! In the world how many do not believe in grace: reject it for a whim, a pleasure, an indulgence of their passions! And yet it is the all-important thing for each of us to preserve our soul in the state of grace. Yet can we know for sure whether we are in the state of grace? -for Scripture tells us that man knows not whether he be worthy of love or hatred -that is, whether he be in the favor and friendship of God, or whether sin has driven grace from his soul, and left it "poor and miserable and naked" in the sight of His heavenly Father.True, we cannot know for certain; but there are signs, which guarantee us a moral certainty, sufficient for a solid hope to be built on it, that we are friends with God, and have grace within our souls. "The grace of God that is given to you in Christ Jesus." Let us examine these signs, these tests, to help us to be solicitous and earnest in treasuring this heavenly gift.
The first is the testimony of our conscience. Conscience acknowledges that we have sinned, but can also claim that we have done that which is required for sin to be forgiven; that we need not fear that those sins of which we have repented can be our accusers at the Judgment. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity" (1 John i. 9). This testimony of our conscience is one of the greatest tests of grace, because we are only judged according to our conscience. We must "endeavor to have always a conscience without offense towards God and towards man " (Acts xxiv. 16).
The second sign or test that we are in the state of grace, given us both by St. Leo the Great and St. Augustine, is fraternal charity. Truly, if we have God within us by His grace, how can we not have a little of the love and charity of God towards our brethren, the well-beloved children of the same Father? St. John tells us," If God hath so loved us, we also ought to love one another. . . . If we love one another, God abideth in us, and His charity is perfected in us” (1 John iv. 11, 17). "We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren " (ibid. iii. 14). And what is the life of our soul but the grace of God, given to us in Christ Jesus"? Fraternal charity indeed is the great sign, the moral certitude of predestination, that the grace of God exists supreme in our soul. "As fire produces heat," says St. Bruno, so grace produces charity." Charity diffuses itself to all and in all things, simply for the love of God. We see God in the poor, the suffering, the dying and the souls in purgatory, and it is to Him, through them, that we extend our sympathy, our kindness, and our help. And if we are thus charitable for God's sake is it not that we love Him, or, at least, are striving to love Him? And to love God - is not that a sign, a test, a sure proof that we are already in the grace of God?
Remember the example of that religious, an ordinary religious as far as man could judge, who, when dying, knew no terror or anguish. His eyes were raised upwards so calmly, so hopefully, there was evidence of such peace of soul, that his superior asked him, was there no cause of sorrow or fear from the past? It is very true, the dying man replied, I have been careless and tepid, yet in spite of past infidelities I die in peace, because I have never judged my brethren, and I have the word of Jesus Christ," Judge not, and thou shalt not be judged." My God, pardon me, as I have pardoned others; bear me no ill-will, as I have borne none to others; forget my sins and iniquities, as I have forgotten anything that others have done to me. Grant me measure for measure; pity for pity; kindness for kindness. What a testimony does fraternal charity thus bear to our souls, that we are in the state of grace!
The last sign to be mentioned is this, and it grows out of the two preceding tests. If our conscience has not to reproach us with sin; if the love of God is urging us to the practice of fraternal charity, a light, a heavenly light illuminates our souls, revealing to us the nothingness, the paltriness, the vileness of this world and of all that it can offer us; and revealing to us, on the other hand, the beauty of the life of grace, giving us a relish of the supernatural, our prayers, our Holy Communions, yea, even a love of patient suffering, and a longing desire for heaven. Thus the light of grace leads us safely along the humble path that leads to life eternal. Let us pray for holy fear, lest we should lose reverence and care for the preservation of grace within us. How this life seems to fade away and lose all fascination to attract us; and how near the brightness of heaven seems, because of "the grace that is given to us in Christ Jesus." [Short Sermons on the Epistles & Gospels of the Sundays of the Year By Rev. Fr. Francis Paulinus Hickey, O.S.B.]