Saint Jerome, Doctor of the Church A.D. 420
by VP
Posted on Monday September 30, 2024 at 01:00AM in Saints
"Jerome (...) wrote (...) a famous letter in which he enumerated the austere duties of the sacerdotal life. Amongst many other lessons to be found in it is the following, which applies to all preachers, and which Fenelon has inserted in his third " Dialogue upon Eloquence": "When teaching in the church do not excite the applause but rather the lamentations of the people; let the tears of your auditors be your commendation. The sermons of a priest should overflow with Holy Scripture. Be not an orator, but a sincere expounder of the mysteries of your God." [Source: Saint Jerome by Father Largent, translated by Hester Davenport 1913]
"An eminent Doctor and Father in God's Church, born in Dalmatia, under the Emperor Constantius. He was brought up to learning, and improved it by the assistance of St. Gregory Nazianzen, and other great men of that age, and by four years' study of the Holy Scriptures in a desert of Syria. He was made priest by Paulinus, bishop of Antioch; and going to Rome, for composing some differences of the Eastern bishops, was chosen secretary to the pope, St. Damasus. But tired with the distractions of that
employment, he returned to his solitude; where, in continual
abstinence, prayer, and contemplation, he led an angelical life. He was
perplexed indeed with great temptations and want of health, but never discouraged; nor did he permit these to give interruption to his prayers or studies. He was there consulted both by St. Damasus and St. Augustin about difficulties of holy writ. He there translated the Old Testament out of Hebrew; and at the request of St. Damasus, corrected the New. He there vigorously opposed the errors of his time, and illustrated the Catholic faith by his learned volumes. In this method of sanctity, he lived to a great age, and died at length under Honorius, in the year 420.
Pray for all who apply to learning, that they may take virtue along with them. Learn from this saint to read the Scriptures with a diligent and humble mind. Presume not on your own sense. Solid virtue and many years' study qualified St. Jerome for an expositor; without these your expositions may be subject to great errors.
Reflect on your
own circumstances: if they engage you in great distractions, deliver
yourself, as far as you are able; and let no preferment or interest take place of your soul. But if idleness, vanity, and the earnest desire of gratifying yourself prove your distraction, your obligation to quit all this is still greater.
Pray for the whole Church and its pastors.
Pray for yourself, that the industrious, laborious, and holy spirit of this saint may be your portion, and secure you against all the mischief of sloth and self-love.
It being the last day of the month, give thanks for all blessings received, and beg hearty pardon for all your sins." [The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev. Fr. John GOTHER]
THE CALLS OF GRACE
by VP
Posted on Sunday September 29, 2024 at 01:00AM in Sermons
They that were invited were not worthy."-Matt. xxii. 8.
1. Gospel reminds us of the many calls and invitations of grace.
2. Why God is so generous? Because He loves us.
3. How have we responded?
4. Resolve to treasure God's graces.
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."
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 Francis Paulinus Hickey, 1922
Prayer for the Protection of the Church to Saint Michael and the Holy Angels
by VP
Posted on Sunday September 29, 2024 at 01:00AM in Prayers
Prayer to the Holy Angels for Parishes
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. CAPG
"Give thanks for that glory which the angels enjoy. Rejoice in their happiness, and pray that you may arrive at length at that unchangeable state.
Pray for that spirit of adoration in which they prostrate themselves before the throne of God. Join with them in spirit this day, and add your mite to those praises which they give to their Creator: to him be praise and glory for ever.
Pray that the will of God may be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Pray for grace, that you may not be wanting on your part, by withdrawing yourself from that obedience which you owe to your God.
A day instituted in honor of St. Michael and all the choirs of angels, ought to be a summons to all Christians to look into that happy state of which they are possessed; and by considering what their employment is, to conclude what ought to be the business of those, who are preparing to have part with them for all eternity. Now the least glance towards them informs us, that their whole occupation is in God; to adore, bless, and magnify him, to be wholly subject to him, and perform his will in all things; and that in the contemplation and possession of him is their whole happiness. This is an instruction to us, that as we entertain hopes of being added to that blessed company, so we ought here in this life to dispose and fit our souls for that which we hope will be our entertainment for ever. That however we find the whole bent of our souls, with a sort of violence, carrying us towards the earth, yet that it ought to be our endeavor to work our souls by degrees into so holy a disposition, as to be willing to leave earth for heaven. That in the meantime we ought to repute all earthly goods as vain, all satisfactions here as dangerous, and all worldly honor and the opinion of men as unprofitable. We ought to settle a fixed judgment that God is the only good; that He who is the happiness of the blessed is our only happiness here; that the best employment of our understanding is to know Him, and the ways that lead to Him, and of our will and affections to love Him. This ought to be the business of a Christian life, and is most certainly the best preparation for a happy death. For the soul by this means coming as near the life of the blessed, as the condition of this life will permit, death becomes not a death to it, but sets it at liberty from all those impediments, which were here its oppression and grievance, and puts it in a way of perfecting what it could here but imperfectly begin. Happy are those Christians, who by frequent consideration of that state which the blessed enjoy, and which is the object of their hopes, can bring their souls to this holy disposition, and make God the entertainment of their understanding and will here, whom they desire to be their only one for ever.
But because the greatest hindrances of this work, are the many distractions of this life, we cannot but acknowledge it a very providential mercy that God has by his Church appointed certain days to be kept holy, wherein Christians may not only give rest to their bodies, but to their souls also, by taking them off from the solicitude of worldly affairs, and applying them more closely to God. It is to be feared that there are very few who make it their practice to spend these days of salvation unprofitably, without shewing the wrath of God to be upon them, by other notorious disorders and their irregular lives.
It were to be wished therefore, that all Christians would learn on these days, when they are called to the life of angels, to withdraw their minds, as much as may be, from this busy and distracting world, and confine them more to the business of angels; and that they would refresh their souls with the same heavenly food. This would strengthen them against all temptations and difficulties of the world, and would make them cheerfully bend under all God's appointments. It would teach them to adore God, to love Him, and rejoice in Him. This is the life of the angels, and into these holy dispositions must those Christians work their souls, who hope to live for ever in the company of the angels." [The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev. Fr. John GOTHER]
St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, Cary NC
Prayer for the Protection of the Church to Saint Michael
O glorious Saint Michael, guardian and
defender of the Church of Jesus Christ, come to the assistance of the
Church, against which the powers of Hell are unchained, guard with
especial care her august Head, and obtain that for him and for us the
hour of triumph may speedily arrive.
O glorious Archangel Saint
Michael, watch over us during life, defend us against the assaults of
the demon, assist us especially at the hour of death; obtain for us a
favorable judgment, and the happiness of beholding God face to face for
endless ages. Amen
Saint Wenceslas, Martyr
by VP
Posted on Saturday September 28, 2024 at 01:53AM in Saints
"Wenceslas was the son of a Christian Duke of Bohemia but his mother was a hard and cruel pagan. Through the care of his holy grandmother, Ludmilla, herself a martyr, Wenceslas was educated in the true faith, and imbibed a special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. On the death of his father, his mother, Drahomira, usurped the government and passed a series of persecuting laws. In the interests of the faith, Wenceslas claimed and obtained, through the support of the people, a large portion of the country as his own kingdom. His mother secured the apostasy and alliance of her second son, Boleslas, who became henceforth her ally against the Christians. Wenceslas meanwhile ruled as a brave and pious king, provided for all the needs of his people, and when his kingdom was attacked, overcame in single combat, but the sign of the Cross, the leader of an invading army. In the service of God, he was most constant, and planted with his own hands the wheat and grapes for the Holy Mass, at which he never failed daily to assist. His piety was the occasion of his death. Once, after a banquet at his brother's palace, to which he had been treacherously invited, he went, as was his wont at night, to pray before the tabernacle. There, at midnight on the feast of the Angels, A.D. 938, he received his crown of martyrdom, his brother dealing him the death-blow.
Reflection: St. Wenceslas teaches us that the safest place to meet the trials of life, or to prepare for the stroke of death, is before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament."
Pictorial Lives of the Saints, by Rev. Fr. John G. Shea.
Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest
by VP
Posted on Friday September 27, 2024 at 01:29AM in Saints
The Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane Denys Calvaert (circa 1540–1619)
" Devotion and piety towards God and the Blessed Sacrament- Imitation of Jesus Christ.
When before the Holy Tabernacle, he always maintained himself on both knees, and in a posture so humble that he seemed, the more to testify his respect, to wish to abase himself to the center of the earth, and with such faith manifested in his countenance, one would say that he saw Jesus with his eyes; with such devotion, he would have inspired the most incredulous, with faith and the most insensible with piety; in such modesty and silence, that he had not a single glance for the greatest. magnificence, nor a word for the most august personages.
There he loved to remain all the time that his duties left at his disposal, and there he forgot himself for hours together. There he went, like Moses of old, to consult the Divine oracle in all his difficulties." (...)
Profanations, committed by heretics, or by the military, grieved him mortally. Tears, extraordinary penances, fervent prayers, all were offered in reparation and atonement He went himself or sent some of his community in pilgrimage to the profaned churches; the priests said mass and the others received Holy Communion there in reparation. He made good the material loss caused by sacrilegious thefts of sacred vessels and ornaments; and by means of missions he repaired the injury done the honor of God and souls by impiety and heresy.
He said to them with regard to the celebration of Mass: "It is not enough to celebrate mass, we must, moreover, offer this sacrifice with the greatest possible devotion, according to the will of God Himself; conforming ourselves, with His grace, as much as we can, to Jesus offering Himself, when on earth, to His eternal Father. Let us use all endeavor, then, gentlemen, to offer our sacrifices to God in the same spirit, in which our Lord offered His, and as perfectly as our poor and miserable nature will permit.”
He prescribed the greatest respect in the church and in the ceremonies. Precipitation, genuflections half-made, the least negligences in the Divine service were a torment to
his exalted idea of religion, and an alarm to his soul ever trembling
before the possibility of scandal. Hence, he took care to correct in
private, and, if necessary, in public, all the faults that he observed.
If one of his members passed before the altar, making a genuflection carelessly
and thoughtlessly, he immediately called him back, and showed him in
what manner and how far he should bend before God. On these occasions he
would say: "We should never conduct ourselves as mere puppets, which
are made to move quickly, and the salutations of which are without
reverence or soul." And, after his humble habit of accounting himself
responsible for all faults. he added: Who is guilty, my brethren! It is
this miserable person who is speaking to you, and who would cast himself
on his knees if he could. Excuse my infirmities." And in fact, it was a
cruel privation to him, and one that he attributed to his sins, when he
could no longer kneel, and he publicly asked pardon for it, and
besought them not to be scandalized.
Nevertheless," he added, "if I see the congregation relax I will force myself on my knees, cost what it will, and rise as best I may, with the aid of some of you, or in making use of my hands, so that I may thus give the example that I ought to give. For, the faults committed in a community are imputed to the superior, and the faults of the congregation in this point are always serious, as much because there is question of a duty of religion and of an exterior reverence that marks the interior respect we show God, as because, if we be the first to fail, those preparing for ordination, and the clergy who come here, will believe themselves under no obligation to do better; and those who will succeed us in the congregation and who will model themselves after us, will do still less, and thus everything will tend to decay; for if the original be defective what will the copies be? I beg you, then, gentlemen and my brothers, to pay great attention to this, and to comport yourselves in this action in such a manner that interior reverence may suggest and always accompany the exterior. God desires to be adored in spirit and in truth, and al' good Christians should do so in imitation of the Son of God, who, prostrate on the earth in the Garden of Olives, united to this devout posture a profound interior humility, out of respect for the Sovereign Majesty of His Father."
What he said of the genuflection he applied to all the ceremonies. They are, in truth, only the shadow, but the shadow of the greatest things, and this is the reason we should perform them with ll possible attention, in a religious silence, and with great modesty and gravity. How will these gentlemen who come here carry them out if we ourselves do not perform them well? The singing must be grave, without being hurried, the psalms recited with an air of devotion. Alas! if these ceremonies are not properly performed, how will we answer when God will demand an account." Virtues and Spiritual Doctrine of St. Vincent de Paul by Rev. Fr. Michel Ulysse Maynard
The Litany of St. Vincent de Paul
Lord,
have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus, hear us.
Jesus, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy
Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mary, Mother of Christ, the Sovereign Priest, pray for us.
St. Vincent,
who, from your infancy, walked in the presence of God, pray for us.
St. Vincent, most benevolent to all, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, chaste and pure, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, watchful shepherd of the flocks entrusted to your
care, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, who so faithfully preached the gospel to the poor,
Pray for us.
St. Vincent, who brought your disciples to the practice of all
good works,
Pray for us.
St. Vincent, the glory of the priesthood,
Pray for us.
St. Vincent, humble amidst the honors of the world, Pray for us.
St.
Vincent, careful imitator of Jesus Christ,
Pray for us.
St. Vincent, alleviator of human misery, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, refuge and comforter of the afflicted, Pray for us.
St.
Vincent, feeder of the hungry,
Pray for us.
St. Vincent, friend of the sick, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, father of orphans, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, refuge of purity, and security of innocence, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, zealous seeker of wandering
souls, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, restorer of the beauty of ecclesiastical discipline,Pray for us.
St. Vincent, like an Angel at the altar, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, strong in holy obedience and faith, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, burning with zeal for the glory of God, Pray for us.
Lamb of
God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us O Lord.
Lamb of
God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us O Lord.
Lamb of
God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.
V. He made himself all to all.
B. Let us walk in his footsteps.
LET US PRAY.
JESUS, meek and humble of heart! since
only hum dwelling of thy glory will be for ever shut against me,
unless I become truly humble: grant me humility, which alone can
merit thy grace, and secure me a place in the eternal kingdom. Pardon
me, O my God! the manifold sins, which I have committed through
pride; and grant me a contempt for myself, proportioned to the pride
which has so far enslaved me, but which I now detest so sincerely. I
beg this favor through the intercession of our holy Father St.
Vincent, who was truly meek and humble. Amen. St. Vincent's Manual: Containing a Selection of Prayers and Devotional Exercises By Sisters of Charity
Ss. Comas and Damian, Martyrs, A.D. about 303
by VP
Posted on Friday September 27, 2024 at 01:02AM in Saints
.
Dosso Dossi, 1534
"These saints were brothers, and physicians, born in Arabia in the reign of Diocletian. Being Christians, and full of that holy temper of charity, in which the spirit of our
divine religion consists, they practiced their profession with great
assiduity and wonderful success; but never took any fee. The people bore them great love and respect, on account of their charity; and they took every opportunity which their profession gave them, to propagate the Christian faith. When the persecution of Diocletian
began to rage; they were apprehended. Being commanded to sacrifice to
idols, they professed their faith in Christ, and that sacrifice was to
be offered to no other but the living God. Upon this, they were bound and thrown into the sea; but they came forth without hurt. Their deliverance was attributed to magic; and they were forthwith ordered to be burnt. The flames, however, did. not touch them; and after many cruel torments, they were at length beheaded, about the year 303.
Pray for all under whatever kind of persecution, oppression, or trouble. Courage and patience are as necessary as our daily food: without these supports, there is no preserving the Christian life. Pray for a large share of them, and a daily supply, both for yourself and others. Beg the divine assistance against all dangers of spiritual colds and heats; that no violence of passion or sensuality may overcome you; and that no sort of coldness or dryness in devotion may discourage you. There is danger from all extremes, and no security but from the blessing of God upon your diligence and good endeavors. Consider the great charity of these holy brothers; and resolve to imitate it as far as your circumstances will permit. There are not wanting objects that require your compassion and help; there is on every side poverty, sickness, and misery: to visit, comfort, and relieve those who suffer under these, is the greatest charity to them, and even to yourself, for by so doing, you shall not lose your reward." The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev. Fr. John GOTHER
"In you, O illustrious brethren, was fulfilled this saying of the Wise Man: “The skill of the physician will lift up his head, and in the sight of great men he will be praised” (Ecclesiasticus xxxviii. 3). The great ones, in whose sight you are exalted, are the princes of the heavenly hierarchies, witnessing today the homage paid to you by the Church Militant. The glory that surrounds your heads is the glory of God Himself, of that bountiful King who rewards your former disinterestedness by bestowing on you His own blessed life. In the bosom of divine love, your charity cannot wax cold. Help us, then, and heal the sick who confidently implore your assistance. Preserve the health of God’s children so that they may fulfill their obligations in the world, and may courageously bear the light yoke of the Church’s precepts. Bless those physicians who are faithful to their baptism, and who seek your aid, and increase the number of such. See how the study of medicine now so often leads astray into the paths of materialism and fatalism to the great detriment of science and humanity. It is false to assert that simple nature is the explanation of suffering and death, and unfortunate are those whose physicians regard them as mere flesh and blood. Even the pagan school took a loftier view than that, and it was surely a higher ideal that inspired you to exercise your art with such religious reverence. By the virtue of your glorious death, O witnesses to the Lord, obtain for our sickly society a return to the faith, to the remembrance of God, and to that piety which is profitable to all things and to all men, having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come (1 Timothy iv. 8)." Dom Prosper Guéranger
SS. Cyprian and Justina, Martyrs ad.304
by VP
Posted on Thursday September 26, 2024 at 01:00AM in Saints
"ST. CYPRIAN had been a magician, and was brought up in all the impious mysteries of idolatry, and the pretended sciences of judicial astrology and the black art. He tried every secret with which he was acquainted to conquer the virtuous resolution of a Christian virgin named Justina: but she defeated and put to flight the devils, by the sign of the cross. Suppliantly beseeching the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would succor a virgin in danger, she fortified herself with fasting, tears, and prayers. Cyprian finding all his arts ineffectual, and being informed that her faith in Christ made her proof against all such attempts, he upon this began to consider the power of Christianity as superior to that of the devil; and being instructed in the faith, he abandoned his former ways, and gave himself wholly to Christ. Upon this, being apprehended, together with Justina, they were first scourged, afterwards thrown into a cauldron of boiling pitch, and at length beheaded at Nicomedia.
Have compassion on those who follow unlawful ways, and pray for them. Had they the like degree of grace that you have, it may be that they would be more faithful in corresponding with it than you are. Adore your God, acknowledge your whole dependence to be on him, and leave all to the order of his providence.
In consequence, avoid all fortune-tellers and conjurors, as pretenders to an unlawful art. Never admit of charms, as not having their power from God. Renounce all superstitious observations, either of signs, or lucky and unlucky days. These are all the remains of ignorance and heathenism; and since they have nothing real in them, it is strange that Christians should be at all moved or disturbed by them. Had they a true faith in God and his divine providence, they would not imagine that their good or bad fortune depended on such accidents. Detest then all superstition as irreligious, as a breach of the first commandment, and betraying a want of faith and confidence in God. It is severely condemned by the holy Fathers; and if your faith be sincerely in God, do not contradict it by such unchristian folly."
Bishops’ new guidelines condemn Reiki therapy as ‘superstition’ (CNA)
Guidelines for evaluating Reiki and Alternative Therapy (USCCB)
Reiki, not for Catholics. Not now, not ever by Mary Ellen Barrett (Amazing Catechists)
Yoga Isn’t an Exercise, it’s a Spiritual Practice: Why Catholics Shouldn’t Practice Yoga. Jenny Dubay (Missio Dei)
Demonic Possession from Yoga, Reiki, and the New Age with Adam Blai (Divine Intimacy Radio)
Q. Crystal Energy and Healing Stones? My Catholic Life! A journey of personal conversion!
Can Shamanism Be Compatible With Christianity? (Women of Grace)
#9 Acts of Adoration Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament in reparation for all the offenses committed against Him by mankind
by VP
Posted on Thursday September 26, 2024 at 01:00AM in Thursday Reparation
9. We adore Thee, Savior of the world, to Whom all fidelity and glory is due! And to repair the sacrilegious communions and treacheries of so many false consciences, we offer up to Thee the fervent and faithful zeal of the Archangels. Eternal praise and thanksgiving be to the Most Holy and Most Divine Sacrament.
O Queen of heaven and earth, hope of mankind, who adores thy Divine
Son incessantly! We entreat thee, that, since we have the honor to be of
the number of thy children, thou would interest thyself in our behalf
and make satisfaction for us, and in our name, to our Eternal Judge, by
rendering to Him the duties which we ourselves are incapable of
performing. Amen.
St. Firminus, Bishop and Martyr, abt. 303
by VP
Posted on Wednesday September 25, 2024 at 01:00AM in Saints
"He was a native of Pampeluna in Spain, initiated in the Christian faith by Honestus, a disciple of St. Saturninus. After a holy youth, he was ordained priest and bishop by St. Honoratus, bishop of Toulouse. A charitable zeal pressed him to preach the gospel to such as were yet in darkness, and he visited many towns in France, and every where with great fruit. He went to Beauvais to comfort the Christians, who were under severe persecution; where, though he suffered much, yet his life was spared. Going afterwards to Amiens, he there chose his residence, having founded there a numerous Church of faithful disciples. He converted there in a short time three thousand souls to the faith of Christ. Upon this, the officers of Dioclesian being exasperated, they beheaded him in prison, to prevent the tumult of the people; and cut his body into pieces, that his relics might not be preserved by the faithful. This is a spirit, which you ought to beseech God to pour forth on all pastors; that they may be zealous for the good of the flock; that they may not think of rest, but of labor; and by daily spending themselves in their duty, sacrifice their lives, without the hand of the executioner.
Learn to be industrious in whatever state you are: be ashamed to be found idle. If you are not obliged to work for bread, work at least for heaven. This is not to be gained but by labor. If a lazy humor ties up your hands from other work, it is to be feared that the same will hinder you from working for heaven. Accustom yourself to be ever employed, that so you may not lay yourself open to the temptations of idleness. Thus you will be in a good way of taking pains in the affairs of your soul. Habitual idleness and intemperance are too common among Christians. Must not you forsake these to be a Christian in earnest? You are not to be invited by the greater number; but to follow the gospel, though the greater number be against you?"The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Fr. John Gother
Our Blessed Lady of Mercy. (Our Lady of Ransom)
by VP
Posted on Tuesday September 24, 2024 at 01:00AM in Saints
Maria de Mercede, fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio (c. 1472)
"The religious Order of our Blessed Lady of Mercy for the redemption of captives, was projected by St. Peter Nolasco, in the thirteenth century, for a constant supply of men and means for carrying on so charitable an undertaking. The design met with great obstacles in its execution; but the Blessed Virgin, the true mother of mercy, appearing to St. Peter Nolasco, to James, king of Arragon, and to St. Raymund of Pennafort, in distinct visions on the same night, encouraged them to prosecute the holy scheme, under the assurance of her patronage and protection. St. Raymund was the spiritual director both of St. Peter and of the king, and a zealous promoter of this charitable work. The king declared himself the protector of the Order, and assigned them a large quarter of his own palace for their abode. When St. Raymund went to Rome, he obtained from Pope Gregory IX., in the year 1225, the confirmation of this Order, and of its rules and constitutions. Almighty God was pleased to extend this Order greatly through the Blessed Virgin Mary. It flourished by the influence of many holy men, distinguished for their piety and charity, who collected alms of the faithful, and applied them to redeem poor captives out of the hands of infidels,
often even giving themselves up to procure liberty for others.
In order
that due thanks may be given to God, and his Holy Mother for the great benefit of this holy institution, the holy see has appointed this festival to be observed throughout the Church, Comply with the order of the Church, in returning thanks to God, and his Holy Mother; and heartily pray his infinite Majesty to have compassion on all those unhappy Christians who are in captivity.
Remember likewise all those who are slaves to sin and the world; and though you can bring no relief to those wretched souls, who by death have consummated their slavery, and are past all redemption; still look upon them in their state of despair, and from the sight of their misery, learn to fear all that would lead to it." The Catholic Year by Fr. Gother
"Blessed be thou, O Mary, the honor and
the joy of your people! On the day of your glorious Assumption you took
possession of your queenly dignity for our sake, and the annals of the
human race are a record of your merciful interventions. The captives
whose chains you have broken, and whom you have set free from the
degrading yoke of the Saracens, may be reckoned by millions. We are
still rejoicing in the recollection of your dear birthday, and your
smile is sufficient to dry our tears and chase away the clouds of grief.
And yet, what sorrows there are still upon the Earth where you yourself
drank such long draughts from the cup of suffering! Sorrows are
sanctifying and beneficial to some, but there are other and unprofitable
griefs springing from social injustice: the drudgery of the factory, or
the tyranny of the strong over the weak, may be worse than slavery in
Algiers or Tunis. You alone, O Mary, can break the inextricable chains
in which the cunning prince of darkness entangles the dupes he has
deceived by the high-sounding names of equality and liberty. Show
yourself a Queen by coming to the rescue. The whole Earth, the entire
human race, cries out to you, in the words of Mardochai: “Speak to the
king for us, and deliver us from death!” (Esther xv. 3)." Dom Gueranger
