St. Peter of Alcantara, CONFESSOR, A.D. 1562. reformer of the Franciscan Order
by VP
Posted on Saturday October 19, 2024 at 01:00AM in Saints
Artist Luis Tristán (1586–1624)
"Upon a time, the Count Orapsane, a devout nobleman, came to visit
him (Peter Alcantara), and falling into discourse, how much Almighty God
was moved with the sins of the world, out of his zeal breaketh into
these speeches, "O Father! what do you think? What will become of this
wicked world? Do you think the divine justice can contain itself any
longer from revenge? behold, how virtue is oppressed, and sin
triumpheth? How willfully
do we hoard up anger against the day of anger?"
To which the man of God modestly answered and said, "Noble Sir, do not afflict yourself, a remedy will easily be found to cure this disease; the point of the difficulty consisteth only in you and me, for the general perdition of mankind floweth from this fountain, that all and every one dissembling or cloaking their own sins, accuse the whole, when the whole cannot be dead to sin at all, but particular persons in the whole.
Wherefore, men cry out against the wickedness of the
world, that all are naught, and none that do good, when if they would but
look into their own particular, they should find matter enough of
sorrow, and to move themselves to do penance for their own faults; but
now because they blame the whole, they neglect their own particulars,
and justify themselves with a sottish presumption. Therefore, noble Sir,
let your Lordship and I,
mend one a piece, and then a great part of
the world will be amended; we shall appease the angry judge, and repair
a great part of the ruin of mankind by our good example." Source: The Golden Treatise of Mental Prayer by St. Peter Alcantara
"He was born at the village of Alcantara, in Spain; piously educated, and at the age of sixteen, entered into the Order of the Franciscans. There he advanced so much in all virtues, that in a short time he undertook to bring it to the primitive spirit of its founder. His prayer and watching were almost continual. He usually eat but every third day, and slept only as he sat on a stone. His austerities were so extraordinary, that he seemed resolved to give no rest to his body. At the same time he was ever careful to preserve an humble mind. Such was his fervor, that the most painful austerities were neither frightful nor difficult to him. His disengagement from the world was so entire, that he seemed to be not only dead or insensible, but even crucified to it; and the union of his soul with his Creator seemed to suffer no interruption from external employments. Such was the restraint he put upon his eyes, that he had been a considerable time a religious man, without ever knowing that the church of his convent had a vaulted ceiling. He once lived in a house three years, without knowing any of his brethren but by their voices. His ecstasies in prayer were frequent, and he was once seen to remain in prayer a whole hour, with his arms stretched out, and his
eyes lifted up, without moving. After seven and forty years of this life, his penance was changed into joy, in the sixteenth century. The austerities of this saint can be practiced by very few: but all are taught by them, not to neglect the penitential part of a Christian life. His giving no rest to his body condemns the nice method of those,
who study all its inclinations, and avoid every thing which can make it
uneasy. If these have no passions to overcome, if they can find nothing
in themselves to be punished, they may go on safely.
But if all be. contrary in them, it is evident that their gratifying
method is contrary to justice, to prudence, and to that caution, which the security of their future state demands of them." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
"LOVE AFFECTIVE AND EFFECTIVE.-It is a mistake with many Christians to imagine that it is enough to love God, without accomplishing any work to glorify Him. No one loved God more tenderly than St. Peter of Alcantara; his two treatises on "Mental Prayer" and " Peace of the Soul" are two glorious memorials thereof; his whole existence was, so to speak, but one continued act of the love of God, accompanied oftentimes by ecstasies. He did not rest satisfied with loving God by himself alone, but desired that He should be loved by his brethren also; and hence devoted himself with ardent zeal to the preaching of the Divine Word, and had the happiness of converting thousands of sinners. This did not, however, suffice; the humble Franciscan, whose fame had spread throughout Spain and who was honored by the court, was given to the practice of such austerities that it became needful to restrain them. The relaxation that had crept into the Order caused him the keenest chagrin; by way of remedying it he instituted a reform known as that of "the strict observance," and died on the 19th October, at the monastery of Arenas.
MORAL REFLECTION. How can one feel safe about one's way of life, unless able to echo the saying of the Master: "The works that I do bear witness of me!"-(John v. 36.)" Pictorial half hours with the saints by Rev. Fr. Auguste François Lecanu
Prayer:
O thou whom according to our Lord's promise, art never invoked in vain, if thou deign thyself to present our prayers to Him; obtain for us that relish for heavenly things, which causes an aversion for those of earth. It is the petition made by the whole Church, through thy merits, to the God who bestowed on thee the gift of such wonderful penance and sublime contemplation. The great family of Friars Minor cherishes the treasure of thy teaching and example; for the honor of thy holy Father Francis and the good of the Church, maintain in it the love of its austere traditions. Withdraw not thy precious protection from the Carmel of Teresa of Jesus; nay, extend it to the whole religious state, especially in these days of trial. Source: The Liturgical Year: Time after Pentecost (v. 11, 3rd ed.) By Don Prosper Guéranger
St John de Brebeuf, priest and martyr
by VP
Posted on Saturday October 19, 2024 at 01:00AM in Saints
Jean de Brébeuf and Gabriel Lalemant stand ready for boiling water/fire "Baptism" and flaying by the Iroquois in 1649.
"Fathers Brebeuf and Lallemant and a few Huron warriors were made prisoners. The town was fired. Immediately after their capture the Fathers were stripped of their clothes, and their finger-nails torn out by the roots, and were borne in wild triumph to the village of St. Ignatius, which had been taken the same morning. On entering its gates they both received a share of blows on their shoulders, loins, and stomach, no part of their exposed bodies escaping contumely. In the midst of this cruelty the unconquerable De Brebeuf thought only of others. his eye kindling with fire, he addressed the Christian Hurons who were his fellow-captives: "My children! Let us lift up our eyes to heaven in the midst of our sufferings; let us remember that God is a witness of our torments, and that He will soon be our reward exceedingly great. Let us die in this faith, and trust in his goodness for the fulfillment of His promises. I feel more for you than for myself; but bear with courage the few torments which yet remain. They will terminate with our lives. The glory which will follow them will have no end! "Echon" they replied, " Our hope shall be in heaven, while our bodies are suffering on earth. Pray to God for us, that He will grant us mercy. We will invoke Him even unto death."
Enraged at these words of the heroic Jesuit, the Iroquois led him apart and bound him to a stake. These fiendish savages scorched him from head to foot to silence him, whereupon, in the tone of a master, he threatened them with everlasting flames for persecuting the worshipers of God. As he continued to speak with voice and countenance unchanged, they cut away his lower lip, and thrust a red-hot iron down his throat. He still held his lofty form erect and defiant, with no sign or sound of pain, and they tried another means to overcome him.
They led our Lallemant that De Brebeuf might see him tortured. They had tied strips of bark smeared with pitch about his naked body. When Lallemant saw the condition of his superior he could not hide his agitation, and called out to him, with a broken voice, in the words of St. Paul "We are made a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men." Then he threw himself at De Brebeuf's feet, upon which the Iroquois seized him, made him fast to a stake, and set fire to the bark that enveloped him. As the flames rose he threw his arms upward with a shriek of supplication to heaven. Next they hung around De Brebeuf's neck a collar made of hatchets heated red-hot, but the indomitable priest stood it like a rock. A Huron in the crowd, who had been a convert of the mission, but was now an Iroquois by adoption, called out, with the malice of a renegade, to pour hot water on their heads, since they poured so much cold water on those of others, The kettle was accordingly slung, and the water boiled and poured slowly on the heads of the two missionaries.
"We baptize you," they cried, "that you may be happy in heaven, for nobody can be saved without a good baptism." De Brebeuf did not flinch, and in a rage they cut strips of flesh from his limbs, and devoured them before his eyes. Other renegade Hurons called out to him, "You told us that the more one suffers on earth the happier he is in heaven. We wish to make you happy. We torment you because we love you, and you ought to thank us for it." After a succession of other revolting tortures, they scalped him, when seeing him nearly dead, they laid open his breast, and came in a crowd to drink the blood of so valiant an enemy, thinking to imbibe with it some portion of his marvelous courage. A chief then tore out his heart and devoured it.
Thus died John De Brebeuf, the founder of the Huron mission, its truest hero and its greatest martyr. (...)
Source: The Catholic Record, Volume 14
Prayer of Saint John de Brebeuf
Jesus, my Lord and Savior, what can I give you in return for all the favors you have first conferred on me? I will take from your hand the cup of your sufferings and call on your name. I vow before your eternal Father and the Holy Spirit, before your most holy Mother and her most chaste spouse, before the angels, apostles and martyrs, before my blessed fathers Saint Ignatius and Saint Francis Xavier–in truth, I vow to you, Jesus my Savior, that as far as I have the strength, I will never fail to accept the grace of martyrdom, if someday you in your infinite mercy should offer it to me, your most unworthy servant...My beloved Jesus, here and now I offer my body and blood and life. May I die only for you, if you will grant me this grace, since you willingly died for me. Let me so live that you may grant me the gift of such a happy death. In this way, my God and Savior, I will take from your hand the cup of your sufferings and call on your name: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! Amen.
Source: Catholicity
