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San Andrew Corsini in preghiera - Guido Reni (1630-1635)

"In his youth, notwithstanding a pious education under the care of his parents, he ran into great disorders; and had no regard to the good instruction and example, which had been given him. All parents ought to remember, that though giving good education be their duty, and the most assured way to a virtuous life, still it is no security against vice. But then there is this comfort, that their children's sins are none of theirs, not being occasioned through their fault. Whereas those parents who have been wanting in this duty, cannot see their children unhappy, but they must condemn themselves: and having reason to fear all this misfortune to be the consequence of their neglect, they cannot reckon themselves innocent, as long as they see their children guilty. Nor can they find true peace, till by prayers, tears, and endeavors, they have either persuaded them to reform, or have reason to hope that God will accept of their endeavors in expiation of their former neglect.

"Great sorrow oppressed the heart of the princess Corsini, a widow, when she witnessed the daily increasing immorality of her young son Andrew. How often had she begged him to abandon his dissolute life! "Do tear yourself away," she would frequently say, "from those young men who ruin you. You bring disgrace upon our whole house, and shorten the days of my life."

But what did it effect? Moved, one moment, by his mother's entreaties he would forget his good resolution in the next. On one occasion, after Andrew had stayed away from home several nights in succession, his mother ordered all the family to put on mourning, and she herself hastened to the church of the Carmelites, there to relieve her soul by most earnest prayer. When she was leaving the church she met Andrew, who upon seeing her exclaimed: "What! You are in mourning? Who has died in the family? " The mother answered: "This is not the place to tell you." When they reached home, she said:"You seem not to know for whom me mourn, Andrew! Is it not for yourself? Yes, indeed, you are dead to us - we mourn for you, and for ourselves! The first part of my dream which I had before your birth, has been verified! I saw a wolf; but the wolf became a lamb at the threshold of the Carmelite convent. But it seems that the latter part of my dream is not to become true, although I have so often offered you to Mary, our most blessed Mother." Whilst thus speaking she wept bitterly. His mother's words, and the mournful appearance of the whole house cut Andrew to the heart. "Mother," he cried out, "The wolf I was, the lamb I will become." And he went to the Carmelite convent, performed severe penances, conquered the most violent temptations, advanced rapidly upon the path of virtue, and was in after-years made bishop of Fiesoli in Italy. He is the St. Andrew of Corsini whose feast the Church celebrates on the 4th of February. By what circuitous routes Andrew at last attained the end destined for him by Almighty God!

Save yourself such by-ways, O Youth! You are not preparing for a happy future, if you misuse, or neglect the present. Lead a pure life, adorn your heart with virtues; then you may hope that God will give you a future field of useful and honorable actions."

The Pearl among the Virtues, Fr. Peter A. Von Doss 1877

 Prayer

Hear, O holy Pontiff, our prayer: we are sinners and would learn from you how we are to return to the God we have offended. His mercy was poured out upon you. Obtain the same for us. Have pity on Christians throughout the world, for the grace of repentance is now being offered to all. Pray for us that we may be filled with the spirit of compunction. We have sinned. We sue for pardon. Intercession like yours can win it for us. From wolves, change us into lambs. Strengthen us against our enemies. Get us an increase of the virtue of humility which you had in such perfection, and intercede for us with our Lord that He may crown our efforts with perseverance, as He did yours, that thus we may be enabled to unite with you in singing forever the praises of our Redeemer.

Source: Don Prosper Gueranger

Saint Blaise, Brittany, France

"When St. Blase arrived at the city and was presented to the governor, he was commanded to sacrifice to the immortal gods. The saint answered: "What a title for your demons, who can bring only evil on their worshipers! There is only One Immortal God, and Him do I adore." Agricolaus, infuriated at this answer, caused the saint to undergo a scourging so prolonged and cruel that it was thought the saint could not possibly survive it; but having endured this torture with placid courage, he was sent to prison, where he continued to work miracles so extraordinary that the governor ordered him to be again lacerated with iron hooks." Source: Victories of the Martyrs: Or, The Lives of the Most Celebrated Martyrs of the Church, Saint Alphonse de Liguori

"The iron combs, hooks, racks, swords, and scaffolds, which were purpled with the blood of the martyrs, are eternal proofs of their invincible courage and constancy in the divine service. But are they not at the same time subjects of our condemnation and confusion? How weak are our resolutions! How base our pusillanimity and cowardice in the pursuit of virtue! We have daily renewed our most sacred baptismal engagements, and our purposes of faithfully serving God; these we have often repeated at the feet of God's ministers, and in presence of his holy altars, and we have often begun our conversion with great fervor. Yet these fair blossoms were always nipped in the bud; for want of constancy we soon fell back into our former sloth and disorders, adding to our other prevarications that of base infidelity. Instead of encountering gibbets and wild beasts, we were scared at the sight of the least difficulty, or we had not the courage to make the least sacrifice of our passions, or to repulse the weakest and most contemptible assaults of the world. Its example, or that dangerous company from which we had not resolution to separate ourselves, carried us away; and we had not the courage to withstand those very maxims which we ourselves condemn in the moments of our serious reflections as contrary to the spirit of the Gospel. Perhaps we often flew back for fear of shadows, and out of apprehensions frequently imaginary, lest we should forfeit some temporal advantage, some useful or agreeable friend. Perhaps we were overcome by the difficulties which arose barely from ourselves, and wanted resolution to deny our senses, to subdue our passions, to renounce dangerous occasions, or to enter upon a penitential life. Blinded by self-love, have we not sheltered our dastardly pusillanimity under the cloak of pretended necessity, or even virtue?"Source: St. Blaise (The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints, Volume 1 , Alban Butler p 46)

Prayer:

"O glorious Saint Blaise, who by thy martyrdom didst leave to the Church a precious witness to the faith, obtain of us the grace to preserve within ourselves this divine gift, and to defend, without human respect, both by word and example, the truth of that same faith, which is so wickedly attacked and slandered in these our times. Thou who didst miraculously restore a little child when it was at the point of death by reason of an affliction of the throat, grant us thy mighty protection in like misfortunes; and, above all, obtain for us the grace of Christian mortification together with a faithful observance of the precepts of the Church, which may keep us from offending Almighty God. Amen."

Source: Dom Gueranger

The purification of the Virgin Guido Reni

"On this day, on which we celebrate the purification of the blessed Virgin Mary, consider if you have not sufficient motives to oblige you to undertake your own purification. How much do you want of those holy dispositions, which brought the blessed Virgin this day to the temple? Though you can never hope to obtain either humility or obedience to equal hers; yet the distance between you and her gives scope to your endeavors to advance many degrees beyond what at present are. You have a wide field open before you, wherein to work upon yourself, and make some progress towards that purification, without which you can have no advantage in this day's solemnity.

Candles being blessed and distributed on this day, in memory of Christ's being acknowledged and declared the light of the Gentiles, in taking a candle you are to confess Christ to be the true light of the world, and beg that He will mercifully please to be a light to you, both living and dying. If you follow Him, He will be a light to your feet, and conduct you into the ways of true humility and obedience, who in submission to His Father's will, humbled Himself even to the death of the cross. By His help, you will soon discover all the frauds of your treacherous nature; you will learn to unmask all those vain pretexts, by which you are so often misled, and plainly distinguish between the dictates of self-love or corrupt practice, and the commands of God.

It is for want of this light that you so often go out of the way; while, as in the absence of the sun, you set up other lights in his place, so in not having the light of Christ and His justice to direct you, you substitute in His place a false light, and a false justice to be your guide. To how many unavoidable dangers must you then be exposed, when the way in which you are obliged to walk is so very narrow, and attended with precipices on every side? How can you here go on with any safety, when you have nothing before you but false lights, which confound the sight, and often blind your eyes?

This is the true cause of all the errors, injustices, and wickedness in the world. Men go on in the most unwarrantable ways, and they all have their reasons, which give them a sort of assurance and satisfaction in what they do: they have a kind of light which ever accompanies them, but they are not sincere in examining what light it is. They are not solicitous to take Christ with them; and then the enemy is ready enough to offer them false lights in his place. Their deceitful nature is too ready to accept them, because they lead to what pleases. Hence many taking but one false step in the beginning, it is often followed by most destructive consequences, which are almost irrecoverable. Hence we see a world almost entirely corrupt, and even great numbers of those who pretend to salvation, living in the practice of daily frauds, injustice, and oppressions; in most notorious disorders of prodigality, pride, self-love, and intemperance: and yet all generally persuading themselves that things are well enough. Thus blind and deluded they go on, till the entrance into eternity opens their eyes.

And how will you escape this misfortune; being equally subject to the same misery with others, of deceiving yourself? You have no other means to prevent it, but by making choice of that divine light, which is this day offered you, even Christ Himself. Beg therefore earnestly, that He will ever be a light to you: commit yourself to His guidance: have great confidence in His assistance; begin nothing without Him; submit with humility and obedience to all the ways of His commands and providence; and be ever on the watch, that no consideration of yourself, or the world, may draw you out of this way. Beg of Jesus, to let His light go before you, and to give you so sincere and docile a heart, as ever to follow where He directs." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother

Tradition: the churching of women

• Some traditional customs of the church can raise hackles. One of those of recent memory is something called “the churching of women.” Many people — incorrectly — believed that women were not allowed to return to Mass after childbirth because of some impurity on their part. While no longer common in the church, this ritual took place until the liturgical changes after Vatican II in the early 1970s and involved the return of mothers to the celebration of Mass after the birth of a child. Why women stayed away from church after a birth? Compass, Official publication Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin  By Patricia Kasten | Catholic News Service | February 1, 2015

• "Instruction for women after Childbirth: "Churching of women"
  
  
  The law of purification in the Old Testament, it is true, no longer applies to Christian women, because the Church has done away with Jewish ceremonies. But the spirit and intention of that law the Church would yet have complied with. She permits women, therefore, to remain at home, with a good conscience, for six weeks after childbirth, or so long as circumstances may require, without attending divine service, in order to care for their health. This permission is, at the same time, an excellent admonition:

- to women: that, in order to their recovery, they should refrain from anger, from exposure, from hard labor, from injurious food;

- to men: not to refuse their wives during this period, set apart by God Himself under the Old Law, the rest and attention which their nature requires.

But when this time is past the Church desires that women, should, after the example of Mary, repair to the church with their children, to procure the blessing of the priest, to give thanks to God for their safe delivery, to dedicate their children to Him, and to implore of Him, with the priest, grace to bring up their offspring in piety and holiness. In this consists the so-called "churching of women"; and, from what has been said, it is evident, not only that it contains nothing to be ashamed of, but that it should by no means be omitted by such as desire God's blessing. "
Goffine's Devout instructions on the Epistles and Gospels for the Sundays and holydays:1896