St. Benjamin, Martyr, A.D. 424.
by VP
Posted on Monday March 31, 2025 at 01:00AM in Saints
"He was a deacon in Persia, and one of the glorious champions of Christ in the persecution begun by the king Isdegerdes, and continued by his son and successor, Varanes. The tyrant caused him to be beaten and imprisoned. He had laid a year in the dungeon, when an ambassador from the emperor obtained his enlargement, on condition that he should never speak to any of the courtiers about religion. The ambassador passed his word in his behalf that he would not; but Benjamin, who was a minister of the gospel, declared that he could not detain the truth in captivity, conscious to himself of the condemnation of the slothful servant for having hid his talent. He therefore neglected no opportunity of announcing Christ. The king ordered him to be apprehended; but the martyr made no other reply to his threats, than by asking him what opinion he would have of any of his subjects who should renounce his allegiance to him, and join in war against him. The enraged tyrant caused reeds to be run in between the nails and flesh of his hands and feet; and a knotty stake to be thrust into his bowels to rend and tear them, under which torment he expired in the year 424.
Reasons are easily found
for dispensing with such duties as are troublesome; and it is by these
reasons that tepid souls are governed, when through an absurd nicety
they are more afraid of what will give them a short uneasiness or trouble, than of running into hell. This is not the method of the martyrs,
who living by faith, knew no other evils but such as are eternal; and
for escaping these, cheerfully offered themselves to such sufferings as
threatened nothing beyond this life. Pray for a better sense of their principles; and be not so fond of present ease, as to run the hazard of everlasting torments. If you are afraid of suffering, fear that which is eternal. Let self-love for once teach you to be so wise, as to choose the lesser evil.
It being the last day of the month,
endeavour to put a good end to it, by a hearty thanksgiving for all
blessings and preservations, and for all afflictions too; and by a
sincere contrition for all your offences, for your sins of ignorance, for your hidden and unknown sins. Resolve upon amendment, and beg for grace, that it may be effectual." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother
Day 27. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: Catechism on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
by VP
Posted on Monday March 31, 2025 at 01:00AM in Lenten Sermons
"All good works together are not of equal value with the sacrifice of the Mass, because they are the works of men, and the holy Mass is the work of God. Martyrdom is nothing in comparison; it is the sacrifice that man makes of his life to God; the Mass is the sacrifice that God makes to man of His Body and of His Blood. Oh, how great is a priest! if he understood himself he would die. God obeys him; he speaks two words, and Our Lord comes down from Heaven at his voice, and shuts Himself up in a little Host. God looks upon the altar. "That is My well-beloved Son," He says, "in whom I am well-pleased." He can refuse nothing to the merits of the offering of this Victim. If we had faith, we should see God hidden in the priest like a light behind a glass, like wine mingled with water.
After the Consecration, when I hold in my hands the most holy Body of Our Lord, and when I am in discouragement, seeing myself worthy of nothing but Hell, I say to myself, "Ah, if I could at least take Him with me! Hell would be sweet with Him; I could be content to remain suffering there for all eternity, if we were together. But then there would be no more Hell; the flames of love would extinguish those of justice. " How beautiful it is. After the Consecration, the good God is there as He is in Heaven. If man well understood this mystery, he would die of love. God spares us because of our weakness. A priest once, after the Consecration, had some little doubt whether his few words could have made Our Lord descend upon the Altar; at the same moment he saw the Host all red, and the corporal tinged with blood.
If someone said to us, "At such an hour a dead person is to be raised to life," we should run very quickly to see it. But is not the Consecration, which changes bread and wine into the Body and Blood of God, a much greater miracle than to raise a dead person to life?
We ought always to devote at least a quarter of an hour to preparing ourselves to hear Mass well; we ought to annihilate ourselves before God, after the example of His profound annihilation in the Sacrament of the Eucharist; and we should make our examination of conscience, for we must be in a state of grace to be able to assist properly at Mass. If we knew the value of the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, or rather if we had faith, we should be much more zealous to assist at it.
My children, you remember the story I have told you already of that holy priest who was praying for his friend; God had, it appears, made known to him that he was in Purgatory; it came into his mind that he could do nothing better than to offer the holy Sacrifice of the Mass for his soul. When he came to the moment of Consecration, he took the Host in his hands and said, "O Holy and Eternal Father, let us make an exchange. Thou hast the soul of my friend who is in Purgatory, and I have the Body of Thy Son, Who is in my hands; well, do Thou deliver my friend, and I offer Thee Thy Son, with all the merits of His Death and Passion." In fact, at the moment of the elevation, he saw the soul of his friend rising to Heaven, all radiant with glory.
Well, my children, when we want to obtain anything from the good God, let us do the same; after Holy Communion, let us offer Him His well-beloved Son, with all the merits of His death and His Passion. He will not be able to refuse us anything"
Source: The Blessed Curé of Ars in His Catechetical Instructions (1951)
Prayer for Lent: O Lord who, for our sake, didst fast forty days and forty nights; give us grace to use such abstinence that, our flesh being subdued to the spirit, we may worthily lament and acknowledge our wretchedness, and may obtain perfect remission and forgiveness of Thee, the God of all mercy, who livest and reignest with the Father and Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen
Source: Lent with the Cure d'Ars Compiled by the CAPG
