June 1
Saint Justin the Martyr
June 1
Daily Saints – 1 June.
Feast of St. Justin the Martyr.
Patron saint of apologists, lecturers, orators, speakers and philosophers.
Justin was born a pagan, in a pagan region in Flavia Neapolis (in Palestinian Syria) around 100. He the son of Greek-speaking parents whose ancestors were sent as colonists to that area of the Roman Empire.
Justin’s father followed the Greek pagan religion and raised his son to do the same, but he also provided Justin with an excellent education in literature and history.
Justin was an avid lover of truth, and as a young man, became interested in philosophy and searched for truth in the various schools of thought that had spread throughout the empire. But none of which satisfied his thirst, even though he was moved by the moral discipline of the Stoics and inspired by the speculative power of the Platonists.
Justin became frustrated with the professional philosophers’ intellectual conceits and limitations, as well as their apparent indifference to God.
After several years of study, at around the age of 30 he happened to cross paths with an old man walking along the beach. For Justin this was a life-changing encounter. The oldman questioned him about his beliefs and especially about the sufficiency of philosophy as a means of attaining truth.
The old man introduced him to Revelation and argued that the philosophers could talk about God, but the Prophets, inspired by the Holy Spirit, had experienced and known God and could bring others to Him.
The oldman urged him to study the Jewish prophets and told Justin that these authors had not only spoken by God’s inspiration, but also predicted the coming of Christ and the foundation of his Church.
“Above all things, pray that the gates of life may be opened to you,” the old man told Justin, “for these are not things to be discerned, unless God and Christ grant to a man the knowledge of them.”
Justin had always admired Christians from a distance because of the beauty of their moral lives. As he writes in his Apologies: “When I was a disciple of Plato, hearing the accusations made against the Christians and seeing them intrepid in the face of death and of all that men fear, I said to myself that it was impossible that they should be living in evil and in the love of pleasure.”
At last, about A.D. 130, after the conversation with the old man, his life was transformed: “A fire was suddenly kindled in my soul. I fell in love with the prophets and these men who had loved Christ; I reflected on all their words and found that this philosophy alone was true and profitable. That is how and why I became a philosopher. And I wish that everyone felt the same way that I do.”
He had been persuaded of the superiority of the Christian creed over all other beliefs and philosophies, and seen this belief made manifest in the witness of Christians who “preferred truth to life.”
Martyrdom was for him the highest proof of the truth of Christianity. Nobody, he said, died for the teaching of Socrates. He realized that he had finally found the Truth he had searched for all his life. He became a Christian.
After his conversion, Justin continued to wear the type of cloak that Greek culture associated with the philosophers. Inspired by the dedicated example of other Catholics whom he had seen put to death for their faith, he embraced a simple and austere lifestyle.
Justin became a great apologist, engaging in debates and writing numerous works about the faith. He tried to reconcile faith and reason.
Justin was most likely ordained a deacon, since he preached, did not marry, and gave religious instruction in his home.
His teaching ministry took him first to Ephesus (c. 132), where he held a disputation with Trypho, a Jew, about the true interpretation of Scripture. Thus formed his apologetical treatise called “Dialogue with Tryphon.”
Later Justin moved to Rome, founded a Christian school and wrote two bold apologies. Justin’s First Apology, addressed to Emperor Antoninus Pius, was published in 155 and attempted to explain the faith. This apology has gained the most attention for modern readers because in it Justin records detailed descriptions of early Christian worship.
Justin’s Second Apology was written soon after Marcus Aurelius became emperor in 161. In these writings, Justin tried to show that the Christian faith alone was truly rational. He taught that the Logos (Word) became incarnate to teach humanity truth and to redeem people from the power of the demons.
Four years later, Justin and his disciples were arrested for their faith. When the prefect threatened them with death, Justin said, “If we are punished for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, we hope to be saved.”
In 165 he was condemned to death with six companions, Chariton, Charito, Evelpostos, Pæon, Hierax, and Liberianos during the persecution of Marcus Aurelius. They were scourged, and later were taken out and beheaded.
“Let it be understood that those who are not found living as He taught are not Christian- even though they profess with the lips the teaching of Christ.”
“Our first birth took place without our knowledge or consent because our parents came together, and we grew up in the midst of wickedness. So if we were not to remain children of necessity and ignorance, we needed a new birth of which we ourselves would be conscious, and which would be the result of our own free choice. We needed, too, to have our sins forgiven.”
“A flame was kindled in my soul and I was seized by love of the prophets and of the friends of Christ. While I was pondering his words in my mind, I came to see that this way of life alone is sure and fulfilling.”
“We are slain with the sword, but we increase and multiply; the more we are persecuted and destroyed, the more are deaf to our numbers. As a vine, by being pruned and cut close, shoots forth new suckers, and bears a greater abundance of fruit; so is it with us.”
“We used to hate and destroy one another and refused to associate with people of another race or country. Now, because of Christ, we live together with such people and pray for our enemies.”
“The world suffers nothing from Christians but hates them because they reject its pleasures.”
“We pray for our enemies; we seek to persuade those who hate us without cause to live conformably to the goodly precepts of Christ, that they may become partakers with us of the joyful hope of blessings from God, the Lord of all.”
“We ourselves were well conversant with war, murder and everything evil, but all of us throughout the whole wide earth have traded in our weapons of war. We have exchanged our swords for plowshares, our spears for farm tools…now we cultivate the fear of God, justice, kindness, faith, and the expectation of the future given us through the Crucified One….The more we are persecuted and martyred, the more do others in ever increasing numbers become believers.”
“Not as common bread or as common drink do we receive these…..We have been taught that the food that has been Eucharistized by the word of prayer, that food which by assimilation nourishes our flesh and blood, is the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus.”
“Sound doctrine does not enter into the hard and disobedient heart; but, as if beaten back, enters anew into itself.”
“If some should accuse us as if we held that people born before the time of Christ were not accountable to God for their actions, we shall anticipate and answer such a difficulty. We have been taught that Christ is the first-begotten of God, and we have declared him to be the Logos of which all mankind partakes. Those, therefore, who lived according to reason (logos) were really Christians, even though they were thought to be atheists, such as, among the Greeks, Socrates, Heraclitus and others like them.”
“… it is better to believe even what is impossible to our own nature and to men, than to be unbelieving like the rest of the world, we have learned; for we know that our Master Jesus Christ said, that ‘what is impossible with men is possible with God’ (Mt. 19:26)?”
“Because of this basin of repentance and knowledge of God, which has been ordained for the transgression of God’s people, as Isaiah cries, we have believed, and we testify that the very baptism which he announced is alone able to purify those who have repented. It is the water of life. But the cisterns which you have dug for yourselves are broken and of no benefit to you. For what is the use of a baptism which cleanses the flesh and body alone? Baptize the soul from wrath and from covetousness, from envy, and from hatred, and, lo, the body is pure.”
Feast of St. Justin the Martyr.
Patron saint of apologists, lecturers, orators, speakers and philosophers.
Justin was born a pagan, in a pagan region in Flavia Neapolis (in Palestinian Syria) around 100. He the son of Greek-speaking parents whose ancestors were sent as colonists to that area of the Roman Empire.
Justin’s father followed the Greek pagan religion and raised his son to do the same, but he also provided Justin with an excellent education in literature and history.
Justin was an avid lover of truth, and as a young man, became interested in philosophy and searched for truth in the various schools of thought that had spread throughout the empire. But none of which satisfied his thirst, even though he was moved by the moral discipline of the Stoics and inspired by the speculative power of the Platonists.
Justin became frustrated with the professional philosophers’ intellectual conceits and limitations, as well as their apparent indifference to God.
After several years of study, at around the age of 30 he happened to cross paths with an old man walking along the beach. For Justin this was a life-changing encounter. The oldman questioned him about his beliefs and especially about the sufficiency of philosophy as a means of attaining truth.
The old man introduced him to Revelation and argued that the philosophers could talk about God, but the Prophets, inspired by the Holy Spirit, had experienced and known God and could bring others to Him.
The oldman urged him to study the Jewish prophets and told Justin that these authors had not only spoken by God’s inspiration, but also predicted the coming of Christ and the foundation of his Church.
“Above all things, pray that the gates of life may be opened to you,” the old man told Justin, “for these are not things to be discerned, unless God and Christ grant to a man the knowledge of them.”
Justin had always admired Christians from a distance because of the beauty of their moral lives. As he writes in his Apologies: “When I was a disciple of Plato, hearing the accusations made against the Christians and seeing them intrepid in the face of death and of all that men fear, I said to myself that it was impossible that they should be living in evil and in the love of pleasure.”
At last, about A.D. 130, after the conversation with the old man, his life was transformed: “A fire was suddenly kindled in my soul. I fell in love with the prophets and these men who had loved Christ; I reflected on all their words and found that this philosophy alone was true and profitable. That is how and why I became a philosopher. And I wish that everyone felt the same way that I do.”
He had been persuaded of the superiority of the Christian creed over all other beliefs and philosophies, and seen this belief made manifest in the witness of Christians who “preferred truth to life.”
Martyrdom was for him the highest proof of the truth of Christianity. Nobody, he said, died for the teaching of Socrates. He realized that he had finally found the Truth he had searched for all his life. He became a Christian.
After his conversion, Justin continued to wear the type of cloak that Greek culture associated with the philosophers. Inspired by the dedicated example of other Catholics whom he had seen put to death for their faith, he embraced a simple and austere lifestyle.
Justin became a great apologist, engaging in debates and writing numerous works about the faith. He tried to reconcile faith and reason.
Justin was most likely ordained a deacon, since he preached, did not marry, and gave religious instruction in his home.
His teaching ministry took him first to Ephesus (c. 132), where he held a disputation with Trypho, a Jew, about the true interpretation of Scripture. Thus formed his apologetical treatise called “Dialogue with Tryphon.”
Later Justin moved to Rome, founded a Christian school and wrote two bold apologies. Justin’s First Apology, addressed to Emperor Antoninus Pius, was published in 155 and attempted to explain the faith. This apology has gained the most attention for modern readers because in it Justin records detailed descriptions of early Christian worship.
Justin’s Second Apology was written soon after Marcus Aurelius became emperor in 161. In these writings, Justin tried to show that the Christian faith alone was truly rational. He taught that the Logos (Word) became incarnate to teach humanity truth and to redeem people from the power of the demons.
Four years later, Justin and his disciples were arrested for their faith. When the prefect threatened them with death, Justin said, “If we are punished for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, we hope to be saved.”
In 165 he was condemned to death with six companions, Chariton, Charito, Evelpostos, Pæon, Hierax, and Liberianos during the persecution of Marcus Aurelius. They were scourged, and later were taken out and beheaded.
“Let it be understood that those who are not found living as He taught are not Christian- even though they profess with the lips the teaching of Christ.”
“Our first birth took place without our knowledge or consent because our parents came together, and we grew up in the midst of wickedness. So if we were not to remain children of necessity and ignorance, we needed a new birth of which we ourselves would be conscious, and which would be the result of our own free choice. We needed, too, to have our sins forgiven.”
“A flame was kindled in my soul and I was seized by love of the prophets and of the friends of Christ. While I was pondering his words in my mind, I came to see that this way of life alone is sure and fulfilling.”
“We are slain with the sword, but we increase and multiply; the more we are persecuted and destroyed, the more are deaf to our numbers. As a vine, by being pruned and cut close, shoots forth new suckers, and bears a greater abundance of fruit; so is it with us.”
“We used to hate and destroy one another and refused to associate with people of another race or country. Now, because of Christ, we live together with such people and pray for our enemies.”
“The world suffers nothing from Christians but hates them because they reject its pleasures.”
“We pray for our enemies; we seek to persuade those who hate us without cause to live conformably to the goodly precepts of Christ, that they may become partakers with us of the joyful hope of blessings from God, the Lord of all.”
“We ourselves were well conversant with war, murder and everything evil, but all of us throughout the whole wide earth have traded in our weapons of war. We have exchanged our swords for plowshares, our spears for farm tools…now we cultivate the fear of God, justice, kindness, faith, and the expectation of the future given us through the Crucified One….The more we are persecuted and martyred, the more do others in ever increasing numbers become believers.”
“Not as common bread or as common drink do we receive these…..We have been taught that the food that has been Eucharistized by the word of prayer, that food which by assimilation nourishes our flesh and blood, is the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus.”
“Sound doctrine does not enter into the hard and disobedient heart; but, as if beaten back, enters anew into itself.”
“If some should accuse us as if we held that people born before the time of Christ were not accountable to God for their actions, we shall anticipate and answer such a difficulty. We have been taught that Christ is the first-begotten of God, and we have declared him to be the Logos of which all mankind partakes. Those, therefore, who lived according to reason (logos) were really Christians, even though they were thought to be atheists, such as, among the Greeks, Socrates, Heraclitus and others like them.”
“… it is better to believe even what is impossible to our own nature and to men, than to be unbelieving like the rest of the world, we have learned; for we know that our Master Jesus Christ said, that ‘what is impossible with men is possible with God’ (Mt. 19:26)?”
“Because of this basin of repentance and knowledge of God, which has been ordained for the transgression of God’s people, as Isaiah cries, we have believed, and we testify that the very baptism which he announced is alone able to purify those who have repented. It is the water of life. But the cisterns which you have dug for yourselves are broken and of no benefit to you. For what is the use of a baptism which cleanses the flesh and body alone? Baptize the soul from wrath and from covetousness, from envy, and from hatred, and, lo, the body is pure.”
Close
June 2
Daily Saints – 2 June.
Feast of St. Marcellinus and St. Peter.
The story of the lives and martyrdom of Marcellinus and Peter was recorded by Pope Saint Damasus, who learned of their heroic acts directly from their executioner – a man who converted to Christianity shortly after their deaths.
According to the saintly pope, the executioner was deeply troubled following his role in the martyrdom and could not shake the feeling that a faith that had given Marcellinus and Peter such peace of mind and steady joy in the face of death must be authentic.
Marcellinus was a priest and Peter was an exorcist (authorised by the Church to work against demonic possession in individuals) who worked alongside him. Imprisoned during the persecution of Christians under the reign of Diocletian, Marcellinus and Peter embraced their suffering, seeing it as an opportunity for evangelisation and quickly had converted the majority of prisoners in jail with them—including the jailor and his entire family.
This was accomplished when Peter set the daughter of the jailer free from an evil spirit which possessed her. Shortly thereafter, the jailor, his wife and their other children were baptised into the faith—right in the cell of Peter and Marcellinus.
When Diocletian heard of their activities, he was greatly incensed and had them tortured, stripped naked and thrown into cells filled with only broken shards of glass. When it was observed that this only served to increase their faith and joy in suffering, he had them taken to the forest of Silva Nigra and dig their own graves.
It was arranged for the two men to be executed secretly, in order to prevent the faithful from gathering in prayer and veneration at the place of their burial. Their executioner forced them to clear away a tangle of thorns and briars, which the two men did cheerfully, accepting their death with joy.
Both men were beheaded in the forest and buried in the clearing they had made. The location of the saints’ bodies remained unknown for some time, until a devout woman named Lucilla received a revelation informing her where the priest and exorcist lay.
With the assistance of another woman, Firmina, Lucilla recovered the two saints’ bodies and had them re-interred in the Roman Catacombs.
A few years after the bloody event, a little boy from Rome heard about their deaths from the mouth of their very executioner, who later became a Christian. That little boy was named Damasus, and he went on to became Pope from 366–384. Decades later, remembering the story he had heard as a child, Pope Damasus honored Marcellinus and Peter by adorning their tomb with a marble inscription recounting the details of their martyrdom as he had heard them so long ago.
Feast of St. Marcellinus and St. Peter.
The story of the lives and martyrdom of Marcellinus and Peter was recorded by Pope Saint Damasus, who learned of their heroic acts directly from their executioner – a man who converted to Christianity shortly after their deaths.
According to the saintly pope, the executioner was deeply troubled following his role in the martyrdom and could not shake the feeling that a faith that had given Marcellinus and Peter such peace of mind and steady joy in the face of death must be authentic.
Marcellinus was a priest and Peter was an exorcist (authorised by the Church to work against demonic possession in individuals) who worked alongside him. Imprisoned during the persecution of Christians under the reign of Diocletian, Marcellinus and Peter embraced their suffering, seeing it as an opportunity for evangelisation and quickly had converted the majority of prisoners in jail with them—including the jailor and his entire family.
This was accomplished when Peter set the daughter of the jailer free from an evil spirit which possessed her. Shortly thereafter, the jailor, his wife and their other children were baptised into the faith—right in the cell of Peter and Marcellinus.
When Diocletian heard of their activities, he was greatly incensed and had them tortured, stripped naked and thrown into cells filled with only broken shards of glass. When it was observed that this only served to increase their faith and joy in suffering, he had them taken to the forest of Silva Nigra and dig their own graves.
It was arranged for the two men to be executed secretly, in order to prevent the faithful from gathering in prayer and veneration at the place of their burial. Their executioner forced them to clear away a tangle of thorns and briars, which the two men did cheerfully, accepting their death with joy.
Both men were beheaded in the forest and buried in the clearing they had made. The location of the saints’ bodies remained unknown for some time, until a devout woman named Lucilla received a revelation informing her where the priest and exorcist lay.
With the assistance of another woman, Firmina, Lucilla recovered the two saints’ bodies and had them re-interred in the Roman Catacombs.
A few years after the bloody event, a little boy from Rome heard about their deaths from the mouth of their very executioner, who later became a Christian. That little boy was named Damasus, and he went on to became Pope from 366–384. Decades later, remembering the story he had heard as a child, Pope Damasus honored Marcellinus and Peter by adorning their tomb with a marble inscription recounting the details of their martyrdom as he had heard them so long ago.
Close
June 2
Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter
June 3
Daily Saints – 3 June.
Feast of St. Charles Lwanga and companions.
St. Charles is the patron saint of African Catholic Youth Action.
Charles and many other martyrs for the faith died between November 15, 1885 – January 27, 1887 in Namugongo, Uganda.
In 1879 Catholicism began spreading in Uganda when the Society of Missionaries of Africa (known as the White Fathers), a congregation of priests founded by Cardinal Lavigerie were peacefully received by King Mutesa of Uganda.
The priests soon began preparing catechumens for baptism and before long a number of the young pages in the king’s court had become Catholics.
However, on the death of Mutesa, his son Mwanga, a corrupt man who ritually engaged in pedophilic practices with the younger pages, took the throne.
The White Fathershad only been in Uganda for 6 years and yet they had built up a community of converts whose faith would outshine their own. The earliest converts were soon instructing and leading new converts that the White Fathers couldn’t reach. Many of these converts lived and taught at King Mwanga’s court.
The Christians at Mwanga’s court tried to protect the pages from the violent, pedophilic King Mwanga. The leader of the small community of 200 Christians, was the chief steward of Mwanga’s court, a twenty-five-year-old Catholic named Joseph Mukasa.
When Mwanga killed a Protestant missionary and his companions, Joseph Mukasa confronted Mwanga and condemned his action. Mwanga had always liked Joseph but when Joseph dared to demand that Mwanga change his lifestyle, Mwanga forgot their long friendship.
After striking Joseph with a spear, Mwanga ordered him killed. When the executioners tried to tie Joseph’s hands, he told them, “A Christian who gives his life for God is not afraid to die.” He forgave Mwanga with all his heart but made one final plea for his repentance before he was beheaded and then burned on November 15, 1885.
The 25 year old Charles Lwanga, a man wholly dedicated to the Christian instruction of the younger boys, became the chief page, and just as forcibly protected them from the kings advances.
On the night of the martyrdom of Joseph Mukasa, realizing that their own lives were in danger, Lwanga and some of the other pages went to the White Fathers to receive baptism. Another 100 catechumens were baptized in the week following Joseph Mukasa’s death.
The following May, King Mwanga learned that one of the boys, Mwafu, was learning catechism. When the King understood that boy had been receiving religious instruction from Denis Sebuggwawo, Mwanga’s temper boiled over. He had Denis brought to him and killed him himself by thrusting a spear through his throat.
The King was furious and ordered all the pages to be questioned to separate the Christians from the others. The Christians, 15 in all, between the ages of 13 and 25, stepped forward. The King asked them if they were willing to keep their faith. They answered in unison, “Until death!”
They were bound together and taken on a two day walk to Namugongo where they were to be burned at the stake. The chief executioner begged one of the boys, his own son, Mabaga, to escape and hide but Mbaga refused.
A Christian soldier named James Buzabaliawo was brought before the king. When Mwanga ordered him to be killed with the rest, James said, “Goodbye, then. I am going to Heaven, and I will pray to God for you.” When a griefstricken Fr. Lourdel raised his hand in absolution as James passed, James lifted his own tied hands and pointed up to show that he knew he was going to heaven and would meet Father Lourdel there. With a smile he said to Fr. Lourdel, “Why are you so sad? This nothing to the joys you have taught us to look forward to.”
Also condemned were Andrew Kagwa, a Kigowa chief, who had converted his wife and several others, and Matthias Murumba (or Kalemba) an assistant judge. The chief counsellor was so furious with Andrew that he proclaimed he wouldn’t eat until he knew Andrew was dead. When the executioners hesitated Andrew egged them on by saying, “Don’t keep your counsellor hungry — kill me.”
When the same counsellor described what he was going to do with Matthias, he added, “No doubt his god will rescue him.” “Yes,” Matthias replied, “God will rescue me. But you will not see how he does it, because he will take my soul and leave you only my body.” Matthias was cut up on the road and left to die; it took him at least three days.
When they reached the site where they were to be burned, they were kept tied together for seven days while the executioners prepared the wood for the fire.
On June 3, 1886, the Feast of the Ascension, Mbaga was killed first by order of his father, the chief executioner, who had tried one last time to change his son’s mind.
Charles Lwanga was separated from the others and burned at the stake. The executioners slowly burnt his feet until only the charred remained. Still alive, they promised him that they would let him go if he renounced his faith.
Charles refused saying, “You are burning me, but it is as if you are pouring water over my body.” He then continued to pray silently as they set him on fire. Just before the flames reached his heart, he looked up and said in a loud voice, “Katonda! – My God!,” and died.
His companions were all burned together the same day all the while praying and singing hymns until they died. They died calling on the name of Jesus and proclaiming, “You can burn our bodies, but you cannot harm our souls.”
There were 24 protomartyrs in all. The last of the protomartyrs, a young man named John Mary, was beheaded by King Mwanga on January 27, 1887.
The persecutions spread during the reign of Mwanga, with 100 Christians, both Catholics and Protestants, being tortured and killed.
Feast of St. Charles Lwanga and companions.
St. Charles is the patron saint of African Catholic Youth Action.
Charles and many other martyrs for the faith died between November 15, 1885 – January 27, 1887 in Namugongo, Uganda.
In 1879 Catholicism began spreading in Uganda when the Society of Missionaries of Africa (known as the White Fathers), a congregation of priests founded by Cardinal Lavigerie were peacefully received by King Mutesa of Uganda.
The priests soon began preparing catechumens for baptism and before long a number of the young pages in the king’s court had become Catholics.
However, on the death of Mutesa, his son Mwanga, a corrupt man who ritually engaged in pedophilic practices with the younger pages, took the throne.
The White Fathershad only been in Uganda for 6 years and yet they had built up a community of converts whose faith would outshine their own. The earliest converts were soon instructing and leading new converts that the White Fathers couldn’t reach. Many of these converts lived and taught at King Mwanga’s court.
The Christians at Mwanga’s court tried to protect the pages from the violent, pedophilic King Mwanga. The leader of the small community of 200 Christians, was the chief steward of Mwanga’s court, a twenty-five-year-old Catholic named Joseph Mukasa.
When Mwanga killed a Protestant missionary and his companions, Joseph Mukasa confronted Mwanga and condemned his action. Mwanga had always liked Joseph but when Joseph dared to demand that Mwanga change his lifestyle, Mwanga forgot their long friendship.
After striking Joseph with a spear, Mwanga ordered him killed. When the executioners tried to tie Joseph’s hands, he told them, “A Christian who gives his life for God is not afraid to die.” He forgave Mwanga with all his heart but made one final plea for his repentance before he was beheaded and then burned on November 15, 1885.
The 25 year old Charles Lwanga, a man wholly dedicated to the Christian instruction of the younger boys, became the chief page, and just as forcibly protected them from the kings advances.
On the night of the martyrdom of Joseph Mukasa, realizing that their own lives were in danger, Lwanga and some of the other pages went to the White Fathers to receive baptism. Another 100 catechumens were baptized in the week following Joseph Mukasa’s death.
The following May, King Mwanga learned that one of the boys, Mwafu, was learning catechism. When the King understood that boy had been receiving religious instruction from Denis Sebuggwawo, Mwanga’s temper boiled over. He had Denis brought to him and killed him himself by thrusting a spear through his throat.
The King was furious and ordered all the pages to be questioned to separate the Christians from the others. The Christians, 15 in all, between the ages of 13 and 25, stepped forward. The King asked them if they were willing to keep their faith. They answered in unison, “Until death!”
They were bound together and taken on a two day walk to Namugongo where they were to be burned at the stake. The chief executioner begged one of the boys, his own son, Mabaga, to escape and hide but Mbaga refused.
A Christian soldier named James Buzabaliawo was brought before the king. When Mwanga ordered him to be killed with the rest, James said, “Goodbye, then. I am going to Heaven, and I will pray to God for you.” When a griefstricken Fr. Lourdel raised his hand in absolution as James passed, James lifted his own tied hands and pointed up to show that he knew he was going to heaven and would meet Father Lourdel there. With a smile he said to Fr. Lourdel, “Why are you so sad? This nothing to the joys you have taught us to look forward to.”
Also condemned were Andrew Kagwa, a Kigowa chief, who had converted his wife and several others, and Matthias Murumba (or Kalemba) an assistant judge. The chief counsellor was so furious with Andrew that he proclaimed he wouldn’t eat until he knew Andrew was dead. When the executioners hesitated Andrew egged them on by saying, “Don’t keep your counsellor hungry — kill me.”
When the same counsellor described what he was going to do with Matthias, he added, “No doubt his god will rescue him.” “Yes,” Matthias replied, “God will rescue me. But you will not see how he does it, because he will take my soul and leave you only my body.” Matthias was cut up on the road and left to die; it took him at least three days.
When they reached the site where they were to be burned, they were kept tied together for seven days while the executioners prepared the wood for the fire.
On June 3, 1886, the Feast of the Ascension, Mbaga was killed first by order of his father, the chief executioner, who had tried one last time to change his son’s mind.
Charles Lwanga was separated from the others and burned at the stake. The executioners slowly burnt his feet until only the charred remained. Still alive, they promised him that they would let him go if he renounced his faith.
Charles refused saying, “You are burning me, but it is as if you are pouring water over my body.” He then continued to pray silently as they set him on fire. Just before the flames reached his heart, he looked up and said in a loud voice, “Katonda! – My God!,” and died.
His companions were all burned together the same day all the while praying and singing hymns until they died. They died calling on the name of Jesus and proclaiming, “You can burn our bodies, but you cannot harm our souls.”
There were 24 protomartyrs in all. The last of the protomartyrs, a young man named John Mary, was beheaded by King Mwanga on January 27, 1887.
The persecutions spread during the reign of Mwanga, with 100 Christians, both Catholics and Protestants, being tortured and killed.
Close
June 3
Saints Charles Lwanga and companions
June 4
Daily Saints – 4 June.
Feast of Saint Francis Caracciolo.
Francis Caracciolo was born from a noble family on October 13, 1563 in Villa Santa Maria (Abruzzo Region). His parents, Ferrante Caracciolo and Isabella Baratucci baptized him as Ascanio.
He received an excellent human formation and Catholic education. He lived a virtuous life as a youth and seemed inclined towards a religious vocation.
When he was 22 years he was inflicted by a terrible disease which almost led him to death. In this trial he heard the Lord’s call and was ready to dedicate his life completely in the service of God and neighbor if he would recover.
He promised to follow what seemed clear to him as his calling to the priesthood immediately upon being cured. After his miraculous cure, Ascanio, faithful to his promise, renounced all his properties and noble titles. He left his place and went to Naples to prepare himself to priesthood.
He was ordained a priest and joined the Confraternity of the White Servants of Justice (I Bianchi), a confraternity that looked after the spiritual welfare of prisoners and those condemned to death. It was located close to the Hospital of Incurables.
His real work was revealed to him, however, in 1587, when he mistakenly received a letter addressed to a relative of the same name, Father Fabrizio Caracciolo, the Abbot of St. Mary Major in Naples. He learned from it that the writer, Father Augustine Adorno of Genoa, was planning to found a religious Order of priests whose work would combine both active and contemplative life.
The project appealed to Ascanio, and he soon joined forces with Augustine Adorno and Fabrizio Caracciolo.
It was the period after the Council of Trent and Ascanio felt strongly the ideals of the Catholic Reform and saw this opportunity as a providential sign from God and immediately made himself available to the initiatives of Augustine and Fabrizio.
The three fathers retreated to the Camaldolese hermitage in Naples to write the first Constitutions of the Order. In addition to the three evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience, they contemplated a fourth vow: the renunciation of any ecclesiastical dignity.
A particular dedication to the divine worship centered in the Eucharistic Devotions nourished by the Circular Prayer and an austere life expressed in the Circular Penitence were indicated as the main qualities of the spirituality of the new religious Order.
After their stay in the hermitage, Ascanio and Augustine went on foot to Rome to ask for the Papal approval. Sixtus V granted their petition and on July 1, 1588, the new Religious Order was approved under the name of Clerics Regular Minor.
Augustine Adorno and Ascanio Caracciolo made their Religious Profession in the chapel of the White Servants of Justice (I Bianchi) in Naples on April 9, 1589. Ascanio took the name Francis in honor of his devotion to St. Francis of Assisi. They chose the motto: Ad Maiorem Resurgentis Gloriam (For the greater glory of the Risen Christ).
The first community of the Clerics Regular Minor lived and carried out their apostolate at the Church of Mercy in Naples.
A few days later, they went for a journey to Spain with the intent of establishing the Order there. They were unsuccessful in establishing the Institute, but they made contacts with other religious orders and leaders. They came back to Naples after a very tiring trip which caused Francis enormous suffering.
In 1591, while Francis took possession of the Church of St. Mary Major in Naples, Augustine Adorno went to Rome for the ratification of the approval of the Order by Pope Gregory XIV. The Pope graciously granted the new Order all the same privileges that other religious institutes have.
In Septamber of the same year, Augustine died prematurely at the age of 40. Most of the responsibilities and concerns of the new religious family fell upon Francis, who became the first Superior General during the First General Chapter in 1593. He accepted out of obedience the office for three years.
Francis was convinced of the necessity of expansion of the Order in Spain. He left for another time with Father Giuseppe Imparato and Brother Lorenzo D’ponte on April 10, 1594. He did his works of apostolate at the Hospital of the Italians in Madrid.
The hard work and faith which Francis dedicated to the mission bore its first fruits on July 25, 1595, when he obtained the permission to open a religious house dedicated to St. Joseph in Madrid.
His success through his zealous priestly works provoked hostility of some people against the Order. Francis, solid in his faith, overcame all the difficult moments and left Spain for Italy in June 1596.
The first religious house in Rome was founded at the Church of St. Leonard. He sent the first group of clerics to reside in this house.
In November 1596, Francis returned to Naples, where, after lots of hesitation, accepted to share in charge as Superior General for another year. This was the 23rd of May 1597.
After he obtained for the Order the Church of St. Agnes in Piazza Navona and after his resignation as Superior General Francis left for his third journey to Spain (September 1598). During his stay, he opened the religious houses in Valladolid and Alcala de Hanares.
When returned to Rome, he was elected Vicar General for Italy and Superior of St. Mary Major in Naples.
In his humility, he asked the Pope Paul V to be spared from this position but in vain. The Order obtained from the same Pontiff the Roman Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina.
Francis’ health became weaker because of his austere life. Despite all limitations, he did not stop from doing his last journey with his brother Father Antonio of the Theatine Fathers, which led them to Loreto, Villa Santa Maria and Agnone (Molise Region) to accommodate the request of opening a new religious house there.
Upon his arrival to Agnone, Francis was physically tired and fell ill. On June 4, 1608, he died uttering the words: “Let’s go, let’s go to heaven.”
His body was given enough preparation for a long journey to Naples. Truly, God has left His own sign on him. When the body was lanced, the blood spouted a red and scented fluid and his vital organs were uncorrupted. Around his heart were printed the words of the Psalm: “The zeal of your house consumes me” (Ps 69:10).
Feast of Saint Francis Caracciolo.
Francis Caracciolo was born from a noble family on October 13, 1563 in Villa Santa Maria (Abruzzo Region). His parents, Ferrante Caracciolo and Isabella Baratucci baptized him as Ascanio.
He received an excellent human formation and Catholic education. He lived a virtuous life as a youth and seemed inclined towards a religious vocation.
When he was 22 years he was inflicted by a terrible disease which almost led him to death. In this trial he heard the Lord’s call and was ready to dedicate his life completely in the service of God and neighbor if he would recover.
He promised to follow what seemed clear to him as his calling to the priesthood immediately upon being cured. After his miraculous cure, Ascanio, faithful to his promise, renounced all his properties and noble titles. He left his place and went to Naples to prepare himself to priesthood.
He was ordained a priest and joined the Confraternity of the White Servants of Justice (I Bianchi), a confraternity that looked after the spiritual welfare of prisoners and those condemned to death. It was located close to the Hospital of Incurables.
His real work was revealed to him, however, in 1587, when he mistakenly received a letter addressed to a relative of the same name, Father Fabrizio Caracciolo, the Abbot of St. Mary Major in Naples. He learned from it that the writer, Father Augustine Adorno of Genoa, was planning to found a religious Order of priests whose work would combine both active and contemplative life.
The project appealed to Ascanio, and he soon joined forces with Augustine Adorno and Fabrizio Caracciolo.
It was the period after the Council of Trent and Ascanio felt strongly the ideals of the Catholic Reform and saw this opportunity as a providential sign from God and immediately made himself available to the initiatives of Augustine and Fabrizio.
The three fathers retreated to the Camaldolese hermitage in Naples to write the first Constitutions of the Order. In addition to the three evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience, they contemplated a fourth vow: the renunciation of any ecclesiastical dignity.
A particular dedication to the divine worship centered in the Eucharistic Devotions nourished by the Circular Prayer and an austere life expressed in the Circular Penitence were indicated as the main qualities of the spirituality of the new religious Order.
After their stay in the hermitage, Ascanio and Augustine went on foot to Rome to ask for the Papal approval. Sixtus V granted their petition and on July 1, 1588, the new Religious Order was approved under the name of Clerics Regular Minor.
Augustine Adorno and Ascanio Caracciolo made their Religious Profession in the chapel of the White Servants of Justice (I Bianchi) in Naples on April 9, 1589. Ascanio took the name Francis in honor of his devotion to St. Francis of Assisi. They chose the motto: Ad Maiorem Resurgentis Gloriam (For the greater glory of the Risen Christ).
The first community of the Clerics Regular Minor lived and carried out their apostolate at the Church of Mercy in Naples.
A few days later, they went for a journey to Spain with the intent of establishing the Order there. They were unsuccessful in establishing the Institute, but they made contacts with other religious orders and leaders. They came back to Naples after a very tiring trip which caused Francis enormous suffering.
In 1591, while Francis took possession of the Church of St. Mary Major in Naples, Augustine Adorno went to Rome for the ratification of the approval of the Order by Pope Gregory XIV. The Pope graciously granted the new Order all the same privileges that other religious institutes have.
In Septamber of the same year, Augustine died prematurely at the age of 40. Most of the responsibilities and concerns of the new religious family fell upon Francis, who became the first Superior General during the First General Chapter in 1593. He accepted out of obedience the office for three years.
Francis was convinced of the necessity of expansion of the Order in Spain. He left for another time with Father Giuseppe Imparato and Brother Lorenzo D’ponte on April 10, 1594. He did his works of apostolate at the Hospital of the Italians in Madrid.
The hard work and faith which Francis dedicated to the mission bore its first fruits on July 25, 1595, when he obtained the permission to open a religious house dedicated to St. Joseph in Madrid.
His success through his zealous priestly works provoked hostility of some people against the Order. Francis, solid in his faith, overcame all the difficult moments and left Spain for Italy in June 1596.
The first religious house in Rome was founded at the Church of St. Leonard. He sent the first group of clerics to reside in this house.
In November 1596, Francis returned to Naples, where, after lots of hesitation, accepted to share in charge as Superior General for another year. This was the 23rd of May 1597.
After he obtained for the Order the Church of St. Agnes in Piazza Navona and after his resignation as Superior General Francis left for his third journey to Spain (September 1598). During his stay, he opened the religious houses in Valladolid and Alcala de Hanares.
When returned to Rome, he was elected Vicar General for Italy and Superior of St. Mary Major in Naples.
In his humility, he asked the Pope Paul V to be spared from this position but in vain. The Order obtained from the same Pontiff the Roman Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina.
Francis’ health became weaker because of his austere life. Despite all limitations, he did not stop from doing his last journey with his brother Father Antonio of the Theatine Fathers, which led them to Loreto, Villa Santa Maria and Agnone (Molise Region) to accommodate the request of opening a new religious house there.
Upon his arrival to Agnone, Francis was physically tired and fell ill. On June 4, 1608, he died uttering the words: “Let’s go, let’s go to heaven.”
His body was given enough preparation for a long journey to Naples. Truly, God has left His own sign on him. When the body was lanced, the blood spouted a red and scented fluid and his vital organs were uncorrupted. Around his heart were printed the words of the Psalm: “The zeal of your house consumes me” (Ps 69:10).
Close
June 4
Saint Francis Caracciolo
June 5
Daily Saints – 5 June.
Feast of Saint Boniface.
He is the patron saint of brewers, file cutters, tailors and known as the ‘Apostle of Germany’.
St. Boniface was born as Wynfrid around the year 675 in Wessex (present-day Devon), England. Overcoming the initial disapproval of his Anglo-Saxon family, he was able to pursue a career in the church.
Wynfrid was educated at English monasteries (first Exeter, then Nursling), and became an ordained priest and Benedictine monk at the approximate age of 30.
In his early 40s he left the seclusion of the monastery to do missionary work on the Continent. In 711, along with a few companions, he set out for Friesland (Holland).
Because his first efforts in Frisia (now the Netherlands) were unsuccessful, Winfrith went to Rome in search of direction. Pope Gregory II changed his name to Boniface (“one who possesses a favourable destiny”) and launched him in a mission with the Germanic tribes, in Thuringia and Hesse.
The Holy Father instructed him to reform the German Church. The pope sent letters of recommendation to religious and civil leaders. Boniface was assisted by Saint Albinus, Saint Abel, and Saint Agatha. They destroyed idols and pagan temples, and then built churches on the sites.
Boniface later admitted that his work would have been unsuccessful, from a human viewpoint, without a letter of safe-conduct from Charles Martel, the powerful Frankish ruler, grandfather of Charlemagne.
Boniface was finally made a regional bishop and authorized to organize the whole German Church. He was eminently successful.
Once in Saxony, Boniface encountered a tribe worshiping a Norse deity in the form of a huge oak tree. Boniface walked up to the tree, removed his shirt, took up an axe, and without a word he hacked down the six foot wide wooden god. Boniface stood on the trunk, and asked, “How stands your mighty god? My God is stronger than he.” The crowd’s reaction was mixed, but some conversions were begun.
One tradition about Saint Boniface says that he used the customs of the locals to help convert them. There was a game in which they threw sticks called kegels at smaller sticks called heides. Boniface bought religion to the game, having the heides represent demons, and knocking them down showing purity of spirit.
In order to restore the Germanic Church to its fidelity to Rome and to convert the pagans, Boniface had been guided by two principles. The first was to restore the obedience of the clergy to their bishops in union with the pope of Rome. The second was the establishment of many houses of prayer which took the form of Benedictine monasteries.
A great number of Anglo-Saxon monks and nuns followed him to the continent, where he introduced the Benedictine nuns to the active apostolate of education.
In response to the report of Boniface’s work, the new pope Gregory III invested him with the pallium; he conferred upon him the dignity of becoming archbishop.
Boniface reformed the churches in his see, and built religious houses in Germany. He Ordained Saint Sola. He founded or restored the dioceses of Bavaria, Thuringia, and Franconia.
In the Frankish kingdom, he met great problems because of lay interference in bishops’ elections, the worldliness of the clergy and lack of papal control.
Over the years he kept up an extensive correspondence, asking directives of the popes, giving information about the many Christian communities, and relaying to the people the popes’ wishes.
Despite his age, Boniface continued to think about the evangelization of the pagans. He turned toward Friesland, the first scene of his missions. In his last instructions, he wrote: “I cannot refuse this long awaited journey. My final day is nearing. Soon to be liberated from this imprisoned body, I shall leave to collect the eternal reward…”
During a final mission to the Frisians, Boniface and 53 companions, including Saint Adaler and Saint Eoban, were massacred while he was preparing converts for confirmation. They were martyred on June 5, 754 by a troop of pagans.
“Can there be a more fitting pursuit in youth or a more valuable possession in old age than a knowledge of Holy Writ? In the midst of storms it will preserve you from the dangers of shipwreck and guide you to the shore of an enchanting paradise and the ever-lasting bliss of the angels.”
“In her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon this ship but to keep her on her course. Let us stand fast in what is right, and prepare our souls for trial. Let us wait upon God’s strengthening aid and say to him: “O Lord, you have been our refuge in all generations.” Let us trust in him who has placed this burden upon us. What we ourselves cannot bear let us bear with the help of Christ. For he is all-powerful, and he tells us: “My yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Let us continue the fight on the day of the Lord. The days of anguish and of tribulation have overtaken us; if God so wills, “let us die for the holy laws of our fathers,” so that we may deserve to obtain an eternal inheritance with them.” – from a letter by Saint Boniface
Feast of Saint Boniface.
He is the patron saint of brewers, file cutters, tailors and known as the ‘Apostle of Germany’.
St. Boniface was born as Wynfrid around the year 675 in Wessex (present-day Devon), England. Overcoming the initial disapproval of his Anglo-Saxon family, he was able to pursue a career in the church.
Wynfrid was educated at English monasteries (first Exeter, then Nursling), and became an ordained priest and Benedictine monk at the approximate age of 30.
In his early 40s he left the seclusion of the monastery to do missionary work on the Continent. In 711, along with a few companions, he set out for Friesland (Holland).
Because his first efforts in Frisia (now the Netherlands) were unsuccessful, Winfrith went to Rome in search of direction. Pope Gregory II changed his name to Boniface (“one who possesses a favourable destiny”) and launched him in a mission with the Germanic tribes, in Thuringia and Hesse.
The Holy Father instructed him to reform the German Church. The pope sent letters of recommendation to religious and civil leaders. Boniface was assisted by Saint Albinus, Saint Abel, and Saint Agatha. They destroyed idols and pagan temples, and then built churches on the sites.
Boniface later admitted that his work would have been unsuccessful, from a human viewpoint, without a letter of safe-conduct from Charles Martel, the powerful Frankish ruler, grandfather of Charlemagne.
Boniface was finally made a regional bishop and authorized to organize the whole German Church. He was eminently successful.
Once in Saxony, Boniface encountered a tribe worshiping a Norse deity in the form of a huge oak tree. Boniface walked up to the tree, removed his shirt, took up an axe, and without a word he hacked down the six foot wide wooden god. Boniface stood on the trunk, and asked, “How stands your mighty god? My God is stronger than he.” The crowd’s reaction was mixed, but some conversions were begun.
One tradition about Saint Boniface says that he used the customs of the locals to help convert them. There was a game in which they threw sticks called kegels at smaller sticks called heides. Boniface bought religion to the game, having the heides represent demons, and knocking them down showing purity of spirit.
In order to restore the Germanic Church to its fidelity to Rome and to convert the pagans, Boniface had been guided by two principles. The first was to restore the obedience of the clergy to their bishops in union with the pope of Rome. The second was the establishment of many houses of prayer which took the form of Benedictine monasteries.
A great number of Anglo-Saxon monks and nuns followed him to the continent, where he introduced the Benedictine nuns to the active apostolate of education.
In response to the report of Boniface’s work, the new pope Gregory III invested him with the pallium; he conferred upon him the dignity of becoming archbishop.
Boniface reformed the churches in his see, and built religious houses in Germany. He Ordained Saint Sola. He founded or restored the dioceses of Bavaria, Thuringia, and Franconia.
In the Frankish kingdom, he met great problems because of lay interference in bishops’ elections, the worldliness of the clergy and lack of papal control.
Over the years he kept up an extensive correspondence, asking directives of the popes, giving information about the many Christian communities, and relaying to the people the popes’ wishes.
Despite his age, Boniface continued to think about the evangelization of the pagans. He turned toward Friesland, the first scene of his missions. In his last instructions, he wrote: “I cannot refuse this long awaited journey. My final day is nearing. Soon to be liberated from this imprisoned body, I shall leave to collect the eternal reward…”
During a final mission to the Frisians, Boniface and 53 companions, including Saint Adaler and Saint Eoban, were massacred while he was preparing converts for confirmation. They were martyred on June 5, 754 by a troop of pagans.
“Can there be a more fitting pursuit in youth or a more valuable possession in old age than a knowledge of Holy Writ? In the midst of storms it will preserve you from the dangers of shipwreck and guide you to the shore of an enchanting paradise and the ever-lasting bliss of the angels.”
“In her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon this ship but to keep her on her course. Let us stand fast in what is right, and prepare our souls for trial. Let us wait upon God’s strengthening aid and say to him: “O Lord, you have been our refuge in all generations.” Let us trust in him who has placed this burden upon us. What we ourselves cannot bear let us bear with the help of Christ. For he is all-powerful, and he tells us: “My yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Let us continue the fight on the day of the Lord. The days of anguish and of tribulation have overtaken us; if God so wills, “let us die for the holy laws of our fathers,” so that we may deserve to obtain an eternal inheritance with them.” – from a letter by Saint Boniface
Close
June 5
Saint Boniface
June 6
Daily Saints – 6 June.
Feast of Saint Rafael Guízar y Valencia.
Rafael was born to a pious family in Cotija, Michoacan, Mexico. His parents Prudenzio Guizar and Natividad Valencia were wealthy and pious land owners. They gave their 11 children a careful religious upbringing.
Rafael lost his mother at the age of nine. He spent his early years studying in a religious school and then spent time with Jesuit priests. His calling in life was to enter the priesthood thereby dedicating his life in the name of Good.
In 1891 he entered the minor seminary in Cotija and, then in 1896, he entered the major seminary in Zamora. In June of 1901, at the age of 23, he was ordained to the priesthood.
In his early years as a priest, he devoted a large part of his time doing missionary work in the city of Zamora and in various different regions of Mexico. Rafael founded the Congregation of Missionaries of Our Lady of Hope in 1903 and became an apostolic missionary in 1905.
In 1905 he was named spiritual director of the seminary in Zamora. He worked tirelessly to educate students in the love of the Holy Eucharist and faithful devotion to the Virgin Mary.
Rafael used his family’s money to found a school for poor girls and also he founded two colleges for boys.
In 1911 a state persecution of the Church began. His Congregation was dissolved and his missionary work was prohibited, so Father Raphael continued his work illegally. He founded a Catholic magazine in Mexico City, which the government quickly shut down.
Rafael lived a number of years with no fixed home. He suffered loss of privacy and faced many dangerous experiences. To continue his ministry, he disguised himself as a street seller, a musician, and a doctor of homeopathic medicine. In this way, he was able to heal the sick, continue to console and administer the sacraments to the dying.
Raphael was condemned to death and he was shot at several times by soldiers, but escaped. In 1916 the authorities were so close on his trail. He was pursued by his enemies and was unable to remain permanently in placecountry-region Mexico due to the constant danger of being captured.
Rafael remained in the southern part of the United States until the end of 1915. The year after, he went to Guatemala where he conducted a large number of missions.
His reputation as a missionary reached Cuba where he was later invited to conduct missions for the people. His work was very productive on the island. His charitable work with the victims of the black plague in 1919 was exemplary.
On August1, 1919, while in placecountry-region Cuba he was elected Bishop of Veracruz. His consecration took place in the Cathedral of Havana on November 30, 1919. He took possession of his diocese on January 9, 1920. He dedicated his first two years to visiting personally the vast territory of his diocese.
Rafael conducted missions and later assisted those affected by a terrible earthquake, which caused mass destruction and death among the poor of Veracruz. His work included preaching in parish churches, teaching doctrine, validating marriages, spending time listening to confessions and helping earthquake victims.
One of his main preoccupations was the education of future priests. In 1921 he was able to save and renovate the old seminary of Xalapa, which was confiscated in 1914.
Once again, however, the government seized the building shortly after its renovation. He then moved the seminary to Mexico City where it continued to function clandestinely for 15 years. It was the only seminary that remained open during these years of persecution. There were 300 seminary students.
Of the years in which he was in charge of the diocese, 9 years were spent in exile or fleeing for his life.
In 1931 Governor Tejada of Veracruz decreed that there could only be one priest per 100,000 Catholics; Raphael shut all his churches in protest. Tejeda ordered that Raphael be shot on sight; Raphael went straight to the governor’s palace and walked into his office.
Tejeda feared the uprising that killing such a man would cause, and revoked the death sentence; Raphael spent the rest of his days fighting to continue the work of the Church in the face of government opposition.
Rafael had suffered for many years from a variety of health conditions, from tuberculosis to diabetes to circulation problems. His very busy schedule and his tireless dedication to his causes exacerbated his health issues.
Knowing that his end was near and not wanting any trouble taken for elaborate funeral services, in his final days Guízar was quoted as saying, “I want to die like the poorest of the poor.”
December 1937, while on a mission in Cordoba, he suffered a heart attack and spent the rest of his days bedridden. From his deathbed he managed the diocese and the seminary while he prepared his soul to meet Almighty God. He also celebrated mass everyday.
Rafael passed away on June 6, 1938 at the age of 60.
Feast of Saint Rafael Guízar y Valencia.
Rafael was born to a pious family in Cotija, Michoacan, Mexico. His parents Prudenzio Guizar and Natividad Valencia were wealthy and pious land owners. They gave their 11 children a careful religious upbringing.
Rafael lost his mother at the age of nine. He spent his early years studying in a religious school and then spent time with Jesuit priests. His calling in life was to enter the priesthood thereby dedicating his life in the name of Good.
In 1891 he entered the minor seminary in Cotija and, then in 1896, he entered the major seminary in Zamora. In June of 1901, at the age of 23, he was ordained to the priesthood.
In his early years as a priest, he devoted a large part of his time doing missionary work in the city of Zamora and in various different regions of Mexico. Rafael founded the Congregation of Missionaries of Our Lady of Hope in 1903 and became an apostolic missionary in 1905.
In 1905 he was named spiritual director of the seminary in Zamora. He worked tirelessly to educate students in the love of the Holy Eucharist and faithful devotion to the Virgin Mary.
Rafael used his family’s money to found a school for poor girls and also he founded two colleges for boys.
In 1911 a state persecution of the Church began. His Congregation was dissolved and his missionary work was prohibited, so Father Raphael continued his work illegally. He founded a Catholic magazine in Mexico City, which the government quickly shut down.
Rafael lived a number of years with no fixed home. He suffered loss of privacy and faced many dangerous experiences. To continue his ministry, he disguised himself as a street seller, a musician, and a doctor of homeopathic medicine. In this way, he was able to heal the sick, continue to console and administer the sacraments to the dying.
Raphael was condemned to death and he was shot at several times by soldiers, but escaped. In 1916 the authorities were so close on his trail. He was pursued by his enemies and was unable to remain permanently in placecountry-region Mexico due to the constant danger of being captured.
Rafael remained in the southern part of the United States until the end of 1915. The year after, he went to Guatemala where he conducted a large number of missions.
His reputation as a missionary reached Cuba where he was later invited to conduct missions for the people. His work was very productive on the island. His charitable work with the victims of the black plague in 1919 was exemplary.
On August1, 1919, while in placecountry-region Cuba he was elected Bishop of Veracruz. His consecration took place in the Cathedral of Havana on November 30, 1919. He took possession of his diocese on January 9, 1920. He dedicated his first two years to visiting personally the vast territory of his diocese.
Rafael conducted missions and later assisted those affected by a terrible earthquake, which caused mass destruction and death among the poor of Veracruz. His work included preaching in parish churches, teaching doctrine, validating marriages, spending time listening to confessions and helping earthquake victims.
One of his main preoccupations was the education of future priests. In 1921 he was able to save and renovate the old seminary of Xalapa, which was confiscated in 1914.
Once again, however, the government seized the building shortly after its renovation. He then moved the seminary to Mexico City where it continued to function clandestinely for 15 years. It was the only seminary that remained open during these years of persecution. There were 300 seminary students.
Of the years in which he was in charge of the diocese, 9 years were spent in exile or fleeing for his life.
In 1931 Governor Tejada of Veracruz decreed that there could only be one priest per 100,000 Catholics; Raphael shut all his churches in protest. Tejeda ordered that Raphael be shot on sight; Raphael went straight to the governor’s palace and walked into his office.
Tejeda feared the uprising that killing such a man would cause, and revoked the death sentence; Raphael spent the rest of his days fighting to continue the work of the Church in the face of government opposition.
Rafael had suffered for many years from a variety of health conditions, from tuberculosis to diabetes to circulation problems. His very busy schedule and his tireless dedication to his causes exacerbated his health issues.
Knowing that his end was near and not wanting any trouble taken for elaborate funeral services, in his final days Guízar was quoted as saying, “I want to die like the poorest of the poor.”
December 1937, while on a mission in Cordoba, he suffered a heart attack and spent the rest of his days bedridden. From his deathbed he managed the diocese and the seminary while he prepared his soul to meet Almighty God. He also celebrated mass everyday.
Rafael passed away on June 6, 1938 at the age of 60.
Close
June 6
Saint Rafael Guízar y Valencia
June 7
Daily Saints – 7 June.
Feast of Saint Anthony Mary Gianelli.
Anthony Mary Gianelli was born in 1789 to a poor but pious farming family near Genoa in the northern part of Italy. His mother taught catechism and his father was known throughout the town as a generous peace-maker.
As a child, people recognized his extraordinary intelligence and were impressed by his gentle nature. Anthony was proving himself to be such a promising student that the woman who owned the farm that the family was working on, became his benefactress and financed his schooling. She then paid for his tuition into the ecclesiastical seminary in Genoa.
As he continued his education, his virtue and eloquence as a speaker continued to grow and separated him from the rank of students, thus he was allowed the special privilege of being able to preach while still a sub-deacon.
Then when he was just twenty three years old, he was granted a special dispensation to be ordained a priest, two years before reaching the required age of twenty five.
Father Anthony devoted himself fully to his mission as a priest, serving his flock with upmost care, yet, still finding time to continue with his educational work, as well as developing his preaching skills. He worked tirelessly hosting missions and evangelizing… harvesting many souls for the Faith… for Christ.
In addition to his missions, he labored at the required duties of a parish priest. Often times spending hours on end in the confessional, wishing to make himself available to the long lines of penitents who flocked to him for spiritual guidance.
Another of his endeavors, was that he started several religious communities, two of which lasted for twenty years; The Missionaries of St. Alphonsus which he founded in 1827, and lasted until 1848. In 1828, he founded The Oblates of St. Alphonsus, which also ended in 1848. In 1829 he founded The Sisters of Our Lady of the Garden, which is presently called Daughters of Our Lady of the Garden.
In 1838, he was ordained a bishop and appointed to the diocese Bibbio in Italy. He led his diocese by his example of extraordinary virtue, and prudence. He actively worked to restore devotions and lead the faithful with a firm, yet gentle hand. He was widely liked and became known as the “People’s Bishop.”
He was very active, organizing two Synods, while at the same time devoting his time traveling between the parishes in in his diocese.
After nine years of serving as bishop, he became very ill with a high fever. In 1846, he passed away due to a serious fever and tuberculosis at the age of 57.
Feast of Saint Anthony Mary Gianelli.
Anthony Mary Gianelli was born in 1789 to a poor but pious farming family near Genoa in the northern part of Italy. His mother taught catechism and his father was known throughout the town as a generous peace-maker.
As a child, people recognized his extraordinary intelligence and were impressed by his gentle nature. Anthony was proving himself to be such a promising student that the woman who owned the farm that the family was working on, became his benefactress and financed his schooling. She then paid for his tuition into the ecclesiastical seminary in Genoa.
As he continued his education, his virtue and eloquence as a speaker continued to grow and separated him from the rank of students, thus he was allowed the special privilege of being able to preach while still a sub-deacon.
Then when he was just twenty three years old, he was granted a special dispensation to be ordained a priest, two years before reaching the required age of twenty five.
Father Anthony devoted himself fully to his mission as a priest, serving his flock with upmost care, yet, still finding time to continue with his educational work, as well as developing his preaching skills. He worked tirelessly hosting missions and evangelizing… harvesting many souls for the Faith… for Christ.
In addition to his missions, he labored at the required duties of a parish priest. Often times spending hours on end in the confessional, wishing to make himself available to the long lines of penitents who flocked to him for spiritual guidance.
Another of his endeavors, was that he started several religious communities, two of which lasted for twenty years; The Missionaries of St. Alphonsus which he founded in 1827, and lasted until 1848. In 1828, he founded The Oblates of St. Alphonsus, which also ended in 1848. In 1829 he founded The Sisters of Our Lady of the Garden, which is presently called Daughters of Our Lady of the Garden.
In 1838, he was ordained a bishop and appointed to the diocese Bibbio in Italy. He led his diocese by his example of extraordinary virtue, and prudence. He actively worked to restore devotions and lead the faithful with a firm, yet gentle hand. He was widely liked and became known as the “People’s Bishop.”
He was very active, organizing two Synods, while at the same time devoting his time traveling between the parishes in in his diocese.
After nine years of serving as bishop, he became very ill with a high fever. In 1846, he passed away due to a serious fever and tuberculosis at the age of 57.
Close
June 7
Saint Anthony Mary Gianelli
June 8
Daily Saints – 8 June.
Feast of St. Mariam Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan.
Mariam Theresia was born in Puthenchira, in southern India’s Kerala state, on April 26, 1876. At baptism, she was given the name Thresia. She was the third of five children born to Thoma and Thanda.
Although her family was once rich and noble, they had fallen on harder times, been forced to sell their property, and lived in poverty. To forget the poor straits to which the family was reduced, Thresia’s father and brother began drinking heavily.
Thresia grew up in piety and holiness under the loving guidance of her saintly mother Thanda. From her early childhood Thresia was moved by an intense desire to love God. For this purpose she fasted four times a week and prayed the Marian rosary several times a day.
Seeing her thinned down at eight years of age, Thanda tried to dissuade Thresia from her severe fasts and night vigils. But Thresia wanted to be ever more in the likeness of the suffering Christ. She also consecrated her virginity when she was about ten years old.
When Thresia was just twelve, her mother died, and she was forced to withdraw from elementary school. She was now set on a long search to discern her own vocation in life.
Thresia longed for a hidden life of prayer and hatched a scheme in 1891 to sneak away from home and lead an eremitical life of prayer and penance in the solitude of the far away woodhills. But this scheme proved too naive.
She continued to frequent the church with three of her companions, clean it and decorate the altar. In her love for Jesus she wanted to be like him in his toil and apostolate. Hence she helped the poor, nursed the sick, visited and comforted the lonely people of her parish.
She nursed even hideous and revolting cases of leprosy and small pox, often abandoned to their lot by their poor relatives who had no means of caring for them. Upon their death she took care of their orphaned children. Despite the family’s poverty, she took care them, taking extra work to pay for their care.
Thresia and her three companions formed a group of prayer and of apostolate. Breaking with the custom of not leaving the house unless accompanied by men, they were on the roads and visited the families in need.
Revolutionary novelty in their little world, which did not spare its criticism. Thresia placed her trust in the help of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. She saw them frequently in visions and received guidance in her apostolate, especially for the conversion of sinners.
From 1904 she wanted to be called Mariam Thresia as she believed that she was asked to add “Mariam” to her name by the Blessed Virgin Mary in a vision.
She prayed for sinners, fasted for their conversion, and visited them and exhorted them to repentance. She received several mystical gifts like prophecy, healing, aura of light, sweet odour. She also had frequent ecstasies and levitations.
On Fridays people used to gather to see Mariam Thresia lifted high and hanging in the form of a crucifix on the wall of her room. She also bore the stigmata, which she kept secret from all, not wishing further attention.
Perhaps to help her keep humble amidst such mystical favours, the Lord let her be tormented by diabolical attacks and vexations almost all through her life. She was repeatedly submitted to exorcism between 1902 and 1905 by Father Joseph Vithayathil, the parish priest of Puthenchira, acting under orders of the bishop, who wondered if she was simply a play thing of the devils.
Thresia submitted to the bishop’s orders with exemplary humility, but the exorcisms seem to have made some people regard Mariam Thresia as a dubious saint. Mariam Thresia had also to fight temptations particularly against faith and chastity and she passed through the dark night of the soul.
From 1902 till her death she had Father Vithayathil for spiritual director. She opened her heart fully and confidently to him and followed his advice and obeyed him blindly. Of her extant letters fifty-three out of fifty-five are addressed to him seeking advice and spiritual guidance.
In 1903 Mariam Thresia requested her bishop’s permission to build a prayer house of solitude, but Mar John Menachery, the Vicar Apostolic of Trichur, first wanted to test her vocation. He suggested to her to consider joining the newly founded Congregation of the Franciscan Clarists, but she did not think that she was called to it.
In 1912 he made arrangements for her to live in a convent of the Carmelite nuns at Ollur. Though the Sisters would gladly have admitted her into their Congregation, she did not feel that it was her call.
Finally, in 1913 Mar Menachery permitted her to build a prayer house and sent his secretary to bless it. Thresia moved in, and her three companions joined her soon. They led a life of prayer and austere penance like hermits but continued to visit the sick and help the poor and the needy irrespective of religion or caste.
The bishop discerned that here was in gestation a new religious Congregation for the service of the family. On 14 May 1914 he erected it canonically and named it the Congregation of the Holy Family (C.H.F.) while receiving the perpetual profession of Mariam Thresia.
Her three companions were enrolled as postulants in the new Congregation, while she was appointed its first Superior with Father Joseph Vithayathil as chaplain.
Mother Mariam Thresia saw to its strict observance in the new Congregation, which she nurtured with great care. During and after the difficult years of the First World War, with indomitable energy and utter trust in divine providence, she built, in less than twelve years, three new convents, two schools, two hostels, a study house, and an orphanage.
Education of girls was Mariam Thresia’s liberation theology in action, without the slogan. Several young girls were attracted to her by her simplicity, humility and shining sanctity. At the time of her death at the age of fifty there were 55 Sisters in the Congregation, 30 boarders and 10 orphans under her care.
In 1926, an object fell on Thresia’s leg, causing a wound. Her injuries continued getting worse, and she was admitted to the local hospital. The wound defied cure owing to her diabetes.
The doctors deemed her condition to be fatal, and she was moved back to her convent. On June 7, 1926, she received her final sacraments and the Viaticum.
Mother Mariam Thresia died on 8 June 1926, at the age of 50. Her final words were, “Jesus, Mary and Joseph; I give you my heart and my soul.”
“I do strongly believe that GOD will not ask us to suffer anything beyond our capacity.”
“You must have the awareness that you are in the presence of God.”
“Love one another; help one another.”
“Suffer all the difficulties patiently and without murmuring.”
Feast of St. Mariam Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan.
Mariam Theresia was born in Puthenchira, in southern India’s Kerala state, on April 26, 1876. At baptism, she was given the name Thresia. She was the third of five children born to Thoma and Thanda.
Although her family was once rich and noble, they had fallen on harder times, been forced to sell their property, and lived in poverty. To forget the poor straits to which the family was reduced, Thresia’s father and brother began drinking heavily.
Thresia grew up in piety and holiness under the loving guidance of her saintly mother Thanda. From her early childhood Thresia was moved by an intense desire to love God. For this purpose she fasted four times a week and prayed the Marian rosary several times a day.
Seeing her thinned down at eight years of age, Thanda tried to dissuade Thresia from her severe fasts and night vigils. But Thresia wanted to be ever more in the likeness of the suffering Christ. She also consecrated her virginity when she was about ten years old.
When Thresia was just twelve, her mother died, and she was forced to withdraw from elementary school. She was now set on a long search to discern her own vocation in life.
Thresia longed for a hidden life of prayer and hatched a scheme in 1891 to sneak away from home and lead an eremitical life of prayer and penance in the solitude of the far away woodhills. But this scheme proved too naive.
She continued to frequent the church with three of her companions, clean it and decorate the altar. In her love for Jesus she wanted to be like him in his toil and apostolate. Hence she helped the poor, nursed the sick, visited and comforted the lonely people of her parish.
She nursed even hideous and revolting cases of leprosy and small pox, often abandoned to their lot by their poor relatives who had no means of caring for them. Upon their death she took care of their orphaned children. Despite the family’s poverty, she took care them, taking extra work to pay for their care.
Thresia and her three companions formed a group of prayer and of apostolate. Breaking with the custom of not leaving the house unless accompanied by men, they were on the roads and visited the families in need.
Revolutionary novelty in their little world, which did not spare its criticism. Thresia placed her trust in the help of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. She saw them frequently in visions and received guidance in her apostolate, especially for the conversion of sinners.
From 1904 she wanted to be called Mariam Thresia as she believed that she was asked to add “Mariam” to her name by the Blessed Virgin Mary in a vision.
She prayed for sinners, fasted for their conversion, and visited them and exhorted them to repentance. She received several mystical gifts like prophecy, healing, aura of light, sweet odour. She also had frequent ecstasies and levitations.
On Fridays people used to gather to see Mariam Thresia lifted high and hanging in the form of a crucifix on the wall of her room. She also bore the stigmata, which she kept secret from all, not wishing further attention.
Perhaps to help her keep humble amidst such mystical favours, the Lord let her be tormented by diabolical attacks and vexations almost all through her life. She was repeatedly submitted to exorcism between 1902 and 1905 by Father Joseph Vithayathil, the parish priest of Puthenchira, acting under orders of the bishop, who wondered if she was simply a play thing of the devils.
Thresia submitted to the bishop’s orders with exemplary humility, but the exorcisms seem to have made some people regard Mariam Thresia as a dubious saint. Mariam Thresia had also to fight temptations particularly against faith and chastity and she passed through the dark night of the soul.
From 1902 till her death she had Father Vithayathil for spiritual director. She opened her heart fully and confidently to him and followed his advice and obeyed him blindly. Of her extant letters fifty-three out of fifty-five are addressed to him seeking advice and spiritual guidance.
In 1903 Mariam Thresia requested her bishop’s permission to build a prayer house of solitude, but Mar John Menachery, the Vicar Apostolic of Trichur, first wanted to test her vocation. He suggested to her to consider joining the newly founded Congregation of the Franciscan Clarists, but she did not think that she was called to it.
In 1912 he made arrangements for her to live in a convent of the Carmelite nuns at Ollur. Though the Sisters would gladly have admitted her into their Congregation, she did not feel that it was her call.
Finally, in 1913 Mar Menachery permitted her to build a prayer house and sent his secretary to bless it. Thresia moved in, and her three companions joined her soon. They led a life of prayer and austere penance like hermits but continued to visit the sick and help the poor and the needy irrespective of religion or caste.
The bishop discerned that here was in gestation a new religious Congregation for the service of the family. On 14 May 1914 he erected it canonically and named it the Congregation of the Holy Family (C.H.F.) while receiving the perpetual profession of Mariam Thresia.
Her three companions were enrolled as postulants in the new Congregation, while she was appointed its first Superior with Father Joseph Vithayathil as chaplain.
Mother Mariam Thresia saw to its strict observance in the new Congregation, which she nurtured with great care. During and after the difficult years of the First World War, with indomitable energy and utter trust in divine providence, she built, in less than twelve years, three new convents, two schools, two hostels, a study house, and an orphanage.
Education of girls was Mariam Thresia’s liberation theology in action, without the slogan. Several young girls were attracted to her by her simplicity, humility and shining sanctity. At the time of her death at the age of fifty there were 55 Sisters in the Congregation, 30 boarders and 10 orphans under her care.
In 1926, an object fell on Thresia’s leg, causing a wound. Her injuries continued getting worse, and she was admitted to the local hospital. The wound defied cure owing to her diabetes.
The doctors deemed her condition to be fatal, and she was moved back to her convent. On June 7, 1926, she received her final sacraments and the Viaticum.
Mother Mariam Thresia died on 8 June 1926, at the age of 50. Her final words were, “Jesus, Mary and Joseph; I give you my heart and my soul.”
“I do strongly believe that GOD will not ask us to suffer anything beyond our capacity.”
“You must have the awareness that you are in the presence of God.”
“Love one another; help one another.”
“Suffer all the difficulties patiently and without murmuring.”
Close
June 8
Saint Mariam Thresia
June 9
Daily Saints – 9 June.
Feast of Saint Ephrem of Syria.
Patron saint of spiritual directors and spiritual leaders. He is known as the ‘Harp of the Holy Spirit’.
Ephrem was born at the beginning of the fourth century in the city of Nisibis (Mesopotamia) into the family of impoverished toilers of the soil.
His parents raised their son in piety, but from his childhood he was known for his quick temper and impetuous character. He often had fights, acted thoughtlessly, and even doubted God’s Providence. He finally recovered his senses by the grace of God, and embarked on the path of repentance and salvation.
Once, he was unjustly accused of stealing a sheep and was thrown into prison. He heard a voice in a dream calling him to repent and correct his life. After this, he was acquitted of the charges and set free. The young man ran off to the mountains to join the hermits.
Ephrem embraced an ascetic lifestyle under the direction of an elder, who gave him permission to live as a hermit. Ephrem supported himself with manual labor, making sails for ships, while living in a remarkably austere manner with few comforts and little food.
Ephrem became one of the disciples of St. James of Nisibis. Under the direction of the holy hierarch, Ephraim attained Christian meekness, humility, submission to God’s will, and the strength to undergo various temptations without complaint.
St. James transformed the wayward youth into a humble and conrite monk. Realizing the great worth of his disciple, he made use of his talents. He trusted him to preach sermons, to instruct children in school, and he took Ephrem with him to the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea (in the year 325). Ephrem was in obedience to St. James for fourteen years, until the bishop’s death in 338.
After the capture of Nisibis by the Persians in 363, Ephrem went to a monastery near the city of Edessa. Here he saw many great ascetics, passing their lives in prayer and psalmody. Their caves were solitary shelters, and they fed themselves with a certain plant. He became especially close to the ascetic Julian who was of one mind with him.
Ephrem combined asceticism with a ceaseless study of the Word of God, taking from it both solace and wisdom for his soul. The Lord gave him a gift of teaching, and people began to come to him, wanting to hear his counsel, which produced compunction in the soul, since he began with self-accusation.
Both verbally and in writing, Ephrem instructed everyone in repentance, faith and piety, and he denounced the Arian heresy, which at that time was causing great turmoil. Pagans who heard the preaching of the saint were converted to Christianity.
He had a prolific pen, and his writings best illumine his holiness. Although he was not a man of great scholarship, his works reflect deep insight and knowledge of the Scriptures. In writing about the mysteries of humanity’s redemption, Ephrem reveals a realistic and humanly sympathetic spirit and a great devotion to the humanity of Jesus. It is said that his poetic account of the Last Judgment inspired Dante.
Ephrem wrote the first Syriac commentary on the Pentateuch (i.e. “Five Books”) of Moses. He wrote many prayers and hymns, thereby enriching the Church’s liturgical services.
Ephrem wrote hymns against the heretics of his day. He would take the popular songs of the heretical groups and using their melodies, compose beautiful hymns embodying orthodox doctrine.
Ephrem became one of the first to introduce song into the Church’s public worship as a means of instruction for the faithful. His many hymns have earned him the title “Harp of the Holy Spirit.”
Ephrem went to Egypt at the end of his life to see the efforts of the great ascetics. He was accepted there as a welcome guest and received great solace from conversing with them.
On his return journey he visited at Caesarea in Cappadocia with St. Basil the Great who wanted to ordain him a priest, but he considered himself unworthy of the priesthood. At the insistence of St. Basil, he consented only to be ordained as a deacon, in which rank he remained until his death.
Later on, St. Basil invited Ephrem to accept a bishop’s throne, but Ephrem feigned madness in order to avoid this honor, humbly regarding himself as unworthy of it.
After his return to his own Edessa wilderness, Ephrem hoped to spend the rest of his life in solitude, but divine Providence again summoned him to serve his neighbor. The inhabitants of Edessa were suffering from a devastating famine. By the influence of his word, the saint persuaded the wealthy to render aid to those in need.
From the offerings of believers he built a poor-house for the poor and sick. Ephrem then withdrew to a cave near Edessa, where he remained to the end of his days.
Near the end of his life, Ephrem briefly left his hermitage to serve the poor and sick during a famine. His last illness came in 373, most likely from a disease he contracted through this service.
When his own death approached, he told his friends: “Sing no funeral hymns at Ephrem’s burial … Wrap not my carcass in any costly shroud: erect no monument to my memory. Allow me only the portion and place of a pilgrim; for I am a pilgrim and a stranger as all my fathers were on earth.”
Ephrem died on 9 June 373 at Edessa (in modern Iraq).
“If the Son of God is within you, then His Kingdom is also within you. Thus, the Kingdom of God is within you, a sinner. Enter into yourself, search diligently and without toil you shall find it. Outside of you is death, and the door to it is sin. Enter into yourself, dwell within your heart, for God is there.”
“you sail yourself across, O sinner, you resurrect yourself from the dead.”
“Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven.”
“Remember me, you heirs of God, you brethren of Christ; supplicate the Savior earnestly for me, that I may be freed through Christ from him that fights against me day by day.”
“I was born in the way of truth: though my childhood was unaware of the greatness of the benefit, I knew it when trial came.”
“I have chanced upon weeds, my brothers,
That wear the color of wheat,
To choke the good seed.”
“He has saved us without wall, and taught us that He is our wall: He has saved us without king and made us know that is our king: He has saved us, in each and all, and showed us that He is All.”
“The soul is your bride, the body is your bridal chamber…”
Feast of Saint Ephrem of Syria.
Patron saint of spiritual directors and spiritual leaders. He is known as the ‘Harp of the Holy Spirit’.
Ephrem was born at the beginning of the fourth century in the city of Nisibis (Mesopotamia) into the family of impoverished toilers of the soil.
His parents raised their son in piety, but from his childhood he was known for his quick temper and impetuous character. He often had fights, acted thoughtlessly, and even doubted God’s Providence. He finally recovered his senses by the grace of God, and embarked on the path of repentance and salvation.
Once, he was unjustly accused of stealing a sheep and was thrown into prison. He heard a voice in a dream calling him to repent and correct his life. After this, he was acquitted of the charges and set free. The young man ran off to the mountains to join the hermits.
Ephrem embraced an ascetic lifestyle under the direction of an elder, who gave him permission to live as a hermit. Ephrem supported himself with manual labor, making sails for ships, while living in a remarkably austere manner with few comforts and little food.
Ephrem became one of the disciples of St. James of Nisibis. Under the direction of the holy hierarch, Ephraim attained Christian meekness, humility, submission to God’s will, and the strength to undergo various temptations without complaint.
St. James transformed the wayward youth into a humble and conrite monk. Realizing the great worth of his disciple, he made use of his talents. He trusted him to preach sermons, to instruct children in school, and he took Ephrem with him to the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea (in the year 325). Ephrem was in obedience to St. James for fourteen years, until the bishop’s death in 338.
After the capture of Nisibis by the Persians in 363, Ephrem went to a monastery near the city of Edessa. Here he saw many great ascetics, passing their lives in prayer and psalmody. Their caves were solitary shelters, and they fed themselves with a certain plant. He became especially close to the ascetic Julian who was of one mind with him.
Ephrem combined asceticism with a ceaseless study of the Word of God, taking from it both solace and wisdom for his soul. The Lord gave him a gift of teaching, and people began to come to him, wanting to hear his counsel, which produced compunction in the soul, since he began with self-accusation.
Both verbally and in writing, Ephrem instructed everyone in repentance, faith and piety, and he denounced the Arian heresy, which at that time was causing great turmoil. Pagans who heard the preaching of the saint were converted to Christianity.
He had a prolific pen, and his writings best illumine his holiness. Although he was not a man of great scholarship, his works reflect deep insight and knowledge of the Scriptures. In writing about the mysteries of humanity’s redemption, Ephrem reveals a realistic and humanly sympathetic spirit and a great devotion to the humanity of Jesus. It is said that his poetic account of the Last Judgment inspired Dante.
Ephrem wrote the first Syriac commentary on the Pentateuch (i.e. “Five Books”) of Moses. He wrote many prayers and hymns, thereby enriching the Church’s liturgical services.
Ephrem wrote hymns against the heretics of his day. He would take the popular songs of the heretical groups and using their melodies, compose beautiful hymns embodying orthodox doctrine.
Ephrem became one of the first to introduce song into the Church’s public worship as a means of instruction for the faithful. His many hymns have earned him the title “Harp of the Holy Spirit.”
Ephrem went to Egypt at the end of his life to see the efforts of the great ascetics. He was accepted there as a welcome guest and received great solace from conversing with them.
On his return journey he visited at Caesarea in Cappadocia with St. Basil the Great who wanted to ordain him a priest, but he considered himself unworthy of the priesthood. At the insistence of St. Basil, he consented only to be ordained as a deacon, in which rank he remained until his death.
Later on, St. Basil invited Ephrem to accept a bishop’s throne, but Ephrem feigned madness in order to avoid this honor, humbly regarding himself as unworthy of it.
After his return to his own Edessa wilderness, Ephrem hoped to spend the rest of his life in solitude, but divine Providence again summoned him to serve his neighbor. The inhabitants of Edessa were suffering from a devastating famine. By the influence of his word, the saint persuaded the wealthy to render aid to those in need.
From the offerings of believers he built a poor-house for the poor and sick. Ephrem then withdrew to a cave near Edessa, where he remained to the end of his days.
Near the end of his life, Ephrem briefly left his hermitage to serve the poor and sick during a famine. His last illness came in 373, most likely from a disease he contracted through this service.
When his own death approached, he told his friends: “Sing no funeral hymns at Ephrem’s burial … Wrap not my carcass in any costly shroud: erect no monument to my memory. Allow me only the portion and place of a pilgrim; for I am a pilgrim and a stranger as all my fathers were on earth.”
Ephrem died on 9 June 373 at Edessa (in modern Iraq).
“If the Son of God is within you, then His Kingdom is also within you. Thus, the Kingdom of God is within you, a sinner. Enter into yourself, search diligently and without toil you shall find it. Outside of you is death, and the door to it is sin. Enter into yourself, dwell within your heart, for God is there.”
“you sail yourself across, O sinner, you resurrect yourself from the dead.”
“Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven.”
“Remember me, you heirs of God, you brethren of Christ; supplicate the Savior earnestly for me, that I may be freed through Christ from him that fights against me day by day.”
“I was born in the way of truth: though my childhood was unaware of the greatness of the benefit, I knew it when trial came.”
“I have chanced upon weeds, my brothers,
That wear the color of wheat,
To choke the good seed.”
“He has saved us without wall, and taught us that He is our wall: He has saved us without king and made us know that is our king: He has saved us, in each and all, and showed us that He is All.”
“The soul is your bride, the body is your bridal chamber…”
Close
June 9
Saint Ephrem
June 10
Daily Saints – 10 June.
Feast of Saint Getulius
According to tradition, Getulius was the husband of St. Symphorosa (feast day July 18th). According to legend, Getulius was a native of Gabii in Sabina (an ancient city 11 miles east of Rome). He was an officer in the Roman Army who resigned when he became a Christian. He retired to his estates near Tivoli. An imperial legate was sent to arrest him, but Getulius converted him to Christianity. Another legate was sent, but he too was converted. All of them were tied to a stake and set on fire. However, the fire did not harm them, so they were brutally beaten to death.
Feast of Saint Getulius
According to tradition, Getulius was the husband of St. Symphorosa (feast day July 18th). According to legend, Getulius was a native of Gabii in Sabina (an ancient city 11 miles east of Rome). He was an officer in the Roman Army who resigned when he became a Christian. He retired to his estates near Tivoli. An imperial legate was sent to arrest him, but Getulius converted him to Christianity. Another legate was sent, but he too was converted. All of them were tied to a stake and set on fire. However, the fire did not harm them, so they were brutally beaten to death.
According to the Roman Martyrology, St. Getulius was killed on the Via Salaria, and is called the father of seven martyrs (sons) and the husband of St. Symphorosa. His companions were Caerealis and Primitivus, the imperial legates, and his brother Amantius. They were captured, imprisoned, thrown into the flames, but emerged unharmed and they were beaten to death with clubs. It also says that St. Symphorosa buried them on her estate. They had seven sons, and each of them is named in the Roman Martyrology, each of them suffered a different kind of martyrdom for their faith. Even Getulius’s wife Symphorosa was canonized a saint.
A church stands in what is today known as part of Montopoli di Sabina, which initially held his relics. In 867, Abbot Peter of Farfa moved these relics to his Abbey in a solemn ceremony. There was previously a church of San Getulius at Teramo. Pope Stephen II in 752 transferred the relics of his wife St. Symphorosa and their seven sons to the Church of St. Angelo in Pescheria at Rome. In 1584, Pope Gregory XIII donated part of these relics to the Jesuits, which placed some in the Chapel near Villa d’Este, and some when to India and Spain with missionaries. St. Getulius died in 120 AD. His veneration is as a Christian martyr and saint in the Catholic Church. It is believed he died at Gabii.
Close
June 10
Saint Getulius
June 11
Daily Saints – 11 June.
Feast of Saint Barnabas the Apostle.
He is the patron saint against hailstorms and invoked as peacemaker.
Barnabas was born to wealthy Jewish parents on the Greek-speaking island of Cyprus, probably around the time of Christ’s own birth. Traditional accounts hold that his parents sent him to study in Jerusalem, where he studied at the school of Gamaliel (who also taught St. Paul).
Later on, when Christ’s public ministry began, Barnabas may have been among those who heard him preach in person. He is traditionally regarded as one of the 72 disciples of Christ.
At some point, either during Christ’s ministry or after his death and resurrection, Barnabas decided to commit himself in the most radical way to the teachings he had received. He sold the large estate he had inherited, contributed the proceeds entirely to the Church, and joined Christ’s other apostles in holding all of their possessions in common.
St. Luke described Barnabas as ‘a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith’ (Acts 6:24), and he was known for his exceptional kindliness and personal sanctity, and his openness to pagans.
Saul of Tarsus, the future St. Paul, approached Barnabas after the miraculous events surrounding his conversion, and was first introduced to St. Peter through him.
About five years later, Barnabas and Paul spent a year in Antioch, building up the Church community whose members were the first to go by the name of “Christians.”
Both Paul and Barnabas received a calling from God to become the “Apostles of the Gentiles,” although the title is more often associated with St. Paul. The reference to the “laying-on of hands” in Acts, chapter 13, suggests that Paul and Barnabas may have been consecrated as bishops on this occasion.
Barnabas and Paul left Antioch along with Barnabas’ cousin John Mark, who would later compose the most concise account of Christ’s life and be canonized as St. Mark.
The group’s first forays into the pagan world met with some success, but Mark became discouraged and returned to Jerusalem. The question of Mark’s dedication to the mission would arise again later, and cause a significant personal disagreement between Paul and Barnabas.
For many years prior to this, however, the two apostles traveled and preached among the Gentiles, suffering persecution and hardships for the sake of establishing Christianity among those of a non-Jewish background.
The remarkable success of Barnabas and Paul led to one of the earliest controversies in Church history, regarding the question of whether Christian converts would have to observe Jewish rites.
During the landmark Council of Jerusalem, recorded in the book of Acts, the assembled apostles confirmed St. Peter’s earlier proclamation that the laws of the Old Testament would not be mandatory for Christians.
When Paul wanted to revisit the places they had evangelized, Barnabas wanted to take along his cousin John Mark, author of the Gospel, but Paul insisted that since Mark had deserted them once, he was not fit to take along now. The disagreement that followed was so sharp that Barnabas and Paul separated: Barnabas taking Mark to Cyprus, Paul taking Silas to Syria. Later they were reconciled—Paul, Barnabas and Mark.
Mark is said to have buried Barnabas after he was killed by a mob in Cyprus around the year 62. St. Paul and St. Mark were, in turn, reconciled before St. Paul’s martyrdom five years later.
Barnabas is said to have been stoned to death in Salamis in the year 61.
Meaning of his name is son of encouragement; son of consolation. His life proved that he is worthy of this name. When the disciples of Jesus had fear to accept Saul (Paul) just after his conversion, Barnabas accepted him and took him to St. Peter. In the same way, when St. Paul had difficulty with Mark and didn’t allow him to join his mission, Barnabas accepted Mark and did his ministry along with him.
Feast of Saint Barnabas the Apostle.
He is the patron saint against hailstorms and invoked as peacemaker.
Barnabas was born to wealthy Jewish parents on the Greek-speaking island of Cyprus, probably around the time of Christ’s own birth. Traditional accounts hold that his parents sent him to study in Jerusalem, where he studied at the school of Gamaliel (who also taught St. Paul).
Later on, when Christ’s public ministry began, Barnabas may have been among those who heard him preach in person. He is traditionally regarded as one of the 72 disciples of Christ.
At some point, either during Christ’s ministry or after his death and resurrection, Barnabas decided to commit himself in the most radical way to the teachings he had received. He sold the large estate he had inherited, contributed the proceeds entirely to the Church, and joined Christ’s other apostles in holding all of their possessions in common.
St. Luke described Barnabas as ‘a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith’ (Acts 6:24), and he was known for his exceptional kindliness and personal sanctity, and his openness to pagans.
Saul of Tarsus, the future St. Paul, approached Barnabas after the miraculous events surrounding his conversion, and was first introduced to St. Peter through him.
About five years later, Barnabas and Paul spent a year in Antioch, building up the Church community whose members were the first to go by the name of “Christians.”
Both Paul and Barnabas received a calling from God to become the “Apostles of the Gentiles,” although the title is more often associated with St. Paul. The reference to the “laying-on of hands” in Acts, chapter 13, suggests that Paul and Barnabas may have been consecrated as bishops on this occasion.
Barnabas and Paul left Antioch along with Barnabas’ cousin John Mark, who would later compose the most concise account of Christ’s life and be canonized as St. Mark.
The group’s first forays into the pagan world met with some success, but Mark became discouraged and returned to Jerusalem. The question of Mark’s dedication to the mission would arise again later, and cause a significant personal disagreement between Paul and Barnabas.
For many years prior to this, however, the two apostles traveled and preached among the Gentiles, suffering persecution and hardships for the sake of establishing Christianity among those of a non-Jewish background.
The remarkable success of Barnabas and Paul led to one of the earliest controversies in Church history, regarding the question of whether Christian converts would have to observe Jewish rites.
During the landmark Council of Jerusalem, recorded in the book of Acts, the assembled apostles confirmed St. Peter’s earlier proclamation that the laws of the Old Testament would not be mandatory for Christians.
When Paul wanted to revisit the places they had evangelized, Barnabas wanted to take along his cousin John Mark, author of the Gospel, but Paul insisted that since Mark had deserted them once, he was not fit to take along now. The disagreement that followed was so sharp that Barnabas and Paul separated: Barnabas taking Mark to Cyprus, Paul taking Silas to Syria. Later they were reconciled—Paul, Barnabas and Mark.
Mark is said to have buried Barnabas after he was killed by a mob in Cyprus around the year 62. St. Paul and St. Mark were, in turn, reconciled before St. Paul’s martyrdom five years later.
Barnabas is said to have been stoned to death in Salamis in the year 61.
Meaning of his name is son of encouragement; son of consolation. His life proved that he is worthy of this name. When the disciples of Jesus had fear to accept Saul (Paul) just after his conversion, Barnabas accepted him and took him to St. Peter. In the same way, when St. Paul had difficulty with Mark and didn’t allow him to join his mission, Barnabas accepted Mark and did his ministry along with him.
Close
June 11
Saint Barnabas
June 12
Daily Saints – 12 June.
Feast of Saint Juan de Sahagún.
John González was born in 1430 of a well-to-do family in Sahagún de Campos, Spain. He studied under the Benedictines in his native city, showing great promise.
In 1454 he was ordained priest by the bishop of Burgos and held the office of chaplain at the church of Saint Gadea. When his bishop died in 1456, John resigned as chaplain and moved to Salamanca to pursue further studies in canon law and theology, obtaining degrees in both.
John was named preacher of the city of Salamanca and a member of the University College of Saint Bartholomew. As preacher, he drew large crowds due to his clarity, eloquence and sincerity, while also incurring opposition and criticism for his denunciation of the sins of both nobles and commoners.
On June 18, 1463, John renounced all his offices in order to join the Augustinian Order in Salamanca. He was professed the following year on August 28, and thereafter continued his preaching ministry while exercising various responsibilities in the Order as prior and delegate to various provincial chapters.
Because of his renown in the city John became a principle agent of reconciliation between rival groups, thus bring peace to Salamanca. He was also respected as a defender of the rights of workers and the common folk.
Characteristic of his personal life was his great devotion to the Eucharist, his humility and simplicity. During Mass, he often saw the Host surrounded by light, sometimes had visions of the bodily form of Christ at the moment of consecration. His devotion, and his visions, often led to some very lengthy Masses.
It is reported that he levitated during his prayers. He could read hearts in confession, and became a sought-after spiritual director.
John was a great preacher whose sermons helped change social conditions in Salamanca. His sermons against sinful living conditions, and in support of the rights and diginity of workers brought him the opposition of some local leaders.
A duke at Alba de Tormes hired assassins to stop him, but they recognized John’s holiness, and would not touch him, confessed to him, and asked forgiveness. The duke later fell ill, and was healed by John’s prayers. Some local women, however, were not so concerned; when he preached against wasting resources on extravagant fashions, some of them threw stones at him in the street.
Once a small child fell into a well. The locals made every effort, but could not effect a rescue. They sent for Father John who went to the scene, laid his waistband on stone wall of the well, and prayed that the waters return the child. The well water rose to ground level, floating the child to safety.
John died on June 11, 1479 at the age of 49. May have been poisoned by a woman whose lover, a nobleman, broke off their relationship after hearing John preach, and for this reason he is sometimes listed as a martyr.
Feast of Saint Juan de Sahagún.
John González was born in 1430 of a well-to-do family in Sahagún de Campos, Spain. He studied under the Benedictines in his native city, showing great promise.
In 1454 he was ordained priest by the bishop of Burgos and held the office of chaplain at the church of Saint Gadea. When his bishop died in 1456, John resigned as chaplain and moved to Salamanca to pursue further studies in canon law and theology, obtaining degrees in both.
John was named preacher of the city of Salamanca and a member of the University College of Saint Bartholomew. As preacher, he drew large crowds due to his clarity, eloquence and sincerity, while also incurring opposition and criticism for his denunciation of the sins of both nobles and commoners.
On June 18, 1463, John renounced all his offices in order to join the Augustinian Order in Salamanca. He was professed the following year on August 28, and thereafter continued his preaching ministry while exercising various responsibilities in the Order as prior and delegate to various provincial chapters.
Because of his renown in the city John became a principle agent of reconciliation between rival groups, thus bring peace to Salamanca. He was also respected as a defender of the rights of workers and the common folk.
Characteristic of his personal life was his great devotion to the Eucharist, his humility and simplicity. During Mass, he often saw the Host surrounded by light, sometimes had visions of the bodily form of Christ at the moment of consecration. His devotion, and his visions, often led to some very lengthy Masses.
It is reported that he levitated during his prayers. He could read hearts in confession, and became a sought-after spiritual director.
John was a great preacher whose sermons helped change social conditions in Salamanca. His sermons against sinful living conditions, and in support of the rights and diginity of workers brought him the opposition of some local leaders.
A duke at Alba de Tormes hired assassins to stop him, but they recognized John’s holiness, and would not touch him, confessed to him, and asked forgiveness. The duke later fell ill, and was healed by John’s prayers. Some local women, however, were not so concerned; when he preached against wasting resources on extravagant fashions, some of them threw stones at him in the street.
Once a small child fell into a well. The locals made every effort, but could not effect a rescue. They sent for Father John who went to the scene, laid his waistband on stone wall of the well, and prayed that the waters return the child. The well water rose to ground level, floating the child to safety.
John died on June 11, 1479 at the age of 49. May have been poisoned by a woman whose lover, a nobleman, broke off their relationship after hearing John preach, and for this reason he is sometimes listed as a martyr.
Close
June 12
Saint Juan de Sahagún
June 13
Daily Saints – 13 June.
Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua.
He is the patron saint against barrenness or sterility, against shipwreck, against starvation; starving people, amputees, animals, both wild and domestic, asses, boatmen, mariners, sailors, watermen, elderly people, expectant mothers, pregnant women, for faith in the Blessed Sacrament, fishermen, for harvests, horses, lost articles, seekers of lost articles, mail, oppressed people, paupers, poor people, swineherds, travel hostesses, travellers.
Anthony was born in Lisbon, Portugal on 1195. At baptism he was given the name Fernando Martins. His parents, Martin and Mary Bulhom, belonged to one of the most prominent families of the city.
Anthony’s wealthy family wanted him to be a great nobleman. But, at the age of 15, for the sake of Christ he joined the Augustinian canons in 1210.
Monastery life was hardly peaceful for the youth, nor conducive to prayer and study, since his old friends came to visit frequently and engaged in vehement political discussions.
After two years, at his request he was sent to Coimbra (cornbrow). There he began nine years of intense study learning the Augustinian theology that he would later combine with Franciscan vision. Fernando was most likely ordained a priest during this time.
The life of the young priest took a crucial turn when the bodies of the first five Franciscan martyrs were returned from Morocco. The Franciscans had been preaching Christ at a mosque in Seville. They were in danger of being martyred at the outset, but the sultan allowed them to pass on to Morocco, where, after continuing to preach about Christ — despite repeated warnings, they were tortured and beheaded.
In the presence of a huge crowd, including the queen, their remains were carried in solemn procession to the very monastery where Fernando lived. This event, while viewed by many as tragic and sad, was deemed glorious, and in fact was an inspiration to young Fernando.
So much so, that it inspired him to make a momentous decision. He decided that he too would become a Franciscan! And would go to the land of the Saracens, that he may gain the crown of the Holy Martyrs.
After some challenges from the prior of the Augustinians, he was allowed to leave that priory and receive the Franciscan habit, taking the name Anthony.
True to their promise, the Franciscans allowed Anthony to go to Morocco, to be a witness for Christ, and a martyr as well. But, as often happens, the gift he wanted to give was not the gift that was to be asked of him.
While in Morocco, he became seriously ill, and after several months realized he had to go home. During the journey home, his ship ran into storms and high winds and was blown east across the Mediterranean.
Eventually his ship made land on the east coast of Sicily. The friars at nearby messina, though they didn’t know him, welcomed him and began nursing him back to health. Still ailing, Anthony wanted to attend the great Pentecost chapter of mats (so called because the 3,000 friars could not be housed and slept on mats). Francis of Assisi was there and was also sick.
Since Anthony was essentially a visitor from “out of town” at the friary in Sicily, he received no assignment during the chapter of mats, so he asked to go and be with a provincial superior from northern Italy. “Instruct me in the Franciscan life,” he asked, not mentioning his prior theological training.
When the provincial superior agreed, Anthony was overjoyed. Now, like Francis, he had his first choice — a life of seclusion and contemplation in a hermitage.
Anthony was first recognized for his great gift of preaching at a gathering for the ordination of Dominicans and Franciscans in 1222. After they finished their meal, the provincial suggested that one of the friars give a short sermon.
There were no immediate volunteers among the group, so Anthony was asked to give “just something simple,” since he presumably had no education and at the time was only 27 years old.
Anthony, while resisting the offer at first, finally began to speak in a simple, artless way. The “fire” within him became evident. His knowledge was unmistakable, but it was the passionate manner in which he spoke that truly impressed everyone in attendance.
Once his talents and knowledge were exposed, his quiet life of prayer and penance at the hermitage was exchanged for that of a public preacher. Francis heard of Anthony’s skills as a preacher, and re-assigned the young priest to preach in northern Italy.
We know that not everyone was impressed by his preaching. Legend has it that one day, faced with deaf ears, Anthony went to the river and preached to the fish. That, got everyone’s attention.
Anthony traveled tirelessly in both northern Italy and southern France—perhaps 400 trips—choosing to enter the cities where the heretics were strongest. Yet the sermons he has left behind rarely show him taking direct issue with them.
As church historians interpret it, Anthony preferred to present the grandeur of Christianity in positive ways. It was no good to prove people wrong: Anthony wanted to win them to the right, the healthiness of real sorrow and conversion as well as the wonder of reconciliation with a loving father.
Anthony’s superior, St. Francis, continued to hear glowing reports of Anthony’s sermons, knowledge of scripture and devotion to Mary. In 1224 he wrote to Anthony asking him to teach his brother Franciscans. Anthony became the first teacher of the Franciscan order to be given special approval and blessings of St. Francis.
Anthony continued to preach as he taught the friars and assumed more responsibility within the order. In 1226 he was appointed provincial superior of northern Italy, but still found time for contemplative prayer in a small hermitage.
Around Easter in 1228, at the age of 33, he met Pope Gregory IX in Rome. The Pope had been a faithful friend and adviser of St. Francis. Naturally, the famous preacher Anthony was invited to speak. He did it humbly, as always. The response was so great that people later said that it seemed the miracle of Pentecost was repeated.
Back in Padua in 1231, Anthony preached his last and most famous Lenten sermons. The crowds were so great—sometimes 30,000—that the churches could not hold them, so he went into the piazzas or the open fields. People waited all night to hear him.
A bodyguard was needed to protect him from the people armed with scissors who wanted to snip off a piece of his habit as a relic. After his morning mass and sermon, Anthony would hear confessions. This sometimes lasted all day—as did his fasting and constant prayer.
Frequently St. Anthony wrought veritable miracles of conversion. Deadly enemies were reconciled. Thieves and usurers made restitution. Calumniators and detractors recanted and apologized. He was so energetic in defending the truths of the Catholic Faith that many heretics returned to the Church. This occasioned the epitaph given him by Pope Gregory IX “the ark of the covenant.”
In all his labors he never forgot the admonition of his spiritual father, St. Francis, that the spirit of prayer must not be extinguished. If he spent the day in teaching and heard the confession of sinners till late in the evening, then many hours of the night were spent in intimate union with God.
The great energy he had expended during the Lenten season left him exhausted. He went to a little town near Padua to rest and recover, but he soon realized death was coming close and he wanted to return to Padua, the city that he loved.
The journey in a wagon weakened him so much, however, that he had to stop at Arcella. In the end, he had to bless Padua from a distance, as Francis had blessed Assisi from a distance.
At Arcella, he received the last sacraments, sang and prayed with the friars there. When one of them asked Anthony what he was staring at so intently, he answered, “I see my lord!” On 13 June 1231, he died in peace a short time after that. He was only 36 and had been a Franciscan for only 10 years.
There are many versions of the legend of St. Anthony cradling the Christ child. In most, St. Anthony had traveled to a local hermitage to spend time in prayer. One night, while deep in prayer, Jesus appeared to him as a child. The room filled with light and laughter as St. Anthony held the Christ child in his arms. As the story is told, the owner of the hermitage, upon seeing the light, came to investigate only to behold St. Anthony and the Christ child. When the vision ended, St. Anthony realized the owner was kneeling at the door and begged him not to share the story until after Anthony’s death.
One day Saint Anthony heard of a man in Rimini named Bononillo who did not share the same belief. In fact, Bononillo openly mocked people who believed that Jesus was truly present under the appearances of bread and wine. St. Anthony tried his hardest to convince Bononillo with the proofs of scripture and argument, but discovered that the man was as stubborn as a mule.
Then St. Anthony received an inspiration. He challenged the wealthy merchant, “If the mule you ride adored the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, would you believe in the truth of the Blessed Sacrament?” Bononillo agreed, but decided to raise the stakes. Bononillo would starve his mule for three days and then bring it to the town square. Saint Anthony would bring the Blessed Sacrament to that same square. The mule then would be put in front of a pile of hay and St. Anthony would stand a few yards away with the Blessed Sacrament. What happened next would decide the victor.
To prepare for the event, St. Anthony fasted for three days, and Bononillo in turn told everyone in the town. Bononillo was convinced that the mule would think nothing of the Eucharist and ravenously eat the pile of hay.
On the day of the test, Bononillo brought his mule and placed the hay under the mule’s nose. St. Anthony came and stood a distance away with the Holy Eucharist. Defying all odds, the mule turned his head and walked over to Saint Anthony. When the mule was close, the animal bent his front legs and kneeled in adoration! When Bononillo saw this miraculous change of events, he immediately knelt down and professed his belief in the truth of the Real Presence.
One source of the well-known patronage for the recovery of lost objects comes from a legend that, long after Anthony’s death, his old prayer book was kept as a treasured relic, and one day it disappeared. People prayed for help in finding the lost item, a novice found it and returned it; he later admitted that he had “borrowed” the book and returned it after receiving a vision of an angry Anthony. He is often invoked with the prayer, “Tony, Tony, come around, something’s lost and can’t be found.”
Saint Anthony is also known for the prayer of exorcism that he gave to a woman oppressed by a demon during a dream she had of the saint.
The story of St. Anthony’s bread is said to have began in 1263, when a beloved child drowned near the basilica of St. Anthony. The child’s mother prayed for St. Anthony’s intercession and promised that if the child was restored to her, she would give the child’s weight in grain to the poor in order that they could make bread – a very great gift in a time of widespread poverty and hunger. When the child was miraculously restored to life, the woman was true to her word and the tradition of giving alms to the poor in St. Anthony’s name was begun.
St. Anthony is also known as the guardian of the mail as a result of an incident in his life. Although he always sought solitude and time for reflection, Anthony was so popular a preacher that he rarely got time to rest. He dutifully wrote to his superior for permission for a respite and time to travel some distance away for reflection. However, as the story goes, when the messenger arrived for the letter, it was no where to be found. Anthony took this as a sign that he was not to go and forgot about the trip. Shortly after, he received permission from his superior to take the trip.
Another legend of 1792, tells of a heart-broken wife seeking news of her husband who had traveled from Spain to Peru. Despite writing many times there was no answer. In desperation she went to the chapel and placed a letter in the hands of the statue of St. Anthony and prayed he would intercede on her behalf and assist with delivery of the letter. The next day when she returned to the chapel, she was disappointed that the letter was still there. Upon removing the letter, she realized her letter had been replaced by a letter from her husband. He wrote that her last letter had been delivered by a Franciscan priest, and that he was overjoyed to receive her letter as he had thought her dead since not hearing from her for so long.
The beginning of novenas is linked to a story of a childless couple. After many, many years of longing for a child, the wife took her troubles to St. Anthony. He is said to have appeared to her in a dream, telling her, “for nine Tuesdays, one after the other, make visits to the Franciscan chapel and approach the holy sacraments of penance and the altar, then pray, and what you ask, you shall obtain.” the couple soon had a child.
“Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak.”
“The devil is afraid of us when we pray and make sacrifices. He is also afraid when we are humble and good. He is especially afraid when we love Jesus very much. He runs away when we make the Sign of the Cross.”
“The life of the body is the soul; the life of the soul is God.”
“Charity is the soul of faith, makes it alive; without love, faith dies.”
“Learn to love humility, for it will cover all your sins. All sins are repulsive before God, but the most repulsive of all is pride of the heart. Do not consider yourself learned and wise; otherwise, all your efforts will be destroyed, and your boat will reach the harbor empty. If you have great authority, do not threaten anyone with death. Know that, according to nature, you too are susceptible to death, and that every soul sheds its body as its final garment.”
“The spirit of humility is sweeter than honey, and those who nourish themselves with this honey produce sweet fruit.”
“He prays best who does not know that he is praying.”
“Attribute to God every good that you have received. If you take credit for something that does not belong to you, you will be guilty of theft.”
“Christians must lean on the Cross of Christ just as travelers lean on a staff when they begin a long journey.”
“We are formed by environment and grace, by politics and prayer, by church and conscience. All God’s creatures conspire to teach us as well. We stumble. We stutter. We rise. We are lifted.”
“The creator of the heavens obeys a carpenter; the God of eternal glory listens to a poor virgin. Has anyone ever witnessed anything comparable to this? Let the philosopher no longer disdain from listening to the common laborer; the wise, to the simple; the educated, to the illiterate; a child of a prince, to a peasant.”
“Seek refuge in Mary because she is the city of refuge. We know that Moses set up three cities of refuge for anyone who inadvertently killed his neighbor. Now the Lord has established a refuge of mercy, Mary, even for those who deliberately commit evil. Mary provides shelter and strength for the sinner.”
“Earthly riches are like the reed. Its roots are sunk in the swamp, and its exterior is fair to behold; but inside it is hollow. If a man leans on such a reed, it will snap off and pierce his soul.”
“Anyone, then, who desires to live chastely in Christ Jesus, must flee not only the mouse of lust, but even from its very scent.”
“Damned money! Alas! How many religious did it blind! How many cloistered religious did it deceive! Money is the ‘droppings of birds’ that blinded the eyes of Tobit.”
“The breadth of charity widens the narrow heart of the sinner.”
“The saints are like the stars. In his providence Christ conceals them in a hidden place that they may not shine before others when they might wish to do so. Yet they are always ready to exchange the quiet of contemplation for the works of mercy as soon as they perceive intheir heart the invitation of Christ.”
“We are full of words but empty of actions, and therefore are cursed by the Lord, since he himself cursed the fig tree when he found no fruit but only leaves. It is useless for a man to flaunt his knowledge of the law if he undermines its teaching by his actions.”
“We should speak, then, as the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of speech. Our humble and sincere request to the Spirit for ourselves should be that we may bring the day of Pentecost to fulfillment, insofar as he infuses us with his grace, by using our bodily senses in a perfect manner by keeping the commandments. Likewise we shall request that we may be filled with a keen sense of sorrow and with fiery tongues for confessing the faith so our deserved reward may be to stand in the blazing splendor of the saints and to look upon the triune God.”
Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua.
He is the patron saint against barrenness or sterility, against shipwreck, against starvation; starving people, amputees, animals, both wild and domestic, asses, boatmen, mariners, sailors, watermen, elderly people, expectant mothers, pregnant women, for faith in the Blessed Sacrament, fishermen, for harvests, horses, lost articles, seekers of lost articles, mail, oppressed people, paupers, poor people, swineherds, travel hostesses, travellers.
Anthony was born in Lisbon, Portugal on 1195. At baptism he was given the name Fernando Martins. His parents, Martin and Mary Bulhom, belonged to one of the most prominent families of the city.
Anthony’s wealthy family wanted him to be a great nobleman. But, at the age of 15, for the sake of Christ he joined the Augustinian canons in 1210.
Monastery life was hardly peaceful for the youth, nor conducive to prayer and study, since his old friends came to visit frequently and engaged in vehement political discussions.
After two years, at his request he was sent to Coimbra (cornbrow). There he began nine years of intense study learning the Augustinian theology that he would later combine with Franciscan vision. Fernando was most likely ordained a priest during this time.
The life of the young priest took a crucial turn when the bodies of the first five Franciscan martyrs were returned from Morocco. The Franciscans had been preaching Christ at a mosque in Seville. They were in danger of being martyred at the outset, but the sultan allowed them to pass on to Morocco, where, after continuing to preach about Christ — despite repeated warnings, they were tortured and beheaded.
In the presence of a huge crowd, including the queen, their remains were carried in solemn procession to the very monastery where Fernando lived. This event, while viewed by many as tragic and sad, was deemed glorious, and in fact was an inspiration to young Fernando.
So much so, that it inspired him to make a momentous decision. He decided that he too would become a Franciscan! And would go to the land of the Saracens, that he may gain the crown of the Holy Martyrs.
After some challenges from the prior of the Augustinians, he was allowed to leave that priory and receive the Franciscan habit, taking the name Anthony.
True to their promise, the Franciscans allowed Anthony to go to Morocco, to be a witness for Christ, and a martyr as well. But, as often happens, the gift he wanted to give was not the gift that was to be asked of him.
While in Morocco, he became seriously ill, and after several months realized he had to go home. During the journey home, his ship ran into storms and high winds and was blown east across the Mediterranean.
Eventually his ship made land on the east coast of Sicily. The friars at nearby messina, though they didn’t know him, welcomed him and began nursing him back to health. Still ailing, Anthony wanted to attend the great Pentecost chapter of mats (so called because the 3,000 friars could not be housed and slept on mats). Francis of Assisi was there and was also sick.
Since Anthony was essentially a visitor from “out of town” at the friary in Sicily, he received no assignment during the chapter of mats, so he asked to go and be with a provincial superior from northern Italy. “Instruct me in the Franciscan life,” he asked, not mentioning his prior theological training.
When the provincial superior agreed, Anthony was overjoyed. Now, like Francis, he had his first choice — a life of seclusion and contemplation in a hermitage.
Anthony was first recognized for his great gift of preaching at a gathering for the ordination of Dominicans and Franciscans in 1222. After they finished their meal, the provincial suggested that one of the friars give a short sermon.
There were no immediate volunteers among the group, so Anthony was asked to give “just something simple,” since he presumably had no education and at the time was only 27 years old.
Anthony, while resisting the offer at first, finally began to speak in a simple, artless way. The “fire” within him became evident. His knowledge was unmistakable, but it was the passionate manner in which he spoke that truly impressed everyone in attendance.
Once his talents and knowledge were exposed, his quiet life of prayer and penance at the hermitage was exchanged for that of a public preacher. Francis heard of Anthony’s skills as a preacher, and re-assigned the young priest to preach in northern Italy.
We know that not everyone was impressed by his preaching. Legend has it that one day, faced with deaf ears, Anthony went to the river and preached to the fish. That, got everyone’s attention.
Anthony traveled tirelessly in both northern Italy and southern France—perhaps 400 trips—choosing to enter the cities where the heretics were strongest. Yet the sermons he has left behind rarely show him taking direct issue with them.
As church historians interpret it, Anthony preferred to present the grandeur of Christianity in positive ways. It was no good to prove people wrong: Anthony wanted to win them to the right, the healthiness of real sorrow and conversion as well as the wonder of reconciliation with a loving father.
Anthony’s superior, St. Francis, continued to hear glowing reports of Anthony’s sermons, knowledge of scripture and devotion to Mary. In 1224 he wrote to Anthony asking him to teach his brother Franciscans. Anthony became the first teacher of the Franciscan order to be given special approval and blessings of St. Francis.
Anthony continued to preach as he taught the friars and assumed more responsibility within the order. In 1226 he was appointed provincial superior of northern Italy, but still found time for contemplative prayer in a small hermitage.
Around Easter in 1228, at the age of 33, he met Pope Gregory IX in Rome. The Pope had been a faithful friend and adviser of St. Francis. Naturally, the famous preacher Anthony was invited to speak. He did it humbly, as always. The response was so great that people later said that it seemed the miracle of Pentecost was repeated.
Back in Padua in 1231, Anthony preached his last and most famous Lenten sermons. The crowds were so great—sometimes 30,000—that the churches could not hold them, so he went into the piazzas or the open fields. People waited all night to hear him.
A bodyguard was needed to protect him from the people armed with scissors who wanted to snip off a piece of his habit as a relic. After his morning mass and sermon, Anthony would hear confessions. This sometimes lasted all day—as did his fasting and constant prayer.
Frequently St. Anthony wrought veritable miracles of conversion. Deadly enemies were reconciled. Thieves and usurers made restitution. Calumniators and detractors recanted and apologized. He was so energetic in defending the truths of the Catholic Faith that many heretics returned to the Church. This occasioned the epitaph given him by Pope Gregory IX “the ark of the covenant.”
In all his labors he never forgot the admonition of his spiritual father, St. Francis, that the spirit of prayer must not be extinguished. If he spent the day in teaching and heard the confession of sinners till late in the evening, then many hours of the night were spent in intimate union with God.
The great energy he had expended during the Lenten season left him exhausted. He went to a little town near Padua to rest and recover, but he soon realized death was coming close and he wanted to return to Padua, the city that he loved.
The journey in a wagon weakened him so much, however, that he had to stop at Arcella. In the end, he had to bless Padua from a distance, as Francis had blessed Assisi from a distance.
At Arcella, he received the last sacraments, sang and prayed with the friars there. When one of them asked Anthony what he was staring at so intently, he answered, “I see my lord!” On 13 June 1231, he died in peace a short time after that. He was only 36 and had been a Franciscan for only 10 years.
There are many versions of the legend of St. Anthony cradling the Christ child. In most, St. Anthony had traveled to a local hermitage to spend time in prayer. One night, while deep in prayer, Jesus appeared to him as a child. The room filled with light and laughter as St. Anthony held the Christ child in his arms. As the story is told, the owner of the hermitage, upon seeing the light, came to investigate only to behold St. Anthony and the Christ child. When the vision ended, St. Anthony realized the owner was kneeling at the door and begged him not to share the story until after Anthony’s death.
One day Saint Anthony heard of a man in Rimini named Bononillo who did not share the same belief. In fact, Bononillo openly mocked people who believed that Jesus was truly present under the appearances of bread and wine. St. Anthony tried his hardest to convince Bononillo with the proofs of scripture and argument, but discovered that the man was as stubborn as a mule.
Then St. Anthony received an inspiration. He challenged the wealthy merchant, “If the mule you ride adored the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, would you believe in the truth of the Blessed Sacrament?” Bononillo agreed, but decided to raise the stakes. Bononillo would starve his mule for three days and then bring it to the town square. Saint Anthony would bring the Blessed Sacrament to that same square. The mule then would be put in front of a pile of hay and St. Anthony would stand a few yards away with the Blessed Sacrament. What happened next would decide the victor.
To prepare for the event, St. Anthony fasted for three days, and Bononillo in turn told everyone in the town. Bononillo was convinced that the mule would think nothing of the Eucharist and ravenously eat the pile of hay.
On the day of the test, Bononillo brought his mule and placed the hay under the mule’s nose. St. Anthony came and stood a distance away with the Holy Eucharist. Defying all odds, the mule turned his head and walked over to Saint Anthony. When the mule was close, the animal bent his front legs and kneeled in adoration! When Bononillo saw this miraculous change of events, he immediately knelt down and professed his belief in the truth of the Real Presence.
One source of the well-known patronage for the recovery of lost objects comes from a legend that, long after Anthony’s death, his old prayer book was kept as a treasured relic, and one day it disappeared. People prayed for help in finding the lost item, a novice found it and returned it; he later admitted that he had “borrowed” the book and returned it after receiving a vision of an angry Anthony. He is often invoked with the prayer, “Tony, Tony, come around, something’s lost and can’t be found.”
Saint Anthony is also known for the prayer of exorcism that he gave to a woman oppressed by a demon during a dream she had of the saint.
The story of St. Anthony’s bread is said to have began in 1263, when a beloved child drowned near the basilica of St. Anthony. The child’s mother prayed for St. Anthony’s intercession and promised that if the child was restored to her, she would give the child’s weight in grain to the poor in order that they could make bread – a very great gift in a time of widespread poverty and hunger. When the child was miraculously restored to life, the woman was true to her word and the tradition of giving alms to the poor in St. Anthony’s name was begun.
St. Anthony is also known as the guardian of the mail as a result of an incident in his life. Although he always sought solitude and time for reflection, Anthony was so popular a preacher that he rarely got time to rest. He dutifully wrote to his superior for permission for a respite and time to travel some distance away for reflection. However, as the story goes, when the messenger arrived for the letter, it was no where to be found. Anthony took this as a sign that he was not to go and forgot about the trip. Shortly after, he received permission from his superior to take the trip.
Another legend of 1792, tells of a heart-broken wife seeking news of her husband who had traveled from Spain to Peru. Despite writing many times there was no answer. In desperation she went to the chapel and placed a letter in the hands of the statue of St. Anthony and prayed he would intercede on her behalf and assist with delivery of the letter. The next day when she returned to the chapel, she was disappointed that the letter was still there. Upon removing the letter, she realized her letter had been replaced by a letter from her husband. He wrote that her last letter had been delivered by a Franciscan priest, and that he was overjoyed to receive her letter as he had thought her dead since not hearing from her for so long.
The beginning of novenas is linked to a story of a childless couple. After many, many years of longing for a child, the wife took her troubles to St. Anthony. He is said to have appeared to her in a dream, telling her, “for nine Tuesdays, one after the other, make visits to the Franciscan chapel and approach the holy sacraments of penance and the altar, then pray, and what you ask, you shall obtain.” the couple soon had a child.
“Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak.”
“The devil is afraid of us when we pray and make sacrifices. He is also afraid when we are humble and good. He is especially afraid when we love Jesus very much. He runs away when we make the Sign of the Cross.”
“The life of the body is the soul; the life of the soul is God.”
“Charity is the soul of faith, makes it alive; without love, faith dies.”
“Learn to love humility, for it will cover all your sins. All sins are repulsive before God, but the most repulsive of all is pride of the heart. Do not consider yourself learned and wise; otherwise, all your efforts will be destroyed, and your boat will reach the harbor empty. If you have great authority, do not threaten anyone with death. Know that, according to nature, you too are susceptible to death, and that every soul sheds its body as its final garment.”
“The spirit of humility is sweeter than honey, and those who nourish themselves with this honey produce sweet fruit.”
“He prays best who does not know that he is praying.”
“Attribute to God every good that you have received. If you take credit for something that does not belong to you, you will be guilty of theft.”
“Christians must lean on the Cross of Christ just as travelers lean on a staff when they begin a long journey.”
“We are formed by environment and grace, by politics and prayer, by church and conscience. All God’s creatures conspire to teach us as well. We stumble. We stutter. We rise. We are lifted.”
“The creator of the heavens obeys a carpenter; the God of eternal glory listens to a poor virgin. Has anyone ever witnessed anything comparable to this? Let the philosopher no longer disdain from listening to the common laborer; the wise, to the simple; the educated, to the illiterate; a child of a prince, to a peasant.”
“Seek refuge in Mary because she is the city of refuge. We know that Moses set up three cities of refuge for anyone who inadvertently killed his neighbor. Now the Lord has established a refuge of mercy, Mary, even for those who deliberately commit evil. Mary provides shelter and strength for the sinner.”
“Earthly riches are like the reed. Its roots are sunk in the swamp, and its exterior is fair to behold; but inside it is hollow. If a man leans on such a reed, it will snap off and pierce his soul.”
“Anyone, then, who desires to live chastely in Christ Jesus, must flee not only the mouse of lust, but even from its very scent.”
“Damned money! Alas! How many religious did it blind! How many cloistered religious did it deceive! Money is the ‘droppings of birds’ that blinded the eyes of Tobit.”
“The breadth of charity widens the narrow heart of the sinner.”
“The saints are like the stars. In his providence Christ conceals them in a hidden place that they may not shine before others when they might wish to do so. Yet they are always ready to exchange the quiet of contemplation for the works of mercy as soon as they perceive intheir heart the invitation of Christ.”
“We are full of words but empty of actions, and therefore are cursed by the Lord, since he himself cursed the fig tree when he found no fruit but only leaves. It is useless for a man to flaunt his knowledge of the law if he undermines its teaching by his actions.”
“We should speak, then, as the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of speech. Our humble and sincere request to the Spirit for ourselves should be that we may bring the day of Pentecost to fulfillment, insofar as he infuses us with his grace, by using our bodily senses in a perfect manner by keeping the commandments. Likewise we shall request that we may be filled with a keen sense of sorrow and with fiery tongues for confessing the faith so our deserved reward may be to stand in the blazing splendor of the saints and to look upon the triune God.”
Close
June 13
Saint Anthony of Padua
June 14
Daily Saints – 14 June.
Feast of Saint Methodius of Constantinople.
Methodius was born at the end of the eighth century in Syracuse, Sicily. He was educated in Syracuse. While in Constantinople to seek a position at court, he felt the call to enter the religious life.
Methodius built a monastery and started a monastic community on the island of Chinos. Soon after finishing construction, Methodius was summoned by the Patriarch of Constantinople to help govern the diocese.
The Eastern Church was debating the use of icons in worship and as tools to bring the faithful closer to God. Methodius and the Patriarch of Constantinople worked against the iconoclasts, and together suffered nearly as much abuse as the images. They worked to unify and reconcile the sides. Methodius travelled to Rome, Italy to seek the Pope’s help.
The emperor Michael refused to stop his persecution, and punished Methodius by forcing him to spend seven years in a disused tomb on the island of Antigoni.
Methodius was set free from his prison in 828, when Michael stopped his persecution and proclaimed general amnesty, but his son led an even greater persecution, which Methodius stood against, and suffered greatly.
In the last five years of his life, Methodius served as the Patriarch of Constantinople. He died in 846, on June 14, in Constantinople.
Methodius is said to have written many works, although only a few sermons and letters are still in existence.
Feast of Saint Methodius of Constantinople.
Methodius was born at the end of the eighth century in Syracuse, Sicily. He was educated in Syracuse. While in Constantinople to seek a position at court, he felt the call to enter the religious life.
Methodius built a monastery and started a monastic community on the island of Chinos. Soon after finishing construction, Methodius was summoned by the Patriarch of Constantinople to help govern the diocese.
The Eastern Church was debating the use of icons in worship and as tools to bring the faithful closer to God. Methodius and the Patriarch of Constantinople worked against the iconoclasts, and together suffered nearly as much abuse as the images. They worked to unify and reconcile the sides. Methodius travelled to Rome, Italy to seek the Pope’s help.
The emperor Michael refused to stop his persecution, and punished Methodius by forcing him to spend seven years in a disused tomb on the island of Antigoni.
Methodius was set free from his prison in 828, when Michael stopped his persecution and proclaimed general amnesty, but his son led an even greater persecution, which Methodius stood against, and suffered greatly.
In the last five years of his life, Methodius served as the Patriarch of Constantinople. He died in 846, on June 14, in Constantinople.
Methodius is said to have written many works, although only a few sermons and letters are still in existence.
Close
June 14
Saint Methodius
June 15
Daily Saints – 15 June.
Feast of St. Germaine Cousin.
She is the patron saint of abandoned or neglected people, abuse victims, child abuse victims, against bodily ills, illness, sickness; sick people, against impoverishment, poverty; poor people, disabled, handicapped or physically challenged people, girls from rural areas; peasant girls; country girls, against the loss of parents, shepherdesses, unattractive people.
Germaine was born on 1579 at Pibrac, France with a right hand that was deformed and paralyzed. She was the daughter of Laurent Cousin, a farm worker, and Marie Laroche.
Her mother died while Germaine was an infant. Her father remarried soon after the death of her mother, but his new wife was filled with disgust by Germaine’s condition. She tormented and neglected Germaine, and taught her siblings to do so as well.
A sickly child, Germaine suffered from scrofula, a kind of tuberculosis that causes the neck glands to swell up. Sores began to appear on her neck and in her weakened condition to fell prey to every disease that came along.
Ignored by her father and abused by her step-family, she was often forced to sleep in the stable or in a cupboard under the stairs, was fed on scraps, beaten or scalded with hot water for misdeeds, real or imagined.
At age nine Germaine was put to work as a shepherdess, where she spent much time praying, sometimes using a rosary she made from a knotted string. She had simple prayers: “Dear God, please don’t let me be too hungry or too thirsty. Help me to please my mother. And help me to please you.” Out of that simple faith, grew a profound holiness and a deep trust of God.
She refused to miss Mass, and if she heard the bell announcing services, she set her crook and her distaff in the ground, declared her flock to be under the care of her guardian angel, and went to church; her sheep were unharmed during her absences.
It is reported that once she crossed the raging Courbet River by walking over the waters so she could get to church.
Germaine was so poor and it is hard to imagine she would be able to help others, but she was always ready to try, especially children whom she gathered in the fields to teach a simple catechism and share the little food she had. The locals laughed at her religious devotion, and called her ‘the little bigot’.
Once in winter, her stepmother, Hortense, accused her of stealing bread by hiding it in her apron, and threatened to beat her with a stick. Germaine opened her apron, and summer flowers tumbled out. She handed a flower to her mother and said, “Please accept this flower, Mother. God sends it to you in sign of his forgiveness.”
Her parents and neighbors were awed by the obvious miracle, and began to treat her as a holy person. Her parents invited her to rejoin the household, but Germaine had become used to her straw bed and continued to sleep in it. There, in 1601, she was found dead at the age of 22, overcome by a life of suffering.
She was buried in the Church of Pibrac opposite the pulpit. When accidentally exhumed in 1644 during a renovation, her body was found incorrupt.
In 1793 the casket was desecrated by an anti-Catholic tinsmith named Toulza, who with three accomplices took out the remains and buried them in the sacristy, throwing quick-lime and water on them. After the French Revolution, her body was found to be still intact save where the quick-lime had done its work.
“Dear God, please don’t let me be too hungry or too thirsty. Help me to please my mother. And help me to please you.”
Feast of St. Germaine Cousin.
She is the patron saint of abandoned or neglected people, abuse victims, child abuse victims, against bodily ills, illness, sickness; sick people, against impoverishment, poverty; poor people, disabled, handicapped or physically challenged people, girls from rural areas; peasant girls; country girls, against the loss of parents, shepherdesses, unattractive people.
Germaine was born on 1579 at Pibrac, France with a right hand that was deformed and paralyzed. She was the daughter of Laurent Cousin, a farm worker, and Marie Laroche.
Her mother died while Germaine was an infant. Her father remarried soon after the death of her mother, but his new wife was filled with disgust by Germaine’s condition. She tormented and neglected Germaine, and taught her siblings to do so as well.
A sickly child, Germaine suffered from scrofula, a kind of tuberculosis that causes the neck glands to swell up. Sores began to appear on her neck and in her weakened condition to fell prey to every disease that came along.
Ignored by her father and abused by her step-family, she was often forced to sleep in the stable or in a cupboard under the stairs, was fed on scraps, beaten or scalded with hot water for misdeeds, real or imagined.
At age nine Germaine was put to work as a shepherdess, where she spent much time praying, sometimes using a rosary she made from a knotted string. She had simple prayers: “Dear God, please don’t let me be too hungry or too thirsty. Help me to please my mother. And help me to please you.” Out of that simple faith, grew a profound holiness and a deep trust of God.
She refused to miss Mass, and if she heard the bell announcing services, she set her crook and her distaff in the ground, declared her flock to be under the care of her guardian angel, and went to church; her sheep were unharmed during her absences.
It is reported that once she crossed the raging Courbet River by walking over the waters so she could get to church.
Germaine was so poor and it is hard to imagine she would be able to help others, but she was always ready to try, especially children whom she gathered in the fields to teach a simple catechism and share the little food she had. The locals laughed at her religious devotion, and called her ‘the little bigot’.
Once in winter, her stepmother, Hortense, accused her of stealing bread by hiding it in her apron, and threatened to beat her with a stick. Germaine opened her apron, and summer flowers tumbled out. She handed a flower to her mother and said, “Please accept this flower, Mother. God sends it to you in sign of his forgiveness.”
Her parents and neighbors were awed by the obvious miracle, and began to treat her as a holy person. Her parents invited her to rejoin the household, but Germaine had become used to her straw bed and continued to sleep in it. There, in 1601, she was found dead at the age of 22, overcome by a life of suffering.
She was buried in the Church of Pibrac opposite the pulpit. When accidentally exhumed in 1644 during a renovation, her body was found incorrupt.
In 1793 the casket was desecrated by an anti-Catholic tinsmith named Toulza, who with three accomplices took out the remains and buried them in the sacristy, throwing quick-lime and water on them. After the French Revolution, her body was found to be still intact save where the quick-lime had done its work.
“Dear God, please don’t let me be too hungry or too thirsty. Help me to please my mother. And help me to please you.”
Close
June 15
Saint Germaine Cousin
June 16
Daily Saints – 16 June.
Feast of Saint Lutgardis (Lutgarde of Aywières)
She is the patron saint of birth, childbirth, blind people, againts blindness, disabled, handicapped of physically challenged people.
Lutgardis was born on 1182 at Tongres, Limburg, Belgium. She was a pretty girl with a fondness for clothes and no apparent religious vocation.
Lutgardis came to her vocation in part due to her father’s bad business sense. Her father lost her dowry in a failed business venture and sent her to a Benedictine convent at the age of 12.
During her teenage years, a young man fell in love with her and began paying her frequent visits. Pleased and a little flattered by these attentions, she was content to have them continue.
One day, while she was speaking with her admirer, Jesus suddenly appeared, blazing before her astonished eyes. He revealed the spear-wound in His side, and said to her: “Seek no more the pleasure of this affection: behold, here, forever, what you should love, and how you should love: here in this wound I promise you the most pure of joys.”
Lutgardis was struck with both terror and love. Her eyes fixed themselves upon the wound in the Heart of Christ, she lost all consciousness of her surroundings and the sudden pallor of her face indicated to her visitor that something extraordinary had happened.
Indeed, Lutgardis, penetrated to the depths of her soul by supernatural light of Jesus, felt the desire of her worldly affection suddenly become completely dispelled, and forever.
Lutgardis turned to her friend with the words: “Go away from me, for I belong to another Lover.” From this point onward, she knew that she was to become a professed nun, offering herself and her virginity to Christ, to become His spouse forever.
At age 20 she became a Benedictine nun. Her visions continued and she is said to have levitated and dripped blood from her head when meditating on the Passion.
Lutgardis was granted a certain power of healing in which her very touch had the effect of instantly curing the little sicknesses of those who came to her. She perhaps thought it would help her lead souls to Jesus, yet it seemingly became a great distraction for her and her fellow nuns.
Understandably, she soon found herself beginning to be very busy with those who appealed to her to cure them of their minor ailments.
She complained to God of this, assuring Him that it interfered with her and the others prayer life: “Why did You go and give me such a grace, Lord? Now I hardly have any time to be alone with You! Take it away, please,” and she added, artlessly, “only give me another grace, give me something better!'” “What grace do you want Me to give you, then, in its place?” Jesus asked of her.
Lutgarde, being a choir nun, thought it would be very appropriate if she were to be granted a miraculous understanding of Latin, in order that she might have more devotion in reciting the psalms. As matters stood, she did not understand a word of what she said in choir, although she prayed with great fervor.
The grace granted, she discovered to her surprise that once again it did not have the result she expected. She began to receive many vivid intellectual lights at the Office, and to be illuminated by numerous penetrating intuitions into the meaning of the psalms. But somehow all this new knowledge left her heart empty and dry.
God had granted her this last relatively useless favor together with enough light to see that it was not what she needed, and she soon turned to Him once more confessing that all these lofty intuitions only interfered with her devotion instead of nourishing it.
So seizing the moment, Jesus asked her: What, then, do you want?” This time, Jesus had led her secretly to the discovery of the right answer. “Lord,” she told Him, “I want Thy Heart.” “You want My Heart?” said Jesus: “Well, I too want your heart.”
Lutgardis replied: “Take it, dear Lord. But take it in such a way that the love of Your Heart may be so mingled and united with my own heart that I may possess my heart in Thee, and that it may always remain there secure in Your protection.”
When the saint was twenty-three years old, she was elected to be Superioress of the community. Far from being flattered or pleased by her elevation to this dignity, Lutgardis regarded it as a disaster. Indeed, it seems to have moved her to look elsewhere, and to seek some other strict austere Order. The Benedictine order was not strict enough for Lutgardis.
As Jesus revealed to her in a vision and on the advice of her friend Saint Christina the Astonishing, in 1208 she joined the Cistercians at Aywieres (near Brussels in modern Belgium) where she lived for her remaining years.
When the nuns of St. Catherine’s discovered their loss, they were inconsolable, but it was too late to do anything about it. Lutgarde, in her turn, prayed earnestly for the peace of the community she had left and was assured by the Blessed Virgin that her prayers would be answered.
Lutgardis was one day praying to St. Agnes when “suddenly a vein near her heart burst, and through a wide open wound in her side, blood began to pour forth, soaking her robe and cowl.” She then sank to the floor and “lost her senses.” She was never known to have been wounded in this way again, but it is known that she kept the scar until the end of her life.
Lutgardis had fallen sick with “a fever.” She was in bed, and heard the bell ring for Matins, about 2AM. Her head was burning, her flesh shook with chills, and her clothing was wet with perspiration. She thought it would be wise to stay in bed and sleep off her sickness, because it might be dangerous for her to get up and go to choir with the nuns, and stand in the cold church when she was shivering and wet with fever.
Suddenly, she heard the voice of Jesus urging her to rise and go to choir with the others. “Get up, quickly, Lutgarde! Why are you lying there? For at this very hour, sinners are wallowing in the mire of their vices, and you ought to be doing penance for them, instead of lying there and letting your body perspire!'”
Filled with fear, Lutgarde leapt from her bed and hastened to choir where the Office had already begun. At the door of the Church she saw Jesus.
She beheld His living body, nailed to the cross: but the lance wound was open in His side. As she approached Him, Jesus let down one of His arms from the Cross to embrace her and draw her to Himself. As He did so, He pressed her lips to the bleeding wound in His side, and from His Sacred Heart the young nun drew forth from a infinite Spring which filled her with love and joy.
Three times she fasted for periods of seven years, subsisting only on bread and liquids. The saint dedicated each fast for the Lord’s purposes: once for the conversion of heretics, a second time for the salvation of sinners and a final time for Emperor Frederick II, who was threatening the church. Before her death she prophesied the latter’s demise, which occurred in 1250.
One Sunday after receiving the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, Lutgardis was meditating on her Savior. But she was torn because while she was enjoying her closeness to Christ, she was also feeling weak from hunger and wanted to eat something.
So she said, “Lord Jesus, now is not the right time for me to be occupied with your delights. Go instead to Elizabeth, who is so weak that she must be fed every hour. Take possession of her heart, and let me go to take some food to restore my strength.”
And that’s exactly what happened. Lutgardis got her meal and Christ healed Elizabeth, who was able to resume normal life in the convent. Lutgardis spent four decades at Aywières entirely devoted to the heart of Christ. She displayed the gifts of healing, prophecy, spiritual wisdom, and was an inspired teacher on the Gospels.
She accepted the blindness that afflicted her for the last 11 years of her life as a gift that helped reduce the distractions of the outside world. In her last vision, Christ told her when she was to die, the day after the Feast of the Holy Trinity, June 16, 1246. She was 64.
Feast of Saint Lutgardis (Lutgarde of Aywières)
She is the patron saint of birth, childbirth, blind people, againts blindness, disabled, handicapped of physically challenged people.
Lutgardis was born on 1182 at Tongres, Limburg, Belgium. She was a pretty girl with a fondness for clothes and no apparent religious vocation.
Lutgardis came to her vocation in part due to her father’s bad business sense. Her father lost her dowry in a failed business venture and sent her to a Benedictine convent at the age of 12.
During her teenage years, a young man fell in love with her and began paying her frequent visits. Pleased and a little flattered by these attentions, she was content to have them continue.
One day, while she was speaking with her admirer, Jesus suddenly appeared, blazing before her astonished eyes. He revealed the spear-wound in His side, and said to her: “Seek no more the pleasure of this affection: behold, here, forever, what you should love, and how you should love: here in this wound I promise you the most pure of joys.”
Lutgardis was struck with both terror and love. Her eyes fixed themselves upon the wound in the Heart of Christ, she lost all consciousness of her surroundings and the sudden pallor of her face indicated to her visitor that something extraordinary had happened.
Indeed, Lutgardis, penetrated to the depths of her soul by supernatural light of Jesus, felt the desire of her worldly affection suddenly become completely dispelled, and forever.
Lutgardis turned to her friend with the words: “Go away from me, for I belong to another Lover.” From this point onward, she knew that she was to become a professed nun, offering herself and her virginity to Christ, to become His spouse forever.
At age 20 she became a Benedictine nun. Her visions continued and she is said to have levitated and dripped blood from her head when meditating on the Passion.
Lutgardis was granted a certain power of healing in which her very touch had the effect of instantly curing the little sicknesses of those who came to her. She perhaps thought it would help her lead souls to Jesus, yet it seemingly became a great distraction for her and her fellow nuns.
Understandably, she soon found herself beginning to be very busy with those who appealed to her to cure them of their minor ailments.
She complained to God of this, assuring Him that it interfered with her and the others prayer life: “Why did You go and give me such a grace, Lord? Now I hardly have any time to be alone with You! Take it away, please,” and she added, artlessly, “only give me another grace, give me something better!'” “What grace do you want Me to give you, then, in its place?” Jesus asked of her.
Lutgarde, being a choir nun, thought it would be very appropriate if she were to be granted a miraculous understanding of Latin, in order that she might have more devotion in reciting the psalms. As matters stood, she did not understand a word of what she said in choir, although she prayed with great fervor.
The grace granted, she discovered to her surprise that once again it did not have the result she expected. She began to receive many vivid intellectual lights at the Office, and to be illuminated by numerous penetrating intuitions into the meaning of the psalms. But somehow all this new knowledge left her heart empty and dry.
God had granted her this last relatively useless favor together with enough light to see that it was not what she needed, and she soon turned to Him once more confessing that all these lofty intuitions only interfered with her devotion instead of nourishing it.
So seizing the moment, Jesus asked her: What, then, do you want?” This time, Jesus had led her secretly to the discovery of the right answer. “Lord,” she told Him, “I want Thy Heart.” “You want My Heart?” said Jesus: “Well, I too want your heart.”
Lutgardis replied: “Take it, dear Lord. But take it in such a way that the love of Your Heart may be so mingled and united with my own heart that I may possess my heart in Thee, and that it may always remain there secure in Your protection.”
When the saint was twenty-three years old, she was elected to be Superioress of the community. Far from being flattered or pleased by her elevation to this dignity, Lutgardis regarded it as a disaster. Indeed, it seems to have moved her to look elsewhere, and to seek some other strict austere Order. The Benedictine order was not strict enough for Lutgardis.
As Jesus revealed to her in a vision and on the advice of her friend Saint Christina the Astonishing, in 1208 she joined the Cistercians at Aywieres (near Brussels in modern Belgium) where she lived for her remaining years.
When the nuns of St. Catherine’s discovered their loss, they were inconsolable, but it was too late to do anything about it. Lutgarde, in her turn, prayed earnestly for the peace of the community she had left and was assured by the Blessed Virgin that her prayers would be answered.
Lutgardis was one day praying to St. Agnes when “suddenly a vein near her heart burst, and through a wide open wound in her side, blood began to pour forth, soaking her robe and cowl.” She then sank to the floor and “lost her senses.” She was never known to have been wounded in this way again, but it is known that she kept the scar until the end of her life.
Lutgardis had fallen sick with “a fever.” She was in bed, and heard the bell ring for Matins, about 2AM. Her head was burning, her flesh shook with chills, and her clothing was wet with perspiration. She thought it would be wise to stay in bed and sleep off her sickness, because it might be dangerous for her to get up and go to choir with the nuns, and stand in the cold church when she was shivering and wet with fever.
Suddenly, she heard the voice of Jesus urging her to rise and go to choir with the others. “Get up, quickly, Lutgarde! Why are you lying there? For at this very hour, sinners are wallowing in the mire of their vices, and you ought to be doing penance for them, instead of lying there and letting your body perspire!'”
Filled with fear, Lutgarde leapt from her bed and hastened to choir where the Office had already begun. At the door of the Church she saw Jesus.
She beheld His living body, nailed to the cross: but the lance wound was open in His side. As she approached Him, Jesus let down one of His arms from the Cross to embrace her and draw her to Himself. As He did so, He pressed her lips to the bleeding wound in His side, and from His Sacred Heart the young nun drew forth from a infinite Spring which filled her with love and joy.
Three times she fasted for periods of seven years, subsisting only on bread and liquids. The saint dedicated each fast for the Lord’s purposes: once for the conversion of heretics, a second time for the salvation of sinners and a final time for Emperor Frederick II, who was threatening the church. Before her death she prophesied the latter’s demise, which occurred in 1250.
One Sunday after receiving the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, Lutgardis was meditating on her Savior. But she was torn because while she was enjoying her closeness to Christ, she was also feeling weak from hunger and wanted to eat something.
So she said, “Lord Jesus, now is not the right time for me to be occupied with your delights. Go instead to Elizabeth, who is so weak that she must be fed every hour. Take possession of her heart, and let me go to take some food to restore my strength.”
And that’s exactly what happened. Lutgardis got her meal and Christ healed Elizabeth, who was able to resume normal life in the convent. Lutgardis spent four decades at Aywières entirely devoted to the heart of Christ. She displayed the gifts of healing, prophecy, spiritual wisdom, and was an inspired teacher on the Gospels.
She accepted the blindness that afflicted her for the last 11 years of her life as a gift that helped reduce the distractions of the outside world. In her last vision, Christ told her when she was to die, the day after the Feast of the Holy Trinity, June 16, 1246. She was 64.
Close
June 16
Saint Lutgardis
June 17
Daily Saints – 17 June.
Feast of Saint Albert Chmielowski.
Albert was born on August 20, 1845 at Igoalomia (Aigolonija), Poland as ‘Adam Hilary Bernard Chmielowski’ into a wealthy and aristocratic family. Adam was the oldest of four children.
Adam studied agriculture with plans of taking over his family’s estate near Krakow. He actively involved in politics from his youth. Adam lost a leg fighting in an insurrection against Czar Alexander III at age 18.
Because of his actions against Russia, he had to leave Poland. Young Adam went to Belgium, where he discovered he had some artistic ability. He became a popular artist and his talent in the subject led him to study in Munich and Paris.
A kind and compassionate person, Adam was always deeply aware of human suffering, and felt called to help those in need. Realizing that God was calling Him to a life of service, he returned to Krakow in 1874, determined to dedicate his talents to the glory of God.
In response to God’s calling, he abandoned his successful career as a painter to devote his entire life in serving the miserable and abandoned. He perceived in them the suffering and maltreated Son of God.
In 1887 he joined religious life of the Third Order of St. Francis taking the name Brother Albert. He lived in the homeless shelters with those he served.
Out of love for Christ, he turned to a beggarly lifestyle, donned a penitential habit and moved to a shelter. He lived in the center of the greatest moral and material poverty in Krakow, to give an example of a selfless life, love, and charitable work in order to restore to God and society those who had fallen by the wayside.
Albert became the creator of shelters whose aim was to improve the financial and moral condition of the most miserable, the senile, beggars, vagrants, the elderly, and anyone who temporarily or permanently faced extreme poverty.
Albert was also not blind to other needs of the society at that time. He founded almshouses for the crippled and terminally ill, he sent sisters to work in military and epidemic hospitals, he opened soup kitchens, nurseries and daycares for homeless children and teenagers.
Albert also planned to extend his help to immigrants and refugees by means of “train station care”, and to the unemployed and homeless in mining and port towns.
Realizing the insufficiency of his efforts, he gladly accepted help from people of good will who were fascinated by his lifestyle and testimony of charity and felt the need to follow him.
In 1887, Albert founded the Brothers of the Third Order of Saint Francis, Servants of the Poor, known as the Albertines or the Gray Brothers. Then, in 1891, he founded a community of Albertine sisters, known as the Gray Sisters.
The Albertines organized food and shelter for the poor and homeless of any age or religion. Albert preached that the great calamity of our time was that so many refused to see and voluntarily relieve the suffering of their miserable brothers and sisters. The “haves” lived away from the “have-nots” in order to ignore them and leave their care to others.
All he wanted was to get help from people willing to serve others, who found themselves in far worse financial and moral conditions. Complete devotion to serving the abandoned and afflicted was perceived by the Father of the Poor as more important than any forms of organization or legal matters.
Albert was the spiritual teacher of Blessed Maria Bernardina Jablonska. Albert died on Christmas Day, 1916.
In 1949, Pope John Paul II, who was at the time Father Karol Wojtyla, wrote a well-received play about Albert called ‘Our God’s Brother’. John Paul II later said that he found great spiritual support for his own vocation in the life of St. Albert, whom he saw as an example of leaving behind a world of art, literature, and theater to make a radical choice for the priesthood.
Quotes of St. Albert:
“There is no place for grace in man’s heart that is unfeeling to our neighbor’s weakness, and indifferent to the needs of the Church and social needs.”
“I look at Jesus in His Eucharist. Could His love have provided anything more beautiful? If He is bread, let us too become bread…let us give ourselves.”
Feast of Saint Albert Chmielowski.
Albert was born on August 20, 1845 at Igoalomia (Aigolonija), Poland as ‘Adam Hilary Bernard Chmielowski’ into a wealthy and aristocratic family. Adam was the oldest of four children.
Adam studied agriculture with plans of taking over his family’s estate near Krakow. He actively involved in politics from his youth. Adam lost a leg fighting in an insurrection against Czar Alexander III at age 18.
Because of his actions against Russia, he had to leave Poland. Young Adam went to Belgium, where he discovered he had some artistic ability. He became a popular artist and his talent in the subject led him to study in Munich and Paris.
A kind and compassionate person, Adam was always deeply aware of human suffering, and felt called to help those in need. Realizing that God was calling Him to a life of service, he returned to Krakow in 1874, determined to dedicate his talents to the glory of God.
In response to God’s calling, he abandoned his successful career as a painter to devote his entire life in serving the miserable and abandoned. He perceived in them the suffering and maltreated Son of God.
In 1887 he joined religious life of the Third Order of St. Francis taking the name Brother Albert. He lived in the homeless shelters with those he served.
Out of love for Christ, he turned to a beggarly lifestyle, donned a penitential habit and moved to a shelter. He lived in the center of the greatest moral and material poverty in Krakow, to give an example of a selfless life, love, and charitable work in order to restore to God and society those who had fallen by the wayside.
Albert became the creator of shelters whose aim was to improve the financial and moral condition of the most miserable, the senile, beggars, vagrants, the elderly, and anyone who temporarily or permanently faced extreme poverty.
Albert was also not blind to other needs of the society at that time. He founded almshouses for the crippled and terminally ill, he sent sisters to work in military and epidemic hospitals, he opened soup kitchens, nurseries and daycares for homeless children and teenagers.
Albert also planned to extend his help to immigrants and refugees by means of “train station care”, and to the unemployed and homeless in mining and port towns.
Realizing the insufficiency of his efforts, he gladly accepted help from people of good will who were fascinated by his lifestyle and testimony of charity and felt the need to follow him.
In 1887, Albert founded the Brothers of the Third Order of Saint Francis, Servants of the Poor, known as the Albertines or the Gray Brothers. Then, in 1891, he founded a community of Albertine sisters, known as the Gray Sisters.
The Albertines organized food and shelter for the poor and homeless of any age or religion. Albert preached that the great calamity of our time was that so many refused to see and voluntarily relieve the suffering of their miserable brothers and sisters. The “haves” lived away from the “have-nots” in order to ignore them and leave their care to others.
All he wanted was to get help from people willing to serve others, who found themselves in far worse financial and moral conditions. Complete devotion to serving the abandoned and afflicted was perceived by the Father of the Poor as more important than any forms of organization or legal matters.
Albert was the spiritual teacher of Blessed Maria Bernardina Jablonska. Albert died on Christmas Day, 1916.
In 1949, Pope John Paul II, who was at the time Father Karol Wojtyla, wrote a well-received play about Albert called ‘Our God’s Brother’. John Paul II later said that he found great spiritual support for his own vocation in the life of St. Albert, whom he saw as an example of leaving behind a world of art, literature, and theater to make a radical choice for the priesthood.
Quotes of St. Albert:
“There is no place for grace in man’s heart that is unfeeling to our neighbor’s weakness, and indifferent to the needs of the Church and social needs.”
“I look at Jesus in His Eucharist. Could His love have provided anything more beautiful? If He is bread, let us too become bread…let us give ourselves.”
Close
June 17
Saint Albert Chmielowski
June 18
Daily Saints – 18 June.
Feast of Saints Mark and Marcellian.
According to tradition, Mark and Marcellian were twin brothers from a distinguished family. They lived in Rome. They were converted to Christianity when they were young. Both became deacons in the early Church.
Although the boys had converted in their youth, their parents remained unconverted. Each brother had a wife and children.
When Diocletian ascended the imperial throne in 284, the pagans raised persecutions. The brothers were arrested and thrown into prison. They were threatened with the loss of their lives, unless they offered sacrifices to the Roman gods.
Friends intervened and obtained a thirty-day reprieve, in the hope of being able to persuade the two brothers to renounce their faith and make the required sacrifices.
Their wives and little children, along with their unconverted parents, Tranquillinus and Martia, begged them with tears and pleading, to make the sacrifices to the Roman gods.
Although they had been released from the prison on a thirty-day reprieve, they were still kept under guard and basically prisoners in the home of the public registrar Nicostratus.
St. Sebastian was a Roman officer in the emperor’s household. St. Sebastian visited Mark and Marcellian every day and gave them encouragement to persevere. St. Sebastian convinced them not to abandon their faith.
These discussions, before relatives and friends, caused many conversions to take place, even Nicostratus. St. Sebastian converted Tranquillinus and Martia. Another man, Chromatius, who kept the prisoners under guard, and his son Tiburtius, also converted. Chromatius set the prisoners free, resigned his post and left to live in the country.
After their release, Mark and Marcellian were hidden by a Christian official, Castulus, in the imperial household. But they were betrayed by an apostate, Torquatus. The twins were again taken into custody.
Chromatius’s successor, Fabian, condemned them to be bound head downwards to two pillars with their feet nailed to them. Mark and Marcellian hung there for a full day until they were pierced with lances. Their martyrdom occurred in the year 286.
Feast of Saints Mark and Marcellian.
According to tradition, Mark and Marcellian were twin brothers from a distinguished family. They lived in Rome. They were converted to Christianity when they were young. Both became deacons in the early Church.
Although the boys had converted in their youth, their parents remained unconverted. Each brother had a wife and children.
When Diocletian ascended the imperial throne in 284, the pagans raised persecutions. The brothers were arrested and thrown into prison. They were threatened with the loss of their lives, unless they offered sacrifices to the Roman gods.
Friends intervened and obtained a thirty-day reprieve, in the hope of being able to persuade the two brothers to renounce their faith and make the required sacrifices.
Their wives and little children, along with their unconverted parents, Tranquillinus and Martia, begged them with tears and pleading, to make the sacrifices to the Roman gods.
Although they had been released from the prison on a thirty-day reprieve, they were still kept under guard and basically prisoners in the home of the public registrar Nicostratus.
St. Sebastian was a Roman officer in the emperor’s household. St. Sebastian visited Mark and Marcellian every day and gave them encouragement to persevere. St. Sebastian convinced them not to abandon their faith.
These discussions, before relatives and friends, caused many conversions to take place, even Nicostratus. St. Sebastian converted Tranquillinus and Martia. Another man, Chromatius, who kept the prisoners under guard, and his son Tiburtius, also converted. Chromatius set the prisoners free, resigned his post and left to live in the country.
After their release, Mark and Marcellian were hidden by a Christian official, Castulus, in the imperial household. But they were betrayed by an apostate, Torquatus. The twins were again taken into custody.
Chromatius’s successor, Fabian, condemned them to be bound head downwards to two pillars with their feet nailed to them. Mark and Marcellian hung there for a full day until they were pierced with lances. Their martyrdom occurred in the year 286.
Close
June 18
Saints Mark and Marcellian
June 19
Daily Saints – 19 June.
Feast of Saints Gervasius and Protasius.
Patron saints for the discovery of thieves, haymakers.
Gervasius and Protasius were twins and sons of Saint Vitalis of Milan and Saint Valeria of Milan. Their father Vitalis, a man of consular dignity, suffered martyrdom at Ravenna. The mother Valeria died for her faith at Milan.
According to Legend, a Roman general named Astacius was told the gods would not answer his prayers unless the twin brothers Gervasius and Protasius would sacrifice to them.
They were asked to offer sacrifice to pagan gods but being Christians they refused to sacrifice. Consequently Astacius had Gervasius beaten to death with a leaden scourge and then ordered Protasius beheaded.
The Legend adds that two centuries later St. Ambrose was praying when in a vision he saw each saint in a white tunic and mantle and wearing short boots. They were accompanied by St. Paul, who directed Ambrose to where he could find the bodies of these martyrs.
Feast of Saints Gervasius and Protasius.
Patron saints for the discovery of thieves, haymakers.
Gervasius and Protasius were twins and sons of Saint Vitalis of Milan and Saint Valeria of Milan. Their father Vitalis, a man of consular dignity, suffered martyrdom at Ravenna. The mother Valeria died for her faith at Milan.
According to Legend, a Roman general named Astacius was told the gods would not answer his prayers unless the twin brothers Gervasius and Protasius would sacrifice to them.
They were asked to offer sacrifice to pagan gods but being Christians they refused to sacrifice. Consequently Astacius had Gervasius beaten to death with a leaden scourge and then ordered Protasius beheaded.
The Legend adds that two centuries later St. Ambrose was praying when in a vision he saw each saint in a white tunic and mantle and wearing short boots. They were accompanied by St. Paul, who directed Ambrose to where he could find the bodies of these martyrs.
Close
June 19
Saints Gervasius and Protasius
June 20
Daily Saints – 20 June.
Feast of Saint John of Pulsano (John of Matera).
John was born toward the end of the 11th century at Matera, a town in the Kingdom of Naples. On reaching adulthood, he joined a monastery on the island of Taranto.
John lived with such austerity that it brought on the enmity of his brothers who felt he was setting a standard that they could not meet, making them look bad, and drawing attention to himself. His single-mindedness in keeping the Rule created problems for the others monks and led John to leave.
Seeking a monastery that would fit his makeup, the John went to Calabria and then to Sicily. In his guest he returned to the mainland at Ginosa. He rebuilt a church nearby dedicated to St. Peter.
However, John was arrested and imprisoned because there was a belief that he had found and kept hidden treasure. He escaped to Capua and joined the community of St. William of Vercelli.
When fire destroyed their dwelling, he journeyed to Bari, where the people were deeply moved by his preaching. A charge of heresy was leveled at the Saint out of jealousy, but he was easily cleared of it. Returning to Ginosa, he was welcomed by his former disciples and preached a successful mission at St. Peter’s Church.
Still following his religious impulse, John went to Mount Gargano and at nearby Pulsano built a monastery, after the invitation of Our Lady and Saint Michael the Archangel who had both appeared to him.
Some sixty monks flocked to his community, and he shepherded them as their Abbot. So well did he do so that he became renowned for his wisdom, miracles, and gift of prophecy. His life was marked by numerous angelic visions but also by ferocious attacks from the devil.
A young man, to attract a young woman, sold his soul to the devil but, having become tepid, he regretted it. The demon, eager for that soul, cast him into a ravine, where a venerable monk appeared to the poor thing, admonished him and advised him to go to Pulsano to get salutary advice.
Saved by a miracle from the precipice, he went there and was amazed to recognise in John, the Monk who had appeared to him down in the ravine. He took off his garments and clothed himself with a habit and lived in the Order humbly and holy and died in that way.
Sabino, devoted to John and already very much a close friend of his, was at the end of his life. The monks around his bed were in tears waiting for his death. Then he was enraptured in ecstasy. Upon returning, he recounted that it seemed to him that he was dead and was caught by two horrible devils that wanted to drag him into hell.
At that point John appeared and with a haughty scowl he attempted to snatch away their prey. They attacked and flung themselves on him. John with a resolute air confronted them. The demons, given their arrogance, tried to show, while thumbing through their wicked book, that the monk deserved eternal punishment. The Priest, upon the revelation of the failings committed by him, was left perplexed.
Then there appeared the Holy Virgin Mary who noticed the servant of God, chased away the demons, liberated the wretched man and disappeared. The Priest, meanwhile, warned the friar to admonish his two companions to repent of their sins, if they did not want to come to a bad end. Of the two, one confessed humbly all his guilt and was preserved in goodness, the other rejected and finished badly.
In the forest, the monks were working to knock down and square off some tree trunks. John was not with them. A group of soldiers appeared who threw themselves upon them. But they were not soldiers but demons. All of sudden they backed off, since John rushed to their aid.
The monks surrounded John, and he, comforting them with gentle cautions, disappeared. The monks were astounded. One of them returned to the Monastery the next day to tell what had happened. John, with his arms raised, thanked the Lord and reaffirmed that it was not for his merits but for the merits of their obedience that the Lord performed such a miracle.
John died on June 20, 1139 at Pulsano, Italy.
Feast of Saint John of Pulsano (John of Matera).
John was born toward the end of the 11th century at Matera, a town in the Kingdom of Naples. On reaching adulthood, he joined a monastery on the island of Taranto.
John lived with such austerity that it brought on the enmity of his brothers who felt he was setting a standard that they could not meet, making them look bad, and drawing attention to himself. His single-mindedness in keeping the Rule created problems for the others monks and led John to leave.
Seeking a monastery that would fit his makeup, the John went to Calabria and then to Sicily. In his guest he returned to the mainland at Ginosa. He rebuilt a church nearby dedicated to St. Peter.
However, John was arrested and imprisoned because there was a belief that he had found and kept hidden treasure. He escaped to Capua and joined the community of St. William of Vercelli.
When fire destroyed their dwelling, he journeyed to Bari, where the people were deeply moved by his preaching. A charge of heresy was leveled at the Saint out of jealousy, but he was easily cleared of it. Returning to Ginosa, he was welcomed by his former disciples and preached a successful mission at St. Peter’s Church.
Still following his religious impulse, John went to Mount Gargano and at nearby Pulsano built a monastery, after the invitation of Our Lady and Saint Michael the Archangel who had both appeared to him.
Some sixty monks flocked to his community, and he shepherded them as their Abbot. So well did he do so that he became renowned for his wisdom, miracles, and gift of prophecy. His life was marked by numerous angelic visions but also by ferocious attacks from the devil.
A young man, to attract a young woman, sold his soul to the devil but, having become tepid, he regretted it. The demon, eager for that soul, cast him into a ravine, where a venerable monk appeared to the poor thing, admonished him and advised him to go to Pulsano to get salutary advice.
Saved by a miracle from the precipice, he went there and was amazed to recognise in John, the Monk who had appeared to him down in the ravine. He took off his garments and clothed himself with a habit and lived in the Order humbly and holy and died in that way.
Sabino, devoted to John and already very much a close friend of his, was at the end of his life. The monks around his bed were in tears waiting for his death. Then he was enraptured in ecstasy. Upon returning, he recounted that it seemed to him that he was dead and was caught by two horrible devils that wanted to drag him into hell.
At that point John appeared and with a haughty scowl he attempted to snatch away their prey. They attacked and flung themselves on him. John with a resolute air confronted them. The demons, given their arrogance, tried to show, while thumbing through their wicked book, that the monk deserved eternal punishment. The Priest, upon the revelation of the failings committed by him, was left perplexed.
Then there appeared the Holy Virgin Mary who noticed the servant of God, chased away the demons, liberated the wretched man and disappeared. The Priest, meanwhile, warned the friar to admonish his two companions to repent of their sins, if they did not want to come to a bad end. Of the two, one confessed humbly all his guilt and was preserved in goodness, the other rejected and finished badly.
In the forest, the monks were working to knock down and square off some tree trunks. John was not with them. A group of soldiers appeared who threw themselves upon them. But they were not soldiers but demons. All of sudden they backed off, since John rushed to their aid.
The monks surrounded John, and he, comforting them with gentle cautions, disappeared. The monks were astounded. One of them returned to the Monastery the next day to tell what had happened. John, with his arms raised, thanked the Lord and reaffirmed that it was not for his merits but for the merits of their obedience that the Lord performed such a miracle.
John died on June 20, 1139 at Pulsano, Italy.
Close
June 20
Saint John of Pulsano
June 21
Daily Saints – 21 June.
Feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga .
Patron saint of AIDS care-givers, AIDS patients, Catholic youth, students, teenage children, teenagers, young people and against sore eyes and for bodily purity and for relief from pestilence.
Aloysius was born on 9 March 1568 into a noble Italian family. His father was a compulsive gambler. He grew up in a castle.
His father’s great ambition was to make a soldier out of him and to make sure he would start early enough, at the age of four he was given a full equipment of soldier’s weaponry and all the paraphernalia.
At five he was sent to a garrison of soldiers with some three thousand men who were training for the war against the Moors. While with the soldiers he picked up some bad language. Later on when his tutor told him those were wrong things he was saying, he was ashamed for the rest of his life.
As a young boy, Aloysius always had a great desire to know and serve God, but his family life was not always supportive of this desire.
Aloysius encountered many holy people in his lifetime; he received his first Communion from St. Charles Borromeo and studied under St. Robert Bellarmine.
At age 7 Aloysius experienced a profound spiritual quickening. He began daily to recite the Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary and also the seven penitential psalms and other devotions, always on his knees and without support or cushion.
At age 9 he came from his hometown of Castiglione to Florence to be educated; by age 11 he was teaching catechism to poor children, fasting three days a week, and practicing great austerities.
His father, in an effort to prepare him for the kind of life he was going to be living, sent Aloysius to Florence. So when he was 13 years old, he traveled with his parents and the Empress of Austria to Spain, and acted as a page in the court of Philip II.
For Aloysius, it was a society of fraud, dagger, poison and lust of the most hideous kind. But he didn’t like it. He had a very strong will, he also had strong passions, especially temptation to lust.
Aloysius began to practice self-discipline to preserve his chastity, he tried to imitate the lives of the fathers of the desert, and among other things, which he did in order to protect his chastity, it is recorded of him that he never once looked straight at any women.
The more Aloysius saw of court life, the more disillusioned he became, seeking relief in learning about the lives of saints.
As a teen, he suffered from a serious kidney disease which was painful so that even ordinary food caused him much distress, and he was regularly in pain. He considered the disease as a blessing, as it left him with plenty of time for prayer.
Yet along with all his physical disabilities, he fasted three days a week; three full days on bread and water. Aloysius would also scourge himself with a dog whip, and every midnight he’d get up to pray on a stone floor, no matter what the weather was, even in winter without heat.
Aloysius tried to make an hour’s meditation without distraction. It took him several hours of effort to get one hour without distraction.
A book about the experience of Jesuit missionaries in India suggested to him the idea of entering the Society of Jesus, and in Spain his decision became final.
When his father heard that he wanted to become a Jesuit, he was furious. First he was very much opposed, then for a while the father relented but again the opposition, this time, not only from the father, but from everybody that the father could get to try to break down Aloysius’ intention.
His father got the nobility and those who couldn’t come to the palace of the family in Lombardy, he sent his son from one nobleman to another, trying to convince him. Then he got some bishops and the bishops got on the side of the father and tried to dissuade his son from becoming a Jesuit priest. Then the father sent his boy on various civil commissions to distract him. They persuade Aloysius to remain in his “normal” vocation. But Aloysius didn’t change his mind.
The mother finally broke down the father’s resistance, and he was allowed to renounce his life for Christ. At 18 he signed away his legal claim to his title and his family’s lands and entered the Jesuits. Six weeks later, after he entered the Jesuit novitiate, the father suddenly died.
Like other seminarians, Aloysius was faced with a new kind of penance—that of accepting different ideas about the exact nature of penance. He was obliged to eat more, and to take recreation with the other students. He was forbidden to pray except at stated times.
After finishing his novitiate, Aloysius was sent to Milan. It was at Milan, still as a scholastic, that one day during morning prayers, he had a revelation that he had not long to live and his joy was overwhelming.
Aloysius managed to get the worst room in the house. He got frequent ecstasy at the most inconvenient times–at table, in class, and even in recreation. His meditations, as his contemporaries later attested, were mainly on the attributes of God. In other words, he would meditate on God’s goodness, wisdom, beauty, and from these meditations on the attributes of God, he derived extraordinary joy.
Aloysius spent four years in the study of philosophy and had Saint Robert Bellarmine as his spiritual adviser.
Then in 1591, a terrible plague broke out in Rome during which the Jesuits, including the father general, went out to care of the plague-stricken–the disease is very infectious. Father general led the Jesuits in this work of mercy.
Aloysius, in spite of his bad health, managed to get permission to help out. He would care for the sick, encourage them, lead them in their prayers, and prepare them for death. He would choose the most menial and distasteful tasks. Because of his service he caught the disease.
During the disease, he asked for viaticum; he thought he was dying, then later on he confessed that he was too impatient in looking forward to death. He recovered from the disease, but then was laid low by a fever which he had for three months.
As long as he could he would rise from bed at night and worship on his knees before the Crucifix. During his dying illness, Father Bellarmine, a man up in years by then, would stay hours with his penitent.
Once Aloysius asked Bellarmine, “Is it possible to go straight to Heaven without any purgatory?” “Yes,” Bellarmine said, “it’s quite possible.” “Well, can I ask for that grace?” “You sure can.” So he begged for the grace.
A fever persisted after his recovery and he was so weak he could scarcely rise from bed. Yet, he maintained his great discipline of prayer, knowing that he would die within the octave of Corpus Christi, three months later.
The night before he died, he had an ecstasy all night. With the members of his community around him, he was talking to the rector who was standing over his bed, “we’re going, father, we’re going”. The rector said, “Where are we going?” “We’re going to Heaven.” So the rector jokingly said, “You’d think he was going to Froscoty” (that is a Jesuit villa outside of Rome). Just before he died, he pronounced the words, “Into Thy hands” and passed away.
Aloysius died on on 21 June 1591 at the age of 23.
“I am a piece of twisted iron, I entered the religious life to get twisted straight.”
“He who wishes to love God does not truly love Him, if he has not an ardent and constant desire to suffer for His sake.”
“It is better to be a child of God than king of the whole world!”
“There is no more evident sign that anyone is a saint and of the number of the elect, than to see him leading a good life and at the same time a prey to desolation, suffering, and trials.”
“When He takes away what He once lent us, His purpose is to store our treasure elsewhere, more safely and bestow on us, those very blessings, that we ourselves would most choose to have.”
“He who wishes to love God does not truly love Him if he has not an ardent and constant desire to suffer for His sake.”
“Take care above all things, most honoured lady, not to insult God’s boundless loving kindness, you would certainly do this, if you mourned as dead, one living face-to-face with God, one whose prayers, can bring you in your troubles, more powerful aid, than they ever could on earth.”
St. Aloysius prayer:
“O Holy Mary! My Mother; into thy blessed trust and special custody, and into the bosom of thy mercy, I this day, and every day, and in the hour of my death, commend my soul and body. To thee I commit all my anxieties and sorrows, my life and the end of my life, that by they most holy intercession, and by thy merits, all my actions may be directed and governed by thy will and that of thy Son.”
“May the comfort and grace of the Holy Spirit be yours for ever, most honored lady. Your letter found me lingering still in this region of the dead, but now I must rouse myself to make my way on to heaven at last, and to praise God for ever in the land of the living; indeed I had hoped that before this time my journey there would have been over. If charity, as Saint Paul says, means “to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who are glad,” then, dearest mother, you shall rejoice exceedingly that God in his grace and his love for you is showing me the path to true happiness, and assuring me that I shall never lose him. Take care above all things, most honored lady, not to insult God’s boundless loving kindness; you would certainly do this if you mourned as dead one living face to face with God, one whose prayers can bring you in your troubles more powerful aid than they ever could on earth. And our parting will not be for long; we shall see each other again in heaven; we shall be united with our Savior; there we shall praise him with heart and soul, sing of his mercies for ever, and enjoy eternal happiness.” – from a letter to his mother by Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
Feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga .
Patron saint of AIDS care-givers, AIDS patients, Catholic youth, students, teenage children, teenagers, young people and against sore eyes and for bodily purity and for relief from pestilence.
Aloysius was born on 9 March 1568 into a noble Italian family. His father was a compulsive gambler. He grew up in a castle.
His father’s great ambition was to make a soldier out of him and to make sure he would start early enough, at the age of four he was given a full equipment of soldier’s weaponry and all the paraphernalia.
At five he was sent to a garrison of soldiers with some three thousand men who were training for the war against the Moors. While with the soldiers he picked up some bad language. Later on when his tutor told him those were wrong things he was saying, he was ashamed for the rest of his life.
As a young boy, Aloysius always had a great desire to know and serve God, but his family life was not always supportive of this desire.
Aloysius encountered many holy people in his lifetime; he received his first Communion from St. Charles Borromeo and studied under St. Robert Bellarmine.
At age 7 Aloysius experienced a profound spiritual quickening. He began daily to recite the Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary and also the seven penitential psalms and other devotions, always on his knees and without support or cushion.
At age 9 he came from his hometown of Castiglione to Florence to be educated; by age 11 he was teaching catechism to poor children, fasting three days a week, and practicing great austerities.
His father, in an effort to prepare him for the kind of life he was going to be living, sent Aloysius to Florence. So when he was 13 years old, he traveled with his parents and the Empress of Austria to Spain, and acted as a page in the court of Philip II.
For Aloysius, it was a society of fraud, dagger, poison and lust of the most hideous kind. But he didn’t like it. He had a very strong will, he also had strong passions, especially temptation to lust.
Aloysius began to practice self-discipline to preserve his chastity, he tried to imitate the lives of the fathers of the desert, and among other things, which he did in order to protect his chastity, it is recorded of him that he never once looked straight at any women.
The more Aloysius saw of court life, the more disillusioned he became, seeking relief in learning about the lives of saints.
As a teen, he suffered from a serious kidney disease which was painful so that even ordinary food caused him much distress, and he was regularly in pain. He considered the disease as a blessing, as it left him with plenty of time for prayer.
Yet along with all his physical disabilities, he fasted three days a week; three full days on bread and water. Aloysius would also scourge himself with a dog whip, and every midnight he’d get up to pray on a stone floor, no matter what the weather was, even in winter without heat.
Aloysius tried to make an hour’s meditation without distraction. It took him several hours of effort to get one hour without distraction.
A book about the experience of Jesuit missionaries in India suggested to him the idea of entering the Society of Jesus, and in Spain his decision became final.
When his father heard that he wanted to become a Jesuit, he was furious. First he was very much opposed, then for a while the father relented but again the opposition, this time, not only from the father, but from everybody that the father could get to try to break down Aloysius’ intention.
His father got the nobility and those who couldn’t come to the palace of the family in Lombardy, he sent his son from one nobleman to another, trying to convince him. Then he got some bishops and the bishops got on the side of the father and tried to dissuade his son from becoming a Jesuit priest. Then the father sent his boy on various civil commissions to distract him. They persuade Aloysius to remain in his “normal” vocation. But Aloysius didn’t change his mind.
The mother finally broke down the father’s resistance, and he was allowed to renounce his life for Christ. At 18 he signed away his legal claim to his title and his family’s lands and entered the Jesuits. Six weeks later, after he entered the Jesuit novitiate, the father suddenly died.
Like other seminarians, Aloysius was faced with a new kind of penance—that of accepting different ideas about the exact nature of penance. He was obliged to eat more, and to take recreation with the other students. He was forbidden to pray except at stated times.
After finishing his novitiate, Aloysius was sent to Milan. It was at Milan, still as a scholastic, that one day during morning prayers, he had a revelation that he had not long to live and his joy was overwhelming.
Aloysius managed to get the worst room in the house. He got frequent ecstasy at the most inconvenient times–at table, in class, and even in recreation. His meditations, as his contemporaries later attested, were mainly on the attributes of God. In other words, he would meditate on God’s goodness, wisdom, beauty, and from these meditations on the attributes of God, he derived extraordinary joy.
Aloysius spent four years in the study of philosophy and had Saint Robert Bellarmine as his spiritual adviser.
Then in 1591, a terrible plague broke out in Rome during which the Jesuits, including the father general, went out to care of the plague-stricken–the disease is very infectious. Father general led the Jesuits in this work of mercy.
Aloysius, in spite of his bad health, managed to get permission to help out. He would care for the sick, encourage them, lead them in their prayers, and prepare them for death. He would choose the most menial and distasteful tasks. Because of his service he caught the disease.
During the disease, he asked for viaticum; he thought he was dying, then later on he confessed that he was too impatient in looking forward to death. He recovered from the disease, but then was laid low by a fever which he had for three months.
As long as he could he would rise from bed at night and worship on his knees before the Crucifix. During his dying illness, Father Bellarmine, a man up in years by then, would stay hours with his penitent.
Once Aloysius asked Bellarmine, “Is it possible to go straight to Heaven without any purgatory?” “Yes,” Bellarmine said, “it’s quite possible.” “Well, can I ask for that grace?” “You sure can.” So he begged for the grace.
A fever persisted after his recovery and he was so weak he could scarcely rise from bed. Yet, he maintained his great discipline of prayer, knowing that he would die within the octave of Corpus Christi, three months later.
The night before he died, he had an ecstasy all night. With the members of his community around him, he was talking to the rector who was standing over his bed, “we’re going, father, we’re going”. The rector said, “Where are we going?” “We’re going to Heaven.” So the rector jokingly said, “You’d think he was going to Froscoty” (that is a Jesuit villa outside of Rome). Just before he died, he pronounced the words, “Into Thy hands” and passed away.
Aloysius died on on 21 June 1591 at the age of 23.
“I am a piece of twisted iron, I entered the religious life to get twisted straight.”
“He who wishes to love God does not truly love Him, if he has not an ardent and constant desire to suffer for His sake.”
“It is better to be a child of God than king of the whole world!”
“There is no more evident sign that anyone is a saint and of the number of the elect, than to see him leading a good life and at the same time a prey to desolation, suffering, and trials.”
“When He takes away what He once lent us, His purpose is to store our treasure elsewhere, more safely and bestow on us, those very blessings, that we ourselves would most choose to have.”
“He who wishes to love God does not truly love Him if he has not an ardent and constant desire to suffer for His sake.”
“Take care above all things, most honoured lady, not to insult God’s boundless loving kindness, you would certainly do this, if you mourned as dead, one living face-to-face with God, one whose prayers, can bring you in your troubles, more powerful aid, than they ever could on earth.”
St. Aloysius prayer:
“O Holy Mary! My Mother; into thy blessed trust and special custody, and into the bosom of thy mercy, I this day, and every day, and in the hour of my death, commend my soul and body. To thee I commit all my anxieties and sorrows, my life and the end of my life, that by they most holy intercession, and by thy merits, all my actions may be directed and governed by thy will and that of thy Son.”
“May the comfort and grace of the Holy Spirit be yours for ever, most honored lady. Your letter found me lingering still in this region of the dead, but now I must rouse myself to make my way on to heaven at last, and to praise God for ever in the land of the living; indeed I had hoped that before this time my journey there would have been over. If charity, as Saint Paul says, means “to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who are glad,” then, dearest mother, you shall rejoice exceedingly that God in his grace and his love for you is showing me the path to true happiness, and assuring me that I shall never lose him. Take care above all things, most honored lady, not to insult God’s boundless loving kindness; you would certainly do this if you mourned as dead one living face to face with God, one whose prayers can bring you in your troubles more powerful aid than they ever could on earth. And our parting will not be for long; we shall see each other again in heaven; we shall be united with our Savior; there we shall praise him with heart and soul, sing of his mercies for ever, and enjoy eternal happiness.” – from a letter to his mother by Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
Close
June 21
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
June 22
Daily Saints – 22 June.
Feast of St. Thomas More.
Patron saint of adopted children, civil servants, court clerks, difficult marriages, large families, lawyers, politicians (given in 2000 by Pope John Paul II), step-parents, widowers.
Thomas was born on 7 February 1478 at London, England. His father, Sir John More, was a lawyer and judge. Thomas’ mother was Agnes Graunger, the first wife of John More. John would have four wives during his life, but they each died, leaving John as a widower. Thomas had two brothers and three sisters, but three of his siblings died within a year of their birth.
Thomas was positively influenced from a young age by his mother and siblings. He also attended St. Anthony’s School, which was said to be one of the best schools in London at that time.
In 1490, he became a household page to John Morton, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor of England. Archbishop Morton was a Renaissance man and inspired Thomas to pursue his own education.
As the son of a prominent lawyer, More followed in his father’s footsteps and obtained a legal education. Eventually he entered the King’s services and became one of his most trusted and respected civil servants.
Despite his legal and political orientation, Thomas was confused in regard to his vocation as a young man. He seriously considered joining either the Carthusian monastic order or the Franciscans, and followed a number of ascetic and spiritual practices throughout his life – such as fasting, corporal mortification, and a regular rule of prayer – as means of growing in holiness.
In 1504, however, More had decided to remain in the secular world, and stood for election to Parliament. More was elected to Parliament. He gave up his monastic ambitions, though not his disciplined spiritual life, and married Jane Colt of Essex.
They were happily married for several years and had four children together, though Jane tragically died in childbirth in 1511. Shortly after her death, More married a widow named Alice Middleton.
Alice Harpur Middleton was a wealthy widow. Alice was not particularly attractive, and her temperament was less docile than Jane’s. They knew each other for some time prior to their marriage. They would have no children together. Thomas accepted Alice’s daughter from her previous marriage as his own.
Thomas was considered a doting father, and he often wrote letters to his children when he was away on work. He also insisted that his daughters receive the same education as his son.
Over a period of time he also gained a reputation as a scholar and penned down several works, the most well-known one being ‘Utopia’. So Thomas More was also an English social philosopher and statesman.
From 1517 on, Henry VIII took a liking to Thomas More, and gave him posts of ever increasing responsibility. In 1521, he was knighted and made Under-Treasurer of the Exchequer.
The King’s trust in More grew with time and More was soon made Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, which gave him authority over the northern portion of England on behalf of Henry. Thomas served as a councilor to King Henry VIII and Lord High Chancellor of England from 1529 to 1532.
A noted Renaissance humanist and a staunch Catholic, he opposed the Protestant Reformation, in particular the theology of Martin Luther and William Tyndale.
During his tenure as Lord Chancellor, More prosecuted those accused of heresy and worked tirelessly to defend the Catholic faith in England. This was an arduous, but achievable task as long as he enjoyed Henry’s favor.
However, in 1530, as Henry worked to obtain an annulment from his wife, Catherine, Moore refused to sign a letter to the Pope, requesting an annulment. This was More’s first time crossing Henry.
Faced with the prospect of being compelled to actively support Henry’s schism with the Church, More offered his resignation, citing failing health. Henry accepted it, although he was unhappy with what he viewed as flagging loyalty.
In 1533, More refused to attend the coronation of Anne Boylen, who was now the Queen of England. More instead wrote a letter of congratulations. The letter, as opposed to his direct presence offended Henry greatly.
Henry then had charges trumped up against More, but More’s own integrity protected him. In the first instance, he was accused of accepting bribes, but there was simply no evidence that could be obtained or manufactured.
He was then accused of conspiracy against the king, because he allegedly consulted with a nun who prophesied against Henry and his wife, Anne. However, More was able to produce a letter in which he specifically instructed the nun, Elizabeth Barton, not to interfere with politics.
On April 13, 1534, More was ordered to take an oath, acknowledging the legitimicies of Anne’s position as queen, of Henry’s self-granted annulment from Catherine, and the superior position of the King as head of the church.
More accepted Henry’s marriage to Anne, but refused to acknowledge Henry as head of the church, or his annulment from Catherine. This led to his arrest and imprisonment. He was locked away in the Tower of London.
He faced trial on July 1 and was convicted by a court that included Anne Boylen’s own father, brother and uncle, hardly an impartial jury. Despite a brilliant defense of himself and persuasive testimony, grounded in truth and fact, More was convicted in fifteen minutes.
The court sentenced him to be hanged, drawn, and quartered, which was the traditional punishment for treason. As a final act of mercy, Henry commuted More’s punishment to mere decapitation.
More ascended the scaffold, joking to his executioners to help him up the scaffold, but that he would see himself down. He then made a final statement, proclaiming that he was “the king’s good servant, but God’s first.”
Thomas More was beheaded on 6 July 1535 on Tower Hill, London, England.
Following his death, it was revealed that More wore a hair shirt, a garment destined to be itchy, and worn to as a sign of atonement and repentance. It became obvious to all that he was a man of deep piety, asceticism, voluntary self discipline, and penitence.
He is known as ‘omnium horarum homo’ (a man for all seasons, referring to his wide scholarship and knowledge).
“One of the greatest problems of our time is that many are schooled but few are educated.”
“Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.”
“The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest.”
“Every tribulation which ever comes our way either is sent to be medicinal, if we will take it as such, or may become medicinal, if we will make it such, or is better than medicinal, unless we forsake it.”
“Occupy your mind with good thoughts, or the enemy will fill them with bad ones.”
“Friendship demands attention.”
“A friendship like love is warm; a love like friendship is steady.”
“The heart that has truly loved never forgets, But as truly loves on to the close.”
“You wouldn’t abandon ship in a storm just because you couldn’t control the winds.”
“Nothing can come but what God wills. And I am very sure that whatever that be, however bad it may seem, it shall indeed be the best.”
“Nobody owns anything but everyone is rich – for what greater wealth can there be than cheerfulness, peace of mind, and freedom from anxiety?”
“To be educated, a person doesn’t have to know much or be informed, but he or she does have to have been exposed vulnerably to the transformative events of an engaged human life.”
“Education is not the piling on of learning, information, data, facts, skills, or abilities – that’s training or instruction – but is rather making visible what is hidden as a seed.”
“I die the king’s faithful servant, but God’s first.”
“He travels best that knows when to return.”
“I know this well: that without my fault he will not let me be lost. I shall, therefore, with good hope commit myself wholly to him.”
“What does it avail to know that there is a God, which you not only believe by Faith, but also know by reason: what does it avail that you know Him if you think little of Him?”
“What men call fame is, after all, but a very windy thing. A man things that many are praising him, and talking of him alone, and yet they spend but a very small part of the day thinking of him, being occupied with things of their own.”
“Getting married is like putting one’s hand in a bag containing 99 serpents and one eel.”
“A pretty face may be enough to catch a man, but it takes character and good nature to hold him.”
“Two evils, greed and faction are the destruction of all justice.”
“….I count my imprisonment the very greatest. I cannot, therefore, mistrust the grace of God. By the merits of his bitter passion joined to mine and far surpassing in merit for me all that I can suffer myself, his bounteous goodness shall release me from the pains of purgatory and shall increase my reward in heaven besides.”
“I shall remember how Saint Peter at a blast of wind began to sink because of his lack of faith, and I shall do as he did: call upon Christ and pray to him for help. And then I trust he shall place his holy hand on me and in the stormy seas hold me up from drowning.”
St. Thomas More’s prayer:
“Grant me, O Lord, good digestion, and also something to digest. Grant me a healthy body, and the necessary good humor to maintain it. Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure all that is good and that doesn’t frighten easily at the sight of evil, but rather finds the means to put things back in their place. Give me a soul that knows not boredom, grumblings, sighs and laments, nor excess of stress, because of that obstructing thing called “I”. Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humor. Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke to discover in life a bit of joy, and to be able to share it with others. Amen.”
(During his address to the Roman Curia on the occasion of the presentation of Christmas greetings, Pope Francis affirmed, “A bit of good humor is very good for us! It will do us much good to pray St. Thomas More’s prayer frequently: I pray it every day, and it helps me.”)
Feast of St. Thomas More.
Patron saint of adopted children, civil servants, court clerks, difficult marriages, large families, lawyers, politicians (given in 2000 by Pope John Paul II), step-parents, widowers.
Thomas was born on 7 February 1478 at London, England. His father, Sir John More, was a lawyer and judge. Thomas’ mother was Agnes Graunger, the first wife of John More. John would have four wives during his life, but they each died, leaving John as a widower. Thomas had two brothers and three sisters, but three of his siblings died within a year of their birth.
Thomas was positively influenced from a young age by his mother and siblings. He also attended St. Anthony’s School, which was said to be one of the best schools in London at that time.
In 1490, he became a household page to John Morton, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor of England. Archbishop Morton was a Renaissance man and inspired Thomas to pursue his own education.
As the son of a prominent lawyer, More followed in his father’s footsteps and obtained a legal education. Eventually he entered the King’s services and became one of his most trusted and respected civil servants.
Despite his legal and political orientation, Thomas was confused in regard to his vocation as a young man. He seriously considered joining either the Carthusian monastic order or the Franciscans, and followed a number of ascetic and spiritual practices throughout his life – such as fasting, corporal mortification, and a regular rule of prayer – as means of growing in holiness.
In 1504, however, More had decided to remain in the secular world, and stood for election to Parliament. More was elected to Parliament. He gave up his monastic ambitions, though not his disciplined spiritual life, and married Jane Colt of Essex.
They were happily married for several years and had four children together, though Jane tragically died in childbirth in 1511. Shortly after her death, More married a widow named Alice Middleton.
Alice Harpur Middleton was a wealthy widow. Alice was not particularly attractive, and her temperament was less docile than Jane’s. They knew each other for some time prior to their marriage. They would have no children together. Thomas accepted Alice’s daughter from her previous marriage as his own.
Thomas was considered a doting father, and he often wrote letters to his children when he was away on work. He also insisted that his daughters receive the same education as his son.
Over a period of time he also gained a reputation as a scholar and penned down several works, the most well-known one being ‘Utopia’. So Thomas More was also an English social philosopher and statesman.
From 1517 on, Henry VIII took a liking to Thomas More, and gave him posts of ever increasing responsibility. In 1521, he was knighted and made Under-Treasurer of the Exchequer.
The King’s trust in More grew with time and More was soon made Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, which gave him authority over the northern portion of England on behalf of Henry. Thomas served as a councilor to King Henry VIII and Lord High Chancellor of England from 1529 to 1532.
A noted Renaissance humanist and a staunch Catholic, he opposed the Protestant Reformation, in particular the theology of Martin Luther and William Tyndale.
During his tenure as Lord Chancellor, More prosecuted those accused of heresy and worked tirelessly to defend the Catholic faith in England. This was an arduous, but achievable task as long as he enjoyed Henry’s favor.
However, in 1530, as Henry worked to obtain an annulment from his wife, Catherine, Moore refused to sign a letter to the Pope, requesting an annulment. This was More’s first time crossing Henry.
Faced with the prospect of being compelled to actively support Henry’s schism with the Church, More offered his resignation, citing failing health. Henry accepted it, although he was unhappy with what he viewed as flagging loyalty.
In 1533, More refused to attend the coronation of Anne Boylen, who was now the Queen of England. More instead wrote a letter of congratulations. The letter, as opposed to his direct presence offended Henry greatly.
Henry then had charges trumped up against More, but More’s own integrity protected him. In the first instance, he was accused of accepting bribes, but there was simply no evidence that could be obtained or manufactured.
He was then accused of conspiracy against the king, because he allegedly consulted with a nun who prophesied against Henry and his wife, Anne. However, More was able to produce a letter in which he specifically instructed the nun, Elizabeth Barton, not to interfere with politics.
On April 13, 1534, More was ordered to take an oath, acknowledging the legitimicies of Anne’s position as queen, of Henry’s self-granted annulment from Catherine, and the superior position of the King as head of the church.
More accepted Henry’s marriage to Anne, but refused to acknowledge Henry as head of the church, or his annulment from Catherine. This led to his arrest and imprisonment. He was locked away in the Tower of London.
He faced trial on July 1 and was convicted by a court that included Anne Boylen’s own father, brother and uncle, hardly an impartial jury. Despite a brilliant defense of himself and persuasive testimony, grounded in truth and fact, More was convicted in fifteen minutes.
The court sentenced him to be hanged, drawn, and quartered, which was the traditional punishment for treason. As a final act of mercy, Henry commuted More’s punishment to mere decapitation.
More ascended the scaffold, joking to his executioners to help him up the scaffold, but that he would see himself down. He then made a final statement, proclaiming that he was “the king’s good servant, but God’s first.”
Thomas More was beheaded on 6 July 1535 on Tower Hill, London, England.
Following his death, it was revealed that More wore a hair shirt, a garment destined to be itchy, and worn to as a sign of atonement and repentance. It became obvious to all that he was a man of deep piety, asceticism, voluntary self discipline, and penitence.
He is known as ‘omnium horarum homo’ (a man for all seasons, referring to his wide scholarship and knowledge).
“One of the greatest problems of our time is that many are schooled but few are educated.”
“Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.”
“The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest.”
“Every tribulation which ever comes our way either is sent to be medicinal, if we will take it as such, or may become medicinal, if we will make it such, or is better than medicinal, unless we forsake it.”
“Occupy your mind with good thoughts, or the enemy will fill them with bad ones.”
“Friendship demands attention.”
“A friendship like love is warm; a love like friendship is steady.”
“The heart that has truly loved never forgets, But as truly loves on to the close.”
“You wouldn’t abandon ship in a storm just because you couldn’t control the winds.”
“Nothing can come but what God wills. And I am very sure that whatever that be, however bad it may seem, it shall indeed be the best.”
“Nobody owns anything but everyone is rich – for what greater wealth can there be than cheerfulness, peace of mind, and freedom from anxiety?”
“To be educated, a person doesn’t have to know much or be informed, but he or she does have to have been exposed vulnerably to the transformative events of an engaged human life.”
“Education is not the piling on of learning, information, data, facts, skills, or abilities – that’s training or instruction – but is rather making visible what is hidden as a seed.”
“I die the king’s faithful servant, but God’s first.”
“He travels best that knows when to return.”
“I know this well: that without my fault he will not let me be lost. I shall, therefore, with good hope commit myself wholly to him.”
“What does it avail to know that there is a God, which you not only believe by Faith, but also know by reason: what does it avail that you know Him if you think little of Him?”
“What men call fame is, after all, but a very windy thing. A man things that many are praising him, and talking of him alone, and yet they spend but a very small part of the day thinking of him, being occupied with things of their own.”
“Getting married is like putting one’s hand in a bag containing 99 serpents and one eel.”
“A pretty face may be enough to catch a man, but it takes character and good nature to hold him.”
“Two evils, greed and faction are the destruction of all justice.”
“….I count my imprisonment the very greatest. I cannot, therefore, mistrust the grace of God. By the merits of his bitter passion joined to mine and far surpassing in merit for me all that I can suffer myself, his bounteous goodness shall release me from the pains of purgatory and shall increase my reward in heaven besides.”
“I shall remember how Saint Peter at a blast of wind began to sink because of his lack of faith, and I shall do as he did: call upon Christ and pray to him for help. And then I trust he shall place his holy hand on me and in the stormy seas hold me up from drowning.”
St. Thomas More’s prayer:
“Grant me, O Lord, good digestion, and also something to digest. Grant me a healthy body, and the necessary good humor to maintain it. Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure all that is good and that doesn’t frighten easily at the sight of evil, but rather finds the means to put things back in their place. Give me a soul that knows not boredom, grumblings, sighs and laments, nor excess of stress, because of that obstructing thing called “I”. Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humor. Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke to discover in life a bit of joy, and to be able to share it with others. Amen.”
(During his address to the Roman Curia on the occasion of the presentation of Christmas greetings, Pope Francis affirmed, “A bit of good humor is very good for us! It will do us much good to pray St. Thomas More’s prayer frequently: I pray it every day, and it helps me.”)
Close
June 22
Saint Thomas More
June 23
Daily Saints – 23 June.
Feast of St. Joseph Cafasso.
He is the patron saint of captives, imprisoned people, prisoners, prisons and prison chaplains.
He is known as the ‘Priest of the Gallows’.
Joseph was born on 15 January 1811 at Castelnuovo d’Asti, Italy into a wealthy peasant family. He was born with a deformed spine, and was short in stature and crippled throughout his life. He was the third of four children.
As a youth in the public schools and later as a student in Cheri seminary, he continued to be an object of respect because of the innocence of his life, his gravity, humility, observance of rules, and his fervor at prayer.
In 1834, he was ordained to the priesthood in Turin. In the Piedmontese capital, he became attached to the ecclesiastical college in the city, which was dedicated to forming diocesan priests.
There he worked especially against the spirit of Jansenism—an excessive preoccupation with sin and damnation. He used the works of Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Alphonsus Liguori to moderate the rigorism popular at the seminary.
While teaching at the major seminary, Joseph was also known for guiding his flock with kindness and serenity. His fellow citizens had such high regard for this devout priest that they suggested he take a place in the legislative assembly. He refused, however, saying, “In the day of judgment, the Lord will ask me if I was a good priest, not a good deputy.”
He became a professor of moral theology at the ecclesiastical college at Turin in 1836 and superior of the college from 1846 to 1860.
Joseph recommended membership in the Secular Franciscan Order to priests.
Joseph urged devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and encouraged daily Communion. In addition to his teaching duties, Joseph was an excellent preacher, confessor, and retreat master.
Our Blessed Lady had been the object of his devotion ever since his boyhood days, and he now sought to inspire others to love her with filial devotion.
Joseph met Don Bosco in 1827 and the two became close friends. It was through Joseph’s encouragement that Bosco decided his vocation was working with boys. Joseph was his adviser, worked closely with him in his foundations, and convinced others to fund and found religious institutes and charitable organizations.
Joseph worked to reform prisons and prisoners, and to improve prison conditions in Turin. He also ministered to condemned prisoners, winning converts. Once escorted 60 newly converted condemned to the gallows. Since many of the prisoners were hanged immediately after confessing and receiving absolution, Joseph referred to them as “hanged saints”.
Joseph died on 23 June 1860 at Turin, Italy of pneumonia, a stomach hemorrhage, and complications of his congenital medical problems. He is a model of priestly life.
“We are born to love, we live to love, and we will die to love still more.”
“A few acts of confidence and love are worth more than a thousand ‘who knows? who knows?'”
“Heaven is filled with converted sinners of all kinds, and there is room for more.”
“Never do anything that your heart tells you is displeasing to Mary; and in addition, never deny her anything that you know she would welcome and desire from you.”
“All a person’s holiness, perfection and profit lies in doing God’s will perfectly…. Happy are we if we succeed in pouring out our heart into God’s, in uniting our desires and our will to His to the point, that one heart and one will are formed, wanting what God wants, wanting in the way, in the time and in the circumstances that He desires and willing it all for no other reason, than that God wills it”.
“Who is this man who in the world is called an ecclesiastic, a priest? Who is this personage whom some bless and others curse? Who is he whom the whole world talks about and criticizes, and who is the subject of discussion by all pens and all tongues? What is the significance of that name which resounds in every corner of the world? What is a priest? In order to define clearly what he is, I shall avail myself of the distinctions that Saint Bernard made concerning ecclesiastics and shall consider him in his nature, in his person, in his habits. Quid in natura, quis in persona, qualis in moribus! In his nature he is a man like others. In his person, his dignity is above that of all other men in the world. In his conduct and habits, he should be a man totally different from all others as he is by his dignity and office. These are the three points which I propose for your consideration.”
Feast of St. Joseph Cafasso.
He is the patron saint of captives, imprisoned people, prisoners, prisons and prison chaplains.
He is known as the ‘Priest of the Gallows’.
Joseph was born on 15 January 1811 at Castelnuovo d’Asti, Italy into a wealthy peasant family. He was born with a deformed spine, and was short in stature and crippled throughout his life. He was the third of four children.
As a youth in the public schools and later as a student in Cheri seminary, he continued to be an object of respect because of the innocence of his life, his gravity, humility, observance of rules, and his fervor at prayer.
In 1834, he was ordained to the priesthood in Turin. In the Piedmontese capital, he became attached to the ecclesiastical college in the city, which was dedicated to forming diocesan priests.
There he worked especially against the spirit of Jansenism—an excessive preoccupation with sin and damnation. He used the works of Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Alphonsus Liguori to moderate the rigorism popular at the seminary.
While teaching at the major seminary, Joseph was also known for guiding his flock with kindness and serenity. His fellow citizens had such high regard for this devout priest that they suggested he take a place in the legislative assembly. He refused, however, saying, “In the day of judgment, the Lord will ask me if I was a good priest, not a good deputy.”
He became a professor of moral theology at the ecclesiastical college at Turin in 1836 and superior of the college from 1846 to 1860.
Joseph recommended membership in the Secular Franciscan Order to priests.
Joseph urged devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and encouraged daily Communion. In addition to his teaching duties, Joseph was an excellent preacher, confessor, and retreat master.
Our Blessed Lady had been the object of his devotion ever since his boyhood days, and he now sought to inspire others to love her with filial devotion.
Joseph met Don Bosco in 1827 and the two became close friends. It was through Joseph’s encouragement that Bosco decided his vocation was working with boys. Joseph was his adviser, worked closely with him in his foundations, and convinced others to fund and found religious institutes and charitable organizations.
Joseph worked to reform prisons and prisoners, and to improve prison conditions in Turin. He also ministered to condemned prisoners, winning converts. Once escorted 60 newly converted condemned to the gallows. Since many of the prisoners were hanged immediately after confessing and receiving absolution, Joseph referred to them as “hanged saints”.
Joseph died on 23 June 1860 at Turin, Italy of pneumonia, a stomach hemorrhage, and complications of his congenital medical problems. He is a model of priestly life.
“We are born to love, we live to love, and we will die to love still more.”
“A few acts of confidence and love are worth more than a thousand ‘who knows? who knows?'”
“Heaven is filled with converted sinners of all kinds, and there is room for more.”
“Never do anything that your heart tells you is displeasing to Mary; and in addition, never deny her anything that you know she would welcome and desire from you.”
“All a person’s holiness, perfection and profit lies in doing God’s will perfectly…. Happy are we if we succeed in pouring out our heart into God’s, in uniting our desires and our will to His to the point, that one heart and one will are formed, wanting what God wants, wanting in the way, in the time and in the circumstances that He desires and willing it all for no other reason, than that God wills it”.
“Who is this man who in the world is called an ecclesiastic, a priest? Who is this personage whom some bless and others curse? Who is he whom the whole world talks about and criticizes, and who is the subject of discussion by all pens and all tongues? What is the significance of that name which resounds in every corner of the world? What is a priest? In order to define clearly what he is, I shall avail myself of the distinctions that Saint Bernard made concerning ecclesiastics and shall consider him in his nature, in his person, in his habits. Quid in natura, quis in persona, qualis in moribus! In his nature he is a man like others. In his person, his dignity is above that of all other men in the world. In his conduct and habits, he should be a man totally different from all others as he is by his dignity and office. These are the three points which I propose for your consideration.”
Close
June 23
Saint Joseph Cafasso
June 24
Daily Saints – 24 June.
Feast of the nativity of St. John the Baptist.
He is the patron saint against convulsions or spasms, epileptics and against epilepsy, against hail and hailstorms, baptism, bird dealers, converts, convulsive children, cutters, farriers, innkeepers, lambs, monastic life, motorways, printers, tailors, Knights Hospitaller.
Ordinarily the Church observes the day of a saint’s death as his feast, because that day marks his entrance into heaven. To this rule there are two notable exceptions, the birthdays of Blessed Mary and of St. John the Baptist.
All other persons were stained with original sin at birth. But Mary, already in the first moment of her existence, was free from original sin (for which reason even her very conception is commemorated by a special feast), and John was cleansed of original sin in the womb of his mother when Mary visited Elizabeth. This is the dogmatic justification for today’s feast.
John was probably born at Ain-Karim, which is southwest of Jerusalem. He was born to Zachary and Elizabeth, an elderly married couple. Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were good and righteous before God and must have been very pleasing to Him.
Elizabeth was Mary’s cousin and Zachary was a priest of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Angel Gabriel had visited Zachary and told him that his wife would bear a child, even though she was already past the child-bearing age. When Zechariah hesitates in believing, he is struck mute until eight days after John’s birth.
As a baby in the womb, John recognized Jesus’ presence in Mary’s womb when Mary visited Elizabeth soon after the Annunciation. Both women were pregnant at the same time. After John’s birth, Zechariah, in a beautiful canticle that ends the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel, proclaims that John “will be called prophet of the Most High.”
As a young adult, he withdrew into the harsh, rocky desert beyond the Jordan to fast and pray, as was the ancient custom of holy men. We are told that he kept himself alive by eating locusts and wild honey and wore a rough garment of camel’s hair, tied with a leathern girdle.
John lived as a hermit in the desert of Judea until about A.D. 27. When he was 30, he began to preach on the banks of the Jordan, calling for repentance and baptizing people in the river waters.
The Jews were accustomed to preachers and prophets who gave no thought to outward appearances, and they accepted John at once; the times were troubled, and the people yearned for reassurance and comfort.
So transcendant was the power emanating from the holy man that after hearing him many believed he was indeed the long-awaited Messiah. John quickly put them right, saying he had come only to prepare the way, and that he was not worthy to unloose the Master’s sandals.
His humility remained incorruptible even when his fame spread to Jerusalem and members of the higher priesthood came to make inquiries and to hear him. “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,”-this was John’s oft-repeated theme.
For the evils of the times his remedy was individual purification. “Every tree,” he said, “that is not bringing forth good fruit is to be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
The rite of baptism, a symbolic act signifying sincere repentance as well as a desire to be spiritually cleansed in order to receive the Christ, was so strongly emphasized by John that people began to call him “the baptizer.”
When Jesus came to John to be baptized, John recognized Jesus as the Messiah and baptized Him, saying: “It is I who need baptism from you.” Many came to know Jesus through John, namely the Apostles Andrew and John.
John continued to preach after Jesus was baptized, but was imprisoned not long after by Herod Antipas, after he denounced the king’s adulterous marriage with Herodias, wife of his half-brother Philip.
At the celebration for Herod on his birthday, Salome, the daughter of Herodias danced for him, and Herod was so impressed that he said he would offer her anything she liked. She consulted with Herodias who told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.
In this time of despair, some of his old disciples visited him. John did not speak to them of himself, but he sent them to Christ, that they might see the proofs of His mission.
Herod did not want to kill John for fear or what his followers might do, but because of his promise to the girl he could not refuse, and so John was beheaded.
Saint Jerome says Herodias kept the head for a long time after, occasionally stabbing the tongue with his dagger because of what John had said in life.
At the death of his cousin, Jesus proclaimed “Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist” (Mt 11:11).
“…all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.”
Luke 1 : 66
“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his peoplein the forgiveness of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,to guide our feet into the way of peace.” And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness till the day of his manifestation to Israel.” (Luke 1 : 76-80)
The Jewish historian Josephus, giving further testimony of John’s holiness, writes: “He was indeed a man endued with all virtue, who exhorted the Jews to the practice of justice towards men and piety towards God; and also to baptism, preaching that they would become acceptable to God if they renounced their sins, and to the cleanness of their bodies added purity of soul.”
“There is no doubt that blessed John suffered imprisonment and chains as a witness to our Redeemer, whose forerunner he was, and gave his life for him. His persecutor had demanded not that he should deny Christ, but only that he should keep silent about the truth. Nevertheless, he died for Christ. Does Christ not say: “I am the truth”? Therefore, because John shed his blood for the truth, he surely died for Christ. Through his birth, preaching and baptizing, he bore witness to the coming birth, preaching and baptism of Christ, and by his own suffering he showed that Christ also would suffer. Such was the quality and strength of the man who accepted the end of this present life by shedding his blood after the long imprisonment. He preached the freedom of heavenly peace, yet was thrown into irons by ungodly men. He was locked away in the darkness of prison, through he came bearing witness to the Light of life and deserved to be called a bright and shining lamp by that Light itself, which is Christ. To endure temporal agonies for the sake of the truth was not a heavy burden for such men as John; rather is was easily borne and even desirable, for he knew eternal joy would be his reward. Since death was ever at hand, such men considered it a blessing to embrace it and thus gain the reward of eternal life by acknowledging Christ’s name. Hence the apostle Paul rightly says: “You have been granted the privilege not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for his sake.” He tells us why it is Christ’s gift that his chosen ones should suffer for him: “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us.” – from a homily by Saint Bede the Venerable on the death of John the Baptist
“Today is the feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist …. Let us learn from the one who was the forerunner of Jesus the ability to bear witness to the Gospel with courage, beyond our own differences, while preserving the harmony and friendship that form the basis of any credible proclamation of the faith.” – Pope Francis, 24 June 2020
Celebrating the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, on 24 June 2014, Pope Francis, the Roman Pontiff explained to those present in the Vatican’s Saint Martha guesthouse that the cousin of Jesus had a threefold vocation: to prepare the way for the messiah, to discern who he was and to diminish himself so that others would follow Jesus.
This is the first vocation of the Baptist, to “prepare the people, to prepare the hearts of the people for the encounter with the Lord,” the pontiff said.
The second part of John’s vocation was “to discern from among so many good people, who the Lord was,” he continued, noting how “the Spirit revealed this to him and he had the courage of saying: ‘This is the one. This is the Lamb of God, he who takes away the sins of the world.’”
The third aspect of John’s vocation was to diminish, and that his “life began to descend, to diminish because the Lord would grow until he was destroyed.”
“He suffered not only the darkness of the cell, but the darkness in his heart: ‘But, will it be this one? Did I make a mistake?’” Pope Francis said.
It was not clear if Jesus was the messiah, because he came in a much different way than expected, the Pope Francis reflected. However, since John “was a man of God, he asked his disciples to go to (Jesus) and ask: ‘But, is it really you, or should we wait for another?’” “And a Christian should be a man who can step aside,” Pope Francis concluded, “because the Lord will grow in the heart and soul of others.”
Feast of the nativity of St. John the Baptist.
He is the patron saint against convulsions or spasms, epileptics and against epilepsy, against hail and hailstorms, baptism, bird dealers, converts, convulsive children, cutters, farriers, innkeepers, lambs, monastic life, motorways, printers, tailors, Knights Hospitaller.
Ordinarily the Church observes the day of a saint’s death as his feast, because that day marks his entrance into heaven. To this rule there are two notable exceptions, the birthdays of Blessed Mary and of St. John the Baptist.
All other persons were stained with original sin at birth. But Mary, already in the first moment of her existence, was free from original sin (for which reason even her very conception is commemorated by a special feast), and John was cleansed of original sin in the womb of his mother when Mary visited Elizabeth. This is the dogmatic justification for today’s feast.
John was probably born at Ain-Karim, which is southwest of Jerusalem. He was born to Zachary and Elizabeth, an elderly married couple. Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were good and righteous before God and must have been very pleasing to Him.
Elizabeth was Mary’s cousin and Zachary was a priest of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Angel Gabriel had visited Zachary and told him that his wife would bear a child, even though she was already past the child-bearing age. When Zechariah hesitates in believing, he is struck mute until eight days after John’s birth.
As a baby in the womb, John recognized Jesus’ presence in Mary’s womb when Mary visited Elizabeth soon after the Annunciation. Both women were pregnant at the same time. After John’s birth, Zechariah, in a beautiful canticle that ends the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel, proclaims that John “will be called prophet of the Most High.”
As a young adult, he withdrew into the harsh, rocky desert beyond the Jordan to fast and pray, as was the ancient custom of holy men. We are told that he kept himself alive by eating locusts and wild honey and wore a rough garment of camel’s hair, tied with a leathern girdle.
John lived as a hermit in the desert of Judea until about A.D. 27. When he was 30, he began to preach on the banks of the Jordan, calling for repentance and baptizing people in the river waters.
The Jews were accustomed to preachers and prophets who gave no thought to outward appearances, and they accepted John at once; the times were troubled, and the people yearned for reassurance and comfort.
So transcendant was the power emanating from the holy man that after hearing him many believed he was indeed the long-awaited Messiah. John quickly put them right, saying he had come only to prepare the way, and that he was not worthy to unloose the Master’s sandals.
His humility remained incorruptible even when his fame spread to Jerusalem and members of the higher priesthood came to make inquiries and to hear him. “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,”-this was John’s oft-repeated theme.
For the evils of the times his remedy was individual purification. “Every tree,” he said, “that is not bringing forth good fruit is to be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
The rite of baptism, a symbolic act signifying sincere repentance as well as a desire to be spiritually cleansed in order to receive the Christ, was so strongly emphasized by John that people began to call him “the baptizer.”
When Jesus came to John to be baptized, John recognized Jesus as the Messiah and baptized Him, saying: “It is I who need baptism from you.” Many came to know Jesus through John, namely the Apostles Andrew and John.
John continued to preach after Jesus was baptized, but was imprisoned not long after by Herod Antipas, after he denounced the king’s adulterous marriage with Herodias, wife of his half-brother Philip.
At the celebration for Herod on his birthday, Salome, the daughter of Herodias danced for him, and Herod was so impressed that he said he would offer her anything she liked. She consulted with Herodias who told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.
In this time of despair, some of his old disciples visited him. John did not speak to them of himself, but he sent them to Christ, that they might see the proofs of His mission.
Herod did not want to kill John for fear or what his followers might do, but because of his promise to the girl he could not refuse, and so John was beheaded.
Saint Jerome says Herodias kept the head for a long time after, occasionally stabbing the tongue with his dagger because of what John had said in life.
At the death of his cousin, Jesus proclaimed “Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist” (Mt 11:11).
“…all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.”
Luke 1 : 66
“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his peoplein the forgiveness of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,to guide our feet into the way of peace.” And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness till the day of his manifestation to Israel.” (Luke 1 : 76-80)
The Jewish historian Josephus, giving further testimony of John’s holiness, writes: “He was indeed a man endued with all virtue, who exhorted the Jews to the practice of justice towards men and piety towards God; and also to baptism, preaching that they would become acceptable to God if they renounced their sins, and to the cleanness of their bodies added purity of soul.”
“There is no doubt that blessed John suffered imprisonment and chains as a witness to our Redeemer, whose forerunner he was, and gave his life for him. His persecutor had demanded not that he should deny Christ, but only that he should keep silent about the truth. Nevertheless, he died for Christ. Does Christ not say: “I am the truth”? Therefore, because John shed his blood for the truth, he surely died for Christ. Through his birth, preaching and baptizing, he bore witness to the coming birth, preaching and baptism of Christ, and by his own suffering he showed that Christ also would suffer. Such was the quality and strength of the man who accepted the end of this present life by shedding his blood after the long imprisonment. He preached the freedom of heavenly peace, yet was thrown into irons by ungodly men. He was locked away in the darkness of prison, through he came bearing witness to the Light of life and deserved to be called a bright and shining lamp by that Light itself, which is Christ. To endure temporal agonies for the sake of the truth was not a heavy burden for such men as John; rather is was easily borne and even desirable, for he knew eternal joy would be his reward. Since death was ever at hand, such men considered it a blessing to embrace it and thus gain the reward of eternal life by acknowledging Christ’s name. Hence the apostle Paul rightly says: “You have been granted the privilege not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for his sake.” He tells us why it is Christ’s gift that his chosen ones should suffer for him: “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us.” – from a homily by Saint Bede the Venerable on the death of John the Baptist
“Today is the feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist …. Let us learn from the one who was the forerunner of Jesus the ability to bear witness to the Gospel with courage, beyond our own differences, while preserving the harmony and friendship that form the basis of any credible proclamation of the faith.” – Pope Francis, 24 June 2020
Celebrating the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, on 24 June 2014, Pope Francis, the Roman Pontiff explained to those present in the Vatican’s Saint Martha guesthouse that the cousin of Jesus had a threefold vocation: to prepare the way for the messiah, to discern who he was and to diminish himself so that others would follow Jesus.
This is the first vocation of the Baptist, to “prepare the people, to prepare the hearts of the people for the encounter with the Lord,” the pontiff said.
The second part of John’s vocation was “to discern from among so many good people, who the Lord was,” he continued, noting how “the Spirit revealed this to him and he had the courage of saying: ‘This is the one. This is the Lamb of God, he who takes away the sins of the world.’”
The third aspect of John’s vocation was to diminish, and that his “life began to descend, to diminish because the Lord would grow until he was destroyed.”
“He suffered not only the darkness of the cell, but the darkness in his heart: ‘But, will it be this one? Did I make a mistake?’” Pope Francis said.
It was not clear if Jesus was the messiah, because he came in a much different way than expected, the Pope Francis reflected. However, since John “was a man of God, he asked his disciples to go to (Jesus) and ask: ‘But, is it really you, or should we wait for another?’” “And a Christian should be a man who can step aside,” Pope Francis concluded, “because the Lord will grow in the heart and soul of others.”
Close
June 24
Saint John the Baptist
June 25
Daily Saints – 25 June.
Feast of St. Dorothy of Montau.
She is the patron saint of brides, death of children, difficult marriages, parents of large families, widows.
Dorothy was born on February 6, 1347, in Montau, Prussia. She was the seventh child of Wilhelm and Agatha. Dorothy was baptized on February 6, 1347, the feast day of her patron saint, St. Agatha.
At the age of only seven she had her first religious experience. At the time a pot of boiling water was spilled on to the child burning most of her body. But she did not cry out or complain about the excruciating pain. She explained many years later that she had heard a loving voice say to her, “I will make a new person out of you.”
From that time on, Dorothy spent much time in prayer, rigorous exercises, and penitential practices. However, she kept these things to herself, living an almost secret life of intense spirituality. Thus, no one ever considered preparing her for a religious life. Like most girls her age and her social status, she was being trained to be a housewife.
Although many suitors had been rejected, when her father died, her brother forced her to accept the hand of Albrecht, a member of the wealthy Schwerfeger family in Danzig, Prussia.
The Swarze family, being little more than peasant farmers, was left in difficulties with the main breadwinner gone. The Schwerfeger family, on the other hand, was quite wealthy. The Swarze family considered the match of Albrecht and Dorothy a good one which would improve their prospects.
Albrecht and Dorothy in August, 1363 when she was only 16. They then lived together in Danzig. In 1366, Dorothy gave birth to their first child. Between 1367 and 1378 four of their children died in childhood.
As of December 8, 1378 four of eight children were still living. Then there was a fire in their home, from which Dorothy rescued them. However, in 1383 as the plague swept through Prussia, all but one of her children died in the epidemic.
Throughout her married life, Dorothy continued to have mystical experiences. Frequently, these would so distract her that her housework had been neglected. This so enraged her husband that he would beat her for being a poor wife. Albrecht thought by treating her roughly he would rid her of her mystical experiences.
However, the more difficult Albrecht became the more her love for the Crucified Christ increased. In 1364 she experienced her initial vision of the crucifixion and her “ardent love” began shortly thereafter.
Dorothy’s cross in life came from being torn between her household duties and her spiritual life. Slowly, step by step, her patient endurance of this suffering transformed her husband.
After the death of their children, Dorothy and Albrecht planned a pilgrimage to Einsiedeln, Switzerland. On April 5, 1385, Albrecht sold both his business and their home before he and his wife, together with their five-year-old daughter, Gertrude, began their journey.
As they made their way in a covered wagon containing their meager possessions and all their savings, thieves attacked them, taking everything. They arrived in Einsiedeln on October 11, 1385 with nothing.
The tension in Dorothy between her family duties and her spiritual experience became much more pronounced. She finally begged her husband to return to Danzig and leave her in Switzerland.
Although he agreed initially, he recanted when they went before the priest to relieve her of her marriage vows. The priest instructed Dorothy that she must return to Prussia with her husband. This disappointed Dorothy, but without complaint she obediently followed her husband back to Danzig.
Despite the danger of the winter weather, they set out on the return journey at the end of January 1387, arriving in Danzig on March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation. The only housing they could find was a miserable hut attached to the Church of St. Catherine.
Such a fall from wealth and comfort was made even more difficult by the people of Danzig who mocked them and even accused Dorothy of being a witch. The paradox of holiness gripped Dorothy: The more difficult their life became in the world, the more beautiful her spiritual life became as her love of Christ deepened and grew.
Albrecht’s health steadily worsened. As Dorothy ministered to him faithfully, selflessly, and lovingly, her husband complained and constantly humiliated her. Nevertheless, Dorothy would walk the streets, begging for alms to support the family.
Surprisingly, Albrecht recovered and in a rare charitable impulse, he granted Dorothy permission to make a pilgrimage to Rome for the Jubilee Year. She left in August 1389 with a group of pilgrims from Danzig.
Along the journey, her mystical encounters increased. After no more than ten months she returned to Danzig in May 1390 only to learn that Albrecht had again fallen ill and died just three months before.
Dorothy then entrusted her ten-year-old daughter to the convent in Kulm and her daughter later became a Benedictine nun. Dorothy sold their meager belongings and resettled in Marienwerder.
She placed herself under the spiritual direction of Johannes von Marienwerder who tested her for her spiritual authenticity. He discerned that her mystical experiences were of God and not the Devil, much to Dorothy’s joy.
On May 2, 1393, she cloistered herself at the Marienwerder cathedral where she lived for one more year before dying. During that time many came to her cell from which there was no exit, to pass her food and ask her counsel.
One year later she died — dying for love of Jesus, as she told one visitor. She related that our Lord told her she was a “martyr for the indissolubility of marriage.”
Dorothy died on 25 June 1394 at Marienwerder, Kwidzyn, Prussia (in modern Poland).
Feast of St. Dorothy of Montau.
She is the patron saint of brides, death of children, difficult marriages, parents of large families, widows.
Dorothy was born on February 6, 1347, in Montau, Prussia. She was the seventh child of Wilhelm and Agatha. Dorothy was baptized on February 6, 1347, the feast day of her patron saint, St. Agatha.
At the age of only seven she had her first religious experience. At the time a pot of boiling water was spilled on to the child burning most of her body. But she did not cry out or complain about the excruciating pain. She explained many years later that she had heard a loving voice say to her, “I will make a new person out of you.”
From that time on, Dorothy spent much time in prayer, rigorous exercises, and penitential practices. However, she kept these things to herself, living an almost secret life of intense spirituality. Thus, no one ever considered preparing her for a religious life. Like most girls her age and her social status, she was being trained to be a housewife.
Although many suitors had been rejected, when her father died, her brother forced her to accept the hand of Albrecht, a member of the wealthy Schwerfeger family in Danzig, Prussia.
The Swarze family, being little more than peasant farmers, was left in difficulties with the main breadwinner gone. The Schwerfeger family, on the other hand, was quite wealthy. The Swarze family considered the match of Albrecht and Dorothy a good one which would improve their prospects.
Albrecht and Dorothy in August, 1363 when she was only 16. They then lived together in Danzig. In 1366, Dorothy gave birth to their first child. Between 1367 and 1378 four of their children died in childhood.
As of December 8, 1378 four of eight children were still living. Then there was a fire in their home, from which Dorothy rescued them. However, in 1383 as the plague swept through Prussia, all but one of her children died in the epidemic.
Throughout her married life, Dorothy continued to have mystical experiences. Frequently, these would so distract her that her housework had been neglected. This so enraged her husband that he would beat her for being a poor wife. Albrecht thought by treating her roughly he would rid her of her mystical experiences.
However, the more difficult Albrecht became the more her love for the Crucified Christ increased. In 1364 she experienced her initial vision of the crucifixion and her “ardent love” began shortly thereafter.
Dorothy’s cross in life came from being torn between her household duties and her spiritual life. Slowly, step by step, her patient endurance of this suffering transformed her husband.
After the death of their children, Dorothy and Albrecht planned a pilgrimage to Einsiedeln, Switzerland. On April 5, 1385, Albrecht sold both his business and their home before he and his wife, together with their five-year-old daughter, Gertrude, began their journey.
As they made their way in a covered wagon containing their meager possessions and all their savings, thieves attacked them, taking everything. They arrived in Einsiedeln on October 11, 1385 with nothing.
The tension in Dorothy between her family duties and her spiritual experience became much more pronounced. She finally begged her husband to return to Danzig and leave her in Switzerland.
Although he agreed initially, he recanted when they went before the priest to relieve her of her marriage vows. The priest instructed Dorothy that she must return to Prussia with her husband. This disappointed Dorothy, but without complaint she obediently followed her husband back to Danzig.
Despite the danger of the winter weather, they set out on the return journey at the end of January 1387, arriving in Danzig on March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation. The only housing they could find was a miserable hut attached to the Church of St. Catherine.
Such a fall from wealth and comfort was made even more difficult by the people of Danzig who mocked them and even accused Dorothy of being a witch. The paradox of holiness gripped Dorothy: The more difficult their life became in the world, the more beautiful her spiritual life became as her love of Christ deepened and grew.
Albrecht’s health steadily worsened. As Dorothy ministered to him faithfully, selflessly, and lovingly, her husband complained and constantly humiliated her. Nevertheless, Dorothy would walk the streets, begging for alms to support the family.
Surprisingly, Albrecht recovered and in a rare charitable impulse, he granted Dorothy permission to make a pilgrimage to Rome for the Jubilee Year. She left in August 1389 with a group of pilgrims from Danzig.
Along the journey, her mystical encounters increased. After no more than ten months she returned to Danzig in May 1390 only to learn that Albrecht had again fallen ill and died just three months before.
Dorothy then entrusted her ten-year-old daughter to the convent in Kulm and her daughter later became a Benedictine nun. Dorothy sold their meager belongings and resettled in Marienwerder.
She placed herself under the spiritual direction of Johannes von Marienwerder who tested her for her spiritual authenticity. He discerned that her mystical experiences were of God and not the Devil, much to Dorothy’s joy.
On May 2, 1393, she cloistered herself at the Marienwerder cathedral where she lived for one more year before dying. During that time many came to her cell from which there was no exit, to pass her food and ask her counsel.
One year later she died — dying for love of Jesus, as she told one visitor. She related that our Lord told her she was a “martyr for the indissolubility of marriage.”
Dorothy died on 25 June 1394 at Marienwerder, Kwidzyn, Prussia (in modern Poland).
Close
June 25
Saints Dorothy of Montau
June 26
Daily Saints – 26 June.
Feast of Saint Josemaria Escriva.
Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer was born in Barbastro, Spain, on January 9, 1902. He was the second of six children of Jose and Dolores Escriva. His parents were devout Catholics.
Growing up in a devout family and attending Catholic schools, he learned the basic truths of the faith and practices such as frequent confession and communion, the rosary, and almsgiving.
Josemaría grew up as a cheerful, lively and straightforward child, fun-loving, good at study, intelligent and with an observing eye. He had a great affection for his mother and a trusting friendship with his father, who encouraged him to feel free to open his heart and tell him his worries, and was always ready to answer his questions with affection and prudence.
It was not long before Our Lord began to temper his soul in the forge of sorrow. Between 1910 and 1913 his three younger sisters died and in 1914 his family suffered financial ruin.
These difficult situations taught him the meaning of suffering and brought maturity to his outgoing and cheerful temperament. In 1915 the Escrivás moved to Logroño, a nearby town, where their father found a job with which to keep his family.
In the winter of 1917-18 something happened which was to have a decisive influence on Josemaría Escrivá’s future. The snow fell very heavily that Christmas in Logroño, and one day he saw some frozen footprints in the snow. They had been left by a discalced Carmelite.
Josemaría found himself wondering ‘If others sacrifice so much for God and their neighbour, couldn’t I do something too?’ This was how God started to speak to his heart: “I began to have an inkling of what Love is, to realise that my heart was yearning for something great, for love.”
Josemaría did not yet know what precisely God wanted of him, but he decided to become a priest, thinking that it would make him more available to fulfil God’s will.
Josemaria studied for the priesthood in Logroño and Zaragoza, Spain. His father died in 1924, and Josemaria had to simultaneously support the family while studying. He was Ordained in Zaragoza on 28 March 1925.
Assigned for a while to a rural parish, and then in Zaragoza. Moved to Madrid, Spain in 1927 to study law. In Madrid, his apostolic zeal soon brought him into contact with a wide variety of people: students, artists, workers, academics, priests. He spent many hours caring for children, and for sick and poverty-stricken people in the outer suburbs of the city.
Josemaría was spending some days on retreat and, while doing his meditation on some notes regarding the inner motions he had received from God in the previous years, he suddenly realized the mission the Lord wanted to entrust to him: to open up in the Church a new vocational path, aimed at spreading the quest for holiness and the practice of apostolate through the sanctification of ordinary work in the middle of the world, without changing one’s place.
Josemaria founded ‘Opus Dei’ in Madrid on 2 October 1928, opening a new way for the faithful to sanctify themselves in the midst of the world through their work and fulfillment of their personal, family and social duties. A few months later, on 14 February 1930, God made him understand that Opus Dei was to spread among women also.
From that moment onward, Josemaría devoted all his energies to the fulfilment of his foundational mission, fostering among men and women from all areas of society a personal commitment to follow Christ, to love their neighbour and seek holiness in daily life.
Josemaría did not see himself as an innovator or reformer, for he was convinced that Jesus Christ is eternally new and that the Holy Spirit is constantly rejuvenating the Church, for whose service God has brought Opus Dei into existence.
Fully aware that the task entrusted to him was supernatural by nature, he proceeded to dig deep foundations for his work, based on prayer and penance, on a joyous awareness of his being a son of God and on tireless work.
People of all sorts began to follow him and, in particular, university students and teachers, among whom he awakened a genuine determination to serve everyone, firing in them a desire to place Christ at the heart of all human activities by means of work that is sanctified, and sanctifies both the doer and those for whom it is done.
This was the goal he set for the initiatives of the faithful of Opus Dei: to lift up to God, with the help of grace, each and every created reality, so that Christ may reign in everyone and in everything; to get to know Christ Jesus; to get Him known by others; to take Him everywhere.
The next few years were spent studying at the University of Madrid, teaching to support his mother and siblings, ministering to the poor and sick, and working to build the foundation of Opus Dei.
Religious persecution in the Spanish Civil War forced Josemaria into hiding, and he ministered covertly to his parishioners. He escaped across the Pyrenees to Burgos, Spain.
At the end of the war in 1939, he returned to his studies in Madrid and became Doctor of law. He was also a well known retreat master for laity, priests, and religious.
In 1941, while he was preaching a retreat to priests in Lerida, in the North of Spain, his mother who had been a great help to him in the apostolates of Opus Dei, died. God also let him become the butt of harsh misunderstandings.
On 14 February 1943 he founded the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, united to Opus Dei. Josemaria moved to Rome, Italy in 1946, and earned a doctorate in theology from the Lateran University. He was also an honorary member of the Pontifical Academy of Theology. Pope Pius XII named him an honorary prelate and a consultor to two Vatican congregations.
This stage too of the life of the Founder of Opus Dei was characterised by all kinds of trials. His health affected by many sufferings. For more than ten years he had a serious form of diabetes, from which he was miraculously cured in 1954. But also there were financial hardships and the difficulties arising from the expansion of the apostolic works worldwide.
Nevertheless, he kept smiling throughout. His permanent good humour was a constant witness to his unconditional love for God’s will.
His interior life fed on prayer and the sacraments, and expressed itself in a passionate love for the Eucharist, in the depth with which he lived the Mass as the centre and root of his own life, in his tender devotion to the Virgin Mary, to St Joseph and the Guardian Angels, and in his faithfulness to the Church and the Pope.
During the last years of his life, he undertook a number of catechetical journeys to countries in Europe and Latin America, where he also holds catechetical gatherings with large groups of men and women.
On 26 June 1975, at midday, Josemaría died in his workroom, of a cardiac arrest, before a picture of Our Lady which received his last glance.
“A Saint is a sinner that keeps trying.”
“If I love…there will be no hell for me.”
“Do everything for love. That way there are no little things. Everything is big.”
“Great holiness consists in carrying out the little duties of each moment.”
“True virtue is not sad or disagreeable, but pleasantly cheerful.”
“Each day be conscious of your duty to be a saint. A saint! And that doesn’t mean doing strange things. It means a daily struggle in the interior life and in heroically fulfilling your duty right through to the end.”
“Don’t wait until you are old to start becoming a saint. Begin right now. Cheerfully and joyfully, by fulfilling the duties of your work and of your everyday life.”
“Don’t let your life be sterile. Be useful. Blaze a trail. Shine forth with the light of your faith and of your love.”
“Don’t judge without having heard both sides. Even persons who think themselves virtuous very easily forget this elementary rule of prudence.”
“Compromise is a word found only in the vocabulary of those who have no will to fight.”
“You’re bored? That’s because you keep your senses awake and your soul asleep.”
“Put your heart aside. Duty comes first. But when fulfilling your duty, put your heart into it. It helps.”
“Christian optimism is not a sugary optimism, nor is it a mere human confidence that everything will turn out all right. It is an optimism that sinks its roots into an awareness of our freedom, and the sure knowledge of the power of grace. It is an optimism that leads us to make demands on ourselves, to struggle to respond at every moment to God’s call.”
“If I love, there will be no hell for me.”
“You were very hurt at being slighted. That means you are forgetting too easily who you are.”
“If you have so many defects, why are you surprised to find defects in others?”
“How I wish your bearing and conversation were such that, on seeing or hearing you, people would say: ‘This man reads the life of Jesus Christ.”
“A man who fails to love the Mass fails to love Christ. We must make an effort to ‘live’ the Mass with calm and serenity, with devotion and affection.”
“To reform. Every day a little. This has to be your constant task if you really want to become a saint.”
“Add a supernatural motive to your ordinary professional work, and you will have sanctified it.”
“Conquer yourself each day from the very first moment, getting up on the dot, at a set time, without granting a single minute to laziness. If, with the help of God, you conquer yourself in that moment, you’ll have accomplished a great deal for the rest of the day. It’s so discouraging to find yourself beaten in the first skirmish!”
“Action is worthless without prayer; prayer is worth more with sacrifice.”
“Be firm! Be strong! Be a man! And then … be an angel!”
“You should realize that God wants you to be glad and that, if you do all you can, you will be happy, very, very happy, although you will never for a moment be without the Cross. But that Cross is no longer a gallows. It is the throne from which Christ reigns. And at his side, his Mother, our Mother too. The Blessed Virgin will obtain for you the strength that you need to walk decisively in the footsteps of her Son.”
“Your ordinary contact with God takes place where your fellow men, your yearnings, your work and your affections are. There you have your daily encounter with Christ.”
“Action is worthless without prayer; prayer is worth more with sacrifice.”
“The life of a man who lives by faith will always be the story of the mercies of God. At some moments the story may perhaps be difficult to read, because everything can seem useless and even a failure. But at other times our Lord lets one see how the fruit abounds and then it is natural for one’s soul to break out in thanksgiving.”
“Sanctity is not for a privileged few. The Lord calls all of us. He expects love from all of us—from everyone, wherever they are; from everyone, whatever their state in life, their profession or job. For the daily life we live, apparently so ordinary, can be a path to sanctity: it is not necessary to abandon one’s place in the world in order to search for God…because all the paths of the earth can be the occasion for an encounter with Christ.”
Feast of Saint Josemaria Escriva.
Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer was born in Barbastro, Spain, on January 9, 1902. He was the second of six children of Jose and Dolores Escriva. His parents were devout Catholics.
Growing up in a devout family and attending Catholic schools, he learned the basic truths of the faith and practices such as frequent confession and communion, the rosary, and almsgiving.
Josemaría grew up as a cheerful, lively and straightforward child, fun-loving, good at study, intelligent and with an observing eye. He had a great affection for his mother and a trusting friendship with his father, who encouraged him to feel free to open his heart and tell him his worries, and was always ready to answer his questions with affection and prudence.
It was not long before Our Lord began to temper his soul in the forge of sorrow. Between 1910 and 1913 his three younger sisters died and in 1914 his family suffered financial ruin.
These difficult situations taught him the meaning of suffering and brought maturity to his outgoing and cheerful temperament. In 1915 the Escrivás moved to Logroño, a nearby town, where their father found a job with which to keep his family.
In the winter of 1917-18 something happened which was to have a decisive influence on Josemaría Escrivá’s future. The snow fell very heavily that Christmas in Logroño, and one day he saw some frozen footprints in the snow. They had been left by a discalced Carmelite.
Josemaría found himself wondering ‘If others sacrifice so much for God and their neighbour, couldn’t I do something too?’ This was how God started to speak to his heart: “I began to have an inkling of what Love is, to realise that my heart was yearning for something great, for love.”
Josemaría did not yet know what precisely God wanted of him, but he decided to become a priest, thinking that it would make him more available to fulfil God’s will.
Josemaria studied for the priesthood in Logroño and Zaragoza, Spain. His father died in 1924, and Josemaria had to simultaneously support the family while studying. He was Ordained in Zaragoza on 28 March 1925.
Assigned for a while to a rural parish, and then in Zaragoza. Moved to Madrid, Spain in 1927 to study law. In Madrid, his apostolic zeal soon brought him into contact with a wide variety of people: students, artists, workers, academics, priests. He spent many hours caring for children, and for sick and poverty-stricken people in the outer suburbs of the city.
Josemaría was spending some days on retreat and, while doing his meditation on some notes regarding the inner motions he had received from God in the previous years, he suddenly realized the mission the Lord wanted to entrust to him: to open up in the Church a new vocational path, aimed at spreading the quest for holiness and the practice of apostolate through the sanctification of ordinary work in the middle of the world, without changing one’s place.
Josemaria founded ‘Opus Dei’ in Madrid on 2 October 1928, opening a new way for the faithful to sanctify themselves in the midst of the world through their work and fulfillment of their personal, family and social duties. A few months later, on 14 February 1930, God made him understand that Opus Dei was to spread among women also.
From that moment onward, Josemaría devoted all his energies to the fulfilment of his foundational mission, fostering among men and women from all areas of society a personal commitment to follow Christ, to love their neighbour and seek holiness in daily life.
Josemaría did not see himself as an innovator or reformer, for he was convinced that Jesus Christ is eternally new and that the Holy Spirit is constantly rejuvenating the Church, for whose service God has brought Opus Dei into existence.
Fully aware that the task entrusted to him was supernatural by nature, he proceeded to dig deep foundations for his work, based on prayer and penance, on a joyous awareness of his being a son of God and on tireless work.
People of all sorts began to follow him and, in particular, university students and teachers, among whom he awakened a genuine determination to serve everyone, firing in them a desire to place Christ at the heart of all human activities by means of work that is sanctified, and sanctifies both the doer and those for whom it is done.
This was the goal he set for the initiatives of the faithful of Opus Dei: to lift up to God, with the help of grace, each and every created reality, so that Christ may reign in everyone and in everything; to get to know Christ Jesus; to get Him known by others; to take Him everywhere.
The next few years were spent studying at the University of Madrid, teaching to support his mother and siblings, ministering to the poor and sick, and working to build the foundation of Opus Dei.
Religious persecution in the Spanish Civil War forced Josemaria into hiding, and he ministered covertly to his parishioners. He escaped across the Pyrenees to Burgos, Spain.
At the end of the war in 1939, he returned to his studies in Madrid and became Doctor of law. He was also a well known retreat master for laity, priests, and religious.
In 1941, while he was preaching a retreat to priests in Lerida, in the North of Spain, his mother who had been a great help to him in the apostolates of Opus Dei, died. God also let him become the butt of harsh misunderstandings.
On 14 February 1943 he founded the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, united to Opus Dei. Josemaria moved to Rome, Italy in 1946, and earned a doctorate in theology from the Lateran University. He was also an honorary member of the Pontifical Academy of Theology. Pope Pius XII named him an honorary prelate and a consultor to two Vatican congregations.
This stage too of the life of the Founder of Opus Dei was characterised by all kinds of trials. His health affected by many sufferings. For more than ten years he had a serious form of diabetes, from which he was miraculously cured in 1954. But also there were financial hardships and the difficulties arising from the expansion of the apostolic works worldwide.
Nevertheless, he kept smiling throughout. His permanent good humour was a constant witness to his unconditional love for God’s will.
His interior life fed on prayer and the sacraments, and expressed itself in a passionate love for the Eucharist, in the depth with which he lived the Mass as the centre and root of his own life, in his tender devotion to the Virgin Mary, to St Joseph and the Guardian Angels, and in his faithfulness to the Church and the Pope.
During the last years of his life, he undertook a number of catechetical journeys to countries in Europe and Latin America, where he also holds catechetical gatherings with large groups of men and women.
On 26 June 1975, at midday, Josemaría died in his workroom, of a cardiac arrest, before a picture of Our Lady which received his last glance.
“A Saint is a sinner that keeps trying.”
“If I love…there will be no hell for me.”
“Do everything for love. That way there are no little things. Everything is big.”
“Great holiness consists in carrying out the little duties of each moment.”
“True virtue is not sad or disagreeable, but pleasantly cheerful.”
“Each day be conscious of your duty to be a saint. A saint! And that doesn’t mean doing strange things. It means a daily struggle in the interior life and in heroically fulfilling your duty right through to the end.”
“Don’t wait until you are old to start becoming a saint. Begin right now. Cheerfully and joyfully, by fulfilling the duties of your work and of your everyday life.”
“Don’t let your life be sterile. Be useful. Blaze a trail. Shine forth with the light of your faith and of your love.”
“Don’t judge without having heard both sides. Even persons who think themselves virtuous very easily forget this elementary rule of prudence.”
“Compromise is a word found only in the vocabulary of those who have no will to fight.”
“You’re bored? That’s because you keep your senses awake and your soul asleep.”
“Put your heart aside. Duty comes first. But when fulfilling your duty, put your heart into it. It helps.”
“Christian optimism is not a sugary optimism, nor is it a mere human confidence that everything will turn out all right. It is an optimism that sinks its roots into an awareness of our freedom, and the sure knowledge of the power of grace. It is an optimism that leads us to make demands on ourselves, to struggle to respond at every moment to God’s call.”
“If I love, there will be no hell for me.”
“You were very hurt at being slighted. That means you are forgetting too easily who you are.”
“If you have so many defects, why are you surprised to find defects in others?”
“How I wish your bearing and conversation were such that, on seeing or hearing you, people would say: ‘This man reads the life of Jesus Christ.”
“A man who fails to love the Mass fails to love Christ. We must make an effort to ‘live’ the Mass with calm and serenity, with devotion and affection.”
“To reform. Every day a little. This has to be your constant task if you really want to become a saint.”
“Add a supernatural motive to your ordinary professional work, and you will have sanctified it.”
“Conquer yourself each day from the very first moment, getting up on the dot, at a set time, without granting a single minute to laziness. If, with the help of God, you conquer yourself in that moment, you’ll have accomplished a great deal for the rest of the day. It’s so discouraging to find yourself beaten in the first skirmish!”
“Action is worthless without prayer; prayer is worth more with sacrifice.”
“Be firm! Be strong! Be a man! And then … be an angel!”
“You should realize that God wants you to be glad and that, if you do all you can, you will be happy, very, very happy, although you will never for a moment be without the Cross. But that Cross is no longer a gallows. It is the throne from which Christ reigns. And at his side, his Mother, our Mother too. The Blessed Virgin will obtain for you the strength that you need to walk decisively in the footsteps of her Son.”
“Your ordinary contact with God takes place where your fellow men, your yearnings, your work and your affections are. There you have your daily encounter with Christ.”
“Action is worthless without prayer; prayer is worth more with sacrifice.”
“The life of a man who lives by faith will always be the story of the mercies of God. At some moments the story may perhaps be difficult to read, because everything can seem useless and even a failure. But at other times our Lord lets one see how the fruit abounds and then it is natural for one’s soul to break out in thanksgiving.”
“Sanctity is not for a privileged few. The Lord calls all of us. He expects love from all of us—from everyone, wherever they are; from everyone, whatever their state in life, their profession or job. For the daily life we live, apparently so ordinary, can be a path to sanctity: it is not necessary to abandon one’s place in the world in order to search for God…because all the paths of the earth can be the occasion for an encounter with Christ.”
Close
June 26
Saint Josemaria Escriva
June 27
Daily Saints – 27 June.
Feast of St. Cyril of Alexandria.
Cyril was born in Alexandria, the metropolis of ancient Egypt, between 370 and 380. He was nephew of the patriarch of that city, Theophilus. He received a solid literary and theological education.
Along with his uncle, Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, he played a role in an early fifth-century dispute between the Egyptian and Greek churches. There is evidence he may have been a monk before becoming a bishop.
When Theophilus died in 412, Cyril was chosen to succeed him at the head of the Egyptian Church. He continued his uncle’s policy of insisting on Alexandria’s preeminence within the Church over Constantinople, despite the political prominence of the imperial capital. The two Eastern churches eventually re-established communion in approximately 418.
Ten years later, however, a theological dispute caused a new break between Alexandria and Constantinople. Cyril’s reputation as a theologian, and later Doctor of the Church, arose from his defense of Catholic orthodoxy during this time. He suppressed the Novatians.
Cyril’s importance for theology and Church history lies in his championing the cause of orthodoxy against the heresy of Nestorius, who taught that in Christ there were two persons, one human and one divine.
The controversy centered around the two natures in Christ. Nestorius would not agree to the title “God-bearer” for Mary. He preferred “Christ-bearer,” saying there are two distinct persons in Christ—divine and human—joined only by a moral union. He said Mary was not the mother of God but only of the man Christ, whose humanity was only a temple of God. Nestorianism implied that the humanity of Christ was a mere disguise.
Presiding as the pope’s representative at the Council of Ephesus in 431, Cyril condemned Nestorianism and proclaimed Mary truly the “God-bearer”—the mother of the one Person who is truly God and truly human. In the confusion that followed, Cyril was deposed and imprisoned for three months, after which he was welcomed back to Alexandria.
Cyril was also a Catechetical writer and also wrote a book opposing Julian the Apostate. He was declared ‘Greek Father of the Church’ and ‘Doctor of the Church’.
Cyril died on June 27, 444, having been a bishop for nearly 32 years.
“If the poison of pride is swelling up in you, turn to the Eucharist; and that Bread, Which is your God humbling and disguising Himself, will teach you humility. If the fever of selfish greed rages in you, feed on this Bread; and you will learn generosity. If the cold wind of coveting withers you, hasten to the Bread of Angels; and charity will come to blossom in your heart. If you feel the itch of intemperance, nourish yourself with the Flesh and Blood of Christ, Who practiced heroic self-control during His earthly life; and you will become temperate. If you are lazy and sluggish about spiritual things, strengthen yourself with this heavenly Food; and you will grow fervent. Lastly, if you feel scorched by the fever of impurity, go to the banquet of the Angels; and the spotless Flesh of Christ will make you pure and chaste.”
“I have been amazed that some are utterly in doubt as to whether or not the Holy Virgin is able to be called the Mother of God. For if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how should the Holy Virgin who bore him not be the Mother of God?”
“He who receives Communion is made holy and Divinized in soul and body in the same way that water, set over a fire, becomes boiling… Communion works like yeast that has been mixed into dough so that it leavens the whole mass; …Just as by melting two candles together you get one piece of wax, so, I think, one who receives the Flesh and Blood of Jesus is fused together with Him by this Communion, and the soul finds that he is in Christ and Christ is in him.”
“By nature, each one of us is enclosed in his own personality, but supernaturally, we are all one. We are made one body in Christ, because we are nourished by one flesh. As Christ is indivisible, we are all one in him. Therefore, He asked His Father “that they may all be One as We also are one.”
Feast of St. Cyril of Alexandria.
Cyril was born in Alexandria, the metropolis of ancient Egypt, between 370 and 380. He was nephew of the patriarch of that city, Theophilus. He received a solid literary and theological education.
Along with his uncle, Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, he played a role in an early fifth-century dispute between the Egyptian and Greek churches. There is evidence he may have been a monk before becoming a bishop.
When Theophilus died in 412, Cyril was chosen to succeed him at the head of the Egyptian Church. He continued his uncle’s policy of insisting on Alexandria’s preeminence within the Church over Constantinople, despite the political prominence of the imperial capital. The two Eastern churches eventually re-established communion in approximately 418.
Ten years later, however, a theological dispute caused a new break between Alexandria and Constantinople. Cyril’s reputation as a theologian, and later Doctor of the Church, arose from his defense of Catholic orthodoxy during this time. He suppressed the Novatians.
Cyril’s importance for theology and Church history lies in his championing the cause of orthodoxy against the heresy of Nestorius, who taught that in Christ there were two persons, one human and one divine.
The controversy centered around the two natures in Christ. Nestorius would not agree to the title “God-bearer” for Mary. He preferred “Christ-bearer,” saying there are two distinct persons in Christ—divine and human—joined only by a moral union. He said Mary was not the mother of God but only of the man Christ, whose humanity was only a temple of God. Nestorianism implied that the humanity of Christ was a mere disguise.
Presiding as the pope’s representative at the Council of Ephesus in 431, Cyril condemned Nestorianism and proclaimed Mary truly the “God-bearer”—the mother of the one Person who is truly God and truly human. In the confusion that followed, Cyril was deposed and imprisoned for three months, after which he was welcomed back to Alexandria.
Cyril was also a Catechetical writer and also wrote a book opposing Julian the Apostate. He was declared ‘Greek Father of the Church’ and ‘Doctor of the Church’.
Cyril died on June 27, 444, having been a bishop for nearly 32 years.
“If the poison of pride is swelling up in you, turn to the Eucharist; and that Bread, Which is your God humbling and disguising Himself, will teach you humility. If the fever of selfish greed rages in you, feed on this Bread; and you will learn generosity. If the cold wind of coveting withers you, hasten to the Bread of Angels; and charity will come to blossom in your heart. If you feel the itch of intemperance, nourish yourself with the Flesh and Blood of Christ, Who practiced heroic self-control during His earthly life; and you will become temperate. If you are lazy and sluggish about spiritual things, strengthen yourself with this heavenly Food; and you will grow fervent. Lastly, if you feel scorched by the fever of impurity, go to the banquet of the Angels; and the spotless Flesh of Christ will make you pure and chaste.”
“I have been amazed that some are utterly in doubt as to whether or not the Holy Virgin is able to be called the Mother of God. For if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how should the Holy Virgin who bore him not be the Mother of God?”
“He who receives Communion is made holy and Divinized in soul and body in the same way that water, set over a fire, becomes boiling… Communion works like yeast that has been mixed into dough so that it leavens the whole mass; …Just as by melting two candles together you get one piece of wax, so, I think, one who receives the Flesh and Blood of Jesus is fused together with Him by this Communion, and the soul finds that he is in Christ and Christ is in him.”
“By nature, each one of us is enclosed in his own personality, but supernaturally, we are all one. We are made one body in Christ, because we are nourished by one flesh. As Christ is indivisible, we are all one in him. Therefore, He asked His Father “that they may all be One as We also are one.”
Close
June 27
Saint Cyril of Alexandria
June 28
Daily Saints – 28 June.
Feast of St. Irenaeus of Lyons.
Irenaeus was born in the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, likely in the Aegean coastal city of Smyrna, probably around the year 130. As a young man he heard the preaching of the early bishop St. Polycarp, who had been personally instructed by the Apostle John.
He was a student, well trained, with great patience in investigating, tremendously protective of apostolic teaching.
Irenaeus eventually became a priest, and served in the Church of Lyons (in the region of Gaul) during a difficult period in the late 170s. During this time of state persecution and doctrinal controversy, Irenaeus was sent to Rome to provide Pope St. Eleutherius with a letter about the heretical movement known as Montanism.
After returning to Lyons, Irenaeus became the city’s second bishop, following the martyrdom of his predecessor Saint Pothinus.
In the course of his work as a pastor and evangelist, the second Bishop of Lyon came up against various heretical doctrines and movements, many of which sounded a common note in their insistence that the material world was evil and not part of God’s original plan.
The proponents of these ideas often claimed to be more deeply “enlightened” or “spiritual” than ordinary Christians, on account of their supposed secret knowledge (or “gnosis”).
Irenaeus recognized this movement, in all its forms, as a direct attack on the Catholic faith. The Gnostics’ disdain for the physical world was irreconcilable with the Biblical doctrine of creation, which stated that God had made all things according to his good purpose.
Gnostics, by contrast, saw the material world as the work of an evil power, crediting God only with the creation of a higher and purely spiritual realm.
In keeping with its false view of creation, Gnosticism also distorted the concept of redemption. The Church knew Christ as the savior of the world: redeeming believers’ bodies and souls, and investing creation with a sacramental holiness.
Gnostics, meanwhile, saw Jesus merely as saving souls from the physical world in which they were trapped. Gnostic “redemption” was not liberation from sin, but a supposed promise of release from the material world.
The Gnostics were not interested in the historical Jesus and didn’t see the Bible as a unified story of redemption. To them, salvation was obtained through enlightenment and was only available to a chosen few.
Irenaeus worked and wrote against Gnosticism, basing his arguments on the works of Saint John the Apostle, whose Gospel is often cited by Gnostics.
Irenaeus refuted the Gnostic errors in his lengthy book “Against Heresies,” which is still studied today for its historical value and theological insights. A shorter work, the “Proof of the Apostolic Preaching,” contains Irenaeus’ presentation of the Gospel message, with a focus on Jesus Christ’s fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.
Several of his other works are now lost, though a collection of fragments from them has been compiled and translated.
Irenaeus emerges as the first great Church theologian who created systematic theology; he himself speaks of the system of theology, that is, of the internal coherence of all faith.
Irenaeus emphasized the unity of the Old and New Testaments, and of Christ’s simultaneous human and divine nature, and the value of tradition.
Irenaeus was one of the first to emphasize the episcopacy and the canonicity of the four Gospels, playing a large role in the formation of a New Testament canon.
The name Irenaeus means, in fact, “peacemaker,” and the second-century bishop had several occasions to live up to his name. He is also a Father of the Church.
Irenaeus was martyred in 202 in Lyons, France.
“If our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking.”
“Just as bread from the earth, when it receives the invocation of God, is no longer common bread but the Eucharist, made up of two elements, one earthly and one heavenly, so also our bodies, in receiving the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible, for they have the hope of resurrection.”
“Since it is impossible, without God, to come to knowledge of God, he teaches men through his Word to know God.”
“As long as any one has the means of doing good to his neighbours, and does not do so, he shall be reckoned a stranger to the love of the Lord.”
“The initial step for us all to come to knowledge of God is contemplation of nature.”
“For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God.”
“The business of the Christian is nothing else but to be ever preparing for death.”
“One should not seek among others the truth that can be easily gotten from the Church. For in her, as in a rich treasury, the apostles have placed all that pertains to truth, so that everyone can drink this beverage of life. She is the door of life.”
“As Eve was seduced by the word of an angel and so fled from God after disobeying his word, Mary in her turn was given the good news by the word of an angel, and bore God in obedience to his word. As Eve was seduced into disobedience to God, so Mary was persuaded into obedience to God; thus the Virgin Mary became the advocate of the virgin Eve.”
“Error never shows itself in its naked reality, in order not to be discovered. On the contrary, it dresses elegantly, so that the unwary may be led to believe that it is more truthful than truth itself.”
“When we stand in the light it is not we who illumine the light and cause it to shine but we are illuminated and made shining by the light… God grants his blessings on those who serve him because they are serving him and on those who follow him because they are following him, but he receives no blessing from them because he is perfect and without need.”
“The glory of God gives life; those who see God receive life. Men will therefore see God if they are to live; through the vision of God they become immortal and attain to God himself. God is the source of all activity throughout creation. He cannot be seen or described in his own nature and in all his greatness by any of his creatures. Yet he is certainly not unknown. Through his Word the whole creation learns that there is one God the Father, who holds all things together and gives them their being. As it is written in the Gospel, “No man has ever seen God, except the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father; he has revealed him.” From the beginning the Son is the one who teacher us about the Father; he is with the Father from the beginning. The Word revealed God to men and presented men to God. Life in man is the glory of God; the life of man is the vision of God. If the revelation of God through creation gives life to all who live upon the earth, much more does the manifestation of the Father through the Word give life to those who see God.”
– from Against the Heresies by Saint Irenaeus
Feast of St. Irenaeus of Lyons.
Irenaeus was born in the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, likely in the Aegean coastal city of Smyrna, probably around the year 130. As a young man he heard the preaching of the early bishop St. Polycarp, who had been personally instructed by the Apostle John.
He was a student, well trained, with great patience in investigating, tremendously protective of apostolic teaching.
Irenaeus eventually became a priest, and served in the Church of Lyons (in the region of Gaul) during a difficult period in the late 170s. During this time of state persecution and doctrinal controversy, Irenaeus was sent to Rome to provide Pope St. Eleutherius with a letter about the heretical movement known as Montanism.
After returning to Lyons, Irenaeus became the city’s second bishop, following the martyrdom of his predecessor Saint Pothinus.
In the course of his work as a pastor and evangelist, the second Bishop of Lyon came up against various heretical doctrines and movements, many of which sounded a common note in their insistence that the material world was evil and not part of God’s original plan.
The proponents of these ideas often claimed to be more deeply “enlightened” or “spiritual” than ordinary Christians, on account of their supposed secret knowledge (or “gnosis”).
Irenaeus recognized this movement, in all its forms, as a direct attack on the Catholic faith. The Gnostics’ disdain for the physical world was irreconcilable with the Biblical doctrine of creation, which stated that God had made all things according to his good purpose.
Gnostics, by contrast, saw the material world as the work of an evil power, crediting God only with the creation of a higher and purely spiritual realm.
In keeping with its false view of creation, Gnosticism also distorted the concept of redemption. The Church knew Christ as the savior of the world: redeeming believers’ bodies and souls, and investing creation with a sacramental holiness.
Gnostics, meanwhile, saw Jesus merely as saving souls from the physical world in which they were trapped. Gnostic “redemption” was not liberation from sin, but a supposed promise of release from the material world.
The Gnostics were not interested in the historical Jesus and didn’t see the Bible as a unified story of redemption. To them, salvation was obtained through enlightenment and was only available to a chosen few.
Irenaeus worked and wrote against Gnosticism, basing his arguments on the works of Saint John the Apostle, whose Gospel is often cited by Gnostics.
Irenaeus refuted the Gnostic errors in his lengthy book “Against Heresies,” which is still studied today for its historical value and theological insights. A shorter work, the “Proof of the Apostolic Preaching,” contains Irenaeus’ presentation of the Gospel message, with a focus on Jesus Christ’s fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.
Several of his other works are now lost, though a collection of fragments from them has been compiled and translated.
Irenaeus emerges as the first great Church theologian who created systematic theology; he himself speaks of the system of theology, that is, of the internal coherence of all faith.
Irenaeus emphasized the unity of the Old and New Testaments, and of Christ’s simultaneous human and divine nature, and the value of tradition.
Irenaeus was one of the first to emphasize the episcopacy and the canonicity of the four Gospels, playing a large role in the formation of a New Testament canon.
The name Irenaeus means, in fact, “peacemaker,” and the second-century bishop had several occasions to live up to his name. He is also a Father of the Church.
Irenaeus was martyred in 202 in Lyons, France.
“If our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking.”
“Just as bread from the earth, when it receives the invocation of God, is no longer common bread but the Eucharist, made up of two elements, one earthly and one heavenly, so also our bodies, in receiving the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible, for they have the hope of resurrection.”
“Since it is impossible, without God, to come to knowledge of God, he teaches men through his Word to know God.”
“As long as any one has the means of doing good to his neighbours, and does not do so, he shall be reckoned a stranger to the love of the Lord.”
“The initial step for us all to come to knowledge of God is contemplation of nature.”
“For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God.”
“The business of the Christian is nothing else but to be ever preparing for death.”
“One should not seek among others the truth that can be easily gotten from the Church. For in her, as in a rich treasury, the apostles have placed all that pertains to truth, so that everyone can drink this beverage of life. She is the door of life.”
“As Eve was seduced by the word of an angel and so fled from God after disobeying his word, Mary in her turn was given the good news by the word of an angel, and bore God in obedience to his word. As Eve was seduced into disobedience to God, so Mary was persuaded into obedience to God; thus the Virgin Mary became the advocate of the virgin Eve.”
“Error never shows itself in its naked reality, in order not to be discovered. On the contrary, it dresses elegantly, so that the unwary may be led to believe that it is more truthful than truth itself.”
“When we stand in the light it is not we who illumine the light and cause it to shine but we are illuminated and made shining by the light… God grants his blessings on those who serve him because they are serving him and on those who follow him because they are following him, but he receives no blessing from them because he is perfect and without need.”
“The glory of God gives life; those who see God receive life. Men will therefore see God if they are to live; through the vision of God they become immortal and attain to God himself. God is the source of all activity throughout creation. He cannot be seen or described in his own nature and in all his greatness by any of his creatures. Yet he is certainly not unknown. Through his Word the whole creation learns that there is one God the Father, who holds all things together and gives them their being. As it is written in the Gospel, “No man has ever seen God, except the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father; he has revealed him.” From the beginning the Son is the one who teacher us about the Father; he is with the Father from the beginning. The Word revealed God to men and presented men to God. Life in man is the glory of God; the life of man is the vision of God. If the revelation of God through creation gives life to all who live upon the earth, much more does the manifestation of the Father through the Word give life to those who see God.”
– from Against the Heresies by Saint Irenaeus
Close
June 28
Saint Irenaeus of Lyons
June 29
Daily Saints – 29 June.
Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.
St. Peter is the patron saint of Universal Church, against fever, against foot problems, against frenzy, bakers, bridge builders, butchers, clock makers, cobblers, shoe makers, fishermen, harvesters, locksmiths, longevity, net makers, papacy, popes, ship builders, shipwrights, stone masons, watch makers.
Peter’s original name was Simon. Christ Himself gave him the name Cephas or Peter when they first met and later confirmed it. This name change was meant to show both Peter’s rank as leader of the apostles and the outstanding trait of his character — Peter (in Hebrew Kephas) the Rock.
Peter was born in Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. Like his younger brother Andrew, he was a fisherman and dwelt at Capernaum. Peter’s house often became the scene of miracles, since the Master would stay there whenever He was teaching in that locality. Together with his brothers John and Andrew, Peter belonged to the first of Jesus’ disciples (John 1:40-50).
After the miraculous draught of fish on the Sea of Galilee, Peter received his definitive call and left wife, family, and occupation to take his place as leader of the Twelve. Thereafter we find him continually at Jesus’ side, whether it be as spokesman of the apostolic college (John 6:68; Matt. 16:16), or as one specially favored (e.g., at the restoration to life of Jairus’ daughter, at the transfiguration, during the agony in the garden).
His sanguine temperament often led him into hasty, unpremeditated words and actions; his denial of Jesus during the passion was a salutary lesson. It accentuated a weakness in his character and made him humble.
After the ascension, Peter always took the leading role, exercising the office of chief shepherd that Christ had entrusted to him. He delivered the first sermon on Pentecost and received the first Gentiles into the Church (Cornelius; Acts 10:1). Paul went to Jerusalem “to see Peter.” After his miraculous deliverance from prison (Easter, 42 A.D.), Peter “went to a different place,” most probably to Rome.
Details now become scanty; we hear of his presence at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1), and of his journey to Antioch (Gal. 2:11).
It is certain that Peter labored in Rome as an apostle, that he was the city’s first bishop, and that he died there as a martyr, bound to a cross (67 A.D.).
Peter was crucified upside-down at his own request, because he claimed he was not worthy to die as his Lord. According to tradition he also was the first bishop of Antioch. He is the author of two letters, the first Christian encyclicals.
St. Paul is the patron saint against hailstorms, against snake bites, against snakes, Catholic Action, Cursillo movement, lay people, authors, writers, evangelists, journalists, reporters, missionary bishops, musicians, newspaper editorial staff, public relations personnel and work, publishers, rope braiders and makers, saddle makers; saddlers, tent makers.
Paul, known as Saul (his Roman name) before his conversion, was born at Tarsus in the Roman province of Silicia about two or three years after the advent of the Redeemer. He was the son of Jewish parents who belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, was reared according to the strict religious-nationalistic party of the Pharisees, and enjoyed the high distinction of Roman citizenship.
As a youth he went to Jerusalem to become immersed in the Law and had as a teacher the celebrated Gamaliel. He acquired skill as a tent-maker, a work he continued even as an apostle.
At the time of Jesus’ ministry he no longer was at Jerusalem; neither did he see the Lord during His earthly-life. Upon returning to the Holy City, Paul discovered a flourishing Christian community and at once became its bitter opponent.
When St. Stephen impugned Law and temple, Paul was one of the first at his stoning; thereafter his fiery personality would lead the persecution. Breathing threats of slaughter against the disciples of Jesus, he was hurrying to Damascus when the grace of God effected his conversion (about the year 34 A.D.).
After receiving baptism and making some initial attempts at preaching, Paul withdrew into the Arabian desert (c. 34-37 A.D.), where he prepared himself for his future mission. During this retreat he was favored with special revelations, Christ appearing to him personally.
Upon his return to Damascus he began to preach but was forced to leave when the Jews sought to kill him. Then he went to Jerusalem “to see Peter.” Barnabas introduced him to the Christian community, but the hatred of the Jews again obliged him to take secret flight.
The following years (38-42 A.D.) he spent at Tarsus until Barnabas brought him to the newly founded Christian community at Antioch, where both worked a year for the cause of Christ; in the year 44 he made another journey to Jerusalem with the money collected for that famine stricken community.
The first major missionary journey (45-48) began upon his return as he and Barnabas brought the Gospel to Cyprus and Asia Minor (Acts 13-14). The Council of Jerusalem occasioned Paul’s reappearance in Jerusalem (50).
Spurred on by the decisions of the Council, he began the second missionary journey (51-53), traveling through Asia Minor and then crossing over to Europe and founding churches at Philippi, Thessalonia (his favorite), Berea, Athens, Corinth. He remained almost two years at Corinth, establishing a very flourishing and important community. In 54 he returned to Jerusalem for the fourth time.
Paul’s third missionary journey (54-58) took him to Ephesus, where he labored three years with good success; after visiting his European communities, he returned to Jerusalem for a fifth time (Pentecost, 58). There he was seized by the Jews and accused of condemning the Law.
After being held as a prisoner for two years at Caesarea, he appealed to Caesar and was sent by sea to Rome (60 A.D.). Shipwrecked and delayed on the island of Malta, he arrived at Rome in the spring of 61 and passed the next two years in easy confinement before being released.
The last years of the saint’s life were devoted to missionary excursions, probably including Spain, and to revisiting his first foundations. In 66 he returned to Rome, was taken prisoner, and beheaded a year later in 67. His fourteen letters are a precious legacy; they afford a deep insight into a great soul.
“We celebrate together two very different individuals: Peter, a fisherman who spent his days amid boats and nets, and Paul, a learned Pharisee who taught in synagogues. When they went forth on mission, Peter spoke to Jews, and Paul to pagans. And when their paths crossed, they could argue heatedly, as Paul is unashamed to admit in one of his letters (cf. Gal 2:11). In short, they were two very different people, yet they saw one another as brothers, as happens in close-knit families where there may be frequent arguments, but unfailing love. Yet the closeness that joined Peter and Paul did not come from natural inclinations, but from the Lord. He did not command us to like one another, but to love one another. He is the one who unites us, without making us all alike. He unites us in our differences.”
– Pope Francis’ homily on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2020 at the Basilica of St. Peter.
“From prayer they drew strength, from prayer came a unity more powerful than any threat. The text says that, “while Peter was kept in prison, the Church prayed fervently to God for him” (Acts 12:5). Unity is the fruit of prayer, for prayer allows the Holy Spirit to intervene, opening our hearts to hope, shortening distances and holding us together at times of difficulty. Let us notice something else: at that dramatic moment, no one complained about Herod’s evil and his persecution. No one insulted Herod — and we are so used to insulting those who hold responsibility. It is pointless, even tedious, for Christians to waste their time complaining about the world, about society, about everything that is not right. Complaints change nothing. Let us remember that complaints are the second door closed to the Holy Spirit, as I said on the day of Pentecost: the first is narcissism, the second discouragement, the third pessimism. Narcissism takes you to the mirror, to continually look at yourself; discouragement to complaints; pessimism to the dark, in the dark. These are the attitudes that close the door to the Holy Spirit. Those Christians did not cast blame; they prayed. In that community, no one said: “If Peter had been more careful, we would not be in this situation.” No one. Peter, as a human, had reasons to be criticized, but no one criticized him. They did not talk about Peter; they prayed for him. They did not talk about Peter behind his back, but they spoke to God. We today can ask: “Are we protecting our unity with prayer? The unity of the Church? Are we praying for one another?” What would happen if we prayed more and complained less?”
– Pope Francis’ homily on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2020 at the Basilica of St. Peter.
“The Apostles were challenged by Jesus. Peter heard Jesus’ question: “Who do you say I am?” (cf. Mt 16:15). At that moment he realized that the Lord was not interested in what others thought, but in Peter’s personal decision to follow him. Paul’s life changed after a similar challenge from Jesus: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4). The Lord shook Paul to the core: more than just knocking him to the ground on the road to Damascus, he shattered Paul’s illusion of being respectably religious. As a result, the proud Saul turned into Paul. Paul, a name that means “small”. These challenges and reversals are followed by prophecies: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church” (Mt 16:18); and, for Paul: “He is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel” (Acts 9:15). Prophecy is born whenever we allow ourselves to be challenged by God, not when we are concerned to keep everything quiet and under control. It doesn’t come from my thoughts, it doesn’t come from my closed heart. It is born if we allow ourselves to be challenged by God. When the Gospel overturns certainties, prophecy arises. Only someone who is open to God’s surprises can become a prophet. And there they are: Peter and Paul, prophets who look to the future. Peter is the first to proclaim that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). Paul, who considers his impending death: “From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord will award to me” (2 Tim 4:8). Today we need prophecy, real prophecy: not fast talkers who promise the impossible, but testimonies that the Gospel is possible. What is needed are not miraculous shows — it hurts me when I hear it said: “We want a prophetic Church.” Well, what do you do for the Church to be prophetic? We need lives that show the miracle of God’s love. Not forcefulness, but forthrightness. Not palaver, but prayer. Not speeches, but service. Do you want a prophetic Church? Start serving and be silent. Not theory, but testimony. We are not to become rich, but rather to love the poor. We are not to save up for ourselves, but to spend ourselves for others. To seek not the approval of this world — that of being good with everyone — no, this is not prophecy, but we need the joy of the world to come. Not better pastoral plans that seem to have their own efficiency, as if they were sacraments, efficient pastoral projects, no, but we need pastors who offer their lives: lovers of God. That is how Peter and Paul preached Jesus, as men in love with God. At his crucifixion, Peter did not think about himself, but about his Lord, and, considering himself unworthy of dying like Jesus, asked to be crucified upside down. Before his beheading, Paul thought only of offering his life; he wrote that he wanted to be “poured out like a libation” (2 Tim 4:6). That was prophecy. Not words. That was prophecy, the prophecy that changes history.”
– Pope Francis’ homily on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2020 at the Basilica of St. Peter.
“Their lives, though, were not neat and linear. Both were deeply religious: Peter was one of the very first disciples (cf. Jn 1:41), and Paul was “zealous for the traditions of [his] ancestors” (Gal 1:14). Yet they also made great mistakes: Peter denied the Lord, while Paul persecuted the Church of God. Both were cut to the core by questions asked by Jesus: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” (Jn 21:15); “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4). Peter was grieved by Jesus’ questions, while Paul was blinded by his words. Jesus called them by name and changed their lives. After all that happened, he put his trust in them, in one who denied him and one who persecuted his followers, in two repentant sinners.”
– Pope Francis’ homily at Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Solemnity of SS. Peter and Paul on June 29, 2019.
“There is a great teaching here: the starting point of the Christian life is not our worthiness; in fact, the Lord was able to accomplish little with those who thought they were good and decent. Whenever we consider ourselves smarter or better than others, that is the beginning of the end. The Lord does not work miracles with those who consider themselves righteous, but with those who know themselves needy. He is not attracted by our goodness; that is not why he loves us. He loves us just as we are; he is looking for people who are not self-sufficient, but ready to open their hearts to him. People who, like Peter and Paul, are transparent before God. Peter immediately told Jesus: “I am a sinful man” (Lk 5:8). Paul wrote that he was “least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle” (1 Cor 15:9). Throughout life, they preserved this humility, to the very end. Peter died crucified upside down, since he did not consider himself worthy to imitate his Lord. Paul was always fond of his name, which means “little”, and left behind his birth name, Saul, the name of the first king of his people. Both understood that holiness does not consist in exalting but rather in humbling oneself. Holiness is not a contest, but a question of entrusting our own poverty each day to the Lord, who does great things for those who are lowly. What was the secret that made them persevere amid weakness? It was the Lord’s forgiveness. Let us think about them too as witnesses to forgiveness. In their failings, they encountered the powerful mercy of the Lord, who gave them rebirth. In his forgiveness, they encountered irrepressible peace and joy. Thinking back to their failures, they might have experienced feelings of guilt. How many times might Peter have thought back to his denial! How many scruples might Paul have felt at having hurt so many innocent people! Humanly, they had failed. Yet they encountered a love greater than their failures, a forgiveness strong enough to heal even their feelings of guilt. Only when we experience God’s forgiveness do we truly experience rebirth. From there we start over, from forgiveness; there we rediscover who we really are: in the confession of our sins.”
– Pope Francis’ homily at Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Solemnity of SS. Peter and Paul on June 29, 2019.
“The Lord asks: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” The answers evoke figures of the past: “John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets”. Remarkable people, but all of them dead. Peter instead replies: “You are the Christ” (Mt 16:13-14.16). The Christ, that is, the Messiah. A word that points not to the past, but to the future: the Messiah is the one who is awaited, he is newness, the one who brings God’s anointing to the world. Jesus is not the past, but the present and the future. He is not a distant personage to be remembered, but the one to whom Peter can speak intimately: You are the Christ. For those who are his witnesses, Jesus is more than a historical personage; he is a living person: he is newness, not things we have already seen, the newness of the future and not a memory from the past. The witness, then, is not someone who knows the story of Jesus, but someone who has experienced a love story with Jesus. The witness, in the end, proclaims only this: that Jesus is alive and that he is the secret of life. Indeed, Peter, after saying: “You are the Christ”, then goes on to say: “the Son of the living God” (v. 16). Witness arises from an encounter with the living Jesus. At the centre of Paul’s life too, we find that same word that rises up from Peter’s heart: Christ. Paul repeats this name constantly, almost four hundred times in his letters! For him, Christ is not only a model, an example, a point of reference: he is life itself. Paul writes: “For me to live is Christ” (Phil 1:21). Jesus is Paul’s present and his future, so much so that he considers the past as refuse in comparison to the surpassing knowledge of Christ (cf. Phil 3:7-8).”
– Pope Francis’ homily at Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Solemnity of SS. Peter and Paul on June 29, 2019.
Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.
St. Peter is the patron saint of Universal Church, against fever, against foot problems, against frenzy, bakers, bridge builders, butchers, clock makers, cobblers, shoe makers, fishermen, harvesters, locksmiths, longevity, net makers, papacy, popes, ship builders, shipwrights, stone masons, watch makers.
Peter’s original name was Simon. Christ Himself gave him the name Cephas or Peter when they first met and later confirmed it. This name change was meant to show both Peter’s rank as leader of the apostles and the outstanding trait of his character — Peter (in Hebrew Kephas) the Rock.
Peter was born in Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. Like his younger brother Andrew, he was a fisherman and dwelt at Capernaum. Peter’s house often became the scene of miracles, since the Master would stay there whenever He was teaching in that locality. Together with his brothers John and Andrew, Peter belonged to the first of Jesus’ disciples (John 1:40-50).
After the miraculous draught of fish on the Sea of Galilee, Peter received his definitive call and left wife, family, and occupation to take his place as leader of the Twelve. Thereafter we find him continually at Jesus’ side, whether it be as spokesman of the apostolic college (John 6:68; Matt. 16:16), or as one specially favored (e.g., at the restoration to life of Jairus’ daughter, at the transfiguration, during the agony in the garden).
His sanguine temperament often led him into hasty, unpremeditated words and actions; his denial of Jesus during the passion was a salutary lesson. It accentuated a weakness in his character and made him humble.
After the ascension, Peter always took the leading role, exercising the office of chief shepherd that Christ had entrusted to him. He delivered the first sermon on Pentecost and received the first Gentiles into the Church (Cornelius; Acts 10:1). Paul went to Jerusalem “to see Peter.” After his miraculous deliverance from prison (Easter, 42 A.D.), Peter “went to a different place,” most probably to Rome.
Details now become scanty; we hear of his presence at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1), and of his journey to Antioch (Gal. 2:11).
It is certain that Peter labored in Rome as an apostle, that he was the city’s first bishop, and that he died there as a martyr, bound to a cross (67 A.D.).
Peter was crucified upside-down at his own request, because he claimed he was not worthy to die as his Lord. According to tradition he also was the first bishop of Antioch. He is the author of two letters, the first Christian encyclicals.
St. Paul is the patron saint against hailstorms, against snake bites, against snakes, Catholic Action, Cursillo movement, lay people, authors, writers, evangelists, journalists, reporters, missionary bishops, musicians, newspaper editorial staff, public relations personnel and work, publishers, rope braiders and makers, saddle makers; saddlers, tent makers.
Paul, known as Saul (his Roman name) before his conversion, was born at Tarsus in the Roman province of Silicia about two or three years after the advent of the Redeemer. He was the son of Jewish parents who belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, was reared according to the strict religious-nationalistic party of the Pharisees, and enjoyed the high distinction of Roman citizenship.
As a youth he went to Jerusalem to become immersed in the Law and had as a teacher the celebrated Gamaliel. He acquired skill as a tent-maker, a work he continued even as an apostle.
At the time of Jesus’ ministry he no longer was at Jerusalem; neither did he see the Lord during His earthly-life. Upon returning to the Holy City, Paul discovered a flourishing Christian community and at once became its bitter opponent.
When St. Stephen impugned Law and temple, Paul was one of the first at his stoning; thereafter his fiery personality would lead the persecution. Breathing threats of slaughter against the disciples of Jesus, he was hurrying to Damascus when the grace of God effected his conversion (about the year 34 A.D.).
After receiving baptism and making some initial attempts at preaching, Paul withdrew into the Arabian desert (c. 34-37 A.D.), where he prepared himself for his future mission. During this retreat he was favored with special revelations, Christ appearing to him personally.
Upon his return to Damascus he began to preach but was forced to leave when the Jews sought to kill him. Then he went to Jerusalem “to see Peter.” Barnabas introduced him to the Christian community, but the hatred of the Jews again obliged him to take secret flight.
The following years (38-42 A.D.) he spent at Tarsus until Barnabas brought him to the newly founded Christian community at Antioch, where both worked a year for the cause of Christ; in the year 44 he made another journey to Jerusalem with the money collected for that famine stricken community.
The first major missionary journey (45-48) began upon his return as he and Barnabas brought the Gospel to Cyprus and Asia Minor (Acts 13-14). The Council of Jerusalem occasioned Paul’s reappearance in Jerusalem (50).
Spurred on by the decisions of the Council, he began the second missionary journey (51-53), traveling through Asia Minor and then crossing over to Europe and founding churches at Philippi, Thessalonia (his favorite), Berea, Athens, Corinth. He remained almost two years at Corinth, establishing a very flourishing and important community. In 54 he returned to Jerusalem for the fourth time.
Paul’s third missionary journey (54-58) took him to Ephesus, where he labored three years with good success; after visiting his European communities, he returned to Jerusalem for a fifth time (Pentecost, 58). There he was seized by the Jews and accused of condemning the Law.
After being held as a prisoner for two years at Caesarea, he appealed to Caesar and was sent by sea to Rome (60 A.D.). Shipwrecked and delayed on the island of Malta, he arrived at Rome in the spring of 61 and passed the next two years in easy confinement before being released.
The last years of the saint’s life were devoted to missionary excursions, probably including Spain, and to revisiting his first foundations. In 66 he returned to Rome, was taken prisoner, and beheaded a year later in 67. His fourteen letters are a precious legacy; they afford a deep insight into a great soul.
“We celebrate together two very different individuals: Peter, a fisherman who spent his days amid boats and nets, and Paul, a learned Pharisee who taught in synagogues. When they went forth on mission, Peter spoke to Jews, and Paul to pagans. And when their paths crossed, they could argue heatedly, as Paul is unashamed to admit in one of his letters (cf. Gal 2:11). In short, they were two very different people, yet they saw one another as brothers, as happens in close-knit families where there may be frequent arguments, but unfailing love. Yet the closeness that joined Peter and Paul did not come from natural inclinations, but from the Lord. He did not command us to like one another, but to love one another. He is the one who unites us, without making us all alike. He unites us in our differences.”
– Pope Francis’ homily on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2020 at the Basilica of St. Peter.
“From prayer they drew strength, from prayer came a unity more powerful than any threat. The text says that, “while Peter was kept in prison, the Church prayed fervently to God for him” (Acts 12:5). Unity is the fruit of prayer, for prayer allows the Holy Spirit to intervene, opening our hearts to hope, shortening distances and holding us together at times of difficulty. Let us notice something else: at that dramatic moment, no one complained about Herod’s evil and his persecution. No one insulted Herod — and we are so used to insulting those who hold responsibility. It is pointless, even tedious, for Christians to waste their time complaining about the world, about society, about everything that is not right. Complaints change nothing. Let us remember that complaints are the second door closed to the Holy Spirit, as I said on the day of Pentecost: the first is narcissism, the second discouragement, the third pessimism. Narcissism takes you to the mirror, to continually look at yourself; discouragement to complaints; pessimism to the dark, in the dark. These are the attitudes that close the door to the Holy Spirit. Those Christians did not cast blame; they prayed. In that community, no one said: “If Peter had been more careful, we would not be in this situation.” No one. Peter, as a human, had reasons to be criticized, but no one criticized him. They did not talk about Peter; they prayed for him. They did not talk about Peter behind his back, but they spoke to God. We today can ask: “Are we protecting our unity with prayer? The unity of the Church? Are we praying for one another?” What would happen if we prayed more and complained less?”
– Pope Francis’ homily on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2020 at the Basilica of St. Peter.
“The Apostles were challenged by Jesus. Peter heard Jesus’ question: “Who do you say I am?” (cf. Mt 16:15). At that moment he realized that the Lord was not interested in what others thought, but in Peter’s personal decision to follow him. Paul’s life changed after a similar challenge from Jesus: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4). The Lord shook Paul to the core: more than just knocking him to the ground on the road to Damascus, he shattered Paul’s illusion of being respectably religious. As a result, the proud Saul turned into Paul. Paul, a name that means “small”. These challenges and reversals are followed by prophecies: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church” (Mt 16:18); and, for Paul: “He is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel” (Acts 9:15). Prophecy is born whenever we allow ourselves to be challenged by God, not when we are concerned to keep everything quiet and under control. It doesn’t come from my thoughts, it doesn’t come from my closed heart. It is born if we allow ourselves to be challenged by God. When the Gospel overturns certainties, prophecy arises. Only someone who is open to God’s surprises can become a prophet. And there they are: Peter and Paul, prophets who look to the future. Peter is the first to proclaim that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). Paul, who considers his impending death: “From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord will award to me” (2 Tim 4:8). Today we need prophecy, real prophecy: not fast talkers who promise the impossible, but testimonies that the Gospel is possible. What is needed are not miraculous shows — it hurts me when I hear it said: “We want a prophetic Church.” Well, what do you do for the Church to be prophetic? We need lives that show the miracle of God’s love. Not forcefulness, but forthrightness. Not palaver, but prayer. Not speeches, but service. Do you want a prophetic Church? Start serving and be silent. Not theory, but testimony. We are not to become rich, but rather to love the poor. We are not to save up for ourselves, but to spend ourselves for others. To seek not the approval of this world — that of being good with everyone — no, this is not prophecy, but we need the joy of the world to come. Not better pastoral plans that seem to have their own efficiency, as if they were sacraments, efficient pastoral projects, no, but we need pastors who offer their lives: lovers of God. That is how Peter and Paul preached Jesus, as men in love with God. At his crucifixion, Peter did not think about himself, but about his Lord, and, considering himself unworthy of dying like Jesus, asked to be crucified upside down. Before his beheading, Paul thought only of offering his life; he wrote that he wanted to be “poured out like a libation” (2 Tim 4:6). That was prophecy. Not words. That was prophecy, the prophecy that changes history.”
– Pope Francis’ homily on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2020 at the Basilica of St. Peter.
“Their lives, though, were not neat and linear. Both were deeply religious: Peter was one of the very first disciples (cf. Jn 1:41), and Paul was “zealous for the traditions of [his] ancestors” (Gal 1:14). Yet they also made great mistakes: Peter denied the Lord, while Paul persecuted the Church of God. Both were cut to the core by questions asked by Jesus: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” (Jn 21:15); “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4). Peter was grieved by Jesus’ questions, while Paul was blinded by his words. Jesus called them by name and changed their lives. After all that happened, he put his trust in them, in one who denied him and one who persecuted his followers, in two repentant sinners.”
– Pope Francis’ homily at Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Solemnity of SS. Peter and Paul on June 29, 2019.
“There is a great teaching here: the starting point of the Christian life is not our worthiness; in fact, the Lord was able to accomplish little with those who thought they were good and decent. Whenever we consider ourselves smarter or better than others, that is the beginning of the end. The Lord does not work miracles with those who consider themselves righteous, but with those who know themselves needy. He is not attracted by our goodness; that is not why he loves us. He loves us just as we are; he is looking for people who are not self-sufficient, but ready to open their hearts to him. People who, like Peter and Paul, are transparent before God. Peter immediately told Jesus: “I am a sinful man” (Lk 5:8). Paul wrote that he was “least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle” (1 Cor 15:9). Throughout life, they preserved this humility, to the very end. Peter died crucified upside down, since he did not consider himself worthy to imitate his Lord. Paul was always fond of his name, which means “little”, and left behind his birth name, Saul, the name of the first king of his people. Both understood that holiness does not consist in exalting but rather in humbling oneself. Holiness is not a contest, but a question of entrusting our own poverty each day to the Lord, who does great things for those who are lowly. What was the secret that made them persevere amid weakness? It was the Lord’s forgiveness. Let us think about them too as witnesses to forgiveness. In their failings, they encountered the powerful mercy of the Lord, who gave them rebirth. In his forgiveness, they encountered irrepressible peace and joy. Thinking back to their failures, they might have experienced feelings of guilt. How many times might Peter have thought back to his denial! How many scruples might Paul have felt at having hurt so many innocent people! Humanly, they had failed. Yet they encountered a love greater than their failures, a forgiveness strong enough to heal even their feelings of guilt. Only when we experience God’s forgiveness do we truly experience rebirth. From there we start over, from forgiveness; there we rediscover who we really are: in the confession of our sins.”
– Pope Francis’ homily at Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Solemnity of SS. Peter and Paul on June 29, 2019.
“The Lord asks: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” The answers evoke figures of the past: “John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets”. Remarkable people, but all of them dead. Peter instead replies: “You are the Christ” (Mt 16:13-14.16). The Christ, that is, the Messiah. A word that points not to the past, but to the future: the Messiah is the one who is awaited, he is newness, the one who brings God’s anointing to the world. Jesus is not the past, but the present and the future. He is not a distant personage to be remembered, but the one to whom Peter can speak intimately: You are the Christ. For those who are his witnesses, Jesus is more than a historical personage; he is a living person: he is newness, not things we have already seen, the newness of the future and not a memory from the past. The witness, then, is not someone who knows the story of Jesus, but someone who has experienced a love story with Jesus. The witness, in the end, proclaims only this: that Jesus is alive and that he is the secret of life. Indeed, Peter, after saying: “You are the Christ”, then goes on to say: “the Son of the living God” (v. 16). Witness arises from an encounter with the living Jesus. At the centre of Paul’s life too, we find that same word that rises up from Peter’s heart: Christ. Paul repeats this name constantly, almost four hundred times in his letters! For him, Christ is not only a model, an example, a point of reference: he is life itself. Paul writes: “For me to live is Christ” (Phil 1:21). Jesus is Paul’s present and his future, so much so that he considers the past as refuse in comparison to the surpassing knowledge of Christ (cf. Phil 3:7-8).”
– Pope Francis’ homily at Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Solemnity of SS. Peter and Paul on June 29, 2019.
Close
June 29
Saints Peter and Paul
June 30
Daily Saints – 30 June.
Feast of Saint Donatus of Münstereifel.
He is the patron saint against lightning, against storms, against fire, bakers, winemakers.
Donatus was the son of Faustus, a non-Christian, and Flaminia, a Christian. When Faustus was deathly ill, his wife Flaminia sought the intercession of Saint Gervasius, who assured her that her husband would recover and beget a son. This came to pass, and Flaminia named the boy Donatus, which means “gift”.
She educated him in the Christian faith. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the famed 12th Legion “Fulminatrix”, i.e., the “Thundering Legion”. He rapidly rose through the ranks and in his mid-20’s he was a captain in the 12th imperial Roman legion.
Around the year 166, his unit was fighting Germanic tribes along the Danube river. The Romans got surrounded and cut off from supplies, including water, for days. The pagan Romans pleaded with their gods for relief, but nothing happened. Donatus finally got all the Christian soldiers together (due to persecutions of Christians, they did not call attention to themselves) and prayed, and a storm blew in; the Romans captured all the water they needed, lightning struck the German camp, and the legion chased the tribes back across the river. However, being exposed as a Christian led to Donatus being executed and became a Martyr.
Later legend says that in thanks for the life-saving rain, Donatus promised to lead a single life devoted to God. For his victory against the Germans, Donatus was promoted to colonel in the personal guard of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
To solidify his devotion to the emperor by family ties, Donatus was ordered to marry the emperor’s grand-daughter Alexandria. He refused because of his vow, and when he explained why, he was identified as a Christian and executed.
Feast of Saint Donatus of Münstereifel.
He is the patron saint against lightning, against storms, against fire, bakers, winemakers.
Donatus was the son of Faustus, a non-Christian, and Flaminia, a Christian. When Faustus was deathly ill, his wife Flaminia sought the intercession of Saint Gervasius, who assured her that her husband would recover and beget a son. This came to pass, and Flaminia named the boy Donatus, which means “gift”.
She educated him in the Christian faith. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the famed 12th Legion “Fulminatrix”, i.e., the “Thundering Legion”. He rapidly rose through the ranks and in his mid-20’s he was a captain in the 12th imperial Roman legion.
Around the year 166, his unit was fighting Germanic tribes along the Danube river. The Romans got surrounded and cut off from supplies, including water, for days. The pagan Romans pleaded with their gods for relief, but nothing happened. Donatus finally got all the Christian soldiers together (due to persecutions of Christians, they did not call attention to themselves) and prayed, and a storm blew in; the Romans captured all the water they needed, lightning struck the German camp, and the legion chased the tribes back across the river. However, being exposed as a Christian led to Donatus being executed and became a Martyr.
Later legend says that in thanks for the life-saving rain, Donatus promised to lead a single life devoted to God. For his victory against the Germans, Donatus was promoted to colonel in the personal guard of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
To solidify his devotion to the emperor by family ties, Donatus was ordered to marry the emperor’s grand-daughter Alexandria. He refused because of his vow, and when he explained why, he was identified as a Christian and executed.
Close
June 30
Saint Donatus