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| Saint Peregrine - Patron Saint of Cancer |
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Posted by: Hildegard of Bingen - 02-01-2021, 11:34 PM - Forum: The Saints
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The Patron Saint of Cancer
Feast Day: May 1st
SAINT PEREGRINE LAZIOSI
In the beginning century, the citizens of certain towns in Italy were opposed to accepting the spiritual an civil rights of the Holy See. Among these was the small town of Forli, located on the Adriatic Sea. In the year 1265, there was born Peregrine Laziosi, the youngest member of a rich and civilly potent family, the members of which were in the midst of the political and spiritual rebellion against the Pope or Papacy.
At the early age of 18 years, Peregrine was an active participant and leader of the antipapal forces in Forli. An open rebellion ultimately occurred in the city of Forli. Pope Martin IV enlisted the assistance of King John of Naples to overcome this antagonism.
The Pontiff placed Forli under interdiction but even excommunication did not influence the attitudes and behavior of the citizens. Philip Benizi, who subsequently achieved sainthood, had been frequently mentioned as a possible future pope; he was selected to go to Forli and appeal ot the people through his persuasive oratory and profound sanctity.
As the official Papal Ambassador, he was ill received, and subjected to abuse and beatings with clubs and rocks.
Peregrine, a young and impetuous leader, actually struck Philip in the face, knocking him down. The saintly Ambassador immediately forgave the youth and uttered a prayer for him.
Although the citizens of Forli cheered Peregrine for his violence, he personally was overcome by the meekness and tolerance of Philip, so that in his penitence, he ran three miles to encounter him again and at this meeting confessed his guilt, cried, and begged forgiveness.
Philip encouraged him to rededicate himself, which he did by spending long hours in prayer in the Chapel of Our Lady in the cathedral. In the course of his meditation there, he experienced a divine calling, urging him to go to Siena. On arriving there, he was received into the Order of the Servants of Mary by the same Philip Benizi, five times General of the Order. The Order of the Servants of Mary (Servites) was founded in 1233 by seven saints, to propagate devotion to the Sorrows of Mary.
Peregrine underwent complete reformation, avoided all political entanglements, and dedicated his life to labors among the poor, the sick, and the sinful.
He accepted a commission to re-establish the Servite Monastery in his home town of Forli. His tender care of the sick during a calamitous plague in Forli in 1323 secured for him the everlasting gratitude and respect of the citizens. I is said that for 30 years he never sat down, and when he was forced to sleep, he did so by leaning against a wall.
Peregrine spent 62 years of his life in this religious order. In the course of this period, a huge ulcerative growth appeared on Peregrine’s leg, exposing the bone and emanating the odor of gangrene. He was examined by the best physicians of his time, who unanimously pronounced the lesion to be cancerous and advised amputation of the leg.
The night before the scheduled operation, Peregrine dragged himself to the small chapel of the hospital and spent the night praying before the crucifix. He then fell asleep and dreamed that Christ had reached out from the cross and touched his diseased leg. On awakening, it was found that his leg had healed completely, with no trace of the cancer. This miracle might have been the first spontaneous cure of cancer.
He continued his work among the sick until he died on May 1st, 1345, his 80th birthday.
Peregrine was beatified in 1609. Pope Benedict XIII solemnly canonized him in 1726.
In the years 1608, 1697, and 1715, when his remains were exhumed for inspection, the body was found intact. In 1926, the second centenary of the canonization of St. Peregrine, the Bishop of Forli again examined the body and found it to be nearly perfect.
St. Peregrine has been declared the universal patron of Spain, and in Vienna is cherished as the most popular saint. He is commonly invoked for the cure, survival and alleviation of cancer patients, for which he is best known in Austria, Hungary, Bavaria and Italy.
St. Peregrine Novena
Oh great Saint Peregrine,
You, who have been called “The Mighty”
And “The Wonder Worker”
Because of the numerous miracles
Which you have obtained from God
For those who have had recourse to you.
For so many years you bore in your own flesh
This cancerous disease that destroys
The very fiber of our being,
And who had recourse to the source of all grace
When the power of man could do no more.
You were favored with the vision of Jesus
Coming down from His Cross to heal your affliction.
Ask of God and Our Lady,
The cure of these sick persons whom we entrust to you.
(State your intention here. . .)
Aided in his way by your powerful intercession,
We shall sing to God,
Now and for all eternity,
A song of gratitude for His great goodness
And mercy.
Amen.
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A Prayer to Saint Peregrine
For Sick Relatives and Friends
O great St. Peregrine, you have been called
“The Mighty”, “The Wonder Worker” because
Of the numerous miracles which you obtained
From God for those who have turned to you
In their need. For so many years, you bore
In your own flesh this cancerous disease
That destroys the very fiber of our being.
You turned to God when the power
Of human beings could do no more,
And you were favored with the vision of Jesus
Coming down from His cross to heal your affliction.
I now ask God to heal these sick persons
Whom I entrust to you:
(here mention their names)
Aided by your powerful intercession,
I shall sing with Mary a hymn of gratitude
To God for His great goodness and mercy.
Amen.
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Prayer to Saint Peregrine
God, who gave Saint Peregrine
And angel as his companion,
The Mother of God as his
Teacher, and Jesus as the
Physician for his illness;
Grant, we ask You, that we
On earth may intensely
Love the Blessed Virgin Mary
And our Savior, and in Heaven
Bless them forever.
Grant that we receive
The favor for which
We now ask through
Jesus Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
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| Explanation of Candlemas, the Purification of Our Lady |
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Posted by: Elizabeth - 02-01-2021, 03:10 PM - Forum: Church Doctrine & Teaching
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FEBRUARY 2nd - THE PURIFICATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
PURPOSE OF THIS FEAST
Benedict XIV believes that the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin has an apostolic origin. It is certain, at least, that it was already ancient in the fifth century. - For a long time, it was a feast of precept.
The Greek Church and the Church of Milan rank the solemnity of February 2nd among the feasts of Our Lord. But the Roman Church has always counted it among the feasts of the Blessed Virgin. "Without a doubt," says D. Guéranger, "the Child Jesus is offered today in the temple and redeemed; but it is the occasion for the Purification of Mary, of which this offering and redemption are a consequence. "
Our Lord, as St. Paul remarks, in becoming man, wanted to be born under the law; that is to say, without being obliged to do so, since He was the Supreme Lawgiver, He deigned to submit to all the observances that this law imposed on the Jews. He also subjected His Mother to it.
Now, there were two precepts concerning mothers to whom God granted a newborn child.
The first one was general and addressed to all. He commanded the women of Israel, after they had given birth, to stay forty days, if they had given birth to a son, and eighty, if it was a daughter, without coming near the tabernacle. When this time had expired, they were to offer a sacrifice to be purified. This sacrifice consisted of a lamb that was to be consumed as a burnt offering. A turtledove and a dove were added to it, to be offered, according to the ritual of the sacrifice, for sin. Mothers who were too poor to present a lamb could replace it with another turtledove and dove. The sin sacrifice was for the sin in which the child was born. The holocaust meant the consecration of the child to God. That is why the child was presented to the Lord at the same time.
The second precept only concerned the first-born, both men and animals. All the firstborn of Israel were to be redeemed from the Lord, for He had reserved them for Himself as His own possession, when He had spared His people by striking the firstborn of Egypt, from man to beast of burden.
If Mary had been an ordinary woman and Jesus a child like the others, They would have been under the obligation of the law. But, apart from the fact that the law is subject to the legislator, it was irrelevant here. For the Most Pure Virgin had not contracted any defilement through Her virginal birth, and the life of the incarnate Son of God did not need to be redeemed for money, since it was to be sacrificed for the redemption of all. But the Word made man wanted to be like His adopted brothers in everything except sin. He submitted Himself and His Mother under the humiliating yoke of the law.
When the forty days marked by the law had passed, Mary came to the Temple, carrying her Son in Her arms and accompanied by St. Joseph.
FULFILLMENT OF THE PROPHECIES ABOUT THE NEW TEMPLE - SIMEON AND ANNE
Jesus' entry into the Temple in Jerusalem fulfilled a prophecy of the prophet Haggai.
When Zerubbabel returned from the captivity of Babylon and raised the Temple from its ruins, the old men, who had seen the Temple of Solomon in its glory, were saddened when they compared the new construction to it, and the Temple of Zerubbabel was in their eyes as if it were not, said the prophet. Haggai consoled them, saying:
"Take courage, Zerubbabel; take courage, Jesus, Son of Josedec, Supreme Pontiff; take courage, people of this earth. For this is what the Lord, God of hosts, says: A little while longer; I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and the continents; I will shake the peoples; and the desire of all nations will come; and I will fill this house with glory. The glory of this second house shall be greater than that of the first, and in that place, I will give peace, says the Lord God of hosts. »
Malachi, the last of the prophets of Israel, confirmed the words of Haggai: "The Dominator you seek, and the Angel of the testament you desire, will come quickly into His temple. Here He comes, says the Lord of hosts. And who will be able to know the day of His coming, and who will be there to see Him when He comes?”
The prophet means that Israel, as a nation, will not recognize and receive its desired Messiah. Many, however, will receive Him and be saved.
These happy faithful, children of peace and salvation, are represented in the Temple by the old man Simeon and Anna the prophetess. "Who will be there to see him," Malachi asked. Behold, these two holy figures are awakening to answer the prophet's desire.
There was in Jerusalem, says St. Luke, an old man named Simeon, a just and God-fearing man, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was with him. He had known by revelation that he would not see death until he had contemplated the Lord's Christ. He knew, moreover, by prophecy, that the time of His coming had come. "This is why, " says St. Vincent Ferrier, "he went to the temple every day and when he saw a mother entering the temple with a child in her arms, he would ask: Is it a son or a daughter?" And the Holy Ghost said nothing to him until the day when Mary came with Her Son.
On that day, the Holy Ghost said to him, "Today you will meet the Messiah, your King, in the Temple, and you will be able to contemplate Him. "
So, Simeon got up early in the morning, purified himself and put on his best clothes; he was fit to receive a king. Then he hurried to the Temple.
When Mary entered with Joseph, the Holy Ghost said to him, "Simeon, this is the Mother of the One you are waiting for, and Her Son is the King and the Messiah promised in the law." Immediately the old man worshipped Him weeping with joy. He took the Child in his arms and sang this song:
"Now, O Lord, Thou will let Thy servant go in peace, according to Thy word; for my eyes have seen the Savior Thou were preparing, the Light that is to enlighten the Gentiles, the Glory of Thy people Israel.”
This inspired hymn is the cry of the Old Testament that fades before the New and prepares to disappear.
But who can tell the displacements of Simeon, in whom lived all the desires of the patriarchs and prophets, when he held in his arms Him Who was the fulfillment of them? St. Francis de Sales meditating on this mystery, with his naive tenderness, cried out: "But, this Simeon, is he not blessed to embrace this Divine Child? Yes, but I cannot be grateful to him for the bad trick he wanted to do; for, being out of himself, he wanted to take Him with him into the other world: Now, he says, let Thy servant go in peace. Alas! We still needed Him, the rest of us!"
Mary and Joseph were in awe because of all that was said about Jesus. No doubt They knew perfectly well that Jesus was God's beloved Son and the promised Savior of the world, but They admired the wonderful way God had revealed some secrets that Their humility had revealed to no one.
Simeon showered Them with blessings and then, seeing prophetically in this Child the victim who was to be immolated for sinners, he said to Mary, His Mother: "This Child is established for the ruin and resurrection of many in Israel, and to be a sign of contradiction. And Thy own soul shall be pierced with a sword of sorrow, that the thoughts of many, which were hidden in the depths of their hearts, may be revealed.”
There was also in Jerusalem a prophetess named Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, and had lived only seven years with her husband, and she had remained a widow until the age of eighty-four, not leaving the Temple, serving God day and night in fasting and prayer. So, when she came at the same time as Simeon, she also began to praise the Lord, and since then she has spoken of Him to all those who were waiting for the redemption of Israel.
HOW MARY HUMILIATED HERSELF IN THE TEMPLE
The Gospel, after speaking of the meeting of the old man Simeon and Anna the prophetess, only adds that Mary fulfills all that was prescribed by the law, that is, the ceremony of purification and redemption of Her Firstborn. We will borrow again from Saint Vincent Ferrier the pious considerations he makes on these two subjects.
"There was a place in the Temple," he says, "and this custom is still observed among Jews today, a place reserved for noble and wealthy women, another for women of low status, and a third for virgins. Mary, on entering, examined to see which group She should join. She belonged to the highest nobility, since She was the daughter of David; but She was poor and simply clothed, for She had given, for the love of God, all the gold brought to Her by the kings of the East and wanted to live only by the work of Her hands. If She had gone to the side of the rich, those haughty women could have said to Her, "Go to the place that suits Thee. What! the Wife of a craftsman claims to take Her place among us!" She had the right to associate with virgins, being Herself the most excellent of virgins. But the virgins would have said to Her: "How can Thou come with us, Thou who have a husband and a Son?”
"So, She went to be with the poor women of the people. And so, the prophecy of the book of Canticles was fulfilled: "My Beloved is among women like a lily among thorns." And this was the first example of humility that Mary gave on that day.
"She gave a second no less astonishing one by complying with the prescriptions of the law. For the law commanded that the woman, forty days after giving birth, should come to the temple, and kneeling before the priest, she said, "This is my oblation; offer the sacrifice for me, that God may forgive me my sins." The priest offered the sacrifice and then blessed the woman, and she withdrew.
"The Virgin Mary wanted to go through all these observances. She said to the priest: "Today is the fortieth day since I gave birth to this Son; He was circumcised on the eighth day and received the name of Jesus." And She gave him Her offering of two turtledoves and two doves, asking him to pray for Her. O height of humility! The Blessed Virgin said to the sinner: “Pray for Me.” And the priest did not know Her. But Isaiah knew Her better when he said, "Behold, the Virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and His name will be Emmanuel," that is, God with us.
Jesus did not cede Himself in humility to His Mother when He wanted to be presented to God. He certainly did not need it, for He had not left His Father to come to the earth, but He had come down as the ray that does not separate from the sun to come and lighten the earth. Yet He wanted to be presented to Him as a stranger.
He was born so poor, that His Mother could not offer a lamb to the priest for Him. It was not fitting, moreover, that She should present this figurative lamb, when She carried in Her arms the true Lamb of God and came to offer to the Heavenly Father the Great Victim who was to be immolated for the salvation of all men. So, Mary was content to offer, like the poor, two turtledoves and two doves.
THE SON OF GOD IS REDEEMED ACCORDING TO THE LAW
The law of redemption of the first-born had yet to be fulfilled.
"The first-born child," said Saint Vincent Ferrier, "belonged to God and to the priest. But he was redeemed at the price of five shekels of silver. If his parents could not provide the five shekels, the child remained with the priest and was brought up to serve in the temple.
"Mary gave Her Son into the hands of the priest, who offered Him to the Lord. Foolish! If he had known Him, he would have bowed down before Him. Seeing the poverty of the Mother, the priest prepared to keep Him. But Our Lady said to him, "Do not hold him back; here are five shekels which I have brought."
"She had earned them by Her own labor, and perhaps She had cut back on Her food, so that She could redeem Her Child. So, She opened Her purse, which was not made of silk or woven of gold and took the money from it and gave it to the priest as the law prescribed."
THE BLESSING OF THE CANDLES
And so, the mysteries of that day were fulfilled, and so the Light of the world, which was destined to enlighten all the nations of the earth, entered the Temple of the Lord and shone before Him.
In order to represent this heavenly light, the Church is accustomed to making a splendid blessing of candles on February 2nd. This ceremony was instituted by Pope St. Gelasius towards the end of the fifth century and gave the feast its popular name of Candlemas.
The candles that are blessed before the Mass of the Purification, therefore, signify Our Lord Jesus Christ. According to Yves de Chartres, the wax that composes them, formed from the juice of the flowers by the bees, which antiquity has always considered a type of virginity, signifies the Virgin Flesh of the Divine Child, Who has not altered, in His conception, nor in His birth, the integrity of Mary. In the flame of the candle, we must see the symbol of Christ Who came to illuminate our darkness.
Saint Anselm, developing the same mystery, tells us that there are three things to consider in the candle: the wax, the wick and the flame. The wax, the work of the virginal bee, is the Flesh of Christ; the wick, which is interior, is the soul; the flame, which shines in the upper part, is the Divinity.
The candles blessed by the Church are carried by ministers and all the clergy in a procession that was instituted by Pope Sergius in the seventh century. This procession symbolizes the Holy Church setting out to meet the Emmanuel and is an imitation of the marvelous procession that is taking place at this very moment in the Temple of Jerusalem.
"Today," says St. Bernard, "the Virgin Mother introduces the Lord of the Temple into the Temple of the Lord; Joseph presents to the Lord, not a son of his own, but the Beloved Son of the Lord, in Whom He has put His mercy. The Righteous Man recognizes the One he has been waiting for; the widow Anna exalts Him with her praises. These four people celebrated today's procession for the first time, which was to be solemnized in the joy of the whole world, in every place and by all nations. Let us not be surprised, therefore, that this procession was so small, for He Who was received in it had become small. No sinner appeared in it: all were righteous, holy and perfect."
It is the same thought that the Church expresses in the antiphon She sings in the procession:
"Decorate your bridal chamber, Zion, and receive Christ the King; welcome with love Mary, Who is the door to heaven; for She holds in Her arms the King of glory, Who is the new light."
The Candlemas procession thus appears to us as the march of the Christian people in the light of Christ, represented by the candles carried by the clergy, the chosen portion of the Church, just as Jesus Himself was carried in the arms of Mary, between those of the holy old man Simeon and of the Pontiff who offered Him to the Lord.
Candlemas candles are not only meant to represent for one day the mystery of Christ. They are still a blessed object for the use of the faithful and one of the most precious to be preserved in a Christian family.
In the past, the faithful themselves brought candles to the church on the Day of the Purification, so that they could be blessed with those that the priests and ministers carried in the procession. This custom still exists in many places, and it would be desirable that it be revived everywhere.
Today's Christians, by leaving behind these ancient practices established by the Church, in Her maternal solicitude, have deprived themselves too much of a precious safeguard against the malice of the devil and of a powerful support of the supernatural spirit that many particular devotions, unknown to the Saints, will never replace.
The candles thus blessed at Candlemas, kept in the homes of Christians, are a pledge of Divine Protection and a symbol of the spiritual illumination of souls by the Holy Ghost. This is what is taught by the very formula of the blessing that the Church consecrates to them:
"Lord Jesus Christ, true light that enlightens every man coming into this world, pour Thy blessing on these candles and sanctify them with the light of Thy grace, and as these torches, burning with a visible fire, drive out darkness, so deign to make our hearts, burning with an invisible fire, that is to say, from the splendor of the Holy Ghost, be delivered from the blindness of all vices, so that, the eye of our soul being purified, we may see the things that are pleasing to Thee and useful for our salvation, and merit, after the shadows and dangers of this age, to come to the light that never goes out."
In another prayer, the Church asks God to bless and sanctify the candles "for the use of men and for the health of bodies and souls, whether on earth or on the waters. "
It is in the spirit of the Church to light the candles of Candlemas whenever it is a question of repelling the spirits of darkness which, as St. Paul teaches us, are everywhere in the air and which constantly seek to harm us in our souls, in our bodies, in our possessions.
They are lit, in particular, during a storm, to appease it; when thunder rumbles; to obtain the protection of heaven in a place where the presence of the devil is felt to drive him out; but especially near the bed of a dying man, to keep away from him the enemy of men who then makes his supreme effort, and often a terrible effort, to snatch from God the soul that struggles in agony. It is then, in fact, that we must call to our aid with greater insistence the Redeemer, Whose sight illuminated with joy the last days of Simeon, and the Virgin Helper, so that They may give us, before our departure, the kiss of eternal peace. May our souls thus reach the blessed light of heaven.
La Vie des Saints (Lives of the Saints)
E. Petithenry, Imp.-gérant, 8, rue François Ier, Paris.
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| Seniors are Dying Like Flies after Covid Shot |
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Posted by: SAguide - 02-01-2021, 02:45 PM - Forum: COVID Vaccines
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A brief explanation: The first video below points out 3 separate stories about covid related shots. It begins with the 2 stories of health care workers who died after receiving the shot, one from Ohio the other from California.
At 3 minutes into the video is about a nursing home whistleblower and shows a portion of his longer 47 min. video. I have posted a link to that 47 min. video which is on rumble below the video that I'm describing here.
James (he gives his last name in the video) is a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant), and he recorded this video as a whistleblower because he could not keep silent any longer.
James reports that in 2020 very few residents in the nursing home where he works got sick with COVID, and none of them died during the entire year of 2020.
However, shortly after administering the Pfizer experimental mRNA injections, 14 died within two weeks, and he reports that many others are near death.
He makes it very clear that these were patients he knew and cared for (he is also a "lay pastor"), and that after being injected with the mRNA shot, residents who used to walk on their own can no longer walk. Residents who used to carry on an intelligent conversation with him could no longer talk.
And now they are dying. "They're dropping like flies."
James calls upon other CNAs, Nurses, and family members to go public and tell the world what is going on with these experimental mRNA COVID injections.
"How many more lives need to be lost before we say something?"
If you know what is happening, but are not speaking out, then you are part of the problem.
Full story link
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| March 15th - St. Clement Mary Hofbauer |
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Posted by: Elizabeth - 02-01-2021, 02:21 PM - Forum: March
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![[Image: tumblr_ndkftycWjb1sknvnko1_500.jpg]](https://www.africaredemptorists.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/tumblr_ndkftycWjb1sknvnko1_500.jpg)
Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer
Redemptorist Priest, confessor
(1751-1821)
Born in 1751, the youngest of twelve children, Clement was six years old when his father died. His great desire was to become a priest, but since his family was unable to give him the necessary education, he became a baker's assistant, devoting all his spare time to study. He was a servant in the Premonstratensian monastery of Bruck from 1771 to 1775, then lived for some time as a hermit. He made three pilgrimages to Rome, and during the third, accompanied by a good friend, he entered with the same friend the Redemptorist novitiate at San Giuliano. The two were professed in 1785 and ordained a few days later.
The two priests were sent in the same year to found a house north of the Alps, and Saint Alphonsus, Founder of the Redemptorist Order, prophesied their success. They were granted a church in Warsaw by King Stanislaus Poniatowski, and labored under incredible difficulties from 1786 to 1808. A larger church was also reserved for them, where daily instructions were given for non-Catholics. Saint Clement also founded in Warsaw an orphanage and a school for boys. His great friend, Thaddeus Habul, died in 1807; the following year four houses founded by Saint Clement were suppressed and the Redemptorists expelled from the Grand Duchy.
Saint Clement went with one companion to Vienna, where for the last twelve years of his life he acted as chaplain and director at an Ursuline convent. There he exercised a veritable apostolate among all classes in the capital. He devoted himself in a special way to the conversion and formation of young men. When he died in 1821, Pius VII said, Religion in Austria has lost its chief support.
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| March 14th - St. Mathilda |
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Posted by: Elizabeth - 02-01-2021, 02:19 PM - Forum: March
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Saint Mathilda
Empress
(† 968)
This princess, the greatest glory of her noble family, was the daughter of Theodoric, a powerful Saxon count, and Reinhilde, a princess of Denmark. Her parents placed her very young in the monastery of Erfort, of which her grandmother Maude had become the Abbess. The young girl became in that house an accomplished model of all virtues and domestic arts. She remained there until her parents married her to the virtuous and valiant Henry, son of Otto, Duke of Saxony, in 913. On the death in 919 of the Emperor of Germany, Conrad I, Henry was chosen by his troops to succeed him. Henry was a pious and diligent prince, and very kind to his subjects. By his arms he checked the insolence of invading neighboring armies, and enlarged his dominions by adding to them Bavaria.
Saint Mathilda, during those years, gained over the enemies of God spiritual victories yet more worthy of a Christian and far greater in the eyes of heaven. Blessed with five children, whom she raised in the fear of God, she nourished in their souls the precious seeds of devotion and humility through prayer and good works. It was her delight to visit, comfort, and exhort the sick and the afflicted; to serve and instruct the poor, and to afford her charitable assistance to prisoners. Her husband, edified by her example, concurred with her in every pious undertaking which she proposed, and his military victories served for the propagation of the Gospel in pagan lands. The two sovereigns labored concertedly for the reign of justice in all their domains, and for the happiness and welfare of their subjects, constructing hospitals, churches and monasteries. Their three sons became Saint Bruno, Archbishop of Cologne; Otto the Great, who succeeded his father as emperor of Germany; and Henry, Duke of Bavaria. The two daughters married Louis d'Outremer, King of France, and Hugh Capet, first of the Capetian race of French kings.
After twenty-three years of marriage God was pleased in the year 936 to call the king to Himself. Before his death, he thanked his worthy companion for having moderated his sometimes too-severe justice, and praised her in the presence of the entire court. Saint Mathilda persevered long in prayer, continuing her good works as before, but could not avoid the difficulties which jealousy of sovereigns almost invariably provokes. She was successfully accused to her own son, Otto, of concealing great riches, and he caused guards to be posted around her, and he led his brother Henry into his own error, to oblige her to leave the court. Without bitterness towards them, she took refuge elsewhere. Eventually Edith, wife of Otto, saw in the mortal illness threatening Henry, a sign of God's anger provoked by their conduct toward their mother, and recommended the return of Saint Mathilda. Her sons begged her pardon with tears, and afterwards perfect understanding reigned between the mother and sons.
Henry died not long afterwards, and his mother thereafter retired almost completely from court life to concern herself with the care of prisoners, the poor and the sick, and the construction of a very large monastery for women at Nordhausen. Eventually she herself entered it, and on March 14, 968, after spending her final years in prayer and penance, she died lying on the floor, having spread ashes upon her head herself. She was venerated as a Saint immediately after her death.
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| March 13th - St. Euphrasia |
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Posted by: Elizabeth - 02-01-2021, 02:18 PM - Forum: March
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Saint Euphrasia
Virgin
(382-412)
Saint Euphrasia, born in Constantinople, was the daughter of noble and pious parents, honored by the pious Emperor Theodosius and the Empress of that city. After the early death of Antigonus, her father, her mother consecrated her widowhood to God, and retired with their only child into Egypt, where she possessed a very large estate. In those days there were many monasteries of nuns as well as of holy cenobites; in one single city there were twenty thousand such holy women, consecrated to Jesus Christ. Euphrasia's mother chose to reside near a monastery of one hundred and thirty nuns, which she often visited, accompanied by Euphrasia. When the little girl, seven years of age, begged that she might be permitted to serve God in this monastery, the pious mother wept for joy.
Then the mother led her before an image of our Redeemer, and lifting up her hands to heaven said, Lord Jesus Christ, receive this child under Your special protection. It is You alone whom she loves and seeks; to You she recommends herself. Then leaving her in the hands of the abbess, she went out of the monastery weeping. She continued her life of prayer and mortification, and a few years later, when this good mother fell sick, she slept in peace.
On receiving the news of her death, Theodosius sent for the noble virgin to come to court, as he considered himself her protector, and already during her childhood had arranged for her to be married to a young senator of Constantinople, when she would reach a suitable age. But the virgin wrote him, refusing the alliance, repeating her vow of virginity, and requesting that her estates be sold and divided among the poor, and all her slaves set at liberty. The emperor punctually executed all her wishes, shortly before his death in 395.
Saint Euphrasia was a perfect pattern of humility, meekness, and charity. If she found herself assaulted by any temptation, she immediately sought the advice of the abbess, who often on such occasions assigned to her some humbling and painful penitential labor, which she would execute to perfection. Once she moved a pile of great rocks from one place to another, continuing for thirty days with wonderful simplicity, until the devil, vanquished by her humble obedience, left her in peace. She became powerful over the demons, and delivered many possessed persons. She cured a child who was paralyzed, deaf and dumb, making the sign of the cross over him and saying, May He who created you, heal you! She was favored with other miracles also, both before and after her death, which occurred in the year 412, the thirtieth of her age.
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| March 12th - St. Gregory the Great |
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Posted by: Elizabeth - 02-01-2021, 02:15 PM - Forum: March
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Saint Gregory the Great
Pope, Doctor of the Church
(540-604)
Saint Gregory the Great was a Roman of noble Christian birth, the son of a canonized Saint, his mother, Saint Silva; and he was the nephew of two others, Saints Tarsilla and Emiliana. At thirty years of age he became the Prefect of Rome, the highest civil dignity of that city. On his father's death in 574 he gave his great wealth to the poor, turned his house on the Caelian Hill into the monastery which now bears his name, and for several years lived as a perfect monk. His famous exposition of the Book of Job dates from his monastic years.
The Pope drew him from his seclusion in 578 to make him one of the seven deacons of Rome; and for seven years he rendered great service to the Church as what we now call Papal Nuncio to the imperial court at Constantinople. He had been sent there to obtain assistance against the Lombard invasions, but returned with a conviction which was a foundation of his later activity, that no help could any longer be obtained from that court. When he was recalled to Rome he became Abbot of his Monastery, then known by the name of Saint Andrew's.
While still a monk the Saint was struck by the sight of some fair-complexioned boys who were exposed for sale in Rome, and heard with sorrow that they were pagans. And of what race are they? he asked. They are Angles. Worthy indeed to be Angels of God, said he. He at once obtained permission from the Pope to set out to evangelize the English. With several companion monks he had already made a three-days' journey when the Pope, ceding to the regrets of the Roman people, sent out messengers to overtake and recall them. Still the Angles were not forgotten, and one of the Saint's first cares as Pope was to send, from his own monastery, Saint Augustine and forty more monks to England.
On the death of Pope Pelagius II, Saint Gregory was compelled to take upon himself the government of the Church, and for fourteen years his pontificate was a perfect model of ecclesiastical rule. He healed schisms, revived discipline, and saved Italy by converting the wild Arian Lombards who were laying it waste; he aided in the conversion of the Spanish and French Goths, who also were Arians, and kindled anew in Britain the light of the Faith, which the Anglo-Saxons had extinguished in blood. He set in order the Church's prayers and chant, guided and consoled her pastors with innumerable letters, and preached incessantly, most effectively by his own example. Many of his sermons are still extant and are famous for their constant use of Holy Scripture. His writings are numerous and include fourteen books of his letters.
Saint Gregory I died in 604, worn out by austerities and toils. The Church includes him among her four great Latin doctors, and reveres him as Saint Gregory the Great.
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| Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party |
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Posted by: Stone - 02-01-2021, 08:11 AM - Forum: Socialism & Communism
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Secular source:
Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party
Introduction
BY EPOCH TIMES STAFF | May 13, 2012 Updated: July 27, 2020
The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party were first published in November of 2004, followed quickly by an English translation. In 15 years, the series has led over 300 million Chinese to renounce the communist party and its affiliated organizations, fostering an unprecedented peaceful movement for transformation and change in China. People continue to renounce the party every day. Here we republish the newly re-edited Nine Commentaries, linked to video versions produced by our partner media NTD Television.
More than a decade after the fall of the former Soviet Union and the Eastern European communist regimes, the international communist movement has been spurned worldwide. The demise of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is only a matter of time.
Nevertheless, before its complete collapse, the CCP is trying to tie its fate to the Chinese nation, with its 5000 years of civilization. This is a disaster for the Chinese people. The Chinese people must now face the impending questions of how to view the CCP, how to help China evolve into a society without the CCP, and how to pass on the Chinese heritage.
The Epoch Times is now publishing a special editorial series, Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. Before the lid is laid on the coffin of the CCP, we wish to pass a final judgment on it and on the international communist movement, which has been a scourge to humanity for over a century.
Throughout its 80-plus years, everything the CCP has touched has been marred with lies, wars, famine, tyranny, massacre, and terror. Traditional faiths and principles have been violently destroyed. Original ethical concepts and social structures have been disintegrated by force. Empathy, love, and harmony among people have been twisted into struggle and hatred. Veneration and appreciation of heaven and earth have been replaced by an arrogant desire to “fight with heaven and earth.”
The result has been a total collapse of social, moral, and ecological systems, and a profound crisis for the Chinese people—and indeed for humanity. All these calamities have been brought about through the deliberate planning, organization, and control of the CCP.
As a famous Chinese poem goes, “Deeply I sigh in vain for the falling flowers.” The end is near for the communist regime, which is barely struggling to survive. The days before its collapse are numbered. The Epoch Times believes the time is now ripe, before the CCP’s total demise, for a comprehensive look back, in order to fully expose how this largest cult in history has embodied the wickedness of all times and places.
We hope that those who are still deceived by the CCP will now see its nature clearly, purge its poison from their spirits, extricate their minds from its evil control, free themselves from the shackles of terror, and abandon for good all illusions about it.
The CCP’s rule is the darkest and the most ridiculous page in Chinese history. Among its unending list of crimes, the vilest must be its persecution of Falun Gong. In persecuting Falun Gong’s principles of “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance,” Jiang Zemin has driven the last nail into the CCP’s coffin.
The Epoch Times believes that by understanding the true history of the CCP, we can help prevent such tragedies from ever recurring. At the same time, we hope each one of us would reflect on our innermost thoughts and examine whether our cowardice and compromise have made us accomplices in many tragedies that could have been avoided.
1. On What the Communist Party Is
2. On the Beginnings of the Chinese Communist Party
3. On the Tyranny of the Chinese Communist Party
4. On How the Communist Party Opposes the Universe
5. On the Collusion of Jiang Zemin with the CCP to Persecute Falun Gong
6. On How the Chinese Communist Party Destroyed Traditional Culture
7. On the Chinese Communist Party’s History of Killing
8. On How the Chinese Communist Party Is an Evil Cult
9. On the Unscrupulous Nature of the Chinese Communist Party
Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party: FAQ
The Commentaries are also available in Video, and PDF format.
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| Fourteen Obvious and Crucial Questions about COVID 19 Vacines |
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Posted by: Stone - 02-01-2021, 07:38 AM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Secular]
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14 obvious crucial questions about the Wuhan virus vaccines
“They” originally promised the only way back to “normal” was a vaccine for coronavirus. “They” obviously lied.
January 29, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) - A friend in Ireland sent this to me.
According to the government...
If I get vaccinated:
1.- Can I stop wearing the mask?
Government Response - No
2.- Can they reopen restaurants, pubs, bars etc and everyone work normally?
3.- Will I be resistant to covid?
Government Response - Maybe, but we don't know exactly, it probably won't stop you getting it
4.- At least I won't be contagious to others anymore?
Government Response - No you can still pass it on, possibly, nobody knows.
5.- If we vaccinate all children, will school resume normally?
Government Response - No
6.- If I am vaccinated, can I stop social distancing?
Government Response - No
7.- If I am vaccinated, can I stop disinfecting my hands?
Government Response - No
8.- If I vaccinate myself and my grandfather, can we hug each other?
Government Response - No
9.- Will cinemas, theatres and stadiums be reopened thanks to vaccines?
Government Response - No
10.- Will the vaccinated be able to gather?
Government Response - No
11.- What is the real benefit of vaccination?
Government Response - The virus won't kill you.
12.- Are you sure it won't kill me?
Government Response - No
13.- If statistically the virus won't kill me anyway ... Why would I get vaccinated?"
Government Response - To protect others.
14.- So if I get vaccinated, the others are 100% sure I'm not infecting them?
Government Response - No
So to summarize, the Covid19 vaccine...
Does not give immunity.
Does not eliminate the virus.
Does not prevent death.
Does not guarantee you won’t get it.
Does not prevent you from getting it.
Does not stop you passing it on
Does not eliminate the need for travel bans.
Does not eliminate the need for business closures.
Does not eliminate the need for lockdowns.
Does not eliminate the need for masking.
So...what is it actually doing?
You haven’t forgotten that “they” originally promised the only way back to “normal” was a vaccine for coronavirus. “They” obviously lied.
In addition, a number of prominent leaders have lately been insisting there will be no return to normal. They are now very open about saying that everything has permanently changed to a “new normal.”
Klaus Schwab – founder of the World Economic Forum – makes it very clear in this excerpt from a talk by him.
Everything that we are going through right now, including very dangerous, catastrophic lockdowns, will remain with us forever – according to “them.”
The relatively mild Wuhan virus, for which there have actually been several already existing, inexpensive, very safe, excellent preventives and treatments (see especially Dr. Simone Gold talk below) that are not allowed to be used, is their excuse for this dramatic, imposed change on the entire world population for a virus that is no more dangerous than the common flu for the large majority of the population.
Their supposed solution of the “experimental” vaccine, as you can see from the above list, is not really a medical solution at all. It is not only not effective, it is increasingly looking to be unusually dangerous for an alleged “vaccine”, which it is not.
Dr. Gold has recently given one of the best talks to date on the Wuhan virus and dangers of the “experimental” vaccines. Everyone should watch this talk. It should be promoted around the world.
So, again, what is the real purpose of these vaccines?
They have already told us – control of everyone to impose a New World Order/4th Industrial Revolution. We will all be required to have a vaccine passport or digital proof of vaccine, just as in Communist China, in order to enjoy already God-given rights and freedoms. Democracy and national sovereignty will be taken away and replaced by rule by a small, very powerful and wealthy elite.
Everyone needs to stop watching all television and newspaper news and actively organize to oppose this world tyranny. Anyone who believes any of their propaganda and goes along with it is making the biggest mistake of their lives. This tyranny, as all tyrannies do, will enslave almost everyone.
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| Septuagesima Week [Monday thru Saturday] |
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Posted by: Stone - 02-01-2021, 07:31 AM - Forum: Lent
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MONDAY OF SEPTUAGESIMA WEEK
Taken from The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Gueranger (1841-1875)
The serpent said to the woman: “Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?” Thus opened the conversation which our mother Eve so rashly consents to hold with God’s enemy. She ought to refuse all intercourse with Satan; she does not; and thereby she imperils the salvation of the whole human race.
Let us recall to mind the events that have happened up to this fatal hour. God, in His omnipotence and love, has created two beings, upon whom He has lavished all the riches of His goodness. He has destined them for immortality; and this undying life is to have everything that can make it perfectly happy. The whole of nature is subject to them, and love them with all the tenderness of grateful children. Nay, this God of goodness who has created them; deigns to be on terms of intimacy with them; and such is their simple innocence, that this adorable condescension does not seem strange to them. But there is something far beyond all this. He, whom they have hitherto known by favours of an inferior order, prepares for them a happiness which surpasses all they could picture with every effort of thought. They must first go through a trial; and if faithful, they will receive the great gift as a recompense they have merited. And this is the gift: God will give them to know Him in Himself, make them partakers of His own glory, and make their happiness infinite and eternal. Yes, this is what God has done, and is preparing to do for these two beings, who but a while ago were nothing.
In return for all these gratuitous and magnificent gifts, God asks of them but one thing: that they acknowledge His dominion over them. Nothing, surely, can be sweeter to them than to make such a return; nothing could be more just. All they are, and all they have, and all the lovely creation around them, has been produced out of nothing by the lavish munificence of this God; they must, then, live for Him, faithful, loving, and grateful. He asks them to give Him one only proof of this fidelity, love, and gratitude: He bids them not to eat of the fruit of one single tree. The only return He asks for all the favours He has bestowed upon them, is the observance of this easy commandment. His sovereign justice will be satisfied by this act of obedience. They ought to accept such terms with hearty readiness, and comply with them with a hold pride, as being not only the tie which will unite them with their God, but the sole means in their power of paying Him what He asks of them.
But there comes another voice, the voice of a creature, and it speaks to the woman: ‘Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree?’ And Eve dares, and has the heart, to listen to him that asks why her divine Benefactor has put a command upon her! She can bear to hear the justice of God’s will called in question! Instead of protesting against the sacrilegious words, she tamely answers them! Her God is blasphemed and she is not indignant! How dearly we shall have to pay for this ungrateful indifference, this indiscretion! ‘And the woman answered him, saying: Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise we do eat; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, God hath commended us that we should not eat, and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die.’ (Gen. iii. 2,3) Thus Eve not only listens to the serpent’s question, she answers him; she converses with the wicked spirit that tempts her. She exposes herself to danger; her fidelity to her Maker is compromised. True, the words she uses show that she has not forgotten His command; but they imply a certain hesitation, which savours of pride and ingratitude.
The spirit of evil finds that he has excited, in this heart, a love of independence; and that if he can but persuade her that she will not suffer from her disobedience, she is his victim. He, therefore, further addresses her with these blasphemous and lying words: “No, you shall not die the death; for God knoweth, that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” What he proposes to Eve is open rebellion. He has enkindled within her that perfidious love of self which is man’s worst evil, and which, if it be indulged, breaks the tie between him and his Creator. Thus the blessings God has bestowed, the obligation of gratitude, personal interest, all are to be disregarded and forgotten. Ungrateful man would become a god; he would imitate the rebel angels: he shall fall as they did.
In Dominica Tyrophagi
Adeadum anima mea infelix, actus tuos hodie defle, memoria recolns priorem in Eden nuditatem, propter quam deliciis et perenni gaudio excidisti.
Come, my poor soul! bewail this day thy deeds. Think within thyself of that sin which made thee naked in Eden, and robbed thee of delight and joy eternal.
Pro multa pietate atque miserationibus, Conditor creaturæ et factor universorum, me pulvere prius animatum una cum angelis tuis te collaudare præcepisti.
Creator of me and of all things! in thy great goodness and mercy, thou, having made me out of dust, and given me a soul, didst command me to unite with the angels in praising thee.
Propter bonitatis divitias, plantas tu, Conditor et Domine, paradisi delicias in Eden, jubens me speciosis jucundisque minimeque caducis fructibus oblectari.
My Maker and Lord! in the riches of thy goodness, thou plantest a paradise of delights in Eden, and biddest me feast on its lovely, sweet, and incorruptible fruits.
Hei mihi! anima mea misera, fruendarum Eden voluptatum faculatem a Deo acceperas, vetitumque tibi ne scientiæ lignum manducares: qua de causa Dei legem violasti?
Woe is me, O my wretched soul! Thy God permitted thee that thou shouldst enjoy the Eden of delights, if thou wouldst obey him and not eat of the tree of knowledge. Wherefore didst thou violate his law?
(Virgo Dei Genitrix, utpote Adami ex genere filia, per gratiam vero Christi Dei Mater, nunc me revoca ex Eden ejectum.)
(O Virgin-Mother of God! Daughter of Adam by nature, but Mother of Christ by grace! recall me now the exile from Eden.)
Serpens dolosus honorem meum quondam mihi invidens, in Evæ auribus delum insusurravit, unde ego deceptus, hei mihi! e vitæ sede exsulavi.
The crafty serpent envying me such honor, whispered his guile into Eve’s ear; and I, alas! deceived by her, was banished from the land of life.
Manu temere extensa, scientiæ lignum degustavi, quod ne contingeren mihi Deus omnino præscripserat, et cum acerbo doloris sensu divinam gloriam exsul amisi.
Rashly stretching forth my hand, I tasted of the tree of knowledge, which God forbade me even to touch: and then, with keen sense of grief, I, an exile, lost the glory of God.
Hei mihi! misera anima mea, quomodo dolum non nosti? Quomodo fraudem et inimici invidiam minime sensisti? Sed mente obtenebrata Conditoris tui mandatum neglexisti.
Alas, miserable man! How came I not to know the snare? How was it that I suspected not the enemy’s craft and envy? My soul was darkened and I set at nought my Creator’s command.
(Spes et protectio mea, O veneranda, quæ sola olim lapsi Adami nuditatem cooperuisti puerperio tuo, rursus, O pura, me incorruptionis veste circumda.)
(O most venerable one! my hope and refuge! who by giving birth to thy Jesus, didst cover the nakedness of fallen Adam, clothe me too, O Virgin, with this incorruptible garb!)
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| Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales - February |
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Posted by: Hildegard of Bingen - 01-31-2021, 11:05 PM - Forum: Doctors of the Church
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Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales
THE TITLE: Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales (changed from the Italian Buon Giorno . . . Teachings and Examples from the Life of Saint Francis de Sales). This replaced the previous title and subtitle: Saint Francis de Sales in Teachings and Example . . . A sacred Diary Extracted from His Life and Works by the Vistandines of Rome. This title was taken from the first edition (Ferrari, Rome, 1953).
CONTENT AND STRUCTURE: Every page contains a thought from the works of Saint Francis de Sales and a brief account of some event of his life which took place on that date. The first taken from the Oeuvres d'Annecy with an indication of volume and page and then the work form which the passage has been taken (e.g. Sermons, Treatises, Letters). As far as the two major woks are concerned, the book or part and chapter have been added, for further clarification. This will allow the reader to refer to the passages for personal consultation or greater understanding. The anecdotes have been taken from the work Anne Sainte, with an indication of both volume and page. Because of the brevity of the selections chosen, we have added a maxim taken from a book by an anonymous author, Massime di S. Francesco di Sales (Salesian Press, Milan, 1929).
TEXT AND FORMAT: The Italian revision of the book made necessary the rereading of the selections chosen and a comparison with the original French. Every effort has been made to keep the gentle tone of Saint Francis de Sales.
ABBREVIATIONS AND REFERENCES:
A.S. Annee Sainte des Religieuse de la Visitation Sainte Marie, (12 vol. ed.)
D.S. Diario Sacre extracted from his life and works, compiled by the Visitandines of Rome. (Ed. Ferrari, Rome 1953)
INT. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life
Hamon P. Hamon, Vie de St. Francois de Sales, (2 vol., Paris 1854)
O. Oeuvres de St. Francois de Sales, publiees par lessouis des Religieuses de la Visitation du Premier Monastere d'Annecy (26 vol. , Annecy 1892-1932)
SOL. Francis de Sales, Meditazioni per la Solitudine
T.L.G. Francis de Sales, Treatise on the Love of God
Please note: If you buy the book, the bible quotes are not from the Douay Reims, in putting these meditations online for The Catacombs, I have
changed the Bible Quotes to reflectthe Douay Reims Bible.
Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales
Teachings and Examples from the Life of the Saint by Salesiana Publishers
February 1st (page 32)
Many are satisfied with carrying the Lord on their tongue, recounting His marvels and praising Him with great ardor; others carry Him in their hearts with tender and loving affection, which becomes part and parcel of their lives, thinking of Him and speaking to Him. But these two ways of carrying the Lord do not amount to much if the third element of carrying Him in their arms by good works is missing.
(Sermons 2; O. IX, p. 22)
Yesterday we were considering the infancy of Francis of Sales, so today let us be occupied with the early years of his youth. To make himself worthy of the gifts of God, he passed his time in the study of literature and virtue throughout the springtime of his life, which others ordinarily fill with vain occupations. Serious studies, holy conferences, self-restraint, obedience – this was the life of the upright young man who thus laid down solid foundations for the great edifice of his perfection. In his youth he prescribed for himself spiritual exercises adapted to each day and night, providing for solitude and for conversation, for internal and external worship of God, and for Holy Communion. All this is so full of devotion that in merely reading them one feels
the inspiration of grace. After His confirmation at this time, he joined the Confraternity of the Rosary and the Sodality of Mary, conducted by the Jesuits , where he became a prefect and observed the rule regularly. He entrusted himself to the Madonna by a vow of chastity and resolved to recite daily the crown of the seven stations, commonly called the “Crown of Thorns.” Often he retired to a quiet spot to pray, away from distractions, graciously saying to his tutor, “I am going to do my watch at the court of the Queen of Heaven; I beg you not to come and disturb me.”
(A.S. II, p. 1)
No one is esteemed before God for having lived long – but only for having lived well. For nothing is small in the service of God.
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| Cardinal Pie: The Family is the First Society |
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Posted by: Hildegard of Bingen - 01-31-2021, 10:54 PM - Forum: Cardinal Pie
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THE FAMILY IS THE FIRST SOCIETY – according to Cardinal Pie
The Family is the First Society. Msgr. P:ie, the Doctor of social worship, would first speak of domestic worship, indispensable prelude of public worship, in the strict sense. In 1854, in the Synodal Letter of the Fathers of the Council of Rochelle, he made this to be inserted in its deliberations. (Vol. II, 148-150). We cite the principal passages. It is a magnificent picture of the Christian family:
“In the language of St. Paul, each home is a sanctuary. Let the Crucifix of Jesus Christ be found there as the sign of every Christian home and let the image of Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother, be inseparable from the Crucifix! Let holy water and blessed palms protect the house against the ambushes of the enemy; let the candles of the Candlemas (in the book the word that appears as “Chandelier”, unfortunately it is a miss translation from chandeleur which is Candlemas) be conserved so as to be lighted in the times of danger, at the hour of agony and of death. Ah! Would that our fathers possess the secret of this totally Christian life where religion had its place marked in all things. Mealtime would be sanctified by the blessing that would be recited by the head of the family. Three times a day, when the sacred sound would ring out from the parish bell-tower, each one would suspend his work to lovingly invoke the Virgin who has given to the world the Word made flesh. At the end of the property a cross would be planted that the worker could piously greet upon returning from his day’s work. Again, one would find, in the course of the work-day, some moments to recite the rosary; there would be read some pages from a handed-down book that contained the principle facts from the two testaments and the most beautiful features from the lives of the Saints. The mother of the family would not feel she had fulfilled all her religious duties other than when she had been able to explain to her children and to her servants some article of Christian doctrine. If it happened that the funeral bell tolled announcing a death, all the brothers and all the sisters in Jesus Christ of the deceased would promptly accord to them the benefit of their suffrages; and the prayers for the dead so neglected today would be brought about by various testimonials and by the practices that could not be overstated. Finally, when the last ray of daylight would surround the hearth around the dispersed family, how touching was it to see the elderly and the children, masters and servants, genuflect before the holy images, to intermingle in a single prayer their voices and their love? These pious expressions drew down upon earth blessings from heaven; they enabled the house at the same time that they sanctified and reflected upon society so grave a matter, so worthy to maintain, along with the unity of the dogmas of the faith, innocence of morals and the union of wills.
“Would that we could see these touching practices of Christian times revived.” (II, 149-150. See also V, 21, 29: Allocution pronounced following the consecration of the altar of a certain chapel, Aug. 4, 1863.)
Nothing is left out in this program of Christian family life. But Msgr. Pie knew what an important and delicate role is reserved in the family for the Christian woman: it is she who keeps watch over the faith. She is encouraged to fulfill this sublime role with perfection and, by thus encouraging the family, she shows them that they must work also, in its turn, for the Christian social restoration. We listen: “During the first half of this (19th) century, the Church has not encountered under its hand another truly conservative element, no other seriously powerful conservative than the French woman. . . . These are the French women who have prevented the worship of the Name of God from perishing upon the land and who, despite sarcasms and scorn, have preserved in their hearts and in their practices the religion of Jesus Christ.” But as for the Christian women of today to be worthy of those who have preceded them, it behooves them “to preserve in themselves the life of faith and of grace, the spirit of renouncement and sacrifice.” They are exhorted to be energetically opposed “to those new habits, to those allurements that are foreign to the traditions of our national and Christian education, which threatens to substitute to this smooth modesty, to this noble and reserved affluence, to this cheerful and bright charm, in a word, to all the inexpressible qualities that have rendered French women the admiration of the whole world.” (Eulogy of Saint Theodosius: II, 1-14)
In order to maintain and develop Christian life in the domestic realm, Msgr. Pie consecrated the families of this diocese to the Sacred Heart. (VI, 614)
Source: The Book “The Social Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Cardinal Pie” in English, pages 98-100. An English translation by Daniel Leonardi. The French version can be found in "Oeuvres de Monseigneur L'Eveque de Poitiers - Tome II, page 149.
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| March 11th - St. Eulogius |
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Posted by: Elizabeth - 01-31-2021, 10:53 PM - Forum: March
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Saint Eulogius
Martyr
(† 859)
Saint Eulogius was of a senatorial family of Cordova, at that time the capital of the Moors in Spain. He was educated among the clergy of the Church of Saint Zoilus, a martyr who had suffered with nineteen others several centuries earlier, under Diocletian. In his own time still, many Christians were resisting the efforts of the Moors to make the Christians apostatize. Without ever weakening, Eulogius, who was a priest and head of the principal ecclesiastical school at Cordova, combated the perverse influence of the invaders, and it is primarily because of him that the Church saw a new and magnificent flowering of victims immolated for the faith, later to be the source of great blessings for Spain. Eulogius recorded the names and acts of these generous martyrs.
In 850, he himself was seized and imprisoned. In prison he wrote his Exhortation to Martyrdom, addressed to the virgins Flora and Mary, who were beheaded on the 24th of November, 851. Six days after their death he was set at liberty. In the year 852 several others suffered the same martyrdom. Saint Eulogius encouraged these martyrs, too, for their triumphs, and was the support of the distressed flock. When the Archbishop of Toledo died in 858, Saint Eulogius was elected to succeed him; but some obstacle hindered him from being consecrated, and his martyrdom would follow in less than two months.
A virgin, by name Leocritia, of a wealthy governing family of Moors, had been instructed from her infancy in the Christian religion by one of her relatives, and privately baptized. Her father and mother treated her cruelly, scourging her to compel her to renounce her faith. Having made her situation known to Saint Eulogius and his sister, adding that she desired to go where she might freely exercise her religion, they secretly procured for her means of escaping, and concealed her for some time among faithful friends. But the matter was at length discovered, and they were all brought before the Moslem magistrate, who threatened to have Eulogius scourged to death. The Saint told him that his torments would be of no avail, for he would never change his religion; continuing, he exposed vigorously the impostures and errors of the Moslem religion, and exhorted the judge to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, the unique Saviour of the world. At this, the judge gave orders that he be taken to the palace and be presented before the king's council.
Eulogius boldly proposed the truths of the Gospel to these officials. But in order not to hear him, the council condemned him immediately to be decapitated. As they were leading him at once to execution, one of the guards gave him a blow on the face for having spoken against the prophet Mahomet; he turned the other cheek, and patiently received a second. He received the stroke of death with great cheerfulness, on the 11th of March, 859. Saint Leocritia was beheaded four days afterwards, and her body thrown into the Guadalquivir River, but salvaged for burial by the Christians.
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| The Seven Penitential Psalms |
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Posted by: Stone - 01-31-2021, 04:11 PM - Forum: Prayers and Devotionals
- Replies (6)
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Psalm 6
David, struck down by sickness, asks pardon of God, and beseeches Him to heal the wounds of his soul.
Domine, ne in furore tuo arguas me, neque in ira tua corripias me. Miserere mei, Domine, quoniam infirmus sum; sana me, Domine, quoniam conturbata sunt ossa mea. Et anima mea turbata est valde; sed tu, Domine, usquequo? Convertere, Domine, et eripe animam meam; salvum me fac propter misericordiam tuam. Quoniam non est in morte qui memor sit tui; in inferno autem quis confitebitur tibi? Laboravi in gemitu meo; lavabo per singulas noctes lectum meum; lacrimis meis stratum meum rigabo. Turbatus est a furore oculus meus; inveteravi inter omnes inimicos meos. Discedite a me omnes qui operamini iniquitatem, quoniam exaudivit Dominus vocem fletus mei. Exaudivit Dominus deprecationem meam; Dominus orationem meam suscepit. Erubescant, et conturbentur vehementer omnes inimici mei; convertantur, et erubescant valde velociter.
O Lord, rebuke me not in thy indignation, nor chastise me in thy wrath. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. And my soul is troubled exceedingly: but thou, O Lord, how long? Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul: O save me for thy mercy's sake. For there is no one in death, that is mindful of thee: and who shall confess to thee in hell? I have laboured in my groanings, every night I will wash my bed: I will water my couch with my tears. My eye is troubled through indignation: I have grown old amongst all my enemies. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity: for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord hath heard my supplication: the Lord hath received my prayer. Let all my enemies be ashamed, and be very much troubled: let them be turned back, and be ashamed very speedily.
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| Please pray for Mr. Boulware |
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Posted by: Stone - 01-31-2021, 04:06 PM - Forum: Appeals for Prayer
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Dear friends,
Please keep Mr. Mike Boulware in your prayers, who has been very ill of late. Fr. Hewko asked for prayers for him in the beginning of today's sermon. Father spent several minutes talking about Mr. Boulware and what a good man he is.
Thank you and God bless you all.
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