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SAINTS JANUARY
Daily Saints – 1 January.
Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God.
'World Day of Peace'
Today's Feast of Mary, the Mother of God is a very appropriate way to begin a new year. This celebration reminds us that the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, is also our Heavenly Mother. We celebrate her as the Mother of God, because, in bearing Christ, she bore the fullness of the Godhead within her.
Mary was called the Mother of God from very early in the Church's history. One of her earliest titles in the liturgy is 'Theotokos' which translates "God-Bearer". From this title she began to be called "Mother of God". This title of Mary was given precisely in order to reinforce the teaching on Christ's nature handed down from the Apostles—that Jesus was truly God and truly man.
The dogma of Mary as the Mother of God was established at the Council of Ephesus. From the decree: "If anyone does not confess that Emmanuel is God in truth, and therefore that the holy virgin is the mother of God (for she bore in a fleshly way the Word of God become flesh), let him be anathema."
The decrees of the Council were then approved by Pope Sixtus III. The universal Church declared once for all that Mary is indeed the Mother of God, and this title was established to protect the true doctrine of Christ's nature from every heresy that denies it.
The oldest Christian greeting of Mary was proclaimed when Mary's relative Elizabeth called her "Mother of my Lord." When Elizabeth welcomed Mary, she recognized both the great privilege God had given Mary and Mary's great faith in accepting it.
For centuries, Mary has been praised because she believed. She is Mother of God because of her faith in God. The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, celebrates Mary's faith and trust in God alone. The Church wants us to imitate her faith.
In the early centuries of the Church, once Christmas began to be celebrated as its own feast on December 25, the Octave (eighth day) of Christmas, January 1, took on a special meaning. In the East, and throughout much of the West, it became common to celebrate a feast of Mary, the Mother of God, on this day. This feast was never established in the universal calendar of the Church, however, and a separate feast, celebrating the Circumcision of Our Lord Jesus Christ (which would have taken place a week after His birth), eventually took hold of January 1.
With the revision of the liturgical calendar at the time of the introduction of the Novus Ordo, the Feast of the Circumcision was set aside, and the ancient practice of dedicating January 1 to the Mother of God was revived—this time, as a universal feast.
The Church observes this day also as the 'World Day of Peace' and invites us to pray specially for peace in the world. Inspired by Pope John XXIII's 1963 encyclical, Pacem in Terris, Pope Paul St. Paul VI, in 1967, instituted this feast.
"On the first day of the year, we celebrate this nuptial union between God and mankind, inaugurated in the womb of a woman. In God, there will forever be our humanity and Mary will forever be the Mother of God. She is both woman and mother: this is what is essential. From her, a woman, salvation came forth and thus there is no salvation without a woman. In her, God was united to us, and if we want to unite ourselves to him, we must take the same path: through Mary, woman and mother. That is why we begin the year by celebrating Our Lady, the woman who wove the humanity of God. If we want to weave humanity into this our time, we need to start again from the woman." – Pope Francis, 1 January 2020
"The text tells us, "But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart" (v. 19). She kept all these things: joy at the birth of Jesus and sadness for the lack of hospitality shown in Bethlehem; the love of Joseph and the amazement of the shepherds; the promise and the uncertainty of the future. She took everything to heart, and in her heart, she put everything in its right place, even hardships and troubles. In her heart, she lovingly set all things in order and entrusted everything to God. In the Gospel, Mary does this a second time: at the end of the hidden life of Jesus, we are told that "his mother kept all these things in her heart" (v. 51). This repetition makes us realize that "keeping in her heart" was not something nice that Our Lady did from time to time, but something habitual. Women typically take life to heart. Women show us that the meaning of life is not found in making things but in taking things to heart. Only those who see with the heart see things properly, because they know how to "look into" each person: to see a brother apart from his mistakes, a sister apart from her failings, hope amid difficulty. They see God in all persons and things." – Pope Francis, 1 January 2020
"As we begin this new year, let us ask ourselves: Do I know how to see with the heart? Do I know how to look at people with the heart? Do I take to heart the people with whom I live? Or do I tear them down by gossip? And above all, do I put the Lord at the centre of my heart, or other values, other interests, like advancement, riches, power? Only if we take life to heart will we know how to take care and overcome the indifference all around. So let us ask for the grace to live this year with the desire to take others to heart and to care for them." – Pope Francis, 1 January 2020
In the encyclical "Marialis Cultus" (1974) Pope Paul VI states: "This celebration, assigned to January 1 in conformity with the ancient liturgy of the city of Rome, is meant to commemorate the part played by Mary in this mystery of salvation. It is meant also to exalt the singular dignity which this mystery brings to the 'holy Mother . . . through whom we were found worthy . . . to receive the Author of life.' It is likewise a fitting occasion for renewed adoration of the newborn Prince of Peace, for listening once more to the glad tidings of the angels, and for imploring from God, through the Queen of Peace, the supreme gift of peace. For this reason . . . we have instituted the World Day of Peace, an observance that is gaining increasing support and is already bringing forth fruits of peace in the hearts of many" (no. 5).
"The Virgin Mary, who at the message of the angel received the word of God in her heart and in her body . . . is acknowledged and honored as being truly the Mother of God and of the Redeemer…. Rightly, therefore, the Fathers see Mary not merely as passively engaged by God, but as freely cooperating in the work of man's salvation through faith and obedience" (Second Vatican Council, "Lumen Gentium", nos. 53 and 56).
Mary, the Holy Mother of God
Feast of Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory of Nazianzen.
St. Basil is the patron saint of hospital administrators, monks and reformers. He is considered as key to the founding of eastern monasticism as Saint Benedict of Nursia was to the west.
He was born on 329 at Caesarea, Asia Minor (modern Turkey). His mother, father, and four of his nine siblings were canonized, including Saint Gregory of Nyssa. He was the grandson of Saint Macrina the Elder. As a youth Basil was noted for organizing famine relief, and for working in the kitchens himself, quite unusual for a young noble.
He studied in Constantinople and Athens with his friend Saint Gregory Nazianus. Ran a school of oratory and law in Caesarea. Basil was so successful, so sought after as a speaker, that he was tempted by pride. Fearful that it would overtake his piety, he sold all that he had, gave away the money, and became a priest and monk.
After studying various modes of religious life, he founded what was probably the first monastery in Asia Minor. He drew up rules for monks living in the desert. He was ordained a priest, assisted the archbishop of Caesarea and ultimately became archbishop himself, in spite of opposition from some of the bishops under him, probably because they foresaw coming reforms.
Arianism, one of the most damaging heresies in the history of the Church which denied the divinity of Christ, was at its height. Emperor Valens persecuted orthodox believers, and put great pressure on Basil to remain silent and admit the heretics to communion. Basil remained firm, and Valens backed down. But trouble remained. When the great Saint Athanasius died, the mantle of defender of the faith against Arianism fell upon Basil.
Basil strove mightily to unite and rally his fellow Catholics who were crushed by tyranny and torn by internal dissension. He was misunderstood, misrepresented, accused of heresy and ambition. Even appeals to the pope brought no response. "For my sins I seem to be unsuccessful in everything."
Basil was tireless in pastoral care. He preached twice a day to huge crowds, built a hospital that was called a wonder of the world. Basil fought simony, aided the victims of drought and famine, strove for a better clergy, insisted on a rigid clerical discipline, fearlessly denounced evil wherever he detected it, and excommunicated those involved in the widespread prostitution traffic in Cappadocia.
Basil is one of the Greek Doctor of the Church and Father of the Church. He died on 1 January 379 at Caesarea, Asia Minor (modern Turkey).
St. Gregory of Nazianzen is the patron saint of for harvests and poets.
He was born on 330 at Arianzus, Cappadocia, Asia Minor, as son of Saint Gregory of Nazianzen the Elder and Saint Nonna. He was the brother of Saint Caesar Nazianzen, and Saint Gorgonius. He spent an wandering youth in search of learning.
He became a friend and a fellow student of Saint Basil the Great. After his baptism at 30, Gregory gladly accepted his friend Basil's invitation to join him in a newly founded monastery. The solitude was broken when Gregory's father, a bishop, needed help in his diocese and estate.
It seems that Gregory was ordained a priest practically by force, and only reluctantly accepted the responsibility. He believed that he was unworthy, and that the responsibility would test his faith.
He assisted his bishop father to prevent an Arian schism in the diocese. He opposed Arianism, and brought its heretical followers back to the fold. He was appointed as the Bishop of Caesarea c.370, which put him in conflict with the Arian emperor Valens. The disputes led his friend Basil the Great, then archbishop, to reassign him to a small, out of the way posting at the edge of the archbishopric.
Later, he was appointed as the Bishop of Constantinople from 381 to 390, following the death of Valens. He hated the city, despised the violence and slander involved in these disputes, and feared being drawn into politics and corruption, but he worked to bring the Arians back to the faith; for his trouble he was slandered, insulted, beaten up, and a rival "bishop" tried to take over his diocese.
He was a noted preacher on the Trinity. When it seemed that orthodox Christianity had been restored in the city, Gregory retired to live the rest of his days as a hermit. He wrote theological discourses and poetry, some of it religious, some of it autobiographical. He is known as one of the Father of the Church and Doctor of the Church. He died on 25 January 390.
Quotes of St. Basil the Great.
"A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love."
"Preserve gratitude like a precious deposit within your soul, and from it you will receive a double portion of delight. Remember the apostolic word, "Give thanks in all circumstances."
"You showed no mercy; it will not be shown to you. You opened not your house; you will be expelled from the Kingdom. You gave not your bread; you will not receive eternal life."
"There is only one way out of this, namely, total separation from all the world. But withdrawal from the world does not mean physical removal from it. Rather, it is the withdrawal by the soul of any sympathy for the body. One becomes stateless and homeless. One gives up possessions, friends, ownership and property, livelihood, business connection, social life and scholarship. The heart is made ready to receive the imprint of sacred teaching, and this making ready involves the unlearning of knowledge deriving from evil habits. To write on wax, one has first to erase the letters previously written there, and to bring sacred teaching to the soul one must begin by wiping out preoccupation rooted in ordinary habits."
"I know many who fast, pray, sigh, and demonstrate every manner of piety, so long as it costs them nothing, yet would not part with a penny to help those in distress."
"Everyone is a theologian, even those who have stains on their souls."
"For if we all took only what was necessary to satisfy our own needs, giving the rest to those who lack, no one would be rich, no one would be poor, and no one would be in need."
"[The Holy Spirit] is present as a whole to each and wholly present everywhere. He is portioned out impassably and participated in as a whole. He is like a sunbeam whose grace is present to the one who enjoys him as if he were present to such a one alone, and still he illuminates land and sea and is mixed with the air. Just so, indeed, the Spirit is present to each one who is fit to receive him, as if he were present to him alone, and still he sends out his grace that is complete and sufficient for all. The things that participate in him enjoy him to the extent that their nature allows, not to the extent that his power allows."
"Though you speak to yourself in secret, your words are examined in heaven."
"Love of God is not something that can be taught. We did not learn from someone else how to rejoice in light or want to live, or to love our parents or guardians. It is the same – perhaps even more so – with our love for God: it does not come by another's teaching."
"First, let me say that we have already received from God the ability to fulfil all his commands. We have then no reason to resent them, as if something beyond our capacity were being asked of us. We have no reason either to be angry, as if we had to pay back more than we had received."
"O sinner, be not discouraged, but have recourse to Mary in all your necessities. Call her to your assistance, for such is the divine Will that she should help in every kind of necessity."
"The bread which you use is the bread of the hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked; the shoes you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot; the acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit."
"Let us raise ourselves from our fall and not give up hope as long as we are free from sin. Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners. 'Come, let us adore and prostrate ourselves and weep before him' (Psalm 95:6). The Word calls us to repentance, crying out: 'Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened and I will refresh you' (Matthew 11:28). There is, then, a way to salvation if we are willing to follow it."
"Envy is a gnawing pain which springs from the success and prosperity of another; and this is the reason why the envious are never exempt from trouble and vexation. If an abundant harvest fills the granaries of a neighbor, if success crowns his efforts, the envious man is chagrined and sad. If one man can boast of prudence, talent, and eloquence; if another is rich, and is very liberal to the poor, if good works are praised by all around, the envious man is shocked and grieved. The envious, however, dare not speak; although envy makes them counterfeit gladness, their hearts are sore within. If you ask him what vexes him, he dare not tell the reason. It is not really the happiness of his friend that annoys him, neither is it his gaiety that makes him sad, nor is he sorry to see his friend prosper; but it is that he is persuaded that the prosperity of others is the cause of his misery. This is what the envious would be forced to acknowledge, if they spoke the truth sincerely; but because they dare not confess so shameful a sin, they, in secret, feed a sore which tortures them and eats away their rest. As the shadow ever accompanies the pedestrian when walking in the sun, so envy throws its shadow on those who are successful in the world."
Quotes of St. Gregory of Nazianzen.
"Grace is given not to them who speak [their faith] but to those who live their faith."
"God always was, and always is, and always will be. Or rather, God always Is. For Was and Will be are fragments of our time, and of changeable nature, but He is Eternal Being. And this is the Name that He gives to Himself when giving the Oracle to Moses in the Mount. For in Himself He sums up and contains all Being, having neither beginning in the past nor end in the future; like some great Sea of Being, limitless and unbounded, transcending all conception of time and nature, only adumbrated [intimated] by the mind, and that very dimly and scantily."
"Almost every sin is committed for the sake of sensual pleasure; and sensual pleasure is overcome by hardship and distress arising either voluntarily from repentance, or else involuntarily as a result of some salutary and providential reversal. 'For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged; but when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, so that we should not be condemned with the world.' (1 Cor. 11:31-32)."
"God accepts our desires as though they were of great value. He longs ardently for us to desire and love him. He accepts our petitions for benefits as though we were doing him a favor. His joy in giving is greater than ours in receiving. So let us not be apathetic in our asking, nor set too narrow bounds to our requests; nor ask for frivolous things unworthy of God's greatness."
"Let us not esteem worldly prosperity or adversity as things real or of any moment, but let us live elsewhere, and raise all our attention to Heaven; esteeming sin as the only true evil, and nothing truly good, but virtue which unites us to God."
"Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed. Nothing gives such pleasure to God as the conversion and salvation of men, for whom his every word and every revelation exist. He wants you to become a living force for all mankind, lights shining in the world. You are to be radiant lights as you stand beside Christ, the great light, bathed in the glory of him who is the light of heaven."
Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory of Nazianzen
Feast of Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara.
Patronage of Press industry, media, literature, congregations.
Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara was born on 10 February 1805 of God fearing parents Iko (Kuriakose) Chavara and Mariam Thoppil of the Syro-Malabar Church, at Kainakary, Kerala, India. After his early schooling in the native village and priestly studies under Fr. Thomas Palackal at Pallippuram, he was ordained priest in 1829.
He initiated reforms in his local society, and started schools in the communities of Mannanam and Arpookara. He recognized that children needed to be fed in order to learn, so he instituted a midday meal to feed the children.
In 1846, he established St. Joseph's printing press in Mannanam, which was the third such press in Kerala, and the first purchased without foreign help. Using the press, he began printing the Nasrani Deepika, a religious newspaper. The press would go on to print the Deepika, starting in 1885, which is now one of the oldest continually published newspapers in India.
In 1831, co-operating with Fr. Thomas Palackal and Fr. Thomas Porukara, he founded the first indigenous religious congregation for men, now known as the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI). It was after the death of his senior companions in the foundation that Fr. Kuriakose, together with the first members, made the religious profession in 1855. In religion he took the name, Kuriakose Elias of the Holy Family.
Starting seven religious houses, including the first one at Mannanam, in different parts of Kerala, the new Congregation made great strides in the spiritual renovation of the Syro-Malabar Church. Seminaries for the education and formation of the clergy, introduction of annual retreats for priests and people, a publishing house for the propagation of Catholic doctrine, a house for the dying and destitute, special attention to catechumens and schools for general education, were a few among the various activities of the Congregation under Fr. Kuriakose Elias' leadership.
Fr. Chavara also introduced valuable improvements and reform in the Syro-Malabar liturgy. In 1866, with the co-operation of Fr. Leopold Boccaro OCD, he started the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (CMC) for women. When a schism threatened the Church in 1861, Fr. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, the then Vicar General of the Syro-Malabar Church, took a strong stand and gave effective leadership in thwarting Thomas Roccos' intrusion and saving the Church in Kerala from schism.
Fr. Chavara has also written a number of books in pros as well as in verse with unique spiritual vision. His counsel to the Christian families given in the form of the 'Testament of a Loving Father' is applicable and relevant to this day.
Essentially a man of prayer and intense charity, he lived in close communion with the Lord amidst his several religious and social activities. Owing to his deep spirituality that permeated all his actions, he was accepted and referred to as a man of God, from his early years.
In 1871, on January 3rd, Fr. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, after a short but painful illness, passed away at Koonammavu preserving his baptismal innocence unto death. He was buried at St. Philominas Church first later his mortal remains were transferred from Koonammavu to Mannanam in 1889 and has been reinterred in St. Joseph's Monastery Church at Mannanam.
"Why are you sad? All God's people must die someday. My hour has come. By the grace of God, I prepared myself for it since long. My parents taught me to keep the Holy Family always in my mind and to honor them throughout my life. As I had always the protection of the Holy Family I can tell you with confidence that I have never lost the baptismal grace I received in baptism. I dedicate our little Congregation and each of you to the Holy Family. Always rely on Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Let the Holy Family reign in your hearts. Don't be sad about my dying. Joyfully submit yourselves to the will of God. God is all powerful and His blessings are countless. God will provide you with a new Prior who will be a source of blessing for the Congregation as well as for you. Hold fast to the constitution, the rules of our elders and that of the Church. Love our Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament with all your heart. Draw the waters of eternal life from that fountain as in the words of the Prophet Elijah. All the members of the congregation, especially elders must be charitable to one another. If you do so, God will be glorified by the congregation and which will be flourished day after day. Your charity will bring salvation to souls." – Last words of Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara
Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara
Feast of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.
Patron of widows, people ridiculed for their piety, opposition of Church authorities, Apostleship of the Sea (two of her sons worked on the sea) and invoked against in-law problems, against the death of children, against the death of parents.
Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was born on August 28, 1774, of a wealthy and distinguished Episcopalian family. She was the daughter of an eminent physician and professor at what is now Columbia University. She was baptized in the Episcopal faith and was a faithful adherent of the Episcopal Church.
Elizabeth grew up in the upper class of New York society. She received an excellent education, and from her early years she manifested an unusual concern for the poor. She was a prolific reader, and read everything from the Bible to contemporary novels.
In spite of her high society background, Elizabeth's early life was quiet, simple, and often lonely. As she grew a little older, the Bible was to become her continual instruction, support and comfort -and she would continue to love the Scriptures for the rest of her life.
In 1794, Elizabeth married the wealthy young William Seton, with whom she was deeply in love. The first years of their marriage were happy and prosperous. Elizabeth wrote in her diary at first autumn, "My own home at twenty-the world-that and heaven too-quite impossible."
This time of Elizabeth's life was to be a brief moment of earthly happiness before the many deaths and partings she was to suffer. Within four years, William's father died, leaving the young couple in charge of William's seven half brothers and sisters, as well as the family's importing business.
Events moved quickly from there with devastating effect. Both William's business and health failed. He was finally forced to file a petition of bankruptcy and, in a final attempt to save William's health, the Setons sailed for Italy, where William had business friends. Unfortunately, William died of tuberculosis while in Italy. Elizabeth's one consolation was that he had recently awakened to the things of God.
The many enforced separations from dear ones by death and distance served to draw Elizabeth's heart to God and eternity. The accepting and embracing of God's will – "The Will," as she called it – would be a keynote in her spiritual life.
Elizabeth's deep concern for the spiritual welfare of her family and friends eventually led her into the Catholic Church. In Italy, Elizabeth captivated everyone by her kindness, patience, good sense, wit, and courtesy. During this time Elizabeth became interested in the Catholic Faith and, over a period of months, her Italian friends guided her in Catholic instruction. Elizabeth's desire for the Bread of Life was to be a strong force leading her to the Catholic Church.
Having lost her mother at an early age, Elizabeth felt great comfort in the idea that the Blessed Virgin was truly her mother. She asked the Blessed Virgin to guide her to the True Faith and officially joined the Catholic Church in 1805.
At the suggestion of the president of St. Mary's College in Baltimore, Maryland, Elizabeth started a school in that city. The school had originally been secular but once news of her entrance to Catholicism spread, several girls were removed from her school. It was then Seton, and two other young women who helped her in her work, began plans for a Sisterhood. They established the first free Catholic school in America. When the young community adopted their rule, they made provisions for Elizabeth to continue raising her children.
On March 25, 1809, Elizabeth Seton pronounced her vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, binding for one year. From that time she was called Mother Seton.
Although Mother Seton became afflicted with tuberculosis, she continued to guide her children. The Rule of the Sisterhood was formally ratified in 1812. It was based upon the Rule St. Vincent de Paul had written for his Daughters of Charity in France. By 1818, in addition to their first school, the sisters had established two orphanages and another school. Today, six groups of sisters can trace their origins to Mother Seton's initial foundation.
Seton's favorite prayer was the 23rd Psalm and she developed a deep devotion to the Eucharist, Sacred Scripture, and the Virgin Mary.
For the last three years of her life, Elizabeth felt that God was getting ready to call her, and this gave her great joy. Mother Seton died at Emmitsburg on 4 January 1821 at the age of 46, only sixteen years after becoming a Catholic.
Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was the first native born American to be canonized by the Catholic Church.
"The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills it; and thirdly to do it because it is his will."
"Live simply, so that all may simply live."
"We must pray without ceasing, in every occurrence and employment of our lives – that prayer which is rather a habit of lifting up the heart to God as in a constant communication with Him."
"My own troubles will teach me I hope how to comfort others."
"The accidents of life separate us from our dearest friends, but let us not despair. God is like a looking glass in which souls see each other. The more we are united to Him by love, the nearer we are to those who belong to Him."
"We know certainly that our God calls us to a holy life. We know that he gives us every grace, every abundant grace; and though we are so weak of ourselves, this grace is able to carry us through every obstacle and difficulty."
"Cheerfulness prepares a glorious mind for all the noblest acts."
"God is with us–and if sufferings abound in us, his Consolations also greatly abound, and far exceed all utterance."
"God is everywhere, in the very air I breathe, yes everywhere, but in His Sacrament of the Altar He is as present actually and really as my soul within my body; in His Sacrifice daily offered as really as once offered on the Cross."
"You think it very hard to lead a life of such restraint unless you keep your eye of faith always open. Perseverance is a great grace. To go on gaining and advancing every day, we must be resolute, and bear and suffer as our blessed forerunners did. Which of them gained heaven without a struggle?"
"If I had to advise parents, I should tell them to take great care about the people with whom their children associate . . . Much harm may result from bad company, and we are inclined by nature to follow what is worse than what is better."
"The gate of heaven is very low; only the humble can enter it."
"We must often draw the comparison between time and eternity. This is the remedy of all our troubles. How small will the present moment appear when we enter that great ocean."
"Afflictions are the steps to heaven."
"Disorder in the society is the result of disorder in the family."
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
Feast of Saint John Nepomucene Neumann.
John Neumann was born on March 28, 1811, in Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. His parents were Philip and Agnes Neumann. He had four sisters and a brother. From his mother he acquired the spirit of piety and through her encouragement entered the Seminary at Budweis.
After college, John entered the seminary. When the time came for his ordination, the bishop was sick and the date was never rescheduled as Bohemia had enough priests at the time. Since he had been reading about missionary activities in the United States, John decided to go to America and request to be ordained there. He walked most of the way to France and then boarded a ship to New York.
John arrived in Manhattan on June 9, 1836, where he was gladly welcomed by Bishop John Dubois, who at that time had only 36 priests for the 200,000 Catholics living in the state of New York and part of New Jersey.
John was ordained on 28 June 1836, and sent to Buffalo. There the parish priest, Father Pax, gave him the choice of the city of Buffalo or of the rural area; John chose the more difficult country area. He stayed in a small town with an unfinished church, and when it was completed, he moved to a town with a log church. There he built himself a small log cabin, rarely lit a fire, slept little, often lived on bread and water, and walked miles to visit farm after remote farm. John's parishioners were from many lands and tongues, but John knew twelve languages, and worked with them all.
In 1840, he joined the Redemptorists. Eight years later he became a United States citizen. Although John studied six languages in the seminary, his English was difficult to understand. This frustrated many people, and when he was appointed the fourth bishop of the sophisticated Philadelphia Diocese at the age of 41, people were unhappy. These privileged people were accustomed to professional and polished leaders. On top of that, by his own admission, John was not a very good administrator. He did not care for the details of finances, personnel, and legal battles over who owned diocesan land. Things began to look up, however, when Rome sent him an assistant bishop who had been a banker.
John worked hard in several areas. He helped immigrants feel comfortable in their new home. He provided parishes where they could worship in their native languages and he gave them food, clothing, and housekeeping items when they could not afford their own. He helped the Sisters of Notre Dame establish themselves in the United States.
He was a pioneer promoter of the Parochial School System in America. He opened almost 100 schools, and the number of parochial school students grew from 500 to 9,000. Through his efforts, the Forty Hours Devotion was introduced in the Philadelphia Diocese. He founded the first church in America for Italian-speaking people. He also founded the Glen Riddle group of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis.
John worked hard and tirelessly. This may be in part the cause of his death on January 5, 1860, at the age of 48. He crumpled to the snow a few blocks away from his Philadelphia cathedral. Priests rushed to him with oils, but he was already dead. He became the first American bishop to be beatified.
"Only a poor priest, or one who can endure the hardships of poverty, can labor here with fruit."
"A man must always be ready, for death comes when and where God wills it."
"The recitation of the Rosary for my stray sheep is always productive of abundant fruit. I will redouble my zeal in this sweet and efficacious devotion."
"Everyone who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random; we are not here, that we may go to bed at night and get up in the morning, toil for our bread, eat and drink, laugh and joke, sin when we have a mind, and reform when we are tired of sinning, rear a family and die. God sees every one of us; He creates every soul, …for a purpose. He needs, He deigns to need every one of us. He has an end for each of us; we are all equal in His sight, and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has worked, we too have but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do his work, we must rejoice in ours also."
"Since every man of whatever race is endowed with the dignity of a person, he has an inalienable right to an education corresponding to his proper destiny and suited to his native talents, his cultural background, and his ancestral heritage. At the same time, this education should pave the way to brotherly association with other peoples, so that genuine unity and peace on earth may be promoted. For a true education aims at the formation of the human person with respect to the good of those societies of which, as a man, he is a member, and in whose responsibilities, as an adult, he will share."
Saint John Nepomucene Neumann
Feast of Saint Charles of Sezze (Carlo of Sezze)
St. Charles was born on 19 October 1613 at Sezze, Roman Campagna, Italy as Giovanni Carlo Marchioni, to a poor but pious rural family. He worked as a shepherd as a child. His family encouraged his vocation to the priesthood, but Charles was a terrible student, barely able to read or write, and had no hope of success in seminary.
Charles was inspired by the lives of Salvator Horta and Paschal Baylon to become a Franciscan. He became a Franciscan lay brother at age 22 at Naziano, Italy. Charles thought that God was calling him to be a missionary in India, but he never got there. God had something better for him. Poor health prevented his going on foreign missions, and he served in assorted menial positions, such as cook, porter, and gardener at friaries near Rome, Italy.
One story shows how thoroughly Charles adopted the spirit of Saint Francis. The superior ordered Charles—then porter—to give food only to traveling friars who came to the door. Charles obeyed this direction; simultaneously the alms to the friars decreased. Charles convinced the superior the two facts were related. When the friars resumed giving goods to all who asked at the door, alms to the friars increased also.
He was involved in charitable work. He worked among plague victims in 1656. Charles also developed extraordinary human knowledge abilities, and that he was consulted on matters of religion. Despite his poor results in school, Charles became a good spiritual writer.
Charles wrote several mystical works, and at the direction of his confessor, his autobiography, 'The Grandeurs of the Mercies of God'. The simple lay brother was sought out for spiritual advice, and the dying Pope Clement IX called Charles to his bedside for a blessing.
At the same time the pious brother remained deeply humble. Concerning his remarkable gift of enlightenment he used to say to himself, that Our Lord in His wisdom hides such things from the wise but reveals them to the simple, to which class he belonged.
He had a strong devotion to the Eucharist and the Passion. He so fervently adored his Lord under the appearances of bread that one day a ray of light like an arrow went out from the Sacred Host and impressed a wound in his left side. It happened during Mass at the Church of Saint Joseph a Capo le Case. This wound was still visible after his death. The area of the wound was marked with a cross after his death.
He died on 6 January 1670 at San Francesco a Ripa, Rome, Italy of natural causes.
"God does not command us to live in hair shirts and chains, or to chastise our flesh with scourges, but to love Him above all things and our neighbor as ourselves."
Saint Charles of Sezze
Feast of Saint Raymond of Penyafort.
He is the patron saint of attornies, barristers, lawyers, canonists and medical record librarians.
Raymond was born in 1175 at Peñafort, Catalonia, Spain. He was a relative of the King of Aragon. From childhood he had a tender love and devotion to the Blessed Mother. He advanced quickly in his studies, showing such a gift for philosophy that he was appointed to teach the subject in Barcelona by age 20.
As a teacher, the young man worked to harmonize reason with the profession and practice of Catholic faith and morals. This included a notable concern for the poor and suffering.
Around age 30 the Spanish scholar went to study secular and Church law at Bologna in Italy. He earned his doctorate and taught there until 1219, when the Bishop of Barcelona gave him an official position in the diocese.
During 1222, the 47-year-old Raymond gave up all his honors and entered the Order of the Dominicans. As a penance for the intellectual pride he had once demonstrated, the former professor was asked to write a manual of moral theology for use by confessors. The resulting "Summa Casuum" was the first of his pioneering contributions to the Church.
Raymond was very humble and very close to God. He did much penance and was so good and kind that he won many sinners to God. He devoted himself to the exercise of every virtue, but above all to charity to the poor, and this mainly to the captives who had been taken by the infidels. Meanwhile, in keeping with his order's dedication to preaching, the Dominican priest strove to spread the faith and bring back lapsed and lost members of the Church.
It was by his exhortation that St. Peter Nolasco (who was his penitent) was induced to devote all his riches to this work of most meritorious charity. The Blessed Virgin appeared to Peter, as also to blessed Raymond and to James the First, King of Aragon, telling them that it would be exceedingly pleasing to herself and her divine Child, if an Order of Religious men were instituted whose mission it should be to deliver captives from the tyranny of infidels.
Whereupon, after deliberating together, they founded the Order of our Lady of Mercy for the Ransom of Captives; and blessed Raymond drew up certain rules of life, which were admirably adapted to the spirit and vocation of the said Order. Some years after, he obtained their approbation from Gregory the Ninth, and made St. Peter Nolasco, to whom he gave the habit with his own hands, first General of the Order.
Once he went with King James to the Island of Majorca to preach about Jesus. King James was a man of great qualities, but he let himself be ruled by passions. There on the Island, too, he was giving bad example. The Saint commanded him to send the woman away. The King said he would, but he did not keep his promise. So St. Raymond decided to leave the Island. The King declared he would punish any ship captain who brought the Saint back to Barcelona.
Putting all his trust in God, Saint Raymond spread his cloak upon the water, tied up one corner of it to a stick for a sail, made the Sign of the Cross, stepped onto the cloak, and sailed along for six hours until he reached Barcelona. This miracle moved the King. He was sorry for what he had done, and he became a true follower of St. Raymond.
Raymond was called to Rome in 1230 by Pope Gregory IX, who appointed him to be his Chaplain, Penitentiary, and Confessor. He was assigned to collect all official letters of the popes since 1150. Raymond gathered and published five volumes, and helped write Church law.
He was chosen master general of the Dominicans in 1238. Reviewed the Order's Rule, made sure everything was legally correct, then resigned his position in 1240 to dedicate himself to parish work. He was offered and archbishopric, but he declined, instead returning to Spain and the parish work he loved. His compassion helped many people return to God through Reconciliation.
During his years in Rome, Raymond heard of the difficulties missionaries faced trying to reach non-Christians of Northern Africa and Spain. Raymond started a school to teach the language and culture of the people to be evangelized. With Saint Thomas Aquinas, he wrote a booklet to explain the truths of faith in a way that non-believers could understand. His great influence on Church law led to his patronage of lawyers.
St. Raymond died on 6 January 1275 at Barcelona, Spain. He was one hundred years old at the time of his death.
"Look then on Jesus, the author and preserver of faith: in complete sinlessness he suffered, and at the hands of those who were his own, and was numbered among the wicked. As you drink the cup of the Lord Jesus (how glorious it is!), give thanks to the Lord, the giver of all blessings. May the God of love and peace set your hearts at rest and speed you on your journey; may he meanwhile shelter you from disturbance by others in the hidden recesses of his love, until he brings you at last into that place of complete plenitude where you will repose for ever in the vision of peace, in the security of trust, and in the restful enjoyment of his riches."
Saint Raymond of Penyafort
Feast of Our Lady of Prompt Succor.
In 1727, French Ursuline nuns founded a monastery in New Orleans, Louisiana, and organized their area schools from it. In 1763 Louisiana became a Spanish possession, and Spanish sisters came to assist. In 1800 the territory reverted back to France, and the Spanish sisters fled in the face of French anti – Catholicsm.
In 1803, short on teachers, Mother Saint Andre Madier requested reinforcements in the form of more sisters from France. The relative to whom she wrote, Mother Saint Michel, was running a Catholic boarding school for girls. Bishop Fournier, short-handed due to the repressions of the French Revolution, declined to send any sisters. Mother Saint Michel was given permission to appeal to the pope. The pope was a prisoner of Napoleon, and it seemed unlikely he would even receive her letter of petition.
Mother Saint Michel prayed, "O most Holy Virgin Mary, if you obtain for me a prompt and favorable answer to this letter, I promise to have you honored at New Orleans under the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor."
She sent her letter on 19 March 1809. Against all odds, she received a response on 29 April 1809. The pope granted her request, and Mother Saint Michel, commissioned a statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor holding the Infant Jesus. Bishop Fournier blessed the statue and Mother's work.
Mother Saint Michel and several postulants came to New Orleans on 31 December 1810. They brought the statue with them, and placed it in the monastery chapel. Since then, Our Lady of Prompt Succor has interceded for those who have sought her help.
A great fire threatened the Ursuline monastery in 1812. A lay sister brought the statue to the window and Mother Saint Michel prayed
"Our Lady of Prompt Succor, we are lost if you do not come to our aid." The wind changed direction, turned the fire away, and saved the monastery.
Our Lady interceded again at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. Many faithful, including wives and daughters of American soldiers, gathered in the Ursuline chapel before the statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, and spent the night before the battle in prayer. They asked Our Lady for victory by Andrew Jackson's forces over the British, which would save the city from being sacked. Jackson and 200 men from around the South won a remarkable victory over a superior British force in a battle that lasted twenty-five minutes, and saw few American casualties.
It is still customary for the devout of New Orleans to pray before the statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor whenever a hurricane threatens New Orleans.
Prayer from the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor:
"Our Lady of Prompt Succor, ever Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ our Lord and God, you are most powerful against the enemy of our salvation. The divine promise of a Redeemer was announced right after the sin of our first parents; and you, through your Divine Son, crushed the serpent's head. Hasten, then, to our help and deliver us from the deceits of Satan. Intercede for us with Jesus that we may always accept God's graces and be found faithful to Him in our particular states of life. As you once saved our beloved City (New Orleans) from ravaging flames, and our Country from an invading army, have pity on us and obtain for us protection from hurricanes and all other disasters. (Silent pause for individual petitions.) Assist us in the many trials which beset our path through life. Watch over the Church and the Pope as they uphold with total fidelity the purity of faith and morals against unremitting opposition. Be to us truly Our Lady of Prompt Succor now and especially at the hour of our death, that we may gain everlasting life through the merits of Jesus Christ Who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God world without end. Amen."
Our Lady of Prompt Succor
Feast of Sts. Julian and Basilissa.
Sts. Julian and Basilissa were a married couple living in Antioch in the reign of Diocletian, early in the fourth century. They lived very simply and dedicated their lives to caring for the poor and sick.
Saints Julian and Basilissa, though married, lived in chastity by mutual consent. They used all their money in relieving the sick and converted their home into a hospital which sometimes housed thousands. Saint Basilissa tended the sick women in one part of the house while Saint Julian ministered to the men in another part.
Basilissa, after having stood severe persecutions, died in peace. Julian continued in his good works. During a persecution of Christians by the Roman empire, he sheltered priests from being captured and tortured. He himself was caught and tortured before being beheaded. Many others, including priests in hiding, were arrested with him and also martyred, including seven brothers; a recent convert to Christianity named Anastasius; as well as a boy, Celsus, and his mother.
Saints Julian and Basilissa
Daily Saints – 10 January.
Feast of St. Gregory of Nyssa.
St. Gregory was born around the year 335 in Cappadocia, in modern-day Turkey. He was the third son among ten children, and belonged to a very pious and illustrious Christian family. In fact, his grandmother, Macrina; his parents, Basil and Emelia; and his brothers and sister, Basil the Great, Peter of Sebaste, and Macrina, have all been recognized as saints of the Church.
Gregory had no interest in devoting his life to the service of the Lord as did his brothers and sister, but instead chose to follow his father's career as a teacher.
Gregory's life, however, underwent a dramatic change. When he was twenty years old, some of the relics of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste were brought to a chapel on the family estate. During an all-night vigil service at the chapel, in honor of the Forty Martyrs, something dramatic occurred. Gregory, called to participate by his family, half-heartedly and with indifference attended the divine service.
Wearied by the long prayers, Gregory left the Church during one of the sermons and went to sleep. During his sleep he had a vivid dream of trying to enter the Church, but the Forty Martyrs would not permit him. It was only with the help of one of them that he managed to escape punishment. This frightening dream left a lasting impression on Gregory. He soon left his worldly studies, and devoted himself to the study of the Scriptures and things of God.
Gregory's change of heart did not last long, and he soon abandoned his life of dedication to the Lord, and resumed his secular career as a teacher. However, under the influence of his devout family and friends, he returned to the Church and entered a monastery founded by his brother Basil.
In the year 372, St. Basil consecrated his brother Gregory as bishop of the small city of Nyssa. Unfortunately, Gregory had little peace in his ministry at Nyssa, for soon heretical clergymen rose up to oppose his work. Charges were made that Gregory was not validly ordained and that he had embezzled Church funds. He was arrested, taken away by a band of soldiers, deposed as bishop, and sent into exile.
After the death of the Arian Emperor Valens in 378, Gregory was allowed to return home and was restored to his office. Gregory's joy shortly turned to sorrow with the death of his beloved brother and mentor, Basil, and then the death of his sister, Macrina.
With the death of St. Basil, Gregory stepped in to take the place of his brother as the foremost defender of the Orthodox Faith from various rampant heresies. St. Gregory became famous throughout the Empire for the spiritual depth of his sermons and writings. He is considered one of the most deep and profound writers of the Christian Faith, and stressed the importance of moderation in life. Furthermore, he played an important role at the Second Ecumenical Council which was convened at Constantinople in 381.
The Council of Constantinople in 381 further solidified and defined trinitarian orthodoxy against several heresies, and purportedly further clarified the Christian Creed, resulting in the current iteration of the Nicene Creed that Catholics proclaim at Mass to this day.
Aside from his work with the council, Gregory himself made beautiful, dramatic contributions to the doctrine of the Trinity. One of his greatest works, 'Life of Moses', uses the story of Moses' life—his birth in Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, the journey through the desert—as an image of the soul's journey with God. Gregory gleans spiritual lessons for Christians of all walks of life from Moses' life.
In Moses' encounter with God on Sinai, when God says No one may see me and live (Exodus 3320), Gregory ponders the meaning of this encounter. He writes This truly is the vision of God never to be satisfied in the desire to see him. Our ascent to God, our journey to see God is always one of desiring God intimately and this desire to be with God and behold his face never ends.
His theology emphasizes contemplative union with God and the mystical desire for God. Gregory died several years after the Council of Constantinople, around the year 395.
Sin is failure to grow.
Anger is a perversion of courage, as lust is a perversion of love.
Be not anxious about what you have, but about what you are.
Who gives you the day will give you also the things necessary for the day.
Just as at sea those who are carried away from the direction of the harbor bring themselves back on course by a clear sign, on seeing a tall beacon light or some mountain peak coming into view, so Scripture may guide those adrift on the sea of the life back into the harbor of the divine will.
As no darkness can be seen by anyone surrounded by light, so no trivialities can capture the attention of anyone who has his eyes on Christ.
Peace is defined as harmony among those who are divided. When, therefore, we end the civil war within our nature and cultivate peace within ourselves, we become at peace.
If we truly think of Christ as our source of holiness, we shall refrain from anything wicked or impure in thought or act and thus show ourselves to be worthy bearers of his name. For the quality of holiness is shown not by what we say but by what we do in life.
It is impossible for one to live without tears who considers things exactly as they are.
There is one antidote for evil passions the purification of our souls which takes place through the mystery of godliness. The chief act of faith in this mystery is to look to Him who suffered the passion for us. The cross is the passion, so that whoever looks to it is not harmed by the poison of desire. To look to the cross means to render one's whole life dead and crucified to the world.
Concepts create idols; only wonder comprehends anything. People kill one another over idols. Wonder makes us fall to our knees.
I got me slave-girls and slaves.' For what price, tell me What did you find in existence worth as much as this human nature What price did you put on rationality How many obols did you reckon the equivalent of the likeness of God How many staters did you get for selling that being shaped by God God said, Let us make man in our own image and likeness. If he is in the likeness of God, and rules the whole earth, and has been granted authority over everything on earth from God, who is his buyer, tell me Who is his seller To God alone belongs this power; or, rather, not even to God himself. For his gracious gifts, it says, are irrevocable. God would not therefore reduce the human race to slavery, since he himself, when we had been enslaved to sin, spontaneously recalled us to freedom. But if God does not enslave what is free, who is he that sets his own power above God's
Moses' vision of God began with light; afterwards God spoke to him in a cloud. But when Moses rose higher and became more perfect, he saw God in the darkness.
A cure is a good thing, but one who does not look to the evangelic mystery would still be ignorant of the manner of the cure. We have shown that alienation from God, Who is the Life, is an evil; the cure, then, of this infirmity is, again to be made friends with God, and so to be in life once more.
We do not say that one who has clear eyesight is rewarded as with a prize by being able to perceive the objects of sight; nor on the other hand that he who has diseased eyes experiences a failure of optic activity as the result of some penal sentence. With the eye in a natural state sight follows necessarily; with it vitiated by disease failure of sight as necessarily follows. In the same way the life of blessedness is as a familiar second nature to those who have kept clear the senses of the soul; but when the blinding stream of ignorance prevents our partaking in the real light, then it necessarily follows that we miss that, the enjoyment of which we declare to be the life of the partaker.
Today the darkness begins to grow shorter and the light to lengthen, as the hours of night become fewer…. Realize that the true light is now here and, through the rays of the gospel, is illumining the whole earth.
Saint Gregory of Nyssa
Feast of Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch.
He is the patron of file makers.
Theodosius was born to a pious family on 423 at Garissus, Cappadocia (modern Turkey). He began his studies at an early age, and became a lector while still a youth. Endowed with a splendid voice, he zealously toiled at church reading and singing. Saint Theodosius prayed fervently that the Lord would guide him on the way to salvation.
The example of Abraham led him to leave home in order to properly follow God. He visited Holy Land and met Saint Simeon Stylites in Antioch; Simeon recognized him as a holy man and leader, and invited Theodosius onto his pillar for prayer, blessing, and advice.
He went to Jerusalem where legend says worked with Saint Longinus the Centurian and became the head of a church near Bethlehem.
Yearning for the solitary life, Saint Theodosius settled in Palestine into a desolate cave, in which, according to Tradition, the three Magi had spent the night, having come to worship the Savior after His Nativity. He lived there for thirty years in great abstinence and unceasing prayer.
People flocked to the ascetic, wishing to live under his guidance. When the cave could no longer hold all the monks, Saint Theodosius prayed that the Lord Himself would indicate a place for the monks. Taking a censer with cold charcoal and incense, the monk started walking into the desert.
At a certain spot the charcoal ignited by itself and the incense smoke began to rise. Here the monk established the first cenobitic monastery, or Lavra (meaning "broad" or "populous"). Soon the Lavra of Saint Theodosius became renowned, and up to 700 monks gathered at it. The Lavra rendered service to neighbor, giving aid to the poor and providing shelter for wanderers.
Saint Theodosius was extremely compassionate. Once, when there was a famine in Palestine and a multitude of people gathered at the monastery, the monk gave orders to allow everyone into the monastery enclosure. His disciples were annoyed, knowing that the monastery did not have the means to feed all those who had come. But when they went into the bakery, they saw that through the prayers of the abba, it was filled with bread. This miracle was repeated every time Saint Theodosius wanted to help the destitute.
At the monastery, Saint Theodosius built a home for taking in strangers, separate infirmaries for monks and laymen, and also a shelter for the dying. Seeing that people from various lands gathered at the Lavra, the saint arranged for services in the various languages: Greek, Georgian and Armenian. All gathered to receive the Holy Mysteries in the large church, where divine services were chanted in Greek.
During the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius (491-518) there arose the heresy of Eutychius and Severus, which recognized neither the sacraments nor the clergy. The emperor accepted the false teaching, and the Orthodox began to suffer persecution.
Saint Theodosius stood firmly in defense of Orthodoxy and wrote a letter to the emperor on behalf of the monks, in which they denounced him and refuted the heresy with the teachings of the Ecumenical Councils. He affirmed moreover, that the desert-dwellers and monks would firmly support the Orthodox teaching. The emperor showed restraint for a short while, but then he renewed his persecution of the Orthodox.
The holy Elder then showed great zeal for the truth. Leaving the monastery, he came to Jerusalem and in the church, he stood at the high place and cried out for all to hear: "Whoever does not honor the four Ecumenical Councils, let him be anathema!" For this bold deed the monk was sent to prison, but soon returned after the death of the emperor.
Saint Theodosius accomplished many healings and other miracles during his life, coming to the aid of the needy. Through his prayers he once destroyed the locusts devastating the fields in Palestine. Also by his intercession, soldiers were saved from death, and he also saved those perishing in shipwrecks and those lost in the desert.
Once, the saint gave orders to strike the semandron (a piece of wood hit with a mallet), so that the brethren would gather at prayer. He told them, "The wrath of God draws near the East." After several days it became known that a strong earthquake had destroyed the city of Antioch at the very hour when the saint had summoned the brethren to prayer.
In poor health in his old age, he was stricken with a condition that made his skin dry as stone. He continued to work until his health gave out, and then he spent his time praying for his community.
Before his death, Saint Theodosius summoned to him three beloved bishops and revealed to them that he would soon depart to the Lord. After three days, he died on 529 at the age of 105. The saint's body was buried with reverence in the cave in which he lived at the beginning of his ascetic deeds.
Saint Theodosius
Feast of Saint Bernard of Corleone.
Patron saint of Mafia victims, expectant mothers.
Bernard of Corleone was born on 6 February 1605 at Corleone, Palermo, Sicily as 'Filippo Latino'. His father Leonardo, a skilled cobbler and leather craftsman, was so merciful to those in need that, with consummate charity, he would even bring them home to wash, clothe and feed them. His brothers and sister were also extremely virtuous.
In this fertile ground the young Filippo soon learned the practice of charity and devotion to the Crucified and to Our Lady. As manager of the cobbler's shop he knew how to treat his workers well, and was not ashamed to wander through the town in wintertime, begging alms for the poor prisoners.
But he was very hot tempered and was prone to violence. He was quick to draw his sword at the slightest provocation. He was nicknamed 'the finest blade in Sicily'. This manner of life led him far away from God. At the same time, many noble characteristics were perceptible in him. In taking up any quarrel he liked to defend old people and other helpless and defenseless persons against violence.
He frequently made devout visits to a crucifix that was highly honored by the people, and provided that a lamp be kept burning before it. Moreover, he cherished great devotion towards St. Francis.
His way of life worried his parents, especially after Filippo wounded the hand of one particularly arrogant challenger. This incident, which happened in 1624 when Filippo was 19, was witnessed by many and caused an uproar. It cost the hired killer his arm, and Filippo, was shaken to the core.
In order to escape from his avengers, Filippo sought refuge in flight in the Franciscan Capuchin church, where he remained for a week. He had time to take stock of his life. In this extremity, as so frequently happens, grace knocked at his heart. Filippo heeded the call.
Filippo acknowledged his godless and dangerous conduct for what it was, bewailed it bitterly, and resolved upon a complete change of sentiments. He begged forgiveness from the wounded man, who later became his friend.
In order to atone for his sins, Filippo begged for admission among the Capuchins as a lay brother, and on December 13, 1632, he was invested with the holy habit. He received the name Bernard.
If in the past Bernard had yielded his bodily members to wayward purposes, he now used them as an atoning sacrifice unto salvation. Seven times a day he scourged himself to the blood. His sleep was limited to three hours on a narrow board, with a block of wood under his head.
He fasted for the most part on bread and water. If anything delicious was placed before him, he would carry the food to his mouth so as to whet his appetite, and then lay it down without having tasted it. In spite of his austere life, he still undertook the most unpleasant and annoying tasks as being his due.
Almighty God showed how agreeable to Him was the penitential life Bernard was leading; he favored him with extraordinary graces, particularly with ardent devotion at prayer.
He even developed an unusual gift. He was able to cure animals by praying an "Our Father", then leading the animal around a crucifix three times to restore them to health. On his deathbead, Bernard was able to bequeath this ability on another friar.
Bernard cherished special love for our Blessed Lady, and encouraged others to do the same. Often our Lady appeared to him and placed the Divine Child in his arms. Moreover, she gave him knowledge of the day of his death four months in advance. He died at Palermo on January 12, 1667.
Feast of Saint Hilary of Poitiers.
He is the patron saint of backward children, children learning to walk, mothers sick people and against rheumatism, against snakes, against snake bites.
Hilary was born on 315 at Poitiers, France, to wealthy polytheistic, pagan nobility. He received an excellent education. Hilary's early life was uneventful as he married, had children (including Saint Abra), and studied on his own.
Hilary was raised as a pagan. Pagans worshipped many gods. That did not make sense to Hilary. He thought that there could only be one true God. Through his studies he came to believe in salvation through good works, then monotheism.
To learn more, Hilary read the Scriptures. As he studied the Bible for the first time, he literally read himself into the faith, and was converted by the end of the New Testament. Meeting Jesus in the Gospels and learning what Jesus taught about God the Father changed Hilary's heart. He was baptized and became a Christian.
Hilary lived the faith so well he was made bishop of Poitiers, France from 353 to 368. Hilary opposed Arianism and the emperor's attempt to run Church matters, and was exiled. He used the time to write works explaining the faith. He composed his great work on the Blessed Trinity (in twelve books). It is a vigorous defense of the faith, which, he said, "triumphs when attacked."
His teaching and writings converted many. After four years he was permitted to return to his native land. He returned to the small town of Poitiers where his enemies hoped he would fade into obscurity. He continued his efforts, and through prudence and mildness succeeded in ridding Gaul of Arianism. His writings continued to convert pagans.
He introduced Eastern theology to the Western Church, fought Arianism with the help of Saint Viventius. He died on 368.
"No matter how sinful one may have been, if he has devotion to Mary, it is impossible that he be lost."
"The perfection of learning is to know God in such a way that, though you realize he is knowable, yet you know him as indescribable."
"The chief service I owe you, O God, is that every thought and word of mine should speak of you."
"There is no space where God is not; space does not exist apart from Him. He is in heaven, in hell, beyond the seas; dwelling in all things and enveloping all. Thus He embraces, and is embraced by, the universe, confined to no part of it but pervading all."
"Wages cannot be considered as a gift, because they are due to work, but God has given free grace to all men by the justification of faith."
"The utter folly of our time is lamentable, that men should think to assist God with human help and to protect the Church of Christ by worldly ambition."
"Little children follow and obey their father. They love their mother. They know nothing of covetousness, ill-will, bad temper, arrogance and lying. This state of mind opens the road to heaven. To imitate our Lord's own humility, we must return to the simplicity of God's little ones."
"Servants of the truth ought speak the truth."
"Now it is time to speak, the time for silence is past. We must expect Christ's return, for the reign of Antichrist has begun. The shepherds must give the warning signals because the hirelings have fled. Let us lay down our lives for the sheep, for brigands have entered the fold and the roaring lion is rampaging about. Be ready for martyrdom! Satan himself is clothed as an angel of light."
Saint Hilary
Feast of Blessed Devasahayam Pillai.
Devasahayam Pillai (named Neelakanda Pillai at birth) was born into an affluent Nair-caste family at Nattalam in the present-day Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, India on 23 April 1712.
His father Vasudevan Namboodiri, hailed from Kayamkulam, in present-day Kerala state, and was working as a priest at Sri Adi Kesava Perumal temple in Thiruvattar in present-day Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. His mother Devaki Amma hailed from Thiruvattar in Kanyakumari District.
In the Nair matriarchal traditions of the day, Devasahayam Pillai was raised by his maternal uncle, and was inculcated with Hindu beliefs and traditions early on.
Devasahayam's family had much influence in the royal palace of Maharaja Marthanda Varma, king of Travancore, and Devasahayam went into the service of the royal palace as a young man. His capabilities and enthusiasm did not go unnoticed in the palace, as he was soon put in charge of state affairs as an official under Ramayyan Dalawa, the Dewan of Travancore.
In 1741, Captain Benedictus Eustachio De Lannoy, a Dutch naval commander, was sent on command of a Dutch naval expedition by the Dutch East India Company to capture Colachel, a port under the control of Travancore, and establish a trading post there.
In the battle (Battle of Colachel) that followed between the Travancore forces and De Lannoy's men, the Dutch forces were defeated and the men were either killed or captured. Eustachius De Lannoy, his assistant Donadi and a few other Dutch soldiers were captured and imprisoned.
Benedictus Eustachio De Lannoy and the Dutchmen were later pardoned by the king, on condition that they serve in the Travancore army. De Lannoy later earned the trust of the king and went on to become the commander of the Travancore armed forces, winning many battles and annexing various neighbouring territories to Travancore.
It was during their influential roles under the King of Travancore that Devasahayam Pillai and De Lannoy became well acquainted. De Lannoy's Christian faith influenced Devasahayam.
Devasahayam was very much loved by the king and was a good man who was faithful to his duty. However, after several bad harvests, he lost his goods. This devastated him and who wondered: "Who will respect me now that I'm poor?"
Nilakandan shared his worries with the Dutch official Benedictus Eustachio De Lannoy who explained to him the meaning of suffering in the light of the Book of Job. For Nilakandan, Job's example and his trust in God was decisive. De Lannoy enlightened him on the faith, leading to his conversion in 1745.
On Devasahayam's acceptance of the Christian faith, he was baptized by Fr. Giovanni Battista Buttari at the Roman Catholic Latin Rite church at Vadakkankulam village (in the present Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu), where the Jesuits had a mission. Neelakanda Pillai, his name at birth, was then changed to Lazar, although he is more widely known by the Tamil & Malayalam translation Devasahayam (meaning God's help).
On the day of his Baptism, Devasahayam dedicated himself solemnly to Christ: "No one [forced] me to come; I came by my own free will. I know my heart: He is my God. I have decided to follow Him and will do so my whole life." His life was no longer the same; Devasahayam dedicated himself to the proclamation of the Gospel for four years.
Pillai was married by this time to Bargavi Ammal of Travancore. She was also persuaded and converted to Christianity by her husband. His wife was given the baptismal name of Gnanapoo Ammaal (equivalent to Theresa in Tamil & Malayalam). Fearing reprisal in Travancore against her religious conversion, she chose to be a migrated-resident of this village. Some of Devasahayam Pillai's immediate family members also received baptism later, after being converted to Christianity.
However, the heads of his native religion did not look kindly on their conversion to Christianity. Their conversion antagonized upper-caste Hindus.
Church chroniclers say that the Brahmin chief priest of the kingdom, the feudal lords, members of the royal household and the Nair community brought false charges on Devasahayam to the Dewan, Ramayyan Dalawa.
King commanded Pillai to reconvert to Hinduism but he refused. Pillai was divested of his portfolio in the administration. Noticing that his example caused many to do the same, the king ordered his arrest in 1749, charging him with treason and espionage. He was arrested and tortured for three years.
After his execution orders were passed, he was initially ordered to be taken on a buffalo to Kuzhumaikkad, where he would be executed. But the original Royal order was altered later to finally to be taken on a buffalo back to Aralvaimozhy border for a meaningful punishment of banishment after carrying out a series of tortures by ten different karyakkars on the advice of the ministers.
Devasahayam Pillai was marched from Padmanabhapuram Palace to Aralvaimozhy by soldiers, over the period of a few days. Pillai was treated like a cruel criminal and as was customary in those days for very cruel criminals, his body was painted with red and black spots, and was intentionally marched through populated areas, sitting backward on top of a water buffalo through the streets of South Travancore.
As a method of torture, he was beaten everyday with eighty stripes, pepper rubbed in his wounds and nostrils, exposed to the sun, and given only stagnant water to drink.
While halting at Puliyoorkurichi, not far away from the Padmanabhapuram Palace of the Travancore king, it is believed by Christians that God quenched his thirst by letting water gush through a small hole on a rock, the very place where he knelt to pray. This rock is called Muttidichanparai meaning the rock from which water gushed forth. The water hole is still found in the compound of a church at Puliyoorkurichi, about 15 km from Nagercoil.
It is also believed that the leaves of a neem (Margosa) tree in the village of Peruvilai, to which he had been tied while being marched to Aralvaimozhy, cured illnesses of sick people in the village and around. Many more miracles are attributed to Devasahayam Pillai.
In 1752, the original order of the King and his Dewan was to deport him from Travancore, into the Pandya country, at Aralvaimozhy. He was let off in the forested hills near Aralvaimozhy. There, he is believed to have begun deep meditations, and the people from the adjacent villages began visiting the holy man. Christian sources allege that at this time, high caste Hindus plotted to do away with Devasahayam.
The soldiers went up the forested hills and tried to shoot Devasahayam, but were unable to fire; after which he took the gun in his hands, blessed it and gave it back to the soldiers to shoot him to death, if they wished to. The soldiers took the gun back and fired at him five times. His body was then carelessly thrown out near the foothills at Kattadimalai but was found by some Christians who buried him in front of the altar of the church of Saint Francis Xavier.
He was a Catholic for only seven years. In that short period, he was in prison for three years under severe persecution for witnessing his faith. Finally he was shot dead. It was at Kattadimali in Kanyakumari district that Devasahayam Pillai died on 14 January 1752. His mortal remains were interred near the altar inside St. Xavier's Church, Kottar, Nagercoil, which is now the diocesan Cathedral.
Devasahayam Pillai is the first Indian lay person to become a blessed.
Blessed Devasahayam Pillai
Feast of St. Paul the Hermit.
He is known as "the First Hermit" and Paul of Thebes.
Paul of Thebes was born around 228 in the Thebaid of Egypt. He was left an orphan at about the age of fifteen and hid during the persecution of the Church under Emperor Traj anus Decius.
At the age of twenty two he went to the desert to circumvent a planned effort by his brother in law to report him to authorities as a Christian and thereby gain control of his property. Paul soon found that the eremitical life was much to his personal taste, and so remained in a desert cave for the rest of his reportedly very long life.
He lived in that cave for the next 90 years. A nearby spring gave him drink, a palm tree furnished him clothing and nourishment. After 21 years of solitude, a bird began bringing him half of a loaf of bread each day. Without knowing what was happening in the world, Paul prayed that the world would become a better place.
His contemplative existence was disturbed by St. Anthony, who visited the aged Paul. Saint Anthony of Egypt attests to his holy life and death. Tempted by the thought that no one had served God in the wilderness longer than he, Anthony was led by God to find Paul and acknowledge him as a man more perfect than himself. The raven that day brought a whole loaf of bread instead of the usual half.
Paul lived for 113 years until his death in 341. After Saint Paul's death, Saint Anthony had a vision of angels accompanying the hermit saint's soul to heaven. Returning to Saint Paul's cave, Saint Anthony found the hermit saint's body frozen in prayer, as though still alive.
Anthony buried Paul, supposedly wrapping him in a cloak that had been given to Anthony by St. Athanasius. According to legend, two lions assisted Anthony in digging the grave.
Saint Paul the Hermit
Feast of Saint Joseph Vaz.
Joseph Vaz was born on 21 April 1651 at Benaulim, Salcette, Goa, India. He was the son of Christopher Vaz and Maria de Miranda, Christian parents of the Konkani Brahmin caste. Joseph Vaz was the third of six children.
He was raised in the villages of Benaulim and Sancoale. When he grew up, his father sent him to a school at Benaulim to learn Latin as a preparation for his priestly studies.
Joseph Vaz made such rapid progress in his studies that his father decided to send him to the city of Goa, to the Jesuit College of Saint Paul. After completing his studies with the Jesuits, Joseph Vaz entered the Academy of Saint Thomas Aquinas for his philosophical and theological studies. In 1676 he was ordained a priest.
Joseph Vaz was always devoted to Our Lady. In 1677 he consecrated himself as a "slave of Mary," sealing it with a document known as his "Letter of Enslavement".
Joseph Vaz came to know about the misery of the Catholics of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and their complete abandonment. Ceylon was a Buddhist Country. But there were, at that time, a large number of Catholics living on the island without a priest or a church.
In 1658, the Dutch, being adherents of the Dutch Reformed Church and fearing that Catholics would support the Portuguese, began to persecute the Catholics, forbidding the practice of the Catholic faith within their territory. Joseph Vaz's heart was afire to go and save the Church in Ceylon at any cost.
Joseph Vaz presented his request to go to Ceylon to the ecclesiastical authorities. But, he was asked to serve the abandoned Catholics of Canara (Karnataka) in southwestern India.
Joseph Vaz lived in Canara for 4 years. During that time he gave shape to the church of Mangalore, where he had arrived in 1682. He built churches and chapels. In many villages, he opened a small school, appointed a catechist, and made provision by establishing confraternities for the maintenance of the church.
In 1684 Joseph Vaz made his way back to Goa. There he found a small community of Goan priests at the church of the Cross of Miracles. He entered this tiny community and was elected the superior. Within a few months, seven more priests joined the community and gave it new energy. To give a form of stability to the community, Joseph Vaz then organized the Goan community into the Oratorian Institute of Milagristas of Goa.
The Goa Oratory of Saint Philip Neri is assumed to be the first fully native religious community of the Latin rite in Asia. This indigenous priestly community was the ideal group to work in Ceylon and restore the Catholic Church there. After a six-month stay in the Oratory, in March, 1686, Joseph Vaz set out for Ceylon. In April, 1687, he disembarked in Ceylon as a poor beggar.
In 1658, 120 Catholic missionaries had left Ceylon, and the churches were closed or destroyed. From 1658 to 1687 Catholics were isolated: no priest, no sacraments, and no church. Joseph Vaz arrived in Jaffna. He suffered from acute dysentery, contracted from the terrible travelling conditions, and upon recovery he began his mission.
He started his life in Ceylon without any logistic support. With a rosary on his neck he begged from door to door for his survival. That was how he made contact with Catholics. He was taken in by a courageous Catholic, and ministered to his secret flock by night.
Joseph Vaz was the first non-European missionary to came to Ceylon. He came, not sent by civil, royal or ecclesiastical authorities. And he came in simplicity and poverty, without the support or protection of an institutional Church.
The Dutch commander of Jaffna noticed the revival of Catholic life in his district. On Christmas night, 1689, two years after Joseph Vaz had started his apostolate, the commander detected the presence of the priest. Three hundred Christians were imprisoned. But Joseph Vaz was not among the prisoners. No one knows how he escaped.
With the help of some Catholics, he went to Puttalam since this was part of the Kandy Kingdom outside of Dutch authority. Joseph Vaz had chosen Kandy the center of his apostolate to avoid the vigilance of the Dutch. But, as soon as the King, Vimaladharma Surya II, was informed, Joseph Vaz was bound in chains and conducted to a prison in Kandy, as he was seen as a foreign spy.
Joseph Vaz had studied Tamil and now, in Jaffna, in the prison, he started to study the local language, Sinhala. In 1693 the king set the priest free. As soon as he obtained the freedom to minister to the Catholics of the city, Joseph Vaz had the people build a simple church and dedicated it to Our Lady.
In 1696 there was a prolonged drought in Kandy. The king was very much distressed and asked the highest Buddhist religious leaders of his kingdom to perform their ceremonies to call down rain. But, it was to no avail. The king then asked Joseph Vaz to pray to his God and obtain rain for the kingdom.
Joseph Vaz answered the king´s request by a prayer in the public square the next day. It brought such abundant rain that Joseph Vaz won the sympathy of the king, liberty for himself, and permission to bring more priests from the Goan Oratory.
In a letter dated February 10, 1696, the Bishop of Cochin, appointed Joseph Vaz as his Vicar General with full jurisdiction, spiritual as well as temporal, over the entire island of Ceylon. In 1696, the Oratory Fathers of Goa began to arrive on the island and so a properly constituted mission was established.
Joseph Vaz undertook long missionary journeys throughout a large portion of the west of the island. He even entered the city of Colombo, and continued this journey and his missionary apostolate in Gurubavilla, Malwana Sitawaka, Soffragan.
Between April and November, 1698, Joseph Vaz paid his second visit to Colombo. From there he continued his apostolic journey through Negombo, Mantota, Mannar, Vanny, Kalpitya, Punarym, Jaffna, Trincomalee, Puliyadiva and Batticaloa. In 1699, he went beyond Malwana and baptized more or less a thousand people.
In the years 1700, 1704 and 1705, Joseph Vaz undertook further missionary journeys to Puttalam, Mantota, Vanny, Allanbil, Kottiyar, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Pungadda and the Neduntivu Island in the North. Today in Sri Lanka, nine out of twelve dioceses comprise the area of these districts erected by Joseph Vaz. In 1705, it was Joseph Vaz who expanded the small shrine of Our Lady of Madhu.
In 1703, Pope Clement XI (1700-1721) sent a legate who proposed to nominate Joseph Vaz as the Vicar Apostolic of Ceylon. Joseph Vaz humbly declined the offer to be the first Apostolic Vicar of Ceylon. But whether a bishop or not, Joseph Vaz administered the Church in the whole country as a bishop would have done.
In 1710, Joseph Vaz was completely exhausted. He died January 16, 1711. He had spent 24 years of untiring labours in the mission of Ceylon. He was 59 years old. He is known as the Apostle of Sri Lanka.
Saint Joseph Vaz
Feast of Saint Anthony the Abbot.
He is the patron saint of amputees, anchorites, animals, basket makers, basket weavers, brushmakers, butchers, cemetery workers, domestic animals, farmers, gravediggers, graveyards, hermits, hogs, pigs, swine, monks, relief from pestilence, swineherds, Hospitallers and against eczema, epileptics; against epilepsy, against ergotism, against erysipelas or Saint Anthony's Fire, against pestilence, against skin diseases, against skin rashes.
Anthony was born in Coma in Lower Egypt in 251 to wealthy landowner parents. When he was about 18 or 20 years old, his parents died and left him with the care of his unmarried sister.
Not six months after his parents' death, as he was on his way to church for his usual visit, he began to think of how the apostles had left everything and followed the Savior, and also of those mentioned in the book of Acts who had sold their possessions and brought the apostles money for distribution to the needy.
This was all in his mind when, entering the church just as the Gospel was being read, he heard the Lord's words to the rich man: "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor – you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me." It seemed to Anthony that it was God who had brought the saints to his mind, and that the words of the Gospel had been spoken directly to him.
Immediately he left the church, and gave away to the villagers all the property he inherited, about 200 acres of very beautiful and fertile land. He sold all his other possessions, as well, giving to the poor the considerable sum of money he collected. However, to care for his sister he retained a few things.
On hearing Matthew 6:34, "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today," he gave away everything else, entrusted his sister to a convent, and went outside the village to live a life of praying, fasting.
Every time he heard of a holy person he would travel to see that person. But he wasn't looking for words of wisdom, he was looking to become. So if he admired a person's constancy in prayer or courtesy or patience, he would imitate it. Then he would return home.
He gave himself up to the ascetic life, not far from his own home. He did manual work because he had heard the words: "If anyone will not work, do not let him eat." He spent some of his earnings on bread and the rest he gave to the poor. Seeing the kind of life he lived, the villagers and all the good men he knew called him the friend of God, and they loved him as a son and brother.
Throughout his life Anthony argued and literally wrestled with the devil. His first temptations to leave his ascetic life were arguments we would find hard to resist — anxiety about his sister, longings for his relatives, thoughts of how he could have used his property for good purposes, desire for power and money.
When Anthony was able to resist him, the devil then tried flattery, telling Anthony how powerful Anthony was to beat him. Anthony relied on Jesus' name to rid himself of the devil. It wasn't the last time, though.
The devil fought Anthony by afflicting him with boredom, laziness, and the phantoms of women, which he overcame by the power of prayer. After that, he moved to a tomb, where he resided and closed the door on himself, depending on some local villagers who brought him food.
When the devil perceived his ascetic life and his intense worship, he was envious and beat him mercilessly, leaving him unconscious. When his friends from the local village came to visit him and found him in this condition, they carried him to a church.
After he recovered, he made a second effort and went back into the desert to a father mountain by the Nile called Pispir, opposite Arsinoe. There he lived strictly enclosed in an old abandoned Romanfort for some 20 years.
The devil again resumed his war against Anthony, only this time the phantoms were in the form of wild beasts, wolves, lions, snakes, and scorpions. They appeared as if they were about to attack him or cut him into pieces. But the saint would laugh at them scornfully and say, "If any of you have any authority over me, only one would have been sufficient to fight me." At his saying this, they disappeared as though in smoke.
While in the fort he only communicated with the outside world by a crevice through which food would be passed and he would say a few words. Anthony would prepare a quantity of bread that would sustain him for six months. He did not allow anyone to enter his cell; whoever came to him stood outside and listened to his advice.
After one particular difficult struggle, he saw a light appearing in the tomb he lived in. Knowing it was God, Anthony called out, "Where were you when I needed you?" God answered, "I was here. I was watching your struggle. Because you didn't give in, I will stay with you and protect you forever."
Then one day he emerged from the fort with the help of villagers, who broke down the door. By this time most had expected him to have wasted away or to have gone insane in his solitary confinement. Instead, he emerged healthy, serene, and enlightened.
Everyone was amazed that he had been through these trials and emerged spiritually rejuvenated. He was hailed as a hero and from this time forth the legend of Anthony began to spread and grow. Anthony went to Fayyum and confirmed the brethren there in the Christian faith before returning to his fort.
Anthony always told those who came to visit him that the key to the ascetic life was perseverance, not to think proudly, "We've lived an ascetic life for a long time" but treat each day as if it were the beginning.
Amid the Diocletian Persecutions, Anthony wished to become a martyr and in 311 went to Alexandria. He visited those who were imprisoned for the sake of Christ and comforted them.
When the Governor saw that he was confessing his Christianity publicly, not caring what might happen to him, he ordered him not to show up in the city. However, the Saint did not heed his threats. He faced him and argued with him in order that he might arouse his anger so that he might be tortured and martyred, but it did not happen.
At the end of the persecutions, Anthony returned to his old Roman fort. By this time, many more had heard of his sanctity and he had many more visitors than before. Some who spoke to him were healed physically, many were comforted by his words, and others stayed to learn from him.
Those who stayed formed what we think of as the first monastic community, though it is not what we would think of religious life today. All the monks lived separately, coming together only for worship and to hear Anthony speak.
But after awhile, too many people were coming to seek Anthony out. He became afraid that he would get too proud or that people would worship him instead of God. He saw these visits as interfering with his worship.
So he took off in the middle of the night, thinking to go to a different part of Egypt where he was unknown. Then he heard a voice telling him that the only way to be alone was to go into the desert. He went into the Eastern Desert. He found some Saracens who took him deep into the desert to a mountain oasis. They fed him until his friends found him again. His number of visitors again continued to grow.
Anthony had not been the first ascetic or hermit, but he may properly be called the "Father of Monasticism" in Christianity, as he organized his disciples into a worshiping community and inspired similar withdrawn communities throughout Egypt.
Saint Anthony prophesied about the persecution that was about to happen to the church and the control of the heretics over it, the church victory and its return to its former glory, and the end of the age.
When Saint Macarius visited Anthony, Anthony clothed him with the monk's garb and foretold him what would happen to him. When the day drew near for the departure of Saint Paul the First Hermit in the desert, Saint Anthony went to him and buried him, after clothing him in a tunic which was a present from St. Athanasius the Apostolic, the 20th Patriarch of Alexandria.
In 338, he left the desert temporarily to visit Alexandria to help refute the teachings of Arius. He died on 356 at Mount Colzim.
Saint Anthony the Abbot
Feast of Saint Prisca of Rome (St. Priscilla)
There are actually three St. Priscilla's who lived in the first few centuries of the Church – all of whom were martyrs – and two of them share the same feast day of January 18! It is the virgin martyr St. Prisca that the Church primarily celebrates today though.
Prisca was born of a noble family in Rome during the reign of Claudius II. Most likely a Christian from birth, she was arrested during the persecutions when she was a young teenager and brought before the Emperor for questioning.
Despite her youth, Prisca courageously proclaimed and upheld her Catholic Faith, even though she knew that by doing so in those days was ultimately the pronouncement of her own death sentence.
She suffered terrible tortures, one of which was being taken to the arena to be devoured by wild beasts. Rather than devour her though, the lions are said to have licked her feet! Finally, she was taken outside the city walls and beheaded.
Legend tells us that when she was martyred, a great eagle appeared above her and protected her body for several days until the Christians were able to retrieve it.
The young martyr was buried in the Catacomb of St. Priscilla – the catacomb named after the St. Priscilla, wife of a Roman senator, who shares the same feast day of January 18 with the child-martyr, Prisca.
She is said to have opened her home near the catacomb to Christians and to have befriended St. Peter who used her home as his headquarters in Rome. She was martyred during the reign of Emperor Domitian.
As an interesting fact, there is probable speculation that this St. Priscilla was a family relation of the child-martyr St. Prisca, who is buried in her catacomb.
The third St. Priscilla was a disciple of St. Paul and wife of the Jewish tentmaker, Aquila.
Saint Prisca of Rome
Feast of Saint Fillan.
Patron of mentally ill people and against insanity, against mental disorders, against mental illness.
He was born in Ireland as son of Feriach, possibly a king of Dalirada, and Princess Kentigerna, daughter of Cellach Cualann, King of Leinster.
He became a monk in his youth, taking the habit at Saint Fintan Munnu monastery. Accompanied his mother St. Kentigerna and St. Comgan to Scotland in the 8th century. He lived as a hermit and spend most of his life in prayer at Ptiienweem near the Saint Andrew monastery.
Later he was chosen as the Abbot of Saint Andrews; his bell and staff survive to today. He later resigned and resumed his eremitical life at Glendochart, Pertchire, where he built a church and was reknowned for his miracles. He died on 19 January c.777.
Legends and large tales naturally grew up around Fillan. For example, a wolf is reported to have killed the ox Fillan employed to work at the church construction site at Glendochart; when the wolf realized whose ox it was, it took the ox's place. Nearby is the "Holy Pool", believed to have been blessed by St. Fillan and effective in curing the mentally ill as a result.
Saint Fillan
Sebastian was the son of military and noble family, orriundo of Milan (263). He was the tribune of the first cohort of the Praetorian Guard in which he was respected by all and greatly appreciated by the Emperor, who was unaware of his Christian quality.
He complied with military discipline, but did not participate in idolatric sacrifices. As a good Christian, he not only exercised the apostolate among his peers, but also visited and encouraged Christians imprisoned for Christ.
It was from the imprisonment of two young men, Marco and Marceliano, that Sebastian began to be publicly recognized as a Christian. The two young people were arrested and granted a thirty days deadline to deny their faith in God or to continue to believe in Him.
Sebastian, aware of the situation, went down to the dungeons to give words of encouragement to the boys. From that moment, there were many conversions and, as a terrible consequence, martyrs, including the two imprisoned boys, Marco and Marceliano.
Because of all this, Pope St. Keys named him a defender of the Church. However, Emperor Diocletian also learned that Sebastian was a Christian and had him arrested. Sebastian was arrested at the time he buried other martyrs, known as the " Four Crowns ".
He was taken to Diocletian who said, " I have always had you among the best of my palace and you have worked in the shadow against me, insulting the gods ".
St. Sebastian was not frightened with these words and reaffirmed his faith in Jesus Christ again. The penalty ordered by the Emperor was that Sebastian should be tied up and covered in arrows in non-vital areas of the human body, so that he would not die directly from the crushes, but that he died after a while, bleeding out, between large and long pains.
The soldiers, following the Emperor's orders, took him to the stadium, stripped him, tied him to a tree and threw a rain of saettes on him. When they finished their mission and found that Sebastian was almost dead, they left the saint's body inert riddled by the arrows.
However, his friends who were on the prowl came closer, and upon seeing him still alive, took him home to a noble Roman Christian named Irene, who kept him hiding in his house and healed his wounds until he was healthy.
When Sebastian was restored again, his friends advised him to absent himself from Rome, but the saint refused resoundingly because his burning heart from Christ's love prevented him from continuing to announce his Lord.
He again appeared boldly to the Emperor, when he was in full offering to a god, being baffled because he was dead, a moment Sebastian took advantage of to lash out strong at him and his beliefs.
Maximiano ordered him to be lashed to death (year 304), and this time, the soldiers made sure he was well accomplished without errors.
The lifeless body of San Sebastian was collected by the faithful Christians and buried in an underground cemetery of the Roman Apia Way, which is now named after Catacumba of San Sebastyán.
Feast of Saint Agnes of Rome (Inés).
She is the patron saint of affianced couples, betrothed couples, bodily purity, chastity, Children of Mary, crops, engaged couples, gardeners, Girl Scouts, girls, rape victims, virgins.
Agnes was born in AD 291 and a member of the Roman nobility. She was raised in an early Christian family. Agnes made a promise to God never to stain her purity. Her love for the Lord was great and she hated sin even more than death!
A beautiful young girl of wealthy family, Agnes had many suitors of high rank, and the young men, slighted by her resolute devotion to religious purity, submitted her name to the authorities as a follower of Christianity.
According to legend one day when Agnes, then thirteen years old, was returning home from school, she happened to meet Symphronius, a son of the city prefect. At once he became passionately attracted to her and tried to win her by precious gifts. But she refused and declared that she is the bride of Jesus Christ. Incensed by her rebuff, Symphronius denounced Agnes to his father, the city prefect.
When she was commanded to offer incense to false gods, she raised her hand to Christ and made the Sign of the Cross. When the heathens threatened to bind her hand and foot, she herself hastened to the place of torture as a bride to her wedding feast.
The Prefect Sempronius condemned Agnes to be dragged naked through the streets to a brothel. In one account, as she prayed, her hair grew and covered her body. It was also said that all of the men that attempted to rape her were immediately struck blind. The son of the prefect is struck dead, but revived after she prayed for him, causing her release.
There is then a trial from which Sempronius recuses himself, and another figure presides, sentencing her to death. She was led out and bound to a stake, but the bundle of wood would not burn, or the flames parted away from her, whereupon the officer in charge of the troops drew his sword and beheaded her, or, in some other texts, stabbed her in the throat.
She suffered martyrdom at the age of twelve or thirteen during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, on 21 January 304.
Our saint's name should be traced to the Greek hagne – the pure, rather than to the Latin agna – lamb. But the Latin derivation prevailed in the early Church. The reason may have been that eight days after her death Agnes appeared to her parents with a train of virgins, and a lamb at her side.
"Christ made my soul beautiful with the jewels of grace and virtue. I belong to Him whom the angels serve."
"I am already promised to the Lord of the Universe. He is more splendid than the sun and the stars, and He has said He will never leave me!"
"He chose me first and He shall have me."
"Christ is my Spouse, He chose me first and His I will be. He made my soul beautiful
with the jewels of grace and virtue. I belong to Him whom the angels serve."
Saint Agnes of Rome
Feast of Saint Vincent of Saragossa.
He is the patron saint of vine dressers, vinegar makers, vintners, wine growers, wine makers.
Vincent was born at Huesca, near Saragossa, Spain sometime during the latter part of the 3rd century; it is believed his father was Eutricius (Euthicius), and his mother was Enola, a native of Osca.
Vincent spent most of his life in the city of Saragossa, where he was educated and ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Valerius of Saragossa, who commissioned Vincent to preach throughout the diocese. Because Valerius suffered from a speech impediment, Vincent acted as his spokesman.
When the Roman Emperor Diocletian began persecuting Christians in Spain, both were brought before the Roman governor, Dacian in Valencia. Vincent and his bishop Valerius were confined to the prison of Valencia. Though he was finally offered release if he would consign Scripture to the fire, Vincent refused.
Speaking on behalf of his bishop, he informed the judge that they were ready to suffer everything for their faith, and that they could pay no heed either to threats or promises.
His outspoken manner so angered the governor that Vincent was inflicted every sort of torture on him. He was stretched on the rack and his flesh torn with iron hooks. Then his wounds were rubbed with salt and he was burned alive upon a red-hot gridiron.
Finally he was cast into prison and laid on a floor scattered with broken pottery, where he died. During his martyrdom he preserved such peace and tranquillity that it astonished his jailer, who repented from his sins and was converted.
Vincent's dead body was thrown into the sea in a sack, but was later recovered by the Christians and his veneration immediately spread throughout the Church.
According to legend, after being martyred, ravens protected St. Vincent's body from being devoured by vultures, until his followers could recover the body. His body was taken to what is now known as Cape St. Vincent; a shrine was erected over his grave, which continued to be guarded by flocks of ravens.
Saint Vincent of Saragossa
Feast of Saint Ildephonsus of Toledo.
Ildephonsus was born around 607 at Toledo, Spain. He came from a noble family and was probably a pupil of St. Isidore of Seville. While still quite young, he entered the Benedictine monastery of Agalia near Toledo and went on to become its Abbot. In that capacity he attended the Councils of Toledo in 653 and 655.
In 657 the clergy and people elected this holy man to succeed his uncle, St. Eugenius, as Archbishop of Toledo. He performed his episcopal duties with diligence and sanctity until his death in 667.
This saint was a favorite subject for medieval artists, especially in connection with the legend of Our Lady's appearance to present him with a chasuble. It is said that the Blessed Virgin appeared to him in person and presented him with a priestly vestment, to reward him for his zeal in honoring her.
Ildephonsus had a strong devotion to the Blessd Mother, and it is said that one day when he was praying before the relics of Saint Leocadia, the martyr arose from her tomb and thanked the saint for the devotion he showed towards the Mother of God.
The literary work of Ildephonsus is more widely known than the details of his life, and merits for him a distinguished place in the role of Spanish writers. St. Ildephonsus was a prolific writer, but unfortunately only four of his works have survived.
"We come to the font as to the Red Sea. Moses was the leader in saving Israel; Christ was the leader in redeeming man. The former left Egypt; the latter left the world. The Egyptians pursued the Israelites; sin pursued man. The sea is colored by the red of its shore; baptism is consecrated with the blood of Christ. The vast sea is divided by a rod; the entrance to the font is opened with the sign of the cross. Israel enters the sea; man is washed in the font. Israel passes on a dry path between the waters without hindrance; through the waters man journeys the way of salvation. The pursuing Egyptians are drowned with Pharaoh; sins are destroyed in baptism together with the devil in a destruction not of life but of power. The children of Israel left Egypt in the spring of the year and passed through the sea; in the same season we celebrate the Pasch of our Lord Jesus Christ. In baptism, souls cross from vices to virtues. They pass from the lusts of the flesh to grace and sobriety of spirit. And they escape from the leaven of malice and wickedness to truth and sincerity. Thus we say to those born again: "This month shall be to you the beginning of months: it shall be the first of the months of the year" (Exodus 12:2). For he who is washed abandons Pharaoh, the leader of this world, with all its works."
Saint Ildephonsus of Toledo
Feast of Saint Francis de Sales.
He is the patron saint of authors, writers, Catholic press, confessors, deaf people, teachers, educators, journalists and invoked against deafness.
Francis was born on 21 August 1567 in the castle of Château de Thorens, Savoy to a well-placed Savoyard family. He was the eldest of twelve children born to François de Boisy and Françoise de Sionnz.
His parents intended that Francis become a lawyer, enter politics, and carry on the family line and power. He studied at La Roche and Annecy in France, taught by Jesuits. Attended the Collège de Clermont in Paris, France at age 12.
In his early teens, Francis began to believe in pre-destination, and was so afraid that he was pre-emptorily condemned to Hell that he became ill and eventually was confined to bed. However, in January 1587 at the Church of Saint Stephen, he overcame the crisis, decided that whatever God had in store for him was for the best, and dedicated his life to God.
He studied law and theology at the University of Padua, Italy, and earned a doctorate in both fields. He returned home, and found a position as Senate advocate.
God made his will clear to Francis one day while he was riding. Francis fell from his horse three times that day. Every time he fell, the sword came out of the scabbard, and every time it came out, the sword and scabbard came to rest on the ground in the shape of the Christian cross.
It was at this point that he received a message telling him to "Leave all and follow Me." He took this as a call to the priesthood, a move his family fiercely opposed, especially when he refused a marriage that had been arranged for him. However, he pursued a devoted prayer life, and his gentle ways won over the family.
He was Ordained as a Priest and in 1593 he was appointed provost of the diocese of Geneva, Switzerland, a stronghold of Calvinists.
For three years, he trudged through the countryside, had doors slammed in his face and rocks thrown at him. In the bitter winters, his feet froze so badly they bled as he tramped through the snow.
Francis' unusual patience kept him working. No one would listen to him, no one would even open their door. So, Francis found a way to get under the door. He wrote out little pamphlets to explain true Catholic doctrine and slipped them under the doors.
The parents wouldn't come to him, so Francis went to the children. When the parents saw how kind he was as he played with the children, they began to talk to him.
Francis was a preacher, writer and spiritual director in the district of Chablais. His simple, clear explanations of Catholic doctrine, and his gentle way with everyone, brought many back to the Roman Church. He even used sign language in order to bring the message to the deaf, leading to his patronage of deaf people.
In 1602, Bishop Granier died and Francis was consecrated Bishop of Geneva. He travelled and evangelized throughout the Duchy of Savoy, working with children whenever he could.
Francis was a good friend of Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1604, Francis took one of the most important steps in his life – the step toward extraordinary holiness and mystical union with God.
Francis turned down a wealthy French bishopric to continue working where God had placed him. With Saint Jeanne de Chantal he helped found the Order of the Visitation.
Francis gave spiritual direction to most people through letters, which attested to his remarkable patience. Many of his letters have survived.
Francis was overworked and often ill because of his constant load of preaching, visiting, and instruction — even catechizing a deaf man so he could take first Communion.
Francis de Sales took seriously the words of Christ, "Learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart." As he said himself, it took him 20 years to conquer his quick temper, but no one ever suspected he had such a problem, so overflowing with good nature and kindness was his usual manner of acting. His perennial meekness and sunny disposition won for him the title of "Gentleman Saint."
Francis died on December 28, 1622, after giving a nun his last word of advice: "Humility."
"We must fear God out of love, not love Him out of fear."
"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset."
"Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence."
"An action of small value performed with much love of God is far more excellent than one of a higher virtue, done with less love of God."
"Half an hour's meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed."
"Perfection of life is the perfection of love. For love is the life of the soul."
"Have patience with all things, But, first of all with yourself."
"Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly."
"Be who you are and be that well."
"All of us can attain to Christian virtue and holiness, no matter in what condition of life we live and no matter what our life work may be."
"When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time."
"A quarrel between friends, when made up, adds a new tie to friendship."
"The virtue of patience is the one which most assures us of perfection."
"There was never an angry man that thought his anger unjust."
"Make yourself familiar with the angels, and behold them frequently in spirit; for without being seen, they are present with you."
"Make friends with the angels, who though invisible are always with you. Often invoke them, constantly praise them, and make good use of their help and assistance in all your temporal and spiritual affairs."
"Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them."
"Our business is to love what would have done. He wills our vocation as it is. Let us love that and not trifle away our time hankering after other people's vocations."
"Every moment comes to us pregnant with a command from God, only to pass on and plunge into eternity, there to remain forever what we have made of it."
"Nothing makes us so prosperous in this world as to give alms."
"There is nothing which edifies others so much as charity and kindness, by which, as by the oil in our lamp, the flame of good example is kept alive."
"Through devotion, your family cares become more peaceful, mutual love between husband and wife becomes more sincere, the service we owe to the prince more faithful, and our work, no matter what it is, becomes more pleasant and agreeable."
"By giving yourself to God, you not only receive Himself in exchange, but eternal life as well."
"Consider all the past as nothing, and say, like David: Now I begin to love my God."
"Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength."
"Man is the perfection of the Universe. The spirit is the perfection of man. Love is the perfection of the spirit, and charity that of love. Therefore, the love of God is the end, the perfection of the Universe."
"It is to those who have the most need of us that we ought to show our love more especially."
"In the royal galley of divine Love, there is no galley slave: all rowers are volunteers."
"We are not drawn to God by iron chains, but by sweet attractions and holy inspirations."
"We must never undervalue any person. The workman loves not that his work should be despised in his presence. Now God is present everywhere, and every person is His work."
"Retire at various times into the solitude of your own heart, even while outwardly engaged in discussions or transactions with others and talk to God."
"To be an angel in prayer and a beast in one's relations with people is to go lame on both legs."
"A spoonful of honey attracts more flies than a barrelful of vinegar."
Saint Francis Sales
The conversion of Saint Paul.
January 25 marks St. Paul's Conversion Day. This apostle wasn't always Christian, but had a conversion. He went from completely rejecting Jesus to admiring him and devoting himself to evangelizing.
Chapter 9 of the Acts of the Apostles of the Bible, counts as Paul, a young Jew known as Saul, was dedicated to persecuting Christians.
The young man was worried about the expansion that was tending around him Christianity. Therefore, he decided to go out and fight it for one purpose: to destroy Christianity.
Saul was authorized a very important mission: to travel to Damascus to jail all Christians in that city. When Saul was ready to enter the city something unexpected happened.
At the gates of Damascus, a powerful light blinded the young man throwing him over land. Then a voice said to him " why do you persecute me?", Paul replied, " Who are you, Lord?", to which the voice answered: " I am Jesus, whom you persecute. Get up and get into town. You'll be told what to do there ".
At that time, Pablo was blinded. Walked into Damascus city and settled into Judas house. Stayed there for three days.
That's when a man named Ananiah appeared and said to him, " Saul, brother, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the way where you came from, has sent me to regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit ". Then, the man placed his hands on Paul, and instantly miraculously recovered his sight.
After this event, Saul changed his vision. Ananiah baptized him, and at that time began to instill himself in the city's Catholic community and preach the gospel.
" He who once pursued us, now announces the good news of faith ", with this phrase summed up and continues to summarize the life and work of Saint Paul.
The conversion of Saint Paul
Saints Timothy and Titus.
Saint Timothy was a beloved disciple of Saint Paul, from a young age he surrendered himself to the study of Holy Scripture, and when Saint Paul was found preaching from the region of Licaonia, Christians made him such praises of Timothy that Paul took him as an apostle to replace Bernabé. Saint Paul entrusted preaching to the Christians of Thessaloniki, who suffered cruel persecution. He was elected bishop, apparently for special inspiration from the Holy Spirit and when Paul returned from Rome, he left Timothy in the head of the Church of Ephesus to end false teachers and ordain priests and deacons. He died stoned and beaten at the party called Katagogia by the heathens as he manifested his opposition to his ceremonies.
Saint Titus appears in the letters of Saint Paul, whom he accompanied to the Council of Jerusalem. After preaching in several cities, Saint Paul consecrated him Bishop of the Isle of Crete. " This affirmation is true, and I want you to stand firm in this, so those who believe in God will try to excel in the practice of good works This is good and profitable for men ", Saint Paul recommended to Titus (Titus 3, ??.
Saints Timothy and Titus
Holy Angela of Merici.
Santa Angela, born in Desenzano, near Brescia in northern Italy, by 1474. At age 10, she was orphaned, then her sister and brother were raised by a guy with lots of money.
Her older sister suddenly passed away and was very worried because she had died without the sacraments. So some day he had his first experience of ecstasy in which the Virgin Mary appeared.
At age 13 she became Franciscan tertiary and lived with a lot of austerity, sometimes feeding only on bread and vegetables. He didn't want to have goods, not even a bed, just like Jesus, who had no place to lay his head down.
When he was 20 years old, his uncle dies and Santa Angela returns to his homeland, where he gives catechism to the poor. His low stature didn't stop him from serving God with great love. On one occasion she travelled to the Holy Land and lost her sight in Crete, but kept her devotion on the journey, and recovered her in the same place that lost her.
In 1525 he went to Rome and met Pope Clement VII. The Pontiff asked him to take care of a group of nurses in Rome, but the Saint revealed to him that he had had a vision where maidens ascended to heaven on a light staircase. This inspired her to form a casual novice.
In vision, the holy virgins were accompanied by angels who played sweet melodies with golden harps. They all wore crowns with gemstones. But all of a sudden, music ceased and Jesus himself called her by name and told her to create a society of women.
This way the Holy Father granted him permission to form the community. Santa Ursula appears to him and Santa Angela names the patron saint of the community.
On November 25, 1535, at St. Afra's Church in Brescia, Angela and 28 younger colleagues joined before God to give their lives to the service of girl s' education. This is how the Ursulin Company comes up.
Those in the order didn't wear habit, except for a simple black dress, made no vows, no closure life, no community life. They were dedicated to religious education for girls, especially the poor, and care for the sick. Ursulinas were recognized by Pope Paul III in 1544 and organized as Congregation in 1565.
In 1539 Angela's health collapsed greatly and on January 27, 1540 died at the age of 66 On dying, his last words were the name of " Jesus " and a ray of light shone on the saint.
Best quotes from Santa Angela Merici:
" Don't lose heart, even if you find out you lack the qualities necessary for the job you've been called to. Whoever called you will not abandon you, and the moment you need will extend his saving hand."
" Reflect that you actually have a greater need to serve, than the importance your services may have to others."
Stay in the conservative teachings of the Church, established and confirmed by so many saints under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And live a new life. Pray and make others pray, so that God will not leave His Church, but reform it as He will, and as He sees best for us, and more for His honor and glory."
" Consider the devil not sleep, but seek our ruin in a thousand ways."
" We must give alms. Charity wins souls and attracts them to virtue."
" Strive to be faithful to what God has called you."
" Be careful to try to accomplish something by force."
" You will accomplish more with kind words and a courteous way than by anger or acute reprimand, which should never be used except in extreme need."
" Disorder in society is the result of family mess."
" Do now what you wish you had done when it's time to die."
Holy Angela of Merici
Feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas.
He is the patron saint of academics, apologists, book sellers, Catholic academies, Catholic schools, Catholic universities, chastity, colleges, learning, pencil makers, philosophers, publishers, scholars, schools, students, theologians, universities and against storms, against lightning.
Thomas was born in the castle of Roccasecca, Aquino, in the Kingdom of Sicily about the year 1225. He was the son of Landulph, count of Aquino. His mother, Theodora, was countess of Teano. Thomas had eight siblings, and was the youngest child.
Following the tradition of the period, Saint Thomas Aquinas was sent to the Abbey of Monte Cassino to train among Benedictine monks when he was just 5 years old. At Monte Cassino, the quizzical young boy repeatedly posed the question, "What is God?" to his benefactors.
Saint Thomas Aquinas remained at the monastery until he was 13 years old, when the political climate forced him to return to Naples. Saint Thomas Aquinas spent the next five years completing his primary education at a Benedictine house in Naples.
At the Benedictine house, which was closely affiliated with the University of Naples, Thomas also developed an interest in more contemporary monastic orders. He was particularly drawn to those that emphasized a life of spiritual service, in contrast with the more traditional views and sheltered lifestyle he'd observed at the Abbey of Monte Cassino.
Circa 1239, Saint Thomas Aquinas began attending the University of Naples. It is believed that Thomas was introduced to his philosophical influences at the university, where he also met John of St. Julian, a Dominican preacher, who influenced him to join the recently founded Dominican Order.
In 1243, he secretly joined an order of Dominican monks, receiving the habit in 1244. When Thomas' family learned of his decision, his mother Theodora arranged for him to be moved to Paris. When Thomas was travelling to Rome, his brothers captured him and returned him to their parents at the castle of Monte San Giovanni Campano.
Thomas was held captive in the castle for one year as his family tried to keep him from joining the Dominican Order. In the year he was held, Thomas tutored his sisters and communicated with members of the Dominican Order.
In an effort to change Thomas' mind, two of his brothers hired a prostitute to seduce him, but legends claim Thomas drove her off with a fire iron. That night, two angels appeared to him in a dream and strengthened his resolve to remain celibate.
When Theodora realized she could not sway her son, she tried to preserve the family name by arranging for his escape through a window. She believed a secret escape was better than appearing to accept his decision.
He rejoined his order in 1245. He studied in Paris, France from 1245 to 1248 under Saint Albert the Great, then accompanied Albertus to Cologne, Germany. He was Ordained in 1250, then returned to Paris to teach.
Thomas taught theology at University of Paris. He wrote defenses of the mendicant orders, commentaries on Aristotle and Lombard's Sentences, and some bible-related works, usually by dictating to secretaries. He won his doctorate, and taught in several Italian cities.
He was recalled by king and university to Paris in 1269, then recalled to Naples in 1272 where he was appointed regent of studies while working on the Summa Theologica.
Reputed as great already in life, he nevertheless remained modest, a perfect model of childlike simplicity and goodness. He was mild in word and kind in deed. He believed everyone was as innocent as he himself was.
When someone sinned through weakness, Thomas bemoaned the sin as if it were his own. The goodness of his heart shone in his face, no one could look upon him and remain disconsolate.
How he suffered with the poor and the needy was most inspiring. Whatever clothing or other items he could give away, he gladly did. He kept nothing superfluous in his efforts to alleviate the needs of others.
In 1273 Thomas was seen by the sacristan Domenic of Caserta to be crying and levitating in prayer before an icon of the crucified Christ at the Dominican convent of Naples, in the Chapel of Saint Nicholas.
During this prayer, Christ is said to have told him, "You have written well of me, Thomas. What reward would you have for your labor?" Thomas replied, "Nothing but you, Lord."
Following this exchange, something happened but Thomas never wrote or spoke of it. He abandoned his routine and, when begged to return to work, replied, "I cannot, because all that I have written seems like straw to me."
He died four months later while en route to the Council of Lyons, overweight and with his health broken by overwork. Thomas died on March 7, 1274 during a commentary on the Song of Songs.
"There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship."
"The things that we love tell us what we are."
"Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe; to know what he ought to desire; and to know what he ought to do."
"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."
"We can't have full knowledge all at once. We must start by believing; then afterwards we may be led on to master the evidence for ourselves."
"To live well is to work well, to show a good activity."
"How can we live in harmony? First we need to know we are all madly in love with the same God."
"Three conditions are necessary for Penance: contrition, which is sorrow for sin, together with a purpose of amendment; confession of sins without any omission; and satisfaction by means of good works."
"If, then, you are looking for the way by which you should go, take Christ, because He Himself is the way."
"Most men seem to live according to sense rather than reason."
"Charity is the form, mover, mother and root of all the virtues."
"We are like children, who stand in need of masters to enlighten us and direct us; and God has provided for this, by appointing his angels to be our teachers and guides."
"Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen."
"Most loving Lord, grant me a steadfast heart which no unworthy desire may drag downards; an unconquered hear which no hardship may wear out; an upright heart which no worthless purpose may ensnare. Impart to me also, O God, the understanding to know you, the diligence to seek you, a way of life to please you, and a faithfulness that may embrace you, through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen."
Saints – 29 January.
Feast of Saint Juniper.
Saint Juniper (San Ginepro, d.1258), called "the renowned jester of the Lord," was one of the original followers of Saint Francis of Assisi.
We don't know much about Juniper before he joined the friars in 1210. He was received into the order by St. Francis himself. Francis sent him to establish "places" for the friars in Gualdo Tadino and Viterbo.
Arriving in Rome after a long journey, Juniper encountered people who had heard of his sanctity, and had come to see him. Alarmed at this reception, Juniper escaped to a nearby see-saw where he played with the children till the sight-seers decided that he was an idiot and left disgusted; he then continued to the convent.
Juniper established Franciscan missions in various locations, and when St. Clare of Assisi was dying, he was at her side. He was devoted to the passion of Jesus and was known for his simplicity.
When visiting a poor man who was sick, Juniper asked if he could perform any service for the man. The man told Juniper that he had a longing for a meal of pig's feet, and so Juniper happily ran off to find some. Capturing a pig in a nearby field, he cut off a foot and cooked the meal for man.
When the pig's owner found out about this, he came in great wrath and abused St. Francis and the other Franciscans, calling them thieves and refusing repayment. St. Francis reproached Juniper and ordered him to apologize to the pig's owner and to make amends.
Juniper, not understanding why the owner should be upset at such a charitable act, went to him and cheerfully retold the tale of the pig's foot, as though he had done the man a favor.
When the man reacted with anger, Juniper thought that he had misunderstood him, so he simply repeated the story with great zeal, embraced him, and begged the man to give him the rest of the pig for the sake of charity. At this display the owner's heart was changed, and he gave up the rest of the pig to be slaughtered as Juniper had asked.
Another time Juniper had been commanded to quit giving part of his clothing to the half-naked people he met on the road. Desiring to obey his superior, Juniper once told a man in need that he couldn't give the man his tunic, but he wouldn't prevent the man from taking it either. In time, the friars learned not to leave anything lying around, for Juniper would probably give it away.
When St. Francis asks Brother Juniper to look after the church by himself one day, the other brothers are very worried about what they'll find when they return. But with his kind heart and simple ways, Brother Juniper reminds them all what it means to truly look after a church.
When a poor man arrives asking for help, Brother Juniper gives him candlesticks. He offers the golden chalice to a hungry woman with eight children. By the time the brothers return, he has given away the entire church, from the furniture to the walls themselves. The others are so angry that he hides himself in shame.
The following Sunday, however, as the friars congregate for prayers, they are amazed when a crowd appears and gathers around Brother Juniper to thank him. St. Francis arrives and says, Look, Brothers, at the fine church that Brother Juniper built.
He died in 1258 and is buried at Ara Coeli Church in Rome.
"Would to God, my brothers, I had a whole forest of such Junipers." – Saint Francis of Assisi
"A perfect friar would have "the patience of Brother Juniper, who attained the state of perfect patience because he kept the truth of his low estate constantly in mind, whose supreme desire was to follow Christ on the way of the cross." – Saint Francis of Assisi
Saint Juniper
Saint Jacinta of Mariscotti.
Clarice of Mariscotti-as was called Jacinta before entering religion-was the daughter of Marcantonio Mariscotti and Ottavia Orsini, Countess of Vignanello, a place near Viterbo, Italy, where the saint was reportedly born on March 16, 1585.
From his very virtuous parents, he received deep religious training, corresponding to the desires of his parents. However, coming to adolescence, Clarice became vain and mundane, looking for just fun. Their concern turned to dresses, decorations, entertainment.
Such a situation made her father worry much with the salvation of his daughter. As a remedy, he decided to send the vanidosa to the convent, where his older sister was, who there was an example of virtue. Clarice obeyed reluctantly.
While staying in the convent, he fed the desire to get out of it as quickly as possible to return to the carefree and worldly life of before. He insisted so much, his father ended up giving in.
But in the world, where he had returned, he didn't find what he expected. The years ran, vanities passed, and she couldn't find anyone to provide her the expected happiness.
None of the " good parties " courthouse in the region gave attention to that young lady atollondrada. Clarice still saw her younger sister, Hortensia, marrying Roman Marquis Paolo Capizucchi, taking his lead.
The family then insisted for her to return to the convent, this time as a nun. In disgust he returned to the same one where his sister was in, from the religious women of the Franciscan Third Regular Order.
In that order he took the name of Jacinta. Unfortunately she didn't leave the world behind herself, but brought him to religious life. Judging the cells of very small and poor nuns, he had a special one built for her, according to her social position, and decorated it with princely luxury, placing curtains, carpets, gold and silver items as well as a marble table.
All that, which could be good in a palace, dissonated from the environment of poverty that convent. With tedio and ill will, he participated in the common acts of the religious house.
In this genus of life pier and deceitful it was ten years, until it was hit by a serious illness. Then the good thoughts of his childhood came to mind. He considered the fire of purgatory and hell and trembled with terror. Started, screaming, calling the confessor
Just passing by the convent the P was at that time. Antonio Bianchetti, virtuous priest, very energetic and categorical. He was urged to attend to the sick one. But while penetrating that luxurious room, more like a palace than a convent, he refused to confess to the nun, saying that paradise was not made for the proud.
Jacinta, desperate, crying bitterly, asked him, " Then there is no salvation for me?" " Yes?" the religious man answered, as long as he leaves those vain ornaments, those sumptuous dresses, and becomes humble, godly, forget the world and think only about the things of Heaven ".
The following day, having Jacinta changed her silk clothes into a poor habit, she made a general confession with so many tears and groans, that manifested true regret. Afterwards he went to the refectory and applied strong discipline in front of the sisters, asking them for forgiveness for the bad examples he had given them.
But Jacinta hadn't broken up with everything yet. He lacked leaving the luxurious room, which was very attached. A new disease-during which he saw Saint Catalina of Siena, who gave him several advice-made the break with ancient life total.
He delivered everything he possessed to the superior and dressed up with the shroud of a nun who had just died. He made the purpose of not seeing his relatives and friends anymore, unless by the order of the superior, so as to break up with everything that reminded him of his old life. Since then he wanted to be called Santa Maria's Jacinta and no more Mariscotti.
His conversion this time was radical: he changed his bed to a log of wood, having a stone pillow. He mortified himself day and night, taking so rough disciplines, that the floor of his cell was stained with blood.
In memory of the sores of the Divine Savior, sores were caused in his feet, hands and side that would frequently reopen, and which only let him heal by obedience. This practice that, in a special vocation of penance, can be understood, even if not to be imitated.
On Fridays, in memory of the thirst Our Lord suffered in the Passion, a handful of salt was placed in his mouth. Their feed became bread and water. During Lent and Advent, he lived on vegetables and roots barely cooked to water.
After her conversion, she went on to have such a low concept of herself, that it made her an example of humility. Considering herself as the worst sinner, she chose as patrons saints who had offended God before becoming, such as Saint Augustine, Holy Egyptian Mary and Holy Margarita of Cortona.
Jacinta looked for any occasion to humble herself. He often went to the refectory with a string tied to his neck, and kneeling in front of each nun, kissed their feet asking for forgiveness for their past bad examples.
She did the most disgusting jobs in the convent, swept the cells, usually on her knees, and happily endured the injuries of some sisters who called her crazy and mind-blowing. I asked everyone to pray for her.
She wrote to a religious woman: " I changed my life fourteen years ago. During that time I prayed sometimes forty hours straight, attended several masses every day, and I am still far from perfection. When will I be able to serve my God as He deserves? Pray for me my friend that the Lord may give me at least hope ".
Despite everything she did to be despised, her virtue shone in the eyes of the majority of the community, who chose her as subprior and Novice Teacher.
The fame of his virtue transcended the convent walls and spread throughout the region. God endowed her with the gift of doing miracles. On a day, for example, some of their coters made a trip on the high seas, when they were surprised by a terrible storm.
In the imminence of zozobrar, one of them exclaimed, " Oh Sister Jacinta, come to our help or we will perish ". At the same moment the passengers saw a Franciscan white habit nun, who struck the ripples and led with supernatural force Boat to the harbor.
Having one of them went to the convent to thank the benefit size, the superior sent for the Hna. Jacinta: " She was the one who saved us ". The saint fled the announcer so as not to be praised.
To convert sinners, she became irresistible eloquence, which went straight to the heart of the most fierce. One of the most noise-operated conversions was that of a fortune soldier named Francisco Pacini, sadly celebrated for his insolence, cruelty and lack of misfortune.
The saint had heard of him and decided to convert him. For that, he made special prayers and fasting for several days. Afterwards he wrote to the facinerous, asking him to go to the convent to deal with a matter of the utmost importance.
Upon receiving the message, Pacini responded with contempt that he had vowed to never set foot in a convent. But Jacinta didn't give up. He asked a converted sinner, who had been friends with Pacini, to seek him out and try to convince him to go to the convent.
As Pacini refuses peremptoriously, the other, with fine psychological sense, said to him, " How you've changed No longer bear or even face a woman's eyes!" Fearing to be ridiculed as a coward, the bandit decided to go to the convent, vowing to make the bold nun regret her fearlessness. But I didn't count on the grace of God.
He just set his feet on the broadcaster and saw that poor nun, he started shaking. And as she told him about the horror of his crimes and punishment they deserved from God, he became transformed, fell on his knees and promised to confess.
What he did the following Sunday, which was Passion's, bare feet and a string around his neck, standing in the middle of the Church and asking forgiveness to everyone for their crimes and scandals. Later he revived the habit of a pilgrim and devoted his life to God.
Similarly, she reformed many convents with letters written to the relaxed superior, admonishing them of the punishments that threatened them. It was at his suggestion that the Duchess of Farnese and Savella founded two monasteries of clarisas, one in Farnese, another in Rome.
Jacinta's charity towards the poor was proverbial. Not having a closing vote, she would come out to visit them in her own slums, always taking spiritual help, beyond material. His great appreciation for the nobility was patented in the assistance he provided especially to the impoverished and shameful nobles.
He had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin and St. Michael Archangel, who assisted her several times with his power against the devil's embusts. He especially revered the Holy Sacrifice of Mass, seeing in him, as in fact he is, the unruly renewal of Calvary's sacrifice.
Along with the gift of miracles, she was also gifted with prophecy.
Jacinta de Mariscotti surrendered his soul to God on January 30, 1640.
Saint Jacinta of Mariscotti
Feast of Saint Don Bosco.
He is the patron saint of apprentices, boys, editors, laborers, schoolchildren, students, young people, magicians and juvenile delinquents.
John Bosco was born on 16 August 1815 at Becchi, Castelnuovo d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy as Giovanni Melchior Bosco. He was the son of Venerable Margaret Bosco.
At the age of two, John lost his father, leaving him and his two older brothers to be raised by his mother, Margherita. As soon as he was old enough to do odd jobs, John did so to helps support his family.
Raised primarily by his mother, John attended church and became very devout. When he was not in church, he helped his family grow food and raise sheep.
They were very poor, but despite their poverty his mother also found enough to share with the homeless who sometimes came to the door seeking food, shelter or clothing.
When John was nine years old, he had the first of several vivid dreams that would influence his life. In his dream, he encountered a multitude of boys who swore as they played. Among these boys, he encountered a great, majestic man and woman. The man told him that in meekness and charity, he would "conquer these your friends." Then a lady, also majestic said, "Be strong, humble and robust. When the time comes, you will understand everything." This dream influenced John the rest of his life.
Not long afterwards, John witnessed a traveling troupe of circus performers. He was enthralled by their magic tricks and acrobatics. He realized if he learned their tricks, he could use them to attract others and hold their attention. He studied their tricks and learned how to perform some himself.
One Sunday evening, John staged a show for the kids he played with and was heartily applauded. At the end of the show, he recited the homily he heard earlier in the day. He ended by inviting his neighbors to pray with him. His shows and games were repeated and during this time, John discerned the call to become a priest.
To be a priest, John required an education, something he lacked because of poverty. However, he found a priest willing to provide him with some teaching and a few books. John's older brother became angry at this apparent disloyalty, and he reportedly whipped John saying he's "a farmer like us!"
John was undeterred, and as soon as he could he left home to look for work as a hired farm laborer. He was only 12 when he departed, a decision hastened by his brother's hostility.
He worked as a tailor, baker, shoemaker, and carpenter while attending college and seminary. He was Ordained in 1841.
His first assignment was to the city of Turin. The city was in the throes of industrialization so it had slums and widespread poverty. It was into these poor neighborhoods that John, now known as Fr. Bosco, went to work with the children of the poor.
While visiting the prisons, Fr. Bosco noticed a large number of boys, between the ages of 12 and 18, inside. The conditions were deplorable, and he felt moved to do more to help other boys from ending up there.
He went into the streets and started to meet young men and boys where they worked and played. He used his talents as a performer, doing tricks to capture attention, then sharing with the children his message for the day.
When he was not preaching, Fr. Bosco worked tirelessly seeking work for boys who needed it, and searching for lodgings for others. His mother began to help him, and she became known as "Mamma Margherita." By the 1860s, Fr. Bosco and his mother were responsible for lodging 800 boys.
Fr. Bosco also negotiated new rights for boys who were employed as apprentices. A common problem was the abuse of apprentices, with their employers using them to perform manual labor and menial work unrelated to their apprenticeship. Fr. Bosco negotiated contracts which forbade such abuse, a sweeping reform for that time. The boys he hired out were also given feast days off and could no longer be beaten.
Fr. Bosco also identified boys he thought would make good priests and encouraged them to consider a vocation to the priesthood. Then, he helped to prepare those who responded favorably in their path to ordination.
Fr. Bosco was not without some controversy. Some parish priests accused him of stealing boys from their parishes. The Chief of Police of Turin was opposed to his catechizing of boys in the streets, which he claimed was political subversion.
At times, Fr. Bosco struggled to find reliable accommodations and support for his ambitious apostolate. Italy's nationalist movement made life difficult for religious orders, and its anti-clerical attitudes even led to assassination attempts against Don Bosco.
Fr. Bosco was also a Chaplain in a hospice for girls. He wrote short treatises aimed at explaining the faith to children, and then taught children how to print them.
Fr. Bosco advocated frequent reception of the sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion. He combined catechetical training and fatherly guidance, seeking to unite the spiritual life with one's work, study and play.
Fr. Bosco was the friend of Saint Joseph Cafasso, whose biography he wrote, and confessor to Blessed Joseph Allamano. He founded the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) in 1859, priests who work with and educate boys, under the protection of Our Lady, Help of Chistians, and Saint Francis de Sales.
Fr. Bosco founded the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians in 1872, and Union of Cooperator Salesians in 1875.
By the end of his life, he stated "I have done nothing by myself," saying it was "Our Lady who has done everything" through her intercession with God.
St. John Bosco died in the early hours of January 31, 1888, after conveying a message: "Tell the boys that I shall be waiting for them all in Paradise."
"Go to the foot of the tabernacle and say one Pater (Our Father), Ave (Hail Mary), and Gloria (Glory Be) when you can't do anymore. This is enough to strengthen you against temptations. If someone has faith, makes visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and makes his daily meditation, I tell you, it will be impossible for him to sin."
"I assure you that if you… ask one-fold, the Lord will give you tenfold. If you wish for even more, pray for this virtue [purity] during Holy Mass…. believe me, if you beg the Lord at that solemn moment to grant you that grace, He will most surely do so."
"Remember, God does not pay us for results, but for effort."
"Not all of us can fast, or undertake arduous journeys in God's service, or give generous alms, but we can all love. All it takes is the sincere desire to do so."
"Fly from bad companions as from the bite of a poisonous snake. If you keep good companions, I can assure you that you will one day rejoice with the blessed in Heaven; whereas if you keep with those who are bad, you will become bad yourself, and you will be in danger of losing your soul."
"Enjoy yourself as much as you like – if only you keep from sin."
"Do you want our Lord to give you many graces? Visit him often. Do you want him to give you few graces? Visit him seldom. Visits to the Blessed Sacrament are powerful and indispensable means of overcoming the attacks of the devil. Make frequent visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and the devil will be powerless against you."
"Act today in such a way that you need not blush tomorrow."
"If one is to do good, he must have a little courage, be ready for sacrifice, deal affably with all and never slight anybody. By following this method I have always had significant success, in fact, marvelous success."
"Without confidence and love, there can be no true education. If you want to be loved…you must love yourselves, and make your children feel that you love them."
"Do not put off till tomorrow the good you can do today. You may not have a tomorrow."
"Let us strive to fare well in this life and in the next."
"Be slow to pass judgment."
"Do you want your companions to respect you? Always think well of everyone, and be ready to help others. Do this and you will be happy."
"Everything and everyone is won by the sweetness of our words and works."
"The school was not the end; it was rather the instrumental means for improving the way of life."
"All past persecutors of the Church are now no more, but the Church still lives on. The same fate awaits modern persecutors; they, too, will pass on, but the Church of Jesus Christ will always remain, for God has pledged His Word to protect Her and be with Her forever, until the end of time."
"The power of evil men lives on the cowardice of the good."
"My life experience has been that only the practice of religion can assure concord in families and the happiness of those who live in this valley of tears."
"Willingly suffer a bit for God Who suffered so much for you."
"Guard your eyes since they are the windows through which sin enters the soul."
"There are plenty of ways to practice mortification! Just patiently endure cold, heat, sickness, troubles, people, happenings, and so forth."
"Remember that good confessions and good Communions are the first steps to a sound education."
"If young people are educated properly, we have moral order; if not, vice and disorder prevail. Religion alone can initiate and achieve a true education."
"If we want to have a good society, we must concentrate all our forces on the Christian education of the young. Experience has taught me that if we wish to sustain civil society then we should take good care of the young."
"Be brave and try to detach your heart from worldly things. Do your utmost to banish darkness from your mind and come to understand what true, selfless piety is. Through confession, endeavor to purify your heart of anything which may still taint it. Enliven your faith, which is essential to understand and achieve piety."
"My sons, in my long experience very often I had to be convinced of this great truth. It is easier to become angry than to restrain oneself, and to threaten a boy than to persuade him. Yes, indeed, it is more fitting to be persistent in punishing our own impatience and pride than to correct the boys. We must be firm but kind, and be patient with them. See that no one finds you motivated by impetuosity or willfulness. It is difficult to keep calm when administering punishment, but this must be done if we are to keep ourselves from showing off our authority or spilling out our anger. Let us regard those boys over whom we have some authority as our own sons. Let us place ourselves in their service. Let us be ashamed to assume an attitude of superiority. Let us not rule over them except for the purpose of serving them better. This was the method that Jesus used with the apostles. He put up with their ignorance and roughness and even their infidelity. He treated sinners with a kindness and affection that caused some to be shocked, others to be scandalized and still others to hope for God's mercy. And so he bade us to be gentle and humble of heart."
Saint Don Bosco