St. Rose of Viterbo

04/09/15

Today's Saint:

St. Rose of Viterbo

-Born in a poor family in Italy
-Had a disease which made her lay in bed
-Mother Mary appeared to her and instructed her mission
-She got cured and start becoming more close to God
-Her town was conquered by emperor who was against the church
-She preached the people about being faithful to Jesus and his church
-Put in exile
-Prophesied the death of emperor and it happened
-Returned to town, lived in holiness and died

Rose was born around 1235 in Viterbo, Italy. She was a poor girl who lived at the time when Emperor Frederick had conquered land that belonged to the Church. Rose’s special mission was to make the people of her own city and nearby cities remain faithful to the Church and the Holy Father. And this she did when she was just a teenager. In fact, Rose was only eight years old when our Blessed Mother appeared to her while she was sick and told her that she was to wear the habit of St. Francis. Our Lady also told Rose to give good example by her words and actions. Slowly the girl regained her health. She began to think more and more about how much Jesus suffered for us and how much he was offended by sin. She prayed and made sacrifices to show Jesus how much she loved him. When she was twelve, this daring girl began to preach in the streets of the city. She told people to stand up to the emperor who had taken land from the Church. So many people listened to the saint that Rose’s father became frightened. He told her he would punish her if she did not stop preaching. She answered gently, “If Jesus could suffer for me, I can suffer for him. I do what Jesus has told me to do, and I must not disobey him.” For two more years Rose preached with such success that the enemies of the pope wanted her killed. In the end, Rose and her parents had to leave the city. She foretold the death of the emperor a few days before it happened. Back in Viterbo, the saint tried to become a nun, but was not accepted; so she returned to her own home. There she died in 1252, when she was only seventeen. Her body is still preserved and venerated in Viterbo.

In her very short life St. Rose did much good. She did what she knew was the right thing to do, even though it was difficult and did not make her popular. We can ask her to help us be as energetic and courageous every day as she was.

St. Gregory the Great

03/09/15

Today's Saint:

St. Gregory the Great

-Born in Rome
-Father was a senator and mother was St. Celia
-Studied philosophy and became prefect to Rome
-After death of his father, he changed his huge house to a monastery
-Lived as a holy monk
-Became deacon and then Pope
-Most greatest papacy in Catholic church
-Helped poor people and developed Rome
-Humble and simple Pope who served people like servant
-Send good monk to preach in unknown areas

St. Gregory was born in 540 in Rome. His father was a senator. His mother was St. Celia. Gregory studied philosophy and while still young became prefect of Rome. When his father died, Gregory turned his large house into a monastery. For several years he lived as a good and holy monk. Then Pope Pelagius II made him one of the seven deacons of Rome. When the pope died, Gregory was chosen to take his place. He did not want that honor at all. He was so holy and wise, however, that everyone knew he would be a good pope. For fourteen years he ruled the Church. Gregory was one of the greatest popes the Church has ever had. He wrote many books and was a wonderful preacher. He cared for people all over the world. In fact, he considered himself the servant of all. He was the first pope to use the title “Servant of the Servants of God.” All the popes since have used this title. St. Gregory took special, loving care of poor people and strangers. During a famine, he fed the hungry people. He restored Rome, which had earlier been devastated by invasions and earthquakes. He was also very sensitive to the injustices people suffered. It is said that when he was still a monk, he saw some boys up for sale in Rome’s slave market. He asked where they were from and was told that they were from England. The saint felt a great desire to go to England to bring the love of Jesus to those people. When he became pope, one of the first things he did was to send some of his best monks to tell the English about Christ. The last years of this holy pope’s life were filled with great sufferings, yet he continued working for his beloved Church until the very end. St. Gregory died on March 12, 604. He was proclaimed a saint by Pope Sabinian on September 3, 604.

Every morning we can decide to do at least one good deed or act of kindness during the day. Then we’ll imitate St. Gregory the Great, who knew that true greatness lies in reaching out in loving service to our neighbor for the love of Jesus.

Blessed John DuLau and the September Martyrs

02/09/15

Today's Saint:

Blessed John DuLau and the September Martyrs

-They were martyrs during French revolution
-During the revolution, all were imposed to sign an oath of new constitution
-That oath was against church and beliefs
-Prison and persecution was given to those who rejected
-The Catholics including the Bishop, priests, religious and lay people didn't sign
-On September 2nd and 3rd, rioters killed all who rejected the oath against God and church
-191 people accepted martyrdom for faith

Blessed John was the archbishop of Arles, France. He and his companions are celebrated today because they died heroic martyrs’ deaths during the French Revolution. The people were being forced to take an oath to uphold the Constitution of 1790, which was against the Church. If they did not take the oath, they were imprisoned. By 1792, the punishment was death. Many brave bishops, priests, religious, and lay people would not sign the oath supporting the new Constitution. They knew they would be betraying God and his Church. Pope Pius VI told them that they were right and denounced the Constitution. It was a sad time for the people of France. On September 2, 1792, a crowd of several hundred people rioted and broke into a former monastery, which was now a prison for priests and religious. The mob approached several priests and told them to sign the oath. Each priest definitely refused. Each was slain on the spot. Among the martyrs was Blessed Alexander Lenfant, a Jesuit. Just a few minutes before he died, he had been hearing the confession of a fellow priest. Both were killed moments later. The rioters then went to the Carmelite church, which was also being used as a prison. Blessed John, archbishop of Arles, and other bishops and priests were being held there. All refused to take the oath and all were murdered. On September 3, the same mob went to the Lazarist seminary. It was also a temporary prison, with ninety priests and religious. Only four escaped death. By the time the terrible Revolution had ended, 1,500 Catholics had been killed. Several were bishops, priests, and religious. The September Martyrs, whom we celebrate today, number 191. They were proclaimed a blessed in 1926 by Pope Pius XI.

We can ask today’s martyrs to help us understand that we should cherish the precious gift of our Catholic faith. We never want to take our religion for granted.

St. Giles

01/09/15

Today's Saint:

St. Giles

-Born in Greece
-Became a monk and moved to France for living in a lonely forest
-Lived in a cave near to a thorny bushy area
-Lived in prayer and love to God
-A king met him which made him known to outside world
-He was so humble to hide himself away from getting popular
-Later people started coming to meet advice
-He helped many people including king
-Started a monastery with the request of king

Giles was born in Athens, Greece, in the eighth century. When his parents died, he used the large fortune they left him to help the poor. For this reason and especially because he worked many miracles, Giles found himself a greatly admired young man. He did not want this praise and fame at all. So, to be able to serve God in a hidden life, he left Greece and sailed to France.  There he went to live alone in a dark forest. He made his home in a rough cave behind a thick thorn bush. Giles lived there contented, safe from the danger of becoming conceited at hearing himself praised. But one day, a certain king and his men went hunting in the forest. They chased a deer that often came to Giles’ cave. The deer escaped by going into Giles’ cave, which was hidden behind the large thorn bush. One of the men shot an arrow into the thorn bush, hoping to hit the deer. When they forced their way in, they discovered Giles sitting wounded by the arrow.  “Who are you and what are you doing here?” demanded the king. St. Giles told them the story of his life. When they heard it, they asked his forgiveness. The king sent his doctors to take care of the saint’s wound. Although Giles begged to be left alone, the king felt such respect for him that he came often to see him. Giles never would accept the king’s gifts. Finally, however, he agreed to let the king build a large monastery there. Giles became its first abbot.  This monastery became so famous that a whole town grew up there. When the saint died, his grave at the monastery became a great shrine where many people came on pilgrimage.  

  St. Giles realized that only God can make us really happy. The next time we notice that we’re being self-centered, we can pray to St. Giles. He’ll help us become God-centered in our lives and generous with our time.

St. Aidan of Lindisfarne

31/08/15

Today's Saint:

St. Aidan of Lindisfarne

-Born in Ireland
-Became a monk and lived in love of God
-Heard about unsuccessful stories of missions to Northern England
-Gave excellent advice for how to gain souls
-He was entrusted to do the same mission
-Went to Northern England and preached the gospel
-His ways were simple and kind
-All people believed in Jesus
-He was kind to poor and helped all people
-Started a monastery which saw many saints afterwards

Aidan was a seventh-century Irish monk. He lived at the great monastery of Iona, which St. Columban had founded. St. Oswald became king of North England in 634. He asked for missionaries to preach to his pagan people. The first missionary to go soon came back complaining that the English were rude, stubborn, and wild. The monks got together to talk about the situation. “It seems to me,” St. Aidan said to the returned monk, “that you have been too harsh with those people.” He then explained that, as St. Paul says, easy teachings are to be given first. Then when the people have grown stronger on the Word of God, they can start to do the more perfect things of God’s holy law. When the monks heard such wise words, they turned to Aidan. “You should be the one to go to North England to preach the Gospel,” they said. Aidan went willingly. He took on his new assignment with humility and a spirit of prayer. He began by preaching. King Oswald himself translated Aidan’s sermons into English until the saint learned the language better. St. Aidan traveled all over, always on foot. He preached and helped the people. He was kind to the poor and preferred a simple lifestyle. He did much good and was greatly loved by the people. After thirty years of St. Aidan’s ministry, any monk or priest who came into the village was greeted with great joy by all the villagers. On the island of Lindisfarne, St. Aidan built a large monastery. So many saints were to come from there that Lindisfarne became known as the Holy Island. Little by little, the influence of these zealous missionaries changed North England into a civilized, Christian land. St. Aidan died in 651.

We can learn from St. Aidan’s life that the witness of a joyful, kind person truly touches others. When we need help seeing the good in people, we can pray to St. Aidan.

St. Fiacre

30/08/15

Today's Saint:

St. Fiacre

-Born in Ireland
-Moved to France for living with God in a calm place
-Made a house for himself and a small chapel
-Prayed and lived there
-Many people came to seek spiritual advice from him
-He was humble and simple
-Helped poor and sick people with what he had
-Showed miracles and cure for many people

Fiacre was born in Ireland in the seventh century. Looking for a place where he could live close to God in solitude, he sailed to France. The bishop of Meaux offered him part of his own land in a forest. Legend has it that the bishop told Fiacre he could have as much land as he could plow in a day. Instead of using a plow, which would have made his claim much larger, Fiacre showed how simply he wanted to live by using the point of his walking stick to turn the soil. Fiacre cleared his ground and built a little house for himself, as well as a chapel in honor of the Blessed Virgin. He also built a place for travelers to stop and rest. Before long, many people were coming to him for spiritual advice. He shared whatever he had with the poor and cared for the sick, sometimes restoring their health with miracles. Even after his death, many miracles were reported to have taken place when people visited his little chapel. St. Fiacre is the patron saint of gardeners.

St. Fiacre shows us that helping the poor isn’t only the responsibility of wealthy people. Even if we don’t have a lot, we can always share what we do have with those who have even less.

Beheading of John the Baptist

29/08/15

Today's Feast:
Beheading of John the Baptist

St. John the Baptist was a cousin of Jesus. His mother was St. Elizabeth and his father was Zechariah. The first chapter of Luke’s Gospel tells of the wonderful event of John’s birth. Mark’s Gospel, chapter 6, verses 14 and 29, records the cruel details of John the Baptist’s death. King Herod had married his brother’s wife, Herodias. John told Herod that this was wrong. But Herod and Herodias did not want to hear how they stood with God. They wanted to make their own rules. St. John the Baptist had to pay the price for his honesty. Yet he would have had it no other way. He would never have kept silent in the face of sin and injustice. His mission was to call people to repentance and he wanted everyone to be reconciled to God. Herodias held a grudge against John, and when she had the chance, she arranged to have him beheaded. What harsh consequences John accepted for teaching the truth. John had preached a baptism of repentance, preparing people for the Messiah. He baptized Jesus in the Jordan River and watched with quiet joy as the Lord’s public ministry began. John encouraged his own disciples to follow Jesus. He knew that Jesus’ fame would grow, while his would fade away. In the first chapter of the Gospel of John, St. John the Baptist calls himself a voice crying in the desert to make straight the path of the Lord. He invited people to get ready, to prepare themselves to recognize the Messiah. His message is the same to each of us.

We can ask St. John the Baptist to help us be always ready to recognize the coming of Jesus into our lives.