1st v. Ananias
of the Seventy first Bishop of Damascus;
The Lord ordered him to restore the sight of Saul, the former persecutor
of Christians, then baptize him (Acts 9:10-19, 22:12). Saul became the great
preacher and Apostle Paul. St Ananias boldly and openly confessed Christianity
before the Jews and the pagans, despite the danger; went to preach at Eleutheropolis, where he healed
many of their infirmities.
From Damascus he went to preach at Eleutheropolis, where he healed many
of their infirmities. Lucian, the prefect of the city, tried to persuade
the holy one to offer sacrifice to idols. Because of Ananias' staunch and
solid confession of Christ, Lucian ordered that he be tortured. Harsh torments
did not sway the witness of Truth. Then the torturers led him out beyond
the city, where they stoned him. The saint prayed for those who put him
to death. His relics were later transferred to Constantinople.
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33 AD Elioz
of Mtskheta and Longinoz of Karsani, Georgie; Robe of our
Lord, it was acquired by them; Christ revealed to His Mother it was not His
will for her to preach there. “You have been entrusted to protect the Georgian
nation,” He said, “but the role of evangelizing that land belongs to My
disciple Andrew the First-called. Send him with an image of your face “Not-Made-By-
Hands” to protect the Georgian people to the end of the ages!”
Sidonia.jpg
During the reign of King Aderki of Kartli, the Jewish diaspora
in Mtskheta learned that a wondrous Child had been born in Jerusalem. Then,
thirty years later, a man came from Jerusalem to deliver this message:
“The youth has grown up. He calls Himself the Son of God and preaches to
us the New Covenant. We have sent envoys to every Jewish diaspora to urge
the scholars of the religion to come to Jerusalem and judge what measures
should be taken in regard to this matter.”
In response to the envoy’s request and at the recommendation of the
Jewish Sanhedrin, Elioz of Mtskheta and Longinoz of Karsani were chosen
to journey to Jerusalem. Elioz of Mtskheta was born to a pious family,
and as his mother prepared him for the journey, she tearfully begged him
not to take any part in the spilling of the blood of the Messiah.
When the Roman soldiers were nailing our Savior to the Cross on Golgotha,
Elioz’s mother miraculously heard each strike of the hammer. She cried
out in fear, “Farewell majesty of the Jews! For inasmuch as you have killed
your Savior and Redeemer, henceforth you have become your own enemies!”
With this she breathed her last.
After the soldiers had cast lots for the Robe of our Lord, it was acquired
by Elioz and Longinoz, and with great honor they carried it back with them
to Mtskheta. Upon their arrival, Elioz met his sister Sidonia, who took
from him the Sacred Robe. With much grief she listened to the story of our
Savior’s Crucifixion, clutched the Robe to her breast, and immediately gave
up her spirit.
Many miracles were worked by the Robe, and news of this flashed like
lightning throughout Mtskheta.
King Aderki had a great desire to possess the Robe but, frightened by
the miracles, he did not attempt to free it from Sidonia’s embrace. Elioz
was obliged to bury his sister and the Precious Robe together. A cypress
tree grew up on Sidonia’s grave. When the disciples of Christ cast lots
after Pentecost, the lot for evangelizing Georgia fell to the Most Holy Theotokos.
But Christ revealed to His Mother that it was not His will for her to preach
there. “You have been entrusted to protect the Georgian nation,” He said,
“but the role of evangelizing that land belongs to My disciple Andrew the
First-called. Send him with an image of your face “Not-Made-By- Hands” to
protect the Georgian people to the end of the ages!”
According to the will of God and the blessing of the Theotokos, St.
Andrew the First-called set off for Georgia to preach the Christian Faith.
He entered Georgia from the southwest, in the region of Atchara, and subsequently
preached in every region of the nation. He established a hierarchy for
the Georgian Church and then returned to Jerusalem for Pascha. When he
visited Georgia for the second time, the Apostle Andrew was accompanied
by the Apostles Matthias and Simon the Canaanite.
Years passed and, under threat from Persian fire-worshippers and other
pagan communities, the memory of Christ faded from the minds of the Georgian
people. Then, at the beginning of the 4th century, according to God’s
will and the blessing of the Most Holy Theotokos, the holy virgin Nino arrived
in Kartli to preach the Christian Faith. She settled in the outskirts of
Mtskheta, in the bramble bushes of the king’s garden. St. Nino inquired as
to the whereabouts of our Lord’s Robe, but no one could remember where it
had been preserved. In her quest for the Precious Robe, she became acquainted
with Elioz’s descendants, the Jewish priest Abiatar and his daughter, Sidonia.
St. Nino converted them to Christianity.
St. Nino was blessed by God with the gift of healing. She healed the
afflicted through the name of our crucified Savior and through the grace
of the cross formed from grapevines by the Theotokos and bound with strands
of St. Nino’s hair.
Mirian.jpg
At that time King Mirian ruled Kartli. Following in the footsteps of
his ancestors, he worshiped the idol Armazi, but in the depth of his heart
he was drawn to the Faith that the holy virgin was preaching. Mirian’s
wife, Queen Nana, was the daughter of a famous military leader of Pontus.
Thus, the king had received some prior knowledge of the Faith of the Greeks.
Once Queen Nana fell deeply ill, and only through the prayers of St.
Nino was she spared from death. After this miraculous healing, King Mirian
became intrigued by the Faith that St. Nino was preaching, and he began asking
the newly enlightened Abiatar about the Holy Scriptures.
Once, while he was hunting on Mt. Tkhoti near Mtskheta, King Mirian
was suddenly gripped by an evil spirit, and he burned with a desire to destroy
the Christian people of his land and—above all others— the virgin Nino. But
suddenly the sun was eclipsed, and the king was surrounded by darkness. The
frightened Mirian prayed to the pagan gods to save him from this terror,
but his prayers went unanswered. Then, in utter despair, he began to pray
to the Crucified God-man and a miracle occurred: the darkness scattered and
the sun shone as before. Raising his hands to the east, Mirian cried out,
“Truly Thou art the God preached by Nino, God of gods and King of kings!”
Having returned to the capital, King Mirian went immediately to the
bramble bushes where St. Nino dwelt. He greeted her with great honor and
spent several hours seeking her counsel. Upon her recommendation, he sent
messengers to Emperor Constantine in Byzantium, requesting that he send
priests to baptize the people of Kartli and architects to build churches.
This happened on June 24 of the
year 324, which was a Saturday.
King Mirian began to construct a church so that the priests arriving
from Constantinople would have a place to serve. Seven columns to support
the church were formed from the wood of a cypress tree that had grown in the
king’s garden. Six of the columns were erected without a problem, but the
seventh could not be moved from the place where it had been carved. St. Nino
and her disciples prayed through the night, and at dawn they watched as a
youth, encompassed by a brilliant light, descended from the heavens and raised
the column. The miraculous column began to shine and stopped in mid-air at
a height of twelve cubits.
Sweet-smelling myrrh began to flow from under the Holy Pillar’s foundations,
and the entire population of Mtskheta flocked to that place to receive
its blessing. Approaching the Life-giving Pillar, the sick were healed,
the blind received sight, and the paralyzed began to walk. By that
time a certain Bishop John and his suite had arrived from Constantinople.
St. Constantine the Great sent a cross, an icon of the Savior, a fragment
from the Life-giving Cross of our Lord (from the place where His feet lay),
and a nail from His Crucifixion as gifts to the newly enlightened King Mirian
and his people.
At the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi Rivers in Mtskheta, the
king and queen, the royal court, and all the people of Kartli were baptized
into the Christian Faith. After the glorious baptism, Bishop John and his
retinue from Constantinople set off toward southern Georgia, for the village
of Erusheti. There they built churches and presented the Christian community
with the nail from our Lord’s Crucifixion. Soon after, they began to construct
Manglisi Church and placed the fragment from the Life-giving Cross inside.
King Mirian wanted to keep some of the newly obtained sacred objects
in the capital city, but St.Nino informed him that one of the holiest objects,
the Robe of our Savior, was already located in Mtskheta. The king summoned
the priest Abiatar and inquired about the Robe, then rejoiced greatly after
Abiatar confirmed St. Nino’s words that the Robe of the Lord was held in
the embrace of Sidonia, who was buried under the stump of the cypress tree
which now served as the pedestal for the Life-giving Pillar.
At that time a lush, sweet-smelling, wonder-working tree grew up on
a mountain over Mtskheta and, at Bishop John’s suggestion, Prince Revi,
the son of King Mirian, ordered that the tree be chopped down and a cross
formed from its wood. The tree was chopped down and replanted, without
its roots, next to a church that was under construction. For thirty-seven
days the tree retained its original appearance—even its leaves did not fade
or wither. Then, after thirty-seven days had passed, three crosses were
formed from its wood.
For many days after this miracle the people of Mtskheta saw a vision:
during the night a fiery cross shone above the church, surrounded by stars.
When morning came, two of the stars had moved away from the cross in opposite
directions—one to the west and the other to the east. The fiery cross headed
to the north, stopped for some time over the hill on the other side of the
River Aragvi, then disappeared.
St. Nino advised King Mirian to erect one of the three crosses in the
west, on Tkhoti Mountain, and another in the east, in the village of Ujarma.
But it was unclear where the third cross should be erected, so King Mirian
prayerfully beseeched the Lord to reveal to him the place. The Lord
heard his prayers and sent an angel to show him the place: a rocky hill
to the north of the capital, at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari
Rivers. Today this hill is called Jvari (Cross) and upon it towers the magnificent
church of Jvari Monastery. At the moment the cross was erected on this
hill, all the idols in Mtskheta fell and shattered to pieces.
Prior to his death King Mirian blessed his heir, Prince Bakar, and urged
him to dedicate his life to the Holy Trinity and fight ceaselessly against
idolaters. Then he peacefully reposed in the Lord.
According to his will, Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles King Mirian was buried
in the upper church at Samtavro, where today a convent in honor of St.
Nino is located. The king was too modest to be buried in the lower church,
the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, in which the Life-giving Pillar had been
preserved.
Queen Nana reposed two years
later and was buried next to her husband.
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286
St. Piaton Martyr, also called Piat sent by the pope to evangelize
Chartres and the Tournai district of Belgium
Tornáci, in Gálliis, sancti Piatónis, Presbyteri
et Mártyris; qui, prædicatiónis causa, cum beáto
Quinctíno ejúsque Sóciis, ab urbe Roma in Gálliam
perréxit, ac póstea, in persecutióne Maximiáni,
consummáto martyrio, migrávit ad Dóminum.
At Tournai in France, St. Piaton, priest and martyr,
who went from Rome to France to preach, together with blessed Quinctinus
and his companions. Afterwards, his martyrdom was completed in the persecution
of Maximian and he passed from earth to heaven.
piatus
Supposedly responsible for evangelizing
the regions of Gaul, in modern Tours, and Chartres. He was martyred at
Tournai by Roman officials.
Piaton (Piat, Piato) of Tournai M (RM) Born in Benevento, Italy; died
in Belgium in 286. St. Piat was sent by the pope to evangelize Chartres
and the Tournai district of Belgium, where he is thought to have been martyred
under Maximian (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
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302
St. Verissimus, Maxima, & Julia Portugal
Ulyssipóne, in Lusitánia, sanctórum Mártyrum
Veríssimi, Máximæ et Júliæ, sorórum
ejus; qui in Diocletiáni Imperatóris persecutióne
passi sunt.
At Lisbon in Portugal, the holy martyrs Verissimus,
and his sisters Maxima and Julia, who suffered in the persecution of Diocletian.
Three martyrs executed at Lisbon,
Portugal, during the persecutions of the Church under Emperor Diocletian
(r. 305).
Verissimus, Maxima, and Julia MM (RM) Died at Lisbon, Portugal. These
martyrs under Diocletian are remembered with a full office in the Mozarabic
breviary (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
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Thessalonícæ
sancti Domníni Mártyris, sub Maximiáno Imperatóre.
At Thessalonica, St. Domninus, martyr, under Emperor
Maximian
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Urbe Véteri sancti
Sevéri, Presbyteri et Confessóris.
At Orvieto, St. Severus, priest and confessor.
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Priscus, Crescens and
Evagrius . Martyrs at Tomi on the Black Sea MM (RM)
Tomis, in Ponto, sanctórum Mártyrum Prisci, Crescéntis
et Evágrii.
At Tomis in Pontus, the holy martyrs Priscus, Crescens,
and Evagrius.
Date uncertain. Martyrs at Tomi on the Black Sea (Benedictines).
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400 Aizan and Sazan
Abyssinia chieftains zealous to spread the Word friend of Saint Athanasius
MM (AC)
Saint Aizan and his brother Sazan were petty chieftains in Abyssinia,
who were zealous to spread the Good News in their homeland. Their enthusiasm
attracted the friendship of Saint Athanasius (Benedictines).
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St.
Aretas and Companions Martyrs, numbering 505
who suffered in Rome. They were listed in early martyrologies and were
numbered by Usuardus.
Aretas and Companions MM (RM). Though mentioned in the Roman Martyrology
on October 1, it is possible that this group of martyrs is identical to
those honored on October 24 and known as the Martyrs of Nagran. The martyrology,
however, states that Aretas suffered at Rome with 504 others (as first
noted by Usuardus) (Benedictines) .
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St. Melorius
Prince of Cornwall, England; at fourteen his miracles earned him honour;
martyred then several miracles including relics supernaturally prevented
from moving
ST MELORUS,
MELAR OR MYLOR, MARTYR
THE church of the great nunnery at Amesbury in Wiltshire
Was dedicated in honour of our Lady and St Melorus, Whose relics it claimed;
numerous places in the north and West of Brittany have St Mdlar as their
patron; and a St Mylor was the patron of three churches in Cornwall, namely,
Mylor, Linkinhorne and Merther Mylor in the parish of St Martin-in-Meneage.
Medieval Life
of Melons the Martyr, abridged from a French work and probably written
at Amesbury, states he was son of Melianus, Duke of Cornouaille (in Brittany).
When he was seven, his uncle Rivoldus murdered Melianus, usurped his power,
and maiming Melons by cutting off his right hand and left foot, confined
him in a monastery. By the time the boy was fourteen his miracles
earned him such honour that Rivoldus began to fear him, and bargained with
his guardian Cerialtanus to get rid of him. Accordingly Cerialtanus smote
off his head. The dead body of Melons wrought several miracles, including
the death of his murderers, and it was buried with honour.
After many years missionaries brought the relics to Amesbury,
whence they were supernaturally prevented from removing them. The legend
current in Cornwall in the middle ages was substantially the same, but as
written down by Grandisson, Bishop of Exeter, the events are staged in Devon
and Cornwall. The Breton legend, as it appears in the pages of Albert Le
Grand in the seventeenth century, is longer and more detailed, many details
being supplied out of the editor’s head. Abbé Duine regarded this
story of the “martyred” prince as a “fable
worked up out of bits of folk-lore and Celtic pseudo-genealogies, after
the taste of the hagiographical romances of the eleventh and twelfth centuries
at the best it may have a quite forgotten foundation in fact in the murder
of some innocent and noble youth.
During
the reign of King Athelstan a number of relics of Breton saints were brought
to churches in the south and west of England, and Canon G. H. Doble suggests
that among them some of St Melons came to Amesbury and so established the
connexion between the saint and that place. The same authority is of the
opinion that the Mylor of Cornwall originally had reference not to Melons
the martyr but to St Melorius (Mdloir), a Breton bishop. He gives his name
to Trémdloir and was a companion of St Samson of Dol, and the situation
of the three Cornish Mylor dedications are favourable both to voyaging to
and from Brittany and to association with St Samson. The patronal feast
of Mylor by Falmouth was on August 21 (and not October 1 or 3, St Mdlar’s
days), while that of Trdméloir is on the last Sunday in August. Both
Mélar and Mdloir must be distinguished from St Magloire (October
24); philologically the names are. the same. The death
of St Melons is localized by tradition at Lanmeur, in the diocese of Dol,
and it is said that his severed members were replaced by a hand of silver
and foot of brass, which were as useful as flesh and bone to him, even growing
with the rest of his body. The idea is met with elsewhere in Celtic folk-lore.
St Melons was represented in the pictures on the walls of the English College
chapel at Rome.
Canon Doble’s booklet on St Melor in his series
“Cornish Saints” provides undoubtedly the most careful study that has been made
of this rather obscure legend. He incorporates with his text a translation
of an essay written by René Largillière. Notices of less value
may be found in LBS., vol. ii, p. 467 and in Stanton’s Menology,
p. 468. See also the Analecta Bollandiana, vol.
xlvi (1928), pp. 411—412.
Who was murdered as a child.
Also listed as Mylor, Melar, and Melorus, he was the victim of an uncle’s
ambitions. He was venerated in Amesbury, England, in Brittany, and in Cornwall.
The tale has several versions, most dating to the Middle Ages.
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520
Albaud (Aladius) of Toul B (AC)
Bishop Albaud of Toul built the church of St. Aper (Epvre) in honor
of his predecessor in the see. Later this became the church of the Benedictine
Saint-Aper Abbey (Benedictines).
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530
St. Remigius or Remi, Bishop of Rheims extraordinary gift of miracles
Sancti Remígii,
Epíscopi Rheménsis et Confessóris, qui Idibus Januárii
obdormívit in Dómino, sed hac die, ob Translatiónem
córporis ejus, potíssimum cólitur.
St. Remigius, bishop of Rheims and confessor, who fell asleep in the Lord
on the 13th of January, but is commemorated on this day because of the
translation of his body.
530 ST REMIGHIS, OR REMI, BISHOP OF RHEIMS
REMIGIUS, the great apostle of the Franks,
was illustrious for his learning, sanctity and miracles, which in his episcopacy
of seventy and more years rendered his name famous in the Church. His father
and his mother were both descended from Gaulish families, and lived at
Laon. The boy made great progress in learning, and in the opinion of St
Sidonius Apollinaris, who was acquainted with him in the earlier part of
his life, he became the most eloquent person in that age. When only twenty-two,
too young to be a priest, much less a bishop, he was chosen in 459 to fill
the vacant see of Rheims. But he was ordained and consecrated in spite
of his youth, and amply made up for lack of experience by his fervour and
energy. Sidonius, who had considerable practice in the use of words of
commendation, was at no loss to find terms to express his admiration of
the charity and purity with which this bishop offered at the altar a fragrant
incense to God, and of the zeal with which he subdued the wildest hearts
and brought them under the yoke of virtue. Sidonius had a manuscript of
his sermons from a man at Clermont (“I do not know how he got hold of it.
Like a good citizen he gave it to me, instead of selling it”), and wrote to tell Remigius how much he admired them: the
delicacy and beauty of thought and expression were so smooth that it might
be compared to ice or crystal upon which a nail runs without meeting the
least unevenness. With this equipment of eloquence (of which unfortunately
there is no specimen extant for us to judge its quality for ourselves) allied
to the yet more valuable quality of personal holiness, St Remigius set out
to spread Christianity among the Franks.
Clovis, king
of all northern Gaul, was himself yet a pagan, though not unfriendly to the
Church. He had married St Clotildis, daughter of the Christian king of the
Burgundians, Chilperic, and she made repeated attempts to convert her husband.
He agreed to the baptism of their first-born, but when the child shortly
after died he harshly reproached Clotildis, and said, “If he had been consecrated
in the name of my gods, he had not died; but having been baptized in the
name of yours, he could not live”. The queen afterwards had another son,
whom she had baptized, and he also fell sick. The king said in great anger,
“It could not be otherwise. He will die as his brother did through having
been baptized in the name of your Christ.” This child recovered, but it required
a more striking manifestation of the might of the Christian God to convert
the rough Clovis. It came apparently in 496, when the Alemanni crossed
the Rhine and the Franks marched out to drive them back. One account says
that St Clotildis had said to him in taking leave, “My lord, to be victorious invoke the God of the Christians. If
you call on Him with confidence, nothing can resist you”; and that the wary
Clovis had promised that he would be a Christian if he were victorious. The
battle was going badly against him when the king, either reminded of these
words or moved by desperation, shouted to the heavens, “0 Christ, whom Clotildis
invokes as son of the living God, I implore thy help! I have called upon
my gods, and they have no power. I therefore call on thee. I believe in
thee! Deliver me from my enemies and I will be baptized in thy name.” The Franks rallied and turned the tide of battle; the Alemanni
were overcome.
It is
said that Clovis, during his return from this expedition, passed by Toul,
and there took with him St Vedast, that he might be instructed by him in
the faith during his journey. But Queen St Clotildis was not trusting to
any enthusiasm of victory, and sent for St Remigius, telling him to touch
the heart of the king while he was well disposed. When Clovis saw her he
cried out, “Clovis has vanquished the Alemanni and you have triumphed over
Clovis. What you have so much at heart is done.” The queen answered, “To
the God of hosts is the glory of both these triumphs due”.
Clovis suggested that perhaps the people would not be willing
to forsake their gods, but said he would speak to them according to the bishop’s
instructions. He assembled the chiefs and warriors, but they prevented his
speaking, and cried out, “We abjure mortal gods, and are ready to follow
the immortal God whom Remigius preaches”. St Remigius and St Vedast therefore
instructed and prepared them for baptism. To strike the senses of barbarous
people and impress their minds, Queen Clotildis took care that the streets
from the palace to the church should be adorned with hangings, and that
the church and baptistery should be lighted with a great number of candles
and scented with incense. Catechumens marched in procession, carrying crosses,
and singing the litany; St Remigius conducted the king by the hand, followed
by the queen and the people. At the font the bishop is said to have addressed
Clovis in words that are memorable, if not actually pronounced: “Humble
yourself, Sicambrian! Worship what you have burned, and burn what you have
worshipped!” Words which may be emphatically addressed to every penitent,
to express the change of heart and conduct that is required of him.
St Remigius
afterwards baptized the king’s two sisters and three thousand men of his
army, as well as women and children, with the help of the other bishops
and priests present. Hincmar of Rheims, who wrote a Life of St Remigius
in the ninth century, is the first to mention a legend that at the baptism
of Clovis the chrism for the anointing was found to be missing, whereupon
St Remigius prayed and a dove appeared from the heavens, bearing in its
beak an ampulla of chrism. A phial of oil, fabled to
be the same, was preserved at the abbey of Saint-Remi and used in the consecration
of the kings of France until Charles X in 1825. It was broken up at the
Revolution, but a piece of La Sainte Ampoule and its contents
were saved and are kept in Rheims Cathedral. St Remigius is also supposed
to have conferred on Clovis the power of touching for the “king’s evil” (scrofula),
which was exercised by the kings of France at their coronation, again up
to Charles X. This power was confirmed by the relics of St Marculf, who
died about 538.
Under the protection
of Clovis, St Remigius spread the gospel of Christ among the Franks, in
which work God endowed him with an extraordinary gift of miracles, if we
may trust his biographers on this point. The bishops who were assembled
in a conference that was held at Lyons against the Arians in his time declared
they were stirred to exert their zeal in defence of the Catholic faith by
the example of Remigius, “who”, say they, “has everywhere destroyed the altars of the idols by
a multitude of miracles and signs”.
He did his best to promote orthodoxy in Arian
Burgundy, and at a synod in 517 converted an Arian bishop who came to it
to argue with him. But the actions of St Remigius did not always meet with
the approval of his brother bishops. Sometime after the death of Clovis
the bishops of Paris, Sens and Auxerre wrote to him concerning a priest
called Claudius, whom he had ordained at the request of the king. They blamed
Remigius for ordaining a man whom they thought to be fit only for degradation,
hinted that he had been bribed to do it, and accused him of condoning the
financial malpractices of Claudius. St Remigius thought these bishops were
full of spite and told them so, but his reply was a model of patience and
charity. To their sneer at his great age he answered, “Rather should you
rejoice lovingly with me, who am neither accused before you nor suing for
mercy at your hands”. Very different was his tone towards a bishop who had exercised
jurisdiction outside his diocese. “If your Holiness was ignorant of the
canons it was ill done of you to transgress the diocesan limits without
learning them...Be careful lest in meddling with the rights of others you
lose your own.”
St Remigius,
whom St Gregory of Tours refers to as “a man of great learning, fond of
rhetorical studies,
and equal in his holiness to St Silvester”, died about the year 530.
Although the
enthusiastic letter in which Sidonius Apollinaris (who has, not unfairly, been described as an “inveterate panegyrist”) commends the discourses of St Remigius is authentic, most
of the sources from which we derive our knowledge of the saint are, to
say the least, unsatisfactory. The short biography attributed to Venantius
Fortunatus is not his, but of later date, and the Vita Remigii,
writtea by Hincmar of Rheims three centuries after his death,
is full of marvels and open to grave suspicion. We have therefore to depend
for our facts upon the scanty references in St Gregory of Tours (who declares
that he had before him a Life of St Remigius) and to supplement these by
a phrase or two in letters of St Avitus of Vienne, St Nicetius of Trier,
etc., together with three or four letters written by Remigius himself. The
question in particular of the date, place and occasion of the baptism of
Clovis has given rise to protracted discussion in which such scholars as
B. Krusch, W. Levison, L. Levillain, A. Hauck, G. Kurth, and A. Poncelet
have all taken part. A detailed summary of the controversy, with bibliographical
references will be found, under “Clovis” in DAC., vol. iii, cc. 2038—2052. It can safely be affirmed that
no conclusive evidence has yet upset the traditional account given above,
so far, at least, as regards the substantial fact that Clovis in 496, or
soon after, after a victory over the Alemanni, was baptized at Rheims by
St Remigius. As for more general matters, the principal texts, including
the Liber Historiae,
have been edited by B. Krusch; see BHL., nn. 7150—7173. Consult also 0. Kurth, Clovis (1901), especially vol.
ii, pp. 262—265 and cf. A. Hauck, Kirchengeschichte
Deutschlands, vol. i (1904), pp. 119, 548, 217, 595—599. There
are popular but uncritical lives by Haudecoeur, Avenay, Carlier and others.
For “touching” see Les rois thaumaturges (1924), by M. Bloch; and
for the ampulla, F. Oppenheimer, The
Legend of the Sainte Ampoule (1953).
The
great apostle of the Franks,
and was illustrious for his learning,
sanctity and miracles, which in his episcopacy of seventy and more
years, rendered his name famous in the church. As a boy he made great progress
in learning, and in the opinion of St. Sidonius Apollinaris, who was acquainted
with him in the earlier part of his life, he became the most eloquent person
in that age. When only twenty-two, too young to be a priest, much less a
bishop, he was chosen in 459 to fill the vacant See of Rheims. But he was
ordained and consecrated in spite of his youth, and amply made up for lack
of experience by his fervor and energy. Under the protection
of King Clovis, who was baptized by Remigius, St. Remigius spread the gospel
of Christ among the Franks, in which work God endowed him with an extraordinary
gift of miracles. The bishops who were assembled in a conference that was
held at Lyons against the Arians in his time, declared they were stirred
to exert their zeal in defense of the Catholic Faith by the example of
Remigius, "who", say they, "has everywhere destroyed the altars of the
idols by a multitude of miracles and signs." St. Remigius, whom St. Gregory
of Tours refers to as "a man of great learning, fond of rhetorical studies,
and equal in his holiness to St. Silvester", died about the year 530.
<> Remigius (Rémy, Remi) of Reims B (RM) + Born at
Cerny near Laon, France, c. 437; died at Rheims on January 13, 530.
The name St. Rémy is intimately connected with that
of King Clovis of the Franks, the bloodthirsty general and collector of
vases. Rémy was the son of Count Emilius of Laon and Saint Celina,
daughter of Principius, bishop of Soissons. Even as a child Rémy
was devoted to books and God. These two loves developed the future saint
into a famous preacher. Saint Sidonius Apollinaris, who knew him, testified
to his virtue and eloquence as a preacher. So great was his renown
that, in 459, when he was only 22 and still a layman, he was elected bishop
of Rheims. Hincmar, testifying that Rémy "was forced into being bishop
rather than elected," adds to our impression of a virtuous man the added
quality of modesty. Other sources note that the saint was refined, tall (over
seven feet(!) in height), with an austere forehead, an aquiline nose, fair
hair, a solemn walk, and stately bearing. After his ordination
and consecration, he reigned for 74 years--all the time devoting himself
to the evangelization of the Franks. It was said that "by his signs and miracles,
Rémy brought low the heathen altars everywhere." Foregoing the alternative
episcopal path, Rémy chose the way of self-sacrifice. He became a
model for his clergy and was indefatigable in his good works. At some point
between 481 and 486, Rémy wrote to the pagan King Clovis: "May the
voice of justice be heard from your mouth...Respect your bishops and seek
their advice...Be the protector of your subjects, the support of the afflicted,
the comfort of widows, the father of orphans and the master of all, that
they might learn to love you and fear you...Let your court fe open to all
and let no one leave with the grief of not being heard...Divert yourself
with young people, but if you wish truly to reign transact important matters
with those who are older..."
Clovis must have respected Rémy's advice even if he
did not follow it: During his march on Chalons and Troyes, Clovis bypassed
Rheims, Rémy's see. It is possible, though, that only his wife's
civilizing influence prevented him from burning Rheims. Clovis married
the radiant and beautiful Christian, Saint Clotildis, by proxy at Chalons-sur-
Saone, while she was still living in Lyons under the tutelage of Saint Blandine.
It was not a peaceful union. Clovis, an ambitious autocrat, allowed his
rage to lead to ill-planned actions. The young, pious Clotildis showed him
how much wiser it was to struggle with this wild beast than to give way
to his emotions. At first Clovis resisted being tamed by his wife.
In 496, Clovis, supposedly in
response to a suggestion from his wife, invoked the Christian God when
the invading Alemanni were on the verge of defeating his forces, whereupon
the tide of battle turned and Clovis was victorious at Tolbiac. St. Rémy,
aided by Saint Vedast, instructed him and his chieftains in Christianity.
At the Easter Vigil (or Christmas Day) in 496, Rémy baptized Clovis,
his two sisters, and 3,000 of his subjects. (Most seem to agree on the
year, but not the day or place.)
Though he never took part in any of the councils held during
his life, Rémy was a zealous proponent of orthodoxy, opposed Arianism,
and converted an Arian bishop at a synod of Arian bishops in 517. He was
censured by a group of bishops for ordaining one Claudius, whom they felt
was unworthy of the priesthood, but St. Rémy was generally held in
great veneration for his holiness, learning, and miracles. He is said to
have healed a blind man. Another time, like Jesus, he was confronted with
a host who ran out of wine at a dinner party. Rémy went down to the
cellar, prayed, and at once wine began to spread over the floor!
Rémy's last act was to
draw up a will in which he distributed all his lands and wealth and ordered
that "generous alms be given the poor, that liberty be given to the serfs
on his domain," and concluded by asking God to bless the family of the
first Christian king. Because he was the most influential
prelate of Gaul and is considered the apostle of the Franks, Rémy
has been the subject of many tales. Rémy's notoriety sometimes difficult
to distinguish the reliable from the untrustworthy in his biographies (Attwater,
Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia).
In art, St. Remigius is generally portrayed as a bishop carrying
holy oils, though he may have other representations. At times he may be
shown (1) as a dove brings him the chrism to anoint Clovis; (2) with Clovis
kneeling before him; (3) preaching before Clovis and his queen; (4) welcoming
another saint led by an angel from prison; (5) exorcising; or (6) contemplating
the veil of Saint Veronica (Roeder).
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654 Bavo
of Ghent conversion by sermon of Saint Amandus then led austere life OSB
Hermit (RM)
In
Portu Gandæ sancti Bavónis Confessóris. At the
port of Ghent, St. Bavo, confessor
(also known as Allowin, Bavon) Born in Brabant near Liege,
c. 589; died near Ghent in 654 (according to the majority; dates range
from 624 to 654).
This famous hermit, also called Allowin, was a nobleman, and native
of that part of Brabant called Hesbaye. After having led a very irregular
life he was left a widower, and was moved to conversion to God by a sermon
which he heard St Amand preach at Ghent. Going home he distributed all
his money among the poor, and went to the monastery at Ghent that was afterwards
called by his name. Here Bavo received the tonsure at the hands of St Amand
and was animated to advance daily in the fervour of his penance and the
practice of virtue.
“It is a kind of apostasy”, said his director to him, “for a soul which has had the happiness to see the nothingness of
this world and the depth of her spiritual miseries not to raise herself
daily more and more above them and to make continual approaches to God.”
St Bavo seems to have accompanied St Amand
on his missionary journeys in France and Flanders, setting an example by
the humiliation of his heart, the mortification of his will, and the rigour
of his austerities. St Amand after some time gave him leave to lead an eremitical
life, and he is said first to have chosen for his abode a hollow trunk of
a large tree, but afterwards built himself a cell at Mendonck, where vegetables
and water were his chief subsistence.
St Bavo is
said on one occasion to have done penance for selling a man into serfdom
by making the man lead him by a chain to the common lock-up.
The young Bavo, christened Allowin,
led a wild life as a wealthy landowner. He married and fathered a daughter;
otherwise, his life was totally disordered. His sole object was to satisfy
his every desire without regard to justice or truth. When he needed more
money, he would sell his servants as serfs to neighboring landowners. Then
his beloved wife died. Only thereafter did he realize how selfish his life
had been.
Upon hearing a sermon of Saint Amandus, his heart convicted
of his sin. Bavo began his conversion to Christ by giving away all his property,
including his estate at Ghent which he offered to Saint Amandus, who built
a monastery there. Bavo begged to enter it, and began a course of canonical
penance. So great was his self-mortification that after his death the name
of the abbey was changed from St. Peter's to St. Bavo's.
By great good fortune Bavo came across one man he had sold
as a serf many years before. Bavo begged the man to lead him by a chain
in humiliation as far as the city jail. Similar humility marked everything
he now did. Saint Amandus allowed him to become his companion on missionary
expeditions throughout France and Flanders, during which Bavo's personal
mortifications were the wonder of all who saw them.
The austerities even of monastic life soon were not enough
to satisfy Saint Bavo's desire to discipline the body that he had once
over-indulged. He begged Amandus to give him permission to live as a hermit.
When permission was given, at first Bavo made his dwelling in a hollow
tree. Later he built a tiny cell, near Ghent in the forest of Malmédun.
He lived on vegetables and water, seeing only Amandus and another friend,
the saintly Abbot Floribert, until his death. He was buried at Floribert's
monastery nearby, which was later renamed after him--Saint-Bavon.
So great was the impression left by Saint Bavo that 900 years
later when the diocese of Ghent was created, he was made its patron (Attwater,
Benedictines, Bentley, Encyclopedia).
In art, Bavo is sometimes represented
as a hermit, but generally shown before his conversion: as a duke out hunting
with a falcon or hawk on his wrist. He may also be shown: (1) with a purse
or giving alms; (2) as a prince giving out alms in front of his palace;
(3) with a sword and scepter; (4) as an old king in armor, with a book and
broken tree trunk, a ship, and St. Bavo's monastery nearby; (5) with a hollow
tree near him; (6) with staff and a glove; (7) near a wagon; (8) with a
huge stone; or (9) with an angel holding a palm above him (Bentley, Roeder).
Saint Bavo is still venerated at Ghent and Liege, where his
feast is celebrated (Roeder).
654 St. Bavo
famous hermit, was a nobleman b. 589
also called Allowin, and native
of that part of Brabant called Hesbaye. After having led a very irregular
life he was left a widower, and was moved to conversion to God by a sermon
which he heard St. Amand preach
at Ghent. Going home he distributed all his money among the poor, and went
to the monastery at Ghent that was afterwards called by his name.
Here Bavo received the tonsure
at the hand of St. Amand and was animated to advance daily in the fervor
of his penance and the practice of virtue. St. Bavo seemed to have accompanied
St. Amand on his missionary journeys in France and Flanders, setting an
example by the humiliation of his heart, the mortification of his will,
and the rigor of his austerities.
St. Amand after some time gave
him leave to lead an eremitical life, and he is said first to have chosen
for his abode a hollow trunk of a large tree, but afterward, built himself
a cell at Mendonck, where vegetables and water were his chief subsistance.
St. Bavo is said on one occasion to have done penance for selling a man
into serfdom by making the man lead him by a chain to the common lockup.
Bavo at length returned to the monastery at Ghent, where St. Amand had appointed
St. Floribert Abbot; and with his approval Bavo built himself a new cell
in a neighboring wood, where he lived a recluse until the end of his life.
St. Amand and St. Floribert attended him on his death bed and his peaceful
passage made a deep impression on all who were present. As in the
diocese of Ghent so that in Haarlem in Holland, St. Bavo is titular of the
Cathedral and patron of the diocese.
The earliest life of St Bavo-there
are two or three printed in the Acta
Sanctorum, October, vol. i-has been re-edited by B. Krusch in MGH.,
Scriptores merov., vol. iv,
pp. 527--546. He assigns it to the latter part of the ninth century and
deems it to be of little value as a historical source. See also Van der
Essen, Étude ... sur les saints mérov.
(1907), pp. 349-357; E. de Moreau, St
Amand (1927), pp. 220 seq.;
R. Podevijn, Bavo (1945); and
Analecta Bollandiana, vol.
lxiii (1945), pp. 220-241, where Fr M. Coens discusses, inter alia, whether St Bavo was a bishop.
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540 St. Romanus Greek hymnographer, known as
“the Melodist”; the Mother of God appeared to the grief-stricken youth in
a vision while he was praying before her Kyriotissa icon. She gave him a
scroll and commanded him to eat it. Thus was he given the gift of understanding,
composition, and hymnography; All hymns of St Romanus became known as kontakia-
reference to the Virgin's scroll.
Sixth Century ST ROMANUS THE MELODIST
THE composition of liturgical poetry has naturally had an
attraction for many holy men, and Romanus the Melodist, the greatest of
the Greek hymn-writers, is recognized and venerated as a saint in the East.
He was a Syrian of Emesa, who became a deacon in the church of Bairut. During
the reign of the Emperor Anastasius I he came to Constantinople. Beyond the
writing of many hymns (some in dialogue form), nothing else is known of his
life, except a story in the Greek Menaion, which professes to give an account
of his receiving the gift of sacred poetry at Constantinople. One eve of
Christmas our Lady appeared to Romanus in his sleep and gave him a roll of
paper, saying, Take this and eat it ". It appeared to
him that he did so, and then he awoke and in great exaltation of spirit went
down to the church of the All-holy Mother of God to assist at the Christmas
liturgy. When the gospel-book was about to be carried solemnly into the sanctuary,
he went up into the deacon’s ambo and extemporized the hymn beginning “On this day the Virgin gives birth
to Him who is transcendent, and the earth offers a shelter to the Unattainable.
Angels join with shepherds to glorify Him and the Magi follow the star.
For a new child is born to us, who was God before all ages.” This
kontakion summarizing the day’s feast is still sung
in the Christmas offices of the Byzantine rite.
Some
eighty other hymns of St Romanus survive, whole or in part. They are vivid
in feeling and dramatic in style, but sometimes spoiled by excessive length
and too elaborate eloquence, like so much other Byzantine literary composition.
They have a wide range of subjects, drawn from both Testaments and the
feasts of the Church.
There has been discussion whether St Romanus lived under the
Emperor Anastasius I (491—518) or under Anastasius II (713—715). Krumbacher,
who at first favored the earlier date, later on inclined to the alternative
view (see the Sitzungsberichte of the Munich Academy,
1899, vol. ii, pp. 3—156), but the more prevalent opinion connects Romanus
with the sixth century. If he lived two hundred years later it would be
strange that we find in his kontakia no reference to iconoclasm.
Much interest has of late years been taken in St Romanus by Byzantinists.
See especially G. Cammelii, Romano ii Melode: Inni (1930)
E. Mioni, Romano il Melode (1937,
with bibliography); and E. Wellesz, A History of Byzantine
Music and Hymnography (1949). In the Byzantinische Zeitschrift,
vol. xi (1912), pp. 358—369, Father Petrides has printed a complete
liturgical office of the Greek church composed in honour of St Romanus. The
thousand hymns he is said to have composed seems a large number, and it
has been suggested by Father Bousquet, in Échos d’Orient, vol. iii (1900), pp. 339-342,
that his output was not really a thousand hymns but a thousand strophes.
See also J. M. Neale, Hymns of the Eastern Church (1863);
J. B. Pitra, L’hymnographie de L’Église Grecque (1867) and Analecta
sacra vol. i (1876); and K. Krumbacher, Geschichte der
byzantinischen Literatur (1897).
The foremost Greek hymnographer,
known as “the Melodist” because of the thousand compositions which are
attributed to him. A native of Syria, he was of Jewish descent and became
a deacon in the church at Berytus and then a priest in Constantinople. He
soon acquired a reputation for his brilliant and eloquent compositions,
although only about eighty hymns sermons, some of which may not even be
are extant. Some of the kontakia are considered genuine master works of
religious literature, including On the Nativity, On the Presentation in
the Temple, and On the Resurrection.
Romanus the Melodist (AC) Born in Homs, Syria; died c. .
St. Romanus, one of the greatest and most original of the Byzantine hymn-writers,
was a Jewish convert to Christianity. He served as a deacon in Beirut (Berytos)
and then became a priest in Constantinople. Nothing else is known of his
history. He is credited with the composition of about 1,000 hymns, of which
some 80 have been handed down to us. They are vivid, inspired, dramatic
liturgical poetry, but are apt to be too long and overly elaborate for
modern tastes. Romanus gave the classical form to the type of hymn known
as the kontakion, of which his first was traditionally held to be the one
for Christmas: "On this day the Maiden gave birth to the Transcendent One..."
Subjects for Romanus's poetry includes motifs from the Old and New Testaments,
as well as Church festivals (Attwater, Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
Saint Romanus the Melodist was born in the fifth century in the Syrian
city of Emesa of Jewish parents. After moving to Constantinople, he became
a church sacristan in the temple of Hagia Sophia. The monk spent his nights
alone at prayer in a field or in the Blachernae church beyond the city.
St Romanus was not a talented reader or singer. Once, on the eve of
the Nativity of Christ, he read the kathisma verses. He read so poorly that
another reader had to take his place. The clergy ridiculed Romanus, which
devastated him.
On the day of the Nativity, the Mother of God appeared to the grief-stricken
youth in a vision while he was praying before her Kyriotissa icon. She
gave him a scroll and commanded him to eat it. Thus was he given the gift
of understanding, composition, and hymnography.
That evening at the all-night Vigil St Romanus sang, in a wondrous voice,
his first Kontakion: "Today the Virgin gives birth to the Transcendent
One..." All the hymns of St Romanus became known as kontakia, in reference
to the Virgin's scroll. St Romanus was also the first to write in the form
of the Oikos, which he incorporated into the all-night Vigil at his places
of residence (In Greek, "oikos").
For his zealous service St Romanus was ordained as a deacon and became
a teacher of song. Until his death, which occurred about the year 556, the
hierodeacon Romanus the Melodist composed nearly a thousand hymns, many
of which are still used by Christians to glorify the Lord. About eighty
survive.
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750 St. Dodo
Benedictine abbot trained by St. Ursmar
A monk at Lobbes, Belgium, he became abbot of Wallers-en-Faigne, France.
Dodo of Wallers, OSB Abbot (AC) Born near Laon, France. As a child St.
Dodo was placed under the care of Saint Ursmar. Dodo later became a monk
at Lobbes and, eventually, abbot of Wallers-en-Faigne (Benedictines).
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762
St. Fidharleus Irish abbot who restored Rathin Abbey, Iredland
Fidharleus of Rathin, Abbot (AC) Died
762. The Irish St. Fidharleus restored Rathin Abbey (Benedictines).
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9th v. The
Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: "Today the Virgin stands in the midst
of the Church, and with choirs of Saints she invisibly prays to God for us.
Angels and Bishops venerate Her, Apostles and prophets rejoice together, Since
for our sake she prays to the Eternal God!"
This miraculous appearance of the Mother of God occurred in the mid-tenth
century in Constantinople, in the Blachernae church where her robe, veil,
and part of her belt were preserved after being transferred from Palestine
in the fifth century.
On Sunday, October 1, during the All Night Vigil, when the church was
overflowing with those at prayer, the Fool-for-Christ St Andrew (October
2), at the fourth hour, lifted up his eyes towards the heavens and beheld
our most Holy Lady Theotokos coming through the air, resplendent with heavenly
light and surrounded by an assembly of the Saints. St John the Baptist
and the holy Apostle John the Theologian accompanied the Queen of Heaven.
On bended knees the Most Holy Virgin tearfully prayed for Christians for
a long time. Then, coming near the Bishop's Throne, she continued her prayer.
After completing her prayer she took her veil and spread it over the
people praying in church, protecting them from enemies both visible and invisible.
The Most Holy Lady Theotokos was resplendent with heavenly glory, and the
protecting veil in her hands gleamed "more than the rays of the sun." St
Andrew gazed trembling at the miraculous vision and he asked his disciple,
the blessed Epiphanius standing beside him, "Do you see, brother, the Holy
Theotokos, praying for all the world?" Epiphanius answered, "I do see, holy
Father, and I am in awe."
The Ever-Blessed Mother of God implored the Lord Jesus Christ to accept
the prayers of all the people calling on His Most Holy Name, and to respond
speedily to her intercession, "O Heavenly King, accept all those who pray
to You and call on my name for help. Do not let them not go away from my
icon unheard."
Sts Andrew and Epiphanius were worthy to see the Mother of God at prayer,
and "for a long time observed the Protecting Veil spread over the people
and shining with flashes of glory. As long as the Most Holy Theotokos was
there, the Protecting Veil was also visible, but with her departure it also
became invisible. After taking it with her, she left behind the grace of
her visitation."
At the Blachernae church, the memory of the miraculous appearance of
the Mother of God was remembered. In the fourteenth century, the Russian
pilgrim and clerk Alexander, saw in the church an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos
praying for the world, depicting St Andrew in contemplation of her.
The Primary Chronicle of St Nestor reflects that the protective intercession
of the Mother of God was needed because an attack of a large pagan Russian
fleet under the leadership of Askole and Dir. The feast celebrates the
divine destruction of the fleet which threatened Constantinople itself,
sometime in the years 864-867 or according to the Russian historian Vasiliev,
on June 18, 860. Ironically, this Feast is considered important by the Slavic
Churches but not by the Greeks.
The Primary Chronicle of St Nestor also notes the miraculous deliverance
followed an all-night Vigil and the dipping of the garment of the Mother
of God into the waters of the sea at the Blachernae church, but does not
mention Sts Andrew and Epiphanius and their vision of the Mother of God at
prayer. These latter elements, and the beginnings of the celebrating of the
Feast of the Protection, seem to postdate St Nestor and the Chronicle. A
further historical complication might be noted under (October 2) dating St
Andrew's death to the year 936.
The year of death might not be quite reliable, or the assertion that
he survived to a ripe old age after the vision of his youth, or that his
vision involved some later pagan Russian raid which met with the same fate.
The suggestion that St Andrew was a Slav (or a Scythian according to other
sources, such as S. V. Bulgakov) is interesting, but not necessarily accurate.
The extent of Slavic expansion and repopulation into Greece is the topic of
scholarly disputes.
In the PROLOGUE, a Russian book of the twelfth century, a description
of the establishment of the special Feast marking this event states, "For
when we heard, we realized how wondrous and merciful was the vision...
and it transpired that Your holy Protection should not remain without festal
celebration, O Ever-Blessed One!"
Therefore, in the festal celebration of the Protection of the Mother
of God, the Russian Church sings, "With the choirs of the Angels, O Sovereign
Lady, with the venerable and glorious prophets, with the First-Ranked Apostles
and with the Hieromartyrs and Hierarchs, pray for us sinners, glorifying
the Feast of your Protection in the Russian Land." Moreover, it would seem
that St Andrew, contemplating the miraculous vision was a Slav, was taken
captive, and became the slave of the local inhabitant of Constantinople
named Theognostus.
Churches in honor of the Protection of the Mother of God began to appear
in Russia in the twelfth century. Widely known for its architectural merit
is the temple of the Protection at Nerl, which was built in the year 1165
by holy Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky. The efforts of this holy prince also
established in the Russian Church the Feast of the Protection of the Mother
of God, about the year 1164.
At Novgorod in the twelfth century there was a monastery of the Protection
of the Most Holy Theotokos (the so-called Zverin monastery) In Moscow also
under Tsar Ivan the Terrible the cathedral of the Protection of the Mother
of God was built at the church of the Holy Trinity (known as the church
of St Basil the Blessed).
On the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos we implore
the defense and assistance of the Queen of Heaven, "Remember us in your prayers,
O Lady Virgin Mother of God, that we not perish by the increase of our sins.
Protect us from every evil and from grievous woes, for in you do we hope,
and venerating the Feast of your Protection, we magnify you."
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1000
St. Virila Benedictine abbot; a miracle worker, and his life has been the
subject of many traditions
Although known largely through legend, he was definitely abbot of the
monastery of St. Saviour, Leyre, in Navarre, France. He was a miracle worker,
and his life has been the subject of many traditions.
Virila of Leyre, OSB Abbot (AC) Died in Navarre, c. 1000. The history
of St. Virila is shrouded in the layers of the legends that developed around
his name. Not much verifiable evidence endures except that he was a Benedictine
monk of the Navarrese abbey of Saint Savior, Leyre (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
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1030 Catholicos Melchizedek I; first Georgian Catholicos commemorated as Catholicos-Patriarch;
Under his leadership Svetitskhoveli
Cathedral was restored and adorned
After the repose of Catholicos Simeon, leadership of
the Georgian Church passed to Catholicos Melchizedek I. St. Melchizedek
led the Church from approximately 1010 to 1030, during the reigns of Kings
Bagrat III, George I, and Bagrat IV.
It is believed that St. Melchizedek was the first Georgian Catholicos
to be commemorated as Catholicos-Patriarch. According to historical
sources, Catholicos Melchizedek was of a noble lineage and was a pupil
of King Bagrat III.
Under his leadership Svetitskhoveli Cathedral was restored and adorned.
He journeyed to Byzantium to raise funds for this project, and while he was
there he visited Emperor Basil II (the Bulgar-slayer). St. Melchizedek returned
to his motherland with generous gifts and began the greatest construction
project of the century: the adornment of Svetitskhoveli Cathedral with
gold, silver, pearls, and precious stones.
St. Melchizedek made several journeys to Byzantium during his life,
and historians believe that during one of those visits the patriarchs of
the East approved “Catholicos-Patriarch” as the official title of the chief
shepherd of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church.
History has preserved St. Melchizedek’s will, in which he bequeathed
a long list of holy objects, monasteries, and villages to Svetitskhoveli
Cathedral. In his will the chief shepherd of the Georgian Church is referred
to as “Catholicos-Patriarch.” Melchizedek’s will also reveals that he specified
the location where he wished to be buried. St. Melchizedek was canonized
on October 17, 2002.
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11th v. Saint John Koukouzelis,
a native of Dirrachia (Bulgaria); tonsured a monk at Mt. Athos; Church singers reverence St John Koukouzelis
as their own special patron saint
He was orphaned in childhood. Endowed with a very fine voice,
he entered the Constantinople court school. He found favor with the emperor
John Comnenos (1118-1143) and became a chief court singer. The sumptuousness
and luxury of the imperial court bothered the pious youth. Once, when asked
what he had eaten for dinner, he replied, “Beans and peas.” The name Koukouzelis
(beans and peas) stuck with him ever after.
John began to seek ways to escape the enticements of the court, as well
as a marriage arranged for him by the emperor. By the will of God, John met
an igumen from Mt. Athos who had come to Constantinople on monastery business.
John revealed to the Elder his desire to leave the court. The Elder blessed
John to come to the Holy Mountain. There John was accepted and tonsured
a monk.
He was given the obedience of tending the monastery's flock of goats.
He took the flock to remote areas of the Holy Mountain to graze. There
in the wilderness the youth was able to to pray, contemplate God, and sing
the divine hymns in solitude. Charmed by the angelic beauty of his voice,
the animals gathered around him and listened as though entranced. Out of
modesty and humility the singer did not reveal his gift to the brethren.
But once, a wilderness dweller overheard his moving pastoral song and informed
the igumen. St John then revealed to the igumen that he had been a court
singer. He tearfully implored him to remain in the wilderness with his flock.
The igumen was afraid that the emperor would find out that his favorite
court singer was on the Holy Mountain and force him to return to court. Wishing
to avoid the emperor's displeasure the igumen journeyed to Constantinople
to explain what had become of John and begged him not to hinder the young
man from his salvific path.
Thereafter John Koukouzelis sang on the right cleros in the cathedral
on Sundays and feastdays. Once, after singing an Akathist before an icon
of the Mother of God, John was granted a great mercy. The Mother of God
appeared to him in a dream and said, “Rejoice, John, and do not cease to
sing. For that, I shall not forsake you.” With these works she placed into
John's hand a golden coin, then became invisible. This coin was placed beneath
the icon. Many miracles have been credited to the coin and the icon. The
icon, named the “Koukouzelissa”
in memory of St John is located in the Lavra monastery of St Athanasius.
It is commemorated on October 1, and on the 10th Friday after Pascha.
The Mother of God appeared to St John again and healed him of a grievous
affliction of his legs, caused by the long standing in church. St John's
remaining days were spent in intense ascetic efforts. He also worked hard
on the discipline of church singing, gaining the title of both master teacher
and regent (overseer).
He arranged and compiled melodies for church stichera verses, troparia
and kontakia. He edited texts of hymns and wrote his own troparia. Some of
his compositions are also in the following manuscripts: “A Book, by the Will
of God Encompassing All the Order of Progression of Church Services, Compiled
by Master Teacher John Koukouzelis,” “Progression of Services, Compiled
by Master Teacher John Koukouzelis,” “From the Beginning of Great Vespers
through to the Completion of the Divine Liturgy,” and “The Science of Song
and Singing Signs with all the Legitimate Hand-Placement and with all the
Arrangements of Song.”
Foreseeing the hour of his death, St John took his leave of the brethren,
and in his last wishes bade them to bury him in the Church of the Archangel
that he built.
Church singers reverence St John
Koukouzelis as their own special patron saint.
|
1355 Saint Gregory Domesticus
(leading chanter) was the contemporary of St John Koukouzelis, and
lived in the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos in piety and asceticism. Like St
John, he also sang in the right choir in the Great Lavra, and was even
called Gregory Koukouzelis in honor of his instructor. St Gregory was known
for his technical skill and for the sweetness of his voice. He chanted the
Vigil service with great reverence and compunction, never sitting down in
church.
Patriarch Callistus I (June 20) had started the practice of singing
“All of creation rejoices” at the Liturgy of St Basil in place of “It is
truly meet….” Patriarch Philotheus (October 8), who succeeded him, restored
“It is truly meet” to St Basil's Liturgy. Soon after this St Gregory sang
“All of creation rejoices” at Liturgy on the eve of Theophany in the presence
of Patriarch Gregory of Alexandria. The Most Holy Theotokos appeared to
St Gregory and thanked him for singing the hymn in her honor. She also handed
him a gold coin. From that time forward, “All of creation” has been sung
at the Liturgy of St Basil.
St Gregory fell asleep in the Lord in 1355.
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1449 Blessed Nicholas
of Forca-Palena founded the Hermits of St. Jerome (AC)
Born in Palena (near Sulmona), Italy, in 1349; cultus approved in 1771.
Nicholas founded the Hermits of St. Jerome (Romitani di San Girolamo), which
was later merged into the Hieronymites founded by Blessed Peter of Pisa.
Nicholas established houses at Naples, Rome, and Florence (Benedictines).
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1461 Saint Sava Monk of
Vishera; From childhood noted for his piety; went to Mt. Athos worked on
copying service books; lived as a stylite
The son of the noble, John Borozda, of Kashin. From childhood,
the monk was noted for his piety. He initially lived the ascetic life at
the Tver Savvino wilderness monastery, where the brethren chose him to be
the abbot.
Shunning honors, St Sava went to Mt. Athos, where he worked on copying
service books. Upon his return from Athos, he selected a solitary place seven
versts from Novgorod on the banks of the River Vishera for his ascetic efforts.
Here, with the blessing of Archbishop Simon of Novogorod, the monk organized
a small monastery in honor of the Ascension of the Lord in 1418. St Sava
set up a pillar nearby the monastery and lived as a stylite. He died in 1461
at the age of 80. He appointed as his successor his disciple Andrew, who
was known for his strict and ascetic life.
The local commemoration was established under Archbishop Jonah of Novgorod
(+ 1470), in connection with the healing of the igumen of the Sava-Vishera
monastery. Archbishop Jonah ordered an icon of the monk be painted and
a Canon composed. The general church glorification of St Sava took place
at the Moscow Council of 1549. The service to him was composed by Hieromonk
Pachomius of Serbia.
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1484 Blessed John
of Dukla evangelized among the Ruthenian schismatics OFM (AC)
Born in Dukla, Galicia, Poland; cultus approved in 1739. John became
a Franciscan Conventual at Lemberg. Saint John of Capistrano convinced him
to become an Observant Franciscan. Thereafter, John of Dukla evangelized among
the Ruthenian schismatics (Benedictines).
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1581 Pskov-Protection Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos
from invading Polish Army; The
Most Holy Virgin appeared to the Elder Dorotheus with various Russian Saints:
the holy Great Prince Vladimir and the Pskov Princes Vsevolod-Gabriel and
Dovmont-Timothy, St Anthony of Kiev Caves, Cornelius of Pskov, Euphrosynus
of Spaso-Elazar and Sava of Krypetsk, Blessed Nicholas of Pskov and St
Niphon, Archbishop of Novgorod, the organizer of the Pskov Spaso-Mirozh
monastery.
The Feast of the Pskov-Protection Icon of the Most
Holy Theotokos was established in memory of the miraculous deliverance
of Pskov from the invading troops of the Polish king Stephen Bathory in
1581. During the siege, they carried forth the wonderworking Dormition
Icon of the Mother of God in procession from the monastery.
On the eve of the decisive fighting, the pious blind Elder Dorotheus
the Smith had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos at the spot where the enemy
had prepared to attack, at a corner of the fortress of the monastery in
honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos.
The Most Holy Virgin appeared to the Elder Dorotheus with various Russian
Saints: the holy Great Prince Vladimir and the Pskov Princes Vsevolod-Gabriel
and Dovmont-Timothy, St Anthony of Kiev Caves, Cornelius of Pskov, Euphrosynus
of Spaso-Elazar and Sava of Krypetsk, Blessed Nicholas of Pskov and St
Niphon, Archbishop of Novgorod, the organizer of the Pskov Spaso-Mirozh
monastery.
Proceeding from the Pechor side from the Spaso-Mirozhsk monastery across
the River Velika, the Mother of God with the Saints entered the church
of the Protection monastery. The Saints besought the All-Pure Virgin to
have pity on the sinful citizens of Pskov and save the city “from the imposition
of woes.” The Most Holy Theotokos, having promised the city Her mercy,
gave orders to set up the Pechersk icon at the place of Her appearance.
During the battle the Polish tried to breach the fortress wall, but
through the intercession of the Mother of God and the Saints, they were
not able to break through into the city. After their deliverance from the
enemy, the grateful people of Pskov built a church in honor of the Nativity
of the Most Holy Theotokos.
For the temple of the Protection Most Holy Theotokos, the Pskov-Pechersk
icon of the Mother of God was painted, which has also been given the name,
“Appearance of the Mother of God to the Elder Dorotheus.” The appearance
of the Most Holy Theotokos occurred on September 7, and celebration of the
Pskov-Pechersk Icon was established on October 1. A special service was
compiled for the Feast of the Most Holy Theotokos.
|
1588 Bl. Edward
Campion English martyr
He was born at Ludlow and studied at Oxford, England. A convert, he
studied at Reims, France, and was ordained in 1587. Edward returned to
England and a year later he was martyred at Canterbury. He was beatified
in 1929.
|
1588
Bl. Robert Widmerpool English martyr
Originally from Nottingham, England, he studied at Oxford and worked
as a tutor for the sons of the earl of Northumberland. He was arrested for
giving aid to a Catholic priest. Robert was executed by being hanged, drawn,
and quartered at Canterbury with Blessed Robert Wilcox, and they share the
same feast day.
Robert Widmerpool, educated at Oxford, was a Nottingham gentleman schoolmaster,
martyred at Canterbury with Fr. Wilcox.
|
1588 Christopher Buxton
priesthood in 1586 and served two years until his death at Canterbury
beatified in 1929. Hanged, drawn and quartered in England.was born in
Tideswell, Derbyshire. Following his education in Rheims and Rome, he was
ordained to the priesthood in 1586 and served two years until his death
at Canterbury.
|
1588 Robert Wilcox died for his priesthood at
Canterbury
was born at Chester and educated at Rheims, where he was
ordained in 1585. He died for his priesthood at Canterbury (Benedictines)
Robert Wilcox was born at Chester and educated at Rheims, where he was
ordained in 1585. He died for his priesthood at Canterbury (Benedictines).
|
1588 Bl. Edward
James English martyr
He was born near Breaston, and studied at Oxford, England. Converting
to the faith, Edward studied at Reims, France, and Rome, and was ordained
in 1583. Returning as a missionary to England, he was arrested and martyred
at Chichester. He was beatified in 1929.
Edward James was another Derbyshire native, born in Breaston. After
completing his undergraduate studies at St. John's College in Oxford and
converting to Catholicism, he studied for the priesthood at Rheims and Rome.
He ministered to his flock for five years prior to his execution at Chichester
.
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1588
Bl. John Robinson Martyr of England
He was from Ferrensby, Yorkshire, and a widower who went to Reims for
ordination. Ordained in 1585, John went back to England and was executed
at Ipswich, receiving beatification in 1929.
John Robinson, born in Ferrensby, Yorkshire, was a widower when he entered
the seminary in Rheims. He was ordained there in 1585. Three years later
he was executed for his priesthood at Ipswich.
|
1588 St. Ralph
Crockett English martyr
Born at Barton on the Hill, in Cheshire, he was educated at Christ’s
College, Cambridge, and Gloucester Hall, Oxford, and became a schoolmaster
in Norfolk and Suffolk. Departing England, he went to Reims, France, and
there studied for the priesthood, receiving ordination in 1586 . Returning
home to undertake the hazardous work of reconverting the island, he was
arrested with Blessed Edward James and was imprisoned for two and a half
years in London before being taken to Chichester. Ralph was martyred at
Chichester by being hanged, drawn, and quartered. He was beatified in 1929.
Ralph Crockett, like Edward James, was martyred at Chichester. He was
born in Barton-on-the-Hill, Cheshire. Crockett was a schoolmaster in Norfolk
and Suffolk after finishing his studies at Christ's College (Cambridge)
and Gloucester Hall (Oxford). Later he prepared to serve God's people in
the priesthood at Rheims. He, too, was ordained in 1586 and was martyred
two years later. |
1617 Bl. Caspar
Fisogiro Martyr of Japan
A convert, he became a member of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary.
Arrested for befriending Blessed
Alphonse Navarrete, O.P., Caspar was put to death at Nagasaki. He
was beatified in 1867.
|
October 1 commemorates
the transfer of the Terebovlya Icon of the Mother of God from the town
of Terebovlya to Lvov in 1672.
This icon of the Most Holy Theotokos originally appeared in the principality
of Galich during the time of the Terebovlya princes, in the thirteenth,
or perhaps as early as the twelfth century. After the decline of the Galich
principality in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Roman Catholics
tried many times to seize the icon and bring it to their own church.
The Orthodox believers of Galich and Terebovlya always prayed fervently
before the Terebovlya icon, asking the Mother of God to protect them whenever
Russia was attacked by enemy forces, and its citizens were led into captivity.
In the spring of 1672, a Turkish army of 300,000 men took the town of
Kamenets Podolski. This same army was defeated at Terebovlya, and was forced
to retreat. The holy icon of the Mother of God was taken from the Church
of the Protection in town and moved to the church in the ancient castle.
There the people of Terebovlya thanked God for their deliverance.
On the Feast of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God in 1672, the
Bishop of Lvov, with the clergy and the faithful, transferred the icon
to the cathedral of St George in Lvov so that it would not be stolen. This
translation took place when Bishop Joseph (Shumlyansky) of Lvov, who later
became a Uniate, was still a hierarch of the Orthodox Church.
In 1973, when it was decided to celebrate the 300th anniversary of its
translation, the icon was provided with a gilded cover, thanks to the efforts
of Metropolitan Nicholas of Lvov and Ternopol.
|
1790 The Gerbovets Icon of the Most Holy Mother of
God acknowledged as wonderworking in the year 1859, but it was revered
by believers of the Kishinev diocese even earlier. According to Tradition,
this icon was brought to the Gerbovets monastery (Bessarabia, Romania) in
the year 1790.
|
The Kasperov Icon
of the Most Holy Theotokos
during the Crimean War of 1853-1855 defended the city of Odessa against
an incursion of hostile forces. Archbishop Innocent (Borisov) directed “that
this event should not be forgotten in the teaching of posterity,” and should
be commemorated on October 1. The icon had already been acknowledged as
wonderworking and glorified by the Holy Synod in 1840, after investigation
of a whole series of miracles. Before this, the image had been kept by the
landowner Juliana Ioannovna Kasperova, who received it as a sacred family
heirloom in 1809.
An Akathist is served every Friday at the Dormition Cathedral of Odessa
before the Kasperov Icon, which is also commemorated on June 29 and Bright
Wednesday.
|
1897
Saint Thérèse
of Lisieux;
Dr of the Church Since death she worked innumerable miracles one of the
patron saints of the missions
the Little Flower of Jesus,
born at Alençon, France, 2 January, 1873; died at Lisieux 30 September,
1897.
Generations of Catholics have admired this young saint, called
her the “Little Flower”, and found in her short life more inspiration for
own lives than in volumes by theologians.
1897 ST TERESA OF LISIEUX, VIRGIN
THE spread and
enthusiasm of the cultus of St Teresa-of-the-Child-Jesus,
a young Carmelite nun not exteriorly distinguished from hundreds of others,
is one of the most impressive and significant religious phenomena of contemporary
times. Within a few years of her death in 1897 she became known throughout
the world; her “little way” of simplicity and perfection in the doing of
small things and discharge of daily duties has become a pattern to numberless
“ordinary” folk; her autobiography, written at the command of her superiors,
is a famous book; miracles and graces without number are attributed to her
intercession. A contrast with a yet more famous Teresa forces itself: both
were Carmelites and both were saints—and both have left long autobiographies
in which may be traced the great external and temperamental and spiritual
divergences and the inner common ground of their respective lives.
The parents
of the saint were St.Louis Martin, a watchmaker of Alençon, son
of an officer in the armies of Napoleon I, and St. Azélie-Marie
Guérin, a maker of point d’Alençon in the same
town, whose father had been a gendarme at Saint-Denis near
Seez. Five of the children born to them survived to maturity, of whom Teresa
was the youngest. She was born on January 2, 1873, and baptized Marie
Françoise-Therèse. Her childhood was happy, ordinary and
surrounded by good influences; “my earliest memories are of smiles and
tender caresses”. She had a quick intelligence and an open and impressionable
mind, but there was no precocity or priggishness about the little Teresa;
when the older sister Léonie offered a doll and other playthings
to Céline and Teresa, Céline chose some silk braid, but Teresa
said, “I’ll have the lot”. “My whole life could be summed up in this little incident.
Later...I cried out, ‘My God, I choose all! I don’t want to be a saint
by halves.’”
In 1877 Mrs Martin died. Mr Martin sold his business at
Alençon and went to live at Lisieux (Calvados), where his children
might be under the eye of their aunt, Mrs Guérin, an excellent woman.
Mr Martin had a particular affection for Teresa, but it was an elder sister,
Mary, who ran the household and the eldest, Pauline, who made herself responsible
for the religious upbringing of her sisters. During the winter evenings
she would read aloud to the family, and the staple was not some popular
manual or effervescent “pious book” but the Liturgical Year
of Dom Guéranger.
When Teresa was nine this Pauline entered the Carmel at Lisieux
and Teresa began to be drawn in the same direction. She had become rather
quiet and sensitive, and her religion had really got hold of her. About
this time she one day offered a penny to a lame beggar, and he refused it
with a smile. Then she wanted to run after him with a cake her father had
given her; shyness held her back, but she said to herself, “I will pray
for that poor old man on my first communion day”—and she remembered to do
it, five years later: A day “of unclouded happiness”. For some years she had been going to the school kept by
the Benedictine nuns of Notre-Dame-du-Pré, and among her remarks
about it she says “Observing that some of the giris were very devoted to
one or other of the mistresses, “I tried to imitate them, but I never succeeded in winning
special favour. Happy failure, from how many evils have you saved me!y” When Teresa was nearly fourteen her
sister Mary joined Pauline in the Carmel, and on Christmas eve of the same
year Teresa underwent an experience which she ever after referred to as
her “conversion” On that blessed night the sweet child Jesus, scarcely an
hour old, filled the darkness of my soul with floods of light. By becoming
weak and little, for love of me, He made me strong and brave; He put His
own weapons into my hands so that I went on from strength to strength, beginning,
if I may say so, to run as a giant”. Characteristically, the occasion of this sudden accession
of strength was a remark of her father about her child-like addiction to
Christmas observances, not intended for her ears at all.
During
the next year Teresa told her father her wish to become a Carmelite, and
Mr Martin agreed; but both the Carmelite authorities and the bishop of
Bayeux refused to hear of it on account of her lack of age. A few months
later she was in Rome with her father and a French pilgrimage on the occasion
of the sacerdotal jubilee of Pope Leo XIII. At the public audience, when
her turn came to kneel for the pope’s blessing, Teresa boldly broke the
rule of silence on such occasions and asked him, “In honour of your jubilee,
allow me to enter Carmel at fifteen”. Leo was clearly impressed by her appearance and manner, but he
upheld the decision of the immediate superiors. “You shall enter if it
be God’s will”, he said, and dismissed her with great kindness. The pope’s blessing
and the earnest prayers made at many shrines during this pilgrimage bore
their fruit in due season. At the end of the year the bishop, Mgr Hugonin,
gave his permission, and on April 9, 1888, Teresa Martin entered the Carmel
at Lisieux whither her two sisters had preceded her. “From her entrance
deposed her novice mistress, “she surprised the community by her bearing,
which was marked by a certain dignity that one would not expect in a child
of fifteen.”
During
her novitiate Father Pichon, s.j., gave a retreat to the nuns and he testified
in the cause of Teresa’s beatification: “It was easy to direct that child.
The Holy Spirit was leading her and I do not think that I ever had, either
then or later on, to warn her against illusions...What struck me during
that retreat were the spiritual trials through which God wished her to pass.”
St Teresa was a most assiduous reader of the Bible and a ready interpreter
of what she read (her Histoire d’une âme is full of scriptural texts), and, in view
of the fact that her cultus has obtained the dimensions
of a “popular devotion”, it is interesting to notice her love for liturgical prayer
and her appreciation of its unsurpassed significance for the Christian.
When she was officiant for the week and had to recite the collects of the
office in choir she reflected “that the priest said the same prayers at
Mass and that, like him, I had the right to pray aloud before the Blessed
Sacrament and to read the gospel [at Matins] when I was first chantress”. In 1889 the three sisters in
blood and in Carmel sustained a sad blow when their beloved father’s mind
gave way following two paralytic attacks and he had to be removed to a
private asylum, where he remained for three years. But “the three years
of my father’s martyrdom”, wrote St Teresa, “seem to me the dearest and most fruitful
of our life. I would not exchange them for the most sublime ecstasies.”
She was professed on September 8, 1890.
A few days before she wrote to Mother Agnes-of-Jesus (Pauline):
“Before setting out my Betrothed asked me which way and through what country
I would travel. I replied that I had one only wish; to reach the height
of the mountain of Love...Then our Saviour took me by the hand and led me
into a subterranean way, where it is neither hot nor cold, where the sun
never shines, where neither rain nor wind find entrance: a tunnel where
I see nothing but a half-veiled light, the brightness shining from the eyes
of Jesus.”
One of
the principal duties of a Carmelite nun is to pray for priests, a duty which
St Teresa discharged with great fervour at all times; something she had seen
or heard when visiting Italy had for the first time opened her eyes to the
fact that the clergy need prayers as much as anybody else, and she never
ceased in particular to pray for the good estate of the celebrated ex-Carmelite
Hyacinth Loyson, who had apostatized from the faith.
Although she was
delicate she carried out all the practices of the austere Carmelite rule
from the first, except that she was not allowed to fast. “A soul of such
mettle”, said the prioress, “must not be treated like a child. Dispensations
are not meant for her.”—“But it cost me a lot” admitted Teresa, “during my postulancy to perform some of the
customary exterior penances. I did not yield to this repugnance because
it seemed to me that the image of my crucified Lord looked at me with beseeching
eyes, begging these sacrifices.” However, the physical mortification which
she felt more than any other was the cold of the Carmel in winter, which
nobody suspected until she admitted it on her death-bed. “May Jesus grant
me martyrdom either of the heart or of the body, or preferably of both” she had asked, and lived to
say,
“I have reached the point of not being able to suffer any more—because
all suffering is sweet to me.”
The autobiography
which St Teresa wrote at the command of her prioress, L’histoire
d’une âme, is an unique and engaging document, written
with a delightful clarity and freshness, full of surprising turns of phrase,
hits of unexpected knowledge and unconscious self-revelation, and,
above all, of deep spiritual wisdom and beauty. She defines her prayer and
thereby tells us more about herself than pages of formal explanation
“With me prayer
is a lifting-up of the heart a look towards Heaven; a cry of gratitude and
love uttered equally in sorrow and in joy. In a word, something noble, supernatural,
which enlarges my soul and unites it to God..Except the Divine Office,
which in spite of my unworthiness is a daily joy, I have not the courage
to look through books for beautiful prayers..I do as a child who has not
learnt to read—I just tell our Lord all that I want and He understands.”
Her psychological insight is keen: “Each time that my enemy would provoke
me to fight I behave like a brave soldier. I know that a duel is an act of
cowardice, and so, without once looking him in the face, I turn my back on
the foe, hasten to my Saviour, and vow that I am ready to shed my blood in
witness of my belief in Heaven.”
She
passes over her own patience with a joke. During meditation in choir one
of the sisters continually fidgeted with a rosary, till Teresa was sweating
with the irritation.
At last, “instead of trying not to hear it, which was impossible,
I set myself to listen as though it had been some delightful music, and
my meditation—which was not the
‘prayer of quiet‘—was passed in offering this music to our Lord.” The last
chapter is a veritable paean of divine love, and concludes, “I entreat thee
to let thy divine eyes rest upon a vast number of little souls; I entreat
thee to choose in this world a legion of little victims of thy love looking
down..I wish at all costs to win the palm of St Agnes. If it cannot be by
blood it must be by love.”
St Teresa
numbered herself with these little souls: “I am a very little soul, who
can only offer very little things to our Lord.”
In 1893
Sister Teresa was appointed to assist the novice mistress and was in fact
mistress in all but name. On her experience in this capacity she comments,
“From afar it seems easy to do good to souls, to make them
love God more, to mould them according to our own ideas and views. But coming
closer we find, on the contrary, that to do good without God’s help is as
impossible as to make the sun shine at night...What costs me most is being
obliged to observe every fault and smallest imperfection and wage deadly
war against them.” She was only twenty years old. In 1894 Mr Martin died
and soon after Céline, who had been looking after him, made the fourth
Martin sister in the Lisieux Carmel. Eighteen months later, during the night
between Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, St Teresa heard, “as it were, a
far-off murmur announcing the coming of the Bridegroom” it was a haemorrhage
at the mouth. At the time she was inclined to respond to the appeal of the
Carmelites at Hanoi in Indo-China, who wished to have her, but her disease
took a turn for the worse and the last eighteen months of her life was a
time of bodily suffering and spiritual trials. The spirit of prophecy seemed
to come upon her, and it was now that she made those three utterances that
have gone round the world. “I have never given the good God aught but love,
and it is with love that He will repay. After my death I will let fall a
shower of roses.” “I will spend my Heaven in doing good upon earth.” “My
‘little way’ is the way of spiritual childhood, the way of trust and absolute
self-surrender.” In June 1897 she was removed to the infirmary of the convent
and never left it again; from August 16 on she could no longer receive Holy
Communion because of frequent sickness. On September 30, with
words of divine love on her lips, Sister Teresa of Lisieux died.
So unanimous,
swift and impressive was the rise of the cultus of Teresa,
miracles at whose intercession drew the eyes of the whole Catholic world
upon her, that the Holy See, ever attentive to common convictions expressed
by the acclamation of the whole visible Church, dispensed the period of
fifty years which must ordinarily elapse before a cause of canonization
is begun. She was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1923, and
in 1925 the same pope declared Teresa-of-the-Child-Jesus
to have been a saint. Her feast was made obligatory for the whole Western
church, and in 1927 she was named the heavenly patroness
of all foreign missions, with St
Francis Xavier, and of all works for Russia. These recognitions
were gratefully received and acclaimed not only by Catholics but by many
non-Catholics, whose attention had been called to her hidden life and who
had read her autobiography. In appearance St Teresa was slight, with golden
hair and grey-blue eyes, eyebrows very slightly arched, a small mouth, delicate
and regular features. Something of her quality can be seen in prints taken
from original photographic negatives, beside which the current composite
pictures of her are insipid and lacking in character.
St Teresa
quite definitely and consciously set out to be a saint. Undismayed by the
apparent impossibility of attaining so great a height of disinterestedness,
she said to herself: “‘The good God would not inspire unattainable desires.
I may then, in spite of my littleness, aspire to holiness. I cannot make
myself greater I must bear with myself just as I am with all my imperfections.
But I want to seek a way to Heaven, a new way, very short, very straight,
a little path. We live in an age of inventions. The trouble of walking upstairs
no longer exists; in the houses of the rich there is a lift instead. I would
like to find a lift to raise me to Jesus, for I am too little to go up
the steep steps of perfection.’ Then I sought in the Holy Scriptures for
some indication of this lift, the object of my desire, and I read these
words from the mouth of the Eternal Wisdom ‘Whosoever is a little
one, let him come to me’” (Isaias lxvi 13).
The books and articles devoted to St Teresa of Lisieux are well-nigh
countless, but they are all based upon her autobiography and her letters,
supplemented in some cases by the evidence given in the process of her
beatification and canonization. These last documents, printed for the use of the Congregation of Sacred Rites,
are very important, for they let us see that, even among religious pledged
to the austerities of the Carmelite rule, the frailties of human nature may
still betray themselves, and that part of the work of this innocent child
was to be, by force of example, the silent reformer and restorer of strict
observance in her own convent. Among the best biographies of the saint,
though not by any means the longest, may be mentioned that of H. Petitot,
St Thérèse of Lisieux a Spiritual Renaissance
(1927) that of Baron Angot des Rotours in the series “Les Saints”. F. Laudet, L’enfant
cherie dui monde (1927); and H. Ghéon, The Secret of the Little Flower (1934). The more official
publications, if one may so speak, are represented by the autobiography,
L’histoire d’une âme, which has been translated into every civilized
language, including Hebrew the first English translation was by Canon T.
N. Taylor (reprinted 1947), and a new translation, by the Rev. A. M. Day,
appeared in 1951 by Mgr Laveille’s Ste Therèse après…
les documents officiels du Carmel de Lisieux (Eng. trans., 1929); and
by the Abbe Combes’s edition of the saint’s Collected Letters
(Eng. trans., 1950) see also Le problème del’”
Histoire d’une âme {et des oeuvres completes de ste Thérèse
de Lisieux (1950). Among more recent works are biographies or studies
in French by M. M. Philipon, A. Combes (1946 Eng. trans. in 3 vols.), and M. van der Meersch (1947)—the last criticized
at length in La petite Ste Thérèse,
by A. Combes and others: V. Sackville West, The Eagle
and the Dove (1943) and J. Beevers, Storm of Glory
(1949). As a curious demurrer to the enthusiasm evoked by the
canonization mention may be made of the article in the Catalan journal
Estudis Franciscans, vol. xxx, by Fr Ubald
of Alençon; but this should not be read without reference to the
reply published in the same periodical by the Vicar General of Bayeux. The
latest book in English is H. Urs von Balthasar’s Therese
of Lisieux (1953), a theological study. It is now announced that the
Histoire d’une âme is to be published in its original unedited
form.
Yet Therese died when she was
24, after having lived as cloistered Carmelite for less than ten years.
She never went on missions, never founded a religious order, never performed
great works. The only book of hers, published after her death, was an brief
edited version of her journal called "Story of a Soul." (Collections of
her letters and restored versions of her journals have been published recently.)
But within 28 years of her death, the public demand was so great that she
was canonized.
Over the years, some modern Catholics have turned away from
her because they associate her with over- sentimentalized piety and yet the
message she has for us is still as compelling and simple as it was almost
a century ago.
Therese was born in France in 1873, the pampered daughter
of a mother who had wanted to be a saint and a father who had wanted to be
monk. The two had gotten married but determined they would be celibate until
a priest told them that was not how God wanted a marriage to work! They
must have followed his advice very well because they had nine children. The
five children who lived were all daughters who were close all their lives.
Tragedy and loss came quickly to Therese when her mother
died of breast cancer when she was four and a half years old. Her sixteen
year old sister Pauline became her second mother -- which made the second
loss even worse when Pauline entered the Carmelite convent five years later.
A few months later, Therese became so ill with a fever that people thought
she was dying.
The worst part of it for Therese was all the people sitting
around her bed staring at her like, she said, "a string of onions." When
Therese saw her sisters praying to statue of Mary in her room, Therese also
prayed. She saw Mary smile at her and suddenly she was cured. She tried to
keep the grace of the cure secret but people found out and badgered her with
questions about what Mary was wearing, what she looked like. When she refused
to give in to their curiosity, they passed the story that she had made the
whole thing up.
Without realizing it, by the time she was eleven years old
she had developed the habit of mental prayer. She would find a place between
her bed and the wall and in that solitude think about God, life, eternity.
When her other sisters, Marie and Leonie, left to join religious
orders (the Carmelites and Poor Clares, respectively), Therese was left
alone with her last sister Celine and her father. Therese tells us that
she wanted to be good but that she had an odd way of going about. This spoiled
little Queen of her father's wouldn't do housework. She thought if she made
the beds she was doing a great favor!
Every time Therese even imagined
that someone was criticizing her or didn't appreciate her, she burst into
tears. Then she would cry because she had cried! Any inner wall she built
to contain her wild emotions crumpled immediately before the tiniest comment.
Therese wanted to enter the Carmelite convent to join Pauline
and Marie but how could she convince others that she could handle the rigors
of Carmelite life, if she couldn't handle her own emotional outbursts?
She had prayed that Jesus would help her but there was no sign of an answer.
On Christmas day in 1886, the fourteen-year-old hurried home
from church. In France, young children left their shoes by the hearth at
Christmas, and then parents would fill them with gifts. By fourteen, most
children outgrew this custom. But her sister Celine didn't want Therese to
grow up. So they continued to leave presents in "baby" Therese's shoes.
As she and Celine climbed the stairs to take off their hats,
their father's voice rose up from the parlor below. Standing over the shoes,
he sighed, "Thank goodness that's the last time we shall have this kind of
thing!"
Therese froze, and her sister looked at her helplessly. Celine
knew that in a few minutes Therese would be in tears over what her father
had said. But the tantrum never came. Something incredible had happened
to Therese. Jesus had come into her heart and done what she could not do
herself. He had made her more sensitive to her father's feelings than her
own. She swallowed her tears, walked slowly down the stairs, and exclaimed
over the gifts in the shoes, as if she had never heard a word her father said.
The following year she entered the convent. In her autobiography she referred
to this Christmas as her "conversion."
Therese be known as the Little Flower but she had a will
of steel. When the superior of the Carmelite convent refused to take Therese
because she was so young, the formerly shy little girl went to the bishop.
When the bishop also said no, she decided to go over his head, as well.
Her father and sister took her on a pilgrimage to Rome to
try to get her mind off this crazy idea. Therese loved it. It was the one
time when being little worked to her advantage! Because she was young and
small she could run everywhere, touch relics and tombs without being yelled
at. Finally they went for an audience with the Pope. They had been forbidden
to speak to him but that didn't stop Therese. As soon as she got near him,
she begged that he let her enter the Carmelite convent. She had to be carried
out by two of the guards!
But the Vicar General who had
seen her courage was impressed and soon Therese was admitted to the Carmelite
convent that her sisters Pauline and Marie had already joined. Her romantic
ideas of convent life and suffering soon met up with reality in a way she
had never expected. Her father suffered a series of strokes that left him
affected not only physically but mentally. When he began hallucinating
and grabbed for a gun as if going into battle, he was taken to an asylum
for the insane. Horrified, Therese learned of the humiliation of the father
she adored and admired and of the gossip and pity of their so-called friends.
As a cloistered nun she couldn't even visit her father.
This began a horrible time of suffering when she experienced
such dryness in prayer that she stated "Jesus isn't doing much to keep the
conversation going." She was so grief-stricken that she often fell asleep
in prayer. She consoled herself by saying that mothers loved children when
they lie asleep in their arms so that God must love her when she slept during
prayer.
She knew as a Carmelite nun she would never be able to perform
great deeds. "Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love?
Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering
flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and
word, and the doing of the least actions for love."
She took every chance to sacrifice, no matter how small it
would seem. She smiled at the sisters she didn't like. She ate everything
she was given without complaining -- so that she was often given the worst
leftovers. One time she was accused of breaking a vase when she was not
at fault. Instead of arguing she sank to her knees and begged forgiveness.
These little sacrifices cost her more than bigger ones, for these went unrecognized
by others. No one told her how wonderful she was for these little secret
humiliations and good deeds.
When Pauline was elected prioress, she asked Therese for
the ultimate sacrifice.
Because of politics in the convent, many of the sisters feared
that the family Martin would taken over the convent. Therefore Pauline
asked Therese to remain a novice, in order to allay the fears of the others
that the three sisters would push everyone else around. This meant she
would never be a fully professed nun, that she would always have to ask
permission for everything she did. This sacrifice was made a little sweeter
when Celine entered the convent after her father's death. Four of the sisters
were now together again.
Therese continued to worry about
how she could achieve holiness in the life she led.
She didn't want to just be good, she wanted to be a saint.
She thought there must be a way for people living hidden, little lives
like hers. " I have always wanted to become a saint. Unfortunately when
I have compared myself with the saints, I have always found that there
is the same difference between the saints and me as there is between a
mountain whose summit is lost in the clouds and a humble grain of sand trodden
underfoot by passers-by. Instead of being discouraged, I told myself: God
would not make me wish for something impossible and so, in spite of my
littleness, I can aim at being a saint. It is impossible for me to grow
bigger, so I put up with myself as I am, with all my countless faults. But
I will look for some means of going to heaven by a little way which is very
short and very straight, a little way that is quite new.
"We live in an age of inventions. We need no longer climb
laboriously up flights of stairs; in well-to-do houses there are lifts.
And I was determined to find a lift to carry me to Jesus, for I was far too
small to climb the steep stairs of perfection. So I sought in holy Scripture
some idea of what this life I wanted would be, and I read these words: "Whosoever
is a little one, come to me." It is your arms, Jesus, that are the lift to
carry me to heaven. And so there is no need for me to grow up: I must stay
little and become less and less."
She worried about her vocation:
" I feel in me the vocation of the Priest. I have the vocation
of the Apostle. Martyrdom was the dream of my youth and this dream has
grown with me. Considering the mystical body of the Church, I desired to
see myself in them all. Charity gave me the key to my vocation. I understood
that the Church had a Heart and that this Heart was burning with love.
I understood that Love comprised all vocations, that Love was everything,
that it embraced all times and places...in a word, that it was eternal!
Then in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out: O Jesus, my Love...my
vocation, at last I have found it...My vocation is Love!"
When an antagonist was elected prioress, new political suspicions
and plottings sprang up. The concern over the Martin sisters perhaps was
not exaggerated. In this small convent they now made up one-fifth of the
population. Despite this and the fact that Therese was a permanent novice
they put her in charge of the other novices.
Then in 1896, she coughed up blood. She kept working without
telling anyone until she became so sick a year later everyone knew it. Worst
of all she had lost her joy and confidence and felt she would die young
without leaving anything behind. Pauline had already had her writing down
her memories for journal and now she wanted her to continue -- so they would
have something to circulate on her life after her death.
Her pain was so great that she
said that if she had not had faith she would have taken her own life without
hesitation. But she tried to remain smiling and cheerful -- and succeeded
so well that some thought she was only pretending to be ill. Her one dream
as the work she would do after her death, helping those on earth. "I will
return," she said. "My heaven will be spent on earth." She died on September
30, 1897 at the age of 24 years old. She herself felt it was a blessing
God allowed her to die at exactly that age. She had always felt that she
had a vocation to be a priest and felt God let her die at the age she would
have been ordained if she had been a man so that she wouldn't have to suffer.
After she died, everything at the convent went back to normal.
One nun commented that there was nothing to say about Therese.
But Pauline put together Therese's writings (and heavily edited them, unfortunately)
and sent 2000 copies to other convents. But Therese's "little way" of trusting
in Jesus to make her holy and relying on small daily sacrifices instead
of great deeds appealed to the thousands of Catholics and others who were
trying to find holiness in ordinary lives. Within two years, the Martin
family had to move because her notoriety was so great and by 1925 she had
been canonized.
Therese of Lisieux is one of the patron saints of the missions,
not because she ever went anywhere, but because of her special love of
the missions, and the prayers and letters she gave in support of missionaries.
This is reminder to all of us who feel we can do nothing, that it is the
little things that keep God's kingdom growing.
Teresa of the Child (Infant) Jesus V (RM) + (also known as
Thérèse of Lisieux, Marie Francoise Martin)
Born in Alençon, France, January 2, 1873; died in
Lisieux, Normandy, France, on September 30, 1897; canonized in 1925 by
Pope Pius XI, who in 1927 declared patron of foreign missions (together with
Saint Francis Xavier); in 1997, she was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope
John Paul II.
"I had offered myself to the Child Jesus as His little plaything.
I told Him not to use me as a valuable toy but like a little ball of no
value He let His little ball fall to the ground and He went to sleep. What
did He do during His gentle sleep and what became of the abandoned ball?
Jesus dreamed He was still playing with His toy, leaving it and taking it
up in turns, and then, having seen it roll quite far, He pressed it to His
heart, no longer allowing it to ever go far from His little hand." --St.
Thérèse of Lisieux
Thérèse was the ninth child of Louis Martin,
a watchmaker, and Azélie-Marie Geurin, a maker of point d'Alençon
lace. She was baptized Marie-Françoise-Thérèse.
Her mother died in 1877 when Thérèse was five, and the father
moved the family to Lisieux, where the children could be overseen by their
aunt.
Thérèse's two
older sisters became Carmelite nuns at Lisieux. When she was 15, Thérèse
told her father that she was so much devoted to Jesus that she wished to
do the same but the Carmelites and her bishop thought that she was too young.
A few months later during a pilgrimage to Rome for the jubilee of Pope
Leo XIII, she met the pope. As she knelt before him, she broke the rule
of silence and asked him, "In honor of your jubilee, allow me to enter
Carmel at fifteen. . . ." The pope was impressed by her fervor, but upheld
the decision to make her wait.
At the end of the year, she was received in the Carmel and
took the name Thérèse of the Child Jesus. Her father suffered
a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized for three years. Despite her
fragile health, she lived the austere life faithfully. At 22, she was appointed
assistant novice mistress, although in fact she fulfilled the duties of the
novice mistress. After her father died in 1894, the fourth sister joined
the convent.
Her prioress Mother Agnes (her blood-sister Pauline) requested
the she write her autobiography, L'histoire d'une âme (The story
of a soul). She began in 1894 to write the story of her childhood, and
in 1897, after finishing it the previous year, she was ordered by the new
prioress, Mother Marie de Gonzague, to tell of her life in the convent.
Both were combined in the final book, which was revised and circulated to
all the Carmelite houses.
Thérèse of Lisieux's autobiography was three
sections written specifically to her sister Pauline, her sister Marie,
and her prioress. It was edited by Pauline (Sister Agnes) and made to appear
as though written to her prioress. Highly edited book sold without notation
until 1956. In 1952 the unedited manuscripts were published in their original
form. The first English version, translated by Ronald Knox, appeared in
1958 under the title Autobiography of a saint. Thérèse was
childlike, not polished, and she was sentimental. Surprisingly, Thérèse
found it hard to say the rosary, which should be a comfort to those saints-in-the-making
who find it difficult, too.
The appeal of the book was immediate and astonishing:
It had an instant appeal in every language into which it
was translated. Her "little way" of searching for simplicity and perfection
in everyday tasks became a model for ordinary people. The saint's nine years
in the convent were uneventful and 'ordinary,' such as could be paralleled
in the lives of numberless other young nuns: the daily life of prayer and
work, faults of pride and obstinacy to be overcome, a certain moodiness to
be fought, inward and outward trials to be faced. Sister Thérèse
stuck bravely to her 'little way' of simple trust in and love for God.
Afflicted with tuberculosis, Thérèse hemorrhaged
but endured her illness with patience and fortitude. She wished to join
the Carmelites at Hanoi in Indochina at their invitation, but her illness
became worse. She moved into the infirmary in 1897 and died at the age of
24. Her last words were, "I love him. My God I love you."
Since her death she has worked innumerable miracles, and
her cultus has spread throughout the world. She had become the most popular
saint of modern times: Thérèse had shown innumerable people
that sainthood is attainable by anybody, however, obscure, lowly, untalented,
by doing the small things and discharging daily duties in a perfected spirit
of love for God. Her popularity was so great that a large church was built
in Lisieux to accommodate the crowds of pilgrims to her shrine.
In contemplating her death, Thérèse said, "I
will let fall a shower of roses," meaning favors through her intercession.
From this we get the novena of St. Thérèse which requires
the praying of 24 Our Fathers each day for nine days in honor of the 24
years of life that God granted the saint. It is said that when the prayer
has been heard and answered, the petitioner will receive a rose from the
heavenly garden as a sign. For this reason, she is called "the Little Flower
of Jesus."
Thérèse's attraction
is her utter simplicity. She was no scholar; no great student of the Bible
or the Fathers. She simply longed to be a saint, as she believed her person
could. "In my little way," she wrote, "are only very ordinary things. Little
souls can do everything that I do."
She was full of fun. She drew a coat of arms for herself
and Jesus, surmounted with her initials M.F.T., and the divine ones I.H.S.
She made superbly innocent and happy jokes. She recorded that she would pretend
she was at Nazareth in the Holy Family's home. "If I am offered salad, cold
fish, wine or anything with a strong flavor, I give that to good Saint Joseph.
I give the warm dishes and the ripest fruits to the Holy Virgin. I give
the infant Jesus soup, rice, and jam. But if I am offered a bad meal, I
say gaily to myself, 'My little girl, today it is all yours'."
Thérèse was a happy saint. Even as she suffered
pain--physical and emotional (being scolded for pulling up flowers rather
than weeds in the garden)--she always thanked God for everything (Attwater,
von Balthasar, Benedictines, Bentley, Day, Delaney, Gorres, Robo, Sackville-West,
Sheppard, White).
In art, St. Thérèse is a Discalced Carmelite
holding a bouquet of roses or with roses at her feet. She is the patron
saint of foreign missions (due to her prayers for and correspondence with
missions), all works for Russia, France, florists and flower growers (White);
aviators, and, in 1944, was named copatroness of France with Saint Joan of
Arc (Delaney).
October 1, 2006 St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897)
"I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies.
To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul."
These are the words of Theresa of the Child Jesus, a Carmelite
nun called the "Little Flower," who lived a cloistered life of obscurity
in the convent of Lisieux, France. [In French-speaking areas, she is known
as Thérèse of Lisieux.] And her preference for hidden sacrifice
did indeed convert souls. Few saints of God are more popular than this
young nun.
Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, is read and loved
throughout the world.
Thérèse Martin entered the convent at the age
of 15 and died in 1897 at the age of 24. Life in a Carmelite convent
is indeed uneventful and consists mainly of prayer and hard domestic work.
But Thérèse possessed that holy insight that redeems the time,
however dull that time may be. She saw in quiet suffering redemptive suffering,
suffering that was indeed her apostolate. Thérèse said she
came to the Carmel convent "to save souls and pray for priests." And shortly
before she died, she wrote: "I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth."
[On October 19, 1997, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her a
Doctor of the Church, the third woman to be so recognized in light of her
holiness and the influence of her teaching on spirituality in the Church.]
Comment: Thérèse has much to teach our
age of the image, the appearance, the "sell." We have become a dangerously
self-conscious people, painfully aware of the need to be fulfilled, yet
knowing we are not. Thérèse, like so many saints, sought to
serve others, to do something outside herself, to forget herself in quiet
acts of love. She is one of the great examples of the gospel paradox that
we gain our life by losing it, and that the seed that falls to the ground
must die in order to live (see John 12).
Preoccupation with self separates
modern men and women from God, from their fellow human beings and ultimately
from themselves. We must relearn to forget ourselves, to contemplate a
God who draws us out of ourselves and to serve others as the ultimate expression
of selfhood. These are the insights of St. Thérèse of Lisieux,
and they are more valid today than ever.
Quote: All her life St. Thérèse suffered
from illness. As a young girl she underwent a three-month malady characterized
by violent crises, extended delirium and prolonged fainting spells. Afterwards
she was ever frail and yet she worked hard in the laundry and refectory
of the convent. Psychologically, she endured prolonged periods of darkness
when the light of faith seemed all but extinguished. The last year of her
life she slowly wasted away from tuberculosis. And yet shortly before her
death on September 30 she murmured, "I would not suffer less."
Truly she was a valiant woman who did not whimper about her
illnesses and anxieties. Here was a person who saw the power of love, that
divine alchemy which can change everything, including weakness and illness,
into service and redemptive power for others. Is it any wonder that she is
patroness of the missions? Who else but those who embrace suffering with
their love really convert the world?
St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897)
"I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies. To pick
up a pin for love can convert a soul." These are the words of Theresa of
the Child Jesus, a Carmelite nun called the "Little Flower," who lived
a cloistered life of obscurity in the convent of Lisieux, France. [In French-speaking
areas, she is known as Thérèse of Lisieux.] And her preference
for hidden sacrifice did indeed convert souls. Few saints of God are more
popular than this young nun. Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, is
read and loved throughout the world. Thérèse Martin entered
the convent at the age of 15 and died in 1897 at the age of 24.
Life in a Carmelite convent is indeed uneventful and consists
mainly of prayer and hard domestic work. But Thérèse possessed
that holy insight that redeems the time, however dull that time may be.
She saw in quiet suffering redemptive suffering, suffering that was indeed
her apostolate. Thérèse said she came to the Carmel convent
"to save souls and pray for priests." And shortly before she died, she wrote:
"I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth."
[On October 19, 1997, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her a Doctor of the
Church, the third woman to be so recognized in light of her holiness and
the influence of her teaching on spirituality in the Church.]
Comment: Thérèse has much to teach our age of the image,
the appearance, the "sell." We have become a dangerously self-conscious people,
painfully aware of the need to be fulfilled, yet knowing we are not. Thérèse,
like so many saints, sought to serve others, to do something outside herself,
to forget herself in quiet acts of love. She is one of the great examples
of the gospel paradox that we gain our life by losing it, and that the seed
that falls to the ground must die in order to live (see John 12).
Preoccupation with self separates modern men and women from God, from
their fellow human beings and ultimately from themselves. We must relearn
to forget ourselves, to contemplate a God who draws us out of ourselves
and to serve others as the ultimate expression of selfhood. These are the
insights of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and they are more valid
today than ever.
Quote: All her life St. Thérèse suffered from illness.
As a young girl she underwent a three-month malady characterized by violent
crises, extended delirium and prolonged fainting spells. Afterwards she
was ever frail and yet she worked hard in the laundry and refectory of the
convent. Psychologically, she endured prolonged periods of darkness when
the light of faith seemed all but extinguished. The last year of her life
she slowly wasted away from tuberculosis. And yet shortly before her death
on September 30 she murmured, "I would not suffer less."
Truly she was a valiant woman who did not whimper about her illnesses
and anxieties. Here was a person who saw the power of love, that divine
alchemy which can change everything, including weakness and illness, into
service and redemptive power for others. Is it any wonder that she is patroness
of the missions? Who else but those who embrace suffering with their love
really convert the world?
|
Mary
the Mother of Jesus 
Saints of this Day October 01 Kaléndis Octóbris.
Archbishop of
Novgorod, the organizer of the Pskov Spaso-Mirozh monastery.
Quote:
Pope Paul VI’s 1969 
Benedict
XVI met with Aram I Catholicos of Cilicia,
the highest authority of the Orthodox Church.
The Pope remembered
the martyrs of the Armenian Church and the
Armenian genocide, without explicitly mentioning
it, and denounced the persecution of Christians in
modern times. Benedict
XVI
As we watch
the spectacle of the world seeming to
self-destruct before our eyes, we can’t help
but be saddened and even frightened by so much
evil run rampant. Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Somalia,
North Korea—It is all a disaster of epic proportions
displayed in living color on our television
screens.