 Prophet
Zachariah, father of St John the Baptist, by command of Herod,
Soldiers murdered this holy prophet, stabbed
him between the temple and the altar (MT 23: 35). Elizabeth died forty
days after her husband, and St John, preserved by the Lord, dwelt in
the wilderness until the day of his appearance to the nation of Israel.
The Holy Prophet Zachariah and the Righteous Elizabeth were parents
of the holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, John. They
descended from lineage of Aaron: St Zachariah, son of Barach,
was a priest in the Jerusalem Temple, and St Elizabeth was the sister
of St Anna, the mother of the Most Holy Theotokos. The righteous
spouses, "walking in all the commandments of the Lord" (Luke 1:6),
suffered barrenness, which in those times was considered a punishment
from God.
Once, during his turn of priestly service in the Temple, St Zachariah
was told by an angel that his aged wife would bear him a son, who "will
be great in the sight of the Lord" (Luke 1:15) and "will go before Him
in the spirit and power of Elias" (Luke 1:17). Zachariah doubted
that this prediction would come true, and for his weakness of faith he
was punished by becoming mute. When Elizabeth gave birth to a son,
through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit she announced that his name
was John, although no one in their family had this name. They
asked Zachariah and he also wrote the name John down on a tablet.
Immediately the gift of speech returned to him, and inspired by the
Holy Spirit, he began to prophesy about his son as the Forerunner of
the Lord.
When King Herod heard from the Magi about the birth of the Messiah, he
decided to kill all the infants up to two years old at Bethlehem and
the surrounding area, hoping that the new-born Messiah would be among
them. Herod knew about John's unusual birth and he wanted to kill
him, fearing that he was the foretold King of the Jews. Elizabeth
hid herself and the infant in the hills. The murderers searched
everywhere for John. Elizabeth, when she saw her pursuers, began to
implore God for their safety, and immediately the hill opened up and
concealed her and the infant from their pursuers.
In these tragic days St
Zachariah was taking his turn at the services in the Temple.
Soldiers sent by Herod tried in vain to learn from him
the whereabouts
of his son. Then, by command of Herod, they murdered this holy prophet,
having stabbed him between the temple and the altar (MT 23: 35).
Elizabeth died forty days after her husband, and St John, preserved by
the Lord, dwelt in the wilderness until the day of his appearance to
the nation of Israel.
On Greek calendar, Sts Zachariah and Elizabeth are also
commemorated on June 24, Feast of the Nativity of St John the
Baptist .
|
 Righteous
Elizabeth the mother of St John the Baptist descended lineage of Aaron,
sister of St Anna, the mother of the Most Holy Theotokos
The Righteous Elizabeth was the mother of the holy Prophet, Forerunner
and Baptist of the Lord, John. She was descended from the lineage of
Aaron, and St Elizabeth was the sister of St Anna, the mother of the
Most Holy Theotokos. The righteous spouses, "walking in all the
commandments of the Lord" (Luke 1:6), suffered barrenness, which in
those times was considered a punishment from God.
When Elizabeth gave birth to a son, through the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit she announced that his name was John, although no one in their
family had this name. They asked Zachariah (who had been rendered
mute) what the child's name was, and he wrote the name John down on a
tablet. Immediately the gift of speech returned to him, and inspired by
the Holy Spirit, he began to prophesy about his son as the Forerunner
of the Lord.
When King Herod heard from the Magi about the birth of the Messiah, he
decided to kill all the infants up to two years old at Bethlehem and
the surrounding area, hoping that the new-born Messiah would be among
them.
Herod knew about John's unusual birth and he wanted to kill him,
fearing that he was the foretold King of the Jews. But Elizabeth hid
herself and the infant in the hills. The murderers searched everywhere
for John. Elizabeth, when she saw her pursuers, began to implore God
for their safety, and immediately the hill opened up and concealed her
and the infant from their pursuers.
In these tragic days St Zachariah was taking his turn at the services
in the Temple. Soldiers sent by Herod tried in vain to learn from him
the whereabouts of his son. Then, by command of Herod, they murdered
this holy prophet, having stabbed him between the temple and the altar
(MT 23: 35). Elizabeth died forty days after her husband, and St John,
preserved by the Lord, dwelt in the wilderness until the day of his
appearance to the nation of Israel.
On Greek calendar, Sts Zachariah and Elizabeth are also
commemorated on June 24, Feast of the Nativity of St John the
Baptist .
|
420 BC St. Malachi, the
Prophet Departure of
On this day, the great prophet, Malachi, one of the twelve minor
prophets, departed. He prophesied about the return of the people from
captivity in Babylon to Jerusalem. He rebuked the children of Israel
because of their transgression against God and His Law. He also
admonished them because of their vile offerings, and prophesied about
the acceptance of the Gentiles when he said, "For from the rising of
the sun, even to its going down, my name shall be great among the
Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a
pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations." (Malachi
1:11)
He pointed out to them that they did not give the tithes nor
their first fruits, by saying, "'Bring all the tithes into the
storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now in
this,' says the LORD of hosts, 'If I will not open for you the windows
of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be
room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your
sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall
the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,' says the LORD of
hosts." (Malachi 3:10-11)
He prophesied about the coming of St. John the baptizer before
the Lord, the Savior of the World, by saying, "'Behold, I send My
messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom
you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the
covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,' says the LORD of
hosts." (Malachi 3:1)
He also prophesied about the coming of Elijah before the
Lord at His second coming, saying, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the
Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the
hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the
earth with a curse." (Malachi 4:5-6)
Having pleased God by his
strife, and having completed his days in peace, he departed to God Whom
he loved.
May his prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever.
Amen.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
In 536 BC the Babylonian Captivity of the Jews officially ended when
Cyrus allowed the people of Israel to return to their homeland. Under
the leadership of Zerubbabel some 50,000 Jews returned. Encouraged by
the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah, the people rebuilt the Temple
between 520-516 BC.
In 458 BC Ezra returned with a second group of exiles. The
Persian King during this time was Artaxerxes I (465-425 BC). It was he
who permitted Nehemiah to return in 445 BC to rebuild the walls of
Jerusalem. Nehemiah's first term as Governor was 445-433 BC. He then
returned to Persia for a time, after which he served a second term as
Governor from 430-425 BC.
It was during this time that
"Malachi took the helm of
spiritual affairs in Jerusalem" (The Expositor's Bible Commentary).
"For a full picture of the conditions in Judea during this period one
should read Ezra 7-10 and the complete book of Nehemiah. The conditions
of the people as revealed in Nehemiah and the bold and courageous
attack of Malachi against the problems which the latter sets forth in
his book point clearly to the contemporary dates of the two" (Homer
Hailey).
|
107
St. Charbel Maronite martyr under Emperor Trajan.
|
98-117 Sarbelus
The
Holy Martyr was a pagan priest He and his sister Bebaia were converted
by St Barsimaius, Bishop of Edessa
who lived during the reign
of the emperor Trajan (98-117) He and his sister Bebaia were converted
by St Barsimaius, the Bishop of Edessa (January 29). They both received
the crown of martyrdom.
This St Sarbelus appears to be the same one who is commemorated on
January 29 and October 15. |
112 St.
Romulus
Roman martyr member Trajan court
Eódem die sancti Rómuli, qui, cum esset Trajáni
aulæ præféctus ac sævítiam
Imperatóris in Christiános detestarétur,
cæsus est virgis, et cápite truncátus.
On the same day, St. Rmulus, prefect of Trajan's
court. For reproving the cruelty of the emperor towards
Christians, he was scourged with rods and beheaded.
He was a member of the imperial
court under
Emperor Trajan. When
Romulus spoke out against the persecutions of Christians, Trajan
commanded that he should be arrested and put to death in the same
manner as those in whose defense he had spoken.
Romulus the Courtier M (RM). Saint Romulus, as name
implies, was a courtier of the Emperor Trajan. Because he chastised his
master for his cruelty to the Christians he was given a share in their
fate (Benedictines).
|
Romæ,
in suburbáno, beáti Victoríni, Epíscopi et
Mártyris; qui, sanctitáte et miráculis clarus,
sacerdótium Amiternínæ urbis, totíus
pópuli electióne, adéptus est.
Póstmodum, sub Nerva Trajáno, apud Cutílias, ubi
puténtes et sulphúreæ emánant aquæ,
cum áliis Dei servis, relegátus, ab Aureliáno
Júdice jussus est suspéndi cápite deórsum;
idque cum per tríduum pro nómine Christi passus
fuísset, tandem, glorióse coronátus, victor
migrávit ad Dóminum. Ejus corpus rapuérunt
Christiáni, et honorífica sepultúra
Amitérni, in Vestínis, condidérunt.
Blessed Victorinus
bishop and martyr, in the time of Nerva TrajanIn the suburbs of
Rome. Being renowned for sanctity and miracles, he was elected
bishop of Amiterno by the whole populace, but afterwards he was
banished, with other servants of God, to Contigliano, where fetid
sulphurous waters spring forth, and was suspended with his head
downward by order of the judge Aurelian. Having for the name of
Christ endured this torment for three days, he was gloriously crowned
and went victoriously to our Lord. His body was taken away by the
Christians and buried with due honours at Amiterno.
|
2nd
v. Eudoxius, Zeno,
Macarius & Companions band of Christian soldiers killed for the
faith at Melitene, Armenia MM (RM)
Melitínæ, in Arménia, pássio
sanctórum mílitum Eudóxii, Zenónis,
Macárii, et Sociórum mille centum et quátuor; qui,
cum abjecíssent milítiæ cíngulum, in
persecutióne Diocletiáni, pro Christi confessióne
necáti sunt.
At Melitine in Armenia, during the persecution of
Diocletian, the martyrdom of the holy soldiers Eudoxius, Zeno,
Macarius, and their companions to the number of eleven hundred and
four, who threw away their military belts and were put to death for the
confession of Christ.
2nd century. These martyrs led a band of
Christian
soldiers killed for
the faith at Melitene, Armenia, under Constantius I. They are said to
have numbered more than one thousand (Benedictines).
Victorinus BM (RM). According to the spurious Gesta Nerei et Achillei,
Saint Victorinus is said to have been a bishop who, with Saints Maro
and Eutyches, accompanied Saint Flavia Domitilla, in her exile to
Ponza. He suffered martyrdom in Rome under Trajan (Benedictines).
|
250 St.
Herculanils
Martyr at Porto
near Rome
In Portu Románo pássio sancti Herculáni
mílitis, qui, sub Gallo Imperatóre, ob Christi fidem
cæsus flagris et cápite obtruncátus est.
At Porto, the birthday of St. Herculanus, martyr,
who was scourged and beheaded in the reign of Emperor Gallus because of
the Christian faith.
Herculanus of Porto M (RM) Died c. 180 (?). It is uncertain whether
Saint Herculanus suffered during the reign of Marcus Aurelius or in
another persecution. He died at Porto, near Rome (Benedictines).
|
St.
Quintius One of three martyrs who were put to death at Capua, Italy
Cápuæ sanctórum Mártyrum Quínctii,
Arcóntii et Donáti.
At Capua, the holy martyrs Quinctus, Arcontius, and
Donatus.
Quintius, Arcontius, and Donatus MM (RM) These
martyrs
venerated at Capua and in other parts of southern Italy
(Benedictines).
|
 Rhais (Iraida) The Holy Martyr lived at
Alexandria
Once, she went to a well to draw water and saw a ship at the
shore. On board were a large number of men, women, clergy and monks,
all fettered in chains for their confession of the Christian Faith.
Casting aside her water pitcher, the saint voluntarily joined the
prisoners for Christ, and fetters were placed on her, too. When the
ship arrived in the Egyptian city of Antipolis, St Iraida was the first
to undergo fierce torments and was beheaded with the sword. After her,
the other martyrs sealed their confession of faith in Christ with their
blood .
|
98-138 Tathuil
(Thiphael) and his sister Bebaia (or Thivea) The Martyrs suffered for
their bold and effective preaching of Christianity among the pagans
After long and intense torture, the pagans suspended the holy Martyr
Thiphael on a tree and cut him with a saw. His sister St Bebaia was
killed with a spear thrust in the neck.
|
300 Madrona
(Madryne,
Matrona) "mistress of the house" repeated scourging and hunger caused
her death in prison
Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; died March 15, 300. Saint Madrona,
which means "mistress of the house" in Catalan, was an orphan of
Barcelona, then a Roman town on the slope of Mount Jongjuic (Mount
Jupiter).
Tradition tells us that the orphan searched for life and love and found
it in the Catholic faith in Jesus Christ, which had been brought to her
hometown by the disciples of Saint Paul. Her rich, powerful, and pagan
uncle offered Madrona a home and adopted her.
He took her with him when he went to Italy and settled Rome, which he
thought would protect her from the corruption of faith in the new God.
But in the heart of Catholicism, Madrona discovered the light of faith
and was baptized. In order to live more perfectly as a Christian,
Madrona dedicated her virginity to her Savior, the supreme fruit of
Christian love. Her zeal was demonstrated by her perseverance. She was 15
when martyred by repeated scourging and
hunger causing
her death in prison.
|
360 Juventinus and
Maximus martyred soldiers suffered during the reign of the emperor
Julian the Apostate, whom they served as bodyguards
Once, while he was at Antioch, Julian decided to defile the food of the
Christians by sprinkling all the food in the marketplaces with blood
offered to idols.
Sts Juventinus and Maximus openly condemned the emperor's course of
action and they boldly denounced him for his apostasy from the
Christian Faith.
After merciless beatings they were both put to death on orders of the
impious emperor.
|
370
Saints Urban, Theodore
and Companions MM by Arian co-emperor Valens (RM)
Constantinópoli sanctórum Mártyrum Urbáni,
Theodóri, Menedémi, et Sociórum septuagínta
septem ex órdine ecclesiástico; qui a Valénte
Imperatóre, pro fide cathólica, in navígio
impósiti, jussi sunt in mari combúri.
At Constantinople, the holy martyrs Urbanus,
Theodore, Menedemus, and their companions of ecclesiastical rank,
seventy-seven in number, who were put in a ship by the command of
Emperor Valens, and burned on the sea for the Catholic faith.
The Martyrs Urban, Theodore, Medimnus and seventy-nine companions
suffered at Nicomedia during the reign of the Arian emperor Valentus
(Valens) (364-378 or 379). The Orthodox bishop Evagrius was banished
from the Church of Constantinople, and Christians not wishing to accept
the Arian heresy were locked up in prison and subjected to various
outrages.
Driven to the point of despair, the Orthodox Christians decided to ask
for protection from the emperor and they sent 80 chosen men of
religious rank, headed by Sts Urban, Theodore and Medimnus.
Hearing their justified complaints, the emperor flew into a rage, but
he know how to hide his wrath. He quietly summoned the eparch Modestus
and ordered him to put the delegates to death. Modestus put them upon a
ship, telling them that they all would be sent to prison. Instead, he
ordered the ship's officers to burn the ship on the open sea. The ship
was set afire and for a while, it floated upon the sea. Finally,
reaching a place called Dakizis, the ship burned up with all the holy
martyrs on board.
Saints Urban and Theodore led a band of 80 priests and clerics
who were travelling to appeal to the emperor for relief against the
persecutions of his Arian co-emperor Valens. The Arian allowed the holy
men to perish on a burning ship for their impudence (Benedictines)
.
|
400
Abdias [or Abidas] The
Martyr suffered in Persia during the reign of the emperor Izdegerd I
for his refusal to renounce Christ and instead worship the sun and
fire. He died after many tortures, and until his final breath, he gave
thanks to God for permitting His chosen one to die for His Holy Name.
|
555
Genebald (Genebaud) of
Laon B performed seven years of continuous penance (AC)
Saint Remi appointed his nephew, Saint Genebald, bishop of Laon,
France. He is said to have performed seven years of continuous penance
from a sin he committed (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
|
642 Oswald Er
holte
Aidan aus Iona als Bischof zur Missionierung seiens Landes.
635 gründete er mit Aidan das Kloster Lindisfarne, den
späteren
Bischofssitz. Er fiel im Kampf gegen den heidnischen König von
Mercia
Katholische und Anglikanische Kirche: 05. August
Oswald, Sohn Königs Ethefried von Northumbria wurde um 604
geboren. Als sein Vater bei einem Aufstand der Briten getötet
wurde, floh Oswald nach Iona. Hier wurde er getauft. 634 konnte der den
König der Briten Caedwalla besiegen und die Herrrschaft in
Northumbria übernehmen. Er holte Aidan aus Iona als Bischof zur
Missionierung seiens Landes. 635 gründete er mit Aidan das Kloster
Lindisfarne, den späteren Bischofssitz. Er fiel im Kampf gegen den
heidnischen König von Mercia am 5.8.642. Nach Berichten Bedas
über Wunder an seinem Grab breitete sich die Verehrung aus und es
entstanden zahlreiche legendarische Viten. Schottische
Missionsmönche verbreiteten den Kult in Europa. Oswald wird
regional zu den vierzehn Nothelfern gezählt. Er ist Patron des
Kantons Zug.
|
644
St. Victorinus Bishop of Como zealous opponent of the Arians
Italy. He was a noted opponent of the Arians in his era.
Victorinus of Como B (AC). Bishop Saint Victorinus was a zealous
opponent of the Arians (Benedictines).
|
 700 St.
Bertin
monk
monastery founder; practiced the greatest austerities and was in
constant communion with God
In pago Tarvanénsi, monastério Sithinénsi, in
Gállia, sancti Bertíni Abbátis.
In the neighbourhood of Terouanne, in the monastery
of Sithiu, in France, St. Bertinus, abbot.
Born about the beginning of the
7th century
near Constance, France,
and received his religious formation at the abbey of Luxeuil, at that
time, the model abbey for the rather strict Rule of St. Columban. About 639, together with
two other monks, he joined St. Omer, Bishop of Therouanne, who had for
two years been evangelizing the pagan Morini in the low-lying marshy
country of the Pas-de-Calais. In this almost totally idolatrous region,
these holy missionary monks founded a monastery which came to be called
St. Mommolin after its first Abbot. After eight arduous years of
preaching the Faith for Christ, they founded a second monastery at
Sithiu,
dedicated to St. Peter.
St. Bertin ruled it for nearly sixty years and made it famous;
accordingly, after his death it was called St. Bertin and gave birth to
the town of St. Omer. St. Bertin practiced the greatest austerities and
was in constant communion with God. He also traveled much and trained
disciples who went forth to preach the Faith to others. Among others,
he selected St. Winnoc to found a monastery at Wormhoudt,
near Dunkirk, and this saint figures in many medieval calendars.
At an advanced age (past 100), this zealous preacher of Christ died,
surrounded by his sorrowing monks.
709 St.
Bertinus one of the greatest Benedictine abbots and founder;
companion of Sts. Mommolinus and
Bertrand. The three were
born in Coutances, France, and
became monks at Luxeuil. They were
sent with St. Omer, the bishop
of Therouanne, to
evangelize the Morini people living in Pas-de-Calais. A monastery, now
called St. Mommolin, was built there. Bertinus was named abbot of
Sithin, later called St. Bertin's.
He aided St. Omer in building
a church near Sithin
in 663. His liturgical emblem is a small ship.
Bertinus of Sithiu, OSB Abbot (RM) (also known
as Bertin, Bercht) Born
near Coutances, France; died at Sithiu. Saint Bertinus, one of
the greatest Benedictine abbots, became a monk at Luxeuil under Saint
Waldebert, who had replaced the Rule of Saint Columban with that of
Saint Benedict. His friend, Bishop Saint Omer, invited him and two
companions, Saints Mommolinus and Bertrand, to Thérouanne to
assist him in evangelizing among the Morini in the low-lying, marshy
land near Pas-de-Calais in northern France. The trio persisted despite
great physical hardships.
They built the abbeys of Saint-Mommolinus and Sithiu.
Bishop Omer
appointed Mommolinus as abbot over both under the Rule of Saint
Columban. When Mommolinus was consecrated bishop of Noyon about 661,
Bertinus replaced him as abbot of Sithiu (called Saint-Bertin after his
death) and built it into one of the great monastic, missionary, and
agricultural centers of France. From there he spread the Gospel
throughout the region. He was such an outstanding abbot that the
monastery grew beyond its walls and spawned several new houses.
Bertinus selected Saint Winnoc to establish one of these at Wormhoudt
near Dunkirk. A church he built with Saint Omer near Sithiu in 663
later became the cathedral of the see of Saint Omer.
The location of Saint-Bertin helped to spread his cultus into Britain.
Anglo-Saxon and early Norman ecclesiastics often stopped there on their
way to and from Rome. They carried devotion to him home. Bertinus's
relics were restored to his abbey in 1052 after having been removed for
safekeeping during the invasions of the Northmen (Attwater,
Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer).
In art, Saint Bertinus is portrayed as a Black Benedictine with a
pastoral staff and a ship in his hand. The ship is his natural emblem
because Sithiu was originally accessible only by water. He is also
shown as his soul carried to heaven by angels (Roeder).
700 ST BERTINUS, ABBOT
THIs great abbot was
one of three young men—the others were St Mommolinus and St
Bertrand—natives of
the Coutances country, who were sent from the abbey of Luxeuil to
assist St
Omer (Audomarus) after he was made bishop of Thérouanne, the
centre of the
half-heathen Morini in what is now called the Pas-de-Calais. The Morini
had
already received the seed of divine faith but only superficially and
imperfectly,
and had then for almost a whole century been an abandoned field. Great
were the
fatigues, persecutions and sufferings of these holy men in rooting out
vice and
idolatry and in civilizing a people who were in a great measure
barbarians,
but they were tireless in words and works and they reaped a most
abundant
harvest. The three missionaries built their first small monastery on a
hill on
the banks of the river Aa, where is now the village of Saint-Mommolin;
this was
afterwards known as the “Old Monastery”. The place being very narrow,
confined
by the river and marshy ground, it soon grew too small for the numbers
that
came to take the religious habit. Whereupon a convert named Ardwald
gave St
Omer some land about four miles away, and this ground, which was a part
of the
estate of Sithiu, St Omer bestowed on the missionaries, with
instructions that
they were to colonize it and start another monastery. St Mommolinus was
the
first abbot of the Old Monastery and afterwards of Sithiu. But upon the
death
of St Giles, Bishop of Noyon, he was chosen to fill that see about the
year
661, and St Bertinus, who is said to have been chosen head of the
original
settlement by St Omer and refused because he was the youngest of the
three, was
left abbot of Sithiu.
Under his government
the reputation of this monastery (first dedicated in honour of St
Peter, but
after called Saint-Bertin) seemed to equal even that of Luxeuil. During
its
early days its claustral activity were hand in hand with the
evangelizing and
taming of the Morini and their country, and was a civilizing agency
characteristic of the monks of the West (it is likely that during the
lifetime
of Bertinus they still followed the rule of Columban, though he is
numbered
among the Benedictine saints). The country itself was sufficiently bad
and
discouraging. Even today it is depressing in its low-lying wetness:
twelve
hundred years ago it was undrained and water-logged. The monks went
from Vieux
Moutier to take over Sithiu in a boat, and it is not for nothing that a
boat is
the emblem of St Bertinus in art. The amphibious population was wild
and dull
of understanding. St Bertinus and his companions brought to them the
knowledge
of the gospel, the light of learning, and the enterprise and energy
which
drains land and builds solid houses. If he had setbacks and plenty of
discouragement to face among these rough people and places, St Bertinus
had the
comfort of seeing his monastery flourish with illustrious examples of
penance
and holiness.
In 663 St Bertinus
and St Omer built a church dedicated in honour of our Lady on a hill
near
Sithiu, which afterwards became the cathedral of the diocese of
Saint-Omer; and
when he acquired some land at Wormhout, near Dunkirk, the abbot founded
a cell
there, putting it in charge of St Winnoc, who with three other Bretons
had
joined the community at Sithiu. The exact year of the death of St. Bertinus is not
known, but he died at a great age, and was buried in the chapel of St.
Martin
at Sithiu.
In
the fifth volume of MGH., Scriptores Merov., W.
Levison has discussed very fully the relative
importance and date of the lives of St Bertinus. The oldest (early
ninth-century) is unquestionably that which forms one whole with two
other
lives, the one of St Omer and the other of St Winnoc. The various
sources which
have a bearing on the holy abbot’s history and cultus are
catalogued in BHL., nn. 763 and 1290—1298.
The more important texts were already printed in the Acta
Sanctorum, September, vol. ii, with
a full introduction. See also Van der Essen in Analectes
pour servir à l’hist.
ecclés. de Belgique, vol. xxxii (1905), pp. 6—23. The
representation of St
Bertinus in art is dealt with by Kunstle, Ikonographie, vol.
ii, pp 134—135.
|
 St.
Obdulia A Spanish virgin
Toléti, in
Hispánia, sanctæ Obdúliæ
Vírginis. At Toledo in Spain, St. Obdulia, virgin.
who was venerated at Toledo, Spain. Her remains are
enshrined in
Toledo, but details of her life are not extant.
Obdulia of Toledo V (RM) Date unknown. Saint Obdulia relics are
enshrined at Toledo, where she is venerated as a virgin (Benedictines).
Burial: Cathedral of Toledo Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
|
 1020
Prince Gleb & holy Prince Boris The Holy ones first Russian martyrs
called "Passion-Bearers"
In Holy Baptism David, was one of the first Russian martyrs
called
"Passion-Bearers." He suffered together with his brother Prince Boris
(Roman in Holy Baptism). After the murder of St Boris, Svyatopolk the
Accursed sent to his younger brother Prince Gleb a messenger with false
information about their father, Great Prince Vladimir, who had died
from illness, thereby using deceit to murder another possible claimant
to the Kievan throne.
The deceived Prince Gleb hastened off to Kiev with a small
company. His
apprehensive brother Yaroslav, having caught up with him at Smolensk,
was unable to delay the saint, who did not suspect such wickedness on
the part of his brother Svyatopolk.
Not far from Smolensk the assassins came upon the boat of St
Gleb, who
made no resistance, but asked meekly that they should spare him because
of his young age. At the command of the murderers Gleb's cook slit his
throat. The body of the prince was buried in a desolate place not far
from Smolensk, "between two tree-trunks," i.e., in a simple wooden
coffin (+1015). In the year 1019-1020 his brother Yaroslav found the
grave of St Gleb. The body, being incorrupt, was transferred to
Vyshgorod near Kiev and buried beside holy Prince Boris.
Later on, the relics of the brothers were transferred (May
2) into the
church of St Basil the Great, and there at the crypts of these holy
Passion-Bearers many miracles were worked. Metropolitan John of Kiev
compiled a service to the Passion-Bearer princes and also established a
feastday for them together on July 24, which dates from the first half
of the eleventh century.
The Russian Church from of
old has venerated these brothers, who
unceasingly have rendered prayerful assistance to their native land,
particularly in years of grievous tribulation. Thus, just before the
Battle of the Neva in 1240, the Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb appeared
in a vision to one of the soldiers of holy Prince Alexander Nevsky
(November 23, August 30, and May 23), and they aided the Russians
during the combat. The chronicles are filled with the accounts of
the various manifestations of mercy, witnessed at their tombs, and of
the victories gained through their help. Many churches and monasteries
were built throughout Russia in honor of the holy Passion-Bearers Boris
and Gleb.
|
1063 St.
Alvitus
Benedictine bishop of León; transferred the relics of Saint
Isidore from Seville to his diocese of León
who transferred the relics of St. Isidore
from Seville, Spain, to León. Alvitus was related to Rudesind, a
great churchmen of the time. He entered the Benedictines at Sahagun, Spain, and
in 1057 was named bishop of León by King Ferdinand I.
Alvitus of León, OSB B (AC) (also known as Avitus, Aluinus,
Albinus) Born in Spanish Galicia; died c. 1073. Saint Alvitus, a
relative of Bishop Saint Rudesind of Mondoñedo, entered
religious life at the Benedictine (Cluniac observance) abbey of
Sahagún. In 1057, Alvitus was appointed bishop of León by
King Ferdinand I. He transferred the relics of Saint Isidore from
Seville to his diocese of León (Benedictines).
|
1073 Saint
Albert
of Butrio founded and was the abbot of Butrio monastery , OSB Abbot (AC)
Saint Albert founded and was the abbot of Butrio monastery in the
diocese of Tortona, Italy (Benedictines).
|
1095 Blessed
Albert
of Pontida soldier founded Benedictine abbey dedicated it to Saint
James (Santiago) OSB Abbot (AC)
Died May 1. Albert, a soldier in the army of Bergamo, Italy, was
severely wounded in battle. He vowed that if he were healed, he would
enter religious life. When God healed him, he made a pilgrimage to
Santiago de Compostella. Upon his return he founded the Benedictine
abbey of Pontida near Bergamo, dedicated it to the same Saint James
(Santiago), and placed it under obedience to Saint Hugh of Cluny. His
relics were enshrined in Santa Maria Maggiore at Bergamo, and, in 1928,
they were returned to Pontida (Benedictines).
|
1095
Saint Vitus of
Pontida during abbacy of founder Blessed Albert OSB (AC)
Saint Vitus became a Benedictine monk at Pontida near
Bergamo, Italy, during abbacy of founder, Blessed Albert
(Benedictines). |
1152
Blessed Jordan of
Pulsano abbot-general OSB Abbot (AC)
Jordan joined the Benedictine community of Pulsano during the abbacy of
its founder, Saint John, and succeeded him as abbot-general from 1139
until his death (Benedictines).
|
1316
BD RAYMUND LULL, MARTYR
AMONG the
few really
human documents which are attributable to the hagiographers of
medieval times,
the contemporary life of Ramón Lull may claim exceptional
recognition. We do
not know the name of the author; we cannot even be quite sure whether
the Latin
or the Catalan text is the original; we learn that the facts were
communicated
by himself at the solicitation of his followers, though we are not told
when or
how they were taken down. Still, no one who reads the narrative can
fail to be
impressed by the absolute candour of the revelation. We see into the
soul of
the man therein depicted. There is boundless generosity and courage,
but also
somewhat of extravagance. It is a veritable Don Quixote who stands
before us,
animated only by the holiest and most unselfish purposes, but paying,
to judge
from the human standpoint, a pitifully heavy price for all his
indiscretions.
He is restless, like St Francis Xavier or like Charles de Foucauld, but
his
energy never flags. The great conceptions which fill his mind are seen
so
clearly and open out so wonderful a vision that he has not time to
reflect. The
obstacles which stand in his way are dwarfed, if indeed they are not
obliterated altogether.
The
limits of this
notice do not permit of more than the barest summary of Ramón’s
strange career.
Born in 1232, he was apparently the son
of one of the military chiefs who in the first part of the thirteenth
century
succeeded in reconquering the island of Majorca from its Moslem
invaders. He
was wealthy, talented, enthusiastic; he married young, but though at
the age of
thirty he had a little son and daughter and a charming wife, he was
shameless
in his pursuit of any new face that attracted him. One night, about
1263, when
he was busied in composing an ode to his latest inamorata,
he suddenly saw beside him the figure of Jesus Christ
hanging on the Cross. He was so startled that he could not shake off
the
impression or go on writing, but had to take refuge in his bed. It was
not,
however, until this experience had been renewed five separate times
that his
heart was touched; but, being the man he was, the conversion was
thorough.
Reflecting on the words “greater love than this no man hath, that a man
lay
down his life for his friends”, his mind, from his uninterrupted
contact with
the Moors, turned to the thought of winning them to the service of
Christ
Jesus. Here was a cause worthy of the sacrifice of all things, even of
life
itself. He went on a pilgrimage to Compostela and to Rocamadour to
obtain the
divine guidance. For such a task systematic preparation was needed. He
had
first of all to make provision for those dependent on him. He gave the
rest of
his wealth to the poor, and then, after a period of seclusion and
prayer, he
set about acquiring the knowledge necessary for an intellectual crusade
against
Moslem philosophy and religion, against Averroes and the Koran. Nine
years were
spent in learning Arabic and in making other preliminary studies. From
the very
beginning he had seen the necessity of establishing Catholic religious
centres
to train missionaries and disputants for the new campaign. This was, he
convinced himself, the only way to cope with an outlandish culture of
which the
average theologian of western Europe knew next to nothing. But though a
foundation of this sort—the first missionary college—was later on (in
1276)
begun in Majorca at the charges of his good friend, King James II, and
confided
to the Friars Minor, it seems to have achieved very little.
Meanwhile Ramón pursued his studies and wrote endless
books—one of them,
a sort of spiritual romance called Blanquerna, has
been translated into English. He visited Rome in 1277, in
the hope of
enlisting the sympathies of the pope, then Paris in 1286, and Genoa in
1290,
but always with the purpose of finding at last an opportunity to cross
over to
Africa himself and begin preaching in Tunis. His fluctuations of mind
and
resolution are marvellously depicted in the “Contemporary Life”.
It was at Genoa that, after receiving somewhat of a rebuff in
an
application to join the Friars Preachers, he finally offered himself to
and was
accepted by the Franciscans as a tertiary. He was then very ill, but
recovered
miraculously when in 1292 he caused himself to be carried on board a galley bound
for Africa. He
realized his dream of preaching in the streets of Tunis, but after
imprisonment
and much rough treatment at the hands of the Moslems he was soon
forcibly deported
out of the country and found himself in Naples. Appeals to Pope
Boniface
VIII at Rome and subsequently to Clement V at Avignon to
obtain
papal support for his campaign met with very little response. A journey
to
Cyprus, under a false impression that the khan of Tartary had made
himself
master of the Saracens in Syria and Palestine, was equally
disappointing. Ramón
lectured for a while in Paris and then made a second attempt to gain a
hearing
among the Moors themselves at Bougie in Barbary, but once more, after
much
ill-usage and a cruel imprisonment, he was deported, and incidentally
suffered
shipwreck before he reached Italy. Further appeals to the Holy See and
to the
Council of Vienne in 1311 brought him
no encouragement. He spent some time lecturing at Paris, and finally on
a third
visit to Africa he was stoned at Bougie and left for dead; he was
rescued by
Genoese sailors, but died on shipboard, within sight of Majorca, on
June 29,
1316.
Although Ramón’s whole life was a record of
disappointment, his literary
activity was incredible. Three hundred and thirteen different treatises
are
attributed to him, most of them in Latin or Catalan, but not a few
are in
Arabic. Some of his writings have been thought to deserve a note of
theological
censure, but there is also difficulty in determining in certain cases
what is
authentically his composition. Nearly all of it gives proof of a
tender piety,
but he speaks fearlessly of the abuses then prevalent in the Church.
Lull is
celebrated liturgically by the Friars Minor and others, and Pope
Pius XI speaks highly of him in
his encyclical letter “Orientalium rerum” (1928),
but without
according him the title Blessed.
The fullest and most
satisfactory bibliography of the subject is the
contribution of Fr E. Longpre, in DTC., vol. ix (1926), cc. 1072—1141.
The more
important biographical material may still he found in the Acta
Sanctorum, July, vol. ii, and it is to be noticed that a
critical revision of the Latin text of the “Contemporary
Life” has appeared in the Analecta Bollandiana, vol.
xlviii (1930), pp. 530—178.
An admirable translation of
the Catalan text has been
published in English by E. Allison
Peers who has also translated Blanquerna and
issued a full biography (Ramón Lull, 1929).
The complete works were published in Spain, ed. by P.
M. Bataillon
and M. Caldentey, in 1948.
|
1340
Blessed Gentilis
(Gentil) of Matelica; sowed faith in Italy Islamics of Egypt, Arabia,
finally martyrd in Persia OFM M (AC)
Born at Matelica, Marches of Ancona, Italy; cultus approved by Pius VI.
Gentilis joined the Franciscans in Piceno, then was a hermit on Mount
Alvernia. Gathering strength from his prayer, he sowed the faith in
Italy, and then among the Islamics of Egypt, Arabia, and finally won
martyrdom in Persia at Toringa (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
1340 Bd GENTILIS,
MARTYR
GENTILIS was born at
the end of the thirteenth century at Matelica, near Ancona. He joined
the
Friars Minor, and after profession and ordination was sent to the
convent of
Mount Alvernia, where he twice served as guardian. The associations of
this
place had a strong effect on Gentilis and bred in him a great love of
silence
and solitude; but at the same time they fired him with St Francis’s own
ambition to evangelize the East and Islam. He was eventually sent to
Egypt,
where he found he could do nothing because not only did he not know
Arabic but
all his efforts to learn it were without fruit. He was about to return
home in
despair, but in consequence of a dream or vision persevered and at
length
overcame his difficulties. He fell in with a Venetian ambassador to the
court
of Persia, Mark Comaro, who asked the friar to accompany him across
Arabia;
while on the journey he tended Comaro in a dangerous illness, and
prophesied
that he would live to be doge of the republic. Together they visited
the shrine
of St Catherine of Alexandria in the desert of Sinai, a great resort of
Christian pilgrims in spite of its inaccessible situation. One day Bd
Gentilis
disappeared mysteriously for a week, and on his return it was said that
he had
been miraculously transported to Italy and back to assist at the
death-bed of
his father in accordance with a promise he had made him. Arrived in
Persia, he
preached throughout that country northward as far as Trebizond, and is
said to
have baptized very many converts. He was put to death for the faith,
but the
circumstances of his martyrdom are not known. His body was brought back
to
Europe by some Venetians, and is buried in the church of the Frati St Venice. The cultus of Bd
Gentilis was approved by Pope
St Pius V.
Besides Wadding’s Annales (sub anno 1340), consult
Mazzara, Leggendario Francescano, vol. ii, m, pp.
409—415, and Marcellino de
Civezza, Missions franciscaines, vol.
iii, p. 650. A short account is also given in Leon, Auréole
Séraphique (Eng. trans.), vol. iii, pp. 109—112.
|
 1455 St.
Lawrence
Giustiniani Bishop of Venice; prior of San Giorgios deep prayer life
raptures; penance provided him experiential knowledge; paths
of interior life ability to direct souls; tears shed offering
Mass
affected all who assisted and awakened in them a renewed faith
Sancti
Lauréntii Justiniáni, primi
Patriárchæ Venetiárum et Confessóris, qui
pontificálem Cáthedram hac die invítus
ascéndit, et sexto Idus Januárii obdormívit in
Dómino.
Saint Lawrence Justinian, first patriarch of Venice
and confessor, who on this day unwillingly ascended the episcopal
throne. His birthday is the 8th of January.
1455 St
Laurence
Giustiniani,
Patriarch of Venice
St
Laurence was born at Venice in 1381. His father, Bernard
Giustiniani, was of illustrious rank among the nobility of the
commonwealth and
his mother was not less noble. She was early left a widow with a number
of young
children, and she devoted herself altogether to the upbringing of her
children, to
works of charity,
and the exercise of virtue. In Laurence she discovered even from the
cradle an
uncommon docility and generosity of soul; and, fearing
some spark of pride or ambition, she chid him
sometimes for
aiming at things above his age. He answered confidently that it was his
only
desire to become a saint; and when he was nineteen he was called by God
to
consecrate himself in a special manner to his service. He seemed one
day to see
in a vision the Eternal Wisdom in the guise of a shining maiden, and to
hear
from her the words: “Why do you seek rest for your mind in exterior
things,
sometimes in this object and sometimes, in that? What you desire is to
be found
only with me: it is in my hands. Seek it in me who am the wisdom of
God. By
taking me for your companion and your lot you shall be possessed of its
boundless treasure.”
That instant he
found his soul so pierced with divine grace that he felt himself warmed
with
new ardour to give himself entirely to the search of the knowledge and
love of
God; and he addressed himself for advice to his uncle, a holy priest
called
Marino Querini, who was a canon of St George’s chapter, established in
a little
isle called Alga, a mile from Venice. Don Querini advised him first to
make
trial of himself at home, and represented to him on one side honours,
riches
and worldly pleasures, and on the other the hardships of poverty,
fasting and
self-denial. “Have you the courage to despise these delights and to
undertake a
life of penance and mortification
After standing some
time in consideration, Laurence looked up at a crucifix and said:
“Thou, 0
Lord, art my hope. In this tree are comfort and strength.” The strength
of his
resolution to walk in the narrow path of the cross showed itself in the
severity with which he treated his body and the continual application
of his
mind to religion. His mother, fearing lest his mortifications should
damage his
health, tried to divert him from that course, and proposed a marriage
to him.
He replied by retiring to the chapter of St George in Alga, and was
admitted to
the community.
His superiors judged
it necessary to mitigate the rigours which he used. He went about the
streets
begging alms with a sack on his back, and when it was pointed out to
him that
by appearing thus in public he would expose himself to ridicule, he
answered,
“Let us go boldly in quest of scorn. We have done nothing if we have
renounced
the world only in words. Let us triumph over it with our sacks and
crosses.”
Laurence frequently came to beg at the house where he was born, but
only stood
in the street before the door, crying out, “An alms for God’s sake”.
His mother
always filled his sack, but he never took more than two loaves and,
wishing
peace to those who had done him charity, departed as if he had been
some
stranger. When the storehouse in which were kept the provisions of the
community for a year was burnt down, St Laurence, hearing a brother
lament the
loss, said cheerfully,
“Why have we
vowed poverty? God has granted us
this
blessing that we may feel it.”
<> When he first
renounced the world he often felt a violent inclination to justify
or excuse
himself upon being unjustly reprehended; in order to repress it he used
to bite
his tongue, and so at length obtained mastery over himself. He so much
dreaded
the danger of worldly dissipation that from the day on which he first
entered
the monastery to that of his death he never set foot in his father’s
house,
except to assist his mother and brothers on their deathbeds. A certain
nobleman
who had been his intimate friend, returning from the East and hearing
of the
state he had embraced, determined to try to change his purpose. With
this idea
he went to St George’s, but the issue of the interview proved quite
contrary to
his expectation. Upon the first sight of his old friend he was struck
by his modesty,
gravity and composure, and stood for some time silent. However, at
length he
spoke and endeavoured to shake the resolution of the young religious.
Laurence
let him finish, and then he spoke in so persuasive a manner that the
nobleman
was disarmed and himself resolved to embrace the rule which he came to
violate.
St Laurence was
promoted to the priesthood in 1406, and
the fruit of his spirit of prayer and penitence was a wonderful
experimental
knowledge of spiritual things and of the paths of interior virtue, and
great
light and prudence in the direction of souls. The tears which he shed
whilst he
offered the sacrifice of the Mass strongly affected all the assistants
and
awakened their faith; and he often experienced raptures at prayer,
especially
in celebrating Mass one Christmas night. Soon after his ordination he
was made
provost of St George’s, and the most sincere humility was the first
thing in
which he grounded his religious disciples. Nor was his teaching
confined to his
canons. He never ceased to preach to the magistrates and senators
in time of
war and public calamity that to obtain the remedy of the evils which
they
suffered they ought in the first place to persuade themselves that they
were
nothing, for without this disposition of heart they could never deserve
the
divine assistance.
In 1433 Pope
Eugenius IV appointed
St Laurence to the bishopric of Castello, a diocese which included part
of
Venice. He tried hard to avoid this dignity and responsibility, and he
took
possession of his cathedral-church so privately that his own friends
knew
nothing of the matter till the ceremony was over. As a religious so as
a
prelate he was admirable for his sincere piety towards God and the
greatness of
his charity to the poor. He remitted nothing of the austerities which
he had
practised in the cloister, and from his prayer drew a light, courage
and vigour
which directed and animated him in his whole conduct; he pacified
dissensions
in the state and governed a diocese in most difficult times with as
much ease
as if it had been a single well-regulated convent. In the ordering of
his
household he consulted only piety and humility; and when others
told him that
he owed some degree of state to his own birth, to the dignity of his
church and
to the republic, his answer was that virtue ought to be the only
ornament of
the episcopal character and that all the poor of the diocese composed
the
bishop’s family.
The flock loved and
respected so holy and tender a pastor. When any private persons opposed
his
religious reforms he overcame them by meekness and patience. A certain
man who
was exasperated at a decree the bishop had published against stage
entertainments called him a “scrupulous old monk”, and tried to stir up
the
rabble against him. Another time he was reproached in the public
streets as a
hypocrite. The saint heard these complaints without changing
countenance or
altering his pace. He was no less unmoved amidst commendations and
applause;
and indeed all his actions demonstrated a constant peace and serenity
of mind.
Under his rule the
face of his whole diocese was changed. Crowds every day resorted to
Laurence’s
residence for advice, comfort or alms; his gate and purse were always
open to
the poor. He gave alms more willingly in bread and clothes than in
money, which
might be ill spent; when he gave
cash it was always in small sums. He employed married women to find out
and
relieve the bashful poor or persons of family in decayed circumstances,
and in
the distribution of his charities he had no regard to flesh and blood.
When a
poor man came to him, recommended by his brother Leonard, he said to
him, “Go
to him who sent you, and tell him from me that he is able to relieve
you
himself”. Laurence had a contempt for finance. He committed the care
of his temporals to a steward, and used to say that it is an unworthy
thing for
a shepherd of souls to spend much of his precious time in casting up
farthings.
The popes of his
time held St Laurence in great veneration. Eugenius IV, meeting
him once
at Bologna, saluted him with the words, “Welcome, ornament of bishops!”
His
successor, Nicholas V, equally esteemed him and in 1451 recognized his worth in no uncertain
fashion. In that year died Dominic Michelli, Patriarch of Grado,
whereupon the
pope suppressed the see of Castello and transferred that of Grado to
Venice. *[* There is only one true patriarch in
the Western church, the Pope himself, who is Patriarch of the West. The
title
of patriarch borne by the former metropolitans of Grado and Aquileia
was due to
a sixth-century schism of the metropolitans of Illyricum. It was not
till 1751 that the patriarchal title of Grado at
Venice was merged in that of Venice, but St Laurence Giustiniani is
usually
referred to as first patriarch of Venice. This and the other “minor
patriarchs”
of the West are actually only archbishops with precedence and other
honours.]
He named St Laurence as
the new patriarch. The senate of the republic,
always jealous of its prerogatives and liberty, made difficulties lest
his
authority should trespass upon their jurisdiction. Whilst this was
being
debated in the senate-house, St Laurence asked an audience of the
assembly,
before which he declared his sincere and earnest desire rather to
resign a
charge for which he was unfit and which he had borne against his will
eighteen
years, than to feel his burden increased by this additional dignity.
His bearing so strongly
affected the whole senate that the doge himself
asked him not to entertain such a thought or to raise any obstacle to
the
pope’s decree, and he was supported by the whole house. St Laurence
therefore
accepted the new office and dignity, and for the few years during which
he
survived to administer it he continually increased the reputation
for goodness
and charity which he had earned as bishop of Castello. A hermit of
Corfu
assured a Venetian nobleman, as if by a divine revelation, that Venice
had been
preserved from the dangers which threatened it by the prayers of the
patriarch.
His nephew, Bernard Giustiniani, who wrote his uncle’s life, narrates
certain
miracles and prophecies of his which he himself witnessed.
St Laurence left some
valuable ascetical writings; he was seventy-four
years old when he wrote his last work, entitled The
Degrees of Perfection, and he had just finished it when he was
seized with a sharp fever. His servants prepared a bed for him, at
which the
true imitator of Christ was troubled and said, “Are you making up a
feather-bed
for me? No; that shall not be. My Lord was stretched on a hard and
painful
tree. Do not you remember that St Martin said in his last moments that
a
Christian ought to die on sackcloth and ashes?”
Nor could he be
contented till he was laid on his straw. During the two
days that he lived after receiving the last anointing many of the city
came in
turn according to their different rank to receive his blessing. He
insisted on
having the beggars admitted, and gave to each class a short
instruction. Seeing
one Marcello, a young nobleman and his favourite disciple, weep most
bitterly,
he comforted him and assured him that, “I go before, but you will
shortly
follow. Next Easter we shall meet again.” Marcello in fact fell sick at
the
beginning of Lent, and was buried in Easter-week. St Laurence died on
January
8, 1455, but his feast is
kept on this date whereon he received episcopal consecration. He was
canonized
in 1690.
There
is a Latin life by his nephew, Bernard
Giustiniani, which is reprinted in the Acta
Sanctorum, January, vol. i, under January 8. Some other materials
may be
found in D. Rosa, De B. Laurentii Justiniani
vita, sanctitate et miraculis, testimoniorum centuria (1914).
There are
also several Italian lives, e.g. that
of Maffei (1819), Regazzi (1856),
Cucito (1895), and La Fontaine (1928). See also DTC., vol. ix, cc.
10—11, and
Eubel, Hierarchia catholica medii aevi, vol.
ii, pp. 130 and 290.
A scion of the noble Venetian family of the Giustiniani. He
is a noted
mystic and contemplative writer. Lawrence was canonized in 1690, but
his cult is now confined to local calendars. Laurence Giustiniani
(Lawrence Justinian) B (RM) Born at Venice, Italy,
July 1, 1381; died in Venice on January 8, 1456; canonized in 1670;
feast day formerly January 8; September 4 was the date of his episcopal
consecration.
Saint Laurence was born into a prominent Venetian family
that had
produced important scholars, statesmen, prelates, and saints. Although
his father, Bernard Giustiniani, died while he was still young, his
pious mother lived only for her children and ensured they had an
excellent education. From the cradle she recognized in Laurence an
uncommon docility and generosity of soul that might point to a
religious vocation, yet she desired to keep him for herself.
When he was 19, Laurence had a vision of the Eternal Wisdom
in the
guise of a maiden encircled with light. She invited him to seek her
with happiness, rather than satiate his baser lusts. The youth confided
his vision to his uncle, Marino Querino, an Augustinian canon of San
Giorgio on Alga Island one mile from Venice. Don Querino recommended
that he take on the austerities of a monk at home, that is, try on the
role of a religious by putting aside honors, riches, and worldly
pleasures, before entering religious life. His mother feared he would
damage his health and tried to divert him by arranging a marriage.
Heeding his uncle's advice, he refused his mother's wish for
him to
marry and instead joined Querino in the monastery. As a young monk, he
practice the most severe austerities and went about the city with a
sack over his should to beg alms and food for the community. In 1406,
Laurence was ordained to the priesthood and made prior of San Giorgio.
His deep prayer life that often led to raptures and his spirit of
penance provided him with experiential knowledge of the paths of the
interior life and a wonderful ability to direct souls. The tears that
he shed while offering Mass strongly affected all who assisted and
awakened in them a renewed faith.
Thereafter he was general of the congregation, which at the
time of his
entry into the position had adopted a different rule. Laurence
completed this rule by writing its constitutions, so that he became its
second founder of this congregation of secular canons. He also preached
widely during this time and taught theology.
In 1433, Pope Eugene IV
forced Laurence to accept the see of Castello,
which then included part of Venice in its diocesan boundaries. He would
not be persuaded by the saint to change his mind and appoint a worthier
bishop. He took possession of his cathedral so quietly that his own
friends knew nothing about it until after the ceremony was complete. He
was impatient with the temporal administration of his diocese, and
delegated this work to others so that he might be free to personally
look after his flock. In 1451, Pope Nicholas suppressed the see of
Castello and transferred the patriarchal title of Grado to Venice with
Laurence as archbishop.
The senate of the Venetian Republic, wary that this change
might lead
to a diminution of its prerogatives, began a debate over Laurence's
jurisdiction. Laurence sought an audience with the assembled senate and
declared his desire to resign a charge for which he was unfit, rather
than to feel his burden increased by this additional dignity. His
bearing so strongly affected the whole senate that the doge himself
asked him not to entertain such a thought or to raise any obstacle to
the pope's decree, and he was supported by the whole assembly. Laurence
therefore accepted the new office and continually acted in such way
that his reputation for goodness and charity increased.
He drew from his prayer life the light, vigor, and courage
to direct
the diocese as easily as if it had been a single, well- regulated
monastery. As bishop of the Jewel of the Adriatic, Laurence did a great
deal to restore Saint Mark's and other churches; he also enhanced the
beauty of the service. He added parishes, tried to elevate the pastoral
work, and to inspire both the secular and the cloistered clergy with
his zeal. Not only was he known for his piety, but also for his ability
as a peace maker, his spiritual knowledge, and his gifts of prophecy
and miracles. He overcame opposition by meekness and patience. Under
his direction, the whole spirit of the diocese was changed; crowds
flocked to him for spiritual and material aid.
He was of a boundless generosity toward the poor and needy,
and stinted
himself as regards his dwelling, table, and dress to a point which the
strictest orders could not surpass. It is interesting to note that he
rarely gave monetary aid except in small amounts because he thought it
might be ill-spent. In fact, when a relative asked him for a dowry for
his daughter, he replied: "A little is not enough for you; and if I
gave you much, I would be robbing the poor." Nevertheless he was
open-handed with food and clothes. He even employed married women to
seek out those who might need relief but who were too bashful to ask
for it.
The writings of Saint Laurence on mystical contemplation,
especially
The degrees of perfection, are sublime in their simplicity. They are
practical, not speculative, and intended to assist the clergy. He had
just finished The degrees of perfection when he was seized with a sharp
fever. As he lay dying, someone tried to give him a featherbed, but he
refused it, saying: "My Savior did not die on a featherbed, but upon
the hard wood of the Cross." He was troubled and restless until they
laid him on straw.
The saint had no will to make, because he no longer
possessed anything
of which he could have disposed. During the two days of his illness
after he received the last sacraments, many of the city came to receive
his blessing. He insisted that the beggars be admitted, as well as the
elite, and gave to each a short, final instruction.
Laurence was venerated by
popes even in his lifetime. When Eugene IV
met him once in Bologna, he greeted Laurence: "Welcome, ornament of
bishops!" The saint's nephew and biographer, Bernardo Giustiniani,
relates that the corpse remained 67 days without burial. He emphasizes
that it was on view for the multitudes that came from afar, and that
doctors examined the body and could give no explanation for its
incorrupted state (Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Schamoni, Walsh).
In art, Saint Laurence is best recognized by his face, which
is
typically Venetian: thin, long-nosed, and austere. He has dark, hollow
eyes, and an ascetic, rather Dantesque mouth. Laurence seldom wore the
grandiose insignia of a bishop. Most often he is portrayed in a severe
Venetian gown and close-fitting cap. He may also be shown (1)
distributing the vessels of the Church during a famine; (2) as an
episcopal cross and banner are carried in front of him and a mitre
carried behind him; (3) holding a book, his hand raised to bless; or
(4) giving alms (Roeder).
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1562 Katharina Zell furnished in the parsonage
and later in the desolate Franciscan's cloister a shelter site for
exiled and presecuted Protestants. She took up 1524 the first
persecutees from Austria, 1525 came more than 3,000 refugees to
Strasbourg. She accommodated 1529 Zwingli and Oekolampad. She took up
every persecutee, immediately whether he Luther or Zwingli or the
Anabaptists. Also she maintained especially in the plague times the
sick people.
Evangelische Kirche: 5. September
Katharina Schütz wurde um 1497 in Straßburg
geboren. 1523 heiratete sie den ersten evangelischen Pfarrer am
Straßburger Münster Matthäus Zell, der 1518 aus seiner
Freiburger Heimat verbannt worden war. Die Trauung wurde von Martin
Bucer vollzogen. Als ihr Mann wegen der Heirat exkommuniziert
wurde, verfaßte Katharina eine "Entschuldigung", in der sie die
Ehe des Priesters biblisch begründete und den Zölibat als
Förderung von Prostitution ablehnte. Wegen der eingeführten
Zensur veröffentlichte sie in späteren Jahren vor allem
Erbauungsschriften.
Katharina Zell richtete im Pfarrhaus und später im
verlassenen Franziskanerkloster eine Zufluchtstätte für
verbannte und verfolgte Protestanten ein. 1524 nahm sie die ersten
Verfolgten aus Österreich auf, 1525 kamen über 3.000
Flüchtlinge nach Straßburg. 1529 beherbergte sie Zwingli und
Oekolampad. Sie nahm jeden Verfolgten auf, gleich ob er Luther oder
Zwingli anhing oder den Wiedertäufern. Auch pflegte sie besonders
in der Pestzeiten die Kranken.
Sie wandte sich auch gegen die vorherrschende Streittheologie
unter den Lutheranern und versuchte zwischen den Gruppierungen zu
vermitteln. Jedem sind wir die Liebe und Barmherzigkeit, die Christus
uns gelehrt hat, schuldig, begründete sie ihr Tun. Luther stand
mit ihr in Briefwechsel; mit Ambrosius und Margarethe Blarer war sie
befreundet. Sie begleitete ihren Mann nach Konstanz, Nürnberg und
Wittenberg und hielt nach seinem Tod 1548 die Leichenrede. Nachdem sie
von verschiedenen Seiten angefeindet wurde, beschrieb sie 1557 in einem
offenen Brief die Arbeit ihres Mannes und ihr eigenes Wirken in
Straßburg Sie starb am 5.9. 1562, nachdem sie kurz vorher eine
Anhängerin Schwenckfelds, die kein lutherischer Geistlicher
beerdigen wollte, zur letzten Ruhe geleitet hatte. Katharina Zell gilt
als die erste Pfarrfrau, die in Wort und Tat evangelische Duldsamkeit
lebte. Dass sie keineswegs nur die Dienerin ihres Mannes war, sondern
auch selbständig als Laientheologin wirkte, eine partnerschaftlich
geprägte Ehe führte und die Aussöhnung zwischen
streitenden Theologen suchte und zum Teil auch erreichte, geriet
dagegen in Vergessenheit.
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1605 Bl.
William
Browne layman Martyr of England
He was a layman in Northamptonshire arrested and executed at Ripon for
being a Catholic. He is associated in martyrdom with Blesseds Thomas Welbourne and John
Fulthering.
Blessed William Browne M (AC) Born in Northamptonshire; died at Ripon,
England, in 1605; beatified in 1929. William, a Catholic layman, was
hanged in England for the faith (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
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1619
Grodziecki (Grondech),
Istvan (Stephen) Pongracz, SJ, & Marko Krizevcanin (Mark Crisin or
Körösy) aristocratic martyrs of Kosice died in the religious
wars with Hungarian Calvinists MM (RM)
Born in Silesia, Poland (now Czech), in 1584 (Grodziecki) and
Transylvania, Hungary, 1583 (Pongracz) and Croatia (Körösy);
died in Kosice, Hungary, September 5, 1619; beatified by Pius X in
1905; canonized by John Paul II on July 2, 1995.
These two aristocratic martyrs of Kosice died in the religious wars
with Hungarian Calvinists. Grodziecki met Pongracz in the Jesuit
novitiate at Brno in 1603. They completed the usual course of Jesuit
studies in Moravia, Bohemia, and Hungary. When the Hungarian king
requested the services of Jesuits to care for Roman Catholics neglected
during the 30 Years War, Pongracz was sent to work with Hungarians, and
Grodziecki the slavic- and German-speaking peoples. Their ministries
were so successful that they became notorious with their Calvinist
opponents.
In 1619, the Calvinist prince of Transylvania sought to conquer Kosice
to expand his domain. The town fell on September 5 during the Battle of
Kosice. The two Jesuits together with the Croatian diocesan priest,
Marko Krizevcanin, were captured. Throughout their imprisonment,
attempts were made to convert them to Calvinism. They suffered cruel
martyrdoms similar to that of Saint Andrew Bobola. Father Krizevcanin
was the first to be beheaded, then Grodziecki. Father Pongracz survived
the beheading and was dumped with the dead bodies into a sewer to
reflect upon his life for an additional day. Their followers were
unable to give the bodies Christian burial until 20 years later when
their relics were interred in the monastery of Saint Clare in Trnava
(Benedictines, and information from a Jesuit website that I forgot to
mark) .
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 1648
Athansius
of Bretsk - Belorussian The Hieromartyr knew theological and historical
literature, evidenced in his preserved diary; ordained hieromonk in the
year 1632, and made head of the Duboisk [Dubovsk] monastery near Pinsk;
ten years finding himself among persons maliciously
disposed towards him, led a constant struggle for Holy Orthodoxy, his
faithfulness to which is evidenced by his sufferings; sentenced to
death by execution, for cursing the Unia
Athansius was born about 1597 into a pious Christian family named
Philippovich. He received a serious upbringing, and he knew the
theological and historical literature, as is evidenced in the diary of
the saint, which has been preserved. In his youth, St Athanasius
for a while was a teacher in the houses of Polish merchants. In the
year 1627, he accepted tonsure under Igumen Joseph at the Vilensk
monastery of the Holy Spirit. St Athanasius was ordained hieromonk in
the year 1632, and made head of the Duboisk [Dubovsk] monastery near
Pinsk.
St Athanasius, with a special blessing of the Theotokos, re-established
Orthodoxy within the boundaries of the ancient Russian territories that
had been seized by the Polish Reche. Between the years 1638-1648 St
Athanasius fulfilled his obedience as igumen of the Bretsk-Simeonov
monastery. The monk endured much abuse from the Uniates and illegal
persecution from the civil authorities. Three times he endured being
locked up in prison.
The saint was sent to the authorities at Kiev to appear before a
religious tribunal, but he was acquitted, and returned to his own
monastery. For ten years St Athanasius, finding himself among persons
maliciously disposed towards him, led a constant struggle for Holy
Orthodoxy, his faithfulness to which is evidenced by his sufferings.
Attempts to wear down the spiritual endurance of the saint were to no
avail. He again went to trial, after which the monk was sentenced to
death by execution, for his cursing of the Unia. St Athanasius died as
a martyr on the night of September 4-5, 1648 (the Uncovering of Relics
was on July 20, 1679) .
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1838 St.
Joseph
Canh
native physician Martyr of Vietnam
He was a native physician of Vietnam, a Dominican tertiary, and was
beheaded by the Japanese authorities because of his refusal to deny
Christ. Joseph was canonized in 1988 by Pope John Paul II.
Blessed Joseph Canh, OP Tert. M (AC); beatified in 1900. Joseph, a
Dominican tertiary, was a native physician of Tonkin (Vietnam) who was
beheaded for the faith (Benedictines).
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1838 St.
Peter Tu
Vietnamese martyr native priest
Vietnamese, joined became a priest in
his own
country. He was beheaded. Pope John Paul II canonized him in 1988.
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Blessed Mother
Teresa of
Calcutta
September 5, 2006 1910-1997
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the tiny woman recognized
throughout the
world for her work among the poorest of the poor, was beatified October
19, 2003. Among those present were hundreds of Missionaries of Charity,
the Order she founded in 1950 as a diocesan religious community. Today
the congregation also includes contemplative sisters and brothers and
an order of priests. Speaking in a strained, weary voice at the
beatification Mass, Pope John Paul II declared her blessed, prompting
waves of applause before the 300,000 pilgrims in St. Peter's Square. In
his homily, read by an aide for the aging pope, the Holy Father called
Mother Teresa “one of the most relevant personalities of our age” and
“an icon of the Good Samaritan.” Her life, he said, was “a bold
proclamation of the gospel.”
Mother Teresa's
beatification, just over six years after her death, was
part of an expedited process put into effect by Pope John Paul II. Like
so many others around the world, he found her love for the Eucharist,
for prayer and for the poor a model for all to emulate.
Born to Albanian parents in what is now Skopje, Macedonia
(then part of
the Ottoman Empire), Gonxha (Agnes) Bojaxhiu was the youngest of the
three children who survived. For a time, the family lived comfortably,
and her father's construction business thrived. But life changed
overnight following his unexpected death. During her years
in public school Agnes participated in a
Catholic
sodality and showed a strong interest in the foreign missions. At age
18 she entered the Loreto Sisters of Dublin. It was 1928 when she said
goodbye to her mother for the final time and made her way to a new land
and a new life. The following year she was sent to the Loreto novitiate
in Darjeeling, India. There she chose the name Teresa and prepared for
a life of service. She was assigned to a high school for girls in
Calcutta, where she taught history and geography to the daughters of
the wealthy. But she could not escape the realities around her—the
poverty, the suffering, the overwhelming numbers of destitute people.
In 1946, while riding a train to Darjeeling to make a
retreat, Sister
Teresa heard what she later explained as “a call within a call. The
message was clear. I was to leave the convent and help the poor while
living among them.” She also heard a call to give up her life with the
Sisters of Loreto and, instead, to “follow Christ into the slums to
serve him among the poorest of the poor.”
After receiving permission to leave Loreto, establish a new
religious
community and undertake her new work, she took a nursing course for
several months. She returned to Calcutta, where she lived in the slums
and opened a school for poor children. Dressed in a white sari and
sandals (the ordinary dress of an Indian woman) she soon began getting
to know her neighbors—especially the poor and sick—and getting to know
their needs through visits. The work was exhausting, but
she was not alone for long.
Volunteers who
came to join her in the work, some of them former students, became the
core of the Missionaries of Charity. Other helped by donating food,
clothing, supplies, the use of buildings. In 1952 the city of Calcutta
gave Mother Teresa a former hostel, which became a home for the dying
and the destitute. As the Order expanded, services were also offered to
orphans, abandoned children, alcoholics, the aging and street people. For
the next four decades Mother Teresa worked tirelessly on
behalf of
the poor. Her love knew no bounds. Nor did her energy, as she
crisscrossed the globe pleading for support and inviting others to see
the face of Jesus in the poorest of the poor. In 1979 she was awarded
the Nobel Peace Prize. On September 5, 1997, God called her
home.
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Mary Mother of GOD 
1340 Blessed Gentilis
(Gentil) of Matelica sowed faith in Italy, Islamics of Egypt,
Arabia,
finally martyrd in Persia OFM M
1996 Blessed Mother
Teresa of Calcutta Agnesë
Gonxhe Bojaxhiu
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.