St Boniface and Companions (Memorial)
Beata Vergine dell’Aiuto
—
St Adalar of Erfurt
Bl Adalbert Radiouski
Bl Adam Arakawa
St Austrebertus of Vienne
St Claudius of Egypt and Companions
St Ðaminh Huyen
St Ðaminh Toai
St Dorotheus of Tyre
St Elleher
St Eoban of Utrecht
St Eutichius of Como
St Evasius of Africa
St Felix of Fritzlar
Bl Ferdinand of Portugal
St Franco of Assergi
St Genesius, Count of Clermont
St Gregory of Lilybaeum
St Gundekar
St Hadulph
St Luke Loan
Bl Malgorzata Lucja Szewczyk
Bl Meinwerk of Paderborn
St Privatus of Africa
St Sanctius of Córdoba
St Tudno of Caernarvon
St Waccar
Category: SAINT of the DAY
Solemnity of Pentecost – 4 June 2017
Solemnity of Pentecost – 4 June 2017 – Wishing you all a Holy, Blessed and inspired Pentecost!
The Solemnity of Pentecost is the birthday of the Church:
The Church was made manifest to the world on the day of Pentecost by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Spirit ushers in a new era in the “dispensation of the mystery” the age of the Church, during which Christ manifests, makes present, and communicates his work of salvation through the liturgy of His Church, “until he comes.” (CCC, #1076)
Pentecost is not just an isolated feast of the Holy Spirit but an integral feast of the Easter season. Pentecost is also an elementary feast — not as in getting to back to the basics or beginnings of the Catholic Church but can be described elementary as in the four elements of Aristotle: earth, wind, fire and water.
Red Easter: Pentecost closes the Easter season and not in an anticlimactic fashion but in a grand finale. We so often tend to look at this feast as a separate entity for the Holy Spirit but the Church integrates this feast into the Easter season as a whole. there is significance in the number of days and weeks during the Easter season and in the eyes of the Church, the 50 days are viewed as “one feast day.” The Italian name for Pentecost, Pasqua rossa (Red Easter) is a great reminder of this connection.
22. The fifty days from the Sunday of the Resurrection to Pentecost Sunday are celebrated in joy and exultation as one feast day, indeed as one “great Sunday.” These are the days above all others in which the Alleluia is sung.
23. The Sundays of this time of year are considered to be Sundays of Easter and are called, after Easter Sunday itself, the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Sundays of Easter. This sacred period of fifty days concludes with Pentecost Sunday. (From the General Norms of the Liturgical Year and Calendar).
The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is closely linked to the feast of the Resurrection, our Passover Feast:
On the day of Pentecost when the seven weeks of Easter had come to an end, Christ’s Passover is fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, manifested, given and communicated as a divine person: of his fullness, Christ, the Lord, pours out the Spirit in abundance. On that day, the Holy Trinity is fully revealed. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #731-732)
In reading the account of Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles, there is very pronounced imagery. It is easy to recognise the wind and fire but all four classic elements of Greek philosopher, Aristotle, are present at Pentecost, earth, wind, fire and water.
Wind
First in the account of Pentecost from Acts 2:1-11 came the wind: “And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.”
Most Biblical renderings of the God or the Holy Spirit is through a gentle breath, such as Jesus breathing on the Apostles in the Resurrection appearance in the Upper Room. At Pentecost it is the same room, but here the Holy Spirit comes as wind of strength and power.
There is nothing subtler than the wind, which manages to penetrate everywhere, even to reach inanimate bodies and give them a life of their own. The rushing wind of the day of Pentecost expresses the new force with which divine love invades the Church and souls (p. 592, In Conversation with God, Volume 2, by Francis Fernandez).
Fire
Next came the fire: “Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them.” It is this combination of wind and fire that is the gift of tongues. One of the optional readings for Pentecost is the story of the Tower of Babel. Pius Parsch, as quoted on the Catholic Culture’s Pentecost page, explains that is was the sin of pride that separated and divided those at Babel. The Holy Spirit brings unity and love, which allows those languages to be spoken and understood by all.
The liturgical color for Pentecost is red, the color of fire and blood and the symbol of love. The last time we have seen red vestments outside of the feasts of martyrs or apostles is Palm Sunday and Good Friday. The red for those days recalled the blood of Christ. Today the red recalls the tongues of fire and we ask the Holy Spirit to ignite our hearts, just as we pray:
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy Faithful; and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love….
“In medieval times, many churches had a “Holy Ghost Hole”, a small circular opening in the ceiling of the church. The holes would be decorated on Pentecost, with various items symbolising the Holy Spirit lowered through the hole. This practice calls to mind the elements of wind and fire. Father Francis Weiser describes the tradition (emphasis mine):
In medieval times the figure of a dove was widely used to enact in a dramatic way the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday. When the priest had arrived at the sequence, he sang the first words in a loud and solemn voice: Veni Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Ghost). Immediately there arose in the church a sound “as of a violent wind blowing” (Acts 2, 2). This noise was produced in some countries, like France, by the blowing of trumpets; in others by the choir boys, who hissed, hummed, pressed windbags, and rattled the benches. All eyes turned toward the ceiling of the church where from an opening called the “Holy Ghost Hole” there appeared a disc the size of a cart wheel, which slowly descended in horizontal position, swinging in ever-widening circles. Upon a blue background, broken by bundles of golden rays, it bore on its underside the figure of a white dove.
Meanwhile the choir sang the sequence. At its conclusion the dove came to rest, hanging suspended in the middle of the church. There followed a “rain” of flowers indicating the gifts of the Holy Spirit and of water symbolizing baptism. In some towns of central Europe people even went so far as to drop pieces of burning wick or straw from the Holy Ghost Hole, to represent the flaming tongues of Pentecost. This practice, however, was eventually stopped because it tended to put the people on fire externally, instead of internally as the Holy Spirit had done at Jerusalem. In the thirteenth century in many cathedrals of France real white pigeons were released during the singing of the sequence and new around in the church while roses were dropped from the Holy Ghost Hole (Weiser, Holyday Book).
Except for the burning bits, some of these practices have been revived in these older churches. In parts of Italy and Sicily, red rose petals are dropped through the hole. This is an especially spectacular sight in the church in Rome dedicated to St. Mary and the Martyrs that was formerly the Pantheon. There is an opening in the dome and the rose petals are dropped, filling the church and covering the floor.
Red and fire are the dominant images used in Pentecost celebrations. In many places of the Northern Hemisphere, this is height of strawberry season and the red fruits shapes like tongues of fire seem perfect for the feast day that falls in the warmer months.”
Earth
The earth element doesn’t seem to be as obvious with the connection more as it relates to God’s creation. Pentecost, which means “Fiftieth Day” in Greek, was a Jewish festival marking the 7 weeks or 50 days after the Passover. It was a harvest festival, offering the first fruits in thanksgiving to God. Later the feast also commemorated the giving of the Law or Ten Commandments to Moses at Sinai. Our civilization has become less agrarian but this “earth element” should be a universal reminder to us as respect and thanksgiving for creation. Pope Benedict explains and elaborates:
“From its earliest prehistory [Pentecost] has been a feast of harvest. In Palestine the crops were ripe in May; Pentecost was the thanksgiving for the grain harvest. Man sees the fruitfulness which results from the interplay of heaven and earth as the miracle by which he lives and he acknowledges that gratitude is the appropriate response to this miracle….Has this become meaningless today? If we think of “Holy Spirit” only in terms of Christian inwardness and of “harvest” only in terms of technology and commerce, our view of the world has become schizophrenic. At Pentecost the church prays a verse from the psalms which runs: Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth. Initially this refers to the creative Spirit which has called the world into being and maintains it in being. It is important to have a new reality of this at Pentecost: the Holy Spirit who came down upon the apostles is the same Spirit who fashioned the world….”
Against this background we must also understand that, in Israel, Pentecost was the remembrance of the arrival at Sinai and the celebration of the Covenant which had set out a path for Israel to travel in the form of the law. Christians have always seen their Pentecost as a continuation of this idea: the New Law is love, breaking down barriers and uniting people in the New Covenant. Love, too, is not formless or arbitrary; it is a formation from within, a wakefulness of the heart which takes up the rhythm of creation and perfects it. (Seek That Which is Above, 79-81)”
Water
The final element, water, is not an image of the Holy Spirit but a direct result of the coming of the Paraclete upon the Disciples. After they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they left the Upper Room and began to proclaim the Gospel. And on hearing their words, 3000 were baptised that day. The matter of baptism is water.
From the very day of Pentecost the Church has celebrated and administered holy Baptism. Indeed St. Peter declares to the crowd astounded by his preaching: “Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
26. The apostles and their collaborators offer Baptism to anyone who believed in Jesus: Jews, the God-fearing, pagans. 27 Always, Baptism is seen as connected with faith: “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household,” St. Paul declared to his jailer in Philippi. And the narrative continues, the jailer “was baptised at once, with all his family” (CCC, #1226)
With every baptism comes the reminders of the first Pentecost. Today is also a good feast to celebrate our reception of the sacraments of baptism and confirmation. ( Jennifer Gregory Miller)
Come O Holy Spirit!
Juan de Flandes
Saints & Solemnities – 4 June
Saints & Solemnities – 4 June
Pentecost Sunday (2017)
Mary the Planter
—
St Aldegrin of Baume
St Alexander of Verona
St Alonio
Bl Antoni Zawistowski
St Aretius of Rome
Bl Boniface of Villers
St Breaca of Cornwall
St Buriana of Cornwall
St Christa of Sicily
St Clateus of Brescia
St Cornelius McConchailleach
St Croidan
St Cyrinus of Aquileia
St Dacian of Rome
St Degan
St Edfrith of Lindisfarne
St Elsiar of Lavedan
St Ernin of Cluain
St Filippo Smaldone
Bl Francesco Pianzola
St Francis Caracciolo
Bl Francis Ronci
Bl Margaret of Vau-le-Duc
St Medan
Bl Menda Isategui
St Metrophanes of Byzantium
St Nennoc
St Nicolo of Sardinia
St Optatus of Milevis
St Petroc of Cornwall
St Quirinus of Croatia
St Quirinus of Tivoli
St Rutilus of Sabaria
Saturnina of Arras
Bl Stanislaw Kostka Starowieyski
St Trano of Sardinia
St St Walter of Fontenelle
Walter of Serviliano
—
Martyrs of Cilicia – 13 saints: A group of 13 Christians who were martyred together. The only details about them that have survived are their names –
• Cama
• Christa
• Crescentia
• Eiagonus
• Expergentus
• Fortunus
• Italius
• Jucundian
• Julia
• Momna
• Philip
• Rustulus
• Saturnin
They were martyred in in Cilicia, Asia Minor (in modern Turkey), date unknown
Martyrs of Nyon – 41 saints: A group of 41 Christians martyred together for refusing to sacrifice to imperial Roman idols. We know the names of some but no other details.
• Amatus
• Attalus
• Camasus
• Cirinus
• Dinocus
• Ebustus
• Euticus
• Eutychius
• Fortunius
• Galdunus
• Julia
• Quirinus
• Rusticus
• Saturnina
• Saturninus
• Silvius
• Uinnita
• Zoticus
Martyred by being beheaded in Noviodunum (modern Nyon, Switzerland)
Thought for the Day – 3 June
Thought for the Day – 3 June
Such courage! These young men went courageously to their deaths, filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so happy in their newfound faith, something completely baffling to the African chief. To St Charles Lwanga and his companions, their faith was the greatest treasure and they were willing and happy to die for it. Would that we too, graced by this great gift of faith, though we may never be called upon to die for it, it should be luminously clear to all that we are witnesses to Christ.
St Charles Lwanga and companions, Martyrs of Uganda, Pray for us!
One Minute Reflection – 3 June
One Minute Reflection – 3 June
If you are reviled for the name of Christ,
you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory
and of God rests upon you……1 Peter 4:14
REFLECTION – “The African martyrs add another page to the Church’s roll of honour – an occasion both of mourning and of joy. These African martyrs herald the dawn of a new age. If only the mind of man might be directed not toward persecutions and religious conflicts but toward a rebirth of Christianity and civilization! Africa has been washed by the blood of these latest martyrs and first of this new age (and, God willing, let them be the last, although such a holocaust is precious indeed). Africa is reborn free and independent. – Blessed Pope Paul VI from the homily at the canonisation of Saint Charles Lwanga and companions.
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, give us the strength and the courage and fill us with Your Holy Spirit that we may always be faithful to Your Son and His way of the Cross. Blessed and holy Martyrs of Uganda, you St Charles Lwanga and your young companions, are a light to us all! Please pray for us, amen.
Saint/s of the Day – 3 June – Uganda Martyrs or St Charles Lwanga & Companions
Saint/s of the Day – 3 June – Uganda Martyrs or St Charles Lwanga & Companions – Martyrs – Their names are: • Achileo Kiwanuka • Adolofu Mukasa Ludigo
• Ambrosio Kibuuka • Anatoli Kiriggwajjo
• Anderea Kaggwa • Antanansio Bazzekuketta
• Bruno Sserunkuuma • Charles Lwanga
• Denis Ssebuggwawo • Gonzaga Gonza
• Gyavire • James Buzabaliao
• John Maria Muzeyi • Joseph Mukasa
• Kizito • Lukka Baanabakintu
• Matiya Mulumba • Mbaga Tuzinde
• Mugagga • Mukasa Kiriwawanvu
• Nowa Mawaggali • Ponsiano Ngondwe
They were canonised on 18 October 1964 by Pope Paul VI at Rome, Italy. Patrons of Uganda and the Archdiocese of Accra, Ghana
All martyrs’ stories are inspiring, but the martyrdom of young people really makes us think.
By 1879 the first Catholic missions were started in Uganda and other parts of Central Africa. Under King Mtesa missionaries preached, people studied the faith and many believed in Jesus. Unfortunately King Mtesa was succeeded by King Mwanga, who began persecuting the Christians in Uganda.
Charles Lwanga was a young man, probably in his late teens, who was a page in the court of King Mwanga. After Mkasa, the Christian master of the court pages, criticised the king for his immoral acts and for murdering a group of missionaries, the king had him beheaded. On the same night Mkasa was martyred, Charles, a catechumen, was baptised. Charles replaced Mkasa as head of the pages and continued to encourage the young men to refuse to take part in the pagan customs of the country. Later a young page refused to become involved in the king’s immoral acts and confessed that a page named Denis was instructing him to be a Christian. This angered the king so much that he sent for Denis and thrust a spear through his throat. Then Mwanga summoned all the pages and separated the Christian pages from the rest. He commanded his soldiers to kill Charles Lwanga and his friends. Most of the pages were under the age of twenty-five. The youngest was thirteen years old.
In prison Charles inspired the others to be courageous and faithful. The boys were executed thirty-seven miles away. Three were killed on the road. Charles was burned alive. The others met the same fate or were beheaded. They prayed and sang enthusiastically at their deaths.
After their deaths, many other Christians were persecuted and killed. The example of these teenagers and men inspired other people, and in Africa the faith grew and spread. It has refused to die.
Uganda Martyrs pray for us all, especially for Africa!
Saints – 3 June
Martyrs of Uganda (Memorial) – 22 saints: Twenty-two (22) Ugandan converts martyred in the persecutions of King Mwanga. They are –
• Achileo Kiwanuka • Adolofu Mukasa Ludigo
• Ambrosio Kibuuka • Anatoli Kiriggwajjo
• Anderea Kaggwa • Antanansio Bazzekuketta
• Bruno Sserunkuuma • Charles Lwanga
• Denis Ssebuggwawo • Gonzaga Gonza
• Gyavire • James Buzabaliao
• John Maria Muzeyi • Joseph Mukasa
• Kizito • Lukka Baanabakintu
• Matiya Mulumba • Mbaga Tuzinde
• Mugagga • Mukasa Kiriwawanvu
• Nowa Mawaggali • Ponsiano Ngondwe
They were canonised on 18 October 1964 by Pope Paul VI at Rome, Italy.
—
Bl Adam of Guglionesi
Albert of Como
Athanasius of Traiannos
Auditus of Braga
Bl Beatrice Bicchieri
Caecilius of Carthage
St Charles Lwanga & Companions
Bl Charles-René Collas du Bignon
Clotilde of France
Conus of Lucania
Cronan the Tanner
Davinus of Lucca
Bl Diego Oddi
Bl Francis Ingleby
Gausmarus of Savigny
Genesius of Clermont
Glunshallaich
Hilary of Carcassone
Isaac of Córdoba
John Grande
Kevin of Glendalough
Laurentinus of Arezzo
Liphardus of Orléans
Morand of Cluny
Moses of Arabia
Oliva of Anagni
Paula of Nicomedia
Pergentinus of Arezzo
Phaolô Vu Van Duong
Urbicius
—
Dominicans Martyred in China
Martyrs of Africa – 156 saints: 156 Christians martyred together in Africa, date unknown; the only other information to survive are some of their names –
• Abidianus
• Demetria
• Donatus
• Gagus
• Januaria
• Juliana
• Nepor
• Papocinicus
• Quirinus
• Quirus
Martyrs of Byzantium – 5 saints: A group of Christians, possibly related by marriage, who were martyred together. They were –
• Claudius
• Dionysius
• Hypatius
• Lucillian
• Paul
They were martyred in 273 in Byzantium.
Martyrs of Rome – 8 saints: A group of Christians martyred together. We know nothing else about them but the names –
• Amasius
• Emerita
• Erasmus
• Lucianus
• Orasus
• Satuaucnus
• Septiminus
• Servulus
They were martyred in Rome, Italy, date unknown.
Martyrs of Rome – 86 saints
Thought for the Day – 2 June
Thought for the Day – 2 June
Why are these men included in our Eucharistic prayer and given their own feast day, in spite of the fact that almost nothing is known about them?
Probably because the Church respects its collective memory. They once sent an impulse of encouragement through the whole Church. They made the ultimate step of faith……Fr. Don Miller, OFM
The foundation of our faith rests on the lives of these holy men and women of the early Church who willingly gave themselves over to the faith, courageous and joyful in their martyrdom. When we consider the struggles of today and our own personal difficulties in daily life, we might pause to consider the sacrifice of these early martyrs and be inspired to greater faith, trust and love and be filled with that impulse of encouragement!
Sts Marcellinus and Peter, pray for us!
One Minute Reflection – 2 June
One Minute Reflection – 2 June
“If anyone would serve me. let him follow me”………John 12:26
REFLECTION – “Do you wish to receive grace upon grace and to grow from virtue to virtue?
The make the Stations of the Cross every day!”………..St Bonaventure
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, help me to make the Stations of the Cross frequently and even everyday if possible. Grant that in following You by this devotion, I may obtain the grace and courage to follow You in all the events of my life. Sts Marcellinus and Peter, you followed Christ in all things, giving your lives for love of Him, please pray for us all, amen!
Saints of the Day – Sts Marcellinus and Peter the Exorcist
Saints of the Day – Sts Marcellinus and Peter – Martyrs/Priest and Exorcist (martyred in 304).
While very little is known today about the lives of these holy men, Marcellinus and Peter were prominent enough in the early Church to be included amongst the saints of the Roman Canon and their names continue to be mentioned during celebration of the Eucharist. Further evidence of the veneration and respect of the Church lives on in the basilica that Emperor Constantine built over their tombs in Rome.
The story of the lives and martyrdom of Marcellinus and Peter was recorded by Pope Saint Damasus, who learned of their heroic acts directly from their executioner—a man who converted to Christianity shortly after their deaths. According to the saintly pope, the executioner was deeply troubled following his role in the martyrdom and could not shake the feeling that a faith that had given Marcellinus and Peter such peace of mind and steady joy in the face of death must be authentic.
Marcellinus was a priest and Peter was an exorcist (authorised by the Church to work against demonic possession in individuals) who worked alongside him. Imprisoned during the persecution of Christians under the reign of Diocletian, Marcellinus and Peter embraced their suffering, seeing it as an opportunity for evangelisation and quickly had converted the majority of prisoners in jail with them—including the jailor and his entire family. This was accomplished when Peter set the daughter of the jailer free from an evil spirit which possessed her. Shortly thereafter, the jailor, his wife and their other children were baptised into the faith—right in the cell of Peter and Marcellinus.
When Diocletian heard of their activities, he was greatly incensed and had them tortured, stripped naked and thrown into cells filled with only broken shards of glass. When it was observed that this only served to increase their faith and joy in suffering, he had them taken to the forest of Silva Nigra and dig their own graves. Then, he had them beheaded in the forest, so that other Christians would not find their bodies, bury them properly, and then subsequently venerate them. However, that was not to be the case. Shortly following their death, a Christian matron by the name of Lucilla learned of their martyrdom through a dream (or possibly a prophetic vision) and came with some fellow faithful to the gravesite. The relics of the holy martyrs were removed and translated to a more proper burial place, a set of catacombs in Rome. When Christianity was restored as a “legal” faith tradition under Constantine, he had a great basilica built in their honour over their tomb.
Catacombs of Sts Marcellinus & Peter
Catacombs of Sts Marcellinus & Peter
Basilica of Sts Marcellinus & Peter in Romd
Excavation of the Catacombs of Sts Marcellinus & Peter
Saints – 2 June
St Marcellinus (Optional Memorial)
St Peter the Exorcist (Optional Memorial)
Madonna of the Tears
—
St Ada of Ethiopia
St Adalgis of Thiérarche
St Armin of Egypt
St Barbarinus
St Blandina the Slave
St Bodfan of Wales
St Daminh Ninh
Bl Demetrios of Philadelphia
St Dorotheus of Rome
St Erasmus of Formiae
St Pope Eugene I,
St Evasius
Bl Giovanni de Barthulono
Bl Guy of Acqui
St Honorata
St Humatus
St John de Ortega
St Joseph Tien
St Nicholas Peregrinus
St Photinus of Lyons
St Rogate
Bl Sadoc of Sandomierz
St Stephen of Sweden
—
Martyrs of Lyons and Vienne: A group of 48 Christians from the areas of Vienne and Lyon, France, who were attacked by a pagan mob, arrested and tried for their faith, and murdered in the persecutions of Marcus Aurelius. A letter describing their fate, possibly written by Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, was sent to the churches in the Middle East. Only a few names and details of their lives have surived; some of them have separate entries on this date –
• Alexander of Vienne
• Attalus of Pergamos
• Biblis of Lyons
• Blandina the Slave
• Cominus of Lugdunum
• Epagathus of Lugdunum
• Maturus the Novice
• Photinus of Lyons
• Ponticus of Lugdunum
• Sanctius of Vienne
• Vettius of Lugdunum
They were martyred in assorted ways on on various during 177.
Martyrs of Sandomierz: A group of 49 Dominicans, some of whom received the habit from Saint Dominic de Guzman himself. They worked separately and together to bring the faith and establish the Dominican Order in Poland, basing their operations in and around Sandomierz. In 1260 they were all martyred by the Tartars as they were singing the Salve Regina at Compline; the custom of singing the Salve Regina at the deathbed of Dominicans stems from this incident. We know a few details about a few of the martyrs, but most survive only as names –
• Zadok
• Andrea, chaplain
• James, novice master
• Malachi, convent preacher
• Paul, vicar
• Peter, guardian of the garden
• Simone, penitentiary
friars
• Abel, Barnabas, Bartholomew, Clemente, Elia, John, Luke, Matthew, Philip
deacons
• Giuseppe, Joachim, Stefano
sub-deacons
• Abraham, Basil, Moses, Taddeo
clerics
• Aaron, Benedict, David, Dominico, Mattia, Mauro, Michele, Onofrio, Timothy
professed students
• Christopher, Donato, Feliciano, Gervasio, Gordian, John, Mark, Medardo, Valentino
novices
• Daniele, Isaiah, Macario, Raffaele, Tobia
lay brothers
• Cyril, tailor
• Jeremiah, shoemaker
• Thomas, organist
They were martyred in 1260 at Sandomierz, Poland and Beatified on 18 October 1807 by Pope Pius VII (cultus confirmation).
Thought for the Day – 1 June
Thought for the Day – 1 June
In about 165, Justin was arrested for being a Christian but refused to give up his faith. The judge asked him, “Do you have an idea that you will go to heaven and receive some suitable rewards?” Justin answered, “It is not an idea that I have; it is something that I know well and hold to be most certain.” The judge ordered him killed. He was beheaded along with his companions for refusing to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods. St. Justin gave his life for Christ and died for the Saviour whom he loved above all else. St Justin reminds us never to sacrifice to the false gods of our age. That includes the materialism, hedonism and nihilism that are ever present. We have received the gift of faith with little labour of our own. Let us learn how to value it from those who reached it after long search and lived in the misery of a world which did not know God, not much different to our times. Let us fear, as St. Justin did, the account we shall have to render for the gift of God. We have been chosen as St Justin was, to do the work of Christ – to make Him known regardless of the consequences! I am drawn to the thought “would I be open to changing my surname to ‘Martyr’ do I have the courage, the love for God to accept such a change?”
St Justin Martyr, pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day- 1 June
Quote/s of the Day- 1 June
“Many spirits are abroad in the world and the church
and the credentials they display are splendid gifts of
eloquence and ability.
Christian – look carefully – for the Print of the nails!”
“We used to hate and destroy one another
and refused to associate with people
of another race or country.
Now, because of Christ, we live together
with such people and pray for our enemies ”
“Let it be understood
that those who are not found living
as He taught,
are NOT Christian- even though they profess
with the lips the teaching of Christ.”
“Not as common bread or as common drink do we receive these…..
We have been taught that the food that has been Eucharistized
by the word of prayer, that food which by assimilation nourishes
our flesh and blood, is the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus.”
“The world suffers nothing from Christians
but hates them because they reject its pleasures.”
“You can kill us
but you cannot do us any real harm.”
St Justin Martyr
St. Justin Martyr on the Eucharist
“No one may share the Eucharist with us unless he believes that what we teach is true, unless he is washed in the regenerating waters of baptism for the remission of his sins, and unless he lives in accordance with the principles given us by Christ.
We do not consume the eucharistic bread and wine as if it were ordinary food and drink, for we have been taught that as Jesus Christ our Saviour became a man of flesh and blood by the power of the Word of God, so also the food that our flesh and blood assimilates for its nourishment becomes the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus by the power of his own words contained in the prayer of thanksgiving.
The apostles, in their recollections, which are called gospels, handed down to us what Jesus commanded them to do. They tell us that he took bread, gave thanks and said: Do this in memory of me. This is my body. In the same way he took the cup, he gave thanks and said:This is my blood. The Lord gave this command to them alone. Ever since then we have constantly reminded one another of these things. The rich among us help the poor and we are always united. For all that we receive we praise the Creator of the universe through his Son Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit.
On Sunday we have a common assembly of all our members, whether they live in the city or the outlying districts. The recollections of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as there is time. When the reader has finished, the president of the assembly speaks to us; he urges everyone to imitate the examples of virtue we have heard in the readings. Then we all stand up together and pray.
On the conclusion of our prayer, bread and wine and water are brought forward. The president offers prayers and gives thanks to the best of his ability and the people give assent by saying, “Amen”. The eucharist is distributed, everyone present communicates, and the deacons take it to those who are absent.
The wealthy, if they wish, may make a contribution and they themselves decide the amount. The collection is placed in the custody of the president, who uses it to help the orphans and widows and all who for any reason are in distress, whether because they are sick, in prison, or away from home. In a word, he takes care of all who are in need.
We hold our common assembly on Sunday because it is the first day of the week, the day on which God put darkness and chaos to flight and created the world and because on that same day our savior Jesus Christ rose from the dead. For he was crucified on Friday and on Sunday he appeared to his apostles and disciples and taught them the things that we have passed on for your consideration.” Here is a video of the Mass in 155 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-FwgO_s5_A
One Minute Reflection – 1 June
One Minute Reflection – 1 June
The words I spoke to you are spirit and life………John 6:64
REFLECTION – “Make sure that you never spurn the Saviour’s words.
They have in themselves such tremendous majesty that they can instil fear into those who have wandered from the path of righteousness, whereas they ever remain a great solace to those who heed them.”……..St Justin
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, my Saviour, let me daily take to my heart and my soul Your words. Grant that they may lead me to penance and also provide needed consolation amid the troubles of live St Justin, when you discovered the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, your life was completely changed and given to Him so that you could heed His command to go forth and spread the good news to all. Please pray for us, that we may be inspired with your courage and zeal, amen.
Saint of the Day – 1 June – St Justin Martyr (c100-165)
Saint of the Day – 1 June – St Justin Martyr – Martyr, first Christian Philosopher, Apologist, Orator, Teacher, Writer, Missionary (c100 – beheaded in 165 at Rome, Italy. His relics in the Capuchin Church, Romeat Nablus Palestine) – Patronages – of Apologists, Lecturers, Orators, Philosophers.
Born at the turn of the second century, Justin grew up under pagan parents and early on began to seek after knowledge. According to Justin himself, he studied under several of the most important philosophical systems of the day but found them all wanting.
Around the age of 30, however, he went out into a field near the sea to be be alone with his thoughts and had an encounter that would change his life. An older man began to follow him at a distance. Justin turned to speak to him and before he really knew what was happening, the man was presenting the gospel. Finally, Justin had found the true philosophy for which he had been searching. Of that moment, he wrote:
“A fire was suddenly kindled in my soul. I fell in love with the prophets and these men who had loved Christ; I reflected on all their words and found that this philosophy alone was true and profitable. That is how and why I became a philosopher. And I wish that everyone felt the same way that I do.”
Justin spent the rest of his life defending this true and profitable philosophy. He even went to Rome itself to found a school at which he taught Christian philosophy. He wrote several defenses of the Christian faith, even writing apologetic works directed to the Roman emperor and the Roman senate. His books give us insight into the early Church. In one of them he described the ceremony of Baptism around the year 160. It was similar to the ceremony today. In another place, he wrote that the Sunday meetings of the Christian community included readings from Scripture, a homily, offering of bread and wine and giving Holy Communion. Two of his so-called apologies have come down to us; they are addressed to the Roman emperor and to the Senate.
After contending for Christianity with a cynic philosopher, he was turned in to the government as a heretic and false teacher. They arrested him and six of his disciples. When asked to reject Christ and make a sacrifice to the Roman gods, Justin boldly replied:
“No one who is rightly minded turns from true belief to false.”
In his new found faith, not only did he find truth but Justin found a truth worth living and dying for –– as he was beheaded for his refusal to denounce Jesus. In his life, Justin sought to demonstrate how the Christian faith was consistent with reason and logic. In his death, he earned the surname Martyr.
Saints – 1 June
St Justin Martyr (Memorial)
Comforter of the Afflicted
Notre-Dame du Laus
Our Lady of Grace
—
St Agapetus of Ruthenia
Bl Alfonso Navarrete Benito
Bl Arnald Arench
Bl Arnold of Geertruidenberg
St Atto of Oca
St Candida of Whitchurch
St Caprasius of Lérins
St Clarus of Aquitaine
St Claudius of Vienne
Bl Conrad of Hesse
St Conrad of Trier
St Crescentinus
St Cronan of Lismore
St Damian of Scotland
St Dionysius of Ruthenia
St Donatus of Lucania
St Felinus of Perugia
Bl Ferdinand Ayala
St Firmus
St Fortunatus of Spoleto
Bl Gaius Xeymon
St Gaudentius of Ossero
St Giuse Túc
St Gratian of Perugia
St Hannibal Mary di Francia
Bl Herculanus of Piegare
St Iñigo of Oña
St Ischryrion and Companions
Bl James of Strepar
St Jean-Baptiste-Ignace-Pierre Vernoy de Montjournal
Bl John Baptist Scalabrini
Bl John Pelingotto
Bl John Storey
St Juventius
Bl Leo Tanaka
St Melosa
St Pamphilus of Alexandria
St Peter of Pisa
St Porphyrius of Alexandria
St Proculus of Bologna
St Proculus the Soldier
St Ronan
St Secundus of Amelia
St Seleucus of Alexandria
St Simeon of Syracuse
St Telga of Denbighshire
St Thecla of Antioch
Bl Theobald Roggeri
St Thespesius of Cappadocia
St Wistan of Evesham
St Zosimus of Antioch
—
Martyrs of Alexandria – 5 saints: A group five of imperial Roman soldiers assigned to guard a group of Egyptian Christians who were imprisoned for their faith in the persecutions of Decius. During their trial, they encouraged the prisoners not to apostatize. This exposed them as Christians, were promptly arrested and executed. Martyrs. Their names are – Ammon, Ingen, Ptolomy, Theophilis and Zeno. They were beheaded in 249 at Alexandria, Egypt.
Martyrs of Caesarea – 3 saints: Three Christians martyred together in the persecutions of Galerius. We know little more about them than the name – Paul, Valens and Valerius. They diedf in 309 at Caesarea, Palestine.
Martyrs of Lycopolis – 6 saints: Five foot soldiers and their commander who were martyred for their faith by order of the imperial Roman prefect Arriano during the persecutions of Decius. In Lycopolis, Egypt.
Martyrs of Rome – 6 saints: A group of spiritual students of Saint Justin Martyr who died with him and about whom we know nothing else but their names – Carito, Caritone, Evelpisto, Ierace, Liberiano and Peone. In Rome, Italy.
Thought for the Day – 31 May
Thought for the Day – 31 May
Mary, Mother of God, your love is strikingly shown forth in this beautiful Feast of the Visitation. When you learned from the angel that your cousin Elizabeth was with child and needed your help, you set out to care for her. Neither the long absence from home, nor the inconvenience of a difficult and dangerous journey to the mountain country, kept you from making this mission of love. You thought only of Elizabeth and the assistance you could bring to her. You hastened to be of service. You lovingly served her until you saw her happily delivered of the child of promise with which God had blessed her.
Help me to strive to imitate your wonderful charity by aiding those who are in need, by sympathising with those who are afflicted, by opening my heart and applying my hands to relieve every form of distress.
Give me love like yours!
Teach me that the test of my following of your Divine Son is practical charity!
One of the invocations in Mary’s litany is “Ark of the Covenant.”
Like the Ark of the Covenant of old, Mary brings God’s presence into the lives of other people.
As David danced before the Ark, John the Baptist leaps for joy.
As the Ark helped to unite the 12 tribes of Israel by being placed in David’s capital,
so Mary has the power to unite all Christians in her son.
Like you, teach me too acclaim and seek the glory of God and sing with you:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour
for He has looked with favour on His lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His Name.
He has mercy on those who fear Him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of His arm,
He has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of His servant Israel
for He remembered His promise of mercy,
the promise He made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.
(Lk 1:46-55)
Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – 31 May
Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – 31 May
The feast of the Visitation recalls to us the following great truths and events: The visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth shortly after the Annunciation; the cleansing of John the Baptist from original sin in the womb of his mother at the words of Our Lady’s greeting; Elizabeth’s proclaiming of Mary—under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost—as Mother of God and “blessed among women”; Mary’s singing of the sublime hymn, Magnificat (“My soul doth magnify the Lord”) which has become a part of the daily official prayer of the Church. The Visitation is frequently depicted in art and was the central mystery of St. Francis de Sales’ devotions.
The Mass of today salutes her who in her womb bore the King of heaven and earth, the Creator of the world, the Son of the Eternal Father, the Sun of Justice. It narrates the cleansing of John from original sin in his mother’s womb. Hearing herself addressed by the most lofty title of “Mother of the Lord” and realizing what grace her visit had conferred on John, Mary broke out in that sublime canticle of praise proclaiming prophetically that henceforth she would be venerated down through the centuries:
“My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me, and holy is His name” (Lk. 1:46).
This feast is of medieval origin, it was kept by the Franciscan Order before 1263 and soon its observance spread throughout the entire Church. Previously it was celebrated on July 2. Now it is celebrated between the solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord and the birth of St. John the Baptist, in conformity with the Gospel accounts. Some places appropriately observe a celebration of the reality and sanctity of human life in the womb. The liturgical colour is white.
The Visitation
And Mary rising up in those days went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda. [Lk. 1:39]
How lyrical that is, the opening sentence of St. Luke’s description of the Visitation. We can feel the rush of warmth and kindness, the sudden urgency of love that sent that girl hurrying over the hills. “Those days” in which she rose on that impulse were the days in which Christ was being formed in her, the impulse was His impulse. Many women, if they were expecting a child, would refuse to hurry over the hills on a visit of pure kindness. They would say they had a duty to themselves and to their unborn child which came before anything or anyone else.
The Mother of God considered no such thing. Elizabeth was going to have a child, too and although Mary’s own child was God, she could not forget Elizabeth’s need—almost incredible to us, but characteristic of her. She greeted her cousin Elizabeth and at the sound of her voice, John quickened in his mother’s womb and leapt for joy.
I am come, said Christ, that they may have life and may have it more abundantly. [Jn. 10, 10] Even before He was born His presence gave life.
With what piercing shoots of joy does this story of Christ unfold! First the conception of a child in a child’s heart and then this first salutation, an infant leaping for joy in his mother’s womb, knowing the hidden Christ and leaping into life.
How did Elizabeth herself know what had happened to Our Lady? What made her realize that this little cousin who was so familiar to her was the mother of her God? She knew it by the child within herself, by the quickening into life which was a leap of joy.
If we practice this contemplation taught and shown to us by Our Lady, we will find that our experience is like hers. If Christ is growing in us, if we are at peace, recollected, because we know that however insignificant our life seems to be, from it He is forming Himself; if we go with eager wills, “in haste,” to wherever our circumstances compel us because we believe that He desires to be in that place, we shall find that we are driven more and more to act on the impulse of His love.
And the answer we shall get from others to those impulses will be an awakening into life or the leap into joy of the already wakened life within them. Excerpted from The Reed of God, Caryll Houselander
Saints’ Memorials and Feast Days of the Church – 31 May
Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Feast)
Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces
—
Alexander of Auvergne
Camilla Battista Varano
Crescentian of Sassari
Donatian of Cirta
Felice of Nicosia
Galla of Auvergne
Hermias of Comana
Bl Jacob Chu Mun-mo
Bl James Salomone
Juan Moya Collado
Bl Kasper Gerarz
Lupicinus of Verona
Mancus of Cornwall
Bl Mariano of Roccacasale
Mechtildis of Edelstetten
Myrbad of Cornwall
Bl Nicolas Barré
Bl Nicholaus of Vangadizza
Bl Nicholaus of Vaucelles
Nowa Mawaggali
Paschasius of Rome
Petronilla of Rome
Bl Robert Thorpe
Silvio of Toulouse
Bl Thomas Watkinson
Bl Vitalis of Assisi
Winnow of Cornwall
—
Martyrs of Aquileia – 3 saints: Three young members of the imperial Roman nobility and who were raised in a palace and had Saint Protus of Aquileia as tutor and catechist. To escape the persecutions of Diocletian, the family sold their property and moved to Aquileia, Italy. However, the authorities there quickly ordered them to sacrifice to idols; they refused. Martyrs all – Cantianilla, Cantian and Cantius. They were beheaded in 304 at Aquae-Gradatae (modern San-Cantiano) just outside Aquileia, Italy
Martyrs of Gerona – 29 saints: A group of Christians martyred together in Gerona, Catalonia, Spain, date unknown. No details about them have survived but the names –
• Agapia
• Amelia
• Castula
• Cicilia
• Donatus
• Firmus
• Fortunata
• Gaullenus
• Germanus
• Honorius
• Istialus
• Justus
• Lautica
• Lupus
• Maxima
• Paulica
• Rogate
• Rogatus
• Silvanus
• Tecla
• Teleforus
• Tertula
• Tertus
• Victoria
• Victurinus
• Victurus
Martyrs of the Via Aurelia – 4 saints: Four Christians martyred together. No information about them has survived except their names – Justa, Lupus, Tertulla and Thecla. The martyrdom occurred in 69 on the Via Aurelia near Rome, Italy
Thought for the Day – 30 May
Thought for the Day – 30 May
Like Jesus’ life, Joan of Arc’s life seemed to end in failure. But like Jesus, to love God means to always obey His will. She said with total confidence and abandonment: “I entrust myself to my Creator God, I love Him with my whole heart”. One of the best known texts of the first trial has to do with this: “Asked if she knew that she was in God’s grace, she replied: ‘If I am not, may it please God to put me in it; if I am, may it please God to keep me there’” It is this fidelity we should seek – this mission which Joan seemed to know would destroy her, still for her it was to carry out God’s work, regardless of the effects on her life. May we too seek this total fidelity and self-giving to God for this life of ours, it is not ours but has been given to us by grace of His love.
St Joan of Arc, pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 30 May
Quote/s of the Day – 30 May
“About Jesus Christ and the Church, I simply know that they are just one thing and we shouldn’t complicate the matter.”
“Help yourself and God will help you.”
“I am the drum on which God is beating out His message.”
“I would rather die than do a thing which I know to be a sin or against the will of God.”
One Minute Reflection – 30 May
One Minute Reflection – 30 May
The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:
a spirit of wisdom and understanding……..Is 11:2
REFLECTION – “Those who are led by the Holy Spirit have a right concept of everything.
Hence, many unlettered people enjoy such knowledge more than the wise.”…………St John Vianney
“(St Joan of Arc) our saint lived prayer as a form of continuous dialogue with the Lord, who also enlightened her answers to the judges, giving her peace and security. She prayed with faith: “Sweetest God, in honour of your holy Passion, I ask You, if You love me, to reveal to me how I must answer these men of the Church”. Joan saw Jesus as the “King of Heaven and Earth.” Thus, on her standard, Joan had the image painted of “Our Lord who sustains the world”………..Pope Benedict XVI (2010)
PRAYER – Father if every good gift, send forth Your Spirit upon me with His sevenfold gifts. Grant that through my love for Your Son, I too may like St Joan of Arc, achieve the heights of the Christian life, make prayer the guiding thread of my days; fulfilling the will of God, whatever it is; to live in charity without favouritisms, without limits and have, as she had, in the love of Jesus, a profound love for the Church. St Joan of Arc, pray for us all, amen.
Saint of the Day – 30 May – St Joan of Arc (1412-1431) “The Maid of Orléans” Holy Virgin.
Saint of the Day – 30 May – St Joan of Arc (1412-1431) – Virgin (6 January 1412 at Greux-Domremy, Lorraine, France – burned alive on 30 May 1431 at Rouen, France) – Beatified 11 April 1905 by Pope Saint Pius X, Canonised on 16 May 1920 by Pope Benedict XV. Patron of France; martyrs; captives; military personnel; people ridiculed for their piety; prisoners; soldiers; opposition of Church authorities; WACs (Women’s Army Corps); WAVES (Women Appointed for Voluntary Emergency Service). Attributes – bareheaded girl in armour with sword, lance or banner.
The Church officially remembers Joan of Arc not as a Martyr but as a virgin—the Maid of Orleans. Of course, Joan was a Martyr, but not in the technical sense. Yes, she died because she did what she thought God wanted her to do. But she was killed for her politics, not for her faith. Pagans did not execute her for refusing to worship their gods. Infidels did not slay her for defying them. Political enemies burned her at the stake for defeating them at war.
Paradoxically, Christian people, good and bad alike, cheered at her demise. Other Christians wept. This incongruity may trouble us but Joan would have expected it. The war she fought embroiled French Christians against English Christians. We too have waged wars like that, pitting Christian against Christian. Just as we may have felt that God was on our side, Joan believed that God was with the French. When the judges who condemned her asked if the heavenly voices she followed to war spoke in English, she replied tartly, “Why should they speak English when they were not on the English side?”
Joan of Arc was born into the violent times of the fifteenth century. During her childhood, King Henry V of England invaded France and seized Normandy. He laid claim to the crown of the French king, Charles VI, who was mentally ill. Paralysed by civil war between the duke of Burgundy and the duke of Orleans, the French could not put up much of a defense. Things worsened when agents of the duke of Orleans murdered the duke of Burgundy. The Burgundians reacted by becoming England’s allies. Eventually, Burgundian mercenaries brought the war home to Joan’s family. The raiders sacked the little village of Domrémy-la-Pucelle, forcing them to flee. Thus, the indiscriminate brutality of war disrupted Joan of Arc’s pleasant childhood to acquaint her with fear.
Born of a fairly well-to-do peasant couple in Domremy-Greux southeast of Paris, Joan was only 12 when she experienced a vision and heard voices that she later identified as Saints Michael the Archangel, Catherine of Alexandria, and Margaret of Antioch.
By May 1428, Joan’s voices had become relentless and specific. They directed her to go at once to a town nearby and to offer her services to Robert de Baudricourt, the commander of the royal forces. Reluctantly, she obeyed. De Baudricourt, however, greeted her with laughter, telling her that her father should give her a good spanking.
At that time, conditions were deteriorating for the French. The English had put Orleans under siege, and the stronghold was in grave danger. Joan’s voices became more insistent. “But I am merely a girl! I cannot ride a horse or wield a weapon!” she protested.
“It is God who commands it!” came the reply.
Unable to resist any longer, Joan secretly made her way back to de Baudricourt. When she arrived she told the commander a fact she could have known only by revelation. She said the French army—on that very day—had suffered a defeat near Orleans. Joan urged him to send her to Orleans so that she might fulfill her mission. When official reports confirmed Joan’s word, de Baudricourt finally took her seriously and sent her to Charles VII.
She was outfitted with white armour and provided a special standard bearing the names Jesus and Mary. The banner depicted two kneeling angels offering a fleur-de-lis to God. On April 29, 1429, Joan led her army into Orleans. Miraculously, she rallied the town. By May 8, the French had captured the English forts and had lifted the siege. An arrow had penetrated the armour over Joan’s breast but the injury was not serious enough to keep her out of the battle. Everything, including the wound, occurred exactly as Joan had prophesied before the campaign. A peasant maiden had defeated the army of a mighty kingdom, a humiliation that demanded revenge.
The way to Reims was now open. Joan urged the immediate coronation of the king but the French leaders dragged their feet. Finally, however, at Reims on July 17, 1429, Charles VII was anointed king of France. The Maid of Orleans stood triumphantly at his side. Joan had accomplished her mission.
During the battles at Orleans, the voices had told Joan she had only a little time left. Her shameful end lurked ominously in the shadows. Later, she sustained a serious arrow wound in the thigh during an unsuccessful attack on Paris. In May 1430, after spending the winter in court, she led a force to relieve Compiègne, which the Burgundians had under siege. Her effort failed, and the Burgundians captured her.
Through the summer and fall, the duke of Burgundy held Joan captive. The French, apparently ungrateful, made no effort to rescue her or obtain her release. On November 21, 1430, the Burgundians sold Joan to the English for a large sum. The English were quite eager to punish the maiden who had bested them. They could not execute Joan for winning but they could impose capital punishment for sorcery or heresy. For several months she was chained in a cell in the castle at Rouen, where five coarse guards constantly taunted her. In February 1431, Joan appeared before a tribunal headed by Peter Cauchon, the avaricious and wicked bishop of Beauvais.
Joan had no chance for a fair trial. She stood alone before devious judges, an uneducated girl conducting her own defense. The panel interrogated her six times in public, nine times in private. They questioned her closely about her visions, voices, male dress, faith and submissiveness to the church. Giving good, sometimes even unexpectedly clever answers, Joan handled herself courageously. However, the judges took advantage of her lack of education and tripped her up on a few slippery theological points. The panel packed its summary with her damaging replies and condemned her with that unfair report. They declared that demons inspired her revelations. The tribunal decided that unless Joan recanted, she was to die as a heretic. At first she refused. But later, when she was taken before a huge throng, she seems to have made some sort of retraction.
Cauchon visited her, observed her dress,and determined that she had fallen back into error. Joan, her strength renewed, then repudiated her earlier retraction. She declared that God had truly commissioned her and that her voices had come from him. Having condemned Joan of Arc as a relapsed heretic, the judges remanded her to the state for execution. The next morning she was taken into Rouen’s public square and burned at the stake.
Twenty-three years later, however, Joan’s mother and brothers asked that her case be reopened. Pope Callistus III appointed a commission to review the matter. In 1456, the new panel repudiated the trial and verdict and completely restored Joan’s reputation. Once again her piety and exemplary conduct had triumphed.
Saints – 30 May
St Anastasius II of Pavia
St Basil the Elder
Bl Carlo Liviero
St Crispulus of Sardinia
Bl Elisabeth Stagel
St Emmelia
St Euplius
St Exuperantius of Ravenna
St Pope Felix ISt
Ferdinand III of Castille
St Gamo of Brittany
St Gavino of Sardinia
St Issac of Constantinople
St Joan of Arc
St Joseph Marello
Bl Lawrence Richardson
St Luke Kirby
St Madelgisilus
Bl Marie-Céline of the Presentation
Bl Otto Neururer
St Reinhildis of Riesenbeck
St Restitutus of Cagliari
Bl Richard Newport
Bl Thomas Cottam
St Venantius of Lérins
St Walstan of Bawburgh
Bl William Filby
Bl Willilam Scott
—
Martyrs of Aquileia – 3 saints: Three Christians martyr together. We have no other details than their names – Cantianus, Euthymius and Eutychius. Aquileia, Italy
Celebrating the Memorial of BL JOSEPH GéRARD O.M.I. – 29 May
Celebrating the Memorial of BL JOSEPH GéRARD O.M.I. – 29 May Priest and Missionary, Apostle to Lesotho (12 March 1831-29 May 1914 aged 83) – Patron of Missionaries.
Joseph Gerard was born in 1831 in Bouxieres-aux-Chenes in the Diocese of Nancy, France. He joined the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate at the age of 20 and at the age of 22 was sent by St Eugene de Mazenod (https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/?s=St+Eugene+de+Mazenod) as a missionary to Southern Africa, never to see his family or homeland again. He was ordained a priest in 1854 in Pietermaritzburg and at first served the Oblate mission to the Zulu people, later joining Bishop Allard, the Bishop of Natal, in setting up the first Catholic mission in Lesotho. With the permission of the great Chief Moshoeshoe they founded Motse-oa-Ma-Jesu (the Village of the Mother of Jesus) thirty two kilometres south of Moshoeshoe’s stronghold of Thaba Bosiu. (The village which they founded later became Roma, site of the Catholic University College and now the University of Lesotho.)
Joseph Gerard was well respected by Chief Moshoeshoe, particulaly because he remained with the Basotho during the three wars between the Basotho and the Orange Free State. It is said that it was through Joseph Gerard’s efforts that Chief Moshoeshoe sought the protection of the British at the end of the wars, a decision which resulted in Lesotho becoming a British Protectorate and an Independent country today.
Joseph Gerard’s mission grew slowly and by the end of 1879, when he was already 48 years of age, there were only 700 Catholics in Lesotho. He persevered, however in prayer, faith and work, remaining in Lesotho as a missionary for the rest of his life.
Early beginnings at the
Village of the Mother Of Jesus
The Oblate mission to the Basotho grew and flourished. He died on 29th May 1914 at the age of 83, a man greatly revered by the people of Lesotho. The fact that Lesotho is very largely a Catholic country today can be traced back to those early beginnings at the Village of the Mother of Jesus.
The beatification process commenced under Pope Pius XII on 1 March 1955 and he became titled as a Servant of God while the confirmation of his life of heroic virtue allowed for Pope Paul VI to name him as Venerable on 13 November 1976. The miracle required for his beatification was investigated and later received validation from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on 14 March 1986; a medical board approved it on 3 December 1986 as did theologians on 13 March 1987 and the C.C.S. members on 19 May 1987. Pope John Paul II approved this miracle on 1 June 1987 and beatified the late priest while on his visit to Lesotho on 15 September 1988. The current postulator for this cause is the O.M.I. priest Thomas Klosterkamp
Thought for the Day – 29 May
Thought for the Day – 29 May
Today, the congregation founded by Mother Ursula continues its work around the world, numbering at approximately 900 nuns and 100 communities in 12 countries including Poland, Italy, France, Germany, Finland, Belarus, Ukraine, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and Tanzania. St Ursula educated her sisters to love God above all things and to see God in every human person and all creation. As a shining example of faith and complete trust in the Lord, she demonstrated her confidence through tireless work, constant smile, serenity of spirit, humility and the desire to live an ordinary life as a privileged path to holiness. Throughout her life, during a difficult political period, including the First World War, Julia maintained a constant focus on helping the poor, displaced and forgotten. When questioned about her political views, often at risk to her own life, she simply and repeatedly replied, “My policy is love.”
And there we have it – so often told us, most importantly by our Lord, the answer is clear – to be saints, our policy has to be LOVE!
St Ursula Ledóchowska Pray for us!
Quote of the Day – 29 May
Quote of the Day – 29 May
“You must never ask Jesus to wait.”
St Ursula Ledóchowska
One Minute Reflection – 29 May
One Minute Reflection – 29 May
Well done, you are an industrious and reliable servant…..come share your master’s joy……..Matthew 25:21
REFLECTION – “It is not enough to pray: “Thy kingdom come” but to work, so that the Kingdom of God will exist among us today.”…………St Ursula Ledóchowska
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, help me to accept the tasks you have given me to do in life. Let me be faithful all my days and be able to attain Your eternal reward in heaven. St Ursula Ledóchowska, you accepted all work given you, no matter the circumstances and undergoing immense hardships to fulfil your mission and do the work of God, please pray for us, that we too, may be faithful at all times and in all circumstances, amen.
Saint of the Day – 29 May – St Ursula Ledóchowska (Mother Maria Ursula of Jesus) (1865-1939)
Saint of the Day – 29 May – St Ursula Ledóchowska (1865-1939) religious name – Maria Ursula of Jesus – Religous and Foundress of the Institute of Ursuline Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Agony (17 April 1865 at Loosdoor, Austria as Julia Ledóchowska – 29 May 1939 in the Gray Ursuline convent, Via del Casalet, Rome, Italy of natural causes) . Canonised 18 May 2003 by Pope John Paul II at Vatican Basilica. Her body is incorrupt, it was transferred to the Gray Ursuline motherhouse in Pniewy, Poland on 29 May 1989.
Born in Austria, Julia was born into a privileged family, the daughter of a Polish count and a Swiss noblewoman. She was one of five children born into the family. Her elder sister, Blessed Maria Teresa Ledóchowska, founded the Missionary Sisters of Saint Peter Claver and is affectionately known as the “Mother of Africa.”
Julia’s uncle, the Cardinal Mieczyslaw Ledóchowski, the Primate of Poland, was persecuted and imprisoned for his opposition to the policies of the Prussian “culture war.” For this reason and for reasons of finances, Julia’s father moved the family back to his native Poland, where he fell ill. Before his death, he gave his daughter his blessing to enter the Convent of Ursuline Sisters in Krakow. Taking the name of Maria Ursula of Jesus, she dedicated herself to service of those in need. Sister Maria Ursula was especially drawn to youth, specifically young women who were in need of education. She founded the first Polish residence for female university students and both watched over them and assisted them in their spiritual and academic studies.
Sister Maria Ursula became prioress of the convent in which she lived and later received a request from Monsignor Constantine Budkiewicz, a Polish nobleman living and priest of Saint Catherine’s Church. His wish was for Mother Maria Ursula to found a boarding school in Russia, for Polish girls wishing to study in Saint Petersburg. Having received approval from Pope Saint Pius X, she traveled to Russia and founded a convent there to work among Catholic immigrants. Given the state of Russian politics at that time, the nuns wore lay clothing and conducted themselves appropriately, but were under constant threat and surveillance by the Russian secret police.
As World War I dawned, Mother Ursula was expelled from Russia, given her Austrian birth. Monsignor Budkiewicz was eventually martyred for the faith, during the fall and renaming of Saint Petersburg as Leningrad. Having been expelled from Russia, Mother Ursula fled to Sweden. There, she organised relief efforts for war victims, charitable enterprises for those (like herself) living in exile from Poland. She further founded a monthly Catholic newspaper.
In 1920, Mother Ursula and her growing community made its way back into Poland, bringing with her dozens of orphaned youth. Upon their return, Mother Ursula found that her community had developed a separate and unique identity, mission and charism from the Ursuline community, given their exile and separation and as a result, she founded her own congregation: The Institute of Ursuline Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Agony. Having obtained Vatican approval, she dedicated herself and her congregation to “the education and training of children and youth and service to the poorest and the oppressed among our brethren.”
From that time on, the Ursulines founded congregations in working class towns, organizing a “Eucharistic Crusade” by which to educate the factory workers and their families in the ways of the faith. With tireless energy and faith, Mother Ursula continued to lead her community until 1939, when she passed away quietly at the general house of her community in Rome. Her incorrupt body was translated to the Gray Ursuline motherhouse in Pniewy, Poland in 1989. She was canonised in 2003 by Pope John Paul II. At her canonization, the pontiff proclaimed:
“Mother Ursula Ledóchowska made her life a mission of mercy for the most deprived. Wherever Providence took her, she found young people in need of instruction and spiritual formation, poor, sick or lonely people, battered by life in various ways, who expected of her understanding and concrete help. In accordance with her means, she never refused help to anyone. Her work of mercy will remain engraved forever in the message of holiness, which yesterday became part of the whole Church.”
Miracles
The first miracle that led to her beatification involved the cure of Jan Kołodziejski on 26 March 1946 while the second miracle leading to beatification involved the cure of the nun (from Ledóchowska’s own order) Magdalene Pawlak (in religious “Maria Danuta”) on 16 April 1946. The decisive miracle that led to her canonisation was the cure of Daniel Gajewski (b. 1982) who avoided electrocution in circumstances where he would otherwise would have been killed had it not been for the late nun whom he saw moments before fading into unconsciousness on 2 August 1996.
Saints’ Memorials – 29 May
St Bona of Pisa
St Conon the Elder
St Conon the Younger
St Daganus
St Eleutherius of Rocca d’Arce
St Felix of Atares
St Gerald of Mâcon
Bl Gerardesca of Pisa
Bl Giles Dalmasia
St Hesychius of Antioch
St John de Atarés
BL Joseph Gerard
St Maximinus of Trier
St Maximus of Verona
St Restitutus of Rome
Bl Richard Thirkeld
St Theodosia of Caesarea and Companions
St Ursula Ledochowska
St Votus of Atares
St William of Cellone
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Martyrs of Toulouse: A group of eleven Dominicans, Franciscans, Benedictines, clergy and lay brothers who worked with the Inquisition in southern France to oppose the Albigensian heresy. Basing their operations in a farmhouse outside Avignonet, France, he and his brother missioners worked against heresy. Murdered by Albigensian heretics while singing the Te Deum on the eve of Ascension. They werebeaten to death on the night of 28 to 29 May 1242 in the church of Avignonet, Toulouse, France and Beatified on 1 September 1866 by Pope Pius IX (cultus confirmation).
• Adhemar
• Bernard of Roquefort
• Bernard of Toulouse
• Fortanerio
• Garcia d’Aure
• Pietro d’Arnaud
• Raymond Carbonius
• Raymond di Cortisan
• Stephen Saint-Thibery
• William Arnaud
• the prior of Avignonet whose name unfortunately has not come down to us.
The church in which they died was placed under interdict as punishment to the locals for the offense. Shortly after the interdict was finally lifted, a large statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was found on the door step of church. Neither the sculptor nor the patron was ever discovered, nor who delivered it or how. The people took it as a sign that they were forgiven, but that they should never forget, and should renew their devotion to Our Lady. They referred to the image as “Our Lady of Miracles”.
Until recently there was a ceremony in the church on the night of the 28th to 29th of May, the anniversary of the martyrdom. Called “The Ceremony of the Vow”, parishioners would gather in the church, kneel with lit candles, and process across the church on their knees, all the while praying for the souls of the heretics who had murdered the martyrs.
Martyrs of Trentino: Three missionaries to the Tyrol region of Austria, sent by Saint Ambrose of Milan and welcomed by Saint Vigilius of Trent. All were martyred – Alexander, Martyrius and Sisinius. They were born in Cappadocia and died in 397 in Austria.
AnaStpaul 
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