Saint of the day .

[Colin]

Saint of the day - 13th April

Saint Martin I

St Martin was the last Pope to be venerated as a martyr. Born in the Italian town of Todi in Umbria, as a young man he rose rapidly in the church, and served his predecessor Pope Theodore I as papal nuncio to Constantinople.

At this time, there was a growing belief among Christians that Jesus was purely divine, without the will of a human being. The Emperor Constantine was one of the main supporters of this idea. As soon as Martin became Pope he called a council to condemn this notion.

The Emperor Constantine was furious and had the Pope arrested. For three months Martin, was treated very cruelly in prison. At a trial at which he was not allowed to defend himself, he was sentenced to death.

The dying Patriarch of Constantinople, pleaded to the Emperor to spare him. Martin was banished to Khersonesus in the Crimea where he died in 656.

Saint Martin I , pray for the persecuted .

 

[Colin]

Saint Caradoc

Welsh monk. Born at the end of the ninth century in South Wales, Caradoc came from a moderately wealthy family. As a young man he lived at the court of the prince Rhys ap Tewdwr, where he was a harper.

Caradoc fell out of favour after losing the royal greyhounds. He broke off the head of his lance and, using the shaft as a walking stick, went to Llandaff where he was tonsured and entered the service of the bishop.

Caradoc later became a hermit in the ruined church of St Kyned in Gower. Then he went to Menevia, where he was ordained priest. Together with a group of companions he retired to an island off the coast of Pembrokeshire. But they were harassed by Vikings and Caradoc moved once more to the cell of St Ismael in Harloldston, where he died, in 1124.

He was buried at the cathedral of St David's where part of his shrine survives to this day. Although he was never formally canonised he was venerated as a saint from the early 13th century onwards. A letter from Pope Innocent III ordering an enquiry into his life and miracles still survives. The church at Lawrenny is dedicated to him

Saint Caradoc , pray for us .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 15th April

Saint Ruadhan (Rodan)

Monk. This sixth century Irish saint was the founder and abbot of Lothra in Co Tipperary. Coming from a royal Munster family, he studied under St Finian at Clonard. He is sometimes described as a bishop and one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. In the parish church of Lothra, there is an ancient oratory said to be his.

A number of stories and legends were written about Ruadan long after his death. In one famous account, told in the Martyrology of Oengus, he is said to have won a cursing match with the pagan rulers of Tara. Ruadhan died in 584. His bell is preserved in the British Museum.

Saint Ruadhan (Rodan) , pray for us .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 16th April

Saint Bernadette

Visionary, and later nun. Born in 1844, Bernadette was the eldest of six children born to Francois Soubirous, a miller, and his wife Louise. The family lived in great poverty. When they couldn't afford to pay the rent, after 1857 the family were forced to live in one room of an old prison. Throughout her childhood Bernadette suffered many illnesses, including cholera. She had asthma all her life.

In 1858, when she was just 14, she began to experience a series of visions of Our Lady in a cave near a rubbish dump near the town at a place called Massabielle.

The Virgin described herself as 'The Immaculate Conception', a term which meant nothing to Bernadette. The Lady ordered the building of a church and told Bernadette to dig in the ground for water. Bernadette did as she was told and found the spring from which 27,000 gallons of water a week pours to this day.

The message of the visions was mainly concerned with the need for penance and prayer.

Initially the church was very sceptical about Bernadette¹s story. But after many interrogations the bishops began to believe her.

For several years Bernadette stayed in Lourdes and suffered as crowds followed her wherever she went. In 1866 she joined the Sisters of Notre Dame in Nevers. From that point she was completely cut off from Lourdes and did not see the consecration of the basilica built over the place where she had seen Our Lady.

The shrine grew to become the centre of the largest pilgrimage movement Europe.

St Bernadette died in 1879 after much illness. She was canonised in 1933, not because of her visions, but because of her total commitment, simplicity, integrity and trust.

24/7 link to TV Lourdes every day of the year :-

TV Lourdes - Live to the life the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes | Lourdes

Saint Bernadette , pray for us .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 17th April

St Stephen Harding

Abbot. St Stephen was probably born in Dorset, during the last part of the 11th century. He studied at Sherbourne Abbey and then travelled abroad, becoming a monk at Molesme in Burgundy.

In 1098 he went to Citeaux, with a group of other monks. In 1106 he became the third abbot there. St Stephen was an important reformer of the Cistercian order. His early years at Citeaux were difficult, but when St Bernard and his followers joined the community in 1112, good order was established and he went on to set up many more Cistercian houses. By 1119 St Stephen had written the Charter of Charity - a very important document which was to define Western monasticism for many years to come.

The high ideals, careful organisation, austerity and simplicity of the Cistercian life owe much to the character of Stephen Harding. During his 25 years as abbot it is said he led Citeaux from a struggling 'lodge in the wilderness' to the headship of a great religious order.

St Stephen died on this day in 1134. His fellow Englishman, William of Malmsbury, wrote that he was: "approachable, good-looking, always cheerful in the Lord. Everyone liked him."

St Stephen Harding , pray for those whose vocation is to be members of reigious orders .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 18th April


Today is Good Friday
Saint Laisren

Monk. This 7th century saint was born in Ireland and is venerated in Ireland and Scotland. He was abbot of Old Leighlan, Co Carlow, founder of Inishmurray, Co Sligo and supported the Roman calculation of Easter. Not much else is known about him.

One story suggest that he travelled to Rome and was made a bishop there. According to legend he managed to contract 30 illnesses at once as a penance. There are some large monastic ruins, and a series of praying stations at Inishmurray said to date back from his time. In Scotland a cave hermitage bears his name on Holy Island in Lanlash Bay, off Arran. St Laisren died in 639.

Saint Laisren , pray for us .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 19th April

Saint Alphege

Bishop and martyr. St Alphege was born in 954. He became a monk first at Deerhurst and then Bath. In 984 he was made bishop of Winchester, where he served for more than 20 years. During this time he was known for his great generosity to the poor and his personal austerity. In 994, King Ethelred the Unready sent him to negotiate with the Danes Anlaf and Swein who had raided London and Wessex. After meeting St Alphege, Anlaf became a Christian and pledged never to come to England again with warlike intent - a promise he kept.

In 1006 St Alphege succeeded Aelfric as archbishop of Canterbury, and received the pallium at Rome. In 1012 there was another massive invasion by the Danes. This time they raided Canterbury and captured Alphege, taking him away to Greenwich from where they demanded a huge ransom of £3,000. Alphege forbade his people to pay this money. In a drunken rage the Danes attacked him with bones. One man - Thorkel the Tall - tried to save him, but he died from an axe blow to the head.

St Alphege very quickly became a national hero. He was buried at St Paul's cathedral. Later his remains were transferred to Canterbury where the monks venerated him at the beginning and end of each day.

During his last sermon, before he too was martyred, St Thomas Becket commended his cause to God and St Alphege .

Saint Alphege , pray for us .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 20th April

Today is Easter Sunday

Agnes of Montepulciano

Dominican nun and mystic. Born in 1268, to a wealthy family in Gracchiano-Vecchio, in Italy, Agnes is said to have entered a convent in Montepulciano in Tuscany at the age of nine. She was later made bursar and superior at a new foundation in Proceno. There Agnes experienced many visions of Christ, Mary and the angels, and was invited to return to her home town.

Back in Montepulciano she established a new convent in a former brothel. Many prophesies and miracles were attributed to her. After a long illness she died aged 49 in 1217.

Her shrine soon became a popular pilgrimage destination. The Emperor Charles IV and Catherine of Siena were among her devotees. She is often depicted in art. Tiepolo paints her as one of the saints surrounding his Madonna in the Jesuit church in Venice. She is patroness of Montepulciano and is painted holding the town in her hands.


Agnes of Montepulciano , pray that we may look forward to the resurrection of the dead and everlasting life .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 21st April

Saint Beuno

Abbot. St Beuno lived in Wales during the 6th century. According to his Life, written 800 years later, he was born and educated in Herefordshire, near the present village of Llanfeuno. His main work was at Clynnog Fawr in Gwynedd where he founded a monastery. There are records of other churches and communities founded by him or his disciples, in central east Wales, in Clwyd and a large number in the north west, especially on Anglesey and the Lleyn peninsula. He is often described as the most important saint of North Wales.

The cult of St Beuno survived the Reformation. In 1589 someone recorded that local people were bringing their lambs and calves to his tomb in order to make them strong and healthy. In 1770 the custom still survived and it was written that parents were leaving sick children by his tomb at Eglwys y Bedd all night, and bathing them in his holy well.

The remains of his oratory at Clynnog Fawr were excavated in 1914.

Saint Beuno , pray for us .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 22nd April

Theodore of Sykeon

Monk and Bishop of Anastasiopolis in Galatia. This seventh century saint was the son of a prostitute who lived in a brothel. His father was a circus entertainer and acrobat who had nothing to do with his son.

Theodore's mother had her child baptised. (His name means 'gift of God') and the household's life changed, when Stephen, an elderly cook, came to live with them. His food was so delicious people came from long distances to eat there and the women were able to give up prostitution.

Stephen also taught Theodore to read and write and encouraged the boy to pray. When he was still very young Theodore became a hermit at Arkea. At 18 he was ordained priest and went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In the meantime his mother married a successful businessmen and his aunt and sister became nuns.

Theodore founded several monasteries and in 590, was appointed bishop of Anastasiopolis, near Ankara. He never wanted such a position of authority and gave up the office after ten years, returning to his life as a monk.

A long Life was written by one of his disciples. It is mostly a record of many healings and amazing miracles. He delivered farms from pests, and helped reconcile many married couples. Theodore died at Sykeon in 613.

Theodore of Sykeon , pray for married couples .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 23rd April

Saint George ( In England the Solemnity of St. George is this year transferred to 28th April because we are in the Octave of Easter )



Martyr. Patron saint of England, Venice, Genoa, Portugal and Catalonia. He is highly revered in Germany, Russia, Ethiopia and a patron of soldiers, knights, archers and armourers.

This third century saint was one of the most famous of the early martyrs. There is no historical evidence for his life. According to the writings of St Jerome and the Gregorian Sacramentary, he was a Palestinian soldier who was martyred for his faith at Lydda, during the persecutions of Diocletian and Maximian. From the earliest times churches were dedicated to him in Jerusalem. Numerous icons of him portrayed him as a powerful helper against evil powers affecting individual lives.

The most famous legend of St George and the Dragon became immensely popular in the west through the Golden Legend, translated and printed by Caxton. This tells of a dragon which terrorised the whole country, killing anyone who came near. For many years the monster was placated with offerings of sheep, and the occasional human being, chosen by lot. One day the king's daughter was picked as the dragon's next victim. She went to her fate, dressed as a bride, but George followed her, attacked the dragon and held it captive, using the princess's girdle. George told the people not to be afraid. He said if they believed in Jesus and were baptised, the dragon would be gone. The king and the people agreed and 15,000 were baptised then and there. George then killed the dragon. He refused any reward, simply asking the king to build churches and care for the poor.

The cult of St George has been known in England and Ireland since the 7th century. During the Crusades there was said to be a vision of the saint at the siege of Antioch, before the defeat of the Saracens. At the Synod of Oxford he was made the special patron of chivalry. Under King Edward III he became England's national patron the king founded the Order of the Garter under his patronage. In 1348 St George's Chapel at Windsor was founded. In 1415, this day was made a special festival throughout the country. St George's flag, the red cross on a white background is so widespread it is often regarded as a general Christian banner.

There are many paintings of St George around the world. Two famous ones are Ucelo's in the National Gallery, London, and Raphael's in the National Gallery of Washington. There are also murals at the cathedral of Clermont-Ferrand and the chapel of San Georgio at Padua.

There are churches dedicated to St George in Rome, Constantinople, Venice and Verona. In England more than 160 ancient churches and several modern ones are also named after him.

Saint George , pray for us .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 24th April

St. Mellitus

Bishop. Saint Mellitus was one of the second band of missionaries sent from Rome to England by Pope Gregory I. He took with him a letter advising Augustine not to destroy the temples of the Saxons, but only their idols. The temples he was told, should be turned into churches, and the pagan feasts adapted to Christian purposes. In 604 he was consecrated the first bishop of the East Saxons, with his see in London. He converted the King Sabert, but not his sons. When the king died they drove Mellitus out, after he refused their demand to give them the 'white bread' (the Eucharist).

Mellitus withdrew to Gaul for a year with St Justus of Rochester. When he returned to England he was made Archbishop of Canterbury.

He built St Mary's Church there. Mellitus died on this day in 624 and was buried near St Augustine in the abbey church of St Peter and St Paul.

Bede said that he was 'noble by birth but yet nobler in mind'.

St. Mellitus , pray for us .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 25th April

Saint Mark

Evangelist. Patron of Venice. St Mark was the first Gospel writer. He is usually associated with John Mark, whose mother's house in Jerusalem was a meeting place for the Apostles. He was also probably the young man described in Mark 14: 51 who followed Christ after his arrest and then ran away. He later accompanied both Paul and Peter. Paul and Barnabas (Mark's cousin) took him with them on their first missionary journey.

Mark turned back at Perga. There was some argument. Barnabas and Mark later preached together in Cyprus. Some time after, when Paul was a prisoner in Rome, Mark was there again helping him. Paul refers to him affectionately as his 'son' (Col 4:10). Peter also speaks of him with affection (1 Pet 5: 13 and 15) According to legend he became bishop of Alexandria.

Historians think the Gospel of St Mark was written in Italy, probably in Rome. Tradition holds that Mark was martyred in the eighth year of Nero in Alexandria.

There is a long history of St Mark's relics. His body was brought to Venice in the ninth century. The basilica which was burnt down in 976 and rebuilt contains relics from Alexandria and a beautiful series of mosaics which tell the story of St Mark's life. The symbol of St Mark is a winged lion.

Saint Mark , pray for us .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 26th April


Saint Pedro de Betancur

Priest and the first saint of Guatemala. Born into a poor family on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Pedro was a shepherd until he was 24 when he began to make his way to Guatemala, hoping to connect with a relative engaged in government service there. By the time he reached Havana, he was out of money. After working there to earn more, he got to Guatemala City in the following year. When he arrived he was so destitute that he joined the bread line which the Franciscans had established.

Soon, Pedro enrolled in the local Jesuit college in hopes of studying for the priesthood. But he found studying very difficult and eventually left school. In 1655 he joined the Secular Franciscan Order. Three years later he opened a hospital for the convalescent poor; a shelter for the homeless and a school for the poor soon followed. Not wanting to neglect the rich of Guatemala City, Pedro began walking through their part of town ringing a bell and inviting them to repent.

Other men came to share in Pedro's work. He died in 1667, but his community went on to become the Bethlehemite Congregation.

Pedro is known as the St Francis of the Americas. He is sometimes credited with originating the Christmas Eve posadas procession in which people representing Mary and Joseph seek a night's lodging from their neighbours. The custom soon spread to Mexico and other Central American countries.

Pedro was beatified in 1980. On July 30 2003, he was canonised by Pope John Paul II in Guatemala City before a crowd of more than 500,000 people.

During the ceremony, the Holy Father said he was an outstanding example of Christian mercy. He said Pedro practiced mercy heroically with the lowliest and the most deprived.


Saint Pedro de Betancur , pray for us .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 27th April

Saint Zita

Domestic servant. Patron of maidservants. Born at Monsagrati, in 1218, she worked for the Farinelli household all her life from the age of 12. She was very conscientious, which initially did not make her popular with the other staff. She was also very generous with food for the poor, which annoyed her employers. However she eventually won everyone over by her patience and good nature and became a confidential friend of the family. Many miracles were attributed to her. Once angels are said to have baked her cakes while she was rapt in prayer.

Soon after her death at Lucca in 1272, a popular cult grew up around her tomb. In 1748 her name was added to the Roman Martyrology. By that time there were chapels in her honour as far afield as Palermo and Ely. In England she was known as Sitha, and invoked by housewives and domestic servants, especially when they lost keys, or were in danger from rivers or crossing bridges. Her emblem is a bunch of keys.

St Zita is depicted in murals in (Shorthampton, Oxon), in stained glass (Mells and Langport, Somerset) and on rood screens in Norfolk (Barton Turf) Suffolk, (Somerleyton) and Devon (Ashton).

No churches were dedicated to her, but St Benet Shorehog in London had a chapel of St Zita, known as St Sythes.


Saint Zita , pray for us .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 28th April


St Peter Chanel

Marist priest and the first martyr of the South Seas. St Peter Chanel was born in 1804 near Cras in France. His parents were peasants. His parishpriest, the Abbe Trompier, took him on as a pupil because he was so bright and very devout. Peter went to the local seminary, was ordained, and rebuilt the very run-down parish of Croizet in three years.

He then joined the Marist missionaries which had been recently founded by Jean Colin at Lyon. He dreamt of being sent abroad but instead worked for five years at the seminary of Belley. Finally in 1836 he was sent to the South Pacific Islands.

Together with a laybrother and an English laymen, Thomas Boog, they settled on Futuna, near Fiji. Cannibalism had only recently been banned on the island by the ruler Niuliki. At first they were warmly welcomed, but after Peter had worked with the sick and learnt some of the local language, Niuliki became jealous. When his son asked to be baptised with some others, he became was so angry he sent a group of warriors to kill Peter, while his companions were away. They clubbed him to death and cut up his body with knives and axes.

In spite of this, many of the islanders remained faithful to the teaching they had received from Peter Chanel.

One said: "He loves us. He does what he teaches. He forgives his enemies. His teaching is good." Just a year later the whole island became Christian.

Peter Chanel was canonised in 1954 by Pope Pius XII.

St Peter Chanel , pray for us that it may be said of us that we live the Gospel .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 29th April

St Catherine of Siena

Mystic. Dominican tertiary. St Catherine was born in 1347, the youngest of about 20 children of a Sienese dyer, Giacomo Benincasa. From a very early age she was very prayerful and refused to consider marriage. In around 1367 she joined the Dominicans, still living at home and spending much of her time in prayer. She underwent many religious experiences, frequently experiencing visions of Jesus .

Gradually a group formed round her, of lay people and religious, young and old. One was an Austin Friar, from England, William Flete. They became her 'family' or 'fine troop', the Caterinati' who followed her when she began to travel around the country. She spent much of her time caring for the sick. During the plague years she visited many sick and dying people in their homes, dug graves and assisted with burials. In 1375 she mediated in the war between Florence and other city states and the papal government. This took her to Avignon and Pope Gregory XI. She begged him to return to Rome, which he did. His successor Urban VI was immediately opposed by a rival Pope - beginning the 'great schism' that rent western Christianity for 40 years. Catherine threw herself into the struggle on behalf of Pope Urban. He called her to Rome and often consulted her. In the midst of the turmoil she died in 1380.

Although her role in church politics was important, her significance as a saint lies much more with her personal holiness, her compassion and concern for the salvation of all. Many of her letters survive, revealing a passionate and outspoken character. She often wrote to the Pope with a mixture of respectfulness and familiarity. Among her correspondents was Sir John Hawkwood, from Essex. Her Dialogue on men's religious and moral problems and duties is an Italian classic now available in English.

St Catherine was canonised in 1461. She was made a Doctor of the Church in 1970.

St Catherine of Siena , pray for us .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 30th April


Saint Pius V

Pope. Anthony Ghislieri was born in 1504 in Piedmont, Itay. He joined the Dominicans in 1518, was ordained in 1540 and then taught philosophy and theology for 16 years before becoming bishop of Suiri in 1556. He was made a cardinal in 1557 and elected Pope in 1565

His first task was to begin implementing the sweeping reforms called for by the Council. He ordered the founding of seminaries and published a new missal, a new breviary, and a new catechism as well as establishing the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) classes for the young. Pius built hospitals, provided food for the hungry and gave money customarily used for the papal banquets to poor Roman converts. His decision to keep wearing his Dominican habit led to the custom of the pope wearing a white cassock.

In striving to reform both Church and state, Pius encountered strong opposition from England's Queen Elizabeth and the Roman Emperor Maximilian II. Problems in France and in the Netherlands also hindered Pius's hopes for a Europe united against the Ottoman Turks. Only at the last minute was he able to organize a fleet which won a decisive victory in the Gulf of Lepanto, off Greece, on October 7, 1571.

Pius spent long hours in prayer, fasted rigorously, deprived himself of many customary papal luxuries and faithfully observed the Dominican Rule. He died in 1572 and was canonised in 1712.

Saint Pius V , pray for us .


and St Erkenwald (Erconwald)

Bishop of London. This seventh century saint was London's most important religious figure for many centuries. His diocese extended over Essex and Middlesex. Reputed to be of royal blood, he founded the monasteries of Chertsey in Surrey and Barking in Essex. He ruled Chertsey while his sister, St Ethleburga was abbess of Barking.

During his lifetime he had a great reputation for holiness. He helped to bring about reconciliation between Wilfred and Theodore.

He died at Barking on this day in 693 and was buried in St Paul's Cathedral. His relics survived the fire of 1087. His shrine become more ornate each century as it was endowed by London canons and merchants. It was a popular place of pilgrimage until it was destroyed during the Reformation.

St Erkenwald , pray for us .

 

[AXO]

HALLELUJAH, HALLELUJAH FOR FATHER PIUS IN HEAVEN!

Father,
You chose Saint Pius V as pope of Your Church
to protect the faith and give You more fitting worship.
By his prayers,
help us to celebrate Your holy mysteries
with a living faith and an effective love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen


Pontiff of the living God! thou wast, whilst on earth, the pillar of iron and wall of brass, spoken of by the Prophet (Jerem. i. 18). Thine unflinching firmness preserved the flock entrusted to thee from the violence and snares of its many enemies. Far from desponding at the sight of the dangers, thy courage redoubled, just as men raise the embankments higher, when they see the torrent swell. By thee was the spread of Heresy checked; by thee was the Mussulman invasion repelled, and the haughty Crescent humbled. God honoured thee, by choosing thee as the avenger of His glory, and the deliverer of the Christian people: receive our thanks, and the homage of our humble praise! By thee were repaired the injuries done to the Church during a period of unusual trial. The true reform, the reform that is wrought by authority, was vigorously applied by thy strong and holy hand. To thee is due the restoration of the Divine Service, by the publication of the Books of holy Liturgy. And all these glorious deeds were done in the six short years of thy laborious Pontificate!

Hear, now, the prayers addressed to thee by the Church Militant, whose destinies were once in thy hands. When dying, thou didst beseech our Risen Jesus to grant her protection against the dangers which were then threatening her: oh! see the state to which licentious error has now reduced almost the whole Christian world! The Church has nothing left to her, wherewith to make head against her countless enemies, save the promises of her Divine Founder; all visible support is withdrawn from her; she has been deprived of everything except the merit of suffering and the power of prayer.

Unite, O holy Pontiff, thy prayers to hers, and show how unchanged is thy love of the Flock of Christ. Protect, in Rome, the Chair of thy Successor, attacked as it now is by open violence and astute hypocrisy. Princes and Peoples seem to have conspired against God and His Christ: disconcert the schemes of sacrilegious ambition, and the plots of impiety which would fain give the lie to the word of God. Avert, by thine intercession, the scourges which are threatening Europe, that has become ungrateful to the Church, and indifferent to the attempts made against her to whom they owe all they have. Pray that the blind may see, and the wicked be confounded. Pray that the True Faith may enlighten those numberless souls that call error truth, and darkness light.

In the midst of this dark and menacing night, thine eyes, O holy Pontiff, discern them that are the faithful sheep of Christ: bless them, aid them, increase their number. Engraft them to the venerable Tree which dieth not, that so they may not be drifted by the storm. Get them docility to the Faith and traditions of holy Church; it is their only stay amidst the tide of error, which is now threatening to deluge the whole world. Preserve to the Church the holy Order, in which thou wast trained for the high mission destined for thee; keep up within her that race of men, powerful in work and word, zealous for the Faith and sanctification of souls, of which we read in her Annals, and which has yielded Saints such as thyself. And lastly, O Pius, remember that thou wast once the Father of the Faithful: oh! continue to be so, by thy powerful intercession, till the number of the elect be filled up!

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 1st May

Saint Joseph the Worker .

Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955. But the relationship between Joseph and the cause of workers has a much longer history. In a constantly necessary effort to keep Jesus from being removed from ordinary human life, the Church has from the beginning proudly emphasized that Jesus was a carpenter, obviously trained by Joseph in both the satisfactions and the drudgery of that vocation. Humanity is like God not only in thinking and loving, but also in creating. Whether we make a table or a cathedral, we are called to bear fruit with our hands and mind, ultimately for the building up of the Body of Christ.


Comment:

“The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it” (Genesis 2:15). The Father created all and asked humanity to continue the work of creation. We find our dignity in our work, in raising a family, in participating in the life of the Father’s creation. Joseph the Worker was able to help participate in the deepest mystery of creation. Pius XII emphasized this when he said, “The spirit flows to you and to all men from the heart of the God-man, Savior of the world, but certainly, no worker was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by it than the foster father of Jesus, who lived with Him in closest intimacy and community of family life and work. Thus, if you wish to be close to Christ, we again today repeat, ‘Go to Joseph’” (see Genesis 41:44).


Quote:

In Brothers of Men, René Voillaume of the Little Brothers of Jesus speaks about ordinary work and holiness: “Now this holiness (of Jesus) became a reality in the most ordinary circumstances of life, those of work, of the family and the social life of a village, and this is an emphatic affirmation of the fact that the most obscure and humdrum human activities are entirely compatible with the perfection of the Son of God....this mystery involves the conviction that the evangelical holiness proper to a child of God is possible in the ordinary circumstances of someone who is poor and obliged to work for his living.”

St. Joseph the Worker , pray for us .