Saint of the day and Feast days.

[Brigid]

Here is a book of her life: Louise de Marillac: A Light in the Darkness by Kathryn B. LaFleur, SP

I like her, too. I'll be interested to read this book.

[odhiambo]

Thanks for the bio on St. Louise de Marillac.  Today is her feast day!
She is one of my favorites as she endured depression (among other Saints).  They called it melancholia back then.  St. Vincent de Paul tried to help her several times.

Here is a book of her life: Louise de Marillac: A Light in the Darkness by Kathryn B. LaFleur, SP

A Light in the Darknes indeed. Thanks for the book. 

[odhiambo]

There seems to be three ways of bearing our trials.
1) with complaint  
2) with resignation  
3) with joy.  

The third one obviously has the right attitude.
Now, how do I get there?  

One day at a time martin, one day at a time  

[odhiambo]

17 March

Today is the Feast day of
Saint. Patrick
Among many other saints.

[odhiambo]

Saint. Patrick ( 385-461)

the patron saint of Ireland.

Saint Patrick is one of the most beloved of all saints. His given name was Patricius Magonus Sucatus. He was born around the year 385 in the then Roman province of Britain, somewhere along the west coast of Britain. He was a Roman citizen. His father was Calpurnius, a deacon and his grandfather was Potitus, a priest (apparently it was still not uncommon for deacons and priests to marry). Patrick’s parents were wealthy. Patrick therefore grew up in the church.
When Patrick was sixteen, Irish raiders invaded his home town, seized a great number of its inhabitants, including Patrick and carried them across the Irish Sea into Ireland and sold into slavery.
Patrick was bought by a landowner of Slemish, near Ballymena in County Antrim. He served as a herdsman. As a slave, he was poorly fed and clothed. Moreover, he longed for his home
During the six years he spent in servitude, Patrick underwent a profound religious transformation. In the year 407, he was commanded in a dream to escape, and he did just that by walking nearly 200 miles to the Irish coast where he found a ship departing and was allowed to board. The ship was full of Irish wolfhounds on its way to the continent. They arrive in France after spending two months with the crew.
He went to a monastery in the south of France: St. Honorat.
After a number of years Patrick returned to Britain and was warmly welcomed by the remaining relatives who treatsd him like a son and bid him to never leave again. But Ireland was calling him. Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation—an angel in a dream told him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, and later, bishop, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission: to minister to the few Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish.
Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish, and used the three-leaved shamrock to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity.

Patrick faced opposition, however, mostly from Druids and their followers. He was robbed, beaten, imprisoned and tortured. Once he was taken a slaved again. Twelve times his enemies nearly killed him. He wrote: “Daily I expect murder, fraud, or captivity, but I fear none of these things. I have cast myself into the hands of God Almighty, who rules everywhere, as the prophet says: ‘Cast your cares upon God, and He shall sustain you.’”
By the end of his life, Patrick had traveled across the five kingdoms of the island and had won the conversion of virtually the whole of the Irish people. He established his home base in Armagh.
Before his death, Saint Patrick wrote thus: “ Hence did it come to pass in Ireland that those who never had a knowledge of God… have now been made a people of the Lord, and are called Sons of God”.
His two primary achievements were the promotion of a native clergy and the careful integration of the Christian faith with native Irish-Celtic culture.
He used a simple, sincere biblical style of teaching that won both hearts and minds.
Patrick was the author of Confessio- a moving testimony of his personal faith. He also wrote Letters to Coroticus, a troublesome chieftain.
Legends about Saint Patrick abound. The most famous is perhaps that of his expulsion of snakes from Ireland. Scientists are however certain that there never were snakes on the island.
Patrick died on March 17, 461. This day is now celebrated as St. Patrick’s Day.

Patrick’s spectacular success in converting Ireland from a pagan to a Christian land, as well as the body of legend that developed around his work have ensured that he is commemorated in Ireland and wherever Irish immigrants have settled throughout the world—from Boston to Singapore.

Saint Patrick,
Pray for us!

[Patricia]

Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish, and used the three-leaved shamrock to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity.

How smart is that!

[Shin]

“Daily I expect murder, fraud, or captivity, but I fear none of these things. I have cast myself into the hands of God Almighty, who rules everywhere, as the prophet says: ‘Cast your cares upon God, and He shall sustain you.’”

How fearless! However black, because of His trust in Providence -- we have St. Patrick!

[Shin]

This is one of my favorite pieces:

On the occasion of his first visit to Rathcrogan, the royal seat of the kings of Connaught, situated near Tulsk, in the County of Roscommon, a remarkable incident occurred, recorded in many of the authentic narratives of the saint's life.

Close by the clear fountain of Clebach, not far from the royal abode, Patrick and his venerable companions had pitched their tents and at early dawn were chanting the praises of the Most High, when the two daughters of the Irish monarch — Ethne, the fair, and Fedelm, the ruddy — came thither, as was their wont, to bathe. Astonished at the vision that presented itself to them, the royal maidens cried out: "Who are ye, and whence do ye come? Are ye phantoms, or fairies, or friendly mortals?" St. Patrick said to them: "It were better you would adore and worship the one true God, whom we announce to you, than that you would satisfy your curiosity by such vain questions." And then Ethne broke forth into the questions:

    "Who is God?"
    "And where is God?"
    "Where is His dwelling?"
    "Has He sons and daughters?"
    "Is He rich in silver and gold?"
    "Is He everlasting? is He beautiful?"
    "Are His daughters dear and lovely to the men of this world?"
    "Is He on the heavens or on earth?"
    "In the sea, in rivers, in mountains, in valleys?"
    "Make Him known to us. How is He to be seen?"
    "How is He to be loved? How is He to be found?"
    "Is it in youth or is it in old age that He may be found?"

But St. Patrick, filled with the Holy Ghost, made answer:

    "God, whom we announce to you, is the Ruler of all things."
    "The God of heaven and earth, of the sea and the rivers."
    "The God of the sun, and the moon, and all the stars."
    "The God of the high mountains and of the low-lying valleys."
    "The God who is above heaven, and in heaven, and under heaven."
    "His dwelling is in heaven and earth, and the sea, and all therein."
    "He gives breath to all."
    "He gives life to all."
    "He is over all."
    "He upholds all."
    "He gives light to the sun."
    "He imparts splendour to the moon."
    "He has made wells in the dry land, and islands in the ocean."
    "He has appointed the stars to serve the greater lights."
    "His Son is co-eternal and co-equal with Himself."
    "The Son is not younger than the Father."
    "And the Father is not older than the Son."
    "And the Holy Ghost proceeds from them."
    "The Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost are undivided."
    "But I desire by Faith to unite you to the Heavenly King, as you are daughters of an earthly king."

The maidens, as if with one voice and one heart, said: "Teach us most carefully how we may believe in the Heavenly King; show us how we may behold Him face to face, and we will do whatsoever you shall say to us."

And when he had instructed them he said to them: "Do you believe that by baptism you put off the sin inherited from the first parents."

They answered: "We believe."

"Do you believe in penance after sin?"

"We believe."

"Do you believe in life after death?" Do you believe in resurrection on the Day of Judgement?"

"We believe."

"Do you believe in the unity of the Church?"

"We believe."

Then they were baptized, and were clothed in white garments. And they besought that they might behold the face of Christ. And the saint said to them: "You cannot see the face of Christ unless you taste death, and unless you receive the Sacrifice." They answered: "Give us the Sacrifice, so that we may be able to behold our Spouse." And the ancient narrative adds: "when they received the Eucharist of God, they slept in death, and they were placed upon a couch, arrayed in their white baptismal robes."

[martin]

All the children of Ireland
cry out to thee:
Come, O Holy Patrick, and save us!
From the words the angel spoken to Patrick.

St Patrick ora pro nobis.   

[odhiambo]

St. Patrick’s Breastplate

I like this portion of the poem traditionally attributed to Saint Patrick.
.....
I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s host to secure me
against snares of devils
against temptations of vices
against inclinations of nature
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear,
alone and in a crowd…..

[Patricia]

We need some of these strong-willed Saints in this day and age, who will call a spade a spade.

[Brigid]

We need some of these strong-willed Saints in this day and age, who will call a spade a spade.

We need a lot of priests who will call a spade a spade!

[odhiambo]

18 March

Today is the Feast day of
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem
Among many other saints.

[odhiambo]

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem
Bishop,
Confessor and Doctor of the Church.

Cyril was born in Jerusalem around the year 315. (other scholars believe that Cyril was born and brought up in Caesarea of Palestine). He was born in a family of Christian faith with both his parents being devout Christians and was immediately drawn to the Church.

His religious career started around 326 when he became a deacon. He slowly rose through the ranks next becoming a priest in 345. He was ordained priest by St. Maximus, who gave him the important charge of instructing and preparing the candidates for Baptism.
In 349 or 350, on the death of St. Maximus, Cyril was chosen Bishop or patriarch of Jerusalem.
At the beginning of his episcopate a cross was seen in the air reaching from Mount Calvary to Mount Olivet, and so bright that it shone at noonday. St. Cyril gave an account of it to the emperor; and the faithful regarded it as a presage or foreshadow of victory over the Arian heretics. The Arian Controversy however was still prevalent and causing severe upheaval. Because of the heretics, Cyril spent sixteen of his thirty-five years as Bishop in various kinds of exile.
In 357 he was driven from his seat by Arian heretics. He was forced to retire to Tarsus (in present-day Turkey). At that time he was officially charged with selling church property to help the poor, although the actual motivation appears to be that St. Cyril was teaching Nicene, and not Arian, doctrine in his catechism. He was restored to his see in 359.

He suffered a second exile in 360, this time by Emperor Julian the Apostate but later returned.

The Arian Emperor Valens banished him once more in 367, his third and final exile. Cyril was however cleared of all charges by Saint Gregory of Nyssa. The way was cleared for a return following Valens’ death at the battle of Adrianople in 378.at the accession of Emperor Gratian.

Cyril and Gregory attended the First Council of Constantinople together in 381. At that council, he voted for acceptance of the term "homooussios". that is, that Jesus Christ and God are of the "same substance" and are equally God.
After a troubled episcopate of thirty-five years, Cyril died in peace in 386. He was declared Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII

Saint Cyril.
Pray for us!

[odhiambo]

Cyril became well known for his charitable works in the City of Jerusalem. He was known for performing some rather unorthodox actions in order to feed the poor. For example in the mid 350’s the city of Jerusalem was hit with drastic food shortages at which point church historians Sozomen and theodoret reported “Cyril secretly sold sacrament ornaments of the church and a valuable holy robe, fashioned with gold thread that the emperor Constantine had once donated for the bishop to wear when he performed the rite of Baptism”

It was also believed Cyril sold ornaments and many imperial gifts all in the name of charity to keep his people from starving!
Question:
If indeed it was true that he sold sacramentals to feed the hungry, would there have been any wrong there?

[odhiambo]

Cyril is honored as a catechist. His famous twenty-three catechetical lectures is considered a theological masterpiece. Each lecture is based upon a text of Scripture, and there is an abundance of Scriptural quotation throughout. After a general introduction, eighteen lectures follow, they are instructional addresses for baptismal candidates during Lent and the remaining five are addressed to the newly baptized, in preparation for the reception of Holy Communion. These last instructional addresses are called mystagogic, because they deal with the mysteries i.e. Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist.