Saint of the day and Feast days.

[martin]

"...true spiritual life consists in this:
that man keep his eyes on God all the time,
long for nothing but for God,
keep nothing in mind but God,
begin every single action in the Lord's name, and direct it to Him: in short,
that he unify his whole being -- mind, will, memory, senses, and actions -- in God..."
Anthony Mary Zaccaria, Sermon II

In other words, the natural state of man, how he is meant to be, and is in Heaven, no?

It is how God had planned it to be before we disobeyed Him.

Brings to mind Felix Culpa .
"O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer"

By His grace we stand to gain more than we lost. But we must still choose the narrow path.

[odhiambo]

July 6

Today is the Feast day of
Saint Maria Goretti
Among many others

[odhiambo]

Maria Goretti
Virgin Martyr

Maria was born on October 16, 1890 at Corinaldo, near Ancona, Italy. She was the oldest girl in a family of six ( Another account is that she was the third of seven children). She was the daughter of a farmer named Luigi. Her mother was a devout woman named Assunta. Maria never attended any formal education but she received a thorough grounding in Christian virtue from her devout , albeit illiterate mother. Assunta, among other things, taught Marietta, as the little girl was fondly called, her catechism and prayers from memory. She taught Maria to love God wholeheartedly and to hate sin above all things. In fact , even at a tender age, "Rather to die than to commit sin" became Maria's rule of life.
When Maria was nine years old, her family moved to Nettuno near Rome ( A nother account says the family moved to Ferriere di Conca, near Anzio), for reasons of employment. The year following this move, Luigi died. Maria, just ten years old, generously helped her mother on the farm, in the house and with the care of the younger brothers and sisters. She was like a second mother to them, teaching them their prayers, looking after them and urging them to be obedient and modest.
Maria received her First Holy Communion at the age of eleven years.
By the time she was twelve years old, Maria had blossomed into a pretty girl with a radiant smile. Danger, however was not far off.
A nineteen year old man, Alexander Serenelli, son of another man who worked with her father, lived in the same house with the Gorettis. She suffered martyrdom at the hands of this youth. On a number of occasions he attempted to seduce Maria, but she resolutely rejected all his advances.
On July 5 1902, he beconed her into an adjoining bedroom but she would not go in. He had a dagger in his hand and gave her a choice, surrender or die. Promptly and courageously, Maria cried: ' It is a sin, God does not want it!" In murderous rage, Alexander seized her , pulled her in and shut the door. He stabbed her repeatedly, then fled from the scene.
Maria was taken to the hospital where it was obvious that she could not live. After 24 hours of agony and pain, Maria died in the presence of her mother, the parish priest of Nettuno and two nuns who had watched by her bed all night on 6 July 1902. She completely forgave her attacker before she died.
Alexander was sentenced to serve thirty years in Jail. For a long time, he was unrepentant, surly and brutal. One night , he had a vision in which Maria appeared gathering flowers and offering them to him. From then on , he was a changed man and such an exemplary prisoner that he was released after serving only twenty seven years( 29 years by other accounts). First thing he did as a free man was to visit Maria's mother and ask for her forgiveness.
She was beatified in 1947, by Pope Pius XII and canonized on June 25, 1950 also by Pope Pius XII. Her mother was there to witness the canonization. Guess who else was there for the occasion? Yes, you guessed it, Alexander Serenelli.
Saint Maria Goretti has performed many miracles. The greatest one was the conversion of her defiant assailant.
For more, here is a relevant link.

Saint Maria Goretti,
Pray for us!

[odhiambo]

Quote:

“ The message which emerges from the story of Maria Goretti is one concerning personal dignity at the simple human level, which must be defended against every ruse and every violence, and it is one which also concerns consecration of one’s energies, including physical energies, to the Lord and to the Church, in radical obedience to God’s law”

Pope John Paul II.
Taken from Feast of All Saints

[odhiambo]

In other words, the natural state of man, how he is meant to be, and is in Heaven, no?

Your comment has brought to mind this statement I read from one of my favorite books:
"The first reason...the big reason why God made the universe and us-was to give glory to himself"
Any comments?

[odhiambo]

July 7
Today is the Feast day of
 Saint Pantaenus
Among many other saints

[odhiambo]

Saint Pantaenus of Alexandria.

We do not know very much about the early life of this saint. We do know , however, that he was from Sicily, Italy and that he was pagan by birth and a Philosopher by profession. Being of a keen mind and always searching for the truth, he found that truth in Christianity to which he converted.
He studied Holy Scriptures and his thirst for sacred learning took him to Alexandria in Egypt where he became a teacher at the celebrated school of Christian doctrine, said to have been instituted by the disciples of Saint Mark. This school was the earliest catechetical school, and became influential in the development of Christian theology.
Note that other accounts record that Pantaenus was the one who actually founded the Catechetical School of Alexandria.
Being a very humble man, he was reluctant to show that he was well read and gifted. Soon however, he was discovered and drawn out of the obscurity in which he humbly placed himself. He became a teacher at the school. Sometime before the year 179, due to his learning and skills in teaching, he became head of the Catechetical School and helped to built it into a leading center of learning. He is infact said to be the first known head of that famed school.
His most famous student, Clement of Alexandria, who was his successor as head of the Catechetical School, described Pantaenus thus:
"The true Sicilian Bee, gathering the flowers of the prophetic and apostolic meadow, engendered in the soul of his hearers an unfading element of knowledge"
You know what is said about scicilian bees? they are very productive!
The saint died in ? 190, 200, or 216. Not really known for sure.
His canonization was precongregation.

Saint Pantaenus,
Pray for us!

[Shin]

always searching for the truth,

"The true Sicilian Bee, gathering the flowers of the prophetic and apostolic meadow, engendered in the soul of his hearers an unfading element of knowledge"

Music to my ears! Thank you odhiambo! What a wonderful quote to find, and so timely too. Thanks be to the Lord, the Good Shepherd!

[odhiambo]

always searching for the truth,

"The true Sicilian Bee, gathering the flowers of the prophetic and apostolic meadow, engendered in the soul of his hearers an unfading element of knowledge"

Music to my ears! Thank you odhiambo! What a wonderful quote to find, and so timely too. Thanks be to the Lord, the Good Shepherd!

[odhiambo]

July 8
Today is the Feast day of
Saint Hesperius and Saint Zoe
Among many other saints

[odhiambo]

Saint Hesperius and Saint Zoe
Martyrs.
Saint Hesperius and his wife Saint Zoe were both Christians. They were also slaves of a rich Roman Pagan named Catalus, who lived during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian, at Attalia, a town of Pamphylia in Asia Minor (Turkey). Both Hesperius and Zoe were not what one might call "practicing Christians" as they were said to be " negligent in their practice of the Faith". The couple , however did right by their two sons, Cyriacus and Theodulus, making sure that they were brought up as good Christians. It so happened that on the occasion of the delivery of their newborn son, their master, Catalus, sent them food which had been offered to the pagan gods. The family refused to accept this gift of food.
They were immediataly arrested and put on trial. They made a bold confession of their faith and refused to venerate the pagan gods.
Their sons were then tortured in their presence, in the hope that the agony witnessed would weaken their resolve and cause them to renounce their faith. But neither of the two would reject Christ.This so infuriated, Catalus that he had them roasted to death in a furnace, all four of them.
Saint Hersperius,
Pray for us!
Saint Zoe,
Pray for us!

[odhiambo]

“O! What happiness to grow up in the bosom of a truly Christian family. It requires care, a great deal of care, conscientiously to fulfill the obligations of father and mother. The parents are a mirror to their children; and the children constantly look into this mirror. What a consolation it is for you if you can say: I am the father/mother of a pious child pleasing to God and man”
St John Baptist Marie Vianney.

Taken From Feast of All Saints

[martin]

“O! What happiness to grow up in the bosom of a truly Christian family. It requires care, a great deal of care, conscientiously to fulfill the obligations of father and mother. The parents are a mirror to their children; and the children constantly look into this mirror. What a consolation it is for you if you can say: I am the father/mother of a pious child pleasing to God and man”
St John Baptist Marie Vianney.

Taken From Feast of All Saints

A lot in those few lines for us parents to meditate upon.

[odhiambo]

“O! What happiness to grow up in the bosom of a truly Christian family. It requires care, a great deal of care, conscientiously to fulfill the obligations of father and mother. The parents are a mirror to their children; and the children constantly look into this mirror. What a consolation it is for you if you can say: I am the father/mother of a pious child pleasing to God and man”
St John Baptist Marie Vianney.

Taken From Feast of All Saints

A lot in those few lines for us parents to meditate upon.

True. Unfortunately, many of today's children, once they have reached a certain age, turn away from "the mirror" branding it as old fashioned, outdated, etc.

[odhiambo]

July 9

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

[Shin]

“O! What happiness to grow up in the bosom of a truly Christian family. It requires care, a great deal of care, conscientiously to fulfill the obligations of father and mother. The parents are a mirror to their children; and the children constantly look into this mirror. What a consolation it is for you if you can say: I am the father/mother of a pious child pleasing to God and man”
St John Baptist Marie Vianney.

Taken From Feast of All Saints

A lot in those few lines for us parents to meditate upon.

True. Unfortunately, many of today's children, once they have reached a certain age, turn away from "the mirror" branding it as old fashioned, outdated, etc.

Television. When I hear about that the first word that comes to my mind is: television. It's this society.. its views.. its media.. it has to be kept out . . .