Saint of the day and Feast days - Part 2

[odhiambo]

May 20
Today we remember
Saint Basilla of Rome
Among many other Saints.

[odhiambo]

Saint Basilla
Martyr.
 A martyr during the reign of Emperor Galerius, Basilla was a member of a noble Roman family. She is also known as Basilissa. According to tradition, she was betrothed to a pagan aristocrat named Pompeius while still a pagan. When she became a Christian, she refused to marry him, preferring instead to devote herself and her life to Christ.  She was denounced to the Emperor by her would be suitor. She was given a choice, marry Pompeius or die for the faith. She remained steadfast in her refusal to marry him and was beheaded in 304.
Canonization was Pre-Congregation.
Saint Basilla
Pray for us!

[odhiambo]

May 21
Today is the Memorial of
Saint Ageranus.
Among many other Saints.

[odhiambo]

Saint Ageranus.
Martyr.
Ageranus was a Benedictine monk in the monastery of the Order of Beze Cote-d’Or, in France. During the Norman invasion when the invading army arrived on the scene, Ageranus chose to stay and defend the sacred precints of the monastery. Others who made the same choice were: a priest, Ansuinus; four other monks namely: Berard, Genesius; Rodron and Sifrard. A young lad, probably a novice, Aldaric also remained. The other monks had long fled the monastery. They were all murdered defending the alters in 888.
All were canonized Pre-Congragation!
Saint Ageranus.
Pray for us!
Saint Ansuinus
Pray for us!
Saint Berard,
Pray for us!
Saint Genesius;
Pray for us!
Saint Rodron
Pray for us!
Saint Sifrard
Pray for us!

[odhiambo]

May 22
Today is the Memorial of
Saint Humility
Among many other Saints

[odhiambo]

Saint Humility
Foundress.
Also called Rosanna or Humilitas.
She was born in 1226 at Faenza, Italy and her name was Rosanna. She got married at age fifteen to a nobleman named Ugoletto. They had two children who both died in infancy. In 1250 Ugoletto recovered from a near fatal illness. After this, the couple decided on a different course of life. Ugoletto became a monk. Rosanna became a nun, taking the name of Sister Humility. She lived as a recluse until she founded the convent of Santa Maria Novella on Malta, the first Vallombrosan convent for nuns, and served as its abbess. She also founded a second convent at Florence, Italy, and lived her remaining years there.
Sister Humility died on 22 May 1310 at Florence.
She was canonized on 27 January 1720 by Pope Clement XI.
Saint Humility
Pray for us!

[Shin]

St. Humility pray for us!

[odhiambo]

May 23
Today we remember
Saint William of Rochester
Among many other Saints.

[odhiambo]

Saint William of Rochester
William was born in the 12th century in Perth, Scotland. He reportedly had a wild youth but reformed completely as a young adult devoting himself to God and caring particularly for poor and neglected children. He was a baker and for every 10 loaves he made, he reportedly gave away one. He attended daily Mass.
One morning on his way to church he found an infant abandoned on the threshold. He took the baby home, adopted him and named him "Cockermay Doucri", which is reportedly Scots for "David the Foundling".  He taught David his trade as is expected of any father. Years later, the two started out on a pilgrimage to the Holy Lands. They made a stop over at Rochester where they stayed three days intending to proceed the next day to Canterbury. It was not to be; with robbery in his heart, David turned on his benefactor, felled him with a blow on the head and cut his throat! David robbed his father and fled from the scene. The body was discovered by a mad woman, who reportedly plaited a garland of flowers and placed it first on the head of the corpse and then her own head, whereupon the madness left her. When the monks of Rochester heard of the miraculous happening, they carried the body to the cathedral of Rochester and buried it there.  Miracles were soon reported at his grave.
Due to the fact that William was on a holy mission when he was killed and the fact that miracles have occurred at his tomb, he is considered a martyr.
Saint William of Rochester,
Pray for us!

[Shin]

 

[odhiambo]

I know 
 It goes to show that upbringing is not always the explanation of our adult character.

[odhiambo]

May 24
Today we remember 
Saint Simeon Stylites the Younger
Among many other Saints
 

[odhiambo]

Saint Simeon Stylites the Younger.
Simeon was born in 521 in Antioch. His father died when he was five years old. Saint John Stylite, who was then a monk living nearby, adopted him. When he was seven, under the tutelage of his adopted parent, Simeon became a stylite and lived on a pillar that was to be his home for the next 68 years. By the time he was twenty, his reputation for holiness attracted such crowds that he retired to a less accessible spot in the mountains near Antioch which was soon called “the Hill of Wonders”
When he was 30, he founded a monastery in response to a vision making sure that there was a pillar in it for him. At age  33 or 35, he was ordained on one of his pillars. Huge crowds were attracted to his pillars because of his preaching. Saint Simeon was venerated for his holiness, spiritual wisdom, prophecies and miracles. He reportedly went for long periods of time with hardly any sleep or nourishment.  He died in 597 and was canonized Pre-Congregation.
 Saint Simeon
Pray for us!                                     

[Shin]

Aren't the stylites amazing?

Living out of doors atop a pillar their entire lives.. truly.. only God could sustain such a way of life..

[odhiambo]

To tell you the truth Shin, I do not even understand how that is possible.

[Shin]

I have a few excerpts about the life of the first pillar saint, St. Symeon Stylites the Great, or the Elder.

The elder I read was originally a shepherd, and at thirteen years old he was very affected by listening to the beatitudes being read in the church, and so decided to enter the cloister. He lay several days outside, without eating or drinking, begging to be admitted, and thenceforth after being so, he was accustomed to fast and eat only once a week on Sunday.

During Lent he went the entire forty days without any food. He came close to death the first time, but then he became capable of it. He would also lace himself with a cord pressed through to his bones, which could only be removed with the most terrible pain -- and this caused him to be dismissed from the cloister.

So he became a hermit, and then lived on a mountain, with an iron chain around his feet, and then after this, was inspired to ascend to live atop a pillar. The top of which was only three feet in diameter. The first one was six cubits high, the last one near to forty.

He wore garments of the skins of beasts, and a chain around his neck, and and he even took the holy Eucharist on the pillar top. So he spent his years atop there, through the sun, wind, rain, storms, and frost, living a life of daily martyrdom.

He could neither lie down, nor would he sit, but he would only stand, or lean upon a post, or devoutly bow. He would bow so low that his head nearly touched his feet. A spectator watched him do this, and counted the bows he made, and after twelve hundred and forty-four bows, stopped counting. . .

So you can see religious images of him bent over, with a long trailing beard, bowing down, atop the pillar.

He died 69 years old in 459 A.D. due to an ulcer on his leg.

Symeon Stylites the younger I read is said to have spent sixty eight years on a pillar.

Here is a direct excerpt from the life of St. Symeon Stylites the Great:

When St. Symeon was contemplating living on a pillar -- an unprecedented form of ascetism -- and reports about him had spread throughout the desert, the ascetics were astounded by this novel and strange undertaking, and they sent some representatives to him. They ordered them, on the one hand to reprimand St. Symeon for this curious invention of his and, on the other hand, to instruct him to traverse the accustomed path of asceticism traced by the holy Fathers and not to look down upon it, since thereby multitudes of blessed ascetics had ascended to the heavens and found rest in the eternal tabernacles.

But then, fearing lest this idea of St. Symeon might be pleasing to God, while they viewed the matter in a human way, they also gave instructions to their representatives: If they saw the man immediately departed of his own will and descending form his pillar in obedience to them, they should at once restrain him and order him to remain steadfast in his purpose. For in this way they would be convinced that Syemon's ascetic feat was Divinely ordained, and they would not be afraid for the future -- that such a beginning in asceticism would not have a good end. But if he took umbrage and would not tolerate listening even for a short while to their advice, but doggedly and heedlessly followed his own will, it would become quite obvious that he was far removed from humility; in which case who would not say that the Evil One had suggested the idea to him? Therefore, if such were the case, the Fathers of the desert instructed their representatives to bring him down from the pillar, even if by force and against his will.

After receiving this command, the envoys of the ascetics reached Symeon, the Father of humility and obedience; but as soon as they saw him and greeted him, they were overcome by reverence for him and were unable to look at his face. However, on account of the order of the Fathers who had sent them and for the sake of the service to which they had been assigned, they related to him in detail what the Fathers had told them. St. Symeon, truly meek and humble of heart, listened to the reprimand without offering any objection; he neither grew angry nor argued nor said anything at all -- neither a little nor a lot. He immediately accepted the reproof and, with eyes lowered and with a kindly countenance, gave thanks to God and expressed his gratitude to the Fathers for their concern for him; and without any hesitation, he undertook to descend from his pillar. The envoys at once restrained him and made known to him the mind of the Fathers. They then besought him to remain steadfastly and unceasingly on the pillar, and wishing him a good end, that he might find sure rest from God for his constant labors, they departed.