When Blessed James Oldo was young, his father passed away, leaving him a legacy that allowed him to grow up a rich and self-indulgent youth. The death of a friend brought his mortality to James’ attention, maturing him slightly. Then one day, a traveling reproduction of the Holy Sepulcher came to his home town of Lodi, Italy. As a joke, James laid down on it and began comparing his height to Christ’s. While laying there, he had an almost instantaneous conversion to experience. He became a Franciscan tertiary. His mother and wife were against his conversion until his mother had a vision of being before the judgement seat of God. Both woman then became Franciscan tertiary and converted their mansion into a center of prayer. They spent their later years taking care of the sick and the prisoners from the Civil War that devastated Lodi. Upon his wife’s death, James became a priest in 1397. His acts of penance were so severe that the bishop had to order him to eat at least three times a week. He moved many to enter into religious life and was had the gift of prophecy; he predicted wars and his own death.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER Pray for us that we will find the straight path to heaven and remain loyal to Jesus Christ’s teachings throughout our life. Amen
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Today’s Saint of the Day is Saint Benedict Joseph Labre. Born on the 26th of March, 1748 at Amettes in the Diocese of Boulogne, he was the eldest of fifteen children. Born to the middle class, he was given many opportunities in education as a child. At a young age, he had shown a fondness for the spirit of mortification, fearful for even the smallest sin. At the age of twelve, his education was taken over by his paternal uncle, Francois-Joseph Labre. When Benedict was about eighteen, an epidemic fell upon the city, the uncle and nephew helped with curing the sick. Among the last victims of the epidemic was Labre's uncle, because of the physical contact between him and the sick. After the death of his uncle, Labre set off for La Trappe Abbey to apply to the Order but did not come up to their requirements. He was underage and he didn’t get any recommendations. Labre later joined the Third Order(once he met the requirements) of Saint Francis and settled on a life of poverty and pilgrimage. He lived on what he was given, sometimes nothing and often shared the little he did receive with others. He was known to have talked rarely, prayed often, and got abused often. Labre was following in the role of the mendicant, the "Fool-for-Christ," found more often in the Eastern Church. He would often become emotional when contemplating the crown of thorns, in particular, and, during these states, it is said he would levitate or bi-locate(appear in two different places at the same time). He was also said to have cured the homeless of sickness and also multiplied bread for them. During a visit to the Church of Santa Maria ai Monti, he died there of malnutrition during Holy Week and was buried also in the Church of Santa Maria ai Monti. Benedict was declared Blessed by Blessed Pious IX in 1860, and later canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1881. Benedict is the patron saint of the homeless.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER O dearest St. Benedict Joseph Labre, you who truly understand what it is like to be homeless, I ask your prayers on behalf of all those who are homeless. You were totally reliant upon the generosity and kindness of others. Pray that those who are homeless experience kindness, understanding, and love from others. You know what it felt like to be turned away and scoffed at. Pray that the wounds of their hearts will be healed and that they can openly embrace the charity of others. Amen Saint Bernadette Soubirous was born on January 7th, 1844 in Lourdes, France as the first child of a poor miller. She was brought into this world through a very poor family, and they lived in the basement of a decaying building. On February 11, 1858, the Blessed Virgin Mary made an appearance to Bernadette near the Gave River, when she was 14 years old. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared 18 times in all and the final one occurred on the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, which was on July 16th. The Lady had told Bernadette to build a chapel on the spot of the visions. Many people came to this spot to wash in and drink the water of the spring that welled in the spot that Bernadette dug up. On March 25, the Blessed Virgin Mary finally revealed herself when she said, “I am the Immaculate Conception”, which made Bernadette realize who she was talking to. The shrine at Lourdes became one of the most popular shrines in the world, with many tourists drawn to it. The waters in the spring were known to cause miracles. During her life, she went through a lot of pain. She had health problems as well as being hounded by civic officials. She went to the nuns for protection and after 5 years wanted to join the Sisters of Notre Dame. After 4 months of her entrance, she was given the last rites of the Church. She rehabilitated enough to infirmary and then sacristan, but her chronic health problems didn’t let her go further. She died on April 16, 1879, and was only 35. She was canonized in 1933. Today, Saint Bernadette Soubirous is the patron of the ill, the poor, sheep tenders, and those who are humiliated for their piety.
Intercessory Prayer Pray for Saint Bernadette, that like you, we may always be obedient to the will of Our Heavenly Father, and that through our prayers and humility we may bring consolation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary that have been so grievously wounded by our sins. Holy Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, Pray for us. Caesar de Bus was born in Cavaillon, France on February 3, 1544. He was an ex-military soldier who took part in the French “Wars of Religion” and witnessed the “St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre” of French Protestants. He lived as a wealthy man caring more about worldly possessions than his religion, until he got a serious illness causing him to pay more attention to his spirituality. He became a priest and began traveling around, teaching catechism in neglected places. Caesar believed that the church’s greatest weakness was the poor faith formation of the poor. He created a new religious community called “the Fathers of Christian Doctrine” and created a branch for women called “the Ursaline Sisters of Providence”. He was remembered for his spirit of penance and his struggle to overcome the habits of his earlier and wealthier life.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER Oh God, who raised up Blessed Caesar in your church to show others the way of salvation, grant us, by his example, to follow Christ the master so that we may come with our neighbor into your presence. Through Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen Today's Saint of the Day is Saint Peter Gonzalez. He was born into a noble family on Castile, Spain, as Pedro Gonzalez Telmo in the year 1190. In the 13th century, on Christmas Day, Saint Peter Gonzalez triumphantly rode his horse in the Spanish city of Astorga in front of many townspeople. The horse stumbled and fell on to the ground, leaving Saint Peter Gonzalez in the mud and bystanders amused at the sight. Embarrassed, Saint Peter Gonzalez withdrew from society in a period of meditation and prayer. During this time, he was taught by his uncle, the bishop of Astorga, and experienced a conversion and spent the rest of his life, making up for his old ways. He served as the confessor in the king's court and soon left, fearing that the honor and easy life would lead him back to his old ways. Saint Peter Gonzalez spent the rest of his time preaching to sailors. He died in 1246 and is buried in the Cathedral of Tuy. In 1254, Pope Innocent IV beatified him, and in 1741, Pope Benedict XIV canonized him. He is the patron saint of Spanish and Portuguese sailors, since he preached mainly to sailors.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER Through the intercession of Blessed Saint Peter Gonzalez, God, help us to gain the strength to lead our lives in prayer, dedication, and kindness through these times. Amen St. Martin the first, also known as Martin the Confessor, was born near Todi, Umbria on June 21,598.He became a pope in the year 649. At the time, there was a strongly supported teaching in the East stating that Christ had no human will. St. Martin disagreed with this teaching and censured the documents with those teachings. In response, Emperor Constans II tried to turn bishops and people against the pope. Failing in this and attempting to kill the pope, the emperor sent troops to seize Martin and to bring him to Constantinople, where he was submitted to various hardships. Though he was saved from execution by the patriarch of Constantinople, he died from the sever tortures he endured on September 16, 655.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER St. Martin, you stood for what is right, even though everyone else believed what was wrong. Help us to do good, even when it's hard to do so. Please aid us in discerning the right from wrong, Amen. Today’s Saint of the Day is Saint Teresa of Los Andes. She was born as Juana Fernández Solar and was a pious child who dedicated her life from a young age to the service of God. When she was 19, Juana became a Carmelite nun, and inspired by the life of Saint Teresa of Avila, she took the name Teresa. The convent offered the simple lifestyle Teresa desired and she focused her days on prayer and sacrifice. However, when she was 20 she became ill. Even in the midst of extreme suffering, she offered herself to Jesus and prayed for the sanctification of priests and the repentance of sinners. She died a few weeks later on April 12, 1920. On March 21, 1993, Pope John Paul ll canonized as her as a saint. She’s the patron saint of those who are ill and is known as the Flower of Andes.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER God help us through the intercession of Saint Teresa of Andes to live a life dedicated to God and proclaim your love to the world through our words and actions. Amen Saint Stanislaus is the patron of Poland. He was born in Szczepanow near Krakow on July 26, 1030 and was ordained a priest after being educated in the cathedral schools of Gniezno, capital of Poland, and Paris. He became Bishop of Krakow in 1072. During an expedition, Stanislaus became involved in the political situation of Poland. Known for his outspokenness, he aimed his attacks at the evils of the peasantry and the king, especially the unjust wars and immoral acts of King Boleslaus II. Enraged, he ordered his soldiers to kill Stanislaus but they refused to. As a result, the King slaughtered the Bishop himself.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER Oh God, Bishop Saint Stanislaus fell beneath the swords of his persecutors for his preaching, we pray that was may persevere strong in faith until death. Amen Saint Magdalen of Canossa was born in northern Italy on March 1, 1774. By the age of 15, she proclaimed that she wanted to be a nun and began her vocation with the cloistered Carmelites. She then realized that she wanted to serve the needy. She worked in many hospitals and among young girls. By her mid 20s, Magdalen started offering housing to any poor girls who were in need. She opened a school where many other women joined her to start the Congregation of the Canossian Daughters of Charity (or Canossian Sisters). She also began smaller congregations for priests and brothers. Saint Magdalen of Canossa died on April 10, 1835. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER Oh God, through the example of Saint Magdalen of Canossa, please help us also become helpers of the poor and the sick. Guide us to show others our love just as Saint Magdalen did. Amen Today’s saint of the day is St Casilda of Toledo. She was born a daughter of a Muslim King of Toledo. She showed great compassion for Christian prisoners by frequently sneaking bread into the prison, hidden in her clothes, to feed them. One time she was stopped by a Muslim soldier who told her to reveal what she was carrying under her skirt, as she began to show him the bread but then it turned into a bouquet of roses. The rose was a privileged symbol for Mary, Queen of heaven and earth. One of her titles in Catholic Marian devotion is Rosa Mystica or Mystic Rose. During the Middle Ages, the rose became an attribute of many holy women, including Casilda of Toledo, and of martyrs in general. The rose is even a symbol for Christ himself, St Casilda became ill as a young woman and refused help from the local Arab doctors and traveled to northern Iberia to partake of the healing waters of the shrine of San Vicente, near Buezo, close to Briviesca. When she was cured, she was baptized at Burgos and lived a life in penance and prayer. She died in the year 1050 and was said to have lived for 100 years.St Casilda of Toledo was a Muslim princess who converted to Christianity. She was venerated in Burgos and her feast date is April 9th.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER pray for us that we will find peace in our hearts helping all of God’s children regardless of their culture, religion or status. |