tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36557645968561647942024-02-29T21:39:50.696-08:00SAINT MIRACLESUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655764596856164794.post-26217243407525528732020-05-03T07:05:00.003-07:002020-05-03T07:10:40.120-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
ODOR OF SANCTITY<br />
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"And when he had opened the book, the four living creatures, and the four and twenty ancients fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full o/ odours, which are the prayers of saints. "—Apocalypse<br />
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At the very beginning Of the Christian era, perfumes were introduced as elements proper to the worship Of God. Myrrh, an aromatic gum resin, and frankincense were offered to the Christ Child by the Three Magi. We also read of the reverential act performed by Mary Magdalen when she "took a pound of ointment of right spikenard, of great price, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment." (John 12:3).<br />
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It is not surprising that the sweet aroma of perfumes should be associated with virtues, goodness and holiness Of God's Saints, and it is not surprising that one of the phenomena most frequently mentioned in the lives of the Saints is that of a perfume in which the Saints, by the grace of God, emitted a sweet fragrance from their bodies either during<br />
their lifetime or after death. In this chapter we will consider the fragrances emitted from the bodies of the Saints while they were alive, or the perfumes that lingered about the articles they used in life. Anotherchapter will deal with the fragrances Of the dead.<br />
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POPE BENEDICT XIV (d. 1758), in his work, De Beatificatione Canonizatione, acknowledges this phenomenon and even indicates the procedure to be followed in verifying its existence when a soul is being considered for beatification. According to the Pontiff, it should be<br />
considered whether the odor is both sweet and persistent and whether it could be explained as having come from anything other than the person.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655764596856164794.post-57238032568113238052014-06-14T03:38:00.004-07:002015-11-21T07:40:00.543-08:00He and I<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On very rare occasions in her early life, Gabrielle had been surprised by a Mysterious Voice, which she heard and felt with awe, and sometimes anxious questionings, which she perceived to be the Voice of Christ. It was only at the age of 62, however, that this touching dialogue with the "Inner Voice" began in earnest, continuing (at least in her notes) until two weeks before her death on June 9, 1950.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The journal that she kept of her dialogue with the Inner Voice has been published in numerous languages under the title "He and I" (see note above) and has become a source of deep inspiration and edification for those who read it. Below are a few excerpts from this extraordinary dialogue between "the Inner Voice" and Gabrielle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>April 12, 1945. In the [train] station at Angers.</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Coming from Paris I had a seat in spite of the dense crowd.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"You see what great care I take of My own. Even in the tumult I draw them into solitude where the heart is on the alert to hear the Beloved. Didn't I say to them in the past, 'When I sent you out without purse or staff did you lack anything?' And they answered, 'Nothing'"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'Lord, it is often l who am lacking.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"For these omissions humble yourself, and don't be astonished by them. Wish to be cured of this lack of carefulness in My service. Take frequent stock not only of the value of your actions, but above all, of the value of your motive in doing them - the forthrightness of your will to glorify Me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Perhaps if you paid attention more often to what you do for Me, you would intensify your fervor and tenderness. You would be more faithful in the details - these precious details that can earn so much. They are the specks of goodness that fill life....You get the picture -the invisible grains of sand that make up the immense Sahara. Take great care in the very little things, My Gabrielle. Say to yourself, 'They are made to the Measure of My little nature'. And this thought will keep you humble.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Have you noticed how often the work of the humble has to be done again? Put all your heart into it, knowing that you please Me. And since you want to live for Me, since you want to see everything in relation to Me, and pattern your life after Me, then consider how short the time is that remains for you on earth. You can give Me glory in that time. Give it to Me unstintingly,"</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">April 20, 1945 - Le Fresne. At church</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">.</span></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I had seen flowers of all kinds at the edge of a ditch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"You see how insurgent the spring is! Let a springtide of love in your soul blossom out in good deeds of every color. I shall look lovingly at them just as you looked at the flowers in the underbrush. Tell yourself that love alone can make fresh wonders spring forth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then give yourself to Love so that Love may possess you. Don't divide yourself into two - one part for you and the other for Me - since I long to have all of you and cherish this hope. Your love quenches My thirst. I am most demanding: you see I want My children to be wholly and utterly Mine at every moment. So don't withhold a thing. Don't take anything of yourselves away. You would steal from Me if you did, because everything is Mine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If I require this of you it is because My yearning for you is a consuming fire. And My yearning is born of My love. Do you understand? Do you at last believe? Do you acknowledge My power to love? And if Mine is a love beyond all others, then how could you fail to go beyond your usual ways of loving to make your home in the higher realms - the realms where all is simplicity in our oneness. Above all when you know that it is there that I'm waiting for you and that great is My need to Meet you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Meditate on this need of Mine and you will call to mind that it is in your power to give Me this alms. Then remember the value of a free gift - the gift of oneself when offered out of tenderness. What inexpressible joy will be His who receives it. He will multiply His blessings so that the one that receives them will be lost in wonder and gratitude. 'What have I done to deserve the kindness of My God?' he will ask. And I shall reply, 'You loved Him with all your strivings and you let Him love you'"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>April 26, 1945</u> - 'Lord, Your poor little girl, Your poor image is here before you, yearning for You with all the strength of her being.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Have you noticed how people talk among themselves, discussing all their personal affairs? They spend so much time this way and it does them so little good. Don't you think that if they gave themselves to Me, their Friend, I should rejoice to have My place in their thoughts and I should know how to reward their confidence in abundance? Don't you think that it would create a moment-to-moment intimacy between them and Me, and this would be a joy for them, because close to Me their lives would lose their tension.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You understand? It would be life together with Me- I carrying the heavy end of things. So again I say: speak with Me, My little ones. Speak with Me. And our hearts will Merge. Isn't this the aim of My Christians? Isn't that why you want to die? Then begin living this heart-oneness. Seize upon every opportunity. Find every pretext. You aren't bold enough. For some of you it is because you are indifferent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But My close friends, why, why don't they call to Me from their heart's depths? If only their belief were less like unbelief! If their hope were fixed upon My help ... And if, in all simplicity, their love loved Me more. I should be there looking after everything in their day, and when night fell, their eyes would close again on My face."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Aug 12, 1945, Le Fresne Church.</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"When you say to Me 'Beloved Jesus, I give You My entire life' do you realize that at the same time I have given you more, since even what you are giving Me is what I've given you? Admit that everything you have comes from Me. It's all a gift from Me, and not to display My power, not chosen at random, but by My most attentive love -chosen especially for you, My children -for your path in life, in order to help you reach the goal that is yours."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"You have everything you need to perfect the Gabrielle I dreamed of in creating you. Did you watch Me creating you? You see, you can have no idea of the tenderness that I pledged to your soul so long ago -from all eternity. Then I ask you not to consider Me too exacting if I say to you, as I do so often, 'Give Me everything'.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>March 21, 1946 -Holy hour</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"All night long I waited for you in My Eucharist -waited to give Myself to you in the morning. Why should this astonish you? You believe in My presence and a tabernacle, don't you? You believe in My immense love? Then put the two together. And when you wake up during the night, look at the One who is already longing for the dawn to bring you to Him. This will quicken your love and give you confidence in My power. Let Me profit by the days of your life, they are not many. Prolong Me in them as much as you can don't let a day go by without doing something for Me, for there is not a single day that I am not at work, you for your own happiness. Do you believe Me?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'Yes Lord'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Then humble yourself for not having responded better to all the loving kindness of your Creator. You know how I love to forgive? You know how your confidence attracts My compassion? Your trust can win anything from My heart. Count on Me. Call Me. Don't you love your name? I love to hear Mine on your lips. Don't deprive Me."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>December 19, 1946</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Don't be afraid to discover how little it takes to touch Me. I am the sensitive One and you can never know how your gestures make music in My heart. Be afraid of hurting Me. Always try to give Me joy and above all don't imagine Me to be far off. You realize that I am in you, don't you? And if you do, why don't you think of Me more often? I was going to say, always. Then My longing for you, would be completely satisfied. I am the same for all people. They are all My children. I long for every one of them. So, in offering yourself offer the others to Me with My joy in mind."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>February 6, 1947 –Holy hour</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Your desire in itself is a call that pleases Me and gives Me great honor. You make amends for yourself and you make amends for the ingratitude of so many others. Do they think of Me with a little affection even once a year? Do they accept the thought of My love for each one of them? When will you realize that time -the span of earthly life- is too short, that I need all eternity to love them? That this present life of theirs is not their goal, but only a Means given to them to earn the Alder life? Pray for them. You can do a great deal without seeing the fruit. But I see; I hear. I see that in helping others to arise you rise yourself. Do you believe Me? Come to Me and bring others with you."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>February 14, 1947 -in a moment of sadness</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Remember that I traveled all of your roads".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"If you want to gain strength to make a sacrifice, don't look at the sacrifice. Look at My joy."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Don't you realize that I have been waiting a long, long time for you? No two souls are alike. None other can give Me what I expect from you."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>March 6, 1947</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Each soul is the object of My special love. That is why I am so grateful to those who are resourceful and bringing back sinners to Me. Keep this in mind then. I gave My life for them in the most atrocious torture, for these poor beloved ones. A humble repentance, and they are already on My heart. So speak gently to them. Speak with tenderness. A brusque remark could drive them farther away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'I am going to meet one tomorrow, Lord'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"I will give you the necessary tact. As always, I will be in you. You will look at Me and call Me and say 'speak through me'. I will be the listening Brother."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'I have just received telegrams and telephone calls for 101 things'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"That his life, unforeseen events, moving from one place to another, rough weather. But, come what may, remain steadfastly in My heart. Keep your eyes fixed on Me as you ask Me for advice, or as you tell Me that you love Me always. Remember that nothing happens without My permission, and be very calm and serene. There is nothing like serenity for convincing people of the Good. This was My response to the craftiness of the Pharisees. So, be calm in your soul, and happily docile to My will. As you look back over your life, don't you see that My will was always for your good? This is because I love you, and it's the same for everyone, since I love each of you individually. I see you all differently; I see every detail about you, do you understand? My love is not of global love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I need each one of you as though you were the only person in the world, as though the cosmos had been created for you alone, and My love is greater than the cosmos. So let this thought be a strength to you and your smiling calm.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Let us include My Mother in this life of ours. Do you really believe that Her love is active on your behalf? Oh, My little girl, have faith in the great things that you can do with Us. Without Us…but you are already aware of your nothingness. "</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>April 8, 1948</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Have you thanked Me for all I did for you, for mankind, for the angels, for My mother? What a concert of blessings, My child! Gather them all as though they were yours and join in the symphony of thanksgiving. Sing your part in the choir of number¬less voices, and I'll know it from all the others. Are there two voices alike in the whole world? Aren't you struck by the diversity in human creation? In heaven too, each saint differs from the other, and if you are enchanted by the variety of colors in your garden, you may be sure that Paradise flashes with a myriad of countless splendid things, all for My glory. There too, I know the voices, for I know you all. My children, I atoned for all of you and I know My redeemed ones.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">‘Lord, who will teach me to thank You and what words should I use?’</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"The most simple - straight from your heart. Say them to Me at Mass. Say them again after your Communion when we are only one. Once more it will be I who give them to you. How I love to act for Myself in you. Can you believe that? I feel at home, and I feel you are Mine. Be very much Mine ... I was going to say, 'Be your Christ before the Father, before others. Be the gentlest and the smallest'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>April 17, 1948 - 'Lord, I should so love to live Your words, and I am always myself, still my old self.'</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Is it so difficult to think of your Lord? Is it so difficult to talk with Him and to keep Him company? When you meet someone in a waiting room, don't you instinctively approach that person and in a kindly way do your best to make the time pass pleasantly for him? And if he were a poet, or a scholar, or someone great in the eyes of the world, wouldn't you go even further and show more joy?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My child, it's a God who is waiting at the door of your heart, a God who is all yours and who is in you. You open to Him when you talk to Him, when you look at Him, when you try to take your thoughts off the things around you so that you may turn them to Him with the utmost tenderness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Don't think that this is a fable I'm telling you. It is the simple reality. But as it's all happening in the shadowland where everything is imperfection, you find it difficult to believe, and you are slow in acting upon it. That is why I am like that person in the waiting room. If only you could approach Me more often with all your kind charm, you might suspect My long yearnings. You might think, 'He's waiting for the world: Yes, My little child, for everyone, and for such a long, long time ... I came to Bethlehem to seek them and I shall go on seeking them right to the end of the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is the patience of God. This is His love. Then how could you ever understand? Yet it would be very sweet to believe, wouldn't it? So quicken your faith by telling Me about it often. More often. Don't get weary: you will hope more and love more. It's your great God who wants you greatly, My very frail little girl"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>November 4, 1948</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“I knock at your door. You don’t believe that I need my children, do you? An yet, My God-Love needs your love. That is how it is. Always. You remember My words, 'I thirst'? I am always thirsty. If you knew this thirst, more intense than the thirst of men, you would devise every means in your power to quench it. That is why I knock at your door.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Do you remember the heat of the Sahara? The desert burns less than I. Can you understand My thirst for your awareness of Me, for your desire to be pleasing to Me, for your gratitude for My pitiable sufferings, your compassion for all the disgrace, the filth and the hatred I received during the night before My crucifixion and on the morning of My death? And for the blows, and the torture of My body and mind. Do you sometimes think of it?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Can you measure this love that made Me give Myself up when I could have escaped into the invisible? It was My love that went out to meet the torture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Don't you believe that I paid for the right to have at least your friendship? You recall what the thief said: 'Remember me when You come into Your kingdom'? And I say to you, 'Remember Me during your life'. Place Me as a lighthouse in the center of your mind, not just a lighthouse that illumines, but one that gives warmth. Where can you be where I am not? When you are hunting for Me, I am already there, and when you love Me, I love Myself in you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I am your Source. Give everything back to Me in joy and simplicity. So few stop to think about this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then tell Me now, do you want Me to knock at your door?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>November 11 - Holy hour.</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Practice being more attractive for love's sake. You could do immense good with an affectionate look and a smile. If you keep yourself for yourself, you are your own slave. But if you go to meet people with delicate thoughtfulness, you bring peace and rest; you give the balm of Gilead. How a smile from you would have soothed X this morning if you hadn't shut yourself up in your ivory tower. There is a demon called the spirit of contradiction; he fraternizes with the spirit of self-seeking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Remember that love is not puffed up with pride and that it will never pass away. What you do for yourself will perish miserably. What you do for others, for the love of Me, will go on re-echoing throughout all eternity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Have you tried to see Me in others? Have you understood that I live in that old crippled woman on the 'sunken road' and all others like her? Couldn't you bring Me a little wood for this winter, and some clothing? Won't you give Me something to eat? Suppose she is bitter and doesn't thank you, what difference does it make? Since I am the One who receives, and I am rich.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Don't be shy when you give. Be daring in goodness:' I was thinking that I should be ashamed to wheel a barrow with wood in it right to that place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Perhaps. But I shall not be ashamed of you at the last judgment. Don't run away any more from what costs you something, and you will be among the happiest people. Besides, I've done so much for you ... You are free though. You will not even commit a fault by not going. I'll just have the sadness of wanting some¬thing without getting it."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Lord, I'll go."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>December 15, 1949 - Holy hour.</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Coming back from Mass in the dark at 7am in the freezing rain. "This too, Lord, may I offer for Your sinners in this Marian year?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"I take all sufferings little and big, and place them in the treasury of the Church - the treasury used for the making of saints. You forget your past sufferings, but they continue to bear fruit in My sight. You have already forgotten your travel weariness, weather annoyances, desert thirst, the fears, exile in distant countries, the slow journeys back, the long tests of endurance, times of illness. But remember that you offered Me everything and that I've kept everything.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You love to look at the precious jewels in your mother's jewel box, or your favorite books in your library, or the unusual souvenirs given to you during your long tours. Often it's only a trifle, something that hasn't cost the donor much. You remember the Moslem's terebinth, the Indian's moose glove and the pressed leaf given to you in Larache? You treasure these things because those who gave them to you wanted to please you. For the same reason I have found joy in all the little presents given to Me by My children. Even, if they have not cost you very much, even if you gave them to Me only because My Father put them into your hand by some circumstance other than your own free choice, you offered them to Me like good and affection¬ate children. And so I treasure them as though they were a part of you. Such is your power over Me! You bind Me to you by a single hair of your head. And the more you believe how utterly disarmed I am by your love, the more My unfathomable tenderness overflows to you. The great wrong is to lack faith in it. Then offer Me everything –every gesture, every thought.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Looking at the preparations for Christmas- ‘Thank you Lord. How could you come down to earth, knowing that You were going to suffer so much?’</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“And, if I had not come down, should I have had the joy of instituting My Eucharist where I remain right to the end of the centuries?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The source for this article is from the excellent book "He and I" by Gabrielle Bossis, 1985, translated by Evelyn M. Brown, published by Editions Mediaspaul, Imprimatur- Msgr Jean-Marie Fortier, Archbishop, Sherbrooke, Quebec, available here: http://www.catholicfreeshipping.com/Products/cfs_heandibygabo.html </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655764596856164794.post-43749386950212148042014-06-14T03:06:00.000-07:002014-06-14T03:06:07.298-07:00Visions of Christ and the disciples <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Within a year of being cured of paralysis, the first signs of the stigmata appeared, beginning with the wound above the heart. Therese said:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One night, I was busy with my prayers, without being particularly conscious of the passion of Christ, when for the first time, I saw the Savior in the Garden of Olives sweating blood. He looked at me with a loving expression, and at that very moment I felt as if someone had pierced me through the heart with a sharp object, and then withdrawn it. I noticed that blood was flowing, and I felt this stabbing pain in my heart which, with the exception of Easter Week, has never left me completely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Subsequently, on Good Friday, April 13 1926, Therese had her first vision of Christ’s entire passion. Once again, whenever Christ looked at her lovingly, new wounds would appear on her body. Therese received these wounds and those that appeared later as God’s will, sent to propitiate the sins of others and to draw souls closer to the Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Visions of Christ and the disciples :</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">During her weekly visions of the Christ’s passion, Therese experienced the same physical and mental agonies as Christ. The visions occurred every Friday, except for certain holy days, and increased in intensity during Lent, reaching a climax on Good Friday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In her ecstatic state, Therese answered questions that elicited more details about the historical events. Linguists confirmed her accurate use of Aramaic and other foreign languages, unknown to her. Each year, Therese also had as many as a hundred others visions of the lives Christ and his disciples.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On August 6, 1926, following a vision of Christ’s transfiguration, Therese experienced no further need of food or drink, and little need for sleep. Therese told Paramhansa Yogananda in 1935: “One of the reasons that I am here on earth is to prove that man can live by God’s invisible light, and not by food only.”</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655764596856164794.post-48939610439984875892014-06-14T03:01:00.000-07:002014-06-14T03:01:27.131-07:00Therese Neumann gave up eating and drinking !! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Soon after the stigmata appeared in 1926, she drank only a small cup of tea daily. That did not attract much attention. But one day in 1927 a vision again appeared before her saying that she no longer needed any earthly food or drink. From, 1927 till her death in 1962 she did not eat anything, she did not drink anything! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Professors and Doctors were flabbergasted. One Dr. Otto Buchinger arrived in Konnersreuth with his team to expose "the pure fable" with his scientific equipment. After a thorough German fashion investigation, the learned Doctor wrote a book "Wirkliches and Wirkendes" (The Real and the Workable), in which he declared without any hesitation that this was no fraud. Here was something which defied the modern science. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The phenomena and the miracles were inexplicable by any so called rational thinking. Some mysticism was at work here. How can a human being seemingly in mortal flesh stop eating and drinking? How can a simple woman actually physically suffer the same agony as Lord Jesus suffered on the Cross? And develop the same scene in her own person and body? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even the church had sent three nurses to find out the truth or otherwise of the miracle of "inedia" (the ability to survive without food and drink). She was kept under the closest -watch, even when she was bathing, to ensure she is not gulping down any water! When she rinsed her mouth, the water taken in and thrown out was measured, to find whether any water was swallowed. There was no escape. Miracle went on happening. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(This checking by the Church was done from 14-7-1927 to 28-7-1927.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The only thing Therese put on he tongue was the sacred Wafer, which the Church Priest offered during communion ( a kind of collective prayer). The Wafer just disappeared on her tongue! It was observed that at times the wafer would fly from the priest's hand and float through the air into her mouth. This is recorded in a Book: "Therese Neumann von Konnersreuth" by Fritz Gerlich (1929), and even photographed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At times during her ecstasies, she would fall to her knees and stretch out her tongue, when a host wafer would suddenly materialise on it! (D. Scott Rego's "Miracles" Contemporary Books Inc Chicago - 1982, page 69) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Therese's miracles do not end here. There is one more - perhaps most amazing to those who think that science explains everything and that anything defying the laws discovered by science does not exist. It was observed that the blood that came out during stigmata defied gravity. The phenomenon was carefully witnessed on 8-7-1927 by a reporter from "Berlin Hefte' at Therese's home. He was present during the Passion on that day. He reported: - </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Soon a drop of blood which increased in size formed at one of the foot stigmata. It grew and grew in size until finally it dropped from the wound. Gravity would have commanded that the drop of blood flows downwards. But it didn’t. It flowed almost directly upward towards the toes, exactly as happened almost 2000 years ago on the Cross of the Christ". (D. Scott Rego - ibid page 69) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is then the story of a great woman Saint of this century, who defied all the egoistic psyche of modern science and modem thinking. She proved that the Lord of your Love has His eyes on you. He can come to you in unpredictable ways. Only one condition should be satisfied. you should be, as Marcus says, "desperately, deeply, violently in love with Him." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">May you, my Parsi reader, have the same Love and Attraction towards Asho Zarathushtra as Therese had for her Lord. Pray that your consciousness may awaken to the presence of your Paigambar Saheb within you. May His Lightening thunder on the dark clouds of confusion, and the Rain of His grace immerse you fully and completely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dr. Otto Buchinger on Therese Neumann </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">" I must declare that despite all care and watchfulness, we were unable to arrive at any conclusion or explanation as to the fasting of Therese Neumann or as to the phenomenon of Stigmata. There is no indication that hysteria is here at work. What we can conclude but that in the truly devout stigmatist of Konnersrenth there is - whether we like it or not – something spiritual which causes these phenomena. All honour to our science and its methods but there is something at work which defies rational explanation." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">("Wirkliches and Wirhendes." - quoted by Dr. Marcus Bach in "The Circle of Faith" Hawthom, 1956.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> (Parsi Pukar – JULY 1996 Vol. 2; No.1) </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655764596856164794.post-61736901503386570102014-06-14T02:25:00.000-07:002014-06-14T02:29:01.257-07:00Saint Gemma <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Gemma cured by Miracle :</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gemma soon began to grow ill. She developed a curvature of the spine. Also, meningitis set in and left her deaf. Large abscesses formed on her head, her hair fell off, and finally her limbs became paralyzed. A doctor was called in and tried many remedies which all failed. She only grew worse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gemma began a devotion to Venerable Gabriel Possenti of the Sorrowful Mother (Now St. Gabriel). On her sickbed she read his life story. She later wrote regarding Venerable Gabriel:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“… I grew in admiration of his virtues and his ways. My devotion to him increased. At night I did not sleep without having his picture under my pillow, and after that I began to see him near me. I don’t know how to explain this, but I felt his presence. At all times and in every action Brother Gabriel came to mind.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gemma, now 20 years old, was seemingly on her deathbed. A novena was suggested as the only chance for a cure. At midnight on February 23rd, 1899, she heard the rattling of a rosary and realized that Venerable Gabriel was appearing to her. He spoke to Gemma:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Do you wish to recover? Pray with faith every evening to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I will come to you until the Novena is ended, and will pray together to this Most Sacred Heart.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On the first Friday of March the Novena ended. The grace was granted; Gemma was cured.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As she got up, those around her cried with joy. Yes, a miracle had taken place!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On the 8th of June 1899, after receiving communion, Our Lord let His servant know that the same evening He would give her a very great grace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gemma went home and prayed. She went into ecstasy and felt a great remorse for sin. The Blessed Mother, to whom St. Gemma was tremendously devoted, appeared to her and spoke:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“My son Jesus loves thee beyond measure and wishes to give thee a grace. I will be a mother to thee. Wilt thou be a true child?” The Most Blessed Virgin then opened her mantle and covered Gemma in it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here is how St. Gemma relates how she received the stigmata:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“At that moment Jesus appeared with all his wounds open, but from these wounds there no longer came forth blood, but flames of fire. In an instant these flames came to touch my hands, my feet and my heart. I felt as if I were dying, and should have fallen to the ground had not my mother held me up, while all the time I remained beneath her mantle. I had to remain several hours in that position. Finally she kissed my forehead, all vanished, and I found myself kneeling. But I still felt great pain in my hands, feet and heart. I rose to go to bed, and became aware that blood was flowing from those parts where I felt pain. I covered them as well as I could, and then helped by my Angel, I was able to go to bed …”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">During the remainder of Gemma's life, several people, including respected ecclesiastics of the Church, witnessed this recurring miracle of the holy stigmata to the pius maiden of Lucca. One eyewitness stated:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Blood came from her (St. Gemma’s) wounds in great abundance. When she was standing, it flowed to the ground, and when in bed it not only wet the sheets, but saturated the whole mattress. I measured some streams or pools of this blood, and they were from twenty to twenty-five inches long and about two inches wide.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Like St. Francis of Assisi and recently Padre Pio, Gemma can too say: Nemo mihi molestus sit. Ego enim stigmata Domini Jesu in corpore meo porto: Let no man harm me, for I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus in my body.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">St. Gemma’s Devotion </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">to her Guardian Angel :</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gemma’s Guardian Angel would frequently appear to her. They would carry on a conversation the same way as if one were speaking to his best friend. Gemma’s purity and innocence must have drawn this Glorious Angel from Heaven to her side. Gemma and her Angel with his wings outstretched or kneeling beside her, would recite vocal prayers or Psalms alternately. When meditating on the Passion of Our Lord, her Angel would inspire her with the most sublime insights into this mystery. Her Guardian Angel once spoke to her regarding Christ’s Agonies: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Look at what Jesus has suffered for man. Consider one by one these Wounds. It is Love that has opened them all. See how execrable (horrible) sin is, since to expiate it, so much pain and so much love have been necessary.”</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">St. Gemma’s Last Illness </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and Heroic Death :</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In 1902 Gemma in good health since her miraculous cure, offered herself to God as a victim for the salvation of souls. Jesus accepted her offer. She then fell dangerously ill. She could not keep any food down. Though briefly recovering her health, through Divine Providence, she quickly fell sick again. On September 21, 1902 she began to throw up pure blood that came with the violent loving throbbings of her heart. Meanwhile she went through a spiritual martyrdom as she experienced aridity and no consolation in her spiritual exercises. To add to that her enemy the devil multiplied his attacks on the young Virgin of Lucca.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Satan redoubled his war on Gemma as he knew the end was near. He strove to persuade her that she was entirely abandoned by God. He used hellish apparitions and even rained physical blows on her fragile body.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">An eyewitness who was nursing Gemma said:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“That abominable beast will be the end of our dear Gemma - deafening blows, forms of ferocious animals, etc.- I came away from her with tears because the demon is wearing her out.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gemma unceasingly called on the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, still the battle waged on. Her Spiritual Director Fr. Germano regarding Gemma’s last struggle stated:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The poor sufferer passed days, weeks and months in this way, giving us an example of heroic patience and motives for salutary fear of what may happen to us, who have not Gemma’s merits at the terrible hour of death.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yet through all these trials Gemma never complained, she only prayed. Gemma was at the end. She was practically a living skeleton but still beautiful despite the ravages of her sickness. She was administered Viaticum.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In her last words she said:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I seek for nothing more; I have made the sacrifice of everything and of everyone to God; now I prepare to die.” She gasped, “Now it is indeed true that nothing more remains to me, Jesus. I recommend my poor soul to Thee … Jesus!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gemma then smiled a heavenly smile and letting her head drop on one side, ceased to live.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the sisters present at her death clothed Gemma’s body in the habit of the Passionists, which was the order to which Gemma had always aspired.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This blessed death happened on Holy Saturday April 11th, 1903 when Gemma Galgani was in her 25th year.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655764596856164794.post-17313059143987083432014-04-21T19:59:00.000-07:002015-11-21T07:39:28.980-08:00MIRACLES OF ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>PART I</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>MIRACLES WORKED DURING THE LIFE OF ST. ANTHONY</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1. The Miracle of Tongues</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">AMONG the saints of the Church few are better known than the great St. Anthony of Padua. Endowed with great natural gifts, enjoying excellent health, a powerful voice, combined with great eloquence, an admirable delivery, a perfect knowledge of the Scriptures and theology, he was, soon after his ordination, sent to preach in France, Italy and Portugal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Although in his youth he had never spoken anything but Portuguese, he, like the apostles after Pentecost, re- ceived that wonderful gift of tongues, which not only enabled him to preach even with eloquence in French and Italian, but to make himself under stood by people from all parts of the world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">An instance of this may be given: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When ordered by the Holy See to preach the Lenten sermons at Rome he was perfectly understood by the immense multitude from all nations, whom the renown of his great sanctity and marvellous gifts had attracted. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This same gift was of most frequent occurrence during his missionary career. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2. Dumb Animals Obey the Saint </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There was near the monastery of the Friars Minor, at Montpellier, a large pool filled with frogs, whose perpetual croakings greatly disturbed the saint and his community. At last, wearied by this perpetual noise, he determined to put an end to it, and going to the pond, after blessing it, ordered the frogs to stop their croaking, which at once ceased, and the pond from that time was called St. Anthony's Pond. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But stranger still, if a frog was taken out of this pond and placed in another, it instantly recovered its power of croaking, while it was just the reverse were a strange frog put into St. Anthony's Pond. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3. The Sermon to the Fishes at Rimini </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">During the eleventh and twelfth centuries Europe had much to suffer from various heresies, more especially from that of the Albigenses, which infested the south of France and north of Italy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">God, ever watchful over His spouse, the Church, soon raised up two great men, St. Francis and St. Dominic, who, with their sons, came to her assistance. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Anthony of Padua, on account of his great sanctity and learning, was chosen by his superiors to be one of the first to enter the battlefield. Rimini, in Romagna, in spite of all the endeavors of the Holy See and of its own saintly bishop, continued to remain the hotbed of heresy, and here it was St. Anthony began his arduous task of conversion. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The heretics, on hearing who was to enter the lists against them, were filled with dismay, but instigated by the evil one, resolved at any cost to face their enemy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The saint on his arrival met with the reverse of a cordial reception; the church in which he was to begin his labors was empty, save for a few old men and women; but his longing for the glory of God and salvation of souls was too great to make him hesitate for a moment. He therefore ascended the pulpit, and preached with such earnestness and zeal that the heretics, on hearing about it, determined to leave nothing undone to get rid of one who was so dangerous an opponent. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This great servant of God, being informed of their intentions, withdrew to a remote part of the city, to prepare himself by prayer, fasting and penance for the encounter, imploring at the same time the mercy of God on this poor benighted people. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">His enemies had, however, not lost sight of him, and on seeing him leave his retreat, some of them followed him to the place where the river Marecchia empties itself into the Adriatic. Here the saint stopped, and in a loud voice commanded the fishes of the sea and river to come forth and listen to the word of God, saying: "Come, ye senseless fishes of the deep, and by your attention to the word of your God and mine, put to shame these men, who in their blindness and hardness of heart refuse to hear it." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The words were barely out of the saint's mouth before a great commotion was noticed in the sea. Thousands of fishes of every size and species were seen to come in the greatest order to its surface, the smaller ones placing themselves in front, and the larger ones behind. Then began one of the most extraordinary sermons ever preached. The saint addressed them as if they were beings endowed with reason. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Oh! ye fishes of the deep, praise and thank your God and Creator for the unspeakable blessings He has lavished on you, favoring you above all dumb animals. See and admire the beautiful home He, in His infinite goodness, has prepared for you; look at those crystal waters, in which it is so easy for you to find a refuge against the storm and the enemy. Not only has He provided for all your wants, but He has made you prolific above all other creatures. You alone have been exempted from the dominion of your fellow beings and from His wrath at the time of the deluge. To you it has been given to save His prophet Jonas; to cure His blind servant. Tobias; to be the food of the penitent; to procure for the Saviour of mankind and His disciples the tribute money due to Caesar; it was after His Resurrection by eating of your flesh He proved He was truly risen from the dead; it was <span style="text-align: left;">over your heads He walked on the sea, and after the great draught of fishes, He called His apostles fishers of men." </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The fishes seemed to be filled with admiration, and anxious not to lose one of his words, their numbers ever increasing, marking their approval by the lifting up and down of their heads, the opening of their mouths, but not one of them thought of leaving the spot till the saint had blessed them, and ordered them to return to their homes below, when they immediately disappeared. But the commotion of the waters continued for some time after. In the meantime, so deep had been the impression made upon the bystanders, eye-witnesses of this remarkable scene, that many hastened back to the city, imploring their friends to come and see the miracle; others burst into tears, and kneeling at the feet of the saint, implored forgiveness, while only a few remained obdurate in their heresy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Anthony, availing himself of this opportunity, at the close of the sermon to the fishes addressed the immense multitude now gathered together, exhorting them to repentance, rebuking them for their unbelief and ingratitude, pointing out to them the heinousness of sin, and showing them what a lesson of obedience the fishes had just given them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was through this sermon that Rimini was purged from heresy. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4. Why St. Anthony is Invoked for Lost and Mislaid Things </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The following incident in the life of St. Anthony accounts for his being invoked for lost and mislaid articles: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">During his stay at the Franciscan monastery at Montpellier St. Anthony was not only engaged in preaching, but also in teaching theology to his younger brethren. It was here a most extraordinary adventure happened to one of his novices. The latter, weary of the monastic life, suddenly left the monastery, taking with him a book of psalms, copied and annotated by the saint for the benefit of his pupils. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The loss of this book was deeply felt by St. Anthony, as books at that time were only written, the art of printing being unknown, an ordinary book costing at least a hundred dollars of our money. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the year 1240 the monks at Camaldoli paid as much as two hundred gold ducats for an illuminated missal. (See History of Pope Innocent III., volume iv.) Whole fortunes sometimes were spent in the purchase of a single book. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What pained the saint even more than the loss of a work invaluable to him, was the outrage committed against God,and the spiritual danger threatening the culprit. The saint, with his usual trust in God, at once betook himself to prayer, humbly imploring the divine mercy on the unhappy youth, and at the same time asking for the restitution of his book. His prayer was barely finished before it was heard. Just at that moment, as the thief was about to cross a bridge, the devil, in the shape of a hideous negro, appeared before him with an axe in his hand, threatening at once to kill him and trample him under foot if he did not immediately retrace his steps. The novice, terrified at the sight of the monster, hastened to obey, and falling at the feet of the servant of God, not only gave back the book, but implored forgiveness, begging to be readmitted into the monastery. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The saint, full of gratitude to God, readily forgave the culprit, warning him at the same time against the snares of the devil and encouraging him to persevere in his holy vocation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The stolen book has been for years preserved in the Franciscan monastery at Bologna. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">5. A Messenger from Hell Unmasked </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While the saint was preaching at Puy a messenger suddenly appeared in the midst of the congregation, calling out to a lady in a loud voice that her son had been foully murdered by his enemies. Anthony, who easily discovered who the messenger was, commanded silence by a motion of his hand, and, after consoling the lady by telling her that her son was never in better health in his life and that she would shortly see him, added that the supposed messenger was no other than the evil one, who had only come in the hopes of disturbing the sermon and marring its effects. This proved perfectly true, as the pretended messenger at once vanished. The saintly preacher then availed himself of the opportunity thus presented to him to warn his hearers against the artifices of the evil one. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">6. The Consoler of Mothers </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Whilst at Brives God glorified His ervant by making him work many miracles. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A poor woman had gone to hear the saint preach, leaving her child alone, with no one to take care of him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">During her absence the little one fell into a caldron of boiling water, and on her return she found him playing </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">unhurt in his dangerous bath. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But a greater miracle than that was worked on another occasion. A mother having left her infant at home by itself, in order to go and hear the sermon, found him on her return dead in his cradle. In the midst of her grief she rushed back to the church and informed the saint of what had taken place. "Go home," he replied, "your son liveth," making use of the same words as Our Lord did when the father asked Him to cure his son. Full of confidence in St. Anthony, she hastened back, and to her great joy, found the baby up and playing with his little companions. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">7. The Rain respects the Friend of the Saints </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It happened one day that the cook of the monastery at which the saint <span style="text-align: justify;">was staying had nothing to give the brethren to eat, and went and told Anthony of his difficulty. The saint at once went to see a pious lady he knew, begging her to have compassion on his brethren and send them a few cabbages. So great was the veneration in which he was held that she immediately, in spite of the inclemency of the weather, for it was pouring rain, ordered her servant to go into the garden and cut as many vegetables as the monks would require. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The maid obeyed and took them to the convent. Notwithstanding the drenching rain, she returned home perfectly dry, and, full of admiration, said to her mistress: "When you want something done for Father Anthony or the other monks, do, pray, send me; I would not care if the weather was a thousand times worse than to-day; see, there is not a drop of rain on my clothes and my shoes are not even damp." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The lady, full of admiration, earnestly recommended the monks to the care of her only brother, a canon at Noblet,entreating him to assist them, as far as lay in his power, and to rest assured that God would reward him a hundredfold for his charity. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">8. An Extraordinary Prophecy </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While the saint was at his monastery at Puy he used sometimes to meet a lawyer, who led a very bad and profligate life. Every time they met the saint would uncover his head and bow most respectfully to him. Thinking the servant of God was only laughing at him, the lawyer one day turned round and said to him: "If I did not fear the judgment of God I would soon make you repent of insulting one who has never injured you, by thrusting my sword through your body." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The saint replied that, far from having any intention of insulting him, he only bowed through a feeling of deep love and respect, for in thus saluting him he was saluting one who was to be a glorious martyr, and begged of him, when undergoing his tortures, not to forget him in his prayers. The lawyer for the time being laughed at what seemed to him to be a most unlikely thing. Strange to say, the prophecy was shortly afterwards fulfilled. A bishop started for Palestine, with the intention of converting the Saracens, and urged on by a secret impulse from heaven, the lawyer followed him. On his arrival he was suddenly filled with such a desire to convert the infidels that he himself at once began to preach the truths of the Christian religion to them and point out the wickedness of Mahometanism, which so enraged these fanatics that after making him a prisoner and torturing him for three days, they put him to death. When about to die he revealed to those present how the saintly Father Anthony had predicted his martyrdom, declaring at the same time that a great prophet had risen in their midst. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">9. St. Anthony the Consoler of Persecuted Women</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Anthony always took a great interest in women in distress, or persecuted, and they therefore look on him as their special protector. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Among those who, owing to the sanctity of the Franciscans, held them in great veneration and aided them in their daily wants, was a lady who suffered much from a jealous and irritable husband. One evening, after finishing some work and making some purchases for the Brothers, finding it too late to take them to the monastery that night, she took them home with her. This so greatly roused the anger and jealousy of her husband that, not content with loading her with reproaches, he pulled almost all her hair off her head. The poor woman was naturally greatly hurt at such treatment, but full of confidence in her good Father Anthony, after carefully gathering up all her hair, she wrote, begging of him to call on her the next day. Her trust in the saint was not misplaced. After hearing her story he immediately on his return to his monastery, summoned his community together and begged of them to unite with him in praying for their benefactress. These prayers were not in vain, for before they were finished the pain left her and her head was covered with hair, as if nothing had happened.The sight of this miracle was not only the means of converting her husband, the Life of St. Anthony. but also of making him a great benefactor to the monastery. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">10. Truth from the Lips of a Little Child </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Anthony, when travelling through Romagna, not only visited Padua, but also Polesine and Ferrara. He remained some time in the last place and worked a miracle as touching in its circumstances as it was beneficial in its results. A nobleman in that city had married a lady of remarkable beauty and highly gifted. Her rare talents, winning manners and accomplishments soon made her a general favorite in society, which so incensed her husband and excited his jealousy that it was hardly possible for her to live with him, and their home became one scene of continual strife. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The birth of a lovely boy, far from bringing peace to the unhappy couple,only increased the suspicions of the wretched father, who now, under the complete power of the evil one, determined to destroy both mother and child. Whilst he was thus fostering these evil thoughts in his mind, St.Anthony came to preach a mission in this city, and the lady, like Susanna of old, came to this new Daniel, certain that she would through his intercession obtain the conversion of her husband. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What follows will show how success attended the prayers of the servant of God. Not long afterward, whilst this gentleman and several others were talking together with the saint on the public square, the mother, as if inspired by God, sent the nurse to take a walk with the infant. At the sight of the child the jealous husband bit his lips with vexation and anger. St. Anthony, on the contrary, drew near the nurse and began caressing the child, asking him, as if in a joke, "Who is your father, my little one?" The bystanders smiled at this childish question. But the servant of God had an object in view, the justification of the innocent. The little babe, only a few weeks old, smilingly turning his face to where his father stood, replied in a clear voice, to the astonishment of all present: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"There is my father." St. Anthony, putting the child into the arms of the now delighted parent, said: "Take the child and never again doubt he is your son, since he himself has told you so." The happy husband at once carried him home in triumph to his mother, and from that time peace and joy reigned in this favored household. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The news of this event spread far and wide, and there is a memento of it to be seen sculptured in marble in the chapel of the saint at Padua. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">11. Broken Goblet and Running Barrel </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Vicar-General of the Franciscan Order, Brother Elias, on the death of the saintly founder, St. Francis of Assisi, in a pathetic circular convoked all the superiors of the various provinces to attend a general chapter, in order to proceed to the election of his successor. It was probably in the autumn of A. D. 1226 that Anthony, accompanied by one of his brethren, went to Italy, passing through Provence in order to be present at this general chapter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On their way through Provence they stopped to rest at one of the towns, in the house of a pious woman. She, being anxious to pay her weary guests as much respect as she possibly could, borrowed a splendid cut glass goblet from one of her neighbors for them to drink their wine out of. Unfortunately the companion of the saint, wanting to examine it more closely, took it up in his hand and broke it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This was not the only mishap. The kind hostess, thinking only of the comfort of her guests, forgot to turn the tap of the barrel when she went to draw their wine, and on returning to the cellar found it had all run out. The saint, seeing how distressed she was by these misadventures, bowed his head in prayer, and to the great astonishment of the good woman, who was silently watching him, she saw the broken pieces of the goblet unite together, leaving no mark of breakage. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Full of hope, she ran to the cellar, and to her great joy, the barrel, which before the occurrence was half empty, was now filled with the most delicious wine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Anthony, in his deep humility, at once continued his journey to Italy, so as to avoid the applause awaiting him as soon as the news of this fresh miracle got abroad. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">12. The Carved Capon </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Anthony was one day invited by a party of heretics to come to dine with them, in order, as they said, to give them the opportunity of laughing at his stupidity. He good-naturedly accepted their invitation. After sitting down to table a large bat, such as are found in Sicily, was served up to him, with the request to carve it. When, without being the least disconcerted, he began to do so, they could hardly refrain from laughing aloud; but soon their laughter was changed into astonishment, for hardly had the saint begun to carve the wretched bird before it was changed into a magnificent capon, emitting the most delicious smell. This miracle so completely changed their hearts that they not only acknowledged the power of the servant of God, but renounced their errors and were received into the Church. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">13. The Apparition of the Holy Child. </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Friars Minor had no monastery within the walls of Padua, the nearest one, at Arcella, outside the city, being about three-quarters of an hour's walk. It often happened that, owing to the gates being closed early in the evening, it was impossible for the saint on account of his missionary work, to return home. But he easily found a night's shelter among his friends, who were only too happy to have him for their guest. Tito Borghese, Count of Campo San Pietro,one of the saint's dearest friends, was among the few whom he honored the most with his presence. This noble man had so great a veneration for him that he carefully noted down all that took place during his visits, even rising up at night to watch his guest through the keyhole. Once, when thus visiting him, he noticed an extra ordinary light piercing through the chinks of the saint's apartments. Anxious to discover the cause of this, he drew near, and to his great surprise saw through the cracks of the door St. Anthony holding a beautiful child in his arms, whom he was lovingly caressing. His host was first at a loss to understand how this lovely infant had entered the apartment of his guest, but soon discovered, through his majestic bearing and the rapture of St. Anthony, that the child was no other than our divine Lord, who, under this form, had come to console, encourage and strengthen His faithful servant. The apparition lasted some time, then suddenly disappeared, leaving the room in total darkness. At once the saint rose from his prayers, and on going to his bedroom, knocked against his host in the dark. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As if guilty of a crime, he entreated his friend not to betray his secret. During the lifetime of St. Anthony the Count faithfully kept his word, but after his death, with tears streaming down his face, he gave a minute account of everything that had taken place. The heavenly light, of a bluish color, issuing forth from the divine Child, although brighter and more beautiful than the sun, did not dazzle the eye, whilst at the same time the heart was filled with unutterable joy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He, moreover, declared that the holy Child Himself had informed the saint,by pointing to the door with His finger, that he was watched, but that St. Anthony appeared to pay no attention to this, as if anxious not to deprive his friend of this heavenly consolation. He furthermore added that the holy Child was standing on the breviary of the saint. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This apparition has been so frequently mentioned by old historians that its veracity cannot be doubted. It is for this reason St. Anthony is usually represented with the holy Child standing on his breviary. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">14. Flight to Lisbon</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While the father of St. Anthony, Don Martin de Buglione, was living at Lisbon a murder was committed in the street close to his house and the corpse thrown into his garden, so that suspicion might fall upon him. The nobleman was in fact accused of the murder, thrust into prison, and a long and painful trial began, with every prospect of ending in his being condemned to death. St. Anthony was just then at the monastery in Padua working for the interests of that God for whose sake he had left everything dear to him. But God, in permitting this accusation, intended through it to make His beloved child known and glorified in his own land. Informed during prayer of his father's situation, he, in spite of his being provincial, went at once, according to his usual custom, to beg permission from the superiors to absent himself from the monastery for a few days. This granted, he started for Lisbon, convinced he would reach that city before sentence of death had been pronounced, meanwhile continuing his prayers for his unhappy parent. After journeying some distance he suddenly found himself transported to Lisbon, and his feelings can be easily imagined on receiving this fresh favor from heaven. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He at once went to the place where the court was sitting, and began to plead his poor father's cause. The judges, although struck by the eloquence and cleverness of this strange Father, could not be convinced of the innocence of the accused. Anthony, repulsed by men, did not lose heart, and after a few moments spent in prayer, without asking leave or giving the judges time to recover from their astonishment, went to the cemetery, followed by the judges and an immense crowd of people, attracted hither by curiosity, and ordered the body of the murdered man to be exhumed. As soon as the coffin was visible he then, in a loud voice, in the name of God, commanded the deceased to bear witness before the judges present as to whether Don Martin de Buglione was his murderer or not. The corpse at once obeyed, and sitting up, one hand raised and the other leaning against the ground, replied in a clear and sonorous voice: "Don Martin de Buglione is not my murderer." The youth then entreated St. Anthony to give him the priestly absolution from excommunication which his sudden death had deprived him of. After receiving it he quietly laid him self down in his coffin, not to be disturbed again. As for St. Anthony, he suddenly disappeared from both judges and people, who cried aloud, as if awaking from a dream: "A miracle! a miracle! a great miracle!" It was thus that through the intervention of his son Don Martin de Buglione was declared innocent and restored to liberty. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The reply, "I am come to save the innocent, and not to betray the guilty," which St. Anthony made to the judges when asked who was then the real culprit, soon spread far and wide. He returned back to the monastery of Santa Maria dell' Arcella in the same miraculous manner after an absence of one day and two nights. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">15. St. Anthony Again Rescues His Father </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Anthony's father held an important post at the court of Lisbon.What it was is not exactly known; but it is certain he had a great deal to do in the management of the royal revenues. Owing to the fact that he always thought others as good and honest as himself, he one day neglected asking for a receipt from certain officials of the royal household, to whom he had paid large sums of money. The latter, jealous of his high position, and more especially of the royal favors lavished on him, had long been waiting for an opportunity to ruin him. They, therefore, gladly availed themselves of this occasion, declaring they had not received the money. A lawsuit was begun, and he certainly must have lost it for want of proofs but for the intervention of his son, Anthony, who suddenly appeared before the dishonest officials, and, looking them straight in the face, bore witness as to the day, hour, place, and even coin, in which the money had been paid, at the same time threatening them with the vengeance of God did they not at once give the required receipt. Terrified at having to confront such a witness, the enemies of the count acknowledged having received the money, and from that time Don Martin de Buglione was no longer molested by his enemies. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">16. Where Your Treasure Is, </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There Also is Your Heart Among the many vices infesting Florence, usury was the one against which the saint waged the greatest war. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Bonaventure himself relates an occurrence which took place in that city, and of which St. Anthony availed himself in one of his sermons to illustrate how severely God punishes that vice. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A rich usurer died, and whilst the saint was in prayer God revealed to him that this man's soul was in hell on </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">account of his unjust dealings with others. An immense crowd of people had gone to hear the saint preach the funeral sermon. He at once, on ascending the pulpit, began by pointing out the heinousness of the sin of usury, declaring that usurers in their thirst for gold were the enemies of mankind, desiring nothing so much as war, famine, pestilence and so forth, so as to enrich themselves at the expense of others, and satisfy their craving for those riches in which their happiness alone consisted. Then, speaking with still greater emphasis, he exclaimed: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"They are also the enemies of their own souls, for it is indeed rare for a usurer to become holy." Adding: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"This is precisely what has happened to the one to whom these last honors are being paid," and pointing to the catafalque before him, he continued: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"To prove the truth of my assertion you need only go and look at the chest of money, which, for the short time he lived on earth, was the joy and god of his heart, and you will find there that heart lying under his gold. For the Son of God Himself has declared, 'Where your treasure is there also is your heart.' " </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The people at this announcement remained at first perfectly dumbfounded, after which crowds of them rushed to the house of the deceased in order to ascertain for themselves the truth of this assertion, insisting upon the chest being opened, and there, to their great astonishment, found the heart still warm, lying under the gold. But not yet fully convinced of the truth, they again returned to the church where the corpse was lying, and on opening the body found no heart in it. Filled with indignation against the usurer, they declared his body should not be buried in consecrated ground, and taking it off the catafalque, dragged it out of the city and threw it on a place where dead beasts were buried. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This wonderful occurrence did not fail to produce a good and lasting impression on the people. From that time usury was almost stamped out of Florence; but the respect and veneration in which St. Anthony was held were such that he and his companion fled from the city to seek the solitude of Mt. Alvernia. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>17. St. Anthony Cures a Cripple </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Whilst the saint was at Padua a youth called Leonardo accused himself in confession of having kicked his mother so violently that she fell to the ground. St. Anthony, wishing to make him understand the enormity of his crime, said to him: "The foot of one who kicks father or mother deserves to be cut off." The young man did not understand his words in the sense he meant them, and on returning home actually went and chopped off the foot with which he had kicked his mother. This news soon reached the ears of the saint, who at once went to see the youth. After making the sign of the cross upon the mutilated limb both leg and foot were again joined together, without leaving any mark. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">18. Bilocation of the Saint </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Another wonderful miracle has been handed down to posterity. Whilst preaching on Easter Sunday in the cathedral at Montpellier the saint suddenly remembered he had to sing the Alleluia at the convent Mass. He paused for an instant and was silent, as if trying to get breath. But in reality he was singing the Alleluia in his own monastery, after which he resumed his sermon. Such occurrences naturally caused St. Anthony to beheld in great veneration by everybody. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">19. Wind and Rain Obey St. Anthony </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Another extraordinary occurrence took place at Bourges, in France, the representation of which was long to be seen carved on one of the portals of the cathedral. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Owing to the vast crowds who wanted to hear the saint preach, it was found impossible for any of the churches or squares within the city to contain them. It was therefore decided to hire a large field outside the city walls, and the people, headed by the canons and clergy, walked in procession to the place. Fortunately it was summer. When St. Anthony began his first sermon the weather was magnificent, but suddenly the sky became overcast, a high wind began to blow, dark clouds were seen floating in the air, and distant peals of thunder were heard. The immense crowd became alarmed and began to think of seeking- shelter, when the saint, noticing the movement, quietly said to them: "Do not be frightened, remain in your places; not one drop of rain will touch you." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Full of confidence in his words not one left, and St. Anthony continued his sermon in the midst of a most terrific hail and thunder-storm, and neither the saint nor his vast congregation received one drop of rain. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Even the ground on which they stood was perfectly dry, just in the same manner as when ages before the Israelites passed through the waters of the Red Sea. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At the sight of the miracle a hymn of praise and thanksgiving to that God whom the rain and winds obey burst forth from the lips of all those present, who were also filled with still greater respect and veneration toward one whom God so highly favored. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">20. Zeal for the Word of God </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The more St. Anthony endeavored to remain hidden and unknown, the more did God exalt His servant be fore his death. A noble lady, richly dressed, was going to hear one of the Lenten sermons preached by the saint, accompanied by her servants. Absorbed in her own thoughts, she paid little attention to the road, and fell into a pool filled with dirty water. She naturally expected to be covered with mud, which, to her great vexation, would have prevented her from hearing the sermon. Strange to say, on her being assisted out of the pool, not a speck of mud was to be seen on her clothes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The news of this miracle was soon repeated from mouth to mouth, and was universally attributed to the prayers of St. Anthony. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A twofold lesson can be learned from it. First, that extravagance in dress, even in the wealthy, is displeasing to God, and secondly, that the hearing of the word of God is certain to bring down a blessing. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">21.The Saint's Sermon is Heard at a Great Distance </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A woman, living at about an hour's distance from the church where the saint was to preach, wanted very much to hear him, but was prevented, owing to her husband's illness. Not able to console herself for the loss, she stepped out on to the balcony and leaning on the railings, longingly looked in the direction where the sermon was being preached. Suddenly she fancied she could hear every word the preacher said, as distinctly as if she had been inside the church. Fearing it might be an illusion, she ran and begged her husband to come and listen. The sick man at once complied with her request, and he also distinctly heard what the saint said. Their joy can be easily imagined; but in order to be sure it was no illusion on their part, they asked their neighbors on their coming home what was the subject of the sermon, and then informed them of what had taken place, to the greater glory of God and of His holy servant Anthony. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">22. Cure of a Paralyzed Child </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One day after his sermon, as the saint was hurrying back to his monastery, in order to avoid the applause of the multitude, he was stopped by a man carrying in his arms a little girl, both of whose feet were paralyzed, so that it was impossible for her to walk. Besides this, she suffered from epileptic fits of extraordinary violence. The unhappy father, full of confidence in the saint, determined to ask his assistance, and kneeling at his feet, holding the little one in his arms, implored him to bless her. Filled with pity for the unhappy parent, St. Anthony immediately did as requested. On his return home the poor man, certain his child was cured, placed her on the ground, making her stand, holding by the rail of a bench. Shortly afterward, when she began to take a few steps, he gave her a stick, but soon that was discarded, and Padovana, full of glee, was seen running about the room, perfectly cured. From that time she never suffered either from epilepsy or paralysis. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">These wonderful cures were almost of daily occurrence, so that the same thing could have been said of the saint as of Our Lord : "He went about doing good and curing all." </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">23. A Martyr's Death Predicted </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">God also bestowed upon His servant the gift of prophecy, and the saint predicted to a woman at Assisi that the son about to be born to her would suffer martyrdom, which indeed happened. He was called Philip, and after joining the Franciscans was sent to Asia, recently recaptured from the Christians by the Saracens. After courageously refusing to abjure Christianity and embrace Mahometanism, he was cruelly tortured, being flayed alive, and he, with several other Christians whom he encouraged to suffer martyrdom, was beheaded. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">24. Death of St. Anthony </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Great Miracle Worked After His Death The city of Padua, so often the scene of St. Anthony's apostolic labors during his lifetime, was also to witness his death. On his return to that city, just before Lent, he was entreated to preach the Lenten sermons. This, in spite of his excessive weakness, he agreed to do. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But hardly were they finished before he felt himself attacked with that illness which he knew would be his last. He received all the sacraments with the greatest devotion, having only one desire left, that of soon beholding the face of his God. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On the 13th of June, whilst the saint was lying in his death agony on his wretched pallet, in a small convent near Padua, towards evening, the news reached the city that he was ill, dying. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Immediately an immense crowd of people hastened to the monastery to ascertain the truth, and receive a last blessing from their beloved father. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When about to breathe his last the dying saint, as if anxious to give one more token of his love for our blessed Lady, was distinctly heard, in the midst of the tears and sobs of those surrounding his bedside, to sing in an angelic voice the beautiful line: gloriosa Domina, excelsa super sidera "O glorious Mother of God, raised above the skies," and with these words on his lips he expired. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">God, to glorify His saint, worked many miracles in his behalf, but the greatest took place A. D. 1326, thirtytwo years after his death. The inhabitants of Padua had built a magnificent church in his memory, and St. Bonaventure came himself to superintend the removal of the body. On opening the coffin nothing but bones were found, except the tongue, which was exactly the same as when the saint was alive. At this sight St. Bonaventure, falling on his knees, thus apostrophized it: "O blessed tongue, who hast so often praised your God, now does He, in His turn, make manifest how great are your merits." He then placed it in a magnificent casket, covered with precious stones, and carried it to the chapel, where it is still to be seen. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">PART II</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">MIRACLES WORKED AFTER THE DEATH OF ST. ANTHONY</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">25. A Skull Injured </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A YOUNG relative of the saint had so injured his skull through a fall that there was no hope of saving him through human means. The child was taken and placed on the altar dedicated to St. Anthony, and was so completely cured that he never suffered from any pain in his head again. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">26. The Picture of St. Anthony </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the year 1683, Antonia Palormi, a young girl of fourteen, living at Naples, fell on her head from a great height on to the top of a stone building. She bled profusely from her right ear and was half killed. The child, who had a great devotion to her name sake, St. Anthony, not only wore a picture of the saint round her neck, but used daily to recite the thirteen Our Fathers and Hail Marys in his honor. In the midst of her battle between life and death, he appeared to her, and taking hold of her by her hair, said: "Even had you not called upon me, I would have come to your rescue, on account of your devotion to me." She, at once, out of gratitude, joined the Order of St. Francis. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">27. In Company with St. Anthony</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A child had fallen into the water, and its mother, who, from a distance, saw the accident, cried out: "Oh! St. </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Anthony, help." She looked in vain for her son, but at last, discovering him among the reeds in the river, succeeded in saving him. He was not at all hurt, but laughed heartily. On being asked the cause of his merriment, he replied: "I was playing with St. Anthony, who told the water not to harm me, and I like playing with him." </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">28. Boys Playing in a Mill Stream </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A nobleman had promised to make every year a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Anthony, in thanksgiving for his having obtained for him the birth of a lovely boy, the darling of his heart. When the child was old enough, he used to accompany his parents to Padua. But one year, just as they were about starting, the boy fell ill, and the father went alone. In a few days he was quite well again, and one day went out with his little companions to play in the dry bed of a mill stream, near the fields. Whilst they were amusing themselves, the water was suddenly turned on, and no trace of the ten children could be found. The grief of the distracted mothers on hearing the news of this accident, can easily be imagined. In the meantime the count returned from Padua, and his first thought was to ask for his son. At first no one dared tell him the truth, but soon it eked out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the midst of his anguish, on learning this news, he had recourse to St.Anthony and said to him: "My dear, holy protector, it rests with you to restore to me the child you gave me, for surely you will not take him back." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After this prayer, he rose from his knees, certain that his heavenly friend would not desert him. He was right, for hearing the noise of boyish laughter, he looked out of his window and saw the merry little band of children, with his son in their midst, returning home from the meadow. It would be impossible here to describe the feelings of the happy parents. The boys, on being questioned how they had spent their time, replied they had had lots of fun, but knew nothing of what had happened. In this manner did the saint reward the pilgrimage of his pious votaries, by saving the lives of those little </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ones so dear to them. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">29. Back from Paradise</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Spanish princess had died, and her funeral was already ordered, but the queen mother, who had a great devotion to St. Anthony, now that all human assistance was of no avail had recourse to his intercession. In her grief she never left the corpse of her beloved daughter, and, with streaming eyes, said to our divine Lord: "It will not cost you more to raise my daughter from the dead than it did when you raised Lazarus from the grave, after being buried four days." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Anthony in heaven joined in her supplications, and to the joy and astonishment of all present, the young girl arose, and said to her mother: "Dearest mother, while you were praying to St. Anthony, I was in heaven, amid the choir of virgins, and I so clearly understood all the vanities of this world that I entreated God not to hear your prayers. He replied He could not refuse any favor to His servant, St. Anthony, and that also, on account of your earnest prayers, I must return to this world, to change your grief into joy, promising me, at the same time, I should return to my place among the blessed in a fortnight." Everything happened as she predicted. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A fortnight afterwards she expired, and went back to enjoy forever the presence of God. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">30. Assassins Frightened </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A priest in Padua, who had a great devotion to St. Anthony, had several enemies, who were eagerly watching for an opportunity to destroy him. One night, whilst they were waiting in ambush for the priest, a Franciscan monk suddenly placed himself a few steps before them. Finding he had no intention to move, one of them surlily ordered him in loud voice to move on. The Father gently, but firmly, replied, "Go your way yourselves; I shall remain here." Seeing him so determined, another rudely asked him: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Pray, who are you?" "I am," he replied, "the saint of Padua." Upon which, as if struck down by some invisible power, they fell on their faces to the ground, just at the time when the priest, who, suspecting nothing, passed by, and was informed by his holy patron of the danger he had escaped. The would-be assassins, filled with remorse, humbly begged his forgiveness, and related how the great St. Anthony, without being called upon, watches over those who trust in him. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">31. A Strong Shield </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The following incident took place at Puglia, in the kingdom of Naples, before so many witnesses that the news of it soon spread all over the country. A peasant boy was digging a hole beside a steep rock, when it fell suddenly, carrying the boy with it in its fall. His younger brother, who had seen the accident, ran to tell his mother of it. Her first thought was to call on St. Anthony to help her, as well as those who were going to the rescue of her child. At last, in the presence of an immense crowd, the stones were removed, and to the great astonishment of all present, not only was the boy alive, but he had not even a scratch on his face or head. Being asked how he had been able to save himself, he replied: "As soon as you, mother, began praying to St. Anthony, he at once came and shielded me with his hand, so that not only did the sharp stones not fall on me, but I could breathe freely." </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">32. Dragged by a Mule </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Once Father Coinage, S. J., who had a great devotion to St. Anthony of Padua, was returning to Palermo from Mazzara, in Sicily, accompanied by one of the Brothers, and saying his breviary. He had just come to that verse in the canticle of the youngmen in the fiery furnace: "Praise the Lord, all His works," when his mule, which was considered a quiet animal, took fright, and broke the bridle. The Father was thrown out of the saddle, and dragged for a considerable distance over a rough and ragged road, with his feet caught in the stirrups. He went on all the time saying his prayers, as if nothing was wrong. At last the mule was stopped. On getting up from the ground he told his companion, who expected to find him either dead or seriously injured: "It is to the prayers of St. Anthony that I owe my safety." </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">33. A Scoffer Changes into an Admirer</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The following- account of a most extraordinary conversion, through the intercession of St. Anthony, was written by a gentleman living in Venice, A.D. 1677. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For many years he had been a Calvinist, and on his way back from Rome, visited Padua, where he heard so much about the miracles of St. Anthony, that, having no faith in them, he was sick of hearing them mentioned. Curiosity, however, made him visit the "Church del Santo," considered one of the most beautiful in the city. Whilst looking- at the chapel under which the body of the saint lay, he could not help thinking of the necessity of saving his soul, and on drawing near the sarcophagus, he began reading an account of the miracles engraved on it. He was so struck by the story of the mule adoring the Blessed Sacrament that he could not forget it. Trusting that travel would drive these thoughts, which pursued him night and day, away, <span style="text-align: left;">he left Padua and started for Milan, but to no purpose. At last, yielding to grace, he became a fervent Catholic, and a devout client of St. Anthony. He was often heard to say he would rather lose all the goods of this world and suffer any amount of torture than desert the Catholic Church. </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">34. A Glass as Hard as a Rock </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Protestant soldier named Aleardino San Salvatore went to see his family at Padua. One day, whilst at table, the conversation naturally ran on the miracles of St. Anthony of Padua, recently deceased. Full of pride, and not believing a word of them, the heretic scoffingly said: "I will become a Catholic, if this glass,which I hold in my hand, does not break into pieces when I throw it against that stone," pointing to a large stone not far off. No sooner said than done. He threw the glass with such violence that the stone against which it was thrown was shivered to pieces, whilst the glass remained uninjured. Astounded at the sight of this miracle, he became a Catholic and made a present of the glass to the Franciscan monastery at Padua, where it may still be seen. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">35. A Wish Granted </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A lay Sister of the Order of the Poor Ladies of Mount Olivet approached the corpse of St. Anthony whilst it was still lying unburied in the church, and reverently kissing his hand, implored him, in her simplicity, to have her purgatory here on earth, so that she might go straight to heaven at her death. Her petition was granted. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On her return home she was seized with such violent pains all over her body that her screams could be heard all over the convent. At night they gradually abated, and she was able the next day to get up and go to the refectory. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">She had hardly sat down, before they returned with such intensity that the mother abbess was compelled to send her to the infirmary. Here she had again recourse to the saint, begging of him this time to cure her. Remembering a poor woman had a piece of his habit, she sent for it, placed it on her body and instantly recovered. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">36. A Poor Clare Cured</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sister Victoria, a poor Clare, belonging to the monastery at Vienna, certainly deserved her name, owing to her great confidence in God, even when laboring under the greatest difficulties. On one occasion, after being bled, one of the sinews of her right arm was so injured that the whole arm swelled up and became so inflamed that her life was despaired of. The pain, which was intense, never ceased, and the doctor lost every hope of saving her. Victoria alone, full of confidence in God and in the intercession of her patron, St. Anthony, felt convinced of the contrary. In stead of joining in the prayers of those surrounding her bedside, she repeated the Te Deum and antiphons. On the eve of the feast of St. Thomas, the inflammation had so increased that the Sisters expected every moment the bell to be tolled for her decease. Towards midnight a slight improvement was noticed in the state of the patient, which continued, so that in a few days she was able to move her hand without danger. On her recovery, she informed the prioress of what had taken place. About midnight the mother abbess had brought two Franciscan monks to her bedside, St. Anthony, and St. Bernardin of Sienna. One repeated the antiphons to her, and ordered her to stretch out her hand; the other had blessed her in the name of our dear Lord, and she was instantly cured. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">37. Places Exchanged </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">During the Middle Ages, leprosy was very prevalent in Italy, and St.Bonaventure used often, in the antiphons, to implore the assistance of St.Anthony to obtain the cure of those attacked by this dire disease. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The following incident proves how powerful his intercession was: A poor leper, having heard of the miracles worked by St. Anthony, determined, full of confidence in his intercession, to go and pray on his tomb. On his way to the church, he met a soldier, who scoffingly said to him: "Where are you going, you simpleton? Do you think the ashes and bones of that Brother can heal you? Go, tell him with my compliments, I am not afraid of death, and he can send me your leprosy if he likes." The leper went his way, not heeding the words of the scoffer, but full of trust in the saint, and kneeling before his shrine soon fell into a beautiful sleep, during which he dreamt he saw St. Anthony, who kindly said to him: "Arise, brother, you are cured; go, give your crutches to the soldier; he sadly needs them." On awaking, he found it was no illusion; he was perfectly cured, and went at once, as he had been bidden, to seek the soldier, whom he found covered with leprosy. Giving him his crutches, said: "I am cured; my saint has told me to give you my crutches." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In this manner, two miracles were wrought: one of mercy, the other of chastisement. As for the soldier, the sight of this miracle touched his heart, and, full of repentance, he allowed himself to be carried to the shrine of the saint, hoping he would have compassion on him. Nor was he mistaken, for after his promising to lead a better life and become a good Catholic, he was also restored to health. He never forgot his promise, and became a most devout client of St. Anthony. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">38. "Do You Know Me?" </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Aldonisia, the daughter of Queen Taraxia, of Portugal, lay on a sick bed, given up by all, save the queen mother, who could not believe her child was going to die, for she felt confident that St. Anthony, whose devout client she was, would cure her darling. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Come," said she to him in her anguish, "come, you were born in this land, come and obtain, through your powerful intercession, the cure of my child." Shortly after midnight, the young girl fell asleep, and the saint, appearing to her, said: "Dost thou know me? I am St. Anthony, and am come here at the request of your mother. You can have your choice, either to be with me to-day in heaven without passing through the flames of purgatory, or to recover and return to your mother." The child chose the health of the body and was immediately cured. Taking hold of the cord of St. Anthony, she cried out to her mother: "See, mother, here is St.Anthony, who has come to cure me." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The queen and her suite rushed to the bedside of the princess, and on finding her child cured, the mother fell on her knees to thank God and St. Anthony. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">39. A Son Restored to his Parents </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The following miracle took place at Rome, in the month of March, 1683: Don Nicholas Grassi, the president of the royal board of administration at Naples, having to go to Rome, took with him his wife and only son. They had scarcely reached the city before the child fell dangerously ill, and was given up by the doctors. His mother, a devout client of St. Anthony, full of confidence in his intercession, implored the saint to befriend her on this trying occasion. Suddenly at about three o clock in the afternoon of Shrove Tuesday, she heard her son calling out to the saint. She immediately ran to the sick-bed, but he, waving her away with his hand, distinctly cried out: "Anthony." She again asked him whom he was calling, and this time he replied: "I saw a monk in a dark habit; it must have been St.Anthony himself, for he held in one hand some lovely red and white roses, and in the other a book, on which a beautiful boy was standing." From that time the child got better, and in a few days was completely cured. On being taken to a church, where there was a picture of the saint, he at once pointed it out to his mother, saying: "Look, mother, there is the monk who appeared to me during my illness and cured me." Every time he met a Franciscan Father, he would exclaim : "There is a monk who wears the same habit as St. Anthony." </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">40. Gangrene Cured </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1674, Count Mirola, the commander-in-chief of the papal army, sent to reinforce the Venetians in the war against the Turks, was seriously wounded in the ankle at the siege of Sebenico. In the hope of saving his life, the foot was amputated, but in spite of this, gangrene set in. The count, full of confidence in the intercession of St. Anthony, sent for one of his pictures, and placing it on the wounded limb, said: "Although I am only a miserable sinner, knowing how good thou art to us, I am certain, dear St. Anthony, of being cured through your powerful intercession." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The count's confidence was not misplaced; in a short time the wound was completely healed, and soon the news of this fresh miracle spread far and wide. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">41. "Take Courage" Such were the words which St. Anthony himself addressed, in 1682, to a poor man dying at Naples, of dropsy in the head. Emmanuel Caravascione, in spite of being given over by the doctors, and speechless, never lost hope, and although those round his bedside were expecting him every moment to breathe his last, he was himself silently imploring the saint to intercede for him and to come to his rescue. It was not in vain. About midnight, St. Anthony appeared to him and said: "Take courage, friend. I will help you," and disappeared. The sick man at once recovered his speech, called his wife, and, relating all that had just taken place, told her to go to the Franciscan church and earnestly implore the saint's intercession. To this the poor woman gladly acceded, immediately going barefooted to the church, where she had several Masses, together with <span style="text-align: left;">the antiphons of the saint, said in his honor. On her return home, she found the doctor perfectly astonished </span><span style="text-align: left;">at the marked improvement in the state of the patient. Whilst he was thus talking with her, her little three-</span><span style="text-align: left;">year-old boy, who had been staying in the sick-room, suddenly ran up to her, pulling at her dress, wanting her to </span><span style="text-align: left;">come and see St. Anthony, who was talking with his father. Not paying attention to what the little one said, she </span><span style="text-align: left;">continued her conversation with the doctor and then went back to the sick-room, where, to her great aston</span><span style="text-align: left;">ishment, she found her husband perfectly recovered from his illness. "Oh, mamma,"said the child, reproachfully, </span><span style="text-align: left;">"why did you not come sooner? See, St. Anthony is gone." </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">42. A Good Name Restored </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1641, a parish priest in the Tyrol was falsely accused by some of his parishioners of having committed a dreadful crime, and denounced to his bishop. The priest, conscious of his innocence, did not hesitate for a moment, anticipating the summons, but, after appearing before the consistory, he was condemned and sent to prison. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Finding his good name gone, and that there seemed no chance of his obtaining redress from man, he did not lose heart, but at once wrote to St. Anthony, imploring his assistance. As it was impossible for him to take the letter to the monastery at Kattern, he sent it by a messenger, begging the monks to place it on the <span style="text-align: left;">altar dedicated to the saint, which they did. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Anthony, ever the friend of the persecuted, came at once to the rescue of his devout suppliant, and soon made the judges discover the injustice of the accusation. The sentence of imprisonment pronounced against him was at once annulled, and he was honorably reinstated in his former parish. His calumniators, in order to save themselves from heavier penalties, were forced not only to retract their accusations, and pay all the expenses of the trial, but also to perform great works of charity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>43. A Lunatic Cured </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1701, Herr Franz Zallinger, a gentleman highly respected in Botzen, was suddenly seized with madness while </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">attending the services at the Franciscan church, and became so convulsed that it required several strong men to </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">carry him out of the terror-stricken congregation, and to put him in one of the cells of the monastery, where he had </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">to be closely watched. His brother George, a devout client of St. Anthony, had at once recourse to the saint's </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">intercession in behalf of the unfortunate lunatic, who was immediately cured and restored to his family. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A magnificent ex voto, in the form of a large silver heart, was placed by the grateful family on the altar of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St.Anthony, at Kattern, as a memento of this miraculous cure. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>44. A Happy Death Obtained </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Spanish nobleman, noted for the ordial and respectful welcome he gave to the Franciscans who asked hospitality </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">from him, lay at the point of death, when two Franciscan Fathers came and wanted to see him. On hearing of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">their arrival, he immediately ordered them to be shown up to his room, and said to them: "I have always longed for </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">two of your religious to come and assist me in my last moments, and God has heard my prayer; do, pray, I entreat </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">you, remain with me till all is over." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Most willingly," replied the elder of the two monks, whose hands were marked with the stigmata; "we are here for </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">that purpose. I am Francis and my companion is Anthony. We have only come down from heaven in order to bring </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">you back with us." What a consolation for a man on his death-bed! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>45. Crushed by the Fall of a Tree </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the year 1666, one of the laborers of a nobleman, called Johannes Kaspar Inderman, residing at Kurtasch, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">in the Tyrol, experienced the protection of St. Anthony in a most wonderful manner. One day whilst engaged </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">in felling down a large tree, just after giving the last stroke his foot slipped, and the whole weight of the immense </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">trunk fell on his body, rendering him unconscious. The wife of the noble man at once, on hearing of the accident, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">had recourse to the intercession of St. Anthony, promising to have two Masses said in his chapel at Kattern, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">if he would only save the life of the poor fellow. The promise was hardly made before the man got up unhurt. Out </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">of gratitude to St. Anthony, he placed an ex voto in his chapel at Kaltern. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>46. Carriage portion</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1649, St. Anthony did a great act of kindness to a poor girl. The mother, pressed by extreme poverty, wanted to </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">sell her beautiful daughter for money. The unhappy girl, in her anguish, went and knelt before the picture of St.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Anthony, in the Franciscan church, imploring him, weeping bitterly, to save her honor. In the midst of her prayer,</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the saint stretched out his hand and handing a note to her, said: "Go to the bishop's administrator, and tell him in </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">my name to give you for your marriage portion as much money as this paper weighs." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Full of joy, she at once obeyed, and presented the note to the aforesaid gentleman. He at first laughed at her but </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">after putting the paper in one side of the scales, and finding it weighed two hundred silver crowns, remembered a </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">promise he had made the year before to give the above- named sum of money, as a marriage portion, to a poor </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">girl. He at once handed the sum over to her, thus saving her from dishonor. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>47. Saved from Suicide</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Discord is the greatest of all evils which can enter into a house. Union in wedlock, and in one's family makes </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">life a real paradise on earth. Heaven cannot exist without harmony. Hell is one continual discord. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A most unhappy family lived in one of the small villages of Portugal. The husband, not content, on coming </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">home at night, with calling his wife bad names, used to beat her, kick her, and even threaten to turn her out of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">doors. The cause of such conduct can be easily guessed; he used to stay out late at night and frequented bad </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">company. The poor woman, at last despairing of her husband turning over a new leaf, determined to destroy </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">herself. One night, after her husband had gone to his usual haunts, just as she was about fetching the rope which </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">was to put an end to her misery in this world, she heard a knock at the door. On opening it, two Franciscan </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fathers humbly asked if she could give them a night's lodging, saying: "We are come a great distance, and are </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">called Francis and Anthony." On hearing these words, the poor woman exclaimed: "Oh, what beautiful names! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">They are the names of two saints I love very dearly. Do, pray, come in, reverend Fathers; you are indeed welcome." </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">She at once set about getting everything ready, so as to make them as comfortable as possible. While listening to their </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">conversation about heavenly things, at supper, all thoughts of despair and suicide vanished, a feeling of peace and </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">gratitude stole over her heart, making her thank God for having sent her such guests. As soon as the strangers </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">seemed to be preparing to retire to rest, she withdrew to a little room, and there, falling on her knees, humbly </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">implored God's forgiveness, promising Him, for the future, never to yield to despair, being certain that He who is </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">constantly watching over those who place their whole trust in Him, never permits anything to happen to them but </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">for their greater good. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Whilst still on her knees, she heard her husband enter the house. But oh, how changed! Instead of beginning </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">to curse and swear at her, as soon as he saw her, he fell at her feet, his face bathed in tears, and humbly entreated </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">forgiveness. What could have changed him so? It was soon explained. Immediately after the poor woman had left </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the Fathers, they had appeared to the cruel husband, and, after sternly reproaching him with his crimes, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">threatened him with eternal damnation if he did not at once amend. "Richly, indeed, do you deserve to be among the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">damned, after committing crime upon crime. You will certainly be cast into hell in three days if you do not at once </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">quit this place. Repent of your sins, confess, do penance for them and amend. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hasten home to your wife, ask her for the cord with which she was about to destroy herself, and beg her to forgive </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">you. Tell her the two monks she received and welcomed into her house tonight are no other than St. Francis </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and St. Anthony." It would be impossible to describe the joy and gratitude of this now reconciled couple </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">towards the two great saints who had been the instruments used by God to save them, soul and body. They at </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">once, both of them, approached the Sacraments of Penance and of the Altar, and from henceforth led lives which </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">were a foretaste of heaven. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>48. The Great Harvest</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A poor woman living near Padua had only a single field of wheat, which was so devoured by sparrows that hardly </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">an ear of corn could be seen. No sooner had she driven them off one part of the field than they flew to another, with </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the greatest impudence. Finding her labor useless, she had recourse to St. Anthony, and, asking him to take care of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">her field, promised to visit his tomb nine times. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Certain of his protection, she at once began her novena, and during that time left the field entirely under his care. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After the novena was finished, she went to see how things were going on, and to her surprise found that not a </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">sparrow was to be seen. That year she had a finer harvest than she ever had before. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>49. The Storm Ceases and the Sea becomes Calm</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Maronite bishop, Timothy di Sarca, had left Mesopotamia to go to Rome. The coast of Ostia was al-ready seen in </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the distance, when suddenly a terrific hurricane arose on the Tyrrhenian sea, the ship being tossed about like a ball </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and her mast broken. All hopes of reaching land were given up, even by the oldest sailors, who only thought of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">preparing themselves for death. The good bishop, a devout client of St. Anthony, alone did not lose courage, and </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">urged the passengers and crew to have recourse to St.Anthony, and to promise, did they reach the land, to burn a </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">candle in his honor. To this all unanimously agreed. Immediately the storm ceased, the waters became as smooth as </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">glass, and the vessel glided into port, driven by a favorable wind. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">During his stay at Rome, the same bishop experienced another favor from his heavenly friend and benefactor. The </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Propaganda had given him a bill of exchange, in order to help him on his journey. Somehow or other, just as he was </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">going to leave the city, it got mislaid and could not be found. In this dilemma he had at once recourse to his holy </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">patron, and, having said Mass in his honor,</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">begging of him to assist him, he returned to the house at which he was staying, where, to his great surprise, he found </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the bill lying on his table in his room. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>50.</b> "She is all Right Now" A ship, heavily laden with silk from Catalonia, had just reached the coast of Sicily, when a </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">terrific storm arose, and the vessel was driven back to sea with such violence that she became perfectly </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">unmanageable. Everybody on board thought they were lost, except one of the crew, who, in a loud voice, called upon </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Anthony to come to their rescue, saying: "Dear </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Anthony, become the pilot of this vessel; we hand her over to you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Immediately, on the sailors responding to this </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">appeal, St. Anthony was seen at the helm, and, smiling at the crew, addressed them thus: "Let the vessel go by </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">herself, she is all right now," after which he disappeared, and a gentle breeze drove the ship into harbor, without </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">mast or rudder. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>51. The Beacon </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The remembrance of the protection of this great thaumaturgus is still pre</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">served in the lagoons. Shortly after the canonization of the saint, a gondola containing more than twenty-six </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">persons, whilst passing through Venice, during a night which was pitch dark, was caught in a sudden squall, and the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">boat was struck by the wind with such violence that for a moment the people in it did not know whether it was </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">capsized or not. In this dilemma, they all cried out with one voice: "St. Anthony, help us; St. Anthony, help us." At </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">once, in the midst of the darkness, a bright light was seen, and they found the boat was close to the little island of San </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Marco Piccolo, where they were safely landed. The light then disappeared, and the rescued party fell on their knees </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">to thank their heavenly benefactor. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>52. The Singer in the Boat </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">During a violent storm, a poor fisherman in Portugal, whose sole means </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">of getting an honest livelihood depended on his boat, had the misfortune to see it break from its moorings and drift </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">into the open sea. In his distress, he at once appealed to St. Anthony. Two days afterwards, one of his neighbors came </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and told him how some young men, during a terrific storm, had seen a boat in the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">open sea, with no other occupant than a Franciscan monk at the helm, who </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">was singing beautiful hymns. Struck by the coincidence, the poor man at once ran to the shore, where,to his great </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">joy, he found his boat stranded on the beach. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>53. Chains as an Altar Decoration </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the year 1672, a poor man, living in Cracovia, Poland, was unjustly ac</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">cused of murder and condemned to the rack. This punishment, most terrible in itself, was frequently resorted to in </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the Middle Ages to force suspected criminals to confess the crimes of which they were accused, and it is certain the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">most innocent have declared themselves guilty of offences of which they had not even the remotest idea, rather than </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">undergo this terrible torture a second time. Once a Capuchin Father was known, through fear of being again placed </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">on this cruel </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">instrument, to confess having struck Our Lord whilst He was hanging on the cross. What happened to the priest also </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">happened to the poor Pole, who, whilst stretched on the rack, finding death preferable to what he was suffering, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">although quite innocent, declared he was guilty. On being taken back to prison, he began preparing himself for </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">death, by receiving the sacraments of the Church, giving abundant alms and recommending himself especially to St. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Anthony. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The good saint would not permit his devout client to suffer such a disgraceful death, and on the night before his </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">execution appeared to him, opened the prison gates, and, breaking his chains, ordered him to take them to his </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">judges, so as to have his sentence revoked. The proofs of his innocence were too palpable to be </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">doubted; the man was set free, and at once, out of gratitude, placed the chains on the altar of the saint, where they </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">are still to be seen. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>54. St. Anthony is Never Invoked in Vain </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The celebrated Jesuit Father, Daniel Papebroch, relates the following incidentincident which took place at Antwerp, in his youth, and which he never for</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">got: It happened that a woman in business who had received a note of hand from the head of a mercantile house </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">could not find it anywhere, just at the time it became due. The loss of it did not at first trouble her very much, as </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">having had dealing with the above-named house for several years, and her honesty being known to the firm, she felt </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">certain payment would not be refused. She was mistaken; not only was she informed that the money had been </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">already paid, but </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">she was grossly insulted, which hurt even more than the loss of the money. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">She therefore determined to consult a well-known soothsayer as to the best means of finding the lost note. Fortunately </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">for her, she met on her way the mother of Father Papebroch, to whom she related what had taken place. After </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hearing her story, the lady strongly advised her to have a Mass said to St. Anthony, to which she at once agreed, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and assisted at it herself. On her return home, she found a servant waiting for her, who informed her that his </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">master, believing </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">what she said to be true, was quite prepared to pay her the money with out the note being produced. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>55. King Charles II of England</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1655, Charles II, who had been banished from England, went to reside at Cologne. Whilst there, the little gold and </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">silver plate he had, and which he greatly valued, was stolen. In spite of being a Protestant, he sent one of the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">gentlemen of his suite to beg of the Friars Minor to pray for his intentions. The following day, Father Werner </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Burich, a highly respected priest, whilst passing through the church, noticed a stranger beckoning to him and </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">pointing to a confessional. Thinking something was wrong, he went at once to the place, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and found there the sack containing the lost plate. He immediately sent </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">for the superior of the monastery, Father Thomas Martine, who ordered two of the Brothers to restore the plate to </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the rightful owner. The king, delighted at having recovered his lost property, ordered an account of it to be </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">published, which he attested and signed with his own hand. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>56. The Grateful Captain </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1674, a Swiss captain, stationed at Dunkirk, in French Flanders, one night on retiring to rest, put his purse, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">containing sixty gold doubloons, under his pillow, but on awakening the next morning could not find them; the purse </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">had disappeared. He at once went to ask the assistance of St. Anthony, and had a Mass said in his honor at the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Franciscan church. During the Offertory, somebody knocked at the door of the monastery. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On the porter opening it, a soldier, accompanied by another man, gave him the purse, which the Brother at first </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hesitated to receive. The soldier insisted, and, throwing it at his feet, exclaimed: "I did not steal the purse," and </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">disappeared. When Mass was over, the money was restored to the captain, who, out of gratitude, made a present of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the greater part of it to the monastery. A picture, commemorating this and other miracles worked by the saint, was </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">placed in his chapel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>57. A Child Stolen </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1720, a poor woman left her little four-year-old child alone in her garden, surrounded by high walls, as she was </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">obliged to go to Botzen on business. On her return from town, she went to fetch her little girl, who was nowhere to be </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">found. Full of anguish, she immediately made a pilgrimage to St. Anthony's chapel, at </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kattern, and on coming home, found the little one safe and sound in the house. On being questioned by her mother, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">she replied: "Whilst you were away, a man climbed over the wall of our garden, and carried me to the top of a big </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hill, but I had not been long there before a priest found me, and brought me home, telling me I must be a very good </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">little girl and always say my prayers and mind what </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">you tell me, which I certainly shall try." The grateful mother easily guessed that the good priest could be no other </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">than St. Anthony. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>58. Erysipelas Cured through </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Invoking St. Anthony The youngest son of John Amaldus von Buren, a lad of thirteen, owing to a severe attack of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">erysipelas, had to have the knee bone of his right leg taken out. In spite of this painful operation, cancer set in, and </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the only </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hopes of saving the sufferer's life was by amputating the diseased limb. The boy, on hearing this, asked for a picture </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">of St. Anthony, and full of confidence in his powerful intercession, implored him to take pity on him and cure him; </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">promising if he did so, to make a pilgrimage to his shrine at Padua, and always to wear a gray dress in his honor. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">No sooner was the promise made than he felt himself </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">perfectly cured. Shortly afterwards he started for Padua to fulfil his vow, and was able to kneel at the altar of the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">saint without feeling any pain. Those who had seen him during his illness could hardly believe in the cure, but, after </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">carefully examining the knee, they found to their great astonishment no trace of the bone having been taken out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>59. The Bishop's Ring </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Don Ignatius Martiques, Bishop of Cordova, had a great devotion to St. Anthony and received many favors from </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">him. Once he lost his bishop's ring, which he had received at his consecration, and naturally, for this reason, the loss </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">of it greatly troubled him. He at once had several Masses said for his intention, but the saint </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One day whilst at table with several gentlemen, the conversation ran upon </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the miracles the saint was working, and which filled the whole world with </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">astonishment. The bishop also spoke about the many favors he had received, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and how greatly he trusted the dear saint, but added: "I am just now rather inclined to quarrel with him, for in spite </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">of my repeatedly asking him, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">he has not yet given me back my ring." Hardly had he uttered these words before the ring, to the astonishment of all </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">present, fell on the table, as if coming from the ceiling, and every one joined in giving three cheers for St. Anthony. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>60. The Manuscript Ready for the Press </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Dominican bishop, Ambrosius Catherinus, as renowned for his virtue as for his great learning, has written </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">several books, among others one bearing the title of "Honor due to the Saints," from which the following anecdote is </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">extracted: The bishop, on his way home from Toulouse, after travelling a considerable distance, discovered that a </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">valuable manuscript, ready for printing, was missing. He immediately retraced his steps, in the hopes of finding it, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and even took the trouble of asking the governor of the city to assist him. Finding earthly aid of no </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">avail, he had recourse to St. Anthony, promising to mention this favor in his </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">book, were the manuscript found. Full of these thoughts, he resumed his jour</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ney and on the road met a stranger, who, drawing near to him, asked if </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">he had not lost a manuscript. The bishop replied in the affirmative, and gave a description of the lost treasure. Upon </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">which the man, after returning it to him, showed him the place where he had dropped it. Full of gratitude, the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">bishop faithfully kept his word, and gave an account of his loss in the book, which was printed at Lyons, 1541. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>61. Heard during Mass</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">John Comez Cano, chamberlain to the Duke of Brabant, had a great lawsuit to carry on in the Senate House, but </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">unfortunately some very important documents had been mislaid, with out which the case would be lost. In this </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">predicament, John Comez Cano's only hope was to make an appeal to St. Anthony and implore his assistance, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">promising, in return, to have three Masses said in his honor. Full of these thoughts, he went to the Franciscan </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">church in Brussels, and, while on his way to the chapel, met one of the Fathers in the cloisters, who, looking at him </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">most benevolently, asked in Spanish the cause of his sadness. On being informed of it, he said: "Go and hear a Mass in </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">honor of St. Anthony, and you will receive the lost documents to-morrow," which was, in fact, the case. The lawsuit </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">was gained and an ex voto was placed in the chapel of the saint to commemorate the miracle, which happened in </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1646. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>62. An Ant Employed as Porter </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Anthony is ever ready to help those who fully trust in him, even in the most trifling matters. Supposing you lose a </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">key, only ask St Anthony and he will certainly find it for you. The following incident clearly proves the truth of this </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">assertion: A lay Capuchin Brother had a rosary which, for the many indulgences attached to it, he greatly prized. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One day he accidentally broke the string on which the beads were strung, so that they were scattered all over the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ground. He at once began to pick them up, but to his great vexation, one was missing, and not being able to find it he </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">at once said a prayer to St. Anthony, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">which was no sooner finished than to his great astonishment he saw an ant </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">coming with great difficulty towards him, carrying on her back the lost </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">bead. Filled with gratitude, the good Brother wept for joy at the sight of the kindness of his dear saint. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>63. Returned at Midnight </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1664 a rich merchant from Augsburg sent his confidential ser</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">vant on business to St. Andrew's market, at Botzen, and gave him at the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">same time two hundred and thirty guldens in coin and several thousands </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">in paper money, which were carefully packed up in his travelling bag. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The servant being obliged to go to Trent on business, returned by </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">way of Tramin. Worn out by his long journey, and finding it impossi</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ble to proceed any further until he had rested a little, he lay down near </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the roadside close to Tramin, and was soon fast asleep. On awaking, he found his bag had disappeared. He at once </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">made use of every means he possibly could to discover the thief, but finding it useless, went to Kattern on the 23d of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">November, and on seeing the superior of the Franciscans, informed him of his loss, at the same time asking for three </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Masses and other prayers to be said in honor of St. Anthony, and returned again to Botzen, fully convinced that the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">money would be found. In the meantime, the antiphons in honor of St. Anthony were daily said by the choir </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Brothers, in order to obtain his assistance. On the 13th of December, whilst matins was being sung, a terrible noise </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">was heard at the church door, which increased so much that the Brothers, greatly alarmed, went to see what was </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the matter. Suddenly all was silent, and, on their reaching the door, they found it forced open and inside a quantity </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">of paper scattered </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">over the floor, together with two bags of money, a pair of stockings and an </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">old veil, all of which was the stolen property of the merchant, M. Morrell, who was then staying at Botzen. On his </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">receiving the stolen things, he found only twenty-one gulden and thirty-eight kreuzers missing; out of gratitude he </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">had an ex voto placed in the chapel, on which was a representation of the church door being forced open, and bags </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">of money being thrown inside the church. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>64. The Victorious Admiral </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The very reverend Father Provincial Kuck, of the Franciscan province of Bavaria, heard, himself, the following </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">incident related by Admiral Don Mondemar, during his visit to Spain, when convoked to the General Chapter, held </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">at Murcia. The then reigning King of Spain, Philip IV., determined to send a fleet to recapture Oran from the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Moors. Several attempts had already been made, all of which had failed, and the fortress was considered </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">impregnable. In spite of everything the admiral could say, the king persisted in his determination, and, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">consequently, nothing remained but to obey. On reaching Alicant, Don Mondemar allowed his troops to disembark, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and availed himself of this opportunity to visit the church of the Franciscans, dedicated to St. Anthony, where he </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">placed the whole business in his hands. With this intention, after spending some time in prayer, he called upon the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">superior, begging of him to have the office of St. Anthony said. This being ended, he, in the presence of a great many </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">people, asked the Father Superior's permission to have a ladder placed before the high altar, over which a life-size </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">statue of the saint stood. This granted, he mounted the ladder and clothed the statue with all the insignia of a </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Spanish admiral in active service, and thus addressed the saint: "You, St. Anthony, must capture Oran, for I am </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">unable to do so;" and laying his hand on the head of the statue, continued: "You are now the admiral, and I am only </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">your humble servant and soldier, ready to obey your orders, for after God, I place my whole trust in you." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This ceremony concluded, he came down from the ladder and returned with his men to the fleet, where they </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">embarked. As the squadron drew near Oran, all waited anxiously for the enemy to begin the attack. Seeing no notice </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">was taken of them, the admiral ordered his men to fire. Again no response from the citadel. At a loss to understand </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">what this meant, the command was given to land the troops, and, to the great astonishment of every one, the city </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">gates were wide open. Thinking this was a stratagem of the enemy, they proceeded very </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">cautiously through the empty streets, which, like the fortress, were completely deserted. Here an old Moor was </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">discovered, concealed in his house, and was immediately brought before the admiral, who demanded an explanation </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">of this extraordinary behavior on the part of the garrison and inhabitants. "As soon," replied the old man, "as the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Christian squadron appeared in sight, a legion of soldiers was seen in the air, led by a Franciscan monk, wearing all </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the insignia of an admiral on duty, who threatened to destroy every one of us if we did not </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">at once leave the city." Terrified beyond description at this unexpected apparition, both citizens and garrison had </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">fled in the greatest disorder. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was in this way that, thanks to the assistance of St. Anthony, Mondemar captured the city of Oran, without </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">shedding a drop of blood. He at once </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">sent a dispatch to the king, informing him of all that had taken place. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The statue, clothed with an admiral's insignia, is still to be seen at Alicant, but the miracle was only confirmed in </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rome in 1770. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>65. Saved from the Scaffold </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Franciscan Father, who lived at Naples in the monastery dedicated to St.Lawrence, relates the following incident </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">which took place in that city. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One stormy night a young fisherman was sitting alone with his mother, in </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">his little cottage close to the sea, when he heard, in the midst of the howling </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">of the wind, some one in great distress calling for help. He immediately </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">went out and found a man mortally wounded, lying close to his door. The murderer had fled, but the coastguard had </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">also heard the cries for help, and </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">seeing the young fisherman bending over the dead man, naturally concluded he was guilty, and, in spite of all his </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">protestations, he was brought before the judge and accused of murder. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">His guilt was, in fact, only too evident; he had been found bending over the corpse of a man, still warm. No one else </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">could be found in the neighborhood, and there was only his mother who could prove his innocence, and what is a </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">mother's evidence in such a case, even had she come in time? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But the poor creature was so stunned by grief on hearing the accusation against her only son, that she reached the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">court just before the sentence of death was pronounced on her child. On hearing which, the wretched mother, in </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">spite of all the rebuffs she received from the judge, persisted in asking him to spare her child's life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At last, weary of her importunities, and perhaps also in the hopes of getting rid </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">of her, he informed her that if she could see the king, there was a small chance of a reprieve being obtained. Full of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hope, the unhappy parent at once started upon her mission, but what appeared so easy was truly beset with </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">difficulties. On reaching the palace she was told she must have a petition presented to the king, and who was to </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">write that petition? When she at last succeeded in getting it done, it was far too late for her to obtain an audience of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the king. Broken </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hearted, she left the palace, and, as she was passing by the Church of St. Lawrence, she entered, and kneeling before </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the railings which separated St. Anthony's chapel from the rest of the church, she implored the saint's intercession </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">in behalf of her unfortunate son. She would have remained there longer, had not the sacristan told her he must shut </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">up the church, and then, in her despair, she threw her petition on his altar, crying out: "St. Anthony, St. Anthony, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">you must save my child." She then returned home, consoled and comforted, convinced that the saint would assist her. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was ten o clock in the evening, and the king, having some important work to do, had dismissed his attend- ants, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">when suddenly he heard a knock at his door and a young Franciscan monk entered. There was something so modest </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and prepossessing in his appearance that the king was perfectly fascinated, and received him most courteously. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Pardon me, sire," said the priest, "for disturbing you at so late an hour, but my errand is urgent and brooks of no </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">delay, since the life of a fellow creature depends on it." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Speak, Brother, how can I help you?" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Your majesty has to-day signed a sentence of death on a young fisherman found near the corpse of a murdered </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">man. Although appearances are against him, I declare to you he is innocent." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"When the law has pronounced judgment," answered the king, "it is not for me to change it or to presume that the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">sentence is unjust." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"I can swear to the innocence of my protege," responded the monk. "All I entreat your majesty to do is to write the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">word reprieved under this petition." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Franciscan Father uttered these words in so determined a manner, that the king, in spite of himself, took up his </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">pen, then paused, and said : "Where do you come from?" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"From the Franciscan monastery, which bears the name of St. Lawrence." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Even if I grant the reprieve, the young man will have been executed before it can reach the prison." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"I am well aware the time is short, but do what I ask you," replied the Franciscan, firmly, pointing to </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the petition. To this the king, in spite of himself, acceded. The petition was signed and, after thanking his majesty, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the monk disappeared. The king felt strangely impressed by this visit, and, after remaining a few minutes absorbed </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">in thought, said to himself: "How could this man have come here at this time of night?" And sending for one of his </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">chamberlains, he asked who had introduced the monk into the palace? But neither the chamberlains nor any </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">one else had seen the monk enter, and how he had done so remained a perfect mystery. The king, finding it was </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">impossible to discover who the Father was, determined to make inquiries at the convent of St. Lawrence. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The following afternoon the king, anxious to unravel the mystery of the preceding night, went to the Fran</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ciscan monastery of St. Lawrence and, summoning all the community together, asked the superior whom he </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">had sent the night before to the palace. To his astonishment the superior informed him he was not aware of any one </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">being out of the monastery the preceding night. After carefully examining the faces of the monks and not finding </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the one he wanted, his majesty ordered the mother of the boy to be sent for, in order to question her as to the person </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">to whom she had given the petition, and to while away the time inspected the monastery and then went to visit the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">church. After examining the different altars the king paused before the picture of St. Anthony and exclaimed, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">pointing it out to the superior : </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Ah! here is the priest who came to see me last night." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Pardon me, sire, that Father is not under my jurisdiction," replied the superior. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It may be interesting for some to know how St. Anthony finished saving the young fisherman. The day </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">after he was condemned to death was the one appointed for his execution, and early that same morning the pub</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">lic prosecutor, on awaking, found lying on the table near his bedside a paper containing the free pardon of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the condemned, signed by the king and dated the night before. Thinking his servant had forgotten to give </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">it to him the preceding evening, he hastily dressed himself and not daring to trust it to any one, for fear of it </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">not reaching the prison authorities in time, took it himself to the jail. The surprise of the poor youth on seeing </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the royal official enter his cell, bringing with him not only the reprieve, but also the order for him to return </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">to his mother, can be very easily imagined. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This occurrence soon spread all over Naples, and St. Anthony of Padua was chosen to be one of the patron saints of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the city. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>66. A Choir Master without Employment</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For some time a choir master had vainly sought employment in Rome and Naples in order to procure the bare </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">necessaries of life for his little family. On the 13th of June they were on the verge of starvation, and the poor man, in </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">order to obtain the assistance of St. Anthony, approached the holy Sacraments of Penance and of the Altar, and </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">heard several Masses in his honor. On leaving the church a stranger came up to him, and placed sufficient money in </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">his hands to satisfy his most pressing necessities. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But the good saint's favors did not cease here. When he came home, his wife, with a beaming countenance, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">told him how an unknown benefactor had sent his servant with enough food to last them several weeks; and that </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">very day a letter came from Spoleto offering him the post of music director in the choir of the cathedral, which was, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">of course, accepted. The grateful family never afterwards omitted reciting the antiphons in honor of the saint. The </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">last line, Dicant Paduani, is an everlasting testimony of the wonderful manner in which St. Anthony still watches </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">over Padua. For six hundred years he has justly been considered its patron and protector. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In every direction churches have been built, altars erected, and pious and charitable institutions founded in his </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">honor. The citizens are almost daily eye witnesses of the marvellous power God has bestowed on His faithful ser</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">vant. Thousands of pilgrims, from every part of the world, are constantly flocking to his shrine, either to thank </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">him for past blessings or implore his aid. His altar is so covered with ex votos that it has been found necessary toto set a room aside to receive the treasures which his grateful clients are constantly sending to his shrine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>67. A Costly Ex Voto</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Franciscan architect, Father Valentine, a native of Worms, who built the magnificent church dedicated </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">to St. Anthony, at Padua, related the following incident, which took place in the year 1871: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Portuguese prince had long been wishing for a son to inherit his vast possessions. At last, after promising </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a present of a silver statue of the holy Child to the above-mentioned church, a son was born. Filled with gratitude, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">he ordered a statue of solid silver to be cast of the same weight as the infant prince. Fearing, on account of the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">persecution of religious houses in Italy, it might not fall into the right hands, he forwarded it to Rome, by a </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">special escort, where it was delivered over to Pope Pius IX. His Holiness immediately sent for Father Valentine, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ordering him to place it in the newly erected church of St. Anthony, at Padua, where it is still to be seen. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Few among the rich or learned of this age of incredulity and unbelief, in the pride of their hearts, place any </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">faith in miracles. Let us not allow ourselves to be ranked among their number, but rather, like those believers in the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Gospel, thank God He has given such power to men, and more especially to His faithful servant, St. Anthony. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>68. The Franciscan Church of </b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>St. Anthony in the Tyrol </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It has been the design of God to glorify His faithful servant, St. Anthony, by spreading his </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">devotion, not only in Germany, France, Italy and Spain, but throughout the whole Catholic world. It is not here my intention to mention the names of the principal places where this great saint is honored, but simply to give an </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">account of the origin of the pilgrimage to the Church of St. Anthony at Kattern in the Tyrol. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1638, the ruined castle of Rottenburg and grounds adjoining it were conceded to the Franciscan Fathers of the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tyrolese reformed Province, for the purpose of building a monastery, which, to the great joy of the inhabitants of the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">neighboring country, was completed in 1643. The picture for the altar dedicated to St.Anthony of Padua, was </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">destined by divine Providence, on account of the many favors, spiritual and temporal, which the devout clients of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the saint were to receive at this favored spot, to be the means of making the monastery known far and wide. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A nobleman, Christopher Ulrich von Bach, was to be the instrument chosen by God to procure this miraculous </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">picture. He had in 1638, thanks to the protection of the saint, escaped a most dangerous plot laid by his enemies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Filled with gratitude, he determined, at his own cost, to erect in the church of Kattern an altar dedicated to St. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Anthony. It was found, after the altar had been set in its proper place, that a picture of the saint was wanting. God, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">desirous of spreading the devotion to His faithful servant, sent an unknown painter to Herr von Bach, who had just </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">gone on a pilgrimage to Padua, to ask permission to paint a picture for him. The nobleman, being a stranger in the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">city, and a lover of art, gladly consented and, inspired by God, ordered a painting of St. Anthony. A few days </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">afterwards, the artist returned, bringing with him a life-sized picture, representing the saint with two angels above </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">his head. In his right hand, he holds a lily, the symbol of his virginal purity, and in his left book, on which the holy </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Child is standing. St.Anthony has a gentle but serious expression on his countenance, and is clothed in the habit of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the reformed Tyrolese Province. Under his feet the spire of the church is seen. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The nobleman, finding he had not enough money in his purse to pay the painter, left the room to get some more. To </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">his great astonishment, on his return, the painter had disappeared, and, in spite of every inquiry, was nowhere to </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">be found. This circumstance has led many to believe that the picture is the work of an angel, and they are probably </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">right in their conjecture, for it has never been found possible to make a correct copy of it. For two hundred years St. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Anthony worked so many miracles at the church at Kattern that it was impossible to inscribe them on the registers, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and the walls of his chapel were so covered with ex votos from the grateful clients of the saint that the old ones had </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">to make room for the new. It was a common saying: "If St. Anthony will not hear you at Padua, go to Kattern; he is </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">sure to hear you there."</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655764596856164794.post-72853786983660759392014-04-02T09:39:00.000-07:002014-04-02T09:39:00.278-07:00The fast of St. Catherine of Siena<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hJyMA6JRIylHI6xgALf19gydFZ0VtYH2Js-wHDUk9TqpoButTlVI6rIyhlMe1f5o6w7zSf-Y2uJ-VfBsZSX7Jnqc8O9PcYuFh3RtXO_E5zQfV80AcIU2NxjqjTMigObKlfMqVW5EjlQ/s1600/Catherine_of_Siena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hJyMA6JRIylHI6xgALf19gydFZ0VtYH2Js-wHDUk9TqpoButTlVI6rIyhlMe1f5o6w7zSf-Y2uJ-VfBsZSX7Jnqc8O9PcYuFh3RtXO_E5zQfV80AcIU2NxjqjTMigObKlfMqVW5EjlQ/s1600/Catherine_of_Siena.jpg" height="320" width="198" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The fast of St. Catherine of Siena (d. 1 380) has been recorded for us by none other than one of her confessors, BI. Raymond of Capua. In his biography of St. Catherine he informs us that following a vision of Our Lord, food was no longer necessary to the saint. BI. Raymond writes: "When she was obliged to take food, she was so incommoded that it would not remain in the stomach and it would be quite impossible to describe her grievous pains on such occasions." At the start of her fast, the confessor who served her at the time commanded her to take food daily, but after a time the saint asked him: "If therefore you see, by the numerous experiments of which you have been witness, that I am killing myself by taking nourishment, why do you not forbid me, as you would forbid me to fast, if the fast produced a similar result?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">BI. Raymond tells us that the confessor had nothing to reply to this reasoning and said to her, "Henceforth act according to the inspirations of the Holy Ghost, for I perceive that God is accomplishing marvelous things in you." Sometime later, when her confessor inquired whether she did not at least experience an appetite, the saint replied, "God satisfies me so in the Holy Eucharist that it is impossible for me to desire any species of corporal nourishment." On asking if she did not at least experience hunger on the days on which she did not communicate, the saint answered, "His sole presence satiates me, and I acknowledge that, to be happy, it even suffices for me to see a priest who has just said Mass."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When St. Catherine's fast became well-known many criticized her, and even religious persons were opposed to her. Some attributed the fast to ". . . a kind of vanity, that she did not fast really, but fed herself well in secret." Others said she wished to be noticed and that she was being deceived by the devil. Bl. Raymond writes: "Catherine was willing to appease their murmurs, and determined that every day she would go once and take a seat at the common table and endeavor to eat. Although she used neither meat, nor wine, nor drink, nor eggs, and did not even touch bread. what she took, or rather, what she tried to take, caused her such sufferings that those that saw her, however hard-hearted they were, were moved to compassion; her stomach could digest nothing, and rejected whatever was taken into it; she afterwards suffered the most terrible pains and her whole body appeared to be swollen; she did not swallow the herbs which she chewed, she only drew from them their juice and rejected their substance. She then took pure water to cool her mouth; but every day she was forced to throw up what she had taken, and that with so much difficulty that it was necessary to assist her by every possible means. To this BI. Raymond adds, "As I was frequently witness of this suffering, I felt an extreme compassion for her, and I counselled her to let men talk, and spare herself such torture . ." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"For the seven year period prior to her death, Saint Catherine of Siena took no food into her body other than the Eucharist. Her fasting did not affect her energy, however. She maintained a very active life during those seven years. As a matter of fact, most of her great accomplishments occurred during that period. Her death had nothing to do with malnutrition, or anything connected with lack of food."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Not only did her fasting not cause her to lose energy, but became a source of extraordinary strength, she becoming stronger in the afternoon, after having received our Lord in His Eucharist. One of the only sufferings she found almost intolerable, was to be denied Her Lord in the Eucharist. Neither the Priests at the Basilica of Saint Dominic, nor Catherine's Superior in the Mantellate approved of her receiving the Eucharist daily. They tried to discourage Catherine, unsuccessfully. The Priests flatly refused, insisting she receive solely from her Confessor; it didn't matter if he was out of town. At that time, Catherine would seek comfort looking at the Priest during the Mass. After all, through his consecrated hands, he was bringing her Lord to her on the altar where she could adore Him, even if she could not receive Him. Catherine endured the worst anguish over this until Raymond came to Siena and she was able to receive Communion daily. When he was in town, he would only have to hear her plea, "Father, I hunger," and, if at all possible, he would celebrate Holy Mass.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pope Gregory XI, who Catherine convinced to return to Rome from Avignon, later decreed a papal bull allowing her to receive daily, her Lord in His "Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity"16, the Eucharist.</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPh1yp6jE87jNm1jlzM3mc_PJkXnMDt-hfQQaxKPycy3C2TaPDj1QgGTf68jE10g5u7-ygvB3XvcUM0HyJx_nCxjiw1pBPPvFexTc805lRtmq1qchwn1Jlz7IM6X37FkR1dhojtr_1v4/s1600/The+Miraculous+Communion+of+Saint+Catherine+of+Siena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPh1yp6jE87jNm1jlzM3mc_PJkXnMDt-hfQQaxKPycy3C2TaPDj1QgGTf68jE10g5u7-ygvB3XvcUM0HyJx_nCxjiw1pBPPvFexTc805lRtmq1qchwn1Jlz7IM6X37FkR1dhojtr_1v4/s1600/The+Miraculous+Communion+of+Saint+Catherine+of+Siena.jpg" height="220" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The Miraculous communion of St. Catherine of Siena<br />On the website of the J Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles) we find a description of this beautiful work of art by Domenico Beccafumi painted in the second decade of the 16th century:<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Saint Catherine of Siena had Visions during the consecration of the Mass, sometimes seeing Jesus dressed as a Priest, repeating the words He spoke at the Last Supper. Other times, when she gazed upon the raised Host, instead of seeing the Consecrated Host, she saw the Baby Jesus in the Priest's hands. When we hear some people say they do not need Miracles of the Eucharist to believe in the Lord truly Present in the Consecrated Host, I can't help recall Catherine, who was strengthened in her belief in Him when she saw the Host in this miraculous form. She did not need the miracle to believe, but she did not refuse the help it gave her when she needed strength, or maybe as Mother Angelica said, the grace to believe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Like with Jesus, there are those always putting His chosen ones to the test, possibly, as with Jesus to trick them? One day, a Priest who did not believe in Catherine's Visions and her special relationship with the Eucharist, gave her an unconsecrated host, under the guise it was Holy Communion. Her angry words lashed out at the Priest for trying to cheat and delude someone who hungered for Jesus, in His Body and Blood.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Priests were touched by happenings during Holy Mass with Saint Catherine of Sienna. One reported he saw the Host go to her without him moving his arm. Other Priests said they saw the Host nod to her, almost as if in recognition. There were those who could feel their arms being pulled toward her, with the Host. Raymond of Capua reported he saw a Host travel clear across the church to Catherine. It was as if the Lord desired her as much as she longed for Him. There was a magnet between them and that Magnet was the Eucharist.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At the moment of receiving Communion, her face would become transfixed, as if glorified, surrounded by an aura. Catherine often went into ecstasy at that time, levitating. Her friends remained with her so they could assist her home, as even from childhood, Catherine was always left weakened after an ecstasy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">sources : </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">(Joan Carroll Cruz, "Eucharistic Miracles", Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford, IL, 1987)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">Bob and Penny - St. Catherine of siena</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655764596856164794.post-38981014846172308822014-04-02T05:21:00.000-07:002015-01-25T12:51:30.190-08:00The Victim Soul of Fatima - Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Alexandrina was born in April 1904. In 1918, the year after the apparitions of Fatima, Alexandrina and her sister Deolinda and another girl were home when three men knocked at the door, one of whom had previously tried to molest Alexandrina. They broke into the house. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Alexandrina (to preserve her chastity) jumped from an upstairs window. The men fled but Alexandrina’s spine had been irreparably injured and she had to remain in bed for the rest of her life. The slightest movement caused her intense pain. She began to grow closer and closer to the Lord and realised that she was suffering in a special way for the salvation of souls. She received Holy Communion every day and her thoughts frequently turned to Jesus in the tabernacle. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus gave Alexandrina the following message to prepare her for the new phase of her mission:- </span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>“You will not take food again on earth. Your food will be my Flesh; your blood will be my Divine Blood, your life will be my Life. You receive it from me when I unite my Heart to your heart. Do not fear, my daughter. You will not be crucified any more as in the past ... And now a new trial awaits you, which will be the most painful of all. But in the end I will carry you to Heaven and the Holy Mother will accompany you.”</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtmQMWi0-QljXQAz7ll4oM8A7nKWfsqw3XMWJLxTSIVXVi23OlofM1BZAC7MRtvRZP1fQCNd53hfC0cULEPcU3wGvtmX_DfOwkZKGXZiN4MdEjA26ECJTO_HCJPJU2cUZskwj1p8khlc/s1600/Alexandrina_Maria_da_Costa_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On Good Friday 1942 Alexandrina started the total fast which continued for thirteen years until her death. During all this time she took no food or drink whatsoever, but received Holy Communion with great devotion each day. This phenomenon is not unique, as a few saints have received this special calling from God, but such occurrences are extremely rare in the life of the Church.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtmQMWi0-QljXQAz7ll4oM8A7nKWfsqw3XMWJLxTSIVXVi23OlofM1BZAC7MRtvRZP1fQCNd53hfC0cULEPcU3wGvtmX_DfOwkZKGXZiN4MdEjA26ECJTO_HCJPJU2cUZskwj1p8khlc/s1600/Alexandrina_Maria_da_Costa_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtmQMWi0-QljXQAz7ll4oM8A7nKWfsqw3XMWJLxTSIVXVi23OlofM1BZAC7MRtvRZP1fQCNd53hfC0cULEPcU3wGvtmX_DfOwkZKGXZiN4MdEjA26ECJTO_HCJPJU2cUZskwj1p8khlc/s1600/Alexandrina_Maria_da_Costa_4.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">People came in increasing numbers to visit Alexandrina, which added greatly to her sufferings, but she always maintained a cheerful disposition and received everyone most courteously. Her constant silent prayer was : -<i><span style="color: red;"> “O Jesus, place on my lips a deceiving smile in which I can hide all the martyrdom of my soul. It is enough that only you know of my endurance.” </span></i> While many thousands came to see Alexandrina and implore her intercession, she was not without her detractors. Some disbelieved that she lived on the Holy Eucharist alone, and rumours were circulated that she was fraudulent, which caused her and her family further suffering.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A medical examination of Alexandrina took place, which she accepted in a spirit of obedience and resignation. One of the doctors performing the examination asked her:- “<i><u> Why do you not eat? ”</u></i> She replied, <span style="color: red;"><i>“I do not eat because I cannot. I feel full. I do not need it. However, I have a longing for food.”</i></span> The results of this examination were inconclusive, and so it was suggested that Alexandrina go to a hospital in Porto to have the fast medically certified. She agreed to the proposal on three conditions; that she would be able to receive the Holy Eucharist each day, that Deolinda could accompany her, and that she be there only for observational purposes and not have to undergo any more medical examinations. These conditions were agreed and Alexandrina went to the hospital in Porto by ambulance, offering up all the sufferings that this journey would inevitably bring. She said:-</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"I embraced my family and friends and only Jesus knew the sorrow it cost me to separate myself from them. I looked only into his Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and implored them to give me courage and strength to bear this new affliction. As they levered my stretcher downstairs I murmured to my weeping family, 'Courage! All for Jesus and for souls!' I was unable to say more. There was such a tightening of my heart that I felt it would be impossible to keep back the tears.”</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After a very difficult journey Alexandrina arrived at the hospital on 10 th June 1943 and was put under the strictest supervision. Two people kept her under intense scrutiny around the clock, all the time she was in hospital. Alexandrina said that she found Dr Enrico Gomes de Araujo, the doctor in charge of conducting the observation, to be strict “even to the point of harshness”. Dr Araujo visited Alexandrina several times each day and interrogated her, and she underwent many other trials and indignities during her stay in hospital. Alexandrina's own physician, Dr Azevedo, visited her on occasions, and his support and company afforded her some relief. After thirty days of being constantly monitored, another physician, disbelieving the genuineness of Alexandrina's fast, insisted that she remain for a further ten days. On 19 th July 1943, the day before she left hospital, all the children of the hospital gathered around Alexandrina's bed and she prayed with them. Later, over 1,500 people arrived to catch a glimpse of the ‘Victim of Balasar' and the police had to be brought in to control the crowd. Dr Araujo told Alexandrina that the observation was concluded and said “ In October, I will come to visit you at Balasar, not as a doctor-spy, but as a friend who respects you.” Dr Araujo's official report confirmed Alexandrina's fast as scientifically inexplicable. It stated:-</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>“It is absolutely certain that during forty days of being bedridden in hospital, the sick woman did not eat or drink . . . and we believe such phenomenon could have happened during the past months, perhaps the past 13 months . . . leaving us perplexed.”</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A further report by Drs Lima and Azevedo confirmed the above :-</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“We the undersigned, Dr C. A. di Lima, Professor of the Faculty of Medicine of Oporto and Dr E. A. D. de Azevedo, doctor graduate of the same Faculty, testify that, having examined Alexandrina Maria da Costa, aged 39, born and resident at Balasar, of the district of Póvoa de Varzim ... have confirmed her paralysis ... And we also testify that the bedridden woman, from 10 June to 20 July 1943 remained in the sector for infantile paralysis at the Hospital of Foce del Duro, under the direction of Dr Araujo and under day and night surveillance by impartial persons desirous of discovering the truth of her fast. Her abstinence from solids and liquids was absolute during all that time. We testify also that she retained her weight, and her temperature, breathing, blood pressure, pulse and blood were normal while her mental faculties were constant and lucid and during these forty days, she did not have any natural bodily functions”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While this phenomenon was inexplicable to everyone else, Alexandrina knew the cause of it, for Jesus had already told her:- “You are living by the Eucharist alone because I want to prove to the world the power of the Eucharist and the power of my life in souls.”</span><br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Georgia Serif'; font-size: small; text-align: center;">Sources:</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Georgia Serif'; font-size: small; text-align: center;" /><em style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Georgia Serif'; font-size: small; text-align: center;"><strong>-“Alexandrina The Agony and the Glory”</strong></em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Georgia Serif'; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"> by Francis Johnston, Tan Books, 1979 </span><a href="https://www.tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/28/" style="background-color: white; color: #3333ff; font-family: 'Georgia Serif'; font-size: small; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">-Availible from Tan Books here</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Georgia Serif'; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It is very difficult to define the word "miracle". Miracles could be considered expressions of the supernatural. Also, we can say that a miracle is a phenomenon in which the heart obeys an interior force: the will of God!</span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-GB">Padre Pio's life was full of miracles, but the nature of the miracles was always divine. For this reason, Padre Pio invited people to thank God, the only source of miracles.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-GB">One miracle that has been identified as Padre Pio's first miracle occurred in 1908. At that time he lived in the monastery of Montefusco. One day he gathered chestnuts growing in a nearby forest into a bag and sent the bag to Pietrelcina to his aunt Daria. She always had a great affection for him. The woman received and ate the chestnuts. She saved the bag as a souvenir. A few days later she was looking for something in a drawer where her husband usually kept the gun powder. It was in the evening so she used a candle to light up the room when suddenly the drawer caught on fire, and aunt Daria’s face got burned. After a moment, she took the bag father Pio sent and put it on her face. Immediately, her pain disappeared and no wound or burn mark remained on her face.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-GB">During the Second World War, in Italy, bread was being rationed. Padre Pio’s monastery always had a lot of guests and the poor who begged there for food. One day the Friars went to the refectory and realized that the basket only had about two pounds of bread. They prayed and sat down before starting to eat. Padre Pio went into the church, and a while later when he came back he was holding a pile of bread in his hands. The Superior asked Padre Pio: "Where did you get all these loaves of bread?" Padre Pio answered: "A pilgrim at the door gave them to me". Nobody commented, but everybody thought that only Padre Pio could meet such a pilgrim.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-GB">Once in the monastery of Padre Pio, a friar forgot to consecrate the Hosts for Holy Communion. There were only a few Hosts available. But after confessions when Padre Pio started to distribute Hosts to the people, many Hosts remained at the end of the service, more than had been consecrated before.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-GB">A spiritual daughter of Padre Pio was reading a letter from him on the side of a road. </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: maroon; font-size: medium;">The wind blew </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: maroon;">the letter away, blowing it</span></span><span style="color: maroon; font-size: medium;">downhill to a meadow</span></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-GB">. The letter flew far, far away from the woman, and then suddenly it stopped flying and settled on a stone. In this way the woman got her letter back. The day after, she met Padre Pio who told her: "You have to pay attention to the wind next time. If I hadn't put my foot on the letter it would have flown far away into the valley".</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">Mrs. Cleonice, who was a spiritual daughter of Padre Pio, said: “During the Second World War my nephew was a prisoner. We had not received news for a year, and everybody believed he was dead. His parents were very worried about his life. His mother went one day to Padre Pio and knelt down in front of the friar who was in the confessional: “Please, tell me if my son is alive. I won’t go away if you don’t tell me!” Padre Pio sympathized with her, and </span></span><span style="text-indent: 5px;"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><strong><img align="left" alt="FOTO15.jpg (4797 byte)" height="151" src="http://www.padrepio.catholicwebservices.com/images/FOTO15.jpg" width="109" /></strong></span></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: medium;">some tears were on his face when he said: “Stand up and go in peace.” Some days later, I couldn’t resist the thought of pain that the parents were enduring, so I decided to ask Padre Pio for a miracle. I faithfully said: “Father I’m going to write a </span></span></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">letter to my nephew Giovannino. I will write his name only on the envelope because we do not know where he is. You and your Guardian Angel will take the letter to him where he is.” - Padre Pio didn’t answer, so I wrote the letter. </span> </span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">In the evening I put it on my bedside table before getting into bed. The morning after, to my great surprise, astonishment and fear, I found that the letter was not there anymore. I went in thanksgiving to Padre Pio and he told me: “Give your thanks to Our Lady.” Almost fifteen days later our nephew sent us a response to the letter. Then everybody in our family was happy and giving thanks both to God and Padre Pio.”</span><o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: maroon;"><span style="font-size: medium;">During the Second World War, Mrs. Luisa’s son was an officer in the Royal British Navy. At that time she prayed every day for her son’s conversion and salvation. One day an English pilgrim arrived to San Giovanni Rotondo, carrying some English newspapers. Luisa wanted to read them. She found a piece of news concerning the sinking of the warship on which her son was stationed. She immediately went crying to Padre Pio, who consoled her: “Who has told you that your son is dead?” </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">In fact, Padre Pio was able to explain to her exactly the name and the address of the hotel where the young officer was staying after he escaped from the shipwreck in the Atlantic. He was there waiting for a new assignment again. Immediately Luisa sent him a letter, and after a couple of week she received an answer from her son.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">A woman at San Giovanni Rotondo was such a good person that Padre Pio said it was impossible to find any fault in her soul to forgive. In other words, she lived to go to heaven. At the end of Lent, Paolina felt seriously ill. The doctors said there were no hopes for her. Her husband and her five children went to the convent to pray with Father Pio and ask him to help her. Two of the five children pulled Father Pio’s habit and cried. Father Pio got upset, but he tried to console them and promised to pray for them, nothing else! Some days later, at the beginning of the Seventh hour, the sainted Padre’s behavior changed. In fact, he asked for</span><span style="text-indent: 5px;"><strong><img align="right" border="0" height="148" src="http://www.padrepio.catholicwebservices.com/images/FOTO21.jpg" width="96" /></strong></span></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: medium;">Paolina’s healing and told everybody: “She will resuscitate on Easter</span></span></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US"> Day.” But on Good</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"> Friday Paolina lost consciousness as she fell into a coma. On Saturday, after some hours, Paolina finally died. Some of her relatives took her wedding dress in order to put it on her according to an old tradition of the country. Other relatives ran to the convent to ask Padre Pio for a miracle. He answered them: “She will be resuscitated” and he went to the altar for the Holy Mass. When Padre Pio started to sing the Gloria and the sound of the bells announced Christ’s resurrection, Padre Pio’s voice broke off with a sob and his eyes were full of tears. In the same moment, Paolina resuscitated. Without any help she got up from the bed, she knelt down and she prayed for the Creed three times. Then she stood up and smiled. She has recovered...or it should be better to say: “She has resuscitated.“ In fact padre Pio had not said, “she will recover” but “she will resuscitate.” When she was asked what happened during the period when she was dead, she answered: “I went up, went up, went up; when I entered into a great light, I came back.”</span><o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">A woman said: “My first daughter, who was born in 1953, was rescued by Father Pio when she was eighteen months old. On the morning of January 6, 1955 my husband and I were in church attending the Holy Mass and our daughter was at home with her grandfather. There was an accident: she fell into a tub of boiling hot water. She was burned on her stomach and back. The doctor came in an hour and he said, “take your daughter to a hospital immediately because she could die from her wounds”. For this reason he did not give us any medicine. After the doctor left I started to pray for Father Pio’s help. It was nearly noon. As I was getting myself ready to go to the Hospital, my daughter who was alone in the bedroom called me: “Mommy, I don’t have a wound anymore!” “Who has taken your wound?” I asked her out of curiosity. She answered: “Father Pio has come. He took my wounds by putting his whole hand on my burn”. Actually there was no sign of burns on my daughter’s body even though the doctor had told me my daughter was going to die.</span><o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">The peasants of San Giovanni Rotondo fondly remember the following event. In spring, the almond trees were blossoming and they were promising a good harvest. But unfortunately millions of voracious caterpillars arrived and devoured the leaves and flowers. They did not spare even the shell. After two days of trying to stop that infestation, the peasants, for whom the almonds were the only economic resource - decided to speak to Father Pio about the problem. Father Pio looked at the trees from the window of the convent and decided to bless them. He put on the sacred vestments and started to pray. When he finished praying he took the holy water and made the sign of the Cross in the air, in the direction of the trees. The next day, the caterpillars had disappeared but the almond trees looked like sticks. It was a disaster: the harvest had been lost. What happened next is incredible! We had the most abundant harvest; a harvest like we had never seen before, but how is it possible that trees without flowers could produce fruits? How was it possible to have fruit from trees that looked like sticks? Scientists have never been able to give any reason for this phenomenon.</span><o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the garden of the convent there were trees; cypresses, some fruit and some pine. Especially on summer afternoons, Father Pio used to stay in the shade together with his friends and guests in order to have a little relief from the hot weather. Once when Father Pio was speaking with some people a large number of birds suddenly started to chirp and make noise from the shade of the trees. The birds had composed a symphony. </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">Father Pio became annoyed with the symphony so, looking at the birds he said: “Keep silent!” At which point, the birds, the crickets and the cicadas fell silent. The people who were in the garden were greatly astonished! In fact Father Pio had spoken to the birds like Saint Francis.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">A gentleman said: “My mother came from Foggia and was one of the Father Pio’s first spiritual daughters. She had asked Father Pio “to convert and protect my father”. In April 1945 my father was condemned to be executed by firing squad. He was in front of the platoon when he suddenly saw father Pio appear in front of him to protect him. The commander of the platoon gave the order to fire but no shots were fired from the rifles that were pointed at him. The seven members of the platoon and their commander, astonished, checked their rifles but they didn’t find any problem. So the platoon again pointed their rifles at my father and the commander ordered his soldiers to shoot again, but for a second time the rifles did not work. This mysterious and inexplicable occurrence stopped his execution. Afterward my father was pardoned due to having been awarded a medal during the war; moreover he was disabled in action during the war. After my father returned home, he converted to Catholicism, receiving the sacraments at San Giovanni Rotondo, where he had gone to thank Father Pio. In this way my mother obtained the miracles she had always asked from Father Pio: “her husband’s conversion!”</span><o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">Father Onorato said: “I went to San Giovanni Rotondo with a friend of mine by motorcycle. I arrived at the convent some minutes before noon. After paying my respects to the superior, I went to the refectory to meet Padre Pio in order to kiss his hand. It should be taken into account that my motorbike model was called “wasp” so Father Pio told me: “Son, did the ‘wasp’ sting you?” I was quite surprised because Padre Pio had not seen me when I arrived at the convent, but he knew what kind of transportation I had used to get there. The next morning, we left San Giovanni Rotondo on my “wasp” motorbike and set out for Saint Michel, a little town not far from Saint Giovanni Rotondo. The gasoline tank was going empty, so we decided to fill up at Monte Saint Angelo. But as soon as we reached that little town, we had a bad surprise: all the gas stations were closed. At that point we decided to go back to San Giovanni Rotondo, and hoped to find somebody along the road who could provide us with some gasoline. I was worried about my brothers in the convent; it would be ungracious not to be back at the convent by lunchtime, for they were waiting for me. But low on gas, the engine started to make noise, and after a few feet it stopped altogether. We checked the tank; it was empty. With sadness I pointed out to my friend that we had only ten minutes to reach the convent and take part in the lunch with our brothers. We could not find any solution, and for this reason my friend stomped on the starter pedal. Unbelievable! The motorbike started again! We immediately set out for Saint Giovanni Rotondo without asking ourselves how the motorbike had started without gasoline. When we arrived in the middle of the square of the convent, the motorbike stopped working again. We opened the tank and realized it was still as dry as it was before. We were also astonished when we looked at our watches: it was ten minutes before lunchtime. That meant we had covered fifteen kilometers in five minutes: an average of 180 kilometers per hour. Without gasoline! I entered the convent as the brothers were coming down for lunch; and when I went to meet Father Pio, he was watching me and smiling.</span><o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">It was the month of May in 1925. Maria had a little baby who had been ill since birth. Maria was very worried about her baby. In fact, after a medical visit, she was told her child had a very complicated illness. There was no hope for the baby: he could not recover. Maria decided to go by train to Saint Giovanni Rotondo. She lived in a very little town in the south of Puglia (a poor region in the South of Italy), but she had heard some stories concerning Padre Pio, a friar who had the stigmata like Jesus, worked miracles, healed people of their diseases, and gave hope to the hopeless. She immediately set out, but during the trip the baby died. She watched over his little body all night, then placed it in a suitcase and closed it. The following day she arrived at the convent of San Giovanni Rotondo. She had no hope, but she had not lost her faith. That evening she met Padre Pio. She was in the line of people waiting for confession, and she had in her hands the suitcase that contained her son’s body. Her son had died twenty-four hours before. When she arrived in front of Father Pio, she knelt down, cried, and asked his help. He looked at her intently. The mother opened the suitcase and showed Father Pio the corpse. The poor padre was very shocked by the mother’s sorrow. He took the little body and put his hand on the boy’s head; then he prayed, looking up to Heaven. In a moment, the poor creature was alive again. A gesture, a movement of the feet, the arms...he looked as if he had just awakened after a long sleep. Speaking to the mother Padre Pio said: “Mother, why are you crying? Your son is sleeping!” The mother’s shouts of joy, and those of the crowd, filled the church. Everyone spoke about the miracle!</span><o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">In the evening an engineer was staying late at the convent, but, when he decided to leave, he noticed it was raining. So he told Padre Pio, “I do not have any umbrella! Could I stay here until tomorrow morning? If not I will get wet.” - “I am sorry my dear, it is not possible. But don’t worry! I will keep you company!” answered Father Pio. But that engineer had thought it would be much better for Father not to do that penance, although it would have been less treacherous with Padre Pio’s assistance. Anyway, he put on his hat and started to cover the two miles between the convent and the town. But as soon as he went out he realized with surprise it was not raining anymore. It was just drizzling when he arrived at the home where he was a guest. “My God!” the woman who opened the door exclaimed. “You must be wet to the bone!” - “Not at all,” the engineer answered. “It is not raining.” At that point, the peasants who were hosting him looked at each other dumbfounded. “What! It is not raining anymore? It is pouring! Listen!” They opened the door again and it was raining. They told him it had been raining for an hour without interruption. “How did you manage to come here without getting wet?" they asked him. The engineer answered, “Padre Pio told me he would have come here together with me.” Then the peasants realized it had been Padre Pio’s miracle and they were able to tell him, “Now everything is clear if Padre Pio told you that.” Everything has been cleared and they found themselves in the kitchen for dinner when the woman said, “For sure Padre Pio’s company is much better than an umbrella!”</span><o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">A man from Ascoli Piceno (an Italian city) said, “Toward the end of the 1950s, I went to Saint Giovanni Rotondo with my wife to go to confession, and I received absolution after Padre Pio’s counsel and penance. In the evening I was still in the convent and Padre Pio saw me again and he said, 'Are you still here?' - 'My “little mouse” did not start,' I answered. - 'What exactly is a little mouse?' Padre Pio asked. 'It is my car,' I answered, 'a little mouse model.' - 'Let’s go and have a look,' said Father Pio. He invited me to leave the monastery, which we did without any problem. We traveled all the night and day and the following morning, I took my car to the mechanic in order to have him look at it. The mechanic told me, after his checks that the electric system of the car was out of order. And he did not believe me when I told him I had traveled in the car all night. In fact, it was impossible to cover two hundred miles, between San Giovanni Rotondo and Ascoli Piceno, with such a car, and I realized Padre Pio had helped me, so I thanked him in my mind. </span><o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">A good woman’s husband was very sick. The woman ran to the convent, but she asked herself, “How do I reach father Pio?" She had to wait for at least three days if she wanted to meet him for a confession. So during the Mass she stood-up and walked from one side of the Church to the other. Finally, she decided to tell Our Lady what her problem was and asked at the same moment for Padre Pio’s help. After the Mass, she started to move into the Church again, in order to reach Father Pio. Finally, she managed to reach the famous corridor where Father Pio had to pass. As soon as father Pio watched her, he said: “Woman with a little faith, when will you finally ask for my help? Do you think I am deaf? You have already told me it five times when you were in front of me, at my back, on my right and on my left. I understood! I understood! ...Go home! Everything is OK." She went home and found her husband was healed.</span><o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: maroon;">In the book of the convent, </span><span style="color: maroon;">on</span><span style="color: maroon;"> the line of October 23rd, 1953, this annotation can be read.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: maroon;">"This morning Miss Amelia Z., a blind girl who was born blind, who is 27 years old, has come from the province of Vicenza (Italy) and she started seeing. She has asked to padre Pio to have </span><span style="color: maroon;">her</span><span style="color: maroon;"> sight after her confession. Padre Pio said: "Be faithful and pray a lot". In the same moment the young girl saw Padre Pio: the face, the hand, the half gloves that hid the stigmatas.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: maroon;">The sight has quickly </span><span style="color: maroon;">increased</span><span style="color: maroon;">. She informed Padre Pio about the miracle and he said: "We can say thanks to the Lord."</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: maroon;">Then the young girl asked the complete sight </span><span style="color: maroon;">from</span><span style="color: maroon;"> Padre Pio and he said: "Step by step and it will come."</span></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655764596856164794.post-39704292601887763022012-03-29T10:45:00.003-07:002012-03-29T10:48:08.015-07:00St Agatha, Virgin and Martyr<span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: georgia;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZ_N80qVCiKTeCguUkIIjc2-JMjVw_Wpxxw-KvKiMZ7TWbwGRVWhwr0Xw0aISzgVl-kEzkZyqkNmjhyphenhyphenJkadpt-UNmgIl7QIRyl7Yrs3mqC5QDXQzwXhGbPz4aq8isJYaqmQwZOn-46CE/s1600/images.jpeg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 278px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZ_N80qVCiKTeCguUkIIjc2-JMjVw_Wpxxw-KvKiMZ7TWbwGRVWhwr0Xw0aISzgVl-kEzkZyqkNmjhyphenhyphenJkadpt-UNmgIl7QIRyl7Yrs3mqC5QDXQzwXhGbPz4aq8isJYaqmQwZOn-46CE/s320/images.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725376961238239634" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong></strong><strong>Died: 251</strong><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">This holy virgin and martyr, St Agatha, is held in great veneration by the Greek as well as the Latin Church; and although her original Acts have not been preserved, many well-authenticated facts concerning her martyrdom are found in the Bollandists, Surius, and others. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">St Agatha was a native of Sicily, and descended of a noble and opulent family. These circumstances, added to her extraordinary beauty, inflamed Quintianus, a man of consular dignity, with such love of her, that he resolved to compel her to become his wife. The edicts of the emperor Decius against the Christians having been published, he ordered Agatha to be arrested as a Christian, and conducted to Catania, where he then resided. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The holy virgin, St Agatha, having heard the proclamation against the Christians, retired to a solitary place in order to avoid the snares of Quintinus, concerning which she had received some intimation. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The emissaries of the governor, however, discovered her place of concealment, and after having been arrested, she prayed after the following manner: “O Jesus Christ, Lord of all things, Thou seest my heart, and knowest my desire, which is to possess only Thee, since I have consecrated myself entirely to Thee. Preserve me, dear Lord, from this tyrant, and enable me to overcome the devil, who layeth snares for my soul.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">When St Agatha appeared before Quintianus, in order the more easily to overcome her modesty, he gave her up to Aphrodisia, an abominable woman, who, together with her daughters, publicly professed immodesty. In her infamous house the saint suffered greater torture than the darkest and most fetid dungeon could afford. All the arts of Aphrodisia and her partners in crime were unceasingly applied, in order to induce the saint to comply with the wishes of Quintianus; but Agatha, who from her infancy had been consecrated to Jesus Christ, was enabled by his divine grace to overcome all their attempts. </span></p><hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; font-family: georgia; height: 3px;font-size:78%;" width="90%" ><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Quintianus, having been informed that the efforts of Aphrodisia for an entire month had been employed in vain, commanded that the saint should be again brought before him. He upbraided her, that, being a free woman and noble, she had allowed herself to be seduced into the humble servitude of the Christians. </span></div><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The holy virgin courageously confessed that she was a Christian, and that she knew of no nobility more illustrious, nor liberty more real, than to be a servant of Jesus Christ.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Quintianus, irritated at her rebuke, commanded her to be buffeted and led to prison. The following day she was again summoned, and asked whether she had resolved to save her life. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">St Agatha replied: “God is my life and my salvation.” The governor then put her to the torture, which was executed with barbarous cruelty.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Quintianus then remanded the saint to prison, commanding that her wounds should be left undressed, in order that she might expire under the torture. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">But at midnight St. Peter appeared to her in a vision, perfectly cured her wounds, and freed her from all pain; during the entire of that night there appeared in the interior of the prison so resplendent a light that the guards fled in terror, leaving the door of her dungeon open, so that she could have escaped, as the other prisoners advised her, but that she was unwilling, as she said, to lose by flight the crown which was being prepared for her in heaven.<br /><br /><img style="margin: 8px 12px 0pt 0pt; border: 0pt none;" src="http://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/images/StAgathaCard.jpg" alt="" title="St. Agatha" width="151" align="left" height="277" /> Quintianus, nothing moved by her miraculous cure, but on the contrary more irritated, after four days devised new torments for the saint. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">He commanded that she should be rolled over broken tiles, mixed with burning coals; but she endured all with constancy; and while the tyrant was planning fresh torments, the saint, perceiving that her life was drawing to a close, made the following prayer: </span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“O Lord, my Creator, who hast preserved me from infancy, hast given me strength to overcome these torments, and hast taken from me the love of the world, receive now my soul. It is time that I should at last pass from this miserable life to the fruition of Thy glory.” </span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Just as she had finished these words, she tranquilly expired, and went to be united to God, to praise him and love him forever. This happened in 251. Her name is mentioned in the Canon of the Mass. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">*Story told by St. Alphonsus de Liguori<br /><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The incorrupt body of St Agatha was transferred to Constantinople in the 11th century, and then returned to Catania. The body is now preserved in different reliquaries. "The arms, legs, and breasts are preserved in a glass case in an incorrupt condition, although rather dried and dark after more than 17 centuries. The skull and principal relics are at Catania, enclosed in an effigy on which rests a costly jeweled crown. The reliquary consists of the figure of the Saint from the head to the waist and is situated in an upright position. The figure is entirely covered with precious gems, rings, bracelets, pins, chains, and jeweled flowers and crosses..." </span></p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">* "The Incorruptibles", Cruz </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655764596856164794.post-49775310129282950702012-03-29T10:41:00.002-07:002012-03-29T10:45:15.928-07:00St Ignatius of Antioch<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwgvodgdvD3GITo1fN_7Jgg2MRt5YbtVLidZReJr7EpVAnrK77I4eBkSqERjznHc_lEFIreFDAQIrgk8fdLkh9Wshmx9eSHig3K5nODl8WMs0sSQtQcaGX4z5iITSUE5DMpr24bzbZe9E/s1600/images.jpeg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 383px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwgvodgdvD3GITo1fN_7Jgg2MRt5YbtVLidZReJr7EpVAnrK77I4eBkSqERjznHc_lEFIreFDAQIrgk8fdLkh9Wshmx9eSHig3K5nODl8WMs0sSQtQcaGX4z5iITSUE5DMpr24bzbZe9E/s320/images.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725376103003869746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">St Ignatius of Antioch, also called Theophorus, that is, one that carries God, lived in the first century of the Church. He was a disciple of the apostles, particularly of St John; by them he was baptized, and subsequently ordained Bishop of the Church of Antioch which had the honor of having been founded by the Apostle St. Peter, and as the place where the disciples of Jesus Christ were first called Christians. </span></div><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">St Ignatius of Antioch undertook the government of this church after the death of Evodius, the successor of St Peter, which occurred in the year of the Lord 69. Our saint governed his flock with such zeal that all the churches of Syria consulted him as an oracle. In the persecution of Domitian he had to suffer much, and labored, at the risk of his life, for the preservation of the faith, animating his flock to be faithful to the death. St Ignatius of Antioch longed for the glory of martyrdom, frequently saying that he could not be persuaded of his love for Christ till he had testified it with his blood. </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Upon the death of Domitian in the year 96, the tempest abated under Nerva, his successor. But during this time heretics did not cease to trouble the Church; this is the reason why the saint, writing to the faithful of Smyrna, recommended them not to have any communication with them: “Be satisfied,” he said to them, “with merely praying to God for those who abstain from the Eucharist, because they deny it to be the flesh of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins.” </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">In the year 105 the persecution was renewed by the Emperor Trajan. This prince, after his conquest of the Scythians and the Dacians, published an edict which obliged all, under pain of death, to offer sacrifice to the gods. </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Marching afterwards against the Parthians, he arrived at Antioch; and, hearing with how much zeal and success St Ignatius propagated the Christian religion, he called him to his presence and thus addressed St Ignatius of Antioch thusly: “Art thou that wicked demon called Theophorus, who taketh pleasure in violating our edict of sacrificing to the gods, and dost continue to seduce the inhabitants of this city by preaching the law of Christ?” </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Saint Ignatius replied: “Yes, prince, I am called Theophorus; by no one can Theophorus be called a demon, because the devils fly from the servants of God. If thou callest me a devil because I endeavor to defeat the machinations of the devil, I well deserve the name.” </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Trajan asked St Ignatius the signification of the term Theophorus; the saint replied: “It signifies ‘the bearer of God.’” </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The emperor replied: “Thou carriest God in thy heart; and we, have we not also in ourselves the gods that assist us?” St Ignatius of Antioch answered with enthusiasm: “It is an error, O prince! To give the name of gods to the demons that you adore: there is only one true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son.” </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The emperor replied, “Dost thou speak of Him who was crucified under Pontius Pilate?” </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“Yes,” answered the saint, “of Him I speak who has confounded the malice of devils, and placed them beneath the feet of those Christians who carry God in their hearts.” St Ignatius of Antioch added that Trajan would be more happy, and his empire more prosperous, if he would believe in the Lord Jesus; but the emperor, heedless of these exhortations, offered to make him a priest of Jupiter and a member of the senate if he would sacrifice to the gods. The saint replied that he was content to be a priest of Jesus Christ, for whom he ardently desired to shed his blood. </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Trajan, filled with anger, then pronounced the sentence upon the saint-that he should be conducted in chains to Rome, and devoured by be wild beasts at the public games. </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"> </p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">St Ignatius of Antioch, having heard the sentence, raised his eyes to heaven, and exclaimed: “I thank Thee, O Lord, because that Thou hast vouchsafed to make me worthy of giving Thee a proof of my love by sacrificing my life for Thy faith; I desire, O Lord, that the beasts may hasten to devour me, that I may make to Thee the sacrifice of myself.” </span></div><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">St Ignatius of Antioch then stretched forth his hands to be chained, kissing the manacles as they bound him; and with tears recommending his church to God, he was conducted by the soldiers to Seleucia, and thence to Smyna, accompanied by two of his deacons, Philo and Agathopodus, who are believed to be the authors of his acts. </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Wherever the saint passed, he ceased not his exhortations to the faithful to persevere in faith and prayer, to be enamored of the riches of heaven, and to despise those of this earth. </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The Christians came, in great numbers, to meet St Ignatius of Antioch and to receive his blessing, especially the bishops and priests of the churches of Asia, who, as they perceived him going so joyfully to martyrdom, wept in the tenderness of affection. </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Having arrived at Smyrna, he embraced St Polycarp, and they mutually consoled each other; he thence wrote to the churches of Ephesus, Magnesia, and Trallia. Amongst other things, he says to the Ephesians: “I carry my chains for Christ, which are to me spiritual pearls, more prized than all the treasures of the world.” </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Knowing that from Smyrna some Ephesians had to go to Rome by a route shorter than his, St Ignatius of Antioch conveyed by them his celebrated letter to the Romans; the letter is long, but a few passages are particularly worthy of being transcribed; they are as follows: </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“Suffer me to be the food of wild beasts, whereby I may attain unto God. I am the wheat of God, and am to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts, in order that I may be found the pure bread of Christ…I earnestly wish for the wild beasts that are prepared for me, whom I heartily desire may soon dispatch me; I will entice them to devour me entirely and suddenly, that they may not spare me as they have others whom they feared to touch; but, if they are unwilling to meddle with me, I will even compel them to it. </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Pardon me, my children, I know what is good for me; I now commence to be a disciple of Christ, since I have no desire for anything visible or invisible, so that I may attain to Jesus Christ. Let fire or the cross, or the concourse of wild beasts-let cutting or tearing of the flesh-let breaking of bones and cutting off limbs-let the shattering in pieces of my entire body, and all the torments invented by the devil, come upon me, so I may but attain unto Jesus Christ… </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">It is better for me to die for the sake of Jesus Christ, than to rule to the ends of the earth…Pardon me, brethren; be not my hindrance in attaining to life, for Jesus Christ is the life of the faithful; whilst I desire to belong to God, do not ye yield me back to the world… </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Permit me to imitate the Passion of Christ my God; let none of you who are present attempt to succor me-be rather on my side, that is, on God’s; entertain no desire of the world; having Jesus Christ in your mouths, let no envy find place in your breasts. Even were I myself to entreat you, when present, do not obey me, but rather believe what I now signify to you by letter… </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">My love is crucified!... </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I take no pleasure in the food of corruption, nor in the enjoyment of this life. I desire the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, and for drink his blood… </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Pray for me, that I may possess God. If I consummate my sacrifice this will be a sign that you have given your consent, and that ye truly love me.” </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">He next arrived at Troas, whence he wrote epistles to the churches of Philadelphia and Smyrna, and to his friend St Polycarp, to whom he recommended the church of Antioch. The soldiers fearing that they would arrive too late at Rome, because the public games were nearly at an end, hastened their march, to the great satisfaction of the holy martyr, who ardently desired to be at the place of execution. </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">When he was near Rome, the Christians came in great numbers to meet and salute him. They thought, as Fleury relates, ‘to induce the people to solicit his pardon, but the saint repeated what he had stated in his letters, and prevented all interference.’ </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">On entering Rome, he knelt down with the other Christians to offer himself to God, and fervently prayed that peace might be restored to the Church. </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">St Ignatius of Antioch was then conducted to the amphitheatre, where immense numbers were assembled; and, hearing the bellowing of the wild beasts, he repeated the memorable words of the epistle to the Romans: “I am the wheat of God, and am to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts, in order that I may be found the pure bread of Christ.”<br /><br /><img style="margin: 8px 12px 0pt 0pt; border: 0pt none;" src="http://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/images/St.IgnatiusandLion.jpg" alt="" title="St Ignatius and the lions" width="195" align="left" height="258" /> St Ignatius of Antioch was instantly devoured by lions, as he had desired to be, and at the moment of his death he was heard to invoke the adorable name of Jesus. </span></p><p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Only the larger bones of his body were left; these were collected and brought to Antioch by his two deacons, to whom St Ignatius of Antioch appeared on the following night, resplendent with glory. His martyrdom took place on the 20th of December, of the year 107. After the destruction of Antioch by the Saracens, his relics were removed to Rome, and placed in the Church of St Clement where at the present day they are venerated with great devotion. His name has been inserted into the canon of Mass. </span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >Story as written by St. Alphonsus de Liguori</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655764596856164794.post-31461093173024996662012-03-29T10:27:00.002-07:002012-03-29T10:29:03.163-07:00On the Call to Martyrdom and Accepting the Increasing Cost of the Faith<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YdRC53he4inlRNYkt7jVBSKS3rITu_Kf3D1oGLLFEYgAevace4quBXxDsumXmeQndurvIpQ3M_zKyc-QSBnUm8eVLGbuRHEpXSPgrzhZR7hVs2h79VLpYBugXYS3jF4NW_ZqzbhHRAk/s1600/martyrdom.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 339px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YdRC53he4inlRNYkt7jVBSKS3rITu_Kf3D1oGLLFEYgAevace4quBXxDsumXmeQndurvIpQ3M_zKyc-QSBnUm8eVLGbuRHEpXSPgrzhZR7hVs2h79VLpYBugXYS3jF4NW_ZqzbhHRAk/s320/martyrdom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725372179805573986" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />In recent days, the Church celebrated the feasts of Sts. Peter and Paul, and the early martyrs of Rome. All of these died for the faith and show forth the cost of true discipleship: hatred by the world. Jesus had said, </span> <p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 60px;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><em>If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well</em>. (Jn 15:18:23)</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><strong>We ought to study the martyrs of the early Church carefully, for their times are not unlike our own</strong>: polytheistic, proud, anti-Christian, sexually confused, with rampant infanticide, frequent wars, incivility and cruelty, and a general breakdown of family loyalties. Rome was in decline, especially in the West and the Christians, who looked higher and strove to live differently, had much to suffer in frequent, episodic outbreaks of martyrdom. </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><strong>Our current climate in the West does not accept public executions or enjoy public massacres. However</strong>, things are becoming more difficult for true disciples of the Lord in other ways. And as the years tick by, it would seem things are going to get worse, not better. Whether it is simple ridicule of Jesus and the truths of our faith, or outright hostility and the erosion of our religious liberty, we will, it would seem, experience increasing hatred from the world. But if so, we are in good company. Jesus and all the martyrs bid us to join them. </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><strong>And if no persecutions befall us in this present evil age </strong>(<em>cf</em> Gal 2:1) then we ought to question how true our discipleship be. For the contrasts are becoming too strong for us <em>not</em> to experience persecution, if we are faithful. Jesus warns, <em>Woe to you if all men speak well of you</em> (Lk 6:26). He also said, <em>If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels </em>(Mk 8:38). </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><strong>Now is not the time to be ashamed to be a Christian!</strong> The world will try to shame us by calling us intolerant, bigoted, homophobic, judgmental, narrow minded etc. But do not be ashamed of Jesus and his teachings! Now is the time to testify to a sinful and adulterous generation. </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><strong>And do not let them shame you about the sins of the Church</strong>, it is a diversion. Where there are human beings there is sin. But. keep the focus on Jesus, who is sinless. As a member of the Church, you are speaking for Him. </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><strong>Many people today think little of the faith that has been handed on to them</strong>. Only 27% of Catholics even go to Mass. Many too, consider any suffering due to the faith intolerable. So, when reminded of basic moral norms against things like fornication, contraception, assisted suicide, or requirements such as weekly Mass attendance, frequent confession, occasional fasting etc, many consider such things too demanding or unreasonable. But all of us should consider how precious is the faith handed on to us. </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><strong>Many however, have died for the faith because they would not compromise with the demands of the world or deny Christ.</strong> Many too were imprisoned and suffered loss of jobs and property because they witnessed to Christ. Others were rejected by family and friends. </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><strong>It is remarkable to consider that</strong>the martyrs even to this day (in places like Egypt and Sudan) are willing to suffer death, but many other Christians today are not even willing to risk some one raising an eyebrow at them or any unpopularity. </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><strong>Pray for the courage of the martyrs!</strong> We’re going to need more courage as the days go on. And never forget the cost of the faith handed on to us.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655764596856164794.post-1815280864970920412011-12-11T04:05:00.000-08:002011-12-11T04:07:44.701-08:00United with Jesus -Mystics who died at age 33<h3 style="text-align: justify;" class="post-title entry-title"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2010/07/united-with-jesus-mystics-who-died-at.html"><br /></a></span> </h3><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcSCh79_8GiFJ4lm3hBrkhc_q9lEL16tsrOOJEi-pHdWJff0z88YoAe5qYuyHj4mmLpRNdmWCDTBU2S9AdIXMoOaG7wsY8TcaSh0YNDwIRWvbsBpWUGqECUX5CNDcem5TJAOMqq3GEKs/s1600/Mary-Rose-Ferron.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 285px; float: left; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492769873228517746" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcSCh79_8GiFJ4lm3hBrkhc_q9lEL16tsrOOJEi-pHdWJff0z88YoAe5qYuyHj4mmLpRNdmWCDTBU2S9AdIXMoOaG7wsY8TcaSh0YNDwIRWvbsBpWUGqECUX5CNDcem5TJAOMqq3GEKs/s400/Mary-Rose-Ferron.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:130%;" >Union with Christ -The Mystics who died at age 33</span></strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">by: Glenn Dallaire</span></em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>[Pictured in the photograph to the left is the American mystic, stigmatic and victim soul, Marie-Rose Ferron -1902-1936.]</em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">While studying the lives of the mystics of the Church for this website, I began to notice an extraordinary supernatural grace in which I think one can readily see the hand of God.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">For centuries it has been a common traditional belief in the church that Jesus died at the age of 33. The number three, of course, referrers to the Holy Trinity; the Father; the Son and the Holy Spirit. And so two number threes together(33) would refer to the second person of the holy Trinity, which is of course the Son- Jesus. Such facts add a deeper understanding and meaning to the longstanding tradition of the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus at the age of 33.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">But what caught my attention is that I repeatedly kept coming across mystics in whom, like Jesus, died at age 33. Now, mystics are already a relatively small group in the church, for very few Saints, Blesseds etc. are mystics. And then, to narrow it even further, all 8 of the mystics that died at age 33 were also victim souls, that is, souls who are especially called by God to suffer in union with Jesus for the conversion and redemption of souls. And additionally, 5 of the 8 are also Stigmatics. But, it is precisely that almost all of them are victim souls that makes it so interesting, for the victim souls do not offer or suffer alone---they are mystically bound and united with Jesus, and suffer and sacrifice in union with Jesus for the conversion of souls. But, is it really surprising that these mystics-victim souls died precisely at the age of 33, just like their Jesus in whom they suffered in union with? After all, are they not living images of Jesus' life of sacrifice, and especially His passion?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">As one after another I repeatedly kept coming across these mystics, all of whom died at age thirty-three, the revelation of it eventually sunk in. So one day I pointed it out to my wife who nonchalantly replied- <em>“Well, it only makes sense don't you think? These persons mystically suffered in union with Jesus for the conversion of sinners. And so, should not many of them then die with Jesus at age 33?’.</em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>‘Well…..sure!’</em> I replied, as it really did make sense when looked at from that perspective..</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">And so it seems that for some mystic-victim souls, their suffering in union with Jesus is brought to a consummation by dying like Him at age 33. Such a fact must then be meant to be a sign of the authenticity of their calling and mission, and a heavenly confirmation of their lives of heroic sacrifice and suffering in union with Jesus for the conversion of souls.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9AF2D2vTZfiPcJaivHTzl6Y3RJZXuphoCKvrSllS37QtFyGQnpO7fYsFpmcX9njsUOsqW2ljy3DA8N8mwrpDq_mI0TcEotMouEIfKwIjp1I_lZiS2JehxsP90Dr2PHAfSFZ7gMJAmar0/s1600/St_Faustina_Kowalska_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 292px; float: left; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492856653459082402" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9AF2D2vTZfiPcJaivHTzl6Y3RJZXuphoCKvrSllS37QtFyGQnpO7fYsFpmcX9njsUOsqW2ljy3DA8N8mwrpDq_mI0TcEotMouEIfKwIjp1I_lZiS2JehxsP90Dr2PHAfSFZ7gMJAmar0/s400/St_Faustina_Kowalska_1.jpg" border="0" /></a>The eight mystic-victim souls (discovered so far) that, like Jesus, died at age 33 are:</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">St Catherine of Siena 1347-1380 -mystic, stigmatic, victim soul</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">St Faustina Kowalska 1905-1938 -mystic, victim soul</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Sr. Josefa Menendez 1890-1923 -mystic, victim soul</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">St Michael of the Saints 1591-1625 -priest, mystic and victim soul</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Blessed Mariam Baouardy 1846-1878 -mystic, stigmatic, victim soul</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Marie Rose Ferron 1902-1936-American mystic, stigmatic & victim soul</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Servant of God, Domenica Lazzeri 1815-1848 -mystic, stigmatic, victim soul</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Servant of God, Louise Lateau 1850-1883 -mystic, stigmatic, victim soul</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">I am certain that there are others, especially in earlier centuries, but such are the one's that I have found so far. Of course, I would appreciate suggestions for additions to this list.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Finally, I would like to add that another mystic and victim soul, Maria von Mörl (1812-1868) was given the grace of the Stigmata for <strong>exactly 33 years</strong>. And, as an interesting side note concerning this mystic, she was a contemporary of the Servant of God, Domenica Lazzeri (one of the mystics listed above). One day Domenica, who was completely bedridden, was found missing from her bed. After an extensive search, she was unable to be found. To the surprise of everyone, she was found once again in her bed a few hours later. She was immediately asked where (and how!) she had gone. She replied: <strong><em>"I was taken to my suffering sister, Maria von Mörl, and we prayed to Jesus together."</em></strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655764596856164794.post-63077749136572902932011-12-11T04:02:00.000-08:002011-12-11T04:04:00.356-08:00Brother Marcel Van -Spirtual Brother of St Therese of Lisieux<h3 style="text-align: justify;" class="post-title entry-title"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2010/08/brother-marcel-van-spirtual-brother-of.html"><br /></a></span> </h3><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTmqCcs4RJpa4uM8qmFC4ok9nXZi1iqikYTpwMw_0A-DYvDni-ZzhbImlXboedVNWFqRVTou3QF9NgavERMcOb5yYlb1s8eMj-EHBS2tA4q0GmOp-745qFlumOpW42XRogILpaPTFotU/s1600/Marcel_Van_Joachim_Nguyen_tan_Van.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 325px; float: left; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509603452448268450" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTmqCcs4RJpa4uM8qmFC4ok9nXZi1iqikYTpwMw_0A-DYvDni-ZzhbImlXboedVNWFqRVTou3QF9NgavERMcOb5yYlb1s8eMj-EHBS2tA4q0GmOp-745qFlumOpW42XRogILpaPTFotU/s400/Marcel_Van_Joachim_Nguyen_tan_Van.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">The Servant of God, Brother Marcel Van C.Ss.R. (Redemptorist)</span></strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em><strong>-The little spiritual brother of Saint Therese of Lisieux</strong></em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Brother Marcel Van was born Joachim Nguyên Tan Van on March 15, 1928, in a village in North Vietnam (Tonkin). He lived with his older sister Le and was later joined by a younger sister, Te. His father was a tailor and his mother was a housewife who sometimes worked in the rice paddies. His mother was a very devout Catholic, and was meek, kind and charitable towards everyone. Sadly however, as Van’s childhood years progressed, his father took to gambling and alcohol, causing the family much suffering. As a child, Van was a kind and sensitive boy, full of love and tenderness and did not like to be separated from his mother.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">From a tender age, Van showed a remarkable early piety and devotion, and as a child he organized processions in honor of the Blessed Virgin with his younger sister Te, along with his cousins and playmates. From an early age he loved to pray with his mother, and they would often say a rosary together. At age six, he joyfully received First Holy Communion. He would later write of this blessed day:</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>“The hour has come, the moment so greatly desired has arrived... I gently draw out my tongue to receive the Bread of Love. My heart is overcome by an extraordinary joy... In an instant, I have become like a 'drop of water' lost in the vast ocean. Now there remains only Jesus, and I am Jesus' little nothing.”</em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcY8SArzScYfO6JqhqxXQtfp7o0nrNZwgHRU8V3HYu9SK-1pKhgsK-x0AamlcEi4n03gC5Mgo4P2CWYPm8Sa1xZ7e9VFokSTdvbFupncNQlYfHIWtjRkXYj8fVdRMfcC7DQ1o3ABfFE0/s1600/Brother-Marcel_van_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 258px; float: left; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509603192578861618" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcY8SArzScYfO6JqhqxXQtfp7o0nrNZwgHRU8V3HYu9SK-1pKhgsK-x0AamlcEi4n03gC5Mgo4P2CWYPm8Sa1xZ7e9VFokSTdvbFupncNQlYfHIWtjRkXYj8fVdRMfcC7DQ1o3ABfFE0/s400/Brother-Marcel_van_2.jpg" border="0" /></a>From this day on, Van would receive Communion most every day. Shortly thereafter, he received the sacrament of Confirmation. A future prospect took shape in his heart as he later wrote: <em>“I longed to become a priest, so as to bring the Good News to non-Christians.”</em> He discovered later in life that to be a priest was not the will of God for him.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">He began school at age seven, however his first teacher was excessively severe with the students, beating them with a cane at every turn. Van's health began to fail: <em>"I became thinner and more pale by the day,"</em> he later wrote in his autobiography, <em>“and it is because of the very strict educational system that I have came to such a state of exhaustion.”</em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Van is called to suffer</span></strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Van's mother then entrusted him to Father Joseph Nha, the parish priest in Huu-Bang. This priest ran a “House of God” which was an institution where young boys started more in-depth schooling in religion, while continuing their studies and helping the priest. The most capable among them could be admitted to the Minor Seminary, a goal which Van aspired to since he was hoping to become a priest. For Van, everything started well. He was very fond of his new life, and became a star student. But one of his teachers (called “masters”) named Vinh, would take Van into a private room and beat him repeatedly with a cane, stating that he was training him in what he called “the perfect life”. He threatened him and made him submit to the beatings in secret. After two weeks, the priest's laundrywoman noticed traces of blood on Van's clothes, and Father Nha, made aware of the situation, had the child see a doctor and strictly forbade Vinh from any contact with Van.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">At times, Father Nha would present Van as an example to the lukewarm catechist students, which of course drew unfriendly attention to him. The catechists, now jealous of Van, organized a sort of tribunal to “try” him. After several humiliating scenes, they criticized him for receiving Communion every day. This reproach brought about a spiritual crisis: <em>“I was disturbed and I suffered terribly to think that, without being worthy like the saints, I had had the boldness to receive Communion every day... I then saw the faults from my early childhood return.”</em> In this difficult trial, Van turned to Mary and recited his Rosary with a deep devotion.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Each night after evening prayers, the catechists would open the “tribunal” and would question and accuse Van, and for punishment would beat him with a cane, or strip him of his clothing. Along with the “master” (teacher), some of these same student catechists often took to drinking alcohol, and would invite girls of the neighborhood to join them in the Presbytery when Father Nha was absent. Father Nha himself seemed to forget his one time favorite catechist student, and more and more removed Van from his studies and made him his servant.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">During this same period tragedy struck at home. Floods had destroyed some of his family's property and possessions, and making matters worse his father squandered what little left that they had on gambling and drinking, leaving his mother, brother and sisters in utter poverty. His mother could no longer send money or clothes, which left him in poverty and under the complete care of Father Nha, who now looked at Van as a servant, instead of a student.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Eventually, Van left the “House of God” with several other catechists, in hopes of entering a seminary and becoming a priest, however unable to find any seminary or work that would accept him, he was obligated to return. The atmosphere at the house did not change much—alcohol, gambling, foul language, the presence of shameless girls. Van had to devote the majority of his time to manual labor. When he reached the age of twelve, he received his certificate of studies” , but he was not allowed to advance to the next level of his schooling, and all his time was spent working.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Eventually, he ran away to return to his parents' home, but because of their poverty they sent him back to Huu-Bang. Two months later, Van ran away again and began living as a beggar on the streets. <em>“My profession,”</em> he wrote, <em>“consisted from then on of holding my hand out to passers-by... After a week of this life, I was unrecognizable. My hands and feet were thin, my skin was tanned by the sun and my cheeks were hollow... And yet I found this life of a poor vagabond not at all difficult. On the contrary, I felt a peaceful joy in suffering for God. I knew that by escaping, I had avoided sin, I had avoided what grieves the Heart of God.”</em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">A terrible temptation</span></strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Concerning this period he wrote: <em>“I came to consider myself a despicable creature. The devil made this thought develop in me—if people could no longer endure me, how could God still endure me? I'm going to die soon and I will have to go to Hell.”</em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">As always, Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary remained his hope, and he continually gained comfort and peace through praying the rosary. One day, he opened his heart to a priest who comforted him with these words: <em>“Willingly accept all these trials and offer them to the Lord. If God has sent you the cross, it is a sign that He has chosen you.”</em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">A calling from the Lord</span></strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Thanks to a friend, Van was admitted to the Minor Seminary in Lang-Son in 1942. Six months later, for lack of funds, the institution had to close its doors, but Van was able to continue his studies in the parish of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus in Quang-Uyên, under the direction of two Dominican fathers. He strongly desired to become a saint, but was frightened at the austere sacrifices that he thought were necessary: <strong><em>“In spite of my great desire to attain holiness, I was certain that I would never achieve it, because to be a saint, you have to fast, lash yourself with a whip, wear a rock around your neck and little chains covered with spikes, a coarse horsehair shirt, endure the cold, the scabies, etc...My God, if it is like this, I give up... All that is way too much for me.”</em></strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><em></em></strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">The appearance of St Therese of Lisieux –The Story of a Soul</span></strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">One day, Van spread out on a table books on the lives of many Saints. He said a prayer, asking God to guide him, promising that he would read whatever book his hand fell upon. Then, with his eyes closed, he put his hand down at random. <em>“I opened my eyes. My hand was resting on a book I had never read before<strong>—“The Story of a Soul</strong> “ by Saint Therese of the Child Jesus.” </em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Marcel Van quickly looked over the book—one that he had never read before, but dismissed it as containing nothing unusual. But he soon reproached himself saying <em>“Ah, by acting like this, you have broken your promise!” I then took the book again with my head full of muddled questions—‘What is this “Story of a Soul”??? Who is this St. Therese of the Child Jesus??? Where did she come from???’ What is certain is that is that she resembles many thousands of other saints.’</em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em></em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKeLQ6iiDxRhscGNJ-qj36uNBNEt2wurZglGyX_6zcsOkfjdV1wxe33rj55uk5ANoj8ZmYrgaC98wB1hJMo-b1hQg74hyphenhyphensN-5tY-5mmmEHb2SGRIxcDXiCxMYaNvj2BgNqUphMYRSIh6E/s1600/Brother_Marcel_Van_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 245px; float: left; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509602632947389266" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKeLQ6iiDxRhscGNJ-qj36uNBNEt2wurZglGyX_6zcsOkfjdV1wxe33rj55uk5ANoj8ZmYrgaC98wB1hJMo-b1hQg74hyphenhyphensN-5tY-5mmmEHb2SGRIxcDXiCxMYaNvj2BgNqUphMYRSIh6E/s400/Brother_Marcel_Van_3.jpg" border="0" /></a>“Then I summarized her life in an amusing manner in these terms---<em>'Since her birth until her last breath she had many ecstasies, and performed a number of miracles. She fasted on bread and water only taking one meal a day. She spent the night in prayer and gave herself to discipline until she bled. After her holy death her body emitted a very pleasant fragrance and many extraordinary things happened at her tomb. Finally she was canonized by the holy Church...etc...’</em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em></em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">“Today I see clearly how rash these statements were without knowing anything about St. Therese. I had dared to sketch out her life in such a summary manner. Oh my dear sister, you must necessarily be a Saint of great courage to put up with the erroneous judgments that I have held on your life!”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">As promised, Van then began to read the book. He states:</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">“I had scarcely read a few pages when two floods of tears were flowing down my cheeks...What moved me so deeply was little Therese's reasoning:</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>'If God only stooped to the level of the most beautiful flowers, the symbol of the Holy Doctors, His love wouldn't be quite absolute, because it is Love's nature to stoop to the farthest limit... Just as the sun shines at the same time on the cedars and on every little flower as if it were the only one on earth, so does Our Lord take care of every soul as if there were no other soul like it'</em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">“I understood then that God is Love... Like St Therese, I can sanctify myself through all my little acts... A smile, a word or a look, provided that everything is done in love. What happiness!....From now on, sanctity will no longer frighten me....my tears were flowing like an inexhaustible spring.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">“I had received therefore, that afternoon, a source of grace and happiness. <strong><em>“The Story of a Soul”</em></strong> had become my dearest friend, and followed me everywhere and I did not cease reading or rereading it, without ever getting weary of it. There was nothing in this volume which did not conform to my thoughts, and what pleased me even more in the course of my reading was to see clearly the spiritual life of Therese was identical to mine. Her thoughts, even her yes or no were in harmony with my own thoughts, and the little events of my life. Truly, never in my life have I met a book which was so well adapted to my thinking and feelings as is <strong><em>“The Story of a Soul”.</em></strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The next morning, Van woke up and kneeled before the altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary and prayed: <em>“... Blessed Virgin, my Mother: Today is truly the first day that I have been given to taste such a sweet happiness; the day which introduces me to a new way.... From now on, my Mother, guide me in my new way to teach me to love God perfectly, and to offer myself to Him in total confidence. I dare to express a wish to you: That I may be wrapped in your love, as was formerly Therese, the Little Flower. <strong>I even wish you to give me this Saint as my guide in her “Little Way”. </strong>Oh what happiness there would then be for me since I feel that my life cannot free itself from the feelings of childhood that God has engraved in my soul as an innate gift”</em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Then turning to Jesus, he prayed: <em>“Oh Jesus, my only and beloved master, you know that I love you and look only to respond to your wishes. You have aroused in my mind the desire to become a saint. Then, you made me find, in a very simple manner, the “Little Way” by which you guided St. Therese of the Child Jesus. You have used the hand of this little Saint to write for the use of souls, the sweet councils to which you have led her on her little way. Today, I know that you love me, and that in your immense love you behave towards me as with a little child. Oh, how you deserve to be loved in return! From now on I have decided to follow in your footsteps as you wish, and so that each of my steps conforms to your Will, I wish, oh my God, that you grant me this favor: <strong>Give me St. Therese of the infant Jesus is my guide, so that she can teach me to love you as I ought, since I am very ignorant.</strong> Grant me also the grace to persevere in your love right to the end, so as to love you afterwards eternally, in the homeland of love reserved for those who love you.”</em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em></em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Van becomes the little spiritual brother of St Therese</span></strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Soon afterwarsa, Van went on foot to a nearby hill. Suddenly, in the silence, he was startled by a voice that was calling him. <strong><em>“Van, Van, my dear little brother!”</em></strong> But, no one was around him! The voice spoke again: <strong><em>“Van, my dear little brother!”</em></strong> ‘I was stunned into little troubled, but I remained calm and guessed immediately that this voice which called me was a supernatural voice—I then let out or hurried cry of joy—“Oh, it's my sister Therese!”— <em><strong>“Yes, it is indeed your sister, Therese... From now on, you will personally be my little brother, just as you have chosen me to be your big sister... From this day on, our two souls will be just one soul, in God's one love... from this moment I will let you know all my beautiful thoughts on love that which has occurred in my life, and has transformed me in the infinite love of God.... it is God himself, who has arranged this meeting. God wants the lessons of love that He taught me before in the secret of my soul to live on in this world, and He has deigned to choose you as a little secretary to carry out His work, which He wishes to entrust to you.... ”</strong></em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em><strong></strong></em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em><strong>“...God our Father watches over the slightest details of our lives... God is Father and this Father is Love. His goodness and kindness are infinite... But ever since the day that our first parents sinned, fear has overcome the heart of man and has taken away from him the thought of a God who is our infinitely good Father... So God sent his Son... Jesus came to tell His brothers on earth that the Father's love is an inexhaustible source... We are immensely fortunate to be the children of God. Let us be thankful of this and never give in to excessive fear... Never be afraid of God. He is all loving Father. He knows only how to love, and He wishes to be loved in return.. Do not be afraid to speak familiarly with God as with a friend. Tell Him about everything that comes to your mind—your marble games, a mountain climb, the teasing of your friends, your outbursts, your tears, or the little fleeting pleasures'...”—But little sister, God already knows all these things"...'That's true, little brother... However, to give and to receive love, He must stoop and He does this as if He has forgotten that He knows everything, in the hope of hearing an intimate word burst forth from your heart.'</strong></em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em><strong></strong></em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em><strong>'When you feel joy, offer him this joy which swells your heart, and by doing so you will transmit your joy to Him. Can there be a greater happiness than a couple loving one another and exchanging all that they possess? To act in this way with God is to say ‘thank you’ to Him, which pleases Him more than thousands of touching canticles. If on the other hand, you are invaded by sadness say to Him again with an honest heart: ‘Oh my God, I am really unhappy’ and ask Him to help you to accept this sadness with patience. Believe this: Nothing gives as much pleasure to the good God than to see on this earth a heart which loves Him, and who is sincere with Him with each step, and with each smile; as well with tears as with as with little momentary pleasures.”</strong></em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em><strong></strong></em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgM9E0qfvaW7cjwM5hSSf3twuFFkVOPTxxWg0GwrBXtRXDkpZAGiDV1W5VzXyqO2H4cg6_7N4Mq-qvrMa871T41mjz4VRiz37Vs0FaDU3SXB8x4zpRKOUE5YAUG3wq1rFbzSijg1egpTA/s1600/Autobiography_of_Marcel_Van.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px; float: left; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509601975392904802" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgM9E0qfvaW7cjwM5hSSf3twuFFkVOPTxxWg0GwrBXtRXDkpZAGiDV1W5VzXyqO2H4cg6_7N4Mq-qvrMa871T41mjz4VRiz37Vs0FaDU3SXB8x4zpRKOUE5YAUG3wq1rFbzSijg1egpTA/s400/Autobiography_of_Marcel_Van.jpg" border="0" /></a>This first appearance of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus went on for quite sometime, and one should read <strong><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Autobiography-Marcel-Van/dp/0852445970/ref=cm_sw_em_r_jdp_title_featured?ie=UTF8&tag=tellafriend-20">"The Autobiography of Marcel Van"</a></em></strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Before leaving Van on this first occasion, St. Therese says in closing: <strong><em>‘I love you because you are a soul who is a member of my friends of Love. As for you my little brother, my only wish is to see accomplished the works that the divine Love desires so ardently for you. So, little brother, listen to me: from now in your relations with our heavenly Father, do not fail to follow my advice. Now, it is getting late, so allow me to end our conversation here, since it is already mealtime. Tam and Hien are waiting for you, and Tam is getting impatient..... I am giving you a kiss.....We will have plenty of opportunities to talk together again. And we can do it no matter where, without fear that anyone might know.’</em></strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><em></em></strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">“Therese stopped talking, and I was like someone coming out of a dream; half anxious and half happy, and when she said ‘ I am giving you a kiss’ , I immediately felt as if a gentle breeze was likely touching my face. And I was overcome by such a joy that I momentarily lost consciousness. Some of this sweet joy stays with me today, but I do not know what to compare it with exactly.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>A call to religious life</strong></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">From then on, St Therese became Van’s close companion and spiritual director, intimately guiding him in his spiritual life and his ascent towards God. As stated earlier, Van had always wanted to become a priest. “For that” he wrote, “I had sacrificed everything by imposing many spiritual and physical labors upon myself.”</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">But one day Therese told him, <em>“Van, my little brother, I have something important to tell you... But it will make you very sad... God has made it known to me that you will not be a priest.”</em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>“Van”, Therese resumed, “if God wants your apostolate to be carried out in another field, what do you think of that?... What remains most perfect is doing the will of our Father in Heaven... You will be above all an apostle through prayer and sacrifice, as I myself was before.” Therese then guided Van's gaze to this very important passage from the Story of a Soul: “I understood that Love alone put the members of the Church in motion... I understood that Love contains all vocations, that Love was all, that it embraced all time and all places... in a word, that it is Eternal.”</em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em></em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Van was wondering what all this meant-- “Therese, my sister, what does this hidden vocation involve, if I am not to become a priest<em>?”—“You will enter a monastery where you will devote yourself to God.”</em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em></em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">One night during the winter of 1942-1943, Van had a mysterious dream. "I saw someone coming towards the head of my bed... This person dressed completely in black was rather tall, and his face reflected great kindness... He asked me the question-- <em>'My child, do you want to...?'</em> But before he could finish I spontaneously answered, 'Yes.' “ Several days later, Van discovered a statue in the house that bore a strange resemblance to his dream.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">It was a statue of Saint Alphonsus of Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists. Soon afterwards, St. Therese confirmed his vocation to be a Redemptorist Brother, then gave him notice of new trials. <em>“Little dear brother, you will encounter thorns on the way, and the sky that is now calm will be covered with dark clouds...You will shed tears, you will lose your joy and you will be like a man reduced to despair... But remind yourself that the world treated Jesus like this and that a Redemptorist resembles his Savior... Nevertheless, do not be afraid. During this storm, Jesus will continue to live in the boat of your soul... Little brother, you will no longer hear me talk so familiarly with you as I do now. Do not think that I am abandoning you. On the contrary, I constantly remain close to you like a big sister should... In this world, suffering is the proof of your love, and suffering gives your love all its meaning and value.”</em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBNe93bHeMp1xH1ov4NRFEfpP1ktDeLto3qp7GtddRR1Evgu8aW91gW7kYKcdWINDfhE85SXM8Izsxef3ZVUY7MgCz6W0ukhVmtqyJhNvZiu0OPlL0k1_5GMe3zwpAhBC5BdgbJItyqU/s1600/Br_Marcel_Van.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 239px; float: left; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509601393046546162" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBNe93bHeMp1xH1ov4NRFEfpP1ktDeLto3qp7GtddRR1Evgu8aW91gW7kYKcdWINDfhE85SXM8Izsxef3ZVUY7MgCz6W0ukhVmtqyJhNvZiu0OPlL0k1_5GMe3zwpAhBC5BdgbJItyqU/s400/Br_Marcel_Van.jpg" border="0" /></a>Thereafter, he asked to be admitted to the Redemptorists in Hanoi. Van was received at the Redemptorists in Hanoi first as a household helper and, on October 17, 1944 he was finally admitted as a postulant and received the name Brother Marcel. The day after his religious profession, Brother Marcel Van had heard Jesus tell him: <strong><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">“My child, for the love of mankind, offer yourself with Me so that they might be saved.”</span></strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"></span></strong>Thus assured of the value of suffering united to that of Christ, he wrote: <em>“Jesus wanted to use my body to endure suffering, shame, and exhaustion, so that the flame of Love that consumes His divine Heart might spread in the hearts of all men on earth.”</em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><em></em></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">After an initial period of joy, crosses appeared, especially in the form of his confreres' ridicule. Starting in his novitiate, at his spiritual director's request, he wrote his autobiography. For two years, Jesus, Mary, and Therese favored him with intimate conversations. But on September 9, 1946, the day after his first profession, Jesus told him, <strong><em><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"My child, your portion now is to sacrifice the moments of sweet intimacy with me, to allow me to go in search of sinners... Then, my little Van, know that you will have to suffer because of your Superiors and Brothers. But these trials will be the sign that you are pleasing to My Heart. I am begging for all these sufferings to unite you to Me in the work of sanctification of priests.”</span></em></strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"></span></em></strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Like his spiritual sister St. Therese, his vocation, in part, was to suffer for Priests. And soon came the “night of the soul” for Brother Marcel. For the most part, most of the mystical graces and consolations disappeared and only the monotony of sacrifice in pure faith remained. In 1950, the young Brother was sent to Saigon, Vietnam, then to Dalat. In July 1954, North Vietnam was handed over to the Communists. Many Catholics fled for the South. Several Redemptorists remained in the house in Hanoi to take care of the Christians who stayed. Brother Marcel understood that Jesus was asking him to join them. <em>“I am going there,”</em> (to Hanoi) he wrote, <em>“so that there might be someone who loves God in the midst of the Communists.”</em> After several weeks, he wrote to his sister Anne-Marie: <em>“Quite often I am overcome with sadness, and I only think, 'Oh, if only I hadn't come to Hanoi... But there was so much insistence in Jesus' voice!”</em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">On Saturday, May 7, 1955, as he was going to the market, he was arrested and taken to the criminal investigation office, then jailed. Five months later, he was transferred to the central prison in Hanoi, where he met many Catholics and priests. He wrote to his Superior: <em>“If I wanted to live, it would be easy for me. I would only have to accuse you. But don't worry, I will never agree to it.” </em>Then, to his confessor: <em>“In the last months, I have had to struggle as hard as I can and endure all the torture of brain-washing. The enemy has used many tricks to make me capitulate, but I have not allowed any weakness.”</em> And to his sister: <em>“Nothing can take the weapon of love from me. No affliction is capable of removing the kind smile that I let appear on my thin face. And who is the caress of my smile for, if not for Jesus, the Beloved?... I am the victim of Love and Love is all my happiness, an indestructible happiness.”</em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">One year after his arrest, calm and self-controlled, he appeared before the court in Hanoi. Upon his refusal to confess that he had electioneered for the president of South Vietnam, he was condemned to 15 years of imprisonment in a “re-education” camp. He was taken to Camp No. 1, where he came across many Catholics. He wrote: <em>“I am very busy, like a little parish priest. Apart from the hours of forced labor, I must constantly welcome the people who come one after the other looking for comfort from me... God Himself has made known to me I am doing His will here. Many times, I have asked of Him the favor of dying in this camp, but every time, He has answered me:</em> <strong><em><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">“I am ready to follow your will as you always follow Mine, but there are souls that still need you...”</span></em></strong> Each time Brother Van would submit to God's will.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">In August 1957, Brother Marcel Van was transferred to Camp No. 2. After an escape attempt to go look for consecrated Hosts, he was recaptured, beaten, and locked up in an unhealthy cell. Everything became harder for him—no more visits, no more mail, and, at the beginning of 1958, he spent three months in irons, alone, without support and without light, except for that which shone in his heart. Consumed by tuberculosis and beriberi, he flew to God at midday on July 10, 1959, at the age of 31 years, 4 months.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The Cause for the Beatification of Brother Marcel Van as a confessor of the faith opened on March 26, 1997, in the diocese of Belley-Ars, France. Click here for more info on <a href="http://www.beatificationdevan.org/">the proposed Beatification of Marcel Van</a>.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">_________________</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Primary sources for this article:</span><br />- <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">www.mysticsofthechurch.com</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">-<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Autobiography-Marcel-Van/dp/0852445970/ref=cm_sw_em_r_jdp_title_featured?ie=UTF8&tag=tellafriend-20"><strong><em>“The Autobiography of Brother Marcel Van”</em></strong> </a>Gracewing Publishing, 2006.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">-<a href="http://www.clairval.com/lettres/en/2004/01/17/2210104.htm">http://www.clairval.com/lettres/en/2004/01/17/2210104.htm</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">For more information on Brother Marcel Van, contact: Les Amis de Van, 15, Rue de l’ Orangerie, 78000 Versailles, France</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Les Amis de Van French website: <a href="http://www.wix.com/marcel_van/amis-de-van">http://www.wix.com/marcel_van/amis-de-van</a></span><br />I can confess that the story of Therese's soul is the story of my soul....” to read it in its entirety. Upon hearing this, Van began to cry and said “I will never be able to live if I am not a priest...”<br /><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655764596856164794.post-70905389930192289602011-12-11T03:59:00.000-08:002014-06-14T02:05:54.165-07:00Intercession of St Therese in the lives of six Mystics<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6n2WkEywLYb2rdAvHrhKtg3BrprqARL6BT0PQhK5JMesclCgPcZzOtqJctu39kJ-xN33bviCRII_X308Jbw4M_LL9S_1GG_K2ks5G4CF6EwJW4geoTgQR0q1H7bu2u9K1uwoowacnF0/s1600/Brother_Marcel_Van_and+_St_Therese_3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6n2WkEywLYb2rdAvHrhKtg3BrprqARL6BT0PQhK5JMesclCgPcZzOtqJctu39kJ-xN33bviCRII_X308Jbw4M_LL9S_1GG_K2ks5G4CF6EwJW4geoTgQR0q1H7bu2u9K1uwoowacnF0/s400/Brother_Marcel_Van_and+_St_Therese_3.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509938689906980610" style="float: left; height: 212px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px;" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><em><strong><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 130%;">The miraculous intercession of St Therese of Lisieux in the lives of 6 Mystics</span></strong></em></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /><em>By: Glenn Dallaire</em><br /><br />When studying the lives of the Mystics of the Church, certain remarkable facts come to light. One of these would certainly be the extraordinary appearences of Saint Therese "the Little Flower" in the lives of the mystics. In light of this St Therese, it seems, could perhaps be condidered a "Patroness of Mystics". And then again, did she not write in her Autobiography-- <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"I will spend my heaven doing good upon the earth. I will let fall a shower of roses"</span></em></strong><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Servant of God, Brother Marcel Van C.Ss.R.-The spiritual brother of St Therese</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">Brother Marcel Van strongly desired to become a saint, but was frightened at the austere sacrifices that he thought were necessary to becoming one. He wrote in his Autobiography: <strong><em>“In spite of my great desire to attain holiness, I was certain that I would never achieve it, because to be a saint, you have to fast, lash yourself with a whip, wear a rock around your neck and little chains covered with spikes, a coarse horsehair shirt, endure the cold, the scabies, etc...My God, if it is like this, then I give up... All that is way too much for me.” </em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>The appearance of St Therese of Lisieux –The Story of a Soul </strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">One day, Van spread out on a table books on the lives of many Saints. He said a prayer, asking God to guide him, promising that he would read whatever book his hand fell upon. Then, with his eyes closed, he put his hand down at random. <em>“I opened my eyes. My hand was resting on a book I had never read before<strong>—“The Story of a Soul"</strong> by Saint Therese of the Child Jesus.”</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">Marcel Van quickly looked over the book—one that he had never read before, but dismissed it as containing nothing unusual. But he soon reproached himself saying <em>“Ah, by acting like this, you have broken your promise!” I then took the book again with my head full of muddled questions—‘What is this <strong>“Story of a Soul”???</strong> Who is this St. Therese of the Child Jesus??? Where did she come from???’ What is certain is that is that she resembles many thousands of other saints.’</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>“Then I summarized her life in an amusing manner in these terms---'Since her birth until her last breath she had many ecstasies, and performed a number of miracles. She fasted on bread and water only taking one meal a day. She spent the night in prayer and gave herself to discipline until she bled. After her holy death her body emitted a very pleasant fragrance and many extraordinary things happened at her tomb. Finally she was canonized by the holy Church...etc...’</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>“Today I see clearly how rash these statements were without knowing anything about St. Therese. I had dared to sketch out her life in such a summary manner. Oh my dear sister, you must necessarily be a Saint of great courage to put up with me and the foolish statements that I made about you!”</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWqoUyD2ALMSf2c5JXXHaPh9fgxYyo8Whot_G9aSLQhhDfhS729tx71UbSrldzmjkZJG2gkPXajU4ECGb_UmtO6i4dKjoY5dRTl0wHwJQNTlLybWEcgsczjaeChW8GZYE32Iv1YjflDQ/s1600/St_Therese_and_Brother_Marcel_Van.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWqoUyD2ALMSf2c5JXXHaPh9fgxYyo8Whot_G9aSLQhhDfhS729tx71UbSrldzmjkZJG2gkPXajU4ECGb_UmtO6i4dKjoY5dRTl0wHwJQNTlLybWEcgsczjaeChW8GZYE32Iv1YjflDQ/s400/St_Therese_and_Brother_Marcel_Van.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511240867514842402" style="float: left; height: 273px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 243px;" /></a>As promised, Van then began to read the book. He states:</span></div>
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>“I had scarcely read a few pages when two floods of tears were flowing down my cheeks...What moved me so deeply was little Therese's reasoning:</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">'If God only stooped to the level of the most beautiful flowers, the symbol of the Holy Doctors, His love wouldn't be quite absolute, because it is Love's nature to stoop to the farthest limit... Just as the sun shines at the same time on the cedars and on every little flower as if it were the only one on earth, so does Our Lord take care of every soul as if there were no other soul like it'</span></em><span style="color: #3333ff;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /><em>“I understood then that God is Love... Like St Therese, I can sanctify myself through all my little acts... A smile, a word or a look, provided that everything is done in love. What happiness!....From now on, sanctity will no longer frighten me....my tears were flowing like an inexhaustible spring.”</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>“I had received therefore, that afternoon, a source of grace and happiness. <strong>“The Story of a Soul”</strong> had become my dearest friend, and followed me everywhere and I did not cease reading or rereading it, without ever getting weary of it. There was nothing in this volume which did not conform to my thoughts, and what pleased me even more in the course of my reading was to see clearly the spiritual life of Therese was identical to mine. Her thoughts, even her yes or no were in harmony with my own thoughts, and the little events of my life. Truly, never in my life have I met a book which was so well adapted to my thinking and feelings as is “The Story of a Soul”. I can confess that the story of Therese's soul is the story of my soul....”</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">The next morning, Van woke up and kneeled before the altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary and prayed:<em> “... Blessed Virgin, my Mother: Today is truly the first day that I have been given to taste such a sweet happiness; the day which introduces me to a new way.... From now on, my Mother, guide me in my new way to teach me to love God perfectly, and to offer myself to Him in total confidence. <strong>I dare to express a wish to you: That I may be wrapped in your love, as was formerly Therese, the Little Flower. I even wish you to give me this Saint as my guide in her “Little Way”. </strong>Oh what happiness there would then be for me since I feel that my life cannot free itself from the feelings of childhood that God has engraved in my soul as an innate gift”</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">Then turning to Jesus, he prayed: <em>“Oh Jesus, my only and beloved master, you know that I love you and look only to respond to your wishes. You have aroused in my mind the desire to become a saint. Then, you made me find, in a very simple manner, the “Little Way” by which you guided St. Therese of the Child Jesus. You have used the hand of this little Saint to write for the use of souls, the sweet councils to which you have led her on her little way. Today, I know that you love me, and that in your immense love you behave towards me as with a little child. Oh, how you deserve to be loved in return! From now on I have decided to follow in your footsteps as you wish, and so that each of my steps conforms to your Will, I wish, oh my God, that you grant me this favor: <strong>Give me St. Therese of the infant Jesus is my guide, so that she can teach me to love you as I ought, since I am very ignorant.</strong> Grant me also the grace to persevere in your love right to the end, so as to love you afterwards eternally, in the homeland of love reserved for those who love you.”</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDSlTJDfBU6L2hWf3TE6zCJqbxvRJgM3zLOhRlZdGw2kpaHeupDMZQ_9_QcZRHRpEO4vjIIMdmJDKUcrUBFuh3zJyNQrhJWcgQbxxAH4h9CCI0L2RIYB5jEOX5Oe2s4YWHAM4BhqClXE/s1600/Marcel-Van-and-St-Therese.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDSlTJDfBU6L2hWf3TE6zCJqbxvRJgM3zLOhRlZdGw2kpaHeupDMZQ_9_QcZRHRpEO4vjIIMdmJDKUcrUBFuh3zJyNQrhJWcgQbxxAH4h9CCI0L2RIYB5jEOX5Oe2s4YWHAM4BhqClXE/s400/Marcel-Van-and-St-Therese.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509938383205255042" style="float: left; height: 337px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px;" /></a>Van becomes the little spiritual brother of St Therese</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">Soon afterwards, Van went on foot to a nearby hill to pray and read. Suddenly, in the silence, he was startled by a voice that was calling him. <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">“Van, Van, my dear little brother!”</span></em></strong> But, no one was around him! The voice spoke again: <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">“Van, my dear little brother!”</span></em></strong> <em>‘I was stunned and a little troubled, but I remained calm and guessed immediately that this voice which called me was a supernatural voice—-I then let out or hurried cry of joy<strong>—“Oh, it's my sister Therese!”</strong>—</em> <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">“Yes, it is indeed your sister, Therese... From now on, you will personally be my little brother, just as you have chosen me to be your big sister... From this day on, our two souls will be just one soul, in God's one love... from this moment I will let you know all my beautiful thoughts on love that which has occurred in my life, and has transformed me in the infinite love of God.... it is God himself, who has arranged this meeting. God wants the lessons of love that He taught me before in the secret of my soul to live on in this world, and He has deigned to choose you as a little secretary to carry out His work, which He wishes to entrust to you.... ”</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">This first appearance of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus went on for quite sometime, and there were many other appearences of St Therese who became a "spiritual director" to Brother Van. So those interested should read <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/product.aspx?ean=9780852445976&"><strong><em>"The Autobiography of Marcel Van"</em></strong></a> to read all of the intercessions of St Therese in the life of Br. Marcel Van.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">However, before leaving Van on this first occasion, St. Therese says in closing: <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">‘I love you because you are a soul who is a member of my friends of Love. As for you my little brother, my only wish is to see accomplished the works that the divine Love desires so ardently for you. So, little brother, listen to me: from now on in your relations with our heavenly Father, do not fail to follow my advice. But for now it is late, allow me to end our conversation here, since it is already mealtime. Tam and Hien are waiting for you, and Tam is getting impatient..... I am giving you a kiss.....We will have plenty of opportunities to talk together again. And we can do it no matter where, without fear that anyone might know.’</span></em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>“Therese stopped talking, and I was like someone coming out of a dream; half anxious and half happy, and when she said<span style="color: #3333ff;"> ‘ I am giving you a kiss’</span> , I immediately felt as if a gentle breeze was touching my face. And I was overcome by such a joy that I momentarily lost consciousness. Some of this sweet joy stays with me today, but I do not know what to compare it with exactly.”</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">From then on, St Therese became Van’s close companion and spiritual director, intimately guiding him in his spiritual life and his ascent towards God.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><br />I created an article with <a href="http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2010/08/brother-marcel-van-spirtual-brother-of.html">more information about St Therese's appearences to Br. Marcel Van </a><a href="http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2010/08/brother-marcel-van-spirtual-brother-of.html">here.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYQ86OqmcSGOQRqFBRXw3Sku5OA0y8m3axNLbUivlS5sccIMBw45GvAftMPsJr63C09NZmCPaVPqkd9Ij6c3ETO8r2lPryxkIpcR3Xz7L8t31oSz9k1KFRICcht0ptVqZ9o0sD0dhqc4/s1600/Rhoda_Wise_01.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYQ86OqmcSGOQRqFBRXw3Sku5OA0y8m3axNLbUivlS5sccIMBw45GvAftMPsJr63C09NZmCPaVPqkd9Ij6c3ETO8r2lPryxkIpcR3Xz7L8t31oSz9k1KFRICcht0ptVqZ9o0sD0dhqc4/s400/Rhoda_Wise_01.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509937947302276610" style="float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 369px;" /></a>St. Therese obtains a miraculous cure for Rhoda Wise</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">Rhoda Wise lived in Ohio with her husband and daughter. She was a Protestant who was in the last stages 0f stomach cancer when St Therese interceeded for her in a remarkable way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">Through the extraordinary intercession of St Therese, she was miraculously cured of stomach cancer and also a complex lower leg fracture, which caused her to be bedridden. Rhoda also had a remarkable conversion and ended up becoming a Catholic, and through the grace of God she later became a remarkable mystic and stigmatist, and lead countless souls to God. Here is a summary of the extraordinary intercession of St Therese in her life. We will begin with a few of her Diary entries that were written before her miraculous cure:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">March 25: <em>"…I feel tonight as if even God has forgotten me. I just cannot bear anymore. I know I am going to be in terrible misery if I go home and do not have someone to do my dressings all the time.</em> [Rhoda had what the doctors believed to be stomach cancer, with an open wound in her abdomen that continuously leaked acidic stomach fluids, which caused her painful burning in this area -editor]. <em>I know I cannot get the care I need, for it takes money to do that and there isn't any ... Oh God, I wonder what the outcome will be. You have never failed me yet dear Jesus, and I know that you won't now. When the clouds were darkest and I was in despair you always showed me a way out, so I'll just trust that you to take me out of this .... "</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">In April her intense suffering continued, mixed with deep faith and prayer.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;">April 20: <em>"…I am praying so hard to St. Therese and she is going to help me. She seems so close to me. I am not laughing now, Little Flower, but trusting and praying I may be helped. I could look at your beautiful picture all day. All I do is look at your picture and whisper a prayer for help. I know you are listening to me. Won't you please help me?"</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">In her diary on May 16 she writes: <em>“…It is awful to be like this. God, if I am not to get well, let me die right now. Each day I wish there would be no tomorrow. I did not think it possible for anyone to suffer so much. This drainage about sets me crazy. If I could go to sleep for just one night it would be heaven for me. Little Flower and Jesus, I am praying so hard for you to make me well, and if that is not to be, let me die at once. These dressings are terrible. No one wants to do them. I can hardly do them anymore either."</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>Miraculous cure</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;">June 28, 1939: <em>"I guess everyone will say I am dreaming again or seeing things. What happened to me was done by no dream.<strong> I saw Jesus again last night standing in my bedroom door.</strong> While I looked at Him, He said</em>, <strong><em><span style="color: red;">'Here I am as I promised.'</span></em></strong> <strong><em>St. Therese, the Little Flower, was right by Him.</em></strong> <em>She came to my bedside. She wanted the cover off me. I pushed it off. She then wanted the dressings off, so I pushed them off. She put her hand on my stomach and said, <strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">'You doubted me before. You have been tried in the fire and not found wanting. Faith cures all things.' </span></strong>She walked back to Jesus and when I looked at Him He said,</em> <strong><em><span style="color: red;">'I will come again. There is work yet to be done.'</span></em></strong> <em>They vanished. I looked at my stomach. I was entirely healed. Not one drop of anything had even come out of my stomach. That awful irritation and everything was gone. What my feelings were I can never tell…."</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">But Rhoda also had another serious health problem. She had severely broken her foot and ankle one night when she inadvertantly stepped into a sewer hole. The doctors tried repairing the damage to her lower leg and ankle by repeatedly putting various leg casts upon it, but could not seem to repair the severe damage to the bones and surrounding ligaments. She was therefore confined to her bed and unable to walk. In her joy of being cured of her stomach cancer wound, she understandably hadn't even thought about asking St. Therese to obtain a cure also for her foot, because the appearence of Jesus and the Saint along with the instantaneous cure of her abdomen completely astounded her, and filled her heart and soul with unimaginable joy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">The Miraculous Cure of Her Foot –The Second Miracle</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;">Rhoda writes again in her Diary:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;">Aug. 10, 1939: <em>".....Tomorrow I go in the hospital again. God, may this be the last cast, and if it is Thy Will, may my foot be straight and may I walk."</em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;">The cast they applied to Rhoda's foot was to be on until November 10. Rhoda's doctor told her there would be a person ready who would fit her with a brace as soon as the cast came off, and that she would be wearing the brace for the rest of her life. <strong>The doctor and everyone else was about to see for a second time that Jesus and St Therese had other plans.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><br />Aug. 15, 1939:[Feast of the Assumption on the Blessed Virgin Mary]<em> "Oh, what a day! I was so happy to begin with because the Little Flower came to me and cured my foot. I was sitting up in bed and crying because my foot hurt me so much.</em> <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">The Little Flower came and said, 'That is a little thing. Stand up and walk.' </span></em></strong>I stood right on my feet and the cast broke and I stepped right out of it. She then said, <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">'Go to church now' ....</span></em></strong> "</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">Another miracle! Who can imagine the joy of Rhoda, her family and all who knew her! Her husband George nearly fainted when he walked into the room and saw her standing on her own, the cast shattered all over the floor. Needless to say this second miracle drew a flood of persons wanting to see and talk to the woman of the miracle. Her apostolate of leading souls to God began and God increased his grace upon her by giving her the stigmata and other mystical gifts.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><br />Click here for <a href="http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2010/03/rhoda-wise-american-mystic-stigmatic.html">the complete story of the American Mystic, Rhoda Wise </a><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk18sASUI95BtJ7htuxmmueptZ-8nv3mpY4_jGUr7D8UqrGxCy5bBMb8eQ2oNDrTdxVBJneoj4WNSRkEJyQzc__bEWXJmiGY10l9lDigQH1DIqNTODdUiOyyJ45f5i5g9dHJUvRLilW8/s1600/Therese_Newmann_St_Therese.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk18sASUI95BtJ7htuxmmueptZ-8nv3mpY4_jGUr7D8UqrGxCy5bBMb8eQ2oNDrTdxVBJneoj4WNSRkEJyQzc__bEWXJmiGY10l9lDigQH1DIqNTODdUiOyyJ45f5i5g9dHJUvRLilW8/s400/Therese_Newmann_St_Therese.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509937373473356274" style="float: left; height: 202px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px;" /></a>St Therese appears and obtains a miraculous cure for Therese Neumann</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">Therese Neumann was a well known German mystic and stigmatist who lived in Germany from 1898-1962. St Therese obtained an extraordinary cures for her both on the day of her Beatification, and on the day of her Canonisation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>The first miraculous intercession of Therese of Lisieux</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;">After four years of suffering with paralysis and blindness, a very joyful day was approaching for Therese. Sunday, April 29, 1923 was the day scheduled for the beatification ceremonies in Rome of the Carmelite nun, the saintly Therese of Lisieux, who had promised before her death to let fall from Heaven a "shower of roses." In the bedroom of Therese, flowers were arranged to adorn the picture of the “Little Flower” which Therese had received from her father. Many days before she had begun a Novena in spiritual preparation for the day when the Little Flower would be officially numbered among the beatified.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">The day of the Beatification arrived and as the ceremonies at St. Peter's in Rome were drawing to a close, the newly beatified Therese of Lisieux "showered a bouquet of roses" on her devoted sufferer; at the instant of beatification, Therese found that her eyesight was completely restored.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>The second miraculous intercession of Therese of Lisieux</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;">On May 17, 1925, when Therese of Lisieux was canonized and became officially recognized as a saint of the Catholic Church, Therese Neumann heard her voice. Softly and distinctly, the saint said to her, <strong><em><span style="color: red;">"Therese, do you not want to become well?</span></em></strong> Therese answered, <em>''Anything is all right with me: to be healthy, to remain sick, to die, whatever is the will of God.”</em> The voice continued, seemingly wanting to test her spirit- <strong><em><span style="color: red;">"Therese, would it not cause joy to you if you received some relief of your suffering, at least to be able to sit up and walk again?”</span></em></strong> Therese answered, <em><span style="color: black;">"Anything that comes from God causes joy in me.”</span></em> Again the voice said: <strong><em><span style="color: red;">"Therese, I shall obtain for you a small joy. You shall now be able to sit up and to walk, but you will still have much to suffer. However, be not afraid; you have received help through me in the past and I will also help you in the future.”</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">As St Therese of Lisieux was speaking, it was as though two strong hands lifted Therese from her bed, and after being paralyzed for six and one half years, she found herself completely healed. Not only was she healed of the paralysis, but of the gaping bedsores on her body as well. According to medical reports, some of those sores were deep enough to expose her bone. In a matter of seconds, the sores were completely healed and were covered with a fresh layer of skin.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>A third intercession of St Therese of Lisieux</strong> occurred on November 13, 1925, when Therese again became very ill with an acute attack of appendicitis, for which her Physician ordered that she be taken to the hospital at once. As arrangements were being made, St Therese again appeared to her in a vision, and obtained for her an instantaneous cure. These extraordinary graces inspired in Therese Neumann a deep and most profound trust and confidence in God, which was very much needed in what was soon to come in her life.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><br />One year later Therese Neuman was to receive the holy Stigmata during Lent, 1926.<br /><br />Click here for <a href="http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2009/12/therese-neumann-mystic-victim-soul.html">more information on the victim soul Therese Neumann</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ7Ii4loB7zoGEm4CEHpzk107I36HVxZg1f_p6zpKcw_GlABpnIkGFLQzblpCRxDEaiiEzGT_JRRvGn4BaOtjoBaf5BMIt1mIgayFF1yec-m17bMWhDURVQQh8fHrhn6IKkr7NZszBlRU/s1600/Maria-Esperanza.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ7Ii4loB7zoGEm4CEHpzk107I36HVxZg1f_p6zpKcw_GlABpnIkGFLQzblpCRxDEaiiEzGT_JRRvGn4BaOtjoBaf5BMIt1mIgayFF1yec-m17bMWhDURVQQh8fHrhn6IKkr7NZszBlRU/s400/Maria-Esperanza.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512146470434009522" style="float: left; height: 300px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px;" /></a>St Therese appears on two occasions to the Servant of God, Maria Esperanza</strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">Maria Esperanza de Bianchini (1928-2004) of Betania, Venezuela is a very recent mystic who cause for Beatification-Canonisation is currently at the stage of "Servant of God" in the Catholic church. Maria Esperanza had two very notable visions of St Therese of Lisieux, and perhaps others.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><br />The first vision of St Therese to Maria occured when Maria was only five years old. The vision took place when Maria was at a port saying farewell to her mother who was leaving for an extended trip. Quoting from the book <em><strong><a href="http://www.spiritdaily.com/booksbrown.htm">"A Bridge to Heaven- Interviews with Maria Esperanza of Betania"</a></strong></em> by Michael H. Brown, Maria explains this first appearence of St Therese <em>"The Little Flower":</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>"...When we were at the port saying good-bye to my mother, I was on the dock and everyone was saying good-bye to my mother, and I stared at the river that was coming very strongly at us. I was watching waves that were really strong and were going up and down. And I remained there, staring. I had a pain in my heart, feeling as if I couldn't separate myself from my mother. When I saw Saint Therese ... it seems like a distant dream right now. I saw Saint Therese smiling with these big beautiful blue eyes. How precious. And she stayed there staring at me."</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">[The person conducting the interview asks Maria] 'Many visionaries see Jesus, Mary, or other heavenly visitors in different ways. The Virgin often comes in different appearances according to the culture and circumstances. We realize that heavenly entities can make themselves appear any way they want to. For example, Saint Therese had brown eyes, yet you saw them differently.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>"There was such a blue, an intense blue in her eyes, almost green. It was such an intense color, it tore at my heart. And she smiled. She arose from the waters, came from the waters and smiled at me. I'm trying to recall everything now, when I was there looking, watching Saint Therese coming up from the water with a rose in her hand. It was a very, very beautiful red rose. And she threw it at me. And I moved around. I don't know how I did it, but I caught it in my hands. And I was so little at the time. I was playing, and I ran to my mother who was leaving, and we were all saying good-bye to her. And I said, "Mom, Saint Therese, Saint Therese!' And my mother said to me, "Oh, my love, God gave you this rose!'"</em></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /><strong>Maria is given the Stigmata for the first time through the interecession of St Therese</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmclOIt8u08_jLnaEQJFdk5PPSODjjltBHX8h40vu4dpfPrz-hcRPV32HpSruOOgJek9Awf4Z2JeCsYc-U0bhtSKnGc8enFkBJVT-o6Wr5tdcMsGUbrhvv4vBisnhypIUVDkGhmnlT8tc/s1600/Maria-Esperanza-2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmclOIt8u08_jLnaEQJFdk5PPSODjjltBHX8h40vu4dpfPrz-hcRPV32HpSruOOgJek9Awf4Z2JeCsYc-U0bhtSKnGc8enFkBJVT-o6Wr5tdcMsGUbrhvv4vBisnhypIUVDkGhmnlT8tc/s400/Maria-Esperanza-2.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512145597968405618" style="float: left; height: 251px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 302px;" /></a>The second appearence of St Therese in the life of Maria Esperanza occured in 1954 when Maria was 26 years old. She was living in a convent at that time, hoping to become a religious Sister. Quoting again from the aforementioned book, Maria states:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>"One day when we were there in prayer, on October 3, 1954, I saw from the altar after Mass ended, there was something incredible that I felt. I saw Saint Therese of the Child Jesus. She threw a rose to me, and this rose, I tried to catch it, just as I had done when I was five years old. But it was a fresh rose. It happened that it pinched me right in my hand, and I saw blood start to come out of my hand.</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>I got very scared, and I felt at that moment that He told me I should not be here anymore, that I should go to Rome to see the Holy Father, because the Lord wants me in the world. "You will be a mother". And they [the Sisters] sent me to Rome. I didn't know what to tell the sisters. It made me ashamed. I felt very bad. I cried alot. It was very difficult, but I had to leave."</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">Maria Esperanza was to become a wife and mother, just as St Therese had predicted. Click here for <a href="http://www.mariaesperanza.com/english/index_frameset_en.htm">more information about the Servant of God, Maria Esperanza</a>.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48635HwvbIhVCZkAREcQTcPN9GJwRuXuSoj7TiNA8tS8Cqout8Fl34ZW5ELdy5V4e_fgM3Pumflr8FIFii_gz1cWtu9SP56yu5cK-B0NUaZvcaz5CdrdplecCrrt7gFyRKhW_gYh0tlo/s1600/Marthe-Robin-8.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48635HwvbIhVCZkAREcQTcPN9GJwRuXuSoj7TiNA8tS8Cqout8Fl34ZW5ELdy5V4e_fgM3Pumflr8FIFii_gz1cWtu9SP56yu5cK-B0NUaZvcaz5CdrdplecCrrt7gFyRKhW_gYh0tlo/s400/Marthe-Robin-8.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509936809733779282" style="float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 238px;" /></a>St Therese appears to the Servant of God, Marthe Robin on three occasions</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">The Servant of God Marthe Robin was an extraordinary French mystic, stigmatist, and victim soul who suffered for over 50 years in union with Jesus for the conversion of souls. She died recently in 1981. There was quite a close connection between Thérèse and Marthe. Marthe was drawn to the Carmelite life as she entered her twenties, but this hope was frustrated by growing illness. However, in 1925 she received mystical visits from Thérèse on three occasions, and these had a profound effect on her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">October 3, 1926, the day of the first celebration of the feast of Saint Therese of Lisieux, who had been canonized the preceding year, Dr. Aristide Sallier of Saint-Uze visited and found Marthe in a coma. <em>"There is nothing more that can be done," </em>was all he said. The Parish Priest, Fr. Faure could only replace the doctor at the bedside to administer the Sacrament of the Sick to "his parishioner," as he called her. It was the second time that she had received it. Everyone expected that each day would bring her death. The coma lasted three weeks.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /><strong>Apparitions of Saint Therese of Lisieux</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">But while the coma progressed and death seemed to be imminent, Marthe experienced three apparitions of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus. The Carmelite of Lisieux revealed to her that she would not die yet and that she would recover, and that she was to be a victim soul who would extend her mission throughout the entire world. Having surprisingly come out of her coma, Marthe confided the messages of St Therese to Fr. Finet, even adding, laughingly, <strong><em>"Oh that rascal, in the end, she's left it all to me!"</em></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><br />Click here for <a href="http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2009/11/marthe-robin-mystic-stigmatic-victim.html">more information the mystic, stigmatic and victim soul Marthe Robin</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWiPoZMaK_Mp7sKP14WnUMlUDL3MP4d6i1-pR3hVLI3gnOqBiXRfD2ccWjht0RDWuu7E3geBXyX6XxJFJMXlKH6N8iTdEgA5Pmi7cbikaz-1jZoY9b0wEoe6A6_gm_Mlc4R0w5mhSb9O0/s1600/St_Maria_Faustina_Kowalska_2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWiPoZMaK_Mp7sKP14WnUMlUDL3MP4d6i1-pR3hVLI3gnOqBiXRfD2ccWjht0RDWuu7E3geBXyX6XxJFJMXlKH6N8iTdEgA5Pmi7cbikaz-1jZoY9b0wEoe6A6_gm_Mlc4R0w5mhSb9O0/s400/St_Maria_Faustina_Kowalska_2.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515857616729476066" style="float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 292px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>St Therese appears in a dream to St Faustina Kowalska</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;">Thanks to a readers suggestion, we have an additional appearence of St Therese in a "dream" of St Faustina Kowalska in entry #150 of her Diary, <em><strong>"Divine Mercy in My Soul"</strong></em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">(150) "I want to write down a dream that I had about Saint Therese of the Child Jesus. I was still a novice at the time and was going through some difficulties which I did not know how to overcome. They were interior difficulties connected with exterior ones. I made novenas to various saints, but the situation grew more and more difficult. The sufferings it caused me were so great that I did not know how to go on living, but suddenly the thought occurred to me that I should pray to Saint Therese of the Child Jesus. I started a novena to this Saint, because before entering the convent I had had a great devotion to her. Lately I had somewhat neglected this devotion, but in my need I began again to pray with great fervor."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">"On the fifth day of the novena, I dreamed of Saint Therese, but it was as if she were still living on earth. She hid from me the fact that she was a saint and began to comfort me, saying that I should not be worried about this matter, but should trust more in God. She said, <strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">"I suffered greatly, too,"</span></strong> but I did not quite believe her and said, <em>"It seems to me that you have not suffered at all." </em>But Saint Therese answered me in a convincing manner that she had suffered very much indeed and said to me, <strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Sister, know that in three days the difficulty will come to a happy conclusion."</span></strong> When I was not very willing to believe her, she revealed to me that she was a saint. At that moment, a great joy filled my soul, and I said to her, <em>"You are a saint?"</em> <strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Yes,"</span></strong> she answered, <strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">"I am a saint. Trust that this matter will be resolved in three days:" </span></strong>And I said,<em> "Dear sweet Therese, tell me, shall I go to heaven?"</em> And she answered, <strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Yes, you will go to heaven, Sister."</span></strong> "<em>And will I be a saint?"</em> To which she replied, <strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Yes, you will be a saint."</span></strong> "<em>But, little Therese, shall I be a saint as you are, raised to the altar?"</em> And she answered, <strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Yes, you will be a saint just as I am, but you must trust in the Lord Jesus."</span></strong> I then asked her if my mother and father would go to heaven, will [unfinished sentence] And she replied that they would. I further asked,<em> "And will my brothers and sisters go to heaven?" </em>She told me to pray hard for them, but gave me no definite answer. I understood that they were in need of much prayer."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">"This was a dream. And as the proverb goes, dreams are phantoms; God is faith. Nevertheless, three days later the difficulty was solved very easily, just as she had said. And everything in this affair turned out exactly as she said it would. It was a dream, but it had its significance."</span></div>
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><br />In accordance with the words of St Therese in her dream, Maria Faustina Kowalska was raised to the altars and formally canonised a Saint on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 30, 2000.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3abRXsbqLapjpPZ6Av8vFKgLRckptlAyM4_gjowC6hBdFgmdCHgSNlEt5XjP4fjDwnNo-Mp1sF8gX5CWZw86OEtn3Ezne0kMw5B2JZcaRDEs82g_7DSc5SC1YeIFemiZ65d_2mmLpXs/s1600/Elena_Aiello.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3abRXsbqLapjpPZ6Av8vFKgLRckptlAyM4_gjowC6hBdFgmdCHgSNlEt5XjP4fjDwnNo-Mp1sF8gX5CWZw86OEtn3Ezne0kMw5B2JZcaRDEs82g_7DSc5SC1YeIFemiZ65d_2mmLpXs/s400/Elena_Aiello.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664251925878998082" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 364px;" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span">St Therese & Blessed Elena Aiello</span><span class="Apple-style-span">--</span>The Little Flower miraculously helps with the foundation of a little girls orphanage</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">Lastly there is the extraordinary intercession of St Therese in the life of Blessed Elena Aiello, the Italian mystic and stigmatic who was recently Beatified on September 14, 2011.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">St Therese appeared and assisted Blessed Elena on several occasions, miraculously assisting her in finding the house that was to become an orphanage for young girls, along with being a convent for Mother Elena and her religious sisters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">One day Elena went on a bus and was pondering where she was going to find the house she needed for the foundation of an orphanage for young girls. She had beseeched her patron saints and particularly St. Therese of the Infant Jesus. A young Carmelite nun walked on the bus and the two struck up a conversation. The nun asked her if she was looking for a house. Elena, thinking it was one of the sisters in the area, kissed her hand and told her how hard it was to find one. The nun smiled sweetly and said,<em><strong> “Come, I will show you the house.”</strong></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">When they got off the bus, the nun pointed to a balcony and said the woman has an offer of 260 lire but will take 250 from you. When Elena looked back at the nun, she noticed there was an unusual glow around her and then saw a bouquet of roses cascading from the crucifix in her hand. Suddenly the nun faded away and Elena recognized that she was speaking to St. Therese of Lisieux and full of excitement went to speak to the landlady. Everything was exactly as St. Therese had said. The landlady accepted the 250 lire. Elena told the Archbishop and he suggested that Elena name their first house in Cosenza after St. Therese, which Blessed Elena gladly did.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>St Therese makes another appearence</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;">One time St. Therese of the Infant Jesus appeared to several of the little ones who were praying while sewing in the work room. Sister Elena rushed downstairs to the shouts, <em><strong>“We have seen the Carmelite Saint!” </strong></em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">Upon arriving, Sister Elena too saw the saint smiling at her, and she knew that St Therese's presence was a sign of her heavenly concern and an assurance of her ongoing assistance for Mother Elena's orphanage and her fledgling religious community of Sisters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">The third intercession of St Therese was in fact a double miracle. God's Divine Providence never failed to take care of what was needed for the orphanage, even by means of extraordinary interventions. On September 11, 1935, Sister Elena spent a painful night. It so happened that there was no food on hand in the kitchen for the noon meal. Sister Angela asked Mother Elena for some money to purchase food, and Elena replied that she had none, but encouraged Sister Angela to trust in God and that He would surely provide for His children. In the meantime a Priest came in, requested to say Mass and walked to the Sacristy right away. Not having anything on hand, Sister Elena told Sister Angela to first go and hear Mass and that somehow the Lord would provide. Elena's prayer in union with that of the Sisters and of the orphan girls, was quickly heard. For right after the Elevation, a strong fragrance spread through the Chapel. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">Sister Elena was at the time reciting the Office of the Blessed Virgin from the second page of her prayer book. Suddenly she spotted a 50 lire bill between the prayer card of Our Lady of Sorrows and that of St. Teresa. She was positive that nothing of the kind had previously been in her prayer book as she had recited the very same prayer, on that very same page, on the previous evening. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">Anyway, after Mass and after handing the 50 lire bill for the day's needs, Sister Elena with all the girls went back to the Chapel, and there within earshot, she prayed to God to let her find another 50 lire in her prayer book at the same place as an unquestionable proof that the first 50 lire had not been forgotten by someone, but that they were actually the gift of Divine Providence. During the day, some of the bigger girls and even one or two of the Sisters went searching through that prayer book which had been left at its place. In the evening, when the Community assembled in the Chapel for the evening prayers, while the "Confiteor" was being recited, the same kind of a fragrance as in the morning was felt. Elena got greatly excited. She didn't dare open her prayer book, but passed it on to Sister Teresa to do so. Sister obeyed and there were the additional 50 lire between the two prayer cards, at the same place. In the white circle there was a green handwriting, 50 + 50 = 100 with some letters of the Greek alphabet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The following morning Elena related the incident to her Confessor, Canon Mazzuca, who insisted on looking at the 50 lire banknotes-No. 01670 and 0039. However, the inscription on the white circle had completely disappeared. Father Benjamin Mazza, who wished to retain those banknotes, exchanged them with one for 100 lire, which is now in the possession of Blessed Elena’s Community.</span></span></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655764596856164794.post-84828380237865926482011-12-11T03:54:00.000-08:002011-12-11T03:55:35.083-08:00Little Nellie of Holy God<h3 style="text-align: justify;" class="post-title entry-title"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2011/03/nellie-organ-little-nellie-of-holy-god.html"><br /></a></span> </h3><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiGFxRxinSoevr-evwQdSle01rVi690xxYK65Ms2ZABpd5cktafQRhOd9hHgMTaHVI0nBvoP7ji0SYhS9ILHF-DZoz1cZYfX7B2jshRJeZo8Y8GQqJqR4jW-_ppmlkBsVIDWQQFH7zkM/s1600/Nellie-Organ-Little-Nellie-Of-Holy-God.2jpg.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiGFxRxinSoevr-evwQdSle01rVi690xxYK65Ms2ZABpd5cktafQRhOd9hHgMTaHVI0nBvoP7ji0SYhS9ILHF-DZoz1cZYfX7B2jshRJeZo8Y8GQqJqR4jW-_ppmlkBsVIDWQQFH7zkM/s400/Nellie-Organ-Little-Nellie-Of-Holy-God.2jpg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590455927531243618" border="0" /></a></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Little Nellie of Holy God -The Life of Nellie Organ (1903-1908)</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span">“There! That is the sign for which I was waiting.”</span></i></b> -Pope St Pius X after hearing about the holy life of little Nellie. A few months later in 1910 he issued “Quam Singulari” which significantly lowered the age of Holy Communion for children.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Little Nellie Organ lived to be only four and one-half years old, and yet for very good reason she is known as “The Little Violet of the Blessed Sacrament.” The remarkable story of her short yet holy life begins with her birth on August 24, 1903. Her father, William Organ and her mother Mary Aherne Organ were married on July 4, 1896 and their marriage was soon blessed with four children: Thomas, David, Mary and, lastly, Nellie. Because unemployment was very high at that time in Ireland, her father William Organ had to choose between emigration and enlistment as a soldier. He chose the latter and in October, 1897, he joined the British Army then in occupation in Ireland, in a garrison in the maritime town of Waterford.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Thus little Nellie was born on August 24, 1903, in the "married quarters" of the Royal Infantry Barracks in Waterford, Ireland. Soon afterward she was brought to the parish Church of the Trinity where she was Baptized with the name of "Ellen," though she would be familiarly called "Nellie."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"When only two," Nellie's father writes, "she would clasp my hand and toddle off to Mass, prattling all the way about Holy God. That was the way she always spoke of God, and I do not know where she could have learned it." Nellie loved her father dearly, and her first request when her mother went out was to buy a rosary for Daddy. One night her father said he was going on sentinel duty. Nellie said, "I will be sentinel in your place."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"You go to sleep," said her father.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"No," said Nellie, "I shall wait for you"-and when he returned some hours later she was awake, waiting for him.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The holy names were the first words that Nellie learned, and at night the family Rosary was said. Her mother taught her to kiss the crucifix and the large beads, a habit which Nellie retained.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>The death of her mother</b></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">In 1905 the family moved to Spike, an island fort situated in Cork Harbor. The mother's health, which had never been robust, now visibly deteriorated.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Pious and devout, Mrs. Organ turned in her last months entirely to God, and her rosary was never out of her hands. Toward the end she clung to Nellie with such transports of affection that the child had to be torn, almost rudely, from her dying embrace. She died of consumption (tuberculosis) in January, 1907.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The eldest of the Organ children was only nine at the time and her father was engaged throughout the day in his military duties, so initially a charitable neighbor gave occasional help in the Organ household. However since the children were so young and couldn't help much with all the necessary household duties, it was soon realized that this makeshift arrangement was a poor one, and in addition it was discovered that Nellie was painfully delicate and was requiring special care, for it was soon discovered that she had a crooked spine, though this was not recognized completely until she came into the care of the Good Shepherd Sisters. Sitting upright in a chair was painful for her and in fact holding her body still for any length of time pained her a great deal. Her hip and her twisted back were out of joint. She cried, but there was no loving mother to soothe and comfort her. Nellie's father at length realized that he could not carryon any longer in a motherless family, so he asked a kind priest friend to find a home in some convent for his forlorn orphans.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Nellie and her sister is sent to the Good Shepherd Sisters</b></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The priest friend came to his assistance, and with his kind help each of the little ones was provided with a home in the charitable institutions of the diocese. Thomas was sent to the School of the Brothers of Charity at Upton; David, the younger brother, to the convent school of the Sisters of Mercy, Passage West; and it was arranged that Mary and Nellie should be sent to live at St. Finbarr's Industrial School conducted by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd at Sunday's Well, in the city of Cork, Ireland.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Nellie and her sister arrived on May 11th, 1907. It was with truly maternal care that Mary and Nellie were surrounded there by the kind Good Shepherd Sister and Nellie was truly happy there, and she called all the Sisters "Mothers." Upon her arrival Nellie was three years and nine months old; she would live the remaining eight months of her life with the Sisters.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjby5YdZm77oBs-nyBHUEvCxa6EQw7AobU78ODp5IGZ4cp85XDUQELPgSdP_s108iFpb8z9OYId2SbNmVcixueE5CeoazIyIGhzwTSH5K1YEoSlIPXoldGxnaSyU8TEGUIHfXWx_6SlztY/s1600/Little-Nellie-of-Holy-God-Nellie-Organ.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjby5YdZm77oBs-nyBHUEvCxa6EQw7AobU78ODp5IGZ4cp85XDUQELPgSdP_s108iFpb8z9OYId2SbNmVcixueE5CeoazIyIGhzwTSH5K1YEoSlIPXoldGxnaSyU8TEGUIHfXWx_6SlztY/s400/Little-Nellie-of-Holy-God-Nellie-Organ.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590455642342328450" border="0" /></a><b>A Physicians Diagnosis</b></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Mary Long was a young girl who slept next to Nellie and she told the Sisters that Nellie seemed to be in pain and would often be up much of the night crying and often coughing. Because of this, little Nellie was transferred to the school infirmary where she would share her meals with a little black kitten, of which she grew very fond and which fully reciprocated the child's affection.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">While classroom lessons had now ceased for the suffering child, she was however taken at times join the kindergarten games on the playground. One day she was given a box of beads string. She put some in her mouth and inadvertently she somehow swallowed, or rather half swallowed them. They stuck in her throat and she seemed to be suffocating. The teacher snatched her up and went running to find the nurse and together they rushed Nellie into the Sacred Heart Infirmary on the convent ground, and immediately those present performed the operation of extracting the beads from her throat. Five were removed from the neighborhood of the trachea. Remarkably, Nellie did not cry during the painful experience, but sometime later she became listless, so they sent for the doctor. With grief in their hearts they soon heard his diagnosis: Along with her crooked spine Nellie was the victim of the dreaded tuberculosis--the disease that had proved fatal to her mother. Since the disease was already quite along in its progress, the doctor held out no hope whatsoever of her recovery. In fact he informed them that she had only a few months of life remaining.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Her devotion to the Child Jesus</b></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Little Nellie remained for two months in the Sacred Heart Infirmary. Her nurse, Miss Hall frequently considered it necessary to stay the night with her, and Nellie's gratitude for this attention was full of childlike love---"Holy God took my Mudder," she would say, "but He has given me you to be my Mudder." She would put out her tiny hand between the rails of her crib to take that of her "Mudder," and she would clasp it affectionately until the little fingers gradually relaxed and she fell into a fitful sleep.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">During this time when Nellie was still confined to bed in the infirmary, a little altar on which stood a statue of the Holy Infant of Prague attracted her attention. She asked Miss Hall about the statue and she explained to Nellie that the statue was an image of Our Lord when He was a child. Immediately Nellie's interest was aroused. Miss Hall proceeded to narrate the story of the birth of Christ and His great love for us. The child listened with evident enthusiasm, and ever afterward she delighted in "the story of Holy God when He was a little child."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Her remarkable recovery</b></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">And from that moment she turned with all the sweet simplicity of childhood and spoke to little Jesus, and at the suggestion of the nuns she soon made a novena to Him, asking Him to make her well. When the novena was ended, she unexpectedly became so far recovered as to be able to walk about in the garden holding someone's hand. Naturally, this inspired in her a great confidence in the Holy Child, with whom she now began to chat familiarly and of whom she made the most extraordinary demands.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">When, shortly afterwards her former nurse, Miss Hall became unwell, Nellie called one of the older girls and said to her, "Go and bring me Holy God (referring to the statue of the Infant Jesus), and put Him on the chair near me. I want to ask Him to make Mudder better. He made me better, you know."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>The dancing Child Jesus</b></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Among Nellie's toys was a tin whistle which she often enjoyed playing with. One day toward the end of September, Mary Long was busy in the kitchen and was engaged in copying some verses which the children were to recite on the occasion of a visit from the Mother Provincial, who visited each day. For awhile Nellie was there playing quietly with her toys, but then she came over to Mary and said "Longie, give me my baby," for that is how she always spoke of the little statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague. Mary paid no heed at first, but Nellie went on: "Longie, give me my baby," until Mary, to have peace, said:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"I will give it to you, Nellie, but please do not break it or Mother Francis will be angry."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">'Mary went into the other room, got the statue, and gave it to Nellie. Nellie, now perfectly happy and content, hugged the little image, hushing it in her arms and kissing it, with many lisping words and murmurs of affection. Then she put it on the floor beside the pots and pans. Mary went on with her copying, but let us now continue in Mary Long's own words:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">All of a sudden Nellie got very excited and called out: 'Longie, Him dance for me! Longie, play music,' and she snatches hold of her whistle and keeps on blowing, only stopping to cry, 'Him dance for me! Longie, play more music!' I thought the child had gone mad. Then Josephine, the girl who helped with the cleaning, came in. Josephine at once said, 'What is the matter with Nellie?'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Nellie, her face flushed, her eyes sparkling, cried out just flinging one glance toward us, then instantly back again to the statue- 'Jo! play music! Him dance for me; now me dance for Him,' and Nellie begins stepping about, her arms extended. After a few more moments she stopped suddenly, and sadly in a disappointed little voice she said “He stopped now”. And thus she became quiet once again.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>“God's flowers”</b></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">As the months passed, Nellie soon became ill once again. Often the good Sisters brought flowers to Nellie to brighten her up during her dreary days of illness. "Isn't Holy God good," she would say, "to have made such lovely flowers for me?" Because of this fact she disliked artificial flowers. "They are too 'tiff (stiff)," she used to say; "bring me some of Holy God's own flowers."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">One day Mary Long, on reaching the door of the infirmary, was surprised to find Nellie scrambling back into bed, in her hand a flower which she had evidently taken from a vase that stood on a table nearby. Perceiving Mary, Nellie slipped the flower under the bed clothes, believing her action to be unobserved. But Mary had seen it and began questioning the child: "Who stole that lovely daisy from the vase?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"No one, Longie."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"Then where is it? Perhaps it is under the bed?" -and Mary pretended to be searching about for it. With a shriek of laughter, Nellie suddenly produced it from its hiding place, smiling all the while.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"Oh, you naughty child," said the girl, pretending to be angry, “I'll tell Mother when she comes back that you stole the flower."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Nellie did not answer for a moment but hugged the flower to her breast, then quietly remarked that the altar was hers (and thus in her little mind the flower was hers also). Later, when she was alone with Mary, Nellie said to her: "Mudder, I'm sorry I took the flower; but I was only talking to Holy God, and Him gave me the flower…Him did, Mudder."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Once Nellie noticed some dead flowers by the Sacred Heart statue outside the infirmary. She spoke up: "Look at them dirty flowers, them should be taken away." Long afterwards, when she was so weak that she could not leave her bed, she asked Reverend Mother whether "them dirty flowers" had been taken away from the statue of Holy God.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Nellie's devotion to the “Hidden Jesus” in the Eucharist</b></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">With her various household tasks, Mary Long did not always feel able to rise for the community Mass each morning. On one such occasion, Mary began doing her morning work quietly in the kitchen until she heard the children pass into their refectory after Mass. Then she opened the door to Nellie's room and said, "Well, Nellie, how are you today?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">To her surprise, Nellie answered reproachfully, "You did not get Holy God this morning."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Mary thought that perhaps Nellie had heard her moving about in the kitchen, and so an idea occurred to her to test Nellie next time. She went to the door of the building, opened the latch, and closed the door again, thus giving the impression, as she thought, that she had really gone to Mass. She then removed her boots, and during Mass time she moved about as little as possible in the kitchen. When she returned to Nellie's room, she looked quite unconcerned. The child, however, fixed her pensive eyes on Mary's countenance, and then the same reproving words were spoken sadly:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"You did not get Holy God today."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"How do you know, lovey?" said Mary. "Didn't you hear me close the door?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"No matter," said the child, "I know you didn't get Holy God."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Nurse Hall gave the following account of Nellie's extraordinary behavior on the occasion of her first visit to the chapel during Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">On that morning, Nurse Hall carried Nellie down to the chapel. Nellie had never before actually seen the Sacred Host exposed in the monstrance. What then was Miss Hall's surprise to hear the little one say to her in an awed whisper: "Mudder, there He is, there is Holy God! And with her little hand she pointed to the monstrance, after which she never once took her eyes off the Host, while an expression of ecstasy transfigured her face.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">In another account of this same first visit, Reverend Mother writes: "It was the First Friday of the month (October), I was passing along the corridor, when the chapel door opened and Nellie, holding the Nurse's hand, toddled out softly and recollectedly. Remembering how ill the child had been, I stooped down, one knee on the floor, and said: 'Well, how is Baby today?' For answer the little one laid her face on my shoulder and wept silently; but her tears were not sad, they were all sweetness; it was a holy emotion, the happiness of which overflowed in wordless weeping. In that moment," continues the Mother solemnly, "it was made known to me interiorly that God had some special designs on the child, and that I, then Superior, was expected to co-operate with Him in accomplishing them."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">From that day onward, by some interior warning, without a single exterior sign to guide her, Nellie always knew when there was Exposition at the convent.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Nellie had been born in the army barracks, where the prison was called the "lock-up." So concerning the Eucharist in the Tabernacle she regarded Jesus as the "Prisoner" in the “lockup”.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Thus on Exposition days she would say: "Take me down to the chapel. I know that Holy God is not in the lockup today." Oftentimes she would call the Eucharist “the hidden Jesus”.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 305px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1VCTccQzSM7AVZbCMC_3IWm_N7WauxsbVr0O9mjCk_zQz_0gWvHoPioJaHkcC0Ph7eKzxprjb2IRWv9LOSdZA0HDNsAzk-H_YBkmgQ5N0vWGxCwo6z3DyEIc-lthjXuVFbEr956-dV8/s400/Nellie-Organ-Little-Nellie-Of-Holy-God-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590455228646422146" border="0" /><b>Nellie's painful diseased jaw</b></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">There came a time when Nellie's appetite, always small, seemed to fail completely. She would hold her little bowl of broth or milk, turning and turning the spoon about in it, but refusing to eat. When pressed to swallow some, she tried to comply, but swallowing evidently hurt her; and she would shake her head and say her "t'roat" was sore.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The doctor was called to examine Nellie's throat but could find nothing wrong. Nellie heard his opinion calmly, did not cry over it and neither over her pain, but continued to assert nevertheless that her "t'roat" was sore. Finally the little mouth was explored thoroughly, and a new tooth was discovered that had just cut its way through at the root of the tongue -entirely in the wrong place, of course. It was soon discovered that poor Nellie had a diseased jaw; and the tooth, cutting through at such a point, must have caused her very serious pain. Yet surprisingly she did not cry while it was being removed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Mother Francis Xavier had instructed Nellie concerning the significance of the crucifix. Here is Mary Long's reminiscence: "The prioress, Mother Francis Xavier Hickey, used to come over to see Nellie every evening. Then Mother would kneel by Nellie, take out her crucifix, and explain Our Lord's life .... "</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">All this time, tuberculosis was wasting away the baby frame. Not only were Nellie's lungs affected, but her jawbone had begun to crumble away from the disease known as "caries." In the end it came away in pieces, and the odor from it was extremely unpleasant and at times unbearable. The devoted nurse syringed it frequently with disinfectants. This, although it hurt considerably, was nevertheless not once resisted by the child. When the nurse took out her syringe, Nellie took out her crucifix. Giving her intelligent consent to this pain, which clearly God had laid upon her, she thought of the Great Atonement. When the pain was greatest she used to lie motionless in bed, her arms crossed on her breast, her little fingers folded around her crucifix.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>A vision of Jesus</b></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">As we can see, little Nellie's devotion to whom she called “Holy God” was extraordinary and heroic, while at the same time being very simple and childlike, given that she was only 4 years old.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">One morning, Sister Immaculata and Nurse Hall went together to visit the little patient, who had spent a very restless night, owing to her many sufferings. It was then that the following extraordinary conversation took place:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"How are you today, darling?" asked nurse Hall.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"I thought that you would have been with Holy God by this time."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"Oh, no!" answered Nellie, "Holy God says I am not good enough to go to him yet."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"What do you know about Holy God?" asked the nurse.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"Him did come and stand there," replied the child, pointing to the side of her bed, "and Him did</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">say that."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Nurse and the Sister looked at each other in amazement.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"Where was He, Nellie?" asked the Sister.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"Dere," she repeated confidently, pointing to the same spot.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"And what was He like?" asked the Sister again.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"Like that," answered Nellie, putting her hand on her breast in a tucked position.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Sister Immaculata and Nurse Hall were naturally astounded at this revelation. Was it a childish fancy or had God really favored this little child as He had favored other chosen souls? After some discussion, they both agreed that it would be more prudent not to mention the matter to anyone, unless Nellie herself should speak of it again. And one day little Nellie, when on the threshold of eternity, solemnly repeated the story of this visit of “Holy God”.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">And for a child of four years, Nellie was making incredible strides in faith and holiness. She had learned by heart the morning and evening prayers, the acts of faith, hope and charity, the principal mysteries of religion, and much of the story of the life of Jesus. She had a remarkable devotion to the Passion of Our Divine Lord, and when they exhorted her to unite her sufferings with those of Jesus, she seemed to grasp the idea immediately and was quite prepared to make the heroic sacrifice and to endure the most atrocious suffering without a murmur of complaint. She kept a crucifix beside her on her bed, and when her sufferings became almost unbearable, she would take it in her little hand, stare at it fixedly, and whisper, "Poor Holy God! Oh, poor Holy God!" If others sympathized with her, she would smile and remark, "What is it compared with what He suffered on the Cross for me?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">She prayed often during the day, and her recollection during prayer was very edifying. She prayed for all who were dear to her- the Sisters, the Bishop, the Nurses, her little companions, the welfare of the Church of Christ and the Pope.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Nellie's recital of the Rosary was particularly edifying. She kissed each of the large beads and the crucifix and recited each prayer slowly, distinctly, and with a spirit of recollection most remarkable in one so young.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"One evening," writes Reverend Mother, "while I was sitting beside her bed, I said to her: 'Shall I talk to you, Baby, or shall we say the Rosary?'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"'Say the Rosary, Mudder,' she answered. I had only said a few Hail Marys when I heard her whisper, 'Kneel down, Mudder.' I paid no attention and continued to the end of the first decade, when she repeated in quite a determined tone, 'Kneel down, Mudder,' and I had to finish the Rosary on my knees."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Her incredible desire to receive Jesus in Holy Communion</b></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Not long after Nellie was completely bedridden, she expressed a strong desire to be carried down for Mass to adore Jesus in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, and what's more she soon expressed sighs of longing for the then unheard-of privilege in childhood of receiving Holy Communion. During this time, the normal age for first Holy Communion was at least age 12. Often now she was heard repeating to herself: "Oh, I am longing for Holy God! I wonder when He will come! I am longing to have Him in my heart."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">All the while, Reverend Mother continued visiting Nellie every evening. On one occasion, when about to bid the child "Good night," she was startled by the following request. "Mudder," asked Nellie, "tomorrow morning, when you get Holy God, will you bring Him up to me?" Mother knew not what to answer. She considered for a moment and then replied, "Tomorrow morning I shall ask Holy God to be very fond of you, and I shall come up to see you after Mass." This reply seemed to satisfy the child. Later in the evening she called Nurse Hall and said to her, "Mudder Prancis is going to bring Holy God to me in the morning”.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">What was her disappointment after Mass when Mother Francis came to see her, but without actually bringing her Holy Communion! In fact when she saw Mother Francis enter without "Holy God," her disappointment was so keen that she wept bitterly.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">During the rest of that day Nellie scarcely spoke a word and for some days after that sorrowful experience, Nellie lay sad, not caring to talk or play. Sometimes she would sigh wistfully, and when they asked if she needed anything, she would answer:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"No, I am just thinking about Holy God."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Soon, however, the clever little brain had evolved a plan which might solace -though it could not satisfy her longing for Holy Communion.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"Mudder," she whispered to the nurse one morning, "when you get Holy God in the chapel, will you come back and kiss me? Then you can go back to the chapel again."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">This kiss was not for the nurse, it was for the Blessed Sacrament. It was given indiscriminately to anyone, nun or child or grown-up, whom Nellie could coax to come to her immediately after their receiving Holy Communion. In profound reverence the baby lips would touch the lips of the communicant, then in strictest silence she would wave her tiny hand as a signal to the other to return and finish her thanksgiving. Sometimes her nurse would hesitate to leave Nellie to attend Mass, but Nellie would always insist. "Mudder, go down to Mass," she would say, "and get Holy God and come back to kiss me. Then you can go back to the chapel again."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The whole month of November 1907 passed thus in holy desire, in suffering patiently borne, and in loving thoughts of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Her First Holy Communion</b></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">As December came, the Sisters had begun a ten-day retreat which was to end on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Fr. Bury, S.J., was the director. Naturally, the Sisters mentioned to him the longing for Holy Communion of the "extraordinary child" upstairs. Nellie was only 4 years old, and at this time children generally were not admitted to Holy Communion until ten or twelve years of age.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Father Bury, far from dismissing the Sisters' account, gave his sympathetic attention. "St. Alphonsus," he said, "gave Holy Communion to a tiny child who longed for it. If the Bishop permitted me, I would do the same by Little Nellie."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">So that day Fr. Bury went up and had a talk with Nellie. "What is the Blessed Eucharist?" he asked. Nellie's reply was all her own: there was not a touch of coaching or catechism about it. "It is Holy God," she lisped; "it is Him that makes the nuns and everybody else holy." On another occasion she would say, "Jesus comes on my tongue and goes down into my heart." The words were indeed the words of an infant, but the doctrine was profound.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Impressed by the reasoning of Nellie, Father Bury wrote a letter to the Bishop requesting special permission to give her Holy Communion. According to Father Bury, "With regard to the reception of this Sacrament, Nellie had arrived at the use of reason." He told the Bishop that Nellie was endowed in no ordinary degree with ardent love of God and the desire to be united to Him in Holy Communion.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The answer came while Father Bury was dining in the convent parlor. No sooner had he read the permission than he started up from his unfinished meal, flung his napkin halfway across the table and rushed upstairs two steps at a time to take the joyful news to the anxious little one.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">When Nellie heard the glad tidings, her joy was indescribable. "I will have Holy God in my heart!!! I will have Holy God in my heart!" she kept repeating with indescribable joy!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The night before her First Communion day brought Nellie little rest; she could not sleep for joy. She kept Nurse awake all night long, asking if it were not yet time to rise. "The stars are gone, Mudder!" she would cry, "' is it time to get up now?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The eventful morning dawned at last, the morning of December 6, 1907. After such a sleepless night it was feared the excitement would be too much for the delicate child and that she would be unable to receive the Blessed Sacrament. But Nellie tried to calm herself; she lay quietly in her bed, and though her limbs trembled slightly, the illness passed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">It was the First Friday. Dressed all in white, she was carried down and placed in a little easy chair before the Sanctuary. The community Mass had just ended. Nellie remained silent and motionless with her head bowed down in prayer and adoration. Every eye was on this baby of predilection; all her companions looked on in wonder. A baby to receive Holy Communion!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Then came Father Bury in stole and surplice. Soon she saw the priest approaching, she lifted her eager face. "The child," wrote Father Bury, "literally hungered for her God, and received Him from my hands in a transport of love."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">So all of Nellie's yearnings were satisfied. Holy God had come into her heart at last.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">A priest wrote in October, 1911, describing Nellie's thanksgiving after her First Communion. "The happy moment will long be remembered by those who had the privilege of being present. Nellie seemed in an ecstasy, and all remarked the heavenly light that lighted up the child's countenance."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">And then a strange thing was noticed: the disagreeable (some called it "the unbearable") odor that previously had exhaled from her diseased mouth and jaw was never experienced again after that First Communion morning. But amidst such indescribable joy, Nellie's tuberculosis progressed, and her health continued to grow worse</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Pope St. Pius X lowers the age of first Communion after hearing about Nellie</b></span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Soon after her holy death when<i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">Pope St Pius X heard of the extraordinary life of Nellie and her remarkable desire for Holy Communion, he exclaimed aloud </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">“There! That is the sign for which I was waiting.”</i></span> and a few months later in 1910 he issued “Quam Singulari” which significantly lowered the age of Holy Communion for children from the age of 12 to around age 7. And the Pope also asked the local Bishop of Cork, his excellency T.A. O'Callagan, O.P. for a relic of Nellie and on June 4, 1912 Pope St. Pius X wrote to the Bishop:</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">"May God enrich with every blessing Father Prevost and all who recommend frequent Communion to young boys and girls, proposing Nellie as their model"</span></i></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">-Pope Pius X</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">June 4, 1912</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>On the threashold of heaven</b></span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;">The New Year 1908 dawned, but it brought no earthly hope to those who loved little Nellie. It was a wonder to all how she continued to exist: the tiny frame was quite exhausted. She could now retain nothing, not even a spoonful of broth. She seemed to live on the Blessed Sacrament alone. Her sufferings were so great that one day they drew tears from a Sister who witnessed them. But Nellie was quite resigned. "Why are you crying, Mudder?" she asked. ''You should be glad that I am going to Holy God." If her nurse complained of a headache or other pain, Nellie would say, "What is that compared to what Holy God suffered for us."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfebdI6w-OwBkIAbCdzPtJHC-_rmpM9tL7FSG4m4k9q5W9cUKYC326KZ5-2AeZP83QdTlm4pojse0mgeTHXKW1wM9KbKWBmsd8FS8ObX1dyGFjMLMEtv74Z2gCtf-Zd2mi-qZI8YFO_r8/s1600/Nellie-Organ-Little-Nellie-Of-Holy-God.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfebdI6w-OwBkIAbCdzPtJHC-_rmpM9tL7FSG4m4k9q5W9cUKYC326KZ5-2AeZP83QdTlm4pojse0mgeTHXKW1wM9KbKWBmsd8FS8ObX1dyGFjMLMEtv74Z2gCtf-Zd2mi-qZI8YFO_r8/s400/Nellie-Organ-Little-Nellie-Of-Holy-God.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590454862914681922" border="0" /></a>On another occasion one of the nuns went to Nellie and begged her to pray for a sister of hers, a lady in the world, who was very ill.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"Has she children, Mudder?" asked this astounding infant.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"She has many children," replied the Good Shepherd Sister, quite gravely.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"Then," said Nellie confidently, "I will pray to Holy God, and He will see that she'll be cured." And, in fact, the lady recovered.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Nellie loved holy cards and medals, and would have them placed all about her room and her sick bed. One day Mother Superior showed Nellie a new holy card of Jesus. She responded “that is not the way that I see Him”.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"How do you see Him?" asked Mother.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"This way," answered Nellie, holding her hands on her breast in the same manner as on the occasion when she had spoken of her vision to Sister Immaculata and Nurse Hall. Mother was astonished; she had not heard ofthis "visit of Holy God" before. She spoke to the Sister and the Nurse, and they gave thanks to God. Their lips were opened now, and they disclosed their treasured secret.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Nellies silent communings with God became daily longer and more frequent. She often asked others to leave her room, as she wished to speak to Holy God. Sometimes they asked her if she were not lonely or afraid during their absence, but the answer was always the same: "Oh, no! I was talking to Holy God." If they questioned her further, she would answer: ''Holy God says I must not speak of these things.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Nellie had been asked to pray for the recovery of a well-known Jesuit Father who was unable to come to Cork because of a serious illness. "Holy God is very fond of Father" she said a few days later. "He will get better, but he will never see me." Her words proved true.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">During the month of January the little patient lingered on, enduring her sufferings with heroic fortitude. Fr. Scannell says that "days of torture glided into weeks of agony, until sympathetic hearts would pray that God might take her."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Her holy death</b></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Nellie said that she would go to Holy God on His own day (Sunday); that she would wear her First Communion dress, that she would go in Nurse's arms, and that they should make a new dress for Nurse.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Her strength was failing day by day; the end was close at hand. On Thursday, the 30th of January, Mother Francis came to see her. Knowing that the child's life was nearly spent, she spoke of what was dearest to her heart. "Nellie," she said, "when you go to Holy God, will you ask Him to take me to Him? I am longing for Heaven." The child looked searchingly at Mother, and her wonderful eyes seemed to glow with some preternatural light. Then she answered solemnly: "Holy God can't take you, Mudder, till you are better and do what He wants you to do.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">(Mother Francis lived to be 99 years old. She died in 1960 at the Good Shepherd Home in St. Paul, Minnesota.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Rosary tickets for the month of February (1908) were distributed by lot among the children, and Nellie in her turn drew hers. It proved to be that ofthe Feast ofthe Purification, February 2, which was to fall on the upcoming Sunday. Would that be the day? On Friday Nellie was so weak that it was thought she had already passed away, but again she rallied slightly. She passed an agonizing night. On Saturday the little sufferer hung between life and death.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">All day on February 2, poor little Nellie's agony was heartrending to behold. Several Sisters came in turn to kneel in prayer around the little bed; three remained, becoming witnesses of Nellie's saintly death.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Toward three o'clock Nellie became quite calm, and she remained motionless for about an hour. Her eyes were fixed on something which she seemed to see at the foot of her bed. "There was an extraordinary look in those lovely eyes," a Sister related; "it was not the sightless, glazed expression of the dying." Then Nellie moved. Her eyes now filled with tears-with tears of joy, it seemed. She tried to rise and draw near to that "something" on which she was gazing so longingly, and then she smiled. From the movement of her lips it seemed she was speaking with someone, and raising her eyes, she followed with a look of supernatural love that "something," which seemed now to hover above her head. Presently, with an ecstatic smile, little Nellie "flew" to Holy God. It was four o'clock on Sunday, February 2, 1908, the Feast of the Purification of Mary and of the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple (Candlemas Day). Nellie was then four years, five months and eight days old.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Nellie's body is exhumed and found incorrupt</b></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Nellies body was laid out on the bed which had been her cross, clothed. in her First Communion dress and wearmg the wreath and veil and her dainty little shoes. Around the bed were placed the pictures, medals and other objects of piety which she had loved so much in life; all these became precious relics.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">In the morning, the little coffin was carried to the chapel and laid in the children's choir. Then, after the Requiem Mass, the Sisters and the pupils came to bid a last farewell. They touched the little hand with rosaries and medals and reverently kissed the body that had housed a soul so dear to God. She was buried in the evening in St. Joseph's cemetery. The mourners were few: Nellie's sister Mary, who was still a pupil at St. Finbarr's School; Nurse Hall; Sister Teresa and some of the pupils.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">However as time went on the story of the remarkable life of that holy child spread among the public, the little grave in St. Joseph's Cemetery gradually became a shrine. The graces obtained through her intercession were by degrees divulged, and the resting place of this little child became celebrated throughout the country.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">It was now sought to have the remains transferred to the Convent Cemetery at Sunday's Well. Exactly a year and a week after little Nellie's death, the grave was opened to see if such transference could with safety be accomplished.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The Reverend Dr. Scannell will now tell us what took place at tne exhumation:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"There were present a priest (this was Fr. Scannell himself), the Nurse, and two other reliable witnesses. To the great astonishment of all, for it must be borne in mind that the child had died of phthisis (a wasting or consumption of the tissue; usually, pulmonary tuberculosis) the body was found. intact, except for a small cavity in the right jaw which corresponded to the bone that had been destroyed by caries whilst the little one was still alive. The fingers were quite flexible and the hair had grown a little. The dress, the wreath and veil of First Communion, with which she had been buried as she desired, were still intact. The silver medal of the saintly child of Mary was bright as if it had been recently polished; everything, in fact, was found to be exactly as on the day of Nellie's death."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZSjSE39RNoy6TNyRV3WJgzpvObUzichxKIX5OZeRt8rpQlKQamiB7GK7PYmFFRKL6qd6J3RrgqPg3X4dtq7pkjfqByJXJ7IiZaDJimqT9hzlq8IYhP1dbQko-DtmoeTfdJTOKdspQos/s400/Little-Nellie-of-Holy-God-1.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 400px;" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590454518827934658" border="0" />The permission of the authorities, civil and ecclesiastical, having been obtained, the body was transferred from the public cemetery to that of the Good Shepherd Convent, where it was piously laid on the 8th of September, 1909.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Father Scannell finishes his report<i> "The new grave is visited by groups of pious persons who ask that little Nellie may plead for them before the throne of the All-powerful God. The blind, the deaf, the lame, those in suffering or in sorrow, seek health and comfort at this peaceful holy shrine."</i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">And those seeking the intercession of “Little Nellie” have not sought her help in vain as countless miracles have been wrought through her heavenly intercession in the 100 years since her death, and good number of these testimonies have been kept by the Good Shepherd Sisters as a living witness to her care and concern for those who pray for her help.</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Little Nellie of Holy God, pray for us!</span></i></b></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><i>_________________________________</i></b></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />Primary source for this<i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>article is firstly the excellent book entitled<b><i> "The Life of Little Nellie of Holy God"</i></b> Tan Books, 2007, available through <a href="https://www.tanbooks.com/index.php/Life-of-Little-Nellie-of-Holy-God">Tan Publishing here</a>. Front cover shown in the photo to the left. </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Additional source is the book entitled <b><i>"Little Nellie of Holy God"</i></b> by Sister Mary Dominic, R.G.S., Tan Books, 2006, available through <a href="https://www.tanbooks.com/index.php/Little-Nellie-of-Holy-God">Tan Publishing here</a> and </span><br />www.mysticsofthechurch.com<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655764596856164794.post-78720220288512461452011-12-11T03:42:00.000-08:002011-12-11T03:53:20.925-08:00Blessed Elena Aiello -Mystic, Stigmatic & Foundress<h3 style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;" class="post-title entry-title"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2011/09/blessed-elena-aiello-mystic-stigmatic.html"><br /></a></span> </h3><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"> <span style=";font-size:130%;" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqXxMX2aLDFMhx0lyVYJS2Tzb-aSFRC4b_NgZN0Px91pUzGUIK3U8p286RZCAqHaIwasACbMVBDDHENmqejfQyrc11mqBCYXQioDX1iO1EPA1LgV6pDIFj4dB8sKQ53-BgYwjae9Y9Bo/s1600/Elena_Aiello.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 364px; float: left; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650406077139661170" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqXxMX2aLDFMhx0lyVYJS2Tzb-aSFRC4b_NgZN0Px91pUzGUIK3U8p286RZCAqHaIwasACbMVBDDHENmqejfQyrc11mqBCYXQioDX1iO1EPA1LgV6pDIFj4dB8sKQ53-BgYwjae9Y9Bo/s400/Elena_Aiello.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Blessed Elena Aiello (1895-1961) -Mystic, Stigmatic, Victim Soul, Prophet & Foundress of the Minim Tertiaries of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ</span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" ><i><span class="Apple-style-span">(Venerable Elena Aiello was declared Blessed on September 14, 2011 -Feast of the Exaultation of the Holy Cross. Because there is currently not much information in english on the Internet about her extraordinary holy life and prophecies, the webmaster was very happy when Elizabeth, a friend in Jesus, offered to write this excellent Biography. I am therefore very grateful to her for providing these edifying details of her life. May God bless and reward her for her efforts. -Editor)</span></i></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span">The information contained in this abbreviated biography was taken from the book <b><i>"The Incredible Life Story of Sister Elena Aiello, The Calabrian Holy Nun (1895-1961)"</i></b>. It was written by Monsignor Francesco Spadafora in Italian and was translated into English by Monsignor Angelo R. Cioffi. Published in 1964 by Theo Gaus Sons.<i> (Those interested in obtaining this book should email the webmaster)</i> Fr. Spadafora was a renowned biblical scholar from the Pontifical University of the Lateran in Rome. He opposed modernism and while writing this book he was also battling the modernist approach to scripture that started to gain ground at the biblical institute.</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><b>A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY ON THE LIFE OF SISTER ELENA AIELLO </b><br /><b>-Early life</b><br />Some saints live a heroic holy life in an ordinary way and some in an extraordinary way. Sister Elena Aiello, who was the Foundress of the Minim Tertiaries of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and a contemplative soul and a martyr to suffering, was called to live both and it is through her charity that her true greatness is achieved. She was well known in Italy and much of Europe and had many visitors comparable to the crowds that visited Theresa Neumann and St. (Padre) Pio.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Elena Aiello was born in Montalto Uffugo (Consenza), Italy on Holy Wednesday during Holy Week on April 10, 1895. Her parents were Pasquale Aiello and Teresa Paglilla. During the</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Procession of Rogations her mother prayed for the grace of having a baby girl and if she did, she</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">would name her Elena and consecrate her to the Cross of Our Lord in memory of the Empress, St. Elena.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Elena lived in an exemplary Christian family. Her extremely devout family, never were given</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">over to the practice of any vanity or entertained anything of a worldly fashion. Her mother </span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">unfortunately died at an early age and her father, now a widower and a tailor by trade was left</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">with the care of 8 children one of which also soon died at age one.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >At a very young age, Elena lived a devout life and performed penances. An incident at the age of 9 illustrates her inclination to penance. After having received her first communion and attending a retreat, she and several other girls obtained permission to wear a penitential belt. On the way to getting the belt, she had an accident which caused her to lose her two front teeth. She put her bleeding teeth in a handkerchief and continued on in haste to get her penitential belt regardless of the blood and pain.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Another time she accidentally inhaled some water she was drinking from a glass while laughing.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"><span style=";font-size:130%;" >As a result, she experienced a constant cough for a year and a half except at night and the volume of her voice became lowered. She was given some treatments by a doctor but this caused her more pain. Eventually she prayed to Our Lady of Pompei, promising her that she would become a nun if cured. And in fact, Our Lady of Pompei appeared to her during the night and assured her that she would be healed –which she was.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" ><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px; float: left; height: 400px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650405108516214610" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2v9KFmhAK4FDpnOkFbRga4tySIHJA8p-U9wF10Jx6Y7DZ3Y571SY6tvd5Jlb8i8zKGIJaGG5k3fkt9kz6X83kaB6M8ehg3Sa_cctVWk1QwFWHIMEG3r1AVb5Gvc4lfUXysjGV0aInmU/s400/Sister+Elena+Aiello.jpg" border="0" /><b>Her Extraordinary Charity</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >Her desire to be a nun was now her goal but was forced by her father to delay it due to foreign complications which led to the 1915 World War. During this fruitful delay, she helped refugees, prisoners and nursed invalids and the dying heedless of the dangers to herself in catching any</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">contagious illnesses. Thus began her journey on the road to a life of charity. She particularly often hurried to the bedside of the dying who refused the sacraments. One day she met a man named Alessandro, a freemason. She tried gently to persuade him to receive the Sacraments but he firmly said, “No.” She continued to plead with him and his response was to take a bottle and fling it at her. It struck her in the neck and while holding her bleeding neck with a cloth she told him that “his soul was hanging on the edge of a precipice” and that she would not leave the room until he called for a Priest to come in. Finally the freemason became so moved by her charity, that he promised her that he would receive the Sacraments on the one condition, that she herself would assist him every day. He repented, received the Sacraments from the Priest, and she cared for him for 3 months. He died a fervent Christian bearing his sufferings with patience and resignation.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >Her reputation for her charitable activity became so well known that she was called to the bedside of another freemason dying of cancer who was in great fear for having betrayed God by</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >becoming a freemason in order to support his family. She helped him to prepare for the worthy</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >reception of the Sacraments such as Confession and Communion.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" ><b>Her desire to become a religious sister</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >Her father gave his consent for her to be a religious on the condition - that she join the Sisters of</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >the Most Precious Blood. Before entering, she was prophetically told that she would not last in</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >this Order because God had other plans in store for her. While in the Order she was put in charge of sixteen postulants. But suffering took hold of her life almost immediately which was intestinal pain and a severe pain on the left shoulder. Eventually her shoulder became one solid black mass. She was eventually operated on without any anesthetic while holding a small wooden cross and looking at a picture of Our Lady of Sorrows. The physician, good intentioned but inept, in addition to cutting flesh also cut nerves that caused her lockjaw and a vomiting spell for 40 days.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >Despite the pain, Elena’s intent was to take part in the upcoming religious clothing ceremony</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > through sheer will-power but when the Father Director saw her in such a deplorable state, he</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > couldn’t let her go through with it. What she feared would happen, did, she was asked to leave the convent and return home. However, Elena wrote in her notebook that Our Lord asked her on two occasions to accept His own designs with complete resignation and embrace His cross. Elena left in tears not realizing the great esteem in which she was held by everyone when they observed her good-nature and patience in suffering.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Elena’s shoulder was getting worse. In fact, the doctor told her that gangrene was already setting</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">in. The doctor advised her father to demand compensation from the Institute, in other words, sue them. But Elena pleaded with her father to do nothing of the kind especially since she also had hopes to return to it.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >Her long period of suffering began and her dream of being a sister was fading away since now</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > she couldn’t even retain liquid food. The doctor diagnosed her with stomach cancer and told</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > her there was no cure and that she was going to die. Her characteristic frank response to him</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > was, “My dear doctor, it is you, who are going to die: I will not die from this disease, because St.</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >Rita is going to make me well”.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Called to suffer in reparation for the sins of the world</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">On the way home, Elena stopped in a church where St. Rita was venerated to beg her for a cure.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">In her notebook she writes that she saw dazzling flames all around the statue and told her cousin</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">who was next to her. Her cousin didn’t see anything. Then that night she had a dream of St. Rita</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">who told her that she wanted devotional exercises to be held in Montalto in her honor in order to</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">rekindle the faith of the people. You see, the saints do not want honor for themselves but always</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">for the glory of God. Elena started a triduum and St. Rita told her to say a second one and that she would be cured but the pain in her shoulder would remain because she had to suffer for the sins of the world. Elena’s confessor and spiritual director carefully documented all of these facts.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >In the process of trying to fulfill her promises to St. Rita, she experienced other spiritual</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > phenomena. She told her confessor that Our Lord frequently admonished her to accept a new</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > way of suffering and that He said “You are going to suffer. But fear not. Yours shall not be</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > a malady but only the symbol of charity. I shall permit you to experience My very sadness</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > and on Friday you will be more united to Me.” During that winter she attended a Passionist</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > retreat which appealed to her because she was drawn to the Passion of Our Lord. She disclosed</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >some of the instructions from Our Lord and St. Rita to the priest who gave the retreat and he</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > enlightened and encouraged her.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >As more of the news of what was happening to Elena spread, people began to discuss differing</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > opinions about them. During this time, an extraordinary event took place which caused Elena</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > to be known to many people far and wide. This phenomenon was to occur every year until her</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > death.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" ><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px; float: left; height: 199px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650403923319213266" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4J5yUgozqWo3ddX5V3rAKnvtQHFCe_2anb-S1pMgAUwR69_PzGdYyFqClY9vi3iL22xW7IPpeDxmcuA4SF_cH8XXbP-9EObXsgfhG5Rp7Yc_C4Q2XWgd6egmYWId0ZshJU5inVVl6To/s400/Elena+Aiello+suffering+the+Passion.jpg" border="0" /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Ele</b><b>na receives the Crown of Thorns and the Stigmata</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">On the First Friday in March about 3:00 pm in the afternoon, while lying in bed due to the cancerous pain in her left shoulder, and while reading the ninth Friday in honor of St. Francis of Paola, Our Lord appeared to her in a white garment and wearing a crown of thorns. On being assured of her consent, Our Lord removed the crown from His Head and placed it on Elena’s head. Then a large quantity of blood started to flow. Our Lord told her that He wished her to suffer for the conversion of sinners and for the many sins of impurity. He wanted her to be a victim in order to appease Divine Justice.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">One day, a family servant named Rosaria was about to leave the house when she heard wailing</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">from Elena’s room. When she went into the room she saw Elena covered in blood and thought</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">that someone had killed Elena. She ran to tell the family. The family, on seeing so much blood</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">but Elena still alive, called the Doctors and several Priests. Upon arriving, the doctor tried to stop the blood, but it kept oozing out of her head. Then at last, after three hours it suddenly stopped.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >Everyone was confused and badly shaken. The next Friday the doctor came again and saw the</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > exact same thing take place. Her Confessor thinking it might be religious obsession took her</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > Crucifix away from her and forbade her to read any books about the Passion of Jesus. Despite</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > this it occurred again. The mother, at the request of her son a doctor, came to visit Elena and</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > wiped some blood from her forehead with a handkerchief. She folded it because she thought</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > it was contagious and presented it to him so for examination. When the doctor opened it, the</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >handkerchief was completely clean and the doctor converted and was baptized as a result.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >Elena complained to Our Lord on account of the bleeding but Our Lord told her in a vision that</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > it was He who wished her to suffer as a victim for the sins of the world. She shouldn’t resent the</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > fact that her crucifix was taken away from her because it was present in her heart. As a proof</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > of this, He would give her a visible sign by making the wounds of His Passion to appear in her</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > body. Elena, whose body became one mass of wounds, was told by Our Lord on another Friday,</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > “You too must be like Me, because you are to be the victim for many a sinner and you must</span><span style=";font-size:130%;" > appease My Father’s Justice for their salvation.”</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">About five o’clock Jesus greeted her: “My child, behold how much I suffer. I have shed all<br />my blood for the world and yet everything goes to ruin. Nobody pays any attention to its<br />countless crimes. See how bitterly I suffer for the wrongs and contempt I receive from so<br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">many wicked and immoral people.” Elena replied: “And what can I do, my Jesus? Unless You<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;">come in person, no one will believe me.” Jesus replied: “There are so many sinners whose<br />obstinacy is the determinant cause for My Justice. But, my child, don’t feel discouraged,<br />because you will see Me again about one o’clock, and tell your Confessor I will give him a<br />sign on Friday at 2 o’clock.” Having said this, He disappeared. Her Confessor finally became<br />convinced that the mystical phenomena was from Our Lord.<br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXs-uL9MhoSF-XWWhxEQPC8rpmOH_waNmEryG5byiYl5L6K8eTWeGOWqXpPAuAFEAV4Qzt6j9VgsYTKpxaZI39nFwG54GQNdICrwrSp6bNlWjCFeytGEk1i0n0VDJaTmCUCH6z_c3NkMc/s1600/Elena+Aiello+Stigmata.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px; float: left; height: 296px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650403512593234194" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXs-uL9MhoSF-XWWhxEQPC8rpmOH_waNmEryG5byiYl5L6K8eTWeGOWqXpPAuAFEAV4Qzt6j9VgsYTKpxaZI39nFwG54GQNdICrwrSp6bNlWjCFeytGEk1i0n0VDJaTmCUCH6z_c3NkMc/s400/Elena+Aiello+Stigmata.jpg" border="0" /></a>On the following Friday, in addition to the other wounds on her hands and feet, the wound on her side appeared. On Good Friday at noon the phenomenon commenced and at six o’clock a procession of the Passion was passing under her balcony. Elena was able to perfectly get up from her bed and view the procession in the sight of her Confessor which was the sign Our Lord gave to him. When the statue of the Corpus of Jesus was being carried under the balcony, Elena became once again unconscious with tears of blood dripping from her eyes. Some of the blood fell on the head of her sister Ida who then complained to Jesus about the heavy cross He had given to her family on account of the large amount of people calling on them and upsetting the peace of their home. The next night Ida had a dream in which Our Lord told her not to complain further because Elena was bound to suffer for many sinners. Ida understood that this was Elena’s mission and obeyed Our Lord’s wishes.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />All of the extraordinary activity didn’t interfere with her duties as the new Foundress and<br />Superior General of a new Religious Community. No one was permitted to view her Good Friday<br />agony out of curiosity and on Holy Saturday, she resumed her work and responsibilities as if<br />nothing happened to her.<br /><br />In addition to her physical sufferings she endured the bitter experience of humiliation because<br />people kept calling on “the holy nun who sweats blood” to help them with their important<br />business decisions.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Several times Elena foretold that she was going to be cured of the painful wound on her shoulder.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">She told her Confessor, “…Jesus appeared to me saying: “My beloved daughter, do you wish to<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">get well or to go on suffering?” “My Jesus,” I replied, “one feels so good when suffering with<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">You. However, do whatever You wish.” “Well,” Jesus went on, “You shall recover, but I want<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">you to know that every Friday I shall permit you to be in a state of depression, so that you<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">may stay closer to Me.” So saying, He disappeared.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">One day she was being helped to pull out the worms from her shoulder wound with splinters.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">She endured the torture with great faith in St. Rita who she believed, without a doubt, would<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">cure her. But few people could believe it with her; after all she suffered this for three long years.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">That night, St. Rita told her in a dream that she would be cured the next day at 3:00 pm. The<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">next day she was much weakened and had to be helped to be seated on the sofa in front of St.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Rita’s statue along with some other people. The people began the Rosary in front of the statue<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">and Elena could be heard in a voice hardly audible: “From your sanctuary of mercy, oh saint of<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">the impossible, and patron of desperate cases, do turn your eyes of mercy on me, and behold the<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">anguish overwhelming me, the misfortune and misery gripping me: for there is no other one I<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">may turn to. Withered is the source of my tears; even prayer is dying on my poor lips. Hope is all<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">that is left to me. O Saint Rita, powerful and glorious, come to my aid, and, in this direst need,<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">grant me the grace I beg of you! You have promised it to me: You must grant it to me. You must<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">not permit that I be called a liar!”<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">All of a sudden, Elena cried out, “I am cured, I am cured.” She showed the astonished but skeptical people her shoulder and it was perfectly sealed with only a scar remaining. St. Rita had kept her promise that she would be cured but that the pain would remain for the salvation of souls.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><b>Becomes a Foundress</b><br />Elena eventually would meet a woman named Gigia who had come to seek her advice about a<br />religious vocation. She too had been discharged from an order because of an illness. They talked<br />and become close and Elena realized that Gigia would be called to assist her in the charitable<br />work she was beginning. At first Gigia was doubtful that Elena, an invalid herself would even be<br />capable to help others.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>The miraculous intercession of St Therese of Lisieux</b><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">One day Elena went on a bus and was pondering where she was going to find the house she need<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">for her work. She had beseeched her patron saints and particularly St. Therese of the Infant Jesus. A young Carmelite nun walked on the bus and the two struck up a conversation. The nun asked her if she was looking for a house. Elena, thinking it was one of the sisters in the area, kissed her hand and told her how hard it was to find one. The nun smiled sweetly and said, “Come, I will show you the house.”<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">When they got off the bus, the nun pointed to a balcony and said the woman has an offer of 260 lire but will take 250 from you. When Elena looked back at the nun, she noticed there was an unusual glow around her and then saw a bouquet of roses cascading from the crucifix in her hand. Suddenly the nun faded away and Elena recognized that she was speaking to St. Therese of Lisieux and full of excitement went to speak to the landlady. Everything was exactly as St. Therese had said. The landlady accepted the 250 lire. Elena told the Archbishop and he suggested that Elena name their first house in Cosenza after St. Therese.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />It is not clear exactly when Elena officially became as religious sister but from this point on we<br />refer to Elena as Sister Elena. Sister Elena and Sister Gigia settled into their new house. They<br />began their apostolate which was to offer religious instruction to the children in their district who<br />had been neglected. Their zeal was great to extend their work everywhere and so one day Sister<br />Elena went into a protestant church assembly and in the presence of the minister exhorted the<br />people to return to the Catholic Church. They sisters’ zeal resulted in having sinful marriages<br />validated, children baptized and older people were helped to finally receive Holy Communion.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Together they succeeded in converting a 14--old rascal who was reputed to be known as “Ciccio the Thief” to become converted, live a fervent life and to die a holy death at a young age.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wrWlf4ArKs3fX500iBid1FBIdZd2p5LVxoVlNM74LEQ_Og0LlnZC9iLpCNRgGowINeai3hb940-3AfOKb_aO05aAYEIcUpp91mwDnBUFpaYJStX1ANebSyVlSZZWJ-yVLWMEWRWYZEo/s1600/elena-aiello-2.gif"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 289px; float: left; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650404811532555090" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wrWlf4ArKs3fX500iBid1FBIdZd2p5LVxoVlNM74LEQ_Og0LlnZC9iLpCNRgGowINeai3hb940-3AfOKb_aO05aAYEIcUpp91mwDnBUFpaYJStX1ANebSyVlSZZWJ-yVLWMEWRWYZEo/s400/elena-aiello-2.gif" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Their work was developing so rapidly that they were forced to look for a new home. The sufferings of Sister Elena continued and Sister Gigia had no choice but to lock Sister Elena in the attic at times to keep her away from the attention of the people who knew about her extraordinary happenings. Even the police, after pleading with the Archbishop, were not permitted entry.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">It was suggested to the nuns that it might be to their advantage to move to another larger house. The house was poor and only had one piece of furniture. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">During this time they were pondering what kind of work of charity they should start with. One day a man came with a little orphan girl, presented her to the sisters and pledged a monthly sum for her room and board. A day after this Sister Elena had a dream that she saw a man in black holding three girls and looking for a nun. When he saw Sister Elena he begged her to take the girls. The next morning she saw the man with the three girls asking for help exactly as in her dream. Deeply moved, Sister Elena embraced the three little girls and took them home with her. Gradually another little mentally handicapped girl was brought to her and the Monsignor expressed his satisfaction with the sisters’ activities and blessed their work and holy desires in the name of the Archbishop. The sisters’ mission was now officially to take abandoned orphan girls.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Sister Elena fulfilled her duties calmly and with great faith, supernatural charity and complete<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">trust in God’s providence. Sister trained the ladies who were to join her community and selected,<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">as the distinguishing mark, the charity of St. Francis of Paola, with the emblem of the Passion of<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Our Lord Jesus Christ, and named her Institute <b>“Sister Minims of the Passion of Our Lord.”</b><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />The number of little orphans climbed to 26 and two more aspirants came to the order. A woman<br />doctor demanded that an investigation be made of the “woman with TB who was boarding old<br />people and little abandoned girls”. Upon examination of the situation, the accusations were found<br />to be without warrant and completely false.<br /><br /><b>St Therese makes more appearences</b><br />One time St. Therese of the Infant Jesus appeared to several of the little ones who were praying<br />while sewing in the work room. Sister Elena rushed downstairs to the shouts, “We have seen the<br />Carmelite Saint!” Upon arriving, Sister Elena too saw the saint smiling at her.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span">The third intercession of St Therese was in fact a double miracle. God's Divine Providence never failed to take care of what was needed for the orphanage, even by means of extraordinary interventions. On September 11, 1935, Sister Elena spent a painful night. It so happened that there was no food on hand in the kitchen for the noon meal. Sister Angela asked Mother Elena for some money to purchase food, and Elena replied that she had none, but encouraged Sister Angela to trust in God and that He would surely provide for His children. In the meantime a Priest came in, requested to say Mass and walked to the Sacristy right away. Not having anything on hand, Sister Elena told Sister Angela to first go and hear Mass and that somehow the Lord would provide. Elena's prayer in union with that of the Sisters and of the orphan girls, was quickly heard. For right after the Elevation, a strong fragrance spread through the Chapel.<p class="Style">Sister Elena was at the time reciting the Office of the Blessed Virgin from the second page of her prayer book. Suddenly she spotted a 50 lire bill between the prayer card of Our Lady of Sorrows and that of St. Teresa. She was positive that nothing of the kind had previously been in her prayer book as she had recited the very same prayer, on that very same page, on the previous evening.</p><p class="Style">Anyway, after Mass and after handing the 50 lire bill for the day's needs, Sister Elena with all the girls went back to the Chapel, and there within earshot, she prayed to God to let her find another 50 lire in her prayer book at the same place as an unquestionable proof that the first 50 lire had not been forgotten by someone, but that they were actually the gift of Divine Providence. During the day, some of the bigger girls and even one or two of the Sisters went searching through that prayer book which had been left at its place. In the evening, when the Community assembled in the Chapel for the evening prayers, while the "Confiteor" was being recited, the same kind of a fragrance as in the morning was felt. Elena got greatly excited. She didn't dare open her prayer book, but passed it on to Sister Teresa to do so. Sister obeyed and there were the additional 50 lire between the two prayer cards, at the same place. In the white circle there was a green handwriting, 50 + 50 = 100 with some letters of the Greek alphabet.</p><span style="line-height: 16px;">The following morning Elena related the incident to her Confessor, Canon Mazzuca, who insisted on looking at the 50 lire banknotes-No. 01670 and 0039. However, the inscription on the white circle had completely disappeared. Father Benjamin Mazza, who wished to retain those banknotes, exchanged them with one for 100 lire, which is now in the possession of Blessed Elena’s Community.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><b>God protects His children</b><br />A man was peddling cheese as usual and was accompanied by his little daughter who was in rags<br />and forced her to go begging through the town. One day this scoundrel was just about to sell his<br />own daughter for 30 lire when Sister Elena overheard them bargaining and notified the Counselor across the street to ask for his help. The two bargaining men suddenly vanished leaving the little girl alone. Sister Elena promptly took her home and was ordered by the district attorney to keep the girl despite any possible protest from her father which in fact did happen when he tried to forcibly abduct the little girl. Sister Elena however was successful in wresting her from his hands.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">The sisters endured many trials which is the lot of all saints-in-the-making. Once again Sister<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Elena dreamed of her house being quarantined during an epidemic and it happened. However,<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">everyone was eventually able to return to the house and resume their routine work.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Sister Elena’s order admitted more aspirants and after having gone to Rome she obtained the<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">necessary approvals for her Order according to the steps required for the process. Her sufferings<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">increased with greater intensity. During that time people succeeded in getting into Elena’s room<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">to uncover her “occult powers”, “diabolical plots”, and “fake events”. People, the kind you<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">never find inside a church or never praying before the altar, often met in the sacristies for the<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">sole purpose of spreading gossip and detraction to try and belittle her Institute and to connect her to some sad incidents that had caused pain to the Monsignor and Archbishop. The Archbishop advised Sister Elena to file a lawsuit against the lead defamer. But the defamer made a full confession to the Archbishop and asked for Sister Elena’s forgiveness who withdrew the lawsuit.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />However, afterward another Shepherd was confronted with more grievances and accusations<br />against that “encroaching Nun who loved to pass as a saint and preyed on the people’s good<br />faith to the harm of other Institutes as well as by her phenomena by the distribution of St.<br />Rita’s concoctions and by her subterfuge of so-called girls’ welfare”. The Archbishop listened<br />benevolently to Sister Elena and decisively put an end to the stealthy maneuvers and upheld the<br />rights of truth and justice.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>The Graces of God -Miracles of Divine Providence</b><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Divine Providence always came to the aid of Sister Elena who often did not have the money to<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">pay for things. She humbled herself and sought help from benevolent persons and begged of<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">her creditors to be patient and understanding. One time the electricity was cut off due to lack<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">of employment. Elena went to the company’s office and asked for understanding and the director<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">ordered the current to be restored with an order that Sister Elena “was not to be disturbed”<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">anymore due to lack of payment.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />The donations that that she did receive were unfortunately disproportionate to the daily expenses necessary to run their Order. Once when they ran out of food, Sister Elena’s sisters and the orphans prayed for help and after the elevation of the Blessed Sacrament they smelled a strong fragrance throughout the church. Sister Elena knew that their prayer was answered. While reciting the Office of the Blessed Virgin she suddenly spotted a 50 lire bill between the prayer card of Our Lady of Sorrows and that of St. Therese. The amazing thing was that she had been on the same page the previous evening and it wasn’t there before.<br /><br />Sister Elena used the money for the day’s needs and then went back into the chapel and prayed aloud in front of everyone for another 50 lire as a sign that it was indeed from Divine Providence and not left by someone else and it happened again in the same book.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Another time they prayed to the great saint St. Joseph for assistance; for a payment was due<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">for some oil. The exact amount arrived needed to pay for the oil. On another day bread was<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">needed for the Institute. It was suggested to sister to buy it on credit. Sister already had credit<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">on the books for a long time and didn’t have the courage to do it. She came home empty handed.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">At mealtime there was no bread and so she prayed. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. A<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">municipal guard delivered 36 kilograms of bread to them that had been picked up as a result of a<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">violation that morning.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">On another occasion the little orphans told her that pasta was the only food in the kitchen. Sister<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Elena caressed them and led them to the chapel saying, “Just pray and you will see that God<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">will provide.” Within a few minutes Sister Elena was sent for because the City Questor had just<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">brought in 18 kilograms of fish. On the way back to the Institute, Sister Elena told the officer the<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">story who was amazed and even more so when he saw the little orphans in the chapel still praying for the same intention.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLotGM3v0Of8AiTXH8Fu1YA_XCkvVm6zgLTrBeJeJsY_coVqYTybFvAMRSit9aWLxWmUL3PRfLk9WDDo43gTC7wrN_G053-KrHYO5T4e2QJIv0JBNTNDxtBfwJ61Rw03ibNX6LJ6M5qo/s1600/Elena+Aiello+and+Minims+of+the+Sacred+Heart+of+Jesus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px; float: left; height: 290px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650405818876345010" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLotGM3v0Of8AiTXH8Fu1YA_XCkvVm6zgLTrBeJeJsY_coVqYTybFvAMRSit9aWLxWmUL3PRfLk9WDDo43gTC7wrN_G053-KrHYO5T4e2QJIv0JBNTNDxtBfwJ61Rw03ibNX6LJ6M5qo/s400/Elena+Aiello+and+Minims+of+the+Sacred+Heart+of+Jesus.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">All through the years the Institute continued to experience a mingling of setbacks, hardships, triumphs, uncertainty, growth and trials of all kinds that besets the life of any new community but it was all sustained by God and the leadership of that “extraordinarily suffering but dynamic woman.” Finally after interminable waiting, Sister Elena received the joyful news from<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Rome that her Institute of Sister Minims of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ was now a Congregation of Pontifical Right. But the trials still didn’t end here. There was an attempt to undermine Sister Elena’s authority as Mother General and to get her into early retirement and replace her with an inexperienced nun. The sisters were deeply hurt by manifold indignities heaped upon Sister Elena. Despite Sister Elena’s own hurt, she continued to maintain her virtue and the discipline and harmony of the community.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">There was also an attempt to deny that their official recognition had any importance. The greatly distressed, bedridden Mother General arose with difficulty and on behalf of her community strenuously fought back against the constant barrage of absurd defamations campaigning against the community. She expressed her desire to journey to Rome to inform the Holy Father himself of what was happening. She was able to meet with Cardinal Montini, the Vatican Secretariat of State who was to become Pope Paul VI. He graciously listened to her appeal at her bedside in Rome and he promised to present her petition to the Holy Father himself and encouraged her “to trust in God and patiently endure whatever He disposes for her sanctification and the performance of His Work”. It was determined that the Institute was far more than a simple congregation of diocese right.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><b>Prophecies revealed to Elena</b><br />In 1940, Sister Elena was directed by Our Lord to take a more public role and to deliver a<br />message to Premier Benito Mussolini, telling him not to join with Hitler in World War II.<br />Otherwise, Italy would suffer a terrible defeat and Mussolini would be punished by Divine Justice and have a speedy downfall. But he ignored the warning, and all that was foretold came to pass.<br /><br />THIS LETTER WAS DELIVERED ON MAY 6, 1940 TO THE DUCE’S SISTER, DONNA<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">EDVIGE WHO HANDED IT TO MUSSOLINI.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">To the Head of the Government, Benito Mussolini<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Duce:<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">I come to you in God’s Name to tell you what God has revealed to me and what He wants from you. I was hesitating to write, but yesterday, April 22, the Lord appeared to me again, and<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">bid me to tell you what follows:<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />“The world is going to ruin because of its many sins, particularly the sins of impurity, which<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">have presently exceeded the very limits before the Justice of My Heavenly father. Therefore, you shall suffer and shall become an atoning victim for the world, especially for Italy where My Vicar on earth resides. My Kingdom is a Kingdom of peace: whereas the whole world is entangled in war. The Nations’ Rulers are bent on acquiring new possessions: Poor fools! They don’t know<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">that, when there is no God, there is no victory either. Their hearts are filled with wickedness. All<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">they do is to outrage, ridicule and despise Me. They are like devils sowing dissension, subverting<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">people and seeking to drive into the sinful scourge of war even Italy, where God is pleased with<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">many souls, and where My Vicar on earth, the Pastor Angelicas, resides. France, so dear to My<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Heart, shall soon fall to ruin on account of her many sins, and shall be overthrown and ravaged<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">like the ungrateful Jerusalem. I sent Benito Mussolini to preserve Italy from the precipice<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">because of My Vicar on earth: otherwise, by now, she would be worse off than Russia”.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />“I have always shielded him from many dangers. He must now keep Italy out of war, because<br />Italy is a civilized country and it is the dwelling place of My Vicar on earth. If he is willing to<br />do this, he shall receive many favors and I shall make all Nations respect him. But since he has<br />made up his mind to go to war, tell him that, if he doesn’t prevent it, he will be punished by My<br />Divine Justice”.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">It is the Lord who has told me all this. Please, Duce, do not think for a moment that I am<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">interested in politics. I am just an ordinary Nun looking after the welfare of abandoned little<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">girls, and I am earnestly praying for your safety as well as the safety of our country.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Respectfully,<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Sister Elena Aiello<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />3 YEARS LATER SISTER ELENA WROTE TO MUSSOLINI’S SISTER, DONNA EDVIGE<br /><br />My dear Donna Edvige:<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">“You may have thought that, on account of my long silence, I may have forgotten you,<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">whereas I remember you every day in my prayers. I am following the painful events now<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">taking place in our beautiful Italy. We have left Cosenza on account of the bombardments.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">The enemy’s barbarity has vented all its hatred by bombing the City of Cosenza thus bringing<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">desolation and death to the population. I was bedridden because of my illness: three bombs fell<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">close to our Institute, but the Lord, in His infinite goodness and mercy, has protected us. We<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">have taken refuge at Montalto Uffugo, my native town, in order to protect the little girls from the danger of new raids.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />Naturally, we are far from comfortable, but we are offering up all to God for the preservation<br />of Italy. The purpose of this letter is that I wish to make another appeal to you, just as I did in the month of May 1940, when I was introduced to you in Rome by Baroness Ruggi for the purpose of giving you in writing whatever God had revealed to me concerning the Duce.<br /><br />If you recall, on May 6, 1940, we were saying that the Duce had made up his mind to go<br />to war, whereas, the Lord had warned him in my letter to keep Italy out of war, otherwise His<br />Divine Justice would strike him. “I have always rescued him -said Jesus- from many a danger:<br />now it is up to him to save Italy from the scourge of war because Italy is the dwelling place of My<br />Vicar on earth. If he complies with My request, I will bestow great blessings on him and I shall<br />cause all Nations to respect him, but, since he is determined to go to ward, I want him to know<br />that, if he persists, he will be severely punished by My Justice.”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Ah! Had the duce only listened to Jesus’ words, Italy wouldn’t be in such a terrible plight<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">now…I know that the Duce must feel quite dejected on seeing Italy, once a flourishing garden,<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">now a barren field filled with diseases and deaths. But, why persist in this terribly cruel ward,<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">when Jesus has stated that no one is going to achieve true victory?<br /><br />Therefore, my dear Donna Edvige, please tell the Duce, in my name, that this is God’s last<br />warning to him. He is still in time to save himself by leaving all things in the hands of the Holy<br />Father. Should be unwilling to do so – said the Lord – divine Justice shall quickly reach him.<br /><br />The other rulers also, who play deaf to the counsel and directives of My Vicar, shall be overtaken<br />and punished by My Justice.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Do you recall that, on July 7th of last year, you asked me what was in store for the Duce?<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Didn’t I reply that, if he didn’t listen to the Pope, he would wind up worse than Napoleon? Now<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">I am going to repeat the very same words, “If the Duce is unwilling to rescue Italy and ignore<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">the Holy Father, he will have a speedy downfall.” Even Bruno is begging his father from the<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">other world to save both Italy and himself. Quite often Our Lord says that Italy will be protected<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">on account of the Pope, who is the atoning victim for this disaster. Therefore, the only way to<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">achieve true peace in the world is the one that the Holy Father shall indicate.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />My dear Donna Edvige, please remember that whatever Our Lord revealed to me has been<br />perfectly fulfilled. Who has been the cause of all this ruin to Italy? Is it not the Duce’s fault?<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Didn’t he refuse to listen to the warnings of Our Lord Jesus Christ? Even now, he could<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">somehow counteract the evil done provided he be willing to do what God wants of him. As for<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">me I shall continue to pray for that intention.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Respectfully,<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Sister Elena Aiello<br /><br />The losses during the war and bombardments were heavy. Many of the sewing and knitting<br />machines that the orphan girls were trained to use and had won prizes at several exhibitions were destroyed in the war. The reconstruction period was slow but benefactors helped by making generous donations.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">One day Sister Elena was crossing the street with a little girl and was hit by a bus barely saving<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">the little girl. Sister sustained several fractures and could hardly stand and was in a great deal of<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">pain. She was unable to retain any food again but longed for Holy Communion daily. She wasn’t<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">able to get to the Mass chapel and had to have communion brought to her. On feast days Mass<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">was celebrated in her cell.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">She continued to conduct the business of the house from her bed dictating letters and responding<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">to correspondence from all over Italy and even North America. Many people begged for her<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">prayers and sought advice. She was particularly noted for her charity in her letters that brought<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">consolation to the downhearted. She was always available to all those who came to see her<br />about the important business of the Institute or who were seeking relief in their trials or hopeless situation. When people ran to her when in misfortune, like a good mother, she never minded the time: she aimed only at preparing people to accept suffering and misfortune in a spirit of resignation to the loving Will of God. She knew how to listen and when to speak. She was a truly compassionate soul. She kindled the flame of resignation and hope in anguished souls.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Many families also believed that she acted as a lightening rod for their safety, so great was their<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">confidence in her.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Visit from a soul in Purgatory</b><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Sister confided to her director that she had visits at night from faithful departed souls who had<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">association with her and the Institute. One time the door of sister’s cell blasted open with a loud<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">explosion that was heard by everyone. When they rushed upstairs Sister told them it was just<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Father P.D. who had come up to thank her and the community for the fervent prayers said for the repose of his soul.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">On one occasion an orphan boy was about to be transferred by a Monsignor to another Institute. A lady whose son Franco had died dreamed about her late mother who told her not to weep but to go to Sister’s Institute where there was another boy named Franco. The couple came and made legal arrangements to adopt him. Years later Franco came back to visit Sister Elena who remarked how he grew up to look like a real gentleman.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><b>The Holy Face of Jesus appears in blood on a wall panel next to Elena</b><br />It was damp and cold in the bedroom where the mystical phenomenon of Sister Elena occurred.<br />A masonite panel was put on the wall to protect her from it. On Good Friday drops of blood<br />squirted from her face onto the panel then dried up. One day after praying for St. Michael’s<br />intercession, suddenly a flash of light appeared on the panel with more blood. Blood also soaked<br />the coverlet close to the panel. They were astonished to see the forms of a cross, a crown and a<br />heart form on the linen. Blood continued to flow from the panel and even though Sister Elena<br />washed the panel with water seven times the blood continued to flow during the day especially<br />on Feast days of Our Lord such as the Holy Cross, the Sacred Heart, the Most Precious Blood<br />of Jesus etc.<br /><br />Gradually the features of a face started to appear clearer and more distinctly on the<br />panel. It was the rough image of Jesus’ Holy Face during His Passion with blood flowing from<br />His eyes. Many tests were made by physicians, chemists and others. All agreed it was human<br />blood that formed the image and there was no possible human explanation for what was taking<br />place. This phenomenon continued at intervals during the succeeding years up to Sister Elena’s<br />death.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Messages from the Blessed Virgin Mary</b><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Sister Elena’s spiritual advisors wondered why there was so much blood involved in her mystical<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">phenomena. It was concluded that future events were very serious based on the messages that<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Sister Elena was receiving from Heaven. Sister Elena herself felt that the blood indicated the<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">need for more reparation for the crimes of our day and tied it in with the grave messages she was receiving. Here are some notable excerpts of a message from the Blessed Virgin Mary to Sister Elena:<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">“People are offending God too much. Were I to show you all the sins committed on a<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">single day, you would surely die of grief. These are grave times. The world is thoroughly<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">upset because it is in a worse condition than at the time of the deluge. Materialism marches<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">on ever fomenting bloody strifes and fratricidal struggles. Clear signs portend that peace is<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">in danger. That scourge, like the shadow of a dark cloud, is now moving across mankind:<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">only my power, as Mother of God, is preventing the outbreak of the storm. All is hanging<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">on a slender thread. When that thread shall snap, Divine Justice shall pounce upon the<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">world and execute its dreadful, purging designs. All the nations shall be punished because<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">sins, like a muddy river, are now covering all the earth.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />“The powers of evil are getting ready to strike furiously in every part of the globe.<br />Tragic events are in store for the future. For quite a while, and in many a way, I have<br />warned the world. The nation’s rulers do indeed understand the gravity of these dangers,<br />but they refuse to acknowledge that it is necessary for all people to practice a truly<br />Christian life to counteract that scourge. Oh, what torture I feel in my heart, on beholding<br />mankind so engrossed in all kinds of things and completely ignoring the most important<br />duty of their reconciliation with God. The time is not far off now when the whole world<br />shall be greatly disturbed. A great deal of blood of just and innocent people as well as<br />saintly priests will be poured out. The Church shall suffer very much and hatred will be at<br />its very peak”.<br /><br />“Italy shall be humiliated and purged in her blood. She shall suffer very much indeed on<br />account of the multitude of sins committed in this privileged nation, the abode of the Vicar<br />of Christ”.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">“You cannot possibly imagine what is going to happen. A great revolution shall break<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">out and the streets shall be stained with blood. The Pope’s sufferings on this occasion may<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">well be compared to the agony that will shorten his pilgrimage on earth. His successor<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">shall pilot the boat during the storm. But the punishment of the wicked shall not be slow.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">That will be an exceedingly dreadful day. The earth shall quake so violently as to scare all<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">mankind. And so, the wicked shall perish according to the inexorably severity of Divine<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Justice. If possible, publish this message throughout the world, and admonish all the people<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">to do penance and to return right away to God”.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />There are so many other things that could and should be said about Sister Elena and the reader<br />will please forgive any omissions because the information was gathered in the best way available.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">In the future, it is hoped that a more thorough source of information will be put together to give a more adequate account of the wonderful and amazing spiritual life of Sister Elena.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><b>Her Holy Death</b><br />In the eyes of God her mission was completed and so Sister Elena Aiello was called to God on June 19, 1961. She flew to Heaven at dawn when everyone was at rest. Her soul went to meet her Divine Spouse, holding in her hand, the oil-filled brightly burning lamp. In life she was heard saying more than once: “Even from my tomb I shall raised my voice against anyone daring to oppose the charitable goal of my Community.”<br /><br />She acted toward God with complete surrender, childlike abandon and spoke with sincerity,<br />candor and simplicity. She denounced injustice and exploiters even at the cost of humiliations<br />and misunderstandings. She was a strong woman of the Baptist and Catherine type. She kept<br />her rosary beads wrapped around her wrists so as to be able to say it at any free moment. She<br />kept the church beautiful with fresh flowers and observed the solemnities and sacred functions<br />with fervor. The only thing she really dreaded and abhorred was the evil of sin which she fought<br />wherever she found it. She had a motherly compassion for sinners and for their salvation and<br />never spared prayers tears or pains.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">In her houses even during working hours, the Holy Rosary and other prayers were frequently said and everyone directed their work to and kept in the continual presence of God.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Finally it should be noted that Sister Elena fasted daily on a diet of vegetables and water but was<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">always able to fulfill her duties with a robust constitution in spite of her sufferings.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />Her life can be summed up in this - that she always was concerned for the welfare of others<br />spiritually or physically over her own, and even of her God since she was heard to cry out several times: “How light is this crown of thorns on my head! How small, O my God is this torture compared to Yours!”<br /><br /><b><i>Blessed Elena Aiello, pray for us!</i></b><br />******************************************************************************<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">THE FOLLOWING QUOTES ARE SOME OF THE WORDS PRONOUNCED BY SISTER ELENA<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">TO HER HEARERS DURING HER MYSTICAL PHENOMENON<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">April 15, 1938<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">(Jesus) - “Do you wish to come with Me to Gethsemane? You shall have to suffer for sinners.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">The sin of impurity makes man loathsome…Blessed are the clean of heart, because they shall see<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">God…<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">(Vera, friend of Elena & the community who died) …If you wish to be perfect you must cross<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">the desert before reaching the promised land…Have courage! Each pain is like a flame scorching<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">you, but some day Jesus will take you up to His Heavenly glory. …..<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">(Jesus) ….Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Look at the ears stained with<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">blood, bruised by blows, rent by thorns. Yet, souls are stubbornly deaf to the voice of grace…it is<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">impurity that pierces the Heart of Jesus.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />**************************************************************************************************<br /><br />Monsignor Cioffi, the translator of her biography and friend of Sister Elena, sent these previously<br />unpublished prophecies of Sister Elena to the late Steven Oraze, Editor of the edifying Catholic newspaper, <b><i>"Divine Love"</i></b> which was produced by the Apostolate of Christian Action in Fresno, California. At first Monsignor Cioffi was nervous about publishing the messages because they were so strong and thought that people wouldn’t accept them. Mr. Oraze took them to his Bishop who gave them the Imprimatur and he published them. At that time, <b><i>"Divine Love"</i></b> contained the only public printing of these messages. The </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><i>"Divine Love"</i></b> staff received direct confirmations from Heaven that they were to publish the messages more than once for all the world to see. It is now clear that they are more relevant now than ever before. Here they are taken directly from this newspaper.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vm_OfKTBXY7YdTvHpvvQzeOHCmzEjfq9-KYL0vCNjHl0B9Rz60PJ5HOh47LB6s8gQah_4P4qFFZunwei5wAfqjJvwawNAdU93_t1pcXpbWC7VVy4MNEIxaQO2OTsSjwqeqJ-gMMJXMs/s1600/Mother+Elena+Aiello.gif"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 316px; float: left; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650406360935189890" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vm_OfKTBXY7YdTvHpvvQzeOHCmzEjfq9-KYL0vCNjHl0B9Rz60PJ5HOh47LB6s8gQah_4P4qFFZunwei5wAfqjJvwawNAdU93_t1pcXpbWC7VVy4MNEIxaQO2OTsSjwqeqJ-gMMJXMs/s400/Mother+Elena+Aiello.gif" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span">THE PROPHECIES OF SISTER ELENA AIELLO</span></b><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">GOOD FRIDAY (APRIL 16) 1954<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />“Upon initiating the usual sufferings, about the hour of 1:00 p.m., Jesus appeared to me, covered with wounds and bleeding, saying to me:<br /><br />‘Behold my child, see to what ends the sins of man have reduced me. The world has lowered itself in overflowing corruption. The governments of the peop1e have risen like demons incarnated, and, while they speak of peace they prepare for war with the most devastating implements to destroy peoples and nations. Men have become ungrateful to My Sacred Heart, and abusing My Mercy, have transformed the earth into a scene of crime’. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">‘Numerous scandals are bringing souls to ruin particularly through the corruption of youth. Stirred up, and unrestrained in the enjoyment of the pleasures of the world, they have degraded their spirit in corruption and sin. The bad example of parents trains the family in scandal and infidelity, instead of virtue and prayer, which is almost dead on the lips of many. Stained and withered is the fountain of faith and sanctity the home’.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">‘The wills of men do not change. They live in their obstinacy of sin. More severe are the scourges and plagues to recall them to the way of God; but men still become furious, like wounded beasts (and harden their hearts against the Grace of God). The world is no longer worthy of pardon, but only of fire, destruction and death’.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />‘There must be more prayers and penances from the souls faithful to Me, in order to appease the just wrath of God, and to temperate the just sentence of punishment, SUSPENDED on earth by the intercession of My Beloved Mother, who is also the Mother of all men’.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">‘Oh! how sad is My Heart to see that men do not convert (or respond) to so many calls of love and grief, manifested by My Beloved Mother to errant men. Roaming in darkness, they continue to live in sin, and further away from God! But the scourge of fire is near, to purify the earth of the iniquities of the wicked. The justice of God requires reparation for the many offenses and misdeeds that cover the earth, and which can no longer be compromised. Men are obstinate in their guilt, and do not return to God’.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />‘The Church is opposed, and the priests are despised because of the bad ones who give scandal. Help Me, by suffering, to repair for so many offenses, and thus save AT LEAST IN PART, humanity precipitated in a slough of corruption and death’.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">‘Make it known to all men that, repentant, they must return to God, and, in doing so, may hope for pardon, and be saved from the just vengeance of a scorned God’.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />“In so saying Our Lord God disappeared. Then the Madonna appeared to me. She was dressed in black, with seven swords piercing Her Immaculate Heart. Coming closer, with an expression of profound sorrow, and with tears on her cheeks, she spoke to me, saying: ‘Listen attentively, and reveal to all:<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">‘My Heart is sad for so many sufferings in an impending world in ruin. The justice of Our Father is most offended. Men live in their obstinacy of sin. The wrath of God is near. Soon the world will be afflicted with great calamities, bloody revolutions, frightful hurricanes, and the overflowing of streams and the seas’.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />‘Cry out until the priests of God lend their ears to my voice, to advise men that the time is near at hand, and if men do not return to God with prayers and penances, the world will be overturned in a new and more terrible war. Arms most deadly will destroy peoples and nations! The dictators of the earth, specimens infernal, will demolish the churches and desecrate the Holy Eucharist, and will destroy things most dear. In this impious war, much will be destroyed of that which has been built by the hands of man’.<br /><br />‘CLOUDS WITH LIGHTNING FLASHES OF FIRE IN THE SKY AND A TEMPEST OF FIRE SHALL FALL UPON THE WORLD. THIS TERRIBLE SCOURGE, NEVER BEFORE SEEN IN THE HISTORY OF HUMANITY, WILL LAST SEVENTY HOURS. GODLESS PERSONS WILL BE CRUSHED AND WIPED OUT. MANY WILL BE LOST BECAUSE THEY REMAIN IN THEIR OBSTINACY OF SIN. THEN SHALL BE SEEN THE POWER OF LIGHT OVER THE POWER OF DARKNESS’.<br /><br />‘Be not silent, my daughter, because the hours of darkness, of abandonment, are near. ‘I am bending over the world, holding in suspension the justice of God. OTHERWISE THESE THINGS WOULD ALREADY HAVE NOW COME TO PASS. Prayers and penances are necessary because men MUST RETURN TO GOD and to My Immaculate Heart—the Mediatrix of men to God, and thus THE WORLD WILL BE AT LEAST IN PART SAVED’.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">‘Cry out these things to all, like the very echo of my voice. Let this be known to all, because it will help save many souls, and prevent much destruction in the Church and in the world’.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><b>MESSAGE OF GOOD FRIDAY (APRIL 8) 1955</b><br />“The Blessed Mother, lovely and majestic, but with tears on her cheeks, spoke: ‘My daughter, it is thy Mother speaking to thee, Listen attentively, and make known all that I tell thee, because men, in spite of repeated warnings, are not returning to God. They refuse grace, and are not listening to my voice. You must have no doubt about what I am making known to you, because my words are very clear, and you must transmit them to all.’<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">‘DARK AND FRIGHTFUL DAYS ARE APPROACHING! Mankind is obscured by a thick fog, as a<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">result of the many grievous sins, which are well nigh covering the whole earth. Today, more than ever, men are, resisting the calls from Heaven, and are blaspheming God, while wallowing in the mire of sin’.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">‘My daughter, look upon my Heart pierced by the thorns of so many sins; my face, disfigured by sorrow; my eyes, filled with tears. The cause of such great sadness is the sight of so many souls going to Hell, and because the Church is wounded – inwardly and outwardly’.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">‘The rulers of nations make so much ado and speak of peace. But instead, the whole world will soon be at war, and all mankind will he plunged into sorrow, be cause the justice of God will not be delayed in fulfilling its course, and these events are near. Tremendous will be the upheaval of the whole world, because men — as at the time of the Deluge — have lost God’s way, and are ruled by the spirit of Satan’.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">‘Priests must unite by prayers and penance. They must hasten to spread the devotion to the Two Hearts. The hour of my triumph is close at hand. The victory will be accomplished through the love and mercy of the Heart of My Son, and of My Immaculate Heart the Mediatrix between men and God, By accepting this invitation, and by uniting their tears to those of My Sorrowful Heart, priests and religious will obtain great graces for the salvation of poor sinners’.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />‘LAUNCH FORTH INTO THE WORLD A MESSAGE TO MAKE KNOWN TO ALL THAT THE<br />SCOURGE IS NEAR AT HAND, The justice of God is weighing upon the world. Mankind, defiled in the mire, soon will be washed in its own blood, by disease; by famine; by earthquakes; by cloudbursts, tornadoes, floods, and terrible storms; and by war. But men ignore all these warnings, and are unwilling to be convinced that my tears (Weeping Madonna of Sicily?), are plain signs to serve notice that tragic events are hanging over the world, and that the hours of great trials are at hand’.<br /><br />‘If men do not amend their ways, a terrifying scourge of fire will come down from Heaven upon all the nations of the world, and men will be punished according to the debts contracted with Divine justice. There will be frightful moments for all, because Heaven will be joined with the earth, and all the un-Godly people will be destroyed, SOME NATIONS WILL BE PURIFIED, WHILE OTHERS WILL DISAPPEAR ENTIRELY’.<br /><br />You are to transmit these warnings to all, in order that the new generation will know that men had been warned in time to turn to God by doing penance, and thus could have avoided these punishments’.<br /><br />But when will all this come about?’ I asked Our Lady.” ‘My daughter,’ answered the Blessed Mother, ‘the time is not far off. When men least expect it, the course of Divine Justice will be accomplished’.<br /><br />‘My Heart is so big for poor sinners, and I make use of every possible means that they may be saved. Look at this mantle, how big it is. If I were not bent over the earth to cover all with my maternal love, the tempest of fire would have already broken upon the nations of the world!’<br /><br />“Then I exclaimed, ‘My lovely Mother, never before have I seen thee with such a large mantle.’ The Blessed Virgin, holding her arms wide, answered:”<br /><br />‘This is the mantle of mercy for all those who, having repented, come back to My Immaculate Heart. See? The right hand holds the mantle to cover and to save poor sinners, while with the left hand I hold back the Divine Justice, so that the time of Mercy may still be prolonged.’<br /><br />‘To help me in this, I ask that the prayer, MATERNAL REFUGE, be spread as a most useful means to obtain graces and salvation for poor sinners, Say often with your arms crossed:<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">“QUEEN OF THE UNIVERSE, MEDIATRIX OF MEN TO GOD, REFUGE OF ALL OUR HOPES, HAVE MERCY ON US,”<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><b>GOOD FRIDAY (APRIL 7) 1950</b><br />Sister Elena Aiello asked Our Blessed Mother: “What will become of Italy? Will Rome be saved?”<br />“The Madonna answered:” ‘In part, by the Pope. The Church will be in travail, but the forces of Hell cannot prevail! You must suffer for the Pope and Christ, and thus Christ will be safe on earth; and the Pope, with his redemptive word, will, in part, save the world.’<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">“The Madonna then came closer, and with a sad expression, showed me the flames of Hell. She said:” ‘Satan reigns and triumphs on earth! See how the souls are falling into Hell. See how high the flames are, and the souls who fall into them like flakes of snow, looking like transparent embers! How many sparks! How many cries of hate, and of despair! How much pain!’<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">‘See how many priestly souls! Look at the sign of their consecration in their transparent hands! (In the palms of their hands the sign of the cross, in more vivid fire, could clearly be seen!) What torture, my daughter, in my maternal Heart! Great is my sorrow to see that men do not change! The justice of the Father requires reparation — otherwise many will be lost!’<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />“See how Russia will burn!” Before my eyes there extended an immense field covered with flames and smoke, in which souls were submerged as if in a sea of fire.<br /><br />“And all this fire,” concluded the Madonna, “is not that which will fall from the hands of men, but will be hurled directly from the Angels (at the time of the great chastisement or purification that will come upon the earth). Therefore I ask prayers, penance and sacrifice, so I may act as Mediatrix for my Son in order to save souls.”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>GOOD FRIDAY (March 23) 1961</b><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">The Madonna speaks: “My daughter, the scourge is near. Much is spoken of peace, but all the world will soon be at war, and the streets will be stained with blood! No gleam of light is seen in the world, because men live in the darkness of error, and the enormous weight of sin angers the justice of God.”<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />“All nations will be punished, because sin has spread all over the world! Tremendous will be the<br />punishments, because man has arrived at an insupportable contest with his God and Father, and has exasperated His infinite Goodness!”<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">“My heart bleeds for Italy also, which will be safe only in part for the Pope! Oh!, what grief to see the representative of Christ on earth hated, persecuted, outraged!”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">“He, who is the Spiritual Father of the people, the defender of the Faith and of truth, whose face, radiant with light, shines upon the world, is greatly hated.”<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />“He, who personifies Christ on earth, doing good for all, becomes thus outraged with impunity!”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">“Many iniquitous and wicked leaders of the people, who live and drag along with them their people outside the laws of God, showing themselves in sheep’s’ clothing, while being rapacious wolves, have ruined society, stirring it up against God and His Church.”<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />“How can the world be saved, from the disaster that is about to crash down upon the misleading nations, if man does not repent of his errors and failings? The only salvation is a complete repentance and return to God, and a true devotion to my Immaculate Heart, particularly in the daily recitation of my Rosary.”<br /><br />“Once there was the chastisement by water, but if there is not a returning to God, there will come the chastisement by fire, which will cover the streets of the world with blood.”<br /><br />"My daughter, cry out loudly, and let it be known to all, that, if they do not return to God, Italy too, will only in part be safe for the Pope.”<br /><br />“My heart of Mother, and Mediatrix of men, close to the mercy of God, invites, with many manifestations and many signs, the people to penance and to pardon. But they respond with a storm of hate, blasphemies and sacrilegious profanations, as if blinded by an infernal rage. I wish prayers and penance, in order that I may again obtain mercy and salvation for many souls — otherwise they will be lost.”<br /><br /><b>FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION -DEC 8, 1956</b><br />Our Blessed Mother speaks: “The world today is honoring me, but my Motherly Heart is bleeding, because the enemy is at our doors! Men are offending God too much! If I were to show you the number of sins committed in a single day, you would die of horror and sorrow! The sins that distress God the most, are those of the souls who should perfume the air with the fragrance of their virtues. Instead, they contaminate (by their sinful lives) those who come near them.”<br /><br />“The times are grievous. The whole world is in turmoil, because IT HAS BECOME WORSE THAN AT THE TIME OF THE DELUGE!”<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">“Everything is in suspense, like a thread; when this thread breaks, the justice of God will fall like a thunderbolt and will complete its terrible course of purification.”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Sister Elena asked, “What will become of Italy?”<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />The Virgin Mary answered: “Italy, my daughter, will be humiliated, purified in blood, and must suffer much, because many are the sins of this beloved country, seat of the Vicar of Christ. You cannot imagine what will happen! In those sad days there will be much anguish and weeping. There will be a great revolution, and streets will be red with blood.”<br /><br />“The Pope will suffer much, and all this suffering will be like an agony, which will shorten his earthly pilgrimage. His successor will guide the boat in the tempest.”<br /><br />“However the punishment of the impious will not be delayed. That day will be most fearful in the world! The earth will tremble, all humanity will be shaken! The wicked and the obstinate will perish in the tremendous severity of the justice of the Lord.”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">“Launch at once a message into the world, to advise men to return to God by prayers and penances, and to come with confidence to my Immaculate Heart. My intercession must be shown, because I am the Mother of God, of the just, and of sinners. Through prayer and penance, my mercy will be able to hold back the hand of God’s justice.”<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><b>PROPHESIES OF 1959</b><br />Jesus, dripping with blood and with painful and suffering look, said: “Do you wish to unite with Me in My agony? See how much I suffer! The sins of men have reduced me to this! What bitterness is poured into this Heart, pierced by many souls, who instead of loving me with sacrifices, and in flight from sinful vanities of the corrupt world, commit much iniquity.”<br /><br />“Help me to suffer by consoling my grieved Heart, and make reparation for the many sins. Oh my beloved bride, if you knew the pain that my Heart suffers from the loss of so many souls! Satan travels victorious over all the sinful earth. I need generous souls to appease the outraged justice of the Father, because the world is headed for imminent ruin. The hours of darkness are near!”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">“Then, the Madonna appeared to me, sad and shedding tears. She said”: ‘This great mantle which you see, is the expression of my mercy for covering sinners and for saving them. Men, instead, cover themselves with even more filth, and do not want to confess their real faults. Therefore, the justice of God will pass over the sinful world to purify humanity for so many sins, openly committed and hidden, especially those which corrupt youth.’<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">‘In order to save souls, I wish that there be propagated in the world the consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mediatrix of men, devoted to the Mercy of God, and to the Queen of the Universe.’<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />‘The world will be once more afflicted with great calamity; with bloody revolutions; with great earthquakes; with famines; with epidemics; with fearful hurricanes; and with floods from rivers and seas. But if men do not return to God, purifying fire will fall from the Heavens, like snowstorms, on all peoples, and a great part of humanity will be destroyed!’<br /><br />‘No longer do men speak according to the true spirit of the Gospel. The immorality of the times has ‘reached a peak. But men do not listen to my motherly warnings, so the world must soon be purified.’<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">‘RUSSIA WILL MARCH UPON ALL THE NATIONS OF EUROPE, PARTICULARLY ITALY, AND WILL RAISE HER FLAG OVER THE DOME OF ST. PETER’S. Italy will be severely tried by a great revolution, and Rome will be purified in blood for its many sins, especially those of impurity! The flock is about to be dispersed and the Pope must suffer greatly.’<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">‘The only valid means for placating Divine Justice is to pray and do penance, returning to God with sincere sorrow for the faults committed, and then the chastisement of Divine Justice will be mitigated by mercy. Humanity will never find peace, if it does not return to my Immaculate Heart as Mother of Mercy, and Mediatrix of men; and to the Heart of my Son Jesus!’<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>GOOD FRIDAY — 1960</b><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">The Madonna speaks: “How youth lives in perdition! How many innocent souls find themselves enwrapped in a chain of scandals. The world has become as a flooded valley, overflowing with filth and mud. Some of the most difficult trials of Divine Justice are yet to come, before the deluge of fire.”<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />“I, for a long time, have advised men in many ways, but they do not listen to my maternal appeals, and they continue to walk the paths of perdition. But soon terrifying manifestations will be seen, which will make even the most obdurate sinners tremble!”<br /><br />“Great calamities will come upon the world, which will bring confusion, tears, struggles and pain. Great earthquakes will swallow up entire cities and countries, and will bring epidemics, famine, and terrible destruction ESPECIALLY WHERE THE SONS OF DARKNESS ARE, (pagan or anti-God nations).”<br /><br />"In these tragic hours, the world has need of prayers and penance, because the Pope, the priests, and the Church are in danger. If we do not pray, Russia will march upon all of Europe, and particularly upon Italy, bringing much more ruin and havoc! Hence the priests must be in the front line of defense of the Church, by example and sanctity in life, for materialism is breaking forth in all nations and evil prevails over good.”<br /><br />“The rulers of the people do not understand this, because they do not have the Christian spirit; in their blindness, do not see the truth.”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">“In Italy, some leaders like rapacious wolves in sheep’s’ clothing, while calling themselves Christians — open the door to materialism, and, fostering dishonest actions, will bring Italy to ruin; but many of them, too, will fall in confusion.”<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />“Propagate the devotions to my Immaculate Heart, of Mother of Mercy, Mediatrix of men, who believe in the mercy of God, and of the Queen of the Universe.”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">“I will manifest my partiality for Italy, which will be preserved from the fire, but the skies will be covered with dense darkness, and the earth will be shaken by fearful earthquakes which will open deep abysses. Provinces and cities will be destroyed, and all will cry out that the end of the world has come! Even Rome will be punished according to justice for its many and serious sins, because here sin has reached its peak.”<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />“Pray, and lose no time, lest it be too late; since dense darkness surrounds the earth and the enemy is at the doors!”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgGTKRCRFFjcW2pgy3F9ycgxcmuHYhtguEW7OzSOlRyIq_2TWevEGAlmQo3pVTxik_JEDXYKqEaYyDsHhjYXPtOQFUuyDEyyxY1M2ATPWOMxLF74dY3VeTjWQ2sEjt6dEx5Dh-bTlQ4s/s1600/Sister-Elena-Aiello.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 296px; float: left; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650402851595488834" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgGTKRCRFFjcW2pgy3F9ycgxcmuHYhtguEW7OzSOlRyIq_2TWevEGAlmQo3pVTxik_JEDXYKqEaYyDsHhjYXPtOQFUuyDEyyxY1M2ATPWOMxLF74dY3VeTjWQ2sEjt6dEx5Dh-bTlQ4s/s400/Sister-Elena-Aiello.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE HEART - August 22, 1960</b><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">The Madonna speaks: “The hour of the justice of God is close, and will be terrible!”<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />“Tremendous scourges are impending over the world, and various nations are struck by epidemics, famines, great earthquakes, terrific hurricanes, with overflowing rivers and seas, which bring ruin and death.”<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">“If the people do not recognize in these scourges (of nature) the warnings of Divine Mercy, and do not return to God with truly Christian living, ANOTHER TERRIBLE WAR WILL COME FROM THE EAST TO THE WEST. RUSSIA WITH HER SECRET ARMIES WILL BATTLE AMERICA; WILL OVERRUN EUROPE.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">The river Rhine will be overflowing with corpses and blood. Italy, also, will be harassed by a great revolution, and the Pope will suffer terribly.”<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />“Spread the devotion to my Immaculate Heart, in order that many souls maybe conquered by my love and that many sinners may return to my Maternal Heart. Do not fear, for I will accompany with my maternal protection my faithful ones, and all those who accept my urgent warnings, and they — especially by the recitations of my Rosary — will be saved.”<br /><br />“Satan goes furiously through this disordered world, and soon will show all his might. But, because of my Immaculate Heart, the triumph of Light will not delay in its triumph over the power of darkness, and the world, finally, will have tranquility and peace.”<br /><br /><b>GOOD FRIDAY — 1961</b><br />The Sorrowful Madonna speaks: “People pay no attention to my motherly warnings, and thus the world is falling headlong evermore into an abyss of iniquity. Nations shall be convulsed by terrible disasters, causing destruction and death.<br /><br />“Russia, spurred on by Satan, will seek to dominate the whole world and, by bloody revolutions, will propagate her false teachings throughout all the nations, especially in Italy. The Church will be persecuted and the Pope and the priests shall suffer much.”<br /><br />Sister Elena Aiello speaks: “Oh, what a horrible vision I see! A great revolution is going on in Rome! They are entering the Vatican. The Pope is all alone; he s praying. They are holding the Pope. They take him by force. They knock him down to the floor. They are tying him. Oh, God! Oh God! They are kicking him. What a horrible scene! How dreadful!”<br /><br />“Our Blessed Mother is drawing near. Like corpses those evil men fall down to the floor. Our Lady helps the Pope to his feet and, taking him by the arm, she covers him with her mantle saying: ‘Fear not!’<br /><br />“Flagstaffs (flying the Red flag over St. Peter’s dome and elsewhere) collapse, and power is gone out of the clubs of those evil brutes. These atheists are ever shouting: ‘We don’t want God to rule over us; we want Satan to be our master!’<br /><br />Our Blessed Mother speaks again: “My daughter, Rome will not be saved, because the Italian rulers have forsaken the Divine Light and because only a few people really love the Church. But the day is not far off when all the wicked shall perish, under the tremendous blows of Divine Justice.”<br />---------------------------------<br />In April 2011, Pope Benedict XVI approved the petition allowing for the Beatification of Venerable Elena Aiello. She was declared Blessed on September 14, 2011 (Feast of the Exaultation of the Holy Cross) at 17.30 in Piazza dei Bruzi in Cosenza, Italy. The proclamation of the Blessed was made by Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, along with Archbishop of Cosenza/Bisignano, His Excellency Salvatore Nunnari.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />For those interested, the Italian website of the <a href="http://www.suoreminime-cosenza.it/">Minim Sisters of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ can be found here.</a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>-------------------------------</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Webmasters note:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">As a layman who endeavors to always be faithful to the teachings of the Catholic church I feel duty-bound to comment on the prophecies of Blessed Elena. Firstly it should be noted that when the Catholic church Beatifies or Canonizes a person, <b>it is done so strictly on the basis of the sanctity and heroic virtue of the person, and not for any mystical graces, revelations or prophesies that they may have allegedly received</b>. In other words, by Beatifying Mother Elena Aiello, the Church is recognizing her extraordinary virtue alone, and not any of the heavenly graces, revelations or prophecies that she may have been given.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">With this said, given that the Church HAS RECOGNISED Bl. Elena's virtue as being extraordinary and thereby setting her sanctity as one that we should strive to imitate, this does give us some basis to investigate also the extraordinary prophecies that she was allegedly given. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Upon reading Blessed Elena's prophecies, one quickly notes that many of them are quite severe.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We must, however, keep in mind that prophecies ARE NOT CERTAIN AND CAN BE LESSENED OR EVEN COMPLETELY MITIGATED through the right actions of humanity, especially through the prayers of the faithful. One need only read Chapter 3 of the Old Testament Book of Jonah to see how a prophesy can be completely mitigated through right actions, repentance and prayer. "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.”</span> The message of God, of course, was that in 40 days the great city of Nineveh would be destroyed. Yet, we all know what happened.....the whole people of Nineveh, led by their king, repented and prayed for God's forgiveness and they were speared the horrible chastisement prophesied through Jonah.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Now, for those who think that Bl. Elena's prophesies of a worldwide warning and even a worldwide chastisement are too severe to be true, one should consider some of the other recent prophets and revelations with similar messages for our times, such as the messages given to Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, Josefa Manendez, Blessed Anna-Katarina Emmerick, St Louis de Montfort, Blessed Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified and many others, along with the warnings to humanity given at Church approved Marian apparition sites of Our Lady of La Salette, Fatima, Akita, Kibeho, all of which have been approved by the Church. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">For example, the third message of Akita given by the Blessed Virgin to Sister Agnes Sasagawa on October 13, 1973 stated:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by my Son. Each day, recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and the priests."<br /><br />"The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, and bishops against other bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their Confreres. The Church and altars will be vandalized. The Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.<br /><br />"The demon will rage especially against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will no longer be pardon for them."</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"><span style=";font-size:130%;" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMpcQodgZOu_rmT90jVa_gffMMYeY1mm1FL4rScjzv9KFgNkeqE0xX98wGJz9RR0fiuz9Wu9a05Xg6NiEXZt2VzfwUWIsiQQ2BD3cUF3Xuw1jDplliI3WyjUoMYWxHunu8CuvR_c8iCFo/s400/Sister+Elena+Aiello-1.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666071114726000914" border="0" /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span>Certainly similar prophesies of a worldwide warning followed perhaps by a worldwide chastisement have been given to other modern day mystics, some of whom are found elsewhere on this website. Let us hope and pray then, that if such prophecies are indeed from God, that they will be mitigated by the repentance, prayer and right actions of humanity, just like the people of Nineveh who repented through the preaching of Jonah.<br />And let us remember that perhaps our greatest advocate is the Blessed Virgin Mary---for it is She who mo8re than any other pleads for mercy and forgiveness on behalf of all of humanity.<br /><br />***The primary source for this article is the book<i> <b>"The Incredible Life Story of Sister Elena Aiello- The Calabrian Holy Nun"</b></i> by Rt. Reverend Francisco Spadafora, Published by Theo Gaus Inc., 1964.<br /><br /><br />Those interested in obtaining this book can email the webmaster at <span style="font-weight: bold;">gdallaire1@gmail.com<br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655764596856164794.post-1095800158557595532011-12-11T03:39:00.000-08:002011-12-11T03:41:00.739-08:00Maria Pierina de Micheli & The Holy Face of Jesus Devotion<h3 class="post-title entry-title"> <a href="http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2011/10/maria-pierina-de-micheli-holy-face-of.html">Maria Pierina de Micheli & The Holy Face of Jesus Devotion</a> </h3> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBywO5FcdwesEvjZLhAnhe4hmZ1YVwhS44qhUxhlkhY0JOGVRcXhx19KUMHbabSgQFemjv92GeeCZ1oHcP7x59xuUhjr5k8PsaDTCXcBkZ7uPosc4GazD21o7MFrPKCeUvBGNdxq6GTo/s1600/Maria_Pierina_De_Micheli.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 292px; float: left; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663902941966132882" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBywO5FcdwesEvjZLhAnhe4hmZ1YVwhS44qhUxhlkhY0JOGVRcXhx19KUMHbabSgQFemjv92GeeCZ1oHcP7x59xuUhjr5k8PsaDTCXcBkZ7uPosc4GazD21o7MFrPKCeUvBGNdxq6GTo/s400/Maria_Pierina_De_Micheli.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="font-size: 130%; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Blessed Maria Pierina de Micheli & The Holy Face of Jesus Devotion & Medal</span></strong><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>"No one gives me a kiss of love on My face to make amends for the kiss of Judas"</em></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"></span><em><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"I firmly wish that My face reflecting the intimate pains of my soul, the suffering and love of my heart, be more honoured! Whoever gazes upon me already consoles me."</span> </em><strong>-Our Lord Jesus to Sister Maria Pierina</strong><br /></div><br /><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Brief Biography of Blessed Mother Maria Pierina de Micheli</span></strong><br /><br /><strong>Birth and childhood</strong><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Maria Pierina de Micheli was born on September 11 1890, in Milan, Italy and she was baptized at St. Peter in Sala's church on the same day, with the name of Giuseppina.<br />Suffering came early for Maria Pierina as she had not yet turned two when her father died, leaving the family without his fatherly love and affection along with the sufferings of losing their main breadwinner.<br /></div><br /><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Early visions of Jesus</span></strong><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">At age 7 on May 3, 1898 she received Jesus in her First Communion. Recalling that day with holy joy many years later in 1943 she wrote- <em>"I saw the baby Jesus in the host. Heaven on earth! Today, only by faith, I know he loves me."</em><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Then began a lifetime of heavenly graces and visions, along with many sufferings in union with Jesus. One day while she was praying in St. Peter in Sala's church (her local parish), Jesus on the Crucifix came alive and spoke to her. On another occasion at the age of twelve, when she was again in her Parish Church during the 3pm Good Friday service, she heard a Voice saying quite distinctly:<br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em><strong>"No one gives me a kiss of love on My Face to make amends for the Kiss of Judas."</strong></em> </span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">In her childlike simplicity, she believed that the voice was heard by everyone and was pained to see that only the wounds were kissed but not the face. In her heart exclaiming, <em>"Have patience, dear Jesus, I will give you a kiss of love", </em>and when her turn came<em> </em>she lovingly and devoutly imprinted a kiss on His Face. And later as a novice, she was permitted to do night adoration and on the night between Holy Thursday and Good Friday, and while she was praying before Jesus upon the Crucifix, she heard Him say: <em><strong><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"Kiss Me."</span></strong></em><br /></div>Sister Maria Pierina immediately obeyed and her lips felt not the contact with the plaster figure but contact with the living flesh of the Face of Jesus.<br /><br /><strong>Becomes a religious sister as a Daughter of the Immaculate Conception of Buenos Aires</strong><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">From a young age Giuseppina (Maria Pierina) felt called to be a religious Sister—a bride of Christ. In 1912, the Daughters of the Immaculate Conception came from Buenos Aires, Argentina and settled in Milan, not far from the house of the De Micheli's family. On October 15, 1913, at the age of 23, Giuseppina was accepted by the founder of the Congregation, Servant of God Mother Mary Euphrasia laconis, and joined the Daughters of the Immaculate Conception as a Novice. On May 16, 1916 she made her profession and was clothed in the habit, taking the name of Sister Maria Pierina.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">In 1919 Sister Maria Pierina was sent to the Mother House in Buenos Aires. On April 12 1920, when she was complaining to Jesus of one of her sorrows, He appeared to her covered with bloodstains and with a sorrowful and affectionate expression (which I shall never forget - she writes) telling her:<br /></div><em><strong><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"And what have I done?"</span> </strong></em><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Sister Maria Pierina understood and from that time the Holy Face of Jesus became her meditation book and the door to His Heart. She returned to Milan in 1921 and Jesus continued to grant her many favors, along with various sufferings that are always the lot of true Mystics.<br /><br />In 1928, Mother Estanislada Tognoni was elected Superior General, but had to return to Buenos Aires. In the same year, Mother Pierina was appointed Superior of the Community of Milan, and then she was later re-elected in 1932 and 1936, and in September 1939, she was elected Superior of the Community of Rome.<br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwAPw7gRtkA8RDw5Gzv6Bo2DVkBmwSvQSuxw2Q8mtYTQVmnNyGCD7NgQvYKNgLZTMnSWcvMWLW97fmOtkP2sNTH_v0_22f4hZdETNlAVBDhWCv4jiQ9eKGcO0Wccr_oooKDjJJNsqmsM/s1600/Holy-Face-Of-Jesus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 232px; float: left; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663902221421486194" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwAPw7gRtkA8RDw5Gzv6Bo2DVkBmwSvQSuxw2Q8mtYTQVmnNyGCD7NgQvYKNgLZTMnSWcvMWLW97fmOtkP2sNTH_v0_22f4hZdETNlAVBDhWCv4jiQ9eKGcO0Wccr_oooKDjJJNsqmsM/s400/Holy-Face-Of-Jesus.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Pierina recieves visions of Jesus requesting devotion to His Holy Face</span></strong><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">As years went by, Jesus often showed Himself to her sometimes sad and other times bleeding, asking her for reparation, thus increasing her desire to suffer and to sacrifice herself for the salvation of souls. During the night adoration of the First Friday in Lent in 1936, Jesus, after letting her share in His spiritual sorrow of the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, with His Face covered with blood and profoundly sad, Jesus told her:<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><strong>"I wish that my Face, which reflects the intimate sorrow of my soul, and the suffering and love of my Heart, be better honoured. He who contemplates me consoles me."</strong></span></em><br /><em><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"></span></em><br />On the Tuesday following Passion Sunday, Jesus returned to her and said:<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"Each time my Face is contemplated I will pour my love into hearts and through my Holy Face the salvation of many souls will be obtained."</span></em></strong><br /><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"></span></em></strong></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">On the first Tuesday of 1937, while she was at prayer, the Lord Jesus instructed her on the devotion to His Holy Face and, in the end, told her:<br /><br /><em><strong><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"Perhaps some souls fear that the devotion to my Holy Face may diminish that to my Sacred Heart. Tell them that, on the contrary, it will complete and increase it. Contemplating my Face, souls will share my sorrows and will feel the need for love and reparation. Is this not the true devotion to my Heart?".</span></strong></em><br /></div><br /><strong>The Blessed Virgin Mary appears to Pierina requesting the Scapular-Medal of the Holy Face</strong><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">These manifestations became more and more frequent and in May 1938, while Pierina was at prayer in the Community Chapel, a beautiful Lady, which she knew to be the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared on the altar step in a beam of light, holding a Scapular made of two small pieces of flannel joined by a cord. One of these pieces bore the image of the Holy Face of Jesus with the words "Iliumina Domine Vultum Tuum Super Nos" (May the light of Thy Face, 0 Lord, shine upon us) and the other, a Host surrounded by rays and the words "Mane Nobiscum Domine" (Stay with us, 0 Lord).<br /><br />Gently the Lady approached and said:<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">"Listen carefully and refer everything to Father (her priest confessor); This Scapular is an armour of defence, a shield of strength, a pledge of mercy which Jesus wishes to give to the world in these times of lust and hatred against God and His Church. There are very few true apostles. A divine remedy is necessary, and this remedy is the Holy Face of Jesus. All who shall wear a Scapular like this and make, if possible, a visit to the Blessed Sacrament every Tuesday in reparation for the outrages that the Holy Face of my Son Jesus received during </span></em></strong><br /><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></em></strong></div><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><br /></span></em></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">His Passion and is still receiving in the Holy Eucharist every day,</span></em></strong><br /></div><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></em></strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">- will be strengthened in the Faith, and will be made ready to defend it,</span></em></strong><br /></div><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></em></strong></div><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">- will overcome all difficulties, internal and external<br />- and they will have a peaceful death under the loving gaze of my Divine Son".</span></em></strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi64dQmEca2PjQlY4HIiSbvpS7-eebtKQWncfyc9PY3ezvCDVWQ15_Qk4Elo-cF4l-wZRDWZ_8-TsZR_3RqaH_-UyH05VioVTcTuI6qdfDQ7g3mp5i2xvgLSZ_QBR4igxE3isv9gOx4L4c/s1600/Maria_Pierina_De_Micheli_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 231px; float: left; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663902516316907106" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi64dQmEca2PjQlY4HIiSbvpS7-eebtKQWncfyc9PY3ezvCDVWQ15_Qk4Elo-cF4l-wZRDWZ_8-TsZR_3RqaH_-UyH05VioVTcTuI6qdfDQ7g3mp5i2xvgLSZ_QBR4igxE3isv9gOx4L4c/s400/Maria_Pierina_De_Micheli_1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The request of Our Lady was increasingly pressing but Mother Pierina replied that it was not in her power to put it into execution. The permission of the one who guided her spiritual life and funds were necessary. The same year Jesus appeared again covered with blood and very sadly said to her:<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"Do you see how I suffer? Yet, very few understand me. Those who say they love me are very ungrateful! I have given my heart as the sensible object of my great love to men and I give My Face as the sensible object of my sorrow for all the sins of men. I wish that it be venerated by a special feast on Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. I wish that the feast be preceded by a novena in which the faithful make reparation with me, joining together and sharing in my sorrow."</span></em></strong><br /><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"></span></em></strong></div><br />In 1939 Jesus said again:<br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"I wish that My Holy Face be honored in a particular manner on Tuesdays".</span></em></strong><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Mother Maria Pierina de Micheli felt the desire of Our Blessed Lady more and more fervent. She obtained permission from her spiritual Director and although she did not have any financial means, she set about the task, as requested by Jesus and Mary. She obtained the permission of the photographer Bruner to take copies of the Holy Shroud as reproduced by him, and she received the permission to do so by the Archdiocese of Milan on the August 9, 1940.<br /></div><br /><strong>Attacks by the Devil</strong><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Financial means were still wanting, but the faith of the Reverend Mother made up for it. One morning she saw on a little table an envelope: she opened it to find 11,200 Italian liras. Our Blessed Lady had seen to it. The devil, maddened at this, fell upon this soul to frighten it and prevent the distribution of the medals: he threw her down in the corridor and down the steps, he tore the images and pictures of the Holy Face, but she bore up everything. She tolerated and sacrificed all so that the Holy Face may be honored.<br /><br />In the beginnning she was worried because she got medals made instead of the cloth scapulars because she felt called to do so. She turned to Our Blessed Lady to obtain peace of mind in the matter. On April 17, 1943 the Blessed Virgin appeared to her and said:<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">"My daughter, rest assured, the Scapular is replaced by the medal with the same promises and favours - it only has to be spread widely Now my heart is on the feast of the Face of my Divine Son. Tell the Pope that I desire this."</span></em></strong><br /></div><br />She blessed her and then departed.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijthZhgTH9afBbBBqCjUI3pfY-_Yd0gyWIyfZmem9sAMaFvCdJWtHmKgXYDab-elfuQt8s4XdidjV-ghszQ0XdSE8lcE44Vbc7KUFALfEqrniPUh_YeN-NZqsw2SdZLMu4e5MRkM-bJqo/s1600/Holy-Face-Medal.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px; float: left; height: 385px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663901908924204994" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijthZhgTH9afBbBBqCjUI3pfY-_Yd0gyWIyfZmem9sAMaFvCdJWtHmKgXYDab-elfuQt8s4XdidjV-ghszQ0XdSE8lcE44Vbc7KUFALfEqrniPUh_YeN-NZqsw2SdZLMu4e5MRkM-bJqo/s400/Holy-Face-Medal.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Thus began the spread of the devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and also the spread of the medal in its honor. Since then the devotion and the medal have been spread worldwide with much enthusiasm, accompanied all the while by wonderful graces, conversions and cures as a testament and heavenly sign of God's institution and approval of both.<br /></div><br /><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Her holy death</span></strong><br />Mother Maria Pierina de Micheli's motto was: <em><strong>"Give to Jesus; give everything; give always."</strong></em><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Having given herself and her life completely to Jesus, at the age of 54 surrounded by her spiritual daughters, Mother Pierina joined the One Whom she loved on July 26, 1945, at Centonara d' Arto (Verbania) at the house of the Holy Face.<br /></div><em><strong>"I felt a deep longing to live always united with Jesus; to love Him intensely because my death can only be a transport of love with my Spouse, Jesus." </strong></em>-Words from the diary of Blessed Maria Pierina de Micheli on July 19, 1941.<br /><br />Sister Pierina was beatified on Sunday, May 30, 2010 at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome- the first beatification ever held within its walls.<br /><br /><em><strong>-Blessed Maria Pierina Di Micheli, pray for us!</strong></em><br />-------------------------------------------<br />Invocation-Prayer to the Holy Face of Jesus:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Oh Holy Face of my sweet Jesus, by that tenderness of love and unspeakable grief with which the Blessed Virgin Mary beheld Thee in Thy painful Passion, grant that our souls may share in that great love and great sorrow, and fulfill more perfectly the Holy Will of God. Amen.</strong><br /></div>-Imprimatur in Curia Arch. Mediolani on Jan. 25, 1941 -Mons. Cavezzali Pro Vic. Gen<br />-----------------------------------------<br /><strong><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">More from her Diary: Her words, and some of Jesus replies:</span></strong><br /><em>"Do not deny anything to Jesus."<br />"I want what God wants."<br />'Jesus I am yours, do what you want of me."<br />Jesus said to me: <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"Only a few souls let me act with full freedom, so I cannot grant many graces."<br /></span>"This morning I asked Jesus His Heart to love it of His own love, and Jesus told me: <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><strong>"If you knew how I love you, you would die from joy."</strong></span><br />I said to Jesus: "Do you believe, oh Jesus, that I love you?" And Jesus replied: <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"Yes, I do. And do you know when I believe it the most? When you think I have abandoned you, because it is then that you most show your loyalty."<br /></span>"O, my sweet Jesus, for your Holy Face bathed with tears, may your Eucharistic Reign triumphs in the sanctity of your priests."<br />"O, my sweet Jesus, for the divine light emanating from your Holy Face, dispel the darkness of ignorance and mistake and be the light of sanctity for your priests."<br />"O my sweet Jesus, for your Divine Face bathed in a sweat of blood in the agony of Gethsemane, enlighten and strengthen the souls consecrated to you."<br /><br /><br /></em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com