- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8(a) -
Waldtraud
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it
is
not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,
it
keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with
the
truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love
never fails.
___________________________________________________________________
"A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the
giver."
- Thomas A Kempis
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February 25th - Blessed Maria Adeodata Pisani, O.S.B.
Maria Adeodata Pisani, O.S.B., was born in Naples on the 29th December 1806,
the
only daughter of Baron Benedetto Pisani Mompalao Cuzkeri and Vincenza
Carrano.
She was baptized on the same day in the Parish of St Mark at Pizzofalcone,
and
named Maria Teresa. Her father had the title of Baron of Frigenuini, one of
the
oldest and richest barony in Malta, whilst her mother was an Italian.
Unfortunately, her father took to drink and this soon led to marital
problems,
so much so that whilst Maria Teresa was still a small child her mother left
the
conjugal house and entrusted the child to her husband's mother, Elisabeth
Mamo
Mompalao, who lived in Naples. The grandmother took good care of Maria
Teresa,
but when she died her grandchild was only 10 years of age. After her
grandmother's death, she was sent to a famous boarding school in Naples,
known
as the 'Istituto di Madama Prota', where the aristocratic ladies of the area
used to get their education.
Maria Teresa stayed in this college till she was 17 years of age, and here
she
received her religious and social education. In the meantime, her father
continued to create problems and in 1821, due to his involvement in the
uprising
in Naples, he was sentenced to death. Since he was a British citizen, his
sentence was suspended and he was expelled from Naples and deported to
Malta.
In 1825, Maria Teresa and her mother came to live in Malta. They settled in
Rabat where her father was also living his dissolute life, but they never
lived
together with him. Although her mother had been trying to find a suitable
man to
get her married, Maria Teresa always declined such proposals. She preferred
to
lead a quiet life, going out to Church daily, and when the occasion
presented
itself to help the poor she met on the streets. The people who knew her
started
to comment about her pious behavior. She was never put off by her father's
behavior and whenever she met him she would ask for his blessing.
On one occasion, she was impressed by a sermon she heard at the 'Ta' Giezu'
church in Rabat. She went to pray in front of the picture of Our Lady of
Good
Counsel, in the Augustinian's Church in Rabat, the church where she usually
went
for her daily mass and evening prayers. There for the first time she felt
the
calling to become a nun and dedicate her life to God in prayer. Her parents
immediately opposed her wish to become a nun, and her mother forced her to
wait
for a year before making any final decision. Maria Teresa waited obediently
for
a whole year, but her resolve did not change.
On the 16th July 1828, she joined the Benedictine Community in St Peter's
Monastery in Mdina. In choosing this kind of life, she had chosen a life of
prayer, work, silence and obedience. After six months as a postulant, at the
beginning of 1829 in a special ceremony of investiture as a novice took
place,
surrounded by her parents and relatives, and she changed her name to Maria
Adeodata. During the one year she was a novice, she impressed not only her
companions in the noviciate but also the nun who was in charge of the
novices.
This nun confessed that she never found any fault in Adeodata, and that
instead
of teaching her, she used to learn from her.
On the 4th March 1830, the required Notarial Act of Renouncement was
performed,
which was the last formal step required to be admitted as a nun. In this
Act,
she renounced her titles and distributed the vast inheritance she had
inherited
from her paternal grandmother, keeping just enough for herself to be able to
help others during her lifetime.
The solemn monastic profession took place on the 8th March 1830, and for the
next 25 years she lived as a cloistered nun in St Peter's monastery. During
this
period, not only the nuns in the monastery but many persons outside
benefited
from her acts of charity and her saintly life. She held various official
responsibilities within the monastery, but the ones she treasured most were
that
of looking after the chapel, which gave her more time to be near the Blessed
Sacrament and that of porter, which kept her close to the poor people who
used
to come daily to the monastery seeking help. For four years she was in
charge of
novices, and from 1851 to 1853 she was elected as Abbess. During the two
years'
mandate she had to face difficulties from a few members of the community,
since
she tried to bring about some changes in community life in order to help the
community live more in accordance with the Benedictine rule and monastic way
of
life. Some nuns were also jealous of her since so many people revered her
for
her saintly way of life.
She was renowned for her spirit of self-sacrifice and self-denial. The best
she
had, whether food or clothes, were always given to those in need, whilst she
was
happy to live on leftovers and worn out clothes. During her life in the
monastery she also wrote various works, the most famous of which is "The
mystical garden of the soul that loves Jesus and Mary", which collects
together
personal spiritual reflections written in the form of a diary between 15th
August 1835 and 3rd May 1843. She also wrote her reflections about spiritual
direction, and a good number of prayers some of which were meant to be used
in
the community. Although her native language was Italian, she did her best to
learn how to speak and write in Maltese, and she wrote some prayers in
Maltese
for common use in the Monastery. Throughout her life as a nun, she was a
shining
example to all in her observance of the Rule of St Benedict, obedience to
her
superiors, her acts of charity, her devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and to
the
Blessed Virgin, and her total commitment to love God.
During the last two years of her life, heart trouble slowly eroded her
health
which was never all that good. Yet she continued to force herself to live a
normal life within her community, always striving for perfection and leading
others through her example.
On the 25th February 1855, at the age of 48, she realized that the end was
near.
Against her nurse's advice, she dragged herself to the Chapel for the early
morning conventual mass, and after receiving communion she had to be carried
back to her bed, where she died soon afterwards surrounded by her community
reciting prayers.
As soon as news of her death reached the people outside the monastery, the
same
phrase was repeated throughout Malta: "the Saint has died". She had a simple
funeral, and she was buried in the Monastery's crypt the following day.
Many people claimed miraculous cures and other graces from God through
Adeodata's intercession. In 1892, the Canonical Process for her
Beatification
and Canonization was initiated. In 1897, the miracle which was later to be
presented to the Congregation for Causes of Beatification and Canonization
for
official examination and eventual acceptance took place. This miracle
happened
in Subiaco in Italy, and it involved a Benedictine Abbess who was so sick
that
the last rites were administered to her, but after prayers through the
intercession of Adeodata she got better and the doctors looking after her
could
not explain such a recovery.
Beatified: 9 May 2001 by Pope John Paul II; her beatification miracle
occurred
on 24 November 1897 when abbess Giuseppina Damiani from the Monastery of
Saint
John the Baptist Subiaco was suddenly healed stomach tumor following her
request
for Maria Pisani's intervention; her Cause was delayed for years due to lack
of
funds, and political problems between Malta and Italy
From the The Archdiocese of Malta - Public Relations Office
( http://www.maltachurch.org.mt )
Saint Quote:
"To fast is not a natural cause of sadness except for those who are yet too
feebly disposed; for those who desire to contemplate wisdom, fasting is a
delight. As long as the disciples were weak, it was wiser to wait until they
became stronger. This shows that it was not an invitation to gluttony but a
recognition of their weakness."
-St. John Chrysostom (Doctor, 347-407) - "An Aquinas Reader",
Bible Quotes:
"But in all things let us exhibit ourselves as the ministers of God, in much
patience, in tribulation, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in
prisons,
in seditions, in labours, in watchings, in fastings" - 2 Corinthians 6:4-5
"And Jesus said to them: Can the children of the bridegroom mourn, as long
as
the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom
shall
be taken away from them, and then they shall fast" - Matt 9:15
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An antiphon, hymn, and prayer in honor of the holy Angels; from the Divine
Office at Matins:
Antiphon:
God hath given His angels charge of thee, that they keep thee in all thy
ways. Amen.
O Lord, open Thou my lips,
And my tongue shall declare Thy praise.
O God, incline unto my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be, etc... Alleluia.
Hymn:
O Lord, permit us here to raise our voice;
And waft before Thy throne our feeble praise,
And thank Thee for those angels whom Thy choice
Hath lent our weakness to direct its ways,
And free us from the envious foes that lurk
To spoil the beauty of Thy cherished work.
Ant. O holy Angels, our guardians, defend us in the combat, that we perish
not in the dreadful judgement.
V. In sight of Thy angels I will sing to Thee, my God.
R. I will adore at Thy holy temple, and confess to Thy name.
Prayer:
O God, Who, with unspeakable providence, hast vouchsafed to appoint Thy
holy angels to be our guardians, grant to Thy humble suppliants to be
always defended by their protection, and to enjoy their everlasting
society, through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Imprimatur: John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York, Sept 19, 1908.