— Matthew 25:21 —
Weedy
"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have
been
faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.
Come and
share your master's happiness!'"
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Christ wants us to share his happiness, to live happily ever after.
Until then,
he gives us a sudden splash of happiness here and there so we can wet
our toes
in what we'll be swimming in for all of eternity!
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January 6th - St. John de Ribera
Born in Seville, Spain, in 1532; died in Valencia, Spain, on January
6, 1611;
beatified in 1796; canonized in 1960.
John was the son of Peter de Ribera, the duke of Alcalá (one of the
highest
grandees in Spain), and viceroy of Naples, Italy. More importantly,
Duke Peter
was a devout Christian and raised his son in Christian values. John
was educated
at the University of Salamanca and ordained to the priesthood in 1557.
He
remained at Salamanca as professor of theology.
His gifts became widely known and gained him the esteem of Pope Pius V
and
Philip II of Spain. Much to his dismay, John was appointed bishop of
Badajoz in
1562. For six years he discharged his duties admirably and with such
zeal that
he was then transferred to the archbishopric of Valencia, again
against his
wishes. A few months later, filled with consternation at the languid
faith and
relaxed morals of the province, which was the stronghold of the
Moriscos, he
wrote begging to be allowed to resign, but the pope would not consent.
For the
next 42 years until his death, the archbishop struggled to support
cheerfully a
load of responsibility that almost crushed him. In his old age, that
burden was
increased with the added dignity of viceroy of that province imposed
upon him by
Philip III.
Archbishop John viewed with intense alarm what he regarded as the
dangerous
activities of the Moriscos. He was one of the advisers who were mainly
responsible for the edict of 1609 which enforced their deportation
from
Valencia. He died after a long illness, patiently borne, at the
College of
Corpus Christi, which he himself had founded and endowed. Many
miracles were
attributed to his intercession.
Although not everyone regards him as an enlightened statesman, each
should
admire his conscientious devotion to duty and his heroic patience in
bearing the
responsibilities of his office. It was these qualities that were
recalled in the
decree of beatification. It pronounced upon him the personal virtues
and
miracles of a servant of God; however, it does not constitute an
approbation of
all his public acts or of his political views (Benedictines, Walsh).
From:
http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0105.shtml
Saint Quote:
"Chastity is to be specially guarded, because if it is lost all other
virtues
are ruined"
--St. Jerome (Doctor, 342-420) - "Instructions On Christian Morality"
Bible Quotes:
"Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6) ... I
could not
otherwise be continent, except God gave it" (Wisdom 8:21)
"Do not err: Neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers: Nor the
effeminate nor liers with mankind [not 'liars' but 'liers with men',
that is,
sodomites] ... [None of the unchaste] shall possess the kingdom of
God. (1
Corinthians 6:9-10)
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Prayer for Peace
Christ be with me and in me.
Lord Jesus Christ son of the living God of all creation,
We know that you are God's face on earth.
We know that you are a sacrificial lamb for the redemption of mankind;
For this reason Lord I ask:
Christ be in my eyes and in what I see and how I see it;
Christ help me here.
Christ be in my mouth and tongue and what I say;
Christ help me here.
Christ be in my ears and what I hear and how I hear it;
Christ help me here.
Christ be with me in all my feeling of pleasure, pain and suffering;
Christ help me here.
Christ stay with me always as I live and be with me as I die;
Christ help me here.
Thank you Lord for all the blessing and gifts you have given me in
this life.
Finally Lord I ask for the one thing I know is always your will to
grant;
Lord give me your peace. Amen
-
"Oh Lord, may I be directed what to do and what to leave undone."
Graham Marks 2002