All things should be referred to God as their last end: (2)

[Weedy]

All things should be referred to God as their last end: (2)

The Voice of Christ
From Me the small and the great, the poor and the rich draw the
water of life as from a living fountain, and they who serve Me
willingly and freely shall receive grace upon grace. He who wishes to
glory in things apart from Me, however, or to delight in some good as
his own, shall not be grounded in true joy or gladdened in his heart,
but shall be burdened and distressed in many ways. Hence you ought not
to attribute any good to yourself or ascribe virtue to any man, but
give all to God without Whom man has nothing. I have given all
things. I will that all be returned to Me again, and I exact most
strictly a return of thanks. This is the truth by which vainglory is
put to flight.
--Thomas à Kempis --Imitation of Christ Book 3, Chapter 9

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16 August – Saint Ugolina of Vercelli

(c 1239-c 1300)
Virgin, Anchorite Recluse, Penitent, Spiritual advisor. The very
strange story of this Blessed Vercellese who lived in the late 1200s –
early 1300s. She went to shut herself up in a hermitage, passing
herself off as a man and remained there for forty-seven years to
escape the aims of her father. In order not to reveal her secret, she
called himself Ugo without revealing her identity to anyone. In the
hermitage she grew in faith and prayer. When she died then it became
known that she was a woman and it was possible to reconstruct her
story in the midst of everyone’s surprise and admiration.

The first biographer of St. Ugolina, who wrote immediately after her
death, was the Dominican Confessor Father Valentino. These important
memories, already unavailable in the 18th century, are cited by the
Franciscan, Ludovico della Croce who, consulting them, wrote in the
mid-17th century what is today the oldest biography. Unfortunately,
the work has the main purpose of handing down the virtues and not the
historical information on this Saint, whose life is similar to other
figures that arose in the Middle Ages, in imitation of the eastern
anchorites.

Ugolina was born in Vercelli in 1239, in the noble and wealthy De
Cassami family (or De Cassinis, according to recent studies). Her
coming into the world was a grace for the pious parents who saw in
her, an only child, a precious gift and surrounded her with thoughtful
care.

At the age of ten, she admirably exercised charity towards his
neighbour, the constant practice of personal and community prayer and
perfect adherence to the teachings of her parents. She had a great
love for pilgrims, who were numerous in those times. When she learned
that the destination was the Holy Land, her interest became intense,
giving them food and money for the journey.

The first great test for the young woman came when she was only
fourteen years old – the one who had physically generated her and who
had formed her spirit according to the noblest Christian sentiments,
died. So she stayed with her father who, unfortunately, only briefly
curbed the urge to seduce her. The most horrendous of family crimes
was thus about to be consummated, in that once happy home. The Lord
did not abandon Ugolina who, with good manners and, above all with
prayer, managed to lead her father back to the right path. The family
balance, however, was compromised and Ugolina matured the vocation
that she already felt in her heart. The only confidant was a woman
named Libera, to whom she manifested the desire to serve Christ with
prayer, living withdrawn from the world. Libera told her to ponder the
decision thoroughly, waiting for a heavenly sign. Ugolina decided that
she would carry out the escape when her father was absent for business
and this happened the very next day, when the parent went to Turin.
Wearing men’s clothes and a hood, the maiden left the palace.

The extraordinary and dangerous inspiration led her to a wood, a mile
away from the City, where the Chapel of St Mary of Bethlehem stood.
Next to it was the cell, now empty, of a hermit named Favorino who, on
his return from the Holy Land, had built that hermitage to live in
holiness. Ugolina decided that it would be her new home.

For forty-seven years, pretending to be a man named Ugone, she lived
with the bare necessities, in prayer, between intense talks with God
and penances to fight the temptations that certainly were not lacking.

The distance from the City was, however, short and, therefore, the
Chapel became a point of reference for the whole surrounding area, a
place of prayer, comfort, advice, for people of different social
classes. Ugolina communicated, without showing her face, through a
small window. Only the Confessor and confidant, Libera, knew who that
anchorite really was.

The ancient biographer gives us a singular fact. A poor widow from
Vercelli, heavily harassed by the City’s evil Procurator, asked
Ugolina for help, who exceptionally let her into her cell. At midnight
the following day, in the Chapel next door, an Angel comforted them by
telling them that the persecutor would pay for his misdeeds. Shortly
thereafter he was in fact condemned. The woman kept the secret, then
went every day to see her. So many years passed, until Ugolina’s
health declined – stomach upsets and fevers forced her to bed. A few
days before her death she called Father Valentino for general
Confession and Holy Communion. She died on 16 August c 1300.

The news quickly spread around the City. The Priest went to the
Bishop, Aimone di Challant, who was already informed of the facts. In
solemn procession, with the clergy and the people, he wanted to pay
homage to her. Ugolina, on a poor bed, rested in the peace of the
Lord, with the side of the Crucifix, which she held in her hands,
resting on her mouth. The Bishop, moved, knelt down and kissed her
hands. All the people paraded in front of the body, finally
discovering that she was the daughter of the rich De Cassami.

According to her will, she was buried in the cell, then, subsequently,
in the Church. The tomb became a destination for pilgrims, often
miraculous. She was a Saint by popular acclaim, with a feast on 8
August. In 1453 the Franciscans erected an important Convent next to
the Church, called St Maria di Billiemme (from Bethlehem), continuing
their devotion to the Saint.
The Chapel, with its ribbed vaults, was exquisitely frescoed in the
16th century, while the cell was destroyed in the siege of 1704. In
1996 the centuries-old presence of the Franciscans ceased, taken over
by the Marianist Fathers.

https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/16/


Saint Quote:
You victorious martyrs who endured torments gladly for the sake of the
God and Savior, you who have boldness of speech toward the Lord
himself, you saints, intercede for us who are timid and sinful men,
full of sloth, that the grace of Christ may come upon us, and
enlighten the hearts of all of us that so we may love him.
-- Saint Ephrem of Syria

Bible Verse
"You see now that it is by deeds, and not only by believing, that
someone is justified. There is another example of the same kind: Rahab
the prostitute, was she not justified by her deeds because she
welcomed the messengers and showed them a different way to leave?"
[James 2:24-25]


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Daily Prayer to the Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart of Jesus, today I wish
to live in You, in Your Grace, in which
I desire at all costs to persevere. Keep
me from sin and strengthen my will by
helping me to keep watch over my
senses, my imagination, and my heart.
Help me to correct my faults which are
the source of sin. I beg You to do this,
O Jesus, through Mary,
Your Immaculate Mother.