The first martyr

[Rich]

The first martyr

Yesterday we kept the feast of Christmas, the day the King of
martyrs was born into the world. Today we celebrate the birthday of
Stephen, the day the first of all the martyrs left this world. The
immortal one had first to assume our flesh so that mortals might
undergo death for his sake. The Lord was born to die for his servant,
so that his servant would not fear to die for him. Christ was born on
earth so that Stephen might be born in heaven.
Christ prayed for those who crucified him. Stephen also prayed for
those who stoned him. The Lord Jesus prayed, nailed to the cross;
Stephen prayed on bended knee. He stood to commend his spirit to the
Lord; he knelt to pray for the sin of his attackers. He spoke to the
Lord as he would to a friend, entreating him for his enemies.
Let us turn to the younger persecutor Saul to see how powerful was
the prayer of the holy martyr Stephen. If Stephen had not prayed for
his enemies, the Church today would have had no Paul. Let us then
commend ourselves to Stephen. If his prayers for those who stoned him
were heard, much more will they now be heard for those who venerate
him.
--Augustine of Hippo:

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26 December – Saint Vincenza Maria Lopez

(1847- 1890)
Professed religious and the founder of the Daughters of Mary
Immaculate. Born as Vincenza Maria Lopez y Vicuña on 24 March 1847 in
Cascante, Navarra, Spain and died on 26 December 1890 (aged 43) in
Madrid, Spain of natural causes. She is the Patron of the Order she
founded. Her order was dedicated to administering to “working girls”,
or young women in domestic employment and she took the view that these
housemaids and other domestic servants needed care, with a particular
emphasis on girls who suffered abuse.

Young working women, especially those who earn their living in today’s
large cities, are subject to many temptations regarding faith and
morals. Saint Vincenza Maria Lopez dedicated her life to mothering
such working girls. In fact, she found the work a complete delight and
declared herself ready to suffer anything, even death, rather than
abandon this apostolate.

Vincenza was thus a social activist on behalf of women workers, even
as her contemporary, Blessed Adolf Kolping (1813-1865), was a social
activist on behalf of working men. Both dealt with people exposed to
those trials of the marketplace that became acute during the
Industrial Revolution.

This “foster mother” was a Spaniard, born at Cascante, in Navarre, to
devout middle-class parents. In 1854 the Lopezes sent their daughter
to Madrid for schooling, and from that time on she became a Madrilena.
She lived with her aunt, Eulalia y Vicuna and this admirable women set
her an example that shaped her whole adult life and her growth in
holiness.

Eulalia had already established a hospice for jobless young servant
girls. Vincenza was attracted by this sort of charity. Realising its
necessity, she worried what would become of the hospice if anything
happened to her aunt. At 19, increasingly convinced that she herself
was called to the religious life in its “active” rather than
contemplative form, she took a private vow not to marry.

Senor and Senora Lopez, despite their piety, were not pleased with
their daughter’s decision. They wanted her either to marry or to join
the Visitation nuns, a cloistered order. When Vincenza refused their
proposal, they ordered her to come back to Cascante. Apparently they
thought that the only remaining alternative was for her to live at
home as a spinster.

She did return home. When she fell ill, however, her parents became
concerned and rather ashamed of themselves, so they eventually allowed
her to go back to Madrid. Now Vincenza’s plans began to mature. In
1871 she and her aunt and a few other women on the hospice staff began
to lead a community religious life. Then in 1876, with the assistance
of a Jesuit, Father Hidalgo y Soba, they drew up a rule of life that
would commit them to conduct homes for working girls and teach them
domestic arts. Thus was founded the Daughters of Mary Immaculate for
Domestic Service. Vincenza and three others received the veil from the
bishop of Seville that year. They pronounced their vows as sisters two
years later.

Since the hospice was already flourishing, the Daughters had merely to
continue and expand their efforts. Further homes, hostels, technical
schools, canteens and other institutes were established as needed and
the work spread throughout Spain and to other European countries and
even into South America. After her death, Africa would welcome the
Sisters. Aunt Eulalia continued to contribute her whole time and
fortune. But Mother Vincentia’s general plan of financing, positively
excluded her sisters’ operating regular schools, in order to earn
support for their charitable work. She chose the harder way – begging.

Vincenza’s Daughters had a motto: “Steady employment is the safeguard
of virtue.” What was true of their working girls is equally true of
the thousands of youths who run away each year to the large cities for
want of occupations and then fall into vice. Let us not forget to help
such idle youth by helping the good people, who try to do for them
today, what Saint Vincenza tried to do in her time.

The task she undertook was not easy. Not only were finances a problem,
her own health was always poor and she was only 43 when she died. But
she would not, for all the world, have chosen any other role. “I count
myself happier in the service of these my sisters, than the great ones
of this world, in the service of their lords and kings.”

Venerable Pope Pius XII presided over her Beatification on 19 February
1950 and St Pope Paul VI Canonised this modern woman in 1975. She is
an exemplar of social charity for our times and a wonderful icon of
Catholic Social Teaching.

https://anastpaul.com/2019/12/26/


Saint Quote:
I wish I could persuade spiritual persons that the way of perfection
does not consist in many devices, nor in much cogitation, but in
denying themselves completely and yielding themselves to suffer
everything for love of Christ. And if there is failure in this
exercise, all other methods of walking in the spiritual way are merely
a beating about the bush, and profitless trifling, although a person
should have a very high contemplation and communication with God.
--St. John of the Cross

Bible Quote:
"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him
in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also
will hear their cry and save them." (Psalm 145:18-19)
Bible Quote
Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In all things give thanks for this
is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all. [Thes. 5:16-18] DRB


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Who abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him.--1 John 4:16

13. To lose ourselves in God is simply to give up our own will to Him.
When a soul can say truly, "Lord, I have no other will than Thine," it
is truly lost in God, and united to Him.
--St. Francis de Sales

The venerable Father Daponte made this prayer, and repeated it every
day: "Fiat, Domine de me, in me, pro me, et circa me et omnia mea,
sancta voluntas Tua, in omnibus et per omnia et in
aeternum--Concerning me, in me, for me, in regard to me, and all that
I have, may Thy holy will, O Lord, be done, in all things, and through
all things, and to eternity."

The Lord appeared one day to St. Gertrude and said to her: "Daughter,
behold I bring you in one hand health, and in the other sickness.
Choose which you please!" The Saint, throwing herself at His feet,
with her hands crossed upon her bosom, answered: "O Lord, I pray Thee
not to consider my will at all, but solely Thine own, and to do with
me whatever will result in Thy greatest glory and satisfaction; for I
have no desire except to have whatever Thou wishest me to have." The
Lord was much pleased with this reply, and added: "Let those who
desire that I should often visit them give Me the key of their will,
and never take it back?' Instructed by these words, the Saint composed
for herself this aspiration, which she frequently repeated ever after:
"Non mea, sed Tua voluntas fiat, Jesu amantissime!--Not my will, but
Thine be done, O most loving Jesus!"
(Taken from the book "A Year with the Saints". December: Union)