Faith must be nourished with the Word of God

[Rich]

Faith must be nourished with the Word of God

Faith is both a free gift of God and the free assent of our will
to the whole truth that God has revealed. To live, grow, and persevere
in the faith to the end, we must nourish it with the word of God. The
Lord gives us his Holy Spirit to enlighten our minds that we may grow
in his truth and in the knowledge of his great love for each of us. If
we approach God's word with trust and submission, and with an
eagerness to do what the Lord desires for us, then we are in a much
better position to learn what God wants to teach us through his word.
Are you eager to be taught by the Lord and to conform your mind,
heart, attitude, and intentions according to his word of truth,
goodness, and love?
"Lord Jesus, your word is power and life. May I never doubt your
love and mercy, and the power of your word that sets us free, and
brings healing and restoration to body, mind, heart, and spirit."

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• November 11th - St. Martin of Tours
(316?-397)

If saints, like stars, vary in greatness, St. Martin of Tours is a
saint of great magnitude. Although he flourished in ancient times, we
know a good deal about him–a further proof of his wide popularity.

Martin was the son of an Italian officer of the Roman army. He was
born in what is now Szombathely, Hungary, when his father was on a
military tour of duty; but before long his parents returned to Pavia,
Italy, and it was there that the son grew up. Although the parents
were pagans, Martin became a Christian catechumen at age 10. Roman law
required that the sons of soldiers also be soldiers, so Martin took
the military oath at 15, and was discharged only in 356. But his life
was more Christian than soldierly, especially after his baptism at 18.
From his earliest military years dates the story, legendary but
characteristic, of his encounter with the poor man of Amiens, France.

One wintry day, says the tale, Martin encountered at the city gate a
man who stood begging alms, shaking with cold but spurned by
passersby. Touched by the sight, the young soldier wanted to help.
Since he had no coins on his person, he took off his military cloak,
cut it in two with his sword, gave the beggar one part, and donned the
other part himself. Some bystanders laughed at this soldier dressed in
a ragged half-cape. But that night in a dream, Private Martin saw
Jesus himself dressed in the beggar’s half. Jesus said, “Martin, yet a
catechumen, covered me with this garment.”

Eventually the military man decided that as a soldier of Christ he
could no longer serve in the ranks. Emperor Julian (“the Apostate”)
thereupon jailed him for “cowardice”, but shortly afterward gave him a
discharge. Then he returned home and converted his mother and others
to Christianity (but not his father).

For a while he campaigned against the local Arian heretics. (They
denied the divinity of Christ.) Then, fascinated by the monastic life
that was becoming popular among devout Christians, he took up the life
of a hermit on an island near Genoa. After a while he contacted St.
Hilary, bishop of Poitiers in western France, and received from him an
invitation to move his hermitage to the present Ligugé near Poitiers.
When a number of other men came to Ligugé and asked to join him,
Martin the hermit established what seems to have been the pioneer
monastery in France. This was around 360. During the next decade he
not only helped form his disciples in the religious life but preached
throughout the countryside of Gaul, which was still largely pagan.

Gifted with the power of miracles, he was a very successful missionary.

In 371, the people of Tours insisted that Martin be their bishop. He
refused. But after they had tricked him into being consecrated, he
finally accepted the task. Unwilling to abandon his monastic life, he
set up a new monastery at Marmoutier, near Tours. In a short time the
community grew to 80 monks. In this district, too, Bishop Martin
became an effective missionary; indeed, he moved out from Touraine
into northern Gaul (including Paris) and into the southeast of France.

The longer Martin lived, the more his influence increased, in matters
of state as well as church. Thus he intervened successfully with a
tyrannical army officer to prevent him from torturing and executing a
number of prisoners. He was less successful, however, in his effort to
prevent the government from executing some Priscillianists. Not that
he approved the errors of these Christian heretics. He simply believed
that the Church, not the civil government, should handle the case, and
that death was not an appropriate penalty.

Martin was still engaged in his tireless labors when it was revealed
to him that his death was approaching. He told his disciples of this
coming event, but they begged him not to “desert” them. Torn between
their will and God’s will, he prayed in anguish, “Lord, if your people
still need me, I will keep working.” But whatever delay he was granted
was not long. He died in the harness on November 8, 397. Burial was at
Tours on November 11, which became his feastday.

St. Martin’s tomb quickly became one of the most beloved shrines in
Europe, and Martin one of the most popular saints, not only in France,
where his name is interwoven with many folk traditions (e.g. the name
“St. Martin’s Summer” for “Indian Summer”), but especially in England.
There the oldest existing church in the country, near Canterbury, is
dedicated to him. And to this day, the feast of St. Martin of Tours,
“this glory of France and light of the western Church”, is listed in
the calendar of the Anglican Church.
–Father Robert


Saint Quote:
If only mortals would learn how great it is to possess divine grace,
how beautiful, how noble, how precious. How many riches it hides
within itself, how many joys and delights! No one would complain about
his cross or about troubles that may happen to him, if he would come
to know the scales on which they are weighed when they are distributed
to men.
--Saint Rose of Lima

Bible Quote:
And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his
eyes towards heaven; but struck his breast, saying: O God, be merciful
to me a sinner. (Luke 18:13) DRB


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God irradiates your life:

God irradiates your life with the warmth of His spirit. You must
open up like a flower to this divine irradiation. Loosen your hold on
earth, its cares, and its worries. Unclasp your hold on material
things, relax your grip, and the tide of peace and serenity will flow
in. Relinquish every material thing and receive it back again from
God. Do not hold on to earth's treasures so firmly that your hands are
too occupied to clasp God's hands as He holds them out to you in love.