A Foretaste of Heavenly Beauty

[Traudel]

A Foretaste of Heavenly Beauty

"Envision the extraordinary brilliance and effects of the light in
sun and moon and stars, in the dark shades of a glade, in the colors
and scents of flowers. Then there is the grandeur of the spectacle of
the sea as it slips on and off its many colors like robes..
All these are mere consolations for us, not the rewards of the
blessed. What can such rewards be like, then, if such things here are
so many, so great, and of such quality?"
--St. Augustine--City of God 22, 24

Prayer: Look at the heavens and the earth: in their steady change and
alteration they proclaim that they were made, and their very existence
is itself the voice with which they speak. It was you, O Lord, who
created them.
--St. Augustine--Confessions 9, 4

<<>><<>><<>>
5 May – Saint Nunzio Sulprizio
also known as “Nuntius”

(1917-1836) Aged 19 – Layman – born on 13 April 1817 at
Pescosansonesco, Pescara, Abruzzi, Italy and died on 5 May 1836 in
Naples, Italy.
Patronages – the disabled, blacksmiths, Workers, Pescosansonesco.

St Nunzio suffered from poor health during his brief life and was
considered by those who knew him to be a gentle and pious individual.
He was Beatified in late 1963 by St Pope Paul VI, after the
recognition of two miracles (direct healings) attributed to his
intercession. Pope Francis confirmed his Canonisation on 8 June 2018
after the confirmation of a third miracle and Nunzio was Canonised on
14 October 2018, together with Blessed Pope Paul VI, Blessed Oscar
Romero (martyr) and others.

Nunzio Sulprizio was born on 13 April 1817 to Domenico Sulprizio and
Rosa Luciani just after Easter. He was named after his paternal
grandfather Nunzio who died on 8 September 1803. His parents had
married on 28 May 1816 and he was born during a time of great famine.
He was baptised before sunset mere hours after his birth. His parents
took him to the Bishop of Sulmona Francesco Tiberi on 16 May 1820 so
he could receive his Confirmation in the faith.

His father died on 31 July 1820 and his mother remarried in 1822 for
financial support to a much older man, his little sister Domenica died
just months after their father on 7 December 1820. His stepfather
viewed Sulprizio with little more than harshness and contempt. The
relationship between the two was nonexistent and Sulprizio bonded more
with his mother and maternal grandmother. During this period of his
childhood, he attended the school in Corvara that the priest De
Fabiis managed. It was around this time, he also started to attend
school that a local priest ran where he learned to read and to write.
In his childhood, he took the time to attend Mass and come to know
Jesus Christ but also to follow His example and that of the saints.

His mother died on 5 March 1823 and he was sent to live with his
maternal grandmother Anna Rosaria Luciani del Rossi who was illiterate
but firm in the faith. The two often took walks together and attended
Mass on a regular basis. He also began to attend the school for poor
students that Father Fantacci managed but his grandmother died only 3
years later, on 4 April 1826.

It was following this that his uncle – Domenico Luciani, took him on
as an apprentice blacksmith. His uncle was harsh on him and often
left him without proper nourishment and did not feed him if he decided
that Nunzio needed either discipline or correction. He sent Nunzio to
run errands regardless of the distance which put a great strain upon
him. He was also beaten or cursed. The work was too heavy for his
frail frame and his young age. He contracted a disease in 1831. This
occurred one winter morning when his uncle sent him to the slopes of
Rocca Tagliata for supplies. That evening he became feverish and had
a swollen leg and a burning temperature, forcing him to bed. He did
not mention this to his uncle, though the next morning he could no
longer stand. His uncle was indifferent to his suffering. His
condition was later diagnosed as gangrene in one leg. He was
hospitalised first in L’Aquila between April and June and then in
Naples. Despite his pain he dealt with it with patience and his
offering his pain to God.

During his illness at home he needed to clean his sore on a constant
basis since it oozed puss. There was one occasion where he went to a
stream close to home to clean his wound but a woman who came to wash
her clothes chased him away, after telling him that he would pollute
the water. Instead he found another stream and was able to recite
several rosaries as he let the water clean his sore.

In the hospital, Nunzio later met his paternal uncle – Francesco
Sulprizio (a soldier) – who introduced him to a fellow soldier,
Colonel Felice Wochinger. His uncle introduced him to that colonel in
1832. The two’s relationship soon grew until it became that of father
and son. St Gaetano Errico (1791-1860), a priest – promised him that
he would admit him into his religious order when the time was right.
On 20 June 1832 he entered the Hospital of the Incurables to seek
further treatment with the colonel providing for all his needs during
this time. He also prepared for his First Communion and was
enthusiastic about receiving it earlier, despite the fact that rules
dictated that he had to be 15. He was sent by the Colonel for spa
treatments on the island of Ischia and was able to abandon crutches in
favour of a simple walking stick.
In 1835 the doctors decided to amputate his leg as their sole option
but his pain continued. His situation worsened in March 1836 and his
suffering increased when his fever increased. He continued to place
his trust in God and was well aware of the fact that the end was near.
Two months later on the date of his death he asked for a crucifix to
be brought to him before summoning his confessor to receive the
sacraments for the last time. He died in 1836. His remains are now
located in the Church of San Domenico Soriano in Naples. Decades after
his death Pope Leo XIII proposed Sulprizio as a model for workers.

The miracle that led to his Canonisation concerned a man who was
injured in a motorbike accident who fell into a coma. One relic of St
Nunzio was – at the request of his relations – placed in his hospital
room. Almost a week later his parents were told he had made remarkable
progress and had awakened from his coma and not in a vegetative state
as was predicted by all the doctors concerned.

https://anastpaul.com/2019/05/05/

“When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore”...John 21:4

REFLECTION – “When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the
shore”...John 21:4
What does the sea indicate but the present age, which is disturbed by
the uproar of circumstances and the commotion of this perishable life?
What does the solidity of the shore signify but the uninterrupted
continuance of eternal peace? Therefore, since the disciples were
still held in the waves of this mortal life, they were labouring on
the sea. But since our Redeemer had already passed beyond His
perishable body, after His Resurrection, He stood on the shore, as if
He were speaking to His disciples by His actions, of the mystery of
His Resurrection: “I am not appearing to you on the sea, because I am
not with you in the waves of confusion” (Mt 14:25)
…St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) Father & Doctor of the Church


Saint Quote:
When you feel the assaults of passion and anger, then is the time to
be silent as Jesus was silent in the midst of His ignominies and
sufferings.
--St. Paul of the Cross

Bible Quote:
When you have done everything that was commanded you, say, "We are
unprofitable servants." (Luke 17:10)


<><><><>
Prayer Before a Crucifix

O good Jesus, hide me within Thy wounds.

Behold, O good and sweetest Jesus,
before Thy Face I humbly kneel,
and with the greatest fervour of my soul I pray
and beseech Thee to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments
of faith, hope, and charity, with true contrition for my sins and
a most firm purpose of amendment, whilst I contemplate with
great sorrow and affection Thy five wounds and ponder them
over in my mind, having before my eyes the words which long
ago David the prophet spoke in Thy own person concerning
Thee, O good Jesus: "They have pierced My hands and My
feet, they have numbered all My bones."

Grant, O Lord Jesus Christ, that we who devoutly cherish
Thy wounds, having them impressed on our hearts,
may honour them by our actions and our life.

Glory be to the Father, etc., five times.