Acquiring Patience in the Fight Against Concupiscence

[Weedy]

Acquiring Patience in the Fight Against Concupiscence

The Voice of Christ.
My child, you are right, yet My wish is not that you seek that
peace which is free from temptations or meets with no opposition, but
rather that you consider yourself as having found peace when you have
been tormented with many tribulations and tried with many adversities.
If you say that you cannot suffer much, how will you endure the
fire of purgatory? Of two evils, the lesser is always to be chosen.
Therefore, in order that you may escape the everlasting punishments to
come, try to bear present evils patiently for the sake of God.
--Thomas à Kempis --Imitation of Christ Bk 3 Ch 12

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July 1st - St. Juthware, Virgin of Devonshire.
(Also known as Judith)

Sister of Saint Sidwell. Virgin-martyr. Many legends have grown up
around her, but this is all we really know.

Martyred, 7th century, Halstock (Holy Place) in northwest Dorset,
England. In art, she is shown as a Celtic-British maiden holding her
severed head; sometimes shown with St. Sidwell (St. Sativola of
Laneast in Cornwall?) as her sister; St Juthware's Well at Halstock
sprang up where the saint's severed head fell, along with a miraculous
oak tree. The Church of St. Mary's is built on the site, and has a
chapel dedicated to Juthware.

Until recently, Halstock had an inn called, 'The Quiet Woman,' with a
sign outside depicting a headless woman. Though the pub has sadly
gone, the gruesome tale it commemorated still haunts the village to
this day.

In the seventh century a baby girl called Juthware (pronounced Uth-
are), was born in the village, but it was a difficult birth and her
mother died leaving her to be brought up by Benna, the girl's father.

Benna looked after his daughter as best as he could, but what the girl
needed was a mother, and in time he relinquished his loss by taking
another wife. This second wife was a Welsh woman called Goneril who
was also a widow and had by her former husband a son called Bana. All
was well at first, but as the years passed Goneril began to despise
her step daughter, for not only was she beautiful, but she was a
devoted Christian, often fasting and doing penance for her sins.

Many pilgrims and wayfarers traveled the roads and would often seek
shelter at Juthware's father's house. Benna was a good, but sick man
and remembering the kindness of his first wife was always keen to show
hospitality. And so while they ate Juthware would pass among them with
drinking horns of wine and ale and listen to their wonderful stories
of Our Lord's birth and life.

When Benna died Juthware followed her father's example of hospitality.
This angered Goneril who could not stand her stepdaughter’s good
qualities any longer and so she contrived a plan to be rid of her.

Goneril's chance came one morning when Juthware came to her
complaining of chest pains. She told Juthware to rub some cheese onto
her chest and stomach first thing in the morning and last thing at
night and the pains would go.

When Goneril saw Juthware doing this she went secretly into the wood
and there slaughtered a lamb and left it for the wolves. The next
morning she went to Bana and told him that Juthware had given birth to
a child in the wood and had fed it to the wolves. However, Bana would
not believe her, so she took him into the wood and showed him the
remains of the bloodied carcass. But still Bana would not believe it,
so she brought Juthware to the wood and ordered her to remove her
vest. Bana examined the garment and found the stains of motherhood.

In a fit of rage he drew his sword and cut Juthware's head clean off.
Goneril's face was triumphant, but as she reveled in her
stepdaughter’s death, to her horror Juthware's severed head called to
her body. It jerked and slowly rising to its feet gathered the head
and moved with measured mechanical steps down the hill and along the
lane to the church and there placed her head on the altar before
finally dying.

Soon after, Juthware became known as Saint Juthware and a shrine was
dedicated to her at the place of her martyrdom.

But the gruesome tale doesn't end there, for at one o'clock in the
morning on All Saints Day (1st November), Saint Juthware's ghost is
said to return to repeat the incident. She is said to be seen carrying
her head in the lane leading to Abbots Hill, alias Judith Hill.

The public house 'The Quiet Woman' is no longer run as a pub, but is
now run as a guesthouse for visitors by Gill and Paul Tebano.


Saint Quote:
Do you wish to be great? Then begin by being. Do you desire to
construct a vast and lofty fabric? Think first about the foundations
of humility. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be
its foundation.
--St. Augustine

Bible Quote
And because you are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into
your hearts, crying: Abba, Father. Therefore now he is not a servant,
but a son. And if a son, an heir also through God. (Galatians 4:6-7)


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All of this abortion carnage brings to mind a poem by Alexander Pope
on the Human response to evil.

Evil is a monster of such hideous mien
That to be hated needs but to be seen
But seen too often
Familiar with her face
First we pity
Then endure
And finally embrace.