On Ardent Love and Eager Desire to Receive Christ [III]

[Rich]

On Ardent Love and Eager Desire to Receive Christ [III]

Accept, O Lord my God, my vows and my desire to offer Thee infinite
praise and boundless blessing; for these are Your rightful due, by
reason of Your unspeakable greatness (Ps. 150:2) These I render, and
wish to render every day and every moment of time; and I lovingly pray
and entreat all the heavenly host to join with me and all the faithful
in offering Thee praise and thanksgiving.
--Thomas à Kempis--Imitation of Christ Book 4 Ch.17

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8 April – Blessed Auguste Czartoryski
Also known as
Prince August Franciszek Maria Anna Józef Kajetan Czartoryski
Duke of Vista Alegre

1858-1893
Prince Auguste was born in Paris on the 12th of August 1858, the first
son of Prince Wladyslaw Czartoryski and his Spanish consort Maria
Amparo Muñoz y Borbon Countess of Vista Alegre the daughter of Queen
Maria Cristina of Spain.

At the age of six, his mother died of tuberculosis having already
passed the disease to her husband and young son. This will force him
to live in search of sunshine in Europe, Egypt and North Africa.

Auguste was born reflexive and solitary by nature with this inner call
that was at first inaudible to the family or his surrounding. And
almost unknowingly he followed the call, and each person who helped
him to discover his best qualities unselfishness love and joy to
humanity sacrifice and mutual help.

His first guide was his tutor father Joseph Kalinowski whose
nationalism had led him to spend ten years in Siberia in the harshest
prison; this fearless moral giant (canonized in 1991) was a revelation
of unconditional commitment to Auguste, and when he left after three
years to become a Carmelite, Auguste decided to dedicate his life for
the good of mankind and at the age of twenty five he met Don Bosco,
whose charitable work to help abandoned young boys gave him the
confirmation to join the Salesian order.

Prince Wladyslaw was totally opposed to his son's choice and even went
as far as to plead his case to Pope Leon XIII. But in June 1887
Auguste renounced all his family rights and inheritance, in favour of
brothers from his father's marriage with Princess Marguerite de
Orleans granddaughter of King Louis Philippe of France.

On the 24th of November 1887 Prince Auguste received his cloak from
the hands of Don Bosco with these words, "My dear Prince today we have
won a great victory. Be courageous and with God's will you will do a
lot of good to your Country" His priesthood was very short and he died
on Easter Day the 8th of April 1893 at the age of 35 leaving behind an
example of strength, faith and love he is buried in Poland in the
Silesian church in Przemysl.

His Holiness Pope Jean Paul II beatified Prince Auguste in Rome on the
25th of April 2004. Prince Adam Karol and Princess Josette Czartoryski
attended with the Polish Ambassador to the Vatican Mrs. Hannah
Suchocka. Around fifty members of the Czartoryski Family joined the
ceremony along with all the people who came from Poland for the
occasion. That evening and His Holiness granted a private audience to
the Family with his benediction to all participants

https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/08/


“How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, God of hosts. My soul is
longing and yearning, is yearning for the courts of the Lord…. One day
within your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” …Psalm 84[83]:
2, 11

“Blessed Augusto Czartoryski wrote these words of the Psalm, his motto
of life, on the holy card of his first Mass. In them is contained the
rapture of a man who, following the voice of the call, discovers the
beauty of the ministerial priesthood. In them resounds the echo of the
different choices that the person who is discerning God’s will and
wishes to fulfil it must make. Augustus Czartoryski, a young prince,
carefully prepared an effective method to discern the divine plan. In
prayer, he presented to God all questions and deep perplexities and
then in the spirit of obedience he followed the counsel given by his
spiritual guides. In this way he came to understand his vocation and
to take up the life of poverty to serve the “least”. The same method
enabled him throughout the course of his life to make decisions, so
that today we can say that he accomplished the designs of Divine
Providence in a heroic way. I would like to leave this example of
holiness especially to young people, who today search out the way to
decipher God’s will relating to their own lives and desire to
faithfully forge ahead each day according to the divine word. My dear
young friends, learn from Blessed Augustus to ask ardently in prayer
for the light of the Holy Spirit and wise guides, so that you may
understand the divine plan in your lives and are able to walk
constantly on the path of holiness.”…St Pope John Paul on the
Beatification of Blessed Augustus on Sunday, 25 April 2004

https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/08/


Saint Quote:
"God wishes that there should be poor in this world, so that the rich
may atone for their sins"
--St. Augustine (Doctor, 354-430) - "Instructions On Christian Morality"

Bible Quotes:
"And God provideth for him that sheweth favour: he remembereth him
afterwards, and in the time of his fall he shall find a sure stay"
(Ecclesiasticus 3:)

"For the poor you have always with you" (Matt 26:11)

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To Thee, O Jesus, Hosanna!
By St Bonaventure (1217-1274)
Seraphic Doctor of the Church

To Thee, O Jesus,
do I turn, as my true and last end.
Thou art the River of Life
which alone can satisfy my thirst.
Without Thee, all else is barren and void.
Without all else, Thou alone art enough for me.
Thou art the Redeemer of those that are lost,
the sweet Consoler of the sorrowful,
the Crown of Glory of the victors,
the recompense of the Blessed.
One day I hope to receive of Thy Fullness
and to sing the song of praise, in my true home.
Give me only on earth, some few drops of consolation
and I will patiently await Thy Coming,
when I hope to enter into the joy of my Lord.
Hosanna!