Pride -- Beginning of an Evil Will

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Pride -- Beginning of an Evil Will

"People would not have performed an evil work unless an evil will
had preceded it. Now what else than pride could be the beginning of an
evil will? What is pride but the desire of a height out of proportion
to our state?
It is a height out of proportion to our state to leave God to whom
the soul should cling as its basis and to become in some way our own
basis. This is what happens when the soul is too pleased with itself."
--St. Augustine--City of God 14, 4

Prayer: What shall I ask of you, kind Jesus? Through you all things
were made, Son of God, yet you are made among all things, Son of Man.
Why should we come and learn from you? "Because I am meek and humble
of Heart."
--St. Augustine--Holy Virginity 35

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August 12th – Bl. Victoria Diez y Bustos de Molina

(1903-1936)
One usually expects martyrs to be missionaries or bishops or
conscientious statesmen. Actually those singled out to die for their
faith can be of either sex and of any age, nation or profession. For
it is not status that makes a martyr, it is willing acceptance of
death for the Faith at the hands of those who hate it.

Blessed Victoria Diez y Bustos de Molina was a modern lay
schoolteacher in rural Spain. She was executed by Spanish
anticlericals in 1936 at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War.

Victoria was the only child of a Sevillian couple of modest means and
strong Christian devotion. She grew up a devout child of rich talent,
winsome personality and high ideals. Her parents wisely suggested that
she prepare for a teaching career. In addition to taking the necessary
liberal arts studies, she took courses at Seville’s School of Arts and
Crafts, for she had genuine artistic ability.

While preparing for her schoolroom calling, she began to see that
teaching could be a career in which she could not only instruct
others, but make of her scholastic efforts an apostolic activity.
Decision to dedicate her profession to this spiritual aim was inspired
by the Teresian Association, whose Seville branch she joined. The
Teresian Association was an organization lately established by the
Spanish priest, Father Pedro Povedo to develop the spiritual and
pastoral formation of those preparing to dedicate their lives to
school teaching. Victoria joined this quasi-religious group and
followed with zeal its program of prayer and good works. Prayer before
the Blessed Sacrament became her particular source of fortitude. She
found therein “strength, courage, light and all the love I need to
help those entrusted to me on the way to salvation.”

Her first teaching assignment was at Cheles, a small town near the
Portuguese border. After a year, however, she asked for reassignment
to some place nearer to Seville, so that she might be closer to her
family. She was therefore transferred to Hornachuelos, where she would
spend the rest of her life. In both places she proved to be a skilled
and dedicated teacher. But she also set a fine example in her spare
time, cooperating readily with the pastor, particularly in his program
of religious education and engaging in charitable work, often at the
sacrifice of her own limited income. In all these activities she had
the personal guidance of the founder of the Teresians, Father Povedo.

In her formal acceptance of the Teresian code of life, Victoria had
declared, “If it is necessary to give one’s life to be identified with
Christ, our divine model, from now on I no longer exist for the world
because my life is Christ and to die is gain.” At her beatification,
Pope John Paul II would praise the “openness to the Spirit” signified
by her promise of total self-giving.

In 1931, the Spanish Republic was established. The disorder that
followed this revolutionary action paved the way for the outbreak of
civil war in 1936 between those who defended the Church and those who
opposed it. Especially in 1936 and 1937 there was a violent
persecution of the Church, in which hundreds of bishops, priests and
religious died. No count could be kept of the even greater number of
lay Catholics executed, often simply because they wore a medal or
carried a rosary.

As early as August 1936, Republican anticlericals attacked the church
in Hornachuelos. At dusk on August 11, Victoria and others were
arrested and imprisoned. She accepted the situation calmly and
prayerfully. As an eyewitness would later testify, she encouraged and
cheered the rest to persevere. “Come on,” she reminded them, “our
reward is waiting for us.” At dawn on August 12, she and 17 others
were driven into an abandoned mine shaft at Rincon. Before their
execution (presumably by a firing squad), her last words were, “Long
live Christ the King!”

In 1937, Pope Pius XI, then reigning, declared the victims of this
Spanish persecution “true martyrs.” Some of the victims: bishops,
priest, and men and women religious, have already been declared
blessed by Pope John Paul II. To their number, on October 10, 1993, he
added not only Father Pedro Povedo Castroverde (1874-1936), the
founder of the Teresians, but also the laywoman teacher who so well
exemplified the Teresian ideal and the lay Catholic ideal, Blessed
Victoria Diez y Bustos de Molina.
–Father Robert


Saint Quote:
It is not possible ever to exhaust the mind of the Scriptures. It is a
well that has no bottom.
--St. John Chrysostom

Saint Quote:
And we ourselves experience this, that when we enter ornate and clean
Basilicas, adorned with crosses, sacred images, altars, and burning
lamps, we most easily conceive devotion. But, on the other hand, when
we enter the temples of the heretics, where there is nothing except a
chair for preaching and a wooden table for making a meal, we feel
ourselves to be entering a profane hall and not the house of God.
--St. Robert Bellarmine

Bible Quote
1 The wise men will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients, and will
be occupied in the prophets. 2 He will keep the sayings of renowned
men, and will enter withal into the subtleties of parables.
(Ecclesiasticus 39:1-2)


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Let us pray to the Lord:

O Lord Christ, the Peace of all things above and the Hope of those
that are here below, establish in Thy peace and rest Thine holy
Catholic Church and the four corners of the world. Put away war and
dissension from the ends of the earth and scatter those whose delight
is in battle. In Thy divine mercy give peace to our hierarchy and to
our country, that we may live in safety, in sobriety and in
righteousness. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Thy Name be
glory. Amen.