December 18th - St. Gatian
Trudie
(d. First Century)
Saint Gatian, a disciple of the Apostles and the first bishop of Tours, was sent
to that city at the same time as Saint Denys to Paris, Saint Trophimus to Arles,
Saint Martial to Limoges, Saint Saturninus to Toulouse, Saint Sergius Paulus to
Narbonne, and Saint Austremoine into Auvergne. The Gauls in that region were
addicted to the worship of their ancient idols, to which they had added the
divinities of Rome. He found them enslaved to their various superstitions, and
began to teach them the vanity of idols and the impossibility of a plurality of
gods. After dispersing the false ideas and fears they had conceived concerning
the gods of the empire, he presented to them the faith of the Gospel and the
true God. He showed them the necessity of the Redemption and spoke of the Second
Coming of the Saviour as Judge, when He will reward the virtue of those who have
done good, and exile evildoers to a lamentable eternity.
The Saint was often interrupted in his instructions by harassers, and when
denounced to the magistrates, was mistreated and threatened with death; but no
contradictions or sufferings were able to discourage or daunt this apostle. By
his perseverance he gained several to Christ. He left the city, however, and
established a sort of headquarters in a rude grotto surrounded by thorn bushes.
There he celebrated the divine mysteries. His splendid virtues, until then
unknown to this untaught populace, won many to recognition of the truth of the
religion he taught. He traveled in the area, accompanied by his faithful
disciples, to preach and to exercise mercy. There were, it seems, no illnesses
which he did not cure, nor demons which he did not drive away with the sign of
the Cross. The pagan altars began to be abandoned, and it was permitted to
establish small oratories where the faithful could assemble. The people learned
to sing the praises of the true God, and clerics were formed to officiate. Saint
Gatian established outside the city, a cemetery for the burial of Christians.
The holy bishop Gatian died at an advanced age, having seen Our Lord Jesus
Christ come to him during his last illness to awake him from sleep and give him
Holy Communion in Viaticum; he died seven days later. The Cathedral of Tours
still possesses a few fragments of his relics, which Saint Martin had placed in
that principal church, but which wars and persecutions scattered and destroyed
in large part.
Source: Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Guérin (Bloud et
Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 14.
Quote:
Let us come close to the crib. If you love riches, you will find the gold that
the kings brought; if you are looking for the smoke of honors, you will find
that in the incense; and if you take delight if in the delicacies of the senses,
you will find the delicate perfume of myrrh that pervades the stable. Be rich in
love for this adorable Saviour, respectful in the familiarity with which you
relate to Him, and delight in the joy of experiencing in your soul so many
inspirations and affections because you belong exclusively to Him.
--St. Francis de Sales
Bible Quote
37 They were stoned, they were cut asunder, they were tempted, they were put to
death by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being in
want, distressed, afflicted: (Hebrews 11:37)
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Daily Thoughts and Prayers for Our Beloved Dead
"Have pity on me, have pity on me, at least you my friends, because the hand of
the Lord hath touched me" Job. 19-21.
EIGHTH DAY
Despite the sorrowful farewells and vows of undying remembrance, the dead are
all too soon universally forgotten. "Forgotten is all my life, which never a
word recalls; forgotten is my name which no one utters; forgotten is my tomb,
which no one visits; forgotten is my death, which no one morns.
Prayer: Our Father, Three Hail Marys, Gloria, De Profundis.
De Proffundis
Out of the depths, I have cried to Thee, O
Lord, Lord, hear my voice.
Let Thine ears be attentive to the
voice of my supplication.
If Thou, O Lord, shalt mark my iniquities,
O Lord, who shall stand it?
For with Thee there is merciful
forgiveness: and by reason of Thy
law I have waited for Thee, O Lord.
My soul hath relied on His word; my soul
hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch even until
night; let Israel hope in the Lord.
Because with the Lord there is mercy; and
with Him plenteous redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel from
all its iniquities.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and
let perpetual light shine upon them:
May they rest in peace. Amen.
O God, who hast commanded us to honor our father and our mother, in Thy loving
kindness have mercy on the souls of my parents. Forgive them their sins, and
grant that I may see them face to face amid the joy s of life everlasting.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.