Appreciating God’s Grace (4)

[Weedy]

Appreciating God’s Grace (4)

Always take the lowest place and the highest will be given you, for the highest cannot exist apart from the lowest. The saints who are greatest before God are those who consider themselves the least, and the more humble they are within themselves, so much the more glorious they are. Since they do not desire vainglory, they are full of truth and heavenly glory. Being established and strengthened in God, they can by no means be proud. They attribute to God whatever good they have received; they seek no glory from one another but only that which comes from God alone. They desire above all things that He be praised in themselves and in all His saints--this is their constant purpose.
--Thomas à Kempis --Imitation of Christ Book 2, Chapter 10

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June 26th - Blessed Andrea Giacinto Longhin
(Also known as Andrea of Fiumicello; Andrew Longhin; Andrew of
Campodarsego; Bishop of the Catechism; Hyacinth Bonaventure Longhin)

The only son of Matthew and Judith Marin, poor and pious tenant
farmers. He early felt a call to the priesthood. Against the wishes of
his father, he became a Capuchin novice, taking the name Andrew of
Campodarsego at Bassano del Grappa, Venice on 27 August 1879 at age
16. Studied at Padua and Venice, made his solemn profession on 4
October 1883, and was ordained on 19 June 1886.

Spiritual director for young religious for 18 years. Taught at the
Capuchin seminary at Udine. Director of Capuchin teachers at Padua in
1889. Director of theology students in Venice in 1891. Capuchin
Provincial Minister at Venice on 18 April 1902 where he came to the
attention of the future Pope Saint Pius X. Bishop of Treviso, ordained
in Rome on 17 April 1904, a see he would hold for 32 years.

He entered the see with reform in mind, and spent five years traveling
from parish to parish, preaching and becoming close to his
parishioners and clergy, many of whom resisted his reforming efforts.
He reformed the diocesan seminary, improving the quality of teaching
and spiritual formation. He promoted spiritual retreats for the
clergy, and worked with lay groups, especially those involved in the
Catholic social movement, supporting the right for workers to
organize. He encouraged religious orders to work in his diocese; male
institutes went from 7 to 12, women's from 10 to 24 during his
bishopric, and these included houses of Franciscans, Passionists,
Salesians, Carmelites, Somaschi Fathers, Camillians Fathers
Giuseppini, and Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Friend of Saint
Leopold Mandic.

During the air and ground attacks that destroyed Treviso in World War
I, Bishop Andrew stayed at his post, and told his priests that they
could leave if they were ministering to refugees. Andrew became the
center of work in the community, organizing help for soldiers, the
wounded, the sick and the poor. Because he refused to ally himself
with any of the war parties, he was convicted of defeatism, and was
imprisoned with several of his priests. Upon his release, he resumed
his work of ministering in his diocese, and rebuilding the city and
the 47 parishes that had been destroyed, and was eventually awarded
the Cross of Merit war decoration.

During the post-war years, Bishop Andrew worked with many lay groups
to help keep the Catholic social movement as Catholic as possible. He
insisted on non-violence and loyalty to the Church, which put him at
odds with the growing Fascist movement. In 1920 he supported Leghe
Bianche, a Christian union movement. Pope Pius X chose him as
Apostolic Visitor to Padua 1923 and then Udine in 1927 to 1928 in
order to return unity between the priests and bishops of those
dioceses.

Born on 22 November 1863 in Fiumicello di Campodarsego, province and
diocese of Padua, Italy as Hyacinth Bonaventure Longhin Died Friday 26
June 1936 in Treviso, Italy of natural causes following an eight-month
illness; interred in the cathedral of Treviso

Venerated on 21 December 1998 by Pope John Paul II. Beatified 10:00 am
Sunday 20 October 2002 by Pope John Paul II; his Cause began on 21
April 1964; his beatification miracle involved the 1964 cure of Dino
Stella from diffuse peritonitis. Canonized pending


Saint Quote:
"The Catholic Church, having received the apostolic teaching and
faith, though spread over the whole world, guards it sedulously, as
though dwelling in one house; and these truths she uniformly teaches,
as having but one soul and one heart; these truths she proclaims,
teaches, and hands down as though she had but one mouth."
--St. Irenaeus in the second century

Bible Quote
He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth
me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me. (Luke
10:16)


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The sacraments of life

Christ who reconciled and united heaven and earth, made peace
between them and broke down the barrier that divided them cannot deny
himself, says Saint Paul. The gates of paradise which were opened for
Adam were rightly closed when he sinned. But these gates have been
opened by Christ himself, who never sinned and was incapable of
sinning, for his justice endures for ever, says the psalmist. They are
bound to remain open, therefore, and to be the entrance to life. Never
could they be an exit from life.
I have come, says the Savior, that they may have life. Now the life
the Lord came to bring is that given by these sacraments through which
we share in his death and are associated with him in his suffering,
and we cannot escape death without them. Without being baptized in
water and the Spirit we cannot enter into life, nor can we have life
within us without eating the flesh of the Son of Man and drinking his
blood.
--Nicolas Cabasilas