Possessed by the Lord

[Weedy]

Possessed by the Lord

"Please understand: the resurrection of the body will be an end
without end. The body will die no more, will experience no more
sufferings, no more hunger and thirst, and no more afflictions.
Neither will it become aged or ill.

We shall be possessed by the Lord—his inheritance, and he will be ours."
--St. Augustine--Sermon 213, 9

Prayer: I have lifted up my soul to you, O Lord, as if I carried a jug
to a fountain. Fill me, then, since I have lifted up my soul to you.
--St. Augustine--Commentary on Psalm 142, 15

<<>><<>><<>>
27 April – Blessed Osanna of Cattaro OP

(1493-1565)
Virgin, Mystic, Anchoress., Tertiary of the Order of St Dominic,
spiritual guide. Born on 25 November 1493 at Kumano, Montenegro as
Catherine Cosie and died on 27 April 1565 in Kotor, Montenegro of
natural causes, aged 71. Patronage – Kotor, Montenegro. Also known as
– Catherine Cosie, Catherine Kosic, Catherine of Montenegro, Hosanna
of Kotor, Ossana of Cattaro, Ozana Kotorska, “Teacher of Mysticism,”
“Angel of Peace,” “Virgin Reconciler”and “Trumpet of the Holy Spirit.”
Her Body is incorrupt.

Over the course of her life, the people of Kotor came to call her “the
trumpet of the Holy Spirit” and the “teacher of mysticism.” People
from all walks of life came to her for advice and she interceded
particularly ,for peace in the town and among feuding families.
Therefore, she was also called “the Virgin Reconciler” and the “Angel
of Peace.”

The life of this Blessed has a very special charm. Born in 1493 to
very humble Orthodox parents in Kebeza, during the heart of the Greek
schism, she was given the name of Catherine at her baptism.

This little shepherdess, enraptured by the beauty of the magnificent
views of her Montenegro, she fell in love with the Creator of so many
wonders and, with unusual ardour, sheasked Him to show Himself to her.
And there, in the solitude of the mountains, Jesus appeared to her
first, a tender child and then Crucified, imprinting an indelible seal
on her virgin heart.

When she was a little older, she was placed in Kotor as a servant in
the family of a Senator, an excellent Catholic. Here, she was able to
educate herself in the true faith and to receive the Sacraments.
Having known the Dominicans, at the age of 22, she made a heroic
decision: -to become a recluse forever, taking up the habit and the
Rule of the Third Order of St Dominic.

With the Tertiary Habit, he also took the name of Osanna, in memory of
another illustrious Tertiary, Blessed Osanna da Mantova OP (1449-1505)
– her life here:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/06/18/saint-of-the-day-18-june-blessed-osanna-andreasi-op-1449-1505/
and more here: https://anastpaul.com/2019/06/18/art-dei-18-june-paintings-in-blessed-osanna-andreasis-house/

And so, walled up in a cell next to the Church of St Paolo, run by the
Dominicans, she lived in the contemplation of the pains of Jesus and
in the complete immolation of herself. She was also a teacher of
holiness to countless souls but above all she was the guardian angel
of Kotor. Although she lived alone, there was nothing selfish about
Osanna’s spirituality. A group of her Dominican sisters, who
considered her their leader, consulted her frequently and sought her
prayers. A convent of sisters founded at Cattaro, regarded her as
their foundress, because of her spiritual guidance and prayers,
although she never saw the place. When the City was attacked by the
Turks, the people ran to her for help and they credited their
deliverance to her prayers. Another time, her prayers saved them from
the plague.

She died on 27 April 1565. Her body rests in the Church of Santa Maria in Kotor.

The incorrupt body of Osanna was kept in the Church of St Paul until
1807, when the French Army converted the church into a warehouse. Her
body was then brought to the Church of St Mary. The people of Kotor
venerated her as a saint. In 1905, the process for her Beatification
began in Kotor and was successfully completed in Rome. On 21 December
1927, Pope Pius XI approved her cultus, invoking its intercession for
Christian unity and in 1934, he formally Beatified her.

https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/27/

Saint Quote:
Strange that so much suffering is caused because of the
misunderstandings of God's true nature. God's heart is more gentle
than the Virgin's first kiss upon the Christ. And God's forgiveness to
all, to any thought or act, is more certain than our own being.
--Saint Catherine of Siena

Bible Quote
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for his
sheep. 12 But the hireling, and he that is not the shepherd, whose own
the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and
flieth: and the wolf catcheth, and scattereth the sheep: (John
10:11-12)

<><><><>
SPLINTERS FROM THE CROSS

Little griefs of every day,
Little trials and vexations
How they throng around our way!
One great cross, immense and heavy,
So it seems to our weak will,
Might be borne with resignation,
But these many small ones kill,
Yet all life is formed of small things,
Little leaves, make up the trees,
Many tiny drops of water blending,
Make the mighty seas.
Let us not then by impatience
Mar the beauty of the whole,
But for love of Jesus bear all
In the silence of our soul.
Asking Him for grace sufficient
To sustain us through each loss,
And to treasure each small offering
As a splinter from His Cross.