St. Peter Chrysologus

Today, July 30, we celebrate the feast of St. Peter Chrysologus, Early Church Father, Bishop, and Doctor of the Church. He was born (380) and died (450) in Imola in northern Italy. Peter's life was full of accomplishments.

An adult convert, he became a deacon, then a priest, and finally the Bishop of Ravenna in 433. He fought paganism, enforced reforms, and built several churches in his see. He performed many corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and lovingly guided his flock.

As a preacher, he was recognized for his simple, plain, and humble oratorical style—delivering sermons that reached all who listened. His eloquence earned him the name “Chrysologus,” meaning “golden-worded” in Greek. Known as "The Doctor of Homilies," Peter was renowned for his short, but inspired speeches; he is said to have been afraid of boring his audience.  In his homilies, Peter urged frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist, saying, “the Body of the Lord should be the daily food of our souls.” 176 of his homilies have survived; it is the strength of these beautiful explanations of the Incarnation, the Creed, the place of the Blessed Virgin Mary and John the Baptist in the great plan of salvation that led to his being proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1729 by Pope Benedict XIII.

St. Peter Chrysologus Quotes:

"He is The Bread sown in the Virgin, leavened in the Flesh, molded in His Passion, baked in the furnace of the Sepulchre, placed in the Churches, and set upon the Altars, which daily supplies Heavenly Food to the faithful."

"Today Christ works the first of his signs from heaven by turning water into wine. But water [mixed with wine] has still to be changed into the sacrament of his blood, so that Christ may offer spiritual drink from the chalice of his body, to fulfill the psalmist's prophecy: How excellent is my chalice, warming my spirit."

"Anyone who wishes to frolic with the devil cannot rejoice with Christ."

“Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others, you open God’s ear to yourself.”

"Mildness overcomes anger,
meekness extinguishes fury...
patience is the scourge of impatience,
gentle words vanquish quarrelsomeness,
and humility prostrates pride."

Prayer

Father,
You made Peter Chrysologus an outstanding preacher of your incarnate Word. May the prayers of St. Peter help us to cherish the mystery of our salvation and make its meaning clear in our love for others. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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St. Bernadine Realino

Today's saint of the day is St. Bernadine Realino, who is also known as the "Apostle of Leece."

Bernadine was born in 1530 in Capri, Italy, a city located in the northern part of Italy, to noble parents. He studied law and medicine in Bologna and initially became an attorney, followed by a political career, in which he served as judge, tax collector, Superintendant of the fiefs of the marquis of Naples, and mayor of three different cities in Italy.

While in Naples, Bernardino, now 34 years old, met some priests of the Society of Jesus and made an eight-day retreat with them. During this retreat, he felt a strong call to the religious life and asked the Jesuits for admittance into their Society. He was accepted and ordained a priest in 1567. For ten years he served in Naples, preaching, teaching catechism, visiting the sick, the poor, and those in prison. He also served as the novice master there. Then he was transferred to Lecce, a small city in southern Italy, where he was sent to found a college. He remained in Leece for the last forty-two years of his life.

Bernadino was well-known and loved for his work in Leece. He was a model confessor, a powerful preacher, a diligent catechist to the youth, as well as a Rector of the Jesuit college and Superior of the Community there. His charity to the poor and the sick knew no bounds and his kindness brought about the end of vendettas and public scandals. One of the miracles attributed to him involved his small pitcher of wine, which was never empty until everyone present had had enough.

He was loved so much and venerated that, as he lay on his death bed in 1616, the city's leaders requested that he take the city under his protection. Unable to speak, St. Bernardino bowed his head. He died with the names of Jesus and Mary on his lips.

St. Bernadino was canonized in 1947 by Pope Pius XII. He is the patron saint of Leece, Italy.

What helped to make St. Bernadino even more famous are the events that followed his death. Six years prior to his death, he fell and sustained two wounds that refused to heal. While he was in his last illness, those closest to him, who had witnessed his holiness, collected the blood discharged from these wounds in several small vials.

This blood acted strangely. In some of the vials, it retained its liquid consistency for over a century. In others it foamed or frothed, particularly on the anniversary of the saint's death. Several witnesses testified to these phenomena during the investigation before his beatification. When his tomb was opened in 1711, some of his fleshy tissue remained incorrupt, floating in a dark red liquid. This too, proved to be human blood, and it gave off a sweet perfume. In 1713 it was also found to be frothing or bubbling, as it was again in 1804 and 1852. In 1985, however, none of the blood preserved showed any of these tendencies.

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St.William of Vercelli

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The saint of the day for June 24th is St. William of Vercelli. William was born to noble and wealthy parents in Vercelli, Italy in 1085. He lost his father and mother in his infancy and was raised by a relative. At age fifteen, he made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. When he returned, he became a hermit in Naples and lived there on an uninhabited mountain in solitude. However, he became famous after he worked a miracle, curing a blind man. His desire to live a contemplative life and to focus on God was interrupted; consequently, he moved to another mountain.

On this mountain, he built a beautiful church in honor of Our Lady. His holiness attracted  many followers and, in 1119, he established the Congregation of Monte Vergine, or Mount of the Virgin. These sons of Our Lady lived in great poverty. Some of the monks began to complain that the rule was too strict and the lifestyle was too austere. They desired better food and a less strenuous schedule. To resolve the problem, William  assigned a new prior to the monks. Then he and five faithful followers set out for southern Italy, where they founded another monastery, with the same strict lifestyle. Saint William founded several more monasteries, both for men and women, in various places in the kingdom of Naples. He assisted King Roger I of Naples in practicing all the Christian virtues of a worthy sovereign, and in gratitude, the king had a house of the Order built at Salerno directly across from his palace, to have him near for spiritual advice. William retired to his monastery of Gugieto, where he died, and was buried in the church.

When Saint William died, he had not yet written a Rule for his religious; his second successor, Robert, fearing the dissolution of a community without constitutions, placed them under that of Saint Benedict, and is regarded as the first abbot of the Benedictine Congregation of Monte-Vergine.

Prayer

St. William,
You were a father to your monks
and a shepherd to your people.
Pray for us that we might have our sight restored --
that we might see
with the eyes of
our hearts and souls,
God's presence in and around us.
Teach us to nourish our spiritual
journeys with prayer
so that we too might be instruments
of God's light and love to others.
In the spirit of St. Benedict help us
to be people of hospitality who let
our work become prayer.
Let us find God in each other.
Amen.

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St. Aloysius Gonzaga

by Jean M. Heimann

Today's saint, Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591), was the firstborn in a highly wealthy and influential Italian noble family.  His father was a famous mercenary soldier.  Aloysius assumed adult responsibilities at an early age. He began his training as a soldier and courtier at the age of four and, when he was only eight, served in the court of Grand Duke Francesco I de’Medici. While serving in the court, he studied in Florence, where he received an excellent classical education.

In Florence, Saint Aloysius became ill with kidney disease, and in the process of recovery spent time in spiritual reading and prayer.  At the age of nine Gonzaga made a private vow of chastity.

At the age of 12, he returned home to his father’s castle, where he met St. Charles Cardinal Borromeo, who gave him his first Holy Communion.  Shortly thereafter, Aloysius began to teach catechism to young boys. Much to the displeasure and anger of his father, Aloysius stated his intention to become a Jesuit.  His father was obstinately opposed to the idea, both because he wanted his son to follow in his footsteps, and because, by becoming a Jesuit, Aloysius would give up all rights to his inheritance. However, Aloysius was adamant, and at the age of 18, he signed away his legal right to his family properties and title.

At the age of 17, Aloysius entered the Jesuit novitiate in Rome and at the age of 19, he took vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. While he was ordained a deacon at the age of 20, he never became a priest.

In Rome, his spiritual advisor was St. Robert Cardinal Bellarmine, who counseled him to reduce his long hours of prayer and severe penances. Instead, St. Robert asked him adhere to the Jesuit rule of regular hours of prayer and simple acts of self-control and self-denial and to spend time counseling his companions. In 1590, Aloysius, suffering from kidney problems and other physical ailments, received a vision of the Archangel Gabriel, who told him that he would die within a year. When a plague broke out in Rome in 1591, Aloysius actively cared for the plague victims and, within a few weeks, contracted the disease himself. He received the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and recovered, but, in another vision, he was told that would die on June 21, the octave day of the Feast of Corpus Christi that year. His confessor, St. Robert Cardinal Bellarmine administered Last Rites, and Aloysius died on June 21, 1591.  He was 23 years old.

Aloysius Gonzaga was beatified by Pope Gregory XV in 1621 and canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726.

Patron
AIDS care-givers; AIDS patients; Catholic youth; Jesuit students; relief from pestilence; sore eyes; teenage children; teenagers; young people; youth.

Symbols
cross or crucifix; lilies; crown at his feet; rosary; Often portrayed as a Jesuit with a cross, lily, and skull

Quote
"There is no more evident sign that anyone is a saint and of the number of the elect, than to see him leading a good life and at the same time a prey to desolation, suffering, and trials."

Prayer of Self-Commendation to Mary
O Holy Mary, my Lady, into your blessed trust and safe keeping and into the depths of your mercy, I commend my soul and body this day, every day of my life, and at the hour of my death. To you I entrust all my hopes and consolations, all my trials and miseries, my life and the end of my life. By your most holy intercession and by your merits, may all my actions be directed and disposed according to your will and the Will of your divine Son. Amen.

~ Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

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St. Leo III, Pope

The saint of the day for June 12th is St. Leo III, Pope.

Leo came from a modest family in southern Italy. He was elected to the office of St. Peter unanimously by the clergy of Rome following the death of Pope Hadrian. The papacy had dramatically changed over the 8th century, and many Pope's had separated themselves from the protection the Byzantine emperors and their governors in Ravenna. Pope Stephen II had, in 754, sought the support of the Frankish king Pepin to defeat the invading Lombards. The pope would receive from Pepin the lands formally conquered by the Lombards, therefore creating the Papal States. The Lombards remained, and Leo soon found that he had other enemies within Rome, many of the aristocratic families of the city including relatives of the late Pope Hadrian who accused the pope of perjury and adultery.

On April 25, 799, Leo was attacked while riding in a procession by a gang who sought to cut out his eyes and tongue. While Leo survived the attack, he was arrested by his enemies, deposed as pope and imprisoned in a monastery. Leo managed to escape north to the Franks, who refused to accept the deposition. Leo was escorted back to Rome where the Franks began an investigation both of the charges against the pope and the attack upon his person. The emperor Charlemagne arrived in Rome in November 800 to review the charges in solemn council. The emperor stated that no one on earth could judge the Apostolic See, but he accepted the pope's statement of innocence after Leo took an oath purging himself of all charges on December 23rd.

At Christmas Mass at St. Peters some two days later, Leo crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, giving Charlemagne equal status with the Byzantine emperors in Constantinople. This relationship provided protection for the Holy See and allowed Leo to administer the Papal States, bestowed several decades earlier by Pepin. However Charlemagne extracted a high price for his support, often interfering in the work of the church and expecting Leo's tacit approval in all things. Leo began a building program in Rome, restoring and embellishing churches. A great apse was added to Santa Susanna and a magnificent Byzantine mosaic was installed in the apse, depicting both Leo and Charlemagne. Leo died on June 12, 816 and was buried in the old Constantinian basilica of St. Peter. Leo is listed as a saint based on the miracle of his restored eyes and tongue, following the attack on his person in 799.

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Blessed Teresa Maria of the Cross

Today we commemorate Blessed Teresa Maria of the Cross, Carmelite nun and founder.

Teresa Maria Manetti (Bettina was her nickname.) was born at Campi Bisenzio, Florence, Italy. Daughter of Salvatore Manetti and Rosa Bigagli, Teresa had one brother, Adamo Raffaello. She lived her entire life in her small village.

Bettina had a cheerful, energetic disposition and a talent for organization and all the qualities which make for a good leader. At the age of 21, she rented a home with two other women who dedicated themselves to a life of prayer, penance, and charity. They cared for the sick and the poor and taught catechism to children. They were inspired by the writings of Saint Teresa of Avila, and had a special devotion to her. Many other women joined the small group. The women were admitted to the Teresian Third Order and Bettina took the new name of Teresa Maria of the Cross.

Two years later, she joined the Discalced Carmelites as a nun. Over the next few years she started schools in several Italian cities, each with it’s little group of Carmelite teachers. Her Institute of teaching nuns received approval from Pope Saint Pius X on February 27, 1904 as the Carmelite Sisters of Saint Teresa of Florence with a mission to teach and care for children, especially orphans. Like her inspiration, Saint Teresa of Avila, Teresa of the Cross met with much resistance to her work with the poor, much slander about her personal life, and a long period of spiritual dryness, but all who met her commented on the air of joy and peace she brought to her work.

She lived joyfully, body and soul the mystery of the Cross in full conformity to the will of God.  Teresa Maria was outstanding for her love for the Eucharist and her maternal care for children and for the poor. Her life was motivated by a consuming love for Christ and a desire to save souls.  She endeavored to live according to God’s holy will, and took delight in all the crosses which came through this purpose.  In a prayer she wrote:

“To suffer, to suffer, always suffer. Do what you want with me, it’s enough that I save souls for you.”

The daily source for her energy was her devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Virgin Mary.  Teresa Mary lived  without gratification instead seeking and finding peace of heart through a simple lifestyle and routine.  This simplicity allowed her to quietly explore the depths of her own soul where she continually united herself with the Lord in each aspect of her day.

She died at Campi Bisenzio on April 23, 1910 and was beatified on October 1986 by Pope John Paul II.

Prayer
O God, You sustained the virgin, Bl. Teresa Maria, along the way of the Cross by a most ardent love of the Eucharist, and You gave her a mother’s love for Your little ones and the poor. Through her intercession, grant that, strengthened by the bread of angels, we may delight in sharing the sufferings of Christ, and hasten the coming of Your kingdom through our own works of mercy. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Quote
"God makes saints with a chisel, not a paintbrush." ~ Blessed Teresa Maria of the Cross

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