Saint Otmar, abbot: slandered and exiled

 

Today we commemorate a saint closely linked to the Lake Constance region, where the motherhouse of the Agnus Dei Community is located.

Otmar was born around 690, likely into a noble Alemannic family. Thanks to his brother, he was welcomed as a child into the court of Count Victor in Chur (Switzerland), where he received a good education and stood out not only for his talent and diligence, but above all for his devotion and piety.

He was ordained a priest and, for a time, served in the church of St. Florin. Soon after, however, Tribune Waltram placed him in charge of the hermitage of St. Gall, where the monastery of St. Gall now stands. The hermitage of this Irish missionary, who had brought the faith to that region, was on the verge of falling into ruin barely a century after its construction. The small Christian community that gathered around the tomb of St. Gall was close to extinction. Otmar founded a monastic community there, replacing the saint’s wooden cell with a stone church.

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Praying without losing heart  

Lk 18:1-8

And Jesus told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.  He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Vindicate me against my adversary.’  For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.  And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?  I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

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Saint Serapio: Martyr of Faith and Christian Charity

When the need is great, God sends His messengers to offer help and comfort. Great indeed was the need of Christians held captive under the Muslim yoke. Seeing their suffering, Saint Serapio was so moved that he gave himself up as a hostage, since there was not enough money to pay the ransom for all the prisoners.

Who was this Serapio?

Born in England toward the end of the 12th century, he embarked on a military career in his youth and participated in a campaign against the Moors in Spain under the command of the Duke of Austria. He chose to remain on the Peninsula in the service of King Alfonso IX of Castile, but later laid down his arms to enter the Order of Mercy, which had just been founded in Aragon by St. Peter Nolasco. Its express purpose was to rescue Christians held captive and enslaved by the Muslims.

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The King of hearts  

Lk 17:20-25

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, Jesus gave them this answer, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, “Look, it is here! Look, it is there!” For look, the kingdom of God is among you.’ He said to the disciples, ‘A time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of man and will not see it. They will say to you, “Look, it is there!” or, “Look, it is here!” Make no move; do not set off in pursuit; for as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other, so will be the Son of man when his Day comes. But first he is destined to suffer grievously and be rejected by this generation.

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Saint Josaphat of Lithuania: A Saint for Unity  

In the new liturgical calendar, the feast day of Saint Josaphat is celebrated today, November 12. In the traditional calendar, he is commemorated on the 14th.

Today’s saint was a religious and a bishop who sacrificed his life for the unity of the Eastern and Western Churches. In today’s context of ecumenical dialogue, other paths are often pursued, and a concept of unity different from that aspired to by St. Josaphat is defended. Let us take a look at his life.

Josaphat Kuncewicz was born in 1580 in Volhynia, which belonged to Greater Poland at the time and is now in western Ukraine. He came from a respected family; his father, Gabriel, was a councilman. He was baptized in the Orthodox faith with the name John. Even as a child, he was said to be very pious and to have had a vision of God.

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