“My love must dwell so deeply within you that it guides your every step and determines your actions.” (Inner Word)
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Two chaste saints with a special protector
When we begin to discover the lives of the saints, we often come across extraordinary stories. Such is the case of Saints Chrysanthus and Darius, martyrs of the first centuries, whose memory is celebrated today in the ancient liturgical calendar.
The following is told about today’s saints:
Saint Chrysanthus was the son of pagan parents. His father, Polemius, was a senator in Alexandria and was held in such high esteem by the Emperor Numerianus that he brought him to Rome and made him his counsellor.
SERVE WITH JOY
“Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” (Psalm 100:2).
Saint Raphael, Archangel: “True friends”
According to the traditional calendar, today is the feast day of St. Raphael the Archangel. Describing an angel is undoubtedly much more difficult than describing the life of a saint. The latter are usually well documented and more accessible to us. Nevertheless, we should strive to become more familiar with our friends in heaven—without letting our imaginations run away with us.
Angels are often discussed in esoteric circles. However, without clear discernment of spirits, it is easy for our imagination to suggest illusory ideas about angels that do not correspond to reality—or even to be deceived by the devil. We cannot overlook the fact that demons still possess an angelic nature and are therefore endowed with an intelligence superior to ours, making it easy for them to mislead those who are not firmly rooted in the true faith. Therefore, before discussing the Archangel Saint Raphael, it is important to review what the Church teaches us about these beings. This will provide us with the criteria to better recognize faithful angels.
“THE ANGEL SHOWS US THE WAY”
“Praise God and give thanks to him; exalt him and give thanks to him in the presence of all the living for what he has done for you. It is good to praise God and to exalt his name, worthily declaring the works of God. Do not be slow to give him thanks.” (Tob 12:6)
“THE PRAYER OF A SAINT (II)”
“O my God and Father,
Grant that I praise You and work that all Your creatures praise You.
Grant, my Father, that all sinners be converted,
That all the just persevere in grace,
And all of us reach eternal glory. Amen.”
Saint Anthony Mary Claret: a burning torch of love
What would Spain be without Saint Anthony Mary Claret?
In 1861, a prominent anarchist wrote, “If it hadn’t been for Father Claret, Catalonia would have understood the message of the revolution. With his thousands of extraordinarily popular sermons, this tireless man managed to re-Christianize the whole of Catalonia. After completely transforming Catalonia, he did the same in the Canary Islands and, later, in Cuba, where Catholicism was dying out. But that was not the worst of it. His time in Madrid was a catastrophe for the Spanish revolutionary movement.”
Who was this man who exerted so much influence and had such a profound impact on the political arena despite not being a politician himself?
Antonio María Claret was born in Sallent, near Barcelona, in 1807. Like his brothers, he helped in his parents’ textile business and demonstrated such talent in his higher studies that he was entrusted with taking over a large company. However, the Lord had heard his prayers, as from a very young age he had asked for the grace of the priesthood.
The dominion over sin
NOTE: Since there is no obligatory memorial of a saint prescribed by today’s liturgical calendar, we will meditate on the reading of the day.
Rom 6:12-18
‘That is why you must not allow sin to reign over your mortal bodies and make you obey their desires; or give any parts of your bodies over to sin to be used as instruments of evil. Instead, give yourselves to God, as people brought to life from the dead, and give every part of your bodies to God to be instruments of uprightness; and then sin will no longer have any power over you – you are living not under law, but under grace. What is the implication? That we are free to sin, now that we are not under law but under grace? Out of the question! You know well that if you undertake to be somebody’s slave and obey him, you are the slave of him you obey: you can be the slave either of sin which leads to death, or of obedience which leads to saving justice. Once you were slaves of sin, but thank God you have given whole-hearted obedience to the pattern of teaching to which you were introduced; and so, being freed from serving sin, you took uprightness as your master. ‘ Read More
THE PRAYER OF A SAINT (I)
“O my God and Father, grant that I may know You and make You known;
that I love You and bring others to love You;
that I serve You and persuade others to serve You”
(St. Anthony Mary Claret).
Saint Hilarion of Gaza: A great ascetic with a heart open to those in need
Why would someone become a hermit? Why would he leave everything behind for Christ, giving up the opportunity to live in community with other brothers and sisters, in order to be alone with God?
This choice can only be understood through the eyes of faith. From the world’s perspective—so far removed from God—it might seem selfish. However, throughout the centuries, the Church and the faithful have held the hermit life in high esteem.
Although a hermit may feel a strong longing for solitude and intimacy with God, and although he may want to retreat to the most secluded place possible to find Him, it may happen that the Lord’s plans differ from what he himself desires. God is the master of every vocation, and following His will is more valuable than fulfilling one’s own desires, no matter how pious they may be.