- Psalm 118:24 -
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
____________________________________________________________________
Not every day is a happy one, humanly speaking, but there's never a day
when
we
cannot rejoice and be glad in our Lord. Thanksgiving is an attitude of the
heart
often built on the foundation of difficulty.
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October 25th - Sts. Crispin and Crispinian MM (RM)
It is difficult to separate truth from legend in the story of Saint
Crispin
and
his brother Saint Crispinian, who were martyred about the year 287. They
may
actually have been Christians who fled the persecutions in Rome and put
their
exile to good effect by evangelizing. The legend which follows is very
late
and
without historical value.
There is a tradition that they were born of a noble Roman family in the
3rd
century and went to preach in Gaul (Soissons) with Saint Quintinius and a
number
of other missionaries. According to this tradition they adopted the trade
of
shoemakers because they had left all their possessions behind them in
Rome,
or
mainly as a disguise since Christians were still being persecuted in Gaul.
It
seems more probable that they were natives of Noviodunum (Soissons) and
followed
their trade as a matter of course.
Like Saint Paul, they preached by day and worked with their hands by
night.
Many
conversions were attributed to them, for they preached not only by word of
mouth
but also by setting an example of charity and generosity, providing the
poor
with shoes for nothing and indeed taking no payment unless it was offered.
Their martyrdom took place at a time when the Emperor Maximian was
traveling
through Gaul. Crispin and Crispinian were accused and the Emperor ordered
them
to be taken before Rictiovarus who (if he really existed) was a fanatical
persecutor of Christians.
The two brothers were subjected to a number of brutal tortures; they were
immersed in water, molten lead, and boiling water. However they survived
them
all, and it is said that Rictiovarus became so furious at this that he
jumped
into the fire that had been prepared for them and killed himself (or other
traditions say he drowned himself). Finally, on the orders of Maximian,
the
brothers were beheaded.
The truth may well be that they were Roman martyrs whose relics were
brought
to
Soissons and enshrined there. These martyrs are particularly venerated in
Soissons, France, where there was a church in their honor in the 6th
century.
Tradition has it that a church was built over their tomb and their shrine
was
embellished by Saint Eligius the Smith, who was also one of the most
popular
saints of the Middle Ages. See the references to Crispin and Crispinian in
Shakespeare's Henry V, Act 4, Scene 3.
Their cult spread through many countries, and there is a legend that they
settled for a while at Faversham, Kent, on the south coast of England,
when
they
fled from persecution. Formerly, there was an altar in Faversham bearing
their
names in the parish church.
To this day they are recognized as the patron of shoe-makers, cobblers,
and
leather-workers (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia).
Their
emblem in art is a shoe or a last (Roeder).
Saint Quote:
When one has succeeded in placing his heart wholly upon God, he loses his
affection for all other things, and no longer finds consolation in
anything,
nor
clings to anything except God, forgetting his own honor and every interest
of
his own.
-St. Teresa
Bible Quote
18 And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in
heaven
and in earth. 19 Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in
the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 20 Teaching
them
to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with
you
all
days, even to the consummation of the world. (Matthew 28:18-20)
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Is the Cross you wear too Heavy to Bear?
Complainingly I told myself,
"this cross is too heavy to wear"
And I wondered discontentedly
why God gave it to me to bear.
And I looked with envy at others
whose crosses seemed lighter than mine
And wished that I could change my cross
for one of a lighter design -
And then, in a dream, I beheld the cross
I impulsively wanted to wear,
It was fashioned of pearls and diamonds
and gems that were precious and rare.
And when I hung it around my neck
the weight of the jewels and the gold
Was much too heavy and cumbersome
for my small, slender neck to hold -
So I tossed it aside and before my eyes
was a cross of rose-red flowers
And I said with delight as I put it on,
"this cross I can wear for hours" -
For it was so dainty and fragile,
so lovely and light and thin,
But I had forgotten about the thorns
that started to pierce my skin -
And then in my dream I saw "my cross,"
rugged and old and plain,
That clumsy old cross I had looked upon
with discontented disdain -
And at last I knew that God had made
this "special cross for me,"
For God in His great wisdom knew
what I before could not see,
That often the loveliest crosses
are the heaviest crosses to bear,
For only God is wise enough
to choose the cross we can wear -
So never complain about YOUR CROSS,
for your cross has been blest,
God made it JUST FOR YOU to wear
and remember, GOD KNOWS BEST!
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