- John 13:34-35 -
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so
you
must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my
disciples,
if
you love one another." Love is more than simply warm feelings; it is an
attitude
that reveals itself in action. How can we love others as Jesus loves us?
By
helping when it's not convenient, by giving when it hurts, by devoting
energy to
others' welfare rather than our own, by absorbing hurts from others
without
complaining or fighting back. This kind of loving is hard to do. That is
why
people notice when you do it and know you are empowered by a supernatural
source.
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November 25th - Saint Catherine of Alexandria
St. Catherine was born in Alexandria of a patrician family. She denounced
the
Emperor Maxentius in person for his persecution of the Christians, and
when
50
pagan philosophers were converted by her arguments, he had them burned to
death.
When she refused the bribe of a royal marriage if she would apostatize, he
ordered her lashed and had her imprisoned. On his return home from a camp
inspection, Maxentius found that his wife, an officer and 200 soldiers of
her
guard had been converted. He had them all put to death. He then condemned
Catherine to death on a spiked wheel, and when the wheel miraculously
broke,
he
had her beheaded.
Catherine is one of the 14 Holy Helpers, was one of the voices heard by
St.
Joan
of Arc. She is the patroness of philosophers, scholars, maidens, and
attorneys.
After the unsuccessful attempt to kill St. Catherine on the wheel, Emperor
Maxentius ordered her to be beheaded.
She was conducted to the place of her martyrdom followed by a multitude,
mainly
ladies of high condition who wept at her fate. The virgin walked with a
great
calm. Before dying she said this prayer:
"Lord Jesus Christ, my God, I thank Thee for having firmly set my feet on
the
rock of the Faith and directed my steps on the pathway of salvation. Open
now
Thy arms wounded on the cross to receive my soul, which I offer in
sacrifice
to
the glory of Thy Name.
"Forgive the faults I committed in ignorance and wash my soul in the blood
I
will shed for Thee. Do not leave my body, slaughtered by love for Thee, in
the
power of those who hate me. Kindly regard this people and give them the
knowledge of the truth. Finally, O Lord, in Thy infinite mercy exalt those
who
will invoke Thee through me so that Thy name be always glorified."
After saying these words, she told the soldiers to execute their orders,
and
she
was beheaded with but one blow of the sword. It was November 25 (around
the
year
310).
Soon numerous miracles began to take place. Her body, as she had asked,
was
carried away by Angels and buried on Mount Sinai so that she might rest
where
God had written on stone His law, which she had so faithfully kept written
on
her heart.
Comments of the late Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira: (died 1995)
This excerpt from the life of St. Catherine of Alexandria is so elevated
that I
lament commenting on it. It would be better to leave it shining alone on
the
horizon. But since I am asked to analyze it, I will say some words.
The first thing that occurs to me is the good position of the ladies of
high
society of those times. Today, such ladies often form a network that
slanders
and disparages the good cause. What a great potential there was in that
country,
where the ladies of high condition followed St. Catherine to the place of
martyrdom, weeping for her, sympathetic for her, a martyr whose life would
be
snuffed out by the Emperor's hatred. The Emperor was omnipotent; he could
condemn any of them to death; notwithstanding they were there with St.
Catherine.
It is beautiful to see the contrast of spirits in the picture and the
different
graces the Holy Ghost was giving. The ladies were weeping, probably
touched
by
the gift of tears. But St. Catherine did not weep, she was calm, serene,
and
walked unswervingly toward death, inundated by another kind of grace of
the
Holy
Ghost. She did not weep over her own situation, that martyrdom which grace
moved
the others to lament. One can imagine how impressive it was to see that
cortege
of ladies walking between aisles of soldiers and then to find that the
only
one
who was serene, counseling the others to be tranquil, was St. Catherine,
who
was
shortly to die.
Then, before her life ended, she said a prayer. It has the beauty of
shining
lights that fill the skies and emanate from many places. They do not come
from
just one source, from one central idea.
So, she began: "Lord Jesus Christ, my God." Even as the Emperor tried to
oblige
her to adore the idols, she affirmed the divinity of Our Lord to show that
she
did not recognize any other god but Him.
The next thing she said, "I thank Thee for having firmly set my feet on
the
rock
of the Faith and directed my steps on the pathway of salvation." That is
to
say:
I thank You for making me belong to You, the source of my salvation. You
are
the
origin of every good that exists in me. I am good because You are good and
gave
me the solidity of the Catholic Faith; You made me love virtue and gave me
the
firmness to practice it. I recognize that everything that exists in me
came
from
You.
She continued: "Open now Thy arms wounded on the cross to receive my soul,
which
I offer in sacrifice to the glory of Thy Name." Nothing more beautiful can
exist! She asked her Crucified Lord to open His bloodied arms to receive
her
soul as she left this life, which also saw its earth soaked with the blood
of
her martyrdom. What a marvelous intimacy! What an encounter: the Martyr of
martyrs Our Lord Jesus Christ and this heroic and grandiose martyr St.
Catherine
of Alexandria! What a magnificent thought, that her blood should
intermingle
with the blood of Our Lord! What a profound idea of the communion of
saints
is
expressed in such a desire! She had such a great certainty that she would
be
received into Heaven that she asked Our Lord to embrace her. How admirable
such
certainty is!
Then she said: "Forgive the faults I committed in ignorance and wash my
soul
in
the blood I will shed for Thee." She was afraid that she had committed
some
faults, and she asked to be washed clean by the merit of her martyrdom.
"Do not leave my body, slaughtered by love for Thee, in the power of those
who
hate me." After having asked Our Lord to attend to her soul, she asked
refuge
for her body. You can see the respect she had for her own body, for the
sanctity
of the body that was her companion in the practice of virtue. And what a
magnificent response to this request! Soon after she died, the Angels came
and
transported her body to the most majestic mountain that exists on earth
after
Mount Calvary, which is Mount Sinai, where God gave His Law to men.
"Kindly regard this people and give them the knowledge of the truth." She
was no
longer thinking of herself, but of the ones she was leaving behind.
"Finally, O Lord, in Thy infinite mercy, exalt those who will invoke Thee
through me, in order that Thy name be always glorified." She was so
certain
that
she would go to Heaven that she was already interceding for those who
would
pray
to her.
Once this prayer was said, she calmly told the soldiers to carry out her
sentence. No trembling, no desire to prolong her life a little more. Also,
no
precipitation, which sometimes is a reflection of fear. No. She said
everything
she wanted to say, and when she finished, she delivered herself into the
hands
of God. The soldiers beheaded her, and immediately afterward, her prayer
started
to be answered.
What grace should we ask of St. Catherine of Alexandria? We should ask her
that
when the chastisement predicted in Fatima will be realized and we face the
enemies of the Church and Christendom, that we have the same serenity she
had in
face of death. It is a serenity that only grace can give. In face of
death,
there are two kinds of serenity: one is the serenity of the idiot, another
is
the serenity that comes from grace. Death, the separation of the body and
soul,
the apparent plunging into nothingness, is such a terrible thing that only
two
kinds of serenity are comprehensible: that of the idiot who never measures
the
consequences of anything, or the serenity of the man inundated by grace.
So then, let us ask St. Catherine to help us be calm in every situation in
our
lives, and especially in the risks and dangers of life, and even in the
extreme
sacrifice of death, if that should be the will of Our Lady for us.
Quote:
"True knowledge is [that which consists in] the doctrine of the apostles,
and
the ancient constitution of the Church throughout all the world, and the
distinctive manifestation of the body of Christ according to the
successions
of
the bishops, by which they have handed down that Church which exists in
every
place, and has come even unto us, being guarded and preserved without any
forging of Scriptures, by a very complete system of doctrine, and neither
receiving addition nor [suffering] curtailment [in the truths which she
believes]; and [it consists in] reading [the word of God] without
falsification,
and a lawful and diligent exposition in harmony with the Scriptures, both
without danger and without blasphemy; and [above all, it consists in] the
pre-eminent gift of love, which is more precious than knowledge, more
glorious
than prophecy, and which excels all the other gifts [of God]."
--Irenaeus,Against Heresies,4:33:8(A.D. 180)
Bible Quote
22 And Jesus answering, saith to them: Have the faith of God. 23 Amen I
say
to
you, that whosoever shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed and be
cast
into
the sea, and shall not stagger in his heart, but believe, that whatsoever
he
saith shall be done; it shall be done unto him. 24 Therefore I say unto
you,
all
things, whatsoever you ask when ye pray, believe that you shall receive;
and
they shall come unto you. (Mark 11:22-24)
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Saint Anthony, Model of Perfection
Dear St. Anthony, you took the words of Jesus seriously,
"Be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect."
The Church honors you as a Christian hero, a man wholly
dedicated to God's glory and the good of the redeemed. St.
Anthony, Model of Perfection, ask Jesus to strengthen my
good dispositions and to make me more like you, more like
Him. Obtain for me the other favors I need. (Name them.)
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