- James 1:5 -
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to
all
without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
_____________________________________________________________________
By wisdom, Jesus is talking not only about knowledge, but about the
ability
to
make wise decisions in difficult circumstances. Whenever we need wisdom,
we
can
pray to God, and he will generously supply what we need. Christians don't
have
to grope around in the dark, hoping to stumble upon answers. We can ask
for
God's wisdom to guide our choices.
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May 8th - Pope St. Benedict II
684 - 685 AD
Once again there was a long interval between the election and the
consecration
of a pope, but this time something was done about it. Benedict, a Roman,
the
son
of John, was elected to succeed St. Leo II; but he was not consecrated
until
June 26, 684. Churchmen were weary of these long delays which were due to
the
necessity of waiting for imperial confirmation of the papal election.
Benedict
obtained from Emperor Constantine the Bearded a change in regulations
which
permitted the exarch of Ravenna to make the confirmation. This shortened
considerably the interval between election and confirmation.
Benedict II was a man richly endowed with noble qualities. He had been in
the
service of the Church from his youth. Humble, patient, and generous, he
was
well-schooled in the Scriptures and sacred music. His pontificate,
however,
was
too short to allow him much accomplishment.
Following his predecessors' example, Benedict wrote to Spain to hurry the
bishops along in sending in their adhesion to the Sixth General Council.
King
Ervig then held a council at Toledo in November 684 to discuss the matter.
The
council condemned the Monothelite heresy, and St. Julian, archbishop of
Toledo,
drew up a profession of faith which he sent to the Pope. Benedict, though
pleased, was not quite satisfied with some of the expressions used in this
profession and sent it back with a request for some changes in
terminology.
Like all the contemporary popes of this efficient emperor, Benedict got
along
well with Constantine the Bearded. Indeed Constantine asked the Pope to
adopt
his two sons, Justinian and Heraclius. As a token of this adoption he sent
Pope
Benedict locks of the princes' hair.
The charity and kindness of St. Benedict II appears in the effort he made
to
convert Macarius, ex-patriarch of Antioch. Macarius had been condemned as
a
Monothelite and deposed by the Sixth General Council.
The Pope took the occasion of his orthodox successor's death to send
Macarius
one of his special advisers to attempt to win him back. It was no use;
Macarius
died a heretic.
Since Benedict was very good to his clergy, it was fitting that his last
big
ceremony was the distribution of gifts and favors on Easter Sunday, March
26,
685. At once after this ceremony the saintly Pope fell sick and soon died.
He
was buried in St. Peter's on May 8. Benedict is venerated as a saint
This Version Taken From:
http://www.cfpeople.org/Books/Pope/POPEp81.htm
Saint Quote:
Envy is a sadness which we feel on account of the good that happens to our
neighbour.
Envy, my children, follows pride; whoever is envious is proud. See, envy
comes
to us from Hell; the devils having sinned through pride, sinned also
through
envy, envying our glory, our happiness. Why do we envy the happiness and
the
goods of others? Because we are proud; we should like to be the sole
possessors
of talents, riches, of the esteem and love of all the world! We hate our
equals,
because they are our equals; our inferiors, from the fear that they may
equal
us; our superiors, because they are above us. In the same way, my
children,
that
the devil after his fall felt, and still feels, extreme anger at seeing us
the
heirs of the glory of the good God, so the envious man feels sadness at
seeing
the spiritual and temporal prosperity of his neighbour.
We walk, my children, in the footsteps of the devil; like him, we are
vexed
at
good, and rejoice at evil. If our neighbour loses anything, if his affairs
go
wrong, if he is humbled, if he is unfortunate, we are joyful. . . we
triumph!
The devil, too, is full of joy and triumph when we fall, when he can make
us
fall as low as himself. What does he gain by it? Nothing. Shall we be
richer,
because our neighbour is poorer? Shall we be greater, because he is less?
Shall
we be happier, because he is more unhappy? O my children! how much we are
to
be
pitied for being like this! St. Cyprian said that other evils had limits,
but
that envy had none. In fact, my children, the envious man invents all
sorts
of
wickedness; he has recourse to evil speaking, to calumny, to cunning, in
order
to blacken his neighbour; he repeats what he knows, and what he does not
know he
invents, he exaggerates. . . .
Through the envy of the devil, death entered into the world; and also
through
envy we kill our neighbour; by dint of malice, of falsehood, we make him
lose
his reputation, his place. . . . Good Christians, my children, do not do
so;
they envy no one; they love their neighbour; they rejoice at the good that
happens to him, and they weep with him if any misfortune comes upon him.
How
happy should we be if we were good Christians. Ah! my children, let us,
then, be
good Christians and we shall no more envy the good fortune of our
neighbour;
we
shall never speak evil of him; we shall enjoy a sweet peace; our soul will
be
calm; we shall find paradise on earth.
-Saint John Vianney on Envy
Bible Quote:
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will teach you all truth.
For
he shall not speak of himself; but what things soever he shall hear, he
shall
speak; and the things that are to come, he shall shew you.
(John 16:13)
<><><><>
When Using Holy Water
By this holy water and by Your Precious Blood, wash
away all my sins, O Lord.
St. Theresa of Avila on holy water: "From long experience
I have learned that there is nothing like holy water to put
devils to flight and prevent them from coming back again.
They also flee from the cross, but return; so holy water
must have great value."
Holy water is a means of spiritual wealth - a sacramental
that remits venial sin. The Church strongly urges its use,
especially when dangers threaten. The devil hates holy
water because of its power over him. He cannot long
abide in a place or near a person that is often sprinkled
with this blessed water.
<><><><>
A short prayer to one's own patron Saint:
O heavenly Patron ______, in whose name I glory, pray ever
to God for me; strengthen me in my Faith; establish me in
virtue; guard me in the conflict; that I may vanquish the foe
malign and attain to glory everlasting. Amen.
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