July 9th - St. Veronica Giuliani, Visionary
Today we go to 17th century Italy to meet Ursula Giuliani, daughter of
Francesco
Giuliani and Benedetta Mancini. She was born December 27, 1660 at
Mercatello, in
Urbino, Italy. Her father was a financier.
At an early age she showed signs of devotion to God. At six years of age
she
was
concerned with giving her own food to the poor and clothing to the needy.
She
would be angry if others did not follow her lead until she saw in a dream
or
vision, her own heart made of steel.
When her father received a promotion she greatly enjoyed all the pomp and
celebration this entailed. Later she greatly reproached herself for this
prideful attitude.
It is believed that after seeing the Blessed Mother in a vision, she
determined
to become a nun. Her father staunchly opposed this and presented many
suitors in
an attempt to get her to marry. Ursula became very ill and subsequently
her
father gave in and in 1677 she entered the Capuchin Poor Clares at Citta
di
Castello, taking the name of Veronica.
Her religious life was marked with many trials, especially the severe
discipline
of her superiors. But she accepted all with a smiling gentleness. She had
experienced several visions of Our Lord and after much interior struggle,
she
accepted the sufferings of the stigmata, in 1693. She was subjected to
many
medical treatments which were of no avail.
The bishop, in an effort to rule out the possibility of fraud, subjected
her
to
many more trials. She was not allowed to be alone for one moment and she
was
forbidden to receive Holy Communion. She was not allowed to talk with any
of
the
sisters except those assigned to watch over her, and she was not allowed
to
communicate with the outside world. Her hands were put into gloves with
the
fastenings sealed with the bishop's signet.
Eventually Veronica's patient endurance and gentle spirit won out and she
was
allowed to resume a normal life in the cloister. She was novice mistress
for
thirty-four years and abbess eleven years, before her death. She, like
Teresa of
Avila, had a common-sense approach to life. She would not allow her
novices
to
read any of the advanced mystical writers. She believed they needed to
learn
a
practical way to lay a good foundation of humility, obedience and charity
for
their monastic life and growth.
Her abbacy was marked by practical improvements to the monastery. She had
a
piped in water supply installed, and repaired and enlarged the buildings.
She
died at the age of 66, on July 9, 1727.
St. Veronica's life was one of obedience, patience, humility and love.
Although
she struggled interiorly at times, she always accepted with patience and
gentleness all that was asked of her. Her life was one of a total "YES" to
God.
We don't understand why some people receive the stigmata. But, like the
martyrs
who give up their lives to profess their belief in God, these heroic
people
who
suffer the pains of stigmatism are an example to us of total,
unconditional
love. May they encourage us to accept the pains and struggles of life,
especially those we are innocently burdened with, in a spirit of patience
and
gentleness.
Quote:
Do not reason about afflictions and contradictions, but receive them with
patience and sweetness, feeling that it is enough to know that they come
from
the hand of God.
-St. Francis de Sales
Bible Quote
7 Deal thy bread to the hungry, and bring the needy and the harbourless
into
thy
house: when thou shalt see one ****d, cover him, and despise not thy own
flesh.
8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy health shall
speedily
arise, and thy justice shall go before thy face, and the glory of the Lord
shall
gather thee up. (Isaias 58:7-8)
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Prayer to Ward Against storms and Tempests
We beseech Thee, O Lord, to drive far from Thy dwelling place every spirit
of
wickedness, and to keep us from being harmed by the fury of wind and
storm.
Almighty and everlasting God, Who chastising dost preserve us: grant unto
Thy
suppliants the comfort of the quiet times for which we look, and teach us
ever
to make right use of the good gifts Thy loving kindness vouchsafes to us.
Amen.
(From the Roman Missal).
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