- 1 Corinthians 10:31 -
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the
glory
of
God.
_____________________________________________________________________
God's love must so permeate our motives that all we do will be for his
glory.
Keep this as a guiding principle by asking, "Is this action glorifying
God?"
or
"How can I honor God through this action?"
<<>><<>><<>>
May 19th - Saint Peter Celestine, Hermit, Pope
(1221-1296)
Saint Peter Celestine was the eleventh of the twelve children of a poor
Italian
farmer. As a child, Peter had visions of our Blessed Lady, Angels and
Saints.
His heavenly visitors encouraged him in his prayers and chided him when he
fell
into any fault. His mother, though only a poor widow, sent him to school,
feeling sure that he would one day be a Saint.
At the age of twenty, he left his home in Apulia to live in a mountain
solitude.
Here he passed three years, assaulted by the evil spirits and beset with
temptations of the flesh, but consoled by the visits of Angels. After this
his
seclusion was invaded by disciples who refused to be sent away; and the
rule
of
life which he gave them formed the foundation of the Celestines, a branch
of
the
Order of Saint Benedict. Angels assisted in the church which Peter built;
unseen
bells rang peals of surpassing sweetness, and heavenly music filled the
sanctuary when he offered the Holy Sacrifice; he had consented to be
ordained,
to find in the Holy Eucharist assistance against temptation.
Suddenly the poor anchorite found himself torn from his loved solitude,
having
been named by acclamation to the Papal throne, which had remained vacant
for
twenty-seven months. Resistance was of no avail. He took the name of
Celestine,
to remind him of the heaven he was leaving and for which he sighed. He was
seventy-two years old. After a reign of five months, Peter judged himself
unfit
for the office, and summoning the cardinals to his presence, he solemnly
resigned his trust.
During the remaining three years of his life he worked many and great
miracles.
On the day after his abdication, his blessing after Mass healed a lame
man.
Saint Peter left the palace, desiring seclusion, but was brought back by
the
papal guards, for his successor feared a schism; crowds had followed Saint
Peter. Lest he be prevailed upon to take back his office, he was put under
surveillance at Anagni. Content, he remarked: "I desired nothing but a
cell,
and
a cell they have given me." And there he enjoyed his former loving
intimacy
with
the Saints and Angels, and sang the Divine praises almost continually.
At length, on Pentecost Sunday he told his guards he would die within the
week,
and immediately fell ill. He received the Last Sacraments, and the
following
Saturday, as he finished the concluding verse of Lauds, "Let every spirit
bless
the Lord!" he closed his eyes to this world and opened them to the vision
of
God.
Reflection. "To the one who withdraws himself from acquaintances and
friends,"
says the Imitation of Christ, "God will draw near with His holy Angels."
Sources: Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Guérin
(Bloud
et Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 6; Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, a
compilation based on Butler's Lives of the Saints and other sources by
John
Gilmary Shea (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894); Vie des Saints pour tous
les
jours de l'année, by Abbé L. Jaud (Mame: Tours, 1950).
Saint Quote:
The entire Church must formally pray for [vocations] because the purpose
of
the
prayer to gain vocations must concern all the faithful, every Christian
who
has
at heart the good of souls and, in a particular way, the Bishops who are
the
shepherds of the spiritual flock and to whom souls are entrusted. They are
the
living Apostles of Jesus Christ today.
--Saint Hannibal Mary Di Francia
Bible Quote
14 Now when the apostles, who were in Jerusalem, had heard that Samaria
had
received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John. 15 Who, when
they
were come, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost. 16 For
he
was not as yet come upon any of them; but they were only baptized in the
name of
the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands upon them, and they received
the
Holy Ghost. (Acts 8:14-17)
<><><><>
Psalm (49)
The uselessness of riches
All peoples, listen -
all who live in the world, hear what I have to say:
humble and great together,
rich and poor alike!
My mouth will speak wisdom,
my inmost thoughts will bring good counsel.
I will turn my ears to a mystery,
I will expound a riddle on the lyre.
Why should I be fearful in times of trouble,
when the crimes of usurpers hem me in?
They trust in their own strength
and glory in their great riches.
But, after all, man cannot redeem himself,
he cannot ransom himself before God.
The price of his soul's redemption is too great, he cannot pay it -
the price of eternal death avoided.
He will see that even the wise die;
the foolish and the stupid too will perish,
and their riches will pass to others.
Their tombs will be homes to them for ever,
their dwelling-place for all generations,
even if the lands they owned are named after them.
Though he be full of honour, man will not endure:
he is like the beasts of burden, that die;
he is like the beasts that perish.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Those who trust in themselves - this is the road they take.
This is the end of those who boast.
Like sheep they go down into the underworld,
and death is their shepherd.
They will fall headlong into the grave:
their faces will be eaten away,
and the underworld will be their dwelling-place.
But God will ransom my life;
truly he will lift me from the grasp of the underworld.
Do not fear, when a man becomes rich
and the glory of his house increases.
When he dies, he will not take it with him,
his glory will not follow him down to the grave.
Even if he calls himself blessed,
says "see how they praise me for my success",
still he will join his fathers,
cut off from light, for ever.
Though he be full of honour, yet he does not understand.
He is like the beasts of burden, that die;
he is like the beasts that perish.
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