April 18th - St. Galdinus
Ever want to go out in a blaze of glory? Whether he wanted to is unclear,
but
St. Galdinus certainly did.
This 12th century Italian saint was born in Milan into the Della Scalla
family.
He later served as chancellor and archdeacon under two archbishops.
After the election of Alexander III as pope in 1159, a few dissident
cardinals
decided to pick another pope, one favored by Frederick Barbarossa, Holy
Roman
emperor from 1152 to 1190.
Frederick was already annoyed with the people of Milan because they
claimed they
had the power to choose their own judges. When the people of Milan also
accepted
Alexander III as pope, Frederick became even more angry.
He forced Abp. Hubert and Galdinus, who was archdeacon, to flee the city.
The
next year, Frederick encircled Milan with a large army, blockading the
city
until the people surrendered.
Next, Frederick ordered what the people believed to be the remains of the
Three
Magi removed from St. Eustorgius Church and taken to Cologne, where they
still
remain.
Galdinus was elected a cardinal in 1165 and, the next year, elected
Archbishop
of Milan, succeeding the deceased Abp. Hubert.
As archbishop, Galdinus devoted much of his energy to comforting and
encouraging
the people of Milan by preaching and seeking out the poor to help them. He
also
assisted the Lombard states in their effort to rebuild Milan.
Galdinus also worked with the city's priests to restore discipline, which
had
been shattered during the upheaval led by the emperor.
At first, he worked exclusively at restoring Milan, but gradually he
devoted
more and more of his energy to combating Catharism, a heretical offshoot
of
Manichaeism, a third century heresy originating in Persia. Catharism was
dualistic and held that matter is evil and that Jesus was an angelic being
who
did not really undergo human birth or death.
The heresy was particularly common in Lombardy and began to spread to
Milan when
the Lombards helped rebuild Milan. Galdinus preached against Catharism for
many
years.
Finally, one day, the already weakened Galdinus, too ill to celebrate
Mass, took
to the pulpit to deliver another impassioned denunciation of Catharism.
Just
after he finished the homily, and before he could leave the pulpit, he
lost
consciousness. He died as the Mass ended.
(Sources: Butler's Lives of the Saints, Catholic Almanac,
Catholic-forum.com,
Catholic Online, Dictionary of Saints, Merriam-Webster's 11th Collegiate
Dictionary, www.fiu.edu, www.op.org and www.stpatrickdc.org.)
Saint Quote:
Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions
speak. We
are full of words but empty of actions, and therefore are cursed by the
Lord,
since he himself cursed the fig tree when he found no fruit but only
leaves. It
is useless for a man to flaunt his knowledge of the law if he undermines
its
teaching by his actions.
Bible Quote:
He who loses his life for My sake and for the Gospel's sake will save it.
St.
Mark 8:35
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A Prayer by St. Thomas More
(written while imprisoned in the Tower of London.)
Give me the grace, Good Lord To set the world at naught.
To set the mind firmly on You and not to hang upon the words of men's
mouths.
To be content to be solitary.
Not to long for worldly pleasures.
Little by little utterly to cast off the world and rid my mind
of all its business.
Not to long to hear of earthly things, but that the hearing of worldly
fancies may be displeasing to me.
Gladly to be thinking of God, piteously to call for His help.
To lean into the comfort of God. Busily to labor to love Him.
To know my own vileness and wretchedness.
To humble myself under the mighty hand of God.
To bewail my sins and, for the purging of them, patiently
to suffer adversity.
Gladly to bear my purgatory here.
To be joyful in tribulations.
To walk the narrow way that leads to life.
To have the last thing in remembrance.
To have ever before my eyes my death that is ever at hand.
To make death no stranger to me.
To foresee and consider the everlasting fire of Hell.
To pray for pardon before the judge comes.
To have continually in mind the passion that Christ suffered for me.
For His benefits unceasingly to give Him thanks.
To buy the time again that I have lost.
To abstain from vain conversations.
To shun foolish mirth and gladness.
To cut off unnecessary recreations.
Of worldly substance, friends, liberty, life and all,
to set the loss at naught, for the winning of Christ.
To think my worst enemies my best friends,
for the brethren of Joseph could never have done him
so much good with their love and favor as they did him
with their malice and hatred.
These minds are more to be desired of every man than all
treasures of all the princes and kings, Christian and heathen,
were it gathered and laid together all in one heap.
Amen
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