May 8th - St. Peter of Tarentaise, OSB Cist. B (RM)
Born at Saint-Maurice (near Vienne), Dauphiné, France, 1102; died at
Bellevaux,
1175; canonized in 1191. First, it should be noted that there are two
saints
named Peter of Tarentaise: today's bishop and one who became known as Pope
Innocent V (born c. 1225). Few bishops have both been so successful as
Peter of
Tarentaise and so unwilling to take up the office. His one true desire was
to be
a Cistercian monk. He had entered a Cistercian monastery at Bonnevaux when
he
was 20 (12 according to some sources), persuading his parents and brothers
and
sister to follow him into the religious life. Before he was 30, he was
chosen to
be abbot of a new Cistercian house at Tamié in the desolate Tarentaise
hills,
overlooking the pass which was the chief route from Geneva to Savoy.
Here he was entirely happy. He struck up a fruitful friend****p with Count
Amadeus III of Savoy. Together they built a hospital for the sick-a place
which
also served as a guesthouse for strangers passing over the Little Saint
Bernard
mountain pass. Peter liked nothing better than to join in conversation
with
those staying in this hospital, humbly waiting upon his guests with his
own
hands.
But in 1142, he was elected archbishop of Tarentaise. Saint Bernard and
the
general chapter of his order compelled Peter to accept the office. The
whole
Cistercian order decided that whatever the saint wished, they must accept.
Peter's predecessor had been so incompetent and lax that he had been
deposed.
The diocese was in complete disorder. Reluctantly Peter set about its
renovation, refusing to let his personal feelings hamper the work. Only
once
did
he give way.
He replaced the lax and careless cathedral clergy with canons regular of
the
Order of Saint Augustine. He regularly visited his entire diocese;
recovered
property that had been alienated; appointed good priests to parishes;
arranged
for the education of the young; made foundations to serve the poor; and
made
it
possible to appropriately celebrate the rites of the church everywhere.
The
author of his vita, who was his constant companion throughout his
episcopacy,
recounts many miracles wrought by Saint Peter, including physical healings
and
the multiplication of provisions during famines.
After 13 years as archbishop, he ran off and secretly offered himself as a
lay
member of a Cistercian house in a remote area of Switzerland. Of course,
he
was
found concealing himself under the guise of a novice lay brother, but not
until
a year had elapsed. The reluctant archbishop was forced to return to his
see
by
his new superiors. He was greeted with joy at his homecoming. Again, he
set
to
work with a will, founding travelers' refuges on the Alpine p*****. He
also
endowed a charity for the free distribution of soup and bread for the
hill-farmers during the lean spring months; this came to be known as pain
de
mai, May-bread, and continued until the French Revolution.
Peter was not completely happy outside a monastery. He often visited the
Grande
Chartreuse, where he was attended by a young monk later to be known as
Saint
Hugh of Lincoln.
Uncompromisingly Peter sup****ted the true pope, Alexander III, against his
false
rivals-even though the antipope Victor was sup****ted by no less than the
Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa. Though it seemed that he was the only subject who
dared to
openly oppose the pretender, Saint Peter preached in Alsace, Lorraine,
Burgundy,
and parts of Italy in an attempt to establish the claims of the true
pontiff. He
spoke out fearlessly in various councils and even in the presence of the
emperor
himself, who was so impressed by his sanctity and courage that he
permitted
him
to speak freely.
Such an honest man could be trusted to intercede between the warring kings
of
England and France. In 1174, Pope Alexander III requested that he meet
with
King
Louis VII of France and Henry II of England. Though he was old, he set out
at
once and stopped to preach everywhere en route. He met both sovereigns
near
Chaumont in the Vexin, where the French court was being held, but did not
succeed in reconciling them. On returning to Tarentaise from this mission
of
peace, he became ill near Besançon and died as he was being carried into
the
abbey of Bellevaux (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Walsh).
http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0508.shtml
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Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth. -Matt. 5:4
"There is nothing which edifies others so much as charity and kindness, by
which, as by the oil in the lamp, the flame of good example is kept alive"
-St. Francis de Sales
We read of St. Francis Xavier that his brother Jesuits often visited him,
only
to enjoy his admirable mildness.
(Taken from the book "A Year with the Saints". May - Meekness)
Bible Quote
5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion: Behold thy king cometh to thee, meek, and
sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of her that is used to the yoke.
(Matthew 21:5)
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A morning offering:
O my God, in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary
(here kiss your woolen Brown Scapular as a sign of your
consecration), I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Jesus from
all the altars throughout the world, joining with It the offering
of my every thought, word and action of this day.
O my Jesus, I desire today to gain every indulgence and merit
I can, and I offer them, together with myself, to Mary
Immaculate-that she may best apply them to the interests of
Thy most Sacred Heart. Precious Blood of Jesus, save us!
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
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