The Lord Builds the House
Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain,
declares the Psalmist. Who are those who labor to build it? All those who
in
the Church preach
the word of God, the ministers of God's Sacraments.
But "unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain." We
speak
from without; he
builds from within. It is he who builds, counsels, inspires fear, opens
your
minds and directs
them to the faith. - Commentary on Psalm 126, 1
Prayer. Lord, I have asked for only one thing from you, to live in your
house all the days of my
life, to gaze upon your delight.
Augustine- Commentary on Psalm 26 (2), 17
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February 15th - Sts Faustinus and Jovita, Martyrs
(died 122)
Faustinus and Jovita were brothers, nobly born, and were zealous
professors
of the Christian religion, which they preached without fear in their city
of
Brescia in Lombardy, during the persecution of Adrian. Their remarkable
zeal
excited the fury of the heathens against them, and procured them a
glorious
death for their faith.
Faustinus, a priest, and Jovita, a deacon, were preaching the Gospel
fearlessly in the region when Julian, a pagan officer, apprehended them.
They were commanded to adore the sun, but replied that they adored the
living God who created the sun to give light to the world. The statue
before
which they were standing was brilliant and surrounded with golden rays.
Saint Jovita, looking at it, cried out: "Yes, we adore the God reigning in
heaven, who created the sun. And you, vain statue, turn black, to the
shame
of those who adore you!" At his word, it turned black. The Emperor
commanded
that it be cleaned, but the pagan priests had hardly begun to touch it
when
it fell into ashes.
The two brothers were sent to the amphitheater to be devoured by lions,
but
four of those came out and lay down at their feet. They were left without
food in a dark jail cell, but Angels brought them strength and joy for new
combats. The flames of a huge fire respected them, and a large number of
spectators were converted at the sight. Finally sentenced to decapitation,
they knelt down and received the death blow. The city of Brescia honors
them
as its chief patrons and possesses their relics, and a very ancient church
in that city bears their names.
Reflection. The spirit of Christ is ever a spirit of martyrdom. It is
always
the spirit of the cross. The more we share in the suffering life of
Christ,
the greater share we inherit of His Spirit, and of the fruits of His
death.
To souls mortified in their senses and disengaged from earthly things, God
gives frequent foretastes of the sweetness of eternal life, and ardent
desires of possessing Him in His glory. This is the spirit of martyrdom,
which entitles a Christian to a happy resurrection and to the bliss of the
life to come.
Sources: 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); Lives of the Saints for Every Day of
the Year, edited by Rev. Hugo Hoever, S.O. Cist., Ph.D. (Catholic Book
Publi****ng Co.: New York, 1951-1955).
Saint Quote:
Prayer reveals to souls the vanity of earthly goods and pleasures. It
fills
them with light, strength and consolation; and gives them a foretaste of
the
calm bliss of our heavenly home.
-St Rose of Viterbo
Bible Quote:
He that speaketh of himself, seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh
the
glory of him that sent him, he is true, and there is no injustice in him.
(John 7:18)
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The Fifteen Secret Tortures of Our Lord
Revealed to the pious, God-loving Sister Mary Magdalen of the Sancta
Clara
Order, Franciscan, who lived, died and was beatified in Rome. Jesus
fulfilled the wish of this Sister who desired ardently to know something
about the secret tortures which He endured the night before His death.
"The Jews considered Me as the most wretched man living on earth so that
is
why . . ."
"They fastened My feet with a rope and dragged Me over the stepping stones
of the staircase, down into a filthy, nauseating cellar."
"They took off my clothes and stung My body with iron joints."
"They attached a rope around My body and pulled Me along the ground, from
end to end."
"They hanged Me on a wooden piece with a slipknot until I slipped out and
fell down. Overwhelmed by this torture, I wept bloody tears."
"They tied Me to a post and pierced My body with arms."
"They struck Me with stones and burnt Me with blazing embers and torches."
"They pierced Me with awls; sharp spears tore My skin, flesh and arteries
out of My body."
"They tied Me to a post and made Me stand, barefoot, on an incandescent
metal sheet."
"They crowned Me with an iron crown and wrapped My eyes with the dirtiest
possible rags."
"They made me sit on a chair covered with sharp pointed nails, causing
deep
wounds in My body."
"They poured on My wounds liquid lead and resin and, after this torture,
they pressed Me on the nailed chair, so the nails went, deeper and deeper
into my flesh."
"For shame and affliction, they drove needles into the holes of My
uprooted
beard. Then they tied My hands behind My back and led Me walking out of
prison with strikes and blows."
"They threw Me upon a cross and attached Me so tightly that I could hardly
breathe any more."
"They threw at My head as I lay on the earth, and they stepped on Me,
hurting My breast."
"They poured into My mouth the most immodest excretions, as they uttered
the
most infamous expressions about Me."
Then Jesus added:
"My daughter, I desire that you let everyone know these fifteen secret
tortures, in order that every one of them be honored."
"Anyone who daily offers Me, with love, one of these sufferings and says
with fervor the following prayer, will be rewarded with eternal glory on
the
day of judgement."
Devotional Prayer:
"My Lord and My God, it is my unchangeable will to honor You in these
fifteen secret torments when You shed Your Precious Blood. As many times
as
there are grains of sand around the seas, as grains of wheat in the
fields,
as blades of grass in the meadows, as fruit in the orchards, as leaves on
the trees, as flowers in the gardens, as stars in the sky, as angels in
Heaven, as creatures on earth - so many thousands of times may You be
glorified, praised and honored, O most love-worthy Lord Jesus Christ -
Your
Holiest Heart, Your Precious Blood, Your Divine Sacrifice for mankind, the
Holiest Sacrament of the Altar, The Most Holy Virgin Mary, the nine
glorious
choirs of Angels and the Blessed Phalanx of the Saints, from myself and
everyone, now and forever, and In the eternal ages."
(This devotion is approved and recommended by His Holiness Clement II,
1730-1740.)
Please make this Devotion to the Passion of Jesus a part of your daily
prayer life. Remember also that by reverently offering the 14 Stations of
the Cross one can still daily receive a Plenary Indulgence for a suffering
soul in Purgatory.
There is an Im****tant prayer which is called the "Jesus Prayer." It should
be recited devoutly often each day and is as follows:
"Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me, a sinner."
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