- Galatians 5:22-23 -
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things
there
is no law.
_________________________________________________________________
LOVE - never fails
JOY - cometh
PEACE - rules
PATIENCE - waits
KINDNESS - tenders
GOODNESS - does
FAITHFULNESS - fights
GENTLENESS - bows
SELF-CONTROL - stops
<<>><<>><<>>
March 10th - St. John Ogilvie, Martyr
Born in Banff****re, Scotland, c. 1579; died at Glasgow, Scotland, March
10,
1615; beatified in 1929; canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1976 (the first
Scottish
saint since Margaret in 1250). John Ogilvie, son of the Calvinist baron of
Drum-na-Keith and Lady Douglas of Lochleven, returned to the faith of his
fathers and forsook his heritage in this world as the result of a
passionate
course of theological studies and ardent prayers for light. The laird of
Drum-na-Keith had sent his eldest son abroad so that his 13-year-old John
could
have the full benefit of French Calvinism as he studied for a few years at
Louvain.
This is characteristic of the violent religious turmoil of the age: the
boy of
15 was entirely absorbed by an interest in religion-and wanted to be clear
about
which faith was the 'true' one. He himself explained later that what
decided the
question for him-and for me-was his experience that the Roman Catholic
Church
included all kinds of people-emperors and kings, princes and noblemen, as
well
as burghers, peasants, and beggars-but that it overtopped them all-no man
was
above the Church.
John had also seen that the Church could impel people of all cl***** to
renounce
the whole world to devote themselves entirely to God. And the final
reason, the
one which in the end led to his conversion, was his having seen that the
men who
gave their lives and their blood for Christ, those who had died to spread
Christianity among mankind, had been martyrs for the Christianity of Rome
and
not for that of Geneva or Wittenberg.
At the age of 17 (1596), John Ogilvie returned to Catholicism, because he
wished
to belong to the Church of the martyrs. Twenty years later, he himself
suffered
the death of a martyr.
After his reception into the Catholic church at the Scots College at
Louvain,
John continued his studies at Ratisbon (Regensburg) and Olmütz. In 1600,
he
joined the Jesuit novitiate at Brünn (Brno), where he enjoyed the Jesuit
education in the liberal arts and sciences as well as religious studies
and
spiritual formation. For ten years he worked in Austria, mainly at Graz
and
Vienna, before he was assigned to the French province. Ogilvie was
ordained at
Paris in 1610 and stationed in Rouen, where he learned of the persecution
of
Catholics in his homeland. In 1613 received permission to go to Scotland
to
minister to the persecuted Catholics there.
Using the alias John Watson, pur****tedly a horse trader and/or a soldier
back
from the wars in Europe, he worked in Edinburgh, Renfrew, and Glasgow. He
found
that most of the Scottish Catholic noblemen had conformed, at least
outwardly,
and were unwilling to help a proscribed priest. Unable to make much of an
impression, he went to London to contact one of the king's ministers and
then to
Paris for consultation. He was sharply told to return to Scotland, which
he did.
In Edinburgh Ogilvie stayed at the house of William Sinclair, a lawyer
whose son
he tutored. He ministered to a congregation and visited imprisoned
Catholics.
Eventually Ogilvie was successful in winning back a number of converts to
the
Church. Soon he attracted the attention of Archbishop Spottiswoode, once a
Presbyterian but now carrying out in Scotland the religious policies of
King
James.
He was betrayed by a man named Adam Boyd, who trapped him by pretending to
be
interested in the faith. He was imprisoned, treated to the French torture
of
"the boot," and forcibly kept from sleep for eight days to compel him to
reveal
the names of other Catholics-which he refused. Steadfastly, he remained
loyal to
the crown in tem****al matters. After months of torture he was found guilty
of
high treason for refusing to acknowledge the supremacy of the king in
spiritual
matters and for refusing to apostatize. He managed to write an account of
his
arrest and treatment in prison, which was smuggled out by visitors.
When Saint John appeared in court at Edinburgh in December 1613, he
questioned
why Catholics were persecuted. He claimed the right to the faith that had
not
only shown itself compatible with the order of society, but had been the
main
factor in the creation of that order and in the birth of the nation. He
said,
"Neither Francis [of France] has forbidden France, nor does Philip [of
Spain]
burn for religion but for heresy, which is not religion but rebellion."
Heir of Drum-na-Keith, who had forsaken his family, his home, and his
estate to
become a Jesuit and a priest, says to Spottiswoode and the other reformed
clergymen who owed their position and all they possessed to the favor of
King
James:
"The King cannot forbid me my own country, since I am just as much a
natural
subject as the King himself. . . . What more do we owe him than our
ancestors to
his ancestors? If he has all his right to reign from his ancestors, why
does he
ask for more than they have left him by right of inheritance? They have
never
had any spiritual jurisdiction, nor have they ever exercised any; nor held
any
other faith than the Roman Catholic."
Finally, John Ogilvie was hanged at Glasgow (Attwater, Benedictines,
Delaney,
Farmer, Moore, Undset).
Saint Quote:
"But some one may say, 'What harm is there in reading [and clearly also
watching/listening on TV and radio] romances and profane poetry when they
contain nothing immodest? Do you ask what harm?
"Behold the harm: the reading of such works kindles the concupiscence
[desires]
of the senses, and awakens the passions [emotions: irrational but
irresistible
motives for a belief or action]; these easily gain the consent of the
will, or
at least render it so weak that when the occasion of any dangerous
affection
occurs the devil finds the soul already prepared to allow itself to be
conquered.
"By the reading of such pernicious books heresy has made, and makes every
day,
great progress; because such reading has given and gives increased
strength to
libertinism [Libertarianism: belief/opinion, that it is good for people to
practice in their lives complete freedom of thought and speech and
whatever
these lead to].
"The poison of these books enters gradually into the soul; it first makes
itself
master [the basis] of the understanding, then infects [becomes taken up
by] the
will, [the consent of which leads to grievous/mortal sin and thus] in the
end
kills the soul.
"The devil finds no means more efficacious and secure of sending a young
person
[people] to perdition [often to mortal sin and condemnation to Hell by
God] than
the reading of such poisoned works."
-St. Alphonsus de Liguori (Doctor, 1696-1787)-"The True Spouse Of Jesus
Christ"
Bible Quotes:
"Fornication and all uncleanness and covetousness, let it not so much as
be
named among you, as becometh saints or obscenity or foolish talking or
scurrility, which is to no purpose; but rather giving of thanks. For know
you
this and understand: that no fornicator or unclean or covetous person
(which is
a serving of idols) hath inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God"
- Eph
5:3-5
"But shun profane and vain babblings" - 2 Tim. 2:16
<><><><>
Dear Jesus,
Divine Physician and Healer of the Sick,
we turn to You in this time of illness.
O dearest Comforter of the Troubled,
alleviate our worry and sorrow with Your gentle love,
and grant us the grace and strength to accept this burden.
Dear God,
we place our worries in Your hands.
We ask that You restore Your servant to health again.
Above all,
grant us the grace to acknowledge Your holy will
and know that whatsoever You do,
You do for the love of us.
Amen.
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