April 4th - Saint Isidore of Seville
Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, c.560-636
SAINT ISIDORE, bishop of Seville and Doctor of the Church, had the
phenomenal versatility of a Leonardo da Vinci. Like that famous
Renaissance
genius, he had an amazing store of information, including, among other
things, a knowledge of history, science, natural history, literature, and
philosophy.
Isidore's parents gave four children to the Church: Leander, Fulgentius,
and
Isidore became bishops, Florentina became an abbess; all four were
eventually canonized saints. Born about 560 at Cartagena, Spain, Isidore
was educated by his elder brother, Archbishop Leander, in the cathedral
school of Seville. He had always been a poor student until one day, when
he
was skipping school, he sat down near the edge of a spring and noticed
some
grooves worn into the rock. Discovering that the grooves were caused by
the
constant flow of water, he decided that, similarly, the continual
repetition
of lessons might make a permanent impression on his memory. After that,
Isidore disciplined himself to long hours of study, and in a short time he
mastered Latin, Hebrew, and Greek.
On March 13, 599, after Leander's death, Isidore succeeded to the see of
Seville. The Visigoths (Germanic invaders) had controlled Spain for
several
centuries, and at that time their barbarous influence was threatening to
destroy Spanish civilization. By using every educational and religious
means at his disposal, Isidore converted the Visigoths from Arianism to
Catholicism, thus unifying the faith of the nation. He also helped to
eradicate the acephalite(1) heresy (it professed that the human and divine
natures in Christ are identical), encouraged monasticism, and strengthened
religious discipline everywhere. Isidore guided the course of three
synods
and presided over the Fourth Council of Toledo, held in 633. There it was
decided, under Isidore's influence, to establish a school in each diocese
where the clergy could be trained in the liberal arts, and in Hebrew,
Greek,
medicine, and law.
Isidore was the first Christian writer to attempt compiling a summation of
universal knowledge, an encyclopedia. His work, called Etymologies or
Origins contained in compact form all the knowledge of his age. It
preserved many fragments of classical learning in a way that was
intelligible to the Germanic peoples of his time. This contribution to
the
field of education gained for Isidore the title "Schoolmaster of the
Middle
Ages," and until the middle of the sixteenth century his Origins remained
a
favorite textbook. He also rendered a great service to the Church in
Spain
by completing the Mozarabic missal and breviary begun by Saint Leander.
Isidore was as outstanding in the practice of charity and mortification as
he was in the cultivation of knowledge. His house was continually crowded
with the poor of the countryside. Shortly before he died, he went to
church
and, covering himself with sackcloth, had ashes placed on his head. Thus
dressed as a penitent, he prayed earnestly for the forgiveness of his sins
and gave all his possessions to the poor. He died a short time later, on
April 4, 636.
This Version taken from:
http://www.geocities.com/barats2000/Feasts.html
(1) Acephali
A term applied to the Eutychians who withdrew from Peter Mongus, the
Monophysite Patriarch of Alexandria, in 482. With the apparent purpose of
bringing the orthodox and heretics into unity, Peter Mongus and Acacius of
Constantinople had elaborated a new creed in which they condemned
expressly
Nestorius and Eutyches, but at the same time affected to pass over the
decisions of the Council of Chalcedon and rejected them hypocritically.
This
ambiguous formula, though approved by the Emperor Zeno and imposed by him
in
his edict of union, or Henoticon, could only satisfy the indifferent. The
condemnation of Eutyches irritated the rigid Monophysites; the equivocal
attitude taken towards the Council of Chalcedon appeared to them
insufficient, and many of them, especially the monks, deserted Peter
Mongus,
preferring to be without a head (akephaloi), rather than remain in
communion
with him. Later, they joined the partisans of the Monophysite Patriarch of
Antioch, Severus. The Deacon Liberatus (Breviarium, P.L., LVIII, 988)
supposes the name Acephali (Headless) to have been given to those at the
Council of Ephesus who followed neither Cyril of Alexandria nor John of
Antioch.
Readings
Prayer purifies us, reading instructs us. Both are good when both are
possible. Otherwise, prayer is better than reading.
If a man wants to be always in God's company, he must pray regularly
and
read regularly. When we pray, we talk to God; when we read, God talks to
us.
All spiritual growth comes from reading and reflection. By reading we
learn what we did not know; by reflection we retain what we have learned.
Reading the holy Scriptures confers two benefits. It trains the mind
to
understand them; it turns man's attention from the follies of the world
and
leads him to the love of God.
The conscientious reader will be more concerned to carry out what he
has
read than merely to acquire knowledge of it. In reading we aim at knowing,
but we must put into practice what we have learned in our course of study.
The more you devote yourself to study of the sacred utterances, the
richer will be your understanding of them, just as the more the soil is
tilled, the richer the harvest.
The man who is slow to grasp things but who really tries hard is
rewarded, equally he who does not cultivate his God-given intellectual
ability is condemned for despising his gifts and sinning by sloth.
Learning unsup****ted by grace may get into our ears; it never reaches
the heart. But when God's grace touches our innermost minds to bring
understanding, his word which has been received by the ear sinks deep into
the heart.
-from Book of Maxims by Saint Isidore
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A prayer to angels before undertaking a journey:
In the way of peace direct us, O Lord. We praise and
venerate All the heavenly princes, But especially Raphael,
Faithful physician And companion true, Who with Heaven's
power Bindeth fast the demon.
V. God hath given His Angels charge over thee.
R. To keep thee in all thy ways.
Let us pray:
O God, who didst give the blessed Archangel Raphael unto
Thy servant Tobias to be his fellow-traveler; grant unto us,
Thy servants, that the same may ever keep us and ****eld us,
help us and defend us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us go forward in peace, In the name of the Lord. Amen.
Imprimatur: Francis Cardinal Spellmen, Archbishop of New York, May 30,
1951.
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