May 19th - Saint Peter Celestine, Hermit, Pope
(1221-1296)
Saint Peter Celestine was the eleventh of the twelve children of a poor
Italian
farmer. As a child, Peter had visions of our Blessed Lady, Angels and
Saints.
His heavenly visitors encouraged him in his prayers and chided him when he
fell
into any fault. His mother, though only a poor widow, sent him to school,
feeling sure that he would one day be a Saint.
At the age of twenty, he left his home in Apulia to live in a mountain
solitude.
Here he passed three years, assaulted by the evil spirits and beset with
temptations of the flesh, but consoled by the visits of Angels. After this
his
seclusion was invaded by disciples who refused to be sent away; and the
rule
of
life which he gave them formed the foundation of the Celestines, a branch
of
the
Order of Saint Benedict. Angels assisted in the church which Peter built;
unseen
bells rang peals of surpassing sweetness, and heavenly music filled the
sanctuary when he offered the Holy Sacrifice; he had consented to be
ordained,
to find in the Holy Eucharist assistance against temptation.
Suddenly the poor anchorite found himself torn from his loved solitude,
having
been named by acclamation to the Papal throne, which had remained vacant
for
twenty-seven months. Resistance was of no avail. He took the name of
Celestine,
to remind him of the heaven he was leaving and for which he sighed. He was
seventy-two years old. After a reign of five months, Peter judged himself
unfit
for the office, and summoning the cardinals to his presence, he solemnly
resigned his trust.
During the remaining three years of his life he worked many and great
miracles.
On the day after his abdication, his blessing after Mass healed a lame
man.
Saint Peter left the palace, desiring seclusion, but was brought back by
the
papal guards, for his successor feared a schism; crowds had followed Saint
Peter. Lest he be prevailed upon to take back his office, he was put under
surveillance at Anagni. Content, he remarked: "I desired nothing but a
cell,
and
a cell they have given me." And there he enjoyed his former loving
intimacy
with
the Saints and Angels, and sang the Divine praises almost continually.
At length, on Pentecost Sunday he told his guards he would die within the
week,
and immediately fell ill. He received the Last Sacraments, and the
following
Saturday, as he finished the concluding verse of Lauds, "Let every spirit
bless
the Lord!" he closed his eyes to this world and opened them to the vision
of
God.
Reflection. "To the one who withdraws himself from acquaintances and
friends,"
says the Imitation of Christ, "God will draw near with His holy Angels."
Sources: Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Guérin
(Bloud
et Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 6; 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); Vie des Saints pour tous
les
jours de l'année, by Abbé L. Jaud (Mame: Tours, 1950).
Saint Quote:
The entire Church must formally pray for [vocations] because the purpose
of
the
prayer to gain vocations must concern all the faithful, every Christian
who
has
at heart the good of souls and, in a particular way, the Bishops who are
the
shepherds of the spiritual flock and to whom souls are entrusted. They are
the
living Apostles of Jesus Christ today.
--Saint Hannibal Mary Di Francia
Bible Quote
14 Now when the apostles, who were in Jerusalem, had heard that Samaria
had
received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John. 15 Who, when
they
were come, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost. 16 For
he
was not as yet come upon any of them; but they were only baptized in the
name of
the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands upon them, and they received
the
Holy Ghost. (Acts 8:14-17)
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The Angelic Trisagion:
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts! The earth is full of Thy Glory! Glory
be to
the Father, Glory be to the Son, Glory be to the Holy Ghost. Amen.
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Acts of Faith, Hope, and Charity:
I believe in Thee, because Thou art Truth itself, and, as
Thou hast revealed them to her, I believe all the sacred
truths which the holy Catholic Church believes and
teaches.
I hope in Thee, because Thou art omnipotent, most
merciful, and faithful to Thy promises; I hope to obtain
the pardon of my sins, the grace to live a holy life, to die
a happy death, and to obtain life everlasting, through the
merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer.
I love Thee with my whole heart, and above all things,
because Thou art infinitely good; and for the love of
Thee I love my neighbor as myself.
Imprimatur: +John Farley, Archbishop of New York, Sept 19, 1908.
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