Author: regan.ocd

JANUARY 9: SAINT ANDREW CORSINI (1302-1374)

St. Andrew Corsini  is an example from which we can learn how efficacious is the intercession of the Queen of Saints, in withdrawing the sinner from the error of his way, and exciting him to aspire to, and attain, a high degree of perfection.

St. Andrew was born at the beginning of the fourteenth century in Florence and before his birth, his holy parents offered him to the Blessed Virgin as the first fruits of their marriage.  On the night in which he was born, his mother, Peregrina, had a dream which filled her with alarm.  It seemed to her, as if she had brought forth a wolf, who, fleeing to a church, was changed into a lamb.  This was a picture of what was afterwards to happen to Andrew.  His pious parents employed every care and precaution, to bring him up in the fear of God; but, as too often happens, through the influence of bad company, an immoderate desire of play, and neglect of duty, he fell into the greatest disorders. Dissipation hurried him from one vice to another until he was without affection for his parents,whom he disobeyed without remorse; so that all who knew him were full of apprehension for the future.

Meanwhile, his mother, mindful of her dream, sought consolation from Mary by continual prayer.Andrew, while one day preparing for a party of pleasure, expressed himself to his mother in a very disrespectful manner and she burst into tears and told him the depth of her affliction.  She told him about her dream and that before his birth she had offered him to the Blessed Virgin.  This made such an impression on Andrew that he was unable to sleep during the following night.  The thought that he had been dedicated to the Mother of God occupied his mind.  At that point, he exclaimed “Virgin Mother, because I am thy servant, I will unceasingly serve thee.”

The following day, he went to the church of the Carmelites, and prostrating himself before an image of Mary, offered himself up to this merciful Mother, and bade her change this wolf into a lamb. He frequently repeated this prayer and it was heard.  He made great advances in virtue and was subsequently ordained a priest.

He studied in Paris and Avignon then returned to Florence and became Prior of his convent there. In 1360 he was called to the post of bishop of Fiesole, near Florence. As bishop, he was wise, efficient, well-organized and generous, he was an able administrator and respected moderator in times of social conflict.  He set high standards of conduct for himself and his clergy, stressing the importance of education and the need for prayer.

He redoubled his austerities as bishop and was lavish in his care of the poor.  He responded energetically to the devastation caused by the plague.  The holy bishop was moved by such kindness and pity towards the poor that the very thought of them moved him to tears.  It is well known that no poor person left his presence uncomforted.  For this reason, he became know as “Father of the Poor.”

As I mentioned before, he was a moderator in times of social conflict.  He was sent to Bologna as a papal legate to heal the breach between the nobility and the people.

After serving 14 years as bishop, he died on January 6, 1374.  There were reports of many miracles of healing and conversion during his lifetime.  He was canonized by Pope Urban VIII on April 29, 1629.

In Art, he is often represented holding a cross with a wolf and a lamb at his feet on a cloud, hovering over a battlefield.  This is because of the time he was able to help resolve the great conflict between the nobility and the people in Bologna.

He is often invoked against riots and civil disorder and his feast day is January 9th.

JANUARY 8: SAINT PETER THOMAS (1305-1366)

LEOPOLD GLUECKERT O. CARM

In a world like our own, where factionalism and deep religious and political divisions poison our relationships, a saint like Peter Thomas is like a breath of fresh air. His life as a devout Carmelite and a diplomatic healer and trouble-shooter reminds us that reconciliation and common ground are always possible with God’s help.

Peter Thomas was born in the southern Périgord region of France, to a very poor peasant family. His piety and skill as a teacher attracted the attention of the Carmelite prior of Bergérac, who invited him to join that community. He continued his teaching in various houses of study until he was sent to Paris for advanced scholarship at the University there. While his studies were still in progress, the Carmelites elected him Procurator General in 1345, which meant that he was the primary liaison with the papal curia. This was during the 70-year period when a series of popes lived at Avignon, in southern France, so his travels to the pontifical court were somewhat easier.

He proved to be a brilliant diplomat, but never ceased to be a good religious as well. He continued to live an austere, simple life amid regal splendor, and never missed his prayers or meditation, even when he was intensely busy. His disarming humility meant that he could chat with peasants, soldiers and sailors just as easily as high government officials. A cardinal friend secured an appointment for him as apostolic preacher at the court of Clement VI and his successors. Then he began to be entrusted with a series of crucial diplomatic missions, largely concerned with mediating disputes between princes and reconciling members of the Eastern Orthodox churches. In 1353, Pope Innocent VI sent him on a special mission of restoring peace between the powerful maritime republics Venice and Genoa, as well as settling a dispute between the Pope himself and the Kingdom of Naples. Although these quarrels were not perfectly settled, Peter Thomas proved to be such a skillful and earnest envoy that he was given bigger trials to confront.

St. Peter ThomasThe following year, he was sent to Stefan Dushan, King of Serbia, who had shown interest in reuniting the Serbian Church with Rome. Peter Thomas made great progress in reconciling the Serbian bishops, and a final understanding was only frustrated by Dushan’s own death. Most of his remaining years were dedicated to working out a similar reconciliation with the Greek Orthodox Church, and forging an alliance which would defend Constantinople against the advances of the Ottoman Turks. Some Greek nobles, including the Byzantine Emperor, John V Paleologus, actually submitted to papal authority, but the Patriarch and most of the Greek bishops hesitated to finalize a reconciliation of the churches. Even so, Peter Thomas was able to put together a credible alliance of Christian states who helped defend Smyrna and other threatened cities against Turkish inroads. His own reputation for personal sincerity and holiness was never in dispute.

In 1360, he crowned his personal friend Peter I of Lusignan King of Cyprus and Jerusalem (in exile), who in turn became an enthusiastic participant in the alliance. All the while, Peter Thomas worked to persuade the Orthodox bishops of Cyprus to reestablish their own unity with the Roman church. In 1364, the new Pope, Urban V, named him Latin Patriarch of Constantinople in order to increase his standing in his negotiations with the Byzantine leaders. That same year, Peter Thomas succeeded in getting his alliance to capture Alexandria in Egypt, but the military leaders hesitated to move on to Cairo. When they withdrew to their ships, the expedition collapsed, and Peter Thomas concealed his own discouragement by trying once again to forge unity.

Death prevented him from final success, however. He died of a fever on Cyprus, and was buried in the Carmelite church at Famagusta. He left behind a reputation for personal simplicity, devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Conception, and a love of peace and unity. Power, wealth, and luxury held no attraction for him, even as he circulated among the most powerful people of his age. The triumph of Christ and his Kingdom of Love was his single, inflexible goal.

MEDITATION USING IMAGINATION, REFLECTION, AND THE SENSES

– St. John of the Cross (The Ascent of Mount Carmel)

These considerations, forms, and methods of meditation are necessary for beginners, so that their souls might be enamored and fed through the senses. They are suitable as the remote means to union with God, which most souls must use to attain their goal, and the life of holy tranquility. Yet these means must not be used in a way that involves employing them regularly, but without ever advancing, for that would mean never achieving the goal.

None of the steps on a flight of stairs has any resemblance to what you see once you reach the top. If in climbing them we don’t leave each step behind, until there are no more, or if we want to stay on one of the steps and linger, we’ll never reach the level and the peace at the top. Similarly, a person who wants to arrive at union with the Supreme Tranquility and Good in this life must climb all the steps—these are considerations, forms, and concepts—but then leave them all behind, since the steps themselves are not the same as the goal toward which they lead. This goal is God. The soul will have to empty itself of all its images, and leave this world of sense in darkness, if it is to reach divine union.

PRAYER

Poem by Jessica Powers (Sr. Miriam of the Holy Spirit

Prayer is the trap-door out of sin.
Prayer is a mystic entering in
to secret places full of light.
It is a passage through the night.
Heaven is reached, the blessed say,
by prayer and by no other way.

One may kneel down and make a plea
with words from book or breviary,
or one may enter in and find
a home-made message in the mind.
But true prayer travels further still,
to seek God’s presence and God’s will.

To pray can be to push a door
and snatch some crumbs of evermore,
or (likelier by far) to wait,
head bowed, before a fastened gate,
helpless and miserable and dumb,
yet hopeful that the Lord will come.

Here is the prayer of grace and good
most proper to our creaturehood.
God’s window shows his humble one
more to the likeness of His Son.

He sees, though thought and senses stray,
the will is resolute to stay
and feed, in weathers sweet or grim,
on any word that speaks of Him.

He beams on the humility
that keeps it peace in misery
and, save for glimmerings, never knows
how beautiful with light it grows.
He smiles on faith that seems to know
it has no other place to go.

But some day, hidden by His will,
if this meek child is waiting still,
God will take out His mercy-key
and open up felicity,
where saltiest tears are given right
to seas where sapphire marries light,
where by each woe the soul can span
new orbits for the utter man,
where even the flesh, so seldom prized,
would blind the less than divinized.

HOW CAN WE PRAY?

-St. Teresa of Avila, “Book of her Life, Ch 9:4, 12:2”

The soul can picture herself in Christ’s presence. Christ’s holy humanity and his fire of love are waiting. The soul can keep him close, talking to him, asking him for whatever she needs, confiding troubles to him. When the soul feels joy, she can rejoice with Christ. She shouldn’t allow the easy times to cause her to forget him.

The soul should try to communicate with Christ, and not only through prescribed written prayers, but with the words of her heart expressing all her desires and needs. This is the most excellent way to make rapid progress with him. The soul who deeply desires to remain in Christ’s holy company, and is sincerely grateful for the intimacy with him that is possible, and finds herself truly in love with this Lord who does so much for us.

LIFE OF SAINT KURIAKOSE ELIAS CHAVARA

(1805-1871)

St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, the first Indian male saint who lived only for a short span of 66 years from 10 February 1805 to 3 January 1871 could do what many people together cannot achieve even during the course of many centuries. He was able to do this because as he himself preached he was guided by the conviction that “Days on which you have not rendered any good to others, will not be reckoned in the book of your life”. As a poet and a truly pious man, he reiterated that the love of God should translate itself as service to the poor, the illiterate and the destitute. It was precisely because of this reason that he was acknowledged by his contemporaries as a living saint during his life time. Even his own testimony at deathbed revealed his inner innocence and sanctity: “I have never lost the baptismal grace”. Immediately after his death, Rev. Fr. Leopold exhorted the members of the religious congregation founded by him to preserve all things used by St. Chavara. He himself made copies of Chavara’s testament and distributed a few things that belonged to Chavara to all the other monasteries as sacred relic.

Personal Tragedy at a Young Age

Now let us come to the life of St. Chavara and see how he overcame a major crisis in his life. It was with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm that young Kuriakose entered the Pallipuram seminary with the dream of becoming a priest. Shattering all his dreams, a few years after he joined the seminary, a major tragedy occurred in his life.

His father, mother and his only brother died in a small pox epidemic that devastated his village. Kuriakose who was just 13 years of age at that time came to know about the death of his near and dear ones only three weeks after the incident and because of this reason he was not even able to attend their funeral. He was heart- broken.

He prayed and wept at the tomb of his near ones. But the faith he received from his parents especially from his mother helped him to withstand this crisis of enormous proportion at the tender age of 13. He strongly believed that God was his portion.

The death of the dear ones also posed a major challenge to him. Since he was the only male member in the family he was advised by all- his siblings, relatives, neighbours and well-wishers to discontinue his studies at the seminary and take up the responsibility of the family. One of his uncles who did not favour Kuriakose going back to the seminary even locked him up in a room. Notwithstanding the opposition of his relatives God had definite plans for him. Another relative by name Thoppil, whom none in the family dared to oppose intervened and young Kuriakose was allowed to follow his wish of returning to the seminary. Later on in life when St. Chavara had to face challenges he firmly believed that with the help of the Lord who has called him to be his priest he would be able to overcome all these challenges. He was never heart- broken because he believed that nothing is impossible for God.

Took the Road Less Travelled

St. Chavara had the courage to take initiatives and contribute a lot to the Church and to the society because of his strong faith in the providence God. He was a man who took the road less travelled. He made initiatives where it was necessary. No obstacle could stop St. Chavara who strongly believed that however mighty the obstacles were, they were nothing before the all-powerful Lord. He had the strong conviction that if he did his part the Lord would take care of the rest. His profound trust in the providence of God and the ardent desire to lead a more radical way of living Christian discipleship led him to found Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI), first indigenous Indian religious congregation along with Fr. Thomas Palackal and Fr.Thomas Porukara.

His ability to be a trend setter is evident from the founding of the first Indian religious congregation for women, the first Sanskrit School, the first Catholic printing press and the preparation of the first liturgical calendar for the Malabar Church.

For the spiritual renewal of the people of God he started several seminaries, introduced annual retreats for priests and people, started forty-hour adoration and gave special attention to the catechumens. Taking into account the needs of the people of that time, he also established a house for the dying and destitute and schools for general education. It was only because of St. Chavara who was appointed the first Vicar General of all the Syro-Malabar Catholics in 1861 that the Church could withstand the many threats to ecclesial unity caused by various schisms.

How good a pastor he was, can be seen from a concrete incident in his life. Once when St. Chavara came to know that a person suffering from the contagious disease small pox wanted to receive the last sacrament, he immediately got ready to go to him. Even though many warned him against going to that person, St. Chavara did not change his mind. He said, “ now it is my duty to take of this person. God will take care of me”. An incident that speaks of his ability to be an instrument of peace in the hands of the Lord is worth mentioning. The year before his death he was taking rest and treatment in the monastery at Koonammavu. Disputes and quarrels were going on in the parish of Anackal relating to the Portuguese Patronage. All efforts to reconcile the rival groups having failed, the parish chiefs approached the prior and said: “It is enough if you just come for peace to be restored.” He went with them and peace was restored.

Had Time and Space for Everyone

St. Chavara had space in his heart for every one- for the rich, for the poor, for the downtrodden and for the members of other caste and religion. He had space in his heart even for those who tried to harass him. This is well illustrated in his last testament. There was a man called Mathen who unjustly appropriated the land of Mannanam monastery and filed cases against St. Chavara in the court. In spite of all the troubles this man created St. Chavara still loved him and in his last testament instructed the members of his religious community to do all good to him.

St. Chavara who was beatified by Saint Pope John Paul II during his historic visit to India on 8 February 1986 and was canonized by Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Square on 23 November 2014 is an inspiration for generations to come. The miracle approved by Vatican for his canonization was the healing of the squint eye of a girl, Mary Jose. The only cure for the defect prescribed by medical doctors was a surgical operation; but within a week’s intense intercessory prayer to Chavara, the girl got instantaneous cure which is beyond scientific explanation. If God did a lot of miracles through St. Chavara during and after his lifetime, it was because he was a man filled with the spirit of God. Let us ask the Lord so that may receive the spirit of God and overcome all the negative feelings so that we can become effective instruments in the hands of the Lord. May God bless us all through the intercession of St. Kuriakose Chavara.

HE WILL MAKE ME HIS QUEEN

-St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, “Letter 149, to Madame Angles- Dec 29, 1902”

“The Infant God kept a great joy in store for my soul, and on the feast of His Nativity He told me He was going to come as my Bridegroom: on Epiphany He will make me His queen and I will pronounce the vows that will unite me to Him forever! My joy is so profound, so divine! It cannot be put into words, … I wish to be as He wants me to be, and on the day of my profession, I must console my Master and make Him forget everything. I feel my weakness, but He is within me to prepare me; so, wholly joyful and confident, I will dare to go before Him so He may consummate the union He has dreamed of in His infinite love… My part is so beautiful! A whole life to be spent in silence and adoration, a heart-to-heart with the Spouse! Pray that I may be faithful, that I may fulfill His plans for my soul right to the very end, that I may accomplish fully all that He wills, that I may make Him happy!

WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST

-St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, “Hidden Life”

“The way to the interior life as well as to the choirs of blessed spirits who sing the eternal Sanctus is Christ. His blood is the curtain through which we enter into the Holiest of Holies, the Divine Life. In baptism and in the sacrament of reconciliation, his blood cleanses us of our sins, opens our eyes to eternal light, our ears to hearing God’s word. It opens our lips to sing his praise, to pray in expiation, in petition, in thanksgiving, all of which are but varying forms of adoration, i.e., of the creature’s homage to the Almighty and All-benevolent One.

In the sacrament of confirmation, Christ’s blood marks and strengthens the soldiers of Christ so that they candidly profess their allegiance. However, above all, we are made members of the Body of Christ by virtue of the sacrament in which Christ himself is present. When we partake of the sacrifice and receive Holy Communion and are nourished by the flesh and blood of Jesus, we ourselves become his flesh and his blood. And only if and insofar as we are members of his Body, can his spirit quicken and govern us. “It is the Spirit that quickens, for the Spirit gives life to the members. But it only quickens members of its own body.…

“The Christian must fear nothing as much as being separated from the Body of Christ. For when separated from Christ’s Body, the Christian is no longer his member, is no longer quickened by his Spirit.…” However, we become members of the Body of Christ “not only through love …, but in all reality, through becoming one with his flesh: For this is effected through the food that he has given us in order to show us his longing for us. This is why he has submerged himself in us and allowed his body to take form in us. We, then, are one, just as the body is joined to the head.…” As members of his Body, animated by his Spirit, we bring ourselves “through him, with him, and in him” as a sacrifice and join in the eternal hymn of thanksgiving. Therefore, after receiving the holy meal, the church permits us to say: “Satisfied by such great gifts, grant, we beseech you, Lord, that these gifts we have received be for our salvation and that we never cease praising you.”

THE BEAUTY OF THE SOUL

-St. Teresa of Avila, “Interior Castle”

[O]ur soul …[is] … like a castle made entirely out of a diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms, just as in heaven there are many dwelling places … the soul of the just person is nothing else but a paradise where the Lord says he finds his delight.… So then, what do you think that abode will be like where a King so powerful, so wise, so pure, so full of all good things takes his delight? I don’t find anything comparable to the magnificent beauty of a soul and its marvelous capacity. Indeed, our intellects, however keen, can hardly comprehend it, just as they cannot comprehend God;  but he himself says that he created us in his own image and likeness.… His Majesty in saying that the soul is made in his own image makes it almost impossible for us to understand the sublime dignity and beauty of the soul.

It is a shame and unfortunate that through our own fault we don’t understand ourselves or know who we are. Wouldn’t it show great ignorance, my daughters, if someone when asked who he was didn’t know, and didn’t know his father or mother or from what country he came? Well now, if this would be so extremely stupid, we are incomparably more so when we do not strive to know who we are, but limit ourselves to considering only roughly these bodies. Because we have heard and because faith tells us so, we know we have souls. But we seldom consider the precious things that can be found in this soul, or who dwells within it, or its high value. Consequently, little effort is made to preserve its beauty. All our attention is taken up with the plainness of the diamond’s setting or the outer wall of the castle; that is, with these bodies of ours.

To become truly spiritual the heart must be empty of all other things, since God desires to be its only Master. And since he cannot be its Master without emptying it of all that is not himself, he is prevented from doing all that he desires if it is not empty. There is no manner of life in the world sweeter or more delicious than continual conversation with God. They alone can understand it who practice it and savor it. I do not advise you, however, to practice it for this motive. The desire for spiritual consolation must not be our purpose in carrying on this practice. Instead, let us do it out of love for God and because it is his will.

If I were a preacher, I would not preach anything else than the practice of the presence of God; and if I were a spiritual director, I would advise it to everyone—so much do I believe it necessary and yes, even easy. Oh! if we only knew how much we need the grace and help of God, we would never lose sight of him, not even for a moment. Believe me; make a holy and firm resolve never voluntarily to withdraw yourself from God’s grace from this time on. Live the rest of your days in God’s holy presence, even if he judges it fitting to deprive you of all consolations of heaven and earth for the sake of his love. Put your hand to the plough. If you work as you should, be assured that you will soon see the fruit of your efforts. I will help you through my prayers, poor though they may be. I commend myself earnestly to your prayers and to those of your community, being to all, and to you more particularly

— BROTHER LAWRENCE OF THE RESURRECTION