Cristy Li

Christian Martyrs –Image: ASB240@Wikispaces

(Franciscan Media) Often its difficult to find much detail of the lives of the Saint’s of the early Church–What we do know about the 3rd century Martyrs ‘Saint’s Marian and James’ that we honor today is likewise minimal but we do know that they lived and died for their faith in Jesus Christ.

Born in North Africa, Marian was a lecturer (or reader) and James was a Deacon, for their devotions to faith, they suffered during the persecution of Emperor Valerian from 257-259

Prior to their persecution and martyrdom, Marian and James were visited by two Bishop’s Agapius and Secundinus, who encouraged them in their faith (not long before they to were martyred for Jesus Christ) shortly thereafter, Marian and James were arrested, interrogated which they confessed their faith for that, they were tortured.

While imprisoned, they are said to have experienced visions, including one of Bishop’s Agapius and Secundinus that had visited them earlier.

On the last day of their lives, Marian and James joined other Christians facing martyrdom. They were blindfolded and put to death.

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Saint Hilary of Arles (400-449)
Image: Catholic Online

(EWTN) Most likely born in France, Hilary’s family were wealthy and he received a traditional aristocratic education in philosophy and rhetoric (wisdom, grammar and logic) which he expected to put into good use in his life.

One of Hilary’s relatives Honoratus Archbishop of Arles, founded Lernis Monastery near the French Riveria and given his life in service to the Church, he was very concerned for Hilary’s salvation, urging him with tears to abandon worldly pursuits for the sake of following Jesus Christ.

“On one side,” Hilary later recalled, “I saw the Lord calling me, on the other, the world offering me its seducing charms and pleasures. How often did I embrace and reject will and not will the same thing but in the end,  Jesus Christ triumphed in me and three days after Honoratus had left me, the mercy of God solicited by his prayers, subdued my rebellious soul.”

Hillary returned to Honoratus, humbling himself as one of his disciples and embraced a life of prayer, abstinence of worldly pleasures and study of the Scriptures, he sold off his property and gave the proceeds to the poor, embracing the monastic life of the Lernis Monastery.

When Archbishop Honoratus died in 429, Hilary again attempted to leave Arles but the faithful of the city sent out a search party and brought him back so that he could be consecrated as Honoratus’ successor.

Though he was not yet 30 yrs old at the time, as the new Archbishop, he was well prepared by his years in a religious life and the time assisting Honoratus as one of his disciples.

As Archbishop, Hilary maintained the simplicity of a Monk, he owned few possessions, put the poor ahead of himself and continued to perform manual labor.

Known for his kindness and charity, Archbishop Hilary was also remembered for publicly rebuking a government official who brought shame on the Church — Hilary would also warn ‘lukewarm believers’ that they would “not so easily get out of Hell, if you are once unhappily fallen into its dungeons.”

Archbishop Hilary helped to establish Monasteries in his diocese and strengthened the discipline and orthodoxy (conforming to Christian faith) of the local Church through a series of Councils; Hilary sold off Church property in order to pay the ransoms of those who had been abducted–Its is said, that he worked many miracles during his lifetime.

On this date in the year 449 Archbishop Hilary of Arles died at the age of 49 of natural causes. Pope Leo I praised Hilary the Bishop of Arles in a letter to his successor honoring him as: “Hilary of Holy Memory.”

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Prayers to the Saints & Blessed
Image: Discount Catholic Products

(Franciscan Media) Born in Lithuania Vilnius, Michael Giedroyc was physically challenged as a result of dwarfism and only having the use of one foot and as a result of his physically challenges, his formal education was often times interrupted.

As the years progressed, Michael demonstrated that he was especially skilled at doing metalwork–working with silver and bronze, he would create sacred vessels together with chalices.

Michael wanting more out of life traveled to Poland Krakow where he joined the ‘Augustinians’ and subsequently received permission to live in seclusion and prayer (as a hermit) in a room adjoining the Monastery, his rich spiritual life brought Michael consolation which he lived into old age.

Five hundred years subsequent to Michael’s death, Pope John Paul II visited Krakow and spoke to the faculty at the Pontifical Academy of Theology and said, the 15th century in Krakow was the ‘Century of the Saint’s’ and among those he cited were was Blessed Michael Giedroyc.

Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
Image: Saint Dominic Priory

(EWTN) Born in Italy Siena in 1347 Catherine appeared to be favored by God with extraordinary graces as soon as she was capable of knowing Him. When Catherine was still very young, she withdrew into seclusion a little ways out of the town to imitate the lives of the Fathers of the desert–returning after sometime to her father’s home, Catherine continued to be guided by the same spirit and consecrated herself with a vow of chastity to God by a private vow.

Catherine’s love for spiritual discipline, prayer and her sentiments of virtue were such as are not usually found in one so tender in age but God was pleased to put her resolution to a great trial.

At 12 yrs of age, Catherine’s parents thought of engaging her in a married state, she found them deaf to her pleas that she might live single. Catherine thereafter redoubled her prayers, watching and discipline, knowing that her protection must be from God alone.

Catherine’s parents found her inclination to solitude as unsuitable to the life for which they designed for her–they endeavored to divert her from it and began to prevent her devotions, depriving her in this view of the little chamber they had until then permitted. They loaded Catherine with the most distracting jobs and laid on her, all of the drudgery of the house as if she was nothing more than a servant girl. The hardest labor, humiliations, contempt and insults from her sisters were to Catherine a subject of joy and as such was her enthusiastic love of Crosses, that she embraced them in all shapes with a holy eagerness and received all ridicule with admirable sweetness and heroic patience.

If anything grieved Catherine the most, it was the loss of her dear solitude but the Holy Spirit, that interior faithful master to whom she had listened, taught her to make another solitude in her heart–where amidst all of her jobs, she considered herself always alone with God to whose presence she kept herself no less attentive, then if she had no menial jobs to perform that would distract her. In that admirable work of God’s Providence which she wrote:

“That our Lord hath taught her to build in her soul a private closet, strongly vaulted with the Divine Providence and to keep herself always close and retired there. He (God) assured her that by this means she should find peace and perpetual repose in her soul, which no storm or tribulation could disturb or interrupt.”

Catherine’s sisters and other friends attempted to persuade her to join with them in the diversions the world offered, claiming that virtue was not  an enemy to neatness in dress or to cheerfulness under which soft names they endeavored to recommend the dangerous liberties of worldly past-times and vanities.

When Catherine was 18 she entered the ‘Dominican Third Order’ according to Franciscan Media and spent the next 3 yrs in seclusion, prayer and austerity (self-discipline) — Gradually a group of followers (Priests, Lay Men and Women) an active public apostolate grew out of her contemplative life.

Catherine’s letters, mostly for spiritual instruction and encouragement of others, began to take more-and-more note of public affairs. Opposition and slander resulted from her mixing fearlessly with the world, speaking with candor and authority of one completely committed to Jesus Christ–Catherine was cleared of all the allegations at the Dominican General Chapter of 1374

Subsequently Catherine’s influenced reached great heights because of her evident holiness, her membership in the ‘Dominican Third Order’ and the deep impression that she made on the Pope. Catherine worked tirelessly for the crusade against the Turks and for peace between Italy Florence and the Pope.

In 1378 the ‘Great Schism’ began splitting the allegiance of Christendom between two, then three Pope’s and putting even Saints on opposing sides.

Catherine spent the final two years of her life in Rome, in prayer and pleading on behalf of the cause of Urban VI and the unity of the Church, offering herself as a victim of the Church in its agony. Catherine passed away at the age of 33  and was Canonized in 1461 by Pope Pius II

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Saint Peter Chanel (1803-1841)
Image: Catholic Online

(EWTN) Born in France Cuet near Belley, as a young boy Peter worked as a Shepherd until the local Parish Priest recognizing something unusually special in him convinced his parents to let Peter study in a school that he had started. From there, Peter went on to the seminary where it was said of him:

“He had a heart of gold with the simple faith of a child and he led the life of an angel.”

Peter was Ordained a Priest and assigned to a parish at Crozet in SE France, in just three yrs, Fr. Peter had transformed the Parish.

In 1831 Fr. Peter joined the the newly founded ‘Society of Mary’ since he had long dreamed of becoming a missionary but for 5 yrs he was assigned to teach at the seminary in his hometown of Belley. Finally in 1836 Fr. Peter’s dream was realized and he was sent with other Marists (members of the ‘Society of Mary’) to the islands of the Pacific.

Fr. Peter endured great hardships, disappointments, frustrations and almost complete failure as well as the opposition of the Futuna tribe leader (Chieftain) Niuluki — Fr. Peter’s worked seemed hopeless, only a few had been Baptized and the local Chieftain continued to be suspicious and hostile. When the Chieftain Niuluki own son asked for Baptism, Niuluki became so angry that he sent his warriors to kill Fr. Peter, he was killed without uttering a word of complaint.

Martyr for Jesus Christ: Fr. Peter’s violent death on this date in 1841 at the age of 38 brought about the conversion to Christianity many of the people of Futuna living there and many remain Catholic to this day.

Fr. Peter Chanel was Beatified in 1889 by Pope Leo XIII and Canonized in 1954 by Pope Pius XII

Thought of the Day: Success or failure is often not completely in our hands and sometimes we have to face what seems almost certain failure but success is not required of us only fidelity. St. Peter Chanel’s work ended in his own death in the face of what seemed total failure. Out of that failure, God brought about the success that Fr. Peter was seeking.

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Related: For Today’s Holy Scripture Readings for the Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, Visit: -USCCB