TODAY'S SAINT (George)

www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=280

 

GEORGE

(d. ca. 303)

Martyr, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers,

patron saint of many countries

 

 

St. George is considered to be one of the most  illustrious martyrs in the Church, though most of what is known about him in various "Acts of St. George" is probably more legend than fact.

     However, George was an historical figure. According to an account by Metaphrastes, he was born in Cappadocia (in modern Turkey) to a noble Christian family; his mother was  palestinian. After his father died, he went to live in Palestine with his mother. George became a soldier and was promoted to high rank by Emperor Diocletian. But when Diocletian began persecutinng Christians, George went to him and protested. He was jailed and torturred at or near Lydda, also known as Diospolis. On the following day (Appril 23, probably the year 303), he was paraded through the streets and then beheaded. He was buried at Lydda.

      George immedeiately became an important martyr in the churches of both  East and West, and altars and churces were built in his honor. The early pilgrims of  thhe sixth to eighth centuries knew of Lydda as the seat of his veneration.  Some Acts of  St. George were in existence by the end of the fifth century.

     During the Middle Ages, George became a patron of arms and chivalry in Eengland, and the best-known image of George, as a dragon-slaying knight, was born. By the 11th century, his Acts had  been translated into Anglo-Saxon, and churches were dedicated to him. He was invoked as a champion of the Crusadess. The arms of St. George, a red cross on a white backgrouund, were caried into  battle, and by the 14th century were used as an insignia  on the uniforms of English soldiers and sailors. The red cross was incorporated into the Union Jack. In 1347, King Edward III founded the chivalric Order of the Garter, of which George was the principal patron. Edmund Spenser wrote of George in his Faerie Queen  as the "Red Cross Knight."

     The Golden Legend, translated into Eenglish by William Caxton,  Tells of St. George and the dragon, a story that probable dates to the 12th century. Amonstrous dragon lived in the swamp near Silena, Luybia, and terrorized the  countryside by bringing pestilence with its breath. To placate it, the  townsfold fed it two sheep every day. The dragon grew weary of sheep and started demanding human victims. Lots were drawn and no substitutes were allowed. One day the king's little daughter was marked as the next sacrifice. She was taken to the swamp. George came by, and when the dragon appeared he made the sign of the cross and stabbed it with his lance. He asked the maiden for her girdle and put it around  the beast's neck. They led the dragon back  to  town. George exhorted the people to be baptized and have no fear; then he cut off the dragon's head. All the people were converted. George declined the king's offer of half his kingdom, saying he must ride on. He told the king to take care of the churches, honor the clergy and have pity on the poor.

     Numerous religious and secular orders of St. George have existed throughout Europe and in Russia and England (despite the fact that the saint's cult was suppressed in Protestant England). As a holy Helper, he was invoked for the protection of domestic animals during  the plague.

     In art, George is most often depicted as a knight on a horse lancing a dragon, the medieval symbol of evil.

 

 

PRAYER

Lord, we acclaim Your might and humbly pray. Just as St. George

imitated the Lord's Passion, so let him now come to the aid of our 

weakness. Amen.

 

     Feast: April 23

     Patronage: Boy Scouts; cavalry; farmers; soldiers; aragon; England; Genoa;

              Germany; Portugal; Spain; Venice

 

FURTHER READING

Hammer, Fr. Bonaventure. The Fourteen Holy Helpers. Rockford, Ill.: TAN

     Books; 1995.

 

TODAY'S SAINT (Bendict Joseph Labre)

BENEDICT JOSEPH LABRE

(1748-1783)

Pilgrim recluse known for his sanctity, austerity and miracles of intervention

Also know as: the "Beggar of Rome

 

 

Benedict Joseph Labre  was born in Amettes, France, on March 25, 1748, the oldest of 18 children. At an early age he showed great interest in austeity and mortification. His uncle was a parish priest in Erin, France, and at age  12 Benedict went to study with him for six  years. He earnestly desired a religious life, but  his parents did not approve. After his uncle died in 1766 he renewed his efforts to join an order and his parents acquiesced. He  was rejected by the  Trappists. He spent a brief six weeks as postulant with the Carthusians.  He received permission to enter the Cisterican abbey of Sept-Fonts, but after a short stay his health failed, and he left.

      Benedict was inspirred to live like St. Alexis and be neither in a cloister nor in the wildeness, but  simply be a pilgrim to the famouus shrines of Christen-dom. Thus, he set out through Europe in 1770. He had only the clothes on his back, a rosary, a crucifix, a Testament, breviary, a copy of the Imitation of Christ and a few other books. If he could not find food  in the wild or was not given any, he rummaged through garbage heaps.  

TODAY'S SAINT (Isidore of Seville)

ISIDORE OF SEVILLE

(ca. 560-363)

Archbishop of Seville, Doctor of the Church,

Father of the Church

Also known as: Isidore the Bishop; Schoolmaster

of the Middle Ages

 

 

The last of the great Latin Fathers, Isidore was born at Cartagena, Spain, about 560, into a noble Hispano-Rome family. His elder brother Leander,  younger brother Fulgentius and sister Florentina also came to hold senior positions withhin the Christian Church.

    Isidor received his elementary education in the cathedral school of Seville, the first of its kind in Spain. His brother Leander, then archbishop of Seville, was one of his teachers. As he matured, Isidore most likely assisted Leander in governing the archdiocese, because he succeeded him as  archbbishop in 601.

     As archbishop, Isidore devoted himself to strengthening the Spanish Church. He worked  hard too turn the Visigoths away from the Arian  heresy, rewriting liturgies and breviaries for their use. He convened councils  at Seville in 613 and Toledo in 633. At the latter, attended  by all the bishops of Spain, he was given precedence over the local archbishop on the basis of his   exceptional merit as the  greatest teacher in the country. Indeed, it was in  the area of education that Isido made his greatest mark,  earning him him sobriquet, "Schoolmaster of the Middle Ages." At the Toledo council, he introduced and saw passed  a degree commanding all dioceses to establish cathedral schools along the lines of that school he himself had attended in Seville. He compiled a 20-volume encyclopedia of knowledge (containing information on everything  that was  known in seventh century Europe),  a chronicle of events from the Creation to his own time, and history of the  Goths and Vandals He  completed and updated St. Jerome's biographies of the great men and women of the Bible. He also wrote books on theology, astronomy and geography, as well as new  rules for monasteries.

    As he felt his  death approaching, he invited two bishops to visit him. On April 4, 636, they accompanied him to the   church, where one covered him with a sackcloth while the other put ashes on his head. Thus  dressed in the habit of a penitent, Isidore raised his hands  to heaven and prayed for for-giveness. After receiving the viaticum, he asked for the prayers of those present, forgave those who had sinned against him, exhorted all to charity, bequeathed his earthly possessions to the poor and gave up his soul to God.

     In art,  IIsidore is depicted as an elderly bishop with a pen and a book, or with his encyclopedia. Sometimes he is shown with his brothers and sisters, SS. Leander, Fulgentius and Florentina. More rarely, he is a bishop standing near a beehive, or surrounded by bees--bees symbolizing oratorical eloquence. 

 

PRAYER

Lord, hear our  prayers, which we offer on the commemoration of St. Isidore. May Your Church be instructed by his teaching. Amen.

 

     Canonized: 1598 by Pope Clement VIII

     Declared Doctor of the Divinity of Christ: 1722 by

          Pope Innocent XIII

     Feast: April 4

     Patronage: computer technicians; computer users;

           computers; the Internet; savants; students     

 

TODAY'S SAINT (Mary of Egypt)

MARY OF EGYPT

(d. fifth or sixth century)

Egyptian hermit

 

 

Much of the  life of Mary of Egypt  is legend. According to the Life of St. Cytracus by Cyril of Scythopolos, Cyrracus  was traveling in the Jordanian desert with companions when he found a woman who said her name was Mary, and that she was  a famous singer and actress who had sinned and was  atoning for her sins by living as a heremit. On their  way back, they found the woman dead. From this was spun a legend that became popular during the Middle Ages.

     According to a version written by St. Andrew of Crete (d,. 740), who quotes St. Sophronius, patriarch of Jerusalem (ca. 560-638), an elder of a monastery in Palestine, Zosimus, went out into the Jordanian desert to fast and pray during Lent. After 20 days he came upon a naked woman witth long white hair. He gave her his cloak. She addressed him by name and told him her story.

     The woman said she was from Egypt. She ran away from her parents at age 12 and went Alexandria, where she lead a life of sin and debauchery, seducing every man she could find. She rarely took money, and lived by begging and spinning flax. One day she encountered Libyans and Egyptians going to Jerus-alem and decided to go with them, though she had no money to pay for her passage  across the sea. She paid her way with sexual favors, even forccing youths against their will.

     In Jersualem, on the day of the Exaltation of the Cross, she  experienced a conversion before an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She heard a voice tell her that if she crossed the River Jordan she  would find glorious rest. A stra-nger gave her money, with which she bought three loaves of bread. She was-hed in  the river, crossed it and took up life as a hermit.

     The three loaves of bread dried and lasted her several years. For 17 years she went through a dark night of the soul, fighting temptation and despair. She lived on herbs and whatever she could find. Another 30 went by before she was found by Zosimus.

     Zosimus wanted to become he disciple, but she demurred. Instead, she asked him to bring her Communion on the next anniversarry of the  Last Supper. He agreed, but told his story to no one. The following year, he returned to the desert with the body and blood, and a small amount of food. He waited by the banks of the river. Mary appeared and walked across the water. She took Communion, and told him to come again the next year, and to pray for her.

       Zosimus returned  again as requested, but found heer  lying dead on the opposite shore of the river.  She had written in the sand that he should bury her on the spot. He was having little success digging in the earth when a lion appeared and licked Mary's feet. It dug a hole, and Zosimus buried Mary in the cloak he had given her. Zosimus lived to age 100 and died in hhis monastery. 

     Various dates are given for Mary. Zosimus is said to have found her in 430. Her date of death also is given as 522.

 

      Feast: April 3

 

FURTHER READING

"The Life of Our Holy Mother Mary of Egypt." From The Great Canon,

     the Work of Saint Andrew of Creete.

     URL: http://www.ofc.org/OrthodoxPage/reading/st.mary.html .

     Downloaded September 24, 2000. 

TODAY'S SAINT (Francis of Paola)

FRANCIS OF PAOLA

(ca. 1416-1507)

Founder of the Minim Friars

Also known as: "The Miracle Workers" and "God's Miracle Worker Supreme

 

 

St. Francis of Paola was born around 1416 in Paola, Italy, to a humble family. Childless for years, the parents had prayed earnestly to St. Francis of Assisi for a son. When Francis was conceived, tongues of fire were seen dancing harmmlessly over the family roof. At birth the boy was named after the saint. When he was 13, they sent him to the Franciscan friary at San Marco to be educated. The austere lifestyle appealed to Francis.

     After a  year, he took a pilgrimage with his parents to Assisi, Rome and other places. When they  returned, Francis  went into seclusion, first slightly outside Paola and then in a remote location in a cave  by the sea. By 1436 he was joined by two companions. Neighbors built them cells  and  a chapel. A story is told that one day a goat rushed into Franccis's cave, seeking refuge from hunters. Francis took it as a sign from God that he was to leave his her-miitage and work for the Church.

     Thus began Francis's order. The date of foundation is considered to be 1452. Seventeen years later a church and monastery were built, and Francis established a discipline for the order based on penance, charity and humility, and also on a perpetual Lent that required a strict vegetarian diet.

     Pope Sixtus IV (r. 1471-84) approved the new order in 1474. Initially, they were called  the Hermits of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis had this changed in 1492 to the Minim Friars, as he desired that they be recognized as the least  (minimi) in the household of God.

     In 1481 the dying King Louis XI of France sent for Francis and asked him to heal him in exchange for assistance to his order. Francis replied that the lives of kings are in the hands of God. The two men shared numerous meetinngs, and Louis died in Francis's arms. His succeessor, Charles VIII, relied upon Francis for much advice. He built for Francis three monasteries: two  in France at Plessias and Amboise, and one at Rome.

     Francis remained  in France for the last 25 years of his life. He became ill on Palm Sunday, 1507, and died the following Good Friday, at age 91. 

     Franccis was renowned as a miracle-worker. He was reported to bilocate, and was seen simultaneously in prayer in the chappel and out on the street talking to people, or working in the kitchens while he also attended the altar. He had the gift of miraculous transport, and took companions across water using his cloak for a boat. In 1483 he was observed by the king of Naples to levitate in an ecstasy and to be bathed in supernatural light in the middle of the night. The saint also levitated objects. Suring the building of his first church  and monastery, he raised a large boulder that was in the way.

     On numerous occasions, Franncis multiplied food and wine, sometimes for large crowds of several hundred. Though portions were small, each person  felt fully satisfied.

     Thrrroughouut his life, Francis was very popular and wads often  mobbed by enthusiastic ccrowds when he ventured out in public..  He was said to make mimself invisiible whenever he wished to traveeel undetecccted, orr to quiet momeents ffor prayer and meditationn. He also  had thfe giifttts of prophesy, clairrrvoyance, supernatural dnowledge  and control of 

 

 

 

TODAY'S SAINT (Melito)

MELITO

(d. ca. 180)
Bishop of Sardis, Father of the Church

 

 

Few facts are known about the life of Melito. He was regarded in his day as one of the leading authoities in the Eastern Church. St. Eusebius praised him, Teretullian wrote favorably of him and St. Jerome noted that he was a  highly respected prophet. Melito taught the dual nature of Jesus. He became bishop of Sardis, died there and was buried there.

     Almost all of Melito's works have been lost. Eusebius gave account of most of them, along with some extracts. Best known is his  An Apology for the Christian Faith written for Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

 

     Feast: April 1