From: rich <
richarra@gmail.com>
May 23rd =E2=80=93 St. Desiderius of Vienne BM (RM)
Born in Autun, France; died 608; second feast on February 11.
Desiderius was educated in Vienne, where he became archdeacon and rose
to be bishop. This was a time of much laxity among the clergy and the
new bishop zealously set about reforming them. He was ready to rebuke
the highest in the land for their immorality.
One of these was Queen Brunhildis. Desiderius found the behavior of
her courtiers shameful, and said so. The queen appealed to Pope
Gregory the Great, accusing the bishop of being too much interested in
the writings of pagans. Pope Gregory remonstrated with him for
personally giving lessons in so profane a subject as grammar--Latin
grammar. (Gregory also wrote to Desiderius to request hospitality for
Saint Augustine of Canterbury on his way to England from Rome.)
For several years the bishop was banished but eventually Gregory the
Great came to see that he was innocent of Brunhildis's charges and
restored him to Vienne. Desiderius also attacked the queen's grandson,
King Thierry II of Burgundy, whose life was as immoral as his
grandmother's. Thierry found a new false charge to bring against
Desiderius: He alleged that Desiderius had an immoral relationship
with a lady named Justa. In consequence, Desiderius was banished from
his diocese for some years.
On his return from exile, he was soon in trouble again for having
rebuked King Thierry for his shameful life. As he was being taken into detention, three of his escort set on him (at a place now called Saint-Didier-sur-Chalaronne) and cruelly murdered him, apparently on
the initiative of the soldiers rather than by order of Thierry.
Desiderius is venerated as a martyr because he was put to death in the execution of his duty as a bishop (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley).
In art, Saint Desiderius is a bishop holding a rope, or strangled. He
is invoked against fever (Roeder).
Saint Quote:
For his human nature was not something subsisting apart by itself,
neither did he speak with the divinity separated and the human nature
existing apart, as though they were different persons, but with the
human nature united with the divine (there being one consecration),
and in the same even now knowing the most perfect things, it being now
united in God and joined to the one deity.
--Saint Epiphanius of Salamis
Bible Quote
An ancient man rebuke not, but entreat him as a father: young men, as
brethren: 2 Old women, as mothers: young women, as sisters, in all
chastity. 3 Honour widows, that are widows indeed. (1 Tim 5:1-3)
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SPLINTERS FROM THE CROSS
Little headaches, little heartaches
Little griefs of every day,
Little trials and vexations
How they throng around our way!
One great cross, immense and heavy,
So it seems to our weak will,
Might be borne with resignation,
But these many small ones kill,
Yet all life is formed of small things,
Little leaves, make up the trees,
Many tiny drops of water blending,
Make the mighty seas.
Let us not then by impatience
Mar the beauty of the whole,
But for love of Jesus bear all
In the silence of our soul.
Asking Him for grace sufficient
To sustain us through each loss,
And to treasure each small offering
As a splinter from his Cross.
--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)