From: rich <
richarra@gmail.com>
22 November ' Saint Pedro Esqueda Ramirez
=C2 Priest, Martyr of the Cristero War, Apostle of Eucharistic Adoration,
of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of Charity, devoted to the youth and
especially their Catechesis ' born on 29 April 1887 in San Juan de =
los
Lagos, Jalisco, Diocese of San Juan de los Lagos, Mexico and died by
being shot three times on 22 November 1927 in Teocaltit=C3=A1n, Jalisco, Mexico, he was 40 years old. Additional memorial 21 May as one of the
Martyrs of the Mexican Revolution.
St Pedro was born in San Juan de los Lagos, Jal. (Diocese of San Juan
de los Lagos), on 29 April 1887. His parents Margarito Esqueda and
Nicanora Ram=C3=ADrez did not realise that they had brought into the world
an authentic, brave and holy Priest, who would witness Christ to the
world.
At 4 years of age he began his instruction in a private school. His
early association with the parish as a choir and altar boy awakened
his vocation to the priesthood. His academic record was impeccable.
His childhood was enriched by piety and hopeful joy. He erected altars
at which he pretended to be celebrating the Mass, the dream that fed
his spirit.
At age 15 he entered the seminary in Guadalajara but in 1914 the
Seminary was forcibly seized and closed by the Government. Pedro
returned to San Juan de los Lagos where he helped as a Deacon in the
parish. He completed his studies at the Seminary in Guadalajara and
was ordained a Priest in 1916 and appointed Parish Priest of his
native parish, a position he held during the 10+ years of his priestly ministry. The ministry to which he dedicated himself with true
passion, was the Catechesis of children. He founded several study
centres and a school for the formation of Catechists. He also promoted
the Eucharistic Crusade association fed by his love for the Eucharist,
devotion that, together with his love for the Blessed Virgin, he
extended among the faithful. From the Eucharist he drew his strength
and encouragement. He was also spared nothing of the little he had, in
his kindness and help to the poor.
In 1926 Government forces began a fierce anti-clerical campaign and
issued an order of persecution and the good people of the town tried
to convince Pedro to flee to another place. He only agreed to take
refuge on a provisional basis in some places always close to the
faithful, whom he continued to attend pastorally. Fr Pedro continued
his work but lived in several private houses, in one of which, they
opened a hole in the floor where they kept the ornaments and sacred
vessels and where at times the priest had to hide.
At the beginning of November 1927 he sought refuge in Jalostotitl=C3=A1n, Jalisco. But he returned to San Juan, led by his love to the
parishioners. He didn't want to leave them without assistance. He
stayed at the Sacred Heart hospital. And the hosts of the homes where
he was welcomed, seriously begged him to escape. But Peter was not
willing to do so and testifying to his great faith, he said: =E2=80=9CGod brought me here, I trust in God=E2=80=9D.
He was arrested on 18 November of that year 1927. In a miserable and
dark room he suffered patiently the fierceness of the scourges and
other cruelties that caused the fracture of one of his arms. But the
most painful torment was to see the sacred objects desecrated before
him, the ornaments destroyed and the parish archive ransacked. A cruel
and infamous torture for a man of God, an innocent person whose only
mission was to love Christ and others. The incessant torture lasted
until 22 November. Battered and full of wounds, they forced him to
climb a tree by himself. There he was shot mercilessly by a high
officer who poured into him his torrent of anger when he saw that he
could not stand on the pyre they had arranged to burn him to death by
setting fire to the tree in question.
On the way to his particular Calvary, wrapped in a heroic silence, he
left his will of fidelity to Catechesis and the Gospel to some
children who walked beside him in tears.
He was Beatified on 22 November 1992 and Canonized by St Pope John
Paul II on 21 May 2000.
see
https://anastpaul.com/2019/11/
Saint Quote:
This Blood--that but one drop of--has the power to win All the world forgiveness of its world of sin.
--St. Thomas Aquinas
Bible Quote:
"Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through
Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me."=C2 [Psalm 119:97-98]
<><><><>
I am going to reveal to you the secret of sanctity and happiness.
=C2 Every day for five minutes control your imagination and close your ey=
es
=C2 to the things of sense and your ears to all the noises of the world,
in order to enter into yourself.
=C2 Then in the sanctity of your Baptized soul, [which is the Temple of t=
he
Holy Spirit] speak to that Divine Spirit, saying to Him:
Oh, Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul. I adore Thee.
Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me.
Tell me what I should do . . . give me Thy orders.
I promise to submit myself to all that Thou desireth of me
and to accept all that Thou doth permit to happen to me.
Let me only know Thy will.
If you do this, your life will flow along happily, serenely and full of consolation, even in the midst of trials. Grace will be proportioned to the trial, giving you the strength to carry it and you will arrive at the gates
of Paradise, laden with merit.
This submission to the Holy Spirit is the secret of sanctity.
--Joseph Cardinal Mercier
--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)