From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

February 15th - St. Claude La Colombi=C3=A8re

CLAUDE LA COLOMBI=C3=88RE, third child of the notary Bertrand La Colombi=C3= =A8re
and Margaret Coindat, was born on 2nd February 1641 at St. Symphorien
d'Ozon in the Dauphine, southeastern France. After the family moved to
Vienne Claude began his early education there, completing his studies
in rhetoric and philosophy in Lyon.

It was during this period that Claude first sensed his vocation to the religious life in the Society of Jesus. We know nothing of the motives
which led to this decision. We do know, however, from one of his early notations, that he "had a terrible aversion for the life embraced".
This affirmation is not hard to understand by any who are familiar
with the life of Claude, for he was very close to his family and
friends and much inclined to the arts and literature and an active
social life. On the other hand, he was not a person to be led
primarily by his sentiments.

At 17 he entered the Jesuit Novitiate at Avignon. In 1660 he moved
from the Novitiate to the College, also in Avignon, where he
pronounced his first vows and completed his studies in philosophy.
Afterwards he was professor of grammar and literature in the same
school for another five years.

In 1666 he went to the College of Clermont in Paris for his studies in theology. Already noted for his tact, poise and dedication to the
humanities, Claude was assigned by superiors in Paris the additional responsibility of tutoring the children of Louis XIV's Minister of
Finance, Jean Baptiste Colbert.

His theological studies concluded and now a priest, Claude returned to
Lyon. For a time he was teacher in the College, then full-time
preacher and moderator of several Marian congregations.

Claude became noted for solid and serious sermons. They were ably
directed at specific audiences and, faithful to their inspiration from
the gospel, communicated to his listeners serenity and confidence in
God. His published sermons produced and still produce significant
spiritual fruits. Given the place and the short duration of his
ministry, his sermons are surprisingly fresh in comparison with those
of better-known orators.

The year 1674 was a decisive one for Claude, the year of his Third
Probation at Maison Saint-Joseph in Lyon. During the customary month
of the Exercises the Lord prepared him for the mission for which he
had been chosen. His spiritual notes from this period allow one to
follow step-by-step the battles and triumphs of the spirit, so
extraordinarily attracted to everything human, yet so generous with
God.

He took a vow to observe all the constitutions and rules of the
Society of Jesus, a vow whose scope was not so much to bind him to a
series of minute observances as to reproduce the sharp ideal of an
apostle so richly described by St. Ignatius. So magnificent did this
ideal seem to Claude that he adopted it as his program of sanctity.
That it was indeed an invitation from Christ himself is evidenced by
the subsequent feeling of interior liberation Claude experienced,
along with the broadened horizons of the apostolate he witnesses to in
his spiritual diary.

On 2nd February 1675 he pronounced his solemn profession and was named
rector of the College at Paray-le-Monial. Not a few people wondered at
this assignment of a talented young Jesuit to such an out-of the-way
place as Paray. The explanation seems to be in the superiors'
knowledge that there was in Paray an unpretentious religious of the
Monastery of the Visitation, Margaret Mary Alacoque, to whom the Lord
was revealing the treasures of his Heart, but who was overcome by
anguish and uncertainty. She was waiting for the Lord to fulfill his
promise and send her "my faithful servant and perfect friend" to help
her realize the mission for which he had destined her: that of
revealing to the world the unfathomable riches of his love.

After Father Colombi=C3=A8re's arrival and her first conversations with
him, Margaret Mary opened her spirit to him and told him of the many communications she believed she had received from the Lord. He assured
her he accepted their authenticity and urged her to put in writing
everything in their regard, and did all he could to orient and support
her in carrying out the mission received. When, thanks to prayer and discernment, he became convinced that Christ wanted the spread of the
devotion to his Heart, it is clear from Claude's spiritual notes that
he pledged himself to this cause without reserve. In these notes it is
also clear that, even before he became Margaret Mary's confessor,
Claude's fidelity to the directives of St. Ignatius in the Exercises
had brought him to the contemplation of the Heart of Christ as symbol
of his love.

After a year and half in Paray, in 1676 Father La Colombi=C3=A8re left for London. He had been appointed preacher to the Duchess of York--a very
difficult and delicate assignment because of the conditions prevailing
in England at the time. He took up residence in St. James Palace in
October.

In addition to sermons in the palace chapel and unremitting spiritual
direction both oral and written, Claude dedicated his time to giving
thorough instruction to the many who sought reconciliation with the
Church they had abandoned. And even if there were great dangers, he
had the consolation of seeing many reconciled to it, so that after a
year he said:=C2 "I could write a book about the mercy of God I've seen
Him exercise since I arrived here!"

The intense pace of his work and the poor climate combined to
undermine his health, and evidence of a serious pulmonary disease
began to appear. Claude, however, made no changes in his work or life
style.

All of a sudden, at the end of 1678, he was calumniously accused and
arrested in connection with the Titus Oates "papist plot". After two
days he was transferred to the severe King's Bench Prison where he
remained for three weeks in extremely poor conditions until his
expulsion from England by royal decree. This suffering further
weakened Claude's health which, with ups and downs, deteriorated
rapidly on his return to France.

During the summer of 1681 he returned to Paray, in very poor
condition. On 15th February 1682, the first Sunday of Lent, towards
evening Claude suffered the severe hemorrhage which ended his life.

On the 16th of June 1929 Pope Pius XI beatified Claude La Colombi=C3=A8re, whose charism, according to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, was that of
bringing souls to God along the gospel way of love and mercy which
Christ revealed to us. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II on May
31, 1992. Patron: Toy makers; turners.


Saint Quote:
I clearly recognize that all good is in God alone, and that in me,
without Divine Grace, there is nothing but deficiency... The one sole
thing in myself in which I glory, is that I see in myself nothing in
which I can glory.
--St. Catherine of Genoa

Bible Quote:
He that speaketh of himself, seeketh his own glory: but he that
seeketh the glory of him that sent him, he is true, and there is no
injustice in him.=C2 (John 7:18)

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PRAYER OF SAINT CLAUDE DE LA COLOMBIERE

Lord, I am in this world to show Your mercy to others. Other
people will glorify You by making visible the power of Your
grace by their fidelity and constancy to You. For my part I will
glorify You by making known how good You are to sinners,
that Your mercy is boundless and that no sinner no matter
how great his offences should have reason to despair of
pardon. If I have grievously offended You, My Redeemer, let
me not offend You even more by thinking that You are not
kind enough to pardon Me.
Amen.
--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)