From: rich <
richarra@gmail.com>
September 18th - St. John de Massias, Monk, Visionary
(1585-1645)
John Masias was born in Ribera, in Spain, and, when very small, he was
left an orphan. He was adopted by a kindly uncle who set him to
herding his sheep. The little boy was naturally pious, and passed his
spare time in saying the Rosary. Our Lady and the Christ Child
appeared to him several times, and he was often visited by his patron,
St. John the Evangelist, who once showed him a vision of heaven,
telling him: "This is my country."
When John was about 20, he went to Mass in the church of the
Dominicans in a neighboring city. For the moment, it seemed to him
that his vocation was joining the Friars Preachers now, but St. John
appeared to him, telling him that he must go elsewhere. In 1619 he
embarked for the Indies, where many Spaniards were going, either to
convert the natives or to seek a fortune. After a long and hazardous
journey, he arrived in Lima.
There were at the time four convents of the Friars Preachers in Lima:
the College of St. Thomas; the house of St. Rose, where Sister Rose of
St. Mary had died just five years before; Santo Domingo or Holy
Rosary, where the holy Negro laybrother, Martin de Porres, was
performing such astounding miracles; and the convent of St. Mary
Magdalen, which was small and poor. John decided to enter St. Mary
Magdalen and, in 1622, he received the habit of a laybrother there. On
the night of his profession, devils appeared to tempt and reproach
him. He was attacked bodily, and, although he called on Jesus, Mary,
and Joseph for help, the demons continued what was to become twelve
years of torture, by actually throwing him from one cloister to
another.
John was appointed assistant to the porter, and lived in the
gatehouse. There the poor came for food, and the rich for advice. He
became adept at begging for the poor, always managing to find enough
for the more than two hundred people who came daily for help. He had
little use for the wealthy and curious, and would sometimes baffle
them by simply disappearing while they were looking at him. On
occasion, his friend and patron, St. John, went out collecting alms
for him. Also, legend relates that he had a little burro that he would
send out by itself, with a note asking for what was needed in one of
the empty panniers on its back. Told where to go, the burro made his
route faithfully; and if the rich man on whom he called was
ungracious, or even hid himself to avoid giving alms, the little burro
made quite a noise, and it quickly brought the desired results.
Rays of light streamed from the blessed's face as he taught the
catechism to the poor, or prayed by himself in the gatehouse. He said
an amazing number of rosaries and made no less than twenty daily
visits to the Blessed Sacrament. He is said to have liberated more
than a million souls from purgatory, many of whom came back, while he
was at prayer, to thank him for his help.
One day a certain ship captain came to the gatehouse and asked to look
around. John took him by the arm and led him to the crucifix, warning
him to look well on it and think of his sin. Terrified, the captain
fell to his knees, confessing that he was an apostate religious,
thirty years away from the sacraments, and he begged for a priest. On
another occasion, the brothers were building a flight of steps and,
having measured a beam wrong, they were annoyed because it did not
fit. John took the beam in his hands and stretched it to fit their
needs. These, and many other miracles, led people to venerate him as a
saint during his lifetime. His recreation was to talk of the things of
God with the other holy laybrother, Martin de Porres.
At the time of his death, Our Lady, St. Dominic, his patron, St. John,
and many other saints, came to accompany him to heaven. They were seen
by some of the brothers.
Update: canonized in 1975 by Pope Paul VI.
(Source : Dorcy, Marie Jean. St. Dominic's Family. Tan Books and
Publishers, 1983)
Saint Quote:
Avoid evil practices; indeed, preach against them. Hear your bishop,
that God may hear you. Work together in harmony,: struggle together,
run together, suffer together, rest together, rise together, as
stewards, advisors and servants of God. So be patient and gentle with
one another, as God is with you.
--St. Ignatius of Antioch
Bible Quote:
For which cause I admonish thee that thou stir up the grace of God
which is in thee by the imposition of my hands. For God hath not
given us the spirit of fear: but of power and of love and of sobriety.
Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me
his prisoner: but labour with the gospel, according to the power of
God. (2 Tim 1:6-8) DRB
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The Promise of Allegiance to Christ the King:
O Christ Jesus, Thou art King of all creation. All things have been made
for Thee. By every right I am Thine to command. I renew the promises made
at my baptism. I turn my back on the devil and all his works of evil. I
pledge myself to lead a truly Christian life. But most of all I want to
help Thee as best I can to win the victory for God and His Church. Divine
Heart of Jesus I offer Thee my poor efforts to make Thy kingly power known
and loved in every human heart. And may Thy peace be firmly established throughout the universe. Amen.
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