From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

September 7th =E2=80=93 St. Sozon, Martyr

The following is the legend of this young shepherd of Cilicia, who was originally called Tarasius and took the name of Sozon at baptism. One
day while sleeping under a tree our Lord appeared to him, told him to
leave his sheep, and to follow Him to death.=C2 Sozon awoke and at once
made his way to the nearest town, Pompeiopolis, Where he found a pagan
festival was being celebrated. He went straight into the temple of the
god and with a mighty blow of his crook knocked down the golden image
and broke off its hand.=C2 This hand he took and broke into further
small pieces, which he distributed as alms among the poor. Several
innocent persons were arrested for this, Whereupon Sozon marched into
court and gave himself up as the true culprit.

He was offered pardon and freedom if he would Worship the god whose
statue he had mutilated, but Sozon mocked at the idea of worshipping a
god that could be broken by a sheep-crook.=C2 Nails were then driven,
points upward, through the soles of his sandals and he was made thus
to walk around the arena.=C2 As Sozon passed before the magistrate he
pointed at his blood-stained feet and said, " I have finer red shoes
than you ". "You are a brave fellow ", said the magistrate.=C2 "Play a
tune on your pipe and I will let you go."=C2 But Sozon refused, saying
that be had often piped to his sheep but would now make music only to
God. So he was sentenced to be burned, and when night had come the
Christians of the place collected his charred bones and gave them
honourable burial.

Two Greek texts preserve the alleged acts of this martyr.=C2 One has
been edited in the Acta Sanctorum, September, vol. iii=C2 the other in
vol. cxv of Migne, PG.


Saint Quote:
We do not know the number of souls that is ours to save through our
prayers and sacrifices; therefore, let us always pray for sinners.
(1783)
--St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in my Soul

Bible Quote:
Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the bowels
of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience: Bearing with one
another and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against
another. Even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also.=C2 (Col 3:12-13)=C2 DRB


<><><><>
The Holy Spirit

=C2 =C2 The coming of the Spirit is gentle, his presence fragrant, his
weight very light. Rays of light and knowledge stream before him as he approaches. The Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend and
protector to save, to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen, to
console. The Spirit comes to enlighten the mind first of the one who
receives him, and then through that person the minds of others as
well. As light strikes the eye of those who come out of darkness into
sunshine and enables them to see clearly things they could not discern
before, so does light flood the souls of those counted worthy of
receiving the Holy Spirit and enable them to see things beyond the
range of human vision of which they had previously been ignorant.
--St. Cyril of Jerusalem

--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)