• God calls us to conversion

    From rich@1:396/4 to All on Tue Nov 19 08:08:09 2019
    From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

    God calls us to conversion

    "God calls us to correct ourselves and invites us to do penance. He
    calls us through the wonderful gifts of his creation, and he calls us
    by granting time for life. He calls us through the reader and through
    the preacher. He calls us with the innermost force of our thoughts. He
    calls us with the scourge of punishment, and he calls us with the
    mercy of his consolation."
    --St. Augustine--(excerpt from Commentary on Psalm 102, 16)

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    November 20th - St. Felix of Valois

    St. Felix of Valois (1126-1212) was a member of the royal family of
    France, the grandson of King Henry I. While carrying the future saint,
    his mother had a vision where she saw the Child Jesus holding a cross
    and another child holding a garland of flowers. The two boys traded
    their objects. The mother understood that the boy with the flowers was
    her son.

    Because of troubles in the family, the young man left his home and
    went to the court, where he became a crusader to follow the King in
    the Crusade. During the preparatory training, the King fell from his
    horse and died. Felix approached the fallen monarch and ordered: =E2=80=9CI=
    n
    the name of the Holy Trinity, arise.=E2=80=9D Instantly the young King obey= ed,
    alive and well.

    During the Crusade Felix gave proof of his great courage and virtue.
    In the military quarters he maintained the austere life of a
    Cistercian religious. He was notable in all the battles he took part
    in.

    When he returned to Paris he determined to give himself to God. Even
    though he was a close heir to the throne, he exchanged the
    fleur-de-lys of France for the cross of Our Lord and became a hermit.
    The vision of his mother was confirmed.

    The fame of his sainthood spread and St. John of Matha sought him out
    for advice about founding the Order of the Trinitarians. St. Felix
    decided to join him in founding that order for the redemption of
    Catholic captives.


    Comments of the late Prof. Plinio Corr=C3=AAa de Oliveira: (died 1995)

    Let me give a summary of the situation of Europe at the time, mainly
    Spain and France, where the Trinitarian Order was founded.

    One who visits southern Spain today and admires the beautiful
    architecture of buildings in Toledo and Granada has no idea of what
    the substance of the Muslim State was at that time. It was not a State organized like the Western nations. They did not have kings or a
    regular dynastic succession as in China or old Egypt. It was a State
    made up of bandits who lived like barbarians from their pillaging and
    looting on land and sea, fighting not only with the Catholics but also
    among themselves. They did not have harmonically distributed social
    classes; there were the powerful persons who made those extraordinary
    buildings and then the rest of the population living in slums. The
    powerful were surrounded by sycophants who easily rose and fell from
    the positions of power.

    The piracy at sea and pillaging on the land were the habitual sources
    of income. Making captured Catholics slaves was, therefore, both a way
    to spread fear among Catholics and a source of funds.

    How did taking captives spread fear? In the Catholic society of that
    time, there was virtually no slavery, which existed only as a very
    rare exception to the rule. Prisoners of war were treated with respect
    by the Catholics. Hence, in the fighting between Catholics and
    Muslims, the Mohammedans had much less to fear should they lose a
    battle than the Catholics, because the former had the security that
    they would be treated decently if they were captured.

    On the contrary, if Catholic warriors fell prisoners, they knew that
    they would be reduced to slavery and treated atrociously. It was not
    rare, for example, for the Muslims to cut out the eyes of Catholic
    prisoners to prevent them from escaping. Those blind slaves would work
    more efficiently in jobs calling only for brute animal labor, such as
    pulling ships out of the water to be repaired, for example, without
    the danger that they would run away. Other times, the Moors would
    morally and physically abuse nobles and important men. Finally and
    worst of all, they would corrupt the faith of those Catholics and use
    every means possible to make them apostatize and become Mohammedans.
    So, the condition of a captive was miserable from several points of
    view.

    This situation generated a great compassion in all Christendom for the
    captives and the idea of doing whatever they could to liberate their
    Christian brothers from that abominable condition. Another decisive
    reason to liberate them was to redress Catholic honor and prevent
    their Catholic leaders and relatives from being reduced to slaves
    without any vigorous action to save them.

    These concerns often inspired military expeditions to save the
    captives. Other times alms were collected to buy the liberty of the
    prisoners. The idea of their captive brothers was constantly present
    and generated an enormous sympathy.

    Now then, when the Church or Christendom has a pressing need, Divine
    Providence always calls for a new order to resolve it. The Trinitarian
    Order was founded for this reason. St. Felix of Valois, who had been a
    valorous crusader, and St. John of Matha founded the Order of Holy
    Trinity for the redemption of the Christian captives. That vocation,
    it could be said, focused the concern of Christendom regarding the
    captives. The order became famous and carried out prodigious works.

    This is what St. Felix of Valois was called to do. He carried out this
    vocation so well that he became a saint canonized by the Church....

    See Images at: http://www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j155sd_St.FelixValoisI_11-20.shtml


    Saint Quote:
    When we have to reply to anyone who has insulted us, we should be
    careful to do it always with meekness. A soft answer extinguishes the
    fire of wrath. If we feel ourselves angry, it is better for us to be
    silent, because we should speak amiss; when we become tranquil, we
    shall see that all our words were culpable.
    --St. Alphonsus Liguori

    Bible Quote:
    He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows
    bountifully will also reap bountifully.=C2 (II Cor. 9:6)


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    Pious Invocations

    O blessed Trinity, one God, in Thee I believe, in Thee I hope,
    Thee I love, Thee I adore, have mercy on me now and at the
    hour of my death, and save me.

    Almighty, everlasting God, grant us an increase of faith, hope,
    and charity; and that we may merit to attain what Thou dost
    promise, grant us to love what Thou dost ordain. Through
    Christ Our Lord. Amen.

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