From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

December 6th =E2=80=93 St. Auxilius

According to tradition and the Irish Annals, Patrick brought three men
with him when he began his mission in Ireland, including Auxilius.
Then again, some say that Auxilius and Iserninus arrived in Ireland
six years later, sent by Germanus to help. According to some sources,
Auxilius was Patrick's nephew, the son of his sister. There is one
reference to Auxilius saying that Secundinus was his brother, but this
might mean =E2=80=9Cbrother=E2=80=9D in the religious sense rather than the=
family
sense. There is little written about his early life, but apparently he
was Celtic and born in Wales, Cornwall, or Brittany. This would mean
that he grew up speaking a Celtic language, which is in the same
family of languages that includes Irish.

=C2 Auxilius was certainly an energetic presence in the early church of Ireland. He founded the church at Killashee in County Kildare. A Synod
of Bishops held in 448 or 450, perhaps the first in Ireland, was
headed by Auxilius, along with Patrick and Isserninus. His fluency in
Celtic languages was no doubt a great help to the efforts to bring
Christianity to Ireland.

=C2 Ireland has the most extensive collection of early literature in the
native language in all of medieval Europe. Literacy was introduced to
Ireland by Christian missionaries, and the Latin alphabet was quickly
adapted to transcribe the Irish language. Missionaries like Auxilius
who could read and write Latin as well as speak Celtic made this
happen. They set to work writing down the rich oral heritage they
found in Ireland. Since they believed that hints of the Creator could
be found in all cultures, they wrote down everything. So today, we can
read about the adventures of ancient Irish kings and queens, heroes
and heroines, and yes: even gods and goddesses, thanks to their
efforts. This extensive collection of Irish literature is truly the
greatest legacy of Celtic missionaries like Auxilius.


Saint Quote:
Who abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him.=C2 [1 John 4:16]

Bible Quote:
"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin
shall conceive, and bear a son and his name shall be called Emmanuel"
(Isa 7:14)

<><><><>
28. Self-will, as God says by the Prophet, is what spoils and corrupts
our devotions, labors, and penances. Therefore, not to lose time and
trouble, we must endeavor never to act from the impulse of nature,
interest, inclination, temper, or caprice, but always from the pure
and single motive of doing the will of God, and accustom ourselves to
this in all things. This is the most effectual, nay rather the only
means of arriving safely and quickly at union with God.
--St. Vincent de Paul

It was the great and only anxiety of this Saint not to undertake
anything to which he might not seem impelled by the Divine Will. And
so he made it a rule never to engage by himself in new enterprises
even for the glory of God, which he had so much at heart, but always
waited until the will of the Lord should be manifested to him by
Superiors, or at least by the opinion of others, or the prayers which
he made or asked; for his humility made=C2 made him always distrust his
own light, and fear to be deceived.

This most important truth was well understood by St. Catherine of
Genoa, who spoke thus on the subject: "There is no pest more malignant
than that of self-will, which is so subtle, so malicious, so deeply
seated, which conceals itself in so many ways and defends itself by so
many reasons, that it seems indeed a demon. When it cannot gain direct obedience, it knows well how to win its way in some other form and
under various excuses and pretexts, such as health, necessity,
charity, justice, perfection, suffering for God, giving good example,
finding spiritual consolation, condescending to the weakness of
others, while we are all the while seeking, contriving and cherishing
our own interests. I behold in it a sea of malice so envenomed, so
opposed to God, that He alone can rescue us from it, and since He sees
this better than we He has great compassion on us and never ceases to
send us inspirations, contradictions, and helps of all sorts to
deliver us."
--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)