From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

February 25th - St. Ethelbert of Kent

In the 6th century, Pope St. Gregory the Great sent a group of
missionaries under the authority of St. Augustine to England, which
was pagan.

Reaching the Isle, the apostles announced their arrival to King
Ethelbert of Kent, telling him they brought the message of eternal
life. Through his wife Bertha, the sovereign had already heard about
the Catholic religion, and he promised to receive the group in a
public interview.

The monks arrived in procession carrying as a standard the silver
cross of Our Savior and singing litanies to God asking the salvation
of this people. The Sovereign ordered them to sit, and they began to
preach the Gospel.

Then Ethelbert said: =E2=80=9CYour words and promises are very beautiful. B=
ut
because they are new and uncertain, I cannot approve them and leave
everything that I along with all my people have followed for so long a
time. However, since you have traveled from afar and made a long
journey in order to share with us what you deem to be truer and
better, I will not place obstacles in your way, but will receive you
well and offer what is necessary for your subsistence. Nor will I
impede you from bringing to your religion all those whom you are able
to persuade.=E2=80=9D

The King provided them a place to live in the region that would later
be called Canterbury. Some time after, impressed with the example of
the monks and their doctrine, King Ethelbert converted and was
baptized, bringing a large part of his people with him into the
Church.

The last 20 years of his life he dedicated himself to propagating the
Catholic Faith in his kingdom. Supported and encouraged by Pope
Gregory the Great, he built churches and offered protection to
Catholics in his lands. He also endeavored to convert the neighboring
princes and brought the King of the East Saxons and the King of the
East Angles into the Church. St. Ethelbert died in 606. His example
bore much fruit for no other nation ever gave the Church so many
saintly Kings as England did.


Comments of the late Prof. Plinio Corr=C3=AAa de Oliveira:

Here you see two great figures who were founders of the Middle Ages. A
great missionary, who is St. Augustine of Canterbury, comes into
contact with a great founder King, who is St. Ethelbert. I call him a
founder King because before his conversion, England was a kind of
agglomerate of pagan barbarians. There was not, properly speaking, an
English civilization or an England as a nation. What existed were only
the seeds of the future England, which, placed in contact with St.
Augustine, grew and gave rise to that country.

The solemn ceremony described in this text is truly magnificent. You
can imagine the King and his semi-barbarian warriors in a clearing in
the woods awaiting the arrival of the missionaries. St. Augustine and
his monks ceremoniously arrived at the meeting spot and began to
speak. The heart of St. Ethelbert was touched by St. Augustine from
the beginning. He gave St. Augustine liberty of movement and speech in
his realm, even though he said he could not agree to a change of
religion so quickly. He wanted to study everything more carefully.

But the King's sympathy was already apparent for he offered them a
place to stay, thanked them for making the long journey, and told them
they could receive all the people who wanted to come to the Catholic
Religion. He revealed an inclination to the Truth, which he had just
begun to hear.

St. Augustine established himself in the region and preached the true
religion. After a time, the King not only gave his entire adhesion to
the Catholic Religion after examining it, but he also brought two
other neighboring Kings into the Church. It is proof that the liberty
he gave to St. Augustine was the first step of his conversion.

From this you can see that anyone who has contact with the Catholic
Religion and is moved by grace has the possibility to discern that he
is dealing with the true Religion and give his adhesion to it.

See Icons at:
http://www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j007sdSt.Ethelbert2-24.htm


Saint Quote:
The saints must be honored as friends of Christ and children and heirs
of God, as John the theologian and evangelist says: 'But as many as
received him, he gave them the power to be made the sons of God....'
Let us carefully observe the manner of life of all the apostles,
martyrs, ascetics and just men who announced the coming of the Lord.
And let us emulate their faith, charity, hope, zeal, life, patience
under suffering, and perseverance unto death, so that we may also
share their crowns of glory.
-- Saint John of Damascus

Bible Quote:
But Peter and the apostles answering, said: We ought to obey God,
rather than men. The God of our fathers hath raised up Jesus, whom you
put to death, hanging him upon a tree. Him hath God exalted with his
right hand, to be Prince and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel,
and remission of sins. (Acts 5:29-31) DRB

<><><><>
PRAYER TO THE HOLY GHOST

Holy Spirit, come into my heart; draw it to Thee by Thy power,
O my God, and grant me charity with filial fear. Preserve me,
O ineffable Love, from every evil thought; warm me,
inflame me with Thy dear love, and every pain will seem light to me.
My Father, my sweet Lord, help me in all my actions.
Jesus, love, Jesus, love
--(St. Catherine of Siena)

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