The Epiphany of Our Lord
Saints Balthasar, Caspar and Melchior
Epiphany, which in the original Greek signifies appearance or
manifestation, as St. Augustin observes, (1) is a festival principally
solemnized in honor of the discovery Jesus Christ made of himself to the
Magi, or wise men; who, soon after his birth, by a particular
inspiration of Almighty God, came to adore him and bring him presents.
(2)
The
first miracle of Our Lord at the wedding feast at Cana, changing the
water into wine. Painting by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld
Two other manifestations of Our Lord are jointly commemorated on this
day in the office of the church; that at his baptism, when the Holy
Ghost descended on him in the visible form of a dove, and a voice from
heaven was heard at the same time, saying:
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
(3) The third manifestation was that of his divine power at the
performance of his first miracle, the changing of water into wine, at
the marriage of Cana, (4)
by which he manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him. (5)
Upon so many accounts ought this festival to challenge a more than
ordinary regard and veneration; but from none more than us Gentiles,
who, in the persons of the wise men, our first fruits and forerunners,
were on this day called to the faith and worship of the true God.
Nothing so much illustrates this mercy as the wretched degeneracy into
which the subjects of it were fallen. So great this, that there was no
object so despicable as not to be thought worthy of divine honors; no
vice so detestable as not to be enforced by the religion of those
times of ignorance,
(6) as the scripture emphatically calls them. God had, in punishment of
their apostasy from him by idolatry, given them over to the most
shameful passions, as described at large by the apostle:
Filled with
all iniquity, fornication, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, murder,
contention, deceit, whisperers, detractors, proud, haughty, disobedient,
without fidelity, without affection, without mercy, etc. (7) Such
were the generality of our pagan ancestors, and such should we ourselves
have been, but for God’s gracious and effectual call to the true faith.
Baptism of Our Lord, painting by Giovanni Battista Moroni
The call of the Gentiles had been foretold for many ages before, in
the clearest terms. David and Isaias abound with predictions of this
import; the like is found in the other prophets; but their completion
was a mercy reserved for the times of the Messiah. It was to him, who
was also the consubstantial Son of God, that the eternal Father had made
the promise of all
nations for his inheritance; (8) who being born the spiritual king of the whole world, for the salvation of
all men, (9) would therefore manifest his coming both to these that
were near, and those that were afar off,
(10) that is, both to Jew and Gentile. Upon his birth, angels (11) were
dispatched ambassadors to the Jews, in the persons of the poor
shepherds, and a star (12) was the divine messenger on this important
errand to the Gentiles of the East; (13) conformably to Balaam’s
prophecy, (14) who foretold the coming of the Messiah by that sign.
The summons of the Gentiles to Bethlehem to pay homage to the world’s
Redeemer was obeyed by several whom the scripture mentions under the
name and title of
Magi, (15) or wise men; but is silent as to
their number. The general opinion, supported by the authority of St.
Leo, Cæsarius, Bede, and others, declares for three. (16) However, the
number was small, comparatively to those many others that saw that star,
no less than the wise men, but paid no regard to this voice of heaven:
admiring, no doubt, its uncommon brightness, but culpably ignorant of
the divine call in it, or hardening their hearts against its salutary
impressions, overcome by their passions, and the dictates of self-love.
In like manner do Christians, from the same causes, turn a deaf ear to
the voice of divine grace in their souls, and harden their hearts
against it in such numbers, that, notwithstanding their call, their
graces, and the mysteries wrought in their favor, it is to be feared,
that even among them,
many are called, but few are chosen. It was the case with the Jews,
with the most of whom, St. Paul says,
God was not well pleased. (17)
King St. Caspar, by Lorenzo il Magnifico
How opposite was the conduct of the wise men! Instead of being swayed
by the dictates of self-love, by the example of the crowd, and of many
reputed moral men among them, they no sooner discovered the heavenly
messenger, but, without the least demur, set out on their journey to
find the Redeemer of their souls. Convinced that they had a call from
heaven by the star, which spoke to their eyes, and by an inward grace,
that spoke to their hearts, they cut off all worldly consultations,
human reasonings, and delays, and postponed every thing of this kind to
the will of God. Neither any affairs to be left unfinished, nor the care
of their provinces or families, nor the difficulties and dangers of a
long and tedious journey through deserts and mountains almost
impassable, and this in the worst season of the year, and through a
country which in all ages had been notoriously infested with robbers:
nothing of all this, or the many other false lights of worldly prudence
and policy, made use of, no doubt, by their counselors and dependents,
and magnified by the enemy of souls, could prevail with them to set
aside or defer their journey; or be thought deserving the least
attention, when God called. They well knew that so great a grace, if
slighted, might perhaps have been lost for ever. With what confusion
must not this their active and undaunted zeal cover our sloth and
cowardice!
The wise men being come, by the guidance of the star, into Jerusalem,
or near it, it there disappears: whereupon they reasonably suppose they
are come to their journey’s end, and upon the point of being blessed
with the sight of the new-born king! that, on their entering the royal
city, they shall in every street and corner hear the acclamations of a
happy people, and learn with ease the way to the royal palace, made
famous to all posterity by the birth of their king and Savior. But to
their great surprise there appears not the least sign of any such
solemnity. The court and city go quietly on in seeking their pleasure
and profit! and in this unexpected juncture what shall these weary
travelers do? Were they governed by human prudence, this disappointment
is enough to make them abandon their design, and retreat as privately as
they can to screen their reputation, and avoid the raillery of the
populace, as well as to prevent the resentment of the most jealous of
tyrants, already infamous for blood. But true virtue makes trials the
matter and occasion of its most glorious triumphs. Seeming to be
forsaken by God, on their being deprived of extraordinary, they have
recourse to the ordinary means of information. Steady in the resolution
of following the divine call, and fearless of danger, they inquire in
the city with equal confidence and humility, and pursue their inquiry in
the very court of Herod himself:
Where is he that is born king of the Jews?
And does not their conduct teach us, under all difficulties of the
spiritual kind, to have recourse to those God has appointed to be our
spiritual guides, for their advice and direction? To
obey and be subject to them,
(18) that so God may lead us to himself, as he guided the wise men to
Bethlehem by the directions of the priests of the Jewish church.
King St. Balthasar, by Lorenzo il Magnifico
The whole nation of the Jews, on account of Jacob’s and Daniel’s
prophecies, were then in the highest expectation of the Messiah’s
appearance among them; the place of whose birth having been also
foretold, the wise men, by the interposition of Herod’s authority,
quickly learned, from the unanimous voice of the Sanhedrim, or great
council of the Jews, (19) that Bethlehem was the place which was to be
honored with his birth; as having been pointed out by the prophet
Micheas, (20) several ages before. How sweet and adorable is the conduct
of divine providence! He teaches saints his will by the mouths of
impious ministers, and furnishes Gentiles with the means of admonishing
and confounding the blindness of the Jews. But graces are lost on carnal
and hardened souls. Herod had then reigned upwards of thirty years, a
monster of cruelty, ambition, craft, and dissimulation; old age and
sickness had at that time exasperated his jealous mind in an unusual
manner. He dreaded nothing so much as the appearance of the Messiah,
whom the generality then expected under the notion of a temporal prince,
and whom he could consider in no other light than that of a rival and
pretender to his crown; so no wonder that he was startled at the news of
his birth. All Jerusalem, likewise, instead of rejoicing at such happy
tidings, were alarmed and disturbed together with him. We abhor their
baseness; but do not we, at a distance from courts, betray several
symptoms of the baneful influence of human respects running counter to
our duty? Likewise in Herod we see how extravagantly blind and foolish
ambition is. The divine infant came not to deprive Herod of his earthly
kingdom, but to offer him one that is eternal: and to teach him a holy
contempt of all worldly pomp and grandeur. Again, how senseless and
extravagant a folly was it to form designs against those of God himself!
who confounds the wisdom of the world, baffles the vain projects of
men; and laughs their policy to scorn. Are there no Herods now a-days?
Persons who are enemies to the spiritual kingdom of Christ in their
hearts?
King St. Melchior by Lorenzo il Magnifico
The tyrant, to ward off the blow he seemed threatened with, has
recourse to his usual arts of craft and dissimulation. He pretends a no
less ardent desire of paying homage to the new-born king, and covers his
impious design of taking away his life, under the spacious pretext of
going himself in person to adore him. Wherefore, after particular
examination about the time when the wise men first saw this star, and a
strict charge to come back and inform him where the child was to be
found, he dismisses them to the place determined by the chief priests
and scribes. Herod was then near his death; but as a man lives, such
does he usually die. The near prospect of eternity seldom operates in so
salutary a manner on habitual sinners, as to produce in them a true and
sincere change of heart.
The
wise men readily comply with the voice of the Sanhedrim,
notwithstanding the little encouragement these Jewish leaders afford
them from their own example to persist in their search; for not one
single priest or scribe is disposed to bear them company, in seeking
after, and paying due homage to, their own king. The truths and maxims
of religion depend not on the morals of those that preach them; they
spring from a higher source, the wisdom and veracity of God himself.
When therefore a message comes undoubtedly from God, the misdemeanours
of him that immediately conveys it to us can be no just plea or excuse
for our failing to comply with it. As, on the other side, an exact and
ready compliance will then be a better proof of our faith and confidence
in God, and so much the more recommend us to his special conduct and
protection, as it did the wise men. For no sooner had they left
Jerusalem, but, to encourage their faith and zeal, and to direct their
travels, God was pleased to show them the star again, which they had
seen in the East, and which continued to go before them till it
conducted them to the very place where they were to see and adore their
God and Savior. Here its ceasing to advance, and probably sinking lower
in the air, tells them in its mute language: “Here shall you find the
new-born king.” The holy men, with an unshaken and steady faith, and in
transports of spiritual joy, entered the poor cottage, rendered more
glorious by this birth than the most sumptuous stately palace in the
universe, and finding the child with his mother, they prostrate
themselves, they adore him, they pour forth their souls in his presence
in the deepest sentiments of praise, thanksgiving, and a total sacrifice
of themselves. So far from being shocked at the poverty of the place,
and at his unkingly appearance, their faith rises and gathers strength
on the sight of obstacles which, humanly speaking, should extinguish it.
It captivates their understanding; it penetrates these curtains of
poverty, infancy, weakness, and abjection; it casts them on their faces
as unworthy to look up to this star, this God of Jacob: they confess him
under this disguise to be the only and eternal God: they own the excess
of his goodness in becoming man, and the excess of human misery, which
requires for its relief so great a humiliation of the Lord of glory. St.
Leo thus extols their faith and devotion: “When a star had conducted
them to adore Jesus, they did not find him commanding devils, or raising
the dead, or restoring sight to the blind, or speech to the dumb, or
employed in any divine actions; but a silent babe, under the care of a
solicitous mother, giving no sign of power, but exhibiting a miracle of
humility.” (21) Where shall we find such a faith in Israel—I mean among
the Christians of our days? The wise men knew by the light of faith that
he came not to bestow on us earthly riches, but to banish our love and
fondness for them, and to subdue our pride. They had already learned the
maxims of Christ, and had imbibed his spirit: whereas Christians are
for the greater part such strangers to it, and so devoted to the world,
and its corrupt maxims, that they blush at poverty and humiliation, and
will give no admittance in their hearts to the humility and the cross of
Jesus Christ. Such by their actions cry out with those men in the
gospel:
We will not have this man to reign over us. (22) This their opposite conduct shows what they would have thought of Christ and his humble appearance at Bethlehem.
Reliquary in Cologne Cathedral of the Three Kings.
The Magi, pursuant to the custom of the eastern nations, where the
persons of great princes are not to be approached without presents,
present to Jesus, as a token of homage, the richest produce their
countries afforded, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold, as an
acknowledgement of his regal power: incense, as a confession of his
Godhead: and myrrh, as a testimony that he was become man for the
redemption of the world. But their far more acceptable presents were the
holy sentiments and affections of their souls; their fervent charity,
signified by gold; their devotion, figured by frankincense; and the
unreserved sacrifice of themselves by mortification, represented by
myrrh. (23) The divine king, no doubt, richly repaid their generosity by
favors of a much greater excellency, the spiritual gifts of his grace.
It is with the like sentiments and affections of love, praise,
gratitude, compunction, and humility, that we ought frequently, and
particularly on this solemnity, to draw near, in spirit, to the infant
Jesus; making him an affectionate tender of our hearts, but first
cleansed by tears of sincere repentance.
Stainglass window in Cologne Cathedral
The holy kings being about to return home, God, who saw the hypocrisy
and malicious designs of Herod, by a particular intimation diverted
them from their purpose of carrying back word to Jerusalem, where the
child was to be found. So, to complete their fidelity and grace, they
returned not to Herod’s court; but, leaving their hearts with their
infant Savior, took another road back into their own country. In like
manner, if we would persevere in the possession of the graces bestowed
on us, we must resolve from this day to hold no correspondence with a
sinful world, the irreconcilable enemy to Jesus Christ; but to take a
way that lies at a distance from it, I mean that which is marked out to
us by the saving maxims of the gospel. And pursuing this with an
unshaken confidence in his grace and merits, we shall safely arrive at
our heavenly country.
It has never been questioned but that the holy Magi spent the rest of
their lives in the fervent service of God. The ancient author of the
imperfect comment on St. Matthew, among the works of St. Chrysostom,
says, they were afterwards baptized in Persia, by St. Thomas the
apostle, and became themselves preachers of the gospel. Their bodies
were said to have been translated to Constantinople under the first
Christian emperors. From thence they were conveyed to Milan, where the
place in which they were deposited is still shown in the Dominicans’
church of that city. The Emperor Frederick Barbarossa having taken
Milan, caused them to be translated to Cologne in Germany, in the
twelfth century.
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Note 1. St. Aug. Serm. 203. ol. 64. de div.
Note 2. According to Papebroch, it was Pope Julius the First, in the
fourth century, by whom the celebration of these two mysteries, the
nativity and manifestation of Christ to the Magi, was first established
in the western church, on distinct days. The Greeks still keep the
Epiphany with the birth of Christ on Christmas-day, which they call
Theophany,
or the manifestation of God, which is the ancient name for the Epiphany
in St. Isidore of Pelusiam, St. Gregory Nazianzen, Eusebius, &c.
See Thomassi, Tr. des Fêtes, Martenne Anecd. T. 5. p. 106. B. et in
Nota, ib.
Note 3. Matt. iii. 17.
Note 4. Jo. ii. 11.
Note 5. Bollandus (Pref. Gen. c. 4.) and Ruinart (in Cal. in calce act.
Mart.) quote a fragment of Polemeus Sylvius, written in 448, in which it
is said that all these three manifestations of Christ happened on this
day, though St. Maximus of Turin was uncertain.
Note 6. Acts xvii. 30.
Note 7. Rom. i..
Note 8. Ps. ii. 8.
Note 9. 1 Tim. ii. 4.
Note 10. Eph. ii. 17.
Note 11. Luke ii. 10, 11.
Note 12. This phenomenon could not have been a real star, that is, one
of the fixed, the least or nearest of which is for distance too remote,
and for bulk too enormous, to point out any particular house or city
like Bethlehem, as St. Chrysostom well observes; who supposes it to have
been an angel assuming that form. If of a corporeal nature, it was a
miraculous shining meteor, resembling a star, but placed in the lower
region of our atmosphere; its motion, contrary to the ordinary course of
the stars, performing likewise the part of a guide to these travelers;
accommodating itself to their necessities, disappearing or returning as
they could best or least dispense with its guidance. See St. Thomas 3.
p. quæst. 36. a. 7. Federicus Miegius Diss.
De Stellá à Magis conspectá, in Thesauro Dissertationum in Nov. Testament. Amstelodami. An. 1702. T. 1. Benedictus XIV. de Canoniz. l. 4. part. 1. c. 25.
Note 13. What and where this East was, is a question about which
interpreters have been much divided. The controverted places are Persia,
Chaldea, Mesopotamia, and Arabia Felix. As they lay all more or less
eastward from Palestine, so, in each of these countries, some antecedent
notions of a Messias may be accounted for. In Persia and Chaldea, by
the Jewish captivity and subsequent dispersion; also the prophecies of
Daniel. In Arabia, by the proximity of situation and frequent commerce.
In Mesopotamia, besides these, the aforesaid prophecy of Balaam, a
native of that country.
Note 14. Num. xxiv. 17.
Note 15. In the eastern parts, particularly in Persia,
Magi was
the title they gave to their wise men and philosophers. In what
veneration they were there held appears from the most important affairs,
sacred and civil, being committed to their administration. They were
deemed the oracles of the eastern countries. These that came to
Bethlehem on this solemn occasion are vulgarly called kings, as they
very likely were, at least of an inferior and subordinate rank. They are
called princes by Tertullian, (L. contra Judæos, c. 9. L. 5. contra
Marcion.) See Gretser, l. 1. de Festis, c. 30. (T. 5. Op. nup. ed.
Ratisp.) Baronius ad ann. I. n. 30, and the learned author Annot. ad.
histor. vitæ Christi, Urbini, anno 1730, c. 7. who all agree that the
Magi seem to have been governors, or petty princes, such anciently being
often styled kings. See a full account of the Magi, or Magians, in
Prideaux’s Connexion, p. 1. b. 4.
Note 16. St. Leo, Serm. 30, etc. St. Cæsar. Serm. 139, etc. See
Maldonat. on Saint Matt. ii. for the grounds of this opinion. Honoratus
of St. Mary, Regles de la Critique, l. 3. diss. 4. a. 2. F. Ayala in
Pictor Christian. l. 3. c. 3. and Benedict XIV. de Festis Christi. l. 1.
c. 2. de Epiph. n. 7. p. 22. This last great author quotes a picture
older than St. Leo, found in an ancient Roman cemetery, of which a type
was published at Rome in a collection of such monuments printed at Rome
in 1737. T. 1. Tab. 22.
Note 17. 1 Cor. x. 5.
Note 18. Heb. xiii. 17.
Note 19. This consisted principally of the chief priests and scribes, or doctors of the law.
Note 20. Ch. v. 2.
Note 21. Ser. 36. in Epiph. 7. n. 2.
Note 22. Luke xix. 14.
Note 23. Myrrh was anciently made use of in embalming dead bodies: a fit
emblem of mortification, because this virtue preserves the soul from
the corruption of sin.
(from The Lives of the Saints, by Rev. Alban Butler, 1866, Volume I: January)
The
youngest of a poor farming family of Piedmont in northern Italy, John
Melchior Bosco was born on August 16, 1815. He lost his father at the
age of two, and his saintly “Mamma” Margarita brought up three sons in
extreme poverty and want.
Intelligent
and talented, John Bosco received his first instruction from a priest
who, perceiving his gifts, took him under his wing. Supported by his
mother and facing many difficulties, he pursued the priesthood, and at
twenty-two was ordained in the diocese of Turin.
At
twenty she had set her heart on marrying the Marquess Cassizucchi; the
young nobleman married Clarice's younger sister instead. Despondent,
Clarice joined the community at St. Bernardine and received the name,
Hyacintha.
St. Gildas is considered to be the first British historian quoted by the Venerable Bede and Alcuin.
Thomas
Aquinas was born about 1225 in the castle of Rocca Secca, into the
noble lineage of the family of Aquino. His father, Landulf, was a knight
and his mother, Theodora, a countess.
Finally
his mother relented. Returning to the Dominicans they found that he had
made so much progress on his own, that he was soon ordained. Sent to
study in Cologne under St. Albert Magnus, his great size and silence
earned him the encomium of “the Dumb Ox” but hearing his brilliant
defense of a difficult thesis, St. Albert responded, "We call this young
man a dumb ox, but his bellowing in doctrine will one day resound
throughout the world."
Angela
de Merici was born in Desenzano, on the southwestern shore of beautiful
Lake Garda, in northern Italy. Left an orphan at the age of ten with an
older sister and a brother, they were taken in by an uncle living in
the neighboring town of Salò.
Timothy and Titus were two of St. Paul’s favorite and most trusted disciples.
Titus
was Greek and a convert from paganism; he is mentioned in several of
the Pauline epistles. He is seen as a peacemaker, administrator and
great friend of the Apostle Paul. When St. Paul was having trouble with
the community at Corinth, Titus was the bearer of his severe letter and
with tact, firmness and charity succeeded in smoothing things out, which
gave St. Paul great joy.
Saul,
later Paul, was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin. Being born at Tarsus in
Cilicia, he was by privilege a Roman Citizen. As a young man he studied
the Law of Moses in Jerusalem under Gamaliel, a learned and noble
Pharisee, and became a scrupulous observer of the law.
Then
Christ Our Lord instructed him to arise and proceed to Damascus where
he would learn what was expected of him. On arising Saul found that he
was blind, and was led into the town to the house of a man called Judas.
Francis
de Sales was born in the Duchy of Savoy, in present-day France, in the
Château de Sales. His father was Francis, Lord of Boisy, Sales and Novel
and his mother Frances de Sionnz, the daughter of a prominent
magistrate.
He
was consecrated Bishop of Geneva in 1602, ruling his diocese from
Annecy in France where he immediately established regular catechetical
lessons for young and old. He himself taught the children of whom he
was beloved. He visited the parishes throughout his rugged diocese, made
provisions for the clergy, reformed religious orders, and preached
incessantly, everywhere known for his kindness and patient zeal. Those
who flocked to hear the holy bishop said, “Never have such holy,
apostolic sermons been preached.”
St. Vincent was a native of Huesca, Spain, but lived in Zaragoza.
Blessed
Thomas of Saint John was well known for his sermons on the Most Holy
Rosary, and the devil, jealous of the success he had with souls,
tortured him so much that he fell ill and was sick so long that the
doctors gave him up. One night when he really thought that he was dying,
the devil appeared to him in the most horrible form imaginable. There
was a picture of Our Lady near his bed; he looked at it and cried with
all his heart and soul and strength: "Help me, save me, my sweet, sweet
Mother!" No sooner had he said this than the picture seemed to come
alive and Our Lady put out her hand, took him by the arm and said:
The
priest continued, “When he had said this, he disappeared. I abstained
for several days from my sinful practices, but when temptation came I
again returned to my sins.
Agnes
was born around 291 in a Christian, patrician family of Rome, and
suffered martyrdom in the terrible persecution of Diocletian.
Pope
St. Fabian was the first layman ever to be elected to the papacy.
Before entering into his pontificate in 236, Fabian was a humble and
well respected farmer. Upon the death of his predecessor, Pope Anterus,
Fabian traveled with some companions to Rome to mourn his passing with
the faithful and to be present when the new pope was elected. While
attending the council to determine who Anterus’ successor would be, a
dove suddenly appeared and descended upon the head of Fabian as a clear
sign of his divine election. By unanimous vote, Fabian was instantly
chosen as the next pope.
Celebrated
alongside St. Fabian is the Roman martyr, Sebastian. Though the
narrative of his story is largely unhistorical, legend tells us that he
was a young officer in the imperial army, who secretly dedicated himself
to the spiritual and temporal assistance of the Christians and martyrs.
It was he who exhorted Sts. Marcus and Marcellianus to constancy in the
Faith and inspired them with the courage to face their deaths when they
began to waver under the pleas of their friends. Being thus discovered,
Sebastian was condemned by Emperor Diocletian and delivered over to
Mauritanian archers to be shot to death. Miraculously, he survived
though and was nourished back to health by St. Zoe, a convert of his and
mother of Sts. Marcus and Marcellianus. Refusing to flee, Sebastian
confronted the Emperor again and harshly reproached him for his cruelty
to the Christians. He died in 288 after being clubbed to death and his
body thrown into the common sewer. It was privately removed, and he also
was buried in the cemetery of Calixtus.
Wulfstan
(Wulstan) was a native of Warwickshire, England. After his priestly
ordination, he became a novice at the monastery of Worcester where he
edified all by the innocence and sanctity of his life. He was assiduous
at prayer, often watching all night in church.
Margaret
of Hungary was the daughter of King Bela IV, a champion of Christendom,
and Maria Laskarina, a pious Byzantine princess. Bella IV being the
brother of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Margaret was the saintly Queen of
Hungary’s blood niece.
Her
body worn out by the fatigue of long hours of labor, fasting and
prayer, Margaret died at the age of twenty-eight on January 18, 1270.
The virtuous princess was universally venerated as a saint from the time
of her death.
At
the age of thirty-five, the holy hermit moved from his solitude in the
vicinity of his native village, to a location across the eastern branch
of the river Nile where he made his abode in some ruins on the summit of
a mountain. There he lived for twenty years, rarely seeing any man
except one who brought him bread every so often.
What
our modern “Rachels,” undergo in this culture of abortion. How did we
get here? Why in the name of freedom, liberation, rights and choice are
girls and women so battered?
Honoratus
was born into a patrician Roman family that had settled in Gaul,
present-day France. As a young man, he renounced paganism and won his
elder brother Venantius over to Christ.
The
island of Lérins, today the island of Saint Honorat just south of
Cannes, is home to Cistercian monks who live in a majestic monastery and
produce fine wines and liqueurs which are well-known throughout the
world.
Sava,
born in 1174, was the youngest of the three sons of Stephen I, founder
of the Nemanyde dynasty, of the independent Serbian State. At the age of
seventeen he became a monk on Mount Athos, on the Greek peninsula.
Abdicating the throne in 1196, his father joined him and together they
established the thriving monastery of Khilandari.
When
Marguerite was thirty-four, she was invited by the visiting governor of
the French settlement in Canada to start a school at Ville-Marie, today
Montreal. She generously accepted and traveled to the French colony
then numbering two hundred people. Ville-Marie also had a hospital and a
Jesuit mission chapel.
Mother
Godinho, who directed the Lisbon Orphanage where Blessed Jacinta Marto
stayed shortly before dying at the hospital, carefully wrote down the
holy girl’s words.
The second, rather prophetic statement is “Fashions that will greatly offend Our Lord will appear.” 
Eventually,
he retired as a hermit to a cave on a mountain near Bethlehem, but his
sanctity and miracles attracted many who wished to serve God under his
direction. A spacious monastery was built on a place called Cathismus,
which became a haven of saints in the desert.
St.
Peter Orseolo’s is an unusual life. He was born in 928 of a prominent
Venetian family. At twenty he was appointed to the command of the city’s
fleet and defeated the Dalmatian pirates who infested the Adriatic Sea.
St.
Adrian was North African Berber by birth. Known for his virtue and
learning, while Abbot of Nerida, near Naples, he was twice invited by
Pope St. Vitalian to travel to England as the new Archbishop of
Canterbury. In his humility, he first proposed a fellow monk for the
position. When it was again offered to him, he recommended Theodore of
Tarsus in his stead, finally accepting the Pope's condition that he
accompany Theodore as his assistant and adviser.
