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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Jerome, Feast Day September 30

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St. Jerome and the Angel by Simon Vouet Public Domain Image
St. Jerome and the Angel
by Simon Vouet

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Jerome,

Feast Day September 30

The feast day of St. Jerome is celebrated on September 30.  He is the patron saint of Bible scholars.  He is considered one of the four great Doctors of the Church along with St. Ambrose, St. Augustine and St. Gregory of Nazianzus.

St. Jerome was born in Dalmatia around 340-342 A.D into a wealthy family.  His father was a Christian and made sure he was well educated.  His mother was a pagan.  At the age of 20 he visited Rome.  He enjoyed visiting the tombs of the martyrs and the Apostles and converted to Christianity.  He was baptized by Pope Liberius in 360.

St. Jerome studied theology and then began life as a hermit in the Syrian desert.  He was ordained a priest in Antioch at about the age of 40.  He then went to Constantinople where he met St. Gregory of Nazianzus.  He became the secretary for Pope Darnasus who commissioned him to translate the Bible.  This project took him 30 years.

While living in Rome he was known for his personal holiness, learning and integrity.  He was, however, disliked by many for his blunt sarcasm.  He left Rome and went to Bethlehem where he established a monastery.  He lived in prayer and study until the end of his life.

In art, St. Jerome is often shown with an angel with a trumpet.  He was believed to have had a dream when he was seriously ill.  In the dream he appeared before God’s judgment seat and was condemned for not being a Christian.

St. Jerome died peacefully on September 39, 420 after suffering from an illness for two years.

 

“The letters of the apostles are spiritual rain for us.”

Quote of St. Jerome

 

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

 

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patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John Chrysostom, Feast Day September 13

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St. John Chrysostom Icon Public Domain Image
St. John Chrysostom Icon

The feast day of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated on September 13. 

St. John was born to Christian parents about the year 344.  After studying law he became a deacon and was ordained a priest.  He served as a priest in Syria for 12 years before becoming Bishop of Constantinople.  St. John Chrysostom is the patron saint of preachers, speakers and  epilepsy.

St. John was known for his powerful sermons.  He believed in the need to help the poor and wanted the wealthy to  be generous with their money.  This was not appreciated by all who listened to him.

In 403 he was charged with heresy and sent into temporary exile.  He was recalled and then exiled permanently.  He died on Sept. 14, 407 while marching in the hot sun.  His last words were:

“Glory to God for all things.”

St. John Chrysostom (which means golden mouthed) has been given the title of Doctor of the Eucharist for his preaching on the belief in the Real Presence.  He is considered one of the four great doctors of the Eastern Church along with St. Athanasius, St. Gregory Nazianzen and St. Basil

 

 Faithfulness in little things is a big thing.

Quote of St. John Chrysostom

 

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Augustine, Feast Day August 28

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St. Augustine of Hippo by Sandro Botticelli Public Domain Image
St. Augustine of Hippo
by Sandro Botticelli
Public Domain Image

The feast day of St. Augustine is celebrated on August 28th. St. Augustine is the patron saint of brewers.

After the death of his father at the age of seventeen, St. Augustine left the church and led a loose life. He soon had both a mistress and a son. His mother St. Monica prayed for him for seventeen years before he returned to the faith.
Augustine began his search for faith by joining a group called the Manichees. Manichaeism teaches there are two gods at war with each other; good and evil. It also teaches that all matter is evil. He was hesitant to fully practice his faith due to physical desires. He is known for his statement

“O God, give me chastity, but not yet.”

Eventually, Augustine heard the preaching of St. Ambrose, which greatly influenced him. He began to study the bible. One day, after experiencing great remorse for his sins, Augustine heard a child singing, “Take up and read!” He opened his bible to the letters of St. Paul where he read “put away all impurity and live in imitation of Jesus.” From then on Augustine practiced his faith with zeal. He was baptized by St. Ambrose, ordained a priest and eventually became a bishop. He was also a famous writer. His book “Confessions” is considered a classic. After his death in 430 he was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church.

The following poem was written by St. Augustine.

Late have I loved you, Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you!       Lo, you were within, but I outside, seeking there for you,
and upon the shapely things you have made I rushed headlong – I, misshapen.
You were with me, but I was not with you. They held me back far from you,
those things which would have no being, were they not in you.

You called, shouted, broke through my deafness;
you flared, blazed, banished my blindness;
you lavished your fragrance, I gasped; and now I pant for you;
I tasted you, and now I hunger and thirst;
you touched me, and I burned for your peace.

 

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Benedictine Saints, Doctor of the Church, Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Feast Day August 20

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St. Bernard of Clairvaux Public Domain Image
St. Bernard of Clairvaux

The feast day of St. Bernard of Clairvaux is celebrated on August 20.  He was born in a family castle in Dijon, Burgundy in 1090.  The family included six sons and one daughter.  He was raised by a pious French mother.  Bernard was also pious as a child, however the death of his mother caused a prolonged depression.

St. Bernard was drawn towards the Benedictine monastery at Citeaux.  One day, at the age of 19, he knelt and asked God for guidance.  All doubts vanished and he decided to follow the Cistercian way of life.  Bernard was so persuasive that 31 nobles, including his five brothers and two uncles, were convinced to follow him to Citeaux.

When they arrived at the monastery , Stephen Harding was the abbot and they were instructed,

“If you desire to live in this house, leave your body behind; only spirits live here.”

After living a year at the monastery, he made his profession and continued living a cloistered life away from the world.

The monks lived a very simple life.  The land was poor and they ate barley bread, herbs and some vegetables.  The number of monks grew to 130.  Eventually the monastery became known as Clairvzux.

St. Bernard suffered stomach problems but never complained.  At one point he was near death because he became so ill.  He was ordered to live apart from the community to recover his strength.  He lived on a special diet under a doctor’s care and returned to the monastery with improved health.

St. Bernard received the gift of miracles.  The first witnessed miracle happened while singing at Mass.  He restored the speech to a relative named Josbert de la Forte who was near death.  Many miracles were witnessed where Bernard healed the sick by making a sign of the cross over a person and praying.

Because his health was frail, he was directed to preach and write rather than work in the field.  He was an eloquent preacher.  He fought for reform in the church clergy.  St. Bernard became well known as an arbitrator and counselor.  He settled many disputes including intervening during a church schism.

St. Bernard preached during the Second Crusade throughout Europe.  When the Crusade failed, St. Bernard attributed the failure to the sins of the Crusaders.

St. Bernard was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1830.

Remember, O most loving Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided.  Inspired by this confidence, we fly unto you, O virgin of virgins, our mother.  To you we come, before you we stand, sinful and sorrowful. 

O mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me.

Prayer of St. Bernard of Clairvaux

 

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

 

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Doctor of the Church, Faith, patron saints, Prayer, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Alphonsus Liguori, Feast Day August 1

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St. Alphonsus Liguori Public Domain Image
St. Alphonsus Liguori

The feast day of St. Alphonsus Liguori is celebrated on August 1. Alphonsus was born in 1696 near Naples, Italy. His father was a captain in the Royal Navy. He is the patron saint of confessors and theologians.

At the age of 16, St. Alphonsus Liguori received a doctorate in civil an canon law. At the age of 18 he joined the Confraternity of Our Lady of Mercy which cared for the sick, devoting himself to works of mercy. He became a lawyer by the age of 20. However, the work proved to be unfulfilling. After losing an important case, Alphonsus left his career as a lawyer to enter the priesthood. He was ordained in 1726.

As a priest St. Alphonsus ministered to the poor working to the point of exhaustion. In 1732 he decided to dedicate himself completely to the poor and abandoned. He founded the Congregation of the Holy Redeemer which became known as the Redemptorists.

St. Alphonsus was a gifted preacher who reached many people.The Redemptorists led mission revivals in the countryside preaching to anyone who would listen. They traveled from town to town. St. Alphonsus focused on three images; Jesus as an infant in the crib, Jesus crucified on the cross, and Jesus vibrantly alive and filled with love for everyone in the Eucharist. He also had a great devotion to Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer.

St. Alphonsus was an artist, composer and a writer. He wrote music which he composed on a harpsichord. It spread throughput the countryside. He wrote over 100 books including “Prayer, the Great Means of Salvation.” He was given the title “Doctor of Prayer”.  St. Alphonsus believed that if you pray your salvation is secure.

St. Alphonsus was troubled by illness most of his life. His final years, he suffered from severe arthritis which kept him in a wheelchair. St. Alphonsus died at the age of 91 after a night of prayer. He was canonized in 1839 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1871.

We must love God in a way that pleases Him,

and not just in a way that suits ourselves.

God wishes people to empty themselves

of everything and to be filled with is divine love.

Quote of St. Alphonsus Liguori

 

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

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Doctor of the Church, Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Peter Chrysologus, Feast Day July 30

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St. Peter Chrysologus Public Domain Image
St. Peter Chrysologus

The feast day of St. Peter Chrysologus is celebrated on July 30. Peter was born around the year 400 in the small town of Imola, Italy.  He studied theology and was ordained a deacon by Bishop Cornelius. Bishop Cornelius was the local bishop of Imola and had also baptized him. Bishop Cornelius was Peter’s spiritual director teaching him the value of humility.

St. Peter embraced a simple life of prayer as a monk for many years. After the death of the Archbishop of Ravenna in 430, Peter traveled to Rome with Bishop Cornelius to see Pope Sixtus III. Tradition tells us that because of a vision the Pope overruled the choice for a new bishop and declared Peter the new Bishop of Ravenna.

Peter Chrysologus  was known as a good preacher. His sermons were short but inspirational and filled with zeal. As bishop he battled the heresy of monophysitism which denied the humanity of Christ. He insisted that Christ was both fully human and fully divine and supported the authority of the popes in teaching about the nature of Christ. He encouraged everyone to accept the mystery of the Incarnation with simple faith. He believed that learning was second only to virtue for improving the mind.

St. Peter Chrysologus died in 450 in the town of Imola. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIII in 1729.

 

The Good Shepherd lowered His shoulders to carry back

to the fold of salvation the sheep who had been lost.

Quote of St. Peter Chrysologus

 

July is the Month of the Most Precious Blood



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