predication.net

St. Benedict of Nursia

July 11, holiday
Position: Abbot and patron saint of Europe
Death: 547
Patron: Europe; teachers, miners, copper engravers and speleologists—cave explorers (since 1957); students, agricultural workers, civil engineers, architects, and the dying; invoked against magic and in temptations; in fever and inflammation, poisoning, and stone disease; also for help in fulfilling religious duties.
Attributes: Benedictine, crutch, small snake or dragon, raven, bread, book, ball, cup, cracked bowl, sieve, thorns
CURRICULUM VITAE

He was an Italian from the Umbrian mountains. He studied briefly in Rome, revered the Virgin Mary and, with her help, kept his heart intact. He left everything and went into solitude. He became an exemplary teacher to the people who followed him. At first he founded small monasteries and later built the extensive monastery of Montecassino. He founded the Western religious movement and contributed to the preservation of classical culture. His advice for creating a spiritual balance in man is reminiscent of the sign of the cross rising above the plow. In the spirit of his rules, prayer was also work, and work was prayer.
CV FOR MEDITATION

FATHER OF WESTERN MONASTICS AND PATRON OF EUROPE
He was born around 480 in Nursia (Norica, near Perugia) in the Umbrian mountains in central Italy as a twin. He had a sister, Scholastica, who also later became a saint, whose memory is celebrated on February 10. Their mother, Abundancia, died in childbirth, and their father, Euprob, who belonged to the rural nobility, entrusted the children to a foster mother.

Due to his above-average intellectual abilities and the nobility of his family, he was sent to Rome to study law. He was satisfied with the school, but not with the morality of the Roman students. The moral side of these classmates led him to interrupt his studies and go east to the settlement of Affile in the hilly region near Subiaco. There, a small group of ascetics lived in prayer and self-denial, whose company suited him better. Nevertheless, he soon took refuge a little farther away, in a lonely cave near the Ania River in Subiaco, and began to live a harsh hermit’s life. He was soon beset by temptations from which solitude does not protect, and Benedict, in order to overcome sensual desires, sometimes threw himself into thorns. Even then, he had extraordinary experiences and miraculous abilities that accompanied him throughout his life. He tried to live in such solitude and concentration on God that he did not notice time. He only discovered that Easter had arrived during a chance meeting with a priest.

After three years of solitary life, he came into contact with a monk, who gave him a habit and who occasionally brought him food. His other guests were shepherds, and as news of his life spread, other visitors appeared. After the death of the superior of a nearby monastic community, the monks came to Benedict to urge him to take his place. With considerable hesitation, Benedict accepted and began to establish the order according to what he considered best. The monks, accustomed to a relatively simpler life, disliked the practice introduced by Benedict, and according to legend, one of them tried to poison him with poison mixed in wine. Benedict, as was his custom, made the sign of the cross over the drink, and at that moment the poisoned cup broke.

After this show of hostility, Benedict left the monks and continued his life in a cave above Subiaco. However, he did not close himself off from people and when young people who wanted to live according to his example of work and prayer sought him out, he received them. Twelve new small monastic communities were then established in the hills of Subiaco, which submitted to Benedict’s leadership.

In addition to the admiration of the nearby inhabitants, there was also the jealous hostility of a priest who tried to destroy Benedict’s work through intrigues. Probably for this reason, Benedict and some monks set off in a southeasterly direction and chose a suitable place for the future monastery, the ruins of the temple of Jupiter above the city of Cassino. Then he dedicated the pagan-marked area to the service of God and, together with his brothers, began to build the cradle of Benedictine monasticism for the glory of God.

They built the monastery on Montecassino Hill between 529 and 532 and made it a center from which a living faith and Christian culture later radiated throughout Europe.

After his life experiences, Benedict saw that a strict rule was necessary for monks to govern their communal life. He compiled the “Regula” for them, rules that justify his title “Father of Western Monasticism.”

The “Regula Benedicti” became the basis of all Benedictine monasteries in the West that adopted its model. The Order of St. Benedict also has later branches and offshoots. These include the Carthusians (who supplemented his order with Camaldolese regulations originating from the so-called White Benedictines), the Cistercians and the Celestines. Many houses according to the Benedictine order were also organized into several congregations.

Benedict, while working on the order, consistently drew on the Bible and established the basic rules of monastic life. He placed the main emphasis on consistency in the service of God, perfect obedience, humility, and diligent and conscientious work. He determined the main tasks to be a contemplative life, a common choir, work in spiritual administration, teaching students, and manual work, especially cultivating the land. Therefore, the Benedictine motto became “Ora et labora” (“Pray and work”). It denotes the search for God through prayer and through physical and mental work.

In drawing up the rule, Benedict considered both Eastern and Western traditions and personal experience. He also remembered the need to adapt to various circumstances to some extent while maintaining a clear organizational structure.

In the life of Benedict, we can observe how his ideal of monasticism developed. At first, he was influenced by Eastern models, such as Egyptian and Syrian hermits. To this was added the concept of monastic life, as understood by Basil the Great. Experience and charisma then led him to a type of life in which he combined the glorification of God with all-round service to people. This is the most beautiful and attractive thing about his order. He excluded from it a wandering life and isolated asceticism that does not look at the needs of other people, but focuses only on personal perfection. All this leads to the all-round usefulness of the Benedictine monasteries, the model of which was created at Montecassino. The noble titles later conferred on Benedict, as well as his elevation, are connected to all this.

After completing his monastery on Montecassino, Benedict helped his sister Scholastica establish the first Benedictine monastery beneath the same mountain. They met once a year in the courtyard between the two monasteries for advice and spiritual conversation. Three days after their last meeting, Benedict had a vision of his sister’s soul ascending to heaven in the form of a dove. He then had Scholastica’s body transferred to a tomb prepared for him in the Montecassino monastery. Soon after, on Holy Thursday, March 21, 547, while praying before the altar with outstretched hands, Benedict also died and was buried in the same tomb next to his sister. Above their grave is the main altar of the Montecassino basilica.

Benedict’s feast day has been celebrated on this day since the 8th century as the anniversary of the alleged transfer of his relics. Pope Pius XII called him the “father of Europe” and Pope Paul VI solemnly proclaimed him the patron saint of Europe on 24 October 1964. The title was also confirmed by John Paul II, who proclaimed other co-patrons.

It is interesting to note that by the eighteenth century, the Benedictine order had produced 42 popes, 200 cardinals, and almost 6,000 archbishops and bishops, as well as numerous saints and prominent scholars and writers.

Circumstances of growth …

“The sower went out to sow” (Mt 13, 3). One of the most famous parables of Jesus Christ begins with these words. We know perfectly well that the sower of the gospel is God himself, who sows the seed of his sanctifying grace in the fields of human hearts. Every grain of God is valuable and life-giving. There is no chaff or low-value grain. God constantly goes out to the flower bed of human hearts with the sowing of his word, which leads to the knowledge of God’s love and the achievement of eternal salvation: “For the word of God is living, effective, and sharper than any two-edged sword; it penetrates to the separation of the soul from the spirit and the joints from the marrow and judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4, 12). Today, the seed of God’s word is sown on the field of the Church of Christ by priests when they fulfill their teaching mission. God’s Word is still up-to-date, alive and indicates what we should do in order to achieve eternal salvation and live in love and harmony here on earth.

The heart of each of us is God’s horn, on which the sowing of God’s word constantly falls. The Lord, on his part, is doing everything possible to make it bear a rich harvest. And there will come a day in the life of each of us when we will have to account for the harvest of the sowing of God’s love. John the Baptist predicts it: “He has a winnowing winch in his hand to clear the threshing floor and gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn the chaff in unquenchable fire” (Luke 3:17). Accepting the teachings of the Lord Jesus in life leads to the achievement of life fulfillment and eternal salvation. Waste of this priceless gift will result in eternal damnation. And none of us will then be able to say that we didn’t have a chance, an opportunity, or a way to get to know Christ, His holy Gospel, and to live according to it.

But as Jesus himself predicted in today’s Gospel, God’s sowing brings a different harvest. May there be a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold harvest as much as possible. But the Savior, knowing human nature, foresaw that, unfortunately, there would always be people who would waste the gift of God’s grace. For some, the reason for this will be looking at the things of this world; for others, a lack of perseverance and readiness to make sacrifices. Still others will trivialize God’s love as they choose convenient selfishness. But we must not forget one more factor that affects crop yield. This is the other person who can help or greatly hinder himself.

Even the most fertile soil needs tilling to produce a harvest. Even the best grain, sown in uncultivated black soil, has little chance of sprouting and growing. It is the same with the human heart. Each of us present here owes our faith experienced and realized in our everyday lives to the people who brought us to Jesus and helped us grow in faith. Without their direct involvement, efforts as well as personal testimony of a life of faith in Christ Crucified and Risen, we would not be here in the sanctuary today. It was our parents and grandparents who taught us about God and faith and, above all, showed by their example that faith is not folklore or tradition or an addition to everyday life, but a value that guides our daily behavior. We owe our faith to our catechists, priests who prepared us for the reception of individual sacraments and who preached God’s word to us for years. We enrich and develop our faith with content drawn from the press, Catholic books, and Catholic media. Without all those people, we would not be here today, and the grain of God’s grace could not bring the Lord’s desired harvest in our hearts. So when we owe our faith to another person to a great extent, let us try to help so that the lives of other people also bear the fruit of faith and holiness.

When we travel to the Holy Land, we stop in the Judean Desert, in the places where Jesus fasted for 40 days. We see all sorts of things on the ground after heavy rains. The land of the Judean Desert is very fertile. But there is no water. Even the best grain sown on that parched land has no chance of bearing a harvest. Similarly, you sow grain on a beaten dirt road, which may even be the most fertile soil, but not at all ready for sowing. In other places, we see what is happening to the fallow fields, which formerly produced a great harvest but, deprived of the hands of the harvester, have become overgrown with weeds that are difficult to pull up. If each of these lands were cultivated responsibly and the harvester took care of it, it would yield multiple harvests. The quality of the soil is very important, no less important than the quality of the grain. But the work of those who work the land cannot be overestimated.

Once the artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti was stopped by an elderly man who had painted several paintings and wanted Dante to appreciate them, as well as give an opinion on the talent of the author of those paintings. Rossetti looked at them carefully. After the first few, the artist realized the paintings were worthless and that their author lacked talent. Dante, being a delicate person, did not want to hurt the elderly person, so he respectfully said that the paintings were not of much value, but their author had some talent. He was uncomfortable, but he couldn’t fool him. The assessment also froze the older man, but it looked like he expected it. Then, apologizing to Rossetti for taking up his time, he asked if the artist could paint the young student. Dante looked at them, brightened considerably, and enthusiastically said, “These are good. The young man has great talent. He must be given every help to develop his talent. He has a great future if he works hard and persevering”. Rossetti saw the great excitement of the older man and asked, “Who is that young, talented artist? Your son?” “No – replied the older man sadly. That’s me from 40 years ago. If I had heard that praise then, I wouldn’t have wasted my talent, I wouldn’t have given up so easily”.

God sows the grain of his grace, but if I trample it in the heart of my neighbor, when I am a source of doubt about the meaning of faith for him, then there will be no harvest. If my presence in the sanctuary as a confession of faith in Jesus Christ has no reflection in everyday life, then what attitude do I teach others? I saw an eloquent film on social media: “I salute all the Catholics who go to Holy Mass every Sunday and lie at work.” Did our parents and catechists teach us such a faith? Does God’s word preached by priests prepare us for such behavior? Would it be possible to encourage anyone to get to know Jesus more closely and live the faith in the Catholic Church with such behavior?

The effectiveness of the grain of God’s grace sown in another person’s soul depends on each of our testimonies. Jesus says: “He who has received much, much will be required of him, and to whom they have entrusted much, of him they will require more” (Lk 12, 48). The most depends on how the priests implement in their lives the doctrine they preach from the pulpit in the church. The greatest responsibility rests on them, for in their hands God places the deposit of faith. But none of us is exempt from the obligation to bear witness to our faith, which will help all those who, for various reasons, are far from Christ. The angry ground can be plowed through the grace of prayer, conversation, and the witness of one’s own faith. Weeds of sins can be pulled out when we show the joy of living in friendship with God and our neighbors. We will not water the scorched soil of our neighbor’s heart with anything other than our understanding and kindness. The harvest of our faith is the joint fruit of the grace of the grain of God’s word, the help and testimony of those who brought us to Jesus, and our own efforts. Out of gratitude for the gift and fruit of our own faith, let us strive to help others so that they may bring forth the harvest of eternal life that day. Amen

Canutus, m. in Dania

BIOGRAPHY

From 1080 he was king in his native Denmark. He had a family, lived devoutly, and strove to expand and consolidate the Christian life in his empire, in which pagan customs still prevailed in places. His government’s support for the church did not please some nobles, led by his treacherous brother Olaf, who longed for regency. King Kanut (Knut) was murdered while praying in front of the altar of the Odense temple.

BIOGRAPHY FOR MEDITATION

THE PIOUS MONARCH AND PATRON SAINT OF DENMARK

He was born in Denmark around 1040, the illegitimate son of King Sven III Estridsson. He received a Christian upbringing and paid great attention to the advice of the gospel. He later married the daughter of Count Robert of Flanders, Adéla, and with her had a son, Charles, who was nicknamed the Pious.

He was king from 1080. So he became one at about the age of 40, and his reign lasted only 6 years. In many ways, he is compared to the Czech monarch St. Wenceslaus, especially in piety, love, justice, and martyrdom, in which his own brother participated.

From the beginning of his reign, he very actively supported the spread of Christianity in the country and sought to root out paganism with its customs. Although he was a king, he tried to live simply, fasted sternly, and wore a harsh penitential garment beneath his kingly clothing as an ascetic. He was still helping him become conscious of love and adopt the right attitude towards God and people. Before God, he accepted responsibility for managing the earth and leading its inhabitants.

He was generous in granting alms to the poor, building hospitals and temples. In his humility, he dedicated his royal crown to the temple at Roskilde, saying, “This jewel is more fitting to be used to adorn a sacred place than to vanity and worldly pride:” After passing the royal badges in front of the image of the Crucified One, he also issued a statement, in connection with the victory over the enemies who invaded the earth, that he was subjecting himself and the entire empire to Jesus Christ, King of all kings and lord of all rulers, and has no other wish than for the Christian faith to flourish in his country and be preserved for all time.

In his respectful behavior towards the clergy, he set an example for his subjects and did not allow anyone in his court anything that would be at the expense of the church. He removed the clergy from the authority of secular courts and subjected them fully to the power of the bishop and his court. He gave eight bishops the rank of imperial princes with a leading parliamentary seat. He sent missionaries to neighboring nations, not seeking fighting, but striving for peace. He defended himself valiantly against pagan invaders and tried to lean the defeated towards Christianity.

Kanut’s apostolic activities also stimulated many enemies in his nation. His own brother Olaf envied him a place on the throne and craved the crown. Kanut, eager to ensure the future coverage of the needs of temples and clergy, began to think aloud about introducing church tithes, which aroused opposition and dissatisfaction with the king’s Christian rule among the greedy nobles. His brother Olaf was looking for a way to overthrow the king. An opportunity arose when a plea for help against enemies came from England to Denmark in 1085. Kanut therefore ordered a navy to be prepared for help and entrusted the high command over it to his brother Olaf. He betrayed and incited the army of which he became the commander against his king Kanut. The conspirators’ efforts led to the army’s dissolution, which ceased to heed the monarch’s appeals.

In his merciful justice, Kanut did not want to punish the conspirators with death under the law; he just imposed a conditional fine on them, which they did not have to pay if they committed to church tithes. The magnates rejected the offer, and when the fine they had verbally favored was enforced, they launched a general revolt that they led across the country.

Anticipating his killing, King Canute fled to the island of Funen (Fionia) to Odense, where, in the temple of St. Albana he received the sacraments. Then he prayed aloud in front of the altar: “Lord and God! To you, I like to sacrifice my life, for honor and glory and for the protection of your Church. Accept my sacrifice and grant the enemies the grace to know the truth and to regret. Forgive them as I forgive them.” Meanwhile, the attackers tried in vain to pry open the gate, so the stones broke the windows and attacked the king with arrows from their bows and spears from the ladders. They also attacked his brother Benedict and 17 persons loyal to him.

Kanut’s grave was glorified by miracles. In 1101, Kanut was canonized by Pope Paschal II.

BIOGRAPHY

These martyrs include the previous Francis Fernandez de Capillas, including four Dominican missionaries, with introductory information to the entire group of 120 martyrs.

The others are listed in the subsequent five sections of the ( order 4-8). They were all canonized together 1. 10. 2000.

Priest Augustin Zhao Rong was martyred on 21. 3. 1815.

Petr Sans and Jordán were martyred 26. 5. 1747. He was born on 1. 9. 1680 in Asco, Spain, and was given the name Joseph at his baptism. At the age of 17, he joined the Dominican Order and took the name Peter. After his priestly ordination in 1704, he worked for 4 years in the monastery in Zaragoza. At the age of 32, he applied to go to Far East missions. Together with his brother Jáchym Royo, they traveled to the Philippines in 1712. At the stop in Hospice St. Gabriela in Manila, Petr Sans learned Chinese and became familiar with the local mentality. Then his place of work was the province of Fu-tien, where he tried to restore and expand the third order of St. Dominic. In time, he gathered around him 70 laymen who participated in missionary activities.

Petr Sanz gained respect and recognition among the natives. In 1716 he became deputy provincial and was put in charge of all missionaries in the area.

In China, after the death of Emperor Kangxi, who did not defend the Christian religion, persecution of Catholic religious practitioners broke out in Fujian Province in 1723. At that difficult time, Petr Sanz was promoted to auxiliary bishop with the right of succession. After his ordination, however, he had to retreat to Macau with other missionaries, but already in 1738 he returned to Fu-tien and renewed communion, encouraged with the word of God, administered the sacraments, and helped the poor. At the same time, he still had to hide. Presented in the Philippines, he pleaded for help in ensuring the education of indigenous young priests, whose movement would not be so difficult in China.

Despite all caution, Bishop Peter was arrested and imprisoned in 1746. Other Dominican priests were imprisoned with him: Francis Serrano, Jáchym Royo, Jan Alcober, and Francis Díaz del Rincón. More laymen who helped them also went to prison with them. The trial began on the 22nd. On the 11th, and after six months, he was sentenced to death in Beijing and executed on the 26th. 5. 1748. Other Dominican fellow prisoners waited until October 28 to die by suffocation. The redeemed remains of the martyrs were taken to the Philippines and placed in St. John’s Church. Dominica in Manila.

He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII on 6.1.1893 and canonized (the community of 120 martyrs murdered in China) on 1.10.2000 by Pope John Paul II.

CURRICULUM VITAE

He came from Ireland and as a bishop he went to preach the Gospel to Herbipolis (Würzburg) in Austrasia (today’s Saxony in Germany). Like John the Baptist, he rebuked the local Duke Gosbert. And like John, for his exhortation to faithful observance of Christian morals, he achieved martyrdom by being excommunicated from the guidance of a sinful woman.

CV FOR MEDITATION

HE PAID WITH HIS HEAD FOR CHURCHING MORALS

He was born in Mullagh, in an Irish-Scottish family. He was reportedly educated in an Anglo-Saxon monastery and received the sacrament of priesthood as a monk. He longed for missionary work. 11 companions, including the priest Coloman (or Kolonat) and the deacon Donat (Tatnat), set out with him on a journey to preach the Gospel to the pagans. Kilian set out with them on a journey through France and what was then Austrasia, where 9 companions remained. The other three then sailed from Aschaffenburg on the Rhine to Würzburg in Bavaria. They arrived at the castle on the left bank of the Main, where the Thuringian Duke Gosbert ruled, in 686.

The place seemed most suitable to Kilian, but he considered it necessary to have a papal commission and blessing. That same year he therefore set out for Rome with Coloman and Donatus. Kilian obtained Pope Colonus’s willing permission and blessing and returned as a bishop.

Kilian began to work very zealously in Würzburg and its surroundings. Gosbert converted to Christianity and other nobles followed him. This was not enough for Kilian, he especially demanded that the monarch lead an orderly Christian life. But Duke Gosbert lived with his brother’s wife, Gailana, according to pagan custom, which Kilian reproached him for. Although it was difficult for the duke, he decided to release her. Before this could happen, Gosbert had to go into battle. Gailana decided to have Kilian murdered out of revenge. She entrusted the task to two hired assassins, and the night of July 8 was agreed upon for the execution. The saint, praying with his companions, told them at midnight that the longed-for hour of meeting with the Lord had come, so that they would be obedient to his voice and not fear those who kill the body because they cannot kill the soul. At that moment, an ambush occurred.

After committing the crime, the murderers dug a pit in which they buried the bodies of the martyrs on the spot, along with liturgical books, vessels and robes, as Gailana had wished. Some sources give the year of Kilian’s death as 689, but since this information is not considered reliable by experts, only the 7th century is given in the martyrology.

The legend details Kilian’s biography beyond the scope of possible historical evidence. This probably partly concerns his companions, who are not named in the martyrology today. The legend states that although the martyrs’ deaths remained a secret from the people, God revealed the murderers. After Gosbert’s return from the war, Gailana lied to him that she did not know where the missionaries had gone. However, one of the murderers, tormented by his conscience, had a mental breakdown and revealed the crime. The monarch imprisoned him and called on the people to express their opinion on what punishment should be meted out to him. Gailana’s envoy then proposed that he be left free to be punished by the God of the Christians, to prove that he was as powerful and just as he had been proclaimed. And if he did not take revenge, the people should return to the gods their ancestors had served.

Gosbert agreed to the proposal. The murderer, after being freed, is said to have begun to tear his own body in madness until he died. After the horrific scene, the Christians were strengthened in their faith. The second murderer also committed suicide, and Gailana is said to have suffered and died in pain.

The tomb of St. Kilian and his companions was discovered after about fifty years. Bishop Burkhard collected Kilian’s remains on July 8, 752, or, according to others, in 743, and had them transferred to the Church of Our Lady at Würzburg Castle. Later, perhaps in 788, they were transferred to the Würzburg Cathedral of St. Salvatore under the castle. This is said to be the place of their martyrdom. Charlemagne also participated in the transfer.

In the rebuilt church, the heads of his alleged co-martyrs are placed in a reliquary on the main altar with Kilian’s head. Kilian’s sarcophagus is located in the crypt there. Charles IV obtained two of Kilian’s shoulder bones for St. Vitus Cathedral.

Willibaldus

CURRICULUM VITAE

He came from an exceptional royal family in England. He entered the clergy in Rome. While traveling to the Holy Land, he was imprisoned in Syria on false suspicion. After his release, he visited the Holy Land and, on his way through Constantinople, entered the monastery of Montecassino, where he was appointed gatekeeper. On his third trip to Rome, St. Boniface chose him as a collaborator in preaching the Gospel to the Germanic tribes and consecrated him as bishop of Eichstädt. He and his brother Vunibald founded two monasteries. In one, Vunibald was the abbot, in the other, their sister Valburga was the abbess.

Willibald always remained humble, charitable, and zealous in apostolic work.

CV FOR MEDITATION

A PILGRIM ON THE PATH OF HOPE, FAITH AND LOVE

He was born on 22 October 700 in southern England. He is one of the three canonized children of King St. Richard. His siblings are Vunibald, commemorated on 18 December, and Valburga, commemorated on 25 February. His father was related to the Anglo-Saxon court, and his mother Bona was a close relative of St. Boniface.

In the third year of his life, Willibald fell seriously ill and the doctors gave him no hope. His parents dedicated him to the Lord in front of the cross, promising that if he recovered, he would devote himself to the service of God. The child miraculously recovered, and from the age of six his parents entrusted his upbringing to the monks of the Valtheim monastery, where Egbald was the abbot. Already in his childhood, Willibald began to voluntarily submit to the religious rules and cultivate the virtues of obedience, humility, and self-denial. He studied in the monastery and longed to make a pilgrimage to Rome and Jerusalem, which his royal father not only allowed him to undertake but also joined him on, along with his younger son Vunibald.

During their pilgrimage, their father died before reaching Rome in Lucca, Tuscany. He is commemorated as a saint on 7 February. They arrived in Rome on 12 November 720 and entered the spiritual state in the Benedictine monastery there. In the spring, after overcoming a fever, Willibald, accompanied by two companions, set out on another pilgrimage, during which they fasted strictly, slept on the bare ground, and visited memorable churches. From Naples, they sailed to Sicily, visited the tomb of St. Agatha in Catania, sailed to Cyprus, where they venerated the tomb of St. Epiphanius in Salamis, and with four other pilgrims, they arrived in Emessa in Syria. There, the Mohammedans considered them spies and imprisoned them. However, a Christian merchant took them in, from whom they received food and even allowed them to go out in the company of his son. Finally, a Spaniard, who was highly respected at the ruler’s court, secured their freedom.

After a stop in Damascus, Willibald’s group arrived in Palestine in the autumn of 724. In Galilee, the pilgrims visited all the sacred places consecrated by the life of Christ. After bathing in the place of the baptism of the Lord, they reached Jerusalem via Jericho around November 725. In this city, Willibald fell seriously ill (it is said to have been malaria) and lovingly linked his suffering with the suffering of Jesus carrying the cross. After recovering and saying goodbye to the city in which our salvation was completed, he continued his journey to Bethlehem. He then stopped at the places mentioned in the Bible and visited the sacred temples. His return journey from the Holy Land deliberately led via Constantinople. There he stayed at famous places, including the great temple in Nicaea. Finally, he returned from the eastern countries by ship to Italy with papal and imperial envoys.

Near Naples, in Lucullan, he venerated the tomb of St. Severinus and in 729 came to the main monastery of the Order of St. Benedict in Montecassino. There he became a porter, displaying humility, kindness, and using his experience to serve others.

His uncle Boniface (commentary 5. 6.) knew about him and during his third trip to Rome in 738, he asked Pope Gregory III for Willibald as a collaborator for the apostolate in Germany. At that time, Willibald was sent to Rome as an escort at the request of a Spanish priest. When he met with the Pope, he was told of a call to joint apostolic work with Boniface, whose assistant was also his brother Vunibald. On his way to Bavaria, he stopped by his father’s grave in Lucca. In Bavaria, he visited Duke Odile and then the Frankish Count Svitgar, who offered Boniface the Eichstätt region to found a new bishopric. Willibald was sent to assess the area and arrange the necessary matters. To establish a bishopric with a monastery, he chose a place with a Marian church visited by the inhabitants of the surrounding huts. He then participated in the construction of the large church of the Mother of God and the monastery buildings. In that church, Willibald received the sacrament of priesthood on June 22, 740. Soon a large settlement grew up in the area and more houses were constantly being built.

Willibald became bishop around 21 October 741 and the following year he participated in the church council in Attigany. In the Eichstätt monastery he trained missionaries who helped him spread the gospel among the pagans. In 748 his own sister Valburga joined him as a collaborator, for whom Willibald built a monastery near Eichstätt and made her abbess. Then he and his brother built two larger monasteries in a place called Heidenheim. Through Willibald’s efforts, faith and Christian education spread throughout his Eichstätt bishopric. He outlived both of his siblings in his zealous work.

He was canonized in 938 by Pope Leo VII.

Maria Goretti

CURRICULUM VITAE

When she was 10, her father died. She was left to take care of her four siblings. She also had to do chores for the Serenelli family, who were not good neighbors. The elder drank and his son, who was about 16 years old and had previously worked with sailors, harbored a sinful passion. Marie could not attend catechism, but she understood the basic truth well: that the real evil is not poverty, but sin, and that the only effective weapon against it is prayer. She was diligent and kept her home and her soul clean. When she was less than 12 years old, she was attacked by a lustful young man from the neighborhood. She defended her purity with the risk of her life. They counted 14 stab wounds on her body. Before she died the next day, she completely forgave the murderer.

CV FOR MEDITATION

LOVE FOR GOD IS ALSO CONNECTED WITH THE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE DECREES

She was born on October 16, 1890, into a very poor family in Corinaldo. They called her Marieta, although she was baptized Marie. After four years, they all moved to Paliene, where their father rented a piece of land. There, Marieta’s two older siblings were joined by two more, and her parents were then lured by the offer of work draining the Pontine marshes. The total area of ​​these marshes is 350 km². When they moved to Ferriere near the town of Nettuno, they were joined by the farmer Serenelli and his son Alessandro.

When Marietta was 10 years old, her father died of swamp malaria with meningitis, and due to poverty, the children could not go to school. The Rosary became an important prayer for them and helped them endure various difficulties. The Goretti children were raised with the principle “First God, then everything else.”

In addition to taking care of her own household, Anssuta Goreti’s mother, at the request of Count Anttilio Mazzoleni, also took care of both Serenellis and continued her father’s work. The housework and cooking therefore fell largely on Marietta, who also looked after her siblings and washed and sewed for the Serenellis. Whenever she went to the market in Nettuno, she also went to the church to the tabernacle, opened her heart to the Lord Jesus and listened to him at the same time. There, in front of her image, she entrusted all her and her mother’s worries to the Virgin Mary. She also spoke to her about how the children were obedient or naughty, and about Alessandro and his cruelty. She also confided in her desire to go to her first Holy Communion, even though she did not have a veil, dress or shoes.

Her third favorite place was Conche, because her father’s grave was there. She would kneel in front of the locked door and send her greetings to his grave. She would sacrifice the little inconveniences of her life for her father, so that he could be in the light of his heavenly Father as soon as possible. She knew in part the pain of longing for God because she experienced it, longing for Holy Communion.

Marieta grew up in the company of Alessandro, whom she had to serve so that her mother could continue to go to the fields. Alessandro increasingly bossed her around and ordered her around like his maid. With a passionate gleam in his eyes, he told her more than once. “I like you. I will be your lover!”

She made her first holy communion for her father and promised Jesus, “I would rather die than sin.”

One day, Alessandro ordered her to go to him to get his underwear. She knew from her mother that he could order her. But when he ordered her to love him, she answered him: “Loving is something else entirely, what you want is a sin! Don’t you dare touch me!” “Now you will be mine!” – he hissed. “Never, it’s a sin, God forbid.” – With these words, she managed to escape. Behind her she heard a threat: “If you tell mother, I will kill you!” Marieta shuddered at the thought that he would really kill her if she did not comply. In the evening, his father, for no reason, rudely attacked her mother and an argument broke out. Marieta did not want to worry her mother, she was also ashamed and did not know how to tell her.

The next day, Alessandro bought a 23-cm-long dagger, which he sharpened, deciding to use it on Marieta. He and his father were increasingly domineering and evil. Marieta often cried and served with fear and horror. Mother did not know why Marieta had fear in her eyes when she was to be left alone. Out of obedience, she went to Alessandro’s room the next day to get the shirt she was supposed to sew for him and quickly ran down to little Tereza with it. Then Alessandro returned, and when she did not want to go with him, he tore her hand off the railing and dragged her down the corridor. He shouted at her: “You want it or you don’t want it!” “It’s a sin, God does not want it. You will go to hell!” the girl replied and defended herself with all her might. Since threats of death did not help, he gagged her and stabbed her 14 times. He inflicted eight stab wounds in the lower abdomen and six in the back. After 14 wounds, he thought she was already dead.

The seriously injured Marieta was put on a stretcher and taken to the hospital of the Brothers of Mercy in Nettuno. She was operated on while conscious because her heart would not have been able to withstand the anesthesia. She suffered a lot on the way, then while cleaning and sewing the deep wounds. The dagger hit her lungs, the area around her heart and cut her insides. In terrible pain, she prayed: “Everything for you, Lord Jesus.” She suffered from thirst and was not allowed to drink.

The dean had examined her before the operation and in the morning he brought her Holy Communion – the second and last of her life. When he asked her about the murderer, she answered without hesitation: “Yes, for the love of Jesus I forgive him with all my heart and I want to have him with me in heaven.” After receiving Communion, she entered a Marian community and died on the feast of the Most Precious Blood of the Lord. She was 11 years, 8 months and 20 days old.

She was beatified on April 27, 1947, and canonized on June 25, 1950. Her mother, Anssuta, also witnessed both celebrations. The murderer Alessandro spent 26 years in prison with forced labor. He was released 4 years earlier than the original sentence for good behavior. While still in prison, he is said to have had a vision of Marieta in a white dress in a garden full of white flowers and lilies. She encouraged him to pick them. The flowers turned into small flames in his arms. Serenelli later said: “She wanted to tell me that she was alive.” He completely changed and regretted his terrible act. After his release, he entered the Capuchin order as a lay brother.

St. Elizabeth of Portugal

July 4th, reminder
Position: queen, TOR
Death: 1336
Patron: Portugal, Coimbra, and Zaragoza; various women’s associations; charity workers; invoked in marital difficulties and false accusations; helper in wartime hardships
Attributes: crown, rose, nun, beggar
CURRICULUM VITAE

She came from the Spanish royal family. At the age of 12, she was married to the Portuguese King Dionysius, with whom she had two children and by whose side she experienced much suffering, not only because of his infidelity. She excelled in patience, love, the ability to forgive and reconcile. She lived with love for the poor with many works of mercy and settled disagreements in the country. During a terrible plague, she was a refuge for the general public. After the death of her husband, she became a tertiary, continued her charity work and finally died at the age of 65 as a sister of St. Clare.
CV FOR MEDITATION

ANGEL OF PEACE
She was born in Spain around 1270-1271 as the daughter of the later King Peter III of Aragon and his wife Princess Constance of Sicily. At baptism, she was given the name of her deceased aunt, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. In Spanish, she is often called Isabella. Her birth is said to have contributed to the reconciliation of Peter with his father, James I. Elizabeth stayed with him before his death, when she was about five or six years old. She then returned to her parents, who provided her with an education by good teachers. She had three brothers: Alfonso, who reigned after her father, James and Ferdinand, and a sister, Yolanda. Already in her childhood, Elizabeth was distinguished by extraordinary piety and interests in charity.

Before she was 12 years old, her marriage to the young Portuguese king Dionysius, who had reigned since 1279, was arranged. She is said to have married him in 1282. She considered her royal rank and wealth to be entrusted hryvnias and tried to use them for works of Christian mercy. She became a mother of the poor, a comforter of the suffering, a nurse of the lonely sick and a protector of the persecuted. She helped impoverished families and orphans. Later, she established a home for women who had gone astray and a foundling for abandoned infants.

In her private life, she had a certain order, especially when it came to spiritual activities. She also prayed the church hours and regularly attended Holy Mass. In her daily schedule, she remembered those who needed her help. On more than one occasion, the sick were healed under her touch. For example, a woman full of unsightly ulcers suddenly disappeared. On Thursday, Mandy washed the feet of beggars and kissed the feet of a sick woman, who immediately recovered. She was also detained by her husband when she had alms ready in her apron, and he asked her what she was carrying. The queen replied with a smile: “roses”, thinking that God liked them as a symbol of love. Her husband immediately checked the contents of the apron, because it was not the time for roses, but they suddenly really were in it, her biographies state.

King Dionysius was said to have been originally good and only later became reckless. He was often unfaithful to his wife, kept two concubines at court and had illegitimate children with them, whom his good wife took care of. In solitude, she grieved greatly and wept over her husband’s sins, but did not complain about him to people. She treated him kindly and forgave him for his infidelity and unkind behavior. She often prayed and fasted for him so that he would convert.

With him she had a son, Alfonso, to whom the succession belonged, and a daughter, Constance, who married Ferdinand IV, King of Castile.

Biographies of Elizabeth tell of an incident involving her squire, whom she had entrusted with distributing alms to the poor. Another of the king’s servants noticed the queen’s private conversations and accused the squire of being unfaithful to him. The king plotted to have Elizabeth’s squire burned to death in a lime kiln. He allegedly ordered the keeper of the lime kiln to throw any man who came in the morning with the question of whether the king’s order had been carried out into the kiln. The king sent the squire to the lime kiln with this question in the morning, but he stopped at the church for a short prayer. Holy Mass was about to begin and they needed an altar boy, so the squire was persuaded. The impatient king wanted to be sure and sent the accuser to find out how his order had been carried out. He arrived before the squire and barely asked whether the king’s order had been carried out before he found himself in the kiln. The squire then received a positive answer and returned unharmed. The king was later convinced of his wife’s innocence and behaved better from then on. He saw God’s judgment in the incident.

In later years, the queen repeatedly made efforts to bring about peace in the disputes that shook the Portuguese kingdom.

In the last years of King Dionysius, the queen clung to her son Alfonso, and the aging king was more inclined to one of his illegitimate sons, Sancho. This gave rise to suspicions that the king wanted to hand over the throne to Sancho, against the laws and rights of the land. Alfonso, who had married Beatrice, began to rule with her in Coimbra. Dionysius’s advisors urged the king to limit his son’s power, and his son was in turn urged by his friends to rebel against his father, who wanted to deprive him of his succession.

Elizabeth tried to beg for a gift of reconciliation from both of them, but the situation escalated to the point that the king decided to raise an army against his son Alfonso and marched with him to the city of Sintra to capture him. Elizabeth sent messengers to her son with a warning that he should flee. The king found out about this and, on the advice of bad advisors, dismissed his wife and deprived her of all her pensions. She bore it patiently, but not her friends. They grumbled with reproaches against the king that he was at war with his son and had banished his wife. This perhaps led to him at least accepting her back.

The enmity between father and son was once again exacerbated by the siege of his father’s army at Coimbra. Elizabeth visited her husband and son in their camp and only managed to achieve a four-day truce. She prayed, cried and begged for a cessation of war, which she finally succeeded in doing. Soon after, the feud over Sanches recurred, and the queen made great efforts to reconcile the two armies at Lisbon and averted a second bloody clash. Father and son separated. Not long after, Dionysius fell seriously ill, and the queen proved her generous and kind heart not only by caring for his physical needs, but also by reconciling with her son, who, at her request, came to apologize to his father.

The king died penitently in 1325. The words of Scripture proved true that “an unbelieving man is sanctified by marriage to a believing woman” (1 Cor 7:14) . Elizabeth even made a barefoot penitential pilgrimage to Compostela, to the tomb of the Apostle James on his behalf, but perhaps in the tertiary habit. There, as a votive offering, she handed over her crown and royal jewels to the bishop.

In Lisbon, she built the first shrine of the Immaculate Conception in the history of the Church.

In Coimbra she decided to enter the convent of the Order of St. Clare, the construction of which she had just finished. However, she was persuaded to continue living in the world, where she was greatly needed. Elizabeth therefore settled in a dwelling attached to the convent, lived the life of a tertiary and did much good. She used her widow’s pensions to build churches, hospitals, almshouses and, where necessary, to build bridges.

She proved herself again as a peacemaker when her son Alfonso IV. was about to wage war with her daughter’s husband, King Ferdinand of Castile. Sick with influenza, she set out on a journey to prevent war. In the town of Estremoz on the Castilian border, she managed to secure peace, but in a fever she knew her end was coming. At that time, she is said to have taken her religious vows, and finally died in the arms of her son and daughter-in-law, calling on the heavenly Mother. She was called the “angel of peace” and venerated as a saint from the moment of her death.

She was buried in Coimbra, and her tomb became a place of pilgrimage and a place of extraordinary graces. In 1516 the canonization process began. Leo X then allowed her to be venerated as blessed in Coimbra. In 1612, her tomb was opened, and her body was found intact, with no signs of decomposition. The solemn canonization took place on 25 February 1625 by Pope Urban VIII, who tightened the canonization procedure.