St. Armogastes, Martyr, A.D. 457
by VP
Posted on Saturday March 29, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"A nobleman in Africa, who, in the persecution of the Vandals was apprehended, and most cruelly tortured. But no sooner had the jailers bound him with cords, than they broke of themselves, as the martyr lifted up his eyes to heaven; and this happened several times. And though they afterwards hung him up by one foot with his head downwards for a considerable time, the saint was no more affected by this torment than if he had been all the while upon a soft bed. He seemed, however, so desirous of martyrdom, that the malice of his enemies reprieved him from the sentence of death pronounced against him, that he might be deprived of the glory of dying a martyr. He was therefore sent to work in the mines; and afterwards for more public ignominy, to keep cows in a place near Carthage, where he was exposed to the eyes of all. But this was no confusion to him, who knew how to glory in being dishonoured by men, for the interest of truth, and of God.
Learn from this holy man the spirit of Christianity, which is not to be pleased with the esteem of men, but rather in being despised by them. It is pride and self-love that make us solicitous to please, and give disquiet upon the apprehension of contempt. And according to the degree of this solicitude and disquiet, may be taken the truest measures of a prevailing pride, and of self-love not subdued. Let this be your daily observation; and accordingly use daily endeavours for overcoming that which must be overcome. For until you have gained this point, of placing your satisfaction in doing your duty, whether it pleases others or displeases; and can think yourself happy in those accidents which bring abjection with them, and disesteem, which are justly due to your unworthiness and state of sin, you have not the spirit of the Gospel, nor that humility which Christ has taught you. Pray therefore, and labour every day to obtain it. Pray that like this saint, you may consider it your true glory to be dishonoured before man in the sacred cause of God and religion." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother
Prayer to Our Lady Help of Christians. ( Raccolta, 1935)
Virgin most powerful, loving helper of the Christian people, how great thanks do we not owe thee for the assistance thou didst give our fathers, who, when they were threatened by the Turkish infidels, invoked thy maternal help by the devout recitation of thy Rosary! From heaven thou didst see their deadly peril; thou didst hear their voices imploring thy compassion; and their humble prayers, enjoined by the great Pope, Saint Pius the Fifth, were acceptable unto thee, and thou camest quickly to deliver them. Grant, dear Mother, that in like manner the prolonged sighs of the holy Bride of Christ in these our days may come to thy throne and engage thy pity; do thou, moved anew to compassion for her, rise once again to deliver her from the many foes who encompass her on every side.
Even now from the four quarters of the earth there arises to thy
throne that lovéd prayer, to win thy mercy in these troublous times even
as of old. Unhappily our sins hinder, or at least retard, its effect.
Wherefore, dear Mother, obtain for us true sorrow for our sins and a
firm resolution to face death itself rather than return to our former
iniquities; we are sore distressed that, through our fault, thy help, of
which we stand in such extreme need, should be denied or come too late.Rise, then, O Mary, incline thyself to hear the prayers of the whole
Catholic world, and beat flat to the ground the pride of those wretched
men, who in their insolence blaspheme Almighty God and would destroy His
Church, against which, according to the infallible words of Christ, the
gates of hell shall never prevail. Let it be seen once more that when
thou dost arise to protect the Church, her victory is sure. Amen. SC Ind 1891; SP Ap 1935
Day 25. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: Are your affairs going better?
by VP
Posted on Saturday March 29, 2025 at 12:00AM in Lenten Sermons
"Another bad habit which is very common in homes and among working people is impatience, grumbling, and swearing.
Now, my children, where do you get with your impatience and your grumbling? Do your affairs go any better? Do they cause you any less trouble? Is it not, rather, the other way around? You have a lot more trouble with them, and, what is even worse, you lose all the merit which you might have gained for Heaven.
But, you will tell me, that is all very well for those who have nothing to put up with. If they were in my shoes they would probably be much worse....
I would agree with all that, my children, if we were not Christians, if we had nothing to hope for beyond what benefits and pleasures we might taste in this world. I would agree if -- I repeat -- we were the first people who ever suffered anything, but since the time of Adam until the present, all the saints have had something to suffer, and most of them far more than have we. But they suffered with patience, always subject to the will of God, and soon their troubles were finished, and their happiness, which has begun, will never come to an end.
Let us contemplate, my dear brethren, this beautiful Heaven, let us think about the happiness which God has prepared for us there, and we shall endure all the evils of life in a spirit of penitence, with the hope of an eternal reward. If only you could have the happiness of being able to say in the evening that your whole day had been spent for God!
I tell you that working people, if they want to get to Heaven, should endure patiently the rigor of the seasons and the ill humor of those for whom they work; they should avoid those grumbles and bad language so commonly heard and fulfill their duties conscientiously and faithfully.
Husbands and wives should live peacefully in their union of marriage; they should be mutually edifying to each other, pray for one another, bear patiently with one another's faults, encourage virtue in one another by good example, and follow the holy and sacred rules of their state, remembering that they are the children of the saints and that, consequently, they ought not to behave like pagans, who have not the happiness of knowing the one true God.
Masters should take the same care of their servants as of their own children, remembering the warning of St. Paul that if they do not have care for them, they are worse than the pagans, and that they will be more severely punished on the day of judgment.
Servants are to give you service and to be loyal to you, and you must treat them not as slaves but as your children and your brethren. Servants must look upon their masters as taking the place of Jesus Christ on earth. Their duty is to serve them joyfully, obey them with a good grace, without grumbling, and look after their well-being as carefully as they would their own. Servants should avoid the growth of too-familiar relationships, which are so dangerous and so fatal to innocence. If you have the misfortune to find yourself in such a situation, you must leave your employment, no matter what it may cost you to do so.
Here is an example of those very circumstances wherein you must follow the counsel Jesus Christ gave you when He said that if one's right eye or right hand should be an occasion of sin, one must deprive oneself of them because it is better to go into Heaven lacking an eye or a hand than to be cast into Hell with one's whole body. That is to say, however desirable your position may be, you must leave it at once; otherwise you will never save your soul.
Put the salvation of your soul first, our Lord Jesus Christ tells us, because that is the only thing you ought really to have at heart.
Alas, my dear brethren, how rare are those Christians who are ready to suffer rather than to jeopardize the salvation of their souls!"
Source: The Sermons of the Cure d'Ars 1960
Prayer for Lent: O Lord who, for our sake, didst fast forty days and forty nights; give us grace to use such abstinence that, our flesh being subdued to the spirit, we may worthily lament and acknowledge our wretchedness, and may obtain perfect remission and forgiveness of Thee, the God of all mercy, who livest and reignest with the Father and Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen
Source: Lent with the Cure d'Ars Compiled by the CAPG