SAINT OF THE DAY -- May 24 - Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi
May 24
St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi
(1566-1607)
Patron Saint of Sexual Temptation and People with Illnesses
"A little drop of simple obedience is worth a million times more than a whole vase of the choicest contemplation."
-Saint Mary Magdalen de' Pazzi
"Prayer ought to be humble, fervent, resigned, persevering, and accompanied with great reverence.
One should consider that he stands in the presence of a God, and speaks with a Lord before whom the angels tremble from awe and fear."
-Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi
Mystical ecstasy is the elevation of the spirit to God in such a way
that the person is aware of this union with God and both internal and
external senses are detached from the sensible world. Mary Magdalene de
Pazzi was so generously given this special gift of God that she is
called the "ecstatic saint."
She
was born into a noble family in Florence in 1566. The normal course
would have been for Catherine de Pazzi to have married wealth and
enjoyed comfort, but she chose to follow her own path. At nine she
learned to meditate from the family confessor. She made her first
Communion at the then-early age of 10 and made a vow of virginity one
month later. When 16, she entered the Carmelite convent in Florence
because she could receive Communion daily there.
Catherine had
taken the name Mary Magdalene and had been a novice for a year when she
became critically ill. Death seemed near so her superiors let her make
her profession of vows from a cot in the chapel in a private ceremony.
Immediately after, she fell into an ecstasy that lasted about two
hours. This was repeated after Communion on the following 40 mornings.
These ecstasies were rich experiences of union with God and contained
marvelous insights into divine truths.
As a safeguard against
deception and to preserve the revelations, her confessor asked Mary
Magdalene to dictate her experiences to sister secretaries. Over the
next six years, five large volumes were filled. The first three books
record ecstasies from May of 1584 through Pentecost week the following
year. This week was a preparation for a severe five-year trial. The
fourth book records that trial and the fifth is a collection of letters
concerning reform and renewal. Another book, Admonitions, is a collection of her sayings arising from her experiences in the formation of women religious.
The
extraordinary was ordinary for this saint. She read the thoughts of
others and predicted future events. During her lifetime, she appeared
to several persons in distant places and cured a number of sick people.
It
would be easy to dwell on the ecstasies and pretend that Mary Magdalene
only had spiritual highs. This is far from true. It seems that God
permitted her this special closeness to prepare her for the five years
of desolation that followed when she experienced spiritual dryness. She
was plunged into a state of darkness in which she saw nothing but what
was horrible in herself and all around her. She had violent temptations
and endured great physical suffering. She died in 1607 at 41, and was
canonized in 1669.
Comment:
Intimate
union, God's gift to mystics, is a reminder to all of us of the eternal
happiness of union he wishes to give us. The cause of mystical ecstasy
in this life is the Holy Spirit, working through spiritual gifts. The
ecstasy occurs because of the weakness of the body and its powers to
withstand the divine illumination, but as the body is purified and
strengthened, ecstasy no longer occurs. On various aspects of ecstasy,
see Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, Chapter 5, and John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul, 2:1-2.
Quote:There
are many people today who see no purpose in suffering. Mary Magdalene
de Pazzi discovered saving grace in suffering. When she entered
religious life she was filled with a desire to suffer for Christ during
the rest of her life. The more she suffered, the greater grew her
desire for it. Her dying words to her fellow sisters were: "The last
thing I ask of you—and I ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—is
that you love him alone, that you trust implicitly in him and that you
encourage one another continually to suffer for the love of him."
A small piece of her writings:Come, Holy Spirit.
Spirit of truth, you are the reward of the saints, the comforter of
souls, light in the darkness, riches to the poor, treasure to lovers,
food for the hungry, comfort to those who are wandering; to sum up, you
are the one in whom all treasures are contained.
Come!
As you descended upon Mary that the Word might become flesh, work in us
through grace as you worked in her through nature and grace.
Come!
Food of every chaste thought, fountain of all mercy, sum of all purity.
Come!
Consume in us whatever prevents us from being consumed in you.
-from the writings of Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi
Prayer:Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, pray that we will make a commitment to seek the presence of God in prayer the way you did. Guide us to see the graces God gives us as gifts not rewards and to respond with gratitude and humility, not pride and selfishness. Amen
Source: American Catholic Organization
Many great miracles have been associated with
the Rosary throughout history. The tremendous power of the Rosary can
overcome any problem, be it small or large, personal or worldwide.
Miracles continue to the present day.
The Rosary is a powerful prayer!
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God bless you!
Learn to pray the Rosary--The Joyful Mysteries
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If you are a victim of domestic or sexual violence, please know that my husband and I pray for you every single night.
If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE OR (1-800-799-7233)
SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP
Do you:
feel afraid of your partner much of the time?
avoid certain topics fear of angering your partner?
feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?
believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?
wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?
feel emotionally numb or helpless?
Does your partner:
- humiliate, criticize, or yell at you?
- treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
- ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
- blame you for his own abusive behavior?
- see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?
Does your partner:
have a bad and unpredictable temper?
hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you?
threaten to take your children away or harm them?
threaten to commit suicide if you leave?
force you to have sex?
destroy your belongings?
Does your partner:
- act excessively jealous and possessive?
- control where you go or what you do?
- keep you from seeing your friends or family?
- limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?
- constantly check up on you?