SAINT OF THE DAY -- Oct. 12 - St. Seraphin of Montegranaro
October 12
St. Seraphin of Montegranaro
(1540 - 1604)
His charity towards the poor knew no bounds
Saint Seraphin was endowed with the gift of reading the secrets of hearts, miracles and prophecy.
Born into a poor Italian family, young Seraphin lived the life of a
shepherd and spent much of his time in prayer. Mistreated for a time by
his older brother after the two of them had been orphaned, Seraphin
became a Capuchin Franciscan at age 16 and impressed everyone with his
humility and generosity.
Serving as a lay brother, Seraphin imitated
St. Francis in fasting, clothing and courtesy to all. He even mirrored
Francis' missionary zeal, but Seraphin's superiors did not judge him to
be a candidate for the missions.
Faithful to the core, Seraphin
spent three hours in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament daily. The
poor who begged at the friary door came to hold a special love for him.
Despite his uneventful life, he reached impressive spiritual heights
and has had miracles attributed to him.
Seraphin died on October 12, 1604, and was canonized in 1767.
Comment:
For
many people these days, work has no significance beyond providing the
money they need to live. How many share the belief expressed in the
Book of Genesis that we are to cooperate with God in caring for the
earth? The kind of work Seraphin did may not strike us as
earth-shattering. The work was ordinary; the spirit in which he did it
was not.
Seraphin was noted for his simple, obedient, ascetic life, and his charity to the poor. He had a special devotion to the Blessed Eucharist and to Our Lady. He had the gifts of reading hearts, of miracles, and of prophecy. His counsel was sought by both Church and secular authorities.
Seraphin's parents were poor in earthly goods and obscure in the sight of
men. But the spirit of prayer which his mother instilled in the boy was an
inheritance of priceless value. The loving lessons of his mother caused
Seraphin to make the firm resolve to remain innocent and become a saint.
He fostered tender devotion to the Blessed Mother and occasionally visited
her shrine at Loreto, not far from his home. Once, on his way to the
shrine, he found the River Potenza so high that no boatman ventured across.
In his eagerness to get to the shrine, Seraphin stepped on the water, and
it became like solid ground beneath him; he crossed the river on his way to
the shrine and back without so much as wetting the soles of his feet.
On the death of his parents, Seraphin was subjected to a severe trial. His
brother, a bricklayer and a man of a violent temper, took him into his
employ; but no matter what the boy did, he received nothing but harsh words
and blows in return. Seraphin bore the cruel treatment with great patience
and recognized in it the way to holiness.
Desiring to consecrate himself to the service of God, he entered a Capuchin
convent when he was only 16 years old. The high degree of perfection he
had already attained was soon noticed and admired. His brethren were
edified at his humility, charity, mortification, and self-sacrifice.
Punctual in performing all the duties assigned to him, he still found time
to be of service to the other brothers.
He devoted the night to prayer. In the evening he would visit the Blessed
Sacrament and remain there for hours absorbed in prayer and contemplation.
Then he would take a short rest, after which he would get up once more to
attend the midnight office. God seemed to preserve his bodily strength in
a marvelous way.
During a famine he ate but a fourth of his own meager meal, in order to
have so much more to give to the poor. As porter of the convent, charged
with providing for the poor, he once exceeded the bounds of obedience.
For, as he had nothing more to give and there were still some poor waiting
for help, he went into the garden and gathered a supply of the vegetables
growing there. When his superior took him to task for it, the good brother
assured him that the community would in no way suffer on his account, and
that and the next morning a new growth of vegetables appeared in the garden.
The miraculous power with which God rewarded the charity of His servant
continued to manifest itself. Countless sick were restored to health when
he made the Sign of the Cross over them.
Seraphin endeavored, nevertheless, to withdraw as much as possible from
contact with the world. While engaged in the quiet work about the convent,
his heart was busy contemplating the sufferings of Christ. Consumed with
the love of Him who shed His blood for love of us, he yearned to go to the
infidels in order to shed his blood for Christ. Since his request was not
granted, he made it a habit to pray:
Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior Crucified.
Inflamed with the love of God, Seraphin departed from this life on October
12, 1604, in his 64th year. Many miracles occurred at his grave, and Pope
Clement XIII canonized him in 1767.
Quote:In Brothers of Men,
Rene Voillaume of the Little Brothers of Jesus speaks about ordinary
work and holiness: "Now this holiness [of Jesus] became a reality in
the most ordinary circumstances of life, those of work, of the family
and the social life of a village, and this is an emphatic affirmation
of the fact that the most obscure and humdrum human activities are
entirely compatible with the perfection of the Son of God." Christians
are convinced, he says, "that the evangelical holiness proper to a
child of God is possible in the ordinary circumstances of a man who is
poor and obliged to work for his living."
Prayer:O God, who didst inflame the heart of St. Seraphin with the fire of Thy
love, grant, we beseech Thee, that at his intercession we may walk in his
footsteps and be inflamed with the same fire of love. Through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Source: American Catholic Organization
Many great miracles have been associated with
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Miracles continue to the present day.
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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:
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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?