May 30 - St. Joan of Arc

St. Joan of Arc, Carcassone, France

 

On May 30, 1431, "After having saved France and restored the King to his throne, Joan was abandoned by the very people for whom she had done so much and given over into the hands of her enemies who, out of extreme hatred, condemned her to be burned at the stake... But the saintly heroine gave abundant testimony of her faith, protesting that she had only been obedient to the command of God."

The people we try to help sometimes turn on us, like Our Lord in His Passion, like St. Joan of Arc at the end of her life. But Joan gives us a brilliant example, in this Pentecost week, of one of the gifts of the Holy Ghost - fortitude.

 "Whithersoever we turn our gaze, we behold around us dangers, difficulties, and calamities of all kinds. The virtue of fortitude is therefore of supreme necessity for the Christian. By strengthening the soul, this cardinal virtue puts it in the way of avoiding dangers, surmounting difficulties, and conquering or, at least, bearing patiently the ills of life....

"Oh, how valuable is the virtue of fortitude, and of how great necessity to the Christian, who would fight the good fight of the Lord!" ~ Very Rev. Alexis M. Lepicier, OSM, The Fairest Flower of Paradise, imprimatur 1922.

Philip of the Joyous Heart

From Catholictothemax.com - have you checked out their products?

Today is the feast of St. Philip Neri, an effervescent, loving Roman whose heart, after he died, was discovered to have swelled and burst his ribs with the quantity of his love. 

When I was a teenager, I read a book called Mystic in Motley by Theodore Maynard about this jovial, irrepressible saint, and I never forgot it. My other favorite saint book when I was a teen was Blessed Friend of Youth by Neil Boyton, about St. John Bosco.

(Please note I found a picture of this saint with a book too, like our last post. READ!)

Here are some words of wisdom from this saint for today:

"A joyful heart is more easily made perfect than one that is cast down." ~ St. Philip Neri

Saint Rita and Reading

 

Found on the Internet, Artist Unknown

Today is the Feast of St. Rita of Cascia, Patron Saint of Impossible Causes. This picture appealed to me because she is reading....and I have loved books and words since early childhood. It would be fun to create a collage of women reading...or saints reading...or writers reading. Remember when they had a series of posters with movie stars and other celebrities, with the word: "READ"? I can imagine this picture with that headline.

All of the inhabitants of Heaven, I think, would encourage us to read good things. My writing coach at framedinjoy.com calls it "input". Ramona Zabriskie of WifeSavers.org calls it, "Inspiring your Best Imagination." When we fill our minds with inspiration and goodness and beauty and light and joy and holiness, then that is what we think about and bring about. When we fill our minds with sorrow and fear and anger and outrage and horror, it can only bring more darkness.

Will you take a moment to scroll through some of the past posts here and do some quick little tidbits of reading? Maybe you can even comment and tell me which ones you like the best! I hope they bring joy and light to your day!

Have confidence!

Side Altar, St. Conleth's, Co. Kildare, Ireland

Our Lord gave us His Sweet Mother as a last gift when He was suspended, dying on the Cross. She comforts and strengthens us, interceding with Her Divine Son for our needs. 

She once said in a vision to St. Catherine Laboure, referring to calamities that were to come upon Paris in Catherine's day:

"The moment will come when the danger will be enormous; it will seem that all is lost; at that moment, I will be with you; have confidence....Have confidence. Do not be discouraged. I shall be with you." 

~ "Saint Catherine Laboure of the Miraculous Medal" by Joseph I. Dirvin, C.M. 

    

Love and Light

The Ascension Window in St. Conleth's, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, Ireland

"O my God, sweetness and joy of my heart, behold how my soul, for love of Thee, will occupy itself with these maxims of love and light....O my Lord, Thou lovest discretion, and light, but love more than all the other operations of the soul; so then let these maxims furnish discretion to the wayfarer, enlighten him by the way, and supply him with motives of love for his journey."

~ St. John of the Cross, as a prologue to his "Spiritual Maxims".

Let us hope that these inspirational excerpts may do the same for us!

Pointing Heavenward

Basilica at Fatima, Portugal

Six years ago, we had the blessing of visiting Fatima during the 100th anniversary year of Our Lady appearing there. See how the Basilica points Heavenward, reminding us of our final destination? As pilgrims, we make journeys that represent our progress through life. 

The key is to remember that Heaven is our eternal home, and we journey thither. When we arrive, we will be welcomed by the Triune God, the sweet Virgin Mother, and all the angels and saints, who will rejoice!

"Lift up the eyes of thy soul and consider thine own country the heavenly paradise. On earth thou art only a stranger, an exile, a pilgrim. Therefore, as a pilgrim hastens home, where his beloved friends await him with great eagerness and loving expectation, so oughtest thou to hasten to that heavenly country where all desire most earnestly to see thee. From the depths of their hearts they are looking forward to thy happy coming, longing to welcome thee with love, to receive thee most courteously, and to admit thee into their joyful society for ever." ~ Blessed Henry Suso, O.P.

Morning after Morning, He Waits

Picture found on Pinterest - source catholictradition.org.

During these 40 days after Easter, it warms our hearts to read of the visits Our Lord made in His Risen Glory to His Apostles and disciples. Today, let's think about when He appeared by the Sea of Tiberias.

"Of all the narratives of Our Blessed Lord's Appearances to His friends after His Resurrection, this most exquisite story of the morning meeting on the beach seems to hold most lessons for the reader. There are so many beautiful and very touching details in this Gospel, written as it was by the inspred pen of the Apostle of Love himself -- details that each contain some mystery of symbolism, perhaps, closely affecting our own daily lives, and always of encouragement." ~ E. Seton, Sundays in the Garden of Easter, imprimatur 1921.

Our Lord had sent a message that the Apostles should return to Galilee and wait for Him there. So they went.

"While awaiting Him they had returned to the practice of their avocation of fishing -- a lesson in itself, that whatever we find to our hand we should do, not despising the simplest daily occupations or menial services even should we be waiting on God, as they were, for great things." ~ ibid.

But they worked all night and caught nothing. 

"Shall we grumble where they were patient? Especially as Jesus stands on the shore of our lives also, counting our efforts, ready to show us the greatness of our catch when morning shall come. 'To try in God's service is always to succeed,' says Mother St. Paul. '"Nothing" often means "success" when it is translated into the language of the Kingdom of Heaven. What God asks for is not success, but efforts continuous and sustained, battles fought, difficulties and suffering faced for Him and for His glory only.'" ~ ibid. 

Our Lord tells them to cast their net on the right side, and they pull in a huge draught of fish. John, the perceptive, melancholic one, says, "It is the Lord!" And Peter, the sanguine, impetuous one, jumps overboard to swim to Him.

"Morning by morning Jesus stands on the shore of Eternity, drawn close to us by His priests' words of Consecration, standing in Sacramental vesturing of white, greeting us tossed on the waves of time... 'Children, have you any meat?' He asks in His own loving, considerate way -- our needs and disappointments mean so much to Him." ~ ibid.

Let us recognize Him like John, and rush to Him like Peter. He has all that we need. He waits for us with Arms outstretched.

A Saint Behind the Painted Scenes

 

Image from the Public Domain of Fra Angelico's "Noli Me Tangere"

Eighteen years ago this summer, my husband and I were in Florence, Italy. We made a special stop at the Convent San Marco to see the paintings of Fra Angelico, including this one. Its name means "Do Not Touch Me". Fra Angelico's work is always elegant and respectful, but it often has cute little notes in it...like the Lord carrying a farm implement -- as if to explain why Mary Magdalene thought he was the gardener.

I was fascinated to learn that Fra Angelico's superior had instructed him to paint an individual fresco in each monk's cell, to inspire each one during meditation. Imagine having this fresco in your own room in all its freshness and vibrancy - not a print, but the real thing!

When we went into the chapel of the Convent San Marco, my heart leaped when I saw that there was an incorrupt saint's body incased in glass under the altar. I knew that it wasn't Fra Angelico because he was wearing a bishop's miter, but I had no idea who it was. When I reached home and was able to research, I found that these were the mortal remains of Saint Antoninus, the superior who had ordered all those frescoes, and a learned and accomplished author in his own right.

Today is his feast day - let's offer a prayer to thank God for St. Antoninus and his foresight in asking Fra Angelico to give us so much wonderful art to inspire us down through the centuries!

The Blessed Virgin's Last Words to Us

The Immaculata, St. Mary's, Kansas

We don't have any words recorded in the Scripture spoken by St. Joseph. That leads me to believe that he was the strong, silent type...possibly a Phlegmatic or a Melancholic/Phlegmatic. 

We do have beautiful words that were spoken by the Blessed Virgin Mary to treasure - like the Magnificat, for example, or "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word." But the very last sentence that is recorded from her lips is "Do whatever He tells you." (Seen above, inscribed in Latin.)

The Evangelists could have easily recorded what she said when she met her Son on the way to Calvary, or what she said as she stood beneath His Cross, or at His Resurrection. But there seems to be special significance behind her last words to us being an admonition for us to obey Her Son. That was her message all along - it's all for Him, do His Will, please Him, He is the One that matters.

"...If you question her and say: 'Mother, what can we do to please you?' no doubt she will answer that she desires and wants you to do what she directed to be done at that celebrated marriage feast of Cana in Galilee when the wine gave out. She said to those who had the care of it: Do whatever my Son tells you. (John 2:5) If then you listen to her faithfully, you will hear in your heart those very words addressed to you: Do whatever my Son tells you. May God give us the grace to listen to her in this life and in the other. Amen."

~ from a sermon of St. Francis de Sales on December 8, 1622. 

"Of all the festivals of the most Holy Virgin there was none more dear to the tender piety of St. Francis de Sales than the Immaculate Conception." ~ Don Gaspar Gilli

Death of St. Declan

St. Declan's Oratory, Ardmore, Co. Waterford, Ireland

St. Declan sailed back from Wales on his return from Rome where he had been ordained, consecrated bishop, and given the mission to preach in his Irish homeland. As he approached Ardmore, he prophesied, "In that place my Bishopric shall remain, and I shall depart hence for Christ when my resurrection from the grave shall be accomplished."

In other words, he was not only foreseeing that he would preach the Gospel in Ardmore, but that he would establish his see here, die here, be buried here, and be called from here when we all rise for the general judgment at the end of time. Once again, we see that chain of Time and Church History of which we are a part!

"He passed to his reward on the 24th of July.... The precious remains of this remarkable saint were laid to rest in the southeast of his own oratory [seen above], usually called the Daimh-liag. There, within sound of the sea... Declan awaits the final call.

"Historians of the Saint's life -- and they were many -- tell us that during the interval between his death and his interment many wonders and miracles occurred. A heavenly radiance was shed around his remains; delicious harmony filled the air; while the sick, the maimed, and the infirm were restored to health in presence of his bier. For ages afterwards the memories of these prodigies were preserved among the people, whose faith their sainted patron did not fail to reward." ~ Footprints of Ireland's Saints, no. 16. Imprimatur 1915.

St. Declan of Ardmore, pray for us!

Time Alone with God

      The Path to St. Declan's Hermitage, beginning of Cliff Walk, Ardmore, Co. Waterford, Ireland

St. Patrick was called to travel all over Ireland, but St. Declan's mission lay on the southern coast where he was born. Monks quickly gathered around Declan at his monastery (see last blog post). 

"The miracles of St. Declan, if recounted, would run into pages far in excess of those at our command," wrote the author of Footprints of Ireland's Saints no. 16 in 1915. "Few of our Island saints were more singularly honored by God. The conversion of King Aengus of Cashel was greatly facilitated by the preaching of St. Declan, who visited him previous to the mission of St. Patrick. His final acceptance of the doctrines of Christianity was reserved, however, to rejoice the heart of our National Apostle, St. Patrick."

St. Patrick and St. Declan were friends. Once St. Patrick sent a messenger to St. Declan, but as the courier was crossing the river on his journey, he drowned. St. Declan, when he came to see the body of the young messenger and bring it back for burial, cried, "In the name of the most holy Trinity, whose sweet yoke I bear, hearken! Arise! for God has granted thy life to me."

The man rose from the dead, and the hagiographer tells us, "The fame of this miracle spread far and wide, and when St. Patrick came to hear of it he made known, wherever he preached, the wonderful mercies God vouchsafed to the prayers of the saintly Declan."

When he wasn't preaching and performing miracles, sometimes St. Declan needed to get away for some alone time with God, just as we all do. For retreats, and during Lent, he would come down this path to his hermitage. How I would love to spend time there, praying, reading, journaling, just as the saint did! 

Here is one remaining wall:

And here is the altar inside...

And here's the view (can't you just hear the waves, and smell the bright sea air?):A few feet outside the hermitage, a holy well still stands where the saint baptized converts. These crucifixes were carved in the fifth century. 1,600 years ago!

Maybe we can't go there to pray in silence by the sea just now in person, but we can go in spirit! 

St. Declan and the line of Faith

Monastery of St. Declan, Ardmore, Co. Waterford, Ireland

The sky was blue, the clouds puffy, the wind invigorating, and we could hear the gulls crying and the waves crashing. Where we stood, St. Declan and his monks once prayed. 

Here's what my 1915 Footprints of Ireland's Saints No. 16: St. Declan, St. Ailbe, St. Onchu says:

"The headlands of Ireland, those bleak and desolate promontories, which at so many intervals project along the circuit of its iron-bound coast, were, in the first ages of Irish Christianity, almost one and all connected with the lives of our early saints. On many of them are still found vestiges of their oratories and rude settlements, while others in their names preserve the memories of those servants of God, whose footprints blessed their rocky brows, and whose traditions are still fondly preserved in the folk lore of the people. Lonely and desolate as many of those scenes are, yet when we visit them we can hardly fail to realize their fitness to become the abodes of those holy souls with whose lives and labors,  prayers and austerities they were henceforth to be associated.

"One of the most interesting of those sacred hermitages -- standing by the lone tempestuous sea -- is that of Ardmore Head, on the coast of Waterford."

How beautiful it is that we can still see where these holy "footprints blessed their rocky brows" - from the fifth century! In the United States, we are impressed by a house built in the 18th century. 

Seeing true antiquity helps us remember that we are part of a long line of the Faith - one that began long before our existence and will continue after we are gone. It is our position in this long chain to pass on what we've been given, to be a strong link in that chain.

See the ancient carvings in one of the remaining walls at this remarkable site?