We can learn from the Saints!

[koralstratz]

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"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe"
(St. Augustine)

[koralstratz]

St. Clare of Assisi
Patron Saint of Sore Eyes
(Feast Day Aug 11 )



St. Clare, foundress of the Order which bears her name, was born of rich and pious parents, at Assisi, in the district of Umbria, in Italy. She received the name of Clare, which means clear or bright, for the following reason. While her mother Hortulana, was kneeling before a crucifix, praying that God might aid her in her hour of delivery, she heard the words: "Do not fear. You will give birth to a light which shall illumine the whole world." From her earliest childhood, prayer was Clare's only delight. She gave to the poor all the presents which she received from her parents. She despised all costly garments, all worldly pleasures. Beneath the fine clothes she was obliged to wear, she wore a rough hair-girdle. She partook of so little food, that it seemed as if she wished to observe a continual fast.

During this same period lived St. Francis, surnamed "the Seraphic," on account of his great virtues. Clare frequently went to him and confided to him her desire to renounce the world and to consecrate her virginity to God, and to lead a perfect life in the most abject poverty. St. Francis who saw, that besides other gifts and graces, she was filled with the most ardent love of God, possessing great innocence of heart and despising the world, strengthened her in her holy desire, while at the same time he tested her constancy. Being sufficiently convinced that her desires were inspired by Heaven, he advised Clare to leave her home, which she did on Palm Sunday, going to the church of the Portiuncula, where she had her hair cut off, as a sign that she would enter a religious life. She divested herself of all feminine ornaments, and attired in a penitential garb, tied around her with a cord, she was placed by St. Francis in a vacant Benedictine convent. She was at that time just eighteen years of age.



When her parents heard of what she had done, they hastened to the Convent, to take Clare home, declaring that this choice of a state of life was only a childish whim, or that she had been persuaded to it by others. Clare, however, after opposing their arguments, fled into the church, and clinging to the altar with one hand, with the other she bared her head shorn of its hair, exclaiming: "Know all, that I desire no other bridegroom than Jesus Christ. Understanding well what I was doing, I chose Him and I will never leave Him." Astonished at this answer, all returned home, admiring her virtue and piety. Clare thanked God for this victory and was, on account of it, all the more strengthened in her resolution. She had a sister younger than herself, named Agnes. A few days later she, too, fled from her parents' roof and going to Clare, wished to be invested in the same habit and to serve God in the same manner. St. Clare received her joyfully, but as all her relatives were provoked beyond measure that she, too, had entered a Convent, twelve of them went and forcibly tore her from her sister's arms. Clare took refuge in prayer, and as if inspired by the Almighty, ran after her sister, loudly calling her by name. God assisted her by a miracle. Agnes suddenly became immovable, as if rooted to the ground, and no one possessed strength enough to drag her from where she stood. Recognizing in this the powerful hand of God, they opposed her no longer, but allowed her to return to the Convent. Meanwhile, St. Francis had rebuilt the old church of St. Damian and had bought the neighboring house. Into this house he placed his first two religious daughters, Clare and Agnes, who were speedily joined by others, desirous of conforming themselves to the rule of life which St. Francis had given to Clare. This was the beginning of the Order of Poor Clares, which has since given to the world so many shining examples of virtue and holiness, to the salvation of many thousands of souls.

St. Clare was appointed abbess by St. Francis, and filled the office for forty-two years with wonderful wisdom and holiness. Her mother also, together with her youngest daughter, took the habit and submitted to the government of St. Clare. The holy abbess enjoined on her order the most severe poverty, and when the Pope himself offered her some property as an endowment, she humbly but earnestly refused to accept it. She was, to all in her charge, a bright example of poverty. In austerity towards herself she was more to be admired than imitated. The floor or a bundle of straw was her bed ; a piece of wood, her pillow. Twice during the year she kept a forty days' fast on bread and water. Besides this, three days of the week, she tasted no food, and so little on the others, that it is marvellous that she could sustain life with it. The greater part of the night she spent in prayer, and her desire for mortification was so great, that St. Francis compelled her to moderate her austerities. She nursed the sick with the greatest pleasure, as in this work of charity, she found almost constant opportunity to mortify and overcome herself. Besides all her other virtues, she was especially remarkable for her devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. She sometimes remained whole hours immovable before the Tabernacle, and was often seen in ecstacy, so great was her love for the Saviour it concealed. She sought her comfort in Him alone in all her trials, amidst all her persecutions; and how great were the graces she thereby received, the following event will sufficiently illustrate.




The Saracens besieged Assisi and made preparations to scale the walls of the Convent. St. Clare, who was sick at the time, had herself carried to the gates of the convent, where, with the Ciborium, containing the Blessed Sacrament, in her hands, prostrating herself in company with all her religious, she cried aloud: "O Lord, do not give into the hands of the infidels the souls of those who acknowledge and praise Thee. Protect and preserve Thy handmaidens whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood." A voice was distinctly heard, saying: "I will protect you always." The result proved that this was the voice of heaven. The Saracens, seized with a sudden fear, betook themselves to flight, those who had already scaled the walls, became blind, and flung themselves down. Thus were St. Clare and her religious protected and the whole city preserved from utter devastation, by the piety and devotion of the Saint to the Blessed Sacrament.

We must omit many miracles which God wrought through His faithful servant, in order to relate her happy end. She had reached the age of sixty years, during twenty-eight of which she had suffered from various painful maladies, though she had not been confined to her bed, or rather, her bundle of straw. Her patience while suffering was remarkable, and she was never heard to complain of the severity or the duration of her sickness. The contemplation of the Passion of Christ made her own pains easy and even pleasing to her. "How short," said she one day, "seems the night to me, which I pass in the contemplation of the Lord's suffering!" At another time, she exclaimed: "How can man complain when he beholds Christ hanging upon the cross and covered with blood!" Having suffered so long and with such noble resignation, she saw at last, that her end was near. She received the Blessed Sacrament, and then exhorted all her daughters not to relax in their zeal to live in poverty and holiness.

When her confessor conversed with her on the merits of patience, she said: "As long as I have had the grace to serve God in the religious state, no care, no penance, no sickness has seemed hard to me. Oh, how comforting it is to suffer for the love of Christ!" The hour of her death drew near, and she saw a great many white-robed virgins come to meet her, among whom was one who surpassed all the rest in beauty. She followed them and they led her to see the Almighty face to face. Several who had read in the depths of her heart, said that she died more from the fervor of her love for God than from the effects of her sickness. Her holy death took place in 1253. The great number of miracles wrought after her death through her intercession, and the heroic virtues which made her so remarkable, induced Pope Alexander IV., only two years later, to place her in the number of Saints.

[petite fleur]

HAPPY FEAST DAY ST. CLARE!!!!
Happy Feasta to the Clarissian nuns in Tayud Consolacion!

3:00 pm Pontifical Mass
Presider/Preacher - His Excellency Most Rev. Jose S. Palma, D.D.
Poor Clare Monastery, Tayud Consolacion

[koralstratz]

HAPPY FEAST DAY ST. CLARE!!!!
Happy Feasta to the Clarissian nuns in Tayud Consolacion!

3:00 pm Pontifical Mass
Presider/Preacher - His Excellency Most Rev. Jose S. Palma, D.D.
Poor Clare Monastery, Tayud Consolacion

Hala ka petite,,,,nag sige ra ba tu ug pangadye imo tiya nga Clarissian nga musunod ka sa iyang tunob,,inig simba nimo unya didtodili naka pagawason ug suloban nka deretso ug sutana

[petite fleur]

@koral dito me ganina , ni bisita me niya. as in alegre kau.
ana siya...dili ko ganahan naa ka dire. ana ko nganu man?? dakoo kau ang kaldero!! ana ko gamay mn kog kaon! ana siya dile dakoo kau ang kaldero para imung alsahon! hahaha!
niya ya gesungug ako Mama. ahh bsta lingawa lageh hehehe.

[koralstratz]

St. Frances de Chantal
(Feast Day Aug 12 )



What a way to start a marriage! Jane no sooner arrived at her new home then she discovered she might lose it. Her husband, Christophe, had not only inherited the title of baron but enormous debts as well.

But Jane had not come to the marriage empty-handed. She brought with her a deep faith instilled by her father who made daily religious discussion fun, allowing the children to talk about anything -- even controversial topics. She also brought a good-hearted way that made a friend comment, "Even stupid jokes were funny when she told them."

These qualities helped the twenty-year-old French woman take charge by personally organizing and supervising every detail of the estate, a method which not only brought the finances under control but won her employees' hearts as well.

Despite the early financial worries, she and her husband shared "one heart and one soul." They were devoted to each other and to their four children.

One way Jane shared her blessings was by giving bread and soup personally to the poor who came to her door. Often people who had just received food from her would pretend to leave, go around the house and get back in line for more. When asked why she let these people get away with this, Jane said, "What if God turned me away when I came back to him again and again with the same request?"

Her happiness was shattered when Christophe was killed in a hunting accident. Before he died, her husband forgave the man who shot him, saying to the man, "Don't commit the sin of hating yourself when you have done nothing wrong." The heartbroken Jane, however, had to struggle with forgiveness for a long time. At first she tried just greeting him on the street. When she was able to do that, she invited him to her house. Finally she was able to forgive the man so completely that she even became godmother to his child.

These troubles opened her heart to her longing for God and she sought God in prayer and a deepening spiritual life. Her commitment to God impressed Saint Francis de Sales, the bishop who became her director and best friend. Their friendship started before they even met, for them saw each other in dreams, and continued in letters throughout their lives.

With Francis' support, Jane founded the Visitation order for women who were rejected by other orders because of poor health or age. She even accepted a woman who was 83 years old. When people criticized her, she said, "What do you want me to do? I like sick people myself; I'm on their side." She believed that people should have a chance to live their calling regardless of their health.

Still a devoted mother, she was constantly concerned about the materialistic ways of one of her daughters. Her daughter finally asked her for spiritual direction as did may others, including an ambassador and her brother, an archbishop. Her advice always reflected her very gentle and loving approach to spirituality:

"Should you fall even fifty times a day, never on any account should that surprise or worry you. Instead, ever so gently set your heart back in the right direction and practice the opposite virtue, all the time speaking words of love and trust to our Lord after you have committed a thousand faults, as much as if you had committed only one. Once we have humbled ourselves for the faults God allows us to become aware of in ourselves, we must forget them and go forward."

[koralstratz]

@koral dito me ganina , ni bisita me niya. as in alegre kau.
ana siya...dili ko ganahan naa ka dire. ana ko nganu man?? dakoo kau ang kaldero!! ana ko gamay mn kog kaon! ana siya dile dakoo kau ang kaldero para imung alsahon! hahaha!
niya ya gesungug ako Mama. ahh bsta lingawa lageh hehehe.

Hehehehe....servant of all

Hmmmm...at least the choices are filtered and become fewer and easier as the weeks go by....Soon you will only have two choices...."To Be" or "Not To Be"

[libraun]

@koral dito me ganina , ni bisita me niya. as in alegre kau.
ana siya...dili ko ganahan naa ka dire. ana ko nganu man?? dakoo kau ang kaldero!! ana ko gamay mn kog kaon! ana siya dile dakoo kau ang kaldero para imung alsahon! hahaha!
niya ya gesungug ako Mama. ahh bsta lingawa lageh hehehe.

didto ko gahapon sis.. perting daghanang tao puno kaayo ang parking area! si archbishop palma jud ang nagcelebrate sa mass.. sayang lang wala ta magtagbo didto!

[petite fleur]

@ korals TO BE man gud ko ako Auntie pwerte niyang sungug ni mama cge ra gyud mig pangatawa , si mama nagkaboang og explain sige xa ana.....dili ramn ko mu supak, ang ako lang maka experience siya outside world? (rason ra gud ) HAhA wala ra gyud ko nitingug, ana ra pd ako Auntie...nang yaw lang hilak hahahah maski wala ni hilak gud ge kaboangan lang gyud si mama.

Dah alsa Kaldero ba uy,, kalimut kog pangutana...if ang kaldero naa bay sulod or wala or if naa unsa diay ka lay-a akong pag alsa hehehhee.

@libraun after sa mass ni hawk pami sa relics man n dretso me sa parlor ni visit ako Aunt. mga 5:30 name nakagawas pd, naa pamay nangaun ato sa gawas. Ingun ta ka!! kita unta ta, naa man koy na friend pd dito ra, ako pd siya gepakuyog sulod me parlor apil pd siya storya ako Aunt. Dito ra pd me nagka-ila. hehe

Apil pd unta kas ka alegre namu dito, ako friend dito suporta pd, amu ra getabangan si mama. hehe.

[libraun]

@ korals TO BE man gud ko ako Auntie pwerte niyang sungug ni mama cge ra gyud mig pangatawa , si mama nagkaboang og explain sige xa ana.....dili ramn ko mu supak, ang ako lang maka experience siya outside world? (rason ra gud ) HAhA wala ra gyud ko nitingug, ana ra pd ako Auntie...nang yaw lang hilak hahahah maski wala ni hilak gud ge kaboangan lang gyud si mama.

Dah alsa Kaldero ba uy,, kalimut kog pangutana...if ang kaldero naa bay sulod or wala or if naa unsa diay ka lay-a akong pag alsa hehehhee.

@libraun after sa mass ni hawk pami sa relics man n dretso me sa parlor ni visit ako Aunt. mga 5:30 name nakagawas pd, naa pamay nangaun ato sa gawas. Ingun ta ka!! kita unta ta, naa man koy na friend pd dito ra, ako pd siya gepakuyog sulod me parlor apil pd siya storya ako Aunt. Dito ra pd me nagka-ila. hehe

Apil pd unta kas ka alegre namu dito, ako friend dito suporta pd, amu ra getabangan si mama. hehe.

kalimot man sad gud kog message nimo. kalit-kalit man gud tu kay abi nakog madayon..basta ang imong books ha, ayawkung asa nimo ihatag kung mosulod na jud ka. hehehe