The Royal Road of the Holy Cross  (4)

 Behold, in the cross is everything, and upon your dying on the cross everything depends. There is no other way to life and to true inward
peace than the way of the holy cross and daily mortification. Go where
you will, seek what you will, you will not find a higher way, nor a
less exalted but safer way, than the way of the holy cross. Arrange
and order everything to suit your will and judgment, and still you
will find that some suffering must always be borne, willingly or
unwillingly, and thus you will always find the cross.
--Thomas à Kempis ---Imitation of Christ Book 2, Chapter 12

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July 10th - Forty-five Martyrs of the Armenian City of Nicopolis

They suffered during the reign of the emperor Licinius (311-324), then
a co-regent with Constantine the Great. Licinius fiercely persecuted
Christians and in his Eastern half of the Empire he issued an edict to
put to death anyone who would not consent to return to paganism. When
the persecutions began at Nicopolis, more than forty of the persecuted
of Christ decided to appear voluntarily before their persecutors, to
confess openly their faith in the Son of God and accept martyrdom. The
holy confessors were headed by Leontius, Mauricius, Daniel, Anthony
and Alexander, and were distinguished by their virtuous life. The
procurator of the Armenian district, Licius, before whom the holy
confessors presented themselves, was amazed at the directness and
bravery of those who voluntarily doomed themselves to torture and
death. He tried to persuade them to renounce Christ and offer
sacrifice to the pagan gods, but the saints remained steadfast. They
refuted all the arguments of the governor, pointing out to him all the falseness of faith in the vile and vice-filled pagan gods, leading
those that worship them to ruin. The procurator gave orders to beat
the confessors about the face with stones, and then shackle and
imprison them.

In prison the saints rejoiced and sang the Psalms of David. St
Leontius inspired and encouraged the brethren, preparing them to
accept new tortures for the true Faith, and telling them of the
bravery of all those formerly that had suffered for Christ. In the
morning, after repeated refusals to offer sacrifice to the idols, the
saints were again given over to torture. St Leontius, seeing the
intense suffering of the martyrs and worrying that some of them might
falter and lose faith, prayed to God that there might be a quick end
of the matter for all.

When the holy martyrs sang Psalms at midnight, an angel of the Lord
suddenly appeared to them, and the prison blazed with light. The angel
declared to the martyrs that their contest was near its end, and their
names already were inscribed in Heaven. Two of the prison guards,
Meneus and Virilad, saw what was happening and believed in Christ. On
the following morning, the governor decided to put the martyrs of
Christ to death. After beastly tortures they burned them in a fire,
and threw their bones in a river. Pious people found the relics,
gathered them up and saved them. Later on, when freedom had been
bestown to the Church of Christ, a church was built on this spot in
the name of the holy 45 Martyrs .


Saint Quote:
It is almost certain that excess in eating is the cause of almost all
the diseases of the body, but its effects on the soul are even more
disastrous.
--St. Alphonsus Liguori

Bible Quote:
For behold the day shall come kindled as a furnace: and all the proud,
and all that do wickedly shall be stubble: and the day that cometh
shall set them on fire, saith the Lord of hosts, it shall not leave
them root, nor branch.
But unto you that fear my name, the Sun of justice shall arise, and
health in his wings: and you shall go forth, and shall leap like
calves of the herd.  [Mal 4:1-2]


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O Beata Virgo Maria
Attributed to St. Augustine

O Blessed Virgin Mary, who can worthily repay thee thy just dues of
praise and thanksgiving, thou who by the wondrous assent of thy will
didst rescue a fallen world? What songs of praise can our weak human
nature recite in thy honor, since it is by thy intervention alone that
it has found the way to restoration? Accept, then, such poor thanks as
we have here to offer, though they be unequal to thy merits; and,
receiving our vows, obtain by thy prayers the remission of our
offenses. Carry thou our prayers within the sanctuary of the Heavenly
audience, and bring forth from it the antidote of our reconciliation.
May the sins we bring before Almighty God through thee, become
pardonable through thee; may what we ask for with sure confidence,
through thee be granted. Take our offering, grant us our requests,
obtain pardon for what we fear, for thou art the sole hope of sinners.
Through thee we hope for the remission of our sins, and in thee, O
blessed Lady, is our hope of reward. Holy Mary, succour the miserable,
help the faint-hearted, comfort the sorrowful, pray for thy people,
plead for the clergy, intercede for all women consecrated to God; may
all who keep thy holy commemoration feel now thy help and protection.
Be thou ever ready to assist us when we pray, and bring back to us the
answers to our prayers. Make it thy continual care to pray for the
people of God, thou who, blessed by God, didst merit to bear the
Redeemer of the world, Who liveth and reigneth, world without end.
Amen.

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