God is good
God is good. You can often tell whether or not a thing is of God. If
it is of God, it must be good. Honesty, purity, unselfishness, and
love are all good, unselfish helpfulness is good, and these things all
lead to the abundant life. Leave in God's hands the present and the
future, knowing only that He is good. The hand that veils the future
is the hand of God. He can bring order out of chaos, good out of evil,
and peace out of turmoil. We can believe that everything really good
comes from God and that He shares His goodness with us. I pray that I
may reach out for the good. I pray that I may try to choose the best
in life.
--From Twenty-Four Hours a Day
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17 December – St John of Matha O.SS.T
Memorial
• 17 December
• 8 February on some calendars
Priest, Founder of The Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the
Captives, also known as the Order of the Most Holy Trinity or the
Trinitarians, Confessor, – born on 23 June 1160 at Faucon, Provence,
France and died on 12 December 1223 at Rome, Italy of natural causes.
Patronage – The Trinitarians.
Between the 8th and the 15th centuries, medieval Europe was in a state
of intermittent warfare between the Christian kingdoms of southern
Europe and the Muslim polities of North Africa, Southern France,
Sicily and portions of Spain. The threat of capture, whether by
pirates or coastal raiders, or during one of the region’s intermittent
wars, was not a new but rather a continuing threat to the residents of Catalonia, Languedoc and the other coastal provinces of medieval
Christian Europe.
The redemption of captives is listed among the corporal works of
mercy. The period of the Crusades, when so many Christians were in
danger of falling into the hands of Muslims, witnessed the rise of
religious orders vowed exclusively to this pious work.
St John of Matha was born to noble parents on the borders of Provence
on 23 June 1169. He was baptised John, in honour of St John the
Baptist. His father Euphemius sent him to Aix, where he learned
grammar, fencing, riding, and other exercises fit for a young
nobleman. It is said that while there he gave the poor a considerable
part of the money his parents sent him and he visited the hospital
every Friday, assisting the sick poor.
He studied theology at the University of Paris and was ordained a
priest at the age of 32 in December 1192.
According to Trintarian tradition, on 28 January 1193, John celebrated
his first Mass. During that Mass, he was struck with a vision of
Christ holding by the hand two chained captives, one a Moor, the other
a Christian (the Crusades were in full force at the time). The
Christian captive carried a staff with a red and blue cross. After the
Mass, John decided to devote himself to the task of ransoming
Christian captives from the Moors. Before entering upon this work, he
thought it needful to spend some time in retirement, prayer and
mortification and having heard of a holy hermit, St Felix of Valois (1127–1212), living in a great wood near Gandelu, in the diocese of
Meaux, he repaired to him and requested him to instruct him in the
practice of perfection.
One day while walking with Felix, John had another vision–a white stag appeared at a stream with a red and blue cross between its antlers.
John disclosed to Felix the design he had conceived on the day on
which he said his first mass, to succour captive Christians under
slavery and Felix offered his help in carrying it out. They set out
for Rome in the midst of a severe winter, towards the end of the year
1197, to obtain the pope’s benediction.
On 17 December 1198, he obtained the preliminary approval of Pope
Innocent III for a new order dedicated in honour of the Blessed
Trinity for the redemption of Christian captives. This order was fully
approved in 1209. The Order of the Most Holy Trinity’s first monastery
was established at Cerfroid (just north of Paris) and the second at
Rome at the church of San Tommaso in Formis. Christian slaves were
first rescued by the Order in 1201. In 1202 and 1210 John travelled to
Tunisia himself and brought back countless Christian slaves.
St John founded the Trinitarians to go to the slave markets, buy the
Christian slaves and set them free. To carry out this plan, the
Trinitarians needed large amounts of money. So, they placed their
fund-raising efforts under the patronage of Mary. In gratitude for her assistance, St John of Matha honoured Mary with the title of “Our Lady
of Good Remedy.” Devotion to Mary under this ancient title is widely
known in Europe and Latin America and the Church celebrates her feast
day on 8 October. Our Lady of Good Remedy is often depicted as the
Virgin Mary handing a bag of money to St John of Matha.
Before his death, Trinitarian tradition says he met St Francis of
Assisi and introduced Francis to the Frangipani family, one of the
benefactors of the Franciscan order. St John of Matha died on 17
December 1213, in Rome in the house of St Thomas In Formis on the
Caelian Hill.
In 1655, his relics were transferred from Rome to Madrid. He was
Canonised on 21 October 1666 by Pope Alexander VII (cultus confirmed).
Today the Trinitarian family is composed of priests, brothers, women
(enclosed nuns and active sisters) as well as committed laity. Members
of the Trinitarian family include the Trinitarian religious, the
Trinitarian contemplative nun,; the Trinitarian Sisters of Valence,
the Trinitarian Sisters of Rome, Valencia, Madrid, Mallorca and
Seville, the Oblates of the Most Holy Trinity, the Third Order Secular (tertiaries) and other Trinitarian laity. All are distinguished by the
cross of red and blue which dates from the origins of the Order.
Trinitarians are found throughout Europe and in the Americas as well
as in Africa, India, Korea and the Philippines.
In 2000 the Vatican Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life
and Societies of Apostolic Life approved “The Trinitarian Way” rule of
life which would guide all the lay groups associated with the
Trinitarians including the Third Order Secular, the Trinitarian
Movement, Confraternities, etc. Like the Jesuits, Trinitarians also
pledge not to seek promotion within the Church hierarchy.
If promotion is offered, however, it is accepted.
The Order of the Most Holy Trinity is active on five continents and in
many countries.
see
https://anastpaul.com/2018/12/
Saint Quote:
Faith is a great virtue; but without charity it can be of no use to
us. Keep and preserve, with the utmost care, the precious gift of true
faith, pure faith, faith without reproach. Let this burning, fervent,
and invincible faith, which obtained an immortal crown for the Holy
Confessors, be the immortal ornament of your soul.
-- St. Bernard
Bible Quote:
Fulfil ye my joy, that you be of one mind, having the same charity,
being of one accord, agreeing in sentiment. Let nothing be done
through contention: neither by vain glory. But in humility, let each
esteem others better than themselves:Each one not considering the
things that are his own, but those that are other men's.
[Philippians 2:2-4] DRB
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The Angelic Salute to Mary
The Holy Angels in Heaven salute thee most Blessed Virgin
with the Hail Mary. For they are fully aware that through it,
reparation was made for the fallen angel's sin,
God was made man and the world was renewed.
- Amen.
“the angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them
that fear him, and shall deliver them." (Ps. 33:8).
“The angel of the Lord encamps around
those who fear him, and he delivers them”. (Psalm 34:7)
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