Ceaseless activity is not God's plan for your life

 Ceaseless activity is not God's plan for your life. Times of
withdrawal for renewed strength are always necessary. Wait for the
faintest tremor of fear and stop all work, everything, and rest before
God until you are strong again. Deal in the same way with all tired
feelings. Then you need rest of body and renewal of spirit force.
Saint Paul said: "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
This does not mean that you are to do all things and then rely on God
to find strength. It means that you are to do the things you believe
God wants you to do and only then can you rely on His supply of power.

<<>><<>><<>>
November 27th – St. Virgil of Salzburg, OSB B (RM)
 (also known as Feargal, Fearghal, Fergal, Virgilius)

Born in Ireland; died in Salzburg, Austria, November 27, c. 781-784;
canonized 1233 by Pope Gregory IX.
Virgil was an Irish monk, possibly of Aghaboe, who went abroad about
740 intending to visit Palestine. With him were Dobdagrec, later abbot
of a monastery at Chiemsee, and Sidonius, afterwards bishop of Passau.
His learning and ability attracted the attention of Blessed Pepin the
Short, who kept him at the Merovingian court for two years. About 743,
Pepin sent Virgil with letters of recommendation to his
brother-in-law, Duke Odilo of Bavaria, who, c. 745, appointed Virgil
abbot of Saint Peter's Monastery at Salzburg, with jurisdiction over
the local Christians, while Dobdagrec served its episcopal functions.

Instead of visiting Palestine he remained in Bavaria to help Saint
Rupert, the apostle of Austria. For 40 years he labored to convert
Teutons and Slavs, founded monasteries, churches, and schools. (In
774, the council of Bavaria issued its first pronouncement on the
establishment of schools.)

Virgil appears to have been a somewhat difficult character and he
incurred the strong disapproval of Saint Boniface, who seems to have
detested him. (Perhaps because of differences in the interpretations
of Roman observance or jurisdiction, or because Virgil succeeded John
whom Boniface had as abbot of Saint Peter's, or just personal
differences.) Boniface twice delegated him to Rome. On the first
occasion Pope Saint Zachary decided in Virgil's favor. Through
carelessness or ignorance, a priest had used incorrect Latin wording
during a baptism. Virgil and Sidonius ruled that the baptism was valid
and need not be repeated; Boniface of Mainz disagreed. Zachary was
surprised that Boniface should have questioned it and issued a
statement to that effect.

The other case concerned Virgil's cosmological speculations and their implications, which, as reported to Zachary by Boniface, the pope
found very shocking. In 748, the pope directed Boniface to convene a
council to investigate the questionable views, but the council was
never convened. The incident has been the subject of much discussion
and has been used and exaggerated for polemical purposes, but in fact
it is far from clear what Virgil's ideas really were. It appears that
Virgil postulated that the world was round and that people might be
living in what would now be called the Antipodes. He was both a man of
learning and a successful missionary, and even after his cosmological
views were called into question, he was consecrated bishop of the see
of Salzburg (c. 766), whose cathedral he rebuilt.

Saint Virgil brought relics and the veneration of Saints Brigid and
Samthann of Clonbroney to the areas he evangelized. In fact, Saint
Samthann, who may have provided Virgil with his early education, is
better known in Austria than in her homeland.

Among his other good works, Virgil sent fourteen missionary monks
headed by Saint Modestus into the province of Carinthia, of which he
is venerated as the evangelizer. He baptized two successive dukes of
Carinthia at Salzburg (Chetimar and Vetune). His influence is revealed
by the issuance during the time of duke Chetimar of a Carinthian coin,
an old Salzburg rubentaler, with the images of Saint Rupert, who built
Saint Peter's monastery, and Virgil. He fell ill and died soon after
making a visitation in Carinthia, going as far as the place where the
Dravo River meets the Danube.

His feast is kept throughout Ireland, although he is buried at St.
Peter's in Salzburg. Virgil is widely venerated in southern Germany,
Austria, Yugoslavia, and northern Italy (Attwater, Attwater 2,
Benedictines, Coulson, D'Arcy, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Fitzpatrick,
Gougaud, Healy, Husenbeth, Kenney, Montague).

Sometimes he is paired with Saint Rupertus in artwork (Roeder). Virgil
is the patron of Salzburg, Austria (Farmer).


Saint Quote:
What has a person to fear who lives in the arms and bosom of God?
--St. Paul of the Cross

Bible Quote:
Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.  (James 1:19)


<><><><>
How Christ Speaks Inwardly to a Faithful Soul  [I]

'I will hear what the Lord God speaks within me.'(Ps. 85:8) Blessed is
the soul that hears the Lord speaking within it, (I Sam. 3:9) and
receives comfort from His Word. Blessed are the ears that hear the
still, small voice of God, (I Kings 19:12) and disregard the whispers
of the world. Blessed are the ears that listen to Truth teaching
inwardly, and not to the voices of the world. Blessed are the eyes
that are closed to outward things, but are open to inward things.
Blessed are those who enter deeply into inner things and daily prepare themselves to receive the secrets of heaven. Blessed are those who
strive to devote themselves wholly to God, and free themselves from
all the entanglements of the world. Consider these things, O my soul,
and shut fast the doors against the desires of the senses, that you
may hear what the Lord your God speaks within you.
--Thomas à Kempis --Imitation of Christ Bk 3 Ch 1

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)