From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   -- Proverbs 12:23 --   
      
   A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself,   
   but the heart of fools blurts out folly.   
   ==============   
   Prudent people have a quiet confidence. Insecure or uncertain people   
   feel the need to prove themselves, but prudent people don't have to   
   prove anything. They know they are capable, so they can get on with   
   their work. Beware of showing off or being a "know-it-all." If you are   
   modest, people may not notice you at first, but they will respect you   
   later.   
      
   <<>><<>><<>>   
   June 25th - Saint William of Vercelli   
   (1085-1142)   
      
   Saint William of Vercelli , founder of the Order of Monte Vergine,   
   also known as the “Williamites.” Saint William lived a quiet life of   
   solitude and contemplation, listening intently for the voice of God,   
   and following the directions he received. Through his obedience,   
   William was taken far from home, worked many miracles, and established   
   a thriving religious community--all because he was quiet, and paused   
   to discern the Will of the Lord.   
      
   Born to nobility in Vercelli, Italy, William was orphaned at a young   
   age when both his parents were killed. Subsequently raised by a pious   
   family member, William matured into a contemplative young man with   
   only one desire--to devote his life to the Lord. At the young age of   
   15, William left home, setting out on pilgrimage to Santiago de   
   Compostela, Spain. As the journey was not difficult enough for him, he   
   encircled his legs with tight iron bands, causing pain and making   
   walking difficult, his suffering bringing him closer to God. Upon   
   arrival, he worked some miracles including the healing of a blind man   
   through prayer, and subsequently felt called to journey to the Holy   
   Land. However, soon after departing, he was set upon by thieves, and   
   following that encounter, felt the Will of God calling him to Italy.   
      
   Saint William retired to Monte Vergiliano (today known as Monte   
   Vergine, named for Our Blessed Mother), and became a hermit. There, he   
   spent his days in prayer, fasting, and contemplation of the Lord.   
   Especially devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, he began construction   
   of a church in her honor, mining the rocks from the mountain by hand   
   with the assistance of a lone donkey. As holy legend tells us, one   
   evening, the donkey was killed and eaten by a wolf. Saint William   
   called the wolf to him, ordering it to take the donkey’s place. The   
   wolf, bowing in respect, and realizing that it had interrupted the   
   work of God, immediately took up the task of dragging rocks from the   
   quarry. The faithful who continue to travel on pilgrimage to Monte   
   Vergine report that the wolf is still spotted today, visible to those   
   who call upon the name of the Blessed Virgin.   
      
   Eventually, due to his working of more miraculous cures (none of which   
   he sought credit for), the faithful began seeking William out on his   
   mountain. His reputation for holiness attracted many disciples, both   
   men and women, and he founded the Order of Mount Vergine--a religious   
   community with strict rules of austerity. William and the nuns and   
   monks of his order lived in peace and contemplation for some time,   
   until the members of the order began complaining that William’s rules   
   of poverty, fasting, and penance were too extreme.   
      
   There is evidence of heavenly support for the austerities of William’s   
   rule. For example, William did not permit the order to eat meat, eggs,   
   milk, or cheese. If someone tried to violate this regulation, storm   
   clouds would appear in the sky and the lightning would destroy the   
   illicit foodstuff that had been brought into the monastery.   
      
   With the members of the Order growing more disgruntled, William humbly   
   removed himself from the situation to remove controversy, and ensure   
   the future of the order. He traveled to Naples, where he served as   
   advisor to the King Roger I, and established several more monasteries.   
      
   Saint William died of natural causes at the Guglielmo monastery near   
   Nusco, Italy, where he was buried. Church tradition holds that William   
   predicted the date and time of his death, and went to meet his Maker   
   with peace and joy. At the time of his death, he had not yet written a   
   Rule for his religious to govern their affairs. His successor, fearing   
   the dissolution of a community without constitutions, placed them   
   under the Rule of Saint Benedict. The community, which continues to   
   exist today, now belongs to the Benedictine congregation of Subiaco,   
   and has a much venerated picture of our Lady of Constantinople, to   
   which pilgrimages are frequently made by the faithful. While   
   Benedictine monks generally wear black robes, the monks who reside at   
   Monte Vergine today continue to wear the white robes of the   
   Williamites in honor of this holy man.   
      
   Saint William had complete trust in the Lord and in His Divine   
   Providence. Ever faithful and contemplative, William was willing to   
   leave his home as a youth, and subsequently leave the community he had   
   built with his own hands in service to God. Patient, humble, and   
   obedient, Saint William of Vercelli put the Lord’s work above his own   
   desires at every moment of his life. We could do well by observing   
   Saint William’s confidence in the Lord, and striving to imitate him by   
   creating quiet moments in our own lives for prayer, reflection, and   
   contemplation. It is in those moments that the Divine Plan for our own   
   lives quietly unfolds… if we listen.   
      
   Saint Quote:   
   It is difficult to live a saintly life in this world even with the   
   best of intentions. There always exists the dangerous menace of one's   
   being left entirely to oneself and also the probability of one's being   
   absorbed by work, by the necessities of life, and by the occupations   
   of every sort which conditions or our own will impose. Then too, one   
   is most always ignorant of the right road to pursue!   
   -- St. Peter Eymard   
      
   Bible Quote:   
   He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no   
   more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore,   
   for the former things have passed away. Rev 21:4  RSVCE   
      
   <><><><>   
   Prayer of the King in Exile   
      
   1 Hear my cry, O God;   
   listen to my prayer.   
   2 From the ends of the earth I call to you,   
   I call as my heart grows faint;   
   lead me to the rock that is higher than I.   
   3 For you have been my refuge,   
   a strong tower against the foe.   
   4 I long to dwell in your tent forever   
   and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.   
   5 For you have heard my vows, O God;   
   you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.   
   6 Increase the days of the king's life,   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)