From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
    -- Galatians 6:2-3 --   
      
   Bear ye one another's burdens: and so you shall fulfil the law of   
   Christ. For if any man think himself to be some thing, whereas he is   
   nothing, he deceiveth himself. DRB   
   =================================   
      No Christian should ever think that he or she is totally   
   independent and doesn't need help from others, and no one should feel   
   excused from the task of helping others. The body of Christ--all   
   believers--the church functions only when the members work together   
   for the common good.   
      Do you know someone who needs help? Is there a Christian brother or   
   sister who needs correction or encouragement?Humbly and gently reach   
   out to that person.   
      
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   February 3rd – Saint Ansgar, "Apostle of the North"   
   (801-865)   
      
   “If I were worthy of such a favor from my God, I would ask that he   
   grant me this one miracle: that by His grace He would make of me a   
   good man.”   
      
   Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Ansgar, Archbishop,  and patron   
   saint of Denmark, Germany, Iceland, and Scandinavia. Saint Ansgar   
   traveled throughout Europe and Scandinavia, working miracles,   
   assisting the sick and the poor, and bringing many to the faith. He is   
   remembered for his tireless service to the Lord, and his carrying of   
   the Gospel to areas still overshadowed by darkness.   
      
   Ansgar was born near Amiens in Picardy, France. Born into a noble   
   family, Ansgar lacked for nothing as a child, but was drawn to a life   
   of poverty and service nonetheless. He entered the Benedictine   
   monastery at Old Corbie Abbey in Picardy, becoming a monk. Ansgar was   
   educated under the direction of Saint Abelard, and upon ordination,   
   volunteered for the dangerous activity of missionary work to the   
   Danes. Many attempted to dissuade him, as this work meant certain   
   death, given the pagan beliefs and reported cruelty of the invaders   
   who had swept through most of Scandinavia. Nevertheless, when King   
   Harold returned to Denmark, Saint Ansgar and another monk accompanied   
   him. Living in tents, and bringing only holy books with them, the two   
   monks established a school. He worked for some time, with great   
   success, both educating and converting the local Danes, until his   
   companion died, and he was invited by King Bjørn to continue his work   
   in Sweden.   
      
   Willing to follow the call of the Lord wherever it led him, Saint   
   Ansgar departed by ship for Sweden, where he was attacked by pirates   
   and lost all his possessions. He arrived with nothing other than the   
   clothes on his back, and soon founded the first Christian church in   
   Sweden. He continued his work, speaking directly with pagan chiefs,   
   and converting many of them, which in turn led to the conversion of   
   their tribes.   
      
   Following his success in Sweden, Saint Ansgar was appointed the first   
   Archbishop of Hamburg, Germany and the abbot of New Corbie, to which   
   he returned. He was subsequently ordained Papal Legate to Scandinavia   
   by Pope Gregory IV. As based upon this position the souls of   
   Scandinavians fell to his care, Saint Ansgar spent the next 14 years   
   evangelizing, assisting the poor and sick, and building churches in   
   Norway, Denmark, and northern Germany.   
      
   At that time, invading pagan Viking forces were sweeping across   
   Europe, and Saint Ansgar witnessed the destruction of his churches and   
   schools. Nonetheless, Pope Nicholas I made him Archbishop of Bremen,   
   Germany, which he united with the bishopric of Hamburg, and gave   
   Ansgar jurisdiction over Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. There, he began   
   the slow work of rebuilding his churches, schools, and missions, and   
   ministering to those who had suffered in the invasion, the poor, and   
   the sick. He campaigned vigorously against slavery, freeing those the   
   Vikings captured, asserting the freedom of all of God’s creation.   
      
   Saint Ansgar continued preaching throughout Scandinavia until his   
   death. He preached in the court of King Olaf, converted Erik, King of   
   the Jutland, and worked numerous miracles of healing and assistance.   
   He is remembered as a great missionary, and an indefatigable and   
   outstanding preacher. Throughout his life, Saint Ansgar was renowned   
   for his austerity and holiness of life. He wore a hair shirt, and   
   fasted every day his health permitted it. All that he had was given   
   away to those in greater need. Through his model alone, he converted   
   many to the faith. He was devoted to the poor and the sick, imitating   
   the Lord in washing their feet and waiting on them at table. He died   
   peacefully at Bremen, Germany, without achieving his wish to be a   
   martyr.   
      
   The life of Saint Ansgar reminds us that the Lord’s plan is one which   
   we may not always understand. The works of Saint Ansgar were destroyed   
   before his eyes by invaders. Yet, he picked himself up and began   
   rebuilding his missions. We are confronted with situations in our own   
   lives that discourage us, make us wish to give up. At those times, we   
   might look to Saint Ansgar, who kept his eyes firmly on the Lord, and   
   followed his calling to witness to an entire people.   
      
      
   Bible Quote:   
   See that you refuse him not that speaketh. For if they escaped not who   
   refused him that spoke upon earth, much more shall not we that turn   
   away from him that speaketh to us from heaven.  (Heb 12:25) DRB   
      
      
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   Almighty and everlasting God, you sent your servant Ansgar as an   
   apostle to the people of Scandinavia, and enabled him to lay a firm   
   foundation for their conversion, though he did not see the results of   
   his labors: Keep your Church from discouragement in the day of small   
   things, knowing that when you have begun a good work you will bring it   
   to a fruitful conclusion. Amen.   
      
      
   Father, You sent St. Ansgar,   
   to bring the light of Christ to many nations.   
   May His prayers help us   
   to walk in the light of Your truth.   
   We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,   
   who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,   
   one God, for ever and ever. Amen.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)