From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   There are three things...   
      
      There are three things, my brethren, by which faith stands firm,   
   devotion remains constant, and virtue endures. They are prayer,   
   fasting and mercy. Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains, mercy   
   receives. Prayer, mercy and fasting: these three are one, and they   
   give life to each other Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the   
   lifeblood of fasting.   Let no one try to separate them; they cannot   
   be separated. If you have only one of them or not all together, you   
   have nothing.   
      So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your   
   petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close   
   your ear to others you open God's ear to yourself.   
   -- Saint Peter Chrysologus   
      
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   September 26th - St. Callistratus   
      
   Saint Callistratus was a native of Carthage. An ancestor of Saint   
   Callistratus, Neoscorus, had served under the emperor Tiberius in   
   Palestine, under the command of the procurator of Judea Pontius   
   Pilate, and was a witness to the suffering on the Cross of our Lord   
   Jesus Christ, His martyr's death and glorious Resurrection. The father   
   of the saint was a Christian, and he raised his son in faith and   
   piety. Also like his father, Saint Callistratus became a soldier and   
   excelled among his pagan military comrades by good conduct and gentle   
   disposition. During the nights when everyone slept, he usually stayed   
   up at prayer. One time a soldier sleeping nearby him heard Saint   
   Callistratus invoking the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he   
   reported this to the military commander, who in turn summoned   
   Callistratus, interrogated him and wanted to make him offer sacrifice   
   to idols. To this the saint answered firmly with a resolute refusal.   
   Then the military commander gave orders to beat the saint and then,   
   covered with wounds, to drag him over sharp stones. The beating and   
   the torments did not sway the firm will and brave endurance of the   
   sufferer. The torturer gave orders to sew up the saint in a leather   
   sack and drown him in the sea. By Divine Providence however the sack   
   came upon a sharp rock tearing it, and Saint Callistratus, supported   
   by dolphins, came to dry land unharmed. Viewing such a miracle, 49   
   soldiers came to believe in Christ. Then the military commander threw   
   Saint Callistratus together with the believing soldiers into prison.   
   Before this, all of them were subjected to innumerable floggings.   
      
   In confinement Saint Callistatus continued to preach the Word of God   
   to the soldiers and he bolstered their spirits for the martyr's act.   
   Summoned again to the military commander, the sufferers firmly   
   confessed their faith in Christ, after which they bound them hand and   
   foot and threw them into a water-dam. But there their bonds broke, and   
   with bright faces the holy martyrs stood in the water, rejoicing in   
   their Baptism, which coincided with the act of martyrdom. Over them   
   were beautiful bright crowns, and all heard a voice: "Be brave,   
   Callistratus, with thine company, and come rest in the eternal   
   habitations." At the same time with this, the earth shuddered and an   
   idol standing not far off fell down and smashed. Beholding this   
   happening, another 135 soldiers also believed in the Lord Jesus   
   Christ. The military commander, fearing a mutiny in the army, did not   
   set about to judge them, but again imprisoned Saint Callistratus with   
   the others, where they fervently prayed and gave thanks to the   
   Creator, for having given them power to endure such sufferings. At   
   night by order of the military commander they chopped the martyrs to   
   pieces with swords. Their holy remains were buried by the   
   remaining-alive 135 soldiers, and afterwards on the spot of their   
   sufferings, as Saint Callistatus had foretold, a church was built.   
      
      
   Saint Quote:   
   Go forth in peace, for you have followed the good road. Go forth   
   without fear, for he who created you has made you holy, has always   
   protected you, and loves you as a mother. Blessed be you, my God, for   
   having created me.   
   --Saint Clare of Assisi   
      
   Bible Quote:   
   Each will receive his own reward according to his labor.( I Cor. 3:8)   
      
      
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   God's spirit   
      
   God's spirit is all about you all day long. You have no thoughts, no   
   plans, no impulses and no emotions that He does not know about. You   
   can hide nothing from Him. Do not make your conduct conform only to   
   that of the world and do not depend on the approval or disapproval of   
   others. God sees in secret, but He rewards openly. If you are in   
   harmony with the Divine Spirit, doing your best to live the way you   
   believe God wants you to live, you will be at peace. I pray that I may   
   always feel God's presence. I pray that I may realize this Presence   
   constantly all through the day.   
   --From Twenty-Four Hours a Day   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)