From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   Faith works by love   
      
   "The 'faith that works by love' (Galatians 5:6), is not the same faith   
   that demons have. 'For the devils also believe and tremble' (James   
   2:19) but do they love? If they had not believed, they would not have   
   said: 'You are the holy one of God' or 'You are the Son of God' (Mark   
   3:11-12; Luke 4:34,41). But if they had loved, they would not have   
   said: 'What have we to do with you?' (Matthew 8:29; Mark 5:7; Luke   
   8:28)"   
   --St. Augustine--(excerpt from Letter 194, To Sixtus)   
      
   ============   
   February 27: Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows   
   (d. 1862)   
      
   Born Francis Possenti, in Assisi, Italy in 1838, Saint Gabriel was the   
   11th of 13 children produced by the union of his parents. His father,   
   a pious man with great political recognition in the area, and his   
   mother, a well-connected religious woman from a respected family, were   
   delighted in their son. He was baptized at the same font that his   
   saintly namesake had been baptized nearly 600 years earlier.   
      
   From an early age, Francis demonstrated the potential for   
   thoughtfulness and piety. He encouraged his teacher and siblings to   
   pay more attention to the poor, oftentimes choosing to give some of   
   his portions to those in need. Before he reached the age of four, his   
   mother passed away from a serious illness, as did four of his   
   siblings. Francis, the most sensitive of the family, was severely   
   moved by these losses, increasing his empathy for others and his   
   sensitivity to those in need.   
      
   As Francis matured, he developed insight into the fact that he was   
   smart, charming, and attractive. He pursued hedonistic pleasures like   
   art and theater, which he would later write to friends almost “cost   
   him his soul.” He dressed to perfection, paying careful attention to   
   his appearance. Francis excelled at school, and was generally the   
   award-winner in all of his classes. He was chosen to give his   
   commencement address upon graduation from the Jesuit College. Francis   
   embraced the world, and to his classmates and friends, he appeared to   
   have all the tools required for great success. He was the center of   
   attention wherever he went, all the doors of the finest families and   
   establishments open to him throughout the city. And while he was   
   impulsive, prone to anger, and pridefully vain, he was poised to   
   achieve great worldly things.   
      
   But Francis felt called in a different direction. Twice, Francis came   
   down with serious illnesses while in school, illnesses he was not   
   expected to recover from. During these times, he prayed to the Lord,   
   promising to become a religious if his life was spared. While a   
   student at the Jesuit College, he had asked permission to enter the   
   Order, and was granted permission from his spiritual director. But   
   Francis delayed entering the Order, finding reasons to wait. He   
   maintained his faith, praying daily in the chapel and receiving the   
   Eucharist, but could not commit to the religious life and give up his   
   worldly enjoyments. As time went on, Francis began to doubt his choice   
   of the Jesuit Order, instead feeling called to become a Passionist,   
   the Order formed by Saint John of the Cross. His spiritual director   
   encouraged him to wait and pray, and see where the Lord led him.   
      
   Following the cholera outbreak in 1856, the town rejoiced in thanks to   
   the Blessed Mother, who interceded to save Spoleto. In veneration, a   
   statue of Our Lady was carried throughout the streets. Francis   
   observed the procession, more curious than devoted. As the statue was   
   carried past him, he gazed into the face of the Blessed Virgin, and   
   through the eyes of the statue, Mary pierced his heart with a gaze so   
   strong it felt as a ‘dart of fire.” At the same time, he heard the   
   words deep within in, “Why! thou art not made for the world! What art   
   thou doing in the world? Hasten, become a religious!”   
      
   From that moment, Francis’ life changed. He entered the novitiate of   
   the Passionists, where he would live until his death. The Passionist   
   Order is a strict order, and his family and friends urged him not to   
   commit to such a life. Rather, they suggested he become a priest, or   
   better yet, not become a religious and use his “talents” in the world.   
   Francis was not to be dissuaded. After his initial retreat, he was   
   clothed in the robes of the Passionists, and gave up his name for a   
   new name: Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows.   
      
   His days were spent in prayer, chanting, study, and manual labor. The   
   Passionist Order maintains a rule of silence, and speaking was   
   forbidden without permission. Gabriel spent the majority of his time   
   meditating on the Passion of Christ, and praying the Rosary to Our   
   Lady of Sorrows. Despite the rules and strict lifestyle, Gabriel was   
   filled with joy. “My life is a continuous delight; what I experience   
   inside these sacred walls is almost inexpressible; the 24 hours of the   
   day seem to me like 24 short instants; really my life is full of   
   delight.” He looked at each sacrifice as a way in which to polish away   
   his sinful life, his pride, his vanity, and devote his life to Jesus.   
   He wrote, “I will attempt day by day to break my will into pieces. I   
   want to do God’s Holy Will, not my own”   
      
   Saint Gabriel looked to the Blessed Mother as his comfort and refuge   
   in times of suffering, of which he had plenty due to illness. He wrote   
   of her to his brother, “Love Mary!… She is loveable, faithful,   
   constant. She will never let herself be outdone in love, but will ever   
   remain supreme. If you are in danger, she will hasten to free you. If   
   you are troubled, she will console you. If you are sick, she will   
   bring you relief. If you are in need, she will help you. She does not   
   look to see what kind of person you have been. She simply comes to a   
   heart that wants to love her. She comes quickly and opens her merciful   
   heart to you, embraces you and consoles and serves you. She will even   
   be at hand to accompany you on the trip to eternity.”   
      
   Within a few years of joining the Order, Gabriel was stricken with   
   Consumption. He died a slow and painful death, over the course of two   
   years, during which he maintained a cheerful and joyous disposition,   
   so much so that his brothers in the Order wished to spend their days   
   with him. In his dying moments, he asked for his picture of the   
   Crucifixion, with the Blessed Virgin standing at the foot of the   
   cross. It was well-worn from use. He devoutly kissed it, placed it   
   upon him, folded his hands across it, and began to pray. With   
   indescribable love he began to say aloud: “Oh, my Mother make haste,   
   make haste!”   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)