From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   Jesus heals spiritually and physically   
      
   "When the Savior says to him, 'Man, your sins are forgiven you,' he   
   addresses this to humankind in general. For those who believe in him,   
   being healed of the diseases of the soul, will receive forgiveness of   
   the sins which they formerly committed. He may also mean this: 'I must   
   heal your soul before I heal your body. If this is not done, by   
   obtaining strength to walk, you will only sin more. Even though you   
   have not asked for this, I as God see the maladies of the soul which   
   brought on you this disease.'"   
    by Cyril of Alexandria  (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 12)   
      
   <<>><<>><<>>   
   January 3: - Saint Genevieve   
      
   (422-512)   
   "Get down on your knees and pray! I know it, I see it. The Huns will not come!"   
      
   Today we celebrate the feast day of Saint Genevieve , Patroness of   
   Paris, and Virgin of the Church. Saint Genevieve is credited with   
   preventing Paris from falling to Attila the Hun, as well as miraculous   
   cures during the Plague by her intercession. A woman of great faith,   
   Saint Genevieve was graced with the gift of clairvoyance and   
   miracle-working by the Lord, which she used to increase the devotion   
   of the faithful throughout France.   
      
   Born of wealthy parents in Gaul (modern France) in the village of   
   Nanterre, near Paris, Genevieve grew up tending her family’s sheep in   
   the fields on Mount Valerien. When Genevieve was approximately seven   
   years old, Saint Germanus of Auxerre, a holy bishop, was passing   
   through the region. Seeing her engaged in her shepherding duties, the   
   holy bishop was graced with a vision of her future sanctity, kissed   
   her on the head, and proceeded to the family’s home. There, he   
   informed her parents that she would become great in the sight of the   
   Lord, and would lead many to salvation through the faith.   
      
      
   As recounted by Saint Germanus:   
      
   And the holy man said: “Blessed are you that God hath given you this   
   child. Know you for certain that on the day of her birth the Angels   
   sang and a great feast was made in Heaven. This girl shall be of great   
   merit before the Lord. And from her good life and words many shall   
   take example, that they shall leave the yoke of sin and convert to   
   God.”   
      
   Then, he turned toward the child, and she said to him: “Blessed   
   Father, your servant is listening.”   
      
   The Bishop asked: “Tell me, and be not embarrassed, if you will   
   consecrate yourself to Christ in purity without stain as His spouse?”   
      
   The maid answered: “Blessed be you, my Father. What you ask of me is   
   the most cherished desire of my heart. I ask only that by your   
   prayers, Our Lord will accomplish my desire.”   
      
   “Have confidence, my daughter,” said Germanus. “Be firm in your   
   resolution. Prove by your works the good things that you believe in   
   your heart and say with your mouth, and Our Lord shall give you   
   strength as well as virtue.”   
      
   After Genevieve told Saint Germanus that she wished to dedicate   
   herself to Christ, he gave her a brass medal with the image of the   
   Cross upon it. She promised to wear it around her neck, and to avoid   
   wearing any other ornaments around her neck or on her fingers.   
      
   After the death of her parents, when Genevieve was fifteen years old,   
   she was taken to Paris to enter the monastic life. A model sister, she   
   devoted herself to fasting, prayer, and silent vigil, receiving from   
   the Lord the gifts of clairvoyance and miracle-working. She traveled   
   throughout the city and region, preaching, healing, and bringing many   
   to the faith. She embodied a life of great austerity, practicing   
   penance and charity. However, she was cruelly persecuted, by those   
   both within and from outside the faith. They called her a hypocrite   
   and a charlatan, but she, in humility, continued her good works.   
   Eventually, following receiving some blessed bread from Saint   
   Germanus--as a token of his esteem--the persecution ceased, and she   
   was regarded as a saint while still living.   
      
   The miracle that Saint Genevieve is most famously remembered for   
   involves the conquest of Attila the Hun. As he, and his marauding   
   forces were approaching Paris--and all hope was lost as the rest of   
   Europe had fallen before him--Genevieve and her sisters prayed and   
   fasted, entreating God to spare the city. She exhorted the faithful,   
   encouraging them to pray as well, having seen in a vision the saving   
   of the city. Without warning, the barbarian forces turned from Paris,   
   sparing it without conflict.   
      
   Similarly, during the siege of Paris by Childeric, king of the Franks,   
   Genevieve went out with a few followers and procured grain for the   
   starving citizens. King Childeric, though a pagan, respected her, and   
   at her request spared the lives of many prisoners.   
      
   Saint Genevieve preached the importance of the Saturday night Vigil,   
   comparing it in symbolism to the manner in which the faithful should   
   lead their daily lives. She said: “We must keep vigil in prayer and   
   fasting so that the Lord will find us ready when He comes.” On the way   
   to the Saturday vigil, one cold, dark, and stormy night, she and her   
   traveling companions--nun from the convent--were plunged into darkness   
   as their candles were blown out by the storm. Fearing the darkness and   
   the storm, the nuns determined to return to the monastery, when Saint   
   Genevieve made the Sign of the Cross over her lantern, which   
   miraculously relit. Filled with grace and hope in the Lord, the   
   sisters proceeded to their Mass. In art, Genevieve is often portrayed   
   carrying a lit candle for this reason--she hoped in the light of   
   Christ, even in the most profound moments of darkness!   
      
   Saint Genevieve died peacefully in 512, at the age of 89. She was   
   entombed in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Paris, although   
   her relics were later translated to the Church of Saint Etienne du   
   Mont. In 1129, when the plague swept through Paris, Saint Genevieve’s   
   relics were processed through the streets. Prior to the procession,   
   14,000 residents of the city perished, with thousands dying each day.   
   On the day of the procession, only three individuals died, and the   
   following day, the deaths miraculously stopped. Saint Genevieve is   
   credited with this miraculous intercession, and is considered the   
   Patron Saint of Paris.   
      
   Saint Genevieve was a simple shepherdess, without formal education.   
   Through the grace of the Lord, and her commitment to Him, she worked   
   grand miracles and brought thousands to the faith through her example.   
   Even in the bleakest of moments--attack, siege, and plague--Saint   
   Genevieve did not fear the darkness. Rather, she held onto hope,   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)