From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   September 4th - St. Rose of Viterbo   
   (1234-1252)   
      
   Almighty God did marvelous things in the soul of St. Rose. It appears that   
   her   
   parents gave her that name by divine inspiration, for it was symbolic of her   
   entire career. As long as she lived, she bloomed like a sweet-scented rose   
   in   
   the garden of the Church, and in full bloom as she transplanted to Paradise.   
   Before she was able to speak, Rose attempted to pronounce the sweet names of   
   Jesus and Mary; and as soon as she had learned to walk, she asked to be   
   taken to   
   church and to other retired and quiet places to pray. When religious   
   discourses   
   were given, she would listen with great attention.   
      
   When Rose was only 3 years old, God showed how pleased He was with her in a   
   most   
   wonderful way. One of her maternal aunts died. The family were standing   
   around   
   the bier weeping aloud. Deeply moved by the sorrow of her relatives, little   
   Rose   
   went to the coffin, raised her eyes to heaven, and prayed silently. Then she   
   placed her little hand on the body of her deceased aunt and called her by   
   name.   
   The dead woman immediately opened her eyes and reached out to embrace her   
   little   
   niece, who had raised her to life again.   
      
   The child entertained a great compassion for the poor; she always tried to   
   save   
   some food to give to the poor. One day when she left the house with some   
   bread   
   in her apron, she met her father, who asked her in curt fashion what she was   
   carrying off now. The affrighted child opened her apron and fragrant roses   
   were   
   found in it.   
      
   When she was 7 years old, Rose retired to a little cell in her father's   
   house.   
   There she spent almost all her time in contemplation and in practicing   
   rigorous   
   penance. She prayed much for the conversion of sinners. Meanwhile our dear   
   Lord   
   was preparing her for an extraordinary mission.   
      
   Rose was not yet 10 years old when the Blessed Mother of God instructed her   
   to   
   join the Third Order of St. Francis. Shortly after, our Lord appeared to her   
   on   
   the Cross, wearing the crown of thorns on His head and bleeding profusely   
   from   
   all His wounds. Rose, aghast at the sight, called out: "O my Lord, who has   
   reduced Thee to this state?" Our Lord replied, "My love, my deep love for   
   men   
   has done this." "But," asked Rose, "who has so pierced and torn Thee?" "The   
   sins   
   of men have done it," was our Lord's answer. "Sin, sin!" cried the saint,   
   and   
   she scourged herself to make atonement for the sins of the world.   
      
   By divine inspiration, Rose then took a cross in her hand and went up and   
   down   
   the streets and public squares of her city telling people of the terrible   
   tortures our Lord suffered and of the heinousness of sin. Every now and then   
   she   
   would emerge from her solitude to entreat the people to do penance.   
      
   The town of Viterbo, which belonged to the Papal States, had revolted   
   against   
   the authority of the pope. Disregard for religion and moral degradation were   
   the   
   order of the day. But the sermons of this little missionary had marvelous   
   results. the people came in crowds to hear her. The stone on which she stood   
   was   
   seen to rise in the air, and she was sustained there by a miracle while   
   burning   
   words issued from her lips. The greater part of the citizenry had already   
   resolved to do penance and to return to the legitimate papal allegiance when   
   Rose and her parents were repelled by the civil authorities.   
      
   The result was that she now had a wider field of activity. At Soriano and   
   later   
   at Vitorchiano, her preaching had the same blessed results. In the latter   
   place,   
   a sorceress had done much harm among the inhabitants. Fearing that after her   
   departure this woman would undo the good effected there, Rose was desirous   
   of   
   her conversion. Her initial efforts failed. Then our saint had an immense   
   pile   
   of wood prepared in the public square; fire was set to it, and Rose stepped   
   into   
   the fire and mounted to the top of the pile. She remained untouched for   
   three   
   hours in the midst of the flames, singing the praises of God. The sorceress   
   now   
   cast herself at Rose's feet and was sincerely converted.   
      
   Meanwhile the rightful authority of the pope had been re-established at   
   Viterbo,   
   and Rose could return. She was now 15 years old and anxious to enter the   
   convent   
   of the Poor Clares. As she had no dowry, she could not be admitted. "Well,"   
   said   
   Rose, "you will not receive me while I am alive, but you will receive me   
   after I   
   am dead." She and several companions repaired to a secluded dwelling, where   
   they   
   intended to live as a community. The ecclesiastical authorities, however,   
   did   
   not approve of the plan, and Rose returned home. She died 2 years later,   
   filled   
   with the joyous desire of being united with her God.   
      
   Two and a half years after her death she appeared three times to Pope   
   Alexander   
   IV, who was in Viterbo at the time, told him to have her body removed to the   
   convent of the Poor Clares. When this was done, her body was found   
   incorrupt;   
   and it has remained in that condition to this day. Miracles are constantly   
   occurring at her tomb. Pope Callistus III canonized her in 1457.   
      
      
   ON THE OPERATIONS OF GOD IN MEN   
   1. Consider the marvelous operations of God in St. Rose. Entire cities that   
   had   
   fallen away from God and the Church and about whose conversion the greatest   
   missionaries might have doubted, were won to a change of heart by means of a   
   child, and a girl at that. It has often pleased God to reveal His might and   
   wisdom by means of lowly and unimportant creatures. Thus at Milan in a   
   trying   
   period, when it seemed impossible to come to a decision regarding the choice   
   of   
   a bishop, an infant pointed out St. Ambrose as the chosen bishop; and his   
   life   
   story shows that none could have governed the Church at Milan in a more   
   excellent manner. "But the foolish things of the world has God chosen, that   
   He   
   may confound the wise; and the weak things of the world has God chosen, that   
   He   
   may confound the strong. That no flesh shall glory in his sight. But that he   
   who   
   glories, may glory in the Lord" (1 Cor 1:27; 29; 31).-Have you ever given   
   thought to the fact that it is God who works through human beings?   
      
   2. Consider that the operations of grace which God manifests so   
   extraordinarily   
   in children are also effective, generally speaking, in adults. At such time   
   God   
   uses the natural powers and abilities of men in order to effect good. It is   
   not   
   man, however, who produces the good results, but God Himself. The Prophet   
   speaks   
   thus to the Lord: "For Thou hast wrought all our works for us" (Is 26:112).   
   "God   
   gives the increase" (1 Cor 3:7). Whatever good, therefore, is done by men,   
   we   
   must recognize as the work of God and thank Him for it. In like manner, we   
   may   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)