From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   October 7th - St. Osith, Abbess   
      
   (Died c. 700)   
      
   According to tradition, Osith was daughter of Frithuwold, the Mercian   
   sub-King   
   of Surrey. Her mother was Wilburga, daughter of King Penda of Mercia. The   
   parents of Osith, with St. Erconwald, founded the monastery of Chertsey   
   (Surrey)   
   in 675. She was born at Quarendon, near Aylesbury (Buckinghamshire), and her   
   childhood was spent in the care of her maternal aunts, the two holy   
   abbesses,   
   St. Edith of Aylesbury and St. Edburga of Bicester.   
      
   There is an old story that St. Edith sent Osith, one day, to take a book to   
   St.   
   Modwenna at her nunnery, in order to point out to her a particularly   
   interesting   
   passage she had discovered. To reach Modwenna's house, Osith had to cross a   
   stream by a bridge. As the stream was swollen and the wind was high, she was   
   blown into the water and remained there for two days before she was   
   discovered.   
   Edith thought she was safe with Modwenna who, not expecting her visit, was   
   not   
   surprised at her non-appearance. On the third day, Edith, wondering why her   
   pupil had not returned with an answer to her message, came to Modwenna.   
   Great   
   was the consternation of the abbesses when they found they had lost their   
   charge. They went to search for her. Following the banks of the stream, they   
   saw   
   the child lying at the bottom, holding the book open at the passage she had   
   been   
   told to show to Modwenna. The abbesses prayed for her restoration, and   
   commanded   
   her to arise from the water and come to them. This she did: she, her dress   
   and   
   the book being quite uninjured. There is some confusion over which Modwenna   
   is   
   meant here. The story seems to indicate St. Modwenna of Burton-on-Trent, but   
   this is impossible. The lady in question is probably the little known St.   
   Modwenna of Northumbria.   
      
   After the death of St. Edith, Osith returned to her parents, who soon   
   accepted,   
   on her behalf, an offer of marriage from Sighere, King of Essex, who reigned   
   jointly with Sebba. Sighere had relapsed into heathenism, but promised to   
   become   
   a Christian on marrying Osith. Osith's inclinations, however, had turned   
   towards   
   a religious life and she would rather have been an abbess than a queen,   
   having   
   secretly made a vow of celibacy. Her fate was decided for her though and she   
   was   
   given to Sighere, whilst still praying that she might have no husband but   
   the   
   Lord. On her marriage, she went with her husband, probably to London, which   
   was   
   then the capital of Essex. On some pretext or other, she declined, for   
   several   
   days, to receive the King in her bower - a separate house for herself and   
   her   
   attendant ladies within the enclosure of the Royal residence. At last,   
   however,   
   her contrivances were exhausted and so was the King's patience. Her   
   seclusion   
   came to a sudden end and her husband stood before her. Still she prayed that   
   she   
   might keep her vow, but Sighere began to protest that, without her, life   
   held no   
   happiness and no interest for him. But even while he spoke, there was a   
   sound of   
   eager voices and hurrying feet. Some of his lords cried, "The stag, the   
   stag"   
   and close to the gate was the largest stag that ever was seen. Up sprang   
   Sighere   
   and, with all his Court, started in pursuit. Osith regarded this   
   interruption as   
   an answer to her prayers and took his departure as a release from her   
   engagement. She sent in all haste for Bishops Acca and Bedwin and, when the   
   King   
   returned, after a chase of four or five days, he found her a veiled nun. He   
   generously gave her an estate at Chich (St. Osiths) in Essex, and built her   
   a   
   church and a monastery, where she soon gathered many holy nuns.   
      
   After many years, on 7th October around 700, the Danes made a raid on the   
   Essex   
   coast. Their leader tried by threats and entreaties to make Osith renounce   
   her   
   religion, but in vain and, incensed at his failure, he cut off her head. As   
   it   
   fell to the earth, a fountain bubbled up which, for many years afterwards,   
   had a   
   wonderful power of curing diseases. Osith rose to her feet and carried her   
   head   
   in her hands to the church, staining the door with blood as she opened it.   
   Her   
   family claimed her body and it was buried for a while at Aylesbury Abbey;   
   but   
   the saint intimated, by visions and other signs, that she chose to rest in   
   her   
   own monastery. There, accordingly, she was eventually placed in a rich   
   shrine by   
   Maurice, Bishop of London.   
      
   She is represented in art with a stag behind her and a long key hanging from   
   her   
   girdle, or otherwise carrying a key and a sword crossed, a device which   
   commemorates St. Peter, St. Paul and St. Andrew.   
      
   Edited from Agnes Dunbar's "A Dictionary of Saintly Women" (1904).   
   .   
      
   Saint Quote:   
   If we love God and are faithful to Him, we shall be at peace, and this peace   
   shall endure.   
   --St. Madeleine Sophie Barat   
      
   Bible Quote:   
   46 Which of you shall convince me of sin? If I say the truth to you, why do   
   you   
   not believe me? 47 He that is of God, heareth the words of God. Therefore   
   you   
   hear them not, because you are not of God.  (John 8:46-47   
      
      
   <><><><>   
   +Novena to the Holy Ghost+   
      
   Second Day: The Gift of Fear   
      
   Come, Thou Father of the poor!   
   Come, with treasures which endure!   
   Come, Thou Light of all that live!   
      
   The gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us   
   dread nothing so much as to offend Him by Sin. It is a fear that arises, not   
   from   
   the thought of hell, but from sentiments of reverence and filial submission   
   to   
   our heavenly Father. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom,   
   detaching us from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from   
   God.   
   "They   
   that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and in His sight will sanctify   
   their souls."   
      
   Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may   
   set Thee, my Lord and God, before my face forever; help me to shun all   
   things   
   that can offend Thee, and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of   
   Thy   
   Divine Majesty in heaven, where Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the   
   ever Blessed Trinity, God world without end. Amen.   
      
      
   Our Father, Hail Mary, 7 Glory Bes   
   Act of Consecration to the Holy Ghost   
   Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost   
      
   See:   
   http://www.truecatholic.org/hgnovena.htm   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)