From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   February 27th - St. Anne Line   
      
   Anne Line was born at Dunmow in Essex, probably in the late 1560's.  There   
   is a   
   tradition that the Clock House on Thaxted Road, Dunmow, was her home.  In   
   her   
   youth Anne was a Calvinist, with a strict Protestant upbringing.  However,   
   Anne   
   & her brother became converts to the Catholic faith and by doing so they   
   were   
   thrown out of their family home by their father.  At the time, practicing   
   Catholicism was a very dangerous thing to do.   
      
   Anne married a staunch Catholic, Roger Line, who too lost his inheritance by   
   keeping the faith.  The Lines were originally from Hampshire.  The date of   
   Anne's marriage in unclear but her husband was arrested in 1585 for   
   assisting   
   Mass and was banished to Belgium where he died in 1594.   
      
   Upon his death, Anne became the housekeeper to a Jesuit Priest, Fr. Gerard,   
   who   
   set up a secret house in London.  Anyone who willingly aided or maintained   
   Jesuits or priests faced the death penalty.  Fr. Gerard called Anne a very   
   good   
   and prudent widowed lady ... full of kindness with a soul in great peace.   
   It   
   appears that Anne was often ill and life was extremely poor.  However, she   
   was   
   devoted to the Catholic faith and the priesthood.  As part of her 'disguise'   
   Anne took the name Mrs Martha and was arrested in 1601 under this name.   
      
   It seems Anne allowed an unusually large number of Catholics to hear Mass on   
   the   
   Feast of the Purification.  Some neighbours noted the crowd and the   
   constables   
   were at the house at once.  The priest, Fr. Francis Page, managed to escape,   
   but   
   Anne was arrested on February 2nd 1601.  She was taken to Newgate Prison and   
   tried before Lord Chief Justice Popham, a bitter enemy of Catholicism who   
   condemned her to death on February 26th 1601.   
      
   The next day she was taken from Newgate to Tyburn.  Along the journey she   
   was   
   urged to convert back to Protestantism to save herself.  She refused.  When   
   she   
   reached the gallows she kissed them, knelt for her private prayers and threw   
   money & a handkerchief to the crowd.  She made the sign of the cross and   
   then   
   walked to her death-hung at Tyburn.  Her body was thrown into a common grave   
   with the others killed that day.   
      
   But is seems her body was 'rescued' by the Countess of Arundel who wrote of   
   her   
   being constant and courageous in the defence of the faith.  The Countess   
   brought   
   her body to her own house where it was kept with reverence 'till it could be   
   buried by members of the Catholic community.   
      
      
   <><><><>   
   "One who wishes to become truly holy ought not, except in a few unusual   
   cases,   
   to excuse himself, although that for which he is blamed be not true. Jesus   
   Christ acted thus. He heard Himself charged with evil which He had not done,   
   but   
   said not a word to free Himself from the disgrace.   
   -St. Philip Neri   
      
         The Empress Leonora was treated by her mother always with harshness,   
   and   
   without any appearance of affection. For the smallest things that were   
   observed   
   by no one else, her mother reproved her sharply at every turn, and   
   frequently   
   struck her. The good child remained always in silence, with her eyes cast   
   down,   
   uttering not a word in her defense, still less complaining or weeping. Often   
   when the tempest had passed, she would kneel and kiss her mother's feet,   
   asking   
   her pardon and promising amendment.   
      
   (Taken from the book "A Year with the Saints". February - Humility)   
      
   Bible Quote   
   And the centurion, making answer, said: Lord, I am not worthy that thou   
   shouldst   
   enter under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed.   
   For   
   I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers; and I say to   
   this, Go, and he goeth, and to another Come, and he cometh, and to my   
   servant,   
   Do this, and he doeth it. And Jesus hearing this, marveled; and said to them   
   that followed him. Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith in   
   Israel.   
   (Matt 8:8-10)   
      
      
   <><><><>   
   Faithful Cross! above all other,   
   One and only noble Tree!   
   None in foliage, none in blossom,   
   None in fruit thy peers may be;   
   Sweetest Wood and Sweetest Iron!   
   Sweetest Weight is hung on thee.   
   Bend thy boughs, O Tree of glory!   
   Thy relaxing sinews bend;   
   For awhile the ancient rigor,   
   That thy birth bestowed, suspend;   
   And the King of heavenly beauty   
   On thy bosom gently tend!   
   Thou alone wast counted worthy   
   This world's ransom to uphold   
   For a shipwrecked race preparing   
   Harbor, like the Ark of old;   
   With the sacred Blood anointed   
   From the smitten Lamb that rolled.   
   Roman Breviary, Invention and Exaltation of the Cross, Crux fidelis inter   
   omnes at Laods. (From hymn Pange Lingua Gloriosi) (Tr. Neale) (Fortonatos,   
   6th cent.)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)