From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   After the Example of Jesus Christ   
      
   I became of all men the most humble and the most abject (Luke 2:7;   
   John 13:14), that thou mightest overcome thy pride with My humility. O   
   dust! learn to be obedient. Learn to humble thyself, thou earth and   
   clay, and to bow thyself down under the feet of all men. Learn to   
   break thine own wishes, and to yield thyself to all subjection.   
   --Thomas à Kempis --Imitation of Christ Bk 3, Ch 13   
      
   ==============   
   March 12th – St. Paul Aurelian   
   Also known as Paul of Léon, Paol Aorelian, Paulinus Aurelianus, Paul   
   Aurelian of Léon, Pol de Léon   
      
   Like the naming of Constantine, this saint reminds us of how the   
   influence of the Roman occupation lingered on after the legions had   
   left Britain. Paul was born in Genychen in East Glamorgan about the   
   year 480 of a Romano-British family, his father Porphius being an   
   "official of high dignity". He was sent to be educated by St. Illtyd,   
   first at Caldy Island and then at the famous monastery of Llantwit   
   Major, having David, Sampson and Gildas among his fellow students. He   
   learnt not only from books but also from the manual labour in which   
   all the community was expected to share and included reclaiming   
   fertile ground by banking up the River Severn.   
      
   When he was quite young he left to set up an hermitage for himself   
   where he was joined by a dozen other young men who regarded him as   
   their leader and there he was ordained priest by St. Dyfrig. A local   
   king called Mark tried to persuade him to be a bishop to his people   
   who were of mixed race, "speaking four tongues", but he was unwilling   
   to accept this office and after quarreling with the king who refused   
   to give him one of his 7 bells he departed to Cornwall.   
      
   Paul's sister Sitafolia had established a convent near Penzance,   
   possibly at Newlyn, and he built himself a church in the parish which   
   bears his name where there are two ancient Celtic crosses, one set   
   into the wall of the church which boasts the second highest tower in   
   Cornwall. It is a tradition that his sister's community was threatened   
   by encroachments by the sea and that they together marked out the   
   tide-time with pebbles and at his prayers the pebbles grew into rocks   
   which prevented further erosion of the land.   
      
   After a while Paul moved on to Brittany landing on the Isle of   
   Ouessant at a place called Porzpol and there constructed a monastery   
   consisting of a small church and 13 huts of turf and stone at a place   
   still called Lampol. He did not remain on the island for long but   
   founded another monastic centre on the mainland at Lampaul   
   Plondalmezon where his monks christianised some of the pagan menhirs   
   by cutting them into crosses.   
      
   However Paul was still not satisfied and felt he needed the sanction   
   of the civil authority and so he went in search of the chieftain of   
   Leon who turned out to be a relative from Gwent, Withur, a devout   
   Christian then living in the Isle of Batz. When Paul arrived at his   
   house he was just finishing transcribing a copy of the Gospels which   
   he gave to him with a bell, which had been denied him by the chieftain   
   in Wales. The holy Abbot is believed to have delivered the island of   
   Batz of a monstrous serpent or dragon which had terrorized the   
   inhabitants and a hole in the island is still pointed out as its lair.   
      
   Withur gave Paul land on the Isle of Batz and also the ruined Roman   
   town of Ocismor and there he built his main foundation, which is now   
   known as St Pol de Leon. Withur, realizing that the status of Abbot   
   which was recognized among the British was not acceptable to the   
   people of Gaul, managed to get Paul consecrated bishop by sending him   
   on a mission to Childebert the Frankish king and so he became the   
   first diocesan of that part of Brittany. With his monks the bishop   
   began the work of evangelizing the native population who were nearly   
   all pagan.   
      
   About the year 526 St. Paul resigned his See to his nephew Joerin and   
   retired to Batz where he was visited by St. Brendan. More than 20   
   years later he resumed his episcopate when a change of rulers took   
   place after a great battle at Gerber, where he built another abbey,   
   now called Le Relecq because of the large number of bones of the   
   slain. He only remained as bishop for a short time before resigning   
   once again and going to Batz where he died about 580 more than a 100   
   years old. His body is enshrined in the old Cathedral at St Pol de   
   Leon where his bell is preserved and his stole can be seen at Batz   
   (Bowen, Baring Gould and Fisher).   
      
      
   Saint Quote:   
   Our Lord does not come down from Heaven every day to lie in a golden   
   ciborium. He comes to find another heaven which is infinitely dearer   
   to him--the heaven of our souls, created in His Image, the living   
   temples of the Adorable Trinity.   
   --Saint Therese of Lisieux   
      
   Bible Quote   
   You have not chosen me: but I have chosen you; and have appointed you,   
   that you should go, and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit   
   should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name,   
   he may give it you.  (John 15:16)  DRB   
      
      
   <><><><>   
   Act Of Petition   
      
   Give me Yourself, O my God,   
   give Yourself to me.   
   Behold I love You,   
   and if my love is too weak a thing,   
   grant me to love You more strongly.   
   I cannot measure my love to know how much   
   it falls short of being sufficient,   
   but let my soul hasten to Your embrace   
   and never be turned away until it is hidden   
   in the secret shelter of Your presence.   
   This only do I know,   
   that it is not good for me   
   when You are not with me,   
   when You are only outside me.   
   I want You in my very self.   
   All the plenty in the world   
   which is not my God is utter want.   
      
   Amen.   
   (By Saint Augustine of Hippo.)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)