From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   Sin is a great shame   
      
   "Sin is a great shame. If we commit it not only should we feel ashamed   
   but we should cover ourselves exactly the same way those who are   
   wounded do. Even then we should not forsake ourselves but rush to   
   confession and thanksgiving. We have such a Lord who asks nothing of   
   us but to confess our sins, after the commitment of a sin which was   
   due to our indifference, and to stop at that point and not to fall   
   into the same one again. If we eat with moderation we should never be   
   ashamed, because the Creator gave us such a body which cannot be   
   supported in any other way except by receiving food. Let us only stop   
   excessive food because that attributes a great deal to the health and   
   well-being of the body."   
   --St. John Chrysostom, On Fasting.   
      
   <<>><<>><<>>   
   July 12th - St. John Gualbert, Abbot   
      
   Born in Florence, Tuscany, Italy, c. 993; died at Passignano (near   
   Florence) in 1073; canonized in 1193. Because of his birth into the   
   noble Visdomini family, John Gualbert had no more thought of following   
   a life of austerity and humility than did his noble Florentine friends   
   and companions. Bred to be a soldier, he spent his time in worldly   
   amusements. Indeed, so far from intending to follow the precepts of   
   Our Lord, his one over-riding ambition was to avenge the murder of his   
   elder brother, Hugh. To him this was a matter of justice and, more   
   importantly, a matter of honor. It happened that one Good Friday as he   
   was riding through a narrow pass on his way to Florence, Gualbert came   
   face to face with the man he had been seeking. The man was alone and   
   there was no means of escape. Gualbert drew his sword and moved   
   forward, but at his approach the murderer, in a gesture not so much of   
   supplication as of despair, fell to his knees, threw out his arms and   
   commended his soul to God.   
      
   Gualbert hesitated, and as he looked down on his victim he was   
   suddenly reminded of the image of Christ suffering on the Cross and of   
   the forgiveness which Our Lord had asked for those who murdered him.   
   Sheathing his sword, he embraced and forgave the man. Having pardoned   
   his brother's murderer, he saw the image of the crucifix miraculously   
   bow its head in acknowledgment of Gualbert's good action and they   
   separated in peace.   
      
   Continuing his journey, Gualbert went to the monastery of San Miniato   
   del Monte in Florence where, as he prayed before the crucifix, he was   
   filled with divine grace. He asked the abbot for permission to be   
   admitted. But the abbot delayed, fearing the anger and resentment of   
   Gualbert's parents. To demonstrate the seriousness of his call,   
   Gualbert shaved his head himself and put on a habit that he had   
   borrowed.   
      
   For the next few years he remained at San Miniato, leading the life of   
   a penitent and hoping to end his days there; but when the abbot died   
   and the new one bribed his way to office, he left in disgust. (Other   
   sources say that he left with a companion to find solitude when it   
   looked likely that he would be appointed abbot.) He wanted to find a   
   life untouched by the current abuses in the Church: clerical   
   concubinage, nepotism, and simony. For a while he stayed with the   
   Camaldolesi at Saint Romuald's abbey, but then decided to make an   
   entirely new foundation.   
      
   The abbess of Sant'Ellero gave him some land in the Vallis Umbrosa   
   (Vallombrosa), about 20 miles east of Florence near Fiesole; and   
   there, with the help of a few companions, he built a small and   
   unpretentious monastery of timber. The monks followed the austere rule   
   of Saint Benedict to the letter, except for a special provision   
   admitting conversi, or lay-brothers who could take on the manual labor   
   and free the choir monks for contemplation and more prayer.   
      
   He was dedicated to poverty and humility. He never became a priest, in   
   fact, he declined even to receive minor orders. Vallombrosa inspired   
   other communities with its hospices for the poor and sick. These   
   became part of his new order under John's rule, in spite of rival   
   claims to jurisdiction. In this and other ways John became involved in   
   the reform movement in the Church, for which he was commended by   
   popes.   
      
   Other monasteries were established, but in all cases Gualbert insisted   
   that the buildings should be constructed as modestly and cheaply as   
   possible and that the money saved should be given to the poor. Indeed,   
   his zeal for charity was such that he often gave away all the   
   monastery's supplies to the poor who came to its gates. The area in   
   which the first monastery was located was wild and barren, but the   
   monks planted fir and pine trees and transformed it into a parkland.   
      
   Gualbert was known for his wisdom, miracles, and prophecies. Pope   
   Saint Leo IX, traveled specially to Passignano to speak with him, as   
   did Stephen X. Pope Alexander II attributed the eradication of simony   
   in his country to him. Though respected and visited by popes, Gualbert   
   retained his humility. He died aged about 80. The congregation of   
   Vallombrosan Benedictines that he founded spread chiefly throughout   
   Tuscany and Lombardy, but it still exists today and includes more than   
   six monasteries (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia,   
   Farmer, White).   
      
   John Gualbert is the patron on foresters and park keepers (White).   
      
      
   Saint Quote:   
   Earthly riches are like the reed. Its roots are sunk in the swamp, and   
   its exterior is fair to behold; but inside it is hollow. If a man   
   leans on such a reed, it will snap off and pierce his soul.   
   --St. Anthony of Padua   
      
   Bible Quote:   
   I speak of Thy testimonies before kings: and I was not ashamed. I   
   meditated also on Thy commandments, which I loved exceedingly.  [Ps.   
   118:46,47]   
      
   <><><><>   
   God alone is enough.   
      
   Let nothing upset you,   
   let nothing startle you.   
   All things pass;   
   God does not change.   
   Patience wins   
   all it seeks.   
   Whoever has God   
   lacks nothing:   
   God alone is enough   
   --St Teresa Avila   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)