From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   What does it mean to "leave all and follow the Lord"?   
      
      Bede the Venerable (673-735), an Anglo-Saxon monk who wrote   
   numerous commentaries on the Scriptures, explains what it meant for   
   Matthew and for us to "follow" as disciples of the Lord Jesus:   
      "By 'follow' he meant not so much the movement of feet as of the   
   heart, the carrying out of a way of life. For one who says that he   
   lives in Christ ought himself to walk just as he walked, not to aim at   
   earthly things, not to pursue perishable gains, but to flee base   
   praise, to embrace willingly the contempt of all that is worldly for   
   the sake of heavenly glory, to do good to all, to inflict injuries   
   upon no one in bitterness, to suffer patiently those injuries that   
   come to oneself, to ask God’s forgiveness for those who oppress, never   
   to seek one's own glory but always God's, and to uphold whatever helps   
   one love heavenly things. This is what is meant by following Christ.   
   In this way, disregarding earthly gains, Matthew attached himself to   
   the band of followers of One who had no riches. For the Lord himself,   
   who outwardly called Matthew by a word, inwardly bestowed upon him the   
   gift of an invisible impulse so that he was able to follow."   
   Are you ready to forsake all for the Lord Jesus Christ?   
      
   <<>><<>><<>>   
   September 25th - Blessed Herman - the Patron Saint of the Unborn   
      
   Although Hermann’s body was a wreck, his spirit was full of Love for   
   God. Although he might have been in a lot of pain (where he calls   
   himself ‘banished children of Eve’ in the Hail Holy Queen Prayer), he   
   found it a way to get closer to God, and he made the best use of his   
   intelligence to contribute to the world. On the contrary, how many of   
   us today with all our limbs and opportunities in life commit suicide   
   or go into a state of depression?   
      
   Today most babies are medically terminated if they are detected for   
   problems such as cerebral palsy or spina bifida. Pregnant mothers are   
   asked to take a test very early in their pregnancy for detection of   
   such problems, so they can abort these babies, in order to avoid the   
   baby being a problem to the family or country economy.   
      
   Most parents are informed that such babies will die within the first 5   
   years. Wonder how many geniuses the world has lost due to the huge   
   number of medical abortions. Blessed Hermann is therefore, listed as a   
   ‘Saint for the Unborn Child’.   
      
   In most communities and countries, the disabled or crippled are seen   
   as a burden to the country economy. But, Herman was a 11th century   
   scholar, composer, music theorist, mathematician, and astronomer. He   
   was called ‘The Wonder of His Age’. This is the very reason that   
   Blessed Hermann is known to be a ‘Saint for the Disabled’.   
      
   At the latter part of his life, Hermann became blind and began writing   
   hymns. The ‘Salve Regina’ or the ‘Hail Holy Queen’ prayer is a legacy   
   that Hermann left for us.   
      
   A poem written by William Hart Hurlbut, M.D. says much about Herman’s   
   character.   
      
   <><><><>   
   Herman The Cripple   
      
   I am least among the low,   
   I am weak and I am slow;   
   I can neither walk nor stand,   
   Nor hold a spoon in my own hand.   
      
   Like a body bound in chain,   
   I am on a rack of pain,   
   But He is God who made me so,   
   that His mercy I should know.   
      
   Brothers do not weep for me!   
   Christ, the Lord, has set me free.   
   All my sorrows he will bless;   
   Pain is not unhappiness.   
      
   From my window I look down   
   To the streets of yonder town,   
   Where the people come and go,   
   Reap the harvest that they sow.   
      
   Like a field of wheat and tares,   
   Some are lost in worldly cares;   
   There are hearts as black as coal,   
   There are cripples of the soul.   
      
   Brothers do not weep for me!   
   In his mercy I am free.   
   I can neither sow nor spin,   
   Yet, I am fed and clothed in Him.   
      
   I have been the donkey’s tail,   
   Slower than a slug or snail;   
   You my brothers have been kind,   
   Never let me lag behind.   
      
   I have been most rich in friends,   
   You have been my feet and hands;   
   All the good that I could do,   
   I have done because of you.   
      
   Oh my brothers, can’t you see?   
   You have been as Christ for me.   
   And in my need I know I, too,   
   Have become as Christ for you!   
      
   I have lived for forty years   
   In this wilderness of tears;   
   But these trials can’t compare   
   With the glory we will share.   
      
   I have had a voice to sing,   
   To rejoice in everything;   
   Now Love’s sweet eternal song   
   Breaks the darkness with the dawn.   
      
   Brother’s do not weep for me!   
   Christ, the Lord, has set me free.   
   Oh my friends, remember this:   
   Pain is not unhappiness.   
      
   The poem is taken from Father Benedict J Groeschel’s book, Stumbling   
   Blocks or Stepping Stones.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)