From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   On our own Weakness and the Trials of This Life  [II]   
      
   Consider my lowness and weakness, O Lord, for You know all things.   
   Have mercy on me, and raise me from the mire, that I may not stick   
   fast in it, (Ps.25:16; 49:14) nor remain prostrate. It is this that   
   often defeats and confounds me in Your eyes -- that I am so prone to   
   fall and so weak in resisting my passions. And although I do not yield   
   to them entirely, yet their assaults trouble and distress me, so that   
   I am weary of living constantly at conflict. My weakness is apparent   
   to me, for evil fancies rush in on me more readily than they depart.   
   --Thomas à Kempis --Imitation of Christ Bk 3, Ch 20   
      
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   November 25th - St. Peter of Alexandria   
      
   St. Peter, a man of great virtue and learning, was patriarch of   
   Alexandria, his native city. At the time when the Emperors, Diocletian   
   and Maximian, endeavored to extirpate the Christian religion, he did   
   all in his power to strengthen the Christians in the true faith and   
   encourage them to prepare for martyrdom. He himself desired nothing   
   more ardently than to give his life for Christ's sake; but the   
   faithful forced him to conceal himself until the persecution ceased.   
   Hardly had this storm abated, when Meletius, a bishop, gave him new   
   trouble, by promulgating heretical dogmas, and committing other   
   crimes, for which St. Peter had to depose him from his see and   
   excommunicate him. The conduct and the doctrine of Meletius were   
   defended, in defiance of St. Peter, by Arius, a proud and ambitious   
   priest of Alexandria; and as neither prayers nor threats could move   
   Arius to desist from such unjust and wicked proceedings, the zealous   
   Patriarch saw himself obliged to separate him also, by   
   excommunication, from the Church of Christ.   
      
   During this schism of the Church, an imperial officer arrived at   
   Alexandria, seized St. Peter, and cast him into a dungeon. Arius   
   thought that, after the death of St. Peter, he would surely succeed to   
   the patriarchal chair if he were reconciled to the Church. He   
   therefore pretended to repent of his fault, and going to the clergy,   
   he requested them to beg the Patriarch to revoke the sentence of   
   excommunication, declaring that he had abandoned the cause of   
   Meletius, and was resolved to live and die a Catholic. Achillas and   
   Alexander, moved by his deceitful words begged St. Peter to grant the   
   request. The Patriarch, enlightened by God, replied with a deep sigh:   
   "I know that Arius is full of hypocrisy and blasphemy; how can I   
   receive him again into the Church? You must know that in   
   excommunicating him, I have not acted of my own accord, but by   
   inspiration from the Almighty. Only last night, Christ appeared to me   
   in the form of a beautiful youth, clothed in a snow-white garment,   
   which was sadly rent. I was terrified, and asked: 'Lord, what is the   
   meaning of this? Who has torn Thy robe?' He answered: 'Arius has done   
   it; for, by his heresy, he has divided My Church and will make the   
   rent still larger.'"   
      
   Peter added that Christ had forbidden him to receive Arius again into   
   the pale of the Church, and commanded Achillas and Alexander also to   
   reject him, when they would, one after the other, succeed to the   
   patriarchal chair. Having said this, the Saint admonished them to   
   guard, with fatherly care, the flock of Christ, and then, with his   
   blessing, dismissed them. Soon after, by command of the emperor, St.   
   Peter was dragged to the place of execution, without having had a   
   trial. The Christians endeavored to interfere; but the Saint hastened   
   joyfully to the spot where he was to receive the crown of martyrdom.   
   His death happened in the year 310. The Christians carried the holy   
   body into the Church, clothed it in the pontifical robes, and placed   
   it upon the chair of St. Mark, on which Peter's humility and his   
   reverence for the holy Evangelist had never allowed him to sit in his   
   lifetime, as he always sat down on one of the steps leading to it.   
   Having for some time showed all due honors to the holy body, they laid   
   it into the tomb.   
      
   Practical Considerations   
   St. Peter is one of those glorious martyrs, who joyfully hastened to   
   the place of execution to give their lives for the true faith. Have   
   you not sometimes desired that you had lived at that period, and given   
   your blood for Christ? I praise you for having had such a pious wish.   
   But as you have no occasion now to die a martyr for the love of the   
   Saviour, endeavor at least to live for Him, and to be a martyr without   
   shedding your blood. How can this be done? Origen says: "We can be   
   martyrs without shedding our blood, by patiently bearing crosses and   
   trials." In like manner speaks St. Bernard, when he says: "By   
   preserving true patience continually in your mind, you may become a   
   martyr without the sword." St. Gregory says the same, and remarks,   
   also: "To bear wrongs and persecutions patiently, and to love our   
   enemy, is a kind of martyrdom." "It is martyrdom," says St.   
   Chrysostom, "when we bear poverty patiently for God's sake." "If a   
   Christian," writes St. Augustine, "lives according to the gospel, his   
   entire life is one cross, one long martyrdom." The same holy teacher   
   instructed us, on a former occasion, that we are martyrs by conquering   
   our passions, by avoiding lust, by preserving justice, by despising   
   avarice and by restraining pride.   
      
   In a sermon of St. Lawrence, we read that "martyr," according to the   
   Greek, means " witness." "As often, therefore," says he, "as we fulfil   
   the commands of Christ, and do good, so often are we witnesses of the   
   Lord, and in that sense, martyrs." Hence you may become a martyr of   
   Christ, in this manner and you will find frequent opportunity for it.   
   Endeavor, therefore, to bear patiently crosses and sufferings; live   
   according to the Gospel of the Lord; moderate your passions; be   
   chaste, and avoid all vices; let your conduct be witness of your   
   fidelity to your Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be a true, though   
   bloodless, martyr.   
      
      
   Saint Quote:   
   Do not desire crosses, unless you have borne well those laid on you;   
   it is an abuse to long after martyrdom while unable to bear an insult   
   patiently.   
   -- François de Sales   
      
   Bible Quote:   
    Who turning, said to Peter: Go behind me, Satan, thou art a scandal   
   unto me: because thou savourest not the things that are of God, but   
   the things that are of men.  [Matt 16:23]  DRB   
      
      
   <><><><>   
   Spirit of wisdom and understanding,   
   enlighten our minds to perceive the mysteries   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)