From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   Living in Unity   
      
    "Brothers and sisters dwell together in unity not by their own   
   strength or their own merits but by God's grace, like dew from heaven.   
    This dew comes from Christ. All you who wish to dwell in unity,   
   desire this dew and be moistened by it. Otherwise you cannot hold firm   
   what you profess."   
   --St. Augustine--Commentary on Psalm 132, 10-11   
      
   Prayer: Lord, you are my helper and the helper of anyone who reaches   
   out to you. Indeed, you are my Redeemer for the very purpose of   
   enabling me to reach out to you.   
   --St. Augustine--Commentary on Psalm 18, 15   
      
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   December 25th - Saint Peter Nolasco, Confessor   
   Also known as Peter Nolascus, Pedro   
      
   Memorial   
     25 December   
     6 May (Mercedarians)   
     formerly 28 January (from 1969 to 2001)   
     formerly 31 January (prior to 1969)   
      
   Peter Nolasco was born at Recaud, near Carcassonne, in France, of   
   noble parents. His distinguishing virtue was the love of his   
   neighbour, which seemed to be presaged by this incident that when he   
   was a babe in his cradle, a swarm of bees one day lighted upon him,   
   and formed a honey-comb on his right hand. He lost his parents early   
   in life. The Albigensian heresy was, at that time, making way in   
   France . Peter, out of the hatred he had for that sect, withdrew into   
   Spain, after having sold his estates. This gave him an opportunity of   
   fulfilling a vow at our Lady's of Mount Serrat, which he had made some   
   time previous. After this, he went to Barcelona; and having there   
   spent all his money in ransoming the Christian captives from the   
   slavery of their enemies, he was often heard saying, that he would   
   willingly sell himself to redeem others, or become a slave in the   
   stead of any captive.   
      
   God showed him, by the following event, how meritorious in his sight   
   was this desire. He was one night praying for the Christian captives,   
   and deliberating with himself how he might obtain their deliverance,   
   when the Blessed Virgin appeared to him, and told him, that he would   
   render himself most dear to her Son and herself, if he would   
   institute, in her honour, an Order of Religious men, who should devote   
   themselves to the ransoming Captives from the infidels. He delayed not   
   to follow the heavenly suggestion, and instituted the Order of Our   
   Lady of Mercy for the redemption of Captives, in which he was aided by   
   St. Raymund of Penafort, and James the First, King of Aragon, both of   
   whom had, on that same night, received the intimation from the Mother   
   of God. The Religious of this Order take a fourth vow, namely, to   
   offer themselves as slaves to the Moors, if they can in no other way   
   obtain the ransom of the Christians.   
      
   Having taken a vow of virginity, he spent his whole life in the most   
   perfect purity. He excelled in every virtue, especially in patience,   
   humility, and abstinence. He foretold future events by the gift of   
   prophecy, wherewith God had favoured him. Thus, when king James was   
   laying siege to Valentia, then in the possession of the Moors, he   
   received assurance from the Saint that he would be blessed with   
   victory. He was frequently consoled with the sight of his Angel   
   Guardian and the Virgin Mother of God. At length, worn out with old   
   age, he received an intimation of his approaching death. When he was   
   seized with his last sickness, he received the holy Sacraments, and   
   exhorted his Religious Brethren to love the Captives. After which, he   
   began most devoutly to recite the Psalm, I will praise thee, O Lord,   
   with my whole heart; and at these words: He hath sent Redemption to   
   his people, he breathed forth his soul into the hands of his Creator,   
   at Christmas midnight, in the year 1256. Pope Alexander the Seventh   
   commanded that his   
      
   God gives St. Peter Nolasco a clock for his church (a.d. 1189-1256).   
      
   St. Peter Nolasco built in Spain the church of St. Mary del Puche. For   
   four Saturdays, seven strange lights were seen at night over a certain   
   spot, and looked like seven stars. They were observed to drop from   
   heaven seven times, and disappear in the earth in the same place. St.   
   Peter Nolasco felt certain that this strange phenomenon announced   
   something; so he commanded men to dig about the spot. They had not   
   gone far into the earth, when they came upon a clock of prodigious   
   size, bearing a beautiful image of the Virgin Mary. Nolasco took it up   
   in his arms as a valuable gift from heaven, and built an altar on the   
   spot where it was buried. This altar became very celebrated for the   
   number of miracles performed there.   
   --R. P. F. Zumel, Life of St. Peter Nolasco.   
      
      
   Saint Quote:   
   Let us come close to the crib. If you love riches, you will find the   
   gold that the kings brought; if you are looking for the smoke of   
   honors, you will find that in the incense; and if you take delight if   
   in the delicacies of the senses, you will find the delicate perfume of   
   myrrh that pervades the stable. Be rich in love for this adorable   
   Saviour, respectful in the familiarity with which you relate to Him,   
   and delight in the joy of experiencing in your soul so many   
   inspirations and affections because you belong exclusively to Him.   
   --St. Francis de Sales   
      
   Bible Quote:   
   Humiliation followeth the proud: and glory shall uphold the humble of   
   spirit.  (Proverbs 29:23)   
      
      
   The Virgin today brings into the world the Eternal   
   And the earth offers a cave to the Inaccessible.   
   The angels and shepherds praise him   
   And the magi advance with the star,   
   For you are born for us, Little Child, God eternal!   
   -- Kontakion of Saint Romanos the Melodist   
      
   <><><><>   
   Nativity Prayer   
   By St Bernard of Clarivaux (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church   
      
   Let Your goodness Lord appear to us,   
   that we made in Your image,   
   conform ourselves to it.   
   In our own strength   
   we cannot imitate Your majesty,   
   power, and wonder   
   nor is it fitting for us to try.   
   But Your mercy   
   reaches from the heavens   
   through the clouds   
   to the earth below.   
   You have come to us as a small child,   
   but you have brought us   
   the greatest of all gifts,   
   the gift of eternal love   
   Caress us with Your tiny hands,   
   embrace us with Your tiny arms   
   and pierce our hearts   
   with Your soft, sweet cries.   
   Amen   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)