From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   Man is destroyed by his own free choice   
      
   Man is destroyed by his own free choice: for out of love for some   
   worldly thing he throws himself into fire, is drowned in the sea and   
   gives himself into captivity. Let us suppose that someone's house or   
   field has caught fire. The person who wanted to save himself fled   
   without anything as soon as he noticed the fire, leaving everything in   
   it and concerned only with his own life. But someone else thought he   
   would take some of the goods with him, so he stayed behind to collect   
   them; and as he was taking them the fire, which had already   
   overwhelmed the house, caught him as well and burnt him. In this way,   
   through his attachment to some transient thing, he was destroyed in   
   the fire by his own free choice. Again, two men were shipwrecked. One   
   of them, wanting to save himself, stripped off his clothes and threw   
   himself into the water; and in this way he was able to save his life.   
   The other, wanting to save his clothes as well, was drowned,   
   destroying himself for the sake of a slight gain. Or again, let us   
   suppose that news of an attack by an enemy was announced. One man, as   
   soon as he heard the news, fled as fast as his feet would carry him,   
   without a thought for his possessions. Another, either because he   
   distrusted the news, or because he wanted to take with him some of his   
   goods, waited until later, and when the enemy arrived he was caught.   
   Thus, through his lack of alertness and his attachment to worldly   
   things, he lost body and soul by his own free choice.   
   --St. Symeon Metaphrastis   
      
   <<>><<>><<>>   
   September 7th – St. Sozon, Martyr   
      
   The following is the legend of this young shepherd of Cilicia, who was   
   originally called Tarasius and took the name of Sozon at baptism. One   
   day while sleeping under a tree our Lord appeared to him, told him to   
   leave his sheep, and to follow Him to death.  Sozon awoke and at once   
   made his way to the nearest town, Pompeiopolis, Where he found a pagan   
   festival was being celebrated. He went straight into the temple of the   
   god and with a mighty blow of his crook knocked down the golden image   
   and broke off its hand.  This hand he took and broke into further   
   small pieces, which he distributed as alms among the poor. Several   
   innocent persons were arrested for this, Whereupon Sozon marched into   
   court and gave himself up as the true culprit.   
      
   He was offered pardon and freedom if he would Worship the god whose   
   statue he had mutilated, but Sozon mocked the idea of worshipping a   
   god that could be broken by a sheep-crook.   Nails were then driven,   
   points upward, through the soles of his sandals and he was made thus   
   to walk around the arena.  As Sozon passed before the magistrate he   
   pointed at his blood-stained feet and said, " I have finer red shoes   
   than you ". "You are a brave fellow ", said the magistrate.  "Play a   
   tune on your pipe and I will let you go."  But Sozon refused, saying   
   that he had often piped to his sheep but would now make music only to   
   God. So he was sentenced to be burned, and when night had come the   
   Christians of the place collected his charred bones and gave them   
   honourable burial.   
      
   Two Greek texts preserve the alleged acts of this martyr.  One has   
   been edited in the Acta Sanctorum, September, vol. iii  the other in   
   vol. cxv of Migne, PG.   
      
      
   Saint Quote:   
   We do not know the number of souls that is ours to save through our   
   prayers and sacrifices; therefore, let us always pray for sinners.   
   (1783)   
   --St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in my Soul   
      
   Bible Quote:   
   Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the bowels   
   of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience: Bearing with one   
   another and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against   
   another. Even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also.  (Col   
   3:12-13)  DRB   
      
      
   <><><><>   
   The Holy Spirit   
      
      The coming of the Spirit is gentle, his presence fragrant, his   
   weight very light. Rays of light and knowledge stream before him as he   
   approaches. The Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend and   
   protector to save, to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen, to   
   console. The Spirit comes to enlighten the mind first of the one who   
   receives him, and then through that person the minds of others as   
   well. As light strikes the eye of those who come out of darkness into   
   sunshine and enables them to see clearly things they could not discern   
   before, so does light flood the souls of those counted worthy of   
   receiving the Holy Spirit and enable them to see things beyond the   
   range of human vision of which they had previously been ignorant.   
   --St. Cyril of Jerusalem   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)