From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   Perfection   
      
   Perfection consists in one thing alone, which is doing the will of   
   God. For, according to Our Lord’s words, it suffices for perfection to   
   deny self, to take up the cross and to follow Him. Now who denies   
   himself and takes up his cross and follows Christ better than he who   
   seeks not to do his own will, but always that of God? Behold, now, how   
   little is needed to become a Saint? Nothing more than to acquire the   
   habit of willing, on every occasion, what God wills.   
   --St. Vincent de Paul   
      
   ===============   
       • 7 November – Blessed Anthony Baldinucci S.J.   
      
   Jesuit Priest, Preacher, Writer and Missionary. Born on 19 June 1665   
   in Florence, Italy and died on 7 November 1717 of natural causes.   
   Beatified on 23 April 1893 by Pope Leo XIII.   
      
   Antonio Baldinucci was born in Florence (Tuscany, Italy), the son of a   
   writer and artist and his wife. The fifth of five sons, Antonio’s   
   parents had promised the Lord prior to his birth that if they produced   
   a son, they would devote his life to Saint Anthony of Padua (whose   
   intercession had cured a family member of serious illness). When   
   Antonio was born, he was raised in the faith, with the intention of   
   his becoming a priest and serving God as promised by his parents.   
   Antonio embraced his parents’ wishes with the zeal of one on fire for   
   the Lord. Rather than rebel, as we might expect from a teenage boy,   
   Antonio instead gravitated to the holy, threw himself into his studies   
   and lived a pious life. At age eleven, he began his studies with the   
   Jesuits at San Giovannino but following his eldest brother’s entrance   
   into the Dominican Order, expressed his wish to follow. The   
   Dominicans, however, refused Antonio’s admission, due to his poor   
   health. Instead, his father recommended that he embark on the   
   Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, to attempt to discern   
   God’s plan for his life. Under the spiritual direction of a Jesuit,   
   Antonio was led to seek admission to the Society of Jesus and at the   
   age of 16, began his novitiate in Rome.   
      
   Antonio, often ill, was assigned to serve the local Rome community. He   
   first taught the young men at the college, despite his young age.   
   Antonio was not content to remain in Rome, however, expressing his   
   greatest wish to be sent out as a missionary among the Gentiles and to   
   suffer martyrdom for the Lord. He applied, during his tenure with the   
   Jesuits for three overseas missions trips—to India, China, and   
   Japan—and was each time refused, on account of his fragile health. As   
   his health worsened, he experienced debilitating headaches and body   
   fatigue and was sent around the country to various Jesuit houses,   
   seeking advice and cure. Apparently, getting out of Rome was helpful   
   for him and he regained his strength. Allowed to preach, his brothers   
   were amazed by his vigour and success in converting those who heard   
   him!   
      
   Returning to Rome, Antonio would spend his afternoons in public   
   places, preaching, and drawing many to the Church. He was ordained at   
   age 30 and immediately applied to be sent overseas as a missionary but   
   again was refused. Instead, Antonio was sent to Frascati, south of   
   Rome, where part of his duties was to provide missions to the poor   
   surrounding towns and villages in the area. Antonio embraced this task   
   with zeal, working among the poor and uneducated for the remainder of   
   his life.  Looking to St Ignatius and St Peter Claver as models   
   Antonio traveled barefoot to the towns and villages, regardless of   
   weather. He carried all he needed in a bag on his back and walked with   
   a pilgrim staff. When asked why he walked barefoot, he replied: “That   
   God may be moved by my sufferings to touch the hearts of my hearers.”   
      
   Each of Antonio’s missions lasted between eight and 14 days, depending   
   on the needs of the parish and for his preaching he generally drew   
   from the Spiritual Exercises. At the start of each mission, Blessed   
   Antonio would lead a procession of penitents, during which he wore a   
   crown of thorns, carried a heavy cross and whipped or flagellated   
   himself. This he did as penance for the sins of those he served. Once   
   he had instilled a bit of fear into his mission attendees, Blessed   
   Antonio softened his approach. He spent little time in the pulpit,   
   instead interacting on a personal level with his congregation, writing   
   letters, teaching catechism, visiting and assisting children and the   
   ill. All were welcome, including the ruffians or thugs of the   
   villages. Antonio often began his missions by seeking out the roughest   
   characters of the region and asking them to accompany him, offering   
   him “protection.” By the conclusion of each mission, many of these   
   dissolute characters had come to the faith. Each of Blessed Antonio’s   
   missions ended in the same manner, with a large exhibition where   
   everyone could receive Holy Eucharist. Following Communion, a public   
   burning of cards, dice, obscene pictures, books and secular songs   
   would commence. After one mission, 240 daggers and small guns and 21   
   pistols were laid at his feet.   
      
   Blessed Antonio participated in missions for over 20 years, during   
   that time giving 448 missions in 30 dioceses (an average of 22 each   
   year).  Despite this schedule, he found the time to write down many of   
   his sermons, as well as maintain correspondence with those who needed   
   spiritual direction and support. To do so, he maintained a rigorous   
   schedule of work, prayer and penance, sleeping little (about three   
   hours each night on a bed of planks) and fasting constantly. While he   
   had received a special dispensation from Pope Clement XI to not offer   
   daily Mass due to his schedule, he refused to accept it, reading the   
   Liturgy daily.   
      
   Gradually, Antonio’s reputation grew and he was summoned to larger and   
   larger cities, drawing great crowds at each mission. Father Baldinucci   
   was deeply devoted to the Eucharist, the Passion of Christ and the   
   Blessed Virgin Mary. He highly revered an image of the Blessed Virgin   
   with the title, “Refuge of Sinners,” attributing numerous conversions   
   and miraculous cures to its veneration. Beginning a new mission in   
   Frosinone, his health failed him and he was confined to his bed.   
   Although he appeared to others to be recovering, Antonio knew his   
   death was approaching and requested that the image of Mary be placed   
   before him. Repeatedly, he prayed to Our Blessed Mother, “Show   
   yourself to be a Mother.” After asking for the Last Sacraments and   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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