From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   Imitating Christ and Despising all Vanities on Earth {1}   
      
    he that followeth me, walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light of   
   life.,"   
    says the Lord. [John 8:12.]   
   By these words of Christ we are advised to imitate His life and   
   habits, if we wish to be truly enlightened and free from all blindness   
   of heart. Let our chief effort, therefore, be to study the life of   
   Jesus Christ. The teaching of Christ is more excellent than all the   
   advice of the saints, and he who has His spirit will find in it a   
   hidden manna. Now, there are many who hear the Gospel often but care   
   little for it because they have not the spirit of Christ. Yet whoever   
   wishes to understand fully the words of Christ must try to pattern his   
   whole life on that of Christ.   
   --Thomas à Kempis--Imitation of Christ Bk 1, Ch 1   
      
   ============   
   April 24th - Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Martyr   
      
   1577-1622   
   Born at Sigmaringen of a prominent family in the principality of   
   Hohenzollern, in the year 1577, St. Fidelis received the name Mark in   
   baptism. He was fortunately endowed both by nature and by grace, so   
   that while he progressed in learning, he made still greater progress   
   in virtue and piety. When he had completed his studies in philosophy   
   and jurisprudence at the University of Freiburg in Breisgau, the   
   parents of several young noblemen were looking for a tutor who would   
   accompany their sons on a tour through the various countries of   
   Europe. The professors at the university drew their attention to Mark,   
   who qualified for the position by his moral as well as by his mental   
   gifts. Mark accepted the position, as a result of which he spent six   
   years traveling. To the young men who had been entrusted to him he   
   pointed out, not only everything that was noteworthy from a worldly   
   point of view, but he led them also to the practice of Christian   
   virtue. He himself was to them an exemplary model, since in all the   
   vicissitudes of these 6 years they never saw him get angry.   
      
   Upon his return, Mark followed the profession of a lawyer. He was soon   
   much in demand because of his ability. But when he noticed that many   
   lawyers, corrupted by money, did violence to justice, and that an   
   attempt was being made to lure him also into that course, he gave up   
   the dangerous career.   
      
   He had an elder brother among the Capuchins; and he, too, joined them   
   in the year 1612. At his investiture he received the name Fidelis, the   
   faithful one, and in his address, the superior applied to him the   
   words of Holy Writ: "Be thou faithful until death, and I will give   
   thee the crown of life." (Apoc 2, 10). The words were destined to be a   
   prophecy concerning the new candidate in the order. After Fidelis had   
   completed his studies in theology and had received holy orders, he   
   preached the word of God with great zeal. Meanwhile, he was a model in   
   all the conventual practices, and evinced such wisdom that a few years   
   later the superiors appointed him guardian.   
      
   In this position he strove earnestly to promote in his subjects   
   religious perfection, tolerating no violation of it. But he was   
   stricter with himself in this regard than with any of his brethren;   
   towards all the others he cherished truly maternal solicitude and   
   charity. Whenever the salvation of a soul was concerned, no sacrifice   
   was too great. When he was guardian at Feldkirch, a pestilential   
   disease raged among the soldiers there; at once Father Fidelis betook   
   himself to them and tendered them every possible service.   
      
   In the year 1622, the Congregation for the Spreading of the Faith,   
   which had just been founded by Pope Gregory XV, established a mission   
   for the Grisons in Switzerland, to check the pernicious inroads of the   
   Calvinists and Zwinglians. Father Fidelis was named the head of this   
   mission. For a long time he had been begging God daily at holy Mass to   
   grant him the grace to shed his blood for the Faith; now his prayer   
   was about to be heard. Since Fidelis had the happiest results from the   
   very first months of his mission activity, the rage of the heretics   
   rose to great heights; his death was resolved upon. Fidelis was so   
   convinced of it that on the morning of April 24th at Sevis he prepared   
   himself for his last moments. Then he mounted the pulpit. During the   
   sermon a band of armed heretics pressed into church. They dragged him   
   down from the pulpit, and inflicted so may blows and cuts on him that   
   he died at their hands.   
      
   God almighty glorified His martyr by many miracles, whereupon Pope   
   Benedict XIV solemnly entered his name in the register of saints in   
   1746.   
      
      
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   FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH   
   1. Consider how the holy martyr Fidelis remained true to his Lord and   
   God throughout life. The fidelity which he vowed in baptism, he kept   
   in all the circumstances and manifold dangers to which he was exposed.   
   Not his youthful years at the university, not his many years of travel   
   all over Europe, not the allurement of money in his position as a   
   lawyer, not human respect while he was a superior of his convent, not   
   danger to his life during the pestilence, not certain death from   
   fanatical heretics, could make him waver in the fulfillment of his   
   duties, in his fidelity to God. He was faithful unto death, therefore   
   he also obtained the glorious crown of eternal life.--Let us rejoice   
   with him and wish him happiness.   
   2. We, too, would like to obtain the crown; but that will be the lot   
   of only faithful combatants. "For he is not crowned except he strive   
   lawfully" (2 Tim 2:5). You promised to do that in baptism as did St.   
   Fidelis; at your first Holy Communion you solemnly renewed the   
   promise. How do you keep it? Do you remain faithful to God in all   
   things? In the dangers of youth? Amid unusual circumstances, for   
   instance while traveling? Against the lure of money? Against the fear   
   of displeasing men? In dangers of life? Even when certain death is   
   imminent? Fortunate he who at the end of his life can say with the   
   Apostle: "I have kept the faith" (2 Tim 4:7). For then there will also   
   be a crown laid up for him. 3. Consider the means that will preserve   
   us faithful unto death. It is firm and lively faith, and strong and   
   fervent love of God. Faith enlightens us to acknowledge that   
   everything else is as nothing compared with God and eternity: love   
   strengthens us to suffer everything rather than displease our Lord and   
   God. May the veneration and intercession of St. Fidelis obtain for us   
   an increase in both these virtues.   
      
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   PRAYER OF THE CHURCH   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)