Subj : January 29th - Saint Blath of Kildare To : All From : rich Date : Sun Jan 28 2018 09:08:40 From: rich January 29th - Saint Blath of Kildare (Also known as Flora as her name means =E2=80=9Cflower=E2=80=9D ) d. 523 Saint Blath of Kildare was a lay-sister of the Convent of Saint Brigid in Kildare, Ireland. Saint Blath was especially devoted to Saint Brigid, who founded the monastery which would become the center of religious teaching, art, and study. She was a tireless servant of her fellow man, and an example of how the simplest and most ordinary tasks of our daily lives can become sanctified and extraordinary when completed in devotion and love of Jesus Christ. May we all look to our own actions, and embrace the life of service that Saint Blath of Kildare so perfectly modeled. Sometimes our lives seem quite simple and ordinary. In comparing ourselves to the Holy men and women who came before us, saints and martyrs, we may feel as if we fall short, or aren't accomplishing daily tasks of any great significance. Saint Blath served as cook for the monastery, the sisters of which having taken a vow of poverty, frequently gave away all their food to the poor. Saint Blath's simple, personal sanctity, and unending fai= th in the Lord, is credited for consistently putting just enough food on the table for the sisters--whether it be due to stray dogs showing up at the kitchen door with bacon, the monastery's cow producing supernatural quantities of milk, or pounds of butter and bread given away miraculously appearing in the larder the next day. It is said that, under the care of St. Blath, that the bread and bacon at St. Brigid's table were better than a banquet anywhere else at the time. Little else is known about Saint Blath, other than her heart of service and her faith in the Lord to provide. But perhaps these two things are enough! She undertook the most basic of daily tasks--something that most of us do everyday--with devotion to Christ, and in the process created the impossibly extraordinary. We might all take a lesson from this humble servant, turning our faces toward the Lord in the midst of routine, mundane, and everyday tasks. With Him beside us, we can't predict the extraordinary fruits of our labors! Saint Quote: If by a diligent life of virtue, you wash away the film of dirt that covers your heart, then the divine beauty will shine forth in you. --St. Gregory of Nyssa Bible Quote: ... . . and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. (Matt. 24:39) <><><><> Angels--Their Nine Choirs--The Seraphim The Seraphim are the highest of the Angelic Choirs. Their distinguishing mark is their burning love for God. They have a greater capacity for love than any of the choirs beneath them. They are more like to God, who proclaims Himself to be above all a God of Love. God does not identify Himself with any of His perfections as He does with His love. St. John tells us that God is love. God has given me a capacity for loving. Do I employ it in loving God? The Seraphim, in consequence of this love, are more closely united to God, and enjoy a larger share of His infinite happiness than any other of the Angels. Their nobler nature gives them a more powerful will, and this will is wholly sacrificed to God. Do I thus sacrifice my will to His, or do I cling to my own, and fancy that my perverse obstinacy is firmness and strength of will? This union of their wills with God makes them more like to Him than the rest of the Holy Angels. If we desire to be truly godlike, we must sacrifice our own will out of pure love of God, and not for the sake of any reward accruing to ourselves. We must do His will simply because it is His will and because that will is dearer to us than all the world, far dearer than our own. Then we shall be made like Him. Then we shall be joined to Him in intimate friendship. <><><><> Prayer for Selfless Service: O Dearly beloved Word of God, teach me to be generous, to serve Thee as Thou dost deserve, to give without counting the cost, to fight without fretting at my wounds, to labor without seeking rest, to spend myself without looking for any reward other than that of knowing that I do Thy holy will. Amen. --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .