Subj : =?UTF-8?Q?4_April_=E2=80=93_St_Isidore_of_Seville_?= To : All From : rich Date : Sat Apr 03 2021 10:15:52 From: rich 4 April =E2=80=93 St Isidore of Seville (560-636) Bishop, Father, Doctor, Scholar, Writer, Teacher, Reformer and Evangelist =E2=80=93 Patron of news dealers, the internet, computer programmers and technicians, 2 dioceses, 13 cities.=C2 He was, for over three decades, Archbishop of Seville, and is widely regarded as the last of the Fathers of the Church, as the 19th-century historian Montalembert put it in an oft-quoted phrase, =E2=80=9CThe last scholar of t= he ancient world.=E2=80=9D Born in Cartagena of a family that included three other sibling saints=E2=80=93Leander, Fulgentius and Florentina=E2=80=93he = was educated by his elder brother, whom he succeeded as bishop of Seville. St. Isidore of Seville is sometimes called =E2=80=9Cthe schoolmaster of the Middle Ages=E2=80=9D because his books and schools helped shape the educati= on and culture of medieval Europe. For ten centuries, Isidore's voluminous works were among those most quoted by other writers. And his establishment of cathedral schools laid a foundation for the medieval universities and for education in the West. In 599, Isidore became bishop of Seville and for 37 years led the Spanish church through a period of intense religious development. Isidore also organised representative councils that established the structure and discipline of the church in Spain. At the Council of Toledo in 633 he obtained a decree that required the establishment of a school in every diocese. Reflecting the saint's broad interests, = the schools taught every branch of knowledge, including the liberal arts, medicine, law, Hebrew, and Greek. Isidore wrote many books, the most famous being the Etymologies, an encyclopedia of grammar, rhetoric, theology, history, medicine, and mathematics. He also wrote a dictionary of synonyms, brief biographies of illustrious men, treatises on theological and philosophical subjects, a history of world events since the creation and a history of the Goths, which is our only source of information about them. Throughout his long life, Isidore lived austerely so that he could give to the poor. But while Isidore had compassion for needy, he thought they were better off than their oppressors, as he explains in this selection: We ought to sorrow for people who do evil rather than for people who suffer it. The wrongdoing of the first leads them further into evil. The others' suffering corrects them from evil. Through the evil wil= ls of some, God works much good in others. Some people, resisting the will of God, unwittingly do his purpose. Understand then that so truly are all things subject to God that even those who oppose his law nevertheless fulfill his will. Evil men are necessary so that through them the good may be scourged when they do wrong=E2=80=A6Some simple men, not understanding the dispensat= ion of God, are scandalized by the success of evil men. They say with the prophet: =E2=80=9CWhy does the way of the wicked prosper?=E2=80=9D Those wh= o speak thus should not wonder to see the frail temporal happiness of the wicked. Rather they should consider the final end of evil men, and the everlasting torments prepared for them. As the prophet says: =E2=80=9CThey spend their days in wealth, and in a moment they go down to hell.=E2=80=9D Shortly before his death, Isidore had two friends clothe him in sackcloth and rub ashes on his head so that he could come before God as a poor penitent. He died peacefully at Seville in 636. From Anastpaul April 2017 Have just men for your=E2=80=A6=E2=80=A6companions; in the fear of God be your glory=E2=80=A6Sirach 9:16 REFLECTION =E2=80=93 =E2=80=9CSeek the association of persons who are good.= For if you are the companion of their life, you will also be the companion of their virtue.=E2=80=9D=E2=80=A6.St Isidore of Seville PRAYER =E2=80=93 God of goodness, help me to be continually in the company = of true Christians. Let me be edified by their virtues and their works and let our association bring us all to heavenly glory. St Isidore of Seville, pray for us, amen. Thought for the Day =E2=80=93 4 April How amazing it is =E2=80=93 what one person can accomplish when he works fo= r God alone! We all find ourselves in situations of leadership or influence and the good we can do by our labour and our example knows no bounds. Look around, see the lives you can touch =E2=80=93 become a genu= ine influence and example to others. We have every tool we need AND we have every reason to work for the glory of the Kingdom! St Isidore of Seville, pray for us! Saint Quote: From humility of heart proceed serenity of mind, gentleness of conduct, interior peace, and every good. --St. Paul of the Cross Bible Quote: And yet ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried. But we, we thought of him as someone punished, struck by God, and brought low. Yet he was pierced through for our faults, crushed for our sins. On him lies a punishment that brings us peace, and through his wounds we are healed.=C2 (Isaiah 53:4-5 ) <><><><> O quam glorifica; a hymn honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary How glorious the light with which thou shineth, royal descendent of the root of David! O Virgin Mary, thou art seated on high, above all who dwelleth in heaven. O Mother who hast kept thy virginal honour: chastely in thy holy womb made ready for the Lord of the angels the palace of thy Heart, From here wast borne the Christ, God Incarnate. He Whom the whole world doth venerate and adore, before Whom every knee rightly does bend: With thy help we implore Him to cast out the darkness, and grant us the joy of light. Grant this, Father of all light, through Thine own Son, by the Holy Ghost, Who liveth with Thee in the brightness of heaven, ruling and governing all ages. Amen. --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .