Subj : August 13th - Saint Cassian of Imola
To   : All
From : rich
Date : Sun Aug 12 2018 10:37:23

From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

August 13th - Saint Cassian of Imola

St. Cassian was a schoolmaster at Imola in northeast Italy. He died a
martyr during the Roman persecutions, probably in the third century.

Cassian had apparently been a school teacher for some time (most
likely of only pagan kids). Then a widespread persecution of
Christians commenced. Roman officials arrested him because he was
known, or at least suspected, to be a Christian. He was taken before
the governor, and the governor demanded, as usual, that he offer
sacrifice to the gods. Naturally, Cassian refused to perform this act
of apostasy, so he was condemned to death.

Now, the Romans had many set types of execution to choose from, but
sometimes they invented others. Knowing that Cassian was a
schoolmaster, the governor decided that it would be a clever novelty
to have him stabbed to death by his own pupils! Wouldn't the kids l=
ove
it!

The schoolmaster was therefore stretched out on the ground and fixed
down securely. Then Cassian's former students were brought in. They
had not particularly liked their teacher because he had been strict
with them. Given the signal, therefore, they set about with a fiendish
joy to torment him. They broke their wooden writing tablets over his
head, carved their initials carefully on his flesh, and finally
stabbed him all over with their pens. Cassian meanwhile accepted their
blows with much patience and no malice. He died bloodied with a
thousand little wounds.

This was truly a brutal execution. It brought death to Cassian, but it
doubtless did greater harm to the executioners. Children encouraged in
violence can be as cruel as young hyenas. The governor's sentence w=
as
doubly criminal: he not only executed an innocent Christian; he
corrupted the innocence of a large number of children. Our Lord spoke
sternly about such corrupters: =E2=80=9CIt would be better for anyone who
leads astray one of these little ones who believe in me to be drowned
by a millstone around his neck in the depths of the sea.=E2=80=9D (Mt. 18:5=
-6)

Today adults are more likely to corrupt children by destroying their
sexual innocence. But an increasing number of youngsters are
committing crimes of violence. Who but their elders have shown them
the way? What will be their penalty in the Last Judgment?

St. Cassian, victim of youthful violence, help us to protect our
little ones against such spoilers!


Saint Quote:
It is not enough to do good things, but we must do them well, in
imitation of Christ our Lord, of whom it was written: Bene omnia
fecit--He did all things well.  We ought, then, to strive to do all
things in the spirit of Christ; that is, with the perfection, with
circumstances, and for the ends for which He performed His actions.
Otherwise, even the good works that we do will bring us punishment
rather than reward.
--St. Vincent de Paul

Bible Quote:
Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another,
that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power
in its effects.  [James 5:16]   RSVCE

<><><><>
On Certain Temptations Against Humility

It is not easy to be humble when we are praised and flattered. Our
self-love sucks in with eagerness the words of compliment. We think
they must be partly true, or at least we are tempted to exult in the
high opinion that others profess of us. Such occasions are very
perilous to humility. We should do well to think of Herod when the
people listened to his oration, and shouted out: "It is the voice of a
god and not of a man." We read that because he took the glory to
himself instead of giving it to God, he was smitten down by the Angel
of the Lord and died miserably. (Acts xii.)

Yet we cannot help being pleased when others speak kindly of us, and
we ought to be pleased when our superiors commend us. But we must
observe certain precautions. (1) We must take care to rejoice rather
in the kindness of others than in their praise. (2) We must strive and
forget ourselves, and raise our heart to God, and offer Him our
success. (3) We must make an act of humility at the thought that if
those who praise us saw us as God sees us, they would despise, not
honor us.

If we find that we are puffed up by praise, this is a fresh proof of
our imperfection. The Saints disliked and dreaded praise, and when
they were blamed unjustly, thanked God and took it as a mark of His
love and favor. Father Lancicius used to consider unjust reproaches as
pure gain, because they had no drawback of self-reproach or regret.
Which do I accept most gladly, undue praise or undeserved blame?
--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)

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