Subj : September 24th - St. Pacificus
To   : All
From : rich
Date : Sun Sep 23 2018 10:05:20

From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

September 24th - St. Pacificus (Pacifico) of San Severino

A little Italian boy born in 1653 was named Charles Anthony. He was
just five years old when his loving parents died. He was sent to live
with his uncle. This uncle was a cross, mean man. He treated Charles
worse than a servant. Yet the boy took this hard treatment quietly and
patiently. When he was seventeen, Charles entered a monastery. He
chose the name Pacificus, which means "peaceful." After he became a
priest, he was made a teacher, but his great desire was to become a
preacher. How happy he was when his superior sent him on a preaching
mission to many little towns and villages.

St. Pacificus was very popular with people in the country because his
talks were simple and gentle. Besides that, he had the marvelous gift
of reading consciences. Once, he reminded a man in confession that he
had been unkind to his mother. He had also kept impure thoughts in his
mind. What Father Pacificus said was true. The man was very sorry for
his sins. Everywhere the priest went to preach and hear confessions,
he did much good.

But when he had been preaching only about six years, Pacificus had to
give it up because of ill health. He became blind, deaf and crippled.
He spent his time praying and doing penance in his monastery. He
helped others in any way he could. God was always very close to him.
He gave him the gift of prophecy. St. Pacificus foretold the great
victory of the Christian armies over the Turks at Belgrade. He also
said to a bishop, "Your Excellency-heaven! Heaven! And I will follow
you soon!" About two weeks later, the bishop died. Not long after,
just as he had said, St. Pacificus died, too. It was the year 1721.
Many miracles took place at his grave. Father Pacificus was proclaimed
a saint by Pope Gregory XVI in 1839. St. Pacificus had a sad
childhood. He could have let himself become an angry, frustrated
adult. Instead, he prayed to Jesus for a forgiving, patient heart. His
hard times were turned into moments of growing in his love for God and
people. Because he had suffered, he could sympathize with the hurts of
others and help them to find God in their lives.

Pacificus devoted his life to preaching, and to sharing the gifts he
had received from God. Each of us has been blessed by God in different
ways. How am I called to share my gifts with others?


Saint Quote:
 Not one of those who love her can perish; not one of those who try to
imitate her can fail to attain eternal salvation.
--St. John Eudes

Bible Quote:
 But, as it is written: That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard: neither
hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared
for them that love him. (I Cor. 2:9) DRB


<><><><>
Curing Me-Firstism
... . . not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the
same condemnation as the devil. [1 Timothy 3:6]

The late theologian Francis Schaeffer wrote that when we violate one
of the Ten Commandments, we actually violate two. Violating every
other commandment means first violating the tenth: "You shall not
covet." To want another god, another day to work, to fail to honor our
parents, to steal from another person . . . all are expressions of
covetousness -- the desire to take for ourselves.

Pride is likely another type of "root" sin, since it appears from
Scripture that it was the first sin ever committed. Before the
creation of man, when Satan was God's "anointed cherub" and the "son
of the morning," he rose up in pride against God and declared he would
"be like the Most High" and "exalt [his] throne above the stars of
God" (Isaiah 14:13-14). Pride is that motivation that tempts us to put
ourselves at the center of the universe; to make ourselves more
important than anyone else. Pride leads to conflict and condemnation
with us, just as it did with Satan. When you encounter conflict in
your path, check first to see if pride is involved.  For it is pride
that is at the root of all other sins.

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; They
just make the best of everything they have!
--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)

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