Subj : November 18th - Saint Odo of Cluny To : All From : rich Date : Sat Nov 17 2018 09:13:11 From: rich November 18th - Saint Odo of Cluny (d. 942) On Christmas Eve of the year 877, a pious but childless Christian nobleman = of Aquitaine implored Our Lord, by the fecundity of His Holy Mother and His= Incarnation, to grant him a son. His prayer was heard; Odo was born, and h= is grateful father, in a prayer offered him--still an infant in his arms--t= o Saint Martin of Tours (d. 400) to be his spiritual son. Odo was later tau= ght by a wise priest, then was placed in the court of the Count of Anjou an= d that of the Duke of Aquitaine. There he was influenced by the passions wh= ich reign in courts, and neglected his prayers to think only of games, hunt= ing, and military pursuits. But God did not abandon him, and he was haunted= in his dreams by the dangers of a disordered life. He prayed to the Blesse= d Virgin and begged Her one Christmas Eve to lead him on the narrow path of= sanctity. He was then 16 years old, and the next day he fell ill with a sickness whic= h increased and for 3 years kept him on the verge of death. When his father= told him he had consecrated him to Saint Martin, Odo renewed this consecra= tion and promised to enter into his service; suddenly then his headaches le= ft him and he recovered from his illness. He went to Tours to serve in the church of Saint Martin for a time. But whe= n a hermitage was built nearby he retired there to devote himself to prayer= and study, while continuing to visit the tomb of Saint Martin every night.= He began to study the Scriptures and abandoned all pagan readings. Later h= e was inspired to enter the monastery of Baume in the diocese of Besan=C3= =A7on, and there he received the habit from Saint Bernon, the abbot, in the= year 909. He was charged with the instruction of novices and boarding stud= ents. When later he returned home on a visit to his parents, they were so t= ouched by his words that despite their age they renounced the world and ent= ered a monastery. When Odo returned to Baume he was ordained a priest. When Saint Bernon, who had governed six monasteries, died, three of those w= ere entrusted to Saint Odo; these were Cluny, newly founded in 910, Massay,= and Deols. He resided in Cluny, of which he is often titled the Founder, b= ecause he organized and enlarged this new house. His reputation attracted a= large number of vocations. His special care was for children; at that peri= od the schools had taken refuge in the cathedrals and monasteries. He watch= ed with gentleness over the habits, studies, and repose of these dear child= ren. He personally taught them as well as the monks. The Rule of Saint Bene= dict, providing for the education of children as well as the formation of m= onks, was followed zealously. Many alms were given to the poor, without con= cern for the morrow. The charity of Cluny was so abundant that in one year = food was distributed to more than 7000 indigent persons. Saint Odo visited Rome 3 times; there he reformed a monastery, and later in= France he submitted several abbeys to the discipline of Cluny. These were = organized into a federation under the sole abbot of Cluny, with great unity= of statutes and regime. It was said that =E2=80=9Cfrom Benevent to the Atl= antic Ocean, the most important monasteries of Italy and Gaul rejoiced in b= eing under his commandment.=E2=80=9D After celebrating the feast of Saint M= artin at Tours in 942, Saint Odo fell ill; and having exhorted all the reli= gious who had come there to see him and learn how to be regular in their ob= servance, he blessed them and gave up his soul to God. He was buried at Tou= rs in the church of Saint Julian. Source: Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Gu=C3=A9rin= (Bloud et Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 13. Reflection: =E2=80=9CIt needs only for a Catholic to show devotion to any S= aint,=E2=80=9D says Father Newman, =E2=80=9Cin order to receive special ben= efits from his intercession.=E2=80=9D Saint Quote: If I love Jesus, I ought to resemble Him; If I love Jesus, I ought to love = what He loves, what He does, what He prefers to all else: humility. How may= we acquire this virtue? Neither logic or reflection will help us any; thin= king nice thoughts about it or taking heroic resolutions would lead us to b= elieve we had already acquired it, and we would content ourselves with that= ... We must examine our actions to see if we not sought our own interest in t= hem. Let us repeat often, " Jesus, so humble of heart, make our hearts like= unto thine." --St. Peter Eymard <><><><> THIRTY-ONE DAYS OF PRAYER FOR THE HOLY SOULS Sixth Day THE PAIN OF LOSS The spiritual suffering, or the pain of loss, is the greatest pain of = Purgatory, according to the Fathers of the Church. No one can comprehend th= e great suffering of a soul departed, which, in all its ardent desire for t= he highest and only good, sees itself ever repulsed as an object of God's a= venging justice. St. Alphonsus writes: "Far greater than the pain of sense in Purgatory= is that pain which the holy souls must endure in being deprived of the vis= ion of God. Because these souls are inflamed, not only with a natural, but = with a supernatural love of God, they are so vehemently attracted to the un= ion with their highest good, that, in being repulsed through their own faul= t, they experience so violent a pain as would kill them instantly if death = were possible to them." Therefore, says St. Chrysostom, "this pain of being= deprived of God is a far greater pain for them than the pain of the senses= ... The fire of hell increased a thousand times would not cause them such gre= at suffering as does this pain of the loss of God." Prayer: O God, Father of mercies, grant the ardent desire of the souls in P= urgatory who yearn to behold Thee. Send down to them Thy holy angel with th= e joyful tidings that the moment of their redemption has come, that their e= xile is ended, and bless them by the perfect union with Thee forever. Throu= gh Christ, our Lord. Amen. Special Intercession: Pray for the souls who are punished for their forgetf= ulness of the holy Presence of God during their lives. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon th= em; may they rest in peace. Amen. (Three times) Practice: Try to remember at all times the holy Presence of God. Invocation: My Jesus, mercy! --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .