Subj : November 11th - St. Martin of Tours To : All From : rich Date : Sun Nov 10 2019 08:41:54 From: rich November 11th - St. Martin of Tours (316?-397) If saints, like stars, vary in greatness, St. Martin of Tours is a saint of great magnitude. Although he flourished in ancient times, we know a good deal about him=E2=80=93a further proof of his wide popularity. Martin was the son of an Italian officer of the Roman army. He was born in what is now Szombathely, Hungary, when his father was on a military tour of duty; but before long his parents returned to Pavia, Italy, and it was there that the son grew up. Although the parents were pagans, Martin became a Christian catechumen at age 10. Roman law required that the sons of soldiers also be soldiers, so Martin took the military oath at 15, and was discharged only in 356. But his life was more Christian than soldierly, especially after his baptism at 18. From his earliest military years dates the story, legendary but characteristic, of his encounter with the poor man of Amiens, France. One wintry day, says the tale, Martin encountered at the city gate a man who stood begging alms, shaking with cold but spurned by passersby. Touched by the sight, the young soldier wanted to help. Since he had no coins on his person, he took off his military cloak, cut it in two with his sword, gave the beggar one part, and donned the other part himself. Some bystanders laughed at this soldier dressed in a ragged half-cape. But that night in a dream, Private Martin saw Jesus himself dressed in the beggar's half. Jesus said, =E2=80=9CMa= rtin, yet a catechumen, covered me with this garment.=E2=80=9D Eventually the military man decided that as a soldier of Christ he could no longer serve in the ranks. Emperor Julian (=E2=80=9Cthe Apostate= =E2=80=9D) thereupon jailed him for =E2=80=9Ccowardice=E2=80=9D, but shortly afterward= gave him a discharge. Then he returned home and converted his mother and others to Christianity (but not his father). For a while he campaigned against the local Arian heretics. (They denied the divinity of Christ.) Then, fascinated by the monastic life that was becoming popular among devout Christians, he took up the life of a hermit on an island near Genoa. After a while he contacted St. Hilary, bishop of Poitiers in western France, and received from him an invitation to move his hermitage to the present Ligug=C3=A9 near Poitiers. When a number of other men came to Ligug=C3=A9 and asked to join him, Martin the hermit established what seems to have been the pioneer monastery in France. This was around 360. During the next decade he not only helped form his disciples in the religious life but preached throughout the countryside of Gaul, which was still largely pagan. Gifted with the power of miracles, he was a very successful missionary. In 371, the people of Tours insisted that Martin be their bishop. He refused. But after they had tricked him into being consecrated, he finally accepted the task. Unwilling to abandon his monastic life, he set up a new monastery at Marmoutier, near Tours. In a short time the community grew to 80 monks. In this district, too, Bishop Martin became an effective missionary; indeed, he moved out from Touraine into northern Gaul (including Paris) and into the southeast of France. The longer Martin lived, the more his influence increased, in matters of state as well as church. Thus he intervened successfully with a tyrannical army officer to prevent him from torturing and executing a number of prisoners. He was less successful, however, in his effort to prevent the government from executing some Priscillianists. Not that he approved the errors of these Christian heretics. He simply believed that the Church, not the civil government, should handle the case, and that death was not an appropriate penalty. Martin was still engaged in his tireless labors when it was revealed to him that his death was approaching. He told his disciples of this coming event, but they begged him not to =E2=80=9Cdesert=E2=80=9D them. Tor= n between their will and God's will, he prayed in anguish, =E2=80=9CLord, if = your people still need me, I will keep working.=E2=80=9D But whatever delay he was gran= ted was not long. He died in the harness on November 8, 397. Burial was at Tours on November 11, which became his feastday. St. Martin's tomb quickly became one of the most beloved shrines in Europe, and Martin one of the most popular saints, not only in France, where his name is interwoven with many folk traditions (e.g. the name =E2=80=9CSt. Martin's Summer=E2=80=9D for =E2=80=9CIndian Summer=E2= =80=9D), but especially in England. There the oldest existing church in the country, near Canterbury, is dedicated to him. And to this day, the feast of St. Martin of Tours, =E2=80=9Cthis glory of France and light of the western Church=E2=80=9D, is = listed in the calendar of the Anglican Church. =E2=80=93Father Bob Saint Quote: If only mortals would learn how great it is to possess divine grace, how beautiful, how noble, how precious. How many riches it hides within itself, how many joys and delights! No one would complain about his cross or about troubles that may happen to him, if he would come to know the scales on which they are weighed when they are distributed to men. --Saint Rose of Lima Bible Quote: And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards heaven; but struck his breast, saying: O God, be merciful to me a sinner.=C2 (Luke 18:13) DRB <><><><> God irradiates your life: =C2 =C2 God irradiates your life with the warmth of His spirit. You mu= st open up like a flower to this divine irradiation. Loosen your hold on earth, its cares, and its worries. Unclasp your hold on material things, relax your grip, and the tide of peace and serenity will flow in. Relinquish every material thing and receive it back again from God. Do not hold on to earth's treasures so firmly that your hands are too occupied to clasp God's hands as He holds them out to you in love. --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .