Subj : November 23rd - Bl. Miguel Pro, SJ To : All From : rich Date : Fri Nov 22 2019 07:58:24 From: rich November 23rd - Bl. Miguel Pro, SJ d. 1927 For generations, Catholic Mexico has been saddled with anti-Catholic governments. The constitution of 1917 denied the Church property, forbade religious instruction, and branded priests as public enemies. At first these laws, designed to crush Catholicism, were not systematically applied, but President Plutarco Calles (1924-1928) set out enforcing them with a vengeance. The Calles persecution struck down 5,000 Catholic victims! Standard-bearer of these victims was the heroic Mexican Jesuit Father Miguel Augustin Pro Juarez. Miguel, born on January 13, 1891, was one of the seven children of the prominent and devout Mexican, Miguel Pro, Sr. and Josefa Juarez. He was a happy-go-lucky lad, a good musician and a born actor. Though a bit careless religiously in his teens, he joined the Jesuits at 20. Knowing that he was a prankster, his superiors sought to discover whether he could accept, as well as play, practical jokes. They found that he could. By 1917, governmental pressure on religious orders made it necessary for Miguel Pro to continue his studies outside Mexico. Fleeing the country in disguise, he received his education in California, Spain, and Belgium. It was in Belgium that he was ordained a priest (1925). By the time of his ordination, Fr. Pro was experiencing serious stomach trouble. In 1926, his superiors reassigned him to Mexico, thinking his health might improve at home. Unwittingly, they were sending him to his death. A few days after his arrival, the Mexican government put an end to Catholic worship and ordered the arrest on sight of any priest. Pro's apostolate was therefore a secret one. Despite his poor healt= h, he threw himself cheerfully into the work, using every handy device to outwit the police. In various disguises, he would breeze by them on foot or on a bicycle, bound for his =E2=80=9CEucharistic centers=E2=80=9D w= here he would offer Mass, administer the sacraments, and assist the poor. Once when some police were bearing down on him, he grabbed the arm of a girl. =E2=80=9CI am a priest,=E2=80=9D he said. =E2=80=9CHelp me!=E2=80=9D = She agreed, and the couple sauntered along the street arm-in-arm while the constables sped by. Luck ran out after a year. Early in November, 1927, Pro told a nun that God had accepted the offer of his life to save Mexico. On November 13, an unsuccessful attempt was made on the life of President-elect Obregon. On vague suspicion, the police arrested Miguel and two of his brothers. There was no proof of their having been the conspirators, but Calles was determined to make an example of these advocates of Catholic freedom, especially the priest. They were sentenced to death without a trial. Before the execution took place on November 23, Father Miguel expressed his forgiveness to his captors and executioners. As the firing squad took aim, he threw out his arms in a cross and cried, =E2=80=9CLong live Christ the King!=E2=80=9D Mexican Catholics were not cowed by this judicial murder; rather, they hailed the victims as heroes and martyrs. A blind woman who touched the Jesuit's coffin regained her sight. When Pope John Paul II beatified Father Pro on September 25,1988, he praised his =E2=80=9Ccontagious joy=E2=80=9D. The martyred Mexican priest h= ad indeed given hope to his people. =E2=80=93Father Robert Bible Quote: And the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God.=C2 But they going forth preached every where: the Lord working withal, and confirming the word with signs that followed.=C2 (Mark 16:19-20) DRB <><><><> "Measure" Count your garden by the flowers Never by the leaves that fall; Count your days by golden hours Don't remember clouds at all, Count your nights by stars, not shadows, Count your life by smiles, not tears; And with joy on every birthday count your age by friends, not years. =C2 By Dixie Wilson --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .