Subj : September 7th - Saint Regina To : All From : rich Date : Thu Sep 06 2018 10:10 am From: rich September 7th - Saint Regina (also known as Saint Reine died 286 Saint Regina is considered the patron saint against poverty, and patroness of shepherdesses and torture victims. Given the accounts of her martyrdom, in art, Saint Regina is portrayed as a maiden bound to a cross with torches applied to her sides, imprisoned with a dove appearing on a shining cross, scourged with rods, or in a boiling cauldron. She is venerated at Autun, France, and in southern Germany. While Saint Regina is venerated still today, we know surprisingly little about her life. What is known are those details that were recorded in the acts of her martyrdom. According to these acts, Regina was born in the third century in Alise, France. Her mother died in childbirth, and she was left to be raised by her father, a prominent pagan citizen. Regina's father placed her upbringing in the care of= a Christian nurse attached to the family, who recognizing her sanctity, secretly baptized her. As she grew older, Regina's embracing of the Christian faith became evident, which caused her father great concern. When he learned that she had been baptized, he cast her out of the family, disowning her. Regina lived with her nurse following leaving her father's house, a= nd due to her new family's poverty, worked in the fields by day, tendi= ng sheep, to help support the household. In the fields, Regina grew closer to the Lord, meditating and contemplating His love and mercy, and praying to better emulate the lives of the holy saints and martyrs. At the age of 15, Regina caught the eye of the prefect of Gaul, Olybrius, a man of great importance. He became obsessed with the young woman, and was determined to take her as his bride. He delighted in her noble upbringing, but was deeply disturbed to find that she was practicing the Christian faith. At that time, Christians were being violently persecuted and killed, under the direction of the Emperor Decius. Olybrius attempted to persuade her to deny her faith, so as to not only safe her from persecution, but to secure her as a wife. She declined, refusing to recant her faith, and professing it all the louder. In retaliation, Olybrius had her imprisoned. Regina was chained to the walls of a dark prison cell by means of an iron belt that was bolted to the wall. There she was left while Olybrius participated in several military campaigns against invading barbarians, returning to his daily activities. After an absence of some time, he returned, hoping she may have changed her mind. On the contrary, her imprisonment had served to strengthen her resolve to live like the saints and martyrs, and maintain her chastity for the Lord. She refused to sacrifice to idols, and he angrily ordered her tortured. Regina courageously withstood whippings and scourging over the back of a wooden horse, raking with iron combs, burning with hot pincers and torches, and crucifixion. None of these could cause her to doubt the Lord or recant her faith, and as she continued to praise God. Lastly, she was beheaded, ending her life and her conversion of many witnesses present who observed a solitary dove hovering atop her head during her torture. The relics of Saint Regina are enshrined in Flavigni abbey, having been translated there in 864. Since that time, numerous miracles have been attributed to their presence, and frequent pilgrimages are made by the faithful to venerate them. There is a miraculous spring with powers to heal ring worm, mange, scurvy, and other illnesses, with a hospital nearby dedicated to Saint Regina founded by Saint Vincent de Paul. We know little about the life of Saint Regina, other than it was brief, difficult, and courageous. Drawing her strength from the Lord, and from the lives of the holy men and women who came before her, Saint Regina found grace and peace in endless torture, earning a martyr's crown. We might take a lesson from Saint Regina, and striv= e to emulate the holy lives of the saints and martyrs of the Church in our daily lives. by Jacob Saint Quote: =E2=80=9CSons of Vincent de Paul, let us learn of Him to forget ourselves, = to devote ourselves to the service of God and the good of men. Let us learn of Him that holy preference which shows most love to those who suffer most.=E2=80=9D --Blessed Frederic Ozanam Bible Quote: But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 18 For not he who commendeth himself, is approved, but he, whom God commendeth. (2 Cor. 10:17-18) <><><><> St Pio's Prayer of Today for Tomorrow Eternal Father, today, while I am fully conscious, totally lucid and completely free, I offer You my life with all its mystery and suffering. Indeed, Eternal Father, I offer You my life as an ultimate act of love, as an act of infinite gratitude, as an act of faith in Your mercy. My God and Father, accept this prayer I am making to You now for the day when You will call me back to You. If I am unconscious at the final moment of my life, if anguish and doubt assail me, if medication prevents me from thinking of You, I want my last heartbeat to be an act of perfect love, telling You with Jesus, =E2=80=9CInto Your hands, I commend my spirit.=E2=80=9D Amen. --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .