Summa Contra Gentiles, Book II: LXIV That the Soul Is Not a Harmony
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Last Words of Saint Louis IX, King of France, 1270
The French Catholic Answer to a Teething Baby
If all else fails - teething rings, whisky on the gums, painkillers, etc.- try praying to St Apollonia, who hd all her teeth broken before being killed.
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From Aleteia
By Cerith Gardiner
Teething rings not doing the trick? A centuries-old French Catholic tradition offers parents another source of help.
One of the hardest parts of being a parent is watching your baby suffer. And when those first teeth start coming through, oh, how they suffer. Those ruddy, grainy cheeks, swollen gums, funny little tummies, and the unmistakable look that says: "Help me, mommy." It's horrible to see your little one in so much discomfort, especially when there is so little you can do to help.
Babies, of course, have an extraordinary talent for finding relief in the most unlikely places — a cold spoon, a rubber giraffe, their own fist, your finger or even your chin! Unfortunately, none of those remedies seems to work for very long, particularly during the night, when teething somehow feels even worse. For centuries, however, Catholic parents in parts of France have had one more place to turn: St. Apollonia.
The third-century martyr is best known as the patron saint of dentists, but for generations she has also been the saint many parents have quietly asked to intercede for teething babies. Her connection with teeth comes from the brutal way she was martyred.
During the persecution of Christians in Alexandria, her persecutors broke or pulled out her teeth before threatening to burn her alive if she refused to renounce her faith. Instead, she freely embraced martyrdom, and Christians soon began invoking her intercession for those suffering with toothache. And over the centuries, that devotion took on a particularly French flavor.
A Mass that welcomes noise!
In villages across southern France, parents have traditionally brought babies to churches dedicated to St. Apollonia, asking the saint to pray for children struggling with painful teething. The custom has survived for generations, quietly passed from one family to the next.
One of its best-known homes is Notre-Dame de Bernac in the Tarn. On the first Sunday of each month, the entrance to the little church turns into a car park for strollers as families arrive for Mass from all over France carrying babies with sore little gums.
During the celebration, cries regularly echo around the church. Far from being a distraction, they are almost expected. As Fr. Michel Bousquet joked with La Dépêche, after his voice was once drowned out by the infants:
"The concert is beginning. The babies have covered my voice again. That's a good thing."
Then comes the moment everyone has been waiting for. Families come forward one by one as a volunteer gently touches the reliquary, containing a tooth and fragment of St. Apollonia's jawbone, against each baby's cheek while parents quietly pray for the saint's intercession. It is a simple gesture, repeated month after month, generation after generation.
For any parent who has ever apologized because their baby cried during Mass, the scene must feel wonderfully liberating. Nobody is turning round to see whose baby is making the noise because, quite frankly, almost everyone's is. It almost sounds worth the transatlantic flight. Even if your baby came home with exactly the same number of teeth, spending an hour surrounded by other parents who understand precisely what you're going through must be a blessing in itself.
However, if you're imagining something mystical or magical, the locals are quick to put that idea to rest. "It's not magic, but it works," is the phrase often repeated by those who welcome families each year. Rather, it is an expression of trust in the Communion of Saints and the belief that Christians in heaven continue to pray for those on earth.
And if asking St. Apollonia to pray for a teething baby sounds wonderfully specific, that is because the Church has always had a canny way of noticing the sorts of worries that can get overlooked. Not just wars and famines, but hailstorms threatening a harvest, bedbugs invading a home, snake bites, breastfeeding difficulties and, yes, the sleepless nights brought on by a baby's first teeth.
St. Apollonia belongs to a tradition that quietly insists no corner of ordinary life is too small to be entrusted to prayer. Suddenly, a saint for teething babies doesn't seem quite so unexpected after all. And while you can certainly ask for her intercession from the comfort of your own home, a return flight to France does sound rather tempting indeed!
Deranged Synodal Priest Wants Us To Pray To Humanity Instead Of God
While no one seems to know what the definition of synodality is, it's become abundantly clear that the worst elements in the Church are promoting Synodality as a mechanism of atheistic, man-centred theology.
The Crusades of Saint Louis IX of France
Traditional Catholic Morning Prayers in English | August
Traditional Catholic morning prayers to help start your day in a godly way! The month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I hope these prayers increase your devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary this month and draw you closer to her Divine Son, Jesus Christ. Begin each day with morning prayer! This video is a compilation of many traditional evening prayers Catholics say, and should not be considered a replacement for those who have an obligation to pray the Divine Office evening prayers.
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A Dad of 11, a True Gentleman, and Also a King: Louis IX Is France’s Only Canonised King
Today is his Feast Day. He is not the only Saint in his family. His younger sister, Isabelle, was canonised in 1696. Her Feast Day is 26 February.
From Aleteia
By Larry Peterson
He learned the faith from his mother, and endeavored to pass it on to his children.
Born April 25, 1214, near Paris, France, little Louis IX lost his grandfather (Philip II) at age 9 and his father (Louis VIII) three years later.
That meant that not yet an adolescent, Louis IX was crowned king.
Because of his young age the Queen Mother, Blanche, took over the reins of government. A great woman in her own right, she made sure her son would be prepared for his life as king.
Queen Blanche, also known as Blanche of Castile, took her Catholic faith very seriously. She was determined in teaching her son the faith and managed to instill genuine piety and a deep sense of devotion in him. She was quoted as having told her son, “I love you, my dear son, as much as a mother can love her child but I would rather see you dead at my feet than that you should commit a mortal sin.”
At the age of 21, Louis was ready to take charge of the government. His mother’s influence in his life was apparent because there was a force within Louis that made him strive to rule justly and to attain sanctity. King Louis had an affinity for the sick and poor of his kingdom. He treated the downtrodden with compassion, understanding, and with a humility that was unheard of in a king.
Imagine this: Every day King Louis IX would have three special guests called in from among the poor to have dinner with him! Since there were always crowds of poor and hungry outside the palace, he would try to have as many of them fed as possible. During Lent and Advent anyone who presented themselves before him was given a meal and often, the king served them himself. He even had lists compiled of needy people in every province under his rule.
Louis married his true love, Margaret of Provence, on May 27, 1234. Queen Margaret was filled with religious fervor as was her husband and they truly made a beautiful couple while setting a fine example for all married couples. They enjoyed each other’s company and liked riding together, listening to music and reading. King Louis and Queen Margaret had 11 children.
Louis was a strong-willed and strong-minded man with a powerful faith. His word was trusted throughout the kingdom, and his courage in taking action against wrongs was remarkable.
King Louis built churches, libraries, hospitals, and orphanages. He treated both princes and commoners equally. His wishes were to be treated the same by the real King of Kings, to whom he pledged to give his life, his family, and his country.
To sneak a peek into the heart of this saintly king, one might just read the quote from a letter he gave to his oldest son:
If God send thee adversity, receive it in patience and give thanks to our Savior and bethink thee that thou hast deserved it, and that He will make it turn to thine advantage. If He send thee prosperity, then thank Him humbly, so that thou becomest not worse from pride or any other cause when thou oughtest to be better. For we should not fight against God with his own gifts.
King Louis took his army on the 7th Crusade in 1248. This proved to be a disaster and the king was captured. After an absence of six years, he was successfully ransomed and returned home. In 1270 he sought redemption for his first failure and embarked on another crusade. It was the dead of summer in northern Africa and dysentery and typhoid swept through the dirty camps. King Louis IX died while lying on a bed of ashes, saying the name of the city he never conquered: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem.”
Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed Louis a saint in 1297. He is the only king of France named a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.
This man was a true gentleman as he tried to treat everyone with courtesy and respect while remaining strong and compassionate at the same time. His feast day is August 25 and he is the patron of the Third Order of St. Francis and the nation of France.
St. Louis IX, please pray for us.
Feast of King St. Louis IX
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From FishEaters
In 1230, he outlawed all forms of usury and compelled usurers to contribute toward the Crusades when their debtors could not be found to be compensated (later under his reign, in 1240, would come the famous disputation of the Talmud in Paris, after rulers and churchmen discovered what blasphemies the Talmud taught. Copies of the Talmud were burned in great fires in the streets of Paris).
Louis married at age nineteen, in 1234, taking to wife Marguerite of Provence, with whom he had eleven children -- five sons and six daughters. He went on a Crusade in 1248, and fought nobly and with great honor, forbidding his men to kill prisoners and always expecting them to act as Christians. But he lost the battle and, weakened by dystentery, was captured in Mansoura, Egypt. During his captivity, he -- a Third Order Franciscan -- sang the Divine Office every day with two chaplains and conducted himself with such honor as to impress his captors. When the Sultan was killed by his own emirs, he was set free, but didn't immediately return to Europe; instead, he went to the Holy Land, and remained there in order to help fortify the Christian colonies, not returning until 1254, during which time his mother died.
Very dedicated to the cause of peace, he not only arbitrated and made treaties with Henry VIII and James I of Aragon, but did much to curb a lot of the petty, feudal warfare that caused so much harm. He was a great patron of learning, the arts, and architecture, and under his patronage, the Sorbonne was founded; abbeys built; the choir, apse, and nave of St. Denis Basilica -- which contains the tombs of almost all French Kings -- were refurbished, etc. His crowning architectural glory, though, is Sainte Chapelle, the beautiful chapel with the walls of stained glass that sits on the tiny Ile de la Cité right in the middle of Paris, in the Seine River (the same island where Notre Dame Cathedral is found). This chapel was built to house a part of the Crown of Thorns and a piece of the True Cross which he purchased from Emperor Baldwin II in Constantinople, and it became St. Louis's personal royal chapel. To stand in it is to seem to stand inside a luminous jewel box:
Glorious and fruitful was his reign! Indeed, having dealt with economic woes by expelling the usurers from France, King St. Louis ruled over a time that became known as "the golden century of Saint Louis."
He was most famous, though, for his charity, humility, and concern for the poor, something undoubtedly inspired by his having become a Franciscan Tertiary. He built many hospitals, among them the hospital known as "Quinze-vingt" ("Fifteen-Twenty") -- a hospital for the blind whose name comes from the fact that it could care for 300 patients. He built homes for reformed prostitutes. Every day, he met with the poor personally and saw to it that they were fed, inviting them to dine with him, and washing their feet in imitation of Christ at the Last Supper. He gave special attention to the indigent during Advent and Lent. All who knew him admired him; no one spoke ill of him and he spoke ill of no one else. His biographer, Joinville, wrote, "I was a good twenty-two years in the King's company and never once did I hear him swear, either by God, or His Mother, or His saints. I did not even hear him name the Devil, except if he met the word when reading aloud, or when discussing what had been read."
He was also very devoted to the cause of Justice, and eliminated the feudal method of conflict resolution through combat, replacing it with arbitration and judicial process. He eradicated his ancestors' "King's Court" and established popular courts in which he, himself, would hear his subjects' grievances.
In 1270, he went off on another Crusade, this time in an attempt to convert the Emir of Tunis after being inspired by acting as godfather to a Jewish convert. Again, his Crusade failed, and again he became sick with dysentery. This time, though, he did not recover. He died, in Tunis, at three in the afternoon on 25 August 1270. His last words were the last words of Christ: "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit." He was canonized in 1297, 27 years after his death, and was succeeded by his son, Philip III (see Louis's letter to him below). His line continued after him until the French Revolution, when King Louis XVI was guillotined on 21 January 1793. At this act of regicide, the Abbe Edgeworth said, "Son of St. Louis, ascend to Heaven!"
King St. Louis's remains were laid to rest, like those of almost all French Kings, in the Basilica of St. Denis, located in what is now a northern suburb of Paris. The Basilica was sacked during the infamous Revolution and its royal tombs were emptied into a mass grave -- with some of the tombs themselves being destroyed, including that of St. Louis (the tomb-smashing was stopped when an archaeologist of the time urged the revolutionaries to consider them "works of art"). In 1817, the mass grave was opened and all of the bones were placed in a single ossuary, with the names of the monarchs recorded.
St. Louis is the patron of builders, kings, large families, Crusaders, France, and, of course, St. Louis, Missouri. He is also, along with St. Elizabeth of Hungary -- a fellow Franciscan Tertirary -- patron of the Franciscan Third Order. He is represented in art by the Crown of Thorns, crown, scepter, and the fleur-de-lis (the symbol of French monarchy, most likely a stylized depiction of the Yellow Flag Iris -- Iris pseudocorus).
To read more about St. Louis, see Saint Louis (Louis IX of France) the Most Christian King (pdf) from this site's Catholic Library.
Some may prepare for this feast by praying the Novena to King St. Louis IX starting on August 16 and ending on August 24. Today, though, would be a good day to pray the Litany of Saint Louis of France -- and the intense prayer below, written by King St. Louis himself:
I resolve to act today and always for Thy love, for Thy glory, to fulfill Thy holy will, to serve Thee, to praise Thee and to bless Thee, to satisfy Thy justice, for the relief of the souls in Purgatory, and to obtain for sinners the grace of a true conversion.
I desire to do all things in union with the intentions and dispositions that all the saints of Heaven, the august Virgin Mary, and Jesus Christ, my Savior, had while on earth. I would wish to be able to sign with my blood the protestation I make to Thee this day and to renew it at every moment until my last breath.
Receive, O my God, the homage of my heart and of all its affections, and deign to grant me the grace of never committing any mortal sin throughout my life, especially on this day, during which I desire to gain all the indulgences I am capable of gaining.
I beg Thee to make me a partaker of the fruits of all the Masses that will be celebrated, and may all the good works that will be done serve for the conversion of sinners.
All in the love of God,
For the love of God,
Out of love for God.
Much is made of this Feast in parts of French Canada, and in France, especially in Aigues-Mortes, the port city from which King St. Louis departed for the 7th and 8th Crusades, and which he'd transformed from a backwater area into a regular town, building roads and towers after purchasing land from the Benedictines who lived there. Great medieval re-enactments, mystery plays, parades, and a medieval market can be enjoyed in Aigues-Mortes on the days surrounding this feast. In that spirit, this medieval song written in King St. Louis's honor is perfect for the day:
| Le Roi Louis Le Roy Louis a convoqué, Tous ses barons et chevaliers. Le Roy Louis a demandé, "Qui veut me suivre où que j'irai?" Les plus ardents se sont dressés, Ont juré Foi, Fidélité. Les plus prudents ont deviné, Où le Roy voulait les mener. Ainsi parla le Duc de Baume, "Je combattrai pour le royaume." Le Roy lui dit "c'est point assez: Nous défendrons la Chrétienté." Ainsi parla Seigneur d'Estienne: "Je défends la terre chrétienne, Mais je ne veux pas m'en aller Semer la mort dessus la mer." "Ah", dit le Roy, "notre domaine, S'étend sur la rive africaine, Jusqu'au désert le plus avant. C'est notre fief, et prix du sang." S'en est allé le Roy Louis. Les plus fidèles l'ont suivi. S'en sont allés bien loin, bien loin, Pour conquérir le fief divin. | King Louis The King Louis summoned, All his barons and knights. The King Louis asked, "Who wants to follow me where I will go?" The more ardent ones were prepared, they swore for faith, fidelity. The more prudent ones guessed, Where the king wanted to lead them to. Then spoke the Duke of Baume, "I will fight for the kingdom." The king told him "It's not enough: We will defend the Christianity." Then spoke the Lord of Estienne: "I defend the christian lands, But I do not want to go To sow the dead under the sea." "Ah", said the king, "our dominance extends over the African river, Until the desert farther forward. It's our fief, and price of blood." The King Louis came from there. The most faithful ones followed him. He came quite, quite afar. To conquer the divine fief. |
And much is made of this feast in St. Louis, Missouri as well, where there is a week-long festival marked by outdoor rosaries, a solemn procession of the relics of King St. Louis, many different liturgies, visits to the statue "The Apotheosis of St. Louis" on Art Hill, picnics, dancing, theatrical productions, etc. It is well worth a visit!
As to celebrating this feast at home: if you've ever wanted to really "go medieval" and recreate a medieval feast, today would be a good day to do it! If you don't want to prepare an entire feast, maybe this medieval spice bread will serve the cause (the baking soda is a modern addition). It's best, though, if prepared the day before!:
1 1/3 cups honey
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking soda
3 to 4 cups rye flour (whole wheat flour can be substituted)
2/3 cup pulverized blanched almonds
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp anise extract
1/4 cup dark rum or bourbon whiskey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp mace
1 cup mixed glacéed fruits, diced and rinsed in boiling water
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Beat the honey, sugar, and boiling water using the mixer in a bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Add the salt, soda, and 3 cups of rye flour. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour until you make a heavy, sticky, but still manipulable mass.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix at a slow speed to incorporate. Turn the batter into a 9" X 2" non-stick loaf pan that you've lined with parchment, filling it up by about two-thirds. Smooth the top with a damp finger or spatula. Bake on the middle rack for 50 minutes to 1 1/4 hours, 'til a toothpick comes out clean. Let sit a day, covered, to "ripen." Good paired with savory things (e.g., foie gras, salmon, duck breast, or Roquefort) and sweet white wine. Also good toasted for breakfast and served with butter and jam, along with coffee, tea, or cider.
Above all, though, today is a good day for parents to ponder the words St. Louis's mother said to him. If you're a parent, ask yourself what you prize most in your children. Do you, above all -- even above desiring their physical health and earthly happiness -- want your children to be virtuous and to please God, to know Him and love Him and serve Him in this world so they can be happy with Him in the next? If so, do your children know this?
-- and speaking of whom, here are some King St. Louis IX Coloring Pages (pdf) your children might enjoy.
Reading
King Saint Louis's
Last Instructions to his Eldest Son, Philip III
1. To his dear first-born son, Philip, greeting, and his father's love.
2. Dear son, since I desire with all my heart that you be well "instructed in all things, it is in my thought to give you some advice this writing. For I have heard you say, several times, that you remember my words better than those of any one else.
3. Therefore, dear son, the first thing I advise is that you fix your whole heart upon God, and love Him with all your strength, for without this no one can be saved or be of any worth.
4. You should, with all your strength, shun everything which you believe to be displeasing to Him. And you ought especially to be resolved not to commit mortal sin, no matter what may happen and should permit all your limbs to be hewn off, and suffer every manner of torment, rather than fall knowingly into mortal sin.
5. If our Lord send you any adversity, whether illness or other in good patience, and thank Him for it, thing, you should receive it in good patience and be thankful for it, for you ought to believe that He will cause everthing to turn out for your good; and likewise you should think that you have well merited it, and more also, should He will it, because you have loved Him but little, and served Him but little, and have done many things contrary to His will.
6. If our Lord send you any prosperity, either health of body or other thing you ought to thank Him humbly for it, and you ought to be careful that you are not the worse for it, either through pride or anything else, for it is a very great sin to fight against our Lord with His gifts.
7. Dear son, I advise you that you accustom yourself to frequent confession, and that you choose always, as your confessors, men who are upright and sufficiently learned, and who can teach you what you should do and what you should avoid. You should so carry yourself that your confessors and other friends may dare confidently to reprove you and show you your faults.
8. Dear son, I advise you that you listen willingly and devoutly the services of Holy Church, and, when you are in church, avoid to frivolity and trifling, and do not look here and there; but pray to God with lips and heart alike, while entertaining sweet thoughts about Him, and especially at the mass, when the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ are consecrated, and for a little time before.
9. Dear son, have a tender pitiful heart for the poor, and for all those whom you believe to be in misery of heart or body, and, according to your ability, comfort and aid them with some alms.
10. Maintain the good customs of your realm, and put down the bad ones. Do not oppress your people and do not burden them with tolls or tailles, except under very great necessity.
11. If you have any unrest of heart, of such a nature that it may be told, tell it to your confessor, or to some upright man who can keep your secret; you will be able to carry more easily the thought of your heart.
12. See to it that those of your household are upright and loyal, and remember the Scripture, which says: "Elige viros timentes Deum in quibus sit justicia et qui oderint avariciam"; that is to say, "Love those who serve God and who render strict justice and hate covetousness"; and you will profit, and will govern your kingdom well.
13. Dear son, see to it that all your associates are upright, whether clerics or laymen, and have frequent good converse with them; and flee the society of the bad. And listen willingly to the word of God, both in open and in secret; and purchase freely prayers and pardons.
14. Love all good, and hate all evil, in whomsoever it may be.
15. Let no one be so bold as to say, in your presence, words which attract and lead to sin, and do not permit words of detraction to be spoken of another behind his back.
!6. Suffer it not that any ill be spoken of God or His saints in your presence, without taking prompt vengeance. But if the offender be a clerk or so great a person that you ought not to try him, report the matter to him who is entitled to judge it.
17. Dear son, give thanks to God often for all the good things He has done for you, so that you may be worthy to receive more, in such a manner that if it please the Lord that you come to the burden and honor of governing the kingdom, you may be worthy to receive the sacred unction wherewith the kings of France are consecrated.
18. Dear son, if you come to the throne, strive to have that which befits a king, that is to say, that in justice and rectitude you hold yourself steadfast and loyal toward your subjects and your vassals, without turning either to the right or to the left, but always straight, whatever may happen. And if a poor man have a quarrel with a rich man, sustain the poor rather than the rich, until the truth is made clear, and when you know the truth, do justice to them.
19. If any one have entered into a suit against you (for any injury or wrong which he may believe that you have done to him), be always for him and against yourself in the presence of your council, without showing that you think much of your case (until the truth be made known concerning it); for those of your council might be backward in speaking against you, and this you should not wish; and command your judges that you be not in any way upheld more than any others, for thus will your councillors judge more boldly according to right and truth.
20. If you have anything belonging to another, either of yourself or through your predecessors, if the matter is certain, give it up without delay, however great it may be, either in land or money or otherwise. If the matter is doubtful, have it inquired into by wise men, promptly and diligently. And if the affair is so obscure that you cannot know the truth, make such a settlement, by the counsel of s of upright men, that your soul, and the soul your predecessors, may be wholly freed from the affair. And even if you hear some one say that your predecessors made restitution, make diligent inquiry to learn if anything remains to be restored; and if you find that such is the case, cause it to be delivered over at once, for the liberation of your soul and the souls of your predecessors.
21. You should seek earnestly how your vassals and your subjects may live in peace and rectitude beneath your sway; likewise, the good towns and the good cities of your kingdom. And preserve them in the estate and the liberty in which your predecessors kept them, redress it, and if there be anything to amend, amend and preserve their favor and their love. For it is by the strength and the riches of your good cities and your good towns that the native and the foreigner, especially your peers and your barons, are deterred from doing ill to you. I will remember that Paris and the good towns of my kingdom aided me against the barons, when I was newly crowned.
22. Honor and love all the people of Holy Church, and be careful that no violence be done to them, and that their gifts and alms, which your predecessors have bestowed upon them, be not taken away or diminished. And I wish here to tell you what is related concerning King Philip, my ancestor, as one of his council, who said he heard it, told it to me. The king, one day, was with his privy council, and he was there who told me these words. And one of the king's councillors said to him how much wrong and loss he suffered from those of Holy Church, in that they took away his rights and lessened the jurisdiction of his court; and they marveled greatly how he endured it. And the good king answered: "I am quite certain that they do me much wrong, but when I consider the goodnesses and kindnesses which God has done me, I had rather that my rights should go, than have a contention or awaken a quarrel with Holy Church." And this I tell to you that you may not lightly believe anything against the people of Holy Church; so love them and honor them and watch over them that they may in peace do the service of our Lord.
23. Moreover, I advise you to love dearly the clergy, and, so far as you are able, do good to them in their necessities, and likewise love those by whom God is most honored and served, and by whom the Faith is preached and exalted.
24. Dear son, I advise that you love and reverence your father and your mother, willingly remember and keep their commandments, and be inclined to believe their good counsels.
25. Love your brothers, and always wish their well-being and their good advancement, and also be to them in the place of a father, to instruct them in all good. But be watchful lest, for the love which you bear to one, you turn aside from right doing, and do to the others that which is not meet.
26. Dear son, I advise you to bestow the benefices of Holy Church which you have to give, upon good persons, of good and clean life, and that you bestow them with the high counsel of upright men. And I am of the opinion that it is preferable to give them to those who hold nothing of Holy Church, rather than to others. For, if you inquire diligently, you will find enough of those who have nothing who will use wisely that entrusted to them.
27. Dear son, I advise you that you try with all your strength to avoid warring against any Christian man, unless he have done you too much ill. And if wrong be done you, try several ways to see if you can find how you can secure your rights, before you make war; and act thus in order to avoid the sins which are committed in warfare.
28. And if it fall out that it is needful that you should make war (either because some one of your vassals has failed to plead his case in your court, or because he has done wrong to some church or to some poor person, or to any other person whatsoever, and is unwilling to make amends out of regard for you, or for any other reasonable cause), whatever the reason for which it is necessary for you to make war, give diligent command that the poor folk who have done no wrong or crime be protected from damage to their vines, either through fire or otherwise, for it were more fitting that you should constrain the wrongdoer by taking his own property (either towns or castles, by force of siege), than that you should devastate the property of poor people. And be careful not to start the war before you have good counsel that the cause is most reasonable, and before you have summoned the offender to make amends, and have waited as long as you should. And if he ask mercy, you ought to pardon him, and accept his amende, so that God may be pleased with you.
29. Dear son, I advise you to appease wars and contentions, whether they be yours or those of your subjects, just as quickly as may be, for it is a thing most pleasing to our Lord. And Monsignore Martin gave us a very great example of this. For, one time, when our Lord made it known to him that he was about to die, he set out to make peace between certain clerks of his archbishopric, and he was of the opinion that in so doing he was giving a good end to life.
30. Seek diligently, most sweet son, to have good baillis and good prevots in your land, and inquire frequently concerning their doings, and how they conduct themselves, and if they administer justice well, and do no wrong to any one, nor anything which they ought not do. Inquire more often concerning those of your household if they be too covetous or too arrogant; for it is natural that the members should seek to imitate their chief; that is, when the master is wise and well-behaved, all those of his household follow his example and prefer it. For however much you ought to hate evil in others, you shoud have more hatred for the evil which comes from those who derive their power from you, than you bear to the evil of others; and the more ought you to be on your guard and prevent this from happening.
3!. Dear son, I advise you always to be devoted to the Church of Rome, and to the sovereign pontiff, our father, and to bear him the the reverence and honor which you owe to your spiritual father.
32. Dear son, freely give power to persons of good character, who know how to use it well, and strive to have wickednesses expelled from your land, that is to say, nasty oaths, and everything said or done against God or our Lady or the saints. In a wise and proper manner put a stop, in your land, to bodily sins, dicing, taverns, and other sins. Put down heresy so far as you can, and hold in especial abhorrence Jews, and all sorts of people who are hostile to the Faith, so that your land may be well purged of them, in such manner as, by the sage counsel of good people, may appear to you advisable.
33. Further the right with all your strength. Moreover I admonish you you that you strive most earnestly to show your gratitude for the benefits which our Lord has bestowed upon you, and that you may know how to give Him thanks therefore
34. Dear son, take care that the expenses of your household are reasonable and moderate, and that its moneys are justly obtained. And there is one opinion that I deeply wish you to entertain, that is to say, that you keep yourself free from foolish expenses and evil exactions, and that your money should be well expended and well acquired. And this opinion, together with other opinions which are suitable and profitable, I pray that our Lord may teach you.
35. Finally, most sweet son, I conjure and require you that, if it please our Lord that I should die before you, you have my soul succored with masses and orisons, and that you send through the congregations of the kingdom of France, and demand their prayers for my soul, and that you grant me a special and full part in all the good deeds which you perform.
36. In conclusion, dear son, I give you all the blessings which a good and tender father can give to a son, and I pray our Lord Jesus Christ, by His mercy, by the prayers and merits of His blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, and of angels and archangels and of all the saints, to guard and protect you from doing anything contrary to His will, and to give you grace to do it always, so that He may be honored and served by you. And this may He do to me as to you, by His great bounty, so that after this mortal life we may be able to be together with Him in the eternal life, and see Him, love Him, and praise Him without end. Amen. And glory, honor, and praise be to Him who is one God with the Father and the Holy Spirit; without beginning and without end. Amen.
Dom Prosper Guéranger's Prayer to St Louis for France
Thy descendants are no longer here to defend us against these men who use the country for their own purposes and exile those who have been the makers of it. But how terrible are the judgments of the Lord! Thou thyself hast said: “I would rather a stranger than my own son should rule my people and kingdom, if my son is to rule amiss.” Thirty years after the Crusade of Tunis, an unworthy prince, Philip IV thy second successor, outraged the Vicar of Christ. Straightway he was rejected by heaven, and his direct male line became extinct. The withered bough was replaced by another branch, though still from the same root. But the nation had to suffer for its kings, and to expiate the crime of Anagni: the judgment of God allowed a terrible war to be brought about through the political indiscretion of the same Philip the Fair (by marrying his daughter Isabelle to Edward II of England; which marriage after the death of Philip’s three sons Louis X, Philip V, and Charles IX, without male issue, furnished the plea for Isabella’s son Edward III to pretend to the crown of France), a prince as discreditable to the State as to the Church and to his own family. Then for a hundred years the country seemed to be on the brink of destruction; until by a wonderful protection of God over the land, the Maid of Orleans, blessed Joan of Arc, rescued the lily of France from the clutches of the English leopard.
Other faults alas! were to compromise still further, and then, twice over, to wither up or break the branches of the royal tree. Long did thy personal merits outweigh before God the scandalous immorality, which our princes had made their family mark, their odious privilege: a shame, which was transmitted by the expiring Valois to the Bourbons; which had to be expiated, but not effaced, by the blood of the just Louis XVI; and which so many illustrious exiles are still expiating in lowliness and sorrow in a foreign land. Would that thou couldst at least recognize these thy remaining sons by their imitation of thy virtues! For it is only by striving to win back this spiritual inheritance, that they can hope that God will one day restore them the other.
For God, who commands us to obey at all times the power actually established, is ever the master of nations and the unchangeable disposer of their changeable destinies. Then every one of thy descendants, taught by a sad experience, will be bound to remember, O Louis, thy last recommendation: “Exert thyself that every vile sin be abolished from thy land; especially, to the best of thy power, put down all wicked oaths and heresy.”
Feast of St Louis IX, Crusader King
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Today is the Feast of St Louis IX, King of France and valiant Crusader for the Faith. He is one of my favourite Saints. I have become convinced that for the Revolution to be defeated worldwide, it must first be defeated in its homeland of France. I invoke St Louis for the defeat of the Satanic Revolution and the Restoration of his descendant, Monseigneur Louis, le duc d'Anjou as Louis XX, Most Christian King of France and Navarre.
I love you, my dear son, as much as a mother can love her child; but I would rather see you dead at my feet than that you should ever commit a mortal sin.Blanche raised two Canonised Saints, Louis and St Isabelle (Feast Day, 26 February), his younger sister.
A short hagiography from Catholic Online
Louis IX was born in Poissy, France, in 1214 to Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. He succeeded to the throne at the age of twelve under the regency of his mother. On his twenty-first birthday, he assumed full kingship. He was well known for protecting the French clergy from secular leaders and for strictly enforcing laws against blasphemy. Louis generally remained neutral in international disputes. However, because of a dispute between the Count of Le Marche and the Count of Poitiers, in which Henry III supported the Count of Le Marche, he was forced to go to war with England. In 1242, Louis defeated Henry III at Tailebourg. After the war, he made restitution to the innocent people whose property had been destroyed. He established the Sorbonne (1252) and the monasteries of Rayaumont, Vavert, and Maubuisson. Louis led two crusades, the Sixth and the Seventh Crusades. He was captured and imprisoned during the Sixth (1244-1249). At the onset of the Seventh Crusade in 1270, Louis died of dysentery. St Boniface VIII canonised him in 1297.
Here is the 'Legend' or Third Reading from his Matins for today,
Louis IX, King of France, was brought up under the most holy care of his mother Blanche. To regain possession of Jerusalem, he crossed the sea with a great army and put the Saracens to flight in the first battle. But, when a great many of his soldiers had perished in the plague, he was defeated and taken captive. Upon conclusion of a treaty, he was set free. He redeemed many Christians in the East from enslavement to the barbarians, and also converted many infidels to the faith of Christ. Returning to France, he built many monasteries and hospitals for the poor. He helped the needy by his beneficence, and he often visited the sick and served them himself. He wore plain clothing and constantly afflicted his body by wearing a hair shirt and by fasting. When he had crossed the sea again to make war against the Saracens and had pitched camp within sight of them, he died of the plague, saying this prayer: I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy Name.
And the Collect of his Feast,
℣. O Lord, hear my prayer.I suggest also reading the entry on St Louis' life from Dom Prosper Guéranger.
℟. And let my cry come unto thee.
Let us pray.
O God, Who didst give unto thy blessed Confessor Louis a glorious change from an earthly kingdom unto an heavenly, grant unto us, we beseech thee, for his sake and by his prayers, one day to enter like him into the Presence of the King of kings, even thy Son Jesus Christ.
Who with thee liveth and reigneth, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.
℟. Amen.