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FEBRUARY 1st
Many modern Englishmen talk of themselves as the sturdy descendants of their sturdy Puritan fathers. As a fact, they would run away from a cow. If you asked one of their Puritan fathers, if you asked Bunyan, for instance, whether he was sturdy, he would have answered with tears, that he was as weak as water. And because of this he would have borne tortures.
'Heretics.'
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1 Feb. 2 June. 2 Oct.
The fourth degree of humility is, that if in this very obedience hard and contrary things, nay even injuries, are done to him, he should embrace them patiently with a quiet conscience, and not grow weary or give in, as the Scripture saith: “He that shall persevere to the end shall be saved.” And again: “Let thy heart be comforted, and wait for the Lord.” And shewing how the faithful man ought to bear all things, however contrary, for the Lord, it saith in the person of the afflicted: “For Thee we suffer death all the day long; we are esteemed as sheep for the slaughter.” And secure in their hope of the divine reward, they go on with joy, saying: “But in all these things we overcome, through Him Who hath loved us.” And so in another place Scripture saith: “Thou hast proved us, O God; Thou hast tried us as silver is tried by fire; Thou hast led us into the snare, and hast laid tribulation on our backs.” And in order to shew that we ought to be under a superior, it goes on to say: “Thou hast placed men over our heads.” Moreover, fulfilling the precept of the Lord by patience in adversities and injuries, they who are struck on one cheek offer the other: to him who taketh away their coat they leave also their cloak; and being forced to walk one mile, they go two. With Paul the Apostle, they bear with false brethren, and bless those that curse them.
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When St John Bosco was threatened for his work with youth, a dog would show up and chase away his attackers. Was it his Guardian Angel?
From Aleteia
By Philip Kosloski
As the saint walked home a dog would show up and frequently chase away criminals.
The work of St. John Bosco reforming young boys wasn’t highly regarded by many and in fact, Bosco’s life was openly threatened on multiple occasions.
To protect Bosco, God sent to him a dog to keep him company on his lonely walks home.
This is narrated in the 19th-century book Life of Don Bosco.
One night returning home later than usual and feeling vague apprehension [Bosco] saw a dog approach and felt alarmed, but the animal gently wagged his tail and turning, walked beside Don Bosco, who caressed him. All fear vanished. The dog escorted Don Bosco to the Oratory but refused to enter. Whenever he was late in coming home, on one side “il Grigio,” the grey [dog], appeared.
The dog not only accompanied Bosco, but also chased away criminals who tried to kill Bosco.
On [one] occasion Grigio defended Don Bosco from a formidable band of paid assassins. When at midnight passing through the Place Milan…he observed a man follow, armed with a large cudgel and hastened with the hope of reaching the Oratory safely. He was already at the top of the declivity when lower down he saw a group of men, then he waited for the one behind, whom he threw down. His comrades surrounded Don Bosco with raised sticks, the faithful Grigio appeared, beside his protégé, snarling and springing about in such fury that the wretches terrified besought Don Bosco to quiet the dog and vanished in the darkness. Don Bosco’s faithful four-footed guardian escorted him to the door of the Oratory.
This happened on multiple occasions, but the mysterious dog never stayed long at the Oratory, only appearing when Bosco needed him.
Where the dog came from remains a mystery, and some believe it may have been Bosco’s guardian angel in disguise.
From MedievalMadness
Today, many people do their shopping online, especially at Christmas when they are looking out for the next Black Friday deal. Even if we do go out to a real bricks and mortar shop or even a Festive market, we don’t have to carry money about to bag a bargain, as we can just flash a plastic card to pay for our goods. But what about the Medievals? Their shopping malls were the markets and shops. The town squares are filled with smells of freshly baked bread (as well as other dubious odours), the squawks and squeals of live animals and the shouts of vendors, all trying to entice you to buy their wares. Let’s travel back to the Middle Ages and spend some time with these Medieval shoppers, where we find merchants, markets and medieval mayhem. 0:00 Introduction 1:17 A Place For Everything 06:40 Sights, Sounds and Smells 09:26 Luxury Goods
The Church is definitely in a time of trial! St John Bosco, whose Feast is today, says only two things can save us: Devotion to Mary and frequent Holy Communion.
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By Philip Kosloski
“Only two things can save us in such a grave hour: devotion to Mary and frequent Communion.”
In 1862, St. John Bosco related to his students a vivid dream he had a few nights before. He described it to them as an “allegory” with profound spiritual lessons embedded in it.
Since then many people have found his dreams to be “prophetic,” describing a future time of trial in the Church. As with many supernatural dreams, the contents of the dreams don’t necessarily apply to one particular period in time, but serve as a general reminder of what is truly important during any time of crisis in the world.
Below are a few short excerpts from Bosco’s dream that envisions the Church as a large ship, being tossed about by waves and enemy attacks. Yet, in the midst of it all, the ship stays the course and remains focused on two pillars that save it from sinking.
Try to picture yourselves with me on the seashore, or, better still, on an outlying cliff with no other land in sight. The vast expanse of water is covered with a formidable array of ships in battle formation, prows fitted with sharp spear-like beaks capable of breaking through any defence. All are heavily armed with cannons, incendiary bombs, and firearms of all sorts — even books — and are heading toward one stately ship, mightier than them all. As they try to close in, they try to ram it, set it afire, and cripple it as much as possible.
This stately vessel is shielded by a flotilla escort. Winds and waves are with the enemy. In this midst of this endless sea, two solid columns, a short distance apart, soar high into the sky: one is surmounted by a statue of the Immaculate Virgin at whose feet a large inscription reads: Help of Christians; the other, far loftier and sturdier, supports a [Communion] Host of proportionate size and bears beneath it the inscription Salvation of believers.
The entire enemy fleet closes in to intercept and sink the flagship at all costs. They bombard it with everything they have: books and pamphlets, incendiary bombs, firearms, cannons. The battle rages ever more furious. Beaked prows ram the flagship again and again, but to no avail, as, unscathed and undaunted, it keeps on its course. At times a formidable ram splinters a gaping hole into its hull, but, immediately, a breeze from the two columns instantly seals the gash.
Very grave trials await the Church. What we have suffered so far is almost nothing compared to what is going to happen. The enemies of the Church are symbolised by the ships which strive their utmost to sink the flagship. Only two things can save us in such a grave hour: devotion to Mary and frequent Communion. Let us do our very best to use these two means and have others use them everywhere.
