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Saint Seraphin Oct 12 breski1 on Oct 11, 2007 Saint Seraphin of Montegranaro (Italian: Serafino de Montegranaro) (1540—October 12, 1604) is an Italian saint. Born Felice de Nicola at MontegranaroMore
Saint Seraphin Oct 12

breski1 on Oct 11, 2007 Saint Seraphin of Montegranaro (Italian: Serafino de Montegranaro) (1540—October 12, 1604) is an Italian saint. Born Felice de Nicola at Montegranaro of a poor, pious family, in his youth he was employed as a shepherd, an occupation which gave him much leisure for prayer and other pious exercises. Upon the death of his parents, he was subjected to harsh and cruel treatment by his eldest brother. At the age of sixteen, he entered the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and received the name Seraphin
. He was distinguished from the first by his unaffected simplicity, mortification, and obedience as well as charity which, towards the poor, knew no bounds. He had a special devotion to the Blessed Eucharist and to Our Lady.
Seraphin was endowed with the gift of reading the secrets of hearts, and with that of miracles and prophecy. Although unlettered, his advice was sought by secular and ecclesiastical dignitaries, and was a fruitful source of virtue to souls. His tomb is in the Capuchin friary at Ascoli. He was canonized by Pope Clement XIII, 16 July 1767.
His feast is celebrated on 12 October.
A church at San Lorenzo Nuovo is dedicated to him.
Irapuato
Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time
Letter to the Romans 2:1-11. Therefore, you are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment. For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the very same things. We know that the judgment of God on those who do such things is true. Do you suppose, then, you who judge those who engage in such …More
Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time
Letter to the Romans 2:1-11. Therefore, you are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment. For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the very same things. We know that the judgment of God on those who do such things is true. Do you suppose, then, you who judge those who engage in such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you hold his priceless kindness, forbearance, and patience in low esteem, unaware that the kindness of God would lead you to repentance? By your stubbornness and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself for the day of wrath and revelation of the just judgment of God, who will repay everyone according to his works: eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good works, but wrath and fury to those who selfishly disobey the truth and obey wickedness. Yes, affliction and distress will come upon every human being who does evil, Jew first and then Greek. But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, Jew first and then Greek. There is no partiality with God. Psalms 62(61):2-3.6-7.9. My soul rests in God alone, from whom comes my salvation. God alone is my rock and salvation, my secure height; I shall never fall. My soul, be at rest in God alone, from whom comes my hope. God alone is my rock and my salvation, my secure height; I shall not fall. Trust God at all times, my people! Pour out your hearts to God our refuge! Selah Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11:42-46. Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk." Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, "Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too." And he said, "Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them. Commentary of the day : Isaac the Syrian "Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry" www.dailygospel.org
Irapuato
THE GRUMPY CATHOLICS GUILD
Father Daniel Ray, LC
Luke 11: 42-46
"But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of
all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you
ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others. Woe to you
Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honor in the synagogues
and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For …More
THE GRUMPY CATHOLICS GUILD
Father Daniel Ray, LC
Luke 11: 42-46
"But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of
all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you
ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others. Woe to you
Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honor in the synagogues
and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For
you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without
realizing it." One of the lawyers answered him, "Teacher, when you
say these things, you insult us too." And he said, "Woe also to you
lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you
yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are present here as I
turn to you in prayer. I trust and have confidence in your desire to
give me every grace I need to receive today. Thank you for your love,
thank you for your immense generosity toward me. I give you my life
and my love in return.
Petition: Lord make my heart more like yours.
1. Falling into the Same Trap: Do we ever find ourselves rooting for
Jesus in this Gospel passage? "Give it to ‘em hard, Lord! They
deserve it!" We imagine ourselves there in the scene—our arms
sternly crossed, our heads shaking in disapproval of those oh-so
hypocritical Pharisees. Soon our thoughts turn to someone we know who
"should also receive a good verbal lashing!" Even a priest or a
bishop might be the subject of our mental reprimand. Yet we now find
ourselves right in the shoes of the very Pharisees we so deplore: Our
hearts are embittered and dry. Although we are able to condemn with
the Lord, we do not love with the Lord. We forget that Christ would
lay down his life for these Pharisees he is calling to
conversion—even if they were the only ones who needed to be
saved. Pointing the finger is easy, but a call to conversion can come
only from a heart that loves.
2. The Grumpy Catholics Guild: Is there anyone who can't find at
least one thing wrong in their parish or diocese? One thing is to
see, pray for, and help resolve these difficulties. Another matter is
to dwell on them. That is what the members of the "Grumpy Catholics
Guild" (GCG) do. This Gospel passage is the one exclusive lens
through which they view everything. For the Rosary, members of the
GCG pray the "Vengeful Mysteries": Jesus curses the fig tree, Jesus
clears the temple, Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees. Might I
be an anonymous member—or at least a supporter—of the
GCG? Christ used hard words, but they were only fruit of an intense
love and longing for the scribes' and Pharisees' salvation, not an
intense bitterness toward them. If I have any bitterness in my heart,
I need to ask Christ for the grace to forgive and to forgive as
Christ forgives.
3. Helping Hand: Our Lord was the greatest teacher, the great
pedagogue of the fullness of life: the love of the Father. He knew
how to bring souls along little by little, at their pace and to the
extent they were capable. The opposite is true of the lawyers at the
end of this Gospel passage. They would load restrictions, unwieldy
responsibilities and weighty sacrifices upon the people, but would not
reach out a helping hand to assist the people in carrying the
weight. As Christians we are called to help illuminate the
consciences of those around us so that they might have a closer
relationship with God. However if illuminating their consciences is
merely our euphemism for "throwing the book at them", we need to stop
and see if Christ's words don't apply to us as well: "For you load
people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a
finger to ease them."
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, at times I look at my heart
and see that it is hard and bitter. It is ready to jump
self-righteously at the first opportunity to condemn someone else,
but only so as to assure myself of my own moral superiority. Grant me
a heart, meek and humble like yours.
Resolution:If I find myself thinking critically about someone today,
I will pray for them and look for two good qualities in them.
meditation.regnumchristi.org
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Irapuato
12 Oct. St. Seraphin of Montegranaro
(1540-1604)
www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx
Born into a poor Italian family, young Seraphin lived the life of a shepherd and spent much of his time in prayer. Mistreated for a time by his older brother after the two of them had been orphaned, Seraphin became a Capuchin Franciscan at age 16 and impressed everyone with his humility and generosity. …More
12 Oct. St. Seraphin of Montegranaro
(1540-1604)
www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx

Born into a poor Italian family, young Seraphin lived the life of a shepherd and spent much of his time in prayer. Mistreated for a time by his older brother after the two of them had been orphaned, Seraphin became a Capuchin Franciscan at age 16 and impressed everyone with his humility and generosity.

Serving as a lay brother, Seraphin imitated St. Francis in fasting, clothing and courtesy to all. He even mirrored Francis' missionary zeal, but Seraphin's superiors did not judge him to be a candidate for the missions.
Faithful to the core, Seraphin spent three hours in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament daily. The poor who begged at the friary door came to hold a special love for him. Despite his uneventful life, he reached impressive spiritual heights and has had miracles attributed to him.
Seraphin died on October 12, 1604, and was canonized in 1767.

Comment:

For many people these days, work has no significance beyond providing the money they need to live. How many share the belief expressed in the Book of Genesis that we are to cooperate with God in caring for the earth? The kind of work Seraphin did may not strike us as earth-shattering. The work was ordinary; the spirit in which he did it was not.

Quote:

In Brothers of Men, Rene Voillaume of the Little Brothers of Jesus speaks about ordinary work and holiness: "Now this holiness [of Jesus] became a reality in the most ordinary circumstances of life, those of work, of the family and the social life of a village, and this is an emphatic affirmation of the fact that the most obscure and humdrum human activities are entirely compatible with the perfection of the Son of God." Christians are convinced, he says, "that the evangelical holiness proper to a child of God is possible in the ordinary circumstances of a man who is poor and obliged to work for his living."