Feb. 3rd St. Blase

Today, we bless throats—because it’s the memorial of St. Blasé, bishop and martyr. He devoted his earlier life to the study of philosophy, and afterwards became a physician. In the practice of his profession, he saw so much, the miseries of life, and the hollowness of worldly pleasures, that he resolved to spend the rest of his days in the service of God.

Therefore, from being a healer of body, he became a physician of souls, as a priest. And then retired for a time to a cavern where he remained in prayer.

When the bishop of Sebaste died, St. Blase, much to the joy of the inhabitants of that city, was chosen to succeed him. He at once began to instruct his people, as much by his example, as by his words. Many miracles attested to his great virtues and sanctity. From all parts, the people came flocking to him for the cure of bodily and spiritual sickness.

When the governor of Cappadocia began a persecution by order of the Emperor Licinius, Saint Blase was taken into custody. After interrogation, and a severe scourging, he was taken to prison. While in custody, a mother’s only child was dying of a throat disease, and so, she threw herself at his feet, and implored his intercession. Touched at her grief, he offered up his prayers, and the child was cured.

St. Blase was brought before the governor again for further questioning, and once again was whipped-- while tied to a pillar. He was spared from drowning when thrown into a lake, but the governor ordered that he be beheaded.

In the year 316, at the execution site, he prayed aloud to God for his persecutors. In his prayer, he told those around him, that once he had died, to ask for his prayers, as they did during his lifetime.

Just before his death, Our Lord appeared to him, and said in a voice, which all bystanders heard, ---that his prayer was granted.

Since that time, people would often invoke his intercession, especially in cases of all kinds of throat problems.

Today, on this feast of St. Blasé, let us pray, that through the intercession of Saint Blase, bishop and martyr, God may deliver us free from every disease of the throat, and from every other illness.

Feb. 2nd - Presentation of Jesus

 

 “And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter His Temple; and the angel of the covenant whom you are longing for, yes He is coming, says the Lord of hosts.”

Today Holy Mother Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Jesus, “the light to the nations and the glory of Israel” arrives in the Temple in the arms of His Mother Mary. According to Jewish law, the first-born male had to be presented to the Lord forty days after his birth.

It was also the rite of purification for mothers who had just given birth. After giving birth, women were considered unclean and could not worship in the temple or touch sacred objects until they were first purified by having a lamb or a pair of turtle doves or pigeons sacrificed. Since Mary and Joseph were poor they offered pigeons or turtle doves.

The circumstances of Mary’s Immaculate Conception and the miraculous birth of Jesus did not render Her impure, but She obediently followed the law out of humility.

The presentation of Jesus in the temple was public redemption for any first born son of any other tribe other than the tribe of Levi. The parents would symbolically give their son to God and buy him back by a small monetary offering.

Due to action of the Holy Spirit, Simeon and Anna are the only people who recognize the Messiah in what appeared to be an ordinary Infant.

Simeon prophesied Jesus would be a sign of contradiction and that now was the time for Simeon to die, since he finally saw his salvation in the form of child who would someday bring about the salvation of all those who were longing for it. He sees Jesus as the light to the nations for the glory of the people Israel.

But with His glorious entry into the Temple, the sword of sorrow predicted for Mary announces Christ’s perfect and unique oblation on the Cross, which will impart the salvation God has “prepared in the presence of all peoples”. And so, as the Light came in the world, and departed the world, the tears of His Mother fell upon the ground in sorrow. The result of the sword piercing the Virgin Mary, would be the cause of the thoughts of many hearts to be revealed.

In today’s responsorial psalm the Church recalls, how the Jewish people celebrated the entrance of the Ark of the Covenant, and these words fitting apply to Jesus the New and Everlasting Covenant entering the Temple, “O gates lift up your heads; grow higher ancient doors. Let him enter, the king of glory.”

Today is also commonly called “Candle Mass Day”, in which is customary to bless candles for the church and also for the faithful. Lit candles represent Jesus, the light of the world and light to the nations entering the temple for the first time in His sacred humanity as a child. The candles of wax remind us of Mary, whose spotless virginity gave forth to the world, the everlasting Light, Our Lord Jesus Christ. The flame from the candles therefore symbolizes Christ, who said, “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me walks not in darkness.” The lighted candles are a sign of the divine splendor, of the one who comes to expel the dark shadows of evil, and to make the whole universe, radiant with the brilliance of His eternal light. Our candles also show how bright our souls should be when we go to meet Christ. The Mother of God, the most Pure Virgin, carried the true light in Her arms and brought Him to those who lay in darkness.

As Holy Mother Church blesses the candles today, She prays that the Holy Spirit may enlighten all of us, and so inflamed with His charity, we may truly recognize, faithfully love, and courageously serve God.

Through Mary, the Mother of the Light, may we bring the light of Christ to the world, by all we meet and may the action of the sword that pierced Her soul reveal the thoughts of the hearts of many.

Touched by Grace Movie

 Movie about persons with Down syndrome

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FFoURg1Y6o

4th Sunday - Loss of a Child

Lord I wanted to hold my little one on my lap, and tell them about you. But since I never had the chance, will you please hold them on your lap and tell them about me?

 In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah said, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” Before Jeremiah was born, he was dedicated to God and someday as a prophet, would speak on behalf of God. King Zedekiah didn’t want to hear what Jeremiah said and threw him into a well and eventually killed him. This reading also prefigures Jesus. Before He was conceived in the womb of Mary, He was dedicated as the future Messiah who would come to save us from our sins and would be THE prophet sent to the nations, so all may have the opportunity for salvation. Like Jeremiah He was arrested and put into a dungeon and then was killed. Later in Our Lord’s life, He would describe how the Jewish people treated prophets. He said, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone the messengers God has sent you!” (Matt. 23:37) And in today’s Gospel, its clearly seen how they wanted to kill Jesus because He acted as a prophet speaking on behalf of God, because He is God.

He spoke as a prophet when He said, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing”. The Jews knew the scripture Our Lord had just read referred to the Messiah and that’s why they couldn’t believe He was claiming to be the Messiah. They knew Him as a boy and saw Him grow into a man. That’s why they said, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”. They also knew the Messiah would come from Bethlehem, but they didn’t know He was born there. Jesus explains “a prophet is not accepted in His own native place” and then He said something which infuriated them. He explained how God treated non-Jews such as Naaman the Syrian, by healing his leprosy and the widow, who God miraculously fed during a famine. And yet they treat Jesus, a Jew, with contempt and try to throw Him off the cliff to kill Him. They treated Jesus, the prophet of prophets, much worse than Jeremiah and the other prophets. Followers of Jesus, who speak the truth will also be treated similarly. Anyone who speaks the truth, is speaking on behalf of God and just like Jeremiah and Jesus, others will want to do destroy them.

Last week was the anniversary of Roe vs Wade and I spoke on behalf of God about respecting life and explained a person is a person no matter how small.

Today’s readings also speak about the unborn child. The prophet Jeremiah said, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” and the psalm said, “On you I depend from birth; from my mother’s womb you are my strength.” It is certainly true all unborn children depend upon God, who is their strength.

A number of years ago, my sister had an ectopic pregnancy. The child should have passed through her Fallopian tube and then attached to her womb, but attached to the tube and started growing in the wrong place. My sister needed emergency surgery, otherwise, the growing child would cause the tube to burst and both would die. My sister had surgery to save her life, but removing the tube ended the life of the baby. It was a sad event for her, her husband and the whole family. There was nothing that could have been done, no matter what would have happened, the baby could never have lived. Yet, because the child has an immortal soul, even after death, will live forever.

It is a scientific fact, a new person is created at the moment of conception, because the child has its own DNA. As Catholics we believe God infuses an immortal soul into a child at the moment of conception. So today, my sister’s child is with God.

About a year ago, my niece became pregnant, but within a month, she had a miscarriage. She was heartbroken, as it was her first child. While I can never know the pain of a mother and father who lost a child through miscarriage, in my own heart, I grieved with them.

In December, at Holy Trinity we had a Mass for those who have lost a child through miscarriage or stillbirth or abortion. Couples lit a candle and wrote the names of the children in a book. They received a rose for each child.

A few years ago, I prepared Carla and Steve for marriage. A year after their wedding, she became pregnant. They were so excited. The doctor gave them a due date and it just so happened the day the child was to be born, their baby died before she went into labor. There was nothing I could do to console the parents, for only Jesus could do that. A year later, Carla called and said, she was pregnant and asked for prayer. She was afraid she would have another miscarriage, especially since she was pregnant with twins. The children were born early, but they were fine and a few weeks later I baptized them.

Then two years later, Carla called again and said, “Father, pray for me, I’m pregnant. This time I have triplets!” She was not taking fertility pills. We prayed much and when it came time to deliver, two of them needed to stay in the hospital for several weeks, but all were fine. About a month later, I baptized them. I told her, “Carla, you and Steve need to use Natural Family Planning, you have 5 children under the age of 3” and she said, “Yes, father, that’s our plan.”

There are times when couples need to space their children for serious reasons, such as a serious financial difficulties, or the health of a parent or a child. Or a couple with 5 children under the age of 3 years old making it very difficult to manage them.

Years ago, there was only the calendar method to space children, but it was not very accurate with regard to cycles. However, over time some accurate methods were developed. And today these methods reveal God’s plan for marriage by using Natural Family Planning. NFP is 99% effective-- much more effective than birth control and there are no risks to the mother such as cancer and no serious risks to an unborn child.

NFP is so effective it shouldn’t be used to space children except for serious reasons. NFP is open to life and there are no obstacles to a total self gift to each other. There are specially trained doctors in Wichita, who can help prevent miscarriages and help couples to conceive.

You would certainly agree it should be against the law to kill a baby after birth. Wouldn’t you agree it should be against the law to abort a baby just before birth? Or if a baby is viable baby after 24 weeks. Or against the law to abort a 15 week baby? What about a baby, who feels pain? Or has a beating heart? Would you agree it be against the law to abort a baby just after conception? If you agree with all of these, you would agree some contraceptives should be against the law. Let me explain.

What I am going to say, is not easy to say, nor is it easy for you to hear. But it needs to be said. The truth needs to be told. Did you know birth control pills, the patch and the IUD can cause the death of newly conceived babies?

Most of the time chemical birth control and also IUDs prevent conception. However, at times, a child will be conceived. It takes about 5 days for a newly conceived baby to pass through the Fallopian tube and then the child will attach to the womb. However, IUDs and chemicals used for birth control irritate the lining of the womb and the child is unable to attach and so dies and the mother did not know she was pregnant. This is why some forms of birth control should be against the law because they can cause the death of an unborn baby.

Some of you may think, why was I never told this before? How come the doctor never told me, nor the priest, nor my parents. It is quite possible, a woman using birth control such as the IUD, the patch or the pill, has lost a child or multiple children and never knew it. But someday, she when she passes into eternity, she will meet the child or children because she is their mother. How deeply heart wrenching it must be for women to hear about the dangers of contraceptives. But God is infinitely merciful. God knows you did not know about this when you were using contraceptives. Jesus wants us to give Him our sins, and wash them away forever and give us peace.

Did you know in the United States contraceptives were against the law from 1873 to 1965 until a Planned Parenthood director sued the state of Connecticut causing the Supreme Court to permit the use of contraceptives. The Griswold vs. Connecticut ruling became the foundation for Roe vs Wade. Now when Roe vs Wade is overturned, the Griswold vs Connecticut ruling will need to be overturned or amended to protect life from the moment of conception.

There are three reasons why contraceptives are seriously sinful. First, as I mentioned some contraceptives can kill unborn children just after conception. Second, it says no to God, by not being open to bringing a child into the world, if God would desire it. Third, it prevents the total gift of self to the spouse by using an obstacle.

Jesus loves you and wants you to come to Him in confession and to confess the sin of using birth control, to confess not following the Church’s teachings. To confess the possibility of losing children by birth control. To confess receiving Holy Communion sacrilegiously every time you received Communion while you used birth control. If you have never confessed these sins and they remain on your soul bring them to Jesus in confession, and He will wash them away. When having un-confessed mortal sins on our soul, we don’t receive any graces whatsoever from Holy Communion, but rather deeply offend the Lord through sacrilegious communions.

For a good confession, we need to be sorry for our sins, desire to avoid the sin in the future (to be willing to take steps to look into ways to discontinue the sinful behavior) and to make amends for the sins by doing penance.

It takes trust to use natural family planning. It takes trust to confess our sins. We trust God will take care of us, and He will give us the graces we need to live out our vocation of marriage. If we take steps, Jesus will help us and guide us. He calms the frightened lambs as we snuggle near His Sacred Heart knowing He loves us.

My friends, we are all human, we all make mistakes, and at times we make seriously wrong decisions and may not even know how serious they are until later. But we must trust in God’s mercy. Come to confession and get rid of these sins on your soul, and if you do, when you go to your judgment, you will be filled with joy because Jesus will not remember them after you confessed them.

Jesus wants to help families in their sorrows, give consolation and healing by His love and help couples to have peace with the sacred act of giving oneself to each other in love. In the bulletin specially trained doctors are listed who use NAPRO (Natural Procreative Technology) to prevent miscarriages, to help couples conceive and can help with NFP methods. Just as Jeremiah and the prophets of the Old Testament and especially Jesus the prophet of prophets were called to bare witness to the truth so are we. Jesus is counting on you to tell others the truth that contraception is wrong because it tells God no to the possibility of bringing a new person into the world, because it prevents to the total gift of self and because it can cause the death of child just after conception. Will you stand up to defend babies and help young couples to follow God’s plan for marriage and future of hope?

Jesus walks with us in our life. Is always at our side. He is part of everything we do. He supports us when we grieve, carries us when we feel like we can’t endure a situation, and He gives us hope and peace in the midst of our sorrows and our joys. He gives us strength to bare witness to the truth. As the prophet Jeremiah said, “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.”

Today, may we ask the Virgin Mary to pray for parents who have lost a child may She comfort them and help them to have peace, She who lost Her child at the foot of the Cross knows your heartache. And pray for couples to discover God’s plan for marriage so they will have help the need when spacing children, and for those who mistakenly used birth control, may they trust in God’s mercy and through confession have peace in their hearts. I would like to close with a poem from a parent who lost a child by miscarriage.

Daddy, please don’t look so sad,
Mommy, please don’t cry.
I am in the arms of Jesus
and He sings me lullabies.

Please do not try to question God,
don’t think He is unkind.
Don’t think He sent me to you and that
He changed His mind.

You see, I am special
and I’m needed up above.
I’m the special child you gave Him,
the product of your love.

I’ll always be there with you.
So watch the sky at night.
Find the brightest star that`s gleaming.
That`s my halo’s brilliant light.

So Daddy please don’t look so sad.
Mommy, please don’t cry.
I am in the arms of Jesus.
And He sings me lullabies.

For I came from the womb of Mommy and went to God, who before I was formed-- knew me.

Bioweapon Genie- Dr. Tenpenny

 

Dr. Sherri Tenpenny Warns Humanity about Killer Inoculations

https://rumble.com/vrny6d-bioweapon-genie-dr.-sherri-tenpenny-warn-humanity-about-killer-inoculations.html

Pray this isn't true. 

May the Virgin Mary deliver us, by Her Motherly Intercession

Jan. 28th - St. Thomas Aquinas

 

Today, we celebrate the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church, and patron of all universities and of students.

He was born toward the end of the year 1226. When St. Thomas was five years old, his father placed him under the care of the Benedictine monks of Monte Casino. His teachers were surprised at the progress he made, for he surpassed all his fellow pupils in learning as well as in the practice of virtue.

At the age of seventeen, he joined the Dominicans of Naples. However, in a 2 yr. period, some members of his family would try to get him to leave the order. They even went so far as to send an impure woman to tempt him. But all their efforts were in vain and St. Thomas persevered in his vocation. As a reward for his fidelity, God conferred upon him the gift of perfect chastity, which merited for him the title of the "Angelic Doctor".

After making his profession at Naples, he studied at Cologne under St. Albert the Great. Here he was nicknamed the "dumb ox" because of his silent ways and huge size, but he was really a brilliant student. At the age of twenty-two, he was appointed to teach in the same city. At the same time, he also began to publish his first works. After four years he was sent to Paris. The saint was then ordained a priest. At the age of thirty-one, he received his doctorate.

At Paris he was honored with the friendship of King, St. Louis, with whom he frequently dined. Urban IV called him to Rome where he was appointed to teach, but he declined to accept any ecclesiastical dignity. St. Thomas not only wrote, but he preached often and with great fruit.

When Pope Urban IV decided to extend the Feast of Corpus Christi to the entire church, he asked St. Thomas and St. Bonaventure to write some new prayers and hymns for the feast. When they both appeared before the Pope with their finished manuscripts, St. Bonaventure urged St. Thomas to read his first. Both praised Thomas’ masterpiece. Then St. Bonaventure said, "Holy Father, listening to Fr. Thomas, it seemed as if I heard the Holy Spirit speak, for only the Holy Spirit can inspire such beautiful thoughts It is out of place for me to compare my poor essay with such a perfect masterpiece; and this is all that remains of it!" Some of the Eucharistic hymns Thomas wrote include the Tantum Ergo and Adoro Te Devote, Pange Lingua and Ecce Panis.

He left the great monument of his learning, the "Summa Theologica", unfinished because while saying mass on December 6, 1273, he experienced a heavenly vision. Urged by others to write again, he replied, "Such things have been revealed to me that all that I have written seems to me as so much straw. Now I await the end of my life."

On his way to the second Council of Lyons, he fell sick and died at a Cistercian monastery in 1274.

St. Thomas was one of the greatest and most influential theologians of all time. He was canonized in 1323 and declared Doctor of the Church by Pope St. Pius V.

Today, may we thank God for this wonderful theologian and ask St. Thomas to help us to come to know the truths of our faith.

Life is Beautiful! Movie

 

 

Wonderful Movie about a Jewish Family and Their Struggle Through World War II

 https://gloria.tv/share/EmWPnSo4A1DW3upmMWCLfoqoQ

 

Jan. 27th - Angela Merici

 

 Today we celebrate the optional memorial of St. Angela of Merici, who was born in 1470 in Northern Italy. Even as a little child, she was honored as a little saint, because she loved purity and modesty, so much.

When she was 13 years old, Angela entered the third Order of St. Francis and soon afterwards, she took the vow of perpetual chastity, renounced all her possessions, and wanted to live only on alms. She practiced many austere penances, slept on the bare earth, and fasted almost continuously on bread and water. Sometimes Holy Communion was her only food over a period of several days.

One day while she was praying in a secluded place, she had a vision of a friend, who died not long ago. Her friend prophesied that Angela would be a foundress of a religious institute, which would be devoted to the education of the youth, which would do much good for the kingdom of God. The vision gave her a great incentive to lead a life of contemplation, but also to serve others.

She gathered a group of young women, who began to give children religious instruction to little children, to help the poor, and care for the sick. Often times great sinners, were among those she instructed. She encouraged them to be reconciled with God, and begin a new life.

Her virtuous conduct and knowledge of theology, caused many, to regard her as a saint. In 1516, to escape the honor given her, she went to another town, and to live absorbed in prayer. In 1524, she had an ardent desire to go to the Holy Land, just as St. Francis once did. She visited Jerusalem, Calvary, and the other Holy Places with great devotion and returned by way of Rome, in order to pray at the tombs of the apostles.

In 1535, her group of women became a religious congregation known as the Ursualines, named after St. Ursula. They began to spread rapidly, especially in America.

When she reached the age of 70, God revealed to her, the day and hour of her death. She received the last sacraments, and with great fervor was rapt in ecstasy. While pronouncing the Holy Name of Jesus, she died, the very hour, it had been foretold to her. She was laid out in the third order of St. Francis habit, holding a pilgrim’s staff, which she carried in the Holy Land. She was later beatified and canonized.

Angela’s life was a life in which everyone could see the light of Christ shine through her.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Light, help us to live a life of virtue in imitation of Saint Angela Merici to draw all men to Jesus Christ, the Light of the world.

Jan. 26th - Timothy & Titus

 

St. Paul Consecrates St. Timothy a Bishop by Laying on of Hands

Today the Church celebrates the memorial of Sts. Timothy and Titus, who were friends of St. Paul. They went wi th St. Paul, as he went about to many cities speaking about Jesus and starting new churches. Both Timothy and Titus became bishops of the early Church.

St. Timothy’s father was not a Christian. His mother was Jewish. However, his mother, and grandmother of Timothy, eventually became Christians. Timothy studied scriptures from his early youth. He would accompany St. Paul, on his journeys.

Eventually put in prison and never wavering in his faith in Jesus, he was later set free. St. Paul consecrated Timothy, as bishop of Ephesus. As bishop, Timothy stayed in Ephesus to govern the church, oppose false teachers, and to ordain priests, deacons, and bishops. St. Paul wrote a letter to him, while Paul was a prisoner in Rome, and requested he come to see him, before he died.

Timothy practiced penance to such a degree, that he drank only water, rather than drinking wine, and so, Paul told him to drink a little wine. St. Paul wrote two letters to Timothy, which are now New Testament books. He was eventually stoned and clubbed to death, by a mob, because he opposed the pagan festival, in which the people would carry an idol in one hand, and a club in the other.

The other disciple, whom we celebrate, is St. Titus, who was likewise a friend, and disciple of St. Paul, as well. Paul ordained him Bishop of Crete, which is an island nation near Italy. The letter he wrote a letter to Titus, is now also a book in the New Testament.

Titus was a secretary of St. Paul, who sent him to the cities of Ephesus and Corinth in order to settle problems among the early Christians, and to solve problems of scandal. He was later sent to Corinth once again by St. Paul, to collect money for the poor Christians in Jerusalem. He lived to be an old man, and died a peaceful death in Crete.

Today, let us pray to Timothy and Titus, that God will inspire us, to imitate their faith and their holy example of discipleship, in imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the first disciple of Christ.

Jan 25th - Conversion of St. Paul

  

Today is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. As a great persecutor of Christians, he was responsible for the stoning of St. Stephen. On the road to Damascus, a great light suddenly shone around him. Blinded by the light, he fell to the ground, and a heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, Why do you persecute me?” Saul, eventually regained his eyesight, and became baptized. He changed his name to Paul, as a sign of his conversion to Christ. St. Paul went about the whole known world to spread the Good News. He became the apostle to the Gentiles.

We are likewise called to conversion. At times, we too are blinded. We sometimes can persecute those around us, by way of our idiosyncrasies, by our sins, and by our faults. We can be blinded by our sinfulness, and how we are burdens to others.

Here are some more examples of ways in which we can be blinded by our own behavior. We may be arrogant and look down upon others, because of our pride. Or we try to control everyone around us, because of our selfishness and insecurity. We can make uncharitable comments towards others because of our impatience. We can be passively aggressive towards others, and make subtle comments, because we fear confrontation. We can complain all the time, because of our lack of gratitude for what we have. We can be envious of the material things of others because we fail to see everything we have is a gift from God. We can desire attention from others, because we feel unloved. There are those who tell everyone what they think, and say things in a cold and uncaring manner and will say to themselves, “At least everyone knows where I stand.” Or we can be a workaholic, because think the whole world revolves around us and because we are afraid to enjoy life.

All of us, at one time, or another, need to be knocked off, the horse, of our pride, and gaze into the light of Christ. Our eyes need to be opened to our sinfulness, our faults, and hidden impure motivations.

Today, as prepare to receive Jesus in Holy Communion, let us beseech the Lord and His Holy Mother and ask them to help us, to know ourselves.

When we receive Jesus in the Eucharist--- in the silence of our heart, we will hear the voice of the Lord, telling us how we need to change our life.

And we can respond as St. Paul, by having a true conversion of heart, in which we come to know the greatness of God’s love for us, and therefore respond by changing our lives to reflect our understanding, that the way we treat others, is the way, we treat Jesus.

Jan. 24th - St. Francis de Sales

 

Today, we celebrate the memorial of Francis de Sales, bishop and doctor of the Church, who was born in 1567. One of his greatest virtues was patience.

For example, one day Francis had a bad idea -- at least that's what everyone else thought. This was during the time of the Protestant reformation and just over the mountains from where Francis lived in Switzerland it was Calvinist territory. Francis decided he would lead an expedition to convert the 60,000 Calvinists back to Catholicism. For three years, he trudged through the countryside, had doors slammed in his face and rocks thrown at him. In the bitter winters, his feet froze so badly they bled as he tramped through the snow. He slept in haylofts if he could, and once he slept in a tree to avoid wolves. He tied himself to a branch to keep from falling out and was so frozen the next morning he had to be cut down. And after three years, his cousin had left him alone because he didn’t make a single convert. Francis' unusual patience kept him working. No one would listen to him, no one would even open their door to him. So Francis found a way to get under the door. He wrote out his sermons, copied them by hand, and slipped them under the doors. This is the first record we have of religious tracts being used to communicate with people. Adults wouldn't come to him out of fear. So Francis went to the children. When the parents saw how kind he was as he played with the children, they began to talk to him. By the time, Francis left to go home he had converted 40,000 people back to Catholicism. In 1602 he was made bishop of the diocese of Geneva, in Calvinist territory.

It was in 1604, Francis saw a widow listening closely to his sermon – who was a woman he had seen already in a dream. Jane de Chantal wanted him to take over her spiritual direction, but, not surprisingly, Francis wanted to wait. "I had to know fully what God himself wanted. I had to be sure that everything in this should be done as though his hand had done it."

Three years after working with Jane, he finally made up his mind to form a new religious order. But where would they get a convent for their contemplative Visitation nuns? A man came to Francis without knowing of his plans and told him he was thinking of donating a place for use by pious women. In his typical way of not pushing God, Francis said nothing. When the man brought it up again, Francis still kept quiet, telling Jane, "God will be with us if he approves." Finally the man offered Francis the convent.

Francis believed the first duty of a bishop was spiritual direction. At that time, the way of holiness was only for monks and nuns -- not for ordinary people. Francis changed all that by giving spiritual direction to lay people living ordinary lives in the world. But he had proven with his own life that people could grow in holiness while involved in a very active occupation.

His most famous book, INTRODUCTION TO THE DEVOUT LIFE, was written for these ordinary people in 1608. Written originally as letters, it became an instant success all over Europe -- however some preachers tore it up because he tolerated dancing and jokes!

He died on December 28, 1622, after giving a nun his last word of advice: "Humility." He is patron saint of journalists because of the tracts and books he wrote. Today, if we struggle with patience, let us ask St. Francis to help us to be more patient and let us ask him for the gift of zeal to evangelize.