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Monday, June 1, 2009

In the octave of Pentecost - Saints on Fire

I offer this little bouquet of saints who are best represented by the flower called the red hot poker (also called torch lily). They were literally "on fire" for God and for their neighbor. Share the stories of these saints with your children who in our culture of death may be called on to suffer for the faith. The inspiration of such courage can't help but invite imitation.

Blessed Miguel Pro - The Greatest Pro of Them All - He suffered death by "fire," the firing squad.

St. Joan of Arc who literally "burned" for the Lord.

St. Lawrence who was martyred by being cooked on a gridiron.

Martyrs of Rome - First Nero burned Rome, then he blamed the Christians and martyred many by covering them in pitch and using them to light his garden. (This article offers a unit study on the Roman era for home schoolers)

North American Martyrs - Saint John de Brebeuf and Saint Gabriel Lalemont were burned at the stake by the Mohawk indians after indesribable tortures including having scalding water poured over them and red-hot coals and hatchet heads placed on their heads and shoulders.

Blessed Thomas Tzugi was from the Japanese nobility. Educated by the Jesuits he became a priest and was burned at the stake in Japan about 1627 during a persecution of Christians. Ask his intercession for the unfaithful Jesuits of our day.

St. Edith Stein (Sr. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross died in the gas chambers of Auschwitz and was burned in the camp crematorium. This bride of Christ offered herself as a "sacrifice of atonement." Let us offer our daily sufferings with the same spirit.

Be a soldier for Christ! Remember the Church Militant doesn't need spiritual wimps, but spiritual warriors. If you haven't enlisted in Christ's army, if you're watching from the sidelines, respond to Gabriel's trumpet call and sign up. Our twelve star general (as Lambs of Christ priest Fr. Norman Weslin calls Our Blessed Mother) needs you! Put on the armor of God and hold your ground. (See Ephesians 6:13) We are promised the victory!

6 comments:

  1. I think one of the best things that Pope John Paul the Great did was to canonize hundreds of Saints. He understood that people need heroes to emulate, and Hollywood was not the place to get them. By holding up so many holy lives to the spotlight, JPII showed the world that ordinary people leading ordinary lives can be extraordinary witnesses for Christ.

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  2. There is no conclusive evidence as to where St. Edith Stein died nor how, although she died during the time of a severe typhus outbreak.
    Much like Anne Frank also died of typhus. There is no forensic evidence anyone died in a gas chamber except the lice that was on clothing and was deloused in chambers specifically designed for that purpose, chambers which were FAR away from the human camp population. To suggest explosive gas was used in a room below a room with 36 cremation ovens with open flames is crazy. The entire complex would have blown up.
    Imagine placing 36 giant stoves with flames directly above a room that served as a gas station.

    http://www.nazigassings.com/

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  3. So Anonymous doesn't believe in the holocaust. Interesting? I think the mass graves and crematoriums are testimony as are the witness of the victims.
    I don't believe in rewriting history but it would be good to clarify. Perhaps you could spend some time clarifying the Spanish Inquisition which is likely exaggerated.

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  4. Anonymous, I presume you are the one leaving the holocaust denying comments on other posts on my site. All I can say is hogwash!

    Here is the report of a former holocaust revisionist who changed his mind after extensive study of primary documents from the time. I doubt it will make a difference to you, but I offer it for those who are interested in the truth.

    http://www.holocaust-history.org/auschwitz/pressac/technique-and-operation/

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  5. the term holocaust denier is a pejorative that is designed to silence opinion. To begin, there are no mass graves anywhere. Are details of any concern to anyone? Lets begin with Treblinka. No evidence, How do you make 870,000 bodies disappear? Even cremation ovens, which were NOT at treblinka, leave 20 pounds of bones per body. The ground has been searched with radar, there are no graves. The 4 so called survivors said there are huge mass graves. They are lying. I know nothing of the Spanish Inquisition deaths and am not qualified to comment on
    it. I have studied the holocaust for more than 5 yrs. I do not care for the emotional hysteria, only the facts. The facts are the only leg the promoters can stand on is confessions ( forced) and eyewitnesses. Tell me how to kill 6,000,000 people and have no evidence of it except some hearsay of folks who largely remained quiet for 60 years. Please note that DeGaulle, Churchill, Stalin, Eisenhower, Truman, Pope Pius XII never mentioned one word Nazi gassings in books written in the 10yrs post WW2. The ONLY reason it is being promoted today is 1.) most eyewitnesses are dead, 2.) it allows zionists in Palesitne to brutally repress the natives 3.) it is a money raising scheme and it was done in 1919 with EXACTLY the same claim, 6,000,000 dying Jews facing a holocaust. There have been many holocausts in past 60 yrs. Jews escaped them all.

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  6. Joyce is calling Pope John Paul II, the Great.

    this name is completely uncalled for. Catholics need to know that just holding the office of Pope, does not make one GREAT. I submit while john Paul II was very well liked, his Pontificate did very little. Annulments exploded, many investigations were thwarted that might have saved the church much money and embarassment and there were hundreds with dubious orthodoxy elevated to the college of cardinals. I grant he held the line on abortion, but is that heroic? No. The pope has lots of power, but JP II exercised little of it, not EVER excommunicating even 2 bishops! Just the SSPX bishop. 26 years and 1 bishop is fired out of 14,000. Please just call him his name, no superlatives,which really insult so many other popes, because theyheld fast to tradition.

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