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March 3
Blessed Katharine Drexel
Blessed Katharine was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November
26, 1858. Katharine's mother died when she was a baby. Her father
married a wonderful woman named Emma. She raised their own child,
Louise. She was also a loving mother to Mr. Drexel's two little
girls by his former marriage. They were Elizabeth and Katharine.
The girls had a wonderful childhood. Even though their family was
wealthy, they were taught to be loving toward their neighbors. They
were taught to be especially concerned about the poor. This was
how they could show their love for God.
When Katharine grew up, she was a very active Catholic. She was
generous with her time and her money. She realized that the Church
had many needs. She turned her energies and her fortune to the poor,
the forgotten. Her work for Jesus would be among the African American
and Native American people. In 1891, Katharine began a new religious
community of missionaries. They were called the Sisters of the Blessed
Sacrament. Katharine would become known as Mother Katharine.
The sisters of her order center their life around Jesus in the Eucharist.
They devote their love and talents to African and Native Americans.
Mother Katharine inherited her family's fortune. She poured the
money into wonderful works of charity. She and her sisters started
schools, convents and missionary churches. In 1925, they established
Xavier University in New Orleans. During her long, fruitful lifetime,
Mother Katharine spent millions of dollars of the Drexel fortune
for the wonderful works that she and her sisters accomplished for
the poor. She believed that she found Jesus truly present in the
Eucharist. So, too, she found him in the African and Native Americans
whom she lovingly served.
Mother Katharine died on March 3, 1955, at the age of ninety-seven.
She was declared "blessed" by Pope John Paul II on November 20,
1988.
Who are those in need or marginalized that I might be called
to help? What does it feel like to be detached from things so that
I have more room for God?
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March 8
St. John of God
St. John was born in Portugal on March 8, 1495. His parents were
poor, but deeply Christian.
John was a restless boy. For a while he was a shepherd, then a soldier,
then a storekeeper. During his adult years he was not religious.
He and his friends had lost any awareness of God. By the time John
was forty, he began to feel empty. He was sad about the life he
was wasting away. In church he heard a homily by the holy missionary,
John of Avila. The impact of his life hit John of God. He began
to weep right out loud. During the days ahead, St. John of Avila
helped John begin his life again with hope and courage.
John of God began to live differently. He put prayer and penance
into his daily life. It is believed that a bishop gave John his
name because he changed his selfish life completely and truly became
"of God." Gradually, John of God realized how much poverty and suffering
filled the lives of people. He began to spend his time nursing the
sick in the hospitals and asylums. Then he realized sadly that many
people were too poor to have hospital care. Who would take care
of them? He decided that, for the love of God, he would.
When he was forty-five, John obtained a house for the care of the
sick poor. The house became a small hospital where every person
in need was welcomed. Those who came to help John gradually formed
a religious order for the care of the poor. They are called Brothers
of St. John of God.
Some people must have wondered if John was as holy as he seemed.
Once, a marquis disguised himself as a beggar. He knocked on John's
door, asking for alms. John cheerfully gave him everything he had,
which amounted to a few dollars. The marquis did not reveal his
identity at the time but went away very impressed. The next day
a messenger arrived at John's door with a letter of explanation
and his money returned. In addition, the marquis sent 150 gold crowns.
He also had fresh bread, meat and eggs delivered every morning to
the hospital enough for all the patients and staff.
After ten years of hard work in his hospital, St. John became sick
himself. He died on his birthday in 1550. John of God was proclaimed
a saint by Blessed Pope Innocent XI in 1690.
"If we look forward to receiving God's mercy, we can never
fail to do good so long as we have the strength. For if we share
with the poor, out of love for God, whatever he has given to us,
we shall receive, according to his promise, a hundredfold in eternal
happiness." -St. John of God
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March 17
St. Patrick
It is believed that St. Patrick was born in fifth-century Britain
to Roman parents. When he was sixteen, he was captured by pirates
and taken to Ireland. There he was sold as a slave. His owner sent
him to tend his flocks on the mountains. Patrick had very little
food and clothing. Yet he took good care of the animals in rain,
snow and ice. Patrick was so lonely on the hillside that he turned
often in prayer to Jesus and his Mother Mary. His life was hard
and unfair. However, Patrick's trust in God grew stronger all the
time.
Later, when he escaped from Ireland, he studied to become a priest.
But Patrick always felt that he had to go back to Ireland to bring
that pagan land to Christ. At last his wish came true. He became
a priest and then a bishop. It was while St. Celestine I was pope
that Patrick went back to Ireland. How happy he was to bring the
Good News of the true God to the people who once had held him a
slave.
Right from the start, Patrick suffered much. His relatives and friends
wanted him to quit before the pagan Irish killed him. Yet the saint
kept on preaching about Jesus. He traveled from one village to another.
He seldom rested, and he performed great penances for those people
whom he so loved. Before he died, the whole nation was Christian.
Despite such great success, St. Patrick never grew proud. He called
himself a poor sinner and gave all the praises to God. Patrick died
in 461.
"How did so great and salutary a gift come to me, the gift
of knowing and loving God, though at the cost of homeland and family?"
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March 19
St. Joseph
St. Joseph is a great saint. He was Jesus' foster-father and Mary's
husband. Joseph was given the great privilege of taking care of
God's own Son, Jesus, and his Mother, Mary. Joseph was poor all
his life. He had to work very hard in his carpenter shop, but he
did not mind. He was happy to work for his little family. He loved
Jesus and Mary so much.
Whatever the Lord wanted him to do, St. Joseph did at once, no matter
how difficult it was. He was humble and pure, gentle and wise. Jesus
and Mary loved him and obeyed him because God had placed him as
the head of their family. What a joy for St. Joseph to live with
the Son of God himself. Jesus obeyed him, helped him, and loved
him.
We pray to St. Joseph as the protector of the dying for a special
reason. It is believed that Joseph died peacefully in the arms of
Jesus and Mary.
St. Teresa of Avila chose St. Joseph as the protector of her order
of Carmelite sisters. She had a great trust in his prayers. "Every
time I ask St. Joseph for something," she said, "he always obtains
it for me."
Pope Pius IX proclaimed St. Joseph the patron of the Universal Church.
"What the divine goodness had promised to them [the prophets
and patriarchs], he held in his arms."-St. Bernadine of Siena
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March 25
ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD
The time arrived for Jesus to come down from heaven. God sent the
Archangel Gabriel to the town of Nazareth where Mary lived. The
glorious archangel entered Mary's little house and found her praying.
"Hail Mary, full of grace!" said the angel. "The Lord is with you,
and you are blessed among women." Mary was surprised to hear the
angel's words of praise.
"Do not be afraid, Mary," said Gabriel. Then he told her that she
was to be the mother of Jesus, our Savior. Mary understood what
a great honor God was giving her. Yet she said, "Behold the handmaid
of the Lord!" At that very moment, she became the Mother of God.
And still she called herself his handmaid, his servant.
Mary knew, too, that as the mother of Jesus, she would have many
sorrows. She knew she would have to suffer when her Son suffered.
Yet with all her heart, she said, "Be it done to me according to
your word."
This feast celebrates Mary's response to God, and the awesome
moment of the Incarnation. Take some time today to reflect on how
profoundly our lives have been changed as a result of Mary's "yes"
to God.
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