#Pope Gregory XI

[thepastisalreadywritten]

The Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated annually on November 21st, commemorates the presentation of the Blessed Virgin as a child by her parents in the Temple in Jerusalem.

Before Mary's birth, her parents received a heavenly message that they would bear a child.

In thanksgiving for God's gift of Mary's birth, they brought her to the Temple to consecrate their only daughter to The Lord.

The celebration of the Feast is first documented in the 11th century within the Byzantine Catholic Church.

It was introduced into the Roman Catholic Church in the 15th century by Pope Gregory XI, then removed from the calendar by Pope Pius V in the mid 16th century.

Pope Sixtus V later reestablished the feast in 1585.

It is still celebrated today, commemorating the faith of her parents, Joachim and Anne, and the purity of Mary.

[anastpaul]

Quote/s of the Day – 9 June – The Popes on the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Quote/s of the Day – 9 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” and within the Octave of the Sacred Heart – Pentecost III “Learn of the Heart of Godin the Words of God,so that you may ardently longfor eternal things.” St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)Great Father and Doctor of the Church “In the Sacred Heart,there is the Symboland the express Imageof the Infinite Love of Jesus…

[pharmaciacatholica]

Creation Theology Resources

Here are some resources that I think are good reads for those interested in the topic; I will likely add stuff as I come across more in the future. Like everyone else, I am always learning more.

Fathers:

Saint Theophilus of Antioch, Letter to Autolycus (A.D. 183)

Book II chapters 10-33

Book III chapter 24

Saint Ephraim the Syrian, Commentary on Genesis (A.D 306-373)

Saint Basil the Great, Hexaemeron (A.D 330-379)

Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On the Making of Man (A.D. 335-395)

Saint Ambrose of Milan, Commentary on Genesis (A.D. 339-397)

Specifically, Book I chapter 2 and 3

Saint John Chrysostom, Homilies on Genesis (A.D. 347-407)

Saint Augustine (A.D. 354-430)

The Confessions; Book XI, Book XII, and Book XIII

On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis

City of God; Books XI-XVI

Doctors:

Venerable Bede, The Reckoning of Time (A.D. 708)

Specifically, chapter 66

Saint John Damascene, On the Orthodox Faith (A.D. 673-735)

Specifically, Book II chapter 1 and 2

Saint Bonaventure, Breviloquium (A.D. 1221-1274)

Specifically, Parts II and III

Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae (A.D. 1225-1274)

Prima Pars; Questions 44-46, 65-74, 90-92, 102

Councils:

Council of Trent (A.D. 1545-1563)

Session IV, Decree Concerning the Edition and the Use of the Sacred Books

Session V, Decree Concerning Original Sin

Catechism of Trent, Production of Man (page 42)

Second Vatican Council (A.D 1965)

Dei Verbum

Roman Pontiffs

Pope Leo XIII

Arcanum Divinae; specifically, paragraph 5

Providentissimus Deus

Pope Pius XII

Divino Afflante Spiritu

Humani Generis *the crown jewel, in my opinion*

Pope Saint John Paul II

Evangelium Vitae; specifically, chapter 2 parts 39-43

Pope Francis

Laudato Si; specifically, chapter 2

Pontifical Biblical Commission

Miscellaneous Articles

The Four Senses of Scripture

Creation and Divine Freedom

The Theological Importance of Creation

Is Genesis 1-11 Intended to be Historical

The Mathematical Impossibility of Evolution

The Metaphysical Impossibility of Human Evolution

Against Polygenism

Should Catholics Believe in Evolution

Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi

The Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Crisis of Faith

Books

Haydock Bible Commentary

Genesis 1-3

Studies in the Theology of Creation Volume 1 by Gideon Lazar (no pdf available currently)

The Doctrines of Genesis 1-11 by Fr. Victor Warkulwiz

A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament by John Bergsma and Brant Pitre

[cruger2984]

The Pretty Cures and its Saints: Smile Pretty Cure!

LONG. TIME. COMING. 2012 is the year that is all gon' crazy - from the Linsanity takeover, Obama got re-elected as the Commander-in-Chief, Loreen winning in Baku, to the end of the Mayan calendar (and it's not the end of the world as we know it). So, without further ado, here are the Smile Cures with their birthdays corresponding with feast days that is honored and recognized by the Roman Catholic Church!

January 10 - Miyuki Hoshizora (Cure Happy)

St. William of Donjeon (Guillaume de Donjeon): French prelate of the Cistercian order who served as the Archbishop of Bourges from 1200 AD until his passing. He was also known for his deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and for his conversion of sinners, and oversaw the construction of the new archdiocesan cathedral that his predecessor had authorized and in which he himself would be buried. It had been claimed that he performed eighteen miracles in life and a further eighteen in death.

May 8 - Akane Hino (Cure Sunny)

The Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel: Traditionally in the Liturgy of the Church, there are two feasts of St. Michael in the Universal Calendar: May 8 and September 29. According to the Roman Breviary, the feast was instituted to thank God for a military victory achieved at Monte Gargano, Italy, on May 8th in the year 663, through the intercession of St. Michael.

December 14 - Yayoi Kise (Cure Peace)

St. John of the Cross: Spanish Carmelite priest, mystic and friar, who is a major figure of the Counter-Reformation in Spain, and he is one of the thirty-seven Doctors of the Church. John is known for his writings, and was mentored by and corresponded with the older Carmelite Teresa of Ávila. Both his poetry and his studies on the development of the soul, particularly his Noche Obscura, are considered the summit of mystical Spanish literature and among the greatest works of all Spanish literature. Canonized a saint by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726 and declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI in 1926.

October 9 - Nao Midorikawa (Cure March)

St. Louis Bertrand: Spanish Dominican friar, confessor, missionary, and religious brother who is known as the ’Apostle of South America.’ After his ordination by St. Thomas of Villanova, he went to South America for his missionary work. According to legend, a deadly draught was administered to him by one of the native priests. Through Divine interposition, the poison failed to accomplish its purpose. There is a town festival, called La Tomatina in Buñol, Valencia, in his honor along with Mare de Déu dels Desemparats.

February 10 - Reika Aoki (Cure Beauty)

St. Scholastica: According to a tradition from the 9th century, she is the twin sister of St. Benedict. She is the foundress of the women’s branch of Benedictine Monasticism, and is the patron saint of nuns, education, and convulsive children, and is invoked against storms and rain, due to a narrative that can be found in the Dialogues by St. Gregory the Great.

March 17 - Ayumi Sakagami (Cure Echo)

St. Gertrude of Nivelles: 17th century Benedictine abbess who, with her mother Itta, founded the Abbey of Nivelles, now in Belgium. She is the patron saint of travelers, gardeners, against plague and cats.

[cellabella-illuminates]

Happy April, everyone!

St. Catherine of Siena's feast day is April 29th - if you have anyone in your life who is a fan of this Doctor of the Church, you could gift them this print on her feast day because I finally put them in my shop!

About my illustration and print as well as a little about St. Catherine of Siena:

This is a 5” x 7”  limited edition giclée print (ten editions) on Epson Somerset Velvet - 255 gsm, certified archival paper. Each print is signed, titled, and numbered. Also, the halo on each print is hand-painted with gold gouache, giving each print a unique reflective quality. Shipping and archival picture-framing tips are included.

St. Catherine of Siena, a third-order Dominican from the 14th century, is one of the first female saints named a Doctor of the Church; patron saint of Europe, Italy, journalists, mediators, and people ridiculed for their faith.

In this image, Saint Catherine is standing between Italy and France (Italy is behind her and France is in front of her). She is holding a crucifix in her right hand, as well as a pink rose and a lily, symbols of love and purity. She is extending her left hand toward the border of France (and the viewer) calling the Pope back to Rome. 

This is referencing the time during which the Pope had left Rome for the French city of Avignon, which had resulted in a crisis within the Church called the Great Schism of the West, in which multiple men backed by different kings claimed the papacy. Through her letters, Catherine persuaded Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome from France, persuading also other rulers to recognize the true pope. In addition to calling the Pope back to Rome, she was essential for diplomatic missions to negotiate a peace with Florence. St. Catherine had a gift for telling men to get off their asses and bringing peace. In my illustration, she is reaching out to the viewer, looking directly at them, reminding them of the same thing: get up and do what the Lord has called you to do.

On her head is a crown of thorns, symbolizing a vision she had five years before her death in which Christ offered her a golden crown, symbolizing earthly riches, or a crown of thorns, symbolizing the glory of heaven through suffering in this life (St. Catherine chose the latter). She is also shown with the stigmata on her hands, which she also received in a mystical vision five years before her death.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 1.17 (before 1946)

38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey. 1362 – Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 people on the shores of the North Sea. 1377 – Pope Gregory XI reaches Rome, after deciding to move the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon. 1524 – Giovanni da Verrazzano sets sail westward from Madeira to find a sea route to the Pacific Ocean. 1562 – France grants religious toleration to the Huguenots in the Edict of Saint-Germain. 1595 – During the French Wars of Religion, Henry IV of France declares war on Spain. 1608 – Emperor Susenyos I of Ethiopia surprises an Oromo army at Ebenat; his army reportedly kills 12,000 Oromo at the cost of 400 of his men. 1641 – Reapers' War: The Junta de Braços (parliamentary assembly) of the Principality of Catalonia accepts the proposal of establishment of the Catalan Republic under French protection. 1648 – England's Long Parliament passes the "Vote of No Addresses", breaking off negotiations with King Charles I and thereby setting the scene for the second phase of the English Civil War. 1649 – The Second Ormonde Peace creates an alliance between the Irish Royalists and Confederates during the War of the Three Kingdoms. The coalition was then decisively defeated during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. 1773 – Captain James Cook leads the first expedition to sail south of the Antarctic Circle. 1781 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Cowpens: Continental troops under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan defeat British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton at the battle in South Carolina. 1799 – Maltese patriot Dun Mikiel Xerri, along with a number of other patriots, is executed. 1811 – Mexican War of Independence: In the Battle of Calderón Bridge, a heavily outnumbered Spanish force of 6,000 troops defeats nearly 100,000 Mexican revolutionaries. 1852 – The United Kingdom signs the Sand River Convention with the South African Republic. 1873 – A group of Modoc warriors defeats the United States Army in the First Battle of the Stronghold, part of the Modoc War. 1885 – A British force defeats a large Dervish army at the Battle of Abu Klea in the Sudan. 1893 – Lorrin A. Thurston, along with the Citizens' Committee of Public Safety, led the Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the government of Queen Liliʻuokalani. 1899 – The United States takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean. 1903 – El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico becomes part of the United States National Forest System as the Luquillo Forest Reserve. 1904 – Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard receives its premiere performance at the Moscow Art Theatre. 1912 – British polar explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott reaches the South Pole, one month after Roald Amundsen. 1915 – Russia defeats Ottoman Turkey in the Battle of Sarikamish during the Caucasus Campaign of World War I. 1917 – The United States pays Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands. 1918 – Finnish Civil War: The first serious battles take place between the Red Guards and the White Guard. 1920 – Alcohol Prohibition begins in the United States as the Volstead Act goes into effect. 1941 – Franco-Thai War: Vichy French forces inflict a decisive defeat over the Royal Thai Navy. 1943 – World War II: Greek submarine Papanikolis captures the 200-ton sailing vessel Agios Stefanos and mans her with part of her crew. 1944 – World War II: Allied forces launch the first of four assaults on Monte Cassino with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome, an effort that would ultimately take four months and cost 105,000 Allied casualties. 1945 – World War II: The Vistula–Oder Offensive forces German troops out of Warsaw. 1945 – The SS-Totenkopfverbände begin the evacuation of the Auschwitz concentration camp as the Red Army closes in. 1945 – Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg is taken into Soviet custody while in Hungary; he is never publicly seen again.

[brewminate-blog]

TODAY IN HISTORY: October 19, 1386 - The Universität Heidelberg held its first lecture, making it the oldest German university. The Great Schism of 1378 made it possible for Heidelberg, a relatively small city and capital of the Electorate of the Palatinate, to gain its own university. The Great Schism was initiated by the election of two popes after the death of Pope Gregory XI in the same year. A special Pontifical High Mass in the Heiliggeistkirche was the ceremony that established the university. The motto was semper apertus—i.e., "the book of learning is always open."

[piouscatholic]

Feast Day – October 7 2024

#OurLadyoftheRosary

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

Our Lady of the Rosary is the title of the Blessed Virgin Mother.

The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated on October 7 every year in the Catholic Church to celebrate the anniversary of the victory that Christians got at the Gulf of Lepanto in Greece on October 7 1571 against the invading Ottoman Turks in Europe.

Pope Pius V was having a problem with the Turkish Ottoman Empire, an Islamic empire centered in Istanbul, which was expanding rapidly in the Christian regions of Europe.

The Turkish empire might have permitted the expansion of Islam deep into Europe.

Pope Pius V organized an alliance called the Holy League who set sail, with around 200 ships, in the Mediterranean to fight a very powerful Ottoman navy that had nearly 300 warships.

The Pope knew the military might of the Ottoman Turks, he, therefore, encouraged the Christians throughout Europe to gather in their churches and pray the Holy Rosary to invoke the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary against the powerful Ottoman navy.

On October 7 1571, the Christian fleets battled the Ottoman fleets at the Gulf of Lepanto in Greece and managed to capture and sink all but 13 of the Turkish ships.

The Christians won the battle which was attributed to the help of Mary Mother of God through praying of the rosary.

Pope Pius V dedicated October 7 as a thanksgiving day to Our Lady of Victory.

The name of the feast was later changed to Our Lady of the Rosary by Pope Gregory XIII.

This feast of Our Lady of the Rosary emphasizes the intercessory power of Mary.

It reminds us that when we Christians are in danger, they can pray to our Mother Mary for help.

#TheDevelopmentoftheRosary

According to the Dominicans, in 1206, St. Dominic had a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary who gave him the rosary to use as a tool to fight the heretics.

The Rosary has its roots in the 150 psalms where people who couldn’t read began praying 150 Hail Marys instead.

In the 16th century, the rosary was developed to have 5 joyful, 5 sorrowful, and 5 glorious mysteries.

The 5 Mysteries of Light were added to the Rosary in 2002, by Pope John Paul II.

#FeastofourLadyoftheRosary

After the victory of the Battle of Lepanto, Pope Pius V instituted the feast of Our Lady of Victory in 1571.

The name of the feast was changed to Feast of the Holy Rosary by Pope Gregory XIII, to be celebrated on the first Sunday of October.

In 1671, Pope Clement X extended the feast to the whole of Spain, and on August 5 1716, Pope Clement XI extended the feast to be celebrated by the Universal Church.

In 1913, Pope Pius X changed the feast day to October 7.

During the 1969 liturgical reforms, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is listed as a mandatory memorial.

#PrayerandNovenatoOurLadyoftheRosary

Beloved Mother Mary, I humbly come before you in prayer, kneeling at your feet as your cherished child.

I present to you this Holy Rosary, an offering made in accordance with your requests at Fatima, as an expression of my deep affection for you and as a means to honor the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

It serves as an act of reparation for the offenses committed against your Immaculate Heart and carries within it my earnest plea for a special favor during this Rosary Novena.

(State your specific request here).

I implore you to intercede on my behalf and present my petition to your Divine Son.

I am confident that your prayers hold immense power, and with your supplication, my request cannot be denied.

I acknowledge dear Mother, your desire for me to seek God’s holy Will concerning my entreaty.

If it is not in accordance with His divine plan to grant what I ask, I beseech you to pray that I may receive that which will bring greater benefit to my soul.

In my love for you, I offer this spiritual Bouquet of Roses.

I place all my trust in you, knowing that your intercession before God is supremely efficacious.

May my prayer be heard and granted for the greater glory of God and for the sake of Jesus, your beloved Son.

O Sweet Heart of Mary, be my source of salvation.

*May this novena be recited in conjunction with a daily recitation of the Rosary.*

https://catholicreadings.org/our-lady-of-the-rosary/

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (November 15)

Albertus Magnus OP, also known as Saint Albert the Great, Albert of Swabia or Albert of Cologne, was a German Dominican friar, philosopher, scientist, and bishop.

He is considered one of the greatest medieval philosophers and thinkers.

He is a Doctor of the Church and the patron saint of scientists and philosophers.

Albert was the eldest son of a powerful and wealthy German lord of military rank.

He was educated in the liberal arts. Despite fierce family opposition, he entered the Dominican novitiate.

His boundless interests prompted him to write a compendium of all knowledge: natural science, logic, rhetoric, mathematics, astronomy, ethics, economics, politics, and metaphysics.

His explanation of learning took 20 years to complete.

“Our intention,” he said, “is to make all the aforesaid parts of knowledge intelligible to the Latins.”

The native German joined the newly formed Order of Preachers (Dominicans) in the early 13th century.

He achieved his goal while serving as an educator at Paris and Cologne, as Dominican provincial, and even as bishop of Regensburg for a short time.

He defended the mendicant orders and preached the Crusade in Germany and Bohemia.

Albert became known as “Great” because of his intellectual abilities.

He was a respected philosopher, scientist, theologian, and teacher. He was also well-versed in Arabic culture.

One of his students, who later became a great friend and built upon his Scholastic method, was Thomas Aquinas.

He died on 15 November 1280.

He was beatified by Pope Gregory XV in 1622. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI on 16 December 1931.

[n3rggg]

The Pope then sent Catherine to negotiate peace with the Florentine Republic. After Gregory XI's death (March 1378) and the conclusion of peace (July 1378), she returned to Siena. She dictated to secretaries her set of spiritual treatises, The Dialogue of Divine Providence.

[anastpaul]

Saint of the Day – 16 February – Blessed Gregory X OFM (or TOSF) (1210-1276) Pope Papacy began 1 September 1271 until his death on 10 January 1276, Diplomat and Peacemaker, Reformer of Papal Elections, Third Order Franciscan. This Tertiary Pope, a friend of St. Bonaventure, was a true son of St Francis, known for his love for the holy places in Palestine and his efforts to promote peace. Born as Theobald Visconti in Piacenza, Italy, in 1210 and died at Rezzo, Italy, on 10 January 1276 of natural causes. Patronages – of Third Order Franciscans, of the Diocese of Aresso, Italy. He was Beatified on 8 July 1713 bvb Pope Clement XI and added to the Martyrology by Pope Benedict XIV (reigned 1740-1758). A miracle is awaited for his Canonisation which remains an open Cause. The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Arezzo, in Tuscany, Blessed Gregory X, a native of Piacenza, who was elected Sovereign Pontiff while he was Archdeacon of Liege. He held the 2nd Council of Lyons, received the Greeks into the unity of the Church, appeaseddiscords among Christians, made generous efforts for the recovery of the Holy Land and governed the Church in the most holy manner.”

(via Saint of the Day – 16 February – Blessed Gregory X OFM (1210-1276) Pope – AnaStpaul)

[le-chevalier-au-lion]

just thinking. staring at the plan of st. gall for the perfect abbey and thinking thoughts. bit long, more than a bit deranged.

valentino wouldn't usually care for common pilgrims. they receive many of those, and quite frequently too. there are monks and novices around to take care of peasant new arrivals.

but he's walking the grounds. going from the church to his private house. and he catches a glimpse of—first he thinks the horse is blood-red, demonic, but it's only the weak setting sun. and it couldn't be anyway, because the man guiding the animal is—

in a couple of centuries, it's the kind of face that will get bernini to snap his chisel when he tries to sculpt an angel. right now, valentino only lets out this faint ah, feeling warm and curious.

a little warmer when the man breaks off from his guide (maybe late arrival novice celestino, for comedic effect) and trudges to him through the snow. he has a broad, shameless mouth, bent in a crooked smile, the kind that valentino is desperately short of in a monastery.

holy father, thank you for receiving me, marc says, getting on his knees. it's a bit too much, really. and he kisses valentino's naked fingers, not his signet. valentino puts his thumb on the hinge of his jaw and smiles, beatific. i am marc, headed to the capital to visit peter's own heir.

(is marc talking about maybe corrupting the pope? who knows. maybe a little. again. this is the tail end of the avignon papacy. gregory xi just brought it back to rome. it's not exactly an era of stellar men commanding the church, if it ever is.)

it's an odd thing to say, valentino recognizes, watching his lashes fan low over sharp cheekbones, a faint blush there like a painted maiden. where are you from? i don't recognize how you speak.

marc laughs. i'm sorry if i don't speak your vernacular very well. i started my journey in a small town on the county of barcelona, under the crown of aragon.

quite the distance to walk in these times. if valentino were a little less distracted, if marc felt a little less hot even one or two steps away, he'd probably realize that it's a journey easier by ship, from barcelona, tarragona or valencia to rome.

yes, but i got lucky. the townsfolk told me of this abbey.

i am blessed to be its steward, and you to hear of it, valentino agrees. marc's face is lit with a sharp glee, familiar to valentino, whose own humor is often called cruel. our scriptorium and library are a marvel; can you read?

marc shrugs. i heard more about you.

and see. valentino has a place for pilgrims like this one. he even has a proper house for proper guests: visiting dignitaries, princes, kings, dukes, bishops, the like.

but he clasps marc's hand back, the picture of diligence and hospitality. come now, follow me, he says, wryly, the forest fire of his charisma turned straight at marc, who does shiver and nod, it's much too cold to stand outside. we should warm you. takes him to his own house.

(celestino makes this noise. he didn't think that he'd need to use the finger gestures for "the abbott is being Strange with one of the pilgrims", but this can't wait until marco is done with his scriptures, or whatever that monk!bezz is doing, and they're permitted to talk.)

it's simply to look, valentino (who is not in the business of denying himself) thinks. if beauty were a sin, god wouldn't have invented stained glass and handsome men.

marc smiles.

sigh. do i need more ideas? no. do i have more ideas? of course

abbott!valentino receives a very curious guest from the county of barcelona who claims that he's going on a holy pilgrimage to rome. all is well and good. problem: they are more or less virtually isolated due to winter and the fact it is the handwavy late 1300s and you have new outbreaks of plague every so often.

and said guest always has a convenient excuse to avoid mass and the sacraments.

(and god is he handsome. no less fair than an angel. the kind of face that inspires nuns to dream of being taken over by the holy spirit. dark-eyed and intense. laughs too loudly in the quiet of the monastery, shameless. he clasps valentino's hand in his own and kisses it, mouth hot against his fingers. thank you for your generosity, father.)

cue demon!marc. who now has a very particular interest in getting one immortal soul to stumble. just a little, if you will.

more under the cut because i have Thoughts tm.

so. this is no particular monastery. you can think san giorgio in venice, or maybe pomposa near ferrara. in short: very rich, very influential, lots of land. suitable for one politically savvy valentino rossi, of course, but still firmly under the ora et labora rule.

this is a place of contemplation sanctifying work. if valentino's table is always, well, generous, it's only because he's providing to his guests who don't adhere to his order's strict frugality. if he's a great hunter and rider, it's only to provide to his flock. if he walks around with a mitre ornamented with gold, it's because of the generosity of the good folk of christ.

and marc finds it hilarious. he so dearly loves hypocrites, liars and holy men. he wants this one all for him.

it's no hardship, to distract valentino from properly attending the hours (he's simply sampling from the abbey's excellent wine, they're beyond skilled, really, his most sincere compliments. and if his mouth is stained dark and inviting, well, wasn't it god who made men beautiful).

to go hunting with him and smile up once they break off from the rest of their entourage, his hands stained with blood, his eyes fiery. you're a remarkable marksman, valentino says, strangled, while marc kneels on the snow before him, watching the poor hart bleed to death.

and listen, valentino may be more prince than clergyman (it's the right era for that. there are anti-popes in avignon. the medicis, sforzas, borgias, the viscontis, della roveres, orsinis, borghese, etc, etc, etc are either right around the corner or there already. it's the time of the cardinal-nephews) but he isn't stupid.

he keeps getting those letters from luca (maybe a condottieri. maybe a local nobleman. if this is venice, i keep seeing him as serving one of the avogadori de comùn, aka public prosecutors, or in the quarantia) about how the crops are failing, and the plague is getting worse, and people are gettting a little wild. more crimes. more violent crimes.

the local confessor is very worried about the souls of valentino's monks, too. he cannot get in detail, no, but many are experiencing doubt and temptation. strange dreams. unwilling desires.

valentino smiles, thinly. these are trying times, he says, the very picture of sorrowfulness in his artfully dyed habit. he's thinking about—how he dreams at night. tanned hands braced against his chest. the glimspe that he caught of marc's thighs, smooth, strong. how exactly he thought about extracting payment, after marc pressed a silver necklace into his hands, eyes downcast, father, i have nothing else to give, but take this, i don't wish to impose on the generosity of the servants of christ.

[cruger2984]

THE DESCRIPTION OF SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA The Patron of Those Against Fire and Miscarriages Feast Day: April 29

"Eternal God, eternal Trinity, you have made the blood of Christ so precious through his sharing in your divine nature. You are a mystery as deep as the sea; the more I search, the more I find, and the more I find the more I search for you. But I can never be satisfied; what I receive will ever leave me desiring more. When you fill my soul I have an even greater hunger, and I grow more famished for your light. I desire above all to see you, the true light, as you really are." -excerpt from 'The Dialogue of Divine Providence'

One of the few women to be declared Doctor of the Church, Catherine, was born Caterina di Jacopo di Benincasa, on the Feast of the Annunciation of Mary - March 25, 1347, in Siena, shortly before the Black Death ravaged Europe. Her parents were Lapa Piagenti, the daughter of a local poet, and Jacopo di Benincasa, a cloth dyer who ran his enterprise with the help of his sons.

At the age of six, after experiencing a vision of our Lord, Catherine consecrated her life to God. When she reached the age of 12, to convince her parents that she would never marry, she cut off her beautiful hair.

Catherine entered the Third Order of St. Dominic in 1365, and led a life of penance and prayer in her house. She was often subjected to trials and desolation.

One day, Catherine exclaimed: 'Oh Lord, where were you when my heart was so sorely troubled with temptations?'

The Lord replied: 'Daughter, I was in your heart, fortifying you by my grace.'

While Siena was celebrating a carnival, Catherine was praying in her room when our Lord appeared to her, accompanied by the Blessed Virgin Mary and a crowd of the heavenly host. Taking the girl's hand, the Blessed Virgin held it up to her Son, who placed a ring on it and espoused Catherine to himself. Although she cared for the sick and the prisoners, she was unjustly accused of being a fanatic and a hypocrite.

In 1375, as she was praying in the church of St. Cristina in Pisa, she received the stigmata from our Lord according to Raymond of Capua's biography. Because of her holiness, she was constantly called upon to arbitrate feuds and misunderstandings.

In June 1376, Catherine went to Avignon in France, to urge Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome, whence the pope has been absent for 74 years.

She spent the rest of her days composing 'The Dialogue of Divine Providence', a book which she wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Besides, Catherine wrote about 400 letters of great interest, all of them remarkable for beauty and spirituality.

Showing a remarkable combination of respect, frankness and familiarity, she called the Pope, 'my sweet daddy,' while reminding him of his obligations as the leader of the Universal Church.

After offering herself as the victim for the Church, Catherine died peacefully in the Lord at the age of 33 on April 29, 1380, having eight days earlier suffered a massive stroke which paralyzed her from the waist down. Her last words were: 'Father, into Your Hands I commend my soul and my spirit.'

Catherine beatified on Christmas Eve 1460 and canonized by Pope Pius II in 1461, Pope Paul VI named Catherine a Doctor of the Church on October 4, 1970; this title was almost simultaneously given to Teresa of Avila, making them the first women to receive this honor.

[brother-joseph]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Heroes, Popes in Hard Times, Book by Bob and Penny Lord, New.