Day 360 -- Saint Narcisa de Jesus Martillo Moran

I learned about today's saint from a friend of mine who went to Ecuador and sent be back a prayer card of Saint Narcisa de Jesus Martillo Moran. She was actually born on my friend's birthday, October 29, 1832 in Guayas, Ecuador. Her family were farmers and her parents died when she was only a child. She moved to Guayaquil and worked as a seamstress for the next 15 years to raise her younger siblings. She lived a single life, helped those who were even poorer than herself, and spent much time in prayer.

In 1868 she moved to Lima, Peru and worked in a convent of Dominican nuns. She never took vows and remained a lay person her whole life, but spent eight hours a day in prayer. She died on December 8, 1869 in Lima of natural causes. Her remains were transferred to Guayaquil in 1955. She was canonized on October 12, 2008.

Reading more about Saint Narcisa de Jesus today, allowed me to pray for my friend who I miss very much.

Saint Narcisa de Jesus, pray for all laywomen in the Church!

Day 359 -- Saint John the Baptist

Today we remember the death of Saint John the Baptist. It is interesting to note that he, Jesus, and Mary are the only people who the Catholic Church remember birthdays too. John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus. He was the son of Zachary who was a priest, and Elizabeth, a descendant of Aaron. When Zachary was ministering in the Temple, an angel brought him the news that Elizabeth would bear a child in her old age. Zachary doubted and was unable to speak until after John was born.

John was a prophet and began his ministry around the age of 27 by heralding the name of Jesus Christ. He lived off of locusts and wild honey. He preached a message of repentance to the people of Jerusalem. He baptized Jesus.

He was imprisoned by King Herod and died as a victim of the vengeance of a jealous woman around the year 30. He was beheaded and his head was brought to her on a platter. He was buried in Samaria and his relics are in Rome and Amiens (France).

Here is the account of his death:
Mark 6:17-29
Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers,
his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee.
Herodias’ own daughter came in
and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
“Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”
He even swore many things to her,
“I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom.”
She went out and said to her mother,
“What shall I ask for?”
She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”
The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request,
“I want you to give me at once
on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders
to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Day 358 -- Saint Augustine of Hippo

"I will suggest a means whereby you can praise God all day long, if you wish. Whatever you do, do it well, and you have praised God."

Today we remember a saint who I should pray to every day and for my mission at work. Saint Augustine of Hippo is the patron saint of the Diocese of Bridgeport. Saint Augustine was born on November 13, 354 in Numidia, North Africa as Aurelius Augustinus. His father was a pagan who converted on his death bed and his mother is Saint Monica who was a devout Christian. He was raised Christian, but lost his faith as a youth and then led a wild life. From the ages of 15 to 30 he lived with a woman and fathered a son named Adeotadus, which means gift of God. He investigated and experimented with several philosophies.

After the prayers of his mother and Saint Ambrose of Milan for many years, he converted and Ambrose baptized him. After his mother died, he returned to Africa, sold his property and gave the proceeds to the poor and founded a monastery. He became a monk, priest, preacher and then bishop of Hippo in 396. He founded religious communities and fought against heresies. He is a Doctor of the Church. One of his famous line (which is also my screensaver at work) is "Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in You." He died on August 28, 430 in Hippo.

Saint Augustine's famous books include Confessions and City of God.

Below are some of Saint Augustine's famous prayers:

Prayer to Holy Spirit
Breathe in me O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy; Act in me O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy; Draw my heart O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy; Strengthen me O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy; Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.

Act of Hope
For your mercies' sake, O Lord my God, tell me what you are to me. Say to my soul: "I am your salvation." So speak that I may hear, O Lord; my heart is listening; open it that it may hear you, and say to my soul: "I am your salvation." After hearing this word, may I come in haste to take hold of you. Hide not your face from me. Let me see your face even if I die, lest I die with longing to see it. The house of my soul is too small to receive you; let it be enlarged by you. It is all in ruins; do you repair it. There are thing in it - I confess and I know - that must offend your sight. But who shall cleanse it? Or to what others besides you shall I cry out? From my secret sins cleanse me, O Lord, and from those of others spare your servant. Amen.

Prayer to Seek God Continually
O Lord my God, I believe in you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Insofar as I can, insofar as you have given me the power, I have sought you. I became weary and I labored.

O Lord my God, my sole hope, help me to believe and never to cease seeking you. Grant that I may always and ardently seek out your countenance. Give me the strength to seek you, for you help me to find you and you have more and more given me the hope of finding you.

Here I am before you with my firmness and my infirmity. Preserve the first and heal the second.

Here I am before you with my strength and my ignorance. Where you have opened the door to me, welcome me at the entrance; where you have closed the door to me, open to my cry; enable me to remember you, to understand you, and to love you. Amen.

Prayer to Our Lady, Mother of Mercy
Blessed Virgin Mary, who can worthily repay you with praise and thanks for having rescued a fallen world by your generous consent! Receive our gratitude, and by your prayers obtain the pardon of our sins. Take our prayers into the sanctuary of heaven and enable them to make our peace with God.

Holy Mary, help the miserable, strengthen the discouraged, comfort the sorrowful, pray for your people, plead for the clergy, intercede for all women consecrated to God. May all who venerate you feel now your help and protection. Be ready to help us when we pray, and bring back to us the answers to our prayers. Make it your continual concern to pray for the people of God, for you were blessed by God and were made worthy to bear the Redeemer of the world, who lives and reigns forever. Amen.

Day 357 -- Saint Poemen

Saint Poemen was a leader of his day. He was the leader of a group of hermits in the desert of Skete in Egypt. They lived in abandoned ruins of a pagan temple. He was noted for his strong discipline. He permitted he and his brothers to sleep only 4 hours a day. They spent the rest of time doing chores, praying, and studying He urged frequent Communion for everyone. He was known for his wise sayings. Some are below.

The beginning of evil is the lack of vigilance.

Silence is not a virtue when charity calls for speech.

A living faith consists of thinking little of self, and showing consideration for others.

Teach your heart to guard that which your tongue teaches.

Do not lay open your conscience to anyone whom you do not trust in your heart.

To throw yourself before God, not to measure your progress, to leave behind all self-will; these are the instruments for the work of the soul.

If you are silent, you will possess peace wherever you live.

"The nature of water is soft, and the nature of stone is hard; but if a bottle is hung above the stone, allowing the water to fall down drop by drop, it wears away the stone. So it is with the Word of God: it is soft and our heart is hard, but the man who hears the Word of God often opens his heart to the fear of God."

Day 356 -- Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified

Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified was born as Mary Baouardy on January 5, 1846 in Palestine to Greek Melchite Catholic parents. Twelve of her thirteen brothers died in infancy and her birth was an answer to a prayer to Our Lady. Her parents died when Mary was only 2 years old and she was raised by her uncle. She was betrothed in an arranged married at the age of 13, but refused to go along with it and insisted on a religious life. As a punishment, her uncle hired her our as a servant and made sure she had the lowest of jobs. Mary met a Muslim friend who tried to convert her from Christianity. On September 8, 1858 she convinced him that she would never abandon her faith and he cut her throat and left her in an alley. She lived, an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary treated her wound, and left her uncle's house forever.

In 1860 she moved in with the Sisters of Saint Joseph, but they would not let her join their house because of supernatural events that began. In 1867 she was taken in by a sister in Pau and became a lay sister. Later she entered the cloister and took the name Mary of Jesus Crucified and made her final profession on November 21, 1871.

She received the stigmata, was known to levitate, had the gift of prophecy, and other things. She helped found the missionary Carmel in India and went to France in 1872. She built a Carmelite monastery in Bethlehem in 1875. She was known for her devotion to the Holy Spirit and even sent words to Pope Pius IX that the Holy Spirit was not emphasized enough in the seminaries. She died on August 26, 1878 in Bethlehem of gangrene following an injury at the construction of the Bethlehem monastery. She was beatified on November 13, 1983 and awaits canonization.

"The proud person is like a grain of wheat thrown into water: it swells, it gets big. Expose that grain to the fire: it dries up, it burns. The humble soul is like a grain of wheat thrown into the earth: it descends, it hides itself, it disappears, it dies but to revive in heaven."