Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

-
If you love someone, say so. This doesn't have to be a romantic thing to say. You should say it to your husband, wife, children, sisters, brothers, and other relatives. You should love your family and friends. Vocalizing this doesn't hurt; it helps.

 Saint of the Day

 Thursday, March 14, 2013
St. Maximilian
(d. 295)



We have an early, precious, almost unembellished account of the martyrdom of St. Maximilian in modern-day Algeria. Brought before the proconsul Dion, Maximilian refused enlistment in the Roman army saying, "I cannot serve, I cannot do evil. I am a Christian."
Dion replied: "You must serve or die."
Maximilian: "I will never serve. You can cut off my head, but I will not be a soldier of this world, for I am a soldier of Christ. My army is the army of God, and I cannot fight for this world. I tell you I am a Christian."
Dion: "There are Christian soldiers serving our rulers Diocletian and Maximian, Constantius and Galerius."
Maximilian: "That is their business. I also am a Christian, and I cannot serve."
Dion: "But what harm do soldiers do?"
Maximilian: "You know well enough."
Dion: "If you will not do your service I shall condemn you to death for contempt of the army."
Maximilian: "I shall not die. If I go from this earth, my soul will live with Christ my Lord."
Maximilian was 21 years old when he gladly offered his life to God. His father went home from the execution site joyful, thanking God that he had been able to offer heaven such a gift.

 Sources: SUNDAY BY SUNDAY and americancatholic.org

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Movie Review: Joan of Arc

-
Image
The 1948 version of Joan of Arc with Ingrid Bergman is an excellent movie, and is also pretty family-friendly. I admire Ingrid Bergman's great acting abilities. She can cry on cue, and shows great emotion at every moment she is focused on. Joan is a fourteen year old girl who is hearing voices from Heaven. She is supposed to lead God's Army against Orleans and crown the Dauphin, Charles VII, as King of France. She does succeed in conquering Orleans. When her army prepares to march against Paris, King Charles sells his country to England. Unfortunately, Joan is then arrested, sold, and subjected to horrible trials that are political, though she is accused of being a heretic and a witch. She was only doing the will of God. There were a couple of faults in this movie. For example, Joan's hair should have grown if she was really on trial for five months. Also, some of the Latin words during the coronation ceremony were mispronounced. The film elements were appropriately si...
Read more

Ash Wednesday

-
Image
Try to understand another's point of view. Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in ourselves that we do not even regard the other person's opinions. Effective practice of this technique is called dual perspective (thank you, Interpersonal Communication class!) This means that you fully respect both yours and the other individual's unique viewpoint. In doing so, you can both practice humility and develop your listening skills simultaneously! Saint of the Day Wednesday, February 13, 2013 St. Giles Mary of St. Joseph (1729-1812) In the same year that a power-hungry Napoleon Bonaparte led his army into Russia, Giles Mary of St. Joseph ended a life of humble service to his Franciscan community and to the citizens of Naples. Francesco was born in Taranto to very poor parents. His father’s death left the 18-year-old Francesco to care for the family. Having secured their future, he entered the Friars Minor at Galaton...
Read more

Stress: It's Where I'm At

-
Image
J.M.J. Wow...long time no talk. I've been busy. More accurately, I just haven't made time to write. I think that I'm too busy but the truth is, I didn't feel like writing. I've been so stressed out! I've been worrying about everything. I started taking online classes this semester and let me tell you, the experience hasn't been good. I'm surviving the academic load but I'm thinking that this career idea isn't the one for me. I thought I wanted to be a counseling psychologist but all the stress and anxiety that these courses are bringing me is telling me something else. All of this stress has been leading to a lack of sleep. I don't have to tell you that this makes life a lot harder than normal. Add to that work, my social life, and school, and I'm one weighed down individual. Woe is me, right? I've been praying, trying to ask God why I'm having all these issues. I'd never choose to go through this, but I...
Read more