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August 3rd - Blessed Augustine Gazotich of Lucera, OP B (AC)
Born in Trau, Dalmatia, c. 1260-1262; died 1323; cultus reconfirmed by Pope
Clement XI in 1702. Augustine was born into a wealthy family who provided
him
with an excellent education. At 18, he and an Italian friend headed to the
Dominican novitiate in France. Near Pavia, Italy, they were attacked by
enemies
of his family, who left the bodies of the two boys in the snow by the side
of
the road. Augustine was badly injured; his friend died. When he recovered
from
his injuries, Augustine continued to the novitiate. Augustine spent most of
his
life battling heresy: In his native Dalmatia, he fought the Manichæen
heresy; in
Sicily, Islam; in Hungary both. In every situation in which he found
himself,
Augustine gave proof of his virtue and good judgment. When Cardinal
Boccasini
came to Hungary as legate, he noted the wisdom and tact of his brother
Dominican, and when he himself ascended the papal throne as Benedict XI, he
appointed Augustine bishop of Zagreb in Croatia in 1303.
This diocese was in chaos when Augustine assumed the cathedra. His three
predecessors had all tried, but failed, to repair the ravages of heresy,
plague,
and schism. The new bishop began by reforming the clergy. He finished
building
the cathedral and made a complete visitation of his diocese. His work was to
bring him into violent conflict with the government, but, spiritually, he
restored the entire see during his episcopacy.
Several charming miracles are related about Augustine. The river water of
Zagreb
was unfit to drink, so the Dominican fathers asked Augustine to pray for a
new
supply. At his prayer a fountain sprang up in the yard of the convent,
abundantly supplying their needs. Another time he planted a tree in a little
village and the leaves turned out to have healing properties. On one
occasion,
when Bishop Augustine was dining with Benedict XI, the pope, feeling that a
missionary bishop must eat well to preach well, had a dish of partridge set
before Augustine, who never ate meat. Because he did not want to offend the
pope, he prayed for a resolution to the situation. The legend says that God
turned the partridges into fish!
Augustine was transferred from Zagreb to Lucera (Nocera), Sicily. Here he
continued his holy government, using his characteristic gentleness and his
gift
of healing. He promoted devotion to Saints Dominic, Thomas Aquinas, and
Peter
Martyr-all brother Dominicans. Feeling that he was near death, he returned
to
the Dominican convent in Nocera to die among his brethren. Under his statue
in
the cathedral of Nocera is the legend, "Sanctus Augustine Episcopus
Lucerinus
Ordinis Praedicatorum," an indication of the veneration in which he is held
(Benedictines, Dorcy).
From:
http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0802.shtml
Saint Quote:
The first requirement of salvation is to keep the standard of the True
Faith.
-Pope St. Adrian II (867-872)
Bible Quote:
2. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards he was
hungry.
3. And the tempter coming said to him: If thou be the Son of God, command
that
these stones be made bread. 4. Who answered and said: It is written, Not in
bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth
of
God. (Matthew 4:2-4)
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Novena to our guardian angel for the holy souls.
To be said for nine consecutive days
O HOLY ANGEL, whom God, by the effect of His goodness
and His tender regard for my welfare, has charged with the
care of my conduct, and who assists me in all my wants and
comforts me in all my afflictions, who supports me when I
am discouraged and continually obtains for me new favors, I
return thee profound thanks, and I earnestly beseech thee, O
most amiable protector, to continue thy charitable care and
defense of me against the malignant attacks of all my
enemies. Keep me away from all occasions of sin. Obtain for
me the grace of listening attentively to thy holy inspirations
and of faithfully putting them into practice, In particular, I
implore thee to obtain for me the relief and deliverance of all
the Souls in Purgatory, the ones who prayed for the Souls
themselves while still on earth; the forgotten and abandoned
Souls; the souls of my relatives and friends; the souls of
priests and religious; the souls of all those to whom I am
obligated by charity to pray for and may have neglected by
laxity in memory; and most especially for the Soul I here
name in this novena.
[Mention the person or think of him.]
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Saint Alphonsus Liguori, from The Redeeming Love of Christ
God says to each of us: "Give me your heart, that is, your will." We, in
turn,
cannot offer anything more precious than to say: "Lord, take possession of
us;
we give our whole will to you; make us understand what it is that you desire
of
us, and we will perform it."
If we would give full satisfaction to the heart of God, we must bring our
own
will in everything into conformity with his; and not only into conformity,
but
into uniformity also, as regards all that God ordains. Conformity signifies
the
joining of our own will to the will of God; but uniformity signifies,
further,
our making of the divine and our own will one will only, so that we desire
nothing but what God desires, and his will becomes ours. This is the sum and
substance of that perfection to which we ought to be ever aspiring; this is
what
must be the aim of all we do, and of all our desires, meditations and
prayers.
For this we must invoke the assistance of all our patron saints and our
guardian
angels, and, above all, of our divine mother Mary, who was the most perfect
saint, because she embraced most perfectly the divine will. |
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