• March 14: Saint Matilda of Saxony

    From rich@1:396/4 to All on Tue Mar 13 10:07:46 2018
    From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

    March 14: Saint Matilda of Saxony
    (Also known as Mathildis, Maud, Mechtildis, Mathilde)
    (895-968)

    Saint Matilda was a woman of great royalty and privilege, who made it
    her daily mission to feed and serve the poor through generous charity
    and service. Saint Matilda's life demonstrates that while we all ma=
    ke
    mistakes, the Lord forgives, and brings us to Him in Christian
    perfection through penance and repentance. Saint Matilda is the patron
    saint of disappointing children, large families, falsely accused
    persons, people ridiculed for their piety, queens, second marriages,
    and widows.

    Born in Saxony, Matilda was the daughter of Thierri, a prince of
    considerable importance. From an early age, Matilda demonstrated great
    piety and love for the Lord, and was raised by her pious grandmother,
    Maud, the abbess of Enford, in the cloister. There, as she grew up,
    she practiced daily prayer and penance, and learned a love of labor
    and spiritual reading. Matilda would have been more than content to
    spend her life dedicated to religious pursuits. However, her father
    arranged her marriage to Henry, the son of the Duke of Saxony. Within
    seven years, Henry found himself the King of Germany, and Matilda, the
    queen.

    King Henry demonstrated through his actions that he was a God-fearing
    and pious spouse. His equity and courage won him the respect of his
    subjects, and he encouraged and financed Matilda's longing to live =
    a
    life of charitable service to others. While Henry ruled his kingdom,
    Matilda devoted herself to penance, and spent her days visiting the
    poor and sick, offering them consolation and comfort. She also founded
    schools to provide education to all, visited incarcerated prisoners,
    and worked for the conversion of souls. Overall, her life was
    relatively a simple one, despite her royalty, with her primary focus
    on daily prayer.

    After 17 years, Henry died of apoplexy, and Matilda, looking to the
    Lord, gave up her royal vestments and jewels, laying them on the alter
    of the Lord. Divesting herself of her title, she stepped aside for her children, with the eldest, Otho, becoming king. Henry became Duke of
    Bavaria, and the youngest, Bruno, the Archbishop of Cologne.

    However, all was not smooth prior to the coronation, with Henry
    contesting his brother's rightful place as heir. Matilda, for her
    part, always partial to Henry, sided with him, her words creating
    significant discord between the brothers. Eventually, the brothers
    reconciled, but turned against their mother, stripping her of her
    dowry, and accusing her publicly of mismanaging the royal funds in
    service to her charities. Saint Matilda accepted the punishment
    gracefully, recognizing her sinfulness in siding with one son above
    another, repenting, and offering herself wholly to the Lord in
    reparation.

    The persecution and suffering of Matilda was long and cruel, but she
    patiently bore this all, until her son reconciled with her. Her dowry
    restored, Matilda was allowed to move back into the royal court.
    However, instead, she chose to live in the Benedictine monastery of Quedlinbourg, using her funds to serve the poor and extend the
    religious communities in the region dedicated to charity. She founded
    five monasteries, and built many churches.

    Saint Matilda grew ill, and realized that death was upon her. In the
    presence of her community at the monastery, she made a public
    confession, donned sackcloth, and covered herself with ashes. She
    further received last sacraments from William, Archbishop of Mayence,
    her nephew. Her body remains at Quedlinburg, where she is buried
    beside her husband. She is venerated there today.

    The life of Saint Matilda suggests to us that the love and forgiveness
    of the Lord are greater and more powerful than any sin we can commit,
    if we turn to Him with humble and contrite repentance. Saint Matilda
    spent her days in penance and service to others, through her prayer,
    heartfelt repentance, and penance being washed clean of her sins and
    reaching Christian perfection in sainthood. How might we begin the
    process of repentance and conversion during this Lenten season? What
    sins of our own might we offer to the Lord with humble and contrite
    hearts?


    Saint Quote:
    Conform yourself as closely as possible to His humility and gentleness
    in dealing with your neighbor. . . Love those who humble and
    contradict you, for they are more useful to your perfection than those
    who flatter you.
    --St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

    Bible Quote:
    No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God abides in us and
    His love is perfected in us. (1 John 4-12)


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    Glory To God

    Glory to God in the highest,
    and peace to His people on earth.
    Lord God, heavenly King,
    Almighty God and Father,
    we worship You, we give You thanks,
    we praise You for Your glory.
    Lord Jesus Christ,
    only Son of the Father,
    Lord God, Lamb of God,
    You take away the sin of the world:
    have mercy on us;
    You are seated at the right hand of the Father:
    receive our prayer.
    For You alone are the Holy One,
    You alone are the Lord,
    You alone are the Most High,
    Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
    in the glory of the Father.

    Amen.
    --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
    * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)