• January 12th - St. Arcadius, Martyr

    From rich@1:396/4 to All on Fri Jan 11 07:48:14 2019
    From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

    January 12th - St. Arcadius, Martyr
    d. 304

    THE time of this saint=E2=80=99s martyrdom is not mentioned in his acts; so=
    me
    place it under Valerian, others under Diocletian; he seems to have
    suffered in some city of Mauritania, probably the capital, Caesarea.
    The fury of the persecutors was at its height. Upon the least
    suspicion they broke into houses, and if they found a Christian they
    treated him upon the spot with the greatest cruelty, their impatience
    not suffering them to wait for his formal indictment. Every day new
    sacrileges were committed; the faithful were compelled to assist at superstitious sacrifices, to lead victims crowned with flowers through
    the streets, to burn incense before idols. Arcadius, seeing the
    terrible conditions prevailing, withdrew to a solitary place in the
    country, but his flight could not be long a secret for his
    non-appearance at the public sacrifices made the governor send
    soldiers to his house, who, finding one of his relations there, seized
    him, and the governor ordered him to be kept in custody till Arcadius
    should be taken.

    The martyr, informed of his friend=E2=80=99s danger, went into the city, an=
    d
    presenting himself to the judge, said, =E2=80=9CIf on my account you detain=
    my
    innocent kinsman in chains, release him; I, Arcadius, am come in
    person to give an account of myself, and to declare to you that he
    knew not where I was.=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CI am willing=E2=80=9D, answered the=
    judge, =E2=80=9Cto pardon
    not only him, but you also, on condition that you will sacrifice to
    the gods.=E2=80=9D Arcadius refused firmly; whereupon the judge said to the executioners, =E2=80=9CTake him, and let him desire death without being abl=
    e
    to obtain it. Cut off his limbs joint by joint, but do this so slowly
    that the wretch may know what it is to abandon the gods of his
    ancestors for an unknown deity=E2=80=9D. The executioners dragged Arcadius =
    to
    the place where many other victims of Christ had already suffered; and
    he stretched out his neck expecting to be decapitated; but the
    executioner bid him hold out his hand, and, joint after joint, chopped
    off his fingers, arms and shoulders. In the same barbarous manner were
    cut off his toes, feet, legs and thighs. The martyr held out his limbs
    one after another with invincible courage, repeating, =E2=80=9CLord, teach =
    me
    thy wisdom=E2=80=9D for the tormentors had forgotten to cut out his tongue. After so many martyrdoms, his body lay a mere trunk. But Arcadius
    surveying his scattered limbs all around him, and offering them to
    God, said, =E2=80=9CHappy members, you at last truly belong to God, being a=
    ll
    made a sacrifice to Him=E2=80=9D Then to the people he said, =E2=80=9CYou w=
    ho have
    been present at this bloody tragedy, learn that all torments seem as
    nothing to one who has an everlasting crown before his eyes. Your gods
    are not gods; renounce their worship. He alone for whom I suffer and
    die is the true God. To die for Him is to live.=E2=80=9D Discoursing in thi=
    s
    manner to those about him, he died, the pagans being struck with
    astonishment at such a miracle of patience. The Christians gathered
    together his scattered limbs and laid them in one tomb.

    See the Acta Sanctorum for January 12, where the passio is printed, as
    well as a panegyric preached by St. Zeno of Verona. In spite of the
    fact that the passio is included by Ruinart in his Acta Sincera, the
    document belongs rather to the category of historical romances. Cf.
    Delehaye, Origines du culte des martyrs (1933), p. 391.


    Saint Quote:
    Prudence must precede every action which we undertake; for, if
    prudence be wanting, there is nothing, however good it may seem, which
    is not turned into evil.
    -- St. Basil

    Bible Quote
    =C2=A0Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according
    to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the
    resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (1 Peter 1:3) DRB


    <><><><>
    TO THE BLESSED MOTHER FOR HUMILITY
    From HIS FAVORITE PRAYERS: St. John Neumann, C. SS. R.

    O Mary, Mother of Mercy, pray to thy Divine Son for me, a poor sinner;
    beg Him to make me humble. Oh, how humble art thou, the purest of
    Virgins; thou, my powerful mediatrix; thou, O most holy among the
    children of Adam, who art the exalted Mother of God! Thou didst
    declare thyself the handmaid of Him Whose Mother thou art. Behold, my
    dear heavenly Mother, how gladly I would dedicate myself to thy Divine
    Son, that His Will may also be mine. But my pride, my self-esteem, my
    vanity, are always against me. I struggle against them, and yet I
    allow them to surprise and deceive me so often. Oh, how this afflicts
    me! Mary, Refuge of Sinners, if I were only sincere when I beg of thee
    to obtain humiliation for me. But alas, whilst praying for such helps
    to humility, I fear the granting of my prayer. I clearly see better
    things; I even desire their possession and yet I shrink from what
    alone can give me true humility. Behold my trials, my combats in this
    valley of tears! O my dearest Mother, if to be freed from this body
    would give glory to God, how gladly would I not lay down my life.
    Amen.

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