Saint Martin De Porres

I remember as a child how Saint Martin De Porres was held in high regard in my family. My mother, grandmother, and aunts would pray earnestly to this kindhearted saint. As I grew I learned about his many virtues which seem timeless and are worthy of further examination. He is a great example of an individual born to less then perfect circumstances yet has the ability to not only overcome it but become a shining example of the possibilities there are for the human condition.

Saint Barbara

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Saint Barbara is one of my favorite saints. I admire her so much I named one of my children after her. Her stalwart faith, even in the face of adversity, is an example of someone who could not be swayed by her pagan relatives, or by judges threatening torture and death. What motivates someone to believe wholeheartedly when it would be so convenient to go along with the status quo? It is because of her strong faith that I believe she is worthy of further examination.

Saint Barbara was born around the 4th century. She was raised a heathen. Saint Barbara during the time of Emperor Maximian (in latin: Emperor Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus. He was born of humble parents in the Roman province of Pannonia, modern day Slovenia. His military career earned him distinction to the point of becoming co-ruler with Emperor Diocletian). Her father's name was Dioscorus, a paynim/pagan, who adored and worshipped idols.

Dioscorus had a tower built that was strong and high in order to house his daughter in becuase she was such a beautiful young woman. Many princes asked her father for her hand in marriage but Saint Barbara refused to marry. In fact she angrily said to her father, "My father, I pray you that ye will not constrain me to marry, for there to I have no will nor thought". Dioscorus then left to go on a journey to a far off country after speaking with his daughter.

One day Saint Barbara came down from the tower to see the bath house that her father was having constructed while he was away. She noticed there were only 2 windows, one towards the north and the other towards the south. She questioned the workmen why there weren't more windows and they replied that these were the specifications ordered by her father. Then Saint Barbara had them built one more window thus creating the illusion of the Holy Trinity for her. She secretly received instructions as well as baptism there. Saint Barbara lived there in the bath house for a certain time where she survived off of honeysuckles and locusts (she was inspired by John The Baptist and followed his example). She studied and prayed there.

Before she returned to the tower she saw the idols that her father sacrificed and worshipped to. Saint Barbara suddenly received the Holy Spirit and then she became extraordinarily subtle and clear in the love of Jesus Christ because she was surrounded with the grace of God Almighty. She then proceeded to scratch the faces of the idols. While despising the idols she said: "All they be made like unto you which have made you to, err, and all them that have faith in you". With that she returned to the tower and prayed.

Upon his return Dioscorus was extremely angered finding out about Saint Barbara's alteration to the bath house. Dioscorus demanded that his daughter explain to him why she had a third window built and she replied, "I have done them to be made becuase three windows lighten all the world and all creatures, but two make darkness". He grabbed Saint Barbara and demanded that she explain how three windows can illuminate more then two and she answered, "These three windows betoken clearly the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, the which be three persons and one very God, on whom we ought to believe and worship". In his anger he pulled out his sword to kill her and Saint Barbara started to pray. She was miraculously taken in a stone and borne into a mountain on which two shepherds, who saw her fly, kept their sheep. Her father then, taking her by the hair, brings her down from the mountain and has her imprisoned.

A civil judge put forth the choice she had before her, 'Now choose whether ye will spare yourself and offer to the gods, or else die by cruel torments'. Saint Barbara answered, ' I offer myself to my God, Jesus Christ, the which hath created Heaven and earth and all other things...'. Poor Saint Barbara was then beaten. She was comforted by a vision of our Lord in her prison cell. Again Saint Barbara endured scouraging and torture before the judge commanded to have her put to death.

Her father so infuriated with her grabbed Saint Barbara from the judge and lend her up on a mountain. Saint Barbara then proceeded to say, 'Lord Jesus Christ, which hast formed Heaven and earth, I beseech thee to grant me thy grace and hear my prayer for all they that have memory of thy name and my passion; I pray thee, that thou wilt not remember their sins, for thou knowest our fragility'. There came a voice down from Heaven that said, 'Come, my spouse Barbara, and rest in the chamber of God my Father which is in Heaven, and I grant to thee that thou hast required of me'. After she heard this Saint Barbara went to her father and he beheaded her even though she had prayed for him. She received her martyrdom with Saint Juliana. When her father descended from the mountain a fire from Heaven struck him leaving behind only ashes as evidence of Dioscorus.

A noble man by the name of Valentine buried the bodies of both Saint Barbara and Saint Juliana in a little town where many miracles occurred. There are various versions as to the time and place of Barbara's martyrdom: Tuscany, Rome, Antioch, Heliopolis and Nicomedia.


*Feast Day: Dec. 4

**Patroness of: Architects, Builders, Gunners, Miners, Stonemasons

***Protectress of: Those in danger of dying without the sacraments.

****She is one of the "Fourteen Holy Helpers"

Saint Jude

There is a group of saints that I hold in high regard and Saint Jude is definitely among them. He is the "Patron of Desperate Cases" and his feast day is celebrated on October 28th. As you read about him he is referred as Jude or Thaddeus but his name is Jude Thaddeus. An interesting fact about Jude is he is a cousin of Jesus who chose to lead a missionary life. Once again proving that God's choice in placing Jesus in Mary and Joseph's family was a wise decision. One of Saint Jude's contributions was the General Epistle of Jude in the Holy Bible.
Jude was a nephew to Mary and Joseph, cousin to Jesus. His father was Cleophas and he died as a martyr. His mother was called Mary, one of the other Mary's of the bible. This particular Mary was present when Jesus died at the cross and she was one of the women who anointed the body of Jesus afterwards. Jude's brother was one of the apostles called James the Less.Now during Jude's early years he must have known Jesus well since later on in his life he left all to be able to follow Jesus. I think its wonderful how his entire family was so involved in the faith.
After the resurrection it is believed that he became a traveling missionary sharing the Gospel all over Palestine and beyond. Saint Jude was given special powers by God. An example of this is how he cured the King of Edessa from leprosy in the name of Jesus. Another example is how he once ordered the devils in pagan idols to leave and the images fell to the ground breaking into pieces. Saint Jude and Saint Simon's last days were spent as missionaries preaching the Gospel in
in Persia. They suffered martyrdom there which consisted of having Saint Jude beaten to death with a club. His head was then severed fromhis body by an ax. Saint Jude's relics are commemorated in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Mary

If you look in the New Testament you'll find about 4 different Marys. The Mary that I'll be writing about here is Mary: the mother of Jesus, the wife of Joseph, the one chosen by God himself to shape and nurture the redeemer of the world. Who is this Mary? What made her special among the women of her time? In the natural progression of being able to understand her these questions need answering.
To better understand Mary, the person, one must examine her beginnings; her very early beginnings. Mary was born to a couple by the name of Joachim and Anne. They lived in the Jerusalem/Nazareth area. They were of the Jewish faith and they were very devoted to God. As a couple they were unable to have children because Anne was barren and this was considered to be a punishment of God according to their faith, during that time frame. In fact Joachim would go off into the mountains to pray while Anne would pray at home and beg God to give them a child. It was during these prayerful moments that she promised to dedicate her child to God's service.Their prayers were answered.
The Catholic Church defines Mary's birth as the Immaculate Conception which states that Mary was conceived without original sin. This officially became known as the "Immaculate Conception Doctrine" in 1854. Mary is also referred as "Ever Virgin" and this goes back to the promise of God to Isaiah 7:14 which states "a virgin shall conceive and bear a son." I also think it's important to point out how the angel Gabriel addresses Mary by saying, "Hail, full of grace".
I think it's worth noting that Mary is descended from the line of David from the tribe of Judah. As part of the Jewish tradition children are presented in the temple and such was the case with Mary. In- terestingly enough, when Mary was presented at the temple she took a vow of perpetual virginity.

God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary

I would like to start off by stating that God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary hold a permanent place of devotion in my heart. All four have participated in an event that has shaped and made possible the Christian faith. For Christians the belief of the Holy Trinity is undeniably important. One can not believe in God, Jesus or The Holy Spirit without accepting the role of the other as being part of that significant relationship we call the Trinity.
For Roman Catholics Mary is very important as well. I can not imagine God entrusting his beloved son, Jesus, to just anyone. This individual who is to care, love, and teach his beloved son holds an enormous responsibility. If you doubt this just imagine the outcome if God had chosen someone less dedicated, reverent or even less kind? We need only to turn on the news of modern day to see the examples of children lacking proper nurturing. We can all rejoice in the knowledge that Mary was the right person, at the right time for the job. God's wise choice in his selection of Mary, with the assistance of The Holy Spirit, has made Jesus and us the beneficiaries of all her goodness.

Why Should I Make A Blog About Saints?

Hello,


In my search to know more of the human condition it made me wonder what makes a human do extraordinary things? What makes an individual transcend from an average human being to someone of moral and spiritual character so worthy of admiration, imitation and some might even say invoking awe? We all enter the world by the same means. That is to say we are all of the flesh, subject to its strengths and weaknesses. Yet when we compare the finish products, the lives of the saints and others, we are left observing unusual and different outcomes. In my journey to fully understanding sainthood I've come across some compelling and noteworthy information. If this interests you join me and read along.

**References that will be used for the entries in this blog are as follows:

• The Holy Bible
• Dictionary Of Saints (abridged)
• Who's Who In The Bible
• Picture Book Of Saints
• Introduction To Catholicism
• Butler's Lives Of The Saints