From: richarra@gmail.com

 -- 2 Chronicles 7:14 –

And my people, upon whom my name is called, being converted, shall
make supplication to me, and seek out my face, and do penance for
their most wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive
their sins and will heal their land.  [2 Chr. 7:14]  DRB ==========================
True repentance is more than talk-- it is changed behavior. Humble ourselves
by admitting our sins; pray to God, asking for forgiveness; seek God continually; and turn from sinful behavior. Whether we sin individually, as
a group, or as a nation, following these steps will lead to forgiveness. God will answer our earnest prayers.

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October 15th - St. Callistus of Huesca

St. Callistus of Huesca was a valorous Spanish officer who became
famous for his fight against the Moors in Aragon. He lived in the 10th
century and died in 1003.

To assist the inhabitants of Aure valley in France against the enemies
of Christianity, he and his companion in arms St. Mercurialis went
there to defend them. Both died in combat. The Diocese of Tarbes,
France, celebrates his feast day on October 15.


Comments of the late Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

At that time, the fight against the Saracens was still in its epic
period when they were a great power that had not been virtually
defeated. The Spanish Reconquista was just starting to give its great
fruits, but at that time the future was uncertain.

In this period we see two military saints who fought side by side
against the Moors. Because of their combativeness these two heroes
were screened out of certain Books of Saints and hidden by that
Sulpician sentimental school of piety that adulterates the lives of
the saints by presenting only their soft and delicate facets. This is
why almost no one knows about them. I am glad to comment on them to
repair this flaw and fill the vacuum.

We can imagine the marvelous scene. On the top of a mountain the two
saints are fighting together outnumbered by a large horde of Saracens.
The sun is beginning to set and the last rays of its light shine on
their metal armors and swords. A golden dusk covers the battle that
ensues amidst a great clamor of weapons and shouts.

With strength and temperance, St. Callistus and St. Mercurialis fight
side by side, giving and receiving tremendous blows, surrounded by
enemies. They struggle as long as they can, but the final moment of
their lives arrives. They say a last prayer and strike a last blow as
a symbol of the rights of Our Lord Jesus Christ and Our Lady over the
lands of France and Spain. Then their souls fly to the presence of
God, where they receive their eternal reward, and the blood they shed
makes the soil of France where it spilled sacred.

After their deaths, one can imagine the clamor of victory from the
Saracens over the appearance that the Catholic Faith was smashed and
the Cross was defeated by the Crescent.

But here we should consider that their sacrifice was known to other
Catholics of the Reconquista and their fight until death was taken as
a model. What they did strengthened those Catholics in their
convictions and encouraged them to expel the enemies of the Faith from
Catholic soil. Here we can understand how the adage “The blood of
martyrs is the seed of Christians” is so true. The repercussions from
their fight and deaths gave a new élan for the good cause over all Christendom. It was primordially a supernatural phenomenon, but it
also produced a natural psychological reaction. In this sense, their
defeat produced elements for the future victory.

I am stressing that the two Saints were defeated to oppose a certain triumphalist mentality that is not rare among Catholics and counter-revolutionaries. According to this mentality, we should never
suffer defeats. Our fight should go from victory to victory until the
complete triumph and installation of the Reign of Mary. This is a
wrong mentality. Many times we are defeated. Since we are in a war
against the Revolution and the enemies of the Church, it is normal
that at times we win and, at other times, we be defeated. This is the
rule of all wars.

When a Catholic understands this rule, he can transform the defeat
into a spiritual victory, because martyrdom is a victory in the eyes
of God. Our Lord said that there is no higher proof of friendship than
a person who gives his life for another. These two warriors died for
Our Lord, having the name of Our Lady on their lips. Even though St.
Callistus of Huesca and St. Mercurialis died fighting and not enduring sufferings like typical martyrs, they are considered as such because
several Popes gave a special privilege to those who died in the
Reconquista against the Moors, as well as in the Crusades, to receive
honors similar to the martyrs.

http://www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j149sd_Callistus_10-15.shtml




Saint Quote:
The crown of victory is promised only to those who engage in the struggle. --St. Augustine (354-430), De Agone Christiano, 1:1

Bible Quote:
Sow for yourselves in justice, and reap in the mouth of mercy, break
up your fallow ground: but the time to seek the Lord is, when he shall
come that shall teach you justice.  [Hosea 10: 12]  DRB


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PRAYER BEFORE WORK

O Lord Jesus Christ, Only-begotten Son of your eternal Father: You have said with your holy lips: "Without Me, you can do nothing." My Lord, I embrace
your words with my heart and soul, and bow before your goodness and say:
Help me, your unworthy servant, to complete this, my present undertaking, in the name of the Father and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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PRAYER AFTER WORK

O Most sweet Jesus, You are the fulfillment of all blessings. Fill my soul
with joy and gladness and save me. Grant that your Name be glorified: for
not to us, but to your Name are forever due honor, glory, and adoration.
Amen

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* Origin: www.darkrealms.ca (1:229/2)