{"id":67353,"date":"2024-05-10T00:51:46","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T04:51:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/?p=67353"},"modified":"2024-05-10T09:26:54","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T13:26:54","slug":"miscellany-from-the-mail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/miscellany-from-the-mail\/","title":{"rendered":"Miscellany From The Mail: Appreciating God’s Grace"},"content":{"rendered":"
Appreciating God’s Grace<\/span><\/div>\n
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Be grateful, therefore, for the least gift and you will be worthy\u00a0to receive a greater. Consider the least gift as the greatest, the\u00a0most contemptible as something special. And, if you but look to the\u00a0dignity of the Giver, no gift will appear too small or worthless. Even\u00a0though He gives punishments and scourges, accept them, because He acts\u00a0for our welfare in whatever He allows to befall us.<\/div>\n
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He who desires to keep the Grace of God ought to be grateful when\u00a0it is given and patient when it is withdrawn. Let him pray that it\u00a0return; let him be cautious and humble lest he lose it.<\/div>\n
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(Imitation of Christ<\/em>— Thomas a Kempis, Book II, Chapter ten)<\/div>\n
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\"SaintBlessed Francis of Fabriano OFM, Priest of the Order of the Friars Minor, theologian, spiritual writer, renowned preacher\u2013born Francesco Venimbeni in\u00a0Ancona, Italy and died on 22 April 1322 of natural causes, aged 70.<\/div>\n
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Francis was born in the year 1251 in the city of Fabriano (Ancona). His father\u00a0was a physician in that city and highly esteemed, not only because of\u00a0his medical ability but still more, because of his love for the poor\u00a0and afflicted and his sincere piety. Daily, little Francis\u00a0 recited\u00a0the Divine Office and was proficient in Latin before he was ten.<\/div>\n
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To the great joy of his parents, Francis gave evidence of the finest\u00a0talents, an alert understanding, and a meek and devout temperament.<\/div>\n
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As a boy Blessed Francis of Fabriano had a very serious illness which\u00a0brought him to death\u2019s door. Then the pious mother vowed to make a\u00a0pilgrimage to the grave of St Francis of Assisi and at once, the\u00a0illness took a turn for the better.<\/div>\n
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In Assisi the venerable Brother Angelo, one of the first associates of\u00a0Saint Francis, saw the lovely boy and foretold to the mother that he\u00a0would later be his companion in the order. In consequence, Francis won\u00a0the commitment and love of his parents more and more.<\/div>\n
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The boy\u2019s desire for learning and his great progress were especially\u00a0pleasing to his father. When he had reached his seventeenth year, he\u00a0experienced a strong impulse to consecrate himself to God in the Order\u00a0of St Francis and his pious parents gave their consent.<\/div>\n
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In 1267, he completed his humanities and philosophical studies before\u00a0Francis entered the Franciscan convent at Fabriano and there, under\u00a0the excellent direction of Father Gratian, later minister general of\u00a0the entire order, Blessed Francis of Fabriano was instructed in all\u00a0the conventual virtues.<\/div>\n
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He applied himself to theological studies and purchased \u2013 with his father\u2019s own funds \u2013 a handsome scale of books\u00a0and other publications for the convent. He loved to call it the \u201cbest\u00a0workshop in the convent\u201d and its catalogue contains works of the\u00a0Church Fathers as well as mathematicians and preachers.<\/div>\n
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There were also works of theological and biblical commentators. Mark of Lisbon OFM (died 1622) Franciscan Historian and the Bishop of Porto in Portugal,\u00a0 dubbed the friar as a \u201cmost learned man and renowned preacher.\u201d<\/div>\n
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In order to gain the Portiuncula indulgence he went to Assisi and\u00a0there, he heard from the trusted companion of Saint Francis, Brother Leo,\u00a0who was still living, how this popular indulgence had been given and\u00a0also how the stigmata had been bestowed. Concerning both these facts\u00a0Francis later wrote a book, which still serves as evidence.<\/div>\n
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Blessed Francis died on 22 April 1322 and had predicted the date of\u00a0his own death. He is buried in Fabriano. The beatification for the\u00a0late friar was celebrated on 1 April 1755 after Pope Pius VI approved\u00a0the late friar\u2019s \u201ccultus.\u201d<\/div>\n
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see this\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n
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Saint Quote of the day:<\/span><\/div>\n
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“For there are three ways of performing an act of mercy: the merciful<\/div>\n
word, by forgiving and by comforting; secondly, if you can offer no<\/div>\n
word, then pray–that too is mercy; and thirdly, deeds of mercy. And<\/div>\n
when the Last Day comes, we shall be judged from this, and on this<\/div>\n
basis we shall receive the eternal verdict.”<\/div>\n
–Saint Faustina Kowalska<\/em><\/div>\n
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Bible Quote:<\/span><\/div>\n
“Now whilst they were speaking these things, Jesus stood in the midst<\/div>\n
of them, and saith to them: Peace be to you; it is I, fear not”\u00a0 (Luke<\/em><\/div>\n
24:36).<\/div>\n
<><><><><\/div>\n
\n
Training your soul<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Your life has been given to you mainly for the purpose of training\u00a0your soul. This life we live is not so much for the body as for the\u00a0soul. We often choose the way of life that best suits the body, not\u00a0the way that best suits the soul. God wants you to choose what suits\u00a0the soul as well as the body. Accept this belief and a wonderful\u00a0molding of character is the result. Reject it and God’s purpose for\u00a0your life is frustrated, and your spiritual progress is delayed. Your\u00a0soul is being trained by the good you choose. Thus the purpose of your\u00a0life is being accomplished.<\/div>\n
–From Twenty-Four Hours a Day<\/div>\n
<><><><><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The Course of Truth<\/div>\n
By St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)<\/div>\n
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\u201cHim God raised up the third day and showed Him openly,<\/div>\n
not to all the people but unto witnesses chosen before God.\u201d<\/div>\n
WHEN royal Truth, released from mortal throes,<\/div>\n
Burst His brief slumber and triumphant rose,<\/div>\n
Ill had the Holiest sued<\/div>\n
A patron multitude,<\/div>\n
Or courted Tetrarch\u2019s eye, or claim\u2019d to rule<\/div>\n
By the world\u2019s winning grace, or proofs from learned school.<\/div>\n
But, robing Him in viewless air, He told<\/div>\n
His secret to a few of meanest mould;<\/div>\n
They in their turn imparted<\/div>\n
The gift of men pure-hearted,<\/div>\n
While the brute many heard His mysteries high,<\/div>\n
As some strange fearful tongue, and crouch\u2019d, they knew not why.<\/div>\n
Still is the might of Truth, as it has been,<\/div>\n
Lodged in the few, obey\u2019d and yet unseen.<\/div>\n
Rear\u2019d on lone heights and rare,<\/div>\n
His saints their watch-flame bear,<\/div>\n
And the mad world sees the wide-circling blaze,<\/div>\n
Vain searching whence it streams and how to quench it\u2019s rays.<\/div>\n
+<\/span><\/div>\n
Malta<\/div>\n
24 December 1832<\/div>\n
+<\/span><\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n
Retreat in St. Augustine,\u00a0 May 18<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Appreciating God’s Grace + Be grateful, therefore, for the least gift and you will be worthy\u00a0to receive a greater. Consider.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43,148],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-67353","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-inspiration","7":"category-mail","8":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67353\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}