Jmj

Today, August 24, the Catholic Church honors, in a special way, the following friends of God, saints whose souls are now in heaven:

St. Nathaniel / Bartholomew (apostle, missionary, believed to have been martyred by flaying in Armenia)
St. George Limniotes (hermit in Asia Minor [Turkey], martyred at age 95 c. 730)
St. Irchard (7th-century Scottish bishop)

If you have anything to share about these holy people, please reply now -- biographical episodes, prayers through their intercession, the fact that one is your patron saint -- whatever moves you. If you are interested in one of these saints and want to find out more about him/her, please ask. Information is sometimes available on the Internet.

All you holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us.
God bless you.
John


-- J. F. Gecik (jgecik@amdg.ihs), August 24, 2001

Answers

-- (_@_._), August 24, 2001.

John, How was St.Bartolomew Martyed? I do not know what Flaying in Armena means, Please Help? David S

-- David S (asdzxc8176@aol.com), August 24, 2001.

Jmj

Hi, David.
Armenia is now an independent nation. I believe that it borders on Turkey, and it used to be in the southeastern part of the U.S.S.R. (when it was a slave of the communists in Moscow).

To "flay" a person or animal is to strip the skin off the surface of the body. Can you imagine how incredibly painful that must have been? Yet St. Bartholomew offered up his suffering in union with his Lord Jesus's crucifixion. He fled on the night of the Lord's arrest, but, having been strengthened by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, he did not flee from his own murderers some years later.

God bless you.
John

-- (jgecik@amdg.ihs), August 24, 2001.

John,

Thank you for posting the saints of the day. I have enjoyed this very much. The thought of such a mayrterdom as St. Bartholomew scares me silly I must admit. The Holy Spirit must surely have been with him.

Somewhere recently I read that all the disciples/apostles who fled from Jesus' crucifixcition died a martyer's death. All except John who stayed with Jesus. Is this true?

Thanks,

cksunshine

-- cksunshine (cklrun@hotmail.come), August 24, 2001.

John, I can not imagine that kind of pain! I was still in shock of how St. John Wall was killed, and now I read this! I will pray that I always have the courage to defend my relegion. We are Blessed to have Saints with such courage to Pray to, and We are Blessed to have you to teach us about them! God Bless You, David S

-- David S (asdzxc8176@aol.com), August 24, 2001.

Jmj

Thank you, CKSunshine and David.
Yes, I have always heard the same -- that Tradition tells us that all of the Apostles were martyrs except for my patron saint. (To have a martyr as a patron saint, I decided to call upon help from St. John Fisher too.)
JFG

-- (jgecik@amdg.ihs), August 24, 2001.

Dear John: Please read this and give the English equivalent to our friends on this forum:

Después de la persecución de Nerón, la Iglesia disfrutó de varios años de paz. Pero el emperador Domiciano, que al principio había sido suave y conciliador, se hizo receloso y violento. Después de inmolar a varios miembros de su familia y de la nobleza romana, en el año 95 renovó la persecución contra la Iglesia, extendiéndola hasta el Asia Menor. Allí estaba el apóstol Juan, casi centenario, en Éfeso. Después de haber sido fiel custodio y capellán de la Virgen María, desde allí seguía iluminando a la cristiandad. "Columna de todas las Iglesias del Universo", como le llama el Crisóstomo, desde allí escribe a las siete Iglesias apocalípticas, y esparce la luz de la Fe por todas las regiones del oriente. Juan iba perdiendo ya toda su esperanza de martirio. Habían sucedido muchas persecuciones, habían muerto ya mártires todos los apóstoles y muchos de sus discípulos. Pero Dios parecía rehusarle a él la palma del martirio que tantos habían conquistado. ¿Qué querrían decir las palabras de Jesús a Pedro: Si yo quiero que éste permanezca, a ti, qué?. Es entonces cuando llega a Éfeso la noticia de que Domiciano acaba de renovar la persecución contra los cristianos, lo que Tertuliano llamaba el Institutum Neroniaum. Y el venerable anciano repite, ahora con más conocimiento y con mayor ilusión, la respuesta afirmativa que diera con su hermano al requerimiento de Jesucristo. Estaba dispuesto, jubiloso, para el holocausto, para la inmolación. Su ilusión iba a cumplirse. Un día vienen a buscarle y se lo llevan preso a Roma. El emperador quiere juzgarle personalmente, y le condena a ser arrojado desnudo en una caldera de aceite hirviendo, lo que se ejecuta el 6 de mayo del ano 95, junto a la puerta que sale hacia el Lacio, la Puerta Latina. Pero el aceite hirviendo respetó su cuerpo, que salió de la caldera ileso y rejuvenecido. Juan es deportado a Patmos, una isla de Grecia, donde se les condenaba a trabajar sepultados en las minas. Allí vive Juan hasta el advenimiento de Nerva el año 96. Allí un día "el águila de Patmos" oye una voz que le dice: "Escribe lo que veas y envíalo a las siete Iglesias". Jesucristo le revela el presente y el futuro. Y Juan escribe el Apocalipsis "donde cada palabra es un misterio" (San Jerónimo). Poco después volvía a Éfeso.

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), August 25, 2001.

John: it would be very interesting that you comment on how Michelangelo portrayed St. Bartholomew in his Last Judgment scene in the Sistine Chapel.

Enrique

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), August 25, 2001.

Jmj

Hello, Enrique.
The best thing that I can do, in answer to your comment about St. Bartholomew by Michelangelo, is to give everyone a link to a photo (and description) that tells the whole story.

I would like to provide a translation of your text, but I can't do a good job without my dictionary, to which I will not have access until Monday. (If Eugene would have the time to step in and help us out before Monday, I will not object!)

God bless you.
John

-- (jgecik@amdg.ihs), August 25, 2001.

Dear John ,

About saints of today , and I will not use bad language !!!!

About FATHER KOLBE , this guy , in WW II , gave his life in exchange to save a family !!!! He took this choice , and he died in the concentration camp , I CALL THIS ALSO A SAINT !!!! OR MOTHER THERESA , what she and her order has done in INDIA , this is also real human love !!!! These are people who really has done something really good to this world !!!! Of course , there are more saints , I named just 2 , they're really true saints !!!!!!!! This sounds maybe strange , knowing my irritating opinion , but I we still have some sharing points of view !!!!

greetings:

Laurent LUG

no__religion@hotmail.com

-- Laurent LUG. (no__religion@hotmail.com), August 25, 2001.

Dear Laurent--
It might surprise you to know, no saint in this world is capable of the superhuman works of love and self-sacrifice you have just admired. It is the grace of God in their poor souls which raises them over and above the mob.

Saint Peter himself was a violent man. He reacted with human pride and self-confidence at the injustices of other men. One he attacked with a sword, cutting his ear off. Other times he cursed and swore, when people disputed his word. He was like you-- a man's man.

But, the grace of Jesus Christ touched his soul and made him Christ-like in the end. He placed all his faith in the Son of God; and God rewarded him with so much grace and holiness that later on he actually raised people from the dead, just as Jesus had done.

But always he knew; this is not my own power. This is God acting through me, by Jesus Christ's power. In the end, he accepted death on a cross in Rome; like a lamb. With no complaints. It was God's grace that made him a saint. Without God's grace we are all like the beasts. Kolbe and Mother Theresa; they only gave freely of their love by God's grace. They made themselves into fuel, (like gunpowder) and God is the fire.

Pray to Him, that one day soon, He will give you grace as well. You don't wish to live without His love. Show it.

-- eugene c. chavez (chavezec@pacbell.net), August 25, 2001.

Ok Eugene , But what do you call a man like father KOLBE ????

greetings:

Laurent LUG

no__religion@hotmail.com

-- Laurent LUG. (no__religion@hotmail.com), August 25, 2001.

Jmj

Laurent,
Maybe you did not hear that Pope John Paul II canonized Fr. Maximilian Maria Kolbe in 1982.
The Church says that he is a SAINT praying for you in heaven!!!
I mentioned him in my post about August 14's saints.

God bless you.
John

-- (jgecik@amdg.ihs), August 25, 2001.

-- (jgecik@amdg.ihs), August 25, 2001.

[Here are some August 24 saints/blesseds to be added to those listed in the opening message:]

Bl. Alice Rich (English, Benedictine prioress, c. 1270)
St. Aurea of Ostia (Italian, virgin, martyred by drowning c. 260)
St. Eutychius (Phrygian [Turkish], raised from the dead by St. Paul [Acts 20], companion of St. John, 1st century)
Bl. Luke Mellini (Italian, Celestine father general, c. 1460)
St. Ouen of Rouen (French, king's chancellor, bishop, d. 684)
St. Patrick the Elder (Irish or French, abbot, c. 450)
St. Ptolemy of Nepi (Italian, disciple of St. Peter, bishop, martyred in 1st century)
St. Romanus of Nepi (Italian, bishop, successor of St. Ptolemy, martyred in 1st century)
Bl. Sandratus of Gladbach (German, Benedictine abbot, d. 986)
St. Tation of Claudiopolis (Bithynian [Turkish], martyred c. 304)
Holy Martyrs of Utica (North African, between 150 and 300 Christian prisoners, martyred ["burned" in huge lime pit] c. 260-285)

JFG

-- (jfgecik@hotmail.com), August 24, 2002.

Jmj

On August 24, we members of the Catholic Church family honor, in a special way, the following friends of God -- saints and blesseds whose souls are now in heaven:

St. Bartholomew of Cana [also called Nathaniel] (Israelite, apostle, missionary, believed to have been martyred by flaying in Armenia, 1st century)

Bl. Alice Rich of Abingdon (English, Benedictine prioress, c. 1270)
St. Aurea of Ostia (Italian, virgin, martyred by drowning c. 260)
St. Eutychius of Phrygia (from Asia Minor [Turkish], raised from the dead by St. Paul [Acts 20], companion of St. John, 1st century)
St. George Limniotes (hermit in Asia Minor [Turkey], martyred at age 95 c. 730)
St. Irchard of Kincardinshire (Scottish, bishop, 7th century)
Bl. Luke Mellini [Luca] (Italian, Celestine father general, c. 1460)
Bl. Mary Incarnation of the Sacred Heart Rosal Vasquez of Quetzaltenango [Maria Encarnacion del Sagrado Corazon] [baptized Maria Vicenta] (Guatemalan, reformer of the Sisters of Bethlehem, d. 1886 [beatified 1997])
St. Mary Michael Desmaisieres of Madrid [Maria Miguela] (Spanish, founded Institute of the Handmaids of the Blessed Sacrament, d. 1865 [canonized 1934])
St. Ouen of Rouen (French, king's chancellor, bishop, d. 684)
St. Patrick the Elder of Nevers (Irish or French, abbot, c. 450)
St. Ptolemy of Nepi (Italian, disciple of St. Peter, bishop, martyred in 1st century)
St. Romanus of Nepi (Italian, bishop, successor of St. Ptolemy, martyred in 1st century)
Bl. Sandratus of Gladbach (German, Benedictine abbot, d. 986)
St. Tation of Claudiopolis (Bithynian [Turkish], martyred c. 304)
Holy Martyrs of Utica (North African, between 150 and 300 Christian prisoners, martyred ["burned" in huge lime pit] c. 260-285)

If you have anything to share about these holy people, please reply now -- biographical episodes, prayers through their intercession, the fact that one is your patron -- whatever moves you. If you are interested in one of these saints or blesseds and want to find out more about him/her, please ask. Information is sometimes available on the Internet.

All you holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us.
God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), August 24, 2003.