Legend says that he was not a talented reader or singer. Around 518, he was assigned to read the psalter during an all-night vigil. He read so poorly that another reader had to take over. Humiliated and weary, he fell asleep in the choir stall. There, Mary appeared to him with a scroll in her hand and told him to eat it. Romanos awoke, went to the pulpit, and beautifully chanted a hymn on the Nativity. According to tradition, this was the very first hymn, or kontakion, ever sung.
Feeling called to the religious life, and fearing that a
life in textile manufacturing would burn him out, he enter seminary in 1829 and
was ordained in 1835. He was interested in missionary work, but after entering
the Jesuit novitiate, he had to soon leave to poor health. He served as a priest
in Spain in areas troubled by civil war and French invasion. In Catalonia he
became fluent in Catalan and was known for eloquent preaching and spending long
hours in the confessional. He wrote several books in Catalan and contributed to
the revival of the language.
In 1848, Father Claret’s life was threatened, and he was sent to the Canary Islands for 15 months. There he gave well-received retreats and preached in the town plaza. When he returned to Spain, he founded the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, called the Claretians. He also founded a religious publishing house and library in Barcelona called the Libreria Religiosa, now the Libreria Claret.
Do angels get exhausted? I suspect my guardian angel must get exhausted, watching me cycle through the same problems over and the over—the same doubts, the same frustrations, the same sins, the same promises to makes changes and do better, and the same fall back into habits within days. Poor angel. I’m tired of me too.
At times I feel like such a failure, in specific ways and
goals, but also in the fact that I find myself in these patterns, over and over.
Am I stubborn or lazy or foolish? Why can’t I break the cycle? Why can’t I improve?
Shouldn’t sincere contrition lead to change?
I keep getting frustrated at myself. But maybe that is a
good sign. I keep wanting to improve. I keep making promises with sincere
intention. I haven’t given up. The sticky, black cloud wants to take away all
motivation and hope. But I promise, over and over, that I’ll do better. And I
try. And some days I do better. And some days I fail. But usually I still believe
in a future when I’ll figure it all out, when I’ll be a better person, or when
I’ll at least have moved on to different problems. Surely that hope counts for
something.
Hang in there, angel. I’ll keep trying.
In 1737, she founded the Sisters of Charity, called the Grey
Nuns, along with three others. In 1747 she was appointed Directress of the
General Hospital in Montreal. The Grey Nuns established schools, hospitals, and
orphanages throughout Canada.
Marguerite died on Dec. 23, 1771 at the General Hospital. She
is the patron for widows, difficult marriages, and parents who lose young
children. Her feast day is Oct. 16.
She was the first native-born Canadian to be declared a
saint when canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1990.
Things heavily escalated when Hamas, which currently has political leadership Palestine, unleashed ground troops and rockets on Saturday, attaching Israel from Gaza. Within hours, Israel responded with jet strikes and a declaration of war. Hundreds of civilians on both sides have been killed. More than 150 Israeli civilians have been taken hostage. Israel has threatened to cut off food and water to the Gaza Strip. Tens of thousands have fled their homes.
