SAINT OF THE DAY -- April 18 - Blessed James Oldo
April 18
Blessed James Oldo(1364-1404)
Holiness is always a bit mad by earthly standards.
When his body was moved seven years after his death,it was found to be incorrupt.
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You’ve heard rags-to-riches stories. Today, we celebrate the reverse.
James
of Oldo was born in 1364, into a well-to-do family near Milan. He
married a woman who, like him, appreciated the comforts that came with
wealth. But an outbreak of plague drove James, his wife and their three
children out of their home and into the countryside. Despite those
precautions, two of his daughters died from the plague, James
determined to use whatever time he had left to build up treasures in
heaven and to build God’s realm on earth.
He and his wife became Secular Franciscans. James gave up his old
lifestyle and did penance for his sins. He cared for a sick priest, who
taught him Latin. Upon the death of his wife, James himself became a
priest. His house was transformed into a chapel where small groups of
people, many of them fellow Secular Franciscans, came for prayer and
support. James focused on caring for the sick and for prisoners of war.
He died in 1404 after contracting a disease from one of his patients.
James Oldo was beatified in 1933.
Comment:
The
death of those we love brings a troubling awareness of our own
mortality. James had that experience when he gazed into his friend’s
grave, and it brought him to his senses. He determined to use whatever
time he had left to build up treasures in heaven and to build God’s
realm on earth. Our time is limited, too. We can use it well or
foolishly: The choice is ours.
Source: American Catholic Organization
Many great miracles have been associated with
the Rosary throughout history. The tremendous power of the Rosary can
overcome any problem, be it small or large, personal or worldwide.
Miracles continue to the present day.
The Rosary is a powerful prayer!
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If you are a victim of domestic or sexual violence, please know that my husband and I pray for you every single night.
If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE OR (1-800-799-7233)
SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP
Do you:
feel afraid of your partner much of the time?
avoid certain topics fear of angering your partner?
feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?
believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?
wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?
feel emotionally numb or helpless?
Does your partner:
- humiliate, criticize, or yell at you?
- treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
- ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
- blame you for his own abusive behavior?
- see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?
Does your partner:
have a bad and unpredictable temper?
hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you?
threaten to take your children away or harm them?
threaten to commit suicide if you leave?
force you to have sex?
destroy your belongings?
Does your partner:
- act excessively jealous and possessive?
- control where you go or what you do?
- keep you from seeing your friends or family?
- limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?
- constantly check up on you?