SAINT OF THE DAY -- April 6 - Saint Crescentia Hoess
April 6
St. Crescentia Hoess(1682 - 1744)
Crescentia was born in 1682 in a little town near Augsburg, the
daughter of a poor weaver. She spent play time praying in the parish
church, assisted those even poorer than herself and had so mastered the
truths of her religion that she was permitted to make her holy
Communion at the then unusually early age of seven. In the town she was
called "the little angel."
As
she grew older she desired to enter the convent of the Tertiaries of
St. Francis. But the convent was poor and, because Crescentia had no
dowry, the superiors refused her admission. Her case was then pleaded
by the Protestant mayor of the town to whom the convent owed a favor.
The community felt it was forced into receiving her, and her new life
was made miserable. She was considered a burden and assigned nothing
other than menial tasks. Even her cheerful spirit was misinterpreted as
flattery or hypocrisy.
Conditions improved four years later when
a new superior was elected who realized her virtue. Crescentia herself
was appointed mistress of novices. She so won the love and respect of
the sisters that, upon the death of the superior, Crescentia herself
was unanimously elected to that position. Under her the financial state
of the convent improved and her reputation in spiritual matters spread.
She was soon being consulted by princes and princesses as well as by
bishops and cardinals seeking her advice. And yet, a true daughter of
Francis, she remained ever humble.
Bodily afflictions and pain
were always with her. First it was headaches and toothaches. Then she
lost the ability to walk, her hands and feet gradually becoming so
crippled that her body curled up into a fetal position. In the spirit
of Francis she cried out, "Oh, you bodily members, praise God that he
has given you the capacity to suffer." Despite her sufferings she was
filled with peace and joy as she died on Easter Sunday in 1744.
She was beatified in 1900 and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2001.
Comment:
Although
she grew up in poverty and willingly embraced it in her vocation,
Crescentia had a good head for business. Under her able administration,
her convent regained financial stability. Too often we think of good
money management as, at best, a less-than-holy gift. But Crescentia was
wise enough to balance her worldly skills with such acumen in spiritual
matters that heads of State and Church both sought her advice.
Prayer:
Grant, O God, that love and suffering may grow hand in hand in me, so that I may love you more and more with the cheerful disposition which is the fruit of love. O Lord, only grant me love for you, and I shall be rich enough. I desire only that you leave me to my nothingness and that you alone, if I may say so, be all in all and loved and honored by everybody. I wish to take pleasure in nothing but only in you and your love.
-A Passionate Love Prayer of Saint Crescentia Hoess
Source: American Catholic Organization
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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?