chiepiscopus Polocensis, in vitus quidem, sed Catholicis gestientibus, fuerit renuntiatus. Hac dignitate auctus, nihil de priori vivendi ratione remittens, nonnisi divinum cultum et creditarum sibi ovium salutem cordi habuit. Catholicæ unitatis ac veritatis strenuus propugnator, totis viribus adlaboravit ut schismaticos hæreticosque ad communionem cum beati Petri sede reduceret. Summum Pontificem ejusque potestatis plenitudinem ab impudentissimis impiorum calumniis et erroribus, qua concionibus, qua scriptis pietate ac doctrina refertis defendere numquam destitit. Episcopalem jurisdictionem et Ecclesiæ bona a laicis usurpata vindicavit. Incredibile dictu est quot hæreticos in sinum matris Ecclesiæ revocaverit. Unionis vero Græcæ Ecclesiæ cum Latina Josaphatum promotorem exstitisse præclarissimum, etiam pontificia oracula diserte testantur. Ad hæc, et templi Dei decori instaurando, et sacrarum virginum exstruendis ædibus, aliisque piis operibus juvandis, mensæ suæ proventus ultro erogavit. In pauperes adeo effusus, ut cum olim inopiæ cujusdam viduæ sublevandæ nihil occurreret, episcopale pallium, seu Omophorion, oppigno archimandrite of Vilna; and lastly, much against his will, but to the great joy of Catholics, he was chosen Archbishop of Polock. In this dignity he relaxed nothing of his former manner of life; and had nothing so much at heart as the divine service and the salvation of the sheep entrusted to him. He energetically defended Catholic faith and unity, and laboured to the utmost of his power to bring back schismatics and heretics to communion with the See of blessed Peter. The Sovereign Pontiff and the plenitude of his power he never ceased to defend, both by preaching, and by writings full of piety and learning, against the most shameless calumnies and errors of the wicked. He vindicated episcopal rights, and restored ecclesiastical possessions which had been seized by laymen. Incredible was the number of heretics he won back to the bosom of Mother Church; and the words of the Popes bear witness how greatly he promoted the union of the Greek and Latin churches. His revenues were entirely expended in restoring the beauty of God's house, in building dwellings for consecrated virgins, and in other pious works. So bountiful was he to the poor, that, on one occasion having nothing wherewith to supply the needs of a certain widow, he ordered rari jusserit. Tot catholicæ fidei incrementa perditissimorum hominum adeo excitaverunt odia, ut, conspiratione inita, Christi athletam ad necem quærerent; quam sibi imminere ipse in suo ad populum sermone prænuntiavit. Cum itaque Vitepscum pastoralis visitationis gratia profectus esset, illi archiepiscopales invadunt ædes; obvios quosque feriunt ac cædunt. Tum vir mitissimus quærentibus sponte occurrit, eosque amice compellans, Filioli, inquit, quare familiares meos cæditis? Si quid contra me habetis, ecce adsum. Hinc impetu facto, eum verberibus contundunt, telis confodiunt, ac demum immani securi necatum, in flumen projiciunt; die duodecima novembris anni sexcentesimi vicesimi tertii supra millesimum, ætatis ejus quadragesimi tertii. Corpus mirabili luce circumfusum, ex imo fluminis alveo elatum est. Sanguis Martyris parricidis ipsis in primis profuit, qui fere omnes capitis damnati, ejurato schismate suum scelus detestati sunt. Cum tantus Præsul plurimis post obitum coruscaret miraculis, eum Urbanus octavus Pontifex Maximus Beatorum honoribus decoravit. Pius nonus tertio calendas julias anni millesimi octingentesimi sexage his Omophorion or episcopal pallium to be pawned. The great progress made by the Catholic faith so stirred up the hatred of wicked men against the soldier of Christ, that they determined to put him to death. He knew what was threatening him; and foretold it when preaching to the people. As he was making his pastoral visitation at Vitebsk, the murderers broke into his house, striking and wounding all whom they found. Josaphat meekly went to meet them, and accosted them kindly, saying: My little children, why do you strike my servants ? If you have any complaint against me, here I am. Hereupon they rushed on him, overwhelmed him with blows, pierced him with their spears, and at length despatched him with an axe and threw his body into the river. This took place on the twelfth of November 1623, in the forty-third year of his age. His body surrounded with a miraculous light was rescued from the waters. The martyr's blood won a blessing first of all for his murderers; for, being condemned to death, they nearly all abjured their schism and repented of their crime. As the death of this great bishop was followed by many miracles, Pope Urban VIII. granted him the honours of beatification. On the third of the Calends of July, 1867, when celebrating the centen simi septimi, cum sæcularia Apostolorum Principum solemnia celebrarentur, coram Patrum Cardinalium senatu, simulque astantibus fere quingentis, Patriarchis, Metropolitis et Episcopis cujuscumque ritus, qui ex toto terrarum orbe convenerant, hunc ecclesiasticæ unitatis assertorem, primum ex orientalibus, solemni ritu in Vaticana Basilica Sanctorum ordini accensuit. Cujus Officium ac Missam Leo decimus tertius Summus Pontifex ad universam extendit Ecclesiam. ary of the Princes of the Apostles, Pius IX. in the Vatican basilica, in presence of the College of Cardinals, and of about five hundred Patriarchs, Metropolitans, and Bishops of every rite, assembled from all parts of the world, solemnly enrolled among the Saints this great defender of the Church's unity, who was the first Oriental to be thus honoured. Pope Leo XIII. extended his Mass and Office to the universal Church. "Stir up, O Lord, we beseech thee, in thy Church "the Spirit where with the blessed Josaphat thy Mar"tyr and Pontiff was filled.”1 Thus prays our Mother to-day; and the Gospel likewise points to her desire of obtaining pastors like to thee, O holy Bishop! The sacred text speaks of the false shepherd, who flees at first sight of the wolf; but the Homily, which explains it in the Night Office, brands equally with the title of hireling the keeper who, though he does not flee, suffers the enemy unresisted to work havoc in the fold. May the divine Shepherd, whom thou didst imitate unto the end, even unto laying down thy life for the sheep, live again in all those whom he calls, like Peter, to exercise a greater love. Apostle of unity, second the designs of the Sovereign Pontiff, calling back his scattered sheep to the one fold. The Guardian Angels of the Slavonic race applauded thy combats: thy blood ought to produce other heroes; the graces won by the shedding of 1 Collect of the Feast. that blood still uphold the admirable population of the humble and the poor of Ruthenia, in resisting the all-powerful schism; while, on the confines of that land of martyrs, hope springs up anew with the revival of the great Basilian Order, of which thou wast the glory. May these graces overflow upon the children of the persecutors; may the present state of peace be the prelude to a full development of the light, and lead them back, in their turn, to that Rome which holds for them the promises both of time and of eternity. NOVEMBER 15. SAINT GERTRUDE. VIRGIN,1 THE school which is founded upon the rule of the great Patriarch of the Monks of the West, began with St. Gregory the Great. Such was the independent action of the Holy Spirit who guided it, that in it women have prophesied as well as men. It is enough to mention St. Hildegarde and St. Gertrude, with whom we may fitly associate St. Mechtilde and St. Frances of Rome. Any one who has tried modern methods will find, on making acquaintance with these ancient writers, that he is breathing another atmosphere, and is urged onward by a gentle authority which is never felt, but which allows no rest. He will not find that subtlety, that keen and learned analysis, he has met with elsewhere, and which rather weary than aid the soul. The pious and learned Father Faber has brought out, with his characteristic sagacity, the advantages of that form of spirituality which gives the soul breadth and liberty, and so produces in many persons 1 As our Right Reverend Father and Master, Dom Guéranger, has treated this subject in his edition of the Exercises of St. Gertrude, the following pages are entirely his. (For the English, we have made use of the well-known beautiful translation by the Revd. T. A. Pope of the Oratory, Birmingham. 1863), PENT. VI. X |