8 Feb – Memorial for St. Jerome Emiliani; Memorial for St. Josephine Bakhita, virgin
St. Jerome (1481–1537) was born wealthy, the son of Angelo and Eleanor Mauroceni Emiliani. His father died when Jerome was a teenager, and he ran away from home at age 15. After a dissolute youth, he became a soldier in Venice in 1506. He commanded the League of Cambrai forces at the fortress of Castelnuovo near Trevso. He was captured by Venetian forces on Aug 27, 1511, and was chained in a dungeon. Here, he prayed to Our Lady for help and was miraculously freed by an apparition. He hung his chains on a church wall as an offering. He became Mayor of Treviso while studying for the priesthood, and was ordained in the spotted-fever plague year of 1518.
He cared for the sick and housed orphans in his own home. At night, he roamed the streets, burying those who had collapsed and died unattended. He contracted the fever himself, but survived. He founded six orphanages, a shelter for penitent prostitutes, and a hospital.
He founded the Order of Somaschi (Company of Servants of the Poor, or Samascan Fathers) in 1532. It is a congregation of clerks regular vowed to the care of orphans, and named after the town of Somasca where they started, and where they founded a seminary. The society was approved by Pope Paul III in 1540 and it continues its work today in a dozen countries. Jerome is believed to have developed the question-and-answer catechism technique for teaching children religion.
In 1928, Pope Pius XI declared him the patron saint of orphans and abandoned children.
- Patron Saint Index
St. Josephine (1868–1947) was born to a wealthy Sudanese family. At age 9, she was kidnapped by slave-traders who gave her the name Bakhita. She was sold and resold in the markets at El Obeid and Khartoum, finally purchased in 1883 by Callisto Legnani, an Italian consul who planned to free her. She accompanied Legnani to Italy in 1885, and worked for the family of Augusto Michieli as nanny. She was treated well in Italy and grew to love the country. She joined the Church as an adult convert on Jan 9, 1890, taking the name Josephine as a symbol of her new life.
She entered the Institute of Canossian Daughters of Charity in Venice, Italy, in 1893, taking her vows on Dec 8, 1896 in Verona, and served as a Canossian Sister for the next 50 years. Her gentle presence, her warm, amiable voice, and her willingness to help with any menial task were a comfort to the poor and suffering people who came to the door of the Institute. After a biography of her was published in 1930, she became a noted and sought-after speaker, raising funds to support missions.
She was canonized on Oct 1, 2000 by Pope John Paul II, and is thought to be the only saint originally from Sudan.
- Patron Saint Index
Heb 13:15-17,20-21
Mk 6:30-34
You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while.
Every year, I look forward to a retreat with the Lord, with a minimum of three days. Spending time only with God makes me more aware of His presence in my life.
Life can be tiring — our work, our ministry, our families, our hobbies, our friends and even acquaintances. They all demand something from us. Interactions with them call for self-giving, some just a little, some really a lot. If we continue without rest, we will eventually find ourselves empty, with nothing else left to give.
God fills us up. From Him we can draw an endless supply of graces that we need. However, we need to be still to really be filled.
Let us imagine ourselves as pitchers of water. We move around giving out from ourselves and if we keep on doing that without resting, then we could not be filled. When you fill a pitcher, the pitcher has to be placed on a table, and it has to be unmovable, and then it can be filled. I think it’s the same for us. We need to stop for a while to allow God to top us up.
The longer we stay still, the more water could be poured in our pitchers.
Let us not look at retreats as optional. Retreats are needed for our spiritual rest and growth. Let us invest not just time but also our resources to ensure we have a good retreat. I have personally benefitted a lot from the retreats I attended.
To end this reflection, I would like to share about God’s generosity. Last January, I had to attend a retreat because everyone in the ministry had to go. I was hesitant at first but since God wanted me to go, I told him I’d go. The only thing I gave God was that little bit of desire to follow Him in this retreat. God has rewarded me with so much in that retreat. I truly felt what everyone has been saying — God is never outdone in generosity.
My prayer for all of us is to be able to have that rest with God.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Stephanie Villa)
Prayer: Dear God, please help me find a retreat where you can fill me up. Please help me be aware of my spirituality and send me the right invitations to go to a retreat.
Thanksgiving: Lord God, thank you for both work and rest that you want me to do.
OXYGEN 
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