Saints from A to Z: Letter A

My dear little blog has been neglected for the millionth time. I have plenty of books to share but today we're moving on to the second biography in the "Saints from A to Z" series. Maybe one of these days I'll catch up to Esteban's drawings! 

Today, we're going back to beginning with letter A. 

Clues:

Similar to the last biography, I'll give you some clues before the biography. :)

CLUE 1: I died as a virgin-martyr in the year 304. 

CLUE 2: Little is known about me, but most sources agree that I was martyred at age 12 or 13. 

CLUE 3: I am often shown with a lamb to represent my innocence. 

That third clue might have easily given it away... 

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(scroll no more) 

It is Saint Agnes of Rome!

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Similar to the lives of saints who lived long ago, much of St. Agnes' life is legend with very few facts. She was born in 291 AD to a Christian family and though her life was short, she lived it well and holy. Because her family was wealthy and she was beautiful, men often wanted her for marriage. Agnes had a wish, however. She wanted to live a pure life and often declared: "Jesus Christ is my only Spouse". 

One case involved the governor's son, Procop. He tried many times to win Agnes as his wife with rich gifts and promises, but Agnes kept her promise to the Lord: "I am already promised to the Lord of the Universe. He is more splendid than the sun and the stars, and He has said He will never leave me!" 

Procop and his father did not approve of Christianity. They tried to change her ways by making her deny God, but she never accepted. Again, they put her in chains but she became more joyous through this suffering. A third time they sent her to a sinful place, but an Angel rescued her. With no other way to make her suffer, she was condemned to death in January 304 at the age of 12 or 13. The pagans were even sad to see her dying at a young age, but she was happy to go to her only Spouse. After her death, it is believed that Christians used cloths to soak up her blood. 

Patron of: young girls, engaged couples, and chastity

Feast: January 21

Source:

https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=106

https://www.americaneedsfatima.org/articles/saint-agnes

Let us follow in St. Agnes footsteps of innocence and put our full trust in God! Be sure to check out Esteban's drawing of St. Agnes here. 

St. Agnes, pray for us! 

Who is your favorite martyr saint? 

-Miss K

A Reflection on Holy Thursday

Today marks the beginning of the Sacred Triduum, commemorating Our Lord's crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. Today is also the last Mass of the Lenten Season, making it a huge day for us Catholics. Although the liturgy is transitioning to a more somber feel, the Mass of Holy Thursday will be more joyful: not only will the priest wear white vestments, but the Gloria will be heard by all, while the bells ring one last time before Easter. After Mass, the liturgy becomes more somber. The stripping of the altar takes place to remind us of the crucifixion and death of Our Lord that is only hours away. Tomorrow, the bells will stay silent and instead, we will hear the crotalus. Before leaving the church, tonight we will "watch one hour with Me" after the Blessed Sacrament is brought to the Altar of Repose. 

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Each of the three days has a special event and today is especially special. Today IS the night of the Last Supper, the night that Our Lord gave us His Body and Blood through the Holy Eucharist and instituted the priesthood: 

"And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke: and gave to his disciples, and said: Take ye, and eat. This is my body. And taking the chalice, he gave thanks, and gave to them, saying: Drink ye all of this. For this is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins" (Matthew 26:26-28). 

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In today's Epistle, the True Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist is explained by St. Paul: 

"For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall shew the death of the Lord, until he come. Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgement to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord. Therefore are there many infirm and weak among you, and many sleep" (1 Corinthians 11:26-30). 

He teaches that the Eucharist IS the body of Jesus, not merely a symbol. How often do we truly love the Body and Blood of Christ? He committed the greatest sacrifice ever seen for love of us! So many times we offend Him and yet He continues to love us. Tomorrow is the day that we remember all of the pain that we caused Him- it is by our sins that He suffered so much pain. Now is the time to reflect on our little sufferings that God sends us each day; how often do we complain about them? Instead, look up to the Cross and remember how much suffering He went through to show us His love. Be silent then and offer up each suffering for love of Jesus.

-Miss K

The Christmas Saint

 Merry Christmas to all of my readers! Because we're in the season of Christmas, I thought I'd introduce you to a special Christmas saint, whom I learned more about thanks to the author, Susan Peek. 

A Special Saint: 

Christians around the world know that Christmas when we celebrate the birth of Our Lord. In the Catholic Church, there are many feast days celebrated leading up to Christmas and during the Christmas Season, but many haven't heard of the saint whose feast is on Christmas day. St. Nicholas is a common Christmas saint, as well as St. Stephen and St. Lucia. 

This saint is one of the female saints commemorated in the Canon of the Mass too. Any guesses?

• St. Felicity
• St. Perpetua
• St. Agatha
• St. Lucia
• St. Agnes
• St. Cecilia
• St. Anastasia

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The answer is... (drumroll)... St. Anastasia of Sirmium. Because she lived so long ago (during the time of Diocletian's persecutions of Christian people), her entire life is thought to be legendary. We do know, however, that she was a martyr. 

St. Anastasia's father was a very rich pagan, but her mother was a devout Catholic and is a saint. Her father's name was Praetextatus and her mother was St. Fausta of Sirmium. Without her father's support of the Christian faith, her mother baptized her in secret and raised her as a Christian. 

After her mother's death, life only got harder; she no longer had her mother for support. Praetextatus forced her into marriage to a pagan, Publius, but she continued to live her Christian life in secret. She visited prisons and cared for the sick, until her servant found out. As you can imagine, Publius did not like this so she was locked up. She was happy to suffer for the love of Christ. She also stayed strong through her trials by writing letters to her Christian teacher, St. Chrysogonus. 

Eventually, St. Anastasia became a widow after Publius's death. Once again, she began to help the poor by giving her property to the poor and suffering and visiting prisons. She often helped those suffering from poison during her lifetime and through intercessions, giving her the name "Anastasia Deliverer from Potions". 

Many attempts were made to martyr St. Anastasia, but God protected her and set her free. Eventually, she met another widow, named Theodota. Both continued to help the poor, while spreading Christian messages. Diocletian hated the miracles and good deeds and wanted her martyred. First, Theodota was martyred, but Anastasia survived 60 days of starvation. According to the legend, St. Theodota fed St. Anastasia. Another time, Diocletian tried to drown her, but St. Theodota appeared to the prisoners and led the boat back to shore. St. Anastasia's martyrdom occurred on December 25 in 304 AD, after being burned alive on an island.  

Although her whole life is legend, much of it is believed to be true because it is all found in a "Passio" written shortly before the 6th century. Her life and faith was so great that she is not only commemorated in the Canon of the Mass, but also in the second Mass on Christmas Day. 

I encourage you to read "The Forgotten Christmas Saint: Saint Anastasia", by Susan Peek. Although it is a children's picture book, it is full of excellent information and great illustrations! 

Patron of: weavers, martyrs, widows, those suffering from poison

St. Anastasia, pray for us! 

Are you familiar with St. Anastasia? 

-Miss K

I Finally Review Some Books

Hello, readers! This post has been drafted multiple times in the past few months. It started out as "July Review" and then July was long gone. "October Book Reviews" came next and now it's December. Let's just say school anatomy and physiology has been keeping me VERY busy. In fact, so busy that I've only read a mere twelve books since July. Help! I hardly have time to read. :( 

The beautiful scenery of October! 

On the Blog:

Since July, I've written two posts on this blog and four on my letter writing blog. 

June Review

Hobbit Day!

A Graduation Gift!

I'm a Little Behind: Weeks 20 through 27

Catching Up to Week 39: 52 Letters in a Year

A Handful of Letters and Replies: 52 Letters in a Year

Books:

Although I only read twelve books in five months, they were all very good! Most of them were new to me and not surprisingly, historical fiction. I also started rereading the Chronicles of Narnia, as I've never read the last few books in the series. It's great to be back in the world of Narnia and C.S. Lewis!

A great mix of books! (Photo credits: Goodreads)

mini reviews:

I started draft posts for reviews of some of these books, but for now, you'll be getting mini reviews. 

★★★★★

The Father of the Little Flower: Celine Martin

A short, but wonderful read of St. Louis Martin! Before reading this, I didn't know much about him, but this gave me a LOT of new information. I especially enjoyed the quotations and letters from St. Louis to his daughters. They showed his personality of always showing kindness to everyone around him. Every task put forth before him was accomplished with holiness and growth in virtue. I highly recommend!

Moon Over Manifest: Clare Vanderpool 

Oh my, how do I begin to write a review? This book was ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! In fact, it has moved up to my favorite historical fiction read of the year. Clare Vanderpool writes with wonderful descriptions, taking you to two time periods-1918 and 1936-with a first person point of view, old newspaper clippings, and storytelling from the townspeople. At first, I had no idea how the plots were going to connect and it all seemed random, but then I started to love it! I didn't want the stories to stop. The stories of Ned and Jinx were wonderful, as well as Abilene's mysterious background.

The Magician's Nephew: C.S. Lewis

On a second reading, this book was much more enjoyable. It has been six years since I read part of this series and honestly, I forgot about everything in this one (except the creation of the rings). Philosophical and amusing certainly describe this book. 

• Digory is such a curious little boy, yet trying his hardest to be a gentleman. There's something about his sweetness that isn't found in any of the other characters.
• Polly is another favorite character of mine. She is feminine, has a hint of being a tomboy, shows strength, is determined, and won't let unfairness get in her way. 
• My third favorite character has to be Uncle Andrew! He has his faults but what would Narnia be without him? 
• Finally, my two absolute favorite events are the creation of Narnia and the animals debating over Uncle Andrew! Amusing for sure. :)

Precious Treasure: The Story of Patrick: Elizabeth Matthews

A beautiful story about an autistic boy, Patrick, and his trials, leading his mother to see God's purpose in everything she does. The piles of laundry, the fingerprints on the walls, the screaming during the night, and everything else happening during the day led her to see why God has placed her in each situation.

"Children are a beautiful stairway to heaven. Slowly, day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute, they work with God to help us grow in virtue and to scrape away all the filth that covers us because of our sins."

I especially loved the format of each chapter- starting with a letter to Patrick from his mother!

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: C.S. Lewis

The scenery while I read this book was perfect- SNOW! Once again, there were many new details that I didn't remember from my first read many years ago. This time, I saw SO many Christian elements, such as the White Witch's "always winter, never Christmas", showing a world without the celebration of Our Lord's birth. The power of Christianity against nonbelievers was also presented in a way that I loved- and in a way I didn't notice on my first reading. 

★★★★

The Ball and the Cross: G.K. Chesterton

Chesterton has an interesting and comical style of writing. I've never seen two characters oppose each other so much, yet have such a strong friendship, but that is what I loved most about it. t was amazing how passionate Evan McIan and James Turnbull are for their beliefs. I also enjoyed the character arc of McIan because although he fights for Catholicism, he has his flaws just as Turnbull has his flaws. It was also fun to see where McIan and Turnball's adventures led, as each chapter had its twists and turns.  Chesterton, I WILL be back for more!  

Yosemite Tomboy: Shirley Sargent          

A quick, one day read, reminding me of the Little House on the Prairie series. Jan and her brother are sent to live near Yosemite National Park (bonus star for extra history about Yosemite!), but it is a big test for Jan. Being only 11-years old and very dramatic, she must learn the challenges of pioneer life. 

Hattie Big Sky: Kirby Larson

Homesteading on the Western frontier in the early 1900s was difficult, right? Now, imagine being a 16-year old homesteading all alone. Hattie Brooks travels to Montana as a brave 16-year old to prove her late uncle's claim. The only problem: she has less than a year to learn the ways of homesteading. While it is historical fiction, Larson does a wonderful job of detailing the joys and hardships of homesteading. Each chapter begins with letter to her friend, who is away at war. Letters in books are always a plus for me! 

Books in Progress:

• A Place for Me: Patrick's Journey Home, Mark and Elizabeth Matthews

• Prince Caspian, C.S. Lewis

• The Hobbit (on audio), J.R.R. Tolkien

That's all the reviews for now, but I'll be back soon with four more books. For now, I hope you all enjoy lots of reading for the last month of 2021! 

Have you read any of these books? What have you been reading this month? 

-Miss K

Hobbit Day!

September 22... a day that all Tolkien fans should know because it's HOBBIT DAY! To celebrate J.R.R. Tolkien and his wonderful masterpieces, this week Hamlette is hosting a Tolkien Blog Party. 

*I know I haven't blogged in a LONG time and I just appeared from no where. :) An update will be coming soon, hopefully.*

The Tag Questions:

    1. Aragorn: Favorite Tolkien hero/heroine

We're starting out with the hardest of all...Tolkien's characters all have such great stories. My favorite will always be Sam followed by Frodo and Gandalf and Faramir and Aragorn and Eowyn and, noooo, my list could go on forever! Alright, I'll pick one favorite... Faramir! (It'd be Sam if he wasn't highlighted in another question) 

Faramir's triumphs may not be as physically great as others. BUT,  his selflessness, patience, and humility shown in every situation are equally, if not more, great. He goes through many trials, including harsh criticism from his father for not being as good as Boromir, but still shows love for those around him. In tough situations, he stays kind and becomes wise throughout by resisting temptations. True heroism! 

"But fear no more! I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not were Minas Tirith falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs, Frodo son of Drogo."

 

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    2. Boromir: Favorite Tolkien character arc

There are so many good character arcs, but my favorite will always be the coming of age of Sam and Frodo, as well as Pippin and Merry. They undergo so many trials on their journey, never knowing if they will survive or make it back home to their cozy little hobbit holes. None have ever ventured out into the big, wide world, but all come back tougher, especially Pippin and Merry. Sam also stays loyal to Frodo by always referring to him as "Mr. Frodo", but at the same time becomes closer to him. When all four hobbits took their first step out of the Shire, they had no idea that they would come back so changed. 

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    3. Frodo: Favorite song or poem by Tolkien

Easiest question on the list: 

All that is gold does not glitter, 

Not all those who wander are lost; 

The old that is strong does not wither, 

Deep roots are not reached by the frost. 

From the ashes a fire shall be woken, 

A light from the shadows shall spring; 

Renewed shall be blade that was broken, 

The crownless again shall be king."

    4. Gandalf: Favorite wise Tolkien quotation

"Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament...There you will find romance, glory, honour, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth, and more than that: Death: by the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yet by the taste (or foretaste) of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, which every man's heart desires."

    5. Gimli: A Middle-earth location you'd like to visit

This should be so easy, yet it's so hard. Hmm, stepping foot into a hobbit hole would be awesome! I suppose the Shire would be the best place to do that, but Rivendell would be on my list too. 

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    6. Legolas: Favorite Middle-earth Weapon

Weapons aren't something that I've given much thought to...but the elves' bows are pretty cool. 

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    7. Merry: Favorite way to celebrate Tolkien's stories

Reading, of course! And watching the movies, although I've only done that once. Oh, and having a Hobbit Hole cake for my 17th birthday, made by my brother!

My favorite birthday cake by far! 

    8. Pippin: Favorite funny Tolkien quotation

My siblings and I reference this almost every time we have potatoes: 

"Po-tay-toes! Boil em, mash e, stick em in a stew. Lovely big golden chips with a nice piece of fried fish."

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    9. Samwise: A Middle-earth food you'd like to try

Since it's the one food I'll never forget, I'd like to try rabbit stew. It actually sounds interesting! 

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What is your favorite J.R.R. Tolkien book or movie? How are you celebrating Hobbit Day?

 

-Miss K