THE PRINCE OF THE APOSTLES

On the 29th of June we keep the Feast of the great Apostles SS. Peter and Paul. It is a day of obligation; (in England, where this book was written) we have but few of these, and each of them commemorates something of very great importance. No other Apostle has his feast kept as a day of obligation—not even St. John, the dear ''disciple whom Jesus loved.'' Of course we feel quite sure that the Church must have had many and good reasons for choosing these two great saints of whom we are going to chat together for a little while. We know so much about St. Peter that the difficulty is where to begin. He was brought to our Blessed Lord by his brother Andrew, and it was on this occasion that Christ changed his name from Simon to Peter (the rock). Look at the first chapter of St. John, verses forty to forty-two; the story is told there so shortly and yet so beautifully. Perhaps some of us have to thank a dear brother for some great and wonderful thing which once came to our soul. One of my favourite texts in the Old Testament is this: "A brother that is helped by his brother is like a strong city" (Proverbs xviii. 19).

Have you many favourite texts? We cannot think of this meeting with its significant change of name without the other scene coming immediately to the mind, and with it the words: "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church" (St. Matthew xvi. 18).

Catholic children often know that our Lord made St. Peter the Head of the Church almost before they know anything else about him. Did you ever try to imagine how he felt when those words were said to him? Probably, however, he did not realize their meaning at the time, but after the Ascension, during the retreat in the Upper Room, where he was waiting for the coming of the Holy Ghost, I think he must have thought of them with something very like panic.

In Catholic days England was noted for its devotion to St. Peter. Do you think it was because his character appealed in a special way to Englishmen? It may have seemed to them that he shared some of the qualities which are supposed to be characteristic of our countrymen—his bluntness, his downrightness, his loyalty. After our Blessed Lady there were more churches dedicated to him in England than to any other saint. Is there an old "St. Peter's" near your home ? After the words of Jesus Christ Himself, the words of St. Peter form our favourite texts, and perhaps our favourite little prayers. Do you not love all these ?
"Lord, Thou knowest all things: Thou knowest that I love Thee" (St. John xxi. 17).
"Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life " (St. John vi. 69).
"Thou art Christ the Son of the living God " (St. Matthew xvi. 16).
" Lord, save me " (St. Matthew xiv. 30)'
" Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come to Thee upon the waters " (St. Matthew xiv. 28).
You will learn to love this one better when you are older. Do you know of any others yourself ? Perhaps, too, we feel drawn towards St. Peter because he fell into a big sin, and denied his Master after he had made such grand promises, which is just what we do, not three times but over and over and over again. We feel he understands how weak our poor human nature is. He is one of the models of perfect contrition. The Gospel tells us that he went out of the High Priest's Hall weeping bitterly over his sin, and a legend says that his sorrow did not pass away as soon as he was forgiven, as ours so often does, but that he could never hear a cock crow without shedding tears, and in old age his cheeks were furrowed by their course. How we wish he would get us the grace to weep over our sins, instead of shedding tears perhaps only because we are not allowed to have our own way.

I am sure you know that St. Peter was a martyr. He was crucified, and, feeling himself unworthy to die like our dear Lord, he asked to be nailed to the cross with his head downwards; but do you know the pretty story, "Quo Vadis?"? St. Peter was escaping from Rome when our Blessed Lord, carrying His Cross, met him on the way. The Apostle, astonished, asked, " Whither goest Thou, Lord ?" And Jesus replied, "I am going to Rome to be crucified again." St. Peter understood, returned to Rome, and laid down his life for his Master.

You all love St. Peter, of course ! Have you ever thought that a real devotion to him means devotion and loyalty to his successor, to our Holy Father the Pope? This, too, was characteristic of England in Catholic times, and as you learn your history you will continually come across examples from the days of St. Augustine until England was torn away from Catholic unity. At the time of the Great Schism—the little ones will know nothing of that yet—when nearly every nation in Europe was hopelessly divided, England had the glory of remaining loyal to the true Pope. Many of our martyrs, like Blessed Thomas More and Blessed John Fisher, died in defence of the rights of the Holy See.

On this feast Catholic boys and girls should try to offer up Mass and Holy Communion for the Holy Father. They will no doubt have a very special love for the present Vicar of Christ, Pius X, because he has granted to children such special privileges; more than once I have heard him called "the children's Pope." You can prove your gratitude in many ways—by obeying his wishes and going often to Holy Communion, and by doing all you can to spread devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. You should also join with great
devotion in the prayer dedicating England to St. Peter, which is read at Benediction on the Sunday after his feast.

If you have a statue of St. Peter in your church you can kiss the foot as a little act of respect and submission. It will probably be a copy of the one in the great Church of St. Peter at Rome, which was kissed by St. Thomas Aquinas. Do you know that story ?

One day when he was in St. Peter's the Saint stopped betore the statue, kissed the foot, and then bent his head beneath it. A poor woman, suffering from an incurable disease, saw him, and bending down at the same moment kissed the hem of the white habit he wore. God rewarded the humility of both by healing the sick woman.

It is, however, at the Church of San Clemente in Rome that you would find the oldest known statue of St. Peter, and I think you would love it dearly. It is St. Peter as the Good Shepherd. He is carrying a sheep on his shoulders—not bearing the keys in his hands—and there seems a strange meaning in the fact that the little lamb is less maimed and broken than the shepherd.

We have said nothing about St. Paul, but in this we have, to a great extent, followed the example of the Church, who seems to forget him in favour of St. Peter on this their joint feast, making it up by keeping the "Commemoration of St. Paul" on the next day, the 30th of June, and you remember that we kept the beautiful feast of his conversion on the 25th of January.

Source:  Wreaths of Feasts for the Little Ones, Imprimatur 1912

St. Audrey was born in England. Her three sisters are also saints. She wanted to be a bride of Christ, but her parents wanted her to marry. Although she gave in to their wishes, she and her husband lived together as brother and sister. Three years later, he died, and Audrey went to live a quiet life of prayer on the island he had given her.

After five years, the Saint's relatives demanded that she marry again, and once more, Audrey gave in. Her second husband was young, and they, too, lived as brother and sister. Audrey spent all her time doing works of mercy. However, when her husband became older and a powerful king, he wanted her to live as a wife and queen. She replied that she belonged only to God. He tried hard to make her change her mind, but in the end, he let her become a nun.

Back on her own island again, St. Audrey founded a convent and was a very holy superior. Instead of wearing the linen clothes worn by other noble woman, she chose rough wool robes for herself. she slept only a few hours and prayed the rest of the night. St. Audrey died at the exact time she said she would, and her  body was put into a plain wooden coffin, as she had wanted.

Let us admire this Saint who could have enjoyed all the pleasures of the world instead gave them all up to make sure she would gain the pleasures of Heaven.

St. Alban was the first martyr of England, his own country. During a persecution of Christians, Alban, though a pagan then, hid a priest in his house. The priest made such a great impression on this kind pagan that Alban received instructions and became a Christian himself.

In the meantime, the governor had been told that the priest was hiding in Alban's house, and he sent his soldiers to capture him. But Alban changed clothes with the guest, and gave himself up in his stead. The judge was furious when he found out that the priest escaped and he said to Alban, "You shall get the punishment he was to get unless you worship the gods." The Saint answered that he would never worship those false gods again. "To what family do you belong?" demanded the judge. "That does not concern you," said Alban. "If you want to know my religion, I am a Christian." Angrily the judge commanded him again to sacrifice to the gods at once. "Your sacrifices are offered to devils," answered the Saint. "They cannot help you or answer your requests. The reward for such a sacrifices is the everlasting punishment of Hell."

Since he was getting nowhere, the judge had Alban whipped. Then commanded him to be beheaded. On the way to the place of execution, the soldier who was to kill the Saint was converted himself, and he, too, became a martyr.

Jesus taught us, "Love one another, as I have loved you." We love our neighbor when, like Jesus, and the Saints, we make sacrifices for others.

Aloysius, the Patron of Catholic youth, was the oldest son of an Italian marquis. Since he was so full of life, his father planned to make a great soldier out of him, and when he was only five, he took him to an army camp. There little Aloysius marched in parade and even managed to  load and fire a gun one day while the camp was at rest! He learned rough language, too, from the soldiers, but when he found out that this talk was shameful, he felt very bad.

As he grew, Aloysius was sent to the courts of dukes and princes. Many sins of dishonesty, hatred, and impurity were being committed in this high society. But the only effect it all had on the Saint was to make him more careful to protect his purity. He fell sick and that gave him a good excuse to stay in his room to pray and read the lives of saints.

When Aloysius was sixteen, he resolved to leave the world and become a Jesuit, but his father refuses his consent. However, after three years, he finally gave in. Once he had entered, Aloysius begged to serve in the kitchen and to wash dishes, because he wanted to practice humility. He would say, "I am a crooked piece of iron and am come into religion to be made straight by the hammer of mortification and penance."

When a terrible disease broke out in Rome, Aloysius asked to be allowed to care for the sick. He who had always had servants to wait on him gladly washed the sick and made their beds. He served them until he caught the sickness himself.

St. Aloysius was only twenty-four when he died. His last words were, "I am going to Heaven."

The virtue which is outstanding in St. Aloysius is purity. To keep pure we should do what he did, that is, mortify all our sense, and especially our eyes.

This Italian Saint was the oldest of a large family. Her father had wanted her to marry, but Osanna gave herself entirely to God.

When she was eighteen, Osanna received a wedding ring from Our Lord. Though no one else could see it, she always felt it on her finger. She also felt some of the sufferings Jesus suffered- the crown of thorns, the wound on His side, and the wounds in His hands and feet. She lived at home and served her family in every way, yet she belonged to the third order of St. Dominic and wore the habit of that order.

Strange as it may seem Osanna was asked by the Duke of Mantua to run the affairs of his kingdom while he was away. She who had never been to school knew how to make the best decisions because she trusted completely in God. And she used her friendship with the Duke to help everyone in any kind of trouble.

A great many of Blessed Osanna's prayers were for the Church and for Italy. She feared God would send great punishments for many sins being committed in her time. Yet she was not a gloomy soul. She loved her friends dearly, and people crowded her house to ask her advice and comfort.

A person living in the world can become a saint, if her prays, keeps away from sin and does good deeds. To learn how to live such a holy life, we should read inspiring books.

Juliana was the only daughter of a very rich Italian couple. She came to in answer to their prayers when they were already growing old. After her father died, her uncle, St. Alexis, helped her mother with her education. St. Alexis was one of the Founders of the Servite Order, The Servants of Mary. Juliana had such a devotion to our Lady that she decided to become a Servite nun. She and other devout women spent their time in prayer and works of mercy. St. Juliana is considered the Foundress of the nuns of the Servite Order because she wrote their rule of life.

Never did the Saint lose a chance to help someone. She especially worked to make peace between enemies and to win sinners back to Jesus. Though sick herself, she loved to take care of the sick and to make their sufferings easier to bear. In her own sufferings she was always cheerful.

St. Juliana's great love was Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Her heart was broken when she could to receive Holy Communion because of the stomach disease that led to her death. But Jesus worked an amazing miracle to reward her devotion. As she lay dying, she asked the priest to lay a Host on a linen over her heart. He did and at that moment she died. The Sacred Host disappeared at the same time, and an image of Jesus on the Cross was found on her skin at the spot where the Blessed Sacrament had disappeared.

St. Juliana wanted to receive Jesus in Holy Communion, even when she could not. And we? Do we go to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion as often as possible?

Margaret was an English princess. She and her mother sailed to Scotland to escape from the king who had conquered their land. King Malcolm of Scotland welcomed them and fell in love with the beautiful princess. Margaret and Malcolm were married before too long.

As Queen, Margaret changed her husband and the country for the better. Malcolm was good, but he and his court were very rough. When he saw how wise his beloved wife was, he listened to her good advice. She softened his temper and led him to practice greater virtue. She made the court beautiful and civilized. Soon all the princes had better manners, and the ladies copied her purity and devotion. The King and Queen gave wonderful example to everyone by the way they prayed together and fed crowds of poor people with their own hands. They seemed to have only one desire: to make everyone happy and good.

Margaret was a blessing for all the people of Scotland. Before she came, there was great ignorance and many bad habits among them. Margaret worked hard to obtain good teachers, to correct the evil practices, and to have new churches built. She loved to make these churches beautiful for God's glory, and she embroidered the priest's vestments herself.

God sent this holy Queen six sons and two daughters. She loved them dearly and raised them well. The youngest boy became St. David. But Margaret had sorrows, too. In her last illness, she learned that both her husband and her son, Edward, had been killed in battle. Yet she prayed: "I thank Thee, Almighty God, for sending me so great a sorrow to purify me from my sins."

Let us take this saintly queen for our example. While we do our duties, let us keep in mind the joys that God will give us in Heaven.

Norbert was a German who was good while a boy and young man. Then at the court of the Emperor, Henry V, he spent nearly all his time in the pleasures of the world, and he thought only of honors, feasts and parties. One day, however, frightened by a flash of lightning, his horse threw him and he was knocked unconscious. When he came to his senses, he was touched by the grace of God, and he made up his mind to lead a better life. Moreover he went back to the idea he once had had—to become a priest, and he did.

Then he worked hard to make others turn from their worldly ways and gave good example by selling all he had to give the money to the poor, St. Norbert also became die founder of a new Congregation for the spreading of the Faith.

Later, he was chosen bishop of the city of Magdeburg. He entered the city wearing very poor clothes and no shoes. The porter at the door of the bishop's house did not know him and refused to let him in. He told him to go join the other beggars!

"But he is our bishop!" shouted those who knew the Saint. The porter was amazed and very sorry. "Never mind, dear brother," said St. Norbert kindly, "you judge me more correctly than those who brought me here."

St. Norbert had to combat a heresy which denied that Jesus is really present in the Holy Eucharist. His beautiful words about Our Lord's presence in the Blessed Sacrament brought the people back to their holy Faith.

Let us go to receive Jesus in Holy Communion often—at least once a week. If we feel little love for the things of God, Jesus will make us warm with devotion. If we feel weak in spirit, He will make us strong. If we feel sad, He will console us.

This great Apostle of Germany was an Englishman. When he was a small boy, some missionaries who were staying at his home talked to him about their work and filled him with a great desire to become like them. While still very young, he entered a monastery school and some years later he himself became a very popular teacher.
When he was ordained a priest, he gave many sermons taken from the Bible, which he dearly loved to read. Boniface daily grew in love for God and for souls. So, with his Superior's permission, he became a missionary to Germany, which at that time covered a large part of Europe. With the blessing of Pope St. Gregory, he preached with wonderful success.

Boniface was a man of great courage. Once, to prove that the pagan gods were false, he did a bold thing. There was a certain huge oak tree that the pagans thought was sacred to their gods. In front of a large crowd, Boniface struck it a few times with an axe. The big tree crashed, and split into four parts. The pagans saw that their gods were false when nothing happened to the Saint for this act.

Everywhere Boniface preached, new members came into the Church. In his lifetime, he converted millions. In place of the statues of the gods, he built churches and monasteries.

When he was seventy-three, St. Boniface left someone else in charge of his work, and sailed with some companions to preach to more pagans. Here, too, he was successful and he baptized large numbers. Then, one day, as he was about to give some converts the Sacrament of Confirmation, he was martyred. A group of fierce pagans swooped down on their camp, and the Saint would not let his companions defend him. "Our Lord tells us to repay evil with good," he said. "The day has come for which I have waited so long. Trust in God, and He will save our souls." The barbarians attacked, and Boniface was the first one they killed.

Even today there are millions of souls who do not know the true God. Let us pray for them, and if God inspires us to become missionaries, let us be generous and courageous enough to follow His call.