Subj : September 7th - Saint Regina
To   : All
From : rich
Date : Thu Sep 06 2018 10:10 am

From: rich <[email protected]>

September 7th - Saint Regina
(also known as Saint Reine
died 286

Saint Regina is considered the patron saint against poverty, and
patroness of shepherdesses and torture victims. Given the accounts of
her martyrdom, in art, Saint Regina is portrayed as a maiden bound to
a cross with torches applied to her sides, imprisoned with a dove
appearing on a shining cross, scourged with rods, or in a boiling
cauldron. She is venerated at Autun, France, and in southern Germany.

While Saint Regina is venerated still today, we know surprisingly
little about her life. What is known are those details that were
recorded in the acts of her martyrdom. According to these acts, Regina
was born in the third century in Alise, France. Her mother died in
childbirth, and she was left to be raised by her father, a prominent
pagan citizen. Regina's father placed her upbringing in the care of=
a
Christian nurse attached to the family, who recognizing her sanctity,
secretly baptized her.

As she grew older, Regina's embracing of the Christian faith became
evident, which caused her father great concern. When he learned that
she had been baptized, he cast her out of the family, disowning her.
Regina lived with her nurse following leaving her father's house, a=
nd
due to her new family's poverty, worked in the fields by day, tendi=
ng
sheep, to help support the household. In the fields, Regina grew
closer to the Lord, meditating and contemplating His love and mercy,
and praying to better emulate the lives of the holy saints and
martyrs.

At the age of 15, Regina caught the eye of the prefect of Gaul,
Olybrius, a man of great importance. He became obsessed with the young
woman, and was determined to take her as his bride. He delighted in
her noble upbringing, but was deeply disturbed to find that she was
practicing the Christian faith. At that time, Christians were being
violently persecuted and killed, under the direction of the Emperor
Decius. Olybrius attempted to persuade her to deny her faith, so as to
not only safe her from persecution, but to secure her as a wife. She
declined, refusing to recant her faith, and professing it all the
louder. In retaliation, Olybrius had her imprisoned.

Regina was chained to the walls of a dark prison cell by means of an
iron belt that was bolted to the wall. There she was left while
Olybrius participated in several military campaigns against invading
barbarians, returning to his daily activities. After an absence of
some time, he returned, hoping she may have changed her mind. On the
contrary, her imprisonment had served to strengthen her resolve to
live like the saints and martyrs, and maintain her chastity for the
Lord. She refused to sacrifice to idols, and he angrily ordered her
tortured. Regina courageously withstood whippings and scourging over
the back of a wooden horse, raking with iron combs, burning with hot
pincers and torches, and crucifixion. None of these could cause her to
doubt the Lord or recant her faith, and as she continued to praise
God. Lastly, she was beheaded, ending her life and her conversion of
many witnesses present who observed a solitary dove hovering atop her
head during her torture.

The relics of Saint Regina are enshrined in Flavigni abbey, having
been translated there in 864. Since that time, numerous miracles have
been attributed to their presence, and frequent pilgrimages are made
by the faithful to venerate them. There is a miraculous spring with
powers to heal ring worm, mange, scurvy, and other illnesses, with a
hospital nearby dedicated to Saint Regina founded by Saint Vincent de
Paul.

We know little about the life of Saint Regina, other than it was
brief, difficult, and courageous. Drawing her strength from the Lord,
and from the lives of the holy men and women who came before her,
Saint Regina found grace and peace in endless torture, earning a
martyr's crown. We might take a lesson from Saint Regina, and striv=
e
to emulate the holy lives of the saints and martyrs of the Church in
our daily lives.
by Jacob


Saint Quote:
=E2=80=9CSons of Vincent de Paul, let us learn of Him to forget ourselves, =
to
devote ourselves to the service of God and the good of men. Let us
learn of Him that holy preference which shows most love to those who
suffer most.=E2=80=9D
--Blessed Frederic Ozanam

Bible Quote:
But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 18 For not he who
commendeth himself, is approved, but he, whom God commendeth. (2 Cor.
10:17-18)

<><><><>
St Pio's Prayer of Today for Tomorrow

Eternal Father, today, while I am fully conscious,
totally lucid and completely free,
I offer You my life with all its mystery and suffering.
Indeed, Eternal Father,
I offer You my life as an ultimate act of love,
as an act of infinite gratitude,
as an act of faith in Your mercy.
My God and Father,
accept this prayer I am making to You now
for the day when You will call me back to You.
If I am unconscious at the final moment of my life,
if anguish and doubt assail me,
if medication prevents me from thinking of You,
I want my last heartbeat to be an act of perfect love,
telling You with Jesus,
=E2=80=9CInto Your hands, I commend my spirit.=E2=80=9D
Amen.
--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)