September 13

Spiritual Bouquet: Be not wise in your own conceits. Rom. 12:16

SAINT MAURILIUS
Bishop of Angers
(336-426)

Saint Maurilius, closely associated with the early history of the church of France, was born near Milan, of an illustrious Christian family, in the year 336. He was later drawn to Tours by the virtues of Saint Martin, who had built a monastery in Milan, where he had undertaken to form young men to virtue and sacred studies. Maurilius was among them; but when the Arians drove Saint Martin, a stranger in Italy, from the city, he lost his beloved master. He remained for a time as cantor for Saint Ambrose, bishop of Milan, but after the death of his father renounced his patrimony and went to Tours to rejoin Saint Martin; there the Apostle of Gaul ordained him a priest.

He devoted himself to the salvation of souls; his zeal led him to a site near Angers where, by his prayers, he brought down fire from heaven on a pagan temple, and afterwards built a church of Jesus Christ at the same site. Alongside it he had a monastery constructed, and soon many souls came to dwell in the shadow of the cross, thus forming the city of Chalonne. When the bishop of Angers died, Maurilius was chosen by Saint Martin to succeed him. On the day of his consecration, a dove entered the church and came to rest on his head.

A few years later, a strange episode occurred. During the consecration of a Mass celebrated by the bishop, a dying child was brought in great haste to the church, to receive Confirmation. The Saint waited for the end of the Holy Sacrifice, but during this time the child died. Maurilius was so grieved by this that he fled without advising anyone and embarked for England, where in great humility he took employment as the gardener of a nobleman. His diocesans at Angers were inconsolable, and sought him out so well that they discovered his retreat. He refused, however, to return as bishop, stating that he could not do so because during his voyage he had lost at sea the keys to the cathedral, and had vowed not to return until he found them. “But see,” said the messengers, “what we have here; during our crossing a fish was cast up by a wave onto the deck of the ship, and in its stomach we found these keys!” Maurilius obeyed the Will of Heaven. When he returned he asked to be taken to the tomb of the child, and with tears streaming from his eyes asked God to restore him to life. The resurrected child was given the name of René for this reason, which in French means reborn, and he became the successor to Maurilius as bishop of Angers.

Reflection: When we discover in our lives the mysterious ways of God, we must express to Him in prayer our humble submission, despite our lack of understanding. “I believe in order to understand,” said Saint Augustine.

Sources: Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, a compilation based on Butler’s Lives of the Saints and other sources by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894); Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Guérin (Bloud et Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 11.

SAINT EULOGIUS
Patriarch of Alexandria
(†606)

Saint Eulogius was born in the sixth century in Syria, and embraced the monastic state in that country. The Eutychian heresy had thrown the Churches of both Syria and Egypt into much confusion, and many of the monks of Syria had fallen at that time into loose morals and serious error. Eulogius learned by observing the decline of others to stand more watchfully and firmly upon guard over himself. He was not less distinguished by the innocence and sanctity of his habits than by the purity of his doctrine.

While young he had attained to a great variety of useful knowledge in the various humanistic studies; he undertook as a monk to study the sources of sacred science, which are the Holy Scriptures, the Church’s Tradition as exposed in its councils, and the approved writings of its Saints and eminent shepherds. Amid the great dangers and necessities of the Church he was drawn out of his solitude and ordained a priest in Antioch by its patriarch Saint Anastasius.

When the Patriarch of Alexandria died, Saint Eulogius was raised to that patriarchal dignity toward the close of the year 583. About two years later he was obliged to make a journey to Constantinople, in order to consult concerning certain affairs of his Church. At the court he met Saint Gregory the Great and contracted with him a holy friendship, so that from that time they seemed to have but one heart and one soul. It was said by the scholarly Cardinal Baronius, that Saint Gregory hoped he might succeed him in Rome. Among the letters of Saint Gregory still exist several which he wrote to the Egyptian Patriarch. Saint Eulogius composed many excellent works against the heresies, which have unfortunately been lost, but which Saint Gregory praised in his writings. Among them was a defense of Pope Leo the Great and the Council of Chalcedon. Of his works only one sermon and a few fragments of the other documents remain. He died in the year 606, after renewing the church of Alexandria, it has been said, in the life and youthful vigor characteristic only of churches which remain closely united to their visible Head on earth, the Vicar of Christ.

Reflection: We admire the great actions and the glorious triumph of the Saints. But it is not so much in these that their sanctity consists, as in the constant, habitual heroic disposition of their souls. There is no one who does not sometimes do good actions, but we cannot call virtuous a person who does well only occasionally, perhaps by humor, rather than unvaryingly, by constancy and voluntarily formed habits.

Sources: The Catholic Encyclopedia, edited by C. G. Herbermann with numerous collaborators (Appleton Company: New York, 1908); Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, a compilation based on Butler’s Lives of the Saints and other sources by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894).