St Katherine (Catherine) of Alexandria: A Saint for Soldiers (English Edition) [Kindle-editie] beoordelingen het boek quotes

Excerpt: Only a small percentage of the twentieth century soldiers know anything about the saints; whereas the fighting men of five hundred years ago not only knew the saints, but they had a saint of their very own- one whom they actually carried of to the wars with them, instead of leaving her behind to votaries among the stay-at-homes ; one whose name was forever on their lips, called upon for succor wherever and whenever danger threatened them or death or misfortune wrung a prayer from their hearts. This Saint was the blessed martyr-virgin of Egypt, Katherine of Alexandria, patron of men-at-arms, and worker of innumerable wonders among the soldier-boys of the fifteenth century. And it is at Fierbois, near Chinon in lovely Touraine, that her most famous shrine is situated. Here her relics are still preserved; and hither the faithful still come on pilgrimages, thought not so much now out of fealty to Madame Sainte Katherine herself as for love of the greatest and holiest of all her devotees, that one glorious soldier above all others whom she succored and guided in time of war, the Blessed Joan of Arc. For this Saint-for-soldiers of ours is the same Katherine who became one of the three Voices inspiring and directing the Maid of Domremy to rise up and save France. There is much more than the story of Joan clustered around St. Katherine's shrine at Fierbois, however ; there is, in fact, a whole history of soldiering written in ancient records- such a story of war-time escapes and escapades, of miracles and deliverance and wonder-workings, as one will find only in the Chronicles of the days of faith and chivalry ; days long lost, but coming back to us, it seems, on the red tide of war again. For adventure and heroism, for faith unshaken by fire or sword, stock or gibbet, commend us to these antique records to he Chapel of Fierboise! It is a chronicle of wonders, this vellowed manuscript, Les miracles de Madame Sainte Katherine, reposing now in the Biliotheque National at Paris. Only once has it seen the light of an English day back in the nineties of the last century, when the pages, taken from a transcript made at Tours in 1858 now out of print. A chronicle of wonders- and most of them wrought for soldiers gone to war. Supposedly it was a soldier who first brought St. Katherine to France- some Crusader, gone to the East to rid the Holy Land of the curse of the Muslim, and returned safe home, after many perils through all which his chosen patroness had protected him. o wonder that the story of the martyred maid of Alexandria had appealed the the heart of that fighting man of France, that champion of the Cross, whoever he was valiant fighter that she herself was, a mere girl of eighteen facing her pagan emperor and challenging him with the Faith of Christ! Such and intrepid saint was just the patron to inspire the warrior who must face the fire and hatred of the heathen desecrator of the Holy Land. Long known as "one of the fourteen most helpful saints in heaven," it is not strange that the man of arms, cast in pagan lands far from all that was Christian and familiar, should appeal to her for protection. And, his prayers answered, what more could he do than spread her holy fame among his fellow-soldiers, and bring back to France the story of her power in heaven? Her relics were enshrined on Mount Sinai. He made his pilgrimage to that holy spot ; but he did more. When he sailed home to France he brought with him some of those sacred remains, to be set up in his own country for veneration. That was the beginning of the reign of St. Katherine in France. It was at Fierbois that the relics were deposited and a fitting shrine erected over them. The Church of St. Katherine at Fierbois became the centre of the world's devotion to the martyred virgin, and the cult grew rapidly to vast proportions.