AccountDeleted Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 (edited) You gotta love this saint, she's as crazy as St Mary Magdalene de Pazzi! [quote] [b] [url="http://catholicexchange.com/2011/12/15/96924/"][size=4]St. Christina the Astonishing[/size][/url][/b] December 15th, 2011 by [url="http://catholicexchange.com/author/saints-editor/"]Saints Editor[/url] [url="http://catholicexchange.com/2011/12/15/96924/print/"][img]http://catholicexchange.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-print/images/print.gif[/img][/url] [url="http://catholicexchange.com/2011/12/15/96924/print/"]Print This Article[/url] ·[color=#000000]ShareThis[img]http://w.sharethis.com/images/check-small.png[/img][/color] Christina was born in Brusthem, Belgium in 1150. When she was just three years old she was orphaned. At 21, she reportedly had something akin to an epileptic fit and appeared to have died. When Mass was being said for her, her body suddenly soared to the top of the roof of the Church. When the priest ordered her to come down, she did, and related that she had been to Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory. She went on to say that she was then supposed to return to earth to pray for the suffering souls in Purgatory. Christina was very introverted and assiduously avoided being around others. She would take extreme measures to avoid contact with people by doing such things as climbing high up in trees or even hiding in ovens. Many people thought her to be insane, but others who knew her venerated her for her holiness. She lived her entire life in poverty and spent her last three years living in St. Catherine’s convent at Saint-Trond, where she died on July 25, 1224. [b]Lessons[/b] There have been other saints that some felt were more insane than they were saintly. However, it is not for us to judge others, as our Lord Jesus said. St. John the Baptizer lived in the wilderness and ate locusts, but our Lord said that among men born of women, John was the greatest. Jesus instructed us to love one another. On a human level, Christina may have seemed unusual, but she lived to please God, not men. This is the calling of each of us: to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and love one another as we love ourselves. [b]Prayer[/b] [i]St. Christina, you lived a life of poverty and loneliness in the eyes of others. But you knew that in the eyes of God, you were wealthy and had His love and the companionship of saints and angels. Help us to see beyond the things of the world and to realize we are never alone with God and that we are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us.” Pray that we remember to offer up our sufferings for those who do not see beyond the material and who are seeking love and fulfillment, that they may come to know God and realize that they are never alone. Amen.[/i] [i][url="http://catholicexchange.com/2011/12/15/96924/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+catholicex+%28Catholic+Exchange%29"]http://catholicexcha...lic+Exchange%29[/url][/i] [i][/quote][/i] Edited December 15, 2011 by nunsense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cherie Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 I love her! She's been one of my favorites since my youth! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted December 15, 2011 Author Share Posted December 15, 2011 (edited) If you love her, here's more! She is a patron saint for mental illness too. [quote] [size=4]Tuesday, July 26, 2011[/size] [img]http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab166/nunsense/BIRDSAINT.png[/img] [size=4][b][color=#3d85c6]SAINTS AND MAD WOMEN (AND [color=#38761d]BIRDS[/color])[/color][/b][/size] [size=4][b]We all have difficult days...[color=#0b5394]blue days[/color].... days when we want to be alone..[/b].[/size] [size=4]My study of [b]SAINTS & BIRDS[/b] continues and amazing saints are found- among a favorite is [b]St. Christina The Astonishing[/b]. She was born in Belgium in 1150. It is known that she worked as a shepherdess, growing closer to God over the years. Due to the fact that she did not take care of her body she died. Some say she had a siezure and was not really dead. At her funeral Mass after the Agnus Dei, she flew up out of her coffin like a bird and perched herself in the rafters of the church. After the Mass the priest told her to come down. She reported that she had been to Hell, recognizing many people there. She was then shown Purgatory, and recognizing many more. She was taken to Heaven where she was offered the choice of remaining with God, or returning to earth so that she could offer herself for the salvation of others. She chose the unselfish course.[/size] [size=4]Her life is one astonishing event after another; she climbed trees to perch on the branches with the [b][color=#38761d]birds [/color][/b](note painting). She exhibited both unusual traits and abilities. For example, she could not stand the odor of some people because she could smell the sin in them, and would climb trees or buildings, hide in ovens or cupboards, or simply levitate to avoid contact. Many thought she was possessed by devils, and tried to capture her, but she always managed to escape. Making penances for the souls of Purgatory and Hell was the aim in her life. People who knew her were divided in their opinions: she was a holy woman, touched by God or she was suffering the torments of devils – or she was flatly insane. The prioress of Saint Catherine’s convent testified that no matter how bizarre or excessive Christina’s reported actions, she was always completely obedient to the orders of the prioresses of the convent. Christina was a friend of Louis, Count of Looz, whose castle she visited, and whose actions she rebuked. The mystic [b]Saint Lutgardis [/b]sought her advice. Christina died in 1224 at Saint Catherine’s convent of natural causes, aged 74.[/size] [size=4]She is the patroness against insanity, mental disorders, psychiatrists, therapists, and mental health professionals. So on those [b][color=#0b5394]blue[/color][/b] days I glance at this painting, which sits by my desk and laugh- wishing I could join the [b][color=#38761d]birds [/color][/b]in a tree![/size] [/quote] Edited December 15, 2011 by nunsense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strictlyinkblot Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 She sounds like my kind of saint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysisterisalittlesister Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 she's amesome, but a little extreme for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Flower Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 uh..................................................... wow. she does sound a little insane lol. ill pray to her when i go insane from all my brothers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i<3franciscans Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 You know she gives me comfort for days when I feel like I am a little insane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandelynmarie Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Even St. Francis & St. Phillip Neri were fools for Christ. The Eastern Church has St. Xenia too.[img]http://holy-icons.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/s_xenia2large.jpg[/img]I think we are in good company with all of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InPersonaChriste Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Wow, I really like this saint! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted December 16, 2011 Author Share Posted December 16, 2011 I can relate to the 'crazy' ones. I think they would probably be very hard to live with but I just love that they were themselves and didn't try to put on an act to be like everyone else. It says a lot for the individuality that God gives to each of us. Even St Catherine of Siena seems a bit crazy in some ways to me me ...I mean can you imagine what it looked like to others when she went into ecstasy for ages after Mass? And St Francis made lots of people think he was crazy - naked in the town square for heaven's sake! We can't (and shouldn't) imitate them but they should inspire us to be all that we can be as ourselves! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil'Monster Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 [quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1324011271' post='2351994'] I can relate to the 'crazy' ones. I think they would probably be very hard to live with but I just love that they were themselves and didn't try to put on an act to be like everyone else. It says a lot for the individuality that God gives to each of us. Even St Catherine of Siena seems a bit crazy in some ways to me me ...I mean can you imagine what it looked like to others when she went into ecstasy for ages after Mass? And St Francis made lots of people think he was crazy - naked in the town square for heaven's sake! We can't (and shouldn't) imitate them but they should inspire us to be all that we can be as ourselves! [/quote] Oh......for a minute I thought you were encouraging us to go naked in public...I think I had done that before......well when I was a baby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted December 16, 2011 Author Share Posted December 16, 2011 [quote name='Lil'Monster' timestamp='1324011648' post='2352002'] Oh......for a minute I thought you were encouraging us to go naked in public...I think I had done that before......well when I was a baby! [/quote] No, I think your individuality can best be expressed through chickens I can imagine that if you make saint one day, you will become known as The Chicken Saint! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil'Monster Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 [quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1324011924' post='2352007'] No, I think your individuality can best be expressed through chickens I can imagine that if you make saint one day, you will become known as The Chicken Saint! [/quote] I am too far from being a Saint! I am a immature little brat....why would I make saint? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted December 16, 2011 Author Share Posted December 16, 2011 [quote name='Lil'Monster' timestamp='1324012107' post='2352013'] I am too far from being a Saint! I am a immature little brat....why would I make saint? [/quote] Not yet dear, don't get excited. We all have our whole lives to work on sanctity. Besides, we don't make ourselves saints, God does that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil'Monster Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 [quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1324012295' post='2352017'] Not yet dear, don't get excited. We all have our whole lives to work on sanctity. Besides, we don't make ourselves saints, God does that! [/quote] Yeah I know but it so hard to do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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