Posted on 05/12/2002 1:16:44 AM PDT by nickcarraway
In 1283 Saint Philip, Prior General of the Friar Servants of Mary, attempted to lead back to obedience to the Apostolic See the citizens of Forlì, then under interdict. He was driven out of the city with insults and violence. While this true follower of Christ was praying for his persecutors, one of the crowd, an eighteen year old by the name of Peregrine of the famous Laziosi family, repented and humbly asked Philip for forgiveness. Philip received him with love. From that moment, the young man began to scorn the vanities of the world and to pray most fervently to the Blessed Virgin, asking that she show him the way of salvation. A few years later, guided by the Virgin, he received the habit of Our Lady in the priory of Siena where he dedicated himself to her service. There, together with Blessed Francis of Siena, he committed himself totally to the Servite life.
After some years he was sent back to Forlì where, because of his love for God and Our Lady, he gave himself to the recitation of psalms, hymns and prayers, and to meditation on the law of God. On fire with love for others, he lavished a wealth of charity on the poor. It is said that he miraculously multiplied grain and wine during a severe shortage in his area. Above all else, he was outstanding in his love for penance; in tears, he would reflect on the errors which he thought he had made and would frequently confess to the priest. As was common at the time, he afflicted his body with various forms of mortification: when tired he would support himself on a choir stall or a rock; when overcome by sleep, he preferred the bare earth to a bed. As a result of this type of life, at the age of sixty he suffered from varicose veins which degenerated into cancer of the right leg.
His condition deteriorated to the point that a physician, Paolo Salazio, who visited him in the priory, decided, with the consent of all the friars, to amputate the leg as soon as possible. The night before the operation, Peregrine dragged himself before the crucifix in the chapter room. There he became drowsy and seemed to see Jesus descend from the cross to heal his leg. The following day, the doctor arrived to perform the amputation but could find no sign of the cancer, or even of a wound. He was so shocked that he spread the news of the miracle throughout the town. This only increased the people's veneration of Peregrine. The saint died of a fever about 1345 when he was almost eighty years old. An extraordinary number of people from the town and countryside honored him in death. Some of the sick who came were healed through his intercession.
His body rests in the Servite church of Forlì where it is greatly honored by the people. Pope Paul V declared him blessed in 1609 and Pope Benedict XIII canonized him in 1726. St. Peregrine's feast day is celebrated by the Church on May 4.
A Prayer to St. Peregrine for Sick Relatives and Friends
O great St. Peregrine,
you have been called
"The Mighty", the "The Wonder Worker"
because of the numerous miracles
which you obtained from God for those
who have turned to you in their need.
For so many years you bore in your own flesh
this cancerous disease that destroys the
very fiber of our being.
You turned to God when the power
of human beings could do no more,
and you were favored with the vision of
Jesus coming down from His cross
to heal your affliction.
I now ask God to heal these sick persons
whom I entrust to you:
(Here mention their names)
Aided by your powerful intercession,
I shall sing with Mary a hymn of gratitude
to God for His great goodness and mercy.
Amen.
Dear St. Peregrine, I need your help. I feel so uncertain of my life right now.
This serious illness makes me long for a sign of God's love.
Help me to imitate your enduring faith when you faced the ugliness of cancer and surgery.
Allow me to trust the Lord the way you did in this moment of distress.
I want to be cured, but right now I ask God for the strength to bear the cross in my life.
I seek the power to proclaim God's presence in my life despite the hardship,
anguish and fear I now experience.
O Glorious St. Peregrine, be an inspiration to me and petitioner of those needed
graces from our loving Father. Amen.
This post is exceptional and timely. Thank you.
EODGUY
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