Saints celebrated on the 23rd of May
Prayer to the Angels and the Saints
Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.
In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.
Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.
Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.
SS. EUTYCHIUS AND FLORENTIUS
A man entirely devoted to prayer, Florentius belonged to a monastery in Norcia, Italy, consisting only of himself and his superior, Saint Eutychius.
Florentius was subsequently left on his own when Eutychius became the abbot of another monastery. Grieving the absence of his spiritual father, Florentius prostrated himself in his chapel and besought God to send him something to console him in his solitude.
Upon finishing his prayer, he went to the door and discovered a bear standing before it. The creature tamely bowed to indicate that it was at his service. Florentius recognised it as an answer to his prayer.
Calling him “Brother Bear”, he gave him the task of shepherding a few sheep.
The bear always brought the sheep back from the pasture at the time prescribed by the monk.
This marvel aroused the envy of several ill-willed men, who put an end to it by killing the bear.
In an outburst of grief, Florentius exclaimed that he hoped God would punish the malefactors. Soon afterwards the culprits died of leprosy. This turn of events moved Florentius to a deep remorse for his outburst that remained with him for the rest of his life. His holy death occurred in A.D. 547.
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