Saint of the Day – February 25 – Saint Walburga
St. Walburga (710-777 A.D.) was born near Devonshire, England, the daughter of St. Richard the Pilgrim (a Saxon king) and the sister of Sts. Willibald and Winebald. When she was eleven her father and brothers went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, while her father placed her in a convent famous for its holiness. She was well educated according to her rank, became a nun, and lived there for twenty-six years. Her uncle, St. Boniface, then brought her to what is now Germany to help him evangelize that country and establish the Church there. In this missionary activity she joined her brothers who were also laboring for the faith in that country, one as an abbot, the other as a bishop. Because of her education she was able to document the travels of her brother in the Holy Land, and for this work she became the first female author of England and Germany. She was known as a miracle worker and healer both in her life and after her death. St. Walburga’s relics have the miraculous property of exuding oil to which many cures have been ascribed through the centuries. St. Walburga is the patron saint of sailors, mariners, and farmers, and against hydrophobia, famine, coughs, rabies, plague, and storms. St. Walburga’s feast day is February 25th.
//Catholic Company//
Seeking God in Suffering – Gripped by God’s Love
Gripped by God’s Love
DAY 16 | Romans 8:31-39
[Nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 8:39
Have you ever watched a movie in which a prisoner is being tortured at increasingly horrible levels of pain until they either give up a secret or give in to death? This is what comes to mind when reading the apostle Paul’s dread-list of the worst things that could happen to God’s people. Which of these might cause them to doubt God’s love?
In this passage Paul was naming some of his own hardships and then confirming to his own soul, and to ours, “No, not persecution. No, not famine. No, not that, or that, or that.” Why? Because God’s love is unshakable, and God gives us the strength not only to face but also to conquer the enemy’s attacks. How? Through the finished work of Christ’s victorious death and resurrection.
Paul says neither the present nor the future shall threaten our confidence in God’s loving grip on us. This passage has been a stronghold for my Uncle Ivan over the past 45 years since his wife, Ruth, woke up one day and was unable to move. Her increasing paralysis changed their future dramatically, but they have trusted in God every step of the way.
Is there anything in your life that feels too overwhelming to handle? The power of the living God guarantees a strong grip on you as you face your hardship head-on. Never give up.
Lord, we are weak, but you are strong. When the troubles of life pummel us, help us to find comfort in your love that never lets go. Help us to keep looking to you. In Jesus, Amen.
//Reframe Ministries//
Saint of the Day – February 25th
St. Walburga (710-777 A.D.) was born near Devonshire, England, the daughter of St. Richard the Pilgrim (a Saxon king) and the sister of Sts. Willibald and Winebald. When she was eleven her father and brothers went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, while her father placed her in a convent famous for its holiness. She was well educated according to her rank, became a nun, and lived there for twenty-six years. Her uncle, St. Boniface, then brought her to what is now Germany to help him evangelize that country and establish the Church there. In this missionary activity she joined her brothers who were also laboring for the faith in that country, one as an abbot, the other as a bishop.
Because of Walburga’s education, she was able to document the travels of her brother in the Holy Land, and for this work she became the first female author of England and Germany. She was known as a miracle worker and healer both in her life and after her death.
St. Walburga’s relics have the miraculous property of exuding oil to which many cures have been ascribed through the centuries. St. Walburga is the patron saint of sailors, mariners, and farmers, and against hydrophobia, famine, coughs, rabies, plague, and storms. St. Walburga’s feast day is February 25th.