THE MARIST CALENDAR FOR FEBRUARY

In this Marist Bulletin we are publishing the Marist Calendar for February, which appears each day on our web site www.champagnat.org

1 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time ? 1856: First Marist Brothers left for Belgium ? 1869: ? Father Colin visited St Genis-Laval
2 Feast of the Lord?s Presentation ? Our Lady of Light ? World Day of Widows ?1822: Br Stanislaus entered at La Valla ? 1934: The first brothers arrived in Uruguay ? First Monday of the month: memorial for deceased Marists
3 1914: First brothers began Marist work in Germany ? 1874: Br Marie Nizier, companion of St Peter Chanel, died in London
4 1911: First brothers left for Chile
5 Day of the Homeless ? 1872: Br John Baptist, author of the first biography of St Marcellin and the early Brothers, died at St. Genis-Laval
6 ?Whenever you see a good man, try to imitate him; when you see an evil one, take stock of yourself? (Confucius)
7 International day of humankind ? 1746: Marie Therese Chirat, the mother of St. Marcellin, was born ? Marist Saturday, specially dedicated to prayer for the Marist Family
8 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time ? 1851: Br. Lawrence, the third Brother to join the Institute and a catechist in Bessat, died at the Hermitage
9 ?Reading without reflecting is a useless thing to do? (Confucius)
10 ?One who is wise starts by doing what he or she wants to teach and then teaching? (Confucius)
11 Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes – World Day of the Sick – International day for averting climate change
12 1867: The first brothers left for the Republic of South Africa.
13 ?A government is good when it makes its own people happy and attracts those who live far away? (Confucius)
14 Feast of Sts Cyril and Methodius, Patrons of Europe – St Valentine?s, day of those in love ? 1823: Lost in a blinding snowstorm, Marcellin and Br Stanislaus pray the Memorare? ? Marist Saturday, specially dedicated to prayer for the Marist Family
15 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time ? 1947: First Marist Brothers began work in Portugal
16 ?Learn to live and you?ll know how to die well? (Confucius)
17 ?By observing people?s faults, we get to know their virtues? (Confucius)
18 ?Ignorance is the the mind?s night time, a night without moonlight and stars? (Confucius)
19 1962: First Marist Brothers left for Costa Rica
20 Get Marist news free on the net, sign up for the Marist Bulletin at www.champagnat.org
21 International day of the mother tongue ? Marist Saturday, specially dedicated to prayer for the Marist Family
22 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Feast of St. Peter the Apostle as Teacher ? 1957: The Marist brothers began work in Bolivia
23 1942: Br Diogene, 6th General Superior of the Marist Brothers, died at Saint-Genis
24 ?Weeds don?t kill good seeds, neglectful farmer?s do? (Confucius)
25 Ash Wednesday ? Beginning of of Lent ? 1906: 5 Marist Brothers were slain in Nanchang, China ? 1985: First Brothers began our Marist work in Haiti.
26 ?I?d like to be a humble puddle of water to reflect the heavens? Abp Helder Camara
27 Friday in Lent
28 Marist Saturday, specially dedicated to prayer for the Marist Family
29 1st Sunday in Lent

BROTHER FRANÇOIS? YEAR (VIII)
6 june 2003 ? 6 june 2004

HIS JUSTICE

As a Christian virtue, justice has nothing to do with court matters. Here, we mean the habit that gives God the worship and the gratitude that befits him. This virtue recognises and glorifies God?s works. At the same time, justice is a deep respect of the others, of their rights, their authority and their work.

The following testimonies imply our understanding of Brother François? justice:
«I remember that Brother François was tireless in all his duties towards God. All his affection was for God. Besides, he gave the saints the appropriate veneration. He kept talking of the extraordinary blessings granted his dear Congregation by God. Consequently, he trained the Brothers to thank God daily for all the favours received from Him. He often returned to the thanksgiving theme in his instructions. ?Brothers, good deeds are done, let us thank God. Oh! Let us not cease thanking Him!? In his notebook he often mentioned thanksgiving to God and Mary. I do believe that Brother François gave everyone his due, according to his sound conscience that was however, a little bit fearful. To God he offered his worship and his affection; to the saints he offered their due veneration according to the liturgical rules from which he never strayed.»

This sense of justice influenced his collaborators. «This worthy superior made the brothers respect authority and the rights of others. I heard him speak of the thanksgiving we owed Pope Pius IX who had welcomed him so well in Rome where he had gone for our rules? approval. During his whole life, Brother François was full of courtesy for the priests and the bishops.

Respect and gratitude as facets of justice naturally accompany affection. «He never criticised his successors. A father cannot show as much attachment and affection for his family as this good superior did for his congregation.
A lady who had worked for Brother François reported, «I remember that Brother François was very fair. Thus, wanting me to do some needle work for him, he first made the salary arrangements with my parents. He was always very honest as regarded the payments.» Another lady reported a similar experience, «My husband was a cloth supplier to the Hermitage. Brother François was always very honest, even courteous and obliging. During our trading he did not haggle; he wanted us to have our legitimate benefit.» Others affirmed, «The servant of God was very grateful for favours received. I specially remember his thankfulness for Mrs. De la Grandville?s help. He was very careful to make us respect the neighbour?s property. There were novenas for the benefactors. When one of these died, he asked us to recite the office for the dead. He often prayed for his parents whom he dearly loved.

Christian justice is a life style where the sense of God, the respect of God and people and gratitude cause one to behave in a just way, offering to God, the saints and men a sort of priority and promotion.
(Source: Positio super virtutibus: Informatio, pp. 64-68)

Brother François? Thought
How blind and how very foolish it is
to spend one?s life weaving with great seriousness and application
spider webs
that death will sweep away in a half second!

Brother François? Prayer
Sacred Heart of Jesus,
grant me the gift to always love you
and in a progressive way.
Receive, O Sacred Heart
all my freedom, my memory, my will,
my actions and my life.
Accept my sufferings and my pains,
I give myself to you forever.
Lord,
All the moments of my life are yours,
all my actions are yours,
kindly grant me your grace to fulfil my duties
with the sole purpose to please and serve you.
(Carnet de notes, Summ. P. 555)

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