A NEW SAINT FOR POOR FRANCE

 

Another child who can be compared to Blessed Carlo Acutis, Venerable Matteo Farina, Pablo Maria de la Cruz, and Gaspard Clermont, and other children being considered for canonization, all of whom died prematurely, is SERVANT of GOD ANNE-GABRIELLE CARON, who was born in 2002 in Toulon, France. She was the eldest daughter of a naval officer, Alexandre Caron, and a literature teacher, Marie-Dauphine Caron, one of five children.

From the age of two and a half, her attentiveness to others and her piety were noted. At the age of four, she demonstrated her eagerness to die in order to see God. For a year, in 2006-2007, she traveled to French Guiana with her family. Upon her return, she made sure to welcome and integrate the new students into her first-grade class.

 As a child, long before her illness, Anne-Gabrielle was already showing predispositions to an interiority that she would develop during her illness.  She analyzed everything in relation to love. When she was two and a half years old, her brother François-Xavier was baptized. As she entered the church, Anne-Gabrielle saw a large crucifix on the side, she let go of her grandmother's hand and said: "Jesus, Jesus, He is in pain, I will console Him." 

 In the summer of 2008, her right leg began to cause her pain. The pain worsened. A biopsy performed in February 2009 revealed that she had Ewing's sarcoma, a rare and virulent bone cancer.

”I sometimes tell myself that the Good Lord gives me a lot: the heartache, the chemo, the taste when I am in pain. I would like to know why He chose me and not someone else. It's still a lot. But I'm willing to accept it. I love You my God. " (age 7)

 Hospitalized in Marseille at La Timone Hospital, she underwent intensive chemotherapy. During a period of remission, she made her First Communion and received Confirmation.

She reflected on her suffering and trials, complaining about them several times, but accepted them. She prayed frequently to the Blessed Virgin. Very demanding of herself and those close to her, she refused to tolerate lack of love or gossip.  

The two priests who accompanied her during her illness, Father Benoît-Vianney Arnauld and Father Jean-Raphaël Dubrule, were astonished by the interior life of one so young. "I don't feel worthy to sit next to her," said Father Benoit-Vianney; "I have never seen a child who has reached such a degree in the love of God." 

Anne-Gabrielle also knew how to be very lively, exhibiting the excitement and joy of a child.  

She suffered greatly. "The very last days of her life, she took communion daily, lying down, with her hands joined together. Then she immersed herself in deep interior prayer. It was a crystal, so pure and so fragile. The presence of God was tangible. Her contemplation was never-ending", said her mother. 

While she suffered with joy and generosity, she spoke openly of her fear of dying. Yet, she asked God to give her the suffering of the other children in the hospital.

“Say, do you think that the souls I will have delivered through my sacrifices will be able to do something for me when I am dead? Do you think they know that somewhere on Earth there is an eight-year-old girl suffering for them? " said Anne-Gabrielle a month before her death. 

 At the beginning of July 2010, when a final chemo attempt was made, Anne-Gabrielle suffered a stroke. On July 22nd, morphine was no longer effective. 

She died on July 23 at La Timone Hospital.   All those who were with her until the end of her life testify that they were taken by an "irrepressible desire to love Jesus" at her touch. "It was as if we were sanctified in His presence," recounts her mother. "We touched heaven with her. " 

PASSION SUNDAY - WE ADORE THEE

 

  The 5^th Sunday of Lent, also known as Passion Sunday, marks the beginning of Passiontide and is a time for deeper reflection on the coming suffering and death of  Jesus.

“For us, here and now, there is more immediate and more practical meaning in those fourteen incidents on the way to Calvary.  It is a showing not simply of the way of sorrows which we are all destined to walk, if we will or not, but of the way of love which heals sorrow, and which we all can take if we walk in the footsteps Christ has marked out for us, and not only imitate Him but identify ourselves with him.  The stations show us how each one can lighten the heavy cross that is laid upon the bent back of the whole human race now, how each one in the power of Christ’s love can sweeten his own suffering and that of those who are dear to him.

This is why the prayer, “We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by thy Holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world,” echoes down the centuries, not in tones of fear and reluctance but as a cry of welcome, a tender cry, in the tones of a lover’s greeting, to Him whom every man must meet on the way of sorrows, changed for Him to the way of love.”       

Words written over 70 years ago by the mystic and eccentric writer Caryll Houselander.  Perhaps even more appropriate in our world today? 

All the readings of this Sunday give us hope and paint a picture of a very bright tomorrow for all that is to come. In the first reading, God restores our hope, giving us every reason to continue living, despite the difficulties of this present moment and season.

 In the Gospel, we are encouraged by the words of Jesus “Neither do I condemn you.” The complete forgiveness of Jesus is incredible.  He will always fill us with Joy, soon fulfilling His promise to us through his death and resurrection.

HOPE IN WAR

 

              " Protection of the Mother of God" -  Icon by Katerya Shadrina, Ukraine

The apostolic nuncio in Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, emphasized that, despite the pain and devastation of the on-going war, HOPE remains the only refuge for those suffering from the war.

“Pope Francis has proclaimed the Jubilee Year of Hope, and in such a horrible war, there is nothing left but hope. Military chaplains tell us that soldiers are grateful for any message of hope, because it is the only thing they have left,” the Archbishop said in an interview with ACI Prensa (CNA’s Spanish-language news partner).

 Archbishop   Kulbokas criticized the ineffectiveness of the international community in finding a solution to the conflict. “There are no international structures capable of resolving the war. At the beginning, Europe may have thought that this conflict was not its problem, but when wars are not taken seriously, the conflict grows. If wars are not stopped at the outset, it’s too late later on.”

Yet despite the conflict, the apostolic nuncio maintains hope for a diplomatic solution. “In order for the conditions to be met that would put serious negotiations on the table, it’s necessary that there not be not just one or two global actors to decide. Peace in Ukraine must be a matter for the entire international community,” he indicated.

According to recent U.N. data, more than 12,600 civilians have died in the conflict, including more than 2,400 children and  2 million families have been displaced.

THE "NO NAME" BAND- ANOTHER HOLY TEEN

 

VENERABLE MATTEO FARINA was a young athlete and musician who played guitar and loved chemistry. He hoped to become an environmental engineer, but was diagnosed with brain cancer at 13 and died six years later. During his illness, he suffered with joy and continued to embrace Jesus as an ordinary teenager—between band practice and dates with his girlfriend.

Matteo was born in 1990 in Avellino (the birthplace of his paternal grandfather) as the second of two children born to Miky Farina (a bank clerk) and Paola Sabbatini (a housewife); his elder sister was Erika whom he was close to.

 In 2000, Matteo had a dream in which he saw St  (Padre) Pio of Pietrelcina who revealed to him the secret of Christian happiness, urging Matteo  to spread this knowledge to others. This dream made Matteo realize that he was meant to evangelize this secret in order to lead others to God.

Throughout his life, he had a deep devotion to Sts. Francis of Assisi and to Pio of Pietrelcina and would recite the rosary each day and read the Gospel. He went to confession once a week and often attended Eucharistic Adoration.

 He also had a devotion to St. Gemma Galgani and (Soon to be canonized) Pier Giorgio Frassati while the writings of Thérèse of Lisieux inspired him.

  From his father he acquired a love for music and he was trained to play several musical instruments by his father. He and friends formed a music band called "No Name". His friends would often refer to Matteo as "the moralizer" since he often spoke about God and encouraged peace. He also had a passion for chemistry and considered continuing his studies in the environmental engineering field. He also liked information technology during his time at school.

Matteo created a fund for the missions in Mozambique and deposited his savings there while urging his parents to replace Christmas shopping with sending something to the poor of Africa. 

In April 2007, he began dating a girl named Serena, with whom he remained until his death, once referring to her as "the most beautiful gift that the Lord could give."

In September 2003, he began experiencing severe headaches and vision problems and so he travelled with his parents and his uncle Rosario for a series of health checks conducted in Avellino and Verona hospitals before a two-week visit to Hannover for a brain biopsy the next month.

 On their return to Brindisi he believed his health problems were over but the tests soon showed an extended edema in the right temporo-occipital area of his brain with mallignant cells also suspected.

 Matteo had a severe seizure ten months later and found his vision was impaired. This forced him to go to Germany for a craniotomy operation to remove a third degree brain tumor in January 2005. He spent over a month undergoing chemotherapy in Milan and was able to return to Brindisi in April,  the day which Pope (St) John Paul II died.

 He had periodic checks until 2007 when it was believed that the disease was regressing. But this was short lived, as Matteo experienced the first recurrence in December 2007. In October 2008 he left for Hannover for checks in which the second recurrence was discovered, at which stage his mother felt it was appropriate for him to receive the anointing of the sick.

 Matteo had the first of three operations to remove the tumor on 9 December 2008 but his condition worsened. He returned to Brindisi on 13 February 2009 with paralysis of his arm and left leg (due to the operations) and began using a wheelchair in order to move around.

In late March he had a high fever which saw him admitted to the Antonio Perrino Hospital where he received an Easter blessing from Archbishop Rocco Talucci.

His doctors were unable to do anything more for Matteo and advised him to return home. He received his final communion on 13 April 2009 and died a week later on 24 April. His remains were relocated on 29 September 2017 to the Brindisi-Ostuni Cathedral at a Mass which was presided over by Archbishop Domenico Caliandro. 

His mission can be described in his own words : “My God, I have two hands, let one of them to be always clasped to you in order to hold you closer in every trial. And let the other hand fall throughout the world if this is your will… as I Know you by others, so let others know you through me. I want to be a mirror, the clearest possible, and if this is your will, I want to reflect your light in the heart of every man. Thanks for life. Thanks for faith. Thanks for love. I’m yours”.