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137.1
First Point
Saint
Paulinus displayed a great detachment from the pleasures and comforts of
life and from all the goods of the world. No sooner was he married than he
persuaded his wife to preserve continence with him, so that they lived
together like brother and sister. Then they sold all their property and
distributed most of the proceeds to the poor, while the rest they used to
build a church in honor of Saint Felix. There for the rest of his life
Saint Paulinus prayed every night.
Made prisoner by the Goths, who threatened to kill him unless he
gave them all his treasure, he begged God not to allow him to be tortured
for the sake of gold and silver, for God knew where he had put all his
wealth. From this Saint Augustine took occasion to remark that all Saint
Paulinus' wealth was in God, because he did not want to possess anything
except God. No doubt it was his renunciation of all things that had given
him this disposition.
You have renounced the world exteriorly and all that people seek in
it for their contentment. Take care that this renunciation also be
interior and procure for you a complete detachment. Ask for this through
the intercession of Saint Paulinus.
137.2 Second Point
This
saint's love for the poor was so admirable that even though he had become
poor himself for the sake of Jesus Christ, he never refused to give alms.
One day a poor person came to his door, and the saint ordered that he be
given the last bit of bread they had. His wife, however, did not wish to
do this, fearing that they would be left in extreme need. But God provided
for them, because when mealtime came, several barges full of wheat arrived
for him. At the same time he was told that one barge loaded with grain had
been lost. This gave him the chance to say to his wife that she should
have had more trust in God, and that because she had not wanted to part
with one loaf, God had made them lose that barge full of wheat.
Is this how you love the poor? God asks you to give them not
material but spiritual alms, which is all the more important, since the
life of the body is nothing compared to the life of the soul which is
immortal.
137.3 Third Point
This
saint was not satisfied with this charity toward the poor, rare as it was;
he carried it to excessive lengths as we can see in the instance related
by Saint Gregory the Great. A mother came to him desolate because the
Vandals had taken her son prisoner and their king's son-in-law had made
him his slave. In her distress the woman could think of nothing else to do
except to have recourse to Saint Paulinus. He had nothing to give her, so
he made himself a volunteer slave and took the place of the son of this
widow in order to obtain his release. God blessed this unparalleled act of
charity to such an extraordinary degree that Saint Paulinus soon
afterwards was sent back to his bishopric with great honors, accompanied
by all the captives from his diocese, who were turned over to him and
granted freedom.
You have committed yourselves to God in the place of those whom you
instruct. By taking upon yourselves the responsibility for their souls, you
have, so to speak, offered to him soul for soul.[i]
Have you sometimes reflected on the commitment you have made, taking
responsibility for those whom God has entrusted to you, in order to be
faithful to it? Do you have as much care for their salvation as you have
for your own? You should not only take all possible care of them, but
consecrate your life and yourselves entirely to procure salvation for
them.
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