18 October - Saint Luke

Weather:   Today, and the days fore and aft, are known as Saint Luke's Little Summer, a bit of warmth in the crisp October days.   


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 Feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist: the first ecclesiastical historiographer, author of the Gospel of Luke and of The Acts of the Apostles, and the companion of St. Paul, who called him 'the beloved physician'.  His symbol is the horned ox, usually winged.  Patron of artists, especially painters, and physicians, and a whole host of others.   You can read a nearly exhaustive account of the great writer here at the Catholic Encyclopedia.    More ways to celebrate Saint Luke's day can be found on Catholic Culture, including the beautiful prayer said at the completion of the day, Nunc Dimittis: "Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word in peace; because my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples: A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel."
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Today is another good day to find out who you are going to marry, but unlike Saint Faith's Eve, you can also find out what kind of husband he will be.  This charm is taken from Mother Bunch's Closet Newly Broke Open, as found in Observations on the Popular Antiquities of Great Britain by John Brand:

"Take marigold flowers, a sprig of marjoram, thyme, and a little wormwood; dry them before a fire, rub them to a powder, then sift it through a fine piece of lawn; simmer these in a small quantity of virgin honey in white vinegar, over a slow fire; with this anoint your stomach, breast, and lips, lying down, and repeat these words thrice:

Saint Luke, Saint Luke, be kind to me

Let me in dreams my true love see

This said, hasten to sleep, and in the soft slumber of your nights repose, the very man whom you shall marry will appear before you, walking to and fro, near your bedside, very plain and visible to be seen.  You shall perfectly see his visage, stature and deportment; and if he be one that will prove a loving husband, he will approach you with a smile; which, if he does, do not seem to be over fond or peevish; but receive the same with a mild and modest blush.  But if it be one, who after marriage will forsake thy bed to wander after strange women, he will offer to be rude and uncivil with thee."

Good luck!  Were I to see some guy walking to and fro near my bedside, I would be dialing 9-1-1; that is, I would if I could do anything more than pray, "Take me now, Lord!"

Artwork: Woodcut of Saint Luke from a sixteenth century Dutch copy of The Golden Legend.

17 October - St. Etheldreda

Saint Etheldreda was a Saxon princess, daughter of King Anna of East Anglia and his wife Heriswitha, and expected - as were so many people of the ruling classes -  to marry for matters of state.  Having early decided that her chosen Spouse was Our Lord himself, and that she wished only to serve him, she resisted all attempts to marry her to an earthly king.

Only for a little while, though.  Politics being what they were, she was married to Tombert, King of the Gervii, who left her the Isle of Ely as part of her widow's jointure. She founded a convent there.

Upon the death of Tombert she was married, again for politics, to King Egfrid of Northumbria.  After twelve years of marriage, during which (the chroniclers say) she never slept with her husband, she was allowed to remove to the convent at Coldingham.  For some reason, probably political, Egfrid decided that Etheldreda should come back to his court and his bed, but she eluded him and finally ended up on the isle of Ely where she founded a convent.  She died in June of 679, and requested that she be buried without any marker distinguishing her grave, as was the custom with nuns.  However, her sister Sexburga (who followed her as abbess) raised a monument over her burial place on this day in 695.  Later, her relics were moved to the Cathedral at Ely; this shrine was destroyed during the reformation of the English church.

Her name - over time - was contracted to Auldreda, then to Auldrey, then to Audrey.

A fair was held in her island of Ely which was known as St. Etheldreda's or St. Audrey's fair.  Among other things sold at this fair were lengths of lace and ribbons of the five-and-dime sort, more showy and gaudy than quality goods, something that appealed to milkmaids and (in future years) their sisters: secretaries, chemist's assistants, cinema attendants, fast-food servers, grocery check-out clerks, etc.  These were the ribbons that Johnny brought home to his love to "tie up her bonny brown hair". It has been suggested that we get the word 'tawdry' from these St. Audrey fairings.

15 October - Saint Teresa of Avila

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Avila - Discalced Carmelite, reformer, mystic, and Doctor of the Church.

Teresa Sanchez Capeda Davila y Ahumada, born in Avila, Spain on the 28th of March 1515; died at Alba de Tormes 4 October 1582.  Her's is a fascinating life, full of contradictions.  I have always liked the story of her persuading her brother to go with her to Africa, so that they could be martyred ("a quick way to see God").  That is very much a child's reasoning.

You can read Saint Teresa's Autobiography at Project Gutenberg; The Interior Castle at Sacred Texts (the translation is by the Benedictines of Stanbrook, which will make this edition more in keeping with Saint Teresa's vision than that of the New Age translations you'll find in the local bookstore); and Way of Perfection at Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

Other ideas for celebrating the life of Saint Teresa can be found at Catholic Culture, including "Saint Teresa's Bookmark" and more Spanish recipes to enjoy.
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Avila has several dishes for which it is justly known, but in honor of Teresa, here is a candy made in Avila called YEMAS DE SANTA TERESA (Yolks of Saint Teresa).

Some say that Teresa's nuns made these sweets to raise money; others, that they have been made from secret recipes handed down in baking families.  Whatever their origins, they are a fascinating and contradictory concoction... just like the Saint.

Start with 12 egg yolks (save the whites for angel food cake or meringue).  Put the yolks through a fine mesh sieve into a saucepan and set aside.

In another saucepan, mix together 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, a cinnamon stick, and the zest of one lemon (you can add 1/2 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice as well, if you want the flavor to be more lemony).  Stir over medium heat, thoroughly dissolving the sugar, until it reaches a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until syrup reaches the soft-ball stage (about 234 degrees on the candy thermometer).  Remove from heat and discard the cinnamon stick.

Carefully add the syrup to the egg yolks (or the egg yolks to the syrup, if you prefer), stirring constantly.  (I have found that adding a spoonful of hot mixture into the eggs, stirring furiously, then adding another spoonful, stirring furiously, and maybe a third spoonful, helps to incorporate the hot mixture without cooking the eggs. Then, either mixture can be stirred into the other.)  Cook mixture over medium heat, still stirring constantly, until it thickens slightly.  Remove from heat, and stir until mixture is stiff and does not stick to the sides of the pan.

You can now either pour the mixture onto a greased flat pan, or sprinkle powdered sugar on a plate and spread the mixture on it.  Allow the mixture to cool until you can handle it.

When cool enough to handle, form mixture into small balls and roll them in more powdered sugar. Place the balls on a clean plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill completely (overnight is best).

You can also order these sweets (and other foods from Spain) on the La Tienda website.

14 October - Saint Callistus

Weather: If St. Calixtus' day be dry and windy, the winter will be wet, but if it be rainy and still, the harvest will be good.

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Pope Saint Callistus (or Calixtus) I (died c. 223), has a most interesting history.  However, much of it comes from his enemies, and anyone who reads the media nowadays, especially in the months leading up to an election, knows perfectly well that what is written is not always the truth.

Okay, to be charitable, what is written may be the truth as the writer sees it, and if he sees his opponent with horns and a pitchfork, that is what he is going to write.

To Tertullian and Saint Hippolytus, Calixtus had horns and a pitchfork.

What is known is that Calixtus was elected to succeed Pope Zephyrinus in AD 218 or 219 and that his episcopacy lasted about five years.  He might have been a martyr; he certainly was one of the more charitable popes.

Otherwise, it was said that he started life as a slave to a Christian gentleman, and was entrusted by his master with a sum of money with which to start a bank for the use of other Christians.  He lost the money, both the original stake and the funds of others, to bad lending practices; knowing that he would be blamed, he ran.  Not far enough, however.  He was found and sentenced to imprisonment, but those whose money had been lost, thinking that he had stolen it and had it hidden somewhere, begged for his release.  He didn't have it, of course, and the next we hear of him, he is being haled before a judge for getting into an altercation with some Jews (it has been suggested that he was trying to get the bank's money back, the Jews being the borrowers who refused to repay their loans).

This time he was sentenced to the mines of Sardinia, where he spent some time before being released with other Christians by the mistress of the Emperor Commodus.  He was created an archdeacon by Pope Zephyrinus and given charge of a Christian cemetery, and was elected pope himself upon the death of Zephyrinus.

So what is there in all this that had Tertullian and Hippolytus foaming at the mouth?  Well, among other things:

• Calixtus decreed that those who had committed adultery and/or fornication could, upon having done their penance, be admitted to Communion [Seems reasonable to me, but there are those to this day who feel that if you put your hand to the plow and subsequently turn away, that's it - you don't belong with us anymore, no matter how sorry you are].

• He did not require public penance of converts for sins committed prior to their acceptance into the Church [again, this seems reasonable.  And trust me.  Those who have walked in darkness and now walk in the light will carry the penance of those years of darkness in their hearts for life.  You don't need to add to it].

• He allowed bishops to serve who had been married more than once [marriages contracted before baptism didn't count, any more than sins committed before baptism.  Afterward is a different story].

• He declared that differences in status were no bar to marriage [Roman civil law said otherwise]

There were further accusations of heresy and enabling criminal activities.  When Calixtus was elected pope, Hippolytus had himself elected anti-pope by his followers.  Calixtus may have been killed in an popular uprising; legend says that he was thrown into a well with a millstone around his neck.

Both Tertullian and Hippolytus were considered heretics, but Hippolytus, who may have been a disciple of Saint Irenaeus, repented and returned to the fold before his death, which is why, in spite of his calumnies, he is called Saint Hippolytus.

There is hope for all of us.

13 October - US Navy Birthday

"Resolved, That a swift sailing vessel, to carry ten carriage guns, and a proportionable number of swivels, with eighty men, be fitted, with all possible despatch, for a cruise of three months, and that the commander be instructed to cruize eastward, for intercepting such transports as may be laden with warlike stores and other supplies for our enemies, and for such other purposes as the Congress shall direct.

That a Committee of three be appointed to prepare an estimate of the expence, and lay the same before the Congress, and to contract with proper persons to fit out the vessel.

Resolved, that another vessel be fitted out for the same purposes, and that the said committee report their opinion of a proper vessel, and also an estimate of the expence."  Source.
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Today in 1775, the Continental Congress authorized, by the above resolutions, "the procurement, fitting out, manning, and dispatching of two armed vessels" along with a committee to oversee the same.   The United States Navy dates its founding from that day.

You'd think that something as reasonable as ships to protect our shores would be at the forefront of any discussion, especially considering how much coastline the original 13 colonies (and their neighbors) had, but this was still 1775.  Independence was a hotly-contested issue, and certainly not a foregone conclusion, especially by those who hoped that showing the British Crown we were serious about defending our rights as British subjects would lead to a reconciliation (and life returning to normal).  There were privateers occasionally doing some damage, but their actions could be disavowed as needed. An authorized Navy could not be disavowed, and the whole thing smacked of real provocation, with no hope of reconciliation.

You can read here a detailed essay on the background and situation which led to this legislation, and find links to images and histories of some of the vessels of the Revolutionary War here.

And for your enjoyment, check out this 1777 map of Narragansett Bay, done for the British army by a helpful Loyalist to show, among other things, "the works and batteries raised by the Americans".   (Yep.  Little Rhody was right at the forefront of agitating for a Navy, because we knew those British ships had to be stopped out there away from our coastline.  Unfortunately, too little, too late, as Newport, Bristol, and Warren found to their cost.)

This is a screen capture.  You can see the whole map in great detail at the David Rumsey Map Collection website.

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When the Widow wore a uniform, such as that pictured here - yes, children, ichthyosaurs roamed the seas, to the detriment of our wooden dugouts - we were still called WAVES - Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service.  That transitioned (along with an update in uniform) to WIN (Women In the Navy), making the old joke "Join the Navy and ride the Waves" obsolete.  Sailors are an inventive bunch, though, and a little change in acronym doesn't stop them.  I won't sully your ears.

But barring that, and too many funerals, and too many goodbyes, and WAY too many times getting shot at - this sailorette enjoyed her tours.

--------------    GO NAVY!    --------------

12 October - Columbus Day; Spaghetti Aglio e Olio con Acciughe

...Then, pale and worn, he kept his deck,
                     And peered through darkness.  Ah, that night
          Of all dark nights!  And then a speck -
                     A light! a light! a light! a light!
          It grew; a starlit flag unfurled!
                     It grew to be Time's burst of dawn.
         He gained a world; he gave that world
                    Its grandest lesson: "On! sail on!"
                                                             - Joaquin Miller, "Columbus"

Today is the day that Christopher Columbus (or, more likely, Rodrigo de Triana, the Pinta's lookout) sighted land on his 1492 voyage to find a way to the rich Indies by a westward route.  It was observed Monday in order to give everyone three days in which to celebrate the European discoveries of our continents OR to bemoan the same.  I personally am inclined to celebrate.

So here's to you, Columbus (and de Triana) and Brendan and Verazzano and Madog and Hudson and Cabot and Eriksson and Balboa, and Cartier, and more that I cannot even remember.  And also, here's to all of those brave enough to get on small boats and large ships (over the last four centuries), leaving everything behind, the good with the bad, to start over in a new land that most likely didn't speak the same language and has a habit of looking down on immigrants other than themselves.

And they did it without searching the Internet first - "All the reviews say that the people there are cannibals.  Yuck!  And not a vegan restaurant anywhere!  Well, I'm not eating there!" - or relying on a computerized device to steer the ship in the right direction - "Turn left at the Azores.  Proceed until your crew mutinies. You have gone too far.  Make a U-turn at Panama."

Brave men.

Artwork: The Virgin of the Navigators, Alejo Fernandez, 1531-36, Seville.
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If you are interested in the foods that Columbus and his sailors would have eaten on their voyages, there are two very informative essays at the Castello Banfi website: 'Christopher Columbus - His Gastronomic Persona', and 'Recipes' from the same; both are pdf files.

According to Lucio Sorre, who wrote the above essays, the victuals on that first voyage included olive oil, vinegar, wine, honey and molasses;  flour, rice, dried chickpeas and lentils; garlic, cheese, raisins, and almonds; sardines, anchovies, salt cod, and pickled or salted beef and pork.

Sounds like they ate pretty good!

And so shall I, for my celebratory dinner will lead off with SPAGHETTI AGLIO E OLIO CON ACCIUGHE, also known as Spaghetti with Garlic, Oil, and Anchovies.

[yes, I like anchovies.  Like the above named men, I am brave.  And crazy.]

[I put my spaghetti into the boiling water at the same time as I start cooking the garlic in the oil.  The spaghetti is done and ready for the colander by the time the garlic is done, so my drained pasta does not have a chance to cool before it is dressed with the hot oil.]

For 3/4 pound of spaghetti:  Peel 3 to 5 cloves of garlic and split them lengthwise.  Put 6 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, heat slowly, and add the garlic cloves.  Fry garlic slowly until brown on both sides.  Remove from heat.

For those who cannot face the final step, the garlic-flavored oil is now ready to toss with the cooked spaghetti.  For the rest of us: to the still-hot oil, add 20 anchovy fillets (2 to 3 cans) cut into 1/2 inch pieces.  Toss with cooked spaghetti.  Eat at once. 

The garlic pieces, by the way, are not supposed to be eaten.  That has never stopped me, of course.

Follow this gastronomic delight with a well-chilled salad.

Sail on!

11 October - Meditrinalia; Wine Cookies

"Wine new and old I drink,

Of illness new and old I am cured."

Today in ancient Rome was the festival of Meditrinalia, celebrating the end of the grape harvest and the wine into which it would be made.  The ritual of the day included mixing old wine with new - the new being something akin to grape juice or mustum - pouring a libation on the altar for the god or goddess in charge of the day, and drinking the rest.  The new wine was considered wholesome (non-inebriating), and - mixed with the old - was thought to have healing properties; hence the charm above, repeated as one drank.

If you are interested in how the libation would have been offered, see this page at Nova Roma.

Meanwhile, this is an excellent day, especially if the good weather holds, to visit a local winery and try a new bottle of wine (undiluted by grape juice, please).  Of its health-giving powers I cannot say, but St. Paul told St. Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach's sake, and who am I to go against Holy Writ?

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These WINE COOKIES go nicely with a glass of good wine.

[you will need a tot of brandy and some anise extract, or the equivalent of anisette liqueur]

Grease 2 baking pans.
Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, beat together 7 eggs and 1 cup of sugar until foamy.  Add either 2 teaspoons of brandy mixed with 1-1/2 teaspoons of anise extract OR 4 teaspoons of anisette liqueur.  Set aside.

In another bowl sift 6-1/2 cups of flour; add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder.

Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture a little at a time, mixing well.  Turn out the dough onto a floured board and work in 1 cup of slivered almonds.  Work the dough into a log shape ('an overgrown cucumber' says the original recipe), place it on one of the greased baking pans and bake in preheated oven until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Turn the log out onto a board (do not turn off the oven) and carefully, while it is hot, slice it with a sharp knife into one-inch thick slices.  Lay the slices on the second greased pan (depending on how many slices you have, you may need to grease another pan); bake again for about 3 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Then eschew elegance and dip them in your glass of wine.  It may not cure you, but by then, you won't care.

These will keep a long time - at least, so I am told.

5 October - Saint Faith's Eve

Tomorrow is the feast of Saint Faith (aka Saint Fides, Sainte Foy, Santa Fe), Virgin and Martyr,  a young woman of 3rd century Aquitaine in southern France who was martyred by being burned to death on an iron bed placed over a flame pit (much like St. Lawrence).  She was a very popular saint in the Middle Ages, known for the many miracles at her shrine.

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The night before her feast - or in some places her feast day - was a time for divination; in this case, to dream of a future husband.  This required a Dumb-cake.

Dumb-cakes were utilized on other eves - St. Agnes,  St. Mark, St. John, All Hallows - but the ingredients tended to change, as did the personnel involved.  For Saint Faith's Eve/Day, a party of three unmarried women or three widows performed the ritual [a mixed bag is not mentioned, so I would stand pat with three-of-a-kind].

So for this charm you will need two friends, the ingredients listed below, a griddle [the original charm calls for a dutch oven - probably a very shallow dutch oven], and a wedding ring borrowed from a woman who has been married at least seven years - a happily married woman being more efficacious.

The Dumb-cake for Saint Faith's is made of spring water, flour, sugar, and salt [the amounts of each being up to you, but I'd probably use 1/2 cup of flour, 1/4 tablespoon of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/3 to 1/2 cup of water].  Each woman must share in the making of the cake [mixing, stirring, pouring it onto the griddle] and while the cake bakes on the griddle, each woman must turn it three times, for a total of nine times [and it should be mentioned here, that the cake resembles a pancake rather than a layer cake].  Once finished, it is cut into three strips, and each strip is passed through the borrowed wedding ring. Another version of the charm says that the cake is cut into three strips, and then each strip is cut into nine pieces, and THEN each of 27 pieces is passed through the wedding ring.

Then, each woman eats one of the three strips, or the nine pieces it was cut into, as she undresses for bed, saying softly,

O good Saint Faith, be kind tonight

And bring to me my heart's delight;

Let me my future husband view,

And be my vision chaste and true.

The wedding ring is now tied to the head of the bed, all three women climb in and dispose themselves for sleep, and hopefully they will dream of their future husbands.

The most important thing to remember is that all of this - start to finish - must be done in TOTAL SILENCE [except for the charm, I'm assuming].

Three girls silent?  I should hope to see this.  Oh, and good luck asking your mother if you can borrow her wedding ring 'in a good cause'.

OCTOBER

"This month was so named because it was the eighth month in the primitive Roman calendar ascribed to Romulus.  It became the tenth month in the calendar as revised by Numa, who added January and February, but it retained its original name, the more readily, perhaps, because it once more became the tenth month when the year commenced, as it did in early Christendom, with March.  Julius Caesar in his revision of the calendar gave it thirty days, which number was changed to thirty-one by Augustus.  As was the ease with September, many Roman Emperors sought to change its name in their own honor.  It was successively Germanicus, Antoninus, Tacitus, and Herculeus, the latter a surname of the Emperor Commodus.  But none of these names clung.  The Roman Senate had no better luck when they renamed it Faustinus, in honor of Faustina, wife of Antoninus.

The Anglo-Saxons called October Winterfylleth, a name which indicated that winter approached with the full moon of the month.  In old almanacs the sport of hawking is adopted as emblematical of this which was accounted the last month of autumn."  William Shepard Walsh, Curiosities of Popular Customs, p. 762 (1898).

Hawking in October

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Astronomy for October: The full moon this month, on the 11th, is the Hunter's Moon.  As farmers could bring in their crops into the evening hours with the aid of the Harvest Moon last month, so hunters are given extra hours to fill their game bags this month.

Two meteor showers this month: 

 The Draconids, which peak this year on the 8th.  Unfortunately, the waxing moon (which will be full three days later) will drown out much of the shower.  This is doubly unfortunate, because, according to EarthSky, this may be a banner year for the Draconids, and instead of the measly showing of most years, there may be as many as 1,000 shooting stars per hour.  This is also one of the easiest to watch, as they peak around nightfall; instead of sitting out in the chill early morning hours, one can watch them while having a last barbecue.

The Orionids return around the 21st-22nd (those being the peak days).  The moon will be on the wane, which will give better viewing than for the Draconids.  EarthSky says to look for these meteors between midnight and dawn, with the best viewing in the wee [and very chilly] hours before dawn.

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A good October and a good blast,

To blow the hog acorn and mast.

Weather for October

Based on the 12 Days of Christmas: Brilliant sunshine and chilly.

Based on the first 12 days of January: Overcast for the most part, and slightly chilly.

Based on the Ember Days: Gloriously beautiful!  Warm, sunny, gorgeous!

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Weather Lore for October

There are always nineteen fine days in October [Optimists and those who stretch the definition of 'fine' say twenty-one days].

If October is warm and fine, a sharp winter can be expected.

If the latter end of October and the beginning of November be for the most part warm and rainy, then January and February are likely to be frosty and cold. [Likely? LIKELY? Trust me, January and February will be frosty and cold, no matter what.]

A warm October, a cold February (and vice versa).

As the weather in October, so will it be the next March.

Much rain in October, much wind in December.

Thunder in October signifies great winds and a dearth of corn.

For every fog in October, there will be a snow in winter; heavy or light accordingly, as the fog is heavy or light.

Full moon in October without frost, no frost until the full moon in November.

If October brings heavy frosts and winds, then will January and February be mild.

Much frost and snow in October betokens mild weather in winter.

If, during the fall of leaves in October, many of them wither on the boughs and hang there, it betokens a frosty winter and much snow.

Ice in October that will bear up a duck, foretells a winter as wet as muck.

When birds and badgers are fat in October, expect a cold winter.

10/9 - A hard winter follows a fine St. Denis.

10/14 - If St. Calixtus' day be dry and windy, the winter will be wet, but if it be rainy and still, the harvest will be good.

10/16 - If it is fine on St. Gall's day, it will be fine up to Christmas.

10/18 - St. Luke's Little Summer

10/28 - St. Simon and St. Jude, almost certain to be rainy.

             

            There is oft times a tempest on St. Jude.

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Gardening:

Dry your barley in October,

Or you'll always be sober.  [Barley being necessary for malt, and malt being necessary for beer and whiskey, not paying attention to this admonition could mean a year spent drinking water]

In October, dung your field,

And your land its wealth shall yield.

If the first snow falls on moist, soft earth, it indicates a small harvest next year; but if upon hard, frozen soil, expect a good harvest.

The 1816 Almanac advises the farmer to "Transplant your brown Dutch and common Lettuces upon warm Borders, to abide the Winter; sow all Sort of Sallad Herbs upon decayed Hot Beds, such as Lettuce, Cresses, Radish, Mustard, and Spinach.  Earth up Celery, Chardoons, and the Stems of Broccoli Plants to protect them from the Frost."

"Make Plantations of the Suckers of Gooseberries, Currants, and Raspberries.  Cut Artichokes with long Stalks, which you may preserve in the House, by setting them in Sand."

"Continue to sow Wheat, set up your Barley Land, sow Masts for Coppices or Hedge-Rows; plant Quicksets and plash Hedges; and plant all Sorts of Forest-Trees that shed their Leaves."

It also gives this health advice to the reader: "Avoid being out late at Nights, or in foggy Weather; for a Cold now got may continue the whole Winter."

Artwork: "October" from the Tres Riches Heures of Jean, Duc de Berri, c1440.

29 September - Michaelmas

Weather: If Saint Michael brings many acorns, Christmas will cover the fields with snow.  [I wonder what 'many acorns' entails?  I've seen a tidy few under the oak trees - even after the squirrels have plundered among them.]

If Michaelmas day be fair, the sun will shine much in the winter, though the wind at the northeast will frequently reign long and be very sharp.

If Michael's day is quiet and beautiful, it will last for the next four weeks.

If the wind is out of the north on Michael's day, then October will be dry.

On Michaelmas day, the heat leaves us.

A dark Michaelmas, a light Christmas.

St. Michael's rain does not stay long in the sky.

As many days old as the moon is on Michaelmas, so many floods shall we have after. [the moon will be two days old]

If it rains on Michaelmas, it will rain up to Christmas.

If there is a gentle rain on St. Michael's day, we can expect a mild winter; but if there is thunder, winter will have heavy winds.

If it does not rain on St. Michael and St. Gallus (October 16), a dry spring is indicated for the next year.

The winds between 6 a.m and 6 p.m. today foretell the character of the winds in the following year. For example, if the wind during the hour of 8 a.m. is heavy and cold, then March will have heavy weather and cold winds.
The winds between 6 am and 7 am indicate the character of January.
Between 7 am and 8 am, that of February,
Between 8 am and 9 am, that of March,
Between 9 am and 10 am, that of April,
Between 10 am and 11 am, that of May,
Between 11 am and 12 noon, that of June,
Between 12 noon and 1 pm, that of July,
Between 1 pm and 2 pm, that of August,
Between 2 pm and 3 pm, that of September,
Between 3 pm and 4 pm, that of October,
Between 4 pm and 5 pm, that of November,
Between 5 pm and 6 pm, that of December.
[and thank goodness there are only 12 months.]

"If thou wilt see how it will go that year, then take heed of the Oak-Apples about S. Michael's day, for by them you shall know how by them it shall be:

If the Apples of the Oak-trees, when they be cut be within full of spiders, then followeth a naughty year [oooo, that sounds like fun]; 

if the Apples have within them Flies, that betokens a meetly good year; 

if they have Maggots in them, then followeth a good year [and a sudden loss of altitude for the apple];

if there be nothing in them, then followeth a great Dearth; 

if the Apples be many, and early ripe, so shall it be an early Winter, and very much snow shall be afore Christmas, and after that it shall be cold; 

if the inner part or kernel be fair and clear, then shall the Summer be fair, and Corn good also; 

but if they be moist, then shall the Summer also be moist; 

if they be lean, then shall there be a hot and dry Summer."

The Husbandman's Practice, or Prognostication for ever

Traditions: Eat a goose on Michaelmas Day to have money in the coming year.  [One roast goose, coming right up!]  And check the wishbone - a dark one means a severe winter coming; if it is light, winter will be mild.

All blackberries should have been gathered by now, for today the Devil passes his hoof over them (or breathes or spits or pees on them) and scorches them. The legend is that when St. Michael tossed the Devil out of Heaven, the Devil fell to earth and landed in a blackberry bush.  Not comfortable on the best of days, and this was already a bad day for Old Scratch.  In his wrath, he cursed the berries by one of the methods above, so that any still left would be poisonous.  Blackberries only, though.  The other edible berries should be just fine, if the birds haven't beaten you to them.

Love charms: Gather crab-apples, carry them to the loft (an attic will do if you haven't a loft) and form them into the initials of possible suitors.  On Old Michaelmas Day (October 10), see which initials are the most perfect.  These are considered to be the strongest attachments and the best for choice of husbands.

And once you've got your man:
St. Michael's chair is on St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall.  Tradition asserts that any woman who sat in this chair would ever after rule her husband [ladies, try suggesting St. Michael's Mount for this year's vacation.  Your husband may counter with Nice or Majorca instead.]

Gardening: Michaelmas Daisies are one of the joys of my backyard.  They are wild and grow everywhere - lovely violet-colored flowers bravely standing up to the winds of autumn.

The Michaelmas Daisy, amonge dead weeds,

Blooms for St. Michael's valorous deeds,

And seems the last of flowers that stood

Until the feast of Simon and Jude...

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WHO IS LIKE GOD?

Today is the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel and, originally, the feast of all angels with him.  In the new calendar it is the feast of All Angels without denominating any one in particular.

From Catholic Culture: "... in our Catholic tradition, St. Michael has four duties: (1) To continue to wage battle against Satan and the other fallen angels; (2) To save the souls of the faithful from the power of Satan especially at the hour of death; (3) To protect the People of God, both the Jews of the Old Covenant and the Christians of the New Covenant; and (4) finally to lead the souls of the departed from this life and present them to our Lord for the particular judgment, and at the end of time, for the final judgment."

That's quite a lot of duties.

Saint Michael is the patron and protector of soldiers and law enforcement officers. In his honor, thank your community's finest, if not in person, then with a note to the nearest precinct or a letter to the editor of the local paper.  Another good way to celebrate the day is by a care package and a note of thanks to the troops.  Local associations which provide these will welcome your donations.

Read more about Saint Michael and the traditions for his day (including recipes for Roast Goose, and St. Michael's Bannock) at Fisheaters and at Catholic Culture. [Use the nuts that you cracked on Crack-Nut Sunday in the stuffing]

Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (Raphael), c1504, Louvre

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle!  Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.  May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell Satan and all the other evil spirits who roam about the world seeking the ruin of souls.

AMEN!

26 September - Crack Nut Sunday

Weather: The weather on the last Sunday of the month indicates the weather for the next month.

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For some reason, a custom grew up that on the Sunday before Saint Michael's day (29 September) members of the congregation would fill their pockets and bags with nuts, and then sit in church, cracking the nuts during the sermon.  Goldsmith mentions it in his Vicar of Wakefield (1762) as a custom indulged in by the parishioners, so it had been in place for a while by then.

It seems rather rude.

Granted, there have been sermons during which my mind has wandered into envisioning more enjoyable employments of my time, but at least I have been quiet.  The constant cracking by young and old, even in a small congregation, must have reached the level of a small roar.

Well, I imagine that any parson used to this annual cracking-fest likely offered something inane in the way of a homily (since it wouldn't be heard anyway) and saved his good sermons for the rest of the year.

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Still, this seems like a good time to get a start on garnering all those nut-meats that will be needed for your upcoming holiday cooking.  I'm not suggesting that you do this during church services!  Perish the thought!  No, this is good activity for a lazy Sunday afternoon, ensconced in the easy chair watching the game, or sitting around the table in conversation with family.

The nut-meats can be frozen (and should be if you are not planning to use them for a while); see the University of Missouri Extension page for how to freeze, and also how to roast nuts.  The California Walnuts website has a good recipe for Curried Walnuts [oh, yum!]  It takes a heap of pecans for a good pecan pie - it also takes a lot of skill to extract the halves.  Good luck.

And if you are shelling roasted peanuts or pistachios, well, I won't blame you if there are none left at the end of the session to show for your work.  Like harvesting cherry tomatoes from the garden - sometimes they just don't make it to the kitchen counter.

24 September - Our Lady of Walsingham

Weather: Ember Day - The weather today foretells the weather of December.

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Today is the feast of Our Lady of Walsingham, the patroness of England, whose shrine in Norfolk was a major pilgrimage site until its dissolution in 1538.

The original chapel was built in 1061 when a pious widow received three visions of the Holy Virgin and the house in Nazareth where the Annunciation took place. The lady then built a replica of the Santa Casa on her lands at Walsingham.  Subsequently a priory was established next to the shrine and given to the Canons of St. Augustine; later a large and beautifully appointed church was erected nearby.

Erasmus, in his derisive colloquy "Pilgrimage for Religion's Sake", describes the shrine as "...a small chapel, made of wainscot, and admitting the devotees on each side through a narrow little door.  The light is small, indeed scarcely any but from the wax lights.  A most grateful fragrance greets the nostrils... when you look in, you would say it was the mansion of the saints, so much does it glitter on all sides with jewels, gold, and silver."

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Shrines were the tourist hot-spots for centuries, and pilgrimages to them were taken for a variety of motives.  Some pilgrims went with a truly pious intent, seeking the help of the holy figure in affairs of great importance; some traveled more in a holiday spirit, seeing the great sights and collecting souvenirs in the form of badges such as those seen here, from a page in the book of hours by the Master of Mary of Burgundy.  Images of Christ, the Blessed Virgin, and the saints were stamped on disks of gold, silver, lead and tin, which were then pinned or tacked to the hats and clothes of the shrine's visitors, as a sign to all that they had indeed made the pilgrimage (bumper stickers hadn't been invented yet).

As with all tourist spots, a large economy grew up around the shrines and in communities along the roads leading thereto, which catered to the needs of the travelers.  Inns and hostels provided a roof and meals for those who could afford them; blacksmiths stood by to replace lost horse-shoes or replace a lame horse (the original flat tire) with a new mount; hucksters stood by to relieve the gullible of their money with spurious relics and games of chance; merchants sold goods, some from foreign countries, always tantalizing to the stay-at-home; jugglers and singers provided entertainment along the way. 

This ended as the shrines were suppressed and destroyed (as in England) or lost their value to minds now seeking to be impressed by the Beauties of Nature and the Palaces and Houses of the Great.  The following lament is for the loss of the Shrine, but could be for the loss of jobs it engendered and for the loss of that piety which found its devotion in the House of God rather than the Mansion of a Robber-Baron.

Lament for Walsingham

In the wracks of Walsingham

whom should I chuse
But the Queen of Walsingham
to be guide to my Muse.

Then, thou Prince of Walsingham,

graunt me to frame
Bitter plantes to rewe thy wrong,
bitter wo for thy name.

Bitter was it, oh, to see

the sely sheepe
Murdred by the raveninge wolves,

while the sheepharde did sleep.

Bitter was it to viewe
the sacred vyne,
Whiles the gardiners plaied all close,
rooted up by the swine;

Bitter, bitter, oh, to behoulde
the grasse to growe,
Where the walls of Walsingham
so stately did shewe;

Such were the worth of Walsingham,
while she did stand,
Such are the wrackes as now do shewe
of that holy lande;

Levell, levell, with the ground,
the towres doe lye,
Which, with their golden glittring tops,
pearsed oute to the skye.

Wher weare gates noe gates are nowe,
the wais unknowen;
Wher the presse of peares did passe,
while her fame far was blowen.

Oules doe scrike wher the sweetest himnes
lately wear songe,
Toads and serpents hold their dennes,

wher the palmers did throng.

Weepe, weepe, O Walsingham,
whose dayes are nightes;

Blessings turned to blasphemies,
holy deedes to despites.

Sinne is where our Lady sate,
heaven turned is to helle,
Sathan sittes wher our Lord did swaye,

Walsingham, oh, farewell!

You can read the Lament in modern English here. (although I disagree with one of her conclusions - I think that the "Prince of Walsingham" refers to Our Lord and not to Henry VIII; Henry, of course, would not see any difference.)

There is more about the shrine at "Mary Pages" and at "Walsingham.org".

23 September - Autumn Equinox; Ember Day

Astronomy: Equinox at 5:05 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time)
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Weather:  Ember Day: The weather today foretells the weather of November.

The first three days of any season rule the weather for that season.

As the wind and weather at the equinoxes, so they will be for the next three months.

If the weather is quiet for the week before the autumn equinox and the week after, the temperature will continue higher than usual into the winter.   [okay, so far it has been quiet the week before; let's see how we do after]

As the equinoctial storms clear, so will all storms clear for the next six months.

Winds that blow in the daytime near the equinox generally hush towards evening.

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Today is the Equinox of September, which for the northern hemisphere means that we have slipped from summer into fall.  The days and nights are roughly equal for the next few days, but increasingly, the nights will be getting longer.  Already, we have an hour less daylight than at the beginning of the month, and the mornings here have been deliciously cool.

For the lands of the Southern Cross, it is the opposite.  They are leaving winter behind for spring, and their days are increasing in length.

And so it goes.  Here the leaves will turn and become glorious splotches of color.  Soon the signs will go up at the farms selling apples, the cranberries will be floating in their bogs waiting for the harvest, and pumpkins will show up on front porches everywhere.  The old man who sells huge bags of potatoes and onions will take up his accustomed pitch on Wood Street, and I will be down there to get my winter's supply.  The summer produce has been canned or frozen; now it is time for the fruits and vegetables of Fall.

You can read more about the equinox at EarthSky.  The nights are clear now, but not uncomfortable, and sky-watching is enjoyable.  This is a good time to point out the constellations to the kids.

21 September - Ember Day (Tempora Autumnalia)

Weather - Ember Day: the weather today foretells the weather of October.

A gloriously beautiful day!  Warm, sunny, gorgeous!

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The Ember Days, of which these three (today, Friday, and Saturday) are the last of the church year, are three days set aside in every quarter of the year during which we fast and pray, thanking God for his many blessings, and asking for the grace to use them well and in the service of others.

Saturday of the Ember days was traditionally the time to ordain priests, and Dom Prosper Gueranger, in his Liturgical Year, says that we should offer up our fasting and abstinence "for the purpose of obtaining worthy Ministers of the Word and the Sacraments, and true Pastors of the people."

As with other times of the year, when one season slips into another, or one year into the next, or daylight into night, these were considered days in which the dead could return and walk the earth.  Therefore we pray for the holy souls in Purgatory as well.

The other Ember Days are the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after St. Lucy (December 13); the first Sunday in Lent (sometimes February, sometimes March); and Pentecost (most often in May, but not always).  For some reason, however (which has been explained before, but I still don't understand), the autumn ember days, which traditionally are the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after Holy Cross (September 14), must, in the new calendar of the church, fall a full week after Holy Cross.  Well, that is the Church's prerogative. She created these days, She can move them around as She pleases. For the purposes of my Book of Days, I tend to follow the old almanacs.

The theme of the autumn Ember days is the harvest of the works of our hands, whether agricultural or spiritual.  A fifteenth century homily tells us to fast "that we may have grace to gather the fruits of God into the barns of our conscience."

According to the medieval Golden Legend, there are different sins assigned to each set of Ember days from which we pray to be delivered.  For the autumn days, the sins are pride and covetousness.

As the autumn is considered cold and dry, we fast to prevent the drought of pride, and the coldness and darkness of ignorance. From the choler of summer with its frenzy of living, we pass to the melancholy of autumn, whose nature is cold and covetous; we pray for the grace to combat that temperment with the fruits of good works.  The summer represents youth; autumn represents the adult, wherein we look at the harvest of our lives - what we have done, and what we have failed to do - and pray for the grace to do better, and for our harvest - our deeds - to be used for the glory of God and in the service of others.

Let us then consecrate to God the season of Autumn and the harvest.

And for fun, read about the Four Temperaments and take the Medieval Personality test.  (The Widow's personality is Melancholic.)

21 September - St. Matthew

Weather - St. Matthew's day bright and clear, brings good wine in the next year   [Come on, sunshine!]

on the other hand

St. Matthew's rain fattens pigs and goats     [Hmmmm... bacon? or wine?... Come on, sunshine!]

St. Matthew makes the days and nights equal    [as does St. Benedict in another six months]

St. Matthew
Brings the cold dew     [which will turn into frost soon enough]

After St. Matthew you will not see many fine days... [pessimist]

however

A south wind today indicates that the rest of the autumn will be warm   [which is a nice thought for those of us in the northern tier, but for my amiga in Texas who is tired of warm, I hope your wind is out of the north]

St. Matthee,
Shut up the bee    [don't want the little dears to get cold. We'll need them again next spring]

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Woodcut from the Golden Legend, c.1489

Today is the Feast of Saint Matthew the Apostle, Evangelist and Martyr, writer of the first gospel, and patron of those who deal with money: accountants, bankers, bookkeepers, customs officers, stock brokers, and, of course, Tax Collectors, of which he was one.  His neighbors considered him much as we think of our own IRS agents - complete with horns, tail and a pitchfork - with the added bonus that he Collaborated With The Enemy (that is, Rome).

And this is one of the guys Our Lord chose as a disciple?  Yep.  Comforting thought.  There's hope for us, yet.

17 September - Saint Lambert; Stoofperen

In the Calendar of the Grande Heures, today is devoted to Saint Lambert of Maestricht, bishop and martyr.  He was born circa 635 in Maestricht [Maastricht] to upper-class parents and given a good education by the saintly priest Landoaldus of the cathedral church, and later by the bishop, St. Theodardus (who may also have been his uncle).  Lambert succeeded him as bishop of Maestricht in 670, but after the murder of the Merovingian king Childeric II, whom he had supported against Mayor-of-the-Palace Ebroin, the de facto ruler of the land, Lambert fled to the Abbey of Stavelot, where he lived for seven years, edifying the monks with his saintly life.

The Golden Legend, always ready with an edifying examples, offered this:
And Lambert entered into a monastery, and was there and conversed seven years goodly. On a night when he arose from prayer, he let wind go behind by ignorance, and when the abbot heard it he said: He that hath done that, let him go out to the cross barefoot. And anon Lambert went out to the cross barefoot in his hair, and was there and went in the snow and in the frost when the brethren chauffed them after matins. And the abbot demanded where Lambert was, and a brother said that he was gone to the cross by his commandment. He did do call him, and then the abbot and his monks required him to pardon them, but he not only pardoned them, but also preached to them the virtue of patience.

Ebroin, according to the chroniclers, finally got his just reward for his wicked ways (he was assassinated in 681).  Lambert was allowed to return to his See of Maestricht and resume his duties there, which he coupled over the next few years with the evangelization of the lands of modern Belgium.  Life would likely have continued in this round of priestly duties, had not something occurred which Lambert could not ignore.

Pepin of Heristal, who had succeeded by conquest to the Mayoralty of all three of the Frankish kingdoms and was the true ruler of Francia, had been married for at least fifteen years to a good woman, the mother of his two sons, when he had the usual mid-life crisis and took up with a mistress, Alpais or Alpaida, who gave him another two sons.  Lambert could not stand by without remonstrating against this unlawful union; he paid a visit to the palace, and Pepin, who was fond of the bishop, received him hospitably.  This was not a good sign to Alpais; she had been working to make her sons the heirs of their father in place of his legitimate children, and if Pepin listened to Lambert's reproaches and agreed to end the relationship, it would be the end of her influence, now and future, as well.

[That one of Alpais' sons was Charles Martel, the Hammer, whose defeat of the Muslims at Poitiers halted their northward expansion, is no argument for sin.  God can bring good out of evil, but we are not supposed to do evil on the off-chance that God will produce good from it.]

Alpais poured out her fears to her brother Dodo [now there's a good name!], who may already have had a grudge against Lambert for the murder of two of his friends by some of the bishop's supporters. Dodo agreed and arranged the assassination. While praying in the chapel of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Liege, Lambert and those at the altar with him were attacked by Dodo's soldiers, who pierced the bishop's heart with a javelin.  His body was conveyed secretly to Maestricht for burial, but St. Hubert, to whom Lambert had been a spiritual director, later moved the saint's remains to his own see city of Liege.

Saint Lambert is a martyr for the sanctity of marriage.  In your prayers today, remember those poor souls who, through cultural influences, have learned to disregard the sanctity of marriage - not only those who commit adultery in their marriage, but those who commit it before, believing that cohabitation and indiscriminate sexual activity are not wrong "because we're in love, and who are you to impose your morality on me?"  Sad souls.  Sad souls.

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Maastricht is today the capital of the Dutch province of Limburg, part of the lands whence came the famous and pungent Limburger cheese.  Trust me, it is not for the faint of heart, nor for those who desire a social life.  If you rise above either of those categories, prove your strength with a Limburger Sandwich.  You'll be banned from polite society, or, like St. Lambert, be forced to spend time outside while your companions debate your fitness to return to the haunts of men, but lovers of Limburger care naught for that.

For those more socially inclined, celebrate with a Dutch dessert like STOOFPEREN (Stewed Pears):

Peel and core 12 pears.  Cut them into quarters.

In a large saucepan, mix together 1 cup each of water, dry red wine, and sugar.  Bring mixture to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Reduce heat, add the pears, and simmer until they are almost tender.  Stir in 2 cinnamon sticks and 1/2 teaspoon of grated lemon rind, and cook until the fruit is tender.  Serve warm.

14 September - Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Weather: If there is no rain on Holy Cross, there will be no rain for six weeks. [Which should get us out of hurricane season]

or as the Scots say it:

If the hart and the hind meet dry and part dry on Rood day fair,

For six weeks of rain there'll be nae mair [no more].

If dry be the buck's horn on Holyrood morn,
'Tis worth a kist [chest] of gold;
But if wet it be seen ere Holyrood e'en
Bad harvest is foretold.

There are generally three consecutive windy days about the middle of September.

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The feast today, the Exaltation or Triumph of the Holy Cross, commemorates the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem in 335, in which was placed a portion of the Holy Cross of Our Lord found by Saint Helena; it also commemorates the recovery of the relic from the Persians under King Chrosoes, and its return to the church in Jerusalem by Emperor Heraclius in 629.

According to the story, the victorious Emperor carried the Cross back to Jerusalem, dressed (of course) in his best clothes.  For some reason, though, he was stopped at the gate and could not move forward.

The Bishop  (or an angel) then told him that even though he carried the Cross, he did not resemble Our Lord, who wore no costly robes or jewels.  Heraclius divested himself of his attire, and barefoot, in penitential garb, carried the Cross into Jerusalem.

As recounted in the Golden Legend: And as he descended from the Mount of Olives and would have entered by the gate by which our Saviour went to his passion, on horseback, adorned as a king, suddenly the stones of the gates descended and joined them together in the gate like a wall, and all the people was abashed. And then the angel of our Lord appeared upon the gate, holding the sign of the cross in his hand, and said: When the king of heaven went to his passion by this gate, he was not arrayed like a king, ne on horseback, but came humbly upon an ass, in showing the example of humility, which he left to them that honour him. And when this was said, he departed and vanished away. Then the emperor took off his hosen and shoes himself, in weeping, and despoiled him of all his clothes in to his shirt, and took the cross of our Lord and bare it much humbly unto the gate. And anon the hardness of the stones felt the celestial commandment and removed anon, and opened and gave entry unto them that entered.

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Several ways to celebrate this important feast can be found at Catholic Culture, including recipes for Hot Cross Buns (normally seen on Good Friday, but equally good today).

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Gardening: The 'royal herb' Basil is associated with this day, as the story is that Saint Helena found the Cross after digging under a bed of basil.  My recipes using basil are here.

Also, "On Holy Cross Day, vineyards are gay"

and

This is a traditional day to go nutting.

Chestnuts are starting to drop now, so roasting chestnuts would be a nice late-summer evening activity (go here and here for instructions on roasting).  If you aren't near any chestnut trees (I'm so sorry), you can buy them fresh or in jars.  And then, since 'vineyards are gay' today, enjoy the roasted chestnuts with a glass of port, a delightful tradition I picked up from a Portuguese  neighbor.

11 September - A Prayer or Two

+ God of peace, bring Your peace to our violent world;
peace in the hearts of all men and women
and peace among the nations of the earth.
Turn to Your way of love
those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred.

God of understanding,
overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy,
we seek Your light and guidance
as we confront such terrible events.
Grant that those whose lives were spared
may live so that the lives lost...
may not have been lost in vain.
Comfort and console us,
strengthen us in hope,
and give us the wisdom and courage
to work tirelessly for a world
where true peace and love reign
among nations and in the hearts of all.

Amen +

This is the prayer card given to us today in church, by the Knights of Columbus for their World Day of Prayer for Peace.  It is the prayer of Pope Benedict XVI at Ground Zero, April 20, 2008.

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On the other hand, there is Psalm 108:
Unto the end, a psalm for David.  O God, be not thou silent in my praise: for the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful man is opened against me.  They have spoken against me with deceitful tongues; and they have compassed me about with words of hatred; and have fought against me without cause.  Instead of making me a return of love, they detracted me: but I gave myself to prayer. And they repaid me evil for good: and hatred for my love.

• Set Thou the sinner over him: and may the devil stand at his right hand.  
• When he is judged, may he go out condemned; and may his prayer be turned to sin.  
• May his days be few: and his bishopric let another take.  
• May his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.  
• Let his children be carried about vagabonds, and beg; and let them be cast out of their dwellings.
• May the usurer search all his substance: and let strangers plunder his labours.  
• May there be none to help him: nor none to pity his fatherless offspring.  
• May his posterity be cut off; in one generation may his name be blotted out.  
• May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered in the sight of the Lord: and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.  
• May they be before the Lord continually, and let the memory of them perish from the earth: because he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor man and the beggar; and the broken in heart, to put him to death.  And he loved cursing, and it shall come unto him: and he would not have blessing, and it shall be far from him. And he put on cursing, like a garment: and it went in like water into his entrails, and like oil in his bones.  May it be unto him like a garment which covereth him; and like a girdle with which he is girded continually. This is the work of them who detract me before the Lord; and who speak evils against my soul.

But Thou, O Lord, do with me for Thy name's sake: because Thy mercy is sweet.  Do Thou deliver me, for I am poor and needy, and my heart is troubled within me.  I am taken away like the shadow when it declineth: and I am shaken off as locusts.  My knees are weakened through fasting: and my flesh is changed for oil.  And I am become a reproach to them: they saw me and they shaked their heads,

Help me, O Lord my God; save me according to Thy mercy.  And let them know that this is Thy hand: and that Thou, O Lord, hast done it.  They will curse and Thou will bless: let them that rise up against me be confounded: but Thy servant shall rejoice.  Let them that detract me be clothed with shame: and let them be covered with their confusion as with a double cloak.  I will give great thanks to the Lord with my mouth: and in the midst of many I will praise Him.  Because He hath stood at the right hand of the poor, to save my soul from persecutors.

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You decide.

11 September - Saints Protus and Hyacinth

Today is the feast of Saints Protus and Hyacinth, martyrs, who died sometime before the 4th century, and who

• may or may not have been brothers,
• may or may not have been eunuchs,
• may or may not have been servants, and
• may or may not have been beheaded.

From the old (1907) Roman Martyology:
"At Rome, in the Cemetery of Basilla, on the old Salarian road, the birthday of the holy martyrs Protus and Hyacinth, brothers and eunuchs in the service of blessed Eugenia, who were arrested, in the time of the emperor Gallienus, on the charge of being Christians, and urged to offer sacrifice to the gods.  But as they refused, both were most severely scourged, and finally beheaded."

Gallienus ruled as co-emperor of Rome with his father Valerian from 253 to 260, and as sole emperor from his father's capture or death in 260 until his own death in 268.

In 1845, ashes and burned bones wrapped in 'costly stuffs' were found with an inscription which seems to label them as the remains of Hyacinth, leading researchers to believe that one or both of the martyrs were burned to death rather than beheaded.  [On the other hand, there are numerous stories of pagan rulers trying to destroy the bodies of martyrs so that they can not be buried and revered by the faithful.  Perhaps Gallienus burned the beheaded bodies in such a cause.]  That they were brothers may have been an assumption on the part of Pope Damasus, who wrote an epitaph for them.

Although the chapter is entitled "Here begin the lives of SS. Prothus and Jacinctus and Eugenia...", the Golden Legend spends most of its time with the story of Eugenia/Eugene (think 'Victor/Victoria'), giving Protus and Hyacinth walk-on parts.  In this account, they are gentlemen and fellow students of Eugenia in Alexandria, where her father was provost.  Of that, however, Rev. Butler says: "Following a tradition that has eunuchs in the service of women... this elaborate fiction [the Acta of St. Eugenia] makes the eunuch brothers Protus and Hyacinth Eugenia's slaves and parties to her bizarre adventures."

So all that is really known of these two popular saints are their names, and that they were martyrs.

May the glorious martyrdom of Protus and Hyacinth, Thy blessed Martyrs, strength us, O Lord, and let their loving intercession continually shield us. Through our Lord.
[Collect for the feast of Protus and Hyacinth]

9 September - Saint Gorgonius

Weather: If it is fine on St. Gorgonius' day, it will continue fine for forty days.

If it rains on St. Gorgonius' day, there will be much bad weather in October.

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In the old calendar, this is the feast of Saint Gorgonius.  Which Saint Gorgonius, you ask?  Well, I don't know, as the general consensus is that the Saint Gorgonius whose story is told in the Golden Legend and listed in the old Roman Martyrology for today (Gorgonius of Nicomedia) is not the correct Gorgonius for today; and that the correct G-man is Gorgonius of Rome, who is listed in the Martyrology on the 11th of March, which is the real feast day of G. of Nicomedia...

Confused yet?

Well, there is not a whole lot on G. of Rome, so we'll bypass him and go on to Gorgonius of Nicomedia, martyr circa 304 under Diocletian.  The story is that he, Dorotheus and Peter, were high-ranking officials at the court of Diocletian, who were found to be Christians.  This grieved the Emperor no end, as related in the Golden Legend:

"...when the emperor heard that, he was strongly angry, and it did him much displeasure and grievance for to lose such men, which he had nourished in his palace, and were noble of manner and of lineage. And when he saw that he might not turn them by menaces ne by fair words, he did do strain and pain them in the torment of eculee and did all to-rend and break them with scourges and hooks of iron, and to cast in their wounds salt and vinegar, which entered in to their entrails. And they suffered it joyously."

Joyously is not what the Emperor wanted, so he ordered them to be roasted on gridirons a la St. Lawrence, but that didn't work either, so he had them strangled.  Their bodies were rescued and buried by pious Christians; subsequently Saint Gorgonius' body was translated to Rome, and in the 8th century to the French monastery of Gorze (near Metz in Lorraine), whence many churches obtained parts of his remains as relics.