Feast Day of Saint Claude de la Colombiere

IMPORTANT FACTS:

His love for the heart of Jesus drew him to much suffering for this world.His desire to love Jesus was deep within him and he tried his level best to please the heart of Jesus.When Saint Claude was age 33,the same age when Jesus died,he had a great desire to die completely to this world and to self.He wrote:“I believe,Lord,it is time for me to live in You,and only for You,at my age You died for me in particular.” Saint Claude's devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus made him a shining soul of Christ and he was known for strict obedience and penance.His loyalty and great love for Jesus helped him during his last days when everything in the world seemed to lose its savour.His poor health made him suffer from difficultly of prayer and penance. 15th February 1682,St.Claude suffered intense pain and was too weak to speak anything because of the severe haemorrhage.In the evening of that same day,he finally died after a life full of self-surrender to the Heart of Jesus.After he died,St. Margaret Mary received a holy announcement from heaven that Claude was already in the glory of God and did not need any prayers.He was finally beatified in 1929 and was declared a saint in 1992 by Pope John Paul II.The Church celebrates his feast day on February 15th.

Quotes of Saint Claude:

• 'In our ignorance of what the future holds, how can we be so bold as to question what comes about by God's permission? Surely it is reasonable to think that our complaints are groundless and that instead of complaining we ought to be thanking Providence.' 
• 'It is great glory for Him to have a creature so attached to His Providence,so dependent on Him, full of such firm hope and peace of mind in the expectation of what He will send.His concern for such a one is redoubled,He watches over the slightest things that are of interest to him and inspires those who are over him to act prudently; and if for any reason they try to act in a manner harmful to him, He prevents them in the hidden ways of His Providence from carrying out their designs and compels them to do only what is to his advantage.' 

PRAYER TO SAINT CLAUDE :
O Holy Saint Claude,intercede for us to be Great Saints in Heaven and may we imitate Our Lord Jesus Christ here on earth;in order to gain our Heavenly Glory which the Lord promised to those who trust and follow His ways until the end.Amen.
Saint Claude,bring us closer to the Heart of Jesus!