A sermon on the eight beatitudes awakened in St. Simon a desire for evangelical perfection. He mortified his body in an almost superhuman manner. He spent 37 years on the top of a pillar, exposed to heat and cold, day and night, adoring the majesty of God.

Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord: or who shall stand in His holy place?~ Prime: Psalm xxiii

Study, therefor, so to live now, that in the hour of death thou mayest be able rather to rejoice than to fear. Learn how to die to the world, that then thou mayest begin to live with Christ. ~Imitation: Book I

Ideal: When you read the peculiar method of penance this saint chose, were you inclined to smile and think him just a bit queer? Will you take the time to think today of how ever so much more foolish are the things we do to satisfy the world? Think of how people have their eyebrows plucked, for instance.

Today: Public penance is very well for saints, but for us who are still beginners, it is much safer to practice interior penances that no one sees but God. If you are in the habit of stopping for a drink each time you pass the fountain, don’t do it just this one day.

Slogan: Be a fool, then, for Christ’s sake.

~A Character Calendar
Sister Mary Fidelis, Sister Mary Charitas
Imprimatur 1931