"One day Robert Bellarmine came into a room of a sick man. Robert Bellarmine had told the patient he had begun to seriously doubt whether he would be able to go on with working or fulfilling his duties because of the disease he was suffering. But hope did not die in Bellarmine's heart that God would take away this obstacle to the better service of His Divine Majesty. And so he prayed. 'Dear Lord, I do not want to die now because I want to work for You.'"
I like St. Robert Bellarmine alot as I read about him. The fact that 4 different chairs at universities were set up just to respond to his disputationes a systematic attack on Protestantism and an affirmation of the Catholic faith. I really want to read this polemic he wrote, but I can't find it anywhere, apparently it's not translated into english! But I'm reading bits of his other books which are really good. He reminds me of a Roman Catholic Beza (who ironically was one of his opponents). The stories of his personal piety like that one above really amaze me too. He's another reason I hope that perhaps - by some long shot - I could become a Jesuit.
St. Robert Bellarmine, pray for me!
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Ah, the venerable Jesuits of old! Now they were giants, weren't they? I grew up on plantation land along the Mississippi River (Elmwood) owned by Etienne de Bore; he gave safe haven on that land to Jesuits who had been exiled from various countries in the 1700's. I will pray that the Jesuits will rekindle their old Ignatian fire, and that you may be one of them if God wills.
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