De sancto Donato
The Meaning of a Saint's Life
The name Donatus signifies a gift of God, reflecting the spiritual rebirth that occurs when a saint passes from this life.
The name Donatus is said to mean 'born of God,' and this happens through regeneration, the infusion of grace, and glorification—a threefold process involving birth, the Spirit, or God. When the saints die, they are said to be born; that's why the passing of the saints is called a birthday rather than a death. After all, a child longs to be born so it can receive a larger place to live, richer food to eat, freer air to breathe, and light to see. Because the saints depart from the womb of Mother Church through death and receive those four things in their own way, they are said to be born. Alternatively, Donatus is said to mean 'given as a gift of God.' — E.
Miracles of Mercy and Power
Saint Donatus performs numerous miracles, including exorcisms, restoring a broken chalice, and providing water during a drought.
Donatus was educated and raised with the Emperor Julian, to the point that Julian was at that time ordained a subdeacon. But when Julian was elevated to the empire, he killed the father and mother of the blessed Donatus. Donatus, however, fled to the city of Arezzo and performed many miracles while staying with the monk Hilary. For when the prefect... ...of the city had brought his demon-possessed son to Donatus, the unclean spirit began to cry out and say, 'In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, do not trouble me, O Donatus, so that I must leave my home; why do you force me to leave with your torments?' But as Donatus prayed, he was immediately set free. A man named Eustachius, a tax collector in Tuscany, had left public money in the care of his wife, Euphrosina; but when the province was threatened by enemies, she hid the money and died, overcome by grief. When her husband returned and couldn't find the money—and was already facing execution along with his children—he fled to Saint Donatus. Donatus went with him to his wife's grave and, after praying, said in a clear voice: 'Euphrosina, I adjure you by the Holy Spirit to tell us where you put that money.' And a voice came from the grave, saying: 'At the entrance of my house, there I buried it.' They went there and found it, just as she had said. A few days later, Bishop Satyrus fell asleep in the Lord, and the entire clergy chose Donatus as their bishop. But as Gregory reports in his Dialogues, one day while Mass was being celebrated and the people were receiving Communion, the deacon who was serving the Blood of Christ suddenly fell due to a pagan attack, and he broke the holy chalice. Donatus, along with the entire congregation, was deeply saddened by this; he gathered up the fragments of the chalice, prayed, and restored it to its original form. One small piece, however, had been hidden by the devil and was missing from the aforementioned chalice, though it remains as a witness to this miracle. Seeing this miracle, the pagans were converted, and eighty of them were baptized. There was a certain spring so infected that whoever drank from it would die immediately. As Saint Donatus was riding his donkey there to purify the water through prayer, a terrible dragon emerged, wrapped its tail around the donkey's legs, and reared up against him. Donatus struck it with a certain whip or, as is read elsewhere, spat into its mouth and killed it immediately; he then prayed to the Lord and drove all the poison from the spring. Another time, when he and his companions were suffering from intense thirst, he brought forth a spring in that same place through his prayer.
Authority Over Life and Death
Donatus demonstrates divine power by casting out demons and even temporarily raising a man from the dead to settle a debt.
When the daughter of Emperor Theodosius was being tormented by a demon and had been brought to Saint Donatus, Donatus said, "Get out, unclean spirit, and do not dwell in God's creation." The demon replied, "Give me a way out, or tell me where to go." Donatus asked, "Where did you come from to get here?" The demon answered, "From the desert." The saint replied, "Go back there." But the demon said, "I see the sign of the cross in you, from which fire comes out against me, and for fear of it I don't know where to go; but give me a place to leave, and I will go." Donatus said, "Look, you have your way out; go back to your place," and he left, shaking the whole house. As a dead man was being carried out, someone arrived with a promissory note, claiming the deceased owed him two hundred gold coins, and because of this, he wouldn't allow the man to be buried. When the man's widow tearfully reported this to blessed Donatus, adding that her husband had already paid the money in full, he got up, went to the coffin, touched the dead man with his hand, and said, "Listen to me." He replied, "I am here." And blessed Donatus said to him, "Rise and see what you have to do with this man who won't let you be buried." The man sat up, proved to everyone that he had paid the debt, and taking the note, tore it up by hand. Then he said to blessed Donatus, "Father, command me to sleep again." And he replied, "Go now, my son, and rest." At that time, when it hadn't rained for nearly three years and there was a great drought, the non-believers gathered before Emperor Theodosius, demanding that he hand over Donatus to them, claiming he had caused this through magic. At the emperor's insistence, therefore, Donatus went out and prayed to the Lord, who sent a heavy rain; Donatus then returned home, his own clothes remaining dry while everyone else was soaked by the downpour.
The Crown of Martyrdom
Saint Donatus remains steadfast in his faith during persecution, ultimately suffering martyrdom for the name of Christ.
When the Goths were devastating Italy at that time and many were falling away from the faith of Christ, the prefect Evadracianus was rebuked by Saint Donatus and Hylarianus for his apostasy; he seized them and tried to force them to offer sacrifice to Jupiter. When they refused, he had Hylarianus stripped and beaten until he breathed his last, while he locked Donatus in prison and later had him beheaded around the year of our Lord 380.
Read the original Latin
Honatus dicitur quasi a Deo )natus, et hoc per regenerationem et sieuae infusionem et glorificationem, quae est triplex )generatione, spiritu vel a deo. Nam cum sancti moriuntur, tune nasci dicuntur, unde obitus sanctorum non mors, sed natale vocatur, puer enim appelit nasci, ut recipiat ampliorem locum ad manendum, uberiorem cibum ad vescendum, liberiorem aérem ad respirandum et lucem ad videndum. Et quia sancti de utero matris ecclesiae per mortem exeunt, illa quatnor secundum modum suum recipiunt, ideo nasci dicuntur. Vel dicitur Donatus quasi dono Dei datus. — E. Donatus cum Juliano imperatore eruditus et nutritus est, ità quod praedictus Julianus fuit tunc in subdyaconum ordinatus, sed cum in imperium sublimatus fuisset, patrem et matrem beati Donati occidit, Donatus vero in Aretinam civitatem aufugit et apud Hylarium monachum manens multa miracula fecit. Nam cum praefectus. civitatis habens filium daemoniacum eum ad Donatum adduxisset, spiritus immundus clamare coepit ac dicere: in nomine domini Jesu Christi noli mihi esse molestus, ut de domo mea egrediar, o Donate, quare me exire coartas enm tormentis?
Sed orante Donato fuit protinus liberatus. — Vir quidam Eustachius nomine exactor fisci in Tuscia publicam pecuniam in custodia uxoris nomine Euphrosinae dereliquit, sed cum provincia ab hostibus urgeretur, pecuniam abscondit et dolore praeventa vitam finivit. Vir autem ejus rediens cum pecuniam invenire non posset et jam cum filiis suis ad supplicium tradi deberet, ad sanctum Donatum confugit, Donatus antem ad sepulchrum uxoris cum eo pergens oratione facta clara voce dixit: Euphrosina per spiritum sanctum te adjuro, ut dicas nobis, ubi talem pecuniam posuisti. Et facta est vox de sepulchro dicens: in ingressu domus meae, ibi eam subfodi. Et euntes eam ibi, ut dixerat, invenerunt.
Post aliquot autem dies Satyrus episcopus in domino obdormivit et omnis clerus Donatum in episcopum elegit. Cum autem, ut refert Gregorius in dyalogis, quadam die missa celebrata populus communicaret et dyaconus communicans Christi saugninem propinaret, subito paganorum impulsu dyaconus cecidit et calicem sanctum fregit. De quo cum ipse et omnis populus plurimum moestus esset, Donatus fragmenta colligens calicis oratione facta ipsum in pristinam formam restauravit. Una autem particula a dyabolo absconsa fuit, quae in calice praedicto defecit, quae tamen est ad testimonium miraculi hujus. Pagani autem hoc viso miraculo suut conversi et LXXX baptisma susceperunt, — - — 4 . Fons quidam adeo erat infectus, ut, quicunque de illo biberet, protinus moreretur. Dum igitur sanctus Donatus super asinum suum illuc iret, ut oratione sua aquam sanaret, draco terribilis inde erupit et pedes asini cauda involvens contra Donatum se protinus erexit. Quem Donatus flagello quodam percutiens vel, secundum quod alibi legitur, in os ejus exspuens continuo interfecit oravitque ad dominum, et omue venenum a fonte fugavit.
Alium quoque fontem, dum ipse cmm sociis suis valde sitiret, quadam vice oratione ibidem produxit.
Cum filia Theodosii imperatoris a daemone vexaretur et ad sanctum Donatum adducta fuisset, dixit Donatus: exi, immunde spiritus, et noli in plasmate Dei habitare. Cui daemon: da mihi transitum, quo exeam aut quo vadam. Cui Donatus: unde huc venisti? Cui daemon: de eremo. Et sanctus: illuc revertere. Et daemon: video signum crucis in te, de quo ignis exit contra me, ct prae timore ignoro, quo vadam, sed da mihi locum exeundi et exeo. (Qui Donatus: ecce habes transitum, redi ad locum tuum et universam domum concutiens exivit.
Cum quidam mortuus efferretur, advenit quidam cum chirographo asserens deberi sibi ab ipso CC solidos, unde nullatenus ipsum sepeliri sinebat, Quod cum uxor ejus vidua beato Donato cum lacrimis indicasset, adjungens, quod homo ille pecuniam totaliter recepisset, assurgens ad loculum ivit et manu defunctum tangens ait: audi me. Qui respondit: ego sum. Et sanctus Donatus ad eum ait: surge et vide, quid agas cum homine isto, qui te sepeliri non sinit. Qui residens eum de solutione debiti coram omnibus convicit et chirographum accipiens manu scidit, Deinde dixit sancto Donato: jube me iterum, pater, dormire. Et ille: vade amodo, fili, quiescere.
Eo tempore cum fere annis tribus non pluisset et sterilitas magna esset, infideles ad imperatorem Theodosium convenerunt petentes, ut sibi Donatum traderet, qui per artem magicam hoc fecisset. Ad imperatoris igitur instantiam Donatus egressus dominum exoravit, et pluviam copiosam dedit siccisque vestibus caeteris pluvia infusis domum rediit,
Cum autem Gothi eo tempore Italiam devastarent et multi a fide Christi recederent, Evadracianus praefectus a sancto Donato etHylariano de apostasia reprehensus sanctos ipsos cepit compellens eos, ut Jovi immolarent. Quod cum renuerent, Hylarianum exspoliatum tamdiu caedi fecit, quousque spiritum exhalaret, Donatum vero in carcerem reclusit et postmodum eum decollari fecit circa annum domini CCCLXXX.
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