Category Archives: The Saints

Friends in Christ, today is the Feast of St. André Bessette.

André was born near Montreal, Canada in 1845. He was so frail at birth, that the priest immediately baptized him. His father died early, and when he was 12 he lost his mother. Later he would say, “I rarely prayed FOR my mother, more often I prayed to her.

.

He was sent to live with his uncle, who helped him find some work, but the boy’s frail health made this difficult. For 13 years he went from job to job, his health always hindering him. He became a farmhand, he tried being a shoemaker, then a baker, a tin-smith, a factory worker, a blacksmith, a wagon-driver – all failures. He was barely able to write his name or read his prayer book.

.

But the Pastor of his parish saw goodness in him. So he presented him to the Congregation of the Holy Cross. He wrote to the superior: “In this young man, I am sending you a saint.”

.

After a year in the novitiate however, they found out the same thing as everyone else: his health did not permit him to do much work. But the bishop intervened, and they accepted Andre.

.

He was given the humble job of being the doorkeeper. Later, he would jokingly say: “When I joined this community, they showed me the door!’

.

For forty years, he worked just there – at the door. His other duties were also simple: washing floors and windows, laundry worker, and cleaning lamps. In his little room near the door, he spent much of the night on his knees praying. On his windowsill was a statue of Saint Joseph, to whom he had a great devotion since childhood.

.

When he heard someone was ill, he visited, to cheer them up and to pray with the sick person. Healings began to happen. Many people began to go to Brother Andre. But he kept saying, “I do not cure anyone, it is St. Joseph who cures.” In the end he needed four secretaries to handle the 80,000 letters he received each year.

.

Some say, ‘A Monsignor is high up in the Church, or a Cardinal is a very high person in the Church. But this is not God’s thinking. Greatness in the Church is measured by holiness. For this reason, a simple doorkeeper like André Bessette, who did the simple things of life, totally for Christ – such as these are the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.         

Friends in Christ, today in these days of Epiphany, Mother Church gives us the feast day of a special, American saint, St. John Neumann.

St. John was born in present-day Czechoslovakia; he was a quiet, shy boy who was kind of a bookworm. His hobbies were botany and astronomy, and he hoped to become a scientist. At 20 years old, he was torn between the idea of becoming a doctor, and the thought that God was calling him to be a priest. His mother suggested he give the priesthood a try.

.

In the seminary, John had a knack for learning languages, he learned six languages, including English. By the time of his ordination, the bishop became quite ill, and so his ordination was put off indefinitely. Now John knew of the great need of the immigrants in America for priests, and so he wrote letters to bishops offering his assistance; finally, the bishop in New York agreed to ordain him.

.

He left his home forever and traveled across the ocean to a new land. He was sent to a parish of 900 square miles in western New York full of mosquito infested swamp land; he had to travel on foot 10 to 20 miles per day, carrying his Mass kit and offering Mass wherever he could.

.

He had a special love for children, and kept his pockets full of candy which he used to induce children to learn their catechism. Once he was almost hanged by some bandits, he was shot at by a drunken mule skinner, and was once so exhausted that he passed out in the woods.

.

At age 31, needing the friendship of other priests and community life, he joined the Redemptorists, and after 11 years, he was made Bishop of Philadelphia. By this time he knew 12 languages, which helped him to hear many confessions of people among the immigrant population. An old Irish lady went to confession to him and confessed in Gaelic. She left confession exclaiming, ‘We finally have an Irish bishop!’

.

John’s passion however, was education, and it was St. John Neumann who mapped out a plan for Catholic education for the United States. When he was named bishop, there were only 2 Catholic schools in his diocese; 8 years later there were one hundred. Having done so much, John Neumann died at only the age of 48.

.

We can learn from his example, a simple faith and trust in God, which can carry us along to do things we would never have dreamed of. St. John Neumann used to day: ‘Nothing is going to happen to me today Lord, that you and I together can’t handle.’

Friends in Christ, today is the feast of St Basil and St. Gregory Nazianzen.

St. Gregory, called the “Theologian” by the Greeks, was born at Nazianz in Cappadocia in 339. He was one of the “Three Lights,” the 3 great saints from Cappadocia. Gregory was educated at the famous schools of his time, in the cities of Caesarea, Alexandria, and Athens. It was at Athens that he formed the famous friendship with St. Basil. It was a true and great friendship in Christ. Gregory was still full of this youthful enthusiasm and love for his friend, when he gave the funeral homily for Basil in 381.

.

St. Gregory was baptized in 360, and for a while he lived the quiet life of a monk, like his friend Basil. If you ever go to Turkey, go inland to the region of Cappadocia; when I was there with some seminarians, I saw in the distance on the side of a mountain, all kind of black dots. ‘What are those, I asked the guide? ‘Those are caves!’ he said. It was a monastery in a mountain, made up of caves. As we walked through these caves, many were cells of the monks, but others were very large, made into chapels, with paintings on the walls and ceiling.

So, St Gregory the monk.

,

But the needs of the times would take him from his monastery. In 372 he was reluctantly consecrated a bishop. He did not want it. In 381 he accepted the see of Constantinople, but the terrible Arian heresy was raging at that time. The controversies and stress led Gregory to return to the monastic life which he cherished so much.

.

He was certainly one of the greatest orators of Christian antiquity. But he longed for solitude, yet the situation of the times called him repeatedly to do pastoral work and to participate in the battle for the truth of our faith.

.

We ourselves may sometimes feel like St. Gregory: we wish to live a serene life, but then the demands of the world press us. The demands of the faith sometimes.

We MUST have that discussion with our teenage son, we need to step in to heal a family squabble.

We are ON at the workplace for explaining the Catholic faith YET AGAin.

I have to take a stand with my peers.

.

We wish for peace, but the Lord says, ‘Keep going!’ ‘You will have peace when you reach heaven.’

.

St. Gregory tried to do what God wanted, whether in the active life or the contemplative, but it wasn’t easy for him. His writings on the faith are some of the most beautiful, and for this reason he is considered a “Doctor of the Church.”

Friends in Christ, today is the feast of St. Thomas Becket, of England.

As we know, there has been a long history of oppression of the Church in England. To this day, it is illegal for any Catholic to become king or Queen of England. This all goes back to Henry VIII starting his own church, the Church of England, so that he could marry another woman – and another, and another…

.

In those days, Catholics held secret Masses, risking their lives, such as St. Margaret Clitherow who gave her life for Christ so that the holy Mass could be said in her home. This is the reason that England has always been even to modern times, mostly all Anglican. It is interesting to note that today, more Catholics go to Church in England than Anglicans, so our persistence is paying off!

.

But pressure against the Catholic Church actually did not begin just with Henry VIII in 1530. If we go back to 1160, we find St. Thomas Becket, our saint for today. He was chancellor of England, and he had to resist pressure that the king was putting on the Church. So the king sent his executioners to dispatch Thomas.

.

When they came to the Church, many tried to defend him, but Thomas opened the church door himself saying: I gladly face death for the Church of God. He commended his flock and himself to God, and bowed for execution where he died by the sword.

.

Here in the United States, most people don’t imagine there could be persecution against the Church, but it is beginning now in the form of government and legal pressures to conform to the secular mindset.

– Laws forcing the Church to pay for medical procedures we morally oppose.

– When a person is dismissed from working for the Church because of their sinful lifestyle, the newspapers cry ‘discrimination,’ and the lawsuits begin.

– Laws against the consciences of doctors, nurses and pharmacists,

– the ridicule of those who oppose same-sex marriage, the list goes on.

.

Cardinal George once remarked: ‘The way things are going, I will die in my bed, my successor will die in prison, and his successor will die a martyr in the public square.’

.

When Christ was born, Simeon prophesied: this child is set for the fall and rise of many and a sign that will be contradicted. It was this way with Jesus, but also for his followers.

The Church is most glorious when persecuted, because persecution weeds out those who are not really faithful, and makes the rest prove their metal. Let us therefore follow St. Thomas Becket in faithfulness, regardless of what they say.

Friends in the Lord, today is the Feast of St. John the Evangelist.

Each Evangelist has a symbol, often seen in stained-glass windows or sometimes on chalices. If you go down to the chapel downstairs, on the old altar there, you will see 4 paintings of the Evangelists and their symbols. The symbol of John is the Eagle. Well the Eagle soars high above the earth, and it is St. John’s gospel that soars high up – it is the gospel that emphasizes the Divinity of Christ.

.

St. John was very young, a virgin, and the beloved of Christ. He is usually pictured with no beard, to show his youth and innocence. He also wrote the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd letters of John, and tradition believes he wrote the Book of Revelation as well.

.

It is worthwhile to consider the change that happened in John by his having met Christ. He was a fisherman; a fisherman back in the first century, surely he had no real education. A man with rough hands, working with his father Zebedee in an old boat on the Sea of Galilee. He meets Christ the Lord, and spends what – 3 years with him. Yet, at the end of his life he writes the most beautiful lines of scripture, writings that one would expect from a master poet and theologian or mystic.

.

Like all of us, John had no real life until he met Christ. But in the Lord he met a man who showed him the meaning of his life. He met his Creator. He met Love Himself, born into the world.

.

On Mt. Tabor, John was permitted a vision of the Lord’s Divinity. At the Last Supper, it was he who leaned his head on the breast of Christ, who had the deepest friendship with Jesus. It was John, to whom was entrusted the Blessed Mother’s care. We should take note, that John writes the Gospel not using his own name, but referring all the time to ‘the Beloved Disciple, the One Jesus loved. He is saying: this is each of us: you are the Beloved Disciple. Each Christian, when he receives the Lord at the Holy Supper, leans his head on the breast of Christ, to speak to him.

.

You know, the emperor Domitian plunged John into a caldron of boiling oil to murder him, but he was unharmed. So he was exiled to the Island of Patmos. Patmos – where on a clear day, he could look across the bay and see the hill, on top of which was the house of Mary his mother. She was there. Praying for him, praying for the beloved disciple, and also for each of us – beloved disciples.

Friends in the Lord, today is the Feast of St. Stephen, and this feast always is the day after Christmas.

.

Jesus Christ is born for us, he leads the way for us. We are to follow, and be ‘other christs.’ Well, today Mother Church holds up for us St. Stephen, as the first example of the ideal Christian. He gave his all, even his life for Jesus.

.

St. Stephen was the first martyr, and he was also a Deacon. We read in the Book of Acts, that the Apostles needed help in their duties, so that they could spend more time in prayer, for this reason they ordained 7 Deacons, one of whom was Stephen. Stephen was a great leader and because of this, the enemies of the church went after him. They debated with him about the Catholic Faith, brought false witnesses against him, and stoned him to death. While they were killing him, he prayed for his enemies, that God would forgive them. As he died, he said: ‘Lord Jesus receive my spirit.’

.

St. Stephen was a solid Christian, who listened to the Holy Spirit, and won every debate he was in. He is an example to us, that we should walk in the Spirit, and not be afraid to speak up about our Faith, no matter the cost, even giving our life if necessary.

.

In the book ‘the Golden Legend, it is said so beautifully, that ‘Stephen ‘fell asleep’ – rather than saying that he died. This was a favorite expression of the early Church, and is used still today in Eucharist prayers, and in funeral liturgies: to fall asleep – we say that death is merely to fall asleep, because we believe in our resurrection.

.

It is said that in his life, St. Stephen raised 6 persons back to life, and did countless miracles. But these wonders continued on after his death. St. Augustine tells, that flowers which had been laid on the altar of St. Stephen, cured sick persons to whom they were touched. A blind woman recovered her sight when flowers taken from the altar of Stephen were applied to her eyes. In the same book it says, that a man named Martial, an unbeliever, fell gravely ill, but refused to be converted. His son-in-law went to the Church of St. Stephen, took some flowers from the altar, and placed them secretly on the sick man’s bed. The sick man slept on them, and when he awoke, he called for a priest and was baptized. Afterward, as long as he lived, the man kept repeating the words: ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit; he said this, not knowing that these were the same words of St. Stephen himself.

.

St. Stephen is the patron saint of Deacons, of casket makers, of horses, and headaches.

Friends in Christ, today is the Feast of St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas was born during the 3rd century, in present day Turkey, and it is the memory of this great saint which has led to the stories of Santa Claus. St. Nicholas is a saint and confessor of the Catholic Church, and also he is very revered among Orthodox Christians.

.

Nicholas was a monk in the monastery of Holy Zion; widely known for sanctity, he was elected abbot, and then a bishop.

During the reign of Diocletian, he was put in prison for preaching the gospel, but later he was released when Constantine came to the throne. For this reason he is venerated as a Confessor of the Faith.

.

Many miracles occurred in the life of St. Nicholas, and for this reason he is also called Nicholas the Wonderworker.

He was present at the great council of Nicea;[i] During the council, Arius the heretic, who denied that Jesus is truly God, stood up on his seat to be better heard. Enraged by this offense against Jesus Christ, Nicholas went quickly over to Arius pulled him down by his beard.[ii]

.

But bishop Nicholas had a reputation for secret gift-giving; people in those days left their shoes outside the threshold of the house, and children would often find coins or candy in them from the kindly bishop.   Many continue this tradition in homes today.

.

It is related that a poor man had three daughters but could not afford a dowry for them. They were soon tempted to support their family by illicit means. But Nicholas felt sad about this, and so he decided to help; under the cover of night, he went to the house and threw a bag of gold coins through the window into the room where the father lay sleeping. He did this on three consecutive nights, and one time, the gold landed right in the man’s stocking which was hanging up to dry by the fireplace.

.

After Nicholas’ death, his relics were placed in the city of Myra, and were highly venerated. When the Muslims conquered Asia Minor, the relics were in danger of being lost forever, so in 1087 a courageous group of men in Naples made a plan to recover the relics. Sailing in 3 ships, they reached Myra, and secretly stole into the city. As they gathered the bones of Nicholas, they were discovered, but raced back to their ships just in time; they brought the relics to Bari. The next day, 30 persons were cured by intercession to St. Nicholas. An oily substance valued for its medicinal powers, still flows from his relics today.

.

St. Nicholas is a great friend and intercessor; he is the patron saint of children, of sailors, and of many other causes. He truly is, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

.

[i] and died as bishop of Myra in 352.

[ii] and punched him!

Friends in Christ, today is the Feast of St. John Damascene. St. John is famous for his fight against iconoclasm. Iconoclasm is the idea that it is wrong to use sacred images of Christ or the saints.

Icons – these were and still are very important in the faith of Easter Rite Catholics and Orthodox Christians. But there were times when strong passions flared up against their use, leading even to violence. This was called iconoclasm.

.

The major iconoclasm period was 730 – 787AD, and in the end, the Church called a Council to deal with it, declaring at the 2^nd Council of Nicea that it is fine to make images of Christ and the saints. St. John Damascene was one of the strong defenders of the right to make icons and images, and he wrote beautifully on this subject and on the sacred Liturgy.

.

Today is also the Feast day of St. Barbara; although she is not on the public calendar, I know a number of people who have a special love for her, so we should say something about her.

.

St. Barbara was the daughter of a rich man named Dioscorus who was a pagan. Because she was so beautiful, Dioscorus did not allow any man to see her. In fact, he kept her locked in a tower all the time.

.

One day, her father went on a journey, at which point Barbara came down from the tower to see a bath-house that her father was having built. She saw in it, two windows that the workmen had made; thinking that 3 windows would well-symbolize the Holy Trinity, she said to them: ‘Make me here another window’, which they did. Days later in secret, a priest came and baptized Barbara in that bathhouse.

.

When her father came home and she told him that she was a Christian, he was outraged, and dragged her before the Prefect who had her cruelly tortured. Then she was ordered to sacrifice to the gods. Barbara said: ‘I offer myself to God, Jesus Christ, who has created heaven and earth and all things.’

She was then ordered to be beheaded, at which point her own father dragged her up a mountain to kill her himself. Before her death, she prayed ‘Oh Jesus, I beseech thee to hear my prayer, that for all who call on you in my memory, you will not remember their sins.’ Then with a sword, Dioscorus put his own daughter to death. But when he was coming down the mountain he was struck by lightening and nothing remained of him except ashes.

.

St. Barbara is the patron saint of architects, prisoners, soldiers, and cooks, but most importantly, she is the patron against a sudden death, that a person could receive the sacraments and die in peace.

Friends in Christ, today is the Feast of St. John Damascene. St. John is famous for his fight against iconoclasm. Iconoclasm is the idea that it is wrong to use sacred images of Christ or the saints.

Icons – these were and still are very important in the faith of Easter Rite Catholics and Orthodox Christians. But there were times when strong passions flared up against their use, leading even to violence. This was called iconoclasm.

.

The major iconoclasm period was 730 – 787AD, and in the end, the Church called a Council to deal with it, declaring at the 2^nd Council of Nicea that it is fine to make images of Christ and the saints. St. John Damascene was one of the strong defenders of the right to make icons and images, and he wrote beautifully on this subject and on the sacred Liturgy.

.

Today is also the Feast day of St. Barbara; although she is not on the public calendar, I know a number of people who have a special love for her, so we should say something about her.

.

St. Barbara was the daughter of a rich man named Dioscorus who was a pagan. Because she was so beautiful, Dioscorus did not allow any man to see her. In fact, he kept her locked in a tower all the time.

.

One day, her father went on a journey, at which point Barbara came down from the tower to see a bath-house that her father was having built. She saw in it, two windows that the workmen had made; thinking that 3 windows would well-symbolize the Holy Trinity, she said to them: ‘Make me here another window’, which they did. Days later in secret, a priest came and baptized Barbara in that bathhouse.

.

When her father came home and she told him that she was a Christian, he was outraged, and dragged her before the Prefect who had her cruelly tortured. Then she was ordered to sacrifice to the gods. Barbara said: ‘I offer myself to God, Jesus Christ, who has created heaven and earth and all things.’

She was then ordered to be beheaded, at which point her own father dragged her up a mountain to kill her himself. Before her death, she prayed ‘Oh Jesus, I beseech thee to hear my prayer, that for all who call on you in my memory, you will not remember their sins.’ Then with a sword, Dioscorus put his own daughter to death. But when he was coming down the mountain he was struck by lightening and nothing remained of him except ashes.

.

St. Barbara is the patron saint of architects, prisoners, soldiers, and cooks, but most importantly, she is the patron against a sudden death, that a person could receive the sacraments and die in peace.

Friends in Christ, today is the Feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria. St. Catherine lived back in the 4th century, and she was known for her great mind and wisdom. She received a thorough education, and during her studies, she had a vision of Mary and the Holy Child, which led her to become a Catholic.

.

When she was 18 she saw many Christians under threat of their life because of their faith. She boldly made her way to the emperor to speak to him. She told him that the gods they worship are nothing. And using her vast knowledge, she spoke of creation; the sun and moon, the stars, the earth and asked: how could all this come to be? Does this not point to God, who is Lord of all? We must adore this God and give him glory, she said. Then she taught him of the Incarnation: of Jesus Christ.

.

He was overwhelmed with her knowledge and also with her beauty. But when the emperor saw that her arguments made sense, he became angry. He brought in all of his brilliant masters of logic to debate her. They said, ‘Have this maiden brought before us, she will be put to shame, for she has never met wise men like us before.’

.

Catherine, having sought the help of God, used their own pagan teachings to subvert their arguments, convincing them that God indeed has become Man. Those men changed their minds, and became Christians on the spot; for this reason, they were executed by the Emperor. Catherine was then beaten with clubs, and shut up for 12 days in a dark cell.

.

In her cell, angels appeared to her, and filled the place with a brilliant light. This was witnessed by the Queen herself, who came to visit Catherine in prison. They spoke late into the night of the things of God, and many soldiers who came to the cell lay at her feet listening.

.

When the Emperor heard of this, he was furious. She was therefore to be tortured, by a special method. 4 wheels studded with iron saws and sharp, pointed nails would be set upon her to mangle and tear her to pieces. But when the machine was set upon her, the device shattered to pieces.

Catherine was finally sentenced to death by beheading, and there she raised her eyes to heaven saying: ‘O glory of virgins, Jesus good King, I ask you that anyone who honors my memory, may receive the benefit of your kindness.  When she was beheaded, milk rather than blood flowed from her body. For years, an oil flowed also from her bones which healed many people.

.

St. Catherine of Alexandria had a brilliant mind, but it was her heart of love which made her a saint.

Her symbol is a spiked wheel; she is the patron saint of philosophers, teachers, and girls.