January 25—The Conversion of St. Paul

 

One month ago we celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ. Today we celebrate the conversion of one of the most famous of Jesus’ followers, St. Paul.  And yet, he started out as a persecutor of the Christian religion:  “Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains” (Acts 9:1-2).
 

And yet, Jesus chose him to spread the Good News when he called to him:  “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4).  Saul (Paul was his Roman name) then responded:  “Who are you, sir?” (Acts 9:5).  Jesus then revealed himself:  “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5).  Paul went into Damascus and was baptized.  Baptized!  The man who had just come to arrest Christians became a Christian!  Paul would undergo many trials and suffer greatly for his change, including death as a martyr.  He founded numerous Christian communities and wrote most of the New Testament through his letters.

But Paul never forgot his past or his role as a persecutor of Christ.  He acknowledged his own salvation was due to the grace of God acting in his life.  He offered the same message of the free gift of God’s grace through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Who do we know that may be attacking the Church?  Who do we know that may be challenging us and our faith?  It may be that God has a great purpose in mind for that person.  Our prayers can be offered to bring about conversion of sinners so that they too may offer glory to God as Paul did.

January 6—St. André Bessette, Religious

Is there a saint for failures?  No one who is a saint is a failure, but many of the saints had numerous setbacks throughout their lives that challenged them to grow in faith.  St. André Bessette, who died in 1937, went though numerous setbacks, or failures, in his life.  He was a sickly child; his parents died when he was 12; he attempted, and failed, numerous trades including shoemaking, baking, and blacksmithing.  He tried to enter the Congregation for the Holy Cross, but was too sick to be admitted.  Eventually, he was admitted and then given the “humble” occupations of doorkeeper, sacristan, laundry worker, and messenger.  However, he served with piety and devotion to St. Joseph.  That devotion to St. Joseph prompted him to work toward having a chapel built dedicated to St. Joseph.  Many years of prayer and dedication and setbacks were put in before he saw the successful culmination of his efforts.

We all fail in our lives, whether it be due to lack of ability, lack of effort, or illness or injury, or even due to “luck” and circumstances beyond our control.  We do not get what we want and that can lead to feelings of feeling despised or put upon, or unlucky.  Nonetheless, the only true failure is sin.  Sin is the ultimate failure to love.  But we have a savior who lifts us up from our failures.  Forgiveness from God is the ultimate success.  As we have been loved and forgiven, we have been called to love and forgive others.  This leads us to a life of spreading the Good News of salvation.  True, we may still not get what we want here on earth.  However, God will always give us what we need to get to heaven.  We just need to turn to him and understand how these setbacks may be calling us to a greater success, as did St. André Bessette.

December 12—Our Lady of Guadalupe

How does one go about converting a nation of unbelievers?  By sending Mary!  That is what happened on December 9, 1531 when Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego, an Aztec convert.  She asked that he go to the bishop and request that a chapel be built in her honor.  When the bishop requested a sign, the Virgin arranged some roses in his cloak to show the bishop.  When the cloak was opened a miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared.

The image shows Mary as a mestiza, a woman who is both Aztec and Spanish, with her eyes downcast, which is opposed to the way Aztec gods and goddesses looked out at the person.  She covers the sun so that only the rays appeared behind her.  She is standing on a crescent moon.  Her hands are in prayer and she is covered in a turquoise mantel, which was reserved to the Aztec gods and goddesses.  Furthermore, her mantel has stars on it and her dress has native flower designs.  Around her waist is a maternity band indicating that she is pregnant.  So to an Aztec she would be a woman who is greater than their gods, but pointing to the child inside her as even greater.  The Spaniards were already familiar with a shrine named after Our Lady of Guadalupe in Spain, so they would have recognized her as well.

Mary leads us to Jesus just as she led St. Juan Diego and the Aztec people to him.  Our Lady of Guadalupe showed the Spaniards that the native peoples that they had just conquered were children of God and worthy of respect and evangelization.  We need to show respect to all our brothers and sisters, no matter what they believe and lead them to Jesus just as Our Lady of Guadalupe did and evangelize them with our words and our love.

December 6—St. Nicholas, Bishop

“Ho!  Ho!  Ho!  Merry Christmas!”  “Santa Claus is coming to town!”  “Jolly old St. Nicholas, lean your ear this way….”  All of these are familiar to us this time of year, but few know about the real Santa Claus, St. Nicholas of Myra.  St. Nicholas was a bishop of Myra, located in present-day Demre, Turkey in the fourth century.  He was a participant in the Council of Nicea, which declared that Jesus is consubstantial with God the Father, as we recite every week in mass. 

 

However, he has become more known as Santa Claus through the efforts of Clement C. Moore’s “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” and the Dutch name for St. Nicholas, Sinterklaas.  The reasons for St. Nicholas’s transformation do indeed come from legends about the real St. Nicholas.  One legend has him throwing three bags of coins into the house of a poor man with three daughters to allow them to be marriageable.  He was also known as a “wonder-worker” due to miracles attributed to him.  Nonetheless, he has become the patron saint of children and is one of the few saints that are greatly venerated in both Eastern and Western churches.

Is there a Santa Claus?  If you mean a person who lives at the North Pole with elves and magical flying reindeer, only in the hearts of children and the child-like.  He is a representative of the spirit of gift-giving, which is a good thing.  But is there a St. Nicholas?  Absolutely!  He is one who loved Jesus while on earth and is alive in heaven singing praises to God.  He is more than a spirit of giving; he is one who gave himself to others because of his love for Jesus.  We too, can be modern-day Santa Claus’s as well as St. Nicholas’s.

November 30—St. Andrew, Apostle

St. Andrew was the first apostle called by Jesus. John the Baptist pointed out Jesus to him and the future apostle, John: "'Behold the Lamb of God.' The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, 'What are you looking for?' They said to him, 'Rabbi' (which translated means Teacher), 'where are you staying?' He said to them, 'Come, and you will see.' He found his own brother Simon and told him, 'We have found the Messiah'" (Jn. 36-39, 41).

What are we looking for? Success, a career, comfort, money, stability, respect, adventure, love? God has planted in our hearts a desire for him. St. Augustine wrote, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in you." God wants us to look for him. He wants us to find him. It is in our deepest desires that God calls us to him. When we hear the call we need to respond with love.

Andrew responded, in love, by bring his brother Simon Peter to Jesus. Who do we bring to Jesus? Who do we love? We are called to bring our spouses, our children, our colleagues, and everyone we meet to a closer relationship with Jesus. By our actions and prayers we can be more like St. Andrew.

Specifically, we can honor Jesus in the hearts of others. God rests in the deepest recesses of our hearts. He speaks to us from there. He calls us to respond with love to his presence in the hearts of every human being. Heart speaks to heart in love. And where there is love, there is God. Then God sends us out as disciples to bring his love to the world.  St. Andrew, pray for us.

November 22--St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr

Today is the feast day of patroness of the Archdiocese of Omaha, St. Cecilia.  According to legend, St. Cecilia was married, but decided to remain a virgin.  She warned her husband that an angel guarded her.  When he wanted to see the angel, she told him he needed to be baptized.  He was and he saw the angel.  His brother also converted and the two dedicated themselves to burying the martyrs.  Eventually Cecilia was arrested and condemned to death by suffocation in the baths, which were like our modern spas.  She survived and was condemned to die by beheading.  The executioner tried three times and then left her to die, but she survived for three days, whereupon she died.

St. Cecilia’s life and death are a matter of legend due to the lack of verifiable witnesses.  However, there were martyrs throughout the early Church.  St. Cecilia is also the patroness of music due to her hearing heavenly music in her heart when she was married.  Omaha is the only diocese that has her patronage.

Music raises our spirits, reflects our mood, changes our mood, and allows us to sing and worship God.  “The true purpose of sacred music, … ‘is [for] the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful.’”  We sing in Mass so that we may glorify God, raising our hearts and souls and voices in praise together.  We are grateful for the musicians and song leaders and choir members who help us, in the words of St. Augustine, “pray twice” when we sing.