October 23--St. John of Capistrano, Priest and Religious

The Liturgy of the Hours has a brief life on all the saints we celebrate. For St. John of Capistrano it says: “Saint John was born in Capistrano in the Abruzzi (Italy) in 1386. He studied law in Perugia and for a time was governor of that city. He entered the Order of Friars Minor and, after ordination to the priesthood, he led an untiring apostolic life preaching throughout Europe both to strengthen Christian life and to refute heresy. He died at Villach in Austria in 1456.” It’s pretty cut and dried, but it doesn’t tell us…the rest of the story.

The people of Europe had just recovered from the plague, which had wiped out about one-third of the population. The Western Schism occurred, in which three men claimed to be pope! The Franciscans had a heretical group within them! The Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople in 1453 and were moving into central Europe. So, what was a body to do? Preach! He preached to great crowds who were either ambivalent or confused about the Church. He sparked great conversions in the people who heard him. He helped the Franciscans root out the heretical group in their midst. He then preached a crusade in central Europe to stop the Turks, leading an army into Belgrade, Hungary lifting the siege and stopping the Muslim advance into Europe.

Why is all this important for the life of St. John and for us? We are called to live our faith in the circumstances we encounter. If there is heresy, preach against it! If there is corruption, be a force for light and truth! If there is apathy, live with zeal! When there are forces of evil to face, do so with courage! And that’s the rest of the story! St. John of Capistrano, pray for us.

October 17--St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

Imagine this: You are on your way to your execution, brutal at best and torturous at worst. But you write your friends to not try and stop it. Rather, you want to die as an example for others. This is what St. Ignatius of Antioch did when he was taken to the Circus Maximus in Rome. He was a second-generation Christian, having been taught by John the Apostle. As bishop of Antioch, he was a successor to Peter, who was bishop there before going to Rome. He was brought before the Emperor Trajan and refused to recant his faith, whereupon he was sentenced to death in the Circus, to be eaten by lions. In anticipation of the efforts of the Christians in Rome, he wrote: “The only thing I ask of you is to allow me to offer the libation of my blood to God. I am the wheat of the Lord; may I be ground by the teeth of the beasts to become the immaculate bread of Christ.” 

St. Ignatius wrote to various communities on his way to his martyrdom. He wrote about the importance of loyalty to the bishop. In this day we are seeing the bishops in a different light. Some have sinned grievously, while others have sinned in covering up grievous sins. Our bishops are successors to the apostles, but they are also men who need God’s grace in their own lives. We do need to be loyal to them, but we also need to help them in being accountable for the responsibilities they have. The laity has a co-responsibility, along with the clergy, to bring about the Kingdom of God. Let us never renege on our own baptismal promises to reject Satan and all his evil works! St. Ignatius, pray for us.