June 16--St. Lutgardis, Religious

St. Lugardis by Goya

“Catholic Christians traditionally recognize June as the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. During this time, we call to mind Christ’s love for us, which is visible in a special way in the image of His pierced heart, and we pray that our own hearts might be conformed to His, calling us to love and respect all His people” (USCCB). St. Lutgardis is considered one of the saints who had a devotion to the Sacred Heart long before it was recognized in the Church as hers was the first recorded mystical revelation about the Sacred Heart.

St. Lutgardis was born in Tongeren, Belgium, in 1182 and died in 1246. She was sent to the convent at the age of twelve because her father lost her dowry in a bad business deal and thus could not afford to have her married according to the customs of the time. It was only later, when she had a vision of Jesus with his wounds, that she actually became a Benedictine nun. Still later, she joined the Cistercians, which followed a stricter observance of the Rule of St. Benedict. One vision was specifically about the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Jesus asked her what gift she would like to receive instead of the one she previously asked for. “‘Lord,’ said Lutgarde, ‘I would exchange it for your Heart.’ Christ then reached into Lutgarde and, removing her heart, replaced it with his own, at the same time hiding her heart within his breast.”

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a profound reminder of God’s love for us through Jesus’ sacrifice: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16). St. Lutgardis, pray for us!

March 10--St. John Ogilvie, Martyr, Priest, and Religious

St. John Ogilvie by Lawrence OP licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Is a person a martyr if charged with treason? Jesus was crucified on a political charge, as was today's saint. St. John Ogilvie was the eldest son of a Calvinist Scottish landowner. He was born in 1580 and educated as a Calvinist. He was then sent to the continent and educated by various Catholic groups including the Benedictines and Jesuits. He became Catholic in 1597, a Jesuit two years later, and a priest in 1610. He requested to be sent to Scotland as a missionary, which was illegal. He received permission and went there in 1613. He preached and celebrated Mass in private homes, but in 1614 was betrayed, arrested, and tried. He was tried for refusing to pledge allegiance to King James. After his conviction he was hanged and drawn. He was canonized in 1976.

So, back to the first question. The answer is yes. A person is declared a martyr in the Church if killed due to odium fidei, or hatred of the faith. St. John Ogilvie was killed because it was illegal to practice Catholicism in Scotland. Jesus was arrested and brought before Pilate, the Roman governor, under the charge of treason: "Now Jesus stood before the governor, and he questioned him, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' Jesus said, 'You say so.'" (Mt. 27:11) In both cases, a political charge was used to complete a religious act, martyrdom and crucifixion.

Will the practice of Catholicism in America be declared in opposition to the state? Will our faith be considered subversive if we oppose the popular will? Will it be a prohibited political act to oppose physician-assisted suicide, same-sex marriage, embryonic stem-cell research, or physical mutilation for the sake of self-identity? If so, be prepared for martyrdom and new saints. St. John Ogilvie, pray for us.

February 25--St. Walburga, Abbess

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Not many know that some women in the Catholic Church were in charge of double monasteries, which is an institution of both men and women religious in separate facilities. They were founded so that the spiritual needs of the nuns could be attended to by the priests of the male community. St. Bridget of Ireland established one in Kildare and Sts. Cuthberga and Quimburga established one at Wimbourne in England where today’s saint was educated. St. Walburga became abbess over the double monastery at Heidenheim, Germany her brother, St. Winibald, founded after he died.

St. Walburga had sainthood in her genes. Her father was St. Richard, an under-king of the West Saxons of Britain; her uncle was St. Boniface, Apostle of Germany; and her two brothers, St. Willibald, who became a bishop, and St. Winibald, both missionaries to Germany. She was known for miraculous events, including being able to walk through fierce guard dogs, calming seas, and healing. She wrote a biography of St. Winibald and an account of St. Willibald’s travels in the Holy Land, thus earning her the honor as the first female author of England and Germany. She spent much of her life at Wimborne but was called to Germany by St. Boniface to continue their missionary work by her prayers. Even after her death in AD 779 her bones exuded an oil that has miraculous powers, which continues to today.

“According to the nuns at her shrine, Walburga’s genius was in being ‘open to God, to his calling, to his guidance, to his demands so as to be ready in every situation to accept his plan.’” Humility and obedience to God’s will requires prayer and acceptance of God’s will. We can follow St. Walburga by giving ourselves over to God, especially by receiving the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist.

*https://live.staticflickr.com/5763/21387598916_1d8a1dcb9e_b.jpg

September 1--St. Giles, Hermit

There are some saints who were very popular long ago, but not so much anymore. One of these is St. Giles. St. Giles was venerated as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, saints who were invoked against diseases. They included St. Barbara against fever and sudden death, St. Blaise against throat ailments, St. Christopher against the plague, St. Denis against headaches, and St. Vitus against epilepsy. St. Giles was invoked against both plague and epilepsy, but also against mental illness and nightmares.

St. Giles was a Greek hermit who founded an abbey on the southern coast of France along the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. According to one story, he was a hermit who had a red deer as a companion. When hunters shot an arrow at the deer it wounded St. Giles instead. Thus, he is also patron saint of cripples. His monastery followed the Rule of St. Benedict and he died in the eighth century, having a reputation for holiness and miracles. Travelers on the pilgrimage would stop at the abbey to visit his relics.

Nowadays, we have medicine when we are sick. We visit doctors, who are much more common today than in the days of St. Giles. God has blessed modern humanity with men and women dedicated to curing diseases and injuries. For that, we should be grateful. We should take advantage of medical personnel for physical and mental illnesses but let us not forget the illnesses of the soul that harm us: addiction, spiritual poverty, loneliness, fear, anxiety, desperation, and sin. These illnesses need more than a physician. God has also blessed us with intercessors, saints who pray on our behalf, for help from spiritual maladies. St. Giles is also the patron for a good confession. Take the hint! He can help us move to God.

June 19--St. Romuald, Abbot

How do we deal with the sins of our family? Do we condemn our family member, or do we condemn the sin? Do we pray for their repentance and conversion? Do we offer reparation for their sins? St. Romuald was 20 when his father killed a relative in a duel over property. St. Romuald was so upset that he fled to a nearby monastery in Ravenna, Italy and prayed and did penance for his father. He joined the monastery, but found that his rigor was more than what they wanted. He left and lived under the direction of a hermit. After about five years with him, he spent 30 years traveling around Italy founding and reforming monasteries. 

He eventually founded the Camaldolese order, which combined elements of being a hermit with elements of being a monk. The Camoldolese monks lived in individual cells, but also observed a common life with daily worship and community meals. They emphasized a life of contemplative prayer. The Camoldolese have established communities in Brazil, Africa, India, and the United States in Big Sur, California.

So how does that impact our lives? Do we admire St. Romuald and think, “Better him than me” or “That’s nice”? We need holy men and women to challenge us. Sometimes we get complacent, even in our faith lives and our prayer. Do we pray for the reparations of the sins of others? We have much to pray for regarding the sins in our families, our communities, and in our society. Do we set aside time for God? Do we pray in adoration? Do we sit and “be” in the presence of God? God’s friendship means that we need to share time with him. St. Romuald died in 1027, but his example is worth following.

May 27—St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop and Missionary

Our country is tilted toward England more than the other European countries that colonized this land. So, in many respects our culture leans toward the British. We follow English common law, the Magna Carta is a basis for the Constitution, and we speak English, allowing us to enjoy the great literature of our common tongue. So, it is worth considering the saint that brought the Church back to England in 597, St. Augustine of Canterbury.

England was Christian when the Roman empire was Christianized. But with the withdrawal of Roman legions from England in the 5th century, the island was overrun by Angles, Saxons, and Jutes from Germany. The king of Kent in southeastern England was Æthelbehrt, who married a Frankish princess, who was Catholic. This allowed St. Gregory the Great to send St. Augustine and a number of monks to Canterbury to convert the king and his kingdom. St. Augustine, not the great philosopher from Africa, was a Benedictine monk from Rome. Although his group of 40 companions were daunted by their task, St. Gregory encouraged them onward. Soon after his arrival they met with the king who converted that same year. Large-scale conversions of the people occurred quickly, although King Æthelbehrt never coerced his subjects to do so. He died in 604. St. Augustine of Canterbury is called the “Apostle to the English”.

Some say that King Æthelbehrt was predisposed to receive the Gospel by virtue of his marriage to a Catholic princess. It gives us a chance to keep in mind how we can predispose others to a deepening of their faith. WE MUST PRACTICE OUR FAITH! We are disciples called to spread the Good News. Our actions and our words show the depth of our discipleship.

March 9--St. Frances of Rome, Religious

Rome has two heavy hitters as patrons in Sts. Peter and Paul, who were both martyred there during the reign of the emperor Nero. But the eternal city also has a mother as a patron, St. Frances of Rome. St. Frances was born into a noble Roman family and married at the age of 12 to another Roman noble. Her marriage lasted for 40 years and she bore three children. While she was married she became a Third Order Franciscan. During an invasion of Rome people came to her farm, where she would give food and care for the sick, the starving, and the dying assisted by other Roman ladies. In 1425 she and six other women became oblates under the rule of St. Benedict. They eventually became a religious order in 1433. Their ministry was to serve the poor and work and pray for the pope and the peace of Rome.

As a mother, St. Frances of Rome suffered the death of two of her children to the plague. She opened part of her house as a hospital and bought what was necessary to help the sick. Her community of women helped others as mothers help their children.

Our mothers sacrifice themselves for us so that we may have what we need: food, clothing, comfort, medicine, and more. In times of sorrow our mothers console us. They do what must be done so that their children and their families are secure and safe. They, with our fathers, provide us with homes and love. But they do not do so alone. They have God to guide them. They have the Blessed Mother to watch over them. No family is perfect, but all families strive for happiness in their lives, which is only provided through God’s grace.

September 3--St. Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

There are only four popes who have been called “Great”, St. Leo the Great, St. Nicholas the Great, soon to be St. John Paul the Great, and St. Gregory the Great.  St. Gregory was born in Rome at the end of the sixth century.  After serving in various public offices in Rome, he quit public life to become a Benedictine monk.  But his diplomatic skills required his services as an ambassador to Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.  He was elected pope in 590 and served until 604.  In that time he wrote extensively on theological and moral subjects as well as writing hundreds of letters.  He is credited with introducing Gregorian Chant into the liturgy.  He sent missionaries to England to evangelize the Germanic tribes there.  He organized the processes of giving donations and food to the poor in Rome.  He is also considered the pope who revitalized the papacy and brought the institution of the papacy to its central place in the Church as first in charity and authority.  He introduced the title Servum servorum Dei, “Servant of the Servants of God”, which is the last of the eight titles of a pope.

There is a great deal that St. Gregory accomplished for the Church.  As pope he had care for all people’s spiritual needs, but he also cared for the physical needs of those in Rome who had been brought low by bad economics and war.  He even cared for the needs of those who weren’t Christian by sending missionaries.  Servanthood is founded upon Jesus’ commitment to serve us:  “If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet.  I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do” (Jn. 13:14-15).

We are servants and friends of Jesus if we do as he commands.  What greater thing can we do than serving each other and our society by our lives of Christian love and fellowship?  Our worship together on Sunday solidifies our solidarity in living as Christ calls us:  “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (Jn 13:34).  This is the true legacy that St. Gregory the Great, and all the saints, gives us.

July 11--St. Benedict, Abbot

Pope Benedict XVI named himself for St. Benedict, the man who wrote a Rule for monks to live together in community.  That Rule is the basis for the Order of St. Benedict, the religious group of monks who Christianized Europe.  St. Benedict was a young man of sixth century Italy who left his studies in Rome to become a hermit.  Some other hermits were drawn to his holiness and asked him to lead them.  He did, but they came to despise him and tried to poison him.  He left that group and later founded a monastery at Monte Cassino, where he died not long after his twin sister, St. Scholastica.

The Rule of St. Benedict is the most common Rule used by monasteries and monks for over 1,400 years.  Its first word is obsculta, a Latin word meaning both “listen” and “obey”.  The Benedictine monk is to listen to and obey the words of the Rule so that he may grow in holiness.  The Rule is also exemplary for its tone of moderation.  Nothing too hard was exacted from the monk.  Everything was to be done in moderation, both work and prayer, which are hallmarks of the Benedictine order.

Benedictine monasticism became the norm in Europe following the fall of the Roman Empire in the West in 476 A.D.  Charlemagne mandated that Benedictine monasteries be founded wherever his empire extended.  By the 14^th century there were 37,000 Benedictine monasteries in Europe.  There had been 24 Benedictine popes and over 1,500 canonized Benedictine saints.  So one can understand why Pope Benedict XVI said that “with his life and work St Benedict exercised a fundamental influence on the development of European civilization and culture.” 

We owe much to St. Benedict and to the Benedictines.