March 31--St. Benjamin, Deacon and Martyr

 Saint Benjamin

Vatican II reestablished the order of the diaconate as a “proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy:” “It is the duty of the deacon... to administer baptism solemnly, to be custodian and dispenser of the Eucharist, to assist at and bless marriages in the name of the Church, to bring Viaticum to the dying, to read the Sacred Scripture to the faithful, to instruct and exhort the people, to preside over the worship and prayer of the faithful, to administer sacramentals, to officiate at funeral and burial services” (Lumen gentium, 29).

Today’s saint was a deacon in this same manner in Persia in the 4th and 5th centuries. St. Benjamin was martyred in AD 424 during a persecution through two kings of Persia and for about forty years. The Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II was able to obtain his release after being imprisoned but with the condition that he not preach. St. Benjamin “declared it was his duty to preach about Christ and that he could not be silent.” He was then subjected to brutal torture, which killed him.

Today’s deacons may not be called to martyrdom, but they are called to preach the Gospel, to witness, and to serve the People of God in the ways directed by Vatican II. According to a study commissioned by the USCCB in 2021-2022, there were over 20,000 permanent deacons, with more than half of them in active ministry. We have been blessed by this ministry. Thus, we need to continue to promote vocations to the diaconate as well as to the priestly and religious vocations. The People of God need men and women to dedicate themselves to serving others so we may come closer to God. Be open to God’s call. St. Benjamin, pray for us.

March 29–St. Berthold, Priest and Hermit

 

Berthold of Mount Carmel, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Mount Carmel was where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18. But it is also the location of the foundation of the Carmelite religious order. However, even before the Carmelites were founded other hermits and religious men lived together on Mt. Carmel. That seems to be the case with today’s saint. St. Berthold was a priest who went with the Crusaders on the Third Crusade. He “found himself in Antioch when it was being besieged by the Saracens. Through his urgings, the Christians in Antioch turned to prayer and penance, and the city was delivered.”

It is said that he built “a monastery and church on Mount Carmel and dedicated the church in honor of the prophet [Elijah]... and lived out his days on Mount Carmel, ruling the community he had founded for forty-five years until his death about 1195. His example and way of life stamped the beginnings of the Carmelite Order,” which was formally founded later. The Carmelites have given us numerous saints, especially mystics, such as St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux, all Doctors of the Church.

There is much fruit that can grow from small seeds. This was true of St. Berthold and it can be true of us. Every moment is an opportunity to do the will of God. Whatever we are doing, we can offer it up in love to God. It can be a moment of suffering, and thus we can participate in Christ’s sufferings. It can be a moment of joy, and thus we can rejoice in the gifts God has given us. It can be a moment of silence, such as when Jesus prayed to his Father. We need to offer each moment to God! St. Berthold, pray for us.

March 16–St. Abbán, Abbot

 

Andreas F. Borchert, New Ross Church of St. Mary and St. Michael Nave West End Relief of Saint Abban 2012 09 04, CC 4.0.

When we think of March saints we usually think of St. Patrick, whose feast day is March 17. Nonetheless, the Martyrology of Donegal lists 1000 saints of Ireland. Today’s saint was also an Irish saint who founded a monastery in Ireland. Three versions of the Life of St. Abbán show a lot of variation and confusion about him. However, according to the Martyrology, St. Abbán had great devotion to God as a child and he worked saintly miracles, such as when his maternal uncle, a bishop, took him to Rome, he was said to have power over “men, monsters, and supernatural phenomena” and “special authority over rivers and seas.” He died about A.D 520.

This sounds like a lot of Irish exaggeration, except that scholars have studied and documented his life and impact throughout Ireland. So what makes a person a saint? As stated in this column before, men, women, and children are saints because of their holiness. They dedicate themselves to knowing, loving, and serving God so they may give greater glory to God and bring others closer to him. St. Abbán was thus such a man.

St. Abbán was one of the many abbots, abbesses, and monks that helped Christianize Ireland. Irish Christianity was primarily monastic with the spread of “networks of monastic ‘city-states’ throughout Ireland that served as centers of learning for religious men and women.” Irish monasticism was influential in re-Christianizing northern Europe after the fall of the Roman empire in the West.

The impact of Irish Catholicism is worthwhile. Many of us can remember the Irish priests who taught us as children and established parishes in our dioceses. We are grateful for the Irish Catholics like St. Abbán, who, by their holiness, spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. St. Abbán, pray for us.

March 27--Bl. Francesco Faà di Bruno, Priest and Founder

Faà di Bruno’s Formula

“Science and faith do not mix.” Wrong! We have many giants of science and mathematics who were faithful members of the Catholic Church, including Galileo, Pasteur, Mendel, Copernicus, Pascal, Bacon, and ​​Lemaître, who developed the Big Bang Theory. We can also include today’s saint, Bl. Francesco Faà di Bruno, among them as a mathematician for whom Faà di Bruno’s Formula is named. Born in northern Italy in 1825 to parents of nobility, he had a wide-ranging career as an army officer, a professor of mathematics and recipient of a Doctor of Science degree from the Universities of Paris and Turin, a friend of St. John Bosco, social reformer, and overseer of the construction of a church in Turin, Italy. However, that was not enough for him! He discerned a vocation to the priesthood and was finally ordained at age 51. He founded the Minim Sisters of St. Zita in 1881 to provide aid to maids and domestic servants, later unmarried mothers, and then, prostitutes.

Pope St. John Paul II said of him in his beatification homily: “He used to say: ‘Giving oneself to God is equivalent to giving oneself to a superior activity, which drags us along like the swollen and tumultuous waters of a raging torrent. . .’. From the love for God came that love for ‘neighbor’, which pushed Francesco Faà di Bruno onto the path of the poor, the humble, the defenseless, making him a giant of faith and charity. Thus was born a whole series of works and welfare activities which are not easy to list. Even in the scientific field he was able to bear his coherent testimony as a believer, in a period in which dedication to science seemed incompatible with a serious commitment to faith.” Science and faith DO mix! Bl. Francesco, pray for us!

March 21--St. Benedetta Cambiagio Frassinello, Religious

St. Benedetta Cambiagio Frassinello by Unknown Artist, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

“Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). Where do we hear the word of Christ? First, from our parents in the domestic church of the family. Then from our priests in the parish church. But many of us have received the privilege of hearing the word of Christ in our schools! Catholic education has been central to the mission of the Church. Today’s saint provided another way in which to enrich the faith of children, and especially, girls, through the word of Christ.

St. Benedetta Cambiagio Frassinello was born in 1791 in Italy and died on March 21, 1858. Her Vatican biography states: “She was wife, religious and foundress. She let the Holy Spirit guide her through married life to the work of education and religious consecration. She founded a school for the formation of young women and also a religious congregation, and did both with the generous collaboration of her husband. This is unique in the annals of Christian sanctity. Benedetta was a pioneer in her determination to give a high quality education to young women, for the formation of families for a ‘new Christian society’ and for promoting the right of women to a complete education.” “Along with instruction, she joined formation in catechesis and in useful skills like cooking and sewing, aiming to transform her students into ‘models of Christian life’ and so assure the formation of families.” She was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002.

Catholic education is an efficient ministry which shares the word of Christ and brings about salvation to our children. It is not a luxury, but a necessity for the benefit of our children, our families, our society, and our future. St. Benedetta, pray for us!

March 13--St. Leander of Seville, Bishop

 San Leandro by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

“I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.” “Our profession of faith begins with God, for God is the First and the Last, the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the Father, for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our Creed begins with the creation of heaven and earth, for creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God's works” (CCC, 198). These words, which we say every Sunday during Mass, are an expression of our faith. This is the Niceno-Constantinopolitan, or Nicene Creed, formulated at the Councils of Nicea in 325 and Constantinople in 381.

We have today’s saint, St. Leander of Seville, to thank for this addition to the liturgy; he was bishop of Seville in the 6th century. The Visigoths had overrun Spain and were converted through the Arian heresy, which stated that Jesus was the first creation of God, but was not God. The Church was separated between Arian and Catholic bishops and peoples. St. Leander introduced the Creed as a way to help reinforce the orthodox Catholic faith among the people in 589 at the Third Council of Toledo. This brought about the conversion of the Visigoth King of Spain and the reconciliation of the Arian faction to the true faith of the Church. This version of the Creed also introduced the filioque clause, that the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father and the Son, which spread to the rest of Latin-speaking Catholicism and was accepted throughout the Western Catholic Church by 1000.

It is necessary to know the faith in order to live the faith and to bring others to the truth, who is Jesus Christ. St. Leander, pray for us.

March 8--St. John of God, Religious

 

St. John of God saving the Sick from a Fire at the Royal Hospital in 1549 by Manuel Gómez-Moreno González licensed under Public Domain.

Hospitals are a true legacy of the Catholic Church. The Council of Nicea in AD 325 decreed that every cathedral city should have a hospital to care for sick travelers. The importance of caring for the sick goes back to Jesus and the corporal works of mercy, when he said of those he identified with: “I was … ill and you cared for me” (Mt. 25:36). So it is not unusual for us to find saints who either founded hospitals or religious orders to care for the sick. That is the case with today’s saint, St. John of God.

Born in Portugal in 1495, João Duarte Cidade, John of God, lived the life of a soldier. After 40 years, he sought meaning and, after hearing a sermon by St. John of Avila, realized his sinfulness and publicly beat himself begging for mercy and repentance. He was committed to a mental hospital where St. John visited him and advised him to serve others rather than inflict punishment on himself. This persuaded John of God and he started attending to the sick poor, begging for funds for medical supplies and attending to patients in the hospital. He gathered others around him and founded the Order of Hospitallers. He died in 1550 from pneumonia after saving a man from drowning in Granada, Spain. He was declared patron of the dying and of hospitals by Pope Leo XIII. The Order of Hospitallers of St. John of God administers over 300 hospitals, services, and centers in 53 countries.

Catholic hospitals serve God by healing as Jesus did. Today, the Catholic Church is the largest non-governmental provider of health care in the world, with over 600 hospitals and 1,400 long-term care facilities in the United States alone! St. John of God, pray for us.

March 30--St. John Climacus, Abbot

 

Novogrod school - scan from "Muzeum Rosyjskie w Leningradzie", Arkady, Warszawa 1986, ISBN 83-213-3348-6

Today's saint is so named because of his book, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, which in Greek is
Climacus. Using the symbol of Jacob's ladder, he writes of how to grow in holiness by asceticism, or physical self-denial. He has thirty rungs, or steps, in his ladder on helping monks grow in holiness with such titles as "On that clamorous mistress, the stomach," and "On detachment," and "On holy and blessed prayer, the mother of virtues, and on the attitude of mind and body in prayer." It became popular and is read by Eastern Catholics, especially during Great Lent.

St. John Climacus was born in the 6th century and died in March of 649 at Mt. Sinai. He was from Palestine and became a monk, living a life of solitude and prayer. At age seventy he was elected abbot of the monastery at Mt. Sinai and died about four years later. According to him, the goal of life as a monk was to reach a state of "passive disinterestedness in earthly life so as to anticipate the wonders of heaven."

He writes in "On Detachment": "The man who really loves the Lord, who has made a real effort to find the coming Kingdom, who has really begun to be troubled by his sins, who is really mindful of eternal torment and judgment, who really lives in fear of his own departure, will not love, care or worry about money, or possessions, or parents, or worldly glory, or friends, or brothers, or anything at all on earth. But having shaken off all ties with earthly things ... he will follow Christ without anxiety or hesitation, always looking heavenward and expecting help from there...." With St. John's prayers and God's grace we can also ascend to God as we prepare for Easter!

March 20--St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, Bishop, Missionary, and Monk

Cuthbert discovers piece of timber - Life of St. Cuthbert (late 12th C), f.45v - BL Yates Thompson MS 26.jpg licensed under CC0 1.0.

The title for today's saint says it all: Bishop, Missionary, and Monk. St. Cuthbert was an Anglo-Saxon in the 7th century, shortly after the re-Christianization of Britain by St. Augustine of Canterbury. He lived in Northumbria, which was a kingdom in the north of England before England became a state. He became a monk, but also roamed the countryside and spent time among the people, ministering to them, preaching, working miracles, and carrying out missionary journeys. He was noted for his holiness, care, asceticism, and generosity to the poor. He was also famous for his gift of healing, so much so, he was named "Wonder Worker of Britain". He eventually retired to be a hermit, but was elected bishop, although he died in 687, two years after his election.

As a bishop, missionary priest, and monk, St. Cuthbert lived the major vocations of the Church at his time. He brought people to God, prayed for them, and guided them as their shepherd. Bishops have great responsibility to their flocks because they need to be faithful and true teachers of the faith of the Church; they need to be priests and dispensers of the sacraments, which give us opportunities to grow in holiness; and they need to be servants to the position they hold, properly overseeing the goods of the community entrusted to them. Missionaries have the great task of bringing God to new people, who don't know Jesus or his community of love. They face the difficulties of calling people to repentance and conversion. Monks have the joy of leading lives of prayerful contemplation of God, offering their prayers for the sake of the salvation of souls and reparation for sins. Let us join St. Cuthbert in bringing our brothers and sisters back to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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.

Ash Wednesday--The Beginning of Lent

"Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return." We get ashes on our foreheads, in our eyes, and on our clothes! Furthermore, we don't wash it off all day! Sounds kind of creepy! So why do we do it? Ashes are an ancient symbol of mourning and repentance. In the Bible, we hear it used, along with sackcloth, which is like burlap, as a means of appealing to God for forgiveness.

In the Book of Jonah, Jonah reluctantly preaches to the Ninevites, his hated enemy: "'Forty days more and Nineveh shall be overthrown,' the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes" (Jon. 3:4-6).

Thus, it became the custom to use sackcloth and ashes as an outward sign of inward repentance. For us today it is a sacramental, which calls us to remember our sins that we may repent and be reconciled to God. We are also called to remember that we are mortal, that this world is not the end-all and be-all of our existence. Our lives on earth are meant to cultivate friendship with God that we may return to him at our deaths.

The gospel on Ash Wednesday calls us to a deeper relationship by pointing out that we need to go beyond the wearing of ashes: "Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father" (Mt. 6:1). This means we need to wear ashes ON OUR HEARTS as well! Thus, another formula for receiving ashes is, "Repent and believe in the gospel."

March 19—Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

*

Pope Francis has proclaimed a special “Year of St. Joseph.” This is in honor of the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX’s declaration of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. This provides “a wonderful opportunity to increase our love for St. Joseph and knowledge, ‘to encourage us to implore his intercession and to imitate his virtues and his zeal.’” It also offers many resources, catechetical material, and prayers/devotions to assist us in our celebration of the special year at https://www.usccb.org/saint-joseph.

One of those resources is his Apostolic Letter, Patris Corde, which means, “With a father’s heart.” He writes: “With a father’s heart: that is how Joseph loved Jesus, whom all four Gospels refer to as ‘the son of Joseph.’” He further writes, “I would like to share some personal reflections on this extraordinary figure, so close to our human experience. … My desire to do so increased during these months of pandemic, when we experienced, amid the crisis, how ‘our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people, people often overlooked. … How many fathers, mothers, grandparents and teachers are showing our children, in small everyday ways, how to accept and deal with a crisis by adjusting their routines, looking ahead and encouraging the practice of prayer. How many are praying, making sacrifices and interceding for the good of all.’ Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation. A word of recognition and of gratitude is due to them all.” Take some time this Lent to read more.  St. Joseph, pray for us.

*https://www.usccb.org/saint-joseph

March 26--St. Margaret Clitherow, Holy Woman and Martyr

“You must return from whence you came, and there, in the lowest part of the prison, be stripped naked, laid down, your back on the ground, and as much weight laid upon you as you are able to bear, and so to continue for three days without meat or drink, and on the third day to be pressed to death, your hands and feet tied to posts, and a sharp stone under your back.”

This was the penalty for harboring a priest in Elizabethan England as pronounced by the judge. St. Margaret Clitherow knew this and, to avoid having her children testify in court, refused to plea whatsoever to any crime. Thus, her martyrdom came within fifteen minutes of the execution of the penalty. This occurred even though she was pregnant with her fourth child.

Hiding a priest, who could celebrate the Mass and the sacraments, was a capital crime because it was considered high treason. Priests were “traitors and seducers of the queen’s subjects.” But to St. Margaret Clitherow, whose two sons became priests, priests were men of God who brought people the Body of Christ.

We need to honor and respect the priests who bring us the Eucharist, who baptize us, who forgive our sins in the name of Christ, who preach the Word of God, who bring us together in community, who sacrifice themselves for our salvation. Priests act in personal Christi, in the person of Christ in their ministry. When we are forgiven, it is through their words that Christ absolves us. St. Margaret Clitherow died for the chance for priests to share Christ with her community. Would that we live for the chance to have priests share Christ with our community.

March 22--St. Nicholas Owen, Religious and Martyr

During the persecution of the Church in England under Elizabeth I and James I, English Jesuits were smuggled into the country to fill the sacramental needs of recusant and hidden Catholics. They often hid in houses that had “priest holes” designed and built by St. Nicholas Owen. St. Nicholas Owen was a carpenter and mason, and became a Jesuit lay brother in 1577. We don’t know how many of these priest holes he built, but they saved many priests’ lives. Eventually he was hunted down after the failure of the Gunpowder Plot, captured, and tortured on the rack for information on his projects. However, he never revealed any information and was abused to the point that his stomach split open and his intestines spilled out. He died the next day, March 2, 1606, and is listed as one of the Forty Martyrs of England canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1970. 

Called “Little John” because of his small size, St. Nicholas Owen was a man of huge accomplishments. He used his skills as a mason and carpenter to save lives and allow the sacraments to be celebrated. And yet, in the United States about 20% of those who call themselves Catholic attend weekly Mass. We have the greatest gift that God can give us, Jesus Christ, in the presence of the Eucharist for our worship and spiritual nourishment. There is an old phrase that is apropos here: “Seven days without prayer makes one weak.” Our very lives depend on the food we eat. Our very souls depend on the Eucharist we eat! Invite someone you know to Mass. Take your children to Mass. Go to Mass on weekdays. We thank St. Nicholas Owen for his witness to the necessity of the Eucharist.

March 12--Bl. Angela Salawa, Virgin and Third Order Franciscan

When we are scrubbing the kitchen floor or cleaning the toilet or making the beds or preparing food or vacuuming the living room, do we pray? Bl. Angela Salawa did. She was a domestic servant from the time she was fifteen till her death in 1922 at the age of 41 in Cracow, Poland. She helped other women who sought domestic work to live authentic Christian lives through their work and prayer. She said: “I love my work because it enables me to endure suffering, work harder and pray often; other than that I have no other desire in the world.” In 1900 she became a member of the Association of St. Zita, who is the patron of domestic workers. She joined the Third Order Franciscans in 1912 and during World War I assisted in the hospitals of Cracow and shared her rations with others. She was fired in 1916 from her job because of false accusations. She was often in poor health and, after being fired, homeless. She was discharged from the hospital and lived the last five years of her life in a basement room, abandoned by family, friends, and neighbors.

God allows us to suffer to bring us closer to him. Bl. Angela Salawa accepted her sufferings, her loneliness, her state in life, and her opportunities to strive for holiness. She had a great devotion to the Eucharist and prayed before the Blessed Sacrament. Her occupation as a maid allowed her to serve similar to how Jesus served the apostles when he washed their feet at the Last Supper. We are all called to know, love, and serve God in this life. But even the menial tasks we are called to do can be opportunities to love, as Bl. Angela Salawa knew.

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.

May 23--Beatification of Oscar Romero, Bishop and Martyr

Today is not a feast day, but rather a testimony to the Resurrection.  Bl. Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, El Salvador was murdered while he was saying Mass on March 24, 1980.  In the 1970's El Salvador was a breeding ground of violence and oppression, which eventually erupted into civil war.  This was the situation in which Archbishop Romero found himself.  He became an ardent advocate for the poor.  He spoke as their spiritual father:  

"In less than three years, more than fifty priests have been attacked, threatened, calumniated. Six are already martyrs--they were murdered. Some have been tortured and others expelled [from the country]. Nuns have also been persecuted. The archdiocesan radio station and educational institutions that are Catholic or of a Christian inspiration have been attacked, threatened, intimidated, even bombed. Several parish communities have been raided. If all this has happened to persons who are the most evident representatives of the Church, you can guess what has happened to ordinary Christians, to the campesinos, catechists, lay ministers, and to the ecclesial base communities. There have been threats, arrests, tortures, murders, numbering in the hundreds and thousands....  But it is important to note why [the Church] has been persecuted. Not any and every priest has been persecuted, not any and every institution has been attacked. That part of the church has been attacked and persecuted that put itself on the side of the people and went to the people's defense. Here again we find the same key to understanding the persecution of the church: the poor."

Bl. Oscar Romero is a martyr due to hatred of the faith, odium fidei.  He witnessed for those most beloved of God, the poor and outcast.

March 24--St. Catherine of Genoa, Holy Woman

Confession is good for the soul!  This is absolutely true and today's saint demonstrates even more the benefits and power of the confessional.  St. Catherine of Genoa married at the age of 16 and spent ten years in a difficult marriage.  One day she went to confession and experience God's love for her.  This led her to receiving communion daily, which was extremely rare in those days, and service in a hospital.  Her husband, being changed from his ways, joined her in serving in the hospital.  Because his spending had left them without money, they lived and served together in the hospital for another 24 years until he died.  He had become a third order Franciscan.  She continued to serve there until her death in 1510.

It was confession that turned St. Catherine's life around.  During Lent it is good for us to remember that Jesus is calling us to repentance.  We may not need to turn 180 degrees to come back to Jesus, but we are always in need of metanoia, which means to change one's life.  Priests love to help penitents to amend their lives so that they may experience God's mercy.  Sometimes people are afraid of confession because it has been a long time.  Sometimes they are afraid because of what the "priest might think."  Confessors want us to be reconciled to God, others, and even ourselves.  We hear in the song "Hosea" that God is calling to us:  "Come back to me, with all your heart.  Don't let fear keep us apart.  Long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply our new life."  Have a soul-changing experience as St. Catherine did.

March 18--St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

"Is Jesus God or man?  Is he more God than man or more man than God?  Is he something else, and if so, what?"  These may seem to be odd questions for us today, but they were matters of extreme importance in the fourth and fifth centuries when our saint was alive.  St. Cyril of Jerusalem was the bishop of Jerusalem during the time of the Arian heresy.  A heresy is a false teaching that goes against the orthodox teaching of the Church.  The problem was that this heresy was supported by some bishops!  It taught that since there is only one God (true) then Jesus can't be God (false) since that would mean that there would be two gods (also false).  It was an enticing belief but it went against the Scriptures, Tradition, and the consistent teaching of the Magisterium.

So what was St. Cyril's role?  Since one of the bishops who consecrated him was Arian, it may have been "supposed" that he would support the Arians.  But it was not true!  He had a conflict with that same bishop and was exiled from Jerusalem.  He persevered and was later cleared.  He went to a council in 381and supported the use of the word "consubstantial" as applying to the Father and the Son reaffirming that there is only ONE God.

Sometimes we have difficulty with the Church, her teachings, and/or her leaders, priests, bishops, sisters, religion teachers, etc.  The Church is a divine institution, but it is also a human one as well.  Her members do sin and bring scandal to her.  The Holy Spirit has guaranteed us that the Church will never err in matters of faith and doctrine, but not necessarily about "policy" or the proper implementation of that policy or on the holiness or politeness or manners of her leaders.  We need to recognize our fallen human nature even as we strive to do God's will.  As St. Cyril persevered, we need to persevere in prayer for our leaders that they may do God's will in the best way possible.

March 9--St. Dominic Savio, Holy Man

St. Dominic Savio

To call St. Dominic Savio a holy man is a bit of a stretch.  He was only 14, or about the age of a freshman in high school, when he died from a lung problem in 1857.  Fourteen and yet he was a saint of God, living a holy life among boys his own age.  He started following St. John Bosco at the age of twelve.  He was known as a peacemaker and he impressed St. John Bosco with his desire to become a priest.  He even founded a group called the Company of the Immaculate Conception which was dedicated to prayer and work.  He did not accomplish great feats, but he knew how to pray and love.

Can a junior high or high school student be a saint?  Why not?  We are all called to holiness at every age of our lives.  Children and youths have a natural turn to idealism.  They are looking for something and someone to which they can dedicate themselves.  That something is love and that someone is Jesus!  Adults need to foster the innate desires of holiness and restrain the concupiscence of pre-teens and teens.  They need role models of goodness, holiness, kindness, self-discipline, firmness of purpose, loyalty, friendship, generosity, forgiveness, and love to help them to grow to become the saints that God has called them to be.  We also need to let them be role models to adults, as St. Dominic Savio is.