July 16--St. Bartholomew of Braga, O.P., Bishop

See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Today's saint was canonized by Pope Francis in 2019, 429 years after his death. This is much longer than the average 181 years. It was also an equipollent canonization, which means that the normal requirement for two miracles can be dispensed if the pope declares that the saint has been venerated continuously since ancient times.

So what makes St. Bartholomew of Braga worthy of such an unusual declaration? He was born in Portugal in 1514, entered the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) in 1527, and was ordained a priest, teaching theology for his order. He was ordained bishop of Braga in 1559 and attended sessions in the Council of Trent from 1561-1563. He contributed 268 suggestions, collaborated with St. Charles of Borromeo regarding the duties and virtues of priests, and “exercised great influence in the discussions, particularly those with regard to the decrees on the reform of ecclesiastical life.” After the Council he returned to Braga to implement the decrees. He resigned in 1582 and retired to a convent until his death in 1590. All in all, he was a good, holy bishop. He is patron saint of catechists, teachers of the faith.

For example, he wrote about prayer: “We ought continually to raise our hearts to God, … and expose them to the rays of His light, so that our prayer should kindle a fire in our souls, from whence a heat may come forth which will spread over all our actions. We must strive to procure this peace by every possible effort, and ask it of God with many sighs, so that amidst this crowd of affairs and continual distractions, our minds may remain always quiet and calm, and preserve their liberty and vigour.” Words of a true teacher and shepherd of his people! St. Bartholomew, pray for us!

August 8--St. Dominic, Religious

We may meet people on the street begging for food or money or anything that can be given. They may be veterans, homeless, families, or just passing through. Nonetheless, their situation is not enviable. Our present saint chose to be a beggar, but through the desire to offer good example to others.

St. Dominic de Guzman was from Spain in the 12th century, but on a trip through southern France encountered a dangerous heresy located in and near the town of Albi, thus the name Albigensianism. This group of "the pure" believed that there were two basic principles of the world, good and evil. But good was only spiritual, and anything material was thus evil, including the human body. This led to the denial of the Incarnation, as well as the sacraments and the preference of living together without Marriage to Marriage. They also preferred suicide as a way to "release" the soul from its confinement in the body. They were also anti-clerical due to the wealth and preferential benefits given to priests.

St. Dominic founded a religious order to preach to these people, but they would live lives of self-sacrifice rather than luxury. To that end, the Dominicans were a mendicant, or begging order, just like the Franciscans, their contemporaries. They preached by word and example. We are called to share our faith by word and example. Do we defend Church teachings when the rest of society attacks it in the name of autonomy or equality? Do we respect the dignity of all people, even when they support living contrary to natural law? Word and example--truth and love--are what are needed today to share Jesus' message.