May 11--St. Ignatius of Laconi, Religious

 

St. Ignatius of Laconi

Which is it: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:3) or “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours” (Lk. 6:20)? For our saint today, it is both! St. Ignatius of Laconi was born December 10, 1701 in Laconi on the island of Sardinia as the second of seven children to poor peasants. Thus, he truly was poor in the manner of Luke’s offering. He lived the peasant life until he joined the Franciscan Capuchin religious order in 1722. As a professed religious he dedicated himself to physical poverty, but also to poverty of spirit, whereby God calls us to depend wholly upon him. He died in 1781 on Sardinia.

He was the official beggar for his community. The people of his town appreciated his quiet and modest manner. They knew he gave to them more than he received! “He seldom spoke; when required he spoke with exceptional kindness and great affection. He would also instruct the children and the uneducated that he came across, and went out to comfort the sick and urge sinners to be converted and to perform penance.”

How about us? Are we called to voluntary poverty or are we called to total dependence on God? How about some of the first and all of the second! Almsgiving does not have to be done only during Lent. We can give of ourselves to others who need what we can give to them, whether it be our time, our treasure, or our talents. Nonetheless, we are all called to be poor in spirit, to absolute and total dependence on God, ALWAYS! One of St. Ignatius’s quotations is “Trust God.” How apt! And yet, how difficult! St. Ignatius of Laconi, pray for us!

September 22--St. Thomas of Villanova, Bishop

*

“If you want God to hear your prayers, hear the voice of the poor. If you wish God to anticipate your wants, provide those of the indigent without waiting for them to ask you. Especially anticipate the needs of those who are ashamed to beg. To make them ask for alms is to make them buy it.”

Catholic social justice teaching emphasizes, as one of its major themes, the preferential option for the poor. Although we may think of Catholic social teaching as a modern development, it goes back to the Scriptures and the saints, such as today’s saint, St. Thomas of Villanova, who is quoted above.

St. Thomas was an Augustinian friar nominated Archbishop of Valencia, Spain in 1544. When he finally accepted the position under obedience, he donated the four thousand gold pieces given to him by the religious of the cathedral to furnish his residence to a local hospital in need of renovation. He wore the habit he received as a novice 28 years earlier. He mended it himself. He not only advocated direct action to serve the poor, he also worked at solving the structural foundations for poverty: “Charity is not just giving, rather removing the need of those who receive charity and liberating them from it when possible.” St. Thomas of Villanova died on September 8, 1555.

Jesus told us in the Parable of the Last Judgment, Mt. 25:31-46, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, visit the sick and imprisoned, shelter the homeless, and bury the dead. The Corporal Works of Mercy are a distinguishing characteristic of a disciple of Jesus. But so is providing employment, education, advocacy, and justice. The Corporal Works of Mercy take care of immediate needs. We must also ameliorate the causes of poverty.

*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_von_Villanova_17Jh.jpg

October 4—St. Francis of Assisi, Deacon and Religious

 

What would happen if you took the Gospel literally?  Would you “sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor” (Lk. 18:22)?  You might argue that Jesus does not call all of us to that state and you would be right.  But there are some who are called to living a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience.  St. Francis of Assisi was called to that life and he embraced it with wide open arms, even to the point of giving up the clothes that he received from his earthly father.  

St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals and ecology.  He founded three Franciscan orders; one for men, one for women, and one for the laity.  He was a deacon.  He was a stigmatist.  He tried to become a martyr when he went to Egypt during the Fifth Crusade and even spoke to the Caliph, but that grace was denied to him.  Instead, he ended up doing what he heard a voice telling him:  “Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down.”  He originally thought that meant for him to put stones and mortar together to build up a church building that had fallen into ruins.  Rather, he ended up building up the whole Church in the 13^th century with his orders and his example of loving Lady Poverty.

St. Francis embraced poverty as his role in the Body of Christ.  We each need to embrace our role.  It may not be poverty, but it may mean donating food, clothing, time, talent, and treasure for the sake of the poor.  There are homeless shelters we can serve at.  There are thrift stores we can contribute to.  There are scholarship funds we can donate to so we can help families provide their children with a better education.  There are single mothers we can befriend, encourage, and assist so they don’t have abortions.  Though we are not always called to follow the Gospel literally, we can take one line at its word:  “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mt. 16:24).