December 23--St. John of Kanty, Priest and Professor

 

COLLEGIUM MAIUS W KRAKOWIE, fot. S. Woźniak (MIK, 2015) by mik Krakow under license CC BY-SA2.0

Superman's secret identity and alter-ego was Clark Kent, a mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet.  Superman got all the praise, while Clark just wrote news stories.  Well, today's saint is like both Superman and Clark Kent, but without having a secret identity or alter-ego.  

St. John of Kanty was a priest and professor of theology in Kraków, Poland in the 15th century.  He taught Sacred Scripture and was director of the theology department of the university he graduated from, which eventually became the Jagiellonian University, where St. John Paul II studied.  He would spend hours copying manuscripts on Scriptures, theology, and even physics!  He was mild-mannered in every way, thus a Clark Kent.

But he was also holy!  He was well known for his kindness, compassion, and humility, especially towards the poor and his students.  Thus, he was a model for others, a Superman, or as we call him, a SAINT!  He died on December 24, 1473, at the age of 83.  He is patron of Poland and Lithuania.

St. John of Kanty was precisely what Clark Kent/Superman was, a hero who lived an everyday, normal kind of life.  There are heroes/saints among us today; men and women who live lives of faith, hope, and charity in the events of everyday, normal life.  Who could they be?  

They could be members of your family who love, serve, and are good and kind.  They could be people we meet in the grocery store who are trying to find food to feed their families or supplies to keep their homes clean.  They could be people in the mall who are trying to find a gift as an expression of joy in knowing another child of God.  What better saint could we have this Christmas season?  St. John of Kanty, pray for us.

December 23--St. John of Kanty, Priest

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It’s Christmas! Let’s celebrate! Wait, we have two days left and today’s a saint’s feast day! But why is there a feast day right before Christmas? Let’s look at the saint and find out. Our saint is St. John of Kanty, also known as St. John Cantius, a priest, philosopher, physicist, and theologian. He was born in 1390 in Kanty, Poland, became a priest and then a professor of theology at his alma mater at what would later be called the Jagiellonian University, where St. John Paul II graduated. As a physicist, he helped develop a theory of falling objects. He made pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Rome. He died on December 24, 1473 at the age of 83. This doesn’t speak a whole lot to sainthood! 

But wait, there’s more. Sainthood is based on holiness, not on achievement! St. John Cantius became “well known in the city for his generosity and compassion toward the poor, especially needy students at the university. He subsisted on what was strictly necessary to sustain his life, giving alms regularly to the poor.” His first biographer pointed out his extreme humility and charity by citing his motto: “Beware disturbing: it’s not sweetly pleasing,/Beware speaking ill: for taking back words is burdensome.” He became a popular saint in Poland, which was transferred to America by Polish immigrants. 

So, what we have here is a man who lived his life, did his work, ministered to others, and followed Jesus in the way Jesus called him. Thus, what we have here is a disciple of Christ, a saint! Humility and charity could be our watchwords to becoming “hidden” saints, those who are not necessarily famous, but are holy in all we think, say, and do. He’s a perfect saint for two days before Christmas! Have a blessed Christmas!

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