Tag: Saints

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Saints

5 ways in which St. John Paul II embodied the Rosary’s fruits

By Gretchen R. Crowe

October 21, 2019 7:34 pm October 21, 2019

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It wasn’t long after his Oct. 16, 1978 election that the new Pope John Paul II — the former Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla — began promoting Mary and the Rosary…

It wasn’t long after his Oct. 16, 1978 election that the new Pope John Paul II — the former Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla — began promoting Mary and the Rosary as one of the best ways to proclaim Christ to the world. In a General Audience on Oct. 28, less than two weeks after his election, Pope John Paul II declared the Rosary to be “my favorite prayer.” He also called it a “marvelous prayer — marvelous in its simplicity and in its depth.”

Throughout his pontificate, Pope John Paul II remained close to the Blessed Mother, signaled in his motto — an adaptation of St. Louis de Montfort’s phrase “Totus Tuus” (“Totally Yours”)— describing his complete devotion to Mary and desire to be closer to her and her Son. He also had a deep love for the spiritual fruits of the mysteries of the Rosary as outlined by St. Louis de Montfort and promoted them in his 2003 apostolic letter on the Rosary, Rosarium Virginis Mariae. He wrote: “… it is worthwhile to note that the contemplation of the mysteries could better express their full spiritual fruitfulness if an effort were made to conclude each mystery with a prayer for the fruits specific to that particular mystery. In this way the Rosary would better express its connection with the Christian life” (No. 35, emphasis in original).

Like all saints, we can turn to the example of Pope St. John Paul II, who incorporated vividly the spiritual fruits of each mystery of the Rosary into his life. Here are 5 ways in which Pope St. John Paul II lived these out.

Pope St. John Paul II was humble. From the beginning of his papacy, Pope St. John Paul II habitually kissed the ground upon arriving in every country to which he traveled. This gesture, learned from St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, was a sign of great humility, and it was an action that conveyed respect, affection, and that showed him to be at the faithful service of those he was visiting.
Pope St. John Paul II had a great, lifelong love for the Eucharist. His encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia was dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament, and he directed the Church to dedicate an entire year — October 2004 to October 2005 — to deeper reflection on, and growth in, love of the Eucharist.
Pope St. John Paul II sought conformity to God’s will. When John Paul II was elected pope in 1978, he responded with the greatest obedience, wholeheartedly accepting God’s will for his life. Upon accepting the papal responsibility, he simply stated: “In the obedience of faith before Christ my Lord, abandoning myself to the Mother of Christ and the Church, and conscious of the great difficulties, accepto.”
Pope St. John Paul II showed patience in carrying his cross. Suffering was a significant part of John Paul II’s life, particularly in his final years as he battled Parkinson’s disease. But through infirmity and illness, John Paul II displayed a beautiful perseverance and humility, and he offered a witness to what it looks like to bear one’s cross with patience and purpose.
Pope St. John Paul II had a lively faith. John Paul II was a gifted teacher, and he was especially gifted when it came to teaching on matters of doctrine. His arguments were clear and compelling, and always rooted in Scripture and Tradition. Through his clarity and consistency, despite facing much resistance at times, he helped all who encountered him better know and understand the teachings of Christ and his Church.

Gretchen R. Crowe is editorial director for periodicals at OSV and author of “Praying the Rosary with Pope St. John Paul II.”

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Saints

Do Catholics Worship Saints?

Carl Olson

October 10, 2019 7:44 am October 10, 2019

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A few years ago I gave a Theology on Tap talk about the Communion of Saints. Afterward, an evangelical Protestant attending the talk asked, “But isn’t that just another form…

A few years ago I gave a Theology on Tap talk about the Communion of Saints. Afterward, an evangelical Protestant attending the talk asked, “But isn’t that just another form of necromancy?”

“No,” I replied, “because necromancy is an attempt to manipulate the spirit world in order to find out about the future.” Praying to a saint, I explained, isn’t a manipulation of the dead, nor is it aimed at foretelling the future, but rather it is about having a real relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ who are now in the presence of God.

“Then why even bother to pray to saints?” he asked. “Why not just pray to God directly?” “If I were to ask you to pray for me,” I said, “would you do it?” “Yes, I would,” he admitted. As a former evangelical myself, I know how committed many Protestants are to praying for one another. After all, the apostle James exhorted his readers to “pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful” (Jas 5:16).

That brief exchange pointed to some of the key, underlying issues when discussing the Catholic approach to saints with Protestants — usually, evangelicals or fundamentalists who dismiss the Communion of Saints. These issues are summarized well by Father Josef Neuner, S.J., and Father Heinrich Roos, S.J., in their book “The Teaching of the Catholic Church” (Alba House, 1967). It is a “historical fact,” they wrote, “that the loss of sense of ecclesiality, the dissolution as it were of the Communion of Saints, and the preaching of a purely interior religion have always led to a protest against the Church’s veneration of the saints.”

In other words, those who hold an anemic understanding of the nature of the Church will end up misunderstanding the devotion and veneration shown to the saints by Catholics and Eastern Orthodox (as well as some Anglicans and other Protestants). The Church, rightly understood, is a Communion of Saints — not just here on earth, but also in heaven and purgatory. The Church is not only earthly, but also divine, just as Jesus is fully human and fully God. And while those who make up the Body of Christ, the Church, are individuals, they are also members (see 1 Cor 12:27), having a relationship with the Head of the Church, and also with one another. The saints are, wrote Father Hans Urs von Balthasar, like “open treasure-houses accessible to all, like flowing fountains at which everyone can drink. Nothing in the Communion of Saints is private, although everything is personal.”

Put another way, the saints in heaven are just as real and immediate to us as those sitting beside us at Mass. In fact, they are even closer, as they are able to relate to us perfectly, being holy and complete, freed from sin and the distractions of this world. They are alive — truly alive, filled with divine life and enjoying perfect union with God. They are, in the words of the Letter to the Hebrews, “a cloud of witnesses” (12:1) surrounding us, helping us and encouraging us.

Many Protestants reject outward (and even inward) expressions of devotion to saints because they fear it smacks of idolatry. But the Church has always been very mindful of this concern. For example, the Second Council of Nicaea, in 787, carefully distinguished between “respectful veneration” shown to saints and “true adoration” which, “according to our faith, is due to God alone.” It also noted that veneration shown to an image (or statue) is veneration given to “the person represented by it.” The author of Hebrews wrote of running the race — that is, living the Christian life — by looking to “Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith” (12:2). Likewise, the Second Vatican Council noted that by “celebrating the passage of these saints from earth to heaven the Church proclaims the paschal mystery” and “proposes them to the faithful as examples drawing all to the Father through Christ” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, No. 104). United in Christ, we are siblings by grace, the life of God (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nos. 1997-98). Yes, worship is due to God alone. But admiring, respecting and loving those who are true disciples of Christ is not worship. Rather, it is befitting among brothers and sisters, which we are in Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, according to the will of the Father.

Carl E. Olson is the editor of Ignatius Insight (www.ignatiusinsight.com). He and his family live in Eugene, Ore.

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Saints

St. Marguerite D’Youville: A patron for troubled marriages

Michael R. Heinlein

September 30, 2019 2:13 pm September 30, 2019

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St. Marguerite d’Youville’s early life set the stage, in many ways, for a path that would lead her one day to being called “mother of universal charity” by Pope St….

St. Marguerite d’Youville’s early life set the stage, in many ways, for a path that would lead her one day to being called “mother of universal charity” by Pope St. John XXIII.

After her father’s death, her young life existed within the bounds of a poor, fatherless home. Although she would go on to found the Sisters of Charity of Montreal — also known as the Grey Nuns — the young St. Marguerite ruled out religious life after a few years at a boarding school operated by religious women. The experience provided her with a firm education and deepened her faith.

At age 20, St. Marguerite married François d’Youville in 1722. It was by no means an easy marriage. Her husband was frequently traveling for his business, which illegally sold liquor to the Native Americans in Quebec. To make matters worse, she was living with a domineering and harsh mother-in-law, living as if a captive in her own home. It was believed that St. Marguerite’s husband was adulterous on his work-related travels, but she lovingly and dutifully cared for him through his final illness. By age 29, she was a widow, and she experienced the death of four of her six children in infancy.

This was a period of great trial in her life. Throughout it all, though, St. Marguerite acted with the greatest charity and humility. She put herself completely in the hands of God, knowing his plan for her would lead to her fullest joy. They were times that strengthened her faith and relationship with God. Little did she know, this would lead her back to the life of a religious — a life she previously had turned down in her younger years in order to pursue marriage.

The widow operated a small store to provide for her two sons’ education; they both would go on to be ordained priests. During that time, St. Marguerite took a blind woman into her home. She developed a heart for the poor and sick — acutely aware of their needs — and responded to the Gospel mandate to care for the poor. Starting charitable work throughout the city on her own, quickly she was joined by others who desired to join in her work. Together they formed a community that became known as the Sisters of Charity in 1737.

St. Marguerite was a pioneer in many ways. She advocated and fought for the rights of the poor, even when this caused great personal hardship for her. Among the taunts aimed at her out of hatred for her heroic work was that the religious order she founded was sometimes called the “tipsy” or “drunk” nuns because of the stories associated with her deceased husband. The phrase in French — les soeurs grises — can be rendered as “the Grey nuns” as they are still known today.

Eventually called to put order into a Montreal hospital that was disintegrating and in need of dedicated leadership, St. Marguerite laid a foundation for her community’s outreach to untold numbers of the poor and sick throughout Canada in the decades and centuries to follow. After a fire destroyed her hospital a few years before the end of her life, St. Marguerite proceeded with faith and courage to rebuild.

In 1990, St. Marguerite d’Youville became the first native-born Canadian to be canonized a saint. Although mostly remembered for her life and work as a religious foundress and servant of the poor, St. Marguerite is mostly sought after as a patron in a variety of familial situations desiring her intercession: troubled marriages, widows and those with troublesome in-laws.

Her feast day is Oct. 16.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic. Follow him on Twitter at @HeinleinMichael.

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Saints

St. Charles Borromeo

Michael R. Heinlein

September 25, 2019 10:54 am September 25, 2019

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‘Be sure that you first preach by the way you live.’ From an early age, St. Charles Borromeo exhibited a deep interior life, which served him well when he was…

‘Be sure that you first preach by the way you live.’

From an early age, St. Charles Borromeo exhibited a deep interior life, which served him well when he was appointed to high-ranking ecclesial positions during the pontificate of his uncle, Pope Pius IV. And the Church benefitted from Charles’ great intellect and virtue by the many structural reforms he prioritized during his service to the Church.

At his time, nepotism was a common practice in both society and in ecclesial life, lending itself to corruption because those in power favored relatives, especially by giving them notable positions. Before he was even ordained to major orders, Charles’ papal uncle named him a cardinal. Soon after, the pope drafted him into Vatican service, where he was given a host of assignments, including a variety of high diplomatic posts and patronage of various ecclesial organizations. Not least, he was given administration of the Archdiocese of Milan despite not yet holding episcopal office.

In his high-ranking work, Charles did not initially set out to bring major changes to the papal court, although he often found it spiritually empty. He managed to remain unattached to the excesses around him. Charles was keenly aware of his inexperience and was tempted to flee to the monastery. At the same time, he was concerned about the Church in Milan, which had been without a resident shepherd for nearly 80 years. But he came to trust in God’s will and focused more intently on finding a way to escape his Vatican roles and get to Milan.

Before that was possible, however, Charles found himself involved in reopening the Council of Trent, which had been suspended. The task energized him, and he took a key role in the formulation of the council’s catechism, as well as various liturgical changes. He also served as the brains behind many of the reform council’s decrees, which shaped doctrine and discipline.

In 1563, Charles resigned his position as head of his family, meaning he was not responsible to produce offspring. Only then was he ordained to the priesthood and episcopacy. With his work at the council behind him, Charles again turned his attention to his flock in Milan.

Pius IV allowed Charles to visit Milan for a short time, where he held a provincial council and focused attention on seminary reforms and proper celebration of the liturgy. Upon his return to Rome, he arrived to find his papal uncle on his deathbed. Pius’ demise allowed Charles to successfully earn Pope Pius V’s approval to return to Milan.

Finally taking residence in Milan in 1566, Charles learned more detail about how much work was ahead of him: People were very loose in their practice of the Faith. Mass attendance was low, clergy were unmotivated and uneducated, and corruption and immorality were widespread.

Through grounded prayer and perseverance, Charles worked to reform his archdiocese. He led a simple life there and generously shared the sizable income he earned. Ever attentive to the need for a reformed clergy, Charles built seminaries for their formation. He also worked to ensure that the laity, especially children, were well instructed in the Faith and established the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Some of his reforms were met with strong opposition, and there was even an attempt on his life.

St. Charles laid down his life for his flock whenever disaster struck, such as in famine and plague. He personally oversaw recovery efforts and ministered to the dying, buried the dead and absorbed large debts to alleviate the suffering. On his way home from a retreat in 1584, Charles fell ill and died when he was only 46 years old. His feast is Nov. 4.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic and a graduate of The Catholic University of America. He writes from Indiana. Taken from “Saints in Times of Crisis” booklet from Our Sunday Visitor.

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Angels

How Can Angels also be Called Saints?

Father Ray Ryland

September 17, 2019 9:05 am September 17, 2019

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Some have wondered how an angel can be called a saint. When we speak of a “saint,” we ordinarily refer to a person whose life reflects, or did reflect, what…

Some have wondered how an angel can be called a saint. When we speak of a “saint,” we ordinarily refer to a person whose life reflects, or did reflect, what the Church calls “heroic sanctity” — that is, a life transparent to the mercy and love of Jesus Christ. Down through the ages the lives of many such persons have come to the Church’s attention, and she has recognized them with the title of “saint.”

Half a dozen of St. Paul’s letters are addressed to Christians as “saints.” In this context, the term refers to those individuals’ status as members of Christ’s Mystical Body. We speak of the Communion of Saints to designate the entirety of those who belong to Christ. The term “saint” does apply primarily to human beings, but refers to any being in heaven.

Sacred Scripture singles out and names three great angels: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael. The Church applies the term “saint” to these particular angels because of their great significance in the history of salvation.

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Saints

Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos: A saint for missionaries

Michael R. Heinlein

August 31, 2019 2:10 pm August 31, 2019

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Like so many others in the litany of America’s saints, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos was filled with missionary zeal. His boyhood desire to follow in the footsteps of his namesake…

Like so many others in the litany of America’s saints, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos was filled with missionary zeal. His boyhood desire to follow in the footsteps of his namesake — the patron of missionaries, St. Francis Xavier — led Seelos to spend his life leading many souls to the Lord though preaching and the sacraments. And his saintly example continues this work today, as Pope St. John Paul II prayed when beatifying Seelos in 2000, “Today, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos invites the members of the Church to deepen their union with Christ in the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist.”

The German native was baptized on the day of his birth in 1819. Early on, Seelos felt called to the priesthood. After entering the seminary, he became familiar with the Redemptorist order, known for works of evangelization and care for the poor. Seelos was moved by letters he read from Redemptorist missionaries in America who told about the great need for spiritual
care among the German immigrants. Seelos decided to offer his life to join in this noble work.

Seelos arrived in New York City in 1843, and he completed the Redemptorist seminary and novitiate in Maryland. He was ordained a priest the following year at St. James Church in Baltimore. He spent eight months there before his first assignment at St. Philomena Church in Pittsburgh. There he served alongside St. John Neumann, and the young priest was greatly influenced by his saintly pastor. Of Neumann, Seelos wrote, “In every respect, he was a remarkable father to me … he guided me as my spiritual leader and confessor.” Seelos quickly showed leadership abilities and was named the order’s novice master.

Cheerful and kind, Seelos always was smiling. He enjoyed a good joke and wasn’t afraid of humor. Devotion to prayer and dependence on the will of God also characterized Seelos. Quickly developing a reputation as an ideal pastor, Seelos was known for his empathy and understanding as a very popular spiritual director and confessor. His confessional became known as a place of forgiveness and mercy, open to all who wanted divine healing. “I hear confessions in German, English, French, of whites and of blacks,” Seelos said.

After leaving Pittsburgh, Seelos was assigned to various parishes in Maryland and to the formation of Redemptorists. In 1860, Bishop Michael O’Connor of Pittsburgh resigned and recommended Seelos as the most qualified candidate to succeed him. Seelos wrote Blessed Pope Pius IX asking “to be liberated from this calamity” as he explained his inadequacies. Learning another priest was chosen for the position, Seelos joyously said, “I would rather be bishop of my students than bishop of Pittsburgh.”

After a military draft in 1863 required all men to serve during the Civil War, Seelos traveled to Washington, D.C., to seek an exemption for Redemptorist seminarians. In a meeting with President Abraham Lincoln, he obtained the exemption. Not long after, Seelos unfortunately was removed from his office. Others in the order faulted him for not being strict enough, and this caused him great sorrow.

From 1863 to 1866, Seelos was a travelling missionary. He preached in English and German throughout many states between Rhode Island and Missouri. After spending a few months at a Detroit parish, Seelos arrived as pastor of Assumption Church in New Orleans in 1866, prophetically stating, “I have come here to pass the rest of my days and find a last resting place.”

In New Orleans, Seelos was known for his devoted service to the poor and marginalized. Caring for the victims of an outbreak of yellow fever, Seelos contracted the disease himself. Suffering intensely but patiently, Seelos died on Oct. 4, 1867, at the age of 48. A miracle was attributed to Seelos’ intercession the next day, when the sickly Christine Holle touched his hand and was instantly cured of all pain. His remains were buried that day in the New Orleans church where he died.

His feast day is Oct. 5.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic.

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