July 30 St. Leopold Mandic, patron against cancer

 

St. Leopold Mandic of Castelnova, OFM Capuchin

1887-1942

July 30

Western Christians who are working for greater dialogue with Orthodox Christians may be reaping the fruits of Father Leopold’s prayers.

            A native of Croatia, Leopold joined the Capuchins and was ordained several years later in spite of several health problems. He could not speak loudly enough to preach publicly. For many years he suffered from severe arthritis, poor eyesight and a stomach ailment.

            Leopold taught patrology, the study of the Church Fathers, to the clerics of his province for several years, but he is best known for his work in the confessional, where he sometimes spent 13 to 15 hours a day. Several bishops sought out his spiritual advice.

            Leopold’s dream was to go to the Orthodox Christians and work for the reunion of Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy. His health never permitted it. Leopold often renewed his vow to go to the Eastern Christians; the cause of unity was constantly in his prayers.

            At a time when Pope Pius XII said that the greatest sin of our time is “to have lost all sense of sin,” Leopold had a profound sense of sin and an even firmer sense of God’s grace awaiting human cooperation.

            Leopold, who lived most of his life in Padua, died on July 30, 1942, and was beatified on May 2, 1976. [He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1983. Because he suffered from esophageal cancer from which he died, he is a patron against cancer.]

QUOTE: Leopold used to repeat to himself, “Remember that you have been sent for the salvation of people, not because of your own merits, since it is the Lord Jesus and not you who died for the salvation of souls…I must cooperate with the divine goodness of our Lord who has deigned to choose me so that by my ministry, the divine promise would be fulfilled: ‘There will be only one flock and one shepherd’ (John 10:16).”

COMMENT: St. Francis often advised his followers to “seek the spirit of the Lord and God’s holy operation” (Rule of 1223, Chp. 10)--words which Leopold lived out. When the Capuchin minister general wrote his friars on the occasion of Leopold’s beatification, he said that this friar’s life showed “the priority of that which is essential.”

from McCloskey, Patrick. Franciscan Saint of the Day. St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1981.

Fray Luis Jaime, OFM, California protomartyr

 

“Jaime/Jayme/Jaume” translates as JAMES in Spanish, thus I am posting about this martyr of the Solemn Feast of James: Santiago de Compostela!

Father Luis Jayme OFM

Melchor Jayme was born in the farming village of San Juan, Majorca on October 18, 1740. When he was 15, he enrolled in the St. Bernadine School where Father Serra had studied as a youth.  He became a Franciscan five years later.  Father Jayme was ordained to the priesthood and taught philosophy for five years at the Convento de Francisco, which was the motherhouse for all the Franciscans in Majorca.

Like Fr. Serra, Fr. Jayme dreamed of becoming a missionary in the New World.  In 1770, he arrived in New Spain after a long and difficult journey.  He attended a special training course that taught survival on the frontier and conditioned them for living a life of hardship and deprivation. In October of 1770, Fr. Jayme set out for Alta California to begin his ten-year commitment to the California Missions. He assumed his post as pastor of the Mission San Diego de Alcalá and eagerly looked forward to working with the Native Americans.

The priests and neophytes on Presidio Hill (the first location of Mission San Diego) tried to establish a successful mission at that site, but in 1774, Fr. Jayme recommended that the Mission site be moved inland.  The crops were failing, the water was scarce and hard to get, and the soldiers were a bad influence on the Native Americans.  Fr. Serra approved the move.  The padres and neophytes moved to the present site in August of 1774 and built temporary huts out of wood, tule, manure, and thatch.  Eleven adobe structures were built during the first year. Crops were planted, Native Americans from the Nipaguay village were being baptized, and everything was going well – until November 5, 1775.  In the early morning hours of that day, Fr. Jayme was awakened from his sleep and heard a commotion outside his quarters. Indians were raiding the mission.  Approximately 800 Native Americans from the Yuma area, together with several neophytes, looted the church. As an open fire erupted, the Kumeyaay natives shot flaming arrows into the buildings, burning the huts down.  Instead of running or hiding, Fr. Jayme went out to greet them and, with his arms outstretched, said, “Love God, my children.”  He was subsequently dragged down to the river and murdered.  Because of Fr. Jayme’s self-sacrifice, dedication, faith, and love, he became California’s first Christian martyr.  The large white cross out front of the Mission on the east side is dedicated to his memory and is located near the spot where he was martyred.  His remains are buried in the sanctuary of the church. Surviving residents of the mission went to the Presidio to live until things settled down and it was safe to return to the Mission.

Written by Msgr. I.B. Eagen, former pastor of Mission San Diego  

https://www.missionsandiegohistory.org/father-luis-jayme

July 25 St. James the Greater in Spain

 

Saint James (and St. Christopher) with Fray Luis Jayme, OFM, CA protomartyr

July 25

St. James the Greater in Spain

1.       Yes, we have St. James traveling all the way to Spain on an evangelical mission.

2.       While there, he receives a mystical visit from Mary, the mother of Jesus.

3.       The Bible records his death in Jerusalem in the book of Acts.  King Herod Agrippa had James executed "by the sword," most likely indicating beheading.

4.       Somehow his remains or relics made their way back to Spain.

“Santiago” is derived from the Latin Sancti Iacobi, with Jacob being the equivalent of James.  Santiago de Compostela Archcathedral Basilica is the reputed Spanish burial place of Saint James the Great, one of the apostles and among the most intimate circle of Jesus Christ (Peter, James & John). This James is the brother of John, with “greater” or “older” to distinguish from the other apostle James (the Less). The basilica has historically been a place of Christian pilgrimage on the Way of St. James since the Early Middle Ages. The scallop or "cockle” shell is the primary symbol of St. James and the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. It is also a symbol of baptism, used in decoration. Although there is no California Mission named after St. James, his importance to Spanish national spirituality should be noted, and the scallop shell can be found in mission artwork.

Santiago Matamoros or St. James the Moor-slayer is another Spanish title of Saint James the Great/Santiago de Compostela. As a patron saint of Spain, he plays a role in the Reconquista or reclaiming of territory within España after Islamic occupation. (See for example, St. Ferdinand, May 30!)  The iconography of James Matamoros was used in the Spanish colonization of the Americas as a rival force to the indigenous gods, and protector of Spaniards from the indigenous peoples of the Americas. He was depicted as a conquistador. ¡Santiago! or ¡Santiago y cierra España! has been the historical battle cry of Spanish armies.

Note that Our Lady of the Pillar (Spanish: Nuestra Señora del Pilar) is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the context of the traditional belief that Mary, while living in Jerusalem, supernaturally appeared to the Apostle James the Greater in AD 40 while he was preaching in what is now Spain. Those who adhere to this belief consider this appearance to be the only recorded instance of Mary exhibiting the mystical phenomenon of bilocation. Among Catholics, it is also considered the first Marian apparition and is unique because it occurred while Mary was still living on Earth.

The apparition is enshrined in Zaragoza, Spain, with a statue of the Madonna and Child that sits atop a pillar. The feast of Our Lady is celebrated on October 12^th, the day that Christopher Columbus's expedition arrived in the Americas. He went ashore at Guanahaní, an island in the Bahamas, on October 12, 1492.

I also take this occasion to highlight Fray Luis Jaime, OFM, protomartyr of California, who died at Mission San Diego on November 5, 1775. Jaime is a form of the name James. 

July 23 St. Bridget of Sweden

 

Saint Bridget of Sweden

c. 1303 – July 23, 1373

From age 7 on, Bridget had visions of Christ crucified. Her visions formed the basis for her activity—always with the emphasis on charity rather than spiritual favors.

A member of the Third Order, she lived her married life in the court of the Swedish king Magnus II Eriksson. In 1341, she and her husband Ulf went on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Mother of eight children—the second eldest was Saint Catherine of Sweden—Bridget lived the strict life of a penitent after her husband’s death.

Bridget of Sweden constantly strove to exert her good influence over the Swedish King; while never fully reforming, he did give her land and buildings to found a monastery for men and women. This group eventually expanded into an Order of the Most Holy Saviour also known as the Bridgettines. In 1350, a year of jubilee, Bridget braved a plague-stricken Europe to make a pilgrimage to Rome. Although she never returned to Sweden, her years in Rome were far from happy, being hounded by debts and by opposition to her work against Church abuses.

A final pilgrimage to the Holy Land, marred by shipwreck and the death of her son, Charles, eventually led to her death in 1373. Bridget was canonized in the year 1391 by Pope Boniface IX, which was confirmed by the Council of Constance in 1415. Because of new discussions about her works, the Council of Basel confirmed the orthodoxy of her revelations in 1436. In 1999, Bridget of Sweden, Saint Catherine of Siena, and Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, were named co-patronesses of Europe, alongside the male patrons Saints Benedict of Nursia, Cyril, and Methodius.

 

Reflection

Bridget’s visions, rather than isolating her from the affairs of the world, involved her in many contemporary issues, whether they be royal policy or the years that the legitimate Bishop of Rome lived in Avignon, France. She saw no contradiction between mystical experience and secular activity, and her life is a testimony to the possibility of a holy life in the marketplace.

July 21 St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Doctor of the Church

 

St. Lawrence Brindisi

1559-1619

July 21

Saint Francis wanted his followers to preach what they had learned in prayer.  Lawrence was an excellent example of this.

            Lawrence was born of devout middle-class parents in Brindisi in southern Italy. He entered the Capuchins at the age of 16 and proved an able scholar with a gift for languages.  His ability to preach in five languages was put to good use after his ordination in 1582. When Lawrence preached, he used Scripture extensively. His sermons fill eight large volumes.

            His career falls into three main categories: teaching theology to the friars, serving as an occasional papal diplomat, and holding various leadership positions within the Capuchins. In the last role he sought to balance the rigors of the Capuchin observance with the needs of the apostolate.

            During his lifetime, Lawrence was the provincial of three different Italian provinces.  He was a general definitor (counsellor) twice and vicar general once. In 1598 he and 13 other friars went to Germany to establish the Capuchins there; three provinces in time grew from their mission.

            In 1601, Lawrence accompanied the imperial troops which repelled the Turkish advance in Hungary. On returning to Italy, Lawrence learned of a cruel viceroy in Naples, which was ruled by Spain. When Lawrence journeyed to Lisbon to explain the situation to Philip III of Spain, the viceroy was dismissed. Lawrence died in Lisbon on that journey.

            After Lawrence’s death a preacher said of him: “Heroically virtuous, he was humble without littleness, magnanimous without ostentation, courageous without pride. His faith would have moved mountains, his hope defied every trial, and his charity knew no bounds. He united the life of action with the life of contemplation, so that he gave himself up to incessant labors for the defense of the Church and the salvation of his neighbor, and yet never lost sight of the holy presence of the Divine majesty.”

            Lawrence was canonized in 1881 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1958.

QUOTE: “The Word of God is a light to the mind and fire to the will. It enables humanity to know God and to love God. And for the interior person who lives by the Spirit of God through grace, it is bread and water, but a bread sweeter than honey and the honeycomb, a water better than wine and milk” (St. Lawrence, Sermo Quadragesimalis, 2)

COMMENT: Lawrence was an effective preacher because his life affirmed his sermons. Truly great preaching requires a basis of prayer and penance.

 

from McCloskey, Patrick. Franciscan Saint of the Day. St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1981.

July 15 St. Bonaventure, Doctor of the Church

St. Bonaventure

1218-1274

July 15

Bonaventure was born at Bagnorea in Tuscany and was baptized "John." As a child he was cured by St. Francis. Bonaventure studied at the University of Paris and became a Franciscan there. At the same time Thomas Aquinas was teaching at Paris, Bonaventure was also a distinguished teacher there.

His academic career was cut short by his election as minister general of the friars in 1257. Bonaventure immediately dedicated his energies to restoring harmony among the friars, who were plagued by various factions.

The Church in the 1260’s closely linked ordination and the permission to preach. This presented a problem for the friars whose style, since Francis’ time, had been that of itinerant preachers—few of whom were ordained. Bonaventure, wanting to ensure the friars’ preaching vocation, moved them in a clerical direction. And accepting ordination meant establishing large houses of study near universities like Paris and Oxford.

Though some people have criticized Bonaventure for this redirection of the friars, others have argued convincingly that he was simply following the mind of the Church—which, they say, is what Francis would have wanted. Bonaventure ably defended the friars against those who said that the friars’ form of life, with its provisions for begging, was condemned by the gospel.

Among Bonaventure’s most famous writings are his life of St. Francis (Legenda Major) and the equally brilliant Journey of the Soul to God.  Bonaventure attributed his knowledge to meditation on the cross [of Jesus Christ, something he wrote of in The Tree of Life].

Bonaventure worked hard not to be named a bishop but was finally made Bishop of Albano and then cardinal. At the Second Council of Lyons (1274), he worked for the reunion with the Greek Church. He died before the Council ended. Bonaventure was canonized in 1482.

QUOTE: “For this passover (to God) to be perfect, we must suspend all the operations of the mind and we must transform the peak of our affections, directing them to God alone. This is a sacred mystical experience. It cannot be comprehended by anyone unless they surrender themselves to it; nor can they surrender themselves to it unless they long for it; nor can they long for it unless the Holy Spirit, whom Christ sent into the world, should come and inflame their inmost soul.  Hence the Apostle says that this mystical wisdom is revealed by the Holy Spirit” (Bonaventure in Journey of the Soul to God, Chp. 7).

COMMENT: Bonaventure’s goal was “wisdom”—knowledge in the light of faith. His various publics—students, friars, Church officials—knew him as a man who fulfilled the Franciscan educational motto: In holiness and learning. Like St. Francis of Assisi, Bonaventure knew that poverty and humility are the natural allies of the gospel.

from McCloskey, Patrick. Franciscan Saint of the Day. St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1981.

July 14 St. Francis Solano

St. Francis Solano

1549-1610

July 14

Francis came from a leading family in Andalusia, Spain. Perhaps it was his popularity as a student that enabled Francis in his teens to stop two dualists. He entered the Friars Minor in 1570, and after ordination enthusiastically sacrificed himself for others. His care for the sick during an epidemic drew so much admiration that he became embarrassed and asked to be sent to the African missions. Instead, he was sent to South America in 1589.

            While working in what is now modern-day Argentina Bolivia and Paraguay, Francis quickly learned the native languages and was well received by the Indians. His visits to the sick often included playing a song on his violin.

            Around 1601 he was called to Lima, Peru, where he tried to recall the Spanish colonists to their baptismal integrity. Francis also worked to defend the Indians from oppression. He died in Lima and was canonized in 1726.

QUOTE: “When Francis Solano was about to die, one of the friars asked him, ‘Father, when God takes you to heaven remember me when you enter the everlasting kingdom.’ With joy Francis answered, ‘It is true, I am going to heaven but this is so because of the merits of the passion and death of Christ; I am the greatest of sinners. When I reach our homeland, I will be your good friend.” (contemporary biography of St. Francis Solano).

COMMENT: Francis of Solano knew the lives of Christians sometimes greatly hinder the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Francis lived an exemplary life himself and urged his fellow Spaniards to make their lives worthy of their Baptism.

by McCloskey, Patrick. Franciscan Saint of the Day. St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1981.