October 23 and 24: Two CA Missions
I previously wrote about St. John of Capistrano and Mission
San Juan Capistrano on June first, prior to my Tuesday morning group (“Coffee with
the Saints”) going on a “field trip” train ride to the Mission.
John of Capistrano, with armor over his habit and charging
into battle, is something of an anomaly among Franciscans, at least as we
picture them today. However, he and the earliest of the Franciscan martyrs,
along with King Ferdinand, were all part of the historical “battle” against
Islam. Francis is held as the ideal model in confronting the Sultan one-on-one,
and Clare is depicted holding them off through the supernatural power of the
Eucharist. However, we have the
involvement of Franciscans on all levels, primarily in preaching, but also
engaging in the moral and spiritual support of the soldiers. The Crusades
present a harsh reality in our history, which ended up pitting Christian (of
the West) against Christian (of the East).
We can use these saints from the time of the Crusades to intercede
on behalf of those engaged in dialogue between religious systems. As faithful
witnesses to the gospel of Jesus Christ, such intercessors can join with us in
prayers for peaceful coexistence, for conversion of hearts, for cessation of
conflict and hatred, and for the promotion of the common good among all
peoples.
Oct. 24th is the former date of Raphael the
Archangel, and so I am posting about Mission San Rafael here. This is one of
the northernmost establishments. For the September 29th Tuesday
morning group, I presented on all three Archangels and the three CA missions
under their patronage. I waited until today to post the Mission San Rafael page
from the Missions booklet for other readers of this blog.
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