Friday, October 9, 2015

Homily: October 9 - Saint Denis - Timeless Catholic Faith



On the façade of the Notre Dame Cathedral there is a statue of a headless bishop.  I say “headless” because he had been decapitated, however, he is holding his head, about chest high.  That bishop, was the first bishop of Paris, who had been a missionary sent from Italy to spread the faith in the city of Paris, in the mid 3rd century, before it was even called Paris, it was called “Lutetia Parisiorum” by Julius Caesar. 

Paris, at the time was filled with different pagan religions, and St. Denis was so successful in the conversion of the Pagan Parisians, that the Pagan Parisian Priests conspired against Denis.  Denis was arrested and sentenced to death by decapitation.

Even so, St. Denis was not done preaching.  According to legend, once decapitated, he stood up, picked up his severed head from the dirt and walked about 4 miles north, preaching a sermon the entire way.  Amazingly, he even stopped to rinse the blood and dirt off of his head along the way.  A basilica was built at the spot where he finally collapsed and died.

Saint Denis is the patron saint of Paris and one of the patron saints of headaches.  

Again, here is a saint about whom almost nothing is known, yet one whose cult has been a vigorous part of the Church's history for centuries. We can only conclude that the deep impression the saint made on the people of his day reflected a life of unusual holiness. In all such cases, there are two fundamental facts: A great man gave his life for Christ, and the Church has never forgotten him—a human symbol of God's eternal mindfulness.

I had the occasion of visiting a non-Catholic church in the area recently, and I was struck by it’s starkness.  One cross in the whole place, no statues of beloved saints, no stained glass windows with Christian symbols from antiquity.  And I thought, “how sad”, it was like it was decapitated from history.  I also thought, “how thankful I was to be Catholic”, with the examples of the saints and martyrs, with all the fantastic symbolism to enrich our life. 

John Henry Cardinal Newman once said, "To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant."  When we honor a saint, like Denis, from the early centuries of Christian history, we truly show ourselves to be Catholic—venerating those men and women who embraced the fullness of Faith, who found holiness in following Christ and shedding their blood for Him—their witness shows us that the Catholic faith is timeless and life-giving throughout all the ages.


May our lives continue to be enriched by their example, may we be assisted by their heavenly intercession, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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