November 11 2022 - St. Martin of Tours - "Wherever Christ is known, Martin is honored"

 

Most of us are familiar with the famous scene of the St. Martin, the roman soldier, cutting his cloak in two in order to give half his cloak to the cold beggar. Not often depicted is what happened shortly after. That evening, Martin is said to have been visited by the Christ Child, dressed in the cloak Martin had given to the beggar. The Christ Child said, “Martin, still a catechumen, has covered me with his garment.”

This recalls the passage from the Gospels in which the Lord teaches, that which we do for the least we do for him. In clothing the beggar, Martin clothed Christ.

After being released from military service, the soldier, Martin traveled to a city called Caesarodunum, now called Tours, in western France, and there, Martin became the student of a saintly bishop named St. Hilary of Poitiers, whose feast is celebrated on January 20. 

Martin learned from St. Hilary the bishops duty of defending and spreading the Catholic faith. Martin witnessed St. Hilary’s apostolic courage in this matter. For the two men lived at a time when the Arian heresy was spreading rapidly through Europe. Many bishops fell to Arianism, and St. Hilary was exiled from France to Turkey by the emperor for preaching the truth.  Yet, even from exile, Bishop Hilary worked strenuously to bring the heretics back to the truth.  

During Hilary’s exile, Martin returned home to Italy, where he sought to convert his family. He was successful in bringing his mother to Christ, but not his father. After being kicked out of Milan by the Arian Archbishop for seeking to convert the heretics, Martin became a hermit on the Isola d’Albegna, a small island off the coast of northern Italy, where he lived on a diet of herbs and wild roots. 

In 361, St. Hilary returned to France and so did St. Martin, where he established a hermitage, which soon attracted converts and followers to the hermitical way of life. 

After the death of Hilary, in 371, Martin was made bishop of tours. As bishop, Martin set to enthusiastically ordering the destruction of pagan temples, altars and sculptures. He died in 397. A small chapel was built over his grave, and within a hundred years, the chapel of insufficient to house the vast number of pilgrims coming to pray at the grave of St. Martin, and so a basilica was built. By the sixth century, Martin was so venerated by the Church, that the latin poet Venantius Fortunatus wrote, "Wherever Christ is known, Martin is honored."

St. Martin has been honored ever since. And how fitting, that on the feast of St. Martin, the soldier who laid down his arms to devote himself entirely to Christ, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 major hostilities of the Great War, World War I, came to an end. And that today in our nation, our veterans are remembered and honored.

May St. Martin, the veteran turned monk and then bishop, assist all veterans, and all of us to seek after Christ, to serve Christ by serving the poor, to proclaim Christ as did this faithful and beloved bishop, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the nations of the world will seek to work together in harmony and peace; we pray to the Lord:

That our homeland will be preserved from violence and terrorism; we pray to the Lord

That even in armed conflict, we may keep clearly before us the defense of all human rights, especially the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

For all veterans experiencing physical or psychological, that they may know God’s healing and strength, and that all veterans may be blessed for their self-sacrifice.

For all veterans who gave their life for our liberty, and for the repose of the souls of all of our beloved dead, family, friends, those whose names are written in our parish necrology, deceased priests and religious, for all the souls in purgatory, and for N. for whom this mass is offered.

God, Almighty Father, creator of mankind and author of peace, as we are ever mindful of the cost paid for the liberty we possess, help us to use that liberty to promote peace and justice and spread saving Gospel of Christ. Through the same Christ Our Lord.

January 13 2020 - St. Hilary - Fishers of Men

On this first weekday of the new season of Ordinary Time, we honor one of the great Fathers of the Church, St. Hilary, a bishop of the fourth century. 

As the Arian heresy spread rapidly through Europe, St. Hilary was devoted to defending and spreading the Catholic faith, which upheld the divinity of Christ, which the Arians denied. Bishop Hilary was ostracized by his brother bishops who accepted Arianism; he was even exiled from France to Turkey by the emperor for preaching the truth.  Yet, even from exile, he worked strenuously to bring the heretics back to the truth.  When he returned from exile, his people welcomed him back enthusiastically. 

Today in the Gospel, we heard Jesus tell Peter and Andrew, “I will make you fishers of men.”  St. Hilary and the great saints show us what the Lord meant.  We, like the Saints, are to work to bring others to the truth about Jesus Christ—the fullness of truth revealed to and handed down from the apostles.

St. John Paul II would often challenge young people: “ask yourselves if you truly believe that Jesus is Lord.”  Because if you truly believe this, that Jesus is God, and that he teaches with the authority of God, then you must change your life, your life must give witness to this truth.  We must have the courage to witness in some way to those we meet today that Jesus is Lord, that he is God, that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

I can’t think of a better saint with whom to begin Ordinary Time: for like St. Hilary, we are to be fishers of men. Our witness that Jesus is God, that Jesus is Lord is to permeate our ordinary lives, our ordinary day-to-day activity. 

In the opening prayer, we asked, “O God, grant that we may rightly understand and truthfully profess the divinity of your Son, which the Bishop Saint Hilary taught with such constancy”.  Likely, so many of our fellow Catholics who are not coming to Church have not allowed the implications of the divinity of Jesus to penetrate their lives. So let us seek right understanding that we might truthfully profess with St. Hilary and all the saints, that Jesus Christ is Lord, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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We bring forth now our prayers of petitions.
That the Holy Father and the bishops may be always faithful in defending the Church from heresy and working for the spread of the true faith.
For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of January: that Christians, followers of other religions, and all people of goodwill may promote peace and justice in the world.
For all Catholics who have fallen away from the faith, into heresy, schism or indifference, for all unbelievers, and the conversion of all.
That young people may seek Christ amidst all the chaos and distraction of modern culture.
For those oppressed by hunger, sickness or loneliness, for those undergoing surgery this week,  that they may find relief in both mind and body.
For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.
Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.