When Queen Isabella went into exile during the Spanish Revolution of 1868, Antony went with her. He never returned home. Antony died at a Cistercian monastery in France.
OCTOBER 25
Gaudentius of Brescia (ca. 360– ca. 410)
Dedicated life
Gaudentius called Philastrius, the bishop of Brescia, Italy, his “adopted father.” Philastrius provided an education for Gaudentius, leading him toward a religious vocation. Gaudentius gained the respect and admiration of the people of Brescia, but left Italy to become a monk at Caesarea in Cappodocia, Asia Minor. The Brescians did not forget about him, and when Philastrius died, they sent for him. Gaudentius became bishop of Brescia, consecrated by Ambrose (December 7) around 387.
Gaudentius gained the love of all who knew him. He is particularly remembered for Easter sermons he wrote out for a man who was too sick to attend church.
Pope Innocent I and the emperor Honorius sent Gaudentius to Constantinople to defend John Chrysostom (September 13). This trip, in 405, turned out to be an unhappy experience. Gaudentius was not welcomed in Constantinople, and few had any interest in what he had to say. Chrysostom sent him a letter of thanks, but it all came to no good. Gaudentius and those who traveled with him experienced imprisonment and rough treatment. Gaudentius died five years after his voyage to Constantinople.
OCTOBER 26
Cedd (d. 644)
Faithful living
The Venerable Bede (May 25) wrote nearly everything we know about Cedd, a seventh-century Northumbrian monk. Cedd and his three brothers all became priests after receiving an education from Finan of Lindisfarne (February 17). Cedd became the bishop of the East Saxons. We have few details of his experience until Florence of Worcester reports that Cedd died of pestilence on October 26, 664.
He founded several monasteries, none of which survived the Viking incursions.
OCTOBER 27
Frumentius and Aedisius (fourth century)
Bane and blessing
It is likely that these two were brothers. Both were influential in establishing the Ethiopian church. Their uncle, Meropius of Tyre, took them there when they were children. Frumentius and Aedisius were the only survivors of a disastrous voyage to Arabia. After an argument, Ethiopians attacked and killed all the crew and the other passengers on the ill-fated ship. The “king” of what is now Tigre, Ethiopia, enjoyed the wit and charm of the boys and gave special attention to their education. Aedisius became his cupbearer and Frumentius his treasurer and secretary of state. Later, Frumentius became the bishop of Ethiopia.
OCTOBER 28
Simon the Zealot / Jude (first century)
Following Christ
The only mention of Simon the Zealot in Scripture is in the lists of names of the apostles. Luke’s list refers to him as Simon the Zealot, but the lists in Matthew and Mark call him Simon the Canaanean, which does not mean “from Canaan,” but “enthusiast.” The tag was probably applied to Simon because he had joined others who were outspoken against the Roman occupation of Palestine. These “Zealots” were radical patriots who wanted to restore divine rule in their country.
Rome ruled more of the known world for a longer time than any other empire in human history. The Romans built excellent roads and public water supplies. Travel was safe, and trade prospered under Roman rule. Rome used a firm hand in the maintenance of public order and was promptly ruthless in suppressing revolt, but liberal toward religion and local customs. The Romans highly valued peace because it avoided costly wars.
In the time of Jesus, a huge undercurrent of resistance to Rome sometimes became violent. There were many Zealots, but no army could defeat mighty Rome. As a child, Jesus probably saw the horror of such confrontations in his neighborhood. Thoughtful Jews attempted to sway public opinion regarding such things as taxes and tariffs rather than engage in futile military conflict. The aggressive Zealots, though, were feared by both the Romans and by other Jews who cooperated with Rome. No one was really sure which neighbor might be a Zealot. When Jesus chose both a tax collector and a Zealot to be apostles he reached out broadly.
The fact that Simon the Zealot is listed among the apostles who were waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit affirms his lasting loyalty to Jesus. What his fellow disciples thought about Matthew, the tax collector who had collaborated with Rome, we can only imagine. Regardless, their love of Jesus Christ united their spirits.
Another apostle, Jude, shares this day. Matthew and Mark refer to him as Lebbaeus or Thaddaeus, Aramaic words meaning “courageous” and “lively.” Luke designates him as Judas, son of James. In every case the Gospel writers make an effort to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot. John tells us he was “Judas (not Iscariot).”
The Bible records only one thing this apostle ever said. It was during the Last Supper that he spoke. Jesus had said, “In a little while the world will not see me any more, but you will see me.” The apostle, still unaware of what was coming, asked, “Lord, how is it that we will see you, but others will not?” In reply, Jesus told him it would be a matter of spiritual perception. The one who loves will be the one who sees.
OCTOBER 29
Narcissus of Jerusalem (d. ca. 222)
Dedicated service
St. Narcissus is not to be confused with the character in Greek mythology who enjoyed his own reflection to an inordinate degree and turned into a flower. This Narcissus was a Greek living in Jerusalem. He was in his eighties when he became one of Jerusalem’s first bishops about 180, but he watched over the church with youthful energy. Narcissus received broad admiration and respect.
Narcissus made an unpopular decision when a council met in 195 to consider the proper date for the celebration of Easter, which is associated with the Jewish Passover. The important thing, as Narcissus saw it, was that the Church should observe Easter on Sunday, the Lord’s Day, rather than the actual day of Passover. The rule became, for those of us west of Constantinople, that Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the first day of spring. The support Narcissus gave this radical idea distressed church members in Jerusalem, and they began to make false accusations against their bishop, subjecting him to vicious, open slander.
The heated unrest prompted Narcissus to resign in order to keep peace in the church, and to retreat into the desert as a hermit, but eventually emotions cooled and he returned to be bishop of Jerusalem until a very old age, some think 110.
One story remains from his time as bishop of Jerusalem. The night of a vigil before Easter, the church had run out of lamp oil. Narcissus asked for water from a nearby well, blessed it, and asked that it be put in the lamps. For years, the church at Jerusalem kept that little vial of miraculous oil.
OCTOBER 30
Marcellus the Centurion (d. 298)
Conscientious objection
About the year 298, a birthday party for the Roman emperor Maximian Herculeus on the Strait of Gibraltar in Tangier, Spain, presented a problem for a centurion named Marcellus. This Roman soldier declined an opportunity to take part in the pagan offering ceremony. Throwing down his shield and sword, he announced that he was a Christian and refused to participate. “I am a soldier of Christ, the eternal King.”
Marcellus spent the remainder of the festival locked in jail. At his trial, he continued to affirm his faith. Aurelian Agricolanus pronounced a sentence of death upon him, but the court notary, Cassian, refused to write down the sentence, declaring it unjust. Cassian immediately received the same sentence.
Marcellus became a Christian martyr by being beheaded on October 30. Cassian met the same fate a few weeks later.
OCTOBER 31
Wolfgang of Regensburg (924–94)
Service to Christ
A native of Swabia, Germany, Wolfgang traveled as a boy to the abbey of Reichenau, located on an island in Lake Constance. A proficient student, he made a close friend in the brother of the Bishop of Wurzburg. This connection resulted in his becoming dean of the cathedra
l school at Trier.
In 964, Wolfgang became a Benedictine monk in Switzerland. He accepted responsibility for administration of the school at the monastery in Einsiedeln and became an ordained priest. In 972, he became bishop of Regensburg in Bavaria. In this position, Wolfgang worked to improve standards of education, as well as to organize church administration, and devoted himself to serving the poor. Behind all of his accomplishments was a dedicated life of prayer.
Wolfgang became seriously ill while traveling down the Danube River into Austria. He died near Linz.
NOVEMBER 1
All Saints
Cloud of witnesses
Since there are many more Christian saints than the three hundred and sixty-five days of the year, this day is set aside to honor all of them. The official list of canonized saints, as large as it is, does not claim to include every saint. Many have never had their names mentioned beyond a very small circle of friends.
Not all saints are alike. Spiritual gifts are as varied as the many interests and abilities that exist in the broad spectrum of people. Some saints have mystical experiences; others do not. Some saints stay busily at work in the world; other saints have neither the energy nor the social skills for that. Many saints have no idea that they are saints. One saint will rediscover the value of tradition, while another saint will open new doors of innovation. Each life has a purpose and fits into God’s grand scheme the way plants—an oak or a trillium— grow in a forest.
NOVEMBER 2
Victorinus of Pettau (d. ca. 304)
Interpreting Scripture
Our earliest known commentator on Scripture is Victorinus. He served as bishop of Pettau in what is now Slovenia. He was a competent writer, and his exegetical commentary on the book of Revelation still exists. The esoteric nature of the Apocalypse fascinated him, and he attempted to make it understandable. Victorinus died a martyr during the Diocletian persecution about the year 304.
NOVEMBER 3
Martin de Porres (1569–1639)
Spiritual sensitivity
For many years, barbershops have called attention to themselves with red and white striped poles. The red represents human blood, and the white symbolizes a bandage. The barber pole goes back to a time when barbers were also surgeons who treated wounds, pulled teeth, and engaged in bloodletting. Martin de Porres was a young South American barber/surgeon who became a Dominican lay brother.
Martin was the illegitimate child of a Spanish father and a darkskinned Peruvian woman. His father would eventually become governor of Panama, but he showed little interest in Martin. At the age of fifteen, Martin asked to be admitted to a Dominican monastery as a janitorial helper. The skills he had learned in his previous trade soon attracted notice, and the monks placed him in charge of the infirmary. His use of herbal medicine and his special touch as a healer were remarkable. Stories began to circulate about his ability to diagnose an illness and cure patients by simply being present in the room with them.
Martin did not confine his medical ministry to the monastery. He went out into the slums of Lima to help neglected street people. Sometimes he would take a sick person back to his own bed. His superior ordered him to stop doing this, and when another indigent person was found in his bed, he severely chastised Martin. “Please forgive my mistake,” Martin said. “I did not know that obedience took precedence over charity.”
Martin also became something of a veterinarian, treating animals as lovingly as he cared for humans. Apparently he could communicate directly with them. A monk was amazed to see a dog, a cat, and a mouse eating together from a bowl that Martin had filled for them.
As people became familiar with Martin’s humble love and piety, his superiors urged him to become a full lay brother. Many reliable witnesses reported supernatural activity similar to the phenomena observed in Padre Pio (September 23) almost three hundred years later. Levitation, bilocation (people met him in China while he remained in Lima), clairvoyance, healing, and even invisibility are attributed to this simple man.
As Martin lay on his deathbed at the age of sixty, the Spanish viceroy knelt beside him and sought his blessing. He died on November 3, 1639, but was not canonized a saint until 1962.
NOVEMBER 4
Charles Borromeo (1538–94)
Steadying influence
The Catholic Church desperately needed someone like Charles Borromeo in the sixteenth century. The Protestant Reformation spurred the need for Counter-Reformation during these seriously troubled times. A capable, steady hand at the helm was essential. Charles Borromeo became the most accomplished Italian bishop of his century.
Charles grew up familiar with the rich and the powerful. His mother was a Medici, and his uncle became Pope Pius IV. While he was not a handsome boy, and he was handicapped with a speech impediment, he had a strong spirit and an indomitable will. As a young man in his early twenties, he accepted an appointment as a cardinal. His attention to detail and organizational skills confirmed the trust others placed in him.
Soon enough, Charles Borromeo became archbishop of Milan and helped his uncle, the pope, to implement the reforms of the 1562–63 Council of Trent. He set up soup kitchens and hospitals when the plague of 1567 devastated Milan. His work was not universally appreciated. An unhappy friar even attempted to assassinate him in 1569.
Wearing himself out with his ministerial activities, Charles died at the age of forty-six.
NOVEMBER 5
Elizabeth (first century)
Chosen
Elizabeth was the wife of the Jewish priest Zechariah. She had no children and, like Sarah and Hannah in the Old Testament, was beyond the normal age for child bearing. While Zechariah was performing his duties at the temple in Jerusalem, the angel Gabriel announced to him that a child would be born to them in their maturity. Six months later, the same angel would be present when her relative Mary conceived a child.
The Gospel of Luke tells us that Mary went to visit Elizabeth. When Elizabeth greeted Mary, she said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Elizabeth told Mary that her baby leapt for joy when Mary spoke to her. Her baby would grow up to be John the Baptist (August 29).
NOVEMBER 6
Illtyd (d. ca. 505)
Early leadership
Illtyd is one of the most familiar Welsh saints, but most of the biographical material about him is full of implausible legends assembled hundreds of years after his life.
As a monk, he founded the large monastery of Llanilltyd Fawr near Cardiff. Other saints of Wales emerged from his monastery. Illtyd died near Dol in Brittany. A number of churches in Wales are dedicated to him. The presence of churches and communities bearing his name in Brittany affirms the likely fact that Illtyd sailed to Brittany on a ship loaded with wheat for famine relief.
NOVEMBER 7
Willibrord (ca. 658–739)
Missionary effort
A Northumbrian, Willibrord received an education under Wilfrid of York (October 12) at Ripon, England. He continued his studies for twelve years with Egbert of Iona in Ireland.
In 690, Willibrord joined eleven other Anglo-Saxon monks on a voyage to Friesland, Netherlands. Together they conducted a missionary effort among the pagans there and in Denmark. Ultimately, Willibrord founded the monastery of Echternach in Luxembourg. He died at the age of eighty-one.
NOVEMBER 8
Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880–1906)
Exemplary prayer
As a young girl growing up in Bourges, France, Elizabeth Catez was popular and effusive, with skills as a pianist, but she was also stubborn and self-centered. At the age of fourteen, her personality matured and she decided to become a Carmelite nun. Her mother disapproved and attempted to distract Elizabeth by involving her in the party circuit, encouraging young men to seek her hand.
In her twenty-first year, Elizabeth joined the Carmelites at Dijon, and immediately felt perfectly at home. In a letter, she wrote, “In the morning, let us wake in love. All day
long let us surrender ourselves to love, by doing the will of God, under his gaze, with him, in him, for him. When evening comes, let us go to sleep still in love.”
With an exemplary personal prayer life, Elizabeth developed the idea of the Trinity living in the person at prayer. Now the formerly strong-willed personality could say, “In order to have peace, one must forget about oneself.”
Addison’s disease prematurely claimed her life in 1906.
NOVEMBER 9
Benignus of Armagh (d. ca. 466)
Faithful service
Even the most rational mind will acknowledge that things happen in human experience that defy analysis and explanation. Miracles do happen. Prayer produces results. God is active in our world and is not restricted by the “laws” of his own creation. Damage results when pious imaginations conceive false tales. The skeptic concludes that if some stories about saints are phony, then all of them are. If there are twenty-three skulls of the twelve apostles venerated in ancient shrines, can any one of them be authentic? If there are enough pieces of the “true cross” in reliquaries to fill a lumberyard, and several pounds of iron nails used to crucify Jesus, can we accept a few as genuine?
Clearly, some kind of screening needed to be done for the stories of the lives of the saints. Addressing this issue, Jean Bolland organized a group of Jesuits in the sixteenth century to research the historical record of saints and their relics. The Bollandists labored for two centuries, producing many volumes of the Acta Sanctorum. In it, they attempted to separate historical fact from fiction. They demythologized the stories of the saints. Religious scholars today do not hesitate to announce the absence of credibility on any aspect of the lives of the saints, without diminishing a particular saint’s value to the faithful. No one is injured, and most are helped, when researchers declare, “The story of Benignus is uncertain. The legend that he died after joining Patrick at Glastonbury is falsified and worthless history. The bodies buried there belong to other worthy persons.”
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