Saints for February |
St.
Paul Miki and Companions
February 6
These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Revelation 7:13
In 1597, St. Paul Miki—a native of Japan and a Jesuit brother—was crucified with 25 companions, men and women, young and old, lay and ordained, on a hill overlooking Nagasaki. In spite of incredible persecution, the seed of faith which these martyrs helped to plant took root in Japan. When Christian missionaries once again entered Japan, nearly three hundred years later, they found that hundreds of Christians were living around Nagasaki, practicing their faith in secret, with no sacraments except that of baptism.
In His Words
“I want to say to you all once again: Ask Christ to help you to become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ’s example I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.” St. Paul Miki’s words from the cross
God is love; and whoever abides in love, abides in God. (I John 4: 16)
Saint Scholastica was the twin sister of St. Benedict. Both founded religious communities. They met just once each year for spiritual conversation. At their last meeting, sensing that she would not see her brother again, Scholastica begged Benedict to remain with her and continue talking about the things of God through the night. Benedict refused. St. Gregory the Great, in his life of the saint, tells the rest of the story: “The Nun, receiving this denial of her brother, joining her hands together, laid them upon the table: and so, bowing down her head upon them, she made her prayers to almighty God: and lifting her head from the table, there fell suddenly such a tempest of lightning and thundering, and such abundance of rain, that neither venerable Benedict, nor his monks that were with him, could put their head out of door.” And so, Benedict remained where he was, and they conversed of heavenly matters until morning came, and Benedict went home. Three days later, Scholastica died. It was only right, St. Gregory concluded, that God should on this occasion grant her prayer; for God is love, and “hers was the greater love.”
In Her Words
"I desired you to stay, and you would not hear me, I have desired our good Lord, and he hath vouchsafed to grant my prayer." From the Life of Benedict by St. Gregory the Great
Simon, Son of John, do you love me more than these? (John 21: 15)
Most of us are familiar with Bernini’s magnificent cathedra, or Chair of St. Peter, at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It is quintessentially Baroque, with its golden rays and clouds, its larger-than-life angels, saints, and popes, all supporting the throne that represents Peter, the rock on whom the Church was founded. We might even miss the image that crowns all this splendor: a surprisingly simple image of the Holy Spirit in stained glass. Bernini’s masterpiece is a good reflection of the Church. There are so many issues and so many challenges that sometimes we can lose sight of what is most important: the workings of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives. This feast of the Chair of St. Peter is a good day to pray for the man who now stands in “the shoes of the fisherman.” We pray that amidst all the incredible difficulties and complexities of his role, our Pope will always be open to the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit.
In His Words
“Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love. If these are yours and increase in abundance, they will keep you from being idle or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1: 7-8)