Third Sunday of Easter
4 May 2003
Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and forever!
Dear Friends in Christ,
In the week just passed, the sacred liturgy celebrated the lives of three exemplary Christians: St. Catherine of Siena, Pope St. Pius V, and St. Athanasius. The victory of Christ’s Resurrection is revealed to the Church in many ways, and in the lives of the saints, we see the transforming power of God’s grace at work in real human lives.
Caterina di Giacomo di Benincasa was born in Siena, Italy in 1347 (the 24th of 25 children!) and died at Rome in 1380. During her brief life, she became one of the most important figures in the Church and almost single-handedly helped reform the papacy and return the residence of the Pope from the Avignon exile to Rome. Catherine belonged to the Dominican Third Order and lived a life of radical discipleship; she also experienced in prayer mystical gifts of union with the Lord Jesus which are recorded in her famous spiritual diary, The Dialogue.
Antonio Ghislieri was born in 1504 in a small village in northern Italy and died in 1572 at Rome. At age 14, he joined the Dominican Order, and in 1528 he was ordained priest. In 1556 he became the Bishop of Nepi, and in 1566, at the height of the crisis caused by the Protestant schism, he was elected Bishop of Rome and took the name Pius V. During his brief pontificate, Pope Pius labored heroically for the genuine reform of the Church called for by the Council of Trent and the defense of Europe from militant Islam.
Athanasius was born at Alexandria in 295 and died there in 373. As a deacon, he attended the Council of Nicaea in 325, and from that experience he dedicated himself to refuting the heresy of Arianism. In 328, at age 33, he was ordained bishop and became the Metropolitan Patriarch of Alexandria. He spent the next 45 years in often violent conflict with heresy to teach orthodox doctrine about the divinity of Jesus Christ, and he was repeatedly exiled from his diocese.
Every family should have a book of the lives of the saints to learn about the men and women who have followed the Lord Jesus in the obedience of faith. During this Eastertide, get a good book about the saints, and learn from them how to be Christian disciples.
Father Newman
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us.