Elizabeth Ann Seton is celebrated in today's Minute Meditations! 😇
December 19, 2024
Dear John,
If you follow our Saint of the Day series, then you know that saints aren’t perfect people. They experienced difficulties just like you and I do. Some saints, at times, struggled to believe in God, others struggled to pray; and still others struggled to discern God’s will and pursue their vocation. As part of our Rebuilding God’s Church initiative, we will use our Saint of the Day resources to respond to the common pain points people experience on their own journey of faith. Saintly examples are great, not because saints are perfect, but because they offer examples of how to meet and overcome the challenges we face on our faith journeys. Find out more about our Rebuilding God’s Church initiative and $125,000 match. Click the link to donate. Your donations help us unlock this match money! If you are a recurring donor, and you would like your donations to be redirected to this campaign, please email [email protected]. Thank you to those who have already done this!
With profound gratitude,
Deacon Matthew Halbach, PhD President & Publisher,
In 1362, the man elected pope declined the office. When the cardinals could not find another person among them for that important office, they turned to a relative stranger: the holy person we honor today.
The new Pope Urban V proved a wise choice. A Benedictine monk and canon lawyer, he was deeply spiritual and brilliant. He lived simply and modestly, which did not always earn him friends among clergymen who had become used to comfort and privilege. Still, he pressed for reform, and saw to the restoration of churches and monasteries. Except for a brief period he spent most of his eight years as pope living away from Rome at Avignon, seat of the papacy from 1309, until shortly after his death.
Urban came close, but was not able to achieve one of his biggest goals—reuniting the Eastern and Western churches.
As pope, Urban continued to follow the Benedictine Rule. Shortly before his death in 1370, he asked to be moved from the papal palace to the nearby home of his brother, so he could say goodbye to the ordinary people he had so often helped.
Reflection
Simplicity in the midst of power and grandeur seems to define this saint, as he reluctantly accepted the papacy, but remained at heart a Benedictine monk. Surroundings need not negatively influence a person.
The prophets often use the metaphor of interrupted marriage to describe the relationship between God and Israel—a metaphor entwined with cultural values distant from our own. Israel is sometimes compared to the wife who has been unfaithful. God is the spouse who abandons. The metaphors can be problematic for us, in a way they were not for the original audience.
In today’s first reading Isaiah uses the metaphor, in a passage describing how God restores the relationship with Israel, described in turn as a deserted wife, a widow, and then “forsaken and grieved in spirit.” Finding a saint to delicately balance against the ancient metaphor is a challenge. One who endured young widowhood, misunderstanding, and poverty, and found sainthood in service is Elizabeth Ann Seton, first American-born citizen to be canonized.
Mother Seton found consolation and conversion in the Catholic faith after her husband’s death. Many obstacles remained, as she raised five children while attempting to start a school in the fledgling United States. She went on to found the Sisters of Charity, first women’s religious congregation in America, and give her country its first parish school and Catholic orphanage. She remains a powerful example for her religious family, which still flourishes today, and embodies a tenderness and strength that might resonate with old Isaiah as well!
When asked which virtues are most important, St. Bernard of Clairvaux once said “Humility, humility and humility.” In order to learn anything, we must first accept our limitations. How can we be better Christians if we do not approach God with a humble heart?
Pray
Lord, from glory you came down to greet us. While on earth you made a home with the poor, you lived among the diseased and dispossessed. No one was beneath your benevolence. Grant me the gift of humility, that I may share in your glory. Amen.
Act
Is there someone in your life whom you admire and wish to emulate? Consider asking them for help that you may learn from the gifts God has given them.
Today's Pause+Pray was written by Clifford Hennings, OFM. Learn more here!
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