(312) St. Louis IX King of France (1214-1270): Faithful to God; Faithful to the People of France; a Leader of Medieval Christendom

 AMDG

                          A painting of King St. Louix IX By Emile Signol

      Many kings in history used the throne as a means of personal power, enrichment, glory, and pleasure.  St. Louis IX saw the throne as an opportunity to serve not himself, but to serve God and His people.  He was not an ordinary king, but a holy king and a saint.  With the help of God he would not let power corrupt him as it often does.  Let’s examine the saintly life of St. Louis IX. 

     His mother had a tremendous influence upon him since childhood.  She is known to have said: ” I love you, my dear son, as much as a mother can love her child; but I would rather see you dead at my feet than that you should ever commit a mortal sin”.   Furthermore, she prepared her son for the mission of being king by having him educated in Latin, the international language of the time, public speaking, writing, military arts, and government.

       Since his father died in 1226 when he was only 12 years old, his mother ruled as regent until the young Louis became of age in 1234.  That same year Louis married  Marguerite of Provence (1221–1295), the daughter of a count.  Being very devout, she was an excellent complement to the King as wife, mother of their children, and queen.  It was an exemplary marriage that bore him 11 children. 

 

                             Ste-Chapelle Church in Paris

      King St. Louis IX was a leader of the uniform Christian culture of medieval western Europe, which we refer to as “Christendom”.   Thus Christendom College, a truly Christ centered Catholic college in Front Royal, Virginia adopted its name and took on the great mission……”To restore all things in Christ”. 

   During his 44 year reign, St. Louis IX exemplified the highest medieval ideals of kingship, gaining for his people an era of peace with neighboring countries and prosperity.  He had a passion for justice with mercy.  A very pious king, he protected the Church.  Although respectful of the pope, he staunchly resisted unreasonable papal demands and protected his clergy.  He believed in the responsibilities to use his reign for the common good, not for personal advantage.  He founded abbeys, convents, hospitals, and almshouses for the poor, even serving meals to the poor in his palace.    He built the famous gothic Ste-Chapelle Church with stunning stained glass windows in Paris to house the Crown of Thorns. It’s a must see for every visitor to Paris.

The seal of King St. Louis IX

       Louis IX introduced legal reforms beyond his time, creating a royal mechanism that allowed petitioners to appeal judgments directly to the monarch, and established a code of ethical conduct for his officials as forbidding them to accept gifts.  He abolished trials by ordeal (physical tests), endeavored to terminate private wars, and incorporated the assumption of innocence into trials until proven guilty.  Louis IX's reign is often marked as an economic and political zenith for medieval France.  He held immense respect throughout Christendom.  His reputation of personal integrity as a fair, impartial, and judicious ruler led to his being solicited to mediate disputes beyond his own kingdom.  He reformed the administrative institutions of his own kingdom and had government abuses investigated.

         During the time of St. Louis, the kingdom of France was at its height in Europe, both politically and economically. He commanded the largest army and ruled the largest and wealthiest kingdom, the European center of arts and intellectual thought at the time. The foundations for the notable college of theology, later known as the Sorbonne and the University of Paris with such great minds as St. Thomas Aquinas in about the year 1257.

       King Louis IX enjoyed unparalleled prestige throughout Christendom and was respected even by his opponents as he was considered to be the 'Most Christian King' (rex Christianissimus).  This title adopted by the French kings was later confirmed by the Pope, while further papal concessions cemented France as the "eldest daughter of the Church"  A base relief of St. Louis IX adorns the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives.   

    The 13^th Century was a difficult time for Christianity.  The Holy Land was desecrated and occupied by radical Islam.  Christendom had to respond and it did with the Crusades.  King St. Louis IX did not stay back in the comfort of his palace and send troops.  Honoring a vow he had made while praying for recovery during a serious illness, he went to the Holy Land with his army.  He led two crusades, engaged in combat and risked his life.  He was even captured and held for ransom.  He returned to battle and finally died during the Eighth Crusade on August 25 (feast day), 1270.

        Interesting is a letter that St. Louis IX wrote to his son:  "My dear son, in the first place I teach you that you must love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and all your strength; unless you do so you cannot be saved. You must guard yourself from everything that you know is displeasing to God, that is to say, from all mortal sin. You must be ready to undergo every kind of martyrdom rather than commit one mortal sin.

     If God sends you tribulation, you ought to endure it, giving thanks, realizing that it is for your good, and that, perhaps, you have deserved it. If however, the Lord confers some benefit on you, you must humbly thank Him, and be on your guard not to become the worse for it, either through vainglory or in any other way. You must not offend God with the very gifts he has given you.

       Assist at the Divine Office of the Church with joyful devotion; while you are present in church do not let your gaze wander, do not chat about trifles, but pray to the Lord attentively, either with your lips, or meditating in your heart.

     Be compassionate towards the poor, the destitute and the afflicted; and, as far as it lies in your power, help and console them.  Give thanks to God for all the gifts he has bestowed upon you, so that you will become worthy of still greater gifts. Towards your subjects, act with such justice that you may steer a middle course, swerving neither to the right nor to the left, but lean more to the side of the poor man than of the rich until such time as you are certain about the truth.  Do your utmost to ensure peace and justice for all your subjects but especially for clergy and religious.

      Devotedly obey our mother, the Roman Church, and revere the Supreme Pontiff as your spiritual father.  Endeavour to banish all sin, especially blasphemy and heresy, from your kingdom.

   Finally, my dear son, I impart to you every blessing that a loving father can bestow on his son; may the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and all the saints, guard you from all evil.  May the Lord grant you the grace to do His will so that He may be served and honored by you, and that, together, after this life we may come to see him, love him and praise him forever. Amen.”

(311) St. John Vianney (1786-1859): Barely Made It Through the Seminary; But One of the Greatest Confessors of All Time

AMDG

       In 2019 the Knights of Columbus sponsored a national pilgrimage tour of the relics (left behind remains) of St. John Vianney, including his incorrupt heart (a first class relic), to promote his life and to honor the pivotal importance of the parish priest.  The founder of the Knights of Columbus, Blessed Michael McGibney, was a parish priest and most council chaplains are parish priests.  

       They conducted this promotion by sponsoring a national tour of the relics of St. John Vianney, particularly his incorrupt heart, considered to be the core of the person.  Hopefully, the tour has been a source of graces and personal holiness, inspiring people to defend the faith, to pray for and support our parish priests…..repent, reform, rebuild.  All that is part of the mission of the Knights of Columbus.

        At one church, knights led the rosary and the Litany of the Holy Spirit.  Each hour was dedicated to a different theme: Conversion and Personal Holiness, Sanctification of Bishops and Priests, and Perseverance and Holiness of Seminarians. The hour began with short readings from John Vianney’s writings, except for one “replacement” with St. John Paul II’s Letter on the Curé of Ars to All Priests of the Church.  

       Father Patrice Chocholski, rector of the Shrine of Ars and St. Jean Vianney’s successor as Curé d’Ars, gave reflections each hour on different aspects of the saint’s life and his extraordinary charism concerning the sacrament of Confession.  He quoted St. John Vianney: “The saints don’t all start well, but they finish well.”  In the saint’s case, “he was aware of walking with Jesus all the time,”

      Beautiful is the official statement of the Knights of Columbus: "The heart is a symbol of love, courage and commitment, and serves as the most evident sign of life within a person. In the case of St. Jean Marie Vianney, popularly known as the Curé of Ars, his incorrupt heart is also a sign of great holiness that holds a message of hope for those who approach it today for veneration." —Knights of Columbus

The reliquary containing the incorrupt heart of St. John Vianney

Entrusted to the Knights of Columbus by the Shrine of Ars, France where his incorrupt heart and body are displayed, this relic went on a national six month tour of the USA.  Thousands of pilgrims in long lines venerated him, named the patron saint of parish priests after his canonization in 1925.  Similarly, we honor the physical objects associated with our departed loved ones.  His holiness and integrity are a model for clergy and laity alike.  He faced obstacles with trust in the Lord.  They called the campaign, “The Heart of a Priest”.  Who was St. John Vianney? 

On August 4, we celebrated the feast day of St. John Vianney, who from the world’s perspective was headed to obscurity.  Born into a poor but devout farm family, St. John felt the call to the priesthood at an early age.  After the French Revolution and its violent persecution of Christians, a reign of terror forced priests into hiding in order to minister the sacraments and secretly say Mass.   

 By 1802, the Church in France was reestablished, but in recovery.  St. John entered the seminary, but struggled with the academics, particularly Latin and understanding Theology, but his holiness was recognized.  He barely made it through the seminary and was ordained in 1815.  A post in an affluent parish or university in Paris was out of the question.  

Thus they assigned him to an obscure rural village parish of Ars (population 214), so remote that he got lost trying to find it.  The parish church did not have a priest and was in disrepair while the people had drifted from the faith in religious ignorance and indifference.  He had the mission of starting from scratch in teaching the faith.  He spoke out against profane dancing and withheld absolution to those unwilling to give it up.

      The priest’s gentle manner and wise counsel soon brought souls back to Christ.  His ability to read souls, compassion for sinners, and understanding of human nature was a big help.  His deep devotion to Mary earned him the title of "Mary’s priest".  He sometimes heard confessions for 18 hours a day as people from across Europe came to seek guidance from a man gifted with reading hearts.  

       Even his little time for sleep was marred by demonic harassment.  The winter cold made it very difficult in the unheated church.  “People went not to see Jean Vianney, they went to see Christ and they met Him in the confessional and the altar,” Bishop Olson insisted.  “And [Jean Vianney] worked for them not as himself, but as Christ’s humble steward.”  He is also the patron saint of confessors.  

       By 1855 the number of pilgrims traveling to this obscure church reached 20,000 penitents per year.  St. John Vianney was so much in demand that the Bishop forbade him from taking off to attend the diocesan priestly retreats.  Even priests came to him for guidance. 

       Jean Vianney’s whole being was attuned to the mercy of God, which came like an overflowing stream. He was the first to experience the Divine Mercy which he then brought to countless others who streamed to his confessional in Ars to “experience the love and mercy of God.”

   Miraculous is the incident of a woman devastated by the suicide of her husband.  She desperately sought out St. John Vianney, but the throngs of people prevented that.  In a moment of great insight the great confessor shouted: “He’s in Purgatory; pray for him”.  Apparently, the woman’s husband repented on the way down from the bridge to the water.  During the last moments before death time stops!

      He was a champion of the poor as a Franciscan tertiary (Third Order) and was a recipient of the coveted French Legion of Honour awarded by the government of France.  Humility, self-discipline, fasting, and sacrifice were his life.  Despite honors, he saw himself only as the instrument of God's goodness.

      To commemorate the centenary of John Vianney's death in 1959, Pope John XXIII issued the encyclical letter Sacerdotii nostri primordia.  St. John Paul II visited Ars in 1986 in connection with the bicentenary of Vianney's birth and referred to him as a "rare example of a pastor acutely aware of his responsibilities ... and a sign of courage for those who today experience the grace of being called to the priesthood."  In observance of the 150th anniversary of Vianney's death Pope Benedict XVI declared 2009–2010 a Year of the  Priest, beginning on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, a day traditionally devoted to prayer for the sanctification of priests.  Its purpose was to encourage priests to strive for spiritual perfection.  The Curé d'Ars is "a true example of a pastor at the service of Christ's flock."

     As Joe Bollig explained in his article, "The heart receives special veneration because in Scripture it is considered to be a person's hidden center of emotional, intellectual and moral activity. Saint John Vianney is said to have lived his life according to the heart of Christ and united his heart to Christ's."  By the end of the six month tour, "the relic traveled almost 36,000 miles [58,000 km]—almost one and a half times the circumference of the Earth—and was available for over 1,200 hours of public veneration."

       Clearly, God does not give great intellectual gifts to some, but compensates for that with other gifts to serve Him and His people.  St. John Vianney was no great intellectual, but he had the great gift of being able to read hearts, communicate love, and empathize with the spiritual struggles of people.  Thus St. John Vianney was one of the greatest confessors of all time, a model for all priests and their patron saint.