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 13th 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.”
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