Liturgical Calendar

Saint of the day

Saint Joseph of Cupertino (1603-1663)

Saint Joseph of Cupertino showed a love of prayer from a young age. He was ordained into the priesthood in 1628. Joseph is most well-known for his gift of levitating during prayer. Saint Joseph's gift of levitation led him to be humble, tolerant, and obedient. There were also times when he felt persuaded by temptation and abandoned by God. Joseph fasted and adorned himself with chains for the majority of his life. Because he drew so much attention, he was transferred by the friars of his order several times. He was investigated by the Inquisition, but was acquitted by the examiners. Saint Joseph of Cupertino was canonized in 1767.

Reflection

Because of his ability to levitate during prayer, a feat of which Saint Joseph was often ashamed, he was frequently treated poorly by his fellow clergy. For periods of time, he was even exiled from his community. Although it is undoubtedly impressive that St. Joseph levitated while he prayed, that which made him a saint was not his levitation abilities, but his profound humility and willingness to maintain his faith and obedience even in the face of intense persecution. He continued to love and obey his fellow clergy and his superiors despite their poor treatment of him. Are there times in your life when it would feel better to be mean to those who hurt you than to treat them with care?

Prayer

Dear Jesus, please help me to be nice and caring, even to those who cause me pain.

Meditations

Meditation for Reading 1

What does it mean to be one body in Christ? This expression means two very important things for our faith: first of all, it means that we have particular gifts to share with the world, that no one else can offer. Secondly, it means that we must consider ourselves in solidarity with other human beings. Just as the body has many parts - hands, feet, shoulders, stomach - there are many parts of the Body of Christ. Every part serves a totally different purpose: can a hand and an eye do the same thing? No! But both are very important. Likewise, you might have different gifts and talents that are necessary for the Body of Christ to thrive - so don't compare and envy the gifts of others! The second thing we must keep in mind is that we are in solidarity with everyone else, especially the poor and suffering. If you have a headache, your whole body suffers. If you break your foot, your whole body suffers. In the same way, when there are people in the world suffering from oppression, hunger, or unemployment, we must work hard to see ourselves as one Body with them - and do what we can to alleviate their pain.