Thursday, September 18, 2008

September 18th: St. Joseph of Cupertino

Over and over again in the lives of the saints, we see that God makes the most out of those who are the least in the eyes of the world. He can, and does, make great saints out of men and women of outstanding intellect and academic achievement, success in business, or social status: witness St. Thomas More (extremely successful lawyer, member of Parliament, Lord Chancellor of England); St. Alphonsus Ligouri (another extremely successful lawyer who later became a priest and bishop, and founded two orders); St. Thomas Aquinas (Dominican friar of towering intellect); St. Louis IX (king of France).

Too often, though, God can make little or nothing out of The Great. Not because He is not God, and all-powerful, but because The Great are often choked with pride, which makes them resist God's grace. So God turns to the little, the humble, the unwanted, the dull and the useless: because these do not resist grace; because, having no self-love, they have room in their hearts for love of God and neighbor; and because, since they are of no account in the eyes of the world, it is clear that the extraordinary things they do are the work of God.

Case in point: St. Joseph of Cupertino, whose feast is today. Read his story here.

2 comments:

  1. That is so true, Anita. God loves to exalt the humble. I wish I could be truly humble. That darn pride keeps getting in my way! BTW, I have the book on St Joseph of Cupertino - I just have never read it. Yet.

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