March 20, 2024

Hello John,

As holy week approaches, I often try to meditate on the life of St. Francis of Assisi, who held the season of Lent in high esteem. Today I am reminded of the moment when…

Francis championed interreligious dialogue. In our polarized country, it seems almost like fiction that we might have the courage to step outside our comfort zones and embrace those on the periphery; or those whom we perceive as different. But Francis traversed wars and foreign lands to preach the Gospel to Sultan Malik al-Kamil in 1219. With these two men, it was a stalemate: Francis could not convert his new friend to Christianity, and the sultan could not coax his visitor to abandon Lady Poverty. But a real friendship was born, nonetheless. Differences should not mean division.

Our directive at Franciscan Media is to build bridges, not walls. Following Francis, our message of hope and fellowship is needed in a world battered by grief. And that is where you come in. Join the friars and our faithful community of donors with a gift to Franciscan Media today.

Peace and all good!

Christopher Heffron
Editorial Director 

Saint of the Day for March 20: Saint Salvator of Horta

(1520 – March 18, 1567)

Saint Salvator of Horta’s Story

A reputation for holiness does have some drawbacks. Public recognition can be a nuisance at times—as the confreres of Salvator found out.

Salvator was born during Spain’s Golden Age. Art, politics, and wealth were flourishing. So was religion. Ignatius of Loyola founded the Society of Jesus in 1540.

Salvator’s parents were poor. At the age of 21, he entered the Franciscans as a brother and was soon known for his asceticism, humility, and simplicity. As cook, porter, and later the official beggar for the friars in Tortosa, he became well known for his charity. He healed the sick with the Sign of the Cross. When crowds of sick people began coming to the friary to see Salvator, the friars transferred him to Horta. Again, the sick flocked to ask his intercession; one person estimated that 2,000 people a week came to see Salvator. He told them to examine their consciences, go to confession, and to receive Holy Communion worthily. He refused to pray for those who would not receive those sacraments.

The public attention given to Salvator was relentless. The crowds would sometimes tear off pieces of his habit as relics. Two years before his death, Salvator was moved again, this time to Cagliari on the island of Sardinia. He died at Cagliari saying, “Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.” He was canonized in 1938. The liturgical feast of Saint Salvator of Horta is celebrated on March 18.

Reflection

Medical science is now seeing more clearly the relation of some diseases to one’s emotional and spiritual life. In Healing Life’s Hurts, Matthew and Dennis Linn report that sometimes people experience relief from illness only when they have decided to forgive others. Salvator prayed that people might be healed, and many were. Surely not all diseases can be treated this way; medical help should not be abandoned. But notice that Salvator urged his petitioners to reestablish their priorities in life before they asked for healing. 

Much has been written on the last words of Jesus.

Yet interlaced with suffering, the focus throughout this powerful book is on the immense love of God for human beings, shown in the gift of Jesus!

Prayers to a Listening Heaven

When I am hiking in the woods on spring mornings, I like that I am dwarfed by a sea of trees. I appreciate that I am outnumbered by animals and insects who see me when I cannot see them. It puts us clumsy humans in our rightful place. When I am surrounded by nature, I often think of my favorite quote from Rabindranath Tagore: “Trees are earth’s endless effort to speak to a listening heaven.” My prayers have a similar trajectory: They start out as saplings and grow skyward. I come to God as a child would. That’s the way it should be.

Perhaps my greatest prayers happen when I’m on foot. Perhaps it is where I feel most comfortable opening my heart to a listening heaven.

—from St. Anthony Messenger‘s “Let Us Pray: Spring Awakenings“ by Christopher Heffron

Through time, a universal pattern can be found in all societies, spiritualities, and philosophies.

Father Richard Rohr clearly illuminates how understanding and embracing this pattern can give us hope in difficult times and the courage to push through disorganization and even great chaos to find a new way of being in the world.

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