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In my Father’s house are many mansions › Jn 14, 2.  Since we commemorate the coronation of the Virgin Mary a week after the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, let’s stay with the Marian theme. When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger reflected on this topic, he pointed out that today’s teaching about the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is somewhat foreign to us. We perceive almost all words in this context as foreign and cannot perceive their meaning: Mary, heaven, glory. We understand only one word well—the body. However, if we start from this one word, which is understandable, the possibility opens up for us to reach everything. What is affirmed here is faith in the body and, thus, in the earth, matter, and the future of everything. The Church, seemingly hostile to the body, seems to have sung a new hymn to the body with this dogma. In this sense, the human body is related to heaven and, thus, to God. 

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger explains it this way: “This statement is very timely: today there is a danger that the discovery of the body will turn into dehumanization. In seeking to possess it freely, it is removed from the sphere of moral responsibility and is reduced to a mere thing that can be used without the guarantee of human relations. The human body is transformed into matter; a new dualism arises, the destructive effects of which we have already experienced. Only when the wholeness of the human being is completely preserved, only then does the future for the body open up. Only when the human dignity of the body is recognized will the spirit retain its human character; only when we know how to appreciate a person in the light of God’s promise, we give honor to the body.” 

Therefore, the true rooting of God’s action in profound physicality is very important. It began with the birth of the Virgin Mary, culminating in the Lord’s resurrection, and the eyes of God through his Son could be realized in the eyes of the first Christian woman. And this is how all the words of the dogma are connected: first heaven and body, now also Mary and glory, body and heaven. The name Mary refers to everything concretely realized in a simple woman who calls herself a humble servant (cf. Lk 1:48). Let’s not forget that the glory rested on her. Not the queen, but the humble servant is glorified. Not to power, but to faith is the promised future.

Real name Jozef (Giuseppe) Sarto

Saint

Holiday: August 21

* June 2, 1835, Riese, today Riese Pio X near Treviso, Italy

† August 20, 1914, Rome

Pontificate: 1903 – 1914

Meaning of the name: pious, religious (lat.)

St. Pius X was born on June 2, 1835, in the village of Riese near Castelfranco Veneto in the Diocese of Treviso as the second of ten children. His father was a postman and a farmer. Jozef liked to minister, wanted to learn, and had great talent. Even though his parents were poor, he managed to graduate from the grammar school in Castelfranco and Padua, where he continued studying philosophy and theology. A native of Riese, the Venetian patriarch Jakub Monica also gave him a place in the seminary. Jozef was ordained a priest in 1858 in Castelfranco. He worked as a chaplain in Tombolo, from 1867 as a parish priest in Salzano, and in 1875 he was called as a canon and vicar general in Treviso. In addition, he also taught in the seminary. In 1884, Pope Leo XIII. appointed as bishop in Mantua and in 1893 as patriarch and cardinal in Venice. He was elected Pope in 1903. According to the “Malachi Prophecy,” he was supposed to be “ignis ardens,” a roaring fire. As he said during his election, he took Pius after the holy popes who were “mighty and kindly protected” the Church. He chose “Renew everything in Christ” as his motto.

Predecessor Pius X. Leo XIII. Focused on restoring the Church’s external relations, Pius X decided on internal reform. In the first days after the election, he ordered a new codification of church law. In 1908, the Acta Apostolicae Sedis began to be published – a circular for the whole Church, in which statements and information about the happenings in the Church were published. It is a common practice not only of the Holy See but of every diocese. Pius X had excellent organizational and reforming talent. Administration became much more straightforward; he eliminated clutter and unnecessary bureaucracy. He proposed new methods and means for pastoral care. He cared a lot about the holiness and education of priests. He reformed the liturgical music, removed the long interminable preludes during the liturgy, and paid great attention to the Gregorian chant. A college for church music was established in Rome.

At his initiative, a new edition of the Roman Missal and the Roman Breviary was published. The Pope had an excellent feeling for errors and anti-Catholic directions. He was adamant in faith and morals, but he tried to lead strays to the right path with kindness and goodness. He drew attention to the so-called modernism that began to spread. He radically rejected it in 1907 with his encyclical Pascendi.

On the other hand, however, many did not understand the Pope correctly. When condemning modernism, they went to the other extreme (integralism) – they opposed any adaptation of the Church to modern life. They wanted to enter worldly affairs with the decisive word as well. However, the Pope did not do politics. He was only interested in the purity of faith and the renewal of religious life. He tried to separate the Church from the state. He issued a decree that no secular power should interfere in the election of the Pope. Even during his election, the Austrian Emperor František Jozef interfered in the election, announcing an “exclusive objection” to the election of Cardinal Rampolla, who was most likely to be elected.

As his role model, the Pope had the parish priest of Ars, John Maria Vianney, whom he declared blessed in 1905. He had a picture of him on his desk. He also declared other zealous priests to be blessed – St Johann Eudes and Klement Maria Hoffbauer. He greatly respected the work of priests. He himself was a zealous pastor. As a bishop, he helped his priests with confession and preaching. His speeches as the Pope were always clear and understandable, and you could feel the fatherly love and strictness in them. He was very zealous for respect for the Eucharist and the renewal of spiritual life. The much-mentioned “active participation of the laity in the liturgy” began during his era. His goal was “so that people do not pray at Mass, but pray Mass.” He also called for frequent St. reception. He allowed the children to receive the first St. communion as soon as possible, which was perceived already the difference between ordinary bread and St. receiving. Until then, they had to wait until they were fourteen. An incident from the childhood of this Pope is mentioned when he wanted to receive the Body of Christ but could not because he had not yet reached the prescribed age of 14 years. When he begged the bishop to allow him after all, the bishop said, “Once you become pope, you can change it.” It happened…

Towards the end of his life, he felt that war was approaching. On August 2, 1914, he issued an apostolic letter expressing great pain over the unrest and called on people to cling to Christ, the Prince of Peace. Shortly after that, he got pneumonia. The disease continued rapidly and insidiously. The Pope died on August 20, 1914. He was not embalmed and buried in the Vatican crypts at his request. His testament was written: “I was born poor, I lived poor, I die poor.” He was declared blessed by Pope Pius XII in 1951 and as a saint three years later.

Pius X was the greatest reformer after Pope St. Pius V- (1566-1572). Several historians say he completed the reform of the Council of Trent (1545-1563). He reformed the missal, breviary, church law, music, sacramental life, seminaries, biblical and theological studies, and the Roman Curia.

Holiday: August 20

* around 1090 Fontaine-lès-Dijon, today part of the city of Dijon, France

† August 20, 1153 Clairvaux, today Longchamp-sur-Aujon, France

Attributes: skull, dog, devil, book of religious rules, beehive

Patron of beekeepers, waxers, bartenders; in obsessions, childhood diseases; at the hour of death

St. Bernard, painting from the 16th century. In Troyes Cathedral

Abbot and teacher of the Church, he was born around 1090 in Fontaines-les-Dijon, France, as the third of seven children of the Burgundian noble Tezelin at the family castle. Together with his four brothers and about 30 young men, Bernard entered the 22-year-old 1112 to the reformed monastery of Citeaux, the first monastery of the Cistercian order, founded in 1098 by Robert of Molesme. Just three years later, at the age of 25, he became the founding abbot of the Clairvaux monastery. During his lifetime, he founded almost 70 other monasteries.

Bernard of Clairvaux, who went down in history as the “second founder” of the Cistercian order, maintained relations for the next four decades until his death with almost all the great personalities of his time. Not only were popes, bishops, priests, and brothers of all orders interested in his advice, but he also had contact with the monarchs of different countries. He also became known as a fiery preacher of the crusades. Vezelay is inextricably linked to his name. Bernard delivered his first sermon on Easter in 1146 before Louis VII in this Burgundian basilica. He spoke so persuasively that the king and all the nobles assembled there eagerly accepted the cross from the hands of the abbot of Clairvaux. From Vézelay, Bernard went north of the country to Flanders and Rhineland. He was met with great enthusiasm everywhere.

Despite having all the opportunities for a ‘career’ in the church hierarchy, Bernard of Clairvaux remained humble and modest throughout his life. He embodied the ideal image of a monk, resolutely refusing all the honorary offices that were offered to him, such as appointment as bishop in Genoa and Milan. His commitment to his beliefs was unwavering, even in the face of disappointment. He experienced his worst disappointment when the second crusade, which he had enthusiastically supported, was wrecked in 1149. He never fully recovered from this pain, a testament to his deep commitment to his beliefs.

At the age of 63, Bernard of Clairvaux passed away on August 20, 1153, after a severe stomach ailment. His death marked the end of a life dedicated to the Church and its teachings. He was buried in Cluny Abbey, but today his grave is in Clairvaux, a fitting resting place for a man who had such a profound impact on the Church.

What respect this monk enjoyed not only in his time but also among church scientists and scholars of all centuries is shown by the epithets that Bernard of Clairvaux received:

• The arch father of European sentiment (Friedrich Heer)

• The leader and judge of his time (Jozef Lortz)

• The religious genius of his of the time (Adolf von Harnack)

In addition, he was given the title “doctor melfifluus” (“honey-flowing” teacher) for his zealous way of preaching. Pope Alexander III. declared Bernard a saint on January 18, 1174—Pope Pius VIII. He was appointed by 1830 as a teacher of the Church.

On images from the 15th century. He is sometimes seen with the devil on a chain as a sign of overcoming all temptations. Such a statue from the 15th century is in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. He also wields a cross, a dead man’s skull, the instruments of suffering, a rosary, or a white dog, which points to the legend that Bernard’s mother had a dream before his birth that she would give birth to a white dog that would raise its voice against its enemies.

Holiday: 

* November 14, 1601 Rinear Argentan, France

† August 19, 1680 Caen, France

Meaning of the name: God is gracious (Hebrew)

St. John Eudes

St. John Eudes was born on November 14, 1601, in the village of Rinear Argentan (west of Paris). His father, Izák Eudes, originally wanted to become a priest, but as the only descendant of a family that died of the plague, he had to renounce his intention. He married Martha Corbin and made a living as a farmer and village doctor. He prayed the breviary every day and was very pious. Ján was the first of seven children. As a child, his parents offered him to the Virgin Mary as a sign of gratitude for the gift of a child. Ján was very clever; he had a kind heart and a strong will. At the age of fourteen, he made a vow of lifelong chastity. The Jesuits educated him in Caen. In 1618, he joined the Marian Congregation. His classmates called him “pious Eudes”. After consulting with his spiritual leader, he decided to become a priest. However, his parents somehow forgot their old desires and wanted him to get married instead. But he didn’t give up. Finally, they gave way to him, and on February 25, 1623, he joined the Society of Oratorians in Paris, founded in 1611 by the holy priest Peter de Bérulle. Under his guidance, he trained in the life of prayer and virtues. He was ordained a priest on December 20, 1625. The second year, however, he fell ill and had to be treated. In 1627, he was definitively accepted among the oratorians and began preparing to preach. But then he received an urgent message from his father. He begged him to come and attend to the sick of the plague. With the superior’s permission, he cared for all those who needed it for two months. After the end of the epidemic, he returned and prepared to conduct parish missions. But the plague came again to the city he lived in, Caen. He took care of the sick again; he got ill and almost died. But he got over it. In 1632, he held the first six missions. He preached and confessed with such fervor that everyone considered it a feat of mastery. But then he went to study again and, after two years, became responsible for the Oratorian missions in Normandy.

In the years 1635-1641, John preached in various places and his activity was very successful. Many people were converted or confessed years later to his preaching. However, John was troubled that these successes of his did not last long, as the local priests – parish priests – were uneducated and did not continue what he had started with his sermons. And so he came up with the idea of ​​founding a priestly seminary. He wanted to do it within his order, but the superior considered it too progressive and did not allow it. On the advice of several, he decided to leave the Oratorians and found a new congregation. At the end of 1642, he received permission from the king. On March 24 of the following year, he left the Oratorian monastery and traveled to the old chapel of Our Lady, which was about thirteen kilometers from Caen. There, together with their five collaborators, they consecrated themselves to Jesus and Mary and began their activity. In the years 1643-1670, they founded six seminaries. The bishops welcomed this activity and begged him to help them. On the other hand, Ján also met with misunderstanding. Many criticized him for this, envied his achievements and hindered him. But he didn’t give up. He also continued to preach. He went about Normandy, Brittany and other regions and attracted crowds. During his missions, he converted several public sinners, showing his deep compassion and empathy. Therefore, he begged the order of the Visitation in Caen to give him some sisters to help him work with these penitents. Three sisters, including Mother Patinová, were released. Together with Mother Patinová, he founded the Congregation of Notre Dame de Charité (Our Lady of Mercy) according to the Rule of St. Augustina. To the three usual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, they added a vow to dedicate themselves to the conversion of fallen women. John greatly revered the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Thanks to him, respect for them spread not only throughout France, but also beyond the borders. Some of his writings have survived: The Life of Jesus and His Kingdom, The Good Confessor and The Admirable Heart of the Mother of God.

Towards the end of his life, he suffered greatly from slander and illnesses. In 1680, he renounced the office of superior general. Before his death, he gave his last instructions to his fellow brothers. He died on August 19, 1680. He was buried in Caen. Pope Pius X declared him blessed in 1909 and under the Holy Pope Pius XI. in 1925.

Today, we can reflect on a scene that is, unfortunately, authentic: “Little children were brought to Jesus so that he would lay his hands on them in prayer. But the disciples criticized those who brought them (Mt 19, 13).” Jesus immensely loves children, but we, with our typical and characteristic thinking of “adults,” do not allow them to approach Jesus and the Father: – When they grow up, if they want, they choose…! What a big mistake! The poor, those who are in need, and those who have nothing are the object of the Lord’s special affection. And children and infants are very “poor.”

They are poor in age, and they are inadequate in formation. They are defenseless. That is why the Church – our “Mother” – decided that parents should bring their children to baptism as soon as possible so that the Holy Spirit could settle in their souls and they could join the warmth of the community of believers. This is stated by the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Code of Canon Law, the highest-ranking legislators of the Church (which, like any other community, must have its legislation). But no! When they are adults! Such a procedure is nonsense. Otherwise, we can ask ourselves:

What will this child eat? What his mother gives him, without specifying what she would prefer. ▪  Or what language will this child speak? The same is true for his parents (in other words, the child will never be able to choose another language). ▪ Which school will this child attend? Wherever his parents decide to take him, without waiting for him to determine which study he will prefer… ▪ What did Jesus eat? What his mother Maria gave him. ▪ What language did Jesus speak? The language of his parents. ▪ What religion did the Infant Jesus learn and practice? The one his parents practiced, Judaism. ▪ Later, as an adult, thanks to the formation given to him by his parents, he founded a new religion… But first, his parents’ religion, naturally.

“…for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven”. What kind? As they are like children. Not in the sense of being immature, irresponsible, and egotistical, but in the sense of being open to new things, free, and trusting. If you have such an opportunity, adore the child today and ask how it is with you…

Serve the Lord with joy » Ps 100, 2.

Teachers of the spiritual life point out that there is more than a verbal difference between a smile and laughter, because the joy of the earth is not yet the joy of heaven, and therefore it inevitably retains a certain kind of attraction. Besides, the world is too marked by sin, death and injustice, tears and suffering, for joy to be expressed more outwardly.

Nevertheless, there is no lack of joy in the lives of deeply religious people. Albín Luciani, later Pope John Paul I, did not lack joy and a smile. His rich journalistic activity was published collectively in the nine-volume work Opera omnia. He writes about joy: “Learn to turn what you hear and see into laughter in due measure and form.” Sv. Philip Neri, a saint, on one occasion to Pope Clement VIII. he said: “I hope they would kill you!” Everyone present gasped, but Philip continued: “For faith in Jesus Christ. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and laughed.” After all, one can wish the Pope to die as a martyr. It is not a crime to pretend to be a comedian if we want to entertain people.”

He continues: Mark Twain with his humorous magazines and books, Charlie Chaplin with his brilliant and at the same time human pieces, Carlo Goldoni with his comedies, according to St. Thomas could have become saints if they had added the right intention and other Christian virtues to their art and talent. We would have sympathetic, smiling patron saints in them who teach Christians how to laugh and how to laugh. We would need them.

In today’s chaos, what Thomas Aquinas said is true: Italians are like toothless old men. They cannot laugh without spitting. Sv. Tomáš goes even further and claims that even rudeness or excessive seriousness can be a sin. “Those who do not take part in jokes, who do not say anything to make others laugh, sin. Those who talk are sorry for not responding to appropriate jokes.” One can only agree with that. Humor belongs to faith, says the well-known moralist P. Bernard Haring: “Christians who do not know humor live far from the mountain of the Beatitudes!” Karel Vrána adds: “A Christian who has no sense of humor, who cannot smile at the world and the world that he can’t laugh at human snobbery and steaming, he’s probably a bad Christian. We could say the maxim: Tell me how you laugh and I’ll tell you who you are.’

Luther claims that only faith saves us. A classic example of faith, according to St. Paul, is Abraham, the father of all believers (cf. Rom 4:1-3). Mary and Abraham were mainly compared by Protestant theologians. The comparison then served as a polemic against Marian piety. Let us note one of them who has a world renown: Sören Kierkegaard, who has gained great respect in many ways. His teaching about Mary deserves attention. It is based on the conviction that Mary has primary importance of faith in salvation. He does not primarily admire her motherhood in the physical sense, but sees Mary’s greatness above all in her faith. As he meditates on the Gospel texts that discuss how the fullness of salvation will take place, Kierkegaard concludes that Mary’s faith surpasses that of Abraham. However, both remain in the same orientation of faith. In both cases, it is a heroic faith, full of sacrifices. Both Abraham and Mary receive God’s word with absolute obedience. Therefore, they remain alone with God alone, if we can say so. They have no human support and sympathy. They are in situations of tension. Abraham is subjected to ridicule because he believed that he could have a son in his old age, as God had promised him. Mary hides her secret from Joseph, her fiancé, keeps everything only in her heart. Joseph gradually learns what happened thanks to the angel’s announcement in the dream, Mary does not tell him anything. In the strength of faith, Mary follows Jesus throughout his life, in his suffering and in his death.

Kierkegaard therefore sees all of Mary’s greatness, her extraordinaryness, in faith. But heroic faith includes sacrifice because it is the essential bond of union with Christ. And by the same principle, faith purifies. The Virgin Mary, because she has faith of an extraordinary quality, is purified in a way that surpasses all other ways. Therefore, Mary remains the greatest example of spiritual life for Christians. In his diary, Kierkegaard writes: “No one who understands how religion is feminine in its nature will not be surprised that a woman is represented as a teacher, as a model of true piety. Because a woman must be silent (cf. 1 Cor 14:34), therefore she cannot teach, therefore silence before God is what belongs to the essence of religion. How we must learn from women! We learn from a woman a humble faith that does not rule, that doubts and hesitates: “Why?”, “What will it be for?”, “How is this possible?”, she asks, but at the same time she humbly believes and as Mary says: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord”. It speaks, but let us note well that this is silence. Learn true listening to the word from a woman, from Mary, who does not understand and does not understand, but keeps the word in her heart (Luke 8:15). Take over from the woman the silent, deep and religious pain that will be silent before the face of God. Learn from Mary. Because it is certain that even her heart – as was predicted – will be pierced by the sword of pain (cf. Lk 2:15); he does not despair either when he hears the prophecy or when it begins to be fulfilled.

In this context we can come to a conclusion: if the message of salvation in the Old Testament begins with the faith of Abraham, the father of all believers, at the beginning of the New Testament we meet Mary’s faith, the mother of all believers in Christ. Faith, participation in God’s knowledge, in Christ’s truth, gradually grows. According to St. Basil and the Fathers, the growth of faith in Mary’s life reached its critical point at the moment under the cross. Here Simeon’s prophecy was fulfilled: “And a sword will pierce your own soul” (Luke 2:35). At first, a doubt penetrated her whether the incarnation of the Son of God was worth it, when he was thus disfigured in front of his own people. On the icons, Christ himself teaches the Virgin Mary to understand the supreme wisdom of the cross. With this, her faith reaches its peak and becomes a vision. Christ dies on the cross, rises from the dead and ascends to heaven. The Ascended Virgin Mary follows him, and thus the mystery of Christ is completed.

In the West, we are used to images in which we see the Virgin Mary ascending to heaven above the empty tomb, surrounded by the apostles and looking up in amazement, while the liturgy reminds us that we, together with them, already live, at least in our mind, in heaven. In the East, the same mystery is expressed by the icon of the Dormition, i.e. the death of the Virgin. It is not she who ascends, but rather Christ who descends from heaven to take her soul into his hands: “The souls of the righteous are in God’s hands, the torment of death will not touch them (Mud 3,1). At the end of the world, Christ must descend to earth to restore everything permanently as the kingdom of God. For the Virgin Mary, this happened already at the moment of her death, when he descended to her. Everything is completed with that. According to V. Lossy, he is “the eschaton, a realized created person before the end of the world”.

Today, we honor the memory of St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, a martyr of Auschwitz concentration camp. Fellow inmates recall him as a compassionate protector and comforter who led prayers, heard confessions, and shared food. In July 1941, he volunteered to starve to death in place of another prisoner, František Gajowniczek, a family man, demonstrating heroic love even to his executioners. Devoted to the Mother of God, he was taken with her on the eve of the Ascension.

Jesus frequently showed a special affinity for the vulnerable, including the sick, the weak, and children, whom he loved tenderly due to their guileless nature. In fact, children embody the qualities he deems necessary for participation in his kingdom. Jesus publicly demonstrated this fondness for children on two occasions, using them as an example for his disciples. One instance took place in Capernaum, Galilee, and the other near Jericho in Judea, just as he was about to enter Jerusalem, as recorded in today’s Gospel passage, where Matthew writes that children were brought to him.

Women, likely mothers, grandmothers, or sisters, brought children to Jesus, presenting them to him for a blessing. Despite the disciples’ objections, Jesus welcomed the children, teaching us that his kingdom belongs to those with pure and humble hearts, like children. As we stand before God, we should be like little children, free from false pride. Let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Maximilian to guide us with the same gentle hand.