St. Martin – what can this ancient saint even tell us today? After all, he lived in the 4th century, after all, life is entirely different today. It is true, that people really live completely differently, but a person does not become a saint because of the time he lives in but because of the qualities that he cultivates in faith. Martin was the first to be venerated as a saint, although he was not a martyr, and his cult spread almost throughout Europe: today, St. Martin renaissance in the form of St. Martin’s goose and wine.
Why is the St. Martin’s goose baked? Even the legends need more than that. One says that the saint was so disturbed at a rural sermon with their chatter that they had to be roasted as punishment. Another legend says that Martin, out of modesty, did not want to accept the rank of bishop and hid in a shed with geese, but they betrayed him with their wheezing. St. Martin’s wine is no better; its history is concise and takes us back to the reign of Emperor Joseph II. At that time, it was customary on the day of St. To toast Martin with new wine for the first time. On that day, the service ended for the winegrowers who farmed with the big landlords, and its continuation was negotiated over a glass of wine and a roast goose meatball.
Thus, these goodies became a symbol of something more profound, a symbol of one important characteristic of St. Martin, and that was undoubtedly his merciful heart. According to legend, this soldier of the Roman army, riding a white horse, parted with a beggar over his cloak. The following night, Christ appeared to him in a dream wearing half of his cloak, and St. Martin was baptized. It is not whether the writer’s imagination enhances the legend but what it wants to tell us.
Christ tells us in the Gospel: “I want mercy and not sacrifice.” The term mercy is from the Latin miseree – which means to have mercy and cor – heart. It is no accident that mercy comes from the heart, not the mind. Father Tomáš Cardinal Špidlík writes in one of his books: “Whoever has a light suitcase at the station should help the one who cannot carry the luggage onto the train. The unfortunate nature of the luggage is that it is cumbersome; it can hardly be carried without the help of others.”
One would expect the warning to be addressed to the one with an insufferable nature not to annoy his fellow man so much, but for now, we are being called upon to change. The apostle Paul says in his letter to the Galatians: “Bear one another’s burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal 6, 2) Helping someone with a suitcase probably does not cause us any problems; a person feels as if he is pleased with his good deed. But it is worse with the baggage of the unfortunate nature of the neighbor because instead of muscles, we need a good dose of mercy. Maybe we could also “bear” the tragic nature for a while, but bear it today and daily. Sooner or later, we are at the end of our tolerance. And so mercy is transformed into sacrifice. This sacrifice ultimately leads us to personal holiness, as St. Martin.
