FEAST OF THE HOLY REDEEMER AND THE MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOHN OF CAPISTRANO, PRIEST ~ FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 23RD: Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Redeemer and the Memorial of Saint John of Capistrano, Priest. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for God’s Divine Grace and Mercy upon us all. We pray for peace, love, justice and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. We pray for the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally and physically ill, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. We pray for all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, the Bishops, the Clergy, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world…. Amen🙏
FEAST OF THE HOLY REDEEMER: The feast of the Holy Redeemer is in honor of the graces and benefits of the Redemption. It was instituted at Venice, Italy in 1576 in thanksgiving for the cessation of a plague that broke out in Venice which in a few days carried off thousands of victims. To avert this scourge the Senate vowed to erect a splendid temple to the Redeemer of mankind, and to offer therein each year on the third Sunday of July public and solemn services of thanksgiving. Scarcely had the plague ceased when they began to fulfil their vow. The church was designed by the famous Andrea Palladio, and the corner-stone was laid by the Patriarch Trevisan on May 3, 1577. The celebrated painters Paolo Veronese and Jacopo Tintoretto decorated the interior. The church was consecrated in 1592, and, at the urgent solicitations of Pope Gregory XIII, placed in charge of the Capuchin Fathers. The feast has been observed in Venice for more than three centuries with great solemnity and is now found only in the special calendar of some dioceses and religious orders and is celebrated with proper Mass and Office either on the third Sunday of July or on October 23rd.
“The Redeemer of man, Jesus Christ, is the center of the universe and of history.” (John Paul II, Redemptor Hominis) Jesus Christ redeems believers from all forms of sinful bondage and oppression through His death and resurrection. The price of that redemption, His death, represents a ransom paid to secure the freedom of those held in bondage to sin. “I know that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25). “I the Lord am your Savior and your Redeemer” (Is 49:26). “He has borne our grief, and carried our sorrows” (Is 53:4). The Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who is alive by the power of His Resurrection, brought us eternal life. We are redeemed through His life, death and Resurrection. He brought peace through a different kind of justice—love, gentleness, simple living, understanding and communion. He, the Redeemer of man, worked with His human hands, thought with a human mind, acted with a human will, and with a human heart He loved. He, the Son of the living God, speaks to people as Man. It is His life that speaks, His humanity, His fidelity to the truth, His all-embracing love, His death on the Cross, that speaks of His suffering and abandonment. He alone satisfied the Father’s eternal love. Redemption was accomplished in the paschal mystery, leading through the Cross and death to Resurrection. Therefore, the Redemption of the world is a tremendous mystery of love and the renewal of creation, a deepest root, the fullness of justice in a human Heart—the Heart of the First-born Son. The Church never ceases to relive Jesus’ death on the Cross and His Resurrection, which constitute the content of the Church’s daily life. She unceasingly celebrates the Eucharist, finding in it the fountain of life and holiness, the efficacious sign of grace and reconciliation with God, and the pledge of eternal life. The Church lives his mystery, draws unwearyingly from it and continually seeks ways of bringing this mystery of her Master and Lord to humanity—to the peoples, the nations, and every individual human being. “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1Cor 2:2). The Redemption is the fundamental principle of Church’s life and mission.
The Cross on Calvary, through which Jesus Christ, a Man, “leaves” this world, is a fresh manifestation of the eternal fatherhood of God. This revelation of the Father and outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which stamp an indelible seal on the mystery of the Redemption, explain the meaning of the Cross and death of Christ. The God of creation is revealed as the God of Redemption, “for our sake (God) made Him (the Son) to be sin who knew no sin”. This revelation of love is also described as mercy; and in man’s history this revelation of love and mercy has taken a form and a name: that of Jesus Christ. In the human dimension of the mystery of the Redemption man finds again the greatness, dignity and value that belong to his humanity. In the mystery of the Redemption man becomes newly “expressed” and, in a way, is newly created. Jesus Christ is the stable principle and fixed center of the mission that God Himself has entrusted to man. We all have to share in this mission and concentrate all our forces on it. This mission seems to encounter greater opposition nowadays than ever before. The mystery of the divine “economy” is linked with salvation and grace gained by the Cross. It was not without reason that Christ said that “the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force” (Lk 16:8). Titular Feast of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Divine Redeemer
PRAYER: Eternal Father, to conquer death and bring us back to life, You made your only Son Redeemer of mankind. May we ever remember your kindness, cling to you with unfailing love, and so enjoy the benefits of your Redemption. Grant this prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen 🙏
SAINT JOHN OF CAPISTRANO, PRIEST: St. John of Capistrano (1385-1456) was a Franciscan priest whose life included a political career, extensive missionary journeys, efforts to reunite separated Eastern Christians with Rome and a historically important turn at military leadership. St. John was born in 1385 at Capistrano in the Italian Province of the Abruzzi. His father was a German knight and died when he was still young. After the death of his father, his mother sent him to study law in Perugia where he rose to prominence. St. John became a lawyer and achieved great success as a lawyer and was appointed governor of Perugia at age 26. He was an upright leader who refused bribes and corruption. When war broke out between Perugia and Malatesta in 1416, St. John tried to broker a peace. Unfortunately, his opponents ignored the truce and St. John became a prisoner of war. He was imprisoned while attempting to negotiate a peace treaty, this gave him opportunity to assess the direction of his life and the state of his soul. After having a vision of St. Francis of Assisi, on the death of his wife, St. John left the world and entered religious life as a Franciscan friar, the order of Friars Minor. He was ordained and began to lead a very penitential life, he resolved to embrace poverty, chastity, and obedience with the Franciscans. Abandoning his possessions and social status, St. John joined the religious order in October 1416. He found a mentor in Saint Bernardine of Siena, known for his bold preaching and his method of prayer focused on the invocation of the name of Jesus. Taking after his teacher in these respects, John began preaching as a deacon in 1420, and was ordained a priest in 1425. St. John became a disciple and taught theology by Saint Bernadine of Siena and together the two worked to reform the Franciscan order. St. John successfully defended his mentor from a charge of heresy made against his way of devotion, though he found less success in his efforts to resolve internal controversy among the followers of St. Francis.
The world at the time was in need of strong men to work for salvation of souls. Thirty percent of the population was killed by the Black Plague, the Church was split in schism and there were several men claiming to be pope. As an Itinerant priest, throughout Italy, Germany, Bohemia, Austria, Hungary, Poland, and Russia, St. John preached to tens of thousands and established communities of Franciscan renewal. St. John preached for the salvation of souls, combating the heresies of his day, and winning many souls away from schism and heresy. Merchants would suspend their business as great crowds gathered to hear him preach in the public squares. He was also known as a healer, and many of the sick were brought to him to be cured. He reportedly healed the sick by making the Sign of the Cross over them. A succession of popes entrusted important matters to St. John, including the effort to reunite Eastern and Western Christendom at the Ecumenical Council of Florence. St. John was frequently used as an ambassador by the Holy See which allowed him to preach across the Holy Roman Empire, earning him the name “Apostle of Europe.” He also wrote extensively, mainly against the heresies of the day. He was successful in reconciling heretics. Drawing immense crowds in his missionary travels throughout Italy, St. John also found success as a preacher in Central Europe, where he opposed the Hussites’ error regarding the nature and administration of the Eucharist. After Constantinople fell to Turkish invaders in 1453, Pope Nicholas V sent John on a mission to rally other European leaders in defense of their lands. Nicholas’ successor Pope Callixtus III was even more eager to see the Christian world defend itself against the invading forces. When the Sultan Mehmet II sought to extend his territorial gains into Serbia and Hungary, St. John joined the celebrated general Janos Hunyadi in his defense of Belgrade. St. John, at the age seventy, was commissioned by Pope Callistus II to preach and lead a crusade against the invading Turks. Marching at the head of 70,000 Christians, and led the charge of the Christian army under a banner monogrammed with the Holy Name of Jesus, to which he had a great devotion, urging the crusaders to invoke the name of Jesus for success in battle. The victory of the Christian army was attributed to his efforts when he gained victory in the great battle of Belgrade against the Turks in 1456. The priest personally led a section of the army in its historic victory on August 6, 1456. Neither St. John nor the general, however, would survive long past the battle. Three months later weakened by the campaign against the Turks, Hunyadi became sick and died soon after the victory at Belgrade. St. John survived to preach Janos Hunyadi’s funeral sermon; but his own extraordinary life came to an end after a painful illness, he died in the field a few months later on October 23, 1456, but his army delivered Europe from the Moslems. St. John of Capistrano was canonized in 1724. He’s the Patron Saint of chaplains; jurists; judges; military chaplains and lawyers. His feast day is October 23rd.
PRAYER: Lord, You raised up St. John to console Your people in their distress. Keep us always safe under Your protection and preserve Your Church in unending peace. Amen. Saint John of Capistrano, Priest ~ Pray for us 🙏