“Tell us about the seminary?”
“Francine refused to give a letter of
permission, being that I was still underage. I waited what felt like an
eternity and finally she provided it one month before my 18th
birthday. The Reverend-Father of the seminary accepted me but doubted if I
would fare well. You see, they viewed me as privileged and lazy… I worked very
hard, excelled in my studies and thinned down. Many were even jealous of me and
did various things to land me in trouble. However, Reverend-Father knew about their
schemes so I was never sent away.”
“When were you ordained
a priest?”
“In 1826, when I was 25 years old.”
“What
was it like, meeting the Bishop of Lucca for the first time?”
“In those days, meeting a bishop was rare.
Usually, he could only be spotted from afar on Easter Mass. When I first saw
him, my heart filled with glad awe then when I approached him, I felt almost
dizzied from the Holy Spirit’s presence. I imagined myself present before
Christ, being chosen as His apostle.”
“Tell
us about your first year as a priest?”
“The Bishop sent me to a small church, San
Marta, just inside Lucca’s walls. After the parish pastor retied, I took his
place. Though I felt nervous and unsure inside, I never revealed this. San
Marta was a working-class community, with plenty of farmers and merchants. They
were surprised that I, being from an affluent background, worked so well with
these common people. I just beheld them as people, who like myself, needed
God’s love and grace. …Then, they were surprised by the large numbers who came
in order to hear me preach.”
“We
know of your reputation as a great preacher. Is there anything you did to gain
such eloquence? Perhaps you have advice for those of us who don’t speak in
public so well?”
“I don’t remember doing anything in
particular. I simply studied the Scriptures, and the homilies of our early
Church Fathers, and I stayed close to God. There are differing gifts in the
Church of Christ. Some may not speak well but they might be blessed with great
faith or with understanding of deep, theological matters.”
“You
brought us a copy of one of your sermons; may you please read it for us?”
“Yes, of course…May I stand?”
“Go
ahead!”
“This is
from Lent, of 1827. I shall start:
“And whosoever shall exalt himself shall
be humbled: and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. (1). How many
times does Our Lord say this? We hear it in the Parable of the Pharisee and the
Tax-Collector, we hear it echoed in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in
spirit…” and we hear also, “The first shall be last and the last shall be
first.” For what purpose?
Our Lord was not unacquainted with the
ways of men. He knew well the lines we’ve drawn in society and He knew the
hearts of earthly kings just as much as the hearts of beggars sitting atop
ashes. We look at the outside, at appearances and we behold the Pharisee who
boldly prays and call him an esteemed man. Yet, we see in the Gospel, that he
only prays because he is pleased with himself. Who can be pleased with himself
before the Lord? Who can bear His holy presence? I tell you, truly, the
tax-collector, sinful as he is, who begs mercy from God- or the beggar sitting
outside who prays for healing, is better off!
Now some of you may think I stand here to
condemn worldly possessions but I do not. I condemn the notion that our
possessions and fortunes make us better before God! Some of you have said
before, “Look at this wealthy man, he is so blessed- he must be holy” as if
every Christian found favorable in God’s eyes will be granted prosperity! Then
why, my children, did so many of the prophets declare: “He has crushed me”,
“May my soul not be forgotten”, “Why have You forsaken me”!
This is why Our Lord blesses the lowly and
lifts them up. His own Son became a servant so that we may be free, became
crushed that we would be healed. His path is a hard path and everyone who humbles
himself follows after Christ’s own example unto the Kingdom of Heaven.”
“Wonderful!
Very wonderful! And this beautiful eloquence is why the pope made you a
cardinal?”
“I suppose… That is, at least, the reason he
gave.”
“You
are so funny, Your Eminence.”
“Oh, I don’t mean to be…”
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