Oct. 23 Saint John of Capistrano. breski1 | October 23, 2009 John of Capistrano ( (June 24, 1386 – October 23, 1456) was a Franciscan priest from Italy. Famous as a preacher, theologian, and inquisitor …More
Oct. 23 Saint John of Capistrano.
breski1 | October 23, 2009
John of Capistrano ( (June 24, 1386 – October 23, 1456) was a Franciscan priest from Italy. Famous as a preacher, theologian, and inquisitor, he earned himself the nickname 'the Soldier Saint' when in 1456 at age 70 he led a crusade against the invading Ottoman Empire at the siege of Belgrade with the Hungarian military commander John Hunyadi.
Elevated to sainthood, he is the patron saint of jurists, as well as the namesake of the Franciscan missions San Juan Capistrano in Southern California and San Juan Capistrano in San Antonio, Texas.
breski1 | October 23, 2009
John of Capistrano ( (June 24, 1386 – October 23, 1456) was a Franciscan priest from Italy. Famous as a preacher, theologian, and inquisitor, he earned himself the nickname 'the Soldier Saint' when in 1456 at age 70 he led a crusade against the invading Ottoman Empire at the siege of Belgrade with the Hungarian military commander John Hunyadi.
Elevated to sainthood, he is the patron saint of jurists, as well as the namesake of the Franciscan missions San Juan Capistrano in Southern California and San Juan Capistrano in San Antonio, Texas.
OCTOBER 22, 2010
DAILY PRAYER WITH REGNUM CHRISTI
[2]
-------------------------
SPIRITUAL WEATHER REPORTS
October 22, 2010
Friday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Father Steven Reilly, LC
Luke 12:54-59
Jesus said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west
you say immediately that it is going to rain -- and so it does; and
when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south …More
OCTOBER 22, 2010
DAILY PRAYER WITH REGNUM CHRISTI
[2]
-------------------------
SPIRITUAL WEATHER REPORTS
October 22, 2010
Friday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Father Steven Reilly, LC
Luke 12:54-59
Jesus said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west
you say immediately that it is going to rain -- and so it does; and
when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that
it is going to be hot -- and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how
to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not
know how to interpret the present time? Why do you not judge for
yourselves what is right? If you are to go with your opponent before
a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way;
otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the
judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you
into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have
paid the last penny."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are here with me. I
have come to honor and adore you. Your love sustains me. I want to
love you more in return.
Petition: Lord, allow me to comprehend your providence more deeply.
1. Seeing Signs Jesus expresses some indignation with the
spiritual obtuseness of his listeners; in other words, they don't get
it! When it comes to earthly matters, they can put two and two
together in an almost infallible manner. A dim dullness, however, has
the upper hand when the spiritual realm is broached. Why? Possibly
because they were not bothering to ponder what the sign of Jesus'
presence, miracles and words really meant. They remained on the
superficial level without plumbing the depths. Superficiality inhibits
our own spiritual progress as well. Seeing signs isn't so much a
matter of being able to pick out the shape of a tabernacle or cross
in a passing cloud, but of deep and prayerful consideration of the
love of God in our lives.
2. God's Presence People who live a life of consistent prayer are
much more in tune with God's presence. Where others see coincidence,
they see providence. This gives them a profound sense of peace. They
know that God is in charge and that they don't have to figure out
everything for themselves. The world doesn't rest on their shoulders,
but on God's. So instead of complaining or worrying, they live in an
atmosphere of trust and acceptance.
3. Paying Attention God's providence guides all things. We know
this through faith and sometimes he sends a sign to say, "Yes, I'm
indeed here." Once a Legionary priest was driving down the road in
Virginia and his thoughts were taken up with a difficulty he was
having with a particular person. "How should I handle this," he asked
himself. A car pulled out in front of him. Virginia is known for its
high number of vanity license plates, and this one left him
scratching his head. The license plate read "CARITAS", which is Latin
for "charity." Was it just a coincidence? He couldn't deny that this
was the answer he was looking for. The signs that invite us to be
more Christ-like are the ones to which we need to pay the most
attention.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, the times I really don't pick up
on the signs you send me are when they challenge my resistance to
your grace. Help me to overcome my spiritual superficiality and
perceive your presence in my life.
Resolution: I will try to be prompt in following the inspirations
of the Holy Spirit.
meditation.regnumchristi.org
DAILY PRAYER WITH REGNUM CHRISTI
[2]
-------------------------
SPIRITUAL WEATHER REPORTS
October 22, 2010
Friday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Father Steven Reilly, LC
Luke 12:54-59
Jesus said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west
you say immediately that it is going to rain -- and so it does; and
when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that
it is going to be hot -- and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how
to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not
know how to interpret the present time? Why do you not judge for
yourselves what is right? If you are to go with your opponent before
a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way;
otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the
judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you
into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have
paid the last penny."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are here with me. I
have come to honor and adore you. Your love sustains me. I want to
love you more in return.
Petition: Lord, allow me to comprehend your providence more deeply.
1. Seeing Signs Jesus expresses some indignation with the
spiritual obtuseness of his listeners; in other words, they don't get
it! When it comes to earthly matters, they can put two and two
together in an almost infallible manner. A dim dullness, however, has
the upper hand when the spiritual realm is broached. Why? Possibly
because they were not bothering to ponder what the sign of Jesus'
presence, miracles and words really meant. They remained on the
superficial level without plumbing the depths. Superficiality inhibits
our own spiritual progress as well. Seeing signs isn't so much a
matter of being able to pick out the shape of a tabernacle or cross
in a passing cloud, but of deep and prayerful consideration of the
love of God in our lives.
2. God's Presence People who live a life of consistent prayer are
much more in tune with God's presence. Where others see coincidence,
they see providence. This gives them a profound sense of peace. They
know that God is in charge and that they don't have to figure out
everything for themselves. The world doesn't rest on their shoulders,
but on God's. So instead of complaining or worrying, they live in an
atmosphere of trust and acceptance.
3. Paying Attention God's providence guides all things. We know
this through faith and sometimes he sends a sign to say, "Yes, I'm
indeed here." Once a Legionary priest was driving down the road in
Virginia and his thoughts were taken up with a difficulty he was
having with a particular person. "How should I handle this," he asked
himself. A car pulled out in front of him. Virginia is known for its
high number of vanity license plates, and this one left him
scratching his head. The license plate read "CARITAS", which is Latin
for "charity." Was it just a coincidence? He couldn't deny that this
was the answer he was looking for. The signs that invite us to be
more Christ-like are the ones to which we need to pay the most
attention.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, the times I really don't pick up
on the signs you send me are when they challenge my resistance to
your grace. Help me to overcome my spiritual superficiality and
perceive your presence in my life.
Resolution: I will try to be prompt in following the inspirations
of the Holy Spirit.
meditation.regnumchristi.org
As was the custom of this time, Giovanni took his name from his birthplace: the village of Capestrano, in the diocese of Sulmona in the Abruzzi, Kingdom of Naples. His father had come to Italy with the Angevin court of Louis I of Anjou, King of Naples. He lived at first a wholly secular life, studied law at the University of Perugia under the legal scholar Pietro de Ubaldis, married, and became a …More
As was the custom of this time, Giovanni took his name from his birthplace: the village of Capestrano, in the diocese of Sulmona in the Abruzzi, Kingdom of Naples. His father had come to Italy with the Angevin court of Louis I of Anjou, King of Naples. He lived at first a wholly secular life, studied law at the University of Perugia under the legal scholar Pietro de Ubaldis, married, and became a successful magistrate. In 1412, Ladislas of Naples appointed him governor of Perugia, a tumultuous and resentful papal fief held by Ladislas as the pope's champion, in order to effectively establish public order. When war broke out between Perugia and Sigismondo Malatesta in 1416, John was sent as ambassador to broker a peace, but Malatesta threw him in prison. During the captivity, in despair he put aside his new young wife, never having consummated the marriage, and started studying theology with St. Bernardine of Siena.
Friar and preacher
Together with St. James of the Marches, Capistrano entered the Franciscan order at Perugia on October 4, 1416. At once he gave himself up to the most rigorous asceticism, violently defending the ideal of strict observance and orthodoxy, following the example set by St. Bernardine. From 1420 onwards he preached with great effect in numerous cities and eventually became well known. Unlike most Italian preachers of repentance in the 15th century, Giovanni da Capistrano was effective in the north, in Germany, Bohemia, Austria, Hungary, Croatia and Poland. The largest churches could not hold the crowds, so he preached in the piazzas: at Brescia he preached to a crowd of 126,000.
Reformer
San Giovanni da Capistrano
When he was not preaching, he was writing tracts against heresy of every kind. This facet of Giovanni's life is covered in great detail by his early biographers, Nicholas of Fara, Christopher of Varese and Girlamo of Udine. While he was thus evangelizing, he was actively engaged in assisting Bernardino in the reforms of the Franciscan Order, largely in the interests of more rigorous discipline in the Franciscan hierarchy. Like St. Bernardine of Siena, he strongly emphasized devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, and, together with that saint, was accused of heresy on this account. In 1429 these Observant friars were called to Rome to answer charges of heresy, and John was chosen by his companions to speak for them. They were all acquitted by the Commission of Cardinals. He was frequently deployed to embassies by Popes Eugene IV and Nicholas V. In 1439 he was sent as legate to Milan and Burgundy, to oppose the claims of the Antipope Felix V; in 1446 he was on a mission to the King of France; in 1451 he went at the request of the emperor as Apostolic nuncio to Austria. Between 1451 and 1453, his fiery sermons against Jews persuaded many southern German regions to expel the entire Jewish population, and at Breslau some were burned at the stake.[2][3] During the period of his nunciature, John visited all parts of the Empire, preaching and combatting the heresy of the Hussites; he also visited Poland at the request of Casimir IV Jagiellon. As legate, or inquisitor, he prosecuted the last Fraticelli of Ferrara, the Jesuati of Venice, the Crypto-Jews of Sicily, Moldavia and Poland, and, above all, the Hussites of Germany, Hungary and Bohemia; his aim in the last case was to make conferences impossible between the representatives of Rome and the Bohemians, for every attempt at conciliation seemed to him to be conniving at heresy.
Statue of János Kapisztrán in Budapest, Hungary
The soldier Saint
After the Fall of Constantinople, when Mehmed II was threatening Vienna and Rome, Pope Callixtus III sent him at the age of seventy, to preach a Crusade against the invading Turks at the Diet of Frankfurt in 1454, and he succeeded in gathering together enough troops to march onto Belgrade, which at that time was under siege by Mehmed II. In the summer of 1456, these troops, together with John Hunyadi, managed to raise the siege of Belgrade, with the old and frail Capistrano actually leading his own contingent into battle. This feat earned him the moniker of 'the Soldier Priest', and although he survived the battle, Capistrano fell victim to the bubonic plague, which flourished in the unsanitary conditions prevailing among armies of the day. He died at nearby Ilok, Kingdom of Hungary-Croatia (which is now a Croatian border town on the Danube).
St. John Capistrano, in spite of this restless life, found time to work, both in the lifetime of his mentor St. Bernardine, and after, at the reform of the order of the minor Franciscans. He also upheld, in his writings, speeches and sermons, theories of papal supremacy rather than the theological wranglings of councils (see Conciliar Movement).
Sainthood and feast day
The year of St. John Capistrano's canonization is variously given as 1690, by Pope Alexander VIII or 1724 by Pope Benedict XIII. In 1890, his feast day was included for the first time in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints and assigned to 28 March.[4] In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved his feast day to 23 October, the day of his death. Traditionalist Catholics commemorate his feast day on 28 March, as in the Church's calendar from 1890 to 1969.
Namesake
As a Franciscan reformer preaching simplicity, Capistrano became the namesake of two Spanish missions founded by the Franciscans in the north of the then-Spanish Americas: Mission San Juan Capistrano in today's Southern California and Mission San Juan Capistrano just outside the city center of today's San Antonio in Texas.[5]
Patron saint
He is patron saint of military chaplains.[6]
See also
Church of St. Wojciech, in Krakow, Poland, sermons
Mission San Juan Capistrano in Southern California
Mission San Juan Capistrano in San Antonio, Texas
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Capistrano
Friar and preacher
Together with St. James of the Marches, Capistrano entered the Franciscan order at Perugia on October 4, 1416. At once he gave himself up to the most rigorous asceticism, violently defending the ideal of strict observance and orthodoxy, following the example set by St. Bernardine. From 1420 onwards he preached with great effect in numerous cities and eventually became well known. Unlike most Italian preachers of repentance in the 15th century, Giovanni da Capistrano was effective in the north, in Germany, Bohemia, Austria, Hungary, Croatia and Poland. The largest churches could not hold the crowds, so he preached in the piazzas: at Brescia he preached to a crowd of 126,000.
Reformer
San Giovanni da Capistrano
When he was not preaching, he was writing tracts against heresy of every kind. This facet of Giovanni's life is covered in great detail by his early biographers, Nicholas of Fara, Christopher of Varese and Girlamo of Udine. While he was thus evangelizing, he was actively engaged in assisting Bernardino in the reforms of the Franciscan Order, largely in the interests of more rigorous discipline in the Franciscan hierarchy. Like St. Bernardine of Siena, he strongly emphasized devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, and, together with that saint, was accused of heresy on this account. In 1429 these Observant friars were called to Rome to answer charges of heresy, and John was chosen by his companions to speak for them. They were all acquitted by the Commission of Cardinals. He was frequently deployed to embassies by Popes Eugene IV and Nicholas V. In 1439 he was sent as legate to Milan and Burgundy, to oppose the claims of the Antipope Felix V; in 1446 he was on a mission to the King of France; in 1451 he went at the request of the emperor as Apostolic nuncio to Austria. Between 1451 and 1453, his fiery sermons against Jews persuaded many southern German regions to expel the entire Jewish population, and at Breslau some were burned at the stake.[2][3] During the period of his nunciature, John visited all parts of the Empire, preaching and combatting the heresy of the Hussites; he also visited Poland at the request of Casimir IV Jagiellon. As legate, or inquisitor, he prosecuted the last Fraticelli of Ferrara, the Jesuati of Venice, the Crypto-Jews of Sicily, Moldavia and Poland, and, above all, the Hussites of Germany, Hungary and Bohemia; his aim in the last case was to make conferences impossible between the representatives of Rome and the Bohemians, for every attempt at conciliation seemed to him to be conniving at heresy.
Statue of János Kapisztrán in Budapest, Hungary
The soldier Saint
After the Fall of Constantinople, when Mehmed II was threatening Vienna and Rome, Pope Callixtus III sent him at the age of seventy, to preach a Crusade against the invading Turks at the Diet of Frankfurt in 1454, and he succeeded in gathering together enough troops to march onto Belgrade, which at that time was under siege by Mehmed II. In the summer of 1456, these troops, together with John Hunyadi, managed to raise the siege of Belgrade, with the old and frail Capistrano actually leading his own contingent into battle. This feat earned him the moniker of 'the Soldier Priest', and although he survived the battle, Capistrano fell victim to the bubonic plague, which flourished in the unsanitary conditions prevailing among armies of the day. He died at nearby Ilok, Kingdom of Hungary-Croatia (which is now a Croatian border town on the Danube).
St. John Capistrano, in spite of this restless life, found time to work, both in the lifetime of his mentor St. Bernardine, and after, at the reform of the order of the minor Franciscans. He also upheld, in his writings, speeches and sermons, theories of papal supremacy rather than the theological wranglings of councils (see Conciliar Movement).
Sainthood and feast day
The year of St. John Capistrano's canonization is variously given as 1690, by Pope Alexander VIII or 1724 by Pope Benedict XIII. In 1890, his feast day was included for the first time in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints and assigned to 28 March.[4] In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved his feast day to 23 October, the day of his death. Traditionalist Catholics commemorate his feast day on 28 March, as in the Church's calendar from 1890 to 1969.
Namesake
As a Franciscan reformer preaching simplicity, Capistrano became the namesake of two Spanish missions founded by the Franciscans in the north of the then-Spanish Americas: Mission San Juan Capistrano in today's Southern California and Mission San Juan Capistrano just outside the city center of today's San Antonio in Texas.[5]
Patron saint
He is patron saint of military chaplains.[6]
See also
Church of St. Wojciech, in Krakow, Poland, sermons
Mission San Juan Capistrano in Southern California
Mission San Juan Capistrano in San Antonio, Texas
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Capistrano