Moved and challenged by the words of Jesus in the Gospel - 'the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head' - Benedict Joseph committed himself to perpetual pilgrimage, wandering from church to church to worship Jesus. He never begged, but depended upon strangers who were moved to help him. Whenever he had more than he needed, he shared this with his fellow homeless. His clothes were tattered and he was often asked to leave churches due to his odor. These were forgotten or forgiven in light of his holy life. He died in a hostel in Rome in 1783, at age 37. Was canonized a saint in the Catholic Church on Dec. 8, 1883. His memorial day in the church is April 16.
Prayer to Saint Benedict Joseph Labre
Saint Benedict Joseph Labre, you gave up honor, money and home for love of Jesus. Help us to set our hearts on Jesus and not on the things of this world. You lived in obscurity among the poor in the streets. Enable us to see Jesus in our poor brothers and sisters and not judge by appearances. Make us realize that in helping them we are helping Jesus. Show us how to befriend them and not pass them by. Saint Benedict Joseph Labre, you had a great love for prayer. Obtain for us the grace of persevering prayer, especially adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Saint Benedict Joseph Labre, poor in the eyes of men but rich in the eyes of God, pray for us. Amen.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment