Peacemaker: St. Isabel of Portugal. Pray for us!
 |
| St. Isabel of Portugal |
We honor the memory of St. Isabel of Portugal today, July 4th, this great Queen-Mother-Wife. She was born in Spain, 1271. Marries King Denis from Portugal at the age of 12. Suffers because of her husband's unfaithfulness, yet raises two of the king's illegitimate children plus her legitimate ones. As a queen, she was able to build up orphanages, shelters, hospitals, and a convent for girls. Story says that her husband, king Denis, found her once while she carried some bread for the poor on her cloak. When asked what she had, she opened it and roses appeared. Thus, she's depicted holding roses on her cloak and a piece of bread on her right hand.
She prayed earnestly for the conversion of her husband and God granted her this favor. Other miracles were attributed to her, especially curing the sick she cared for. She is also known as a Peacemaker. While there were many conflicts among the royal family between the king, nobles and the king's own legitimate son Alfonso, St. Isabel was God's instrument in bringing them to the table for conflict resolution and dialogue. She rode on a mule, without weapons, through the midst of her husband's and son's armies to ask them to stop... and they did. This stoped a prominent Civl War and the division of the Royal Family. Thus, she is the patron saint for peace.
As we celebrate our 250th Anniversary as a nation, the opening prayer for mass today centers us back to the Source of all Goodness, our Heavenly Father. It states, "Father of all nations and ages, we recall the day when our country claimed its place among the family of nations; for what we have achieved we give you thanks, for the work that still remains we ask your help, and as you have called us from many peoples to be one nation, grant that, under your providence, our country may share your blessing with all the peoples of the earth. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."
What does it mean to bring peace nowadays? Pope Benedict XVI (R.I.P.) wrote as follows:
Today’s pastoral priority is to make each Christian man and woman a radiant presence of the Gospel perspective in the midst of the world, in the family, in culture, in the economy, in politics. Often we are anxiously preoccupied with the social, cultural and political consequences of the faith, taking for granted that faith is present, which unfortunately is less and less realistic...
Dear brothers and sisters, dear young friends, Christ is always with us and always walks with his Church, accompanies her and guards her, as he has told us: “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20). Never doubt his presence! Always seek the Lord Jesus, grow in friendship with him, receive him in communion. Learn to listen to his word and also to recognize him in the poor. Live your lives with joy and enthusiasm, sure of his presence and of his unconditional, generous friendship, faithful even to death on the cross. Bear witness to all of the joy that his strong yet gentle presence evokes, starting with your contemporaries. Tell them that it is beautiful to be a friend of Jesus and that it is well worth following him. With your enthusiasm, demonstrate that, among all the different ways of life that the world today seems to offer us – apparently all on the same level – the only way in which we find the true meaning of life and hence true and lasting joy, is by following Jesus.
Dear brothers and sisters, dear young friends, Christ is always with us and always walks with his Church, accompanies her and guards her, as he has told us: “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20). Never doubt his presence! Always seek the Lord Jesus, grow in friendship with him, receive him in communion. Learn to listen to his word and also to recognize him in the poor. Live your lives with joy and enthusiasm, sure of his presence and of his unconditional, generous friendship, faithful even to death on the cross. Bear witness to all of the joy that his strong yet gentle presence evokes, starting with your contemporaries. Tell them that it is beautiful to be a friend of Jesus and that it is well worth following him. With your enthusiasm, demonstrate that, among all the different ways of life that the world today seems to offer us – apparently all on the same level – the only way in which we find the true meaning of life and hence true and lasting joy, is by following Jesus.
Pope Benedict XVI, Apostolic Journey to Portugal on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the Beatification of Jacinta and Francisco, young shepherds of Fatima. Holy Mass. Terreiro do Paço of Lisbon. Tuesday, 11 May 2010.
