PARISH MADNESS


Yes, we are still in the pre-season.  Lent has not yet begun.  But to get you started on Round 1, here are some facts about our Bible Heroes and Stalwart Saints.

David:   From shepherd to psalmist to giant-slayer, David did it all.  The youngest of seven brothers, David was anointed king of Israel by the prophet Samuel.  Even though he committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband to cover it up, David repented and was described as “a man after God’s own heart.”

St. Augustine:  As a young adult, Augustine gave his mother fits as he partied, lived with his concubine, and joined a heretical Christian sect, but when he decided to convert to Christianity, he gave God his all.  Augustine was baptized in 387 and was elected bishop of Hippo shortly after his ordination to the priesthood.  He was active in deciding the theological questions of his day and wrote many books on theology which are still studied today.

Abraham:  God called Abraham (whose name was then Abram) to leave his homeland of Ur and travel to a faraway land which God promised to give to Abraham and his descendants.  Along the journey, Abraham’s faith was tested many times as he encountered hostile kings, and struggled to believe in God’s promise even though his wife Sarah was well past her child-bearing years.  Abraham ended up fathering Ishmael and Isaac, from whom two great nations have descended.

St. Anselm:  After being denied admission to a monastery at age 15 by his father, Anselm spent a number of years completely disinterested in religion.  Eventually, he entered a monastery at Bec in Normandy, where he dedicated his life to meditation and writing and served as abbot.  While there, he transformed the monastery into a school, paving the way for the universities of the future.  At age 60, he was elected as Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he reluctantly accepted.

Hannah:  One of two wives, Hannah was constantly teased by Elkannah’s other wife because of her barrenness.  On a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Hannah went to the Temple and prayed with such fervor that the high priest accused her of being drunk.  On hearing her story, he blessed her and added his prayers to hers.  Hannah soon conceived Samuel, whom she dedicated to God’s service.  Her faithfulness and generosity were rewarded by the Lord.

St. Monica:  Monica was a devout Christian married to a Roman who did not share her faith.  She raised her son, Augustine, in the faith, and when he left the Church in his youth, she prayed for his return.  In his Confessions, Augustine shared his mother’s heartaches over his wild living and told how her endless prayers and faithful example guided him back to the Christian faith.

Ruth:  Widowed at a young age, it would have been in Ruth’s best interest to return to her family and have them arrange another marriage for her.  Instead, Ruth decided to stay with her widowed and now childless mother-in-law, Naomi, to care for her.  Ruth journeyed to Naomi’s distant homeland where she spent her days picking up leftover grain in the fields so as to gather enough food for her and Naomi’s supper each night.  Ruth impressed the field’s owner, Boaz, by her hard work and faithfulness and soon became his wife, the great-grandmother of David, and an ancestress of Jesus.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary:  As the daughter of the king of Hungary, Elizabeth had money and luxury at her fingertips, but she chose instead to lead a simple life out of her concern for the poor.  Every day, she would take bread to the gate of her home to distribute to the needy.  A member of the Secular Franciscans, Elizabeth, as a widow and queen dowager, spent the last few years of her life caring for the poor at a hospital which she founded.