SAINT OF THE DAY -- March 21 - Blessed John of Parma
March 21
Blessed John of Parma
(1209-1289)
The seventh general minister of the Franciscan Order, John was known
for his attempts to bring back the earlier spirit of the Order after
the death of St. Francis of Assisi.
He
was born in Parma, Italy, in 1209. It was when he was a young
philosophy professor known for his piety and learning that God called
him to bid good-bye to the world he was used to and enter the new world
of the Franciscan Order. After his profession John was sent to Paris to
complete his theological studies. Ordained to the priesthood, he was
appointed to teach theology at Bologna, then Naples and finally Rome.
In
1245, Pope Innocent IV called a general council in the city of Lyons,
France. Crescentius, the Franciscan minister general at the time, was
ailing and unable to attend. In his place he sent Father John, who made
a deep impression on the Church leaders gathered there. Two years
later, when the same pope presided at the election of a minister
general of the Franciscans, he remembered Father John well and held him
up as the man best qualified for the office.
And so, in 1247,
John of Parma was elected to be minister general. The surviving
disciples of St. Francis rejoiced in his election, expecting a return
to the spirit of poverty and humility of the early days of the Order.
And they were not disappointed. As general of the Order John traveled
on foot, accompanied by one or two companions, to practically all of
the Franciscan convents in existence. Sometimes he would arrive and not
be recognized, remaining there for a number of days to test the true
spirit of the brothers.
The pope called on John to serve as
legate to Constantinople, where he was most successful in winning back
the schismatic Greeks. Upon his return he asked that someone else take
his place to govern the Order. St. Bonaventure, at John's urging, was
chosen to succeed him. John took up a life of prayer in the hermitage
at Greccio.
Many years later, John learned that the Greeks, who
had been reconciled with the Church for a time, had relapsed into
schism. Though 80 years old by then, John received permission from Pope
Nicholas IV to return to the East in an effort to restore unity once
again. On his way, John fell sick and died.
He was beatified in 1781.
Comment:
In
the 13th century, people in their 30s were middle-aged; hardly anyone
lived to the ripe old age of 80. John did, but he didn’t ease into
retirement. Instead he was on his way to try to heal a schism in the
Church when he died. Our society today boasts a lot of folks in their
later decades. Like John, many of them lead active lives. But some
aren’t so fortunate. Weakness or ill health keeps them confined and
lonely—waiting to hear from us.
Source: American Catholic Organization
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If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline:
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SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP
Do you:
feel afraid of your partner much of the time?
avoid certain topics fear of angering your partner?
feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?
believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?
wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?
feel emotionally numb or helpless?
Does your partner:
- humiliate, criticize, or yell at you?
- treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
- ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
- blame you for his own abusive behavior?
- see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?
Does your partner:
have a bad and unpredictable temper?
hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you?
threaten to take your children away or harm them?
threaten to commit suicide if you leave?
force you to have sex?
destroy your belongings?
Does your partner:
- act excessively jealous and possessive?
- control where you go or what you do?
- keep you from seeing your friends or family?
- limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?
- constantly check up on you?