As we draw close to the end of the book of Acts in our daily Mass readings, we also near the end of Saint Paul’s apostolic journey and his martyrdom in Rome. We get a glimpse into the beauty of his moral character when he refuses to be enticed by the worldly ways of doing things and chooses to be pure, even in the political dealings he is forced to engage as a prisoner whose life was being sought by the Jews. Today we also celebrate the innocence of another saint, a wonderful Franciscan, Saint Pascal Baylon, who also had become a staunch and faithful follower of the Lord.
But first, let us see how it is Paul ended up heading to Rome, where to the glory of God, he would crown his life’s work and mission, with the honour of being martyred for the Saviour.
We are told that Paul’s nephew caught wind of what the Jews wanted to do to him and sent word to the Romans. He was therefore immediately taken with tight security to Caesarea to the Roman Governor, Felix. There charges were safely and formally brought against him by the Jews who made their flattering appeals to Felix. Knowing Christian teaching, Felix sympathized with Paul and kept him around for two years as he enjoyed discussing religion but as soon as his own conduct was brought into the moral foreground he grew uneasy with Paul.
After failing to manipulate him, he stopped all meetings thereafter and in the meanwhile another governor was sent in to replace Felix. Festus was a lot more favourable to the Jews and their arguments after allowing them to confront Paul once again.
He again allowed them to come up to Caesarea to confront Paul in court. Knowing what they wanted, Festus asked Paul if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there but Paul
knew that even on the way they planned on killing him. Paul had his Roman Citizenship and argued that he should therefore be tried in a Roman court. Festus had no option but to decide to eventually send him to Rome.
Before he does that however, as we see from today’s reading, he gets a customary visit from another ruler, this time King Agrippa and his sister Bernice. We have a lot of interesting details regarding these two, historically speaking, but suffice it to say that reports of incest abounded given Bernice had once been married to her uncle and bore him two sons. So it seems to be a life of power and a lot of covered up scandal and corruption. In any case, Festus now took the opportunity for Paul to present his case to the king, who was a Jew. The governor fills in King Agrippa regarding Paul’s case and basically says that Paul had been speaking about this other man, whom the Jews detested, by the name of Jesus. Festus, unlike Felix, would have been glad to hand Paul over to the Jews who opposed him but could not violate Paul’s request for Roman justice as a Roman citizen. He’d be sent to the emperor, who at that time was Nero. Uh oh! We know where this is going! Nero was one of Christianity’s greatest oppressors and persecutors from AD 54-68. He committed heinous crimes against our Christian brothers and sisters, and may God have mercy on his soul.
Our heart goes out to Paul, but we need to understand that he was in an intense union of love with Jesus whom he now knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was “the real deal”. He was ready to do all. We can’t forget that Jesus had already given him a heads up regarding Rome two years prior, and that he would end up witnessing there. Only now, Paul must have felt the immanent nature of how quickly things were transpiring and how the time had come.
In today’s Gospel, we see how seriously our Lord was expecting Saint Peter and all the others to consider their lofty vocations as shepherds of his people. In his requiring that Peter feeds his sheep and lambs, he was reminding him of how unique and fundamental a role he was being entrusted with and that yet, he needed to remain connected to the Lord so as to ensure its fruitfulness. Hence, the “do you love me” line of questioning. Being of service to others will be the hallmark of someone who truly loves Jesus.
Today we celebrate the life of St Pascal Baylon, a friar who took his religious life very seriously, and was grateful for it, and produced wonderful fruit for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
St Pascal has a lot to teach us, his fellow Franciscan brothers, but also all of you who are striving with us to continue following the Lord wholeheartedly. He was born in 1540 and joined the Order in 1564, and died in 1592 after giving himself valiantly to a life of penance. He led the life of a shepherd from the age of seven, to twenty-four and during the whole of that time was a marvellous and holy influence on his friends. At the age of twenty-four, he was received as a lay brother amongst the Franciscan friars of the Alcantarine Reform, which was dedicated to a more radical observance of poverty and penance than most other religious entities in the Church. Although encouraged to study for the priesthood, he preferred instead to act as the community’s cook, gardener and doorkeeper. In a word, he tried to safeguard his humility and simplicity, which we all have to do whether we are opting for priesthood or not. I have seen priests who are humble, and lay brothers who are proud, and vice versa. And lo, the priest speaking to you right now needs to work on his humility a whole lot as well. No pride will enter heaven. Just the pride of having known, loved and served our Lord Jesus Christ, and even that would be more aptly described as gratitude rather than pride.
He engaged in a life of contemplation and self-sacrifice and his charity to the poor and afflicted, and his unfailing courtesy were remarkable. Paschal was careful to observe the vow of poverty with holy fear and reverence. He would never waste any food or anything given for the use of the friars. When he was porter and took care of the poor coming to the door, he developed a reputation for great generosity. The friars sometimes tried to moderate his lavish giving! But when it comes to the poor, go ahead, be as generous as you all can! God gives us the go ahead… as long as it’s our own money. “Sell all you have, and give to the poor” said Jesus. St John Chrysostom said that when God forgives us, we are indebted to him, but when we give to the poor, he is indebted to us. This can be our challenge also… to be modest with our spending, our eating, our indulgences etc, so that, in simplistic terms, with however much of that money we really do not need, we can also be mindful of the poor. On this feast of Saint Paschal, think of some ways you can help the poor more. One of the things we work on throughout our entire lives is becoming less selfish and self-centred and more generous and mindful of others.
On one occasion, as he was journeying through France, he successfully defended the dogma of the Real Presence as a Calvinist preacher blasphemed against it, and in consequence, narrowly escaped death at the hands of an angry mob of anti-Catholics—like Saint Paul in our readings this week, always being attacked by angry mobs for speaking the truth.
Paschal, however, had the zeal and ability to speak so eloquently because he also spent his spare moments praying before the Blessed Sacrament from a very early age and although he was poorly educated, his counsel was sought for by people of every station in life, from the simple peasant to authorities of high prestige.
People flocked to his tomb immediately after his burial; miracles were reported promptly. Paschal was canonized in 1690 and was named Patron of Eucharistic Congresses and Societies in 1897.
His devotion at Mass permeated his entire life and brought him glory even in death; for at his funeral God worked an outstanding miracle. The church was crowded with people who had come to see their saint laid to rest. The coffin was open during the Mass and eager worshippers fought for a place near the earthly remains of Brother Paschal. At the elevation of the Host and Chalice, he opened his eyes in adoration of the Object of his love. Many miracles were instantaneous in the nearby crowds. Even in his death, therefore, God was using him to have our eyes focused on this mystery beyond all mysteries, the Eucharist, and what we can learn from God’s humility therein.
Let us call upon this Saint’s intercession today so as to deepen our own Eucharistic awareness, devotion and gratitude, so that knowing Who it is we receive, we may be enlightened so as to prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit, both at Pentecost, and each time we receive the Sacred Host. Amen.
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