ST. BENEDICT JOSEPH LABRE
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
In our Gospel today, the disciples have heard from the women that the Christ is risen, but they are troubled in their hearts because they do not know where to look for him… Two disciples, we do not know which two, are walking along the road to Emmaus and meet up with a friendly stranger. As the sun begins to set, these two disciples have compassion for this stranger who is, it seems, on a long journey without food or companionship. In the spirit of hospitality, they ask the stranger to stop, rest and have dinner with them. You know the rest, the disciples looked into the face of this poor, weary stranger and found the Christ gazing back at them.
We, too, are all disciples, looking for the risen Christ. Jesus told us; "Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened.” If we seek after the Christ, we are sure to find him. No doubt about it. My question is; will we recognize him? There are some verses from Isaiah’s writings concerning the Suffering Servant that suggest, if we are not careful, we might NOT recognize him.
Isaiah 52:14
Even as many were amazed at him – so marred was his look beyond that of man, and his appearance beyond that of mortals.
Isaiah 53:2-3
There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him. He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity. One of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned and we held him in no esteem.
I don’t know about you, but I find that appalling. But you might say; “Those verses were written to prophesy Jesus’ crucifixion. That’s already happened and Jesus is risen. His suffering is over!” Really? I’m here to tell you the truth, every time one of us is suffering, the Christ suffers right along with us… Anyway, these verses of Isaiah’s not only describe Jesus in his most distressing guise, that of the Suffering Servant, these verses are also a perfect description of St. Benedict Joseph Labre, Patron Saint of the homeless & mentally ill, whose feast day we are celebrating today.
St. Benedict Joseph Labre was born March 26th 1748 at Amettes, France. He was the firstborn of 15 children. His parents were shopkeepers, a profession that brought in enough money for the family to be considered middle-class, enough money to provide their children with an excellent education and excellent opportunities.
As a child, Benedict is described as being friendly and cheerful, but always with a touch of melancholy. He is described as having an air of seriousness and maturity that was unusual for so young a child. He was quiet, meditative, not easy to read and so probably, often misunderstood. He had a real disdain for the popular culture of his day and refused to participate in it, so while he genuinely loved people, he seemed aloof. He was a sensitive soul, he saw more in life than others saw, so he was much more deeply affected by the true horrors of; callousness, rudeness, deceit, gluttony, greed and materialism that the common folk seemed to take for granted in the everyday world. Benedict found it difficult to understand how and why the majority of people would so eagerly become slaves of fashion and convention. It was, to his mind, insanity! Whereas, he preferred to live a life of freedom, at any cost.
Benedict’s parents saw his love for religious devotions, his distaste for the secular world and his meditative approach to life. They took all of these as signs that their eldest son had a vocation for the priesthood, so his parents packed his bags and sent a 12-year-old Benedict to live with his uncle, Francois Joseph Labre, a priest. For the next 6 years, his uncle would teach him: Latin, Grammar, History, Math and more. All with the aim of preparing his nephew for the priesthood. In addition to his academic education, Benedict assisted his uncle in the work of the parish, teaching children their catechism, reading to the sick, feeding the hungry and clothing the naked.
In September of 1766, a cholera epidemic swept through the land. Francois and Benedict set about ministering to the sick, attending to all of their physical and spiritual needs as best they could. Unfortunately, Fr. Francois fell victim to the cholera himself and died.
It was around this time that Benedict, who had been a quick and excellent student, found himself unable to learn anymore. Some speculate that the death of his uncle was extremely traumatic and damaging to him – that this is the reason Benedict was unable to learn anymore. Others say the reason is because of the young man’s discomfort being in the secular world, that he just could not bear to “waste” his time on any study or occupation that did not have as its aim, bringing him into a closer union with God. Still others speculate the cause of his academic failure may have been the onset of physical symptoms of mental illness.
It was also about this time that Benedict turned 18 and it was time for him to decide upon a vocation. At first, he believed that his quiet, meditative nature and his discomfort in the secular realm meant that he should become a monk. And so, it is recorded that he walked 60 miles to La Trappe to seek entry and become a Trappist monk. But he was denied entry.
Between 1766 and 1770, he tried more than a dozen times to apply for entry into the Trappists, Carthusians, and Cistercians. Each time, he was sent home. Some monasteries said he was too young. Some monasteries had taken him in on a trial basis, but their strict lifestyle was too hard on Benedict’s frail health, he became very sick on a number of occasions and so the monasteries were forced to send him home. Other monasteries perceived that Benedict seemed to be depressive, to be mentally ill and refused him.
“Here was a young man of astonishing holiness, having no suitability for secular pursuits of any sort, yet not capable of living the demanding and rigorous life of any of the religious orders." What was he to do?
He was traveling to Italy, with the hope of entering a monastery there, when he finally came to the understanding: He had already been turned away from monasteries over a dozen times. He really had little or no hope of ever becoming a monk. Yet, he could not bear the thought of living an ordinary life in the everyday secular world – he just could not do it. It was not an option. So, he decided that even if he was denied religious life within the walls of a monastery, he could and would still live the life of a monk – on his own terms. He professed the vows of poverty, chastity and a life of perpetual penitence to himself. Then, he set off on a pilgrimage that would last for the next 7 years.
It is important to note; It is at this point in Benedict’s life that his parents lose sight of him and never hear from them again.
Over the next 7 years, Benedict made pilgrimages to all of the most famous shrines in Europe, to; Loreto, Assisi, Naples, Bari and Fabriano, Italy. To Eisiedeln in Switzerland and Compostella, Spain. He made all of these journeys on foot, through the largest and most teeming cities, through the most remote villages and through the vast forests of Europe. He slept out in the open, under the sky, or in haylofts, doorways, or whatever sheltered corner he could find. He traveled alone, wanting to focus on worshipping God and not accepting any companionship lest he be distracted.
We are given vivid descriptions of Benedict’s appearance: He is said to have worn what had once been a Trappist’s habit, but which had now become an unrecognizable rag. Over this, he wore an old cloak. Instead of using a belt, he tied a rope around his waist. He wore a cross over his breast and a rosary around his neck. His feet were covered by shoes that had great gaping holes that let in water and stones. This was his “uniform” all year round, in the blistering heat of summer and the bitter cold of winter. Over his shoulder he carried an old sack in which he kept all of his worldly possessions; a New Testament, a prayer-book, a copy of the “Imitation of Christ” and a wooden bowl. The wooden bowl had split and he kept it together with a piece of wire. He carried no extra clothing in this sack because aside from what he wore on his back, he had none!
Do I have to tell you? Having only the clothes on his back, sleeping out in the forests and fields, or out in the street and having no access to running water… The truth of the matter is, Benedict could not be clean. He was, in fact, filthy and he stank. Even his confessor who loved Benedict tells us that when Benedict came to him for Confession, he had to protect himself from vermin, from the insects that inhabited Benedict’s clothes, hair and skin. Whenever Benedict approached anyone, even those who had come to regard him as a Saint, that person had great difficulty, had to make an enormous effort not to cross the street to avoid him, not to cringe and turn away.
His ragged, worn and crazed appearance often incited others to ridicule and humiliate him. Children would throw stones, taunt him and call him names. There’s more than one account of Benedict being beaten by ruffians and even taking these beatings without a cry or word of complaint. But he always refused to press charges, preferring to forgive as Jesus forgave.
He ate whatever men gave him. If they gave him nothing, he would look for roots, herbs and berries along the roadside. Or, he would search for scraps in the garbage heaps. If, on the other hand, he had received more money or food than he could use in one day, he would give away all the “extra” food and money to another beggar. He never saved anything for tomorrow, for the word “tomorrow” held no meaning for him.
This extremely rigorous and austere lifestyle took its heavy toll on Benedict’s frail health. He became weak and was no longer able to make these long pilgrimages. So, in 1774 and at the age of 28, he settled in Rome. There, he lived in a hole he had found in the ruins of the Coliseum. We are more than tempted to believe that he chose to sleep here in order to be close to the early Christian martyrs, whose blood had been shed there…
Benedict may have been weak in body, but his heart and soul still burned with a fiery zeal. Every morning, he attended Mass, prayed on his knees in the Churches for as long as 8 hours at a time and never missed any of the great functions or feasts… Not surprisingly, this constant kneeling on the stone floors of the Churches caused Benedict to develop sores and even tumors on both knees.
And so, over five years passed for Benedict in Rome. Sleeping in the Coliseum, spending his days praying in Churches and accepting alms in the street among other beggars… Then, 10 months before he was to pass away, he met the man who would become his Confessor and first biographer. A man who was impressed by Benedict and would come to love him.
Here is how his confessor describes his first encounter with Benedict;
“In the month of June 1782, just after I had celebrated Mass… I noticed a man close beside whose appearance at first sight was decidedly unpleasant and forbidding. His legs were only partially covered, his clothes were tied around his waist with an old cord. His hair was uncombed, he was ill-clad and wrapped about in an old and ragged coat. In his outward appearance he seemed to be the most miserable beggar I had ever seen.”
Benedict approached the priest and asked for an appointment to make Confession. During the Confession, at some point, the priest forgot Benedict’s crazed appearance, forgot his stench and the vermin. Why? Because Benedict’s Confession was detailed, intricate and theologically ingenious. This priest was shocked, impressed, blown away! How did this ragged and destitute beggar get an ivy-league education in theology? The priest was shocked enough to interrupt the Confession and ask where he had studied Divinity. Benedict answered: “I, Father? I am only a poor, ignorant beggar.”
The priest knew better. He was intrigued by this holy, well-educated, humble and tattered beggar. During the next 10 months, the priest watched Benedict during his daily appearances at Mass, heard his Confession weekly and whenever possible conversed with him. He approached Benedict about employment, proper diet and housing. Benedict, however, wasn’t interested. The good priest urged Benedict to take better care of his sores. Benedict seemed not to hear him at all. All he cared about was worshipping God, living his vows (poverty, chastity and penitience), living in humility and love of his fellow man. The priest had plenty of time to get to know the Saint and as the months passed, the more impressed he became. What great and shining treasure was clothed in rags!
Finally, in the last months of his life, his Confessor prevailed and Benedict agreed to leave the Coliseum, to sleep at a hospice for the poor. It was to be his last known address.
On April 16th, 1783, a butcher was passing by the Church of Santa Maria dei Monti at 9:00 AM. He saw the skeletal and ragged figure of Benedict stagger out of the door of the Church and fall upon the steps. The butcher took Benedict to his home and laid him in a bed… Benedict was utterly exhausted and worn out from his lifestyle of penitence and impoverishment. There, in the bed the butcher laid him in, he received Last Rites in an unconscious state. We are told that when as the Church bells rang out the Angelus, Benedict suddenly and without struggle, ceased to breathe.
His Confessor tells us that “scarcely had this poor follower of Christ breathed his last when all at once the little children” of Rome began running through the streets crying out; “The Saint is dead, the Saint is dead!” And it was not long before the adults joined them in spreading the news.
So, we are treated to the spectacle of all of Rome weeping and wailing in the streets over the death of this impoverished, mentally ill, filthy and ragged beggar. “A Saint is dead!” This doesn’t appear to be an exaggeration either. We know that before Benedict’s body was cold, 2 Churches were fighting for the right to possess his corpse. We also know the military had to be called to the scene and had great difficulty controlling the crowds of people who attended the Visitation, Requiem Mass and burial of the Saint over the next few days… Thus, Benedict was declared a Saint by popular acclamation, long before Pope Leo XIII canonized him. And we are told that within a year of his death, the name St. Benedict Joseph Labre was known all over Europe and this is how Benedict’s parents and siblings finally learned what had become of their long lost son and brother.
Some people die knowing they are going to be canonized to Sainthood. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, for example. She knew, beyond the shadow of any doubt that she would be canonized a Saint, if only because so many people were already calling her a Saint long before she died… But if you had told Benedict Joseph Labre that he would be canonized a Saint, he would have been the most surprised person in the world, the most shocked human being on the face of the planet. What??? The man who was a miserable failure of a monk, rejected by every monastery he’d turned to – a Saint? The man whom everyone regarded as having bad judgement, poorly placed priorities and even regarded as being mentally ill – that man a Saint? What??? The man who is shunned by all who see him in the street because of his crazed appearance, stench and vermin, whose priest occasionally insisted on hearing his Confession out in the wilderness out of courtesy to others in the Church – this social misfit a Saint? YES! Why? He hasn’t added to our sacred knowledge, he hasn’t formulated doctrines or philosophies. He hasn’t built hospitals, schools, soup kitchens or homeless shelters. True. He is a Saint for the one and only reason that he so closely imitated Christ. How so, you may ask? He didn’t preach, didn’t have disciples, didn’t miraculously heal anyone, he wasn’t martyred. How is he like Christ?
Do you know what Jesus’ greatest miracle was? Jesus’ greatest miracle was that he somehow managed to continue to love God and humankind even through: his rejection at Jerusalem, the mockery and beating he received from the soldiers, the scourging at the pillar and his crucifixion. Through all of that derision, hatred and horror, Jesus somehow managed to continue to love God and each and every one of us. That is Jesus’ greatest miracle. And that is also the miracle that Saint Benedict performed… It is the one miracle we are ALL called to perform, to love and serve God and humankind with gladness and singleness of heart, regardless of our circumstances.
RUNE OF HOSPITALITY
I saw a stranger yestereen;
I put food in the eating place,
Drink in the drinking place,
Music in the listening place;
And in the sacred names of the Triune
He blessed me and my house,
My cattle and my dear ones.
And the lark said in her song;
Often, often, often
Goes the Christ in the stranger’s guise.
Often, often, often
Goes the Christ in the stranger’s guise.
-From the Gaelic
St. Peter, like the 2 disciples who had met the Christ on the road to Emmaus, had learned this Divine Secret. That whenever we look upon the poor, the needy, the sick and broken with compassion, we will find the Christ gazing back at us. And so it was, there at the Beautiful Gate, St. Peter (who so loved the Lord) reached out a healing hand to the lame beggar and helped him get on his feet.
In Eastern Europe of the early 1900’s, a very young Mother Teresa is in her mother’s kitchen. There are homeless and hungry beggars at the door. She watches her mother slice bread, slice cheese and fruit, putting together a plate of food. Her mother hands young Teresa the place and says: “Go, take Jesus his supper.”
45, maybe 50 years ago, here in the good old USA, a young Fr. John Corapi is in his favorite place – Grandma’s kitchen. He says, with a big smile; “Grandma’s kitchen was a really good place to be!” He also says that not very far from his Grandma’s back door were railroad tracks. The hoboes would jump off the trains, come up and knock on his Grandma’s back door seeking food. Fr. John says; “Grandma would hand me a sandwich and an apple and say; ‘Go, give Jesus his supper.’”
In a few minutes, we are going to gather around that Heavenly banquet table and partake of the Lamb’s Supper, of the bread and wine that Jesus the Christ has provided for us; When you have returned to your seat, I’d like for these words of Jesus to ring through your heart; “Freely you have received. Now go and freely give!” And when you walk out of these doors, just like St. Peter who was hurrying on his way to get to an appointment, stop and make time to reach out a healing hand, to help some unfortunate soul to get on their feet. When you walk out of these doors, don’t forget to go and give Jesus his supper…And, if you have absolutely nothing to give? Look into Jesus' eyes, grasp him by the hand and say with St. Peter;
"I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have to give you:" An encouraging word, a hug, true friendship.
