February 4th - St. Joseph of Leonissa
1556-1612
n the year 1556, at Leonissa in the Abruzzi in the kingdom of Naples, the
devout
couple John Desiderius and Frances Paulina were blessed with a son, to
whom
they
gave the name Euphranius at baptism. Under their faithful guidance the
little
boy made such progress in piety that at a very tender age he resolved upon
certain feast days, and took the greatest pleasure in practices of piety.
Later on, pursuing his studies at Viterbo, he attracted the attention and
admiration of everyone by his industry and virtuous life to such a degree
that a
nobleman in that city offered him his daughter in marriage together with a
large
dowry. But the Euphranius has already made a nobler choice. He left school
and
entered the Franciscan order among the Capuchins at Leonissa, in the year
1573,
under the name of Joseph. Here he found happiness and peace in things
which
an
effeminate age abhors most: mortification and penance.
His dwelling was a poor cell, so small and narrow that he could hardly
stand,
sit, or lie down in it. His bed was the bare earth, a block of wood was
his
pillow. He ate by preference food which the others could not or would not
eat,
such as stale beans and mouldy bread. In spite of the great strain
associated
with a life of preaching, he persevered in doing such penance even after
he
had
been entrusted with the task. With works of penance he strove to win over
those
souls to God that he could not move with words.
In the year 1587, his zeal for souls urged him to go to Constantinople. He
could
not long conceal from the fanatical Turks the good that he was doing,
especially
among the Christian captives on the galleys. They seized him, pierced his
right
hand and right foot with sharp hooks, and hung him up on a high gibbet,
then
kindled a weak fire under him in order to roast him alive slowly. and
gradually
to suffocate him. He suffered untold tortures for three days. On the
fourth
day
he was miraculously freed by an angel and received the command to return
to
Italy to preach the Gospel to the poor. From now on he traveled untiringly
through all the villages and country towns of Umbria. He strongly
denounced
evils of that day, such as frivolous dances and plays. In his associations
with
the people, however, he resembled a lamb in his meekness and charity. His
very
bearing won for him the affection of the people, and effected the most
remarkable reconciliations between persons who had been living in enmity
for
years, and between families and communities that had been at variance with
each
other.
Often while at work or at prayer he would be rapt in ecstasy. He wrought
many
miracles, and was vouchsafed the gift of prophesy and of reading human
hearts.
He also foretold the day of his death. It was February 4, 1612, when he
entered
into the joy of his Lord in the convent at Amatrice. His body was taken to
his
native town of Leonissa, and reposes there, glorified by many miracles.
Pope Clement XII beatified Joseph, and Pope Benedict XIV canonized him in
the
year 1745.
ON MORTIFYING THE APPETITE
1. Consider how at a very tender age St, Joseph of Leonissa mortified his
appetite by voluntary fasting, and later went so far as to seek his
necessary
nourishment by preference only in food that was repugnant to the natural
taste
and might even have injured his health, if the Divine Spirit who urged him
to do
it had not protected him. Thus he proved himself a true son of St.
Francis,
of
whom St. Bonaventure writes: "When he was well, he seldom ate cooked foods
and
when he was obliged to eat them, he would mix ashes and water with the
food.
He
did not only abstain from wine, but never even desired to drink water."
Our
Seraphic Father did this because he had considered the words of the
Apostle:
"They that are Christ's have crucified their flesh" (Gal 5:24).-According
to
their rule, Tertiaries are also required to be temperate in eating and
drinking.
In this matter, have you proved yourself a true child of St. Francis?
2. Consider how easily and in how many ways we can indulge the appetite:
by
eating too much, by eating too often, by eating too greedily, by eating
too
daintily. Many who guard against the first three instances, are caught in
the
meshes of the last. God has ordained that our food should naturally have a
pleasing taste in order that it may be conducive to good health, and it is
no
fault if we relish our food. But fondness for delicacies serves merely to
satisfy an inordinate desire for food and drink; as St. Chrysostom says,
some
people seem to live in order to eat instead of eating in order to live.-Do
you
belong to this class?
3. Consider the means to overcome the inordinate desire for eating and
drinking.
It is related of St. Adelgundis that upon reflecting how difficult it is
to
satisfy the needs of the body without yielding to sensual pleasure, she
asked
God to deprive her of all pleasure in eating and drinking. Then St. Peter
appeared to her and gave her a piece of bread from heaven. Thereafter no
earthly
food could again rouse her appetite. If we, too, partake of heavenly food,
that
is, if in the frequent contemplation of the joys of heaven we gain a
foretaste
of their sweetness, and if we recall that it was through eating of
forbidden
fruit that heaven was closed to be reopened only when Christ drank the
bitter
chalice of His Passion and the nauseous gall, then perhaps earthly food
will
tempt us less than before. We will be glad daily to offer a sacrifice to
God
by
mortifying our appetite as did St. Joseph of Leonissa, so that we may grow
in
the relish of pious practices and hereafter be made partakers of heavenly
sweetness.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
O God, Thou rewarder of faithful servants, who didst make of blessed
Joseph
an
extraordinary laborer in preaching the Gospel, mercifully grant us through
his
intercession that we may never cease to serve Thee in a pleasing manner
here
on
earth, and may finally receive from Thee the full reward in heaven.
Through
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint Quote:
Let us therefore without ceasing hold fast by our hope and by the earnest
of
our
righteousness, which is Jesus Christ who took up our sins in His own body
upon
the tree, who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth, but for
our
sakes He endured all things, that we might live in Him. Let us therefore
become
imitators of His endurance; and if we should suffer for His name's sake,
let
us
glorify Him. For He gave this example to us in His own person, and we
believed
this.
--Saint Ploycarp of Smyrna
Bible Quote:
In one of his sermons, Joseph says: "Every Christian must be a living book
wherein one can read the teaching of the gospel. This is what St. Paul
says
to
the Corinthians, 'Clearly you are a letter of Christ which I have
delivered,
a
letter written not with ink, but by the Spirit of the living God, not on
tablets
of stone but on tablets of flesh in the heart' (2 Corinthians 3:3). Our
heart is
the parchment; through my ministry the Holy Spirit is the writer because
'my
tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe' (Psalm 45:1)."
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Plea to the Everlasting God for the Unborn
Lord God, our Eternal Father, we come to Thy Throne full of
awe and reverence at Thy saving power. Through our Savior
Jesus Christ, we beg Thee to help us stop the widespread
slaughter of unborn babies in our land. May our love for our
innocent brothers and sisters closely resemble the love that
exists in the Holy Family. Help us provide all human life with
protection under our civil laws. We know that through the
intercession of our Mother Mary, chosen Spouse of the Holy
Spirit, our request will be granted. Amen.
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