Today is the feast day of St. Bernardine of Siena, a 14th-century Italian priest and missionary. Fr. Steve Grunow shares his insights on the saint, reminding us to shake off the trappings of title and comfort in order to better understand the way of Christ.
There is a remarkable portrait of the saint the Church celebrates today, Bernardine of Siena, by the Spanish master El Greco.
The portrait shows the saint as thin, ascetic and draped in his gray, Franciscan habit. In one hand he holds a staff, on which are emblazoned the letters "IHS" — an acronym for the name of Jesus. In his other hand is a Book of Gospels, for the saint was a renowned preacher.
One bare foot is visible beneath the hem of his habit, a sign of the saint's heroic willingness to eschew luxury and comfort in the face of a world enamored by such things. There is a story told that some old friends of the saint were taken aback by the saint's gaunt appearance, to which he remarked, "I am dying, you know. Each day I die to myself that Christ might live in me."
Also laid out at the saint's feet are three miters, the pointed hats worn by bishops as a symbol of their office. St. Bernardine was offered the office of bishop three times during his lifetime, and each time, out of humility, he simply refused.
St. Bernardine was an eloquent preacher, and much of his life was spent giving testimony to the power of Jesus Christ to redeem and save. He was also fearless in naming many of the social injustices of the time. There was no separation of one's faith from one's public responsibilities for St. Bernardine, and the saint was not afraid to let both civil and religious authorities know this.
The great theme of his preaching was the Holy Name of Jesus, for he believed that all our acts of selfishness, all our sins, come from a forgetting of who Jesus is. By recalling his name, we are reminded of the Lord, and our responsiblity before him.
St. Bernardine's emphasis on the Holy Name of Jesus is also a reminder to us that the source and center of the Church's proclamation is the Lord Jesus, not the personality or idiosyncratic interests of the preacher, or the pleasure and entertainment of the assembly.
True preaching is given over to the Lord, wholly and completely, and serves to draw the Church into relationship with her Lord and Savior.
May St. Bernardine intercede for us, and raise up out of the Church her preachers and teachers whose eloquence and wisdom will draw the world into communion with Christ in his Church.
Father Steve Grunow is the CEO of Word On Fire Catholic Ministries.
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