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In the summer of 1453 when St. John
Capistrran visited Cracow, the capital of Poland, at the invitation
of the Polish King Casimir, his sermons produced veritable miracles
of conversion. Many of the young people, too, among them many
students from the University of Cracow, resolved to renounce the
world and begged the holy preacher for the habit of the Franciscan
Order.
 One
of these was Szymon of the little town of Lipnica not far from
Cracow.
He had just taken his bachelor's degree in
the humanities, and what is of greater consequence, by means of
childlike veneration of the Blessed Virgin he had preserved his
purity of heart unsullied.
Although he had lived an innocent life, he
now lived a life of great penance in the order, observed long fasts,
scourged his body, and always wore a penitential girdle. On the
feasts of our Blessed Lady he added a second one, in order to win
her special favor.
After he had been ordained a priest and been
entrusted with the office of preacher in the convent church of
Cracow, his words bore the impress of such zeal and eloquence that
he brought back countless sinners from the paths of iniquity; and he
then guided them on the path of Christian conduct with loving
gentleness. Many of his auditors were moved to aspire to higher
perfection.
Szymon entertained an ardent desire to shed
his blood for the Faith, and he hoped to be sent to Palestine to
labor among the Saracens. This hope, however, was not fulfilled. He
did have to suffer many hardships, but after devoutly visiting the
holy places, he returned safely to Cracow. There another type of
martyrdom was destined to procure for him the eternal crown.
In the beginning he resumed his task of
preaching with renewed zeal. He was obliged also to accept various
positions in the order, including that of provincial. He was ever
active for the welfare of his brethren and of all men, and allowed
himself only the most necessary repose. He used to say that he
hoped to enjoy a real rest when God would grant him eternal rest.
His motto was: "Pray, work, and hope."
About the year 1482, an epidemic broke out
in Cracow and raged with terrible fury. Filled with love for his
neighbor and the spirit of holy zeal for the salvation of souls,
Father Szymon devoted himself entirely to the service of the sick.
It was not long before he, too, was attacked by the dread disease.
Filled with gratitude to God for this
privilege and with Christian hope in a merciful judgment, he died a
martyr of charity on July 18, 1482. Numerous miracles occurred at
his grave, whereupon the Holy See approved his veneration. Beatified
February 24, 1685 by Blessed Pope Innocent XI, he was canonized by
Pope Benedict XVI on June 3, 2007.
ON LISTENING TO SERMONS
1. Szymon, a learned student, heard a
sermon by St. John Capistran and resolved to leave the world and
consecrate himself entirely to the service of God. It often happens
that when university students and educated people hear a sermon,
they are intent only on noting whether the sermon has been well
prepared and is being delivered eloquently. At times even the
uneducated are more concerned about how the preacher speaks than
what he is saying. How foolish! It is just as if a person who is
so worn out that he can hardly stand on his feet, were to take a
loaf of bread that has been offered to him, and test it according to
its qualities and price rather than eat it to restore his dwindling
strength. "We fools!" St. Augustine cried out. "The uneducated
assert themselves and wrest the kingdom of God to themselves, and we
with all our learning will sink into the abyss!" - Do you perhaps
belong to these fools?
2. Consider that Szymon not only applied
to himself what he heard in the sermon, but actually put into
practice in his daily life what he recognized in the sermon as
pleasing to God. Moreover, he in turn used his talents in his own
preaching career, and was tireless in laboring for the honor of God
and the eternal salvation of souls. We, too, must not be satisfied
with merely listening to a sermon. That would not make us holy, even
if we heard all the sermons delivered in the neighborhood. It is the
care and perseverance we have in carrying out the instructions that
counts. "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the
doers of the law shall be justified." (Rom 2:13) - What fruits do
you derive from the sermons and conferences you have heard?
3. Consider that without the assistance of
the Holy Spirit we cannot derive fruit from the sermons we hear. The
word of God is not like a lecture on some temporal subject. It is
the divine seed that must penetrate into the depths of our hearts.
For this we need the special grace of God. "Neither he who plants is
anything, nor he who waters: but God Who gives the increase"
(1 Cor 3:7). - Before a sermon or conference
ask for the grace of enlightenment and after it ask for strength.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Almighty and eternal God, who didst endow
Szymon, Thy confessor, with special grace to announce the Gospel,
mercifully grant that nourished by his teachings we may perform the
works that are pleasing to Thee and may arrive safely on the way of
righteousness at our celestial home. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
from THE FRANCISCAN BOOK OF SAINTS
edited by Marion Habig, ofm Copyright 1959 Franciscan Herald
Press
used with written permission from the publisher
see also:
http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20070603_simone-lipnica_en.html
Canonized: June 3,
2007 by Pope Benedict XVI
Note: Sometimes St.
Simon is referred to as a Bernardini. In Poland, in the years that
St. Simon lived, all Franciscans were called "Bernardini" after St.
Bernardine of Sienna.
"Another Franciscan Observant, St. Bernardine of Siena, had just
been canonized in 1450, and the Franciscan Observants in Poland were
called “Bernardini” by the people."
(see:
http://www.ofm.org.mt/?p=530 |
