Showing all posts by Elija

There are probably few saints as well known as Saint George, whom we celebrate today, and around whom so many stories and legends have gathered. He is highly venerated throughout Christianity and is often depicted in paintings as the slayer of the dragon. Concerning the slaying of the dragon, the following story is told about him, which I present here in abridged form from the Legenda Aurea by Jacobus de Voragine:

“George, the knight (born of Cappadocian lineage), once came to the land of Libya, to the city of Silena. Near the city was a lake as vast as a sea, in which dwelt a poisonous dragon who had often driven the entire population into flight whenever they marched out armed against him. He would come right up to the city walls and poison everything with his venomous breath. The citizens of the city—still pagans—offered him two sheep every day. As the number of sheep dwindled, they began to sacrifice human beings as well, drawing lots to determine who would be chosen. The lot fell also upon the king’s daughter. Though shaken to his core, the king could not protect her, for the people threatened to burn him and his house if he did not abide by the law he himself had enacted.”

The legend continues, recounting that Saint George witnessed the moment when the king’s daughter was about to be sacrificed to the dragon.

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Yesterday we surely marveled at St. Konrad, whose life became so fruitful and who carried out his undoubtedly demanding service as porter for forty‑one years, until three days before the end of his life. Through him, pilgrims to Altötting were able to experience a profound closeness to God. Brother Konrad himself shared with us something of his “secret of love,” which united him so intimately with God.

It is one thing to gratefully admire such a life and to praise the Lord for it. It is another to thank the saint himself for having listened so well to our heavenly Father and for having served Him and humanity! It is also helpful to ask him to pray for our own path of following Christ. Yet we can take another step.

How can we make the lives of the saints fruitful for ourselves?

Surely it is a matter of finding the source from which Brother Konrad was so richly gifted, so that streams of living water flowed from him into this world. The saint expresses in his gentle and simple way how we should live:

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After my Easter reflections and a consideration of the last things, I am now, so to speak, turning my daily reflection toward the liturgical season of Easter. I would like to continue what I began in earlier posts—namely, to regularly take a look at the saints of the day. These need not always be those commemorated in the daily liturgy; they may also include lesser‑known or regionally venerated saints who nonetheless appear in the official directories.

The saints are true witnesses to the Gospel, whether their holiness was expressed in great outward works or blossomed quietly in hidden ways. They are an immeasurable gift to the Church and, thus, to all humanity. Only God knows what graces have been poured out upon the world through their lives.

Today we turn our gaze to St. Brother Konrad von Parzham, from whom this remarkable saying originates:

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The important but often misunderstood topic of Purgatory still falls within the scope of our reflections on the last things, and despite its seriousness, it is a very comforting teaching.

We must assume that most people cannot immediately attain full union with God after death, for this is possible only when a person is completely purified. At the same time, we hope that as few people as possible will go to hell—preferably none at all—which is left entirely to God’s love and justice. Against this backdrop, the profound meaning of the doctrine of Purgatory becomes clear. It springs from the wisdom of God’s love and constitutes an act of His mercy. Thus, for people who did not respond sufficiently to God’s love during their earthly life, there is still a path of purification after death.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states the following in Article 12:

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Any consideration of the all‑important “last things” remains incomplete if we do not also take into account the possibility of a life gone astray, for both Sacred Scripture and Church teaching bear clear witness to this.

Certainly, it may be frightening to hear about this, but that is no reason to conceal this dimension of our faith, for there is also such a thing as “salutary fear.” Saint John Chrysostom underscores the importance of this teaching and emphasizes how essential it is to keep it in mind.

“Truly, if we always thought of the punishment of hell, we would not easily fall into it! That is why God has threatened us with the punishment of hell: if the thought of it did not have something salutary, He would not have done so. Because the memory of the punishments of hell produces such great effects, God has given us the threat as a salutary medicine. (…) A soul that fears hell will not easily fall into sin. (…) The fear dwelling in the heart banishes all that is sinful from it.” (J. Chrysostom, Homily on the Second Letter to the Thessalonians, 2:3)

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