If St. Louis IX were to come back from the dead and visit the city named after him, what might he have to say to us?
Besides being surprised if Louis 9th, whose patronal feast day we celebrate today would appear walking the streets of St. Louis, I wonder what he would think of the city named in his honor? I would like to think that he, who built Sainte-Chapelle to house the crown of thorns he returned with from his first crusade would love our Cathedral – that we built something here to honor the presence of God that would inspire generations of believers as does his church. And I think he would be proud of the efforts of our Vincent De Paul societies – so conscious was he of the poor in his life. He would probably look at our Ferguson’s and divided communities and go “Hmmm.” But allow me to share three vignettes about his life that might perhaps be both inspiring and challenging for us.
The first is a quote that adorned the old Baptismal font at St. Ann’s, my former parish. “I think more of the church where I was baptized than of Rheims Cathedral where I was crowned (as King of France). It is a greater thing to be a child of God than to be the ruler of a Kingdom.
What an extraordinary statement this is. What mattered first of all in all things (and this was seen in his piety – going to confession multiple times a week, attending mass daily –and sometimes more often) was his relationship to his creator, to his God. EVERYTHING else was secondary to that goal of living faithfully as a child of God. And to make sure he did not forget that, he signed every document, every letter, every treaty and agreement not Louis, King of France, but Louis of Poissy. Baptism, not coronation; the church at Poissy, not at Rheims was the center of his universe. Would people know that priority in my life/our lives so clearly? I would hope so.
And as a little challenge around that from Pope Francis – “Do you know the date of your own baptism?” What would it be to celebrate that day with equal festivity as your birthday? Or to make a mini pilgrimage to that church yearly? Just a practical thought..
“Have a tender pitiful heart for the poor, and for all those whom you believe to be in misery of heart or body, and, according to your ability, comfort and aid them with some alms.” You might think this would be hard to pull off for a king. Not so Louis. Daily, he fed 100 people in his own palace. And even more interestingly, at his family table, every day, three people from the streets would be seated there. It didn’t matter if there were foreign dignitaries visiting. Or if it were a family celebration. Three folks from the kingdom, and usually the poorer parts, would find food and companionship at his table.
We are embarrassed enough to have to make eye contact with the gals and guys at the bottom of the ramp at Lindberg off of 44. Louis would have invited them for dinner. As if to say, make sure you put a face to the names of those who struggle. He truly lived this passage from Isaiah – sharing his bread with the hungry, releasing those bound unjustly, seeking to put his love of God into practice.
Finally, one of the last things he did, as he was dying, was to write a letter to his son, a kind of spiritual ‘last will and testament’ as it were. The last lines are telling.
Thank God for all the benefits he has bestowed upon you, that you may be worthy to receive greater. Always side with the poor rather than with the rich, until you are certain of the truth. To that end, he would go to a nearby park once a week, and anyone who had a grievance, or felt they had not received justice could bring their case to him. As he heard these cases, this was his guiding principal.
In conclusion, dearest son, I give you every blessing that a loving father can give a son. May the three Persons of the Holy Trinity and all the saints protect you from every evil. And may the Lord give you the grace to do his will so that he may be served and honored through you, that in the next life we may together come to see him, love him and praise him unceasingly. Amen.
If you had to write your own ‘spiritual testament to be read by your children in a letter or at your funeral as a eulogy – 1) what would you write down? What would matter to you? And 2), could you say with a clean heart and conscience that you did your best to live that way?
Let me leave you with the entire quote on the baptistery at the church in Poissy. “I think more of the church where I was baptized than of Rheims Cathedral where I was crowned (as King of France). It is a greater thing to be a child of God than to be the ruler of a Kingdom. This last I shall lose at death but the other will be my passport to an everlasting glory.”
Louis of Poissy