This Sunday, August 25, we in the Archdiocese of St. Louis take a break from the Sundays of Ordinary Time to celebrate the Feast of St. Louis, King of France. As the patron of our Archdiocese, our City, and our County, those of us who are Catholics in St. Louis should have a special devotion to this holy man of God. I often invoke his prayers and intercession, and I encourage all of you to do the same. Let us all ask Saint Louis to bless and guide and protect and heal this city and community that bears his name!
So who was Saint Louis? He ruled France in the 13th century during a time of great cultural achievement. It was a time when cathedrals were being built, universities established, hospitals organized, and an equitable court system established.
His deep Catholic faith and spirituality was instilled in him by his mother, Blessed Blanche of Castille, and he lived his life as man of constant prayer, devoted to justice and to charity. He was dedicated to his family and his country, but most of all to his Catholic faith.
Louis became king at the age of eleven in 1226. He was guided and protected by his mother until he reached his teenage years. At the age of 20, he married his wife Margaret and together they had eleven children.
King Louis IX cared about his people and sought to mitigate the harsh life of the feudal system. He encouraged religious orders and the growth of the Church in France, he forbade usury or excessive interest on loans, he personally fed the needy from his own table, and he made it a priority to see that the poor received fair treatment and fair trial. He built the magnificent Sainte Chappelle in Paris as a shrine for the Crown of Thorns, which he had received and is often portrayed as holding in his hands. He led crusades to the Holy Land that were not militarily successful, but while on crusade he always insisted that any prisoners be treated with respect. Louis himself was taken prisoner while on crusade, and after his release, he died of typhoid fever at age 56.
Even though Louis is a saint, he was not perfect! History shows that King Louis persecuted French Jews, destroyed their sacred books, and threatened to arrest and expel Jews from the kingdom. We Catholics must always be honest about the history of anti-Semitism in our Church and pray and work for reconciliation and healing. In all things, we trust in God’s mercy.
Still, the life of King Louis shows us that even a sinner can do much good. Power does not have to corrupt! Power can be used to create some measure of justice, lighten the burden of people’s lives, exemplify virtue, and strengthen the community and the Church. How we need the example and intercession of Saint Louis even now for the leaders of our Church, our nation, and our city and community! Let us pray for all those in positions of leadership and power in our Church and society, that they may always work for the common good and serve those most in need.
Louis also reminds us of the need to work for justice, a timely reminder for all of us at this time in the history of our nation and our community, burdened by so much inequity, strife, and senseless violence.
So on this feast, let us pray for our City, our County, and our Archdiocese, and let us pray that all those in authority at any level, and all of us who are called Christians, may be instruments of God’s justice and peace. Saint Louis, King of France, pray for us!