Today, the Church celebrates two saints that are close to my life experiences. The first saint is St. Frances Xavier Cabrini who accomplished great deeds on two continents (Europe and America) through the strength of her faith. She was born in Italy and later Mother Cabrini (as she was known) became a naturalized citizen of the United States, in 1909, and the first American saint in 1946. The founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Mother Cabrini ministered to Italian immigrants in the United States (and other poor across the country) through the establishment of schools and hospitals. As a legal immigrant in this country, I always turn to her for her intercession when I have to deal with immigration bureaucracy. Her life and work are also reminders to us about the dignity of the immigrants in this country.
The second saint is a Jesuit saint; a Polish novice of the Society of Jesus, St. Stanisłaus Kostka. He was born in Poland, on October 28th 1550. He entered the Society of Jesus in Rome on his 17th birthday (28 October 1567) and died at Rome on August 15, 1568. As the son of a Polish nobleman, Stanislaus faced a strong opposition from his family when he expressed a desire for religious life. Stanislaus then walked 350 miles to Rome to enter the Jesuit Novitiate. Stanislaus, however, never completed his Novitiate as he died nine months into his novitiate training. My parents also opposed my decision to enter the religious life and that was one of the reasons I had for entering the Novitiate in the United States. Like Stanislaus, I had to experience a tremendous ordeal before I could enter the Novitiate. While I did not have to walk 350 miles, I had to wait for nine months with full anxiety until the U.S. immigration approved my visa so that I could enter the country legally and start my novitiate.
In the first reading today, St. Paul says that God’s grace “trains” us. Indeed, there are many ways for God to train us through trial and tribulation in our lives. And yet, God offers us hope and the promise that He will never abandon us. God might also offer us a different kind of training, one that encourages us to be more compassionate. Let us pause for a moment and reflect on the kind of training God is putting to you today. Is there any inspiration from St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and Stanislaus Kostska that can be a source of support for you? Perhaps you need to be more compassionate to the immigrant communities. Or, perhaps you need to be supportive to clergy in your church who come from different countries and who do not speak English as their native language.