On this date in 1972, the Swiss Parliament voted to repeal a law that had prohibited the existence of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in Switzerland for 124 years. The following year, in a referendum, the Swiss people just barely ratified that decision in a plebiscite, with 54% voting in favor of the Jesuits’ return to their country. The Jesuits had been banned from Switzerland for promoting traditional Catholicism at a time when that was perceived as a danger to the state.
Today is also the feast of St. Januarius, bishop and martyr of the third Century. He, too was persecuted for promoting traditional Catholicism, and he chose to die rather than acquiesce to the demands of his contemporaries. To this day, large crowds of people in Naples and elsewhere celebrate this martyr’s commitment to our faith.
The Church is in desperate need of the courage demonstrated by these great men: by St. Januarius and by the Swiss Jesuits of the 19th Century. The Church is asking us: are we willing to incur the displeasure and even the ire of our contemporaries? Do we have the courage to stand up and defend the truth, to defend the faith, and to defend the love of all that is holy? Let’s not be reckless or hasty answering this summons. Instead, guided by the Holy Spirit, let us find the right way for our light to shine. The world is watching us and waiting. As Jesus said: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14).