2 April 2022
Optional Memorial Saint Francis of Paola, hermit
St. Ignatius Loyola, before founding the Jesuit order, spent many months praying in a cave in Manresa, Spain. St. Francis of Paola, today’s saint, also spent many months praying in a cave, but unlike St. Ignatius, he was called to the life of the hermit. He spent six years in his cave, attracting followers and benefactors, and founding the order of the Hermits of St. Francis of Assisi, also known as the Minim friars. The order is known for being quite strict. In their poverty they strive for the Franciscan ideal. In their diet they observe a perpetual Lenten fast, never eating any animals or animal products.
Despite founding very different orders and having very different lifestyles, St. Ignatius Loyola and St. Francis of Paola are brothers. They share the same faith and the same baptism. They share the same passionate dedication of self to answering God’s call. They share the same fervor that leads one out of the world and worldly pursuits and into the cave. They share the same experience, in the cave, of finding and being found by God. Having found God, they refuse to settle for anything less.
As Lent draws us near to the climax of our faith, let us reflect on the examples of both of these men. Like them, let us be stripped of the things that keep us apart from the God who loves us beyond our comprehension, and let us rejoice in the light of divine glory.