SAINT PASCHAL BAYLON
Confessor, 1540 - 1592 Feast day - May 17
Perhaps saints like Paschal Baylon are given to us by God as a reminder that the only
thing necessary for sanctity is love; Paschal certainly had very little else.
Born into a Spanish peasant family of Aragon (northeastern Spain) in 1540, he had few
talents and accomplished no spectacular work during his life. The one thing that
dominated his existence was a profound devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. Tending sheep as
a youth, Paschal would spend hours in meditation on this mystery. Love of the
Blessed Virgin was also strong in him, and during his hours with his flocks he taught
himself to read, so he could make use of the Little-Office of the Blessed Virgin.
When he was twenty-four Paschal applied for admission as a lay brother to the
Franciscan community of Loreto in the Kingdom of Valencia (in eastern Spain); refused at
first, on the grounds that the life would be too strict for him, he gained admittance
through sheer persistence, and then proceeded to surprise the friars by surpassing them
all in austerity. The humble jobs he was given - cook, gardener, porter - he carried
out faithfully, sometimes with naive touches of innocent love. One time, while setting
places in the refectory, he was seen performing a clumsy dance in honor of the Blessed
Virgin, whose statue was over the door. What impressed the whole community, however, was
this simple peasant's utter absorption in the mystery of the Holy Eucharist. His one
joy in life was to pray before the tabernacle, where he would remain for hours,
overwhelmed by the reality of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. To remain as
close as possible to the object of his love, Paschal would often pass the night in the
chapel and, in the morning, serve Mass after Mass for the friars.
It was as porter that Pascal revealed how ardent love of God overflows in acts of
mercy. To the many poor and sick who came to the door he showed himself patient and
gentle, and generous in distributing the supplies put at his disposal. Sometimes his
care wrought remarkable cures.
The only interruption in this prayerful life came on an occasion when Paschal was
chosen to carry messages to his order's minister general, who was living in Paris.
On the journey, Paschal had to travel through French towns controlled by the Huguenots; a
completely unsubtle man, and conspicuous in his habit, Paschal never bothered to avoid
these places and, while in them, often expressed himself vehemently on the subject of
heretics. His candid approach earned him several stonings by mobs, and he returned
to Spain with a permanently injured shoulder from one of these attacks. The rest of
his life was uneventful, and in 1592, on Pentecost Sunday - the same feast on which he was
born - he died peacefully.
An unusual number of miracles took place at his tomb and Church authorities soon
undertook the matter of his beatification. A meaningful tribute to Paschal's
hidden life was paid by Pope Leo XIII, in 1897, when he named the saint patron of all
Eucharistic congresses and associations.
More information about St. Pascal. |