Today, the saint we celebrate is Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. He was born in 1838 in Italy into a large family. His mother died when he was four years old. He was educated by the Jesuits and was very sickly as a child. He applied to join the Jesuits, but was rejected because he was only 17 years old. He later was accepted to the Passionist Father where he became well-known for his love for the poor, for his devout prayer life, and for his kindness toward others. After four years of studies, he contracted tuberculosis. He patiently and quietly accepted his sufferings, dying in 1862 at the age of 24. He was canonized in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV. He is a patron saint of Catholic youth and of students studying for the priesthood. In 1959, Pope John XXIII declared him to be patron saint of the Abruzzi region of Italy, where he spent the last two years of his life.
As we commemorate St Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows today, the prophet Ezekiel brings us a message in the midst of our Lenten journey, telling us that the Lord does not delight when a wicked man remains in his wickedness, but rather God delights when the wicked man transforms his heart. There are many in our world today who turn their backs on both God’s law and man’s law, who want to stay on those evil paths and do not want to hear the voice of God calling out to them. We may say that the laws of God and the laws of man are unfair, but what about the ways that we break those laws, the ways we give way to temptation and go down the wrong path? Our Lenten journey calls out to return to the Lord and to renew out lives of faith. It is difficult to break old habits and to reform our lives. It is hard to break out of addictions, laziness, and complacency. But that is what the Lord is calling us to do. And the Lord will rejoice when we are able to do so.
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