Born in 1453 as the son of the king of Poland, Casimir lived a very disciplined devout life of faith even as a teenager. He slept on the ground as a means of penance, he spent most of the night in prayer, and he dedicated himself to lifelong celibacy. He had a strong devotion to the Blessed Mother and to the Eucharist. He was known for being a peacemaker, promoting peace and reconciliation in his kingdom rather than turn to war or aggression. He reigned briefly as the king of Poland when his father was out of the country, but died of a lung disease at the age of 25 while visiting Lithuania; he is the patron saint of that country.
In our Gospel today, as Jesus discloses some shocking news to his disciples, telling them that he will be condemned to death, the mother of James and John responds by wanting her sons to be at a place of honor. That is not a very compassionate response. In the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the cathedral dedicated to St James, there are statues of the mother and father of James and John to the side of the main altar. I am always drawn to these statues when I enter the Cathedral at the end of my pilgrimage in Spain; these two statues stand vigil at the altar dedicated to their son, James, who was sent to bring the Gospel message to the people of Spain. James and John were called the Sons of Thunder by Jesus; we can imagine that they had very strong personalities. I can imagine a mother being concerned for her sons' welfare, asking Jesus to give them a place of honor in his kingdom. Yet, even knowing that Jesus will die a terrible death, she has confidence that Jesus will reign in God’s kingdom.
Our Gospel also asserts that we need to be a servant, to die in order to live, to lose our lives in order to save them. It is a message that is so counter-intuitive to the ways of the world. Thomas a Kempis, the medieval German author of Imitation of Christ, wrote this: “Nothing, how little so ever it be, if it is suffered for God's sake, can pass without merit in the sight of God." We are called to make sacrifices for our faith, rather than to seek the place of honor. May the Lord lead us to humbly continue our journey this holy season of Lent.
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