a year of prayer: 365 Rosaries

On May 7, we celebrate a recently canonized saint, Saint Rosa Venerini (1656-1728), who Pope Benedict XVI referred to as an “example of a faithful disciple of Christ, ready to give up all in order to do the will of God.” Saint Rosa is a model of obedience and service, dedicating her life to the education, care, and Christian formation of young women in service of Our Lord.


Rosa was born in Viterbo, Italy, the daughter of a talented and prestigious doctor. At age seven, she declared her intentions to consecrate her life to God. Her desire was nourished by her family faith life, and she matured into an educated and sensible young woman with a heart of service and deeply felt spirituality. At age 20, with her father’s encouragement, Rosa entered the Dominican Monastery of Saint Catherine but remained only a few months. Upon the sudden death of her father, Rosa returned home to care for her mother. Tragedy did not stray from the family, with first her brother dying, followed by her mother succumbing to grief and eventual death.

While Rosa nursed her mother, she established a small community of local women whom she invited over each day to recite the Holy Rosary to Our Blessed Mother. In the conversations that took place before and after prayer, Rosa realized that the vast majority of women at that time had little education or knowledge, especially in regards to the formative teachings of the Church. Rosa began instructing these women, under the spiritual direction of a Jesuit priest, Father Ignatius Martinelli.

Upon her mother’s death, Rosa felt called to remain “in the world,” teaching and forming young Christian women, rather than returning to a contemplative monastic life. Her spiritual director encouraged her vocation, understanding it to be the will of the Lord, and with permission from the Bishop of Viterbo, Saint Rosa opened her first school for girls. With her typical grace and sensibility, there was little fanfare—only a small humble sign which read “Public School for Girls in Italy.” Saint Rosa structured her school according to an innovative plan that had matured in prayer and her search for the will of God. Her primary objective was to provide the “girls of the common people” a complete Christian formation and prepare them for life in society.


In addition to her difficult labors in creating schools and converting communities, Rosa ministered to the sick and discouraged, oftentimes healing through prayer. She spent countless hours in mental prayer and communion with the Lord, which she referred to as “essential nourishment for the soul.” Saint Rosa stated, “I feel so nailed to the Will of God that nothing else matters, neither death nor life. I want what He wants; I want to serve Him as much as pleases Him and no more.” She united with love the sufferings, hard work and joys of her own life to the sufferings of Jesus Christ, concerned that His Precious Blood would not be shed in vain.

Saint Rosa died a saintly death in the community of St. Mark’s in Rome on the evening of May 7, 1728. She had opened more than forty schools over her lifetime. Her remains were entombed in the nearby Church of the Gesù, so loved by her. In 1952, on the occasion of her Beatification, they were transferred to the chapel of the Generalate in Rome. In 2006, she was formally canonized by Pope Benedict XVI. During his homily, he stated:

“Saint Rose Venerini is another example of a faithful disciple of Christ, ready to give up all in order to do the will of God. She loved to say: "I find myself so bound to the divine will that neither death nor life is important: I want to live as he wishes and I want to serve him as he likes, and nothing more."


From here, from this surrender to God, sprang the long-admired work that she courageously developed in favor of the spiritual elevation and authentic emancipation of the young women of her time.


Saint Rose did not content herself with providing the girls an adequate education, but she was concerned with assuring their complete formation, with sound references to the Church's doctrinal teaching.


Her own apostolic style continues to characterize the life of the Congregation of the Religious Teachers Venerini which she founded. And how timely and important for today's society is this service, which puts them in the field of education and especially of the formation of women.”



Today, the Maestre Pie Venerini continue to serve and transmit the apostolic concern and charism of their founder, Saint Rosa. The community can be found in Italy, as well as the United States, Switzerland, India, Brazil, Cameroon, Romania, Albania, Chile, Venezuela and Nigeria. In each location, preference is always given to the poor, with both their educational and spiritual needs attended to.

The life of Saint Rosa demonstrates to each of us the call that the Lord gives and our need to be willing to listen and obey. Rosa’s life changed dramatically, and she accomplished great works for the glory of the Lord, because she was willing to listen to Him, to persevere through hardship and opposition, and remain steadfast to her mission and His will. Saint Rosa’s life touched countless souls, and her community continues to do so today. What could each of us accomplish if we courageously submitted to the plan of the Almighty? What radical change in the world are we preventing by failing to do so?

Today, May 5, we remember Saint Hilary of Arles (400-449), a saint called to holiness at a young age, who suffered persecution from within the church late in life for his obedience to the Lord. The life of Saint Hilary suggests to us that even the holiest of men and women struggle with their callings, require assistance and support in prayer and encouragement from their friends and families, and despite their sanctity, are slaves to their human weaknesses.

Hilary was born into a noble family in France, a relative of Saint Honoratus, Archbishop of Arles. Hilary was raised with an extraordinary education, wealth, and privilege, and seemed poised to make his mark on the secular world when Saint Honoratus came to him, urging his entrance into the Abbey at Lerins. Saint Hilary was torn, as the monastic life was not what he had planned, nor had he felt called to completely. He wrote, "On one side, me-thought I saw the Lord calling me; on the other the world offering me its seducing charms and pleasures. How often did I embrace and reject, will and not will the same thing! But in the end Jesus Christ triumphed in me. And three days after Honoratus had left me, the mercy of God, solicited by his prayers, subdued my rebellious soul."

Following his visit with Saint Honoratus, Hillary entered the Abbey at Lerins, eager to embark on his spiritual mission alongside his relative. "What floods of tears," he wrote about Saint Honoratus, "did this true friend shed to soften the hardness of my heart! How often did he embrace me with the most tender and compassionate affection, to obtain of me that I would take into serious consideration the salvation of my soul! Yet, by an unhappy victory, I still remained conqueror." Honoratus, finding his endeavors to wean him from the charms of a deceitful world not completely effective, turned to prayer, saying to our soon-to-be-Saint, "I will obtain of God, what you will not now grant me."

At the young age of 29, Hilary was chosen as Archbishop of Arles—an appointment he resisted in humility-- succeeding Honoratus. He became known for his austerities, despite his appointed role, his mortification and penance, and for the love he showed to his community of faith—the “congregation” as he referred to them (possibly the first to do so). He spent his days in manual labor, raising money for the poor, and was quick to sell church property in ransom for captives. He traveled everywhere on foot, preaching, and converting many through the gift of persuasive oration provided to him by the Lord. Able to easily tailor his language to the education level of the listener, Saint Hilary was fond of saying phrases similar to, “You will not so easily get out of hell, if you are once unhappily fallen into its dungeons!" as warning to sinners.

Upon his appointment, Saint Hilary sold all the property he had inherited, distributing the money raised to the poor and to financially struggling monastic communities. He became a model of prayer, fasting, charity, and virtue. His zeal for the holy life raised the attention and anger of others in leadership roles in the Church, to whom Hilary’s zeal appeared hasty and disobedient. In his exuberance to spread the word of God, he occasionally made powerful governmental adversaries in a time when the power of the pope had not yet been fully established. Indeed, in speaking out on many issues, Saint Hilary—in his humanity-- made mistakes which led to his eventual reprimand by Pope Leo, and the stripping of his title. Eventually, through this time of trial, Saint Hilary refined his virtue, furthering his humility, patience, submissiveness, and obedience. After some time, he was restored by the patient pope, and served the Lord until his death at age 49. While some doubted his methods, none had ever doubted his piety and holiness.

Not only was Saint Hilary a gifted orator, he also wrote several treatises on God, some of which survive today. "We are all equal," he wrote, "in Jesus Christ; and the highest degree of our nobility is to be of the number of the true servants of God. Neither science, nor birth, according to this world, can exalt us, but in proportion to our contempt of them."

“The Lord taught by way of example that the glory of human ambition must be left behind when he said, “The Lord your God shall you adore and him only shall you serve.” And when he announced through the prophets that he would choose a people humble and in awe of his words, he introduced the perfect Beatitude as humility of spirit. Therefore he defines those who are inspired as people aware that they are in possession of the heavenly kingdom. Nothing belongs to anyone as being properly one’s own, but all have the same things by the gift of a single parent. They have been given the first things needed to come into life and have been supplied with the means to use them.”

The life of Saint Hilary is one of struggle to be obedient. His plans for his life were not what the Lord had in mind, and he struggled to obey—relying not only on his own merit but on the prayers and support of his family. At age 29, Saint Hilary resisted his appointment as Archbishop, but eventually was obedient to the Lord’s will and served with zeal. Even in his older age, Saint Hilary struggled with submissiveness to the pope, but through prayer and penance was able to again overcome his human weakness.

Oftentimes we think of the lives of the saints as perfect and smooth. Saint Hilary’s life reminds us that human struggles are part of the Lord’s plan for us, part of His calling to us, part of our refining process. Through prayer, penance, and fasting, Saint Hilary overcame his human weakness, increasing his obedience, and submitting himself to the will of God—but it wasn’t easy, and it took his entire life! We are encouraged by Saint Hilary when we, ourselves, struggle—that while we work to understand and follow the Lord’s will, our time on earth (while never smooth and easy) will yield holy fruit if we strive for virtue!


A Prayer for the Virtue of Obedience

Jesus, Almighty King of kings, You Who obeyed Your Father to the end, Teach me the meaning of obedience. My soul burns to comply to Your Will, Striving to charm Your Divinity. While my worldly nature seeks one way, My spiritual nature seeks another. Bless me with the strength to obey, That my soul may subdue both natures, Blending them as a fair aromatic bloom. I always seek favor in Your eyes, To always obey You until my last breath!

Today, June 23, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Etheldreda (also known as Saint Audrey, 636-379), ascetic, queen, and foundress of the “double monastery” at Ely. Against earthly pressures, and through divine intervention, Saint Etheldreda maintained her personal consecration to the Lord, remaining a virgin and engaging in ascetic pursuits despite her noble station. Her perseverance in faith and commitment to a life of prayer and service is remarkable still today.


Born in Northumbria, the daughter of a king, Etheldreda was brought up in a God-fearing household. From an early age, Etheldreda had but one goal: to consecrate herself entirely to the Lord through entrance into a religious order. Etheldreda longed to fully serve with her life, her wealth, and her actions. Her father, on the other hand, had other plans for her. For political reasons, Etheldreda was married (at quite a young age) to a prince named Tonbert, from who she received a track of land on the Isle of Ely. For three years the couple lived together, and due to her young age and commitment to sanctity, Etheldreda was able to maintain her purity. Upon Tonbert’s untimely death, she relocated to the Isle of Ely, where she intended to devote herself to entirely spiritual pursuits.

However, it was not to be. Her father, again sensing political opportunity, arranged for a second marriage, this time to the young son of the powerful king of Northumbria, Egfrith. Etheldreda obeyed her father’s wishes, but chose to live in the royal palace as a sister to the king, rather than a wife. This was not problematic, due to the youth of the boy, who would sit at Etheldreda’s feet, learning Scripture from her. For twelve years, Etheldreda engaged in purely ascetic activities, forgoing the accoutrements and privilege of her position, and maintaining her purity. Etheldreda became known for devoting her time to works of mercy and love, while observing a scrupulous regularity of discipline.

At the age of twenty-four, Egfrith ascended to the throne of Northumbria, becoming king. As Queen, Etheldreda delighted in the society of monks and nuns, and took care to invite and attract to her those most distinguished for learning and piety. Among these was St. Cuthbert, the young Prior of Lindisfarne, upon whose monastery she bestowed many gifts from her own private property. Over time, Etheldreda became friends with Saint Wilfrid, her confessor, who on her behalf, encouraged the king to allow her to retire for some years to the Convent at Coldingham Abbey. There, she lived as a sister, having received the veil from Saint Wilfrid himself. Her husband, the king, shortly after consenting to her departure from the royal court, changed his mind and pursued her. When Saint Wilfrid pleaded on her behalf, the king made his intentions known: he would find Etheldreda and bring her back to the court by force, where he would consummate his marital privileges.

Etheldreda fled toward her land on the Isle of Ely, with the king in pursuit. She took refuge on a headland on the southern coast of England where a miracle prevented further advance of the king. While she was standing on a large outcropping of rock, the tide rose such that it created an island of refuge for the saint, water surrounding her. Etheldreda remained in this island refuge for seven days, until her royal spouse, recognizing the divine will, agreed to leave her in peace.

Etheldreda, freed from her marriage, continued on her trek to the Isle of Ely. On one extremely hot day during her travels, legend tells us that Etheldreda was overpowered with fatigue. She stuck her staff into the ground and lay down to rest on the open plain. When she awoke, the staff had put forth leaves and branches, and it afterwards became a mighty oak tree, larger than any other for many miles around.

At length, after many days of weary walking, the saint arrived on her own lands in Ely. There, she established a “double monastery,” shepherding both nuns and monks. Saint Wilfrid appointed her abbess, and she governed the abbey for many years, serving as advisor to the pope and other Church officials during that time. Etheldreda ruled over her monastery for seven years, setting a great example of piety and abstinence and all other monastic virtues. Though of royal lineage, and having been delicately reared, Etheldreda abstained from all luxuries. She never wore any linen, but only rough woolen clothing. She denied herself the use of the warm bath, only using the bath that had already served the other nuns. Many of her old friends, relations, and courtiers followed her and her example, engaging in ascetic practices, discipline, and prayer. The monastery grew considerably under her holy leadership

Not only holy and a model of virtue in shepherding her people to the Lord, Etheldreda also was graced with the gift of prophecy. Most notable of her prophecies was that of her own death by plague, and the exact number of her monks and nuns who would be carried off by the same epidemic. True to her prophesy, Etheldreda died of a quinsy, a form of plague which led to the development of a large tumor upon her neck. Etheldreda, never complaining about the pain or the sight of the growth, regarded is as a punishment for her former love of fine clothing, and, in particular, for having worn jewels on her neck.

Seventeen years after her death, Saint Wilfrid and Saint Etheldreda’s physician discovered her body to be incorrupt. The incision that had been made into her tumor shortly before she died had miraculously healed in death. (Saint Etheldreda remains the patron of sufferers of throat complaints.) The linen cloths in which her body was wrapped were as fresh as the day she had been buried. Her body was placed in a stone sarcophagus and reburied at the Abbey. Unfortunately, the tomb of Saint Etheldreda was desecrated during the English Reformation, with only the incorrupt hand of the blessed saint surviving. Her relics remain at St Etheldreda's Roman Catholic church at Ely, where many miracles have been reported through her intercession.

The life of Saint Etheldreda reminds us that we cannot truly be servants of Christ when our souls are distracted by the pleasures and desires of the world. In her wisdom, Saint Etheldreda gave up her wealth, station, and privilege, instead choosing to live the ascetic life of a abbess, guiding people to Christ and contributing to His kingdom on earth. We might take a lesson from Saint Etheldreda today, examining what binds us to the world, preventing us from truly and fully serving our Creator.



Eternal God,
who bestowed such grace upon your servant Etheldreda
that she gave herself wholly to the life of prayer
and to the service of your true religion:
grant that we, like her,
may so live our lives on earth seeking your kingdom
that by your guiding
we may be joined to the glorious fellowship of your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Today, May 15, marks the feast day of a saint remembered for his hard work, humility, and visions, Saint Isidore the Farmer (also known as Isidore the Laborer, 1060-1120). Saint Isidore, along with his wife, Saint Maria de la Cabeza (due to the custom of carrying her head in procession to bring down rain in times of drought-- who is sometimes venerated with her husband on May 15, but is commemorated on her own feast day in September), are the patron saints of farmers, good harvest, and humble work in the fields of the Lord.

Saint Isidore was born in Madrid, Spain, where he worked the majority of his life in the fields. At a very young age—when Isidore was just old enough to carry a hoe—he entered the service of a wealthy Spanish landowner, John de Vergas, and proceeded to work humbly and diligently in the fields for the remainder of his life (60 years!). He married his wife, Maria Torribio, also humble and holy, and together they had one son, who died as a child. Following his death, both Isidore and Maria vowed to live lives of perfect continence.

Isidore lifted all that he did to the Lord, praying each day behind the plow. He rose early each morning, attending Mass, and spent the majority of his days off from work praying in the churches of Madrid. His master was accepting (but suspicious) of his devotion, even when Isidore would arrive late to work as time escaped him in prayer! When his master questioned him, Isidore replied: "Sir, it may be true that I am later at my work than some of the other laborers, but I do my utmost to make up for the few minutes snatched for prayer; I pray you compare my work with theirs, and if you find I have defrauded you in the least, gladly will I make amends by paying you out of my private store." His master, still suspicious, followed Isidore to church one morning, and then back to the fields. Holy legend recounts that upon this occasion (and others), angels came down from Heaven, dressed in white and working the plow behind teams of snow-white oxen in his absence. The angels were three times as productive as a man, so how could an employer complain! Running to Isidore, Senor Vergas questioned him as to who they were. Isidore replied, “Sir, I work alone and know of none save God to whom I look for strength." He continued, "I know, sir, that I am your servant but I have another Master as well, to Whom I owe service and obedience." Recognizing his sanctity, generosity, and humility, and having witnessed these miraculous events, Senor Vergas treated Isidore with the utmost respect throughout his life, looking to him for spiritual guidance and advice.

Isidore and Maria were both known for their love of the poor, and the miraculous food they could produce for those who were starving. Saint Isidore is further remembered for his great kindness to the animals of the farm, concerned with their proper treatment, and treating them as creatures of the Lord. In times of drought an famine, Isidore was known to miraculously produce food for not only people, but for large flocks of birds and other animals. Additional miracles attributed to the intercession of Saint Isidore include bringing back to life the daughter of his master following an accident, the appearance of a miraculous well of fresh water during drought, and many others.

Isidore died at the age of sixty and his body was interred in a local cemetery. Forty years after his death, his body—found to be incorrupt-- was transferred from the cemetery to the church of St. Andrew. King Philip III of Spain was cured of a deadly disease by touching the relics of the saint, and subsequently, he replaced the old reliquary with a costly silver one. Numerous additional miracles of healing have been reported at his tomb.

The lives of Saints Isidore and Maria remind us that humble work and charity are sanctified by God. The simple faith of these two saints, and their concern and love for all of God’s creatures around them, allowed the working of miracles. God’s own angels descended from Heaven to assist in their daily chores, chores that they lifted to the Lord in prayer, humility, and obedience. We are reminded that the work we undertake in our everyday lives—however menial it may seem to us—is important in the eyes of the Lord. Our everyday toils are opportunities for us to life our gaze to Heaven, offering the work of our hands as joyful praise to God as His obedient, humble servants.



O God, Who didst give Thy people blessed Isidore as a minister of eternal salvation, we beseech Thee; grant that we may deserve to have him as an intercessor in heaven, whom we had as a teacher of life on earth.


O God, who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil, and who through Jesus Christ, the true vine, revealed yourself the husbandman of our souls, deign, we pray, through the merits of blessed Isidore, to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a love of prayer, so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow, we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven, through the same Christ our Lord.


O God, through the intercession of St. Isidore, the holy Farmer, grant that we may overcome all feelings of pride. May we always serve You with that humility which pleases You, through his merits and example.


O holy Isidore and Maria, continue to intercede for those who work the fields and grow our daily food. Ask our Merciful God to continue to bless their efforts to produce abundant food and fiber.


We ask your prayerful aid in the cultivation of the fields of our hearts. Help us through God’s grace to grow in holiness and accept the grace-filled opportunities God gives to us in our work, our marriages and our everyday lives.


O holy Isidore, intercede with our Lord to send angels to aid us in opening our hearts so that one day, enlightened by God’s wisdom and having grown in God's likeness, we may join you and all the Saints in Heaven.


O Most Holy Trinity, you have created us out of your love. We pray that we will always recognize your presence in all that we are, all that we do, and all that we will become.


Help us realize that your Message of Salvation is found in all of Creation -- the fields, the plants, living water, fresh air, all creatures, love for one another.


We await in joy and hope for the day, O Merciful God, when we will be united with You in your Heavenly Kingdom. Amen.

Today, December 16, we celebrate the feast day of Blessed Honoratus Kozminski (1829-1916), preacher, confessor, and comforter of prisoners. Brother Honoratus is a model of courage, faith, and obedience.


Born Wencesalo Kozminski in Biala Podlaska, Poland, this holy man was raised in a Christian family. Not especially pious, Wencesalo was at first educated at home, later completed his primary schooling in Plock, and then traveled to Warsaw where he attended the College of Fine Arts in pursuit of an architecture degree. Influenced by political events of the time, Wencesalo experienced a “crisis of faith,” during which time he left the Church. Shortly thereafter, he was arrested and jailed on suspicion of rebellious political affiliations. During his nearly one year of imprisonment, he contracted Typhus, and was unlikely to survive. It was in captivity, sick with fever, that Wencesalo turned back to the Lord.

Upon release from jail, he entered the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin in Warsaw, completing his novitiate in Lubartow, and taking the name Honoratus. Ordained a priest, he dedicated himself to an intense pastoral care and founded over 26 religious institutes, 18 of which exist today. He preached devotion to Our Blessed Mother to all who would listen, especially as the Polish church attempted to separate from Rome.

Brother Honoratus fought against the power that he wanted to pull the Tsarist Polish church from Rome. His order was banned from the country, but he continued to act as the commissioner general of the Capuchins. Honoratus continued to train novices, spread the Gospel, teach Christian values and virtues, and practice the rules of the Third Order. He formed many congregations and institutes, most of which lived according to the rules of the Order, but without living in monasteries or wearing the habit. This “underground” community found their faith in ordinary life, hidden from the authorities, but very much alive in the spirit of Christ!

In 1906, various local bishops sought the reorganization of the 26 congregations founded by Brother Honoratus, having received papal approval, under their authority. Honoratus eloquently defended their independence, but was removed from their direction in 1908. Rather than complain, he promptly urged the members of these congregations to obey the Church’s decisions regarding their future. He said: “Christ’s Vicar himself has revealed God’s will to us, and I carry out this order with greatest faith.... Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that you are being given the opportunity to show heroic obedience to the holy Church.”

A prolific writer and spiritual director, Brother Honoratus was sought out in the confessional. He spent hours each day hearing confessions until his health prevented him from continuing this practice, and hand wrote over 4,000 letters to those he directed, offering spiritual guidance and encouragement. These letters are preserved in the archives of Warsaw, along with numerous sermons, a spiritual diary, and the “encyclopedia of Mary” he penned.

Blessed Honoratus died in Nowe Miasto in 1916, where his body rests. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in October 1988. In briefly reviewing his life, we find in Brother Honoratus a man caught up in political struggles—many of which endangered his life. When confronted with an obstacle to practicing his faith, he found another way to live and preach the Christian life. When the world handed him disheartening news, he reacted with joy in obedience. In this holy man, we find a indomitable spirit of perseverance and love for the Lord—a message we could all take a lesson from!

A Prayer for the Virtue of Obedience

Jesus, Almighty King of kings, You Who obeyed Your Father to the end, Teach me the meaning of obedience. My soul burns to comply to Your Will, Striving to charm Your Divinity. While my worldly nature seeks one way, My spiritual nature seeks another. Bless me with the strength to obey, That my soul may subdue both natures, Blending them as a fair aromatic bloom. I always seek favour in Your eyes, To always obey You until my last breath!




Year 2: Day 350 of 365
Prayer Intentions: Obedience; Perseverance.
Requested Intentions: Financial security, successful employment (J); Obedience to God’s will (A); Conversion of souls (A); Success of business venture; faith of daughter (S); Safe return home (J); Recovery of mother and son; repose of the souls of the dearly departed (A); Blessings upon a relationship (M); Sobriety and recovery for a son (M); Employment and successful marriage (A); Employment, healing, freedom from anxiety (T); Financial security (C); Conversion (T); Peace in difficult times at work (E); Financial security and blessings for mother and children (T); Financial security for a mother (M); Health, finances, successful marriage (A); Successful resolution of court case for son (K); Continued sobriety (N); Healing of a chronic health condition (B); Successful employment (A): Peace in a family, recovery of a niece from substance use (L); Blessings on a marriage, healing of a husband (P); For the health and recovery of sisters (B); For a daughter and granddaughter (D); Blessings on overseas employment (M); Healing of mother (L).

Today, December 5, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Sabas (also known as Sabas the Sanctified, 439-532), one of the most renowned monks of Palestine, and founder of the Monastery at Mar Saba (where Saint John Damascene and Saint Stephen of Mar Saba, among many others, studied).


Sabas was born in Palestine, near Caesarea. As a child he was orphaned, and was sent to live with an uncle who treated him poorly. At the age of fifteen, weary from his strained family relations and mistreatment, Sabas committed himself in service to the Lord, entering a monastery close to his family’s home. Forsaking the world, he spent ten years in religious life, unable to be persuaded to leave. Despite being the youngest of the monks in the monastery, Sabas demonstrated admirable virtue as was looked upon with great respect and love by his brothers. Upon pressure from his remaining family, who continuously besieged him with requests to give up religious life, he asked, “Do you want me to be a deserter, leaving God after placing myself in His service? If those who abandon the militia of earthly kings are severely punished, what chastisement would I not deserve if I abandoned that of the King of heaven?”

As he reached the age of thirty, Saint Sabas desired greater solitude, so that he might more completely contemplate the goodness of the Lord. He left the monastery in Palestine and began dwelling as a hermit, in a cave near Jerusalem. There, he spent his days in prayer, singing Psalms, and weaving baskets from palm branches. His life of quiet contemplation was uninterrupted for nearly 15 years, at which point others living as hermits in the region began seeking him out for spiritual direction. Sabas granted each who arrived a cell nearby to his own, and before long, the largest monastery in Palestine had been built.

Sallustus, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, noting Sabas’ good works, ordained him a priest, so that he might celebrate Mass for those in his direction. He further ordained Sabas Superior of the monasteries of Palestine, and ordered that the monks obey his rules and honor his requests. Some were displeased by these orders, and Sabas, our of humility, retired from the community to a cavern near Scythopolis.

As recorded by of Saint: Euthymius, Sabas went into a great cave to pray, unknowingly entering the cave of a great lion out for the hunt. At midnight the beast returned and finding this guest, dared not touch him, but taking him gently by his garments, plucked him as if it had been to draw him out. “The saint was no ways affrighted or troubled, but began leisurely and with much devotion to recite aloud the midnight psalms. The lion went out, and when the holy man had finished matins, came in again and pulled him by the skirts of his clothes as he had done before.” Sabas spoke to the lion, stating that the cave was large enough to house both of them. The lion at those words departed, and returned no more.

After some time, during which he converted many souls who visited him, he returned to his role as Superior. He was placed over seven monasteries, and began exerting influence not only in Palestine, but in Constantinople as well. Saint Sabas advocated for the Catholics in Constantinople who were suffering greatly under the rule of Emperor Elias. He wrote letter after letter, begging the emperor for fairer treatment of the Church, fewer taxes, and an end to persecution. Eventually, the emperor died and was replaced with Emperor Justin, a pious man who restored the true faith.

When Saint Sabas was ninety-one years old, he made the long journey to Constantinople to ask Emperor Justinian, successor to Justin, not to punish the Palestinians who had revolted against their neighboring Samarians. Impressed by his piety and pleas, the emperor honored his wishes, further offering to endow all the monasteries of Saint Sabas with great wealth. However, Sabas asked instead that the monies be used for several important purposes: to build a hospice for pilgrims in Jerusalem, to decorate the unfinished Church of the Blessed Virgin, to build a fortress where the monks could take refuge when barbarians invaded the land, and to re-establish preaching of the true Faith by edicts proscribing the various errors being propagated. Emperor Justinian honored all the requests of the holy father, who returned to the monastery at Mar Saba—his first monastery. That is where he died, and the age of ninety two. Today the monastery (one of the four oldest in the world) is still inhabited by monks of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and St. Sabas is regarded as one of the most noteworthy figures of early monasticism.



The life of Saint Sabas is one of service, great love for the Lord, and obedience to His commands. Despite a prolonged desire for solitude and contemplation, everywhere Sabas journeyed, he was sought out by those needing his spiritual direction. Realizing the role that the Lord had in store for him, he gave all that he had to those in his charge, leading many future saints to the Lord. Today, on the feast of Saint Sabas, we pray to emulate both his obedience and faith.


A Prayer for the Virtue of Obedience



Jesus, Almighty King of kings, You Who obeyed Your Father to the end, Teach me the meaning of obedience. My soul burns to comply to Your Will, Striving to charm Your Divinity. While my worldly nature seeks one way, My spiritual nature seeks another. Bless me with the strength to obey, That my soul may subdue both natures, Blending them as a fair aromatic bloom. I always seek favour in Your eyes, To always obey You until my last breath! Amen.



Year 2: Day 339 of 365
Prayer Intentions: Obedience and faith.
Requested Intentions: Financial security for a mother (M); Health, finances, successful marriage (A); Successful resolution of court case for son (K); Continued sobriety (N); Healing of a chronic health condition (B); Successful employment (A): Peace in a family, recovery of a niece from substance use (L); Blessings on a marriage, healing of a husband (P); For the health and recovery of sisters (B); For a daughter and granddaughter (D); Blessings on overseas employment (M); Healing of mother (L); Successful employment for husband (G); Successful employment, personal fulfillment (C); Health and recovery of ill sister (A); Resolution of legal issues; Grace and protection (E); Successful and meaningful employment (S); Restoration of a marriage (A); Peace and tolerance in a family, support for those with Parkinson’s Disease (M); For the restoration of a daughter’s marriage, end to debt (S); Employment and continued strength (K); Successful examinations for a son (J); Employment and blessings of a child (S); Employment and financial security (F); Successful work placement, continued health (A); Grace and healing for a family (P); Healing of a father (M).