St. Martin of Tours “Redemption is Never Impossible”
Homily: St. Martin of Tours “Redemption is Never Impossible”
Can people change and become holier? Sometimes we may wonder. In our modern world, we can always Google someone and find all the dirt on them. What people did in their youth is never forgotten and people are not allowed to change. Many of the saints would be disqualified as leaders in our world because of their sordid past.
St. Martin of Tours is one of the most popular saints in the Middle Ages. His story is a story of conversion. He lived-in present-day Hungary in the 4th century. His father was a soldier, so Martin was expected to be a soldier. He was part of the imperial guards. As such he was not allowed to resign.
Martin became interested in being a Christian, but that meant that he was not allowed to kill anyone. Christians were not allowed to serve in the military. Martin did resign so he was thrown into prison and called coward. When he was released, he attached himself to St. Hilary of Poitiers.
Eventually Martin began living life in monasteries and as a hermit. Because of his austere life he was rough looking, but he was known for his personal holiness and the people of Tours wanted him as their Bishop. The people lured him into town and made him bishop before he could refuse. He continued to live a simple life in a cell by the cathedral.
St. Martin traversed his diocese. He tried to make sure that those who lived in rural areas would have the opportunity to learn about the faith. He started one of the first seminaries to give priests the training they needed.
There is nothing so faithful as a converted sinner. St. Martin’s zeal for his faith knew no bounds. He spent all his energy in his ministry, and he died in 397 at the age of sixty-one.
Reflection Questions:
- Have I changed my behavior over the course of my life? Can people become holy after they have had a sinful youth?
- What is the best conversion story that I have heard? What did that teach me about holiness?
Dear Parishioners,
Tonight, I had a meeting with parents of the children who will be confirmed at the end of the academic year. This is a challenging time to be a teenager. An important part of being a teen is socializing with others, but there has been less human interaction than ever.
It has been shown that more screen time for young people means more depression and anxiety. Social media does not equate with being socialized. I stressed at the meeting tonight that Confirmation seems like a more important sacrament than it ever has been. Our junior high students need all the graces they can get.
Please pray for candidates in the months ahead as they prepare to complete the Sacraments of Initiation.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over you tonight.
Fr. Mark