SAINT OF THE DAY Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to Gods invitation to use his or her unique gifts. God calls each one of us to be a saint. Click here for other saints celebrated on this date. Wednesday, January 29, 2014 Servant of God Brother Juniper (d. 1258) Would to God, my brothers, I had a whole forest of such Junipers, said Francis of this holy friar. We don’t know much about Juniper before he joined the friars in 1210. Francis sent him to establish places for the friars in Gualdo Tadino and Viterbo. When St. Clare was dying, Juniper consoled her. He was devoted to the passion of Jesus and was known for his simplicity. Several stories about Juniper in the Little flowers of St. Francis illustrate his exasperating generosity. Once Juniper was taking care of a sick man who had a craving to eat pig’s feet. This helpful friar went to a nearby field, captured a pig and cut off one foot, and then served this meal to the sick man. The owner of the pig was furious and immediately went to Juniper’s superior. When Juniper saw his mistake, he apologized profusely. He also ended up talking this angry man into donating the rest of the pig to the friars! Another time Juniper had been commanded to quit giving part of his clothing to the half-naked people he met on the road. Desiring to obey his superior, Juniper once told a man in need that he couldn’t give the man his tunic, but he wouldn’t prevent the man from taking it either. In time, the friars learned not to leave anything lying around, for Juniper would probably give it away. He died in 1258 and is buried at Ara Coeli Church in Rome. Comment: What can we make of Juniper? He certainly seems to be the first of many Franciscan characters. No doubt some of the stories about him have improved considerably in the retelling. Although the stories about Juniper may seem a little quaint, his virtues were not. He was humble because he knew the truth about God, himself and others. He was patient because he was willing to suffer (patience comes from patior meaning to suffer) in his following of Jesus. Quote: It is said that St. Francis once described the perfect friar by citing the patience of Brother Juniper, who attained the state of perfect patience because he kept the truth of his low estate constantly in mind, whose supreme desire was to follow Christ on the way of the cross.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 18:04:10 +0000
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