Optional Memorial of Saint Louis of France
- Mary Jo Barr
- 10 hours ago
- 2 min read
Gospel Matthew 22:34-40
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, tested him by asking, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? "He said to him,"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."
REFLECTION
"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind...The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Saint Louis IX, King of France, prioritized God, pursued justice for his people, and served the poor with humility.
Born in 1214, Louis was the son of King Louis VIII and Queen Blanche of Castile. The queen, a devout Roman Catholic, instilled in her son a love for sacred things.
When Louis' father passed away, he was only 12 years old and inherited the throne. As he was too young to rule, his mother acted as regent until he turned 22.
King Louis IX was dedicated to ensuring justice for his subjects and worked to establish equitable courts. He had a deep compassion for the poor and the sick, leading him to build hospitals. He personally served meals to the needy. As a devoted father to eleven children, he raised them to put their love for God first. The family attended Mass together and shared meals and conversations at the dinner table. He enjoyed hosting Saint Bonaventure and Saint Thomas Aquinas for family discussions.
He co-founded Sorbonne University, constructed Sainte Chapelle to house the relic of the Crown of Thorns, and oversaw the completion of Notre Dame Cathedral, concentrating on the r.osettes and porticos.
While traveling to the Holy Land, he died on August 25, 1270, in Carthage from an illness he could not overcome. Pope Boniface VIII later canonized him as a Saint.
Let us pray that all leaders follow Jesus' command to love the Lord God with all their heart, soul, and mind, and to love their neighbors as themselves.
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