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St. Louis IX: Building the Kingdom of Christ
(1214-1270)
The month of August is jam packed with big name saints, including: Alphonsus Ligouri, Clare of Assis, Bernard of Clairvaux and John Marie Vianney, to name a few. Another saint whose feast day is celebrated on August 25th and who may not be as well known, but is just as important, is Louis IX, King of France.
What impresses me the most about Louis IX was his determination and resolve to pray daily and to put his faith into practice. Here was a man who was married, had a nation to govern, eleven children to raise and numerous duties and responsibilities to fulfill. And yet each day he made time for the Lord. He prayed the Divine Office daily and attended Mass regularly. He also put his faith into practice by personally helping the poor and outcasts of his country.
Louis' spiritual life was real in the best sense of the word. He lived his faith and loved it. This is very evident in the spiritual testament he left his son Philip before dying. The letter he left Philip speaks volumes about the spiritual life he led and the type of life he wished Philip to lead. In this letter Louis speaks about virtue, confession, prayer and choosing the right advisors and friends. It is clear that Louis lived what he preached; he gave his faith top priority.
No matter the duties or responsibilities that Louis had to fulfill as king, he never neglected his spiritual life. This is precisely why I believe Louis can be powerful witness to those of us who are married and have families. We are all busy with work, family obligations and other things, but none of this should interfere with our spiritual life. Like Louis we must make time for Jesus each day. By being faithful to Jesus and committed to the spiritual life we will receive the graces we need to live our Catholic faith within the home, place of work and social milieu.
St. Louis IX, pray for us.
For further reading about St. Louis IX visit:
The Catholic Encyclopedia (NewAdvent.org) - St. Louis IX
Patron Saint Index (Catholic-forum.com) - St. Louis IX