The Miraculous Intercession of St. Philomena
Summary of Headings
- St. Philomena's Miraculous Martyrdom
- The Power of Her Intercession
- Miracles in Our Lives
- Charity and Love for God
- The Good Samaritan and Martyrdom
- Living a Life of Charity
St. Philomena's Miraculous Martyrdom
It is truly a singular grace that we get to have St. Philomena here with us. She's a completely unique saint on so many levels. For one thing, the story of her martyrdom is extraordinary because of how many times they tried to kill her and couldn't. They tried to sink her with an anchor. Somehow she survived that. They tried to shoot her with arrows. Three times the arrows deviated around her and then they went in a different direction and then they actually went back against the very executioners who were shooting at her. She had so many... She was baffled.
She was buried and for many centuries just forgotten.
The Power of Her Intercession
Just forgotten entirely. And it was by her revelations to different people, all the same message, completely unique and different people who had never met each other, that she was rediscovered and that she was canonized as a result. She's called the little wonder worker for a reason. Because she is someone who... She's one of the saints who performs most miracles. She just pours out the miracles onto this earth. And that's actually the reason why she could be canonized despite the fact that we don't have an objective record of hers. Because the number and quantity and immensity of her miracles were so extraordinary that in a certain sense her miracles canonized her.
Now, when we have a problem, when we have difficulties in our lives, when we're concerned or scared or frustrated or we're going through a very bad time or we're confused or whatever else, many times what we do is we complain or we sit around or we try to figure out in the most logical possible way what's the way to go forward. Or we don't do much of it, much anything at all. We just kind of let it sort itself out. But here's a novel idea. Go to Philomena. Go to Saint Philomena. When we are in... pain or difficulty, go to Saint Philomena. If we need to be relieved of our burdens
Miracles in Our Lives
and we need to be soothed of our pain, go to her. Ask her for help. Ask her for guidance. Ask her for protection. Saint John Vianney insisted that the only reason he was able to get anything done in Ars, building the new church, all the things that he did there, all the marvelous things that he did there, while spending 16 hours a day in the confessional, was because of Saint Philomena's intercession. That's why he was insistent. He called her his little wonder worker. He was the one who said, go to Philomena for everything. I think we can all agree that the situation in the world and the church desperately needs help.
Most of us, if not all of us, have somebody in our family who desperately needs help. Most of us, if not all of us, in our own lives, at some point, will or have needed help. It's time to go to her. Certainly for the things as comparatively minute as building of a new church, which, yes, I'm very well aware of how long and hard that's been, but even something like that, it needs to be under her auspices completely. She is the one who is going to be guiding and moving all of the activity that goes on out there. She is the one who is bringing forth the message, bringing forth good things, even when it seems like it's hopeless.
If you remember, the city was completely opposed to us building a church on our other property. They were completely opposed to the very idea of another church so close to all the other churches. But then somehow, through Novena de Saint Philomena, poof, we have a new property, a much bigger one, and the city is all in favor of our construction. It's a small example. There are many miracles that are already existing here in this chapel, babies who were born thanks to Saint Philomena, sicknesses that were healed thanks to Saint Philomena. She is the bedrock of so many of these miracles.
Why does she do this? Why does she do this? Is it just to prove that she's a saint? Is it just to prove how powerful and wonderful she is? Is it just to encourage devotion to her? No. She's not like the gods of Greek mythology who depended upon the prayers of humanity and therefore would do great things to encourage prayers to them. That's not at all what this is like. Why would she do this? The answer is very simple. Charity. She loves us. She loves us because she loves God above all things. How do we know she loves God above all things? Two reasons. One, she's a martyr.
And two, because of her miracles. She's a martyr. She is in heaven. And we know that because of her miracles. So she loves God above all things because she's with him. And she loves God above all things because she died for him. By happy coincidence today, the gospel of today for the 12th Sunday after Pentecost is the story of the Good Samaritan when the lawmaker challenges our Lord and says, our Lord says, how can I be saved? And our Lord says, well, what does the commandment say? Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, with thy whole mind, with thy whole soul, with all thy strength, and thy neighbor as thyself.
And the man wanted to show off how virtuous he was. And so he said, well, then who is my neighbor? And our Lord told him the great parable of the Good Samaritan. That the priest and the Levite, seeing the man who was wounded on the side of the road, moved past him. And actually, according to some people, they moved a distance away from the road, in a certain sense kind of crossed the road to avoid even getting close to him so that they could keep walking, according to some commentaries. But the Samaritan stops. For context, the Samaritans were hated by the Jews. They were considered to be nothing short of pagans dressing up as if they were Jews.
They were considered to be foreigners and invaders on the land that belonged to the Jews. The Israelites did not like the Samaritans. They hated them and they wanted them out. They had to put up with them because the Romans protected all of them. The Israelites as well as the Samaritans. But they did not like them. And the Samaritan, despite the fact that he was one of this hated class, still showed compassion and love to that person. Still took care of him. Now I bring this up because one of the most remarkable things about the martyrs, the stories of the martyrs throughout the centuries, is precisely their charity.
Charity and Love for God
If we look at the example of St. Thomas More, he prayed for the king who was executing him at the moment of his execution. And he protested before everybody, I am the king's good man but God's first. The proto -martyr, St. Stephen, his final words were, do not let this sin, be counted towards them. He wanted to defend and forgive his executioners. It wasn't just charity to the people who deserved it, it was charity to everybody. Even the executioners, even the ones who were attacking and killing them. That is the spirit of the martyr. How can they possibly do that? That is not something that is easily done because humanly speaking, we react when somebody attacks us or hurts us, because our reaction is normally one of anger or pain.
And that makes us pull away from somebody else or attack them in return. How is it then that they could be charitable at such an extraordinary moment? How is it that St. Philomena could be so extraordinarily charitable to those who were executing her? Because she loved God above all things. Because they were giving their lives for God. And by the by, that is the vocation of each and every one of us. Not to die as martyrs, but to live as people who are perfectly united to God.
The Good Samaritan and Martyrdom
People who love God above all things. More than our families. More than Monday night football. More than anything on this earth. We are called to love God above all things. To love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, thy whole soul, thy whole mind, and all thy strength. That is our vocation. And as a result, it pours out from that love that we have for God, it pours out into everybody else. Charity is not just a series of actions. When we talk about charity, we humanize it. Charity is giving food to the poor. It is taking care of each other. Feeding the, caring for the sick.
It is giving food to the poor. Burying the dead. The corporal and spiritual works of mercy. That is not charity. Those are actions that can be charitable. That are charitable materially. But charity is a state of soul. Charity is the influence and the guide behind everything that we do. If we are truly possessed of the love of God, if we are truly convinced of the love of God, knowing that God loves us so much that he sacrificed his only begotten son for us, so much that he continues to sacrifice him in the mass, so much so that he actually calls us to union with him.
We, poor sinful creatures. He actually calls us to perfect union with him. Us. That is how much he loves us. He is willing to overlook all the wounds and offenses, all the sins that we have committed. If we just love him, if we just turn to him and try to unite ourselves to him, if we try to bind ourselves to him, that is the love of the martyrs. That is the love of Saint Philomena. The sacrificial love that binds herself completely to God, choosing him even over her own life. Choosing him above everything else. And that is the love of Saint Philomena. That is why she is so miraculous.
That love for her executioners, that love for all of us who have received her miracles, that love for the church that has regrettably in recent years abused her. First, taking away her mass. Secondly, desacralizing her. So now it's almost impossible to find her relics because they're not allowed to distribute them anymore. Doing all that she can to help her. And all the offending her so greatly. And yet she pours out her miracles still. And she will continue to do so. Why? Because she is filled with the love of God. And she loves each and every one of us. All of that means that we should have absolutely no shame in asking for miracles.
The bigger the better. To quote a rather worldly phrase, go big or go home. Ask her for the world. Ask her to convert souls who you don't see any hope of converting. Ask her to heal the sick that have no chance of recovery. Ask her to soothe the pain of people who can't be comforted. Ask her to give faith to those who do not want to know God. Ask her for anything and everything. Do not be frightened that she will turn you down. Someone who loves as she does, as generously as she does, won't ever turn us down. It may not be in our timeline. It may not be in the way that we think.
But she won't fail us. Have faith in Philomena. But also, very importantly, don't just ask her for miracles. Ask her to teach you and teach us all how to love as she loved. To consecrate our lives, to sacrifice our lives for the love of God. To love him above all things, with our whole heart, with our whole mind, with our whole soul, and with all our strength. Because this is how we can also be the participants in her love and the love of God, so that we also may be able to perform miracles. Not because of us, but because the love of God flows through us. That we may live a life of charity, not through individual actions, but through every breath we breathe.
Through every word we say, the love of God pours out of us and helps others. And takes care of others. Just as Philomena does. Go to Philomena, and do not be ashamed of what you have to ask her. Do not think it will be too much. Because she has the infinite love of God pouring through her, and she has proven time and time again there's nothing more she loves than to do the impossible. Trust in her, love her, ask her for anything, and ask her in particular to teach us how to love, so that we may be eternally united with her and our Father in heaven. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Living a Life of Charity
Amen.
Summary
St. Philomena is celebrated for her extraordinary life and the numerous miracles attributed to her. Despite attempts on her life, her survival and subsequent miracles led to her canonization, making her a powerful intercessor for those in need. The homily emphasizes the importance of seeking St. Philomena's intercession in times of difficulty. Her miracles serve as a testament to her deep love for God and humanity, inspiring us to turn to her for guidance and support. Through the example of St. Philomena, we are encouraged to live a life of charity and love for God. Her story reminds us of the power of divine love and the impact of living a life dedicated to God.