Patient Endurance

Homily for Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

The subject of the passage from the Letter to the Hebrews that we read today is “patient endurance.” In looking for an example among the Saints for this idea, I started by pulling up a biography of St. Angela Merici, the saint whose memorial we keep today. I discovered quite accidentally that she was indeed a perfect example of patient endurance.

Her mother died when she was but ten years old. She and her older sister went to live with their uncle. Shortly thereafter, her sister also passed away. It was at this time that she joined the Third Order of St. Francis. She started to attract attention because of her very good looks. Because she had already promised to give her life to God, she began to color her hair with soot. When she reached the age of twenty, her uncle died. She returned to her family’s home and set up house on the land that had been left to her in lieu of a dowry. She had a vision that she was to set up an association of young women who would involve themselves in the education of girls. The association was a success and led to her founding a second school in a neighboring town.

At the age of fifty, Angela made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Quite unexpectedly, she was struck blind during the journey to Jerusalem. She persevered in her pilgrimage nonetheless, and on her way home she regained her sight. She made a pilgrimage to Rome during the Holy Year in 1525. Pope Clement VII, who had heard of her success, invited her to stay in Rome. Seeking to avoid the notoriety that came with the invitation, she returned home.

When she was sixty-one years old, she wrote a Rule of Life and gathered a group of twelve young women to form what is now known as the Company of St. Ursula, naming her congregation for the patroness of medieval universities. When she died five years later, there were twenty-four communities who were providing education for young women throughout Italy. She was clothed in the third order habit and buried in the church of St. Afra. The church was completely destroyed during the Second World War. When it was rebuilt after the war, it was named for St. Angela, who had been canonized by Pope Pius VII in 1807.

The Gospel passage from the Gospel of St. Mark for today is the parable of the farmer who sows the seed that mysteriously grows into a plant without the farmer knowing how it happens. The life of St. Angela Merici not only is an example of one who lives with patient endurance through many different difficulties, it also exemplifies the meaning of the parable. Her seemingly insignificant efforts to bring education to young girls grew into a religious community that to this day continues in those efforts.

Each of us has lived lives that are filled with various difficulties or hurdles. Today we celebrate a woman who persevered, who endured both trials and sufferings, and who is remembered today for her valiant efforts.