St. Ignatius of Laconi

St. Ignatius of Laconi - May 11th

Ignatius was the son of a poor farmer in Sardinia. Though he was a sickly boy, he worked hard in the fields to help support the family of eleven. When he was about seventeen, he fell ill, and promised to become a Franciscan if he should get better. But when the illness left him, his father said, “We did not promise to do anything in a hurry. It’s the same whether you keep your promise today or next year.” A couple of years later, Ignatius was almost killed when he lost control of his horse. Suddenly, however, the horse stopped and trotted on quietly. Ignatius was convinced, then, that God had saved his life, and he made up his mind to become a religious at once.

Brother Ignatius never had any important position in the Franciscan Order. For fifteen years he worked in the weaving shed of one monastery and then for forty years, until he died at the age of eighty, he was out on the road as a begging friar. Sometimes doors were slammed in his face, sometimes the weather was bad, and always, there were miles and miles to be walked. Yet Ignatius held himself erect, kept calm and cheerful, and did good everywhere he went. He visited the sick, made peace between enemies, converted sinners, and advised people in trouble. He especially loved children, and they loved him so much.

There was one house from which Brother Ignatius never begged anything. The owner was a rich moneylender who made the poor pay back much, much more than they could afford. This man felt humiliated because Ignatius never came to beg from him, and he complained to the Superior of the monastery. The Superior ordered Brother Ignatius to go to that house, because he did not know what kind of man the moneylender was. The Saint obeyed and brought back a large sack of food. It was then that God worked a miracle, for when the sack was emptied, blood dripped out! ‘This is the blood of the poor,” explained the Saint. “That is why I never ask for anything at that house.”

The seventh commandment of God is: “Thou shalt not steal.” Let us be honest and keep our conscience clean, not only when it is a matter of big things, but even small things, such as stealing apples from a neighbor’s tree or by cheating on a test in school.