St. Andrew Avellino – November 10th
This Italian priest was a skillful lawyer before he decided to devote himself only to the care of souls. One day he was defending a friend of his in court and he caught himself telling a lie. That evening, as he was reading the Holy Bible, he came upon these words: “The lying mouth kills the soul.” The more the Saint thought about these words, the more he realized that he had not given enough thought to the things of God.
At the age of thirty-five, he joined a Congregation of priests called Theatines. He worked so hard for souls that he soon became Novice Master and then Superior. St. Charles Borromeo had such a high opinion of him that he asked for him at Milan. In the city of Piacenza he converted many noble ladies and inspired many to become Brides of Christ. It is said that St. Andrew “turned the city upside down.”
The Saint lived until he was eighty-nine, even though he suffered terrible pains for fifty years and always found it hard to walk. Yet he had never taken a carriage or slowed down in his work for God. On the last day of his life, he got up as usual to say Mass. He was so weak that he could hardly reach the altar, but he tried anyway. Just as he started Mass, he fell ill for the last time. That afternoon he died peacefully with his brethren all around him.
This saint told one lie, and after he read the Bible, he was very sorry and did much penance. I too will think over the words of the Bible, “The lying mouth kills the soul,” and will try very hard never to tell any lies.
