Have you been away
from receiving the Real Presence of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament? Pray
to St. Paschal. He is the patron Saint of the Holy Eucharist. He will assist
you in receiving Holy Communion.
St. Paschal of Baylon was born on the feast of
Pentecost in the year 1540 at Torre Hermosa in Spain. His parents were poor in
worldly goods but rich in piety and Christian virtue. The child appeared to be
endowed with all the gifts of the Holy Spirit in an eminent degree. He was
joyfully attentive and obedient to the good lessons his parents taught him, and
he so excelled other children of his age in understanding of the divine truths
and zeal for virtue that everyone marveled at it.
As the lowly
position of his parents demanded, Paschal, as a boy, had to tend the cattle of
strangers. Although, due to his work, he took no part in the noisy life of the
other boys, he was, never the less, well liked by them. They had a certain
respect for him, had him settle their quarrels, and willingly accepted
reprimands from him and listened to the Christian instructions he sometimes
gave them.
His employer was so
pleased with Paschal, who had grown to be a strong young man, that one day he
declared to him his intention to adopt him and make him his heir. But the young
man answered gratefully that he wished to remain poor and was minded to
consecrate himself to the service of God in the religious state.
Later, St. Paschal
moved to another province, and at the age of 24 begged for admission as a lay
brother at the convent of the Friars Minor at Monteforte. His request was
granted, and Paschal seemed to run the path of perfection with ease and
alacrity.
St. Pascal was so
humble that he considered himself last of all. At the same time he was so
charitable that he cheerfully assumed the most burdensome duties from other
brothers. He was so strict with his body that he would permit himself no
relaxation even with the most arduous tasks. He was so devoted to prayer that
he spent all his spare time at it.
On the road, while
gathering alms, Saint Paschal fostered a special devotion the Blessed Virgin
Mary, whom he called his Mother, and to the Blessed Sacrament, and it proved a
constant means to rekindle his zeal.
God showed how
pleased He was with his devotion. One day while out-of-doors, Saint Paschal
devoutly knelt down to adore the Blessed Sacrament when the bell announced the
Consecration. At that moment the Blessed Sacrament was presented to him in a
monstrance supported by angels hovering in the air.
In the convent
church St. Pascal was frequently found before the tabernacle prostate or with
his arms outstretched or even rapt in ecstasy. At such times his soul was
flooded with light from above. At any rate, the simple brother, who had never
learned to read or write, could discourse about the deepest mysteries of
religion with marvelous insight to the astonishment of the most learned men.
Because of his
heavenly enlightenment the Father Provincial once sent him from Spain on a very
important matter to the general of the order, who at the time was staying in
France. Paschal made the long and wearisome journey across the Pyrenees
barefoot, traveling through regions infested with fanatical heretics, who on
several occasions sought the life of the religious brother. God’s angel
protected him on his journey to France and back, so that he escaped all danger.
After his return,
Paschal remained the same humble brother as before and advanced in every virtue
until the day of his happy death. He died at Villareal, on the feast day of
Pentecost, the feast of which he was born, May 17, 1592. It was during high
Mass in the convent church, at the moment of the elevation of the Sacred Host,
that Paschal breathed forth his last.
At the funeral,
according to custom, the body of the deceased brother lay on an open stretcher
in the church. When the Blessed Sacrament was raised in the requiem Mass, the
dead body raised itself, bowed to the Sacred Host, repeating the act of
reverence at the elevation of the Chalice, and then lowered itself again.
Eleanora Jorda y
Miedes, who was there, stated: “I went up to Brother Paschal as though he had been alive,
kissed his hands and feet and saw him open his eyes at the Elevation, I was so
astounded that I gave a loud scream.
The body of St.
Paschal was intentionally covered in lime in an attempt to rapidly destroy his
remains. This was done so that there would be no offensive odor from the
decomposing body, and because someone thought that the white bones would look
more impressive.
Miraculously, the
lime had no effect. Father Ximenes was there when the body was later exhumed.
“The lid was raised
and we all approached the shrine and attested the presence of the crust of lime
which concealed the saint from sight. I would not allow anyone else to have the
honor of removing this crust; but detached it bit by bit, beginning with the
portion which covered the face.”
“O heavenly joy! In
proportion as I lifted the veil, the features of our blessed brother were
disclosed, full of life and animation. It was indeed himself, miraculously
preserved in the flesh; intact from head to foot, even down to the tip of the
nose, ordinarily the first part to show signs of decomposition.
“When we raised the
eyelids, the eyes seemed to gaze at us and smile. The limbs were so supple and
flexible that they lent themselves to every movement we imparted to them.
Nothing recalled death, or the presence of a dead body; on the contrary
everything breathed life and brought consolation and joy to the soul. Human
language is inadequate to portray such a spectacle.”
Numerous other
miracles occurred at his grave.
Pope Paul V
beautified Paschal and Alexander Vlll canonized him in the year 1690. Pope Leo
Xlll in 1897 made St. Paschal of Baylon the patron of all Eucharistic societies
and congresses.
Pray the Rosary,
wear the Brown Scapular and receive Holy Communion often or, if you’re not
doing so, ask St. Paschal to assist you.
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