Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 25, 2020
Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest.
He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
Reflection
New Orleans, my birth city, today celebrates Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday! Clear out that fridge and FEAST; for tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the Lenten fast.
On Mardi Gras, the song “When the Saints Go Marching In” floats above the crowds. Since my mom attended childhood Masses at the historically black All Saints Parish, I rooted for Saints in many ways: “Oh how I want / to be / in that number … when the saints / go / mar-ching in!”
Yet in 2020, of all canonized saints, not even one “in that number” is African American. Indeed, during slavery and its wake, African Americans were denied holy sacraments because of race; and no U.S. seminaries would train Blacks to serve as signs of holiness — priests in persona Christi. But today we celebrate with hope and joy the expectation of our first African American saint.
Today’s epistle reading from the Letter of James says that God gives “a greater grace” to the humble. Our example of that grace is Venerable Fr. Augustus Tolton.
Tolton was born into slavery in Missouri in 1854. Tolton’s mother, Martha, escaped into the free state of Illinois with her children and later told her son, “Never forget the good things God has done!”
Tolton was raised and educated in the Catholic faith in Qunicy, Illinois. You can read a brief biographical sketch of his life from FaithND here. Tolton wished to become a priest but was rejected by every seminary in America because of his race. Fortunately, he was accepted to study in Rome.
Tolton never expected to be ordained a priest for ministry in America; but, in 1886, Cardinal Simeoni said: “America has been called the most enlightened nation. We will see whether it deserves that honor.” Tolton became the first African American Catholic priest. No longer would he merely dream of freedom; his humility had earned him “a greater grace” to help free souls from sin!
Tolton’s work lived up to his high calling. His ministry created a solid foundation that African American Catholics communities are still building on to this very day.
As the only ordained African American in my diocese, I often call upon Fr. Tolton for prayers and inspiration. It’s stunning that Augustus Tolton–an African American like me–who was born into slavery and humbly spent his life witnessing to a greater grace, may go marching in with saints! Oh, what a feast that would be for America!
Prayer
My Lord and my God, I want all too often more than I deserve. I find myself acting in a childish manner, taking the toy I want and taking it now. You call us to grow up, to be not childish in selfishness, but child-like in simple trust that God knows and loves best. We are not very good at being the first to trust. Perhaps we can be humble at being among the last to understand God’s ways. We pray this prayer through Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Saint of the Day
Even though she lived in the eighth century, St. Walburga’s legacy continues to have a physically healing presence today in two ways: the community of Benedictine nuns that she established in Europe were one of the main branches of sisters who came to serve in America, and her relics emit a kind of oil that pilgrims seek as an aid to healing.
She was an Englishwoman, the daughter of St. Richard the Pilgrim, and sister to St. Willibald and St. Winebald. She was educated at a monastery in England, and that is where she professed her religious vows.
St. Boniface, the great “Apostle of Germany,” was uncle to these holy siblings, and when he left England to evangelize the German people, he took St. Walburga’s brothers with him. Later, he wanted to establish convents in Germany and asked missionary nuns from England to join him there. Walburga was among those who left her home to preach the good news on the continent. She studied medicine and brought those skills to the people she served.
She was also well-educated and literate, and wrote of her brothers’ lives and experiences on pilgrimage to the Holy Land with their father, Richard. Because of this, she is known as the first female author of either Germany or England.
Her brother, Winebald, founded double monasteries—one for monks and another for nuns—and asked her to lead the convent. When he died some years later, she was appointed abbess of both houses by her other brother, Willibald, who had been appointed bishop of that region.
Walburga died on this date in 779. Her relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
The main body of her relics rest on a rock in a church in Bavaria, and a kind of oil flows from an opening in the rock under her relics. It is an aromatic watery fluid, and even today people have experienced cures through its use and the intercession of St. Walburga. The oil flows for a period of time between Oct. 12 through Feb. 25—two landmark days in the saint’s life.
St. Walburga, you were the nun who left her homeland to bring healing and learning to others—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Walburga is in the public domain. Last accessed December 6, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
