Saint Peregrine Patron of Cancer and AIDS Patients Feast Day: May 4 Born: 1260 Died: 1345 Canonized: 1726 by Pope Saint Benedict XIII

Opening Prayer A Prayer to Saint Peregrine: O great St. Peregrine, you have been called, “The Mighty Wonder Worker” because of the numerous miracles which you obtained from God for those who have turned to you in their need. For so many years you bore in your own flesh this cancerous disease that destroys the very fiber of our being. You turned to God when the power of human beings could do no more, and you were favored with the vision of Jesus coming sown from His cross to heal your affliction. We now ask God to heal these sick persons whom we entrust to You: (state names of those for whom you want to pray) Aided by your powerful intercession, we express our sincere gratitude to God for His great goodness and mercy. Amen

Scripture Reading A reading from the Book of Ephesians: Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. ~ Eph. 6:11-13; 18-20

Teaching Outline • • • •

Angry Young Man Meets Saint 180 Cancer & Healing Applied to Us

Challenge of the Week (See after teaching.)

Teaching in Detail Angry Young Man Meets Saint Peregrine was born in the Italian city of Forli in Romagna about the year 1260. He was the only child of wealthy parents. At that time the Pope had more secular power and Forli was governed by the Pope as part of the Papal States. Peregrine grew up in a family that was very involved politically in the opposition, otherwise known as the anti-papal party. Forli was a stronghold of anti-papal political activism. Because of this, the city was put under the Church penalty of Interdict. Interdict meant that the Mass and the Sacraments could not be celebrated in the city. The Church wanted to heal the situation and a man named Philip Benzini was sent by the Pope to help do the job. Philip Benzini was a holy priest and the Prior General (or leader) of a religious order called The Order of Servants of Mary, or “Servites” for short. The Servites began in the 13th century when the Blessed Mother appeared separately to seven young men in Florence, Italy urging them to dedicate themselves to prayer and service. These seven men became noticed and others joined them in the hills above the city. The Servites are still an active religious order. So Philip Benzini was sent to try to heal the hatred and anti-church political fury that was rampant in Forli so the penalty of interdict could be lifted. He was in the town publicly preaching forgiveness and reconciliation in a crowd, when young Peregrine, who was a teenager at the time, with some of his buddies started heckling Philip while he was preaching. Peregrine had inherited his parents’ political beliefs and was himself active in anti-pope politics. As Philip continued to speak, Peregrine stepped up his attempts to disrupt the holy Philip. This time Peregrine began tossing stones at Philip while he was preaching. When that failed to silence Philip, Peregrine approached him and sucker punched him right in the face! 180 The response from the holy priest was to literally turn the other cheek to Peregrine. This action truly made a huge impression on Peregrine. He immediately sought forgiveness from Philip. Peregrine was drastically changed. He left his worldly, angry friends and started spending lots of time in Church. He especially liked to pray in the chapel dedicated to Our Lady in the Cathedral. One day, while Peregrine was praying in the chapel, Our Lady appeared to him and said, “Go to Siena; there you will find devout men who call themselves my servants, - join them.” Peregrine obeyed and joined the order of Servites. At about the age of thirty, Peregrine returned to his home city of Forli, founded a Servite house there. This once confrontational, cocky, mouthy, and thoroughly anti-Catholic young man was now using all of his “inner fire” for the glory of God! He dedicated himself wholeheartedly to serving the poor, the sick and those considered to be on the fringes of

society. He didn’t speak much anymore, but when he did he was known as a tremendous preacher and a very gentle confessor. Cancer & Healing He imposed a penance on himself that he would only sit down when it was absolutely necessary. For the most part, Peregrine stood almost all the time for the next thirty years. Over time this caused him to develop terrible varicose veins in his legs. This condition continued to deteriorate until one leg produced open, running sores. The condition was extremely painful and horrible to look at, but Peregrine put up with the pain without complaining at all. In time he developed cancer of the foot.1 Eventually he went to a surgeon who decided that the only thing to do was to amputate his diseased leg. At this time Peregrine was about 60 years old. The night before the scheduled leg amputation, Peregrine prayed before an image of Our Crucified Lord. His praying led him into a trance-like sleep. During this sleep he experienced the vision of Jesus coming down from the cross and touching his leg. When Peregrine awoke his leg and foot were completely cured. He then went to the surgeon who could find no trace whatsoever of the disease. Peregrine was completely cured. Word spread throughout the city of Peregrine’s cure and his reputation skyrocketed. This was in addition to an already great reputation for his service to the poor and the sick. After this miracle, Peregrine lived for another 20-25 years and continued to live a holy life of service. He died of natural causes on May 1, 1345 while in his eighties. His body is incorrupt (didn’t decompose) and now lies in his native city of Forli, Italy. Peregrine was declared a Saint (canonized) on December 27 in 1726 by Pope Saint Benedict XIII. A cool fact for you - the man Peregrine sucker punched while in his teens is now Saint Philip Benzini. Who would have guessed that was the first “meeting” between two future Saints! St. Peregrine has been named the patron for those afflicted with cancer. He is now also the patron for those afflicted with HIV/AIDS, skin diseases and the sick in general. 1

Note: St. Peregrine’s penance was a sign of his great holiness, but as the Church has grown in understanding, we now discourage penances that can damage the bodies that God gave us. Penance is still encouraged, but we must protect and care for our bodies. Even St. Francis, before his death, repented of doing penances that were harmful to his health.

Applied to Us: God Is Bigger “Cancer!” The word makes our blood turn chill. It freaks us out so much that we sometimes feel uncomfortable around people who are struggling with it - or perhaps we even shy away from devotion to St. Peregrine (ooo the “Cancer” saint!). We tend to expect the worst instead of the best when words like “cancer” shatter our safe, insulated worlds. It seems so very powerful. But we can’t forget that no matter how crazy things get in our lives, whether it is from a word like “cancer”, “heart attack”, “parent’s divorce”, or (insert your tragedy here), God is bigger! He is in control!. A cool poem from the funeral of a man named R.R. Johnson: Cancer is limited It cannot cripple love, It cannot shatter hope, It cannot corrode faith, It cannot eat away peace, It cannot destroy confidence, It cannot shut out memories, It cannot silence courage, It cannot invade the soul, It cannot reduce eternal life, It cannot quench the spirit, It cannot lessen the power of the Resurrection Whatever you are dealing with in life, God is bigger. He’s still in charge, and he still loves you. The Witness of Mercy Forgiveness and mercy is one of the areas of the Christian “moral code” where Christianity goes much further than any other religion - commanding us to love even our enemies. When we live out this kind of radical mercy, it is an undeniable testament to the presence of God with us - enabling us to do what people can’t do by their own strength. St. Philip’s simple example of mercy and forgiveness made the whole message of Christianity come alive in the life of an angry young man and started him down the road that made him Saint Peregrine. You may be the only “bible” someone ever reads. Does your life convey the Gospel message of forgiveness, mercy, and love? Holy Images The night before Peregrine was due to have his leg amputated, he prayed before an image of Our Crucified Lord. Images like this are very powerful. They break into our everyday life and remind us that there is more to it than what immediately surrounds us. It used to be standard that Catholic homes had a crucifix in every room. Now many homes have walls and shelves adorned with pictures of family, friends, favorite vacation places, favorite sports heroes, pop-icons, mounted hunting trophies, figurines and just about everything under the sun, but may be missing images of Our Lord, and the Saints. We should make it a priority to have religious objects in our homes and give them a place of honor. After all, we should love God above all, so isn’t it only fitting to have pictures, statues, etc. of the one you love?

From Sinner to Saint As a teenager, Peregrine had behaviors and a bit of a reputation that certainly wasn’t Christian. It would take quite a punk to heckle, throw stones and sucker punch a holy priest in public. Yet through the grace of God, Peregrine was able to completely change and return to the town of his youth and live a beautiful Christian witness life. His reputation too, changed drastically for the good. It is important to remember that so many of the great Saints had very sinful pasts, but through the grace of God, rose above their sinfulness and became people of heroic virtue. We too can do the same. So remember, “Saints had a past – all sinners have a future with Christ.” F.R.O.G. (Fully Rely On God) Medical technology has certainly been something to marvel at in recent years. New advances and discoveries are happening all the time with many benefits for those afflicted with various conditions. Sometimes God answers our prayers through modern technology. However, we must guard ourselves from relying 100% on medicine at the expense of prayer. We must always remember to pray for those who are suffering as well. We must also remember that, from the “eternal perspective” (something like what you’ll have looking back on your situation 1,000,000 years from now!) God knows what is best for us. Sometimes a cure is what is best for a situation, while other times maybe it is not. Suffering can be the source of many blessings. Often times, families that had been estranged come together in a time when a loved one is afflicted with an illness and this is a miracle in and of itself. Many times a person who is ill can suddenly use that time to reflect on their life and get right with God again through the return to the Church and sacraments, and as a result save their very soul. Suffering can turn ordinary, good people into Saints. Suffering can also bring out the best in caretakers, family, and friends. When we know of someone who is ill, we are given a golden opportunity to stop thinking of ourselves and to instead do something to bring comfort to the person suffering through a various expressions of love. We can bring the light and love of Christ in situations such as these. Only God knows what is best and while asking for what we want, we must also always pray with confidence for God’s will to be done.

Challenge of the Week Give the witness St. Philip gave to young Peregrine. Holding a grudge? Let it go (and don’t put him/her down through gossip)!

Pray a Rosary this week for someone who is very sick.

Hang up a cross or another holy image in a room of your house that lacks one.