In the same way
that St. Patrick evangelized Ireland,
and St. Columba evangelized Scotland, St.
Boniface evangelized Germany, making him a very important Saint indeed!
St. Boniface was born with the name "Winfrid" around the year 675,
likely in Devonshire, England, though no one knows for certain. His
parents -- nobles -- had big plans for him, but he had something else
in mind: a life dedicated to God. He finally got his father's
permission to join a Benedictine monastery where the city of Exeter now
sits, and devoted himself to studying Sacred Scripture. He studied,
too, in Nhutscelle -- now known as Nursling -- and taught there as
well. It was in Nursling that he wrote his Ars Grammatica (a Latin grammar
book) and Engimata, a book of
riddles about the virtues -- riddles inspired by those of St. Aldhelm.
At the age of 31, he was ordained a priest and quickly enough became
known for his preaching, a gift that he, in 716, took to Friesland --
once called "Frisia," now a province in the northern part of the
Netherlands. He was there but a year when he returned to England
because of wars that had broken out between Radbod -- the pagan King of
Friesa -- and Charles Martel, the great Frankish leader who was to be
the father of the first Carolingian King, Pepin the Short, and the
grandfather of Charlemagne.
Back in England, he was invited to become the Abbot of his old
monastery, but refused, choosing instead to go to Rome to get from the
Pope all the faculties he'd need to evangelize in the parts of
Germany and the Netherlands that were still pagan -- and
re-evangelizing those that fell away during the reign of king Radbod
who'd made Christians' lives hellish.
He returned to Friesland to work with St. Willibrord, who'd been
working in the area for around 20 years. From there, he went to South,
to places in the land known as Germany -- Trier, Utrecht, and Thuringia
-- saving souls along the way. He was called to Rome, and the Pope,
pleased with all Winfrid had done, made him the missionary Bishop of
Germany, and he also gave him a new name: "Boniface," which means "Doer
of Good." The Pope also wrote to the great Charles Martel, asking him
to provide protection for Boniface and his work.
Boniface then went to Hessia, and it was there, in a place now known as
the town of Fritzlar, that he proved to a group of pagans once and for
all Who is God -- and who isn't. The pagans of the area held sacred a
great oak tree -- Donar's Oak -- which they associated with their
god Thor. St. Boniface -- well, I will let the 8th century Bishop of
Eichstätt, St. Willibald, tell it:
Now at that time
many of the Hessians, brought under the Catholic faith and confirmed by
the grace of the sevenfold spirit, received the laying on of hands;
others indeed, not yet strengthened in soul, refused to accept in their
entirety the lessons of the inviolate faith. Moreover some were wont
secretly, some openly to sacrifice to trees and springs; some in
secret, others openly practiced inspections of victims and divinations,
legerdemain and incantations; some turned their attention to auguries
and auspices and various sacrificial rites; while others, with sounder
minds, abandoned all the profanations of heathenism, and committed none
of these things.
With the advice and counsel of these last, the saint
attempted, in the place called Gaesmere, while the servants of God
stood by his side, to fell a certain oak of extraordinary size, which
is called, by an old name of the pagans, the Oak of Jupiter. And when
in the strength of his steadfast heart he had cut the lower notch,
there was present a great multitude of pagans, who in their souls were
earnestly cursing the enemy of their gods.
But when the fore side of the tree was notched only a little,
suddenly the oak's vast bulk, driven by a blast from above, crashed to
the ground, shivering its crown of branches as it fell; and, as if by
the gracious compensation of the Most High, it was also burst into four
parts, and four trunks of huge size, equal in length, were seen,
unwrought by the brethren who stood by.
At this sight the pagans who before had cursed now, on the
contrary, believed, and blessed the Lord, and put away their former
reviling. Then moreover the most holy bishop, after taking counsel with
the brethren, built from the timber of the tree a wooden oratory, and
dedicated it in honor of Saint Peter the apostle.
Folklore relates that a small fir tree that was growing near the stump
of the felled oak was pointed out by St. Boniface, who told the people
to let that tree -- ever
green, pointing toward Heaven -- be as a sign of the Christ Child,
thereby giving rise to the first Christmas tree.
During this work in Germany, he wrote letters to
England, pleading for help. These letters were rewarded by his being
sent books, church goods, and help in the form of monks and nuns,
eventually, in A.D. 748, including his niece, St. Walburga,
who ended up as an Abbess.
In 732, St. Boniface returned to Rome, this time receiving the title of
Archbishop over all of present-day Germany, and being told to establish
dioceses and appoint Bishops himself when necessary. He went back to
his mission lands and did just that, building monasteries and churches
all the while.
In 738, he went back to Rome for a third and final time, hoping to
retire. But the Pope would have none of that and, after allowing him to
stay in Rome for a year, made him a legate and sent him back to work.
So work he did, spending almost all of the rest of his life laboring in
what
is now Germany, ensuring the well-being of dioceses he'd established,
training monks in Fulda, etc.
But in 754, he decided to do what he'd set out to do in the first
place: evangelize Frisia. He returned to the north of the modern day
Netherlands -- but was almost immediately murdered by bandits there.
His new converts took his body to Utrecht, then to Mainz, and, finally,
to Fulda, where it can be reverenced today.
St. Boniface ("Sankt Bonifatius" in Germany) is the patron saint of
Germany, brewers, and tailors. His symbols are the oak tree and leaf,
an axe, sword, book, raven, and fox.
Customs
Some may prepare for this feast by praying the Novena to St. Boniface
starting on May 27 and ending on June 4, the eve of his feast. On the
day itself, the Litany of St. Boniface
is the perfect prayer to pray, as is this shorter prayer:
O God, Who
didst vouchsafe by the zeal of blessed Boniface, Thy Martyr and Bishop,
to call a multitude of peoples to the knowledge of Thy name: grant, in
Thy mercy, that as we keep his solemn feast so we may also enjoy his
protection. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
German parishes, especially those named for St. Boniface might have big
celebrations today, as does Fulda, Hesse, Germany, where St. Boniface's
relics lie in the Fuldaer Dom
(the Fulda Cathedral). Every year, the Bonifatiuswallfahrt (Boniface
Pilgrimage) is held on a Sunday near his feast. The pilgrimage begins from all the different
parishes in Fulda, and ends at the Cathedral. There are also numerous
pilgrimages on foot from parishes outside of Fulda area, some of which
start in the middle of the night and reach the cathedral square around
9 a.m. Some come from even farther away on foot or by bike, making
pilgrimages that last for several days.
As to celebrating the Feast of St. Boniface in the home, because one of
St. Boniface's symbols is the oak, decorating with oak leaves would be
a fun thing to do. Go outside, gather some up, and scatter them
on your tablecloth or, if you don't have access to oak trees, print out
some oak leaves: the graphics you need: Oak
Leaves (pdf). Save them to re-use 4 days from now, on June 9, the
Feast of St. Columba, who also has the oak as a symbol.
There are no
special traditional foods for the day, but given the fact that
St.Boniface is the patron of Germany and of brewers, German beer comes
to mind -- especially foeder-aged German beer. And if you're going to
have German beer, I think you should go all the way and roast some
German Bratwursts in the oven (or grill them outside, of course), and
serve them with a horseradishy German mustard, a dense German bread,
German potato salad, and a German dessert. Recipes for those last three
-- but you have to start the bread a day ahead!:
Bauernbrot (Farmer's Bread)
Starter:
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup rye flour
1 TBSP honey
1 cup warm water (at just above body temperature)
1 tsp active dry yeast
Dough:
1 cup rye flour
1/2 - 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp whole caraway seeds
1/2 tsp ground anise
1/2 tsp whole fennel seeds
1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 1/2 tsp salt
To bake:
1 egg white beaten with 1 TBSP water
Cornmeal
Mix all starter ingredients in a large bowl. Cover the starter with
plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm spot for 24 hours, until very
bubbly.
Mix together the starter and all the ingredients for the dough,
starting with 1/2 cup all purpose flour, and adding more as needed
until you get a nice dough. Turn out on a floured surface and knead for
7 minutes. Shape into a ball, cover with a damp tea towel, and let rise
in a warm place for 2 hours 'til doubled. Then knead a few times, shape
into two loaves, and place on a baking sheet that has been dusted with
cornmeal. Brush the tops with the egg wash, make a cross in the top of
the bread, and let rise for another 45 minutes or so. Toward the end of
that rising time, preheat your oven to 425F. Bake at that temperature
for 20-30 minutes until the bread sounds hollow when thumped. Let cool
before slicing.
German Potato Salad
6 cups diced peeled waxy potatoes (Yukon Golds recommended)
8 slices bacon
2 small onions, diced
1/2 cup white vinegar
4 TBSP water
3 TBSP white sugar, or more to taste
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
Place potatoes in a large pot and add water to cover by at
least 1 to 2 inches; bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are easily
pierced with a fork (about 10 minutes), then drain and set aside
-- but while the potatoes are cooking, place bacon in a large, deep
skillet over medium-high heat. Fry until crisp (about 10 to 12
minutes). Leaving the bacon grease in the skillet, transfer bacon to a
paper towel-lined plate and crumble up when cooled down. Cook onion in
the bacon grease over medium heat until browned (about 6 to 8 minutes).
Add vinegar, sugar, water, salt, and pepper to the pan and bring to a
boil. Once boiling, add potatoes, and 1/2 of the crumbled bacon.
Cook until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer warm potato salad
to a serving dish and sprinkle remaining bacon over top. Garnish with
parsley. Serve immediately.
Peach Kuchen
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg
3-4 peaches, peeled* and sliced (or use thawed frozen
peaches, or use 1 large can peach halves, sliced)
Custard Cream:
1 cup heavy cream, divided
2 tsp flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and
set aside. Whisk together everything up to and including the nutmeg in
a mixing bowl. Add the cold butter pieces and incorporate until it
becomes fine crumbs. Separately, whisk together the milk and egg. Pour
this over the flour mixture and mix just until it becomes wet. Spread
the batter on the bottom of the prepared pan. Arrange the peach slices
on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
To make the custard cream, mix 1/4 cup of cream with the 2
tsp flour (make sure to get rid of big lumps). Add the rest of the
cream, sugar, egg, vanilla, and salt and mix well. Take the cake out of
oven, pour the cream mixture on top, put the cake back in the oven, and
immediately reduce the heat to 350°F. Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes
more until the top is puffed up, the cake pulls away from the pan, and
the edges are deep golden. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes,
then remove it from the pan and let it cool completely.
* To easily peel peaches, score the bottoms of them with an X and drop
them into boiling water for 20 to 60 seconds or so, depending on their
ripeness (the riper, the less time they'll need in the boiling water).
Immediately run icy cold water over them, and the skins should slide
right off, starting at the place you scored them.
While you're eating, you can try to figure out one of St. Boniface's
riddles, such as the one below, presented in both Latin and English
(there's a clue in very structure of the Latin version!):
Serpens
angelicus genuit me in culmine caeli,
Viperea spirans et crimina noxia cordi;
Pellexi et populi insidiando milia multa,
E superis regnis trudens in Tartara nigra.
Regina et mater peccati et praevia’ dicor,
Bella movens animis, caste qui vivere malunt;
Irasque insidiasque et mille crimina trado;
Altera in terris non est crudelior ulla. |
The angelic
snake gave birth to me in the heights of the heavens,
emitting viperous crimes, harmful to the heart,
and I have enticed many thousands of people by lying in wait,
thrusting them out of the celestial realms into black hell.
I am called ‘the queen, mother, and precursor of sin,
provoking battles in souls who would rather live chastely.
I provoke rages and ambush and a thousand crimes.
There is no other on earth more cruel.
|
Solution here.
If you want more riddles, try the 100 riddles made up by St. Aldhelm,
the man who
inspired St. Boniface to write his own. English
translations of the riddles found in his book -- Epistola
ad Acircium -- and the Latin originals can be
downloaded in pdf format: Riddles
of St. Aldhelm (pdf) Know that while St. Boniface's riddles focus
on the virtues and such (and give the answers away by their very
structure), St. Aldhelm's riddles are usually more mundane, and some
require a knowledge of how people of the medieval era thought about
things in the natural world.
And while your'e riddling, why not come up with your own -- and have
your children come up with some as well!
Speaking of children, yours might enjoy hearing the story of St.
Boniface
felling the pagan's sacred oak as recounted in "The First Christmas Tree"
(pdf), written by Henry van Dyke in 1897.
And, finally, a note to the German people: Please, for the love of all
that is holy, stop allowing unwarranted guilt to destroy your beautiful
country. Stop thinking of your homeland as nothing but "the place where
Hitler ruled," and learn the reasons for his having come to power
(e.g., the decadence of the Weimar, the economic war against Germany
waged by Jewish leadership, Communist agitation on the part of a
majority of German Jews, etc.). Much evil was done during World War II,
on all sides, but yours is still the country that gave us Schumann,
Strauss, Brahms, Wagner, Mozart, Bach, and my beloved Beethoven!
Your people are a great people -- a people who excel not only in music,
but in the sciences, engineering, and literature! Think of the stunning
beauty of your churches and villages! Preserve what you have in honor
of your ancestors and for the good of your children and grandchildren!
Turn to St. Boniface! Turn to Christ! Know what His Church teaches --
and doesn't teach -- about
immigration, and take back your country for God! As Dom Prosper
Guéranger writes in the reading below,
O Boniface, cry
out with us, unto the God of armies, for Mercy. Raise up in the Church,
servants of Christ, powerful in word and work, as thou wast. Save
France from anarchy; and restore to Germany a right appreciation of
true greatness, together with the Faith of her ancient days.
Readings
From The Liturgical Year
by Dom
Prosper Guéranger
The Son of Man, proclaimed King in the highest heavens, on his
triumphant Ascension-Day, leaves to his Bride on earth, the task of
making his sovereign dominion recognised here below : this is her
glory. Pentecost gives the signal for the Church's work of conquest;
now does she awake, aroused bv the breath of the Holy Ghost;
replenished with this Spirit of Love, she is all eagerness, as he is,
to be possessed at once of the whole earth. We have already seen the
Franks and the Anglo-Saxons, pledging in her hands, their oath of
fealty to Christ, to whom is given all power on earth and in heaven.
Today, we've see how Winfrid, realises the fair name of Bonifaoe, or
well-doer himself before us, surrounded by the multitudes he has
snatohed, at one blow, from paganism and barbarism alike. Thanks to the
Apostle of Germany, the hour is nigh, when the Church may constitute in
this world, apart the spiritual dominion of souls, an empire more
powerful than any that has ever been or is to be.
The Eternal Father draws to his Son, not men only, but nations; these
are on earth, no less his inheritance, than heaven is for all eternity.
Now, the good pleasure that God takes in the Word made Flesh could
never be content with merely seeing nations to oome, one here, another
there, offering an isolated homage of recognition to his Christ, as
their Lord and Master. No it was the whole world that was
promised as his possession, without distinction of nations, without
limits, save the confines of the round orb itself: recognised or not,
his power is universal. In the case of many, no doubt, the contempt or
the ignorance of this regal claim of the Man-God, is to last on
throughout ages; for revolt, alas! is always possible and to all. Yet,
did it behove the Church to profit, as soon as might be, of her
influence over baptised nations, so as to gather them together in one
public acknowledgement of the Royalty of Christ, the source of every
kingly power. At the Pontiff's side, there seemed to be a fitting place
for a mailed chieftain of Christendom, -- such an one, that is, as
should be but lieutenant of Christ, who alone is Lord of lords and King
of kings. Thus would be realised, in all its plenitude, the magnificent
principality announced by the Prophets, for the Son of David.
Such an institution was indeed worthy of the name it was to receive, of
the Holy Empire: in it we have the final result of our glorious
Pentecost, as being the Consummation of the testimony rendered by the
Holy Ghost to Jesus, both as Pontiff and as King. In a few days, Leo
III. the illustrious Pope called by the Holy Spirit to crown this, His
divine work, will proclaim, to the joy of the whole world, the
establishment of this new empire beneath the sceptresway of the
Man-God, in the person of Charlemagne, the representative of the King
of kings. This marvellous work was not prepared on a sudden. Vast
regions, destined to form the very nucleus of this future empire, for
long centuries knew not so much as the very name of the Lord Jesus; or,
at best, preserved but confused notions of truth, derived from some
earlier evangelisation that had been stifled in its birth, by the
turmoil of invasions, — a mere mixture of Christian practices and
idolatrous superstitions. At length we behold Boniface arise, endued
with power from on high, the worthy precursor of Saint Leo III. Born of
those " Angel- faoed" Angles, by whom ancient Britain was transformed
into the "Island of Saints," he burns to carry into the heart of
Germany, whence his ancestors had sprung, the light which first shone
upon them, in the land of their conquest.
Thirty years of monastic life, begun in childhood despite the tears and
caresses of a tender father, had braced his soul. Matured by this long
period of retreat and silence, filled with divine science, and
accompanied by the prayers of his oloistered brethren, he could now in
all security set forth, to follow the attraction of a divine call. But
first and foremost, Rome beholds him at the feet of the Sovereign
Pontiff, submitting his plans and prospects to him who is the only
source of all "mission" in the Church. Gregory II, in every way worthy
of the great Popes that have borne that name, was at that time,
watching with apostolio vigilance over the Christian world. Amidst the
rocks and shoals of Lombard astuteness and of the heretical infatuation
of Leo the Isaurian, his firm and prudent hand was safely guiding the
bark of Peter, towards the glorious sovereignty that awaited the
Church, in the coming eighth Century. In the humble monk prostrate at
his feet, the immortal Pontiff could not but recognise a potent
auxiliary sent to him by heaven; and so, armed with the Apostolic
benediction, Winfrid, now become Boniface feels the powerful attraction
of the Holy Spirit, drawing him irresistibly to conquests, of which
ancient Borne had never dreamed.
Beyond the Rhine, farther than Roman legions ever penetrated, the Bride
of the Man-God now advances into this barbarous land, along pathways
tracked for her by Boniface; overturning in her victorious march, the
last idols of the false gods, civilising and sanctifying those savage
hordes, the scourge of the old world. This Anglo-Saxon, a true son of
Saint Benedict, gives to his work a stability that will defy the lapse
of ages. Everywhere, monasteries arise, rooting themselves to the very
soil, for God's sake; and by force of example and beneficence, fixing
around them its various nomad tribes. From the river banks, from the
forest depths, instead of cries of war and of vengeance, is wafted the
accent of prayer and of praise, to the Most High. Sturm, the beloved
disciple of Saint Boniface, presides over these pacific colonisations,
far superior to those of pagan Rome, planted though they were by her
noblest veterans and manned by the best forces of her Empire.
Lo! another sight: here, where violence has hitherto reigned supreme,
in these savage wilds, a novel kind of army is organised, formed of the
gentle Brides of Christ. The Spirit of Pentecost, like a mighty wind,
has blown over the land of the Angles; and, even as in the Cenacle,
holy women had a share in its influence, consecrated Virgins, obedient
to the heavenly impulse, have quitted the land of their birth, yea even
the monastery that has sheltered them from childhood. Having for a
while administered only, at a distance, to Winfrid's needs, and copied
out for him, the sacred books in letters of gold; they at length oome
to join the apostle. Fearlessly have thejr crossed the sea, and guided
by their diving Spouse, have come to share the labours undertaken here
for his glory. Lioba is at their head; Lioba whose gentle majesty,
whose heavenly aspect uplifts the thought from things terrene; Lioba,
who by her knowledge of the scriptures, of the Fathers, and of the
sacred Canons, is equal to any of the most celebrated Doctors. But the
Holy Ghost has still more richly gifted the soul of Lioba with humility
and Christian heroism. Behold the chosen Mother of the German nation!
Germany's scornful daughters, athirst for blood, who on their
wedding-day disdained all other gift save a steed, a buckler, and a
lance, are to learn from her the true qualities of the valiant woman.
No more shall they be seen, intoxicated with slaughter, leading back to
the field of battle, their vanquished husbands; but the virtues of the
wife and of the mother shall replace in them the fury of the camp;
family life is to be founded on the Germanic soil and therewith, the
"Fatherland".
This was the thought of Boniface, when he called to his aid Lioba,
Walburga, and their companions. Worn out with toil, but still more with
the incessant wear and fret of petty jealousies, (never spared to men
of God, on the part of such as would cover their paltry complaints
under the cloak of false zeal,) our athlete of Christ was not ashamed
to come to Lioba, his well-beloved daughter, humbly seeking from her,
that enlightened counsel and comfort, never denied. Estimating at its
true worth, the share she had borne in his work, he was desirous that
she should be laid to rest in the same tomb, prepared for him in his
Abbey of Fulda.
But not yet was his labour ended, nor the evening of life at hand. The
spiritual weal of his numberless converts must be secured, and at their
head must be placed such as the Holy Ghost designated for the
government of God's Church. By this means, the hierarchy was
constituted and developed; the land was covered with churches; and,
beneath the crosier-sway of holy bishops chosen by God, these once
wandering tribes, now began to live a life of glory to the Most Blessed
Trinity, in a country, but yesterday, pagan, and wherein Satan had
hoped to perpetuate Ids own domination.
Nor was this our saint's only work in Germany: in certain isolated
parts on the confines, the seeds of Arianism and Manicbeeism had been
silently taking root, by means of an intruded clergy, half pagan and
half Christian in their rites; and these would inevitably prove a
serioua scandal to his recent converts that came within reach of their
influence. Even as Christ, turned with a whip of cords, drove the
buyers and sellers from the temple, so did Boniface, by vigorous
measures, rid the land of these sectarian priests, who, with hands
polluted by heathenish sacrifices to the vanquished deities of
Valhalla, dared to offer also the spotless victim to the Most High.
The powerful action of Boniface, as the preoursor of the Holy Empire,
was not confined to preparing the German race alone, for its share in
so high a destiny. His beneficent influence was now to be exercised,
and at a most critical moment, upon France, the eldest daughter of the
Church; for she was chosen, in the person of her Princes, to be the
first to bear the emblem of Christ's universal kingship. The
descendants of Clovis had preserved naught of his royal inheritance,
save the vain title of a power that had now just passed into the hands
of a new family, a more vigorous branch of his stook. Charles Martel,
the head of this race, measuring his strength with the Moors had
crushed their entire army, near Poitiers: but, in the flush of victory,
the hero of the day had well nigh brought the Church of France to the
brink of ruin, by distributing to his comrades in arms, the episcopal
sees and abbeys of the land! Unless a situation, no less disastrous
than would have been the triumph of Abderahman, was to be accepted,
these usurped crosiers must at once be wrested from the hands of such
strange titularies. To effeot this, as much gentleness as firmness were
needed, together with an ascendency belonging only to virtue, if the
hero of Poitiers and his noble raoe were to be gained over, to respect
the rights of holy Church. This victory, more glorious than had been
the defeat of the Moors, was won by Boniface, a veritable triumph of
disarmed holiness, as profitable to the vanquished as to the Church
herself! Of this fierce warrior, he was to make the worthy father of a
second dynasty, the glory whereof should far surpass the brilliant
hopes of the first race of Frankish kings.
Boniface, now Legate of Pope St. Zachary, as he had formerly been of
Gregory III, fixed his episcopal see at Mainz, the better, at one and
the same time, to bold fast to Christ, both Germany, the conquest of
his earlier apostolate, and France more recently rescued by his
labours. Like another Samuel, he himself, with his own hands,
consecrated this new regal dynasty, by conferring the sacred unction on
Pepin le Bref, son of Charles Martel. This was in the year 752. Another
Charles, as yet a child, who was one day to inherit that throne thus
firmly fixed, attracted the notice of the aged Saint, and received his
benediction; it was the future Charlemagne. But, to the hand of a
Sovereign Pontiff would be reserved the anointing of that royal brow;
and a diadem more glorious still than hat of a king of the Franks, was
one day to rest thereon, exhibiting in his person the head of the new
Roman Empire, the lieutenant of Christ, the King of kings.
The personal work of Boniface was now accomplished; like the old man
Simeon, his eyes had seen the object of all his ambition, of all his
life-long toil, the salvation prepared by God, for this new Israel. He
too bad now no desire left save that of departing in peace to his Lord;
but, could the entering into peace, for such an Apostle, be by other
gate than that of martyrdom? He understands this well: his hour has
sounded: the old warrior has chosen his last battle-field. Friesland is
still pagan: half a century ago, at the opening of his apostolic
career, he bad avoided this country, in order to escape the bishopric
which Saint Willibrord, at that early date, was anxious to force upon
him: but now that she has naught, save death, to offer him, he will
enter this land. In a letter of sublime humility, prostrate at the feet
of Pope Stephen III, he remits to the correction of the Apostolic See,
the "awkward mistakes," as he terms them, and the many faults of his
long life; to Lullus his dearest son, he leaves the Churoh of Mainz; he
recommends to the care of the Frankish king, the several priests
scattered all through Germany, the monks and virgins who from distant
homes have followed him hither. Then ordering to be placed, amongst the
few books which be is taking with him, the winding sheet that is to
enwrap his body, he designates the companions chosen by him for the
journey, and sets out to win the martyr's palm.
Let us now read the liturgical reoord of this grand life.
Boniface, formerly called Winfrid, was a native of Anglia,
born towards the end of the seventh century. From his very childhood,
he turned away from the world and set his heart upon becoming a monk,
his father tried in vain to divert him from his wishes by the
beguilements of the world, and he entered a monastery, where under
blessed Wolphard he was instructed in all virtuous discipline and every
kind of knowledge. At the ago of twenty nine years he was ordained
Priest, and became an unwearied preacher of the word of God, wherein he
had a special gift, which he used with great gain of souls.
Nevertheless, his great desire was to spread the kingdom of Christ, and
he continually bewailed the vast number of barbarians, who were plunged
in the darkness of ignorance and were slaves of the devil. This zealous
love of souls increased in him in intensity day by day, till having
implored the divine aid by prayers and tears, he at last obtained the
permission of the Prior of the monastery, to set forth for Germany.
He sailed from Anglia with two companions and reached the
town of Dorestadt in Friesland. A great war then raging between Radbod,
king of the Frieslanders and Charles Martel, he preached the Gospel
without fruit: for which reason returning to Anglia, he betook himself
again to his former monastery, the government of which against his
will, he was forced to accept. After two years, he obtained the consent
of the Bishop of Winchester, to resign his office, and he then went to
Rome, that by the Apostolic authority he might be delegated to the
mission for the converting of the heathens. When he arrived at the
City, he was courteously welcomed by Gregory II, who changed his name
from Winfrid to Boniface. He departed thence to Germany and preached
Christ to the tribes in Thuringia and Saxony. Radbod King of Friesland
who bitterly hated the Christian name, being dead, Boniface went a
second time among the Frieslanders, and there, with his companion St.
Willibrord, preached the Gospel for three years, with so much fruit,
that the idols were hewn down, and countless churches arose to the true
God.
Saint Willibrord urged upon him to take the office of Bishop,
but he refused, so that he might the more instantly toil for the
salvation of the unbelievers. Advancing into Germany, he reclaimed
thousands of the Hessians from devilish superstition. Pope Gregory sent
for him, to Borne, and after receiving from him a noble profession of
his faith, consecrated him a bishop. He again returned to Germany, and
thoroughly purged Hesse and Thuringia from all remains of idolatry. On
account of such great works, Gregory III advanced Boniface to the
dignity of an archbishop, and on the occasion of a third journey to
Rome, he was invested by the Sovereign Pontiff with the powers of
Legate of the Apostolic See. As such, he founded four bishoprics and
held divers synods, among which is especially to be remembered that of
Lessines held in Belgium, in the diocese of Cambrai, at which time he
made his strongest efforts to spread the Faith among the Belgians. By
Pope Zachary, he was named Archbishop of Mainz, and by command of the
same Pope, he anointed Pepin to be king of the Franks. After the death
of Saint Willibrord, he undertook the government of the Church of
Utrecht, at first by the ministry of Eoban, but afterwards by himself,
when being released from the care of the Church of Mainz, he
established his see at Utrecht. The Frieslanders having again fallen
back into idolatry, he once more betook himsell to preach the Gospel
among them, and while he was busied in this duty, he won the palm of
martyrdom being slain by some impious barbarians, who attacked him
together with his fellow bishop Eoban, and many others, on the river
Born. In accordance with the wish expressed by himself during life, the
body of Saint Boniface was carried to Mainz and buried in the Monastery
of Fulda, of which he had been the founder, and which he has rendered
illustrious by numerous miracles. Pope Pius IX ordered his Office and
Mass to be extended to the universal Church.
Thou wast, O great Apostle, the faithful servant of Him who chose thee
as the minister of his word and propagator of his kingdom. When the Son
of Man quitted earth to receive the delighted homage of the heavenly
hosts, in recognition of his kingship over them, he none the less,
remained King of this lower world, which he has left but for a little
while. He counted on his Church to guard his principality here below.
Small indeed was the number of those who recognised him, on the day of
his glorious Asoension, as their Master and their Lord. But that faith
deposited in these first chosen souls, was a treasure with which they,
like skilful bankers, knew how to work, and how to multiply by
apostolic commerce. Transmitted from generation to generation, up to
the day of the Lord's return, this precious capital was to go on
yielding, to the absent Lord, more and more accumulated interest. Thus
was it with thee, O Winfrid, in that age wherein thou didst bring in,
to the Church, that tribute of labours which she requires, though in
very different proportion, at the bands of each one of her sons. Beyond
those of others, thy works appeared well-done and profitable to the
common Mother; in her gratitude forestalling the Spouse himself, she
would, even in this world, call thee by that new name, whereby thou art
known in heaven.
Indeed, when did riches such as thou didst bring, come pouring, at
once, into the hands of the Bride? When did the Spouse appear to be so
fully and truly Head of the whole world, as in the eighth century, in
which the Frankish princes, formed by thee to their noble destinies,
constituted the temporal sovereignty of the Church, and gloried in
being, at the side of the Vicar of the Man-God, the Lieutenants of
Christ the King? To thee, O Boniface, is the Holy Empire indebted, for
the very possibility of its existenoe. But for thee, France would have
perished, debased by a simoniacal clergy, even before a Charlemagne had
appeared; but for thee, Garmany would have remained a prey of pagan
barbarians, enemies of all civilisation and progress. O thou that didst
rescue both Germans and Franks, receive our grateful homage.
At the sight of thy works, and remembering the great popes and princes
of colossal build, whose glory is indeed derived from thee, — our
admiration equals our gratitude. But pardon us dear Saint, if the
thought of those grand centuries of yore, so far removed, alas, from
anything of these our days, should make us mingle sadness over
ourselves, with joy over thee. Viewed in the light of thy holy policy
and its results, O glorious precursor of the confederation of Christian
nations, how do we not bewail the fatal errors of those princes and
statesmen, so renowned in the seventeenth century, and so foolishly
admired by a world whose ruin they were hastening. For, by isolating
Catholic nations from one another, the ties that bound them to the
Vicar of Christ, became loosened: princes, forgetful of their true
position as representatives of the divine King, made friends with
heresy, in order to assert their independence of Rome, or mutually to
lower one another's power. Therefore Christendom is no more. Upon its
ruins, like a woful mimicry of the Holy Empire, Protestantism has
raised its false Evangelical Empire, formed of naught but
encroaohments, and tracing its recognised origin, to the apostasy of
that felon knight, Albert of Brandenburg.
The complicities that rendered such a thing possible, have received
their chastisement. Be then God's Justice at last satisfied! O
Boniface, cry out with us, unto the God of armies, for Mercy. Raise up
in the Church, servants of Christ, powerful in word and work, as thou
wast. Save France from anarchy; and restore to Germany a right
appreciation of true greatness, together with the Faith of her ancient
days.
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