Saint Paul of the Cross
by VP
Posted on Monday April 28, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
Statue of Saint Paul of the Cross, at the Vatican Basilica of S. Peter. By Ignazio Iacometti, 1876
"On the feast of the Holy Trinity, both said their first masses. Cold must be the heart, indeed, which is not moved with emotion at the first mass. It is that dread moment, when a man offers up in his own hands the Son of God to the Father for the first time. He sees his life, his hope, his all, in his hands, and that he has power to call Him, and that His honour whilst there is committed to his keeping. The smallest faith must realise these sensations to the newly ordained priest. What must be the measure of lively faith in that soul which had lived almost upon faith up to that very moment? A soul which seemed to touch and feel the very truths of our holy religion, so clearly did he apprehend them and so long could he remain absorbed in their mere contemplation. Paul said his first mass, of course, with that extra measure of delight which his perfection would lead us to anticipate. He is said to have received some special graces which made him ever look back to that event with, "Oh, what a sight!"
Custom or habit never brought F. Paul less fervour in celebrating mass. To the end of his life he had the gift of tears, and his humility made him continually repeat mentally to himself, as he approached the altar, "The hour cometh, and now is, when the Son of Man shall be delivered into the hands of a sinner." Often at the mysterious parts of the sacrifice was his face seen to glow with heavenly beauty. Often was he raised aloft in the air whilst contemplating his Incarnate God as he lay upon the corporal, and often again was he enveloped in a strange but lucid cloud. Such was the scene once witnessed and attested in the processes by an opulent and charitable man, named Dominico Costantini, who was serving the Saint's mass in the church of Sta. Lucia, in Corneto.
F. Paul was very particular with regard to the rubrics and ceremonies of the mass, and nothing offended him so much as to see the furniture of the altar either torn or stained. He considered it an offence in the whole congregation if their houses, and especially the pastor's, were like palaces, whilst the house of God was suffered to remain like a stable." (...)
"In the year 1733, they gave their first mission in Orbetello-this was what we should call the post-town of the place, and thus are we told of its fruits. This mission began in February. The attendance was very great; for besides the inhabitants of the town there was a new garrison quartered there, and the soldiers and officers with their wives swelled the audience. The influence of soldiers upon a country town is proverbial. They bring dissipation, amours, and open, or at least badly disguised immorality with them. In Orbetello this barefaced lewdness had gone so far that ladies made it a point to appear in church, in attire much more scanty than our fashionable full-dress. The Saint inveighed so strongly against this profanation that shoulders were moderately covered next night; he went a little further in his invectives, and the female portion of the audience were at length pretty modestly dressed. There was one Frenchwoman there who resented very much these restrictions upon the exhibition of female vanity, and determined to show her disapprobation of the whole business, at the same time resolving to defy the Saint and assert the right her sex lay claim to; namely, that of doing what they please, provided it be in the fashion. She planted herself just under the missionary's eyes, if possible, even more fully dressed than any of her companions had been. The Saint said not a word. He gave one severe reproving look at her, and in a moment her face, hands, arms, and shoulders, became as black as charcoal. All were horrified. She took out a handkerchief and tried to hide her deformity, but could not succeed-grace did its work, and at the conclusion of the sermon she was as demonstrative in the signs of her repentance as she had been at its beginning in those of her vanity and impudence. By the prayers of the Saint she recovered her former colour in a few days; but such was the effect of the incident, that about forty of the most respectable ladies in the town dressed henceforward almost in the garb of as many nuns."
"The Saint was so intent on God that he said one time,-"If anybody should ask me at any moment of the day, what are you thinking about? I think I should answer, of God." Everything reminded him of God, and set him a thinking on the divine perfections. He would be seen sometimes during his walks beating the flowers playfully with his stick, saying,— “Be silent, be silent." When somebody asked him why, he said it was because they were always preaching to him and speaking of God. It was remarked once that he went to say the Rosary in the woods, and after being there ever so long, absorbed in God, he had not got further than "Pater Noster" of the first decade. His faith was shown in everything which betokened its presence. The feasts of the Church, her rites and ceremonies, were observed by him with peculiar devotion and exactitude.
He reverenced priests from
the same principle of faith. Time, and his experience of all the
shortcomings and want of spirit which he was sure to discover, did not
lessen this respect. To the very end of his life he would rise before a
priest, if able. This is the more to be wondered at, as he was the
superior of priests so long himself, and had to administer correction to
them, as if they were pupils. No one could give him a greater offence
than by speaking ill of any priest, no matter how unworthy his life
might be. The hardest thing he was ever heard to say on this point, when
speaking of the great perfection to which priests might attain if they
would, was :— "Ah! how little faith is there in the world; if they
did but know how heavenly is their dignity, they would respect it more."
His devotion and attachment to the Church was equally wonderful. He could not endure the slightest word which, even by insinuation, threw a reflection on her practice. He would say in a stern tone to the author of any such remark, with S. Cyprian,—“ He who hath not the Church for a mother, cannot have God for a father. Would you treat your mother in that way?" When he heard of the evil machinations, which were then rife in Italy against the Church, he was inconsolable. Every book, pamphlet, or publication which touched the Church in any way he would burn if he could, and wished he could come across their authors, in order to reprove them publicly. On the other hand, those who wrote, or spoke, or acted on the side of the Church he could not honour or praise sufficiently. It was remarked that he was always very fond of the students of the Propaganda. He used to envy them their high and noble calling.
The Saint was very devout to the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. He bowed his head always at the gloria patri, and severely reproved any of the religious who failed to do the same according to the regulations; and it was remarked that his most frequent ejaculation was Sanctus! Sanctus! Sanctus! He said that came from heaven, and its sound brought him there in spirit. His devotion was remarkable also towards the Infant Jesus, because he then contemplated the mystery of the Incarnation. He used especially to love to see an image of the Infant wrapped up in a few rags, on Christmas night, because, he said, "Oh, is it not humiliating to see Omnipotence like that; and nothingness like this, moving about in conscious strength ?"
His devotion found full expression in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. There he could spend days and nights motionless in prayer. Until he had the Blessed Sacrament in a newly opened house he did not seem to be at all happy. Whenever he came near a town, as soon as he saw the church, he knelt down to adore the Blessed Sacrament kept there, and when he entered he went off straight to the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, as if by instinct. The fruit of his missions used to be seen principally in the crowds of labourers who turned into the church every evening to visit the Blessed Sacrament as they came home from their work. He introduced this beautiful custom wherever he went.
Only his devotion to the Passion, which was the all-absorbing one of his life, could equal the devotion he had to our Blessed Lady. He began everything with her blessing. Nearly all his greatest favours were received on her feasts, and he was blessed with many surprising visions of her glory. He said one day to the students (the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was not then defined),-" This doctrine (Immaculate Conception) has not been declared an article of faith by holy Church, but I would give my blood and sacrifice my life in torments in defence of it; and if by doing this I did not become a martyr, I am sure I should give great glory to this august Lady. Oh! happy me, if this might take place." In all his great troubles he used to say,-" These are times when the Blessed Virgin comes in to help." He never pronounced the name of Mary without bowing his head, or taking off his cap, after he began to wear one. Of course, the mystery of her life, which had the greatest attraction for him, was her sufferings at the foot of the cross."The Life of S. Paul of the Cross: Founder of the Congregation of Discalced Clerks of the Holy Cross and Passion of Our Lord, Usually Called Passionists 1867
