Saint of the day: Saint John Joseph of the Cross
St. John Joseph of the Cross: Self-denial is never an end in itself, but is only a help towards greater charity - as the life of St. John Joseph shows.
He was very ascetic even as a young man. At 16 he joined the Franciscans in Naples; he was the first Italian to follow the reformist movement of San Pietro Alcantara. John Joseph's reputation for holiness prompted his superiors to commission him to establish a new convent even before it was ordained.
Obedience led to accepting positions as novice master, guardian and, ultimately, provincial. His years of mortification they allowed him to offer these services to the friars with great charity. As guardian it was not uncomfortable to work in the kitchen or to bring the wood and water that the friars needed.
When his term as provincial expired, he devoted himself to hearing confessions and practicing mortification, two concerns contrary to the spirit of the dawn of the Age of Enlightenment. Giovanni Giuseppe della Croce was canonized in 1839.
Reflection: Saint John Joseph of the Cross
Mortification allowed him to be the kind of forgiving superior that St. Francis wanted. Self-denial should lead us to charity, not bitterness; it should help us clarify our priorities and make us more loving. St. John Joseph of the Cross is living proof of Chesterton's observation: “It is always easy to let age have its head; the hard thing is to keep your own.
Roman Martyrology: Also in Naples, St. John Joseph of the Cross (Carlo Gaetano) Calosirto, priest of the Order of Friars Minor, who, following in the footsteps of St. Peter of Alcántara, restored religious discipline in many convents in the Neapolitan province. Carlo Gaetano Calosirto was born in Ischia on August 15, 1654. At sixteen he entered the Neapolitan convent of Santa Lucia at the Monte dei Frati Minori Alcantarini, where he led an ascetic life. Together with eleven friars he was then sent to the sanctuary of Santa Maria Needvole in Piedimonte d'Alife, for the construction of a new convent.