Today we celebrate the memorial of St. Bernard of Corleone, a Franciscan saint who was recently
canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 10th of 2001. St. Bernard was born in Sicily, the town
of Corleone, in 1605. He was a shoemaker following in the trade that his father taught him, but then
he really didn't like being a shoemaker, and once his father died, he abandoned the trade and
gave himself over to worldly adventures. He became a fencer and was particularly gifted
physically, and so he became a very good fencer, practicing all the time and entering into duels
with whomever he could. He lived a disordered life, but at the same time, he did still practice
certain devotions. There was a crucifix, which was venerated by the people of the
town, and St. Bernard took it upon himself to make sure that there was always a lamp lit
before the crucifix to honor our Lord crucified. St. Bernard also had a devotion to our Holy
Father, St. Francis, and it's probably for these two reasons that he later on gained the grace of
conversion, because it happened one day that he entered into a sinful life, and he was
in a sinful duel with another man and mortally wounded him. Then that man's other friends were
after St. Bernard and wanted to take revenge upon him. So he fled the town and went into hiding,
and as so often happens in the difficult moments of a person's life, can be an opportune moment
for grace to work in the soul. And so it was with St. Bernard as well.
God's grace touched his heart and brought him around to a full conversion.
St. Bernard eventually sought entrance into the Capuchin Franciscan order and was accepted
as a lay brother. And throughout his years as a Capuchin, he distinguished himself, especially
for the rigorous penances that he practiced. St. Bernard would only allow himself
to fala orhu even just three hours of sleep at night, and this sleep he took on a hard,
narrow wooden board. He used a block of wood for his pillow. He also practiced rigorous fasts,
and regularly scourged himself to blood. Of course, all of these extraordinary penances,
with the permission of his spiritual director.
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Particular gifts from God who was pleased with the penance that he had done
in reparation and atonement for his sins.
He was given the gift of ardent prayer
to always be able to pray with attention, reverence, and devotion.
He was also given visions.
Our Blessed Mother would appear to him from time to time
and in fact announced to St. Bernard his death four months in advance.
St. Bernard died this day, January 12th, in 1667.
St. Bernard gives us a splendid example for us to follow.
It is that each and every one of us,
we ought to do penance for the sins of our past life.
We need to remember that with every sin that we commit,
there comes two things.
The guilt for that sin.
And also the punishment due to those sins.
Now the guilt is forgiven by God in the sacrament of penance
when the priest gives us absolution.
Or, if the sins happen to be venial,
God can even forgive us by praying in our Father an act of contrition.
Sacramental absolution isn't necessary for the forgiveness of venial sins.
But it is.
It is the ordinary means to obtain God's forgiveness of the guilt of that sin
if it happened to be mortal.
But there still is the punishment,
the reparation that needs to be made,
either in this life by works of charity,
works of penance,
or in the next life in purgatory.
So for this reason,
we ought to follow St. Bernard's example
of living a penitential life.
One,
because we are all sinners.
We're all sinners.
At least venial sins.
And that is rare
that somebody go through their whole life
without ever committing a mortal sin.
It is a grace that has been given
to certain saints.
We think of St. Therese of the Child Jesus.
It seems that she had never committed a mortal sin.
But, again, that's a rare grace.
And each of us,
we all know the sins that we have committed.
And we know.
Perhaps they were worse
than what St. Bernard had done.
And so how much more should we be motivated
to live a life of penance and sacrifice?
As our Lord said,
unless you do penance,
you shall all likewise perish.
Penance is incumbent on each and every Christian
to live a penitential life.
Now, they don't have to be great or extraordinary
like the ones that St. Bernard practiced.
But, nevertheless,
each of us can do,
our own sort of penance,
the small sacrifices that we can make
at mealtimes to maybe sacrifice some food
that we have a particular liking for
and instead take something
that is less preferable to our taste
and to what we crave.
We could also maybe rise 20 minutes earlier
in the morning
to get in an extra rosary the day,
during the day.
We could go to sleep maybe 20 minutes later
than we normally do.
Again, to get in,
give time to pray an extra rosary.
Of course, there's always
the penance of almsgiving as well.
If we're accustomed to maybe putting $10
in the collection basket at our local parish,
maybe we can add another five
and sacrifice some other thing
that we would have used that money for.
And, finally, in a spirit of penance,
we should always accept all of the crosses
and trials that God permits to come our way.
Again, in reparation and atonement for our past sins.
St. Bernard of Corleone, pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.