This is an fascinating story: a Russian soldier who was killed on his 19th birthday in 1996 is being venerated in his home country as a martyr and an icon of him is giving off aromas of myrrh:

Today according to Inferfax of Russia in  Penza, an Icon of Evgeny Rodinov  gave off aromas of myrrh in the St. Lukas Church at the Penza regional oncologic dispenser. Russian soldier Rodionov was executed in Chechnya in 1996 after refusing to renounce Orthodox faith and take off his cross.

“Myrrh came out in two spots, in a palm of his hand and where one wears the cross,” the church Rector Alexy Burtsev told journalists.

According to the Church Rector, it happened during the All-Night Vigil on February 15.  Those in attendance, at the Church, stood behind praying, and took in the strange pleasant aroma.

The priest noted that on February 15, 1996, Penza-born Evgeny Rodionov was captured in Chechnya, imprisoned for hundred days and when he refused to renounce Christian faith, militants beheaded him.

Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Rodionov (Russian: Родионов Евгений Александрович) (May 23, 1977 – May 23, 1996) was a Russian soldier who was kidnapped and later executed in Chechen captivity. The purported manner of his death has garnered him much admiration throughout Russia, and even prompted calls for his elevation to sainthood.

Rodionov was born in the village of Satino-Russkoye, near Podolsk, Moscow Oblast. Though he aspired to be a cook, he was conscripted into the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 1995. Private Rodionov was deployed to Chechnya, he served in border troops and on February 13, 1996 he was captured by Chechen rebels. They held him captive for more than three months.

On his 19th birthday Rodionov was beheaded on the outskirts of the Chechen village Bamut. According to his killers, who later extorted money from his mother in exchange for knowledge of the location of his corpse, they beheaded him after he refused to renounce his Christian faith or remove the silver cross he wore around his neck.

Yevgeny Rodionov was posthumously awarded the Russian Order of Courage. There is a growing movement within the Russian Orthodox Church to canonize him as a Christian saint and martyr for faith. Some Russian soldiers, feeling themselves abandoned by their government, have taken to kneeling in prayer before his image. One such prayer reads:

Thy martyr, Yevgeny, O Lord, in his sufferings has received an incorruptible crown from thee, our God, for having thy strength he has brought down his torturers, has defeated the powerless insolence of demons. Through his prayers save our souls.

As of 2003, religious icons depicting Yevgeny were becoming increasingly popular. Yevgeny’s mother has one herself; she has suggested that the icon of her son sometimes emits a perfume which she believes to be holy, to the extent that it actually drips with it.

Evgeny Rodinov, pray for us!

Today is the feast of St. Onesimus, the slave of Philemon and the subject of Paul’s letter which is found in the New Testament. According to tradition, Onesimus was set free by Philemon, became the bishop of Ephesus and eventually was martyred. But he quite possibly also had a major role in the development of our New Testament canon. Here is how it happened.

We know that eventually thirteen of Paul’s letters were included in the New Testament canon. The question is: why those letters? Paul most definitely wrote other letters (he even mentions one of them in his correspondence with the Corinthians), so why were they not included? And why did a letter like Philemon get included?

In the late 1st century and early 2nd century, many of Paul’s letters were being circulated throughout Asia Minor, the main area of his preaching and the location of most of his letters. It was the bishops of that area who were primarily responsible for copying and circulating his letters (as they were the only ones with the reason and resources to do so), and three of the most prominent bishops of this era were Onesimus, Polycarp of Smyrna and Ignatius of Antioch.

In the early 2nd century, St. Ignatius of Antioch was on his way to Rome to be martyred. Along the way, many bishops met him along his journey to encourage him and pray with him. One of these meetings involved Onesimus and Polycarp, along with other bishops, in Smyrna. It was at this meeting that Onesimus presented his collection of Pauline letters, which had the Letter to the Ephesians as the first in the collection and included an odd little personal letter concerning a runaway slave. After this meeting, this collection of Paul’s letters was always included in any Scriptural canon.

Admittedly, we do not have clear-cut proof for the above scenario, but we do have strong evidence in its favor:

1) Ignatius in his letter to the Ephesians, written after this meeting, alludes to Paul’s letter to Philemon and compares his situation with that of Onesimus.

2) A slave who was brought to Christ and then freed would have understood the power of Paul’s letters and would have promoted them heavily.

3) A bishop of Ephesus would have had the resources to compile such a collection.

4) The fact that Philemon is included is the strongest evidence: why would this little letter dealing with one specific situation be included in the collection being distributed? Perhaps it was because the subject of that letter was the one doing the distribution.

(Note: these arguments can be found in “The Formation of the New Testament Canon” by William Farmer and Denis Farkasfalvy, pp. 77-79).

I always find it quite fascinating to consider the human factor in the working of God’s will in this world. The role of St. Onesimus in the formation of the NT canon is an especially interesting story of that “human” element in the plan of salvation.

St. Onesimus, pray for us!

Imagine my surprise this morning. Just about everywhere I look, people are proclaiming the victory of the Saints!

Every site I go to this morning – even sports-related sites – are rejoicing in this truth of our faith: that the Saints have overcome all obstacles placed in front of them and have emerged victorious. Hallelujah!

But I’m left curious: why did everyone suddenly recognize this great truth?

Those who actually come to my blog – as opposed to just reading my posts in a RSS reader – may have noticed that I added a new section in the right column called “Pictures of Holiness”. It consists of photographs of some of my favorite saints (and one blessed), all of whom (save one) lived in the 20th century. Why did I add this?

Many people believe that the 20th century was one of the most evil of centuries. And in many ways, they are right: eugenics, Nazism, Communism, legalized abortion, acceptance of contraception, and rampant consumerism all flowered in that sad century. But it is always good to remember that God does not leave His children abandoned; even in times of trial and suffering, He raises up saints to show us the way to love Him in every age.

Furthermore, we must always remember that saints are real people: they are not statues which we admire from a distance, but flesh-and-blood men and women who had to pick up their cross daily in the midst of the world just like all of us. And because they were real people, they could be photographed just like anyone else. So I purposely wanted to display photos of these holy men and women to emphasize the realness – and reachability – of their lives.

St. Theresa of Lisieux, pray for us!
Pope St. Pius X, pray for us!
Blessed Miguel Pro, pray for us!
St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us!
St. Teresia Benedicta of the Cross, pray for us!
St. Gianna Beretta Molla, pray for us!
St. Pio of Pietrelcina, pray for us!
St. Josemaria Escriva, pray for us!

Today is the memorial of St. Agnes, virgin and martyr. We don’t know many details about her life, but she was so highly venerated in the early Church that her name appears in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I) along with other women martyrs:

For ourselves, too, we ask some share in the fellowship of your apostles and martyrs, with…Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, Anastasia…

Why were these women so venerated in the early Church? One reason is that by their lives they proclaimed the radical commitment which Christ places on our lives. In Roman culture, a woman was little better than a slave; she was expected to do whatever her husband asked of her (and she had no choice as to who her husband would be). These women, however, all placed Christ above any mortal man – they were willing to die for the Lord rather than submit to the false practices of others. This was a beautiful witness to the exclusivity of Christian discipleship.

But it was also subversive; the entire Roman society was based on strictly defined roles for each person. Christianity, however, proclaimed a radical call which superseded any cultural norms. Christians did not explicitly reject such norms, but when they came in conflict with their deeply-held convictions, then they refused to follow them, even to the point of death. This can be a great example to us today: we must be willing to follow the radical call of Christ in our lives, regardless of the cost or how subversive it might be.

St. Agnes, pray for us!

If you want to do something well, you look to see how others have already done it well. If I want to be a great baseball player, I see what Albert Pujols and Derek Jeter do and I try to emulate that. The same is true in the spiritual life: if you want to be holy, look and see how others before you have become holy. This is why I love reading lives of the saints, and why I encourage my children to do so as well. Nothing, other than the Bible, can be more profitable reading than discovering the many and varied ways in which God has raised up saints in different cultures and times.

Which is why I’m excited by the book “Voices of the Saints: A 365-Day Journey With Our Spiritual Companions” by Bert Ghezzi (full disclosure: Bert is my editor at Our Sunday Visitor). This video explains the project in a bit more detail:

There are more videos explaining the book here.

Since the dawn of man, cultures have elevated certain people above everyone else. Our hearts recognize that we must direct ourselves to something higher, and often we place other individuals above us in order to fulfill these innate desires. In the Roman Empire, for example, Caesar was not just the ruler of the known world, he was divine. In Nazi Germany, Hilter was not just the head of state, he was “the Führer” (i.e. the Leader).

Our own country likes to think that it is beyond such foolishness; we rejected the shackles of royalty and live in a democratic wonderland where no one is exalted above any other. But of course that is nonsense: our culture loves to elevate anyone and everyone it can, from Hollywood actors to sports figures to politicians. We are desperate to look up to someone as greater than ourselves.

But, sadly, we almost always look the wrong way. The Scriptures tell us again and again that God exalts the humble and humbles the exalted. However, instead of looking to emulate those who humble themselves, we only look at those who exalt themselves. In heaven, I think it will be shocking to see who are the apples of God’s eye.

I think this young woman, who was born almost exactly a year after me and only lived to be 18, will be one of those who shine brighter than any actor, athlete or politician:

Chiara Badano

Read her amazing story here.

Here is a great story of a Australian woman who was healed of cancer through the prayers of Bl. Mary MacKillop, who is soon to become Australia’s first canonized saint:

Kathleen Evans, a mother of five and grandmother of 20, is from Windale near Lake Macquarie in the southeast Australian state of New South Wales.

She was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1995, at the age of 49.

“My youngest was only 13,” Evans said, according to the Archdiocese of Sydney.

At first her surgeon thought he could add five or six years to her life by removing her right lung. This would be enough to see her son through high school.

However, Evans’ cancer was particularly virulent and spread fast into her glandular system and the base of her brain.

This barred any possibility of surgery and chemotherapy was ruled out because the cancer was too advanced. Evans was told radiation would only treat the side effects of the aggressive disease and would add only a few weeks to her life, the Archdiocese of Sydney reported…

She then turned to prayer.

“My husband Barry and I were devout churchgoers but I wouldn’t say I spent my life on my knees,” Evans explained.

A friend gave her a picture of Bl. Mary MacKillop and attached to the back was a relic, a small piece of Mary’s clothing, the Archdiocese of Sydney says.

“I wore this relic on my nightie and later on my clothing. It never left me,” Evans reported.

She also distributed to her friends and family prayer cards from the Sisters of St. Joseph in North Sydney.

“We asked them to pray the same prayer, asking Mary to pray with us to God for nine days on my behalf,” she said.

Evans suddenly and unexpectedly began to improve. Instead of becoming weaker and frailer, her color began to return and she began to feel better.

“Every day I thought I was going to lose her, and when she started getting better, well it just blew me apart!” said Barry, her husband.

Ten months after her initial diagnosis, a series of X-rays and scans showed scar tissue on her lungs and brain where the cancer had been, but there was no sign of the disease.

“They asked to do a second series of tests. They couldn’t believe there could be nothing there,” she explained.

There was no scientific explanation for the disappearance of the cancer. Almost 15 years after its disappearance, Evans is fit and healthy and has not suffered any recurrence, the Archdiocese of Sydney reports.

This is something the materialists and atheists simply can’t explain. They want to reduce our world to only those things we can physically study. But our world is so much more than that, as this story shows.

Bl. Mary MacKillop, pray for us!

Last week I mentioned that I attended a Mass on the memorial of St. John Neumann, our parish’s patron, in which a beautiful image of the saint was solemnly blessed. Here is that image:

St. John Neumann, pray for us!

In the early Church, every Christian aspired to be one thing: a martyr. This was considered the logical conclusion of following a man who himself was executed by the State. How better to imitate our Lord? The Church Father Origen was so anxious to be a martyr in his youth that his mother hid his clothes else he run out and be arrested during a persecution that claimed his father’s live.

In every century, even every year, Christianity has had men and women who have testified to the point of shedding blood. 2009 was no different as 37 Christian missionaries were killed.

This week Major League Baseball announced who would be inducted into their Hall of Fame. Here is the 2009 class of the Christian Hall of Fame:

1. Fr Joseph Bertaina
2. Fr Eduardo de la Fuente Serrano
3. Fr Juan Gonzalo Aristizabal Isaza
4. Fr Daniel Matsela Mahula
5. Fr Lionel Sham
6. Fr Révocat Gahimbare
7. Fr Gabriel Fernando Montoya Tamayo
8. Fr Jesús Ariel Jiménez
9. Fr Ramiro Luden
10. Fr Lorenzo Rosebaugh
11. Father Ernst Plöchl
12. Jorge Humberto Echeverri Garro
13. Fr Habacuc Benítez Hernández
14. Oregon Eduardo Benitez
15. Silvestre Gonzalez Cambron
16. Fr Gisley Azevedo
17. Fr Mariano Arroyo Merino
18. Ricky Sukaka Agus
19. Fr Mukalel James
20. Fr Leopoldo Cruz
21. Fr Cecilio Lucero
22. Fr Roger Ruvoletto
23. Fr Evaldo Martiol
24. Fr Danilo Oscar Cardozo
25. William Quijano
26. Fr Ed Hinds
27. Fr Louis Jousseaume
28. Sister Marguerite Bartz
29. Father Hidalberto Henrique Guimaraes
30. Fr Miguel Angel Hernandez
31. Fr Jean Gaston Buli
32. Fr Daniel Cizimya Nakamaga
33. Fr Louis Blondel
34. Sister Denise Kahambu Muhayirwa
35. Fr Jeremiah Roche
36. Fr Alvino Broering
37. Fr Emiro Jaramillo Cardenas

All you holy men and women, pray for us!

Last night I attended a beautiful Mass in honor of my parish’s patron, St. John Neumann. Our pastor blessed a stunning painting of the saint that was given to our parish last fall, and after Mass we were able to venerate a first-class relic of the first (and still only) canonized American bishop.

In honor of the day, Fr. Dwight Longenecker posted a helpful video podcast speaking of St. John Neumann and the virtue of obedience in all our lives. Take some time to watch it today.

St. John Neumann, pray for us!

Today and tomorrow are “Maryland Days” on the liturgical calendar, as we celebrate two saints who lived in this state: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. John Neumann.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first native-born American to be canonized, was born an Anglican in New York City, but after her conversion to Catholicism did most of her apostolate in Emmitsburg, Maryland. I have visited her shrine in Emmitsburg numerous times and it is quite beautiful.

St. John Neumann, the first American bishop to be canonized, was born in Bohemia and was a Redemptorist missionary to the United States who became the bishop of Philadelphia. But before he was consecrated bishop he worked in Baltimore, Maryland for a number of years. I have been to two churches in which Neumann ministered (and which both have first-class relics of the saint), St. Alphonsus in Baltimore and St. Peter’s in Steubenville, Ohio, and my current parish is named after him.

Maryland, of course, has many Catholic connections. The state was originally created as a safe haven for Catholics in the New World and the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence (Charles Carroll) hailed from the Old Line State. The mother diocese of the United States, Baltimore, also resides in this state. Please ask for the intercession of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. John Neumann for Maryland today.

Besides the Maryland connection, both saints worked tirelessly to establish Catholic schools in this country. We should ask for the intercession of these two great saints not only for Maryland, but also for our Catholic schools.

Today is the feast of St. Ambrose, one of the first-named Doctors of the Church (along with St. Augustine, St. Jerome and St. Gregory the Great). Together, these four men are known as the Great Doctors of the Western Church. He is also one of the four doctors (along with Augustine, John Chrysostom and Athanasius) who support the Chair of Peter in tribune of St. Peter’s in Rome. It is clear that the Church considers him one of the most important theologians in the history of Christianity.

The connection between St. Ambrose and St. Augustine is even deeper, of course, as St. Ambrose was very influential in the conversion of the bishop of Hippo. As St. Augustine writes in his Confessions (book 5):

And so I came to Milan to Ambrose, the bishop, known throughout the world as among the best of men, devout in your worship. At that time his eloquence valiantly ministered to your people ‘ the abundance of your substenance’ and the ‘the gladness of oil’ (Ps. 44:8; 80:17;147:14) and the sober intoxication of your wine. I was led to him by you, unaware that through him, in full awareness, I might be led to you.

It was the preaching of St. Ambrose which first attracted Augustine to the faith of his mother, and he was especially impressed with Ambrose’s ability to interpret the Scriptures allegorically – a skill which allowed Augustine to overcome his aversion to the apparent mundane nature of the Word of God.

Unlike many saints, we do not celebrate St. Ambrose’s feast day on the anniversary of his death, but instead on the anniversary of his episcopal consecration – an event that appears quite extraordinary to our modern eyes: he was not even baptized when he was appointed bishop by popular acclamation, and thus went from catechumen to bishop in eight days! In hindsight, it is clear that the Holy Spirit had much to do with his appointment, however. He is not only a great Doctor of the Church in his own right, but also the spiritual father of another Doctor.

St. Ambrose, pray for us!

I love to read the lives of the saints. Along with countless biographies of saints, I also have a number of different compilations of saints’ lives, including a concise edition of Butler’s Lives of the Saints. What I don’t have, however, is the full twelve-volume Butler’s Lives.

Now I don’t have to purchase it, as a blog has been set up to make available the entries in that classic set:

Glorious in His Saints

Check it out!

Today is the feat of St. John Damascene, the last of the Greek Church Fathers. St. John was an extraordinary saint, living in an extraordinary time. He lived under Muslim rule all his life, and this fact actually helped him in his great battles against the iconoclasts. Because he was not part of the Eastern Empire, he was protected against the iconoclastic Eastern Emperor as well as the iconoclastic Patriarch of Constantinople.

Along with his work against the iconoclasts, he also wrote An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, which cataloged the teachings of the Greek Fathers who proceeded him, and which in many ways is the Eastern equivalent of the Summa of St. Thomas Aquinas. In fact, some even consider him the first scholastic (a term I’m sure most Eastern Christians would not use).

St. John Damascene, pray for us!