Dec 21 – Memorial for St. Peter Canisius, priest, doctor of the Church
St. Peter Canisius (1521–1597) was the son of Jacob Canisius, a wealthy burgomeister, and Ægidia van Houweningen, who died shortly after Peter’s birth. He was educated in Cologne, Germany, where he studied art, civil law, and theology. He received a master’s degree by age 19. His closest friends at university were monks and clerics.
He joined the Jesuits on May 8, 1543 after attending a retreat conducted by Bl. Peter Faber. He taught at the University of Cologne, and helped found the first Jesuit house in the city. He was ordained in 1546. He was theologian of Cardinal Otto Truchsess von Waldburg, Bishop of Augsburg in 1547.
He travelled and worked with St. Ignatius of Loyola, who was his spiritual director in Rome, Italy. He taught rhetoric in Messina, Sicily in 1548, preaching in Italian and Latin. He was doctor of theology in 1549. He began teaching theology and preaching at Ingolstadt, Germany in 1549, and was rector of the university the following year.
In 1552 he began teaching theology and preaching in the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Vienna, Austria. He was the royal court confessor even as he continued to work in hospitals and prisons. During Lent in 1553, he travelled to preach in abandoned parishes in Lower Austria.
During Mass one day, he received a vision of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and ever after offered his work to the Sacred Heart. He led the Counter-Reformation in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and Switzerland, and his work led to the return of Catholicism to Germany. His catechism went through 200 editions during his lifetime, and was translated into 12 languages. In some places catechisms were referred to as ‘Canisi’.
He attended the Diets of Augsburg (1555), Ratisbon (1556, 1557), and founded Jesuit colleges in Ingolstadt, Prague, Dilingen, and Fribourg. Everywhere he worked, he became a noted preacher and often worked with children, teaching them and hearing their confessions.
He represented Pope Paul IV at the imperial Diet of Pieternow. He addressed the Council of Trent on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. He recommended St. Stanislaus Kostka for reception as a Jesuit. He was court preacher to Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria.
While in Fribourg, Switzerland, he received a message from the city’s patron saint, Nicholas of Myra, that he should stop travelling. Canisius spent the rest of his life there. He taught, preached, edited books, and worked to support the Catholic press and printers in many cities. His advice was sought by St. Francis de Sales, and by his friend St. Charles Borromeo. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1925 by Pope Pius XI.
- Patron Saint Index
Zep 3:14-18
Lk 1:39-45
He will exult with joy over you, he will renew you by his love…
Every once in a while, I like to wander off somewhere quiet to renew, refresh and recharge myself. This year, we decided to go on a silent retreat in the hills of Cebu, Philippines. Casting aside the hows, the wheres and the what nots, I found myself writing this, halfway through the time of silence (not necessarily solitude, cos there are about 30-odd of us wandering the grounds), faced with two questions that were posed to me by my spiritual guide in our morning session.
“What are you looking for?” and “Where are you staying?” Both phrases are from John chapter 1. Funnily enough, my immediate answer to both is, “I don’t really know, Lord.” Because in the course of a pretty tumultuous year, I have come to appreciate further how nothing is permanent in this world (not even your job designation), nor should anything be taken for granted simply because, we have not much control over our destinies.
Sure, those of us who have built empires/companies/families or established legacies can jolly well ‘pooh-pooh’ the thought that we are in full control over our life and what we own. I find myself wondering though, what sense does it make to slave/worry over something when in the blink of an eye, it can all be taken away from us.
And no, I am not one to sit back and just let life wash over me. In fact, I think that we owe it to God to live our lives to the fullest. For He exults with joy over all of us when we do things that are pleasing to him. I took to walking down the hill and back up each morning as I was at the retreat center and I noticed that there was joy among the denizens, in spite of their basic, simple living conditions. In amongst the squatters and huts, there were also houses/villas and a modern apartment complex. But all in all, life was pretty joyous. Teenagers and young adults rode motorbikes and cycled up the hill to meet near a convent to hang out (probably after school). I yearned for that simple life as I took my afternoon walks among the greenery and grounds of the nearby convent each day.
Perhaps that is what I am after now, in this season of my life. I know that God loves me as His son. This was ‘confirmed’ during adoration one night. In no uncertain terms and in words that were scrawled across a page in my journal. That has given me reassurance and re-energised me for the coming year ahead. Because it was just the right time for my faith to be renewed in His love.
Brothers and sisters, when God exults over us, it is a feeling that is indescribable. And as His sons and daughters, it is a privilege that we should never take for granted. So as we prepare for the birth of Jesus, let us all approach the season with open hearts, ready to accept His unconditional, unfailing love.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Desmond Soon)
Prayer: Abba Father, we pray that you will always look upon us with favour and with joy and fill us with peace and love as your sons and daughters.
Thanksgiving: We thank you, Father, for your gift of Jesus Christ and for your assuring presence during this season of Advent.
OXYGEN 
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