April 5th - St. Vincent Ferrer

 

Vincent Ferrer was the fourth child in his family. His father is reported to have had a dream in which he was told that Vincent would be a world famous Dominican friar. But his father was opposed to his vocation. The boy joined the Dominicans in 1367 and received his doctorate of theology and was ordained a priest. He became a missionary and taught theology. He was an adviser to the King of Aragon. During a severe fever in 1538, Vincent had a vision of Jesus, Saint Dominic and Saint Francis of Assisi. It was a life changing experience – Vincent received supernatural gifts and believed that he was a messenger of penance, an “angel of the apocalypse” sent to prepare mankind for the Judgment of Christ.

As a great preacher, he converted thousands in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands England, Scotland and Ireland.

He was a counselor to Pope Benedict XIII, who at that time was an anti-pope, but Vincent didn’t know it. The Western schism divided Christianity first between two, then three, popes. Clement VII lived at Avignon in France, Urban VI lived in Rome. Vincent was convinced the election of Urban was invalid, though Catherine of Sienna thought Urban was the true pope.

In the service of Cardinal de Luna, Vincent worked to persuade Spaniards to follow Clement. When Clement died, Cardinal de Luna was elected at Avignon, France and became Benedict XIII, who would not be a validly elected pope, but Vincent didn’t know it until later. Vincent worked for him as apostolic penitentiary and Master of the Sacred Palace. All the candidates of the new conclave swore to resign, but Benedict XIII refused. Because he finally concluded that Benedict was not the true pope, Vincent tried unsuccessfully, in 1408 and 1415, to persuade his former friend to resign.

Though very ill, he mounted the pulpit before an assembly over which Benedict himself was presiding, and thundered his denunciation of the man who had ordained him a priest. Benedict fled for his life, abandoned by those who had formerly supported him.

Vincent, traveled through various countries working to end the Western schism. Strangely, Vincent had no part in the Council of Constance, which ended the schism. He lived to behold the end of the great schism and the election of Pope Martin V.

He slept on the floor, had the gift of tongues (he spoke only Spanish, but all listeners understood him)., He fasted continuously, celebrated Mass daily, and known as a miracle worker. He was reported to have brought a murdered man back to life to prove the power of Christianity to the onlookers, and he would heal people in the hospital just by praying in front of it. He worked so hard to build up the Church that he became the patron of people in building trades.

In 1455 when he was canonized, 800 stories of his validated miracles were read out loud; there were more, but the celebrants decided to move on with the recognition.

Today, let us pray to St. Vincent, that he will help us in our time of confusion in the Church and in the papacy.