St. Kateri Tekakwitha
One
Today is the Feast Day of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, nicknamed the Lilly of the Mohawks. Kateri is the first native American to be canonized. She was born in 1656, just outside of modern-day Albany. Her mother was baptized by Jesuit Missionaries but she and Kateri’s father died of smallpox when Kateri was only 4. The disease left terrible scars on Kateri’s face and created cataracts on her eyes that made her all but blind. She would often cover her head with a blanket to hide so that the youth in the tribe wouldn’t make fun of her face. Even though Kateri wasn’t baptized until she was 19 years old, she was taught two crucial things by her mother that gloriously shaped her young life: that there was One, true God who became man and died on the cross, and that this One, true God should be served from one’s heart. These two wonderful truths were so ingrained in Kateri that she refused marriage in a culture where that was simply unheard of. She would make little crosses out of sticks and twigs or would carve crosses into trees so that when she was working or contemplating alone, she could call to mind the sacrificial love this Jesus-God had for her. Eventually, life in her village became unbearable due to the endless ridicule and abuse she received because of her beliefs. She secretly fled with some Hurons to a Christian village outside of Montreal. We often hear how unaccepting the Church is to people who feel like outcasts, but Kateri found it otherwise, finding in the Christian community in Montreal a place of growth, friendship, and encouragement. On Easter Sunday, 1676, she was baptized. There, Pére Cholonec, a French Jesuit, began more formal training for the one whom he recognized as a little saint in the making. When Kateri died in 1680, immediately the native Christian population venerated her as a saint, so visible was her love of God. St. Kateri, we ask your intercession to maintain our fidelity to the faith, even in the face of persecution and ridicule.
Two
Kateri’s mother confirms to us just how influential parents are when it comes to instilling faith in our children. Kateri’s life also reveals just how receptive children are to the seeds of faith, as she exhibited such devotion at such a young age and without any support from her tribe. Her life wasn’t totally without support, however. Kateri had another advantage that cannot be overlooked: she grew up in a village of martyrs. Sts. Isaac Jogues, René Goupil, and Jean Lalande were all missionaries brutally martyred in her village by her people ten years before her birth. Tertullian, a famous early Christian, once said, ‘the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.’ Their supreme Christian sacrifice saturated the ground with the sense of the sacred. To this day, this Shrine to the North American Martyrs in New York is a place of peace and prayer rather than a place of demonic unrest. St. Kateri is the most noble fruit of their martyrdom. When Kateri made it to Montreal, the local baptized people noticed something strange and noble about her. They would nonchalantly try to scoot closer to her during chapel time so that they could be in her radiating presence during prayer. They said they prayed better when they were near her. She proves that holiness is as attractive as it is powerful. And you, do you wish to be attractive and powerful? Then learn from saints like Kateri.
Three
St. Kateri was instinctively drawn to silence and prayer. Even though she lacked formal knowledge of Jesus, her spiritual intuitions drew her naturally to love purity, humility, and charity, the three virtues that always conquer the works of the devil. By making small crosses to remind her of Jesus, she also knew instinctively to surround herself with images that stirred the affections of her heart. We need to examine our homes and ask ourselves if they are decorated with images that stir the heart for Jesus. This soul, so simple and so pure, discovered in herself the deep need and desire for God long before her baptism. Living in an environment hostile to the faith only increased her devotion, accomplishing this even without the strength provided by the sacraments. This shows us the power of sacred images. These images place before our minds the truths and glories of salvation, calls us to step out in trust, and disposes us to grace. Thus, we who not only have access to sacred images but also to the sacraments should not fear persecution or challenges but rather should recognize how God in His providence has already looked out for us by providing us an opportunity for growth in spiritual strength and excellence.
Four
Due to her evident holiness, Fr. Cholonec invited Kateri to join a movement he was developing to better assist the native-born Christians to live a life of sanctity. The name of the movement--the Confraternity (or Movement) of the Holy Family! Sound familiar? St. Kateri and her friends heralded the importance of such a movement of communal prayer and friendship some 400 years ago! Difficult times call for effective measures, and we are created social by God so we can rely on each other for strength. The early Christians attracted non-believers simply by living lives of care and concern for each other. This was the purpose of the Confraternity of the Holy Family then, and the Movement of the Holy Family now. Is there a better witness and patron for our community than St. Kateri (with the exception of the Holy Family, of course!) St. Kateri, pray for us and our movement that we may find in it the same encouragement you found on your confraternity so that we can rescue souls who have been seduced by evil, just like you did.
Five
Prayer and penance are two disciplines constantly encouraged by the saints. Due to the tendencies of the fall, our sensual desires often derail us and get us into trouble. We sometimes feel like trouble follows us and/or we can’t escape the pain. In such a state, the last thing we want to be told is to pray and do more penance! Kateri stands as a sign of contradiction to these fallen responses. And Fr. Cholonec’s reaction to her attraction to extreme penances should also show us we can trust the wisdom of the Church. He curtailed her excesses, even preventing her from placing thorns under her mattress while she slept, so driven she was to emulate Christ’s passion! She did discover something surprising, though, about following Christ’s way of suffering; His yoke is easy and His way even sweet. Let us commit ourselves to living the cross, because in so doing, we will cease to fear what we think is the cross and will discover instead the way to our happiness and self-control. St. Kateri, pray for us.