Today November 11

Today is Veteran's Day ("At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the armistice was signed." The "eleventh hour" was supposed to be a warning, The "war to end all wars" never lived up to its name. I guess we wouldn't let it.) Today we celebrate one of the Catholic Church's greatest veterans: St. Martin of Tours (336 - 397). It's kind of ironic that St. Martin is called the "soldier saint," because he was both a draftee and a conscientious objector! He it was who famously said, "I am a soldier of Christ; it is not lawful for me to serve." He was charged with cowardice. Not liking his character challenged, he immediately responded in a typically over-the-top way: he offered to stand weaponless at the frontlines of the ensuing battle. His sacrifice wasn't necessary, as the barbarians surrendered to the Roman forces there at Amiens the next day. He was, however, released from service and allowed to retire as a hermit. He still had a job, though, and an interesting one it was, at least to modern readers: he was commissioned as an exorcist by the bishop of Poitiers (St. Hilary). And indeed he released many people from demons, including a boy in the household of a man named Tetradius. And Martin had to power to recognize the devil, even when he came in the guise of Jupiter, Mercury, Minerva or even Christ himself. The devil said: "Martin, you see me. Acknowledge me. I am Christ. I am about to come down to earth and I wished first to manifest myself to you." Martin said nothing. The devil repeated: "I am Christ. Martin, why are you so slow to believe?" And Martin boldly replied, "The Lord Jesus did not say that he would come in a purple robe and glittering diadem. I will only believe in a Christ who comes in the garments of His passion, bearing upon Him the wounds of the cross." Immediately the devil left him, leaving behind an immensely foul odor.

He had other remarkable powers besides. He cured a mute 12--year-old girl by pouring sacred oil in her mouth, praying over her, and touching her tongue with his fingers. He converted one of two hoodlums who had kidnapped him with intent to rob and kill. His great courage -- and his wise decision to engage them in conversation about God and salvation -- led to the conversion of one of his captors. He cured a leper at the North Gate in Paris (now called the Porte St. Martin) with a kiss. He cured a woman suffering a what they call an "issue of blood," or continual menstruation. And he raised three people from the dead (in fact, in old books he is designated as Trium mortuorum Suscitator). The first was when he was a priest -- not yet bishop of Tours -- at the monastery he founded: Liguge, the first Western monastery. A young pagan man came to him for instruction in the Catholic faith. Martin started him in lessons and then had to leave, leaving him there in the care of the brothers. He died of fever and was three days dead when Martin returned. Martin ordered the mourning monks out of the room and prayed over the body for two hours. The limbs began moving, the man's eyes opened and Martin shouted for joy. This man received instruction and baptism and lived for another 5 years! (Interestingly, the man recounted a judgment scene. He had been led before a judge and was to be consigned to the outer darkness but two angels appeared and said this was the man Martin was praying for. They very gently led the man back to his body just before he was restored to life.)

The second person Marin raised was a servant of a man by the name of Lupicinus. This servant had hung himself and the whole household was crying and mourning. Once again, Martin dismissed the crowd, went in to where the body had been laid out and prayed over it a long time. Slowly the eyes opened and the man took Martin's hand. He then walked out to the amazement of the people.

And the third person was the dead baby of a pagan woman. She was in a crowd of curious pagans who had come but to see the Bishop at Vendome. She pushed her way to the front of the crowd and tearfully begged him: "You are God's friend, we know. Give me back my son! He is my only son!" Martin gently took the child's body, knelt down and prayed. When he arose, the child was alive. Pandemonium broke out and many accepted Christ that day.

There are many, many more stories about Martin, all well-attested to and all written by contemporaries. We are lucky to have such a wealth of information on this great saint. When he finally was dying, he prayed aloud: "Lord, if thy people still need me, I will not shirk the toil. Thy will be done." The sacrifice was not required and he died November 8, 397. He was buried at Tours on November 11, the feast day we've kept ever since. I have sympathy as well as admiration for the man, for as his friend described him: "No one ever saw him angered, no one saw him excited, none saw him grieving, none saw him laughing." - Sulpice Severe, Vie de Saint Martin. And so I think he was, all in all, a wise and sensitive person, a man of great sorrow, but also a rock, a person one could count on. St. Martin, pray for us.