The Catholic Standard and Times

John Paul II: “We need saints today”

By NADIA POZO
CS&T Staff Writer

Pope John Paul II canonized more saints in his 26 years as pontiff than all the popes combined, since 1588. The 482 men and women he entered into the Church’s canon of saints represent a wide range of cultures, nationalities, ages, and vocations. They reflect the universality of the Church.

Why did Pope John Paul II canonize so many?

He believed that being a Christian is to receive the gift of sanctifying grace, which, in turn, cannot fail to induce a “commitment” to respond personally to that gift in everyday life.

In his own words: “It is precisely for this reason that I have sought over the years to foster a wider recognition of holiness, in all the contexts where it has appeared, so that Christians can have many different models of holiness, and all can be reminded that they are personally called to this goal.”

Through his writings, John Paul II will continue to speak to the Church, calling all to the holiness that Christ demanded from his followers when He said, “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” (Mt. 5:48).

“Evangelization in the third millennium must come to grips with the urgent need for a presentation of the Gospel message which is dynamic, complete and demanding,” John Paul II said in a 2001 speech. “The Christian life to be aimed at cannot be reduced to a mediocre commitment to ‘goodness’ as society defines it; it must be a true quest for holiness. We need to re-read with fresh enthusiasm the fifth chapter of Lumen Gentium, which deals with the universal call to holiness.”

The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church that was developed by the Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium states in the fifth chapter that we are all called to the holiness of Christ because He gave Himself up to make His Church holy, and He gave us the Holy Spirit to assist us:

“Each one, however, according to his own gifts and duties must steadfastly advance along the way of a living faith, which arouses hope and works through love.” (Lumen Gentium, paragraph 41).”

Pope John Paul II not only canonized hundreds of men and women, he also went on to exhibit holiness in his own life, demonstrating what it means to say “yes” to God in all things.

“Do not be afraid to be the saints of the new millennium,” he said in his 2000 World Youth Day message. “Be contemplative, love prayer; be coherent with your faith and generous in the service of your brothers and sisters, be active members of the Church and builders of peace. …

“To succeed in this demanding project of life, continue to listen to His Word,” the late Pope said. “Draw strength from the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Penance. The Lord wants you to be intrepid apostles of his Gospel and builders of a new humanity.”

This call is to every person.

To gain continued inspiration from the men and women who have answered this call, The CS&T will be taking a closer look at the saints John Paul II canonized during his 26 years as pontiff.

See the first article in the series below.

CS&T staff writer Nadia Pozo can be reached at npozo@adphila.org or (215) 965-4614.

St. Nimatullah: Deeply eucharistic, deeply Marian

Example of Prayer, faith — Blessed Nimatullah Kassab al-Hardini was canonized by Pope John Paul II as Lebanon's third saint May 16, 2004 at the Vatican. The scholar-monk, who was a binder of books, promoted the study of Syriac, the liturgical language of the Maronite Catholic Church. He died of pleurisy in 1858. (CNS)

By NADIA POZO
CS&T Staff Writer

Called a saint while he lived, and compared to such inspirational, canonized saints as Mother Teresa of Calcultta for his great eucharistic and Marian spirituality as well as his extraordinary service to others, the Lebanese Maronite monk, St. Nimatullah Kassab Al-Hardini, was among the last six saints to be canonized during Pope John Paul II’s pontificate.

St. Nimatullah was canonized on May 16, 2004, along with the American lay woman and mother, St. Gianna Beretta Molla; two Italian priests; a Spanish monk who founded religious orders, and a wealthy Italian widow who opened her home to abandoned children.

What sets St. Nimatullah apart from the rest of that holy company is that he is of the Lebanese Maronite rite — one of the Eastern rites of the Catholic Church — and Lebanon’s third saint.

“A man of prayer, in love with the Eucharist, which he adored for long periods, St. Nimatullah Kassab Al-Hardini is an example for the monks of the Order of Lebanese Maronites — as he is for his Lebanese brothers and sisters, and all Christians of the world,” Pope John Paul II said during St. Nimatullah’s canonization. “He gave himself completely to the Lord in a life full of great sacrifices, showing that God’s love is the only true source of joy and happiness for man. “Welcoming his brothers, he reassured and healed many wounds in the hearts of his contemporaries, witnessing to God’s mercy.”

St. Nimatullah, who was born Youssef Kassab, was ordained a priest on Dec. 25, 1833, taking the name Nimatullah, which means ‘Grace of God.’

He built his spirituality as a monk on the Eucharist, and the example of the Blessed Mother. They fueled his service to others and, as Mother Teresa would say, they helped him see Christ in everyone he served.

During his free time — frequently at the sacrifice of sleep — he prayed in the chapel on his knees, his arms raised in the form of a cross and his eyes fixed on the tabernacle.

He called Mary his “source of strength,” and said it was from her that he learned to live a life of silence, as the Gospel says she pondered her role in Christ’s redemption “in her heart.” Like Mother Teresa, he often prayed the rosary before the Eucharist.

St. Nimatullah never tired of repeating Mary’s name, and he carried a special place in his heart for the mystery of the Immaculate Conception — a dogma proclaimed by the Church in 1854. After each Angelus prayer, he would repeat: “Blessed be the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin.”

He was the vice-superior of the Lebanese Maronite order three times.

He taught theology at his religious order’s main seminary, where he had as a student St. Charbel Makhlouf, Lebanon’s first saint.

St. Nimatullah dedicated his life to teaching, binding books and tailoring clothes, as well to work in parishes and to prayer.

During the two civil wars of 1840 and 1845, he suffered greatly. His brother, who was also a priest, suggested that he withdraw to a hermitage, but St. Nimatullah replied: “Those who struggle for virtue in community life will have greater merit.”

He believed everyday life consisted of the continuous martyrdom that led to sainthood.

In fact, it was in living the ordinary life that St. Nimatullah became a role model.

“He was like Mother Teresa of Calcutta — living among ordinary people and bearing witness to Christ’s love for humanity,” Fr. George Rahme, a professor at Segesse University in Lebanon recently told a journalist for an international news agency.

“He was a teacher, a confessor and [he] went out to visit people in their very homes,” Father Rahme said. “He ate only one meal a day. He lived, and became holy living in society and among people. St. Nimatullah used to always say: ‘Every time I meet someone, I get ever closer to perfection’ — and he said it because he saw Christ in them.”

In December 1858, while teaching at the monastery of Kfifan, he became gravely ill — the result of the bitter cold in that region. He died on December 14, holding an icon of the Blessed Virgin and praying, “O, Mary, to you I entrust my soul.” He was 50 years old.

St. Nimatullah was known as a miracle worker while he lived; when his body was exhumed, it was found to be incorrupt.

One of the better-known miracles attributed to him involved a Druze woman who left the body of her dead child on the site of his grave and went out of the church to weep.

The woman, who had lost all three of her children shortly after their birth, was approaching the church when she heard one of the monks shout that he had found a newborn infant crying in the church. The living infant was her son.

Pope John Paul II beatified St. Nimatullah on May 10, 1998, the year after his visit to Lebanon. The canonization of Lebanese saints such as St. Nimatullah has exposed Latin-rite Roman Catholics to the richness of Eastern Catholic rites.
“This Pope did a lot to remind Christians of their roots, and to give support to the Christian communities that struggle to continue living in the Holy Land,” said Tony Assaf, a Maronite Catholic living in Rome.

Alecco Habib, a lay Catholic and professor of marketing at the University of Lebanon, added: “Faith means everything to us Christians in the East. Everything is unstable in life, except faith.

“After having seen all our hopes from earthly freedom, peace and justice crumble over the years, God sends us messages through the saints who have lived here on earth,” Habib said. “They are people whom we’ve never met, but nevertheless are examples of prayer and faith to us.”

CS&T Staff Writer Nadia Pozo may be reached at npozo@adphila.org or (215) 965-4614.