JPII St Crispin of Viterbo Canonization
Saint Crispin of Viterbo (1668-1750)
Homily of John Paul II, at the canonization mass
On June 20, 1982, the Pope canonized the Italian Capuchin, Blessed Crispin of Viterbo; it was the first time that John Paul II performed a canonization. Fr. Crispín was born in Viterbo on November 13, 1668. Orphan of father, the mother took care of his religious education. Until the age of 25 he worked in the workshop of his uncle who was a shoemaker. In 1693 he wore the Capuchin habit in the Palanzana convent. It took the name Crispín in homage to Saint Crispín, patron saint of shoemakers. He was in various convents, until in 1709 he was transferred to Orvieto, where he began to exercise the trade of beggar, and where he remained for almost forty years. He died in Rome on May 19, 1750.
Dear brothers and sisters,
1. This is a solemn day for us, as we are invited to contemplate the heavenly glory and the unfailing joy of Crispin of Viterbo, included by the Church in the number of Saints, that is, among those who have achieved the beatific vision of Living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, after the earthly pilgrimage, offering us encouraging confirmation of the Pauline affirmation: "The sufferings of the present time are nothing compared to the glory that is to be manifested in us" (Rom 8:18).
A day of joy especially for the religious of the Franciscan Order of Capuchin Friars Minor, who rejoice in the honor paid to this brother of theirs who hunger and thirst for justice and was satiated (cf. Mt 5,6), and raise their Thanksgiving to the Almighty for the merciful kindness with which he wanted to give you a new confessor of the faith who, in this commemorative year of the 8th centenary of the birth of Saint Francis, joins the other Saints of the great Capuchin family.
By declaring Crispin of Viterbo a Saint, decreeing that he be honored as such devoutly for the honor of the Holy Trinity and the increase of Christian life (cf. Formula for canonization), the Church assures us that this humble religious fought the good fight, maintained the faith, he persevered in charity and reached the crown of justice that the Lord had prepared for him (cf. 2 Tim 4,7-8). Certainly Friar Crispin persevered before the Lord and in his service during earthly life, and the Lord is now his inheritance happily ever after (cf. Dt 10,8-9).
By following Christ Jesus, he denied himself, that is, to purely human ideals, and took up his cross, the daily tribulation, his personal limits and those of others, concerned only with imitating the divine Master, and thus saved perfectly and definitively. his life (cf. Mt 16,23-25). "What profit is it for man to gain the whole world if he loses his soul?" (ib., 26). The evangelical question that we have just read challenges us and invites us to fix our gaze on the happy goal that our Saint has already reached and that with absolute certainty is also reserved for us, to the extent that we deny ourselves and continue to carry the Lord. with the weight of our day of hardworking workers.
At this moment our emotional gratitude goes up to God the author of grace, who led his faithful servant Crispin to the highest evangelical perfection, and let us implore for his intercession at the same time «incessantly practicing true virtue, to which blessed is promised peace from heaven »(Prayer of the day).
Follow Jesus on the way of the Beatitudes
2. And now let us reflect in a particular way on the message of holiness of Friar Crispín de Viterbo.
Those were the times of the absolutism of the State, of political struggles, new philosophical ideologies, religious concerns (think of Jansenism), of progressive distancing from the essential contents of Christianity. In its anguished historical quest, in the incessant search for higher goals of progress and well-being, humanity is periodically tempted by false autonomy and rejection of evangelical categories, and therefore has an essential need for Saints, that is, for models that express concretely with life the reality of the transcendence and the value of Revelation and of the Redemption carried out by Christ.
In the self-sufficient century of the Enlightenment, this was exactly the mission of Saint Crispin of Viterbo, humble Capuchin brother, cook, nurse, gardener and quaestor in Orvieto for almost forty years at the service of his convent. By divine mercy, once again the prophetic words of Jesus found eloquent fulfillment in this Saint: «I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you concealed these things from the wise and discreet and revealed them to the little ones. Yes, Father, because that's how it pleased you »(Mt 11,25-26). God works wonders through the work of the humble, uneducated and poor, so that it is recognized that all salvific progress, even on the ground, responds to a design of his love.
3. The first aspect of holiness that I wish to highlight in Saint Crispin is joy. His affability was known to all Orvietans and to those who approached him, and the peace of God that surpasses all intelligence guarded his heart and thoughts (cf. Phil 4,5-7). His own Franciscan joy, sustained by a very communicative character and open to poetry, but born above all of a great love for the Lord and of invincible trust in his Providence. "Whoever loves God with purity of heart," he used to say, "lives happy and dies happy."
4. The second exemplary attitude is certainly his heroic availability to the brothers and also to the poor and needy of all categories. Indeed, in this regard, it must be said that while Friar Crispín humbly asked for means of subsistence for his conventual family, his main task consisted in providing spiritual and material help until he became a living expression of charity. His work in the religious and charitable field for peace, justice and true prosperity is truly incredible. No one goes unnoticed by your attention, interest and good heart; he reaches out to everyone using insightful remedies and even interventions that seem to fall within the realm of the extraordinary.
5. Another particular commitment of his holy life was to display an itinerant catechesis. He was a "learned layman" who cultivated the knowledge of Christian doctrine with the means at his disposal, without neglecting to instruct others in the same truth. The time to beg was a time for evangelization at the same time.
He encouraged faith and religious practice with simple language, pleasing to the people, full of maxims and aphorisms. His wise catechesis was quickly noticed and attracted figures from the ecclesiastical and civil circles, eager to take advantage of his advice. For example, the following is a profound and luminous synthesis of Christian life: "The power of God creates us, his wisdom governs us, his mercy saves us." The maxims sprang from his heart, solicitous to offer the food that does not perish together with the bread that sustains the body: the light of faith, the courage of hope, the fire of love.
6. And, finally, I wish to highlight your devotion to Mary Most Holy, tender and vigorous at the same time; He called her "My Lady Mother", and under her protection he unfolded his life as a Christian and a religious. To the intercession of the Mother of God, Friar Crispin entrusted the pleas and human anxieties that he encountered along the way while begging for alms; and when asked to pray for serious cases and situations, he used to say: "Let me talk a bit with my Lady Mother and then come back." Simple answer but fully imbued with Christian wisdom that revealed total trust in Mary's maternal care.
7. The hidden, humble and obedient life of Saint Crispin, rich in works of charity and stimulating wisdom, contains a message for humanity today that awaits the encouraging step of the Saints, as it expected in the first half of the 18th century. Authentic son of Saint Francis of Assisi, to our generation drunk many times by his achievements, he offers a lesson of humble and trusting dedication to God and his plans of salvation, of love for poverty and the poor, of obedience to the Church and of trust in Mary, a great sign of divine mercy also in the dark sky of our time, according to the encouraging message for the present generation, sprouted from her Immaculate Heart.
Let us raise prayers to our Saint who has reached the definitive joy of heaven, where there is "no death or mourning or work, because all this is already past" (Ap 21,4).
Saint Crispin! Remove from us the temptation of superfluous and insufficient things, teach us to understand the true value of our earthly pilgrimage, infuse us with the strength we need to fulfill the will of the Most High amidst joys and pains, toils and hopes.
Intercede for the Church and for all humanity, in need of love, justice and peace. Amen.
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