Today, September 2nd is the Feast of St. Stephen I, King of Hungary (b. ~AD975, d. AD1038)
King Stephen is credited by the Church with Christianizing Hungary, and offering his kingdom to the Holy See. He is known as the "Apostle of his nation", as his entire life was dedicated to the propagation of the Catholic Faith among his people.
He is renowned for his generosity, and never failed to give aid to the poor and needy.
"His love for the poor was equaled only by his generosity towards them; for, seeing in them Christ himself, he never sent anyone away sad or empty-handed. So great indeed was his charity that, to relieve their necessities, after expending large sums of money, he often bestowed upon them his household goods. It was his custom to wash the feet of the poor with his own hands, and to visit the hospitals at night, alone and unknown, serving the sick and showing them every charity. As a reward for these good deeds his right hand remained incorrupt after death, when the rest of his body had returned to dust."
According to pious legend, when Attila the Hun approached Rome in the mid-5th century, "Attila in person was rushing like an overflowing river upon the capital of the world, when he was met by the Sovereign Pontiff. The Hungarian chronicles record the following message as having been then received from heaven by the universal devastator: '
Hearken to the command of the Lord God, Jesus Christ. Thy pride shall not be suffered to enter into the holy city where lie the bodies of my Apostles. Return. Later on a descendent of thine will come to Rome with humility; and I will cause him there to receive a crown that shall last forever.' Attila thereupon recrossed the Alps, and had only just time to reach the Danube before he died.
In the days of St. Stephen the heavenly promise was fulfilled."
Stephen was crowned King by Pope Sylvester II himself in 1000 or 1001. "Like the Holy Empire, to which Hungary was to be later on united without however being absorbed by it, the Hungarian monarchy was founded upon Peter; for his sake it subsisted, and he alone, under God, was the safeguard of its future."
"...the holiness sprung from Stephen put forth numerous branches, which, shedding their beautiful blossoms over the whole earth, filled all lands with perfumes for the Spouse."
May we one day see the restoration of Catholic Kings throughout the world, in God's time!
St. Stephen, King of Hungary, ora pro nobis!
Quotations taken from
Dom Prosper Gueranger's Liturgical Year which is in the public domain.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
