November 11th is the Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, who was born in 316 AD and grew up in a military family. As a teenager, he also served in the army. He is the patron saint of soldiers. It is not a coincidence that Veteran’s Day in the United States is celebrated on the 11th of November in honor of those who have served, or who currently serve, in the military.
Martin of Tour’s family practiced paganism, but his heart desired Christianity and the message of the Gospel. He converted to Christianity as a young army officer but did not allow his duties as an officer stand in the way of growing in his faith.
He grew in compassion, humility, and in courageous witness to the faith. A story is told that one time Martin saw a beggar suffering from the cold near the city gates; he tore his military cloak and gave half of it to the poor man. Later that night, Martin dreamt of Jesus wearing the half-cloak. This experience inspired him to pursue his calling to follow Christ more completely as a priest.
He became a disciple of Saint Hillary of Poitiers, a prominent theologian and defender of the faith. Martin was ordained a priest and later became bishop of Tours. His priesthood was marked by compassion for all people, especially the poor, courageous defense of the faith, and dedication to God. His was a life of love, sacrifice, faith, and championing the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
In the Gospel of Matthew, we hear a description of the final judgment. The goats and the sheep are separated at the end of time. The Lord chooses those who took care of the poor and the weak to come and spend eternity with him. The chosen ones are even surprised at the Lord’s choice. They didn’t see Jesus walk in their neighborhoods. They simply took care of the poor and those on the margins of society. There was nothing dramatic about what they did. The Lord’s response was simple: when you extended help to such people, through them you extended it to me. “Whatever you did for one of the least in the community, you did that for me.”
We live in a world that is not short of people who need help in some way. There are those who need material help, those who need spiritual help, and those who need emotional help. There are so many “poor” people so to speak, in our world today!
Martin was also courageous about speaking up for the Christian faith. With the world increasingly becoming secular, and in some instances hostility towards the faith becoming normalized, it is important that we become courageous witnesses to the faith both in word and in deed.
It is important to ask ourselves:
May Saint Martin of Tours, friend of the poor and defender of the faith, inspire us and our families to live out the message of Christ through acts of compassion and courageous witness through word and deed.
Father Fred Jenga, C.S.C. is the President of Holy Cross Family Ministries. Father Fred, a native of Uganda, has multiple degrees including theology, philosophy, and communications. His native language is Lusoga and he speaks English, Luganda, Kiswahili, and Rutooro. He has been a teacher, researcher, author and family minister. Father Fred is committed to helping build God’s masterpiece one family at a time.
