Through Every Storm and Disaster, The Catholic Church Stood Strong: Reflection for 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time
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Pier Giorgio Frassati is known for his famous saying, “Verso L'Alto” which means “To the heights”. Frassati’s journey has always been about climbing the mountains. But the mountains are not actual ones. Rather, it was climbing to something that was higher than this world. His mission in life was to reach the heights of heaven. Indeed, he did just that as a lay Dominican. He also invited people to follow him while also tending to the poor and needy in Turin, Italy.
Nicknamed as the “Man of the Beatitudes” by St. John Paul the Great, Frassati is known as, “Wonderful model of Christian life, entirely immersed in the mystery of God and dedicated to constant service of others.”
“The secret of his apostolic zeal and holiness is to be sought in the ascetical and spiritual journey which he traveled,” the pope said, “in prayer, in persevering adoration, even at night, of the Blessed Sacrament, in his thirst for the Word of God, which he sought in biblical texts; in the peaceful acceptance of life’s difficulties, in family life as well; in chastity lived as a cheerful, uncompromising discipline; in his daily love of silence and life’s ‘ordinariness.’
Over the weekend, news broke from the Vatican that Pier Giorgio Frassati will be canonized next year during the jubilee year of youth in Rome. It would happen 35 years after his beatification. The canonization will happen 100 years since he went to his eternal reward.
Miraculous healing of Kevin Becker
In 2011, Kevin Becker was getting ready to start his final year of college at East Stroudsburg University. It all changed one week prior to the start of his senior year. Becker fell from the roof of his dorm, yet he didn’t recall what or how it all happened. His girlfriend and friends found him on the ground with a fractured head and a broken body. He was placed in ICU and was comatose. His survival chances were 30%.
The family would later learn about Pier Frassati through his cousin after ordained a priest and pray a novena to him. By the 3rd day, Becker opened his eyes. Ten days later he made a miraculous recovery. Becker would later share about this angel named George who was with him through the ordeal. Jeanmarie, Kevin’s mother, showed him a picture of Frassati and said, “That was who was with him.” His image was on his hospital bed all this time.
To learn more about this young saint, read here.
Read Finding Frassati here.
Catholic Millennial. I hail from Philadelphia, PA. 4th-degree member of the Knights of Columbus. I enjoy writing, traveling, ballroom dancing, meeting new people, having deep conversations over a cold beer or wine (sometimes champagne), and petting adorable dogs that come right past me.
I hope to convey more messages from our culture with a twist of faith.
Some of my writings will range from pro-life (yes, men can have a say in the abortion issue, Karen), pop culture, history, and just some spontaneous reflections without warning
