St. John of Kanty 

     St. John of Kanty, whom we remember and celebrate in Mass today, was a special role-model for his fellow Pole, Pope St. John Paul II.  In many ways John Paul patterned his life after his, and drew much inspiration while kneeling at the grave of John of Kanty.  Both men were learned scholars and exceptionally holy priests.   

     After brilliant studies John was ordained a priest, and became a well-loved, effective, and distinguished professor of theology.  He taught and wrote, and, as was true of most learned men of his day, John spent many of his free hours hand-copying manuscripts of the Holy Scriptures and scholarly works.  We still have 26 of his works, but in fact they totaled over 18,000 pages.  It’s a testament to his exceptional industriousness and energy.


     John was well known, both within the university and among Krakow’s residents, especially the poor, for his generosity and compassion.  He regularly sacrificed his own needs in order to care for the spiritual and physical needs of those less fortunate.  He considered his possessions theirs.  Taking the advice of Jesus in the Gospel, he kept only the money and clothes he absolutely needed for work.  Plus he slept little and ate sparingly.  

     It was in these ways, whether in the classroom, in the pulpit, or on the street, that John was an effective evangelist.  One of his favorite sayings to his students was, “Fight all false opinions, but let your weapons be patience, sweetness, and love.  Roughness is bad for your own soul, and spoils the best cause.”

     Once he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  It was a dangerous trip because Jerusalem and the whole Middle East were controlled by Muslims, who see us as infidels.  Many Christians had been martyred on that pilgrimage.  (By the way, this violence against Christians was the actual, historic reason for the Crusades.  They were a response.  Few people today are taught the real reason.)


     The anniversary of the death of John of Kanty is tomorrow, Christmas Eve, 1473.  When he died, right away there were many miracles when people prayed to John.  Soon John from Kanty became known widely throughout Europe, drawing pilgrims to his tomb.  He was greatly mourned.

     John of Kanty was kind, humble, and generous.  He led an austere, penitential life.  Most of us today understand kind, humble, and generous, but not austere and penitential.  We tend to reserve anything more than mild self-discipline for olympic athletes and madmen.  But Christmas is a good time to reject self-indulgence and lack of dedication to Christ.

     During John Paul’s 1997 pilgrimage to Poland, after his having helped with the fall of socialism there, he alluded to John of Kanty when he said to the people:  Our modern “knowledge and wisdom seek a covenant with holiness.”

     St. John of Kanty, pray for us! 

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