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A
Saint for the World
Miracles make headlines. Both the
believer and the skeptic are interested, if for different reasons. Seen
through the eyes of faith, the miracles granted through the intercession of
Daniel Comboni, bear witness to his sanctity.
The first, necessary for beatification,
occurred in Brazil with the cure of twelve-year-old Maria José Paixao. The
second approved miracle attributed to the intercession of Comboni was the
cure of Moslem woman Lubna Aziz, in Khartoum in 1997.
There was never any doubt about the
holiness of Daniel Comboni, our Founder. His whole life is a reflection of
sanctity. His dedication to the “poorest and most abandoned” has left us a
legacy beyond compare. It therefore comes as no surprise that he was first
declared venerable, beatified and has now been chosen to be canonized on
October 5th, 2003.
Canonization is of such importance that
it is reserved for the Pope himself. It occurs only after the entire life
and works of the candidate, including every written word, has been
rigorously scrutinized. Every possible source is investigated to establish
beyond the least shadow of doubt the sanctity and worthiness of the
candidate.
The call to holiness is addressed to all
followers of Christ and there are many holy people who have not been
canonized.
The question we need to ask is why
Daniel Comboni has been raised to the altars of the universal Church. The
answer lies, not simply in Comboni’s sanctity, but in his life of total
dedication to the Church that he always rightly understood as being
missionary by its very essence.
Born in 1831 at the village of Limone on
beautiful Lake Garda in northern Italy, it must have seemed very unlikely
that Comboni would travel much further than the boats on the lake would take
him. It was improbable that the son of a poor peasant, would emerge to take
his place on the world-scene of his day. His father was no man of influence
being a tenant who looked after the landowner’s lemon terraces. Few would
have guessed the remarkable career that lay ahead of him, a career that
would take him, as a missionary priest, and later as a bishop, to Africa and
the upper reaches of the Nile. In the capitals of Europe, from Vienna to
Madrid, from London to Moscow he would become well known for his repeated
appeals for help for Africa and its one hundred million souls languishing in
darkness.
Canonization is a solemn, public act
that presents a person to the whole Church as one who has reached his
eternal destiny, shares the life of the blessed and may be prayed to
publicly.
Each person who is canonized is
presented to the Church as an example of particular merit. In the case of
Daniel Comboni, it is certainly his significance as the Founder of the
missionary congregations, the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus,
for priests and Brothers and the Comboni Missionary Sisters, which is
underlined. It was as a missionary and the leader of missionary endeavors
that he made his impact on the world of his day. He continues to do so, even
today, through those who share his vision. His life is one continuous
missionary adventure, an adventure that inspires us to this very day.
Comboni’s canonization makes us realize it is now time to share Comboni with
the Church and the world. The statues of Comboni in Brescia and Verona are
testimony to the esteem of the people of those cities. He now belongs not
only to Verona, Brescia, or Khartoum, not only to the Comboni Missionaries
but to the whole world.<WM
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