We in America celebrate today the feast of St. Elizabeth of Portugal, whose day falls on the 4th in the rest of the world. This remarkable queen showed clearly that even people in power, people of royal status, can be saints.
Sometimes we Catholics hear exaggerated stories of the saints. When I was pastor of a church dedicated to St. Brigid, I never tried to distinguish fact from legend, I just gave the stories as they came down to me, even the one that had her hanging her cloak up on a sunbeam.
Peacemaker
With St. Elizabeth, her most impressive story is a matter of historical record. Her son the prince had raised an army and was ready to do battle against her husband the king. Both sides were arrayed and on the battlefield. It was Elizabeth who went back and forth between these two difficult men and made peace at the last moment.
Helper of the Poor
Elizabeth also became famous for traveling throughout Portugal and feeding the poor. Anyone who is fortunate enough to live in areas of the country settled by Portuguese can experience this tradition in the form of festas. These are preceded by a novena. On the day of the festa there is a solemn Mass which often involves crowning a queen with the crown of the Holy Spirit which St. Elizabeth wore. After the Mass is a procession to a hall. There a lunch is served on long tables free of charge to anyone who wants to come. This is in imitation of the practice of St. Elizabeth.
The peace that Elizabeth brought not only saved Portugal from the agonies of civil war, it helped the country develop. St. Elizabeth’s husband Diniz died in 1325. She entered a convent but continued to work for peace between Portugal and Castile. On her death in 1336 her son Afonso immediately waged war against Castile, but it was short lived. The spirit of Elizabeth continued to influence events in her country.
In the following decades, Portugal largely enjoyed peace while the rest of Europe was engaged in war. This helped the country make progress and become, in the next century, the leader in world exploration.
The Beatitudes
In being a peacemaker, Elizabeth exemplified one of the beatitudes given in the Sermon on the Mount. Thomas Aquinas writes that the beatitudes are superior to the fruits of the Spirit:
“More is required for a beatitude than for a fruit. … it is sufficient for a fruit to be something ultimate and delightful, while for a beatitude it must be something perfect and excellent. Hence all the beatitudes may be called fruits, but not vice versa. For the fruits are any virtuous deeds in which one delights, but the beatitudes are none but perfect works …” (Summa Ia IIae lxx 2)
Elizabeth certainly enjoyed the fruits of the Spirit. Her generosity and love for her people would have brought her joy as she helped them throughout her life. The most remarkable feat of her life, though, was keeping Portugal from lapsing into civil war. In this she fulfilled one of the most exalted teachings of Jesus, the ones he gave on the Mount.
Thank you Father Mike. I always enjoyed and benefitted from your sharing of the saint of the day at your mass.