Homily for the Feast
of
St. Louis IX[1]
Aug. 25, 2026
Collect
Abp. Shaw HS,
Marrero, La.
In
the prayer of the Mass, we noted that St. Louis, king of France for about half
of the 13th century, passed “from the cares of earthly rule to the glory of a
heavenly realm.” Then we prayed that we
might come to God’s “eternal kingdom by fulfilling our duties on earth.”
Wexford Friary Window of St. Louis IX
By Andreas F. Borchert,
httpscommons.wikimedia.orgwindex.phpcurid=12783627
Louis
IX isn’t a saint because he was a king but because he brought his Christian
faith into his family life and his public life.
He was a faithful husband and a good father to 11 children, 6 of whom
lived to adulthood. He was a man of
prayer and supported the Church by completing Notre Dame Cathedral and building
a personal chapel, one of the jewels of Gothic architecture, called the Sainte-Chapelle. He promoted learning by initiating what would
become one of France’s premier universities, the Sorbonne, and was a friend of
St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas while they were theology professors at
the University of Paris.
More
important is that St. Louis was a friend of the poor and sick, providing for
their needs, doing what the prophet Isaiah spoke of in our 1st reading (58:6-11). He reformed the laws and made sure that
justice was carried out regardless of the high or low estate of those who came
to court. He made peace treaties with
his neighbors in Spain and England. His
sense of justice was such that other European rulers sought him as a mediator,
and he had cordial diplomatic arrangements even with the Mongol rulers of
Central Asia.
St.
Louis learned the qualities of virtue and good government from his saintly
mother, Blanche of Castille. Listen to
your mothers’ good teachings, and always respect them.
St.
Louis did well what all rulers are supposed to do: provide for the well being of their people, maintain
justice, keep the peace, and be mindful that God is our supreme ruler. Religion is far more than praying and going
to church (those are important); it’s also applying what we believe to
our personal daily lives, or as the gospel today said (Matt 22:34-40), loving
God and loving our neighbors.
[1] St. Louis is the patron saint of the
archdiocese of New Orleans. His day is a feast outside the city of N.O. and a
solemnity within it.
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