Today we read about St Fidelis of Sigmaringen in the book In Caelo et in Terra. He lived at the end of the 16th century in Germany, which was a dangerous time and place to be Catholic. He was a lawyer and defended the poor, then became disillusioned by the legal system and became a priest instead. He was faithful (which is what Fidelis means) to God and served the poor for years before finally trying to evangelize those who had left the church, including Calvin and Zwingli. He was martyred by their followers. You can read more about him here.
He lived in a dark time. It was hard to be Catholic during those tumultuous years. In France, Germany, and England Catholics were put to death simply for practicing their faith. Nuns were often led to the guillotine and executed simply for being nuns and not renouncing their Catholic faith.
But St Fidelis stood out. He was good, and holy, and loving. He took care of the poor and shared the truth with everyone who would listen.
We live in a dark time, too. There are lies all around the world, and there are more martyrs today than throughout all of history combined. We, like St Fidelis, can shine brightly in this time. Just by loving people, being kind, taking care of the poor, and sharing the truth with those who will listen.
God, thanks for this great example of being a bright light in a dark place. St Fidelis of Sigmaringen, pray for us.
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