Gifts of Strength and Love

November 11 is the Feast of St. Martin of Tours, a 4th-century monk who was close to the heart of St. Benedict. Martin became a catechumen at age 15, to the displeasure of his father, a Roman officer, who compelled him to join the army. A legend about St. Martin says that during his time of military service, he encountered an ill-clad beggar and cut his cloak in two, giving half to the poor man. That night, Martin had a dream in which he saw Jesus wearing the half-cloak the had given to the beggar. Not long thereafter, Martin was baptized and sought to live as a monk.

St. Benedict thought so highly of St. Martin that when Benedict destroyed the old temple of the god Apollo at Montecassino, he built a shrine dedicated to St. Martin at this site. St. Benedict says in his Rule that we are to welcome all guests as Christ, and it is plausible to think that the legend of St. Martin’s generosity to the beggar and his subsequent dream of seeing Jesus wearing his cloak inspired this teaching of St. Benedict. St. Martin’s act also echoes Jesus’ proclamation “I was naked and you clothed me … whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25: 36, 40).

Psalm 62 notes that “Time and time again God said, ‘Strength and love are mine to give.’” St. Martin’s strength in turning aside from a secure, socially acceptable career and his compassion in responding to another’s need were gifts from God. These gifts are offered to all of us; what is unique about St. Martin is his choice to put God’s strength and love to use in the service of others.

I could easily give away half of the clothing I own to others who are less fortunate and still have plenty to wear. The story about St. Martin’s generosity invites all of us to consider whether we are using the blessings God has given us to serve our brothers and sisters with strength and love.