St. Boniface

 

 Saint Boniface. Engraving | H. Kipp after K. Clasen

Saint Boniface

(c. 675 – June 5, 754)

Saint Boniface’s Story

Boniface, known as the apostle of the Germans, was an English Benedictine monk who gave up being elected abbot to devote his life to the conversion of the Germanic tribes. Two characteristics stand out: his Christian orthodoxy and his fidelity to the pope of Rome.

How absolutely necessary this orthodoxy and fidelity were is borne out by the conditions Boniface found on his first missionary journey in 719 at the request of Pope Gregory II. Paganism was a way of life. What Christianity he did find had either lapsed into paganism or was mixed with error. The clergy were mainly responsible for these latter conditions since they were in many instances uneducated, lax and questionably obedient to their bishops. In particular instances their very ordinations were questionable.

These are the conditions that Boniface was to report in 722 on his first return visit to Rome. The Holy Father instructed him to reform the German Church. The pope sent letters of recommendation to religious and civil leaders. Boniface later admitted that his work would have been unsuccessful, from a human viewpoint, without a letter of safe-conduct from Charles Martel, the powerful Frankish ruler, grandfather of Charlemagne. Boniface was finally made a regional bishop and authorized to organize the whole German Church. He was eminently successful.

In the Frankish kingdom, he met great problems because of lay interference in bishops’ elections, the worldliness of the clergy and lack of papal control.

During a final mission to the Frisians , Boniface and 53 companions were massacred while he was preparing converts for confirmation. (The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group indigenous to the coastal parts of the Netherlands and northwestern Germany.)

In order to restore the Germanic Church to its fidelity to Rome and to convert the pagans, Boniface had been guided by two principles. The first was to restore the obedience of the clergy to their bishops in union with the pope of Rome. The second was the establishment of many houses of prayer which took the form of Benedictine monasteries. A great number of Anglo-Saxon monks and nuns followed him to the continent, where he introduced the Benedictine nuns to the active apostolate of education.

Reflection

Boniface bears out the Christian rule: To follow Christ is to follow the way of the cross. For Boniface, it was not only physical suffering or death, but the painful, thankless, bewildering task of Church reform. Missionary glory is often thought of in terms of bringing new persons to Christ. It seems—but is not—less glorious to heal the household of the faith.


Another take:

St. Boniface, Roman Martyr
by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, 1876

At the beginning of the fourth century lived in Rome, a lady, young, beautiful, rich and of high rank. Her name was Aglae, and she was the daughter of Achatius, a Roman Senator. Although a Christian, she led an idle, frivolous, wanton, in one word a very unchristian life. She had a steward, called Boniface, who was also a Christian in name, but who possessed no Christian virtues except compassion for the poor and hospitality to strangers. With this steward Aglae had for many years led a criminal life. At length, however, her eyes were opened and recognizing the terrible state of her soul, she began to fear divine punishment. She quitted her vices, and, weeping bitter tears on account of them, she confessed them with great compunction, and began a truly penitential life. She sold all her jewels and splendid clothes, and retiring from the pleasures of the world, she employed most of her time in prayers, fasting, and other works of penance. As she, however, had been the cause of Boniface's falling into such great crime, she was not satisfied with her own conversion, but prevailed upon him to follow her example. He did so, and thousands of times regretting his sins, he thanked God that he had not been taken away in the midst of them. No penance, in his eyes, was too great, and which he did not not undergo with pleasure to punish his body, with which he had done so much evil.

After some time, which both passed in penances, Aglae said to Boniface: "You know how deeply we both have offended God, and how we have forfeited all His grace. Hence, it is necessary that we endeavor to obtain powerful intercessions. I have been told that when we honor the relics of the holy martyrs, we honor the martyrs themselves, and thus obtain their intercession with God, which must be very powerful. Let us then try to become possessed of some holy relic. I would build a church to the memory of the martyr, in order that, thus honored he might pray for us to God and obtain the remission of our sins."

Boniface was much pleased with this project, and as he had heard that at Tarsus, in Cilicia, the Christians were cruelly martyred and their bodies sold, he determined to go thither on his sacred mission. Aglae provided him with sufficient money and gave him also several servants as companions. On taking leave of her, he said, jestingly: "You send me to bring you the relics of a holy martyr; what would you say, if God vouchsafe to me the grace to become a martyr: would you receive my body thus brought back to you?" Aglae answered: "This is no time for jesting. The crown of martyrdom is not destined for so great a sinner. Go and execute our intentions." Boniface set out on his journey, and during the same he prayed and fasted and most sincerely repented of his sins, wishing that he might give his life in expiation of them. 

On his arrival at Tarsus, he left his servants at the inn, while he himself went into the street to find a Christian who might be able to give him the information he desired. Coming to the market-place, he saw that they were just torturing twenty Christians on account of their faith. He remained for some time looking at them immovably, when suddenly so intense a desire to suffer for the love of Christ filled his heart, that it was impossible for him to remain quiet. Pushing his way through the people into the circle, he embraced the still suffering martyrs, begging them with a loud voice to remain constant. "The fight, the labor," said he, "is short; the reward, the rest, eternal. Your martyrdom will soon be over, but the happiness that awaits you will never end. I pray you, servants of God," added he, "to be my intercessors with Christ, and to obtain for me, who am a great sinner, the grace to participate in your martyrdom and your victory." Simplician, the Governor, heard and saw Boniface, and having him brought before him, he asked him who he was, and how he dared act and speak as he had done. "I am a Christian," replied Boniface, "and rejoice that these Christians have the glory to die for Christ's sake. I wish that I may be equally fortunate."   
 
The Governor, enraged at these words, first ordered him to be torn most cruelly with hooks; then, that thorns should driven between his finger-nails and the flesh, and after this, melted lead poured into his mouth. During this martyrdom the heroic confessor of Christ raised his eyes towards heaven and cried: "I give thanks to Thee, Jesus Christ, that Thou hast deemed to think me worthy to sacrifice my body and life for Thee. Aid Thy servant and strengthen him with Thy grace." Simplician, still more infuriated, had a large caldron filled with tar and when it was boiling, ordered that the Saint should be cast into it. Boniface signed himself and the caldron with the holy cross and instantly the vessel burst and the tar flowing about severely burned those present. The Governor, now beside himself with rage had nothing left but to condemn the invincible hero to be beheaded. Before Boniface received the death-stroke, he prayed to the Almight upon his bended knees: "Lord, do not remember my misdeeds. I repent of them with my whole heart. Receive the sacrifice of my life, which Thou hast given me grace to make to Thee. Enlighten and convert all those who are present." Thus the undaunted Christian hero ended his life. 
 

Meanwhile, his servants not knowing where their master was, and why he remained so long absent, searched for him in different places, and describing his clothes, his height and figure, asked all they met if they had seen such a man. The following day they were told that a man of the description given had been beheaded because he would not abjure the Christian faith. The servants, startled, looked at each other and at length went to the place of execution, where the bodies of the holy martyrs were still lying, and where they found the body and the head of their master. They wept in mingled joy and sadness, and forthwith determined to buy no other body but that of the Saint, and to take it to Rome. The purchase was made for 500 pieces of gold, and after the sacred relics had been cleansed and embalmed, they brought them to Rome. Aglae, who had been informed, by a heavenly vision of all the events that had taken place, went to meet the servants, and reverentially receiving the treasure, she placed it in a precious tomb and built a magnificent chapel over it. Aglae survived St. Boniface thirteen years, which she passed in continual penance, in a small dwelling erected near the chapel, and at last died peacefully.

Practical Considerations

Boniface and Aglae, two great sinners who had long lived a life of vice and shame, were thoroughly converted to God: both became Saints, and Boniface even a martyr. It is true that the conversion of a man who has long lived in sin, especially unchastity, is considered by the Holy Fathers as a miracle which happens but seldom. Yet the All-Merciful worked such a miracle on Boniface and Aglae, as He had done on some others, that no sinner should have cause to despair on account of his sins, though he may have committed them almost numberless times and have remained for years in them.

 

"Sin" says St. Augustine "has limits both in number and time, but the mercy of God is immeasurable. Therefore, no sinner should despair, but, recognizing the mercy of God, do penance." "Are you wicked? " writes St. John Chrysostom; "think of the sinners known as such. Are you unchaste? remember the unchaste woman in the Gospel. Are you a murderer? contemplate the thief who was crucified with Christ. Are you a great sinner? think of St. Paul, at first a persecutor and afterwards an Apostle of Christ." I add, think of Boniface and Aglae. By this example shall the sinner, whom the Evil One tempts to despair on account of the enormity of his sin, be encouraged to trust in the mercy of the Almighty. He should be especially moved by the example of the thief on the cross, if he has remained long in sin, and in consequence is frightened by despairing thoughts. For as St. Jerome writes: "Conversion comes never too late. The thief went from the cross to Paradise.'' St. Augustine says: "God never despises true repentance. As long as we are in this life we can obtain forgiveness of our sins by repentance." Think of this truth in time, but misuse it not to your own destruction. Do not sin, or put off your penance because of the mercy of the Almighty, but repent of your past sins without delay; as it is unknown to you how long God will wait for your conversion."God gave us the sure haven of repentance," says St. Augustine further, "that we may not despair on account of our sin. He has, however, also set a day for our death, which is unknown to us, lest by presumption, we increase our sins."
Boniface was, during the time of his sinful life, very kind towards the poor, which probably obtained for him the grace of conversion. According to the words of the Archangel Raphael, "he finds mercy with God who gives alms" (Job. xii. 1).

Taken in this sense, alms cover sin, as Holy Writ teaches; because God sometimes gives to a sinner the grace of conversion by reason them, and thus forgives his sin. We should learn from this, that man, even during the time that he lives in great sin, ought not to neglect exercising himself in good works, especially in praying, fasting and giving alms; as God, in reward of such deeds, has given to many the peculiar grace to repent and work out their salvation. We must not, however, think that man by such good deeds, performed while in a state of mortal sin, can merit such grace, but that God is in indescribably merciful, and in His infinite kindness bestows this grace upon him. Hence, a sinner must not think that on account of the good works performed while in a state of disgrace with God, he is sure not to go to eternal perdition, for God has nowhere promised heaven for such deeds. On the contrary He has frequently and clearly manifested in His word that He will send to eternal damnation the sinner who does not repent. "Unless you do penance, you shall all likewise perish," says Christ our Lord (St. Luke xiii.).

 

 

 

 

Another quote:

 

Let us trust in Him who has placed this burden upon us. What we ourselves cannot bear let us bear with the help of Christ. For He is all-powerful, and He tells us: 'My yoke is easy, and my burden light.'