10/02/2026
ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF BL. ALOYSIUS STEPINAC, OUR DEAR CARDINAL AND FRIEND
Today, February 10, marks the anniversary of the martyrdom of our dear Blessed Aloysius. To help us get a glimpse of his life, let us meditate on the homily he gave on the 15th anniversary of the passing of Blessed Ivan Merz:
"In a church, large stone statues over 2 m high stand lined up on either side. One of these statues represents St. Maurus, the second St. Innocent, the third St. John the Baptist, the fourth St. Peter the Apostle, the fifth St. Paul, the sixth St. Andrew the Apostle, and so on. Under each of these large statues is a crouching figure on which the saint in question has stepped with his foot. They say that these are the figures of the Caesars who tortured these people. And what did the artists actually want to express with their art? Nothing other than that the saints are above the Caesars. That those who make people happy are neither Caesars, nor military leaders, nor demagogues, but men of virtue, of Christian perfection.
I would like to put this to your heart as you celebrate the memory of a young man who sought to follow the call of St. Paul the Apostle to the first Christians: "Be followers of me, as I am of Christ!" (1 Cor 4:16).
The godless - like dust that the wind blows from the face of the earth
Perhaps no one has given us a better definition of the concept of a saint than the one we find in the first psalm in the Holy Scriptures: "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the company of the wicked. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by the streams of water, which brings forth its fruit in its season. Its leaf does not wither, and whatever it does prospers. The wicked are not like these, they are not like these; they are like the dust that the wind blows away from the face of the earth." (Ps 1:1-4).
What is left, tell me, of all the works of the mighty Genghis Khan, Suleiman, Nero, Bayezid, and what were all the names of these great men? Nothing but a handful of dust that perhaps cannot be calmed even in the grave by the curses and tears of millions of people crushed only because of the greed for glory and earthly treasures of those so famous conquerors or wicked rulers. What is left of all the so-called political demagogues around the world? A miserable memory that they once existed and that all their work is of no use.
The greatness of the saints lies in their example on earth and their intercession in heaven.
Look, on the other hand, at the figures of saints that the Church places before our eyes. Look at one St. Benedict, one St. Dominic, one St. Francis of Assisi, one St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Vincent de Paul, St. John Bosco, St. Francis de Sales, St. John of Ars, St. Teresa the Great, St. Teresa of the Infant Jesus, St. Francis Chantal, St. Clare. But what more should I list? For, whoever else I place before your eyes, and we do not know the number of them all, the words of Holy Scripture could be repeated for each one: "He is like a tree planted by the flowing waters, which brings forth its fruit in its season. Its leaf does not wither; and whatever it does, it prospers in all it does!"
What is this lineage, you will ask me, what is the greatness of the saints in the history of humanity? In their example on earth, in their intercession in heaven!
Saints have carved deep grooves in the life of humanity.
An example on earth! A small thing, isn't it? Yes, but only for those who look at things superficially. And the root of the tree, of which the Holy Scripture speaks, is hidden underground. To a superficial observer, therefore, without meaning and use. And the lower part of the tree is not very beautiful, nor does it look very valuable. And when winter comes, the tree seems to have died. But, look now in the month of May when the apple, pear, cherry, grapevine blossom. What a wonderful blossom! Look in the autumn when the branches bend under the weight of delicious fruits. Only a fool would say that the root and lower part of the tree are of no use. We observe the same in the lives of saints throughout the history of mankind. All of them buried in the world, either in the silence of monastery walls or otherwise. Considered by the world for the most part to be unreasonable, crazy because of their miserable clothes, dwelling, food, vigils, scourgings, fasting. But the history of the Holy Church, and also objective world history, testifies that no one, not even the greatest statesmen of the world, has carved so deep a furrow in the life of humanity and brought so much benefit to human society as Saint Francis, Dominic, Ignatius, Benedict, Vincent, Teresa, and so on. For their seemingly miserable lives were a shining example and an encouragement to millions of souls to despise earthly treasures and wealth, to despise the honors and pleasures of this world (and this is always the cause of conflicts in the world) and, dedicating themselves to God, to work for the benefit of their fellow men, for the benefit of all humanity.
Saintly figures are saving Europe from crisis
Who among the worldly people has benefited humanity as much as St. Francis of Assisi when he applied to the bitter wound of his time (greed for possessions, pleasure, etc.) the bitter and extraordinarily salutary medicine of holy poverty, chastity, and obedience according to the order he founded? Has any layman done as much for the benefit of the poor as St. Vincent de Paul, whose spirit still works today in countless hospitals and orphanages, for the benefit of humanity, through the male and female lineage of the Order, which were founded at his example and encouragement? Has any layman educator benefited humanity as much as, for example, St. John Bosco, who saved and still saves today, through his spiritual sons, thousands of young people from the ruin that the street prepares for them, and makes of them the most useful members of human society?
Two centuries ago, Europe began to forget what its greatness really is. Today, too, it has the opportunity to pay for its mistakes, the belittling of the spiritual power of the Church and its rebirth value. And we can say with certainty, and not just speculate, that no one will save it from this terrible crisis it has fallen into, but the figures of saints, whom the Church has thrown onto the stage of human history through the centuries and will continue to give. And the more of them there are, dear Catholic youth, the faster and more successfully we move towards the well-being, happiness, and peace of humanity.
The intercession of the saints in heaven
Should we add the other thing we mentioned at the beginning? The intercession of the saints in heaven? The man of our day, who believes in nothing but what he puts in his mouth and pocket, will wave his hand contemptuously. But not the Christian! For if the outstretched hands of a Moses, turned toward heaven in prayer, were able to win victory for the people of Israel, what will not the hands of the saints in heaven be able to do before the throne of God Almighty?
And what else are those vast processions of our village to the Mother of God of Bistrica, but a living faith, confirmed by experience, a living, I said, faith in the power of the intercession of the Mother of God, that most holy representative of the human race? What else are they, but a living faith in the help of the saints, confirmed by the experience of that fervent prayer of the simple people, and also of many learned heads, when they pray and vow to make a pilgrimage to St. Anthony, St. Barbara, St. Florian, St. Roch, St. Anne, St. Teresa, St. Joseph and countless other holy martyrs and confessors.
It would take us too far if we wanted to illuminate from all sides the role of saints in the life of individuals, in the life of families, in the life of nations, in the life of humanity. And that is why the note that a servant of God recorded in his booklet is understandable: 'My only desire in this world is - to become holy at all costs!' But for us this is not only a desire, but also the command of Christ the Savior: 'Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.' (Mt 5:48)
(This sermon by Archbishop A. Stepinac was published in "Nedjelja" no. 11, May 23, 1943 and in the Bulletin of the Postulation "Servant of God Alojzije Stepinac", no. 2-3, May 8, 1996, pp. 50-51, and in the Bulletin of the Postulation Ivan Merz, no. 1-2, 1998, pp. 11-13)
