Saint Leopold Mandic
Saint Leopold Mandic, Apostle of the ConfessionalWhen Saint Leopold Mandic had dreamed of the priesthood, his eyes traveledover the Adriatic Sea to far-off lands to bring the Gospel of Hope tobrothers and sisters starving and thirsting for this Lord Who died forthem. He was not to even travel from village to village, like FatherFrancis and Saint Anthony (Saint of Padua), proclaiming the Good News.Saint Leopold Mandic was not even called to prepare others for this mission, by foundinginstitutions or teaching in seminaries. Instead the Lord placed him in atiny pulpit, a tiny room with no window to the outside world, with noair or light, freezing in the winter and sweltering in the summer.
Unlike the thrones of kings, Saint Leopold Mandic sat hours upon hoursministering to God's subjects in an old broken down chair that was asfeeble as the body it held on its lap. A simple kneeler is still besidethe rickety armchair, awaiting the contrite. Our Lord Crucified hangingon a wooden cross is above the prie-dieu,a reminder of that God Who loved us so, He asked His Father, with Hislast words, to forgive us our sins. And then in this small cell lookingdown lovingly, on priest and penitent, there is a picture of Our Lady,the Mother of God who interceded at Cana and continues to intercede forHer children on earth with Her Beloved Son Jesus. As our Mother we canstill see Her there, ready to help all seeking forgiveness, to reconcilewith God the Father and Jesus Her Son. Saint Leopold Mandic and the confessionalIn this tiny cell, for most of forty years, spending more than twelvehours of love per day, he waited and received thousands of penitents,streaming in without interruption, one after another to receive theSacrament of Penance. Here there was no class distinction; the poorasked for forgiveness kneeling on the same prie-dieu as the rich; thefamous turned to God for His Salvific Mercy, alongside the infamous;priests, bishops and religious confessed to Saint Leopold Mandic (fiftypriests the day before he died); professors lined up beside theirstudents - all children of God seeking forgiveness.The hardest hearts of stone were converted into hearts for Christ alone.Conversions came about through this little friar who was not eloquent,his voice at times hardly audible. The compassion of Saint Leopold Mandic transformed even thosemost hardened by years of unrepentant sinning; they began the long roadto changing their lives, as they became convinced, through this humblemessenger, that God loved them even when they were sinning. Upondiscovering this unconditional love of the Lord, a love they had neverknown, true healing came about; they received the fullness of thecompassionate gift of Reconciliation, and then the Life-eternal Gift ofOur Lord truly Present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Saint Leopold Mandic pray for us. Oh, if only our priests would remember how great is the gift they havereceived, the gift of administering the Sacraments to the faithful! Ifonly we, the Mystical Body of Christ, knew the priceless treasures Jesusleft us, those Seven Sacraments we receive through the consecrated handsof these Ambassadors of Christ, then we truly would be one as Jesusprayed to the Father Saint Leopold Mandic book - dvd - cd Visit our other sites: New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
