Born in 1838 to a large and wealthy family in Italy, Francesco Possenti was baptized the day he was born in the same baptismal font as St. Francis of Assisi. Despite the death of three of his sisters, a brother, and his mother—all before his middle teens—he never lost his cheerful nature. He was twice deathly ill. Both times he prayed and promised to enter the religious life if he was cured, and both times he went back to his life of being a ladies’ man. Then one day he saw a processional banner with a picture of Mary on it, and he felt her say, “Keep your promise.” He entered the Passionist order and took the name “Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows”. Before being ordained a priest, he died of tuberculosis at 24.
CHALLENGE
St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows said, “Our perfection does not consist of doing extraordinary things but of doing the ordinary well.” After becoming a Passionist, he did the ordinary well by loving the poor, praying devoutly, and always being considerate of others’ feelings. Today, pick one ordinary thing you’re not doing well and start making an effort to do it better.
The end of life is a difficult time, and the Catholic Church has a rich history of teachings and traditions to help people have a holy death, as well as grieve and pray for those who have departed from this world. Passing Time is a rich resource on the topics of suffering, death, and Purgatory, compiled from a variety of classical Catholic texts. Buy your copy today.
