July 17th - St. Alexius - Art and Biography

St. Alexius by Juan Juarez

July 17th St. Alexius

The church gives us the following, very short notice of our saint today:

Alexius was the son of one of Rome's noblest families. Through his exceeding love for Jesus Christ, he, by a special inspiration from God, left his wife still a virgin on the first night of the marriage, and undertook a pilgrimage to the most illustrious churches all over the world. For 17 years he remained unknown, while performing these pilgrimages, and then his name was revealed at Odessa, a town of Syria, by an image of the most holy Virgin Mary. He therefore left Syria by sea and sailed to the port of Rome, where he was received as a guest by his own father, who took him for a poor stranger. He lived in his father's house, unknown to all, for 17 years, and then passed to Heaven, leaving a written paper which revealed his name his family and the story of his whole life. His death occurred in the Pontificate of Innocent I.

St. Alexius was the only son of a wealthy senator of Rome, Euphemian, and his wife, Aglaë. Fearing that earthly honors might draw his heart from eternal objects, he decided to renounce the advantages of his birth and retire from the world. In compliance with the will of his parents, he had married a wealthy girl, Marina; but on the very day of the wedding, he parted from her with her consent. In disguise he traveled to Syria, embraced extreme poverty, and resided in a hut adjoining a church dedicated to the Mother of God at Edessa. Here he lived for seventeen years until an image of our Lady spoke and revealed his holiness to the people, calling him "the Man of God". Thereupon he fled back to his home; his father did not recognize him, but received him as a beggar and gave him employment, allotting a corner under the staircase as his quarters. For another seventeen years he thus lived unknown in his father's house, bearing the ill treatment of other servants in patience and silence.

Wedding of St. Alexius

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The account of his life written by John Gilmary Shea:

"St Alexius was the only son of parents preeminent among the Roman nobles for virtue, birth, and wealth. On his wedding night, by God's special inspiration, he secretly quitted Rome, and journeying to Edessa, in the Far East, gave away all that he had brought with him, content thenceforth to live on alms at the gate of Our Lady's church in that city. It came to pass that the servants of St. Alexius', whom his father sent in search of him, arrived at Edessa, and, seeing him among the poor at the gate of Our Lady's church, gave him alms, not recognizing him. Whereupon the man of God, rejoicing, said, “I thank Thee O Lord, who hast called me and granted that I should receive for Thy name's sake alms from my own slaves. Deign to fulfill in me the work Thou hast begun."

After 17 years, when his sanctity was miraculously manifested by the Blessed Virgin's image, he once more sought obscurity by flight. On his way to Tarsus, contrary winds drove his ship to Rome. There no one recognized in the wan and tattered mendicant the heir of Rome's noblest house; not even his sorrowing parents, who had vainly sent through the world in search of him. From his father's charity he begged a mean corner of his palace as a shelter, and the leaving of his table as food. Thus he spent 17 years, bearing patiently the mockery and ill usage of his own slaves, and witnessing daily the inconsolable grief of his spouse and parents. At last, when death had ended this cruel martyrdom, they learned too late, from a writing in his own hand, who it was that they had an unknowingly sheltered. God bore testimony to his servant's sanctity by many miracles. Early in the 5th century."

Readings for the Mass on the commemoration of St. Alexius:

1 Timothy 6:6-12:

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world: and certainly we can carry nothing out. But having food and wherewith to be covered, with these we are content. For they that will become rich fall into temptation and into the snare of the devil and into many unprofitable and hurtful desires, which drown men into destruction and perdition. For the desire of money is the root of all evils; which some coveting have erred from the faith and have entangled themselves in many sorrows. Fight the Good Fight. But thou, O man of God, fly these things: and pursue justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, mildness. Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art called and be it confessed a good confession before many witnesses.

Matthew 19:27-29:

Then Peter answering, said to him: Behold we have left all things, and have followed thee: what therefore shall we have? And Jesus said to them: Amen I say to you, that you who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting.