Saint Stanislaus Kostka
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St. Stanislaus Kostka |
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Stanislaus was born in Poland, in the royal castle of Rostkovo in 1550, four years after Martin Luther died. It was obvious to all, very early in his life that he was not like anyone else in the family, least of all his father and brother. He showed a great deal of interest in prayers, matters of Church, spiritual exercises, and studying. He shied away from tasteless and indecent talk. His father was almost embarrassed by Stanislaus’ behavior, or at least his prudish tendencies. He would say to guests in the home, "Don’t tell that story before Stanislaus. He would faint." While he was not reprimanding Stanislaus for his virtuous decorum, he was sort of apologizing for the fact that he might not have been considered a real man to some of those present. We’re not told of his relationship with his mother at all. But we would have to believe that he received a great deal of his spirituality from that dear, saintly woman. Someone had to take credit for this beautiful manifestation of God’s glory that was Stanislaus Kostka. It surely wasn’t his father or his brother. There’s nothing known for sure about Stanislaus in his early life. The first the biographers hear of him is when he moved with his brother and a tutor to Vienna, to be close to his studies at the Jesuit College. Here they were, Jekyl and Hyde, from the same family. It had to be a contradiction for the people who met them, one being the image of Sanctity, and the other, well....The boys were tutored by a Dr. John Bilinsky, who had tutored them at home in Poland. Dr. Bilinsky traveled with them to Vienna, and continued to tutor them privately. They stayed at the Jesuit college for the first eight months in Vienna, and then because the Emperor Maxmilian took the houses away from the Jesuits, brother Paul used this as an excuse to intimidate their tutor, Dr. Bilinsky, who must have been their chaperone as well, to move them into a very secular, high class apartment which was more likely in the style to which they were accustomed back home in Poland. There was only one problem; the owner of the apartment they had rented, was a very zealous Lutheran, and he ran a strict Lutheran house.There’s no indication that this caused a problem as long as the boys did not try to bring their religious beliefs home with them from school. Well, that was definitely not a problem for Paul, because as far as we have been able to determine, he either had no religious beliefs or he just didn’t practice any. But there may have been tension between the landlord and young fourteen year old Stanislaus, who could not help but exude his love for Jesus, Mary, the Angels and Saints through the Catholic Church. I mean, he was Church with a capital "C." But the Angels must have been protecting Stanislaus, because he did all his praying and devotions in his room when he was not at college or church. He was a very quiet young man, however, and the landlord most likely never heard him. He also practiced mortifications, which meant he scourged his body with a small wire whip, or wore a rough hair shirt or something in that nature. He was determined that desires of the flesh would not rule his life. He did not want to take a chance on falling victim to anything that could possibly jeopardize his relationship with Jesus and the Holy Family of Mary, Angels and Saints. It’s not so much that he was fearful of imperiling his soul, which we’re sure he was, but he was more concerned about hurting Jesus, or separating himself from this relationship he had developed with the Holy Family. He felt a part of a huge family, a community of loving Relatives who would never leave him or hurt him. It would have to be he who would take the first step in alienating himself from the family of God. And he knew that while he might do that, they would still love him and long for him to return. But he did not want to hurt them, or make them yearn for his return; he never wanted to leave them.Stanislaus had a great love, devotion and respect for the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. This was not a time in the Church when you could receive daily, but if it had been allowed, he would most likely have been among the first to receive his Lord on a daily basis. He would fast for an entire day prior to receiving the Eucharist. Jesus in the Eucharist was his entire life. He knew without a doubt that reception of the Eucharist was physically as well as spiritually nourishing. A time would come when this would be put to the test. After a little less than two years living in this apartment, Stanislaus became very ill. He thought he was dying. He was sure he was dying. He wanted a priest to come to the apartment to give him Viaticum. The Lutheran landlord refused to allow a priest to enter his house. We believe Paul and Dr. Bilinsky did all they could to change the mind of the Lutheran landlord, but to no avail. Paul tried to keep from Stanislaus the fact that the landlord would not allow the priest into the house. He kept insisting Stanislaus was not really that sick, in the hopes that he and the chaperone, Dr. Bilinsky, would be able to wear the Lutheran down. This was not happening. Stanislaus was sure he was on death’s door. He had belonged to a sodality of St. Barbara, who is a defender of the Eucharist and a very strong Saint in our Church. He appealed to her, praying to her to put herself in the presence of Jesus, and ask Him to intercede for him, and allow the Eucharist to be brought to him. He prayed for all he was worth. He could feel the perspiration pouring down from his head. He knew he was praying for his life. He felt a presence in the room. A coolness came over him as if a soft breeze from Heaven had entered the room. It might have been from the movement of the wings of Angels, because he saw before him two Angels with St. Barbara in between them. She was carrying the Eucharist in a Heavenly ciborium. As they approached him, he thought his heart would surely burst. The Angels administered the Sacrament of the Eucharist to Stanislaus. He could feel their closeness to him. They radiated a warmth and fragrance which he had never experienced before. They stayed with him for a short time, joining him as he offered Thanksgiving to the Lord for giving him this miracle. St. Barbara looked at him affectionately. She never said a word to him with her lips, but her eyes told him so much. They showed a tremendous love for him. Then St. Barbara and the Angels left. St. Stanislaus lay in his room peacefully after this miraculous visit from his Heavenly Family, affirming that they would always be there to guide him and protect him, to keep him from all evil. He could feel the peace of the presence of Our Lord Jesus inside him. The perspiration left his body; his breathing became more natural; a feeling of calm enveloped him. He was happier than he had ever been. But his joy was to be magnified, when he was next given a gift so great his heart almost burst. Our Lady appeared to him holding the Child Jesus. She serenely placed Jesus in the arms of this fifteen year-old boy. Stanislaus could feel his heart pounding as if it would come out of his body. His eyes could not fully behold the dazzling beauty of the vision of Mary before him. He had never seen anyone as radiant, as regal, as serene, as loving, as she in his life. He could not even begin to describe her; she was from another dimension beyond description. All the most exquisite art he had ever seen paled, in the illustrious presence of the Mother of God, Mary most holy. He thought he would die of ecstasy, and he was looking forward to it. Mary spoke to his heart. She told him many things that day, mostly for him and for the life he would lead in glorifying the Lord through his example, but one message she gave him that we know of, is he was to enter into the Society of Jesus, the Jesuit community. When Our Lady first recommended the Jesuits to Stanislaus, his heart skipped a beat. He had wanted to join that order, but had not had the courage to go forward with his desire. She gave him the affirmation and push he needed to catapult him into action. This sounded like a simple demand from the Mother of God, but it would not be simple to execute. Stanislaus came from a powerful Polish family. No one wanted to incur the wrath of his father. So when Stanislaus approached the Jesuit provincial in Vienna, although the man would like to have had Stanislaus for many reasons, he insisted that the young man get his parents’ permission before entering into the community. For more information about Saint Stanislaus click here
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