Sant'Omobono
Saint
Homobonus
Saint Homobon de Crémone
Laïc à Crémone (+ 1197)
Tailleur et marchand de
drap, à Crémone en Italie. Il était en effet un "homme bon", d'une
inépuisable bonté pour les pauvres. Ses vertus et ses miracles après sa mort le
firent mettre au nombre des saints.
À Crémone en Lombardie,
l'an 1197, saint Homobon. Commerçant, il mena une vie de prière et de charité,
allant visiter et soulager les pauvres, réunissant les enfants à l'abandon pour
les éduquer et mettant la paix dans les familles.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/91/Saint-Homobon-de-Cremone.html
Museum of the History of Poznań City (Poznań City hall). St. Homobonus. Unknown Poznań painter, 1799
Museum
of the History of Poznań City (Poznań City hall). St. Homobonus. Unknown Poznań
painter, 1799
HOMMEBON DE CRÉMONE
Commerçant à Crémone,
Saint
Saint Hommebon était
fils d'un marchand de Crémone, en Italie. Le nom de sa famille était Tucinge.
Celui de Homobonus ou de Hommebon qu'il reçut au baptême, présageait
ce qu'il devait être un jour. Destiné au commerce, il eut une éducation
conforme à cette profession ; il trouva dans les instructions et les
exemples de son père, des motifs de probité , de religion et de vertu. Dès son
enfance, il montrait une grande horreur pour l'apparence même de l'injustice,
et il aurait mieux aimé perdre toute sa fortune, que de commettre le moindre
péché. Il voyait dans son état une occupation que Dieu lui avait donnée ;
il en remplissait les devoirs par obéissance à la volonté du Ciel, par justice
pour lui-même , pour sa famille et pour la société dont il était membre. Ses
parents lui ayant proposé de se marier, il leur obéit, et s'unit à une femme
vertueuse et capable de l'aider dans le gouvernement de sa maison. La
régularité de tous ceux qui la composaient, était une preuve de la vigilance et
de la sainteté du maître.
Ce fut par ces différents
moyens que le serviteur de Dieu se sanctifia dans sa profession. Il ne laissait
échapper aucune occasion de pratiquer toutes les vertus chrétiennes dans un
degré héroïque. Les contradictions qu'il avait à essuyer, ne troublaient point
la tranquillité de son âme ; il les supportait avec douceur et avec humilité.
Il ne répondait aux injures que par le silence, ou des représentations
pleines de bonté, auxquelles on ne résistait point. II était si parfaitement
mort à lui-même, qu'on disait dans Crémone qu'il était né sans passion.
Sa charité envers les
pauvres ne connaissait point, pour ainsi dire, de bornes. Après la mort de son
père, qui lui laissa des biens considérables, il augmenta encore ses aumônes.
Il allait chercher les pauvres dans leurs cabanes, et en même temps qu'il les
soulageait dans leurs misères, il les exhortait à se repentir de leurs fautes,
et à mener une vie plus chrétienne. Sa femme lui faisait quelquefois des
reproches sur ce que par ses aumônes excessives il appauvrissait sa famille ;
mais il lui répondait avec douceur, que la meilleure manière de placer son
argent, était de le donner aux pauvres, qu'on lui faisait par-là produire le
centuple, comme Jésus-Christ lui-même l'avait promis. On lit dans l'auteur de
sa vie, que ses immenses charités furent souvent accompagnées de miracles, et
que Dieu lui accorda le don de multiplier ce qu'il avait destiné au soulagement
des malheureux.
Il joignait à la pratique
de l'aumône celle de l'abstinence et de la mortification. Il savait allier les
devoirs de son état à l'exercice de la prière. Il y donnait un temps
considérable, et lorsqu'il paraissait distrait par les occupations extérieures,
il unissait son âme à Dieu par des aspirations fréquentes ; en sorte que tous
les lieux où il se trouvait, étaient pour lui des lieux d'oraison. Tous les
jours il assistait dans l'église de Saint-Gilles à matines, qui se disaient à
minuit, et il ne se retirait que le lendemain matin après la grand'messe. Sa
ferveur était si exemplaire, surtout pendant le saint Sacrifice , que tous ceux
qui le voyaient, se sentaient pénétrés de la plus vive dévotion. Il restait
quelque temps prosterné devant un crucifix, en attendant que le prêtre fût
arrivé à l'autel. Ses exemples et ses discours convertirent un grand nombre de
pécheurs. Il consacrait uniquement a la piété les Dimanches et les fêtes, et il
était en prières lorsque Dieu l'appela pour récompenser ses' vertus.
Le 13 Novembre 1197, il
assista à matines, suivant sa coutume, et resta à genoux devant le crucifix,
jusqu'à ce que le prêtre commençât la messe. Au Gloria in excelsis, il
étendit les bras en forme de croix. Peu de temps après il tomba le visage
contre terre. Ceux qui le virent en cet état, crurent qu'il s'y était mis par
dévotion. Mais quand on s'aperçut qu'il ne se levait point à l'évangile, on
s'approcha de lui, et on remarqua qu'il ne vivait plus.
Sicard, évêque de
Crémone, après avoir constaté l'héroïsme de ses vertus et la certitude de ses
miracles, se rendit à Rome avec plusieurs personnes respectables pour
solliciter sa canonisation. Le Pape Innocent III le mit au nombre des Saints,
et publia sa bulle en 1198. Le corps du serviteur de Dieu fut levé de terre en
1356, et transféré dans la cathédrale de Crémone. Mais son chef est resté dans
l'église de Saint-Gilles.
Les facultés et les
besoins de l'homme prouvent qu'il est né pour le travail. La société
d'ailleurs, dont il est membre, lui en fait un devoir. Il ne serait pas juste
qu'en ne contribuant en rien aux charges communes, il profilât du travail des
autres. Une vie d'amusements et de plaisirs est donc indigne d'une créature
raisonnable, à plus forte raison d'un chrétien. Que l'on examine ceux qui n'ont
point d'occupation sérieuse, et l'on verra que la vie même est un fardeau pour
eux. Il faut de l'exercice à l'âme naturellement active, et nul homme ne peut
être heureux s'il ne sait se faire un genre d'occupation. Mais ces réflexions
ont encore plus de force, quand on passe de l'ordre physique à l'ordre moral.
Observons cependant que les professions qui portent au péché, sont toujours
défendues ; mais ,les autres doivent être estimées à proportion de
l'avantage qui en revient à la société, et des facilités qu'on y trouve pour
pratiquer la vertu. On peut les sanctifier toutes, en les rapportant à Dieu,
qui est la grande fin de toutes les choses créées. Chaque profession entre dans
le plan général de la Providence, et c'est se rendre coupable , que de n'en pas
remplir les devoirs. Il est vrai que les arts mécaniques ne tendent point de
leur nature à perfectionner la raison, ni à produire la vertu ; mais ils
deviennent méritoires pour tous ceux qui les ennoblissent par des principes de
religion, par la pratique des vertus chrétiennes. Au reste, ces vertus sont le
fruit de la prière, de la méditation de la loi sainte el de la vigilance sur
soi-même. Nous devons donc réserver toujours des moments pour ces pieux
exercices, et leur donner même la préférence, s'il arrivait qu'ils fussent
incompatibles avec quelques-uns des exercices de la vie ordinaire. Ces moments
ne nous manqueront jamais : nous en trouvons bien pour nos amusements et nos
plaisirs. Il faut que nous devenions des Saints, et ce n'est que par là que
nous le deviendrons.
SOURCE : Alban
Butler : Vie des Pères, Martyrs et autres principaux Saints… – Traduction :
Jean-François Godescard.
SOURCE : http://nouvl.evangelisation.free.fr/hommebon_de_cremone.htm
Also
known as
Hombonus
Homobonius
Homobonus Tucingo
Omobono
Omobono Tucenghi
Uomobuono
Profile
Son of a well-to-do tailor and merchant.
He became a tailor himself,
and took over his father‘s
business. Married layman.
He believed that his ability to work was given to him by God so
he could support the poor,
and he devoted most of his profits, and some of his house space, to charity.
Born
13
November 1197 at Cremona, Italy of
natural causes during Mass at Saint Edigio
his head is preserved as
a relic in
the same church
12
January 1199 by Pope Innocent
III
Name
Meaning
good man (= bone home)
—
man with angels making
clothing with him or for him
merchant surrounded
by beggars and sick
people
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Francis
Xavier Weninger
Roman
Martyrology, 1914 edition
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
Oxford Dictionary of Saints, by David Hugh Farmer
Sacred
and Legendary Art, by Anna Jameson
Saints
and Their Attributes, by Helen Roeder
Some Patron Saints, by
Padraic Gregory
other
sites in english
1001 Patron Saints and Their Feast Days, Australian
Catholic Truth Society
images
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
MLA
Citation
“Saint Homobonus of
Cremona“. CatholicSaints.Info. 16 June 2024. Web. 22 December 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-homobonus-of-cremona/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-homobonus-of-cremona/
Sint-Leonarduskerk.
Zoutleeuw. Vlaams Brabant. Belgium. Beeld, heilige Florentius (of Homobonus van
Cremona), Hendrik Roesen (school van-), 1501-1525. Parish church
(Sint-Leonarduskerk). Interior. Statue. Saint florence. School of Hendrik
Roesen. 1501-1525. . Photo: Paul M.R. Maeyaert. pmrmaeyaert@gmail.com.© Paul
M.R. Maeyaert. Europe|Belgium,Cultural
heritage,Europe|Belgium|Vlaams-Brabant|Zoutleeuw,Europe|Belgium|Vlaams-Brabant,Cultural
heritage|Monuments|Church,Cultural heritage|Monuments,Cultural
heritage|Techniques|Sculpture. © Paul M.R. Maeyaert. Ref:
PM_154715_B_Zoutleeuw. DO NOT CHANGE THE FILE NAME. DE BESTANDSNAAM NIET
WIJZIGEN.
Article
(Saint) (November 13)
(12th century) Son of a merchant of Cremona (Lombardy), and himself engaged in
trade, Homobonus, who was married to a pious woman, practised the most
scrupulous honesty throughout his life, and was conspicuous for his charity to
the poor. His piety was such that he never failed to assist at the Midnight
Matins, common in his time, nor to attend the Daybreak Mass. One day, during
the Holy Sacrifice, he fell prostrate on the ground and was picked up dead
(A.D. 1197). His holy life and the miracles obtained through his intercession
caused his speedy canonisation in A.D. 1198. His relics are venerated at
Cremona.
MLA
Citation
Monks of Ramsgate.
“Homobonus”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info.
3 September 2013. Web. 13 November 2019.
<https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-homobonus/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-homobonus/
église de Sant’Omobono, archidiocèse de Rome, quartier de Ripa, entre les pentes du Capitole et le nord du forum
Boarium
_01.jpg)
église de Sant’Omobono, archidiocèse de Rome, quartier de Ripa, entre les pentes du Capitole et le nord du forum Boarium
église de Sant’Omobono, archidiocèse de Rome, quartier de Ripa, entre les pentes du Capitole et le nord du forum
Boarium
LETTER OF POPE JOHN PAUL
II
TO H.E. MSGR. GIULIO
NICOLINI,
BISHOP OF CREMONA
To My Venerable Brother
Giulio Nicolini
Bishop of Cremona
1. On 13 November
1197 Homobonus Tucenghi, a cloth merchant in Cremona, ended his earthly life
contemplating the Crucifix, while attending Mass in his city parish of St
Giles, as was his daily custom.
Little more than a year
later, on 12 January 1199, my Predecessor, Innocent III, inscribed him in the
list of saints, in compliance with the petition Bishop Sicardo had made to him,
when he came as a pilgrim to Rome with the parish priest Osberto and a group of
citizens, and after having evaluated the numerous testimonies, some written, of
the miracles attributed to the intercession of Homobonus.
Eight centuries later,
the figure of St Homobonus continues to be constantly alive in the memory and
in the heart of the Church and of the city of Cremona, which venerate him as
their patron saint. He is the first and only layman of the faithful, not to
belong either to the nobility or to a royal or princely family, to be canonized
during the Middle Ages (cf. A. Vauchez, I Laici nel Medioevo, Milan 1989,
p. 84; La Santità nel Medioevo, Bologna 1989, p. 340). "Father
of the poor", "consoler of the afflicted", "assiduous in
constant prayer", "man of peace and peacemaker", "a man
good in name and deed", this saint, according to the words used by Pope
Innocent III in the Bull of canonization Quia pietas, is still like a
tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in our time.
2. Thus I learned
with joy that you, Venerable Brother, have decided to dedicate to his memory
the period between 13 November 1997 and 12 January 1999, calling it "The
year of St Homobonus", to be celebrated with special spiritual,
pastoral and cultural initiatives, as part of the journey of preparation for
the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, and in the spirit of communion created by
the Synod that the Diocese recently celebrated.
Although distant in time,
Homobonus does in fact figure as a saint for the Church and society of our
time. Not only because holiness is only one, but because of the exemplary way
this faithful layman worked and lived Gospel perfection. The striking parallels
with the demands of the present time give the jubilee celebration a profound
sense of "contemporaneity".
3. Testimonies of
the time unanimously define Homobonus "pater pauperum", father of the
poor. This definition, having remained in the history of Cremona, in a certain
way sums up the merchant's deep spirituality and extraordinary life. From the
time of his radical conversion to the Gospel, Homobonus became an artisan and
apostle of charity. He made his home a place of welcome. He personally attended
to the burial of the abandoned dead. He opened his heart and his purse to every
category of needy person. He did his utmost to settle the controversies which
broke out between factions and families in the city. He entirely devoted
himself to the practice of the spiritual and corporal works of mercy and, at
the same time, he safeguarded the integrity of the Catholic faith faced with
heretical infiltrations, with the same fervour with which he participated daily
in the Eucharist and devoted himself to prayer.
In pursuing the path of
the Gospel Beatitudes, in the time of the Communes when money and market trends
constituted the centre of city life, Homobonus combined justice and charity and
made almsgiving a sign of sharing, with the spontaneity of one who from the
assiduous contemplation of the Crucifix learned to testify to the value of life
as a gift.
4. Faithful to these
Gospel choices, he had to face and overcome obstacles from his family circle,
because his wife did not share his choices, from the parish, which looked with
suspicion at his austerity, and from his work environment, because of the
competition and bad faith of some who tried to cheat the honest merchant.
Thus Homobonus' image
emerges as that of a businessman engaged in the cloth trade and, while involved
in the market dynamics of Italian and European cities, conferred spiritual
dignity on his work: that spirituality which was the hallmark of all his
activity.
In his life experience
there was no connection between the various dimensions. In each one he found
the "way" to express his desire for holiness: in the family nucleus,
as an exemplary spouse and father; in the parish community, as a believer who
lives the liturgy and is dedicated to catechesis, profoundly linked to the
ministry of the priest; in the context of the city, in which he spread the
appeal of goodness and peace.
5. Such a
meritorious life could not fail to leave a profound and memorable mark.
Admirable indeed is the persevering affection and devotion which Cremona has
retained for this special leading figure, who came from the working class.
It is significant that,
in 1592, the Cathedral was dedicated to him and to St Mary’s Assumption. And it
is no less significant that it was precisely the members of the City Council,
who chose him as patron of the city in 1643, amidst the jubilation, "the
immense joy", the "tears of devotion" of the people. A layman
saint, elected as patron of the laity themselves.
Nor should we marvel that
the cult of St Homobonus has spread to many Italian Dioceses and even beyond
the national boundaries. Homobonus is a saint that speaks to hearts. And it is
good to note that hearts are sensitive to his loving appeal. This is shown in
the constant rush to visit his mortal remains, especially, but not only, on his
liturgical feast day, and the intense devotion that the people have for him,
mindful of the graces received and trusting in the intercession of the beloved
"heavenly merchant".
6. In the jubilee
year, his voice in some essential aspects assumes tones, as I noted at the
beginning, of "contemporaneity".
The times are no longer
those of 800 years ago. We cannot attribute the character of a "promotion
of the lay status", in the modern sense of this concept, to the
canonization of Homobonus, which matured in the context and procedures of the
Middle Ages.
It is however true that
it is in this very light that we interpret the spiritual adventure that marked
the centuries-old history of Cremona. And it is in this light that we
rediscover the message, still new, of its famous patron. He is the faithful
layman who, as a layman, earned the gift of sainthood.
His life assumes an
exemplary value as a call to conversion without any restrictions whatsoever,
and therefore to sanctity that is not reserved for some, but proposed to
everyone without distinction.
The Second Vatican
Council makes holiness a constitutive element of membership of the Church when
it states that "all Christians in any state or walk of life are called to
the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of love" (Lumen
gentium, n. 40); and it points out that "by this holiness a more
human manner of life is fostered also in earthly society" (ibid.). This is
exactly what we need in the climate of unremitting transition that we are
experiencing: we need it for developing the present positive premises and for
responding to the serious challenges deriving from the profound crises of
civilization and culture, which influence the collective ethos.
7. The call to
holiness involves and enhances the life and activity of the laity as the
Council also teaches and as I confirmed in the Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation Christifideles
laici.
In the context of the
above-mentioned document, St Homobonus' example and life appear to me to be of
particular relevance for the Church and for the society of Cremona, in the
present day. To undertake a new evangelization, in fact, "a mending of the
Christian fabric of society is urgently needed in all parts of the world.
However, for this to come about, what is needed is first to remake the
Christian fabric of the ecclesial community itself" (Christifideles
laici, n. 34).
The lay faithful must
become fully involved in this task, with the special charisms of the
"secular character". The new situations, both ecclesial and social,
economic, political and cultural, most especially require their specific
participation (ibid., n. 15, p. 4).
8. It is a happy
coincidence that the jubilee celebration of this "Saint of Charity"
has fallen within the last decade of our century, which the ecclesial community
in Italy has consecrated to the programme "Evangelization and testimony of
love".
Again, as I wrote
in Christifideles
laici, charity in its various forms, from almsgiving to works of
mercy, "gives life and sustains the works of solidarity that look to the
total needs of the human being" (n. 41). The same charity is and will
always be necessary, both for individuals and for communities. And "such
charity is made increasingly necessary the more the institutions become complex
in their organization and claim to manage every area at hand. In the end such
projects lose their effectiveness as a result of an impersonal functionalism,
an overgrown bureaucracy, unjust private interests and an all-too-easy and
generalized disengagement from a sense of duty" (ibid., p. 13).
The sensitivity of
Homobonus urges us in a special way to be open to the entire horizon of charity
in its various expressions, apart from material ones: the charity of culture,
political charity, social charity, for the common good. Such an eloquent
example can effectively contribute to brightening the current political and
social climate, promoting a style of harmony, of mutual trust, of committed
involvement.
9. I am particularly
pleased that the celebration of the "Year of St Homobonus" is
to cover the whole of 1998, the second year of the preparatory phase for the
Great Jubilee, dedicated especially to the Holy Spirit.
May the endearing figure
of the ancient merchant accompany the providential event from heaven. Invoked
with your profound and traditional devotion and with an ever more conscious
faith, may he obtain for all the baptized loyalty to the gifts of the Spirit,
received especially in the sacrament of Confirmation. May he obtain for the lay
faithful a more mature awareness that their participation in the life of the
Church "is so necessary that without it the apostolate of the pastors will
frequently be unable to obtain its full effect" (Apostolicam
actuositatem, n. 10). For all the members of the Church in Cremona may he
obtain from the Lord the fervour requested of the new evangelizers, called in
the post-synodal period to be true witnesses to faith, hope and love.
With these fervent
wishes, as I recall my Pastoral Visit to Cremona in June 1992, and the
subsequent meeting with those who came to Rome on pilgrimage in November of
last year, as a seal to the diocesan synod, I sincerely impart to you,
Venerable Brother, to the priests, deacons, consecrated persons, to the lay
faithful, to every family, every parish and the whole city my affectionate
Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican, 24 June
1997.
IOANNES PAULUS PP. II
© Copyright 1997 -
Libreria Editrice Vaticana
St. Homobonus, Merchant, Confessor A.D.
1197.
ALL lawful secular professions
have furnished heaven with saints, that the slothful in all states may be
without excuse. In the infancy of the world, men were chiefly shepherds and
graziers, and before the improvement of agriculture were obliged to live in moveable
tents, and as soon as the produce of the earth was consumed in one place, they
removed to another. The useful arts were at first few and very imperfect:
clothing was simple and mean, and houses, so necessary a shelter to men, were
at first, even in the coldest climates, raised of mud, or made with boughs:
trunks felled, and unhewn, set upright for walls, were once looked upon as a
great improvement in building. 1 Industry,
convenience, and luxury have discovered and perfected arts in the world, which
their progress shows against modern deists not to exceed the age which the
sacred history of Moses assigns it. Commerce originally consisted in bartering
goods of one kind for those of another; but since the invention of money as one
common or general kind of goods, trade has become as important in the republic
of mankind as agriculture itself, and is as great a source of wealth, and the
strength, support, and ornament of a nation; though the tillage of the earth,
which raises a mine from the ground without giving any thing in exchange, and
by which all mankind subsists, always deserves the first consideration in the
eye of the public, and the chief encouragement from its hands, far from being
suffered to sink into contempt, or give up its hands too frequently to the
pursuit of refined, or useless, or even pernicious professions. Trade is often
looked upon as an occasion of too great attachment to the things of this world,
and of too eager a desire of gain; also of lying frauds and injustice. That
these are the vices of men, not the faults of the profession, is clear from the
example of this and many other saints.
Honobonus was son to a merchant of
Cremona, in Lombardy, who gave him this name (which signifies Good Man) at his
baptism: the name of his family was Tucinge. Whilst he trained him up to his
own mercantile business in shop-keeping, without any school education, he
inspired in him, both by his example and instructions, the most perfect
sentiments of probity, integrity, religion, and virtue. The saint from his
infancy abhorred the very shadow of the least untruth or injustice, and having
always the fear of God before his eyes, would have chosen with joy rather to
forego the greatest advantages, and to suffer the loss of his whole fortune,
than to stain his soul with the least sin. This rule is the more necessary to
persons engaged in trade, as they are more easily betrayed unawares into
occasions of such sins, and are more apt to palliate, or extenuate them to
themselves, unless a steady resolution put them infinitely upon their guard. A
man who is content, and ready to meet cheerfully the most grievous
disappointments, and even the ruin of his temporal affairs rather than to tell
the least lie, or any other way wilfully offend God, makes to him a constant
sacrifice of obedience by this disposition of his soul, and secures to himself
a lasting peace: for a mind which finds its comfort and joy in the divine grace
and love, and in the goods of eternity, is out of the reach of anxiety and
troubles on account of the uncertain and perishable goods of this life,
especially when they were sacrificed to religion. But probity is usually
attended also with temporal success; for though a person may be a gainer by
injustice in some particular occasions, it is an undeniable maxim, that honesty
is the best policy, and that a man thrives in business by nothing so much as by
unshaken integrity and veracity, which cannot fail to draw down the divine
blessing, and gain a man the highest credit and reputation in all his dealings,
which is his stock and his best fortune. This St. Homobonus experienced by his
unexpected success in his business, which, under the divine blessing, was also
owing to his economy, care, and industry. His business he looked upon as an
employment given him by God, and he pursued it with diligence upon the motive
of obedience to the divine law, and of justice to himself, his family, and the
commonwealth, of which he thus approved himself a useful member. If a
tradesman’s books be not well kept, if there be not order and regularity in the
whole conduct of his business, if he do not give his mind seriously to it, with
assiduous attendance, he neglects an essential duty, and is unworthy to bear
the name of a Christian. Homobonus is a saint by acquitting himself diligently,
upon perfect motives of virtue and religion, of all the obligations of his
profession.
By the advice of his parents, he took
to wife a virtuous virgin, who was a prudent and faithful assistant in the
government of his household, which, by the piety and regularity of all those
who composed it, bespoke the sanctity and attention of the master. Men’s
passions, which they neglect to subdue, as in every state of life, so
particularly in this, are their greatest slavery and the cause of their
miseries and troubles. Instead of rejoicing, how many repine at the prosperity
of other traders, and expose their faults with a rancour which all who hear
them ascribe only to their envy, jealousy, and want of charity! how many seek
to raise a family by meanness and sordidness! how many fall into an inordinate
passion for riches! For though wealth may be a blessing of God, if neither
coveted nor abused, yet immoderately to thirst after it, is always a grievous
and most fatal vice. This one thing is the philosophy of the trader, a point of
the utmost importance in a trading life, that a man curb the lust of riches,
regulate his desires of them, and be in all events calmly and sweetly resigned
to the will of God, who knows what is best for us. As to the pretence of a
provision for children, a prudent care for them is a point of justice; but,
under all disappointments, we know that the blessing of God and his grace is
the best inheritance, and that that provision for them is often the wisest
which lays a sufficient foundation for their industry to build on, and leaves
them under an obligation to business and employment. Ambition, vanity, and
pride are often no less preposterous than destructive vices in this class of
life, which is best set off by modesty, moderation, and simplicity. Whatever
exceeds this in dress, housekeeping, or other expenses, is unnatural and affected;
consequently ungrateful and offensive to others, and uneasy and painful to the
persons themselves. A man of low stature only becomes frightful by strutting
upon stilts. Nothing unnatural or distorted can ever be becoming. The merchant
is the honour and support of society; but an ostentatious parade is what least
of all suits his character or concurs to the happiness of his state. This
vanity shows itself either in extravagant expenses, in the neglect or affected
contempt of business, or in engaging a man in bold and hazardous projects,
which prove often in the end a most grievous robbery, injustice, and cheat
committed upon widows and orphans, the dearest friends and nearest relations.
Sloth, or love of diversions and pleasures are in men of business crimes of the
same tendency and enormity. The Christian moderation and government of the
passions are the fence of the soul against these dangers, and the most
consummate prudence. By this St. Homobonus avoided the common rocks on which so
many traders dash. He, moreover, by his profession, attained the great end
which every Christian is bound to propose to himself, the sanctification of his
soul; for which he found in this state opportunities of exercising all virtues
in a heroic degree. The capriciousness, unreasonableness, injustice, and
peevishness of many with whom he interfered in his dealings, he bore with
admirable meekness and humility; and by patient silence, or soft answers, or by
a return of gentleness and obsequiousness, he overcame perverseness and malice,
and remained always master of his own soul. This appeared so admirable, that it
was commonly said of him at Cremona, that he was born without passions.
Charity to the poor is a
distinguishing part of the character of every disciple of Christ, and, provided
that justice takes place, a tribute which the merchant owes to God out of his
gains; and this was the favourite virtue of Homobonus. Not content with giving
his tenths to the distressed members of Christ, after the death of his father
(of whom he inherited a considerable stock in trade, besides a house in the
town, and a small villa in the country), he seemed to set no bounds to his
alms: he sought out the poor in their cottages, and whilst he cheerfully
relieved their corporal necessities, he tenderly exhorted them to repentance
and holy life. His wife sometimes complained, that by his excessive alms he
would soon reduce his family to beggary; but he mildly answered her, that
giving to the poor is putting out money to the best interest, for a hundred
fold, for payment whereof Christ himself has given us his bond. The author of
his life assures us, that God often recompensed his charities by miracles in
favour of those whom he relieved, and by multiplying his stores. His abstinence
and temperance were not less remarkable than his almsdeeds. His assiduity in
prayer condemns the false maxim which some make a pretence for their sloth,
that business and a life of prayer are incompatible. The saint spent a
considerable part of his time in this holy exercise, and joined prayer with his
business by the frequent aspirations by which he often raised his mind to God
in sentiments of compunction and the divine praise and love amidst the greatest
hurry, so that his shop, his chamber, the street, and every place was to him a
place of prayer. It was his custom every night to go to the church of St.
Giles, a little before midnight, and to assist at matins, which it was then
usual for many of the laity to do: and he left not the church till after high mass
the next morning. At mass the example of his fervour and recollection was such,
as to inspire all who saw him with devotion. He waited some time prostrate on
the pavement, before a crucifix in the church, till the priest began mass. The
slothful were quickened to virtue, and many sinners converted from vice by the
example of his life, and the unction of his discourses. Sundays and holidays he
always consecrated entirely to his devotions: prayer accompanied all his
actions, and it was in the heavenly exercise of prayer that he gave up his soul
to God. For, on the 13th of November in 1197, he was present at matins,
according to his custom, and remained kneeling before the crucifix till mass
began. At the Gloria in excelsis he stretched out his arms in the figure
of a cross; and soon after fell on his face to the ground; which those who saw
him thought he had done out of devotion. When he did not stand up at the gospel
they took more notice of him, and some persons coming to him perceived that he
had calmly expired. Sicard, bishop of Cremona after a rigorous examination of
his virtues and miracles, went himself to Rome with many other venerable
persons, to solicit his canonization; which Pope Innocent III. performed after
the necessary scrutinies, the bull of which he published in 1198. The saint’s
body was taken up in 1356, and translated to the cathedral, but his head
remains at the church of St. Giles. Vida, the Christian Virgil, has honoured
the memory of St. Homobonus, the patron of his native city, with a hymn. 2
Both religion and the law of nature
dictate that no man is to be idle or useless in the republic of the world. Man
is born to labour and industry. Our capacities on one side, and, on the other,
our necessities and wants urge us to it: and this we owe to human society. For
it is not just that he who contributes nothing to its support, should, like a
drone, be feasted and maintained by the labour of others. A circle of
amusements and pleasures cannot be the life of a rational being, much less of a
Christian. A gentleman who applies not himself with earnestness to some serious
employment, finds his very life a burden, and is a stranger to the obligations
of his state, and to all true enjoyment. A man is never more happy than when he
is most eagerly and commendably employed; the activity of his soul is a fire
which must be exercised. Hence business is necessary for man’s temporal
happiness; and the situation of the working and trading part of mankind is more
happy than most are sensible of. It is still more necessary to a moral or
Christian life. Trades which minister to sin are always unlawful: others are
honourable and commendable in proportion as they contribute to the comfort and
welfare of mankind, and as they concur to supply the wants and necessities of
our species, or to promote virtue. Religion teaches men to sanctity them by
motives of piety, and to refer them to God, and the great ends for which only
we are created. Every one’s secular calling indeed is a part of religion, if
thus directed by its influence: and no spiritual duties can ever excuse a
neglect of it. Arts and trades, which immediately minister to corporal
necessities, have not indeed in themselves any direct tendency to the
improvement of reason, or production of virtue; though, if they are consecrated
by principles of religion, become acceptable sacrifices to God. For this they
must be accompanied with the exercise of all virtues, especially humility,
meekness, patience, charity, confidence in God, and self-resignation, which
prevents anxiety and those fears to which the uncertainty of human things
expose men. Without self-consideration, prayer, and pious reading or
meditation, it is impossible that a man should be really possessed of these
virtues, how finely soever he may talk of them by way of notion or speculation.
It is also by prayer and holy meditation that he pays to God the homage of praise
and compunction, and improves himself as a rational or spiritual being, and as
a Christian. Every one, therefore, must, in the first place, reserve time for
these employments, even preferably to all others, if any should seem
incompatible. But who cannot find time for pleasures and conversation? Sure
then he may for prayer. By this even a man’s secular life and employs will
become spiritual and holy.
Note 1. See Goguet, De l’Origine des Loix,
des Arts, et des Sciences, et de leu progres. [back]
Note
2.
Beate Pauperum, Pater,
&c.
Tu mente cœlum cogitans
Deum gerebas pectore,
Quem deperibas unicè,
Rerum tuarum nil memor.
Tu largus indigentibus
Eras, profundens omnibus,
Parvum tuo quod prædium
Vix suppetebat victui.
Ascriptus inde cœlitum
Choris beatis, indicas
Apud Deum quâ polleas Rerum
satorem gratiâ .
Funus venitur ad tuum
Cœci vident, claudi
meant;Muti loquuntur; audiunt
Surdi; levantur languidi,
&c.
Vida, hymn 28, t. 2,
p. 157 [back]
Rev. Alban Butler
(1711–73). Volume XI: November. The Lives of the Saints. 1866.
St Homobonus on the Golden Boat House, Brussels, Maison de la Chaloupe d'Or
Weninger’s
Lives of the Saints – Saint Homobonus, Confessor
Article
A grand example of virtue
is presented to us by the Catholic Church in Saint Homobonus, who as a layman
and a merchant arrived at great Holiness. The famous city of Cremona, in
Lombardy, was his native place. His parents were not rich in worldly goods, but
very pious. They gave their son the name of Homobonus, that is, “a good man;”
and this name was a presage of the kindness and charity which were to mark his
life. His parents gave him an excellent education, and the benefits he derived
from it extended over his whole life. As soon as Homobonus was beyond the years
of childhood, his father, who was a merchant, took him into business.
Homobonus, enlightened by God, recognized the manifold dangers of sin into
which he would be thrown by commerce, and was therefore very guarded in all his
actions. Every morning, he recited his prayers and assisted at holy Mass; for
he used to say: “One must first seek the kingdom of God. The success of all
affairs depends only on God.” He was very careful not to become guilty of the
least fraud, or even to take a lawful advantage, either in buying or in
selling. He would not take a penny unjustly. He never asked more for his goods
than the legitimate price. An oath or a lie, so common among merchants, was
never on his lips. He was extremely conscientious in paying his debts, in order
not to make others suffer by delay. Besides this, his manners were so kind, his
words so modest, that he was beloved by every one; and therefore he had more
customers and a greater income then any other merchant. The Sundays and
Holy-days he employed only to the honor of God and the salvation of his soul.
The greater part of these days he spent in the church, at prayer, listening to
the word of God, and receiving the holy Sacraments ,- while his only pleasure
at home was the reading of a devout book. Towards his parents he manifested,
both as child and man, a reverential love and a perfect obedience. Hence, when
they proposed to him that he should marry, he consented to their wishes, took
in marriage the maiden whom his parents had selected for him and lived with her
in Christian love and fidelity. He continued in business after the death of his
parents, not, however, for the purpose of gaining earthly wealth for his own
benefit, but to secure eternal possessions, by giving his temporal gain to the
poor. He was not only kind to the poor, but liberal, so that he was called “The
father of the poor.” No one left him without receiving alms. For those who were
ashamed to beg, he carried his gifts to their houses, comforted them and
encouraged them to bear their trials patiently. His wife sometimes seemed to
think that his liberality went too far, and feared lest, if he continued, she
herself might, one day, come to want. Hence she counselled him to be more
economical and not to draw every beggar of the city to his house.” When she saw
that all her words had no effect, she began to complain and murmur, and at
last, even broke out into invectives and curses. Homobonus met her with
gentleness, and said: “Do you then suppose that our temporal affairs will
suffer, when we are compassionate and charitable to the poor? The word of God
teaches us quite differently; Christ Himself has said: Give, and you shall
receive.” The woman, however, would not believe this until she had had a proof
of it. A famine had come upon the city, and one day, so great a number of poor
came to the house of Homobonus, that all the bread he had stored up hardly
sufficed to satisfy them. The wife of the charitable man was not at home when
this happened; but when she returned and went to fetch some bread for the
table, she found the same number of loaves she had left there; and on cutting
one of them, she perceived that it was whiter and better then she had ever
seen. Astonished at this, she asked the servant, who assured her that Homobonus
had given all the bread to the poor; whence she understood that the Almighty
had wrought a miracle to reward the charity of her husband and to reprove her
own selfishness. Homobonus then bade her not to think that she would be
impoverished by giving to the poor, and in future, to show herself more
compassionate. At another time a similar miracle took place. The Saint had a
small country-seat, the revenue of which he devoted entirely to the support of
the helpless. One day, when he was taking out some wine to the laborers in this
villa, he met some beggars, who asked him to give them a drink to appease their
thirst. The kind-hearted man gave them the pitchers, bidding them take a good
drink. The beggars needed no second invitation, but took the pitchers and left
not a drop in them. The Saint, fearing that the laborers would become impatient
at his long delay, if he returned home to fill his pitchers again, went, full
of trust in God, to a neighboring well, filled the pitchers with water, blessed
it and took it to the laborers. One after another partook of it, and all
returned him thanks for having brought them such excellent wine. The Saint
thought at first that they were not in earnest: but having tasted it, he found
that it was truly wine. Silently thanking God, he resolved not to tell any one
of the miracle; but one of the laborers had seen his master give the wine to
the beggars, and fill the pitchers at the well. The miracle thus soon became
known, and raised the holy man still more in the estimation of every one. He
used the great influence which he possessed for the salvation of many souls,
and by his devout discourses he brought many heretics to the true faith and
many sinners to a better life. We have already related that he employed all the
time that he could spare from business in prayer and devout reading. Even a
portion of the night he devoted to these sacred exercises; for he rose in the
middle of the night and assisted at matins in the neighboring Church of Saint
Aegidius; where he remained until the first Mass. Although orders had been
given that the church should be opened for Homobonus, he was several times
found praying before the altar or the Crucifix before the doors were yet
opened. The Angels had done him the service to admit him into the house of the
Lord.
At length, it pleased God
to call His faithful servant from the place where he had passed so many hours
in holy contemplation, to receive his eternal reward. One night, in 1197 he
had, according to his custom, assisted at matins and remained kneeling before
the Crucifix until the morning Mass commenced. At the “Gloria in Excelsis,” he
stretched out both arms and then laying them in the form of a cross upon his
breast, he expired, without having been sick or having shown any sign of agony.
No sooner was he found dead in this position, than every one came running
towards him, venerating him as a Saint. The holy body was buried in the same
church, and God made his shrine celebrated by many miracles. The number of
these was so great, that, in the following year, the Pope did not hesitate to
place Homobonus among the Saints. In the year 1357, his holy body was exhumed
and transported, with solemn ceremonies to the Cathedral.
Practical Considerations
• All those who are
merchants, or in other similar professions, should learn of Saint Homobonus how
to conduct themselves in the station to which they belong, if they desire to
save their souls. We ought always to begin the day with fervent prayer; assist
daily, if possible, and with great devotion, at Holy Mass; be careful to avoid
deceit of every sort, as for instance, in weight or measure, by adulteration of
the wares, or by retaining any portion of them for our own profit We ought not
to seek gain by unjust means; not ask more than is just for our goods or our
work, and avoid lying, cursing, and other vices. We ought not to become
addicted to slothfulness, gaming or drinking, but work earnestly, carefully and
patiently. The Sundays and holidays we should pass as God and the Holy Church
require of us; receive the Holy Sacraments frequently and with devotion; listen
to sermons and instructions, and succor our neighbor with alms. By observing
all these points, we may hope to gain everlasting life, in whatever station of
life it may have pleased God to place us on earth.
In regard to alms-giving,
all may learn from the life of Saint Homobonus, that it does not impoverish us,
but increases our temporal goods. Saint Cyprian says: “If you fear to lose by
giving alms, let me advise you to banish all such apprehension. I can assure
you of quite the contrary.” The Holy Ghost says: “Whoever gives to the poor shall
never want.” (Proverbs 28)
• Saint Homobonus died
suddenly, without having been sick, and without having received the Holy
Sacraments: but his death was nevertheless happy, as he was prepared for it by
a holy life. To die suddenly, without receiving the holy Sacraments, is not in
itself an unhappy death, just as to die after receiving the Holy Sacraments, is
not always a happy death. Many have a long sickness before their end, and
therefore have time enough to prepare themselves and to receive the Sacraments;
and yet they may go to eternal destruction, because they do not receive them
worthily, or become guilty of sin after having received them. Those who die
suddenly, if they are in the grace of God die happily, even if they do not
receive the Sacraments. You do well to pray daily, with the Church, to be
delivered from a sudden death. But as you do not know the decrees of the
Almighty, endeavor to maintain yourself continually in the grace of God. Retain
nothing on your conscience which may give you fear in your last hour. Guard
yourself against sin, which alone can make your death unhappy. And if, through
weakness or wickedness you have been guilty of great sin, endeavor immediately
to atone for it that you may again be admitted to the friendship of the
Almighty, and not be taken away in your sin by a sudden death. The delay of
penance, under the pretext that there is yet time enough, that God will receive
you graciously, even at the last, and that He has promised to pardon sinners at
whatever hour they return to Him, has made many miserable for all eternity. “It
is true that God has promised to forgive you if you repent and do penance; but
He has not promised you tomorrow if you delay your repentance. You are right in
saying: If I do penance, God will pardon. I cannot deny that the Almighty has
promised pardon to all repentant sinners, but in the book of the Prophet
wherein you read that God promises pardon to the repentant sinner, you will not
find that He promises long life/’ Thus writes Saint Augustine. Therefore, act
according to my instructions. Do penance immediately after committing sin;
endeavor to remain in the grace of God, and then leave to Him the hour and the
manner of your death. He will certainly allow nothing to happen to you which is
not for the welfare of you immortal soul.
MLA
Citation
Father Francis Xavier
Weninger, DD, SJ. “Saint Homobonus, Confessor”. Lives
of the Saints, 1876.CatholicSaints.Info.
23 May 2018. Web. 13 November 2019.
<https://catholicsaints.info/weningers-lives-of-the-saints-saint-homobonus-confessor/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/weningers-lives-of-the-saints-saint-homobonus-confessor/
%2C_xii_secolo%2C_01.jpg)
La chiesa di Sant'Omobono, Catanzaro.
%2C_xii_secolo%2C_02.jpg)
La chiesa
di Sant'Omobono, Catanzaro.
St. Homobonus
(d. 1197)
Some of the Latin
baptismal names that ancient Christian parents bestowed on their children were
quaint but devout: like “Quodvultdeus,” which means “whatever God wants”; or
“Deusdedit,” “God’s gift”; or “Desideratus,” “wanted”.
In the 12th century,
there lived in Cremona, Italy, a prosperous merchant who took his newborn son
to church and announced to the priest that he wanted him baptized “Homobonus”.
The word means “good man”. The parent had chosen the child’s baptismal name
with care, and he was determined to teach his son how to live up to its
implications.
He fulfilled his plan
well. Homobonus grew up well-instructed in the skills of merchandising, but at
the same time a lover of honesty, virtue and self-respect. He came to
appreciate that his calling as a businessman was a divine calling. God wanted
him to be just where He had put him; it was in the marketplace that he would
work out his salvation.
Providentially, Homobonus
of Cremona found a wife who possessed the same convictions. Others of their
mercantile class might trip over the occupational hazards of ambition,
dissipation and vain display, but not Mr. and Mrs. H. Their simple life style
gave them all the more means and incentive to reach out to the less fortunate.
God appreciated this saintly couple’s works of mercy, and even set His stamp of
approval on them by working miracles in favor of those whom they assisted; so
the author of St. Homobonus’s biography assured us.
Among the worthy
merchant’s devotional habits was to go daily to the church of St. Giles to
“report” to God on his activities. It was during one of these visits that he
came to the end of his life. On November 13,1197, he was attending Mass. At the
Gloria he stretched out his arms in the shape of a cross and fell forward into
a prostration. Those beside him thought this was just an act of personal
penance. But when he failed to stand for the Gospel, they went over to him and
found that he had died.
Pope Innocent III
canonized this holy Cremonian only two years after his death. No reason to wait
longer. Homobonus had obviously lived up to his name. Like Charlie Brown (if we
may make such a comparison), he was a GOOD MAN.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful
if those who survive us could say of us in all sincerity, “He was a good man,”
or “She was a good woman.” There could be no higher human praise. It would mean
that we had, as St. Paul says, shown ourselves “children of God beyond reproach…
like the stars in the sky.” It would mean that we had conscientiously lived up
to the particular task God assigned to us and not wasted his graces. This would
mean that we had fully understood why we were created: to know God and love Him
and serve Him in this world so as to be happy with Him forever in heaven.
–Father Robert F.
McNamara
SOURCE : https://www.kateriirondequoit.org/resources/saints-alive/harvey-hyacintha/st-homobonus/
Sant'Omobono Terme - frazione Mazzoleni - Chiesa di S. Omobono
ST. HOMOBONUS
Missionary Entrepreneur
Saints If you know your Latin, you’ll know that St. Homobonus’ name
literally means “good man.” What a fitting name for a great, and
underappreciated, saint! St. Homobonus is a special model for the missionary
entrepreneur: He was in many ways an average businessman facing business
decisions, exhaustions, and commitments comparable to the ones we face today.
Yet, within the ordinariness of his career, St. Homobonus lived the
extraordinariness of the Gospel message, building up a culture of hospitality
and charity fueled by a commitment to Church teaching and the sacraments.
ST. HOMOBONUS THE
MISSIONARY
St. Homobonus lived in
Cremona, Italy in the 12th century. He was a cloth merchant who inherited some
money from his father, yet always worked extremely hard at his trade. St.
Homobonus’ effectiveness as a missionary lies in how he smoothly integrated a
seemingly average life as a lay person and married man with an extraordinary
witness of service to others. Just as efficiently as he created wealth, St.
Homobonus gave a significant part of his profits away to the poor.
The Lives of the
Primitive Fathers, Martyrs, and other Principal Saints, compiled from original
sources, records the following description of St. Homobonus’ character, which
is worth reading in length:
His business he looked
upon as an employment given him by God, and he pursued it with diligence upon
the motive of obedience to the divine law, and of justice to himself, his
family, and the commonwealth, of which he thus approved himself a useful member.
If a tradesman’s books be not well kept, if there be not order and regularity
in the whole conduct of his business, if he do not give his mind seriously to
it, with assiduous attendance, he neglects an essential duty, and is unworthy
to bear the name of a Christian. St. Homobonus is a saint by acquitting himself
diligently, upon perfect motives of virtue and religion, of all the obligations
of his profession.
In other words, St.
Homobonus loved God through his job! He loved God and he loved his neighbor
through his work as a cloth merchant. St. Homobonus simply responded with
charity to each person and situation he encountered in his life in Cremona, and
this made him an extraordinary channel of God’s grace. In this way, he became a
missionary and saint without leaving his own neighborhood.
Amazingly, St. Homobonus’
witness to his neighbors was so powerful that he was canonized barely a year
after he died. A priest and a group of pilgrims, with testimonies of miracles
attributed to St. Homobonus’ intercession, brought his cause to Pope Innocent
III.
ST. HOMOBONUS THE
ENTREPRENEUR
Besides being a
missionary through his witness to his neighbors, St. Homobonus was also an
entrepreneur, successfully creating wealth and running an effective trade
business. St. Homobonus did not have the advantage of being of a royal family;
in fact, according to St. John Paul II, he was the only layman canonized during
the Middle Ages who wasn’t from a noble or royal family. St. Homobonus was a
man of the people with ordinary means, and he used his natural intelligence and
the resources at his disposal to live out a business vocation: creating goods
and services there was a genuine need for.
Because of his successful
integration of the call to business and Christian virtue, St. Homobonus is now
the patron of business men and women, practically the patron saint of
entrepreneurs! Paul Voss of Legatus writes of how St. Homobonus gives a special
witness to entrepreneurship, “As St. Homobonus demonstrated over 800 years ago,
the free market, coupled with individual virtue, is a potent mix capable of
producing both individual holiness and promoting the common good and collective
well-being.”
BUSINESS CONNECTION
St. Homobonus’ influence
on those around him is evidenced by how quickly his cause for canonization was
pushed forward. St. Homobonus seems to fit well Robert Greenleaf’s description
of a servant-leader. In particular, St. Homobonus’ active decision to love and
show hospitality to those around him shows his initiative, driving home a key
leadership insight: Great things often start with the initiative of a single
person. According to Greenleaf:
A leader ventures to say:
‘I will go; come with me!’ A leader initiates, provides the ideas and the
structure, and takes the risk of failure along with the chance of success… Paul
Goodman, speaking through a character in Making Do, has said, ‘If there is no
community for you, young man… make it yourself.’
St. Homobonus took the
initiative in humble ways to lead his community to greatness, making it more
hospitable, more loving, and more oriented to God. By his initiative and the
ideas of generosity he exemplified, he invited others to follow him in the path
of sanctity, modeling servant-leadership and inspiring his neighbors.
FOR US: WE CAN BE LAY
SAINTS!
St. Homobonus makes real
the call of ordinary people, not just the clergy, to extraordinary sanctity.
“Although distant in time, St. Homobonus does in fact figure as a saint for the
Church and society of our time,” St. John Paul II wrote in 1997, “…because of
the exemplary way this faithful layman worked and lived Gospel perfection.”
One area worth paying
special attention to in St. Homobonus’ life was his daily reception of the
Eucharist. So consistent was this a part of his life, that St. Homobonus
actually died while at Mass, looking up at the Crucifix. St. Homobonus reminds
us that the sacraments are accessible for all Catholics, and sanctity is for
all, not just for some. It is for cloth merchants as well as Popes, the
cloistered as well as kings. Regardless of our state in life, to prioritize God
in our lives demands frequent reception of the sacraments; the Eucharist
empowers us to live out our commitments with more integration.
FOR US: CALLED TO
HOSPITALITY
As we seek to be
missionary entrepreneurs, we can also learn from how St. Homobonus’ sanctity
stemmed from the hospitality and generosity he exuded. St. John Paul II called
him an “artisan and apostle of charity,” saying:
He made his home a place
of welcome. He personally attended to the burial of the abandoned dead. He
opened his heart and his purse to every category of needy person. He did his
utmost to settle the controversies which broke out between factions and families
in the city. He entirely devoted himself to the practice of the spiritual and
corporal works of mercy and, at the same time, he safeguarded the integrity of
the Catholic faith faced with heretical infiltrations, with the same fervor
with which he participated daily in the Eucharist and devoted himself to
prayer.
Again we see St.
Homobonus’ commitment to daily prayer and to the sacraments. But we also see
how he lived out the Faith in his life by welcoming others, treating his
neighbors with generosity, and empowering them when they struggled financially,
physically, or emotionally.
In particular, St.
Homobonus’ living out of the spiritual and corporal works of mercy reminds us
that we are called to go out on the streets and even into the cemeteries, finding
Christ there! As men and women striving to be missionary entrepreneurs, it
would be wise to ask ourselves: Is there a particular spiritual or corporal
work of mercy that I can more intentionally live out on a weekly basis? Where
can I cultivate a culture of hospitality in my life?
ST. HOMOBONUS’
INTERCESSION
All business persons
would do well to call upon the powerful intercession of St. Homobonus. This
generous man is a positive reminder of the faith lived out in the little
things: in cloth, the workplace, and the conversations with those around us.
Especially in the sacraments and in union with Him in prayer, God is ready to
pour out the grace we need to be saints in our walk of life, however ordinary
that may be.
St. Homobonus, pray for
us.
Be inspired by the lives of other missionary entrepreneurs here:
MISSIONARY
SAINTSST.
HOMOBONUS
SOURCE : https://www.saintjohninstitute.org/st-homobonus/
_Oratorio_di_Sant'Omobono.JPG)
Ca'
de' Corti (Cingia de' Botti) Oratorio di Sant'Omobono
Prayer to St. Homobonus
(Patron of Business)
Beloved and Charitable
St. Homobonus
Your Honesty and Good
Will
served your community and
the Lord well.
Help me follow your
example
and not give in to
TemptaƟons of Greed and
Easy Shortcuts that wound
others.
I ask for guidance
in my
work, so that I may
prosper by choosing
virtue over avarice.
Quadro
di s. Omobono sarto, Leonessa
November 23, 2021 Sue
Reninger
Following the Steps of a Good Man: Tips on Living a
Fruitful Life as an Entrepreneur, From the Saint Who Did It Best
“So much must I live for others, that I am a stranger to myself” (Pope Innocent III, who canonized St. Homobonus).
St. Homobonus of Cremona is the patron saint of
entrepreneurs. Unlike many of the saints we hear about, this man was a layman
in every sense of the word. Born in Italy to a wealthy family, like many
entrepreneurs, his was a family business that he inherited from his father.
Through the process of innovation, he recreated this humble yet profitable
tailoring business into something bigger, bolder, and fresher once he took the
reins from his father.
St. Homobonus’ name, literally translated, means “good
man.” What can we learn from this entrepreneur who struggled throughout his
entrepreneurial journey? From his unwavering commitment to God, his clarity of
thought when it came to the discipline of business, and his perspective on
talents and abilities, there is much to be learned from this good man and
several disciplines business owners can adapt in our own entrepreneurial
journey:
Reciprocity as a Way of Doing Business
As entrepreneurs, too often, corporate giving is an afterthought we consider on December
31. But how different would our faith and our business lives be if we saw
business as a calling to provide for the less fortunate or people in need of
our gifts, our friendship, and our mentorship? What if we saw our work as a gift from God to
be given to others? What if cause-related giving were the reason for our work,
instead of an option for greater awareness and profits or lower taxes? The parable of the talents (Matthew
25:14-30) reminds us that we are called to give God back the gifts he’s
given us—and then are rewarded accordingly.
After his wealthy parents died, St. Homobonus
inherited a rich sum of money. However, unlike many of his fellow
entrepreneurs, Homobonus saw his inheritance as a way to give far more than
what his church asked or required of him. He often sought out the poor in their
home, not to criticize them but to bless them with financial support, food, and
clothing while exhorting them tenderly to penance and a holy life. In fact, he
seemed to set no limit to his alms, knowing that the Lord would give back to
him one hundredfold for his generosity and care for people in need. His alms
did, indeed, serve as a blessing, as each act of kindness in fact did not make
him less wealthy. Instead, his wealth grew.
Servant Leadership
How often have we stepped back and considered whether
the path we are on as entrepreneurs and business owners is a holy assignment?
We can take a page from Homobonus by knowing that he, too, saw business as
another way to love God. Homobonus used his influence, his knowledge, and his
financial success as a way to serve God as a channel of his grace.
St. Homobonus opened his home to everyone and shared
his coffers to every person in need. He worked tirelessly to rectify any
differences among government, business, and the citizens of his city, and he
devoted himself to the concept of corporal and spiritual works of mercy. He loved his Catholic faith and used it to
make every decision. Jesus reminds us to do this: “You shall love the Lord,
your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This
is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall
love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these
two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-39).
God First and Always
Running a business has inherent daily pressures and
temptations, but paramount in the eyes of God is that we run our business in a
virtuous manner. It is in our daily work that we demonstrate what walking in
faith looks like. St. Homobonus knew that temptation could quickly lead to
corruption. Every day, we struggle with pride, greed … even using the Lord’s name in vain.
At the center of St. Homobonus’ life was his faith.
Daily reception of the Eucharist and frequent prayer were central to his family
and work life. In fact, this wealthy saint died at the altar, looking up toward
the crucifix. He can, therefore, remind all of us, in the busyness of our daily
work, that prioritizing God demands the Eucharist and that in the Eucharist, we
are empowered to live more fully integrated lives, bringing God to our business
and our business to God (Matthew 7:13-14).
A Prayer for Business Leaders:
Beloved and Charitable St. Homobonus, your honesty and
goodwill served your community and the Lord well. Help me follow your example
and not give in to temptations of greed and easy shortcuts that wound others. I
ask for guidance in my work, so that I may prosper by choosing virtue over
avarice. Amen.
Sources:
https://www.saintjohninstitute.org/st-homobonus/
https://catholicsaints.info/saint-homobonus-of-cremona/
https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=189
Prayer: https://www.attollousa.com/feast-day-saint-homobonus-patron-saint-business-owners/
Since founding RMD Advertising in
1992, Sue Reninger as been responsible for the complete strategy and direction
of RMD’s Columbus-based flagship office. She has also co-founded Wagons Ho Ho Ho, a
501c3 charity that serves children in dire need with HOPE. Sue has been honored
with the prestigious NAWBO Visionary Award and Marketer of the Year from the
American Marketing Association.
.jpg)
Sant' Omobono di Cremona Laico
Cremona, prima metà
secolo XII - 13 novembre 1197
Oltre a essere patrono di
Cremona, Omobono Tucenghi è protettore di mercanti, lavoratori tessili e sarti.
Egli stesso, infatti, fu commerciante di stoffe stimatissimo in città. Era
abile negli affari e ricco. Oltretutto viveva solo con la moglie, senza figli.
Ma il denaro - nella sua concezione della ricchezza, vista non fine a se stessa
- era per i poveri. La sua azione lo portò ad essere un testimone autorevole in
tempi di conflitto tra Comuni e Impero (Cremona era con l'imperatore). Quando
morì d'improvviso, il 13 novembre del 1197, durante la Messa, subito si diffuse
la fama di santità. Innocenzo III lo elevò agli altari già due anni dopo.
Riposa nel duomo di Cremona.
Patronato: Cremona,
Mercanti, Lavoratori tessili, Sarti
Martirologio
Romano: A Cremona, sant’Omobono, che, negoziante, mosso da carità per i
poveri, rifulse nel raccogliere ed educare i ragazzi abbandonati e nel
riportare la pace nelle famiglie.
All’alba di un giorno
d’autunno, in una chiesa cremonese accade un fatto impressionante. Un cittadino
molto popolare e amato, Omobono Tucenghi, è come sempre al suo posto per
partecipare alla Messa. Ma a un tratto lo si vede impallidire, afflosciarsi, e
chi per primo cerca di soccorrerlo s’accorge che è già morto. D’improvviso,
senza un lamento, senza soffrire. La morte serena che ognuno si augura. "E
che mastro Omobono si meritava", devono aver aggiunto molti intorno a lui,
nella chiesa intitolata a sant’Egidio (qui sotto, la scena rappresentata in un Codice).
Omobono Tucenghi, infatti, è un uomo che, senza privilegi di nascita o
prestigio di funzioni, ha saputo diventare nella sua città una “forza” solo per
le doti personali e l’esempio della sua vita. E’ un mercante di panni e negli
affari è abilissimo. Ormai lo circonda un rispetto universale, anche con
qualche cenno di compatimento: lui e sua moglie, infatti, non hanno avuto
figli. Sono soli. Con tutti quei soldi che il commercio ha portato loro, in
quest’epoca di vitalità straordinaria e turbolenta in tante città italiane
ormai passate all’autogoverno.
Ma nel pensiero di questi
coniugi, e soprattutto nel loro comportamento, c’è come un profumo di Chiesa
primitiva: possiamo dire che anch’essi continuamente "depongono ai piedi
degli apostoli" denaro guadagnato col commercio, come avveniva nella
piccola comunità di Gerusalemme. Non negli scritti e nemmeno in discorsi che
nessuno ci ha tramandato, ma con questi gesti precisi e continui Omobono rivela
la sua chiara concezione circa il denaro che guadagna: su di esso hanno precisi
diritti i poveri. Le monete sono mezzi d’intervento per il soccorso alla
miseria.
In tempi di rissa
continua nelle città e fra le città (Cremona, nel conflitto tra Comuni e
Impero, è schierata dalla parte imperiale) si ricorre alla sua autorità per
arginare la violenza. E Omobono è pronto al servizio fraterno anche così: con
la parola contribuisce a rendere più vivibile la città, con la parola inerme ma
autorevole, perché è lo specchio di una vita grande.
Ecco perché la sua morte,
avvenuta nel momento in cui dall’altare s’intonava il Gloria, ha scosso tutta
la città. Non solo. Si sparge una voce insistente: mastro Omobono fa miracoli!
Cominciano i pellegrinaggi alla sua tomba, il vescovo Sicardo e una rappresentanza
cittadina si rivolgono a papa Innocenzo III. E questi canonizza Omobono già il
13 gennaio 1199, a meno di due anni dalla morte. Un santo laico, un santo
imprenditore, un commerciante del ramo tessile posto sugli altari già ottocento
anni fa. Proclamato patrono cittadino dal Consiglio generale di Cremona nel
1643, sant’Omobono è venerato anche come protettore dei mercanti e dei sarti.
Il suo corpo si conserva in una cripta della cattedrale di Cremona.
Autore: Domenico
Agasso
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/35350
MESSAGGIO DI GIOVANNI
PAOLO II
A S.E. MONS. GIULIO
NICOLINI, VESCOVO DI CREMONA,
NELL'VIII CENTENARIO
DELLA MORTE DI SANT'OMOBONO
Al Venerato Fratello
Giulio Nicolini
Vescovo di Cremona
1. Il 13 novembre
1197 Omobono Tucenghi, commerciante di stoffe in Cremona, chiudeva la sua
esistenza terrena contemplando il Crocifisso, mentre partecipava, come era
solito fare ogni giorno, alla Santa Messa nella chiesa della sua parrocchia
cittadina di sant'Egidio.
Poco più di un anno dopo,
il 12 gennaio 1199, il mio Predecessore Innocenzo III lo iscriveva nel catalogo
dei Santi, aderendo alla petizione che il Vescovo Sicardo gli aveva rivolto,
recandosi pellegrino a Roma con il parroco Osberto e un gruppo di cittadini,
dopo aver valutato le numerose testimonianze anche scritte dei prodigi
attribuiti all'intercessione di Omobono.
Ad otto secoli di
distanza, la figura di sant'Omobono continua ad essere costantemente viva nella
memoria e nel cuore della Chiesa e della città di Cremona, che lo venerano
quale loro Patrono. Egli è il primo ed unico fedele laico, non appartenente
alla nobiltà o a famiglie reali o principesche, canonizzato nel Medioevo (cfr
A. Vauchez, I laici nel Medioevo, Milano 1989, p. 84; La santità nel
Medioevo, Bologna 1989, p.340). "Padre dei poveri", "consolatore
degli afflitti", "assiduo nelle continue preghiere", "uomo
di pace e pacificatore", "uomo buono di nome e di fatto", questo
Santo, secondo l'espressione usata dal Papa Innocenzo III nella bolla di
canonizzazione Quia pietas, è tuttora albero piantato lungo corsi d'acqua
che dà frutto nel nostro tempo.
2. Perciò ho appreso
con vivo compiacimento che Ella, venerato Fratello, ha stabilito di dedicare
alla sua memoria il percorso di tempo che va dal 13 novembre 1997 al 12 gennaio
1999, denominandolo «Anno di sant'Omobono», da celebrarsi con peculiari
iniziative spirituali, pastorali e culturali, articolate nel cammino di
preparazione al Grande Giubileo dell'Anno Duemila e nello spirito di comunione
creato dal Sinodo che la Diocesi ha recentemente celebrato.
Pur così lontano nel
tempo, Omobono ci appare, infatti, un Santo per la Chiesa e la società del
nostro tempo. Non soltanto perché la santità è una sola, ma per le
caratteristiche della vita e delle opere con cui questo fedele laico ha vissuto
la perfezione evangelica. Esse trovano singolari riscontri con le esigenze del
presente, e conferiscono alla ricorrenza giubilare un senso profondo di
"contemporaneità".
3. Unanimi le
testimonianze dell'epoca definiscono Omobono "pater pauperum", padre
dei poveri. E' la definizione che, rimasta nella storia di Cremona, riassume in
un certo modo le dimensioni dell'alta spiritualità e della straordinaria
avventura del mercante. Dal momento della sua conversione alla radicalità del
Vangelo, Omobono diventa artefice e apostolo di carità. Trasforma la sua casa
in casa di accoglienza. Si dedica alla sepoltura dei defunti abbandonati. Apre
il cuore e la borsa ad ogni categoria di bisognosi. Si impegna fortemente nel
dirimere controversie, che nella città lacerano fazioni e famiglie. Esercita a
piene mani le opere di misericordia spirituale e corporale e, nello stesso
tempo, protegge l'integrità della fede cattolica in presenza di infiltrazioni
eretiche, con il medesimo fervore con cui partecipa quotidianamente
all'Eucaristia e si dedica alla preghiera.
Percorrendo la strada delle
Beatitudini evangeliche, nell'epoca comunale in cui denaro e mercato tendono a
costituire il centro della vita cittadina, Omobono coniuga giustizia e carità e
fa dell'elemosina il segno di condivisione, con la spontaneità con cui dalla
assidua contemplazione del Crocifisso impara a testimoniare il valore della
vita come dono.
4. Fedele a queste
scelte evangeliche, egli affronta e supera ostacoli che gli provengono sia
dall'ambiente familiare, poiché la moglie non condivide le sue scelte, sia da
quello parrocchiale, che considera con un certo sospetto la sua austerità, e
dal settore stesso del lavoro, per la concorrenza e la mala fede di alcuni, che
cercano di ingannare l'onesto mercante.
Emerge così l'immagine di
Omobono lavoratore, che vende e compra stoffe e, mentre vive le dinamiche di un
mercato che prende la via di città italiane e europee, conferisce dignità
spirituale al suo lavoro: quella spiritualità che è l'impronta di tutta la sua
operosità.
Nella sua esperienza non
v'è soluzione di continuità tra le varie dimensioni. In ognuna egli trova il
"luogo" in cui esplicare la tensione alla santità: nel nucleo
familiare, come sposo e padre esemplare; nella comunità parrocchiale, come
fedele che vive la liturgia ed è assiduo alla catechesi, profondamente legato
al ministero del sacerdote; nel contesto della città, in cui effonde il fascino
della bontà e della pace.
5. Una vita tanto
ricca di meriti non poteva che lasciare un solco profondo nella memoria. E',
infatti, ammirevole la perseveranza d'affetto e di culto che Cremona ha
conservato nei confronti di questo suo singolare esponente, scaturito proprio
dal ceto popolare.
E' significativo che, nel
1592, la chiesa Cattedrale sia stata dedicata a lui insieme a Santa Maria
Assunta. E non è meno significativo che a sceglierlo patrono della città, nel
1643, siano stati i membri del Consiglio della Città stessa, tra l'esultanza,
"l'immensa allegrezza", le "lagrime di devozione" del
popolo. Un Santo laico, eletto come patrono dai laici stessi.
Né è motivo di meraviglia
che il culto di sant'Omobono si sia diffuso in molte diocesi italiane ed oltre
i confini nazionali. E' Omobono un Santo che parla ai cuori. Ed è bello
constatare che i cuori ne sentono l'amabile attrattiva. Lo dimostra
l'incessante accorrere alle sue spoglie mortali, soprattutto, ma non solo, nel
giorno della sua festa liturgica, e l'intensa devozione che gli riserva la
popolazione, memore delle grazie ricevute e fiduciosa nell'intercessione
dell'amato "trafficante celeste".
6. Nell'anno
giubilare la sua voce, per taluni aspetti essenziali, parla con gli accenti,
come osservavo all'inizio, della "contemporaneità".
I tempi non sono più
quelli di ottocento anni fa. Alla canonizzazione di Omobono, maturata nel clima
e nelle procedure medioevali, non possiamo attribuire il carattere di una
"promozione del laicato", nel senso che noi diamo oggi a questo
concetto.
E' vero, tuttavia, che
proprio in questa luce leggiamo l'avventura spirituale che ha solcato la
secolare storia cremonese. Ed in questa luce riscopriamo il messaggio, tuttora
originale, dell'insigne Patrono. Egli è pur sempre il fedele laico che, da laico,
si è guadagnato il dono della santità.
La sua vicenda assume un
valore esemplare come chiamata alla conversione senza restrizioni di alcun
genere e, quindi, alla santificazione non riservata ad alcuni, ma proposta a
tutti indistintamente.
Il Concilio Vaticano II
fa della santità un elemento costitutivo dell'appartenenza alla Chiesa, quando
afferma che "tutti i fedeli di qualsiasi stato o grado sono chiamati alla
pienezza della vita cristiana e alla perfezione della carità" (Lumen
gentium, 40); e rileva che "da questa santità è promosso, anche nella
società terrena, un tenore di vita più umano" (Ibid.). Proprio di questo
abbiamo bisogno nella situazione di inarrestabile transizione che stiamo
vivendo: ne abbiamo bisogno per sviluppare le premesse positive presenti e
rispondere alle gravi sfide derivanti dalla profonda crisi di civiltà e di
cultura, che investe l'ethos collettivo.
7. La chiamata alla
santità comporta e valorizza l'essere e l'operare del laicato, come pure
insegna il Concilio ed io stesso ho ribadito nell'Esortazione Apostolica
postsinodale Christifideles
Laici.
Sulla filigrana di
quest'ultimo documento vedo avvicinarsi a noi e, in particolare, all'oggi della
Chiesa e della società cremonese, la vicenda esistenziale di sant'Omobono. Per
intraprendere una nuova evangelizzazione, infatti, "urge dovunque rifare
il tessuto cristiano della società umana. Ma la condizione è che si rifaccia il
tessuto cristiano delle stesse Comunità ecclesiali" (Christifideles
Laici, n. 34).
I fedeli laici devono
sentirsi pienamente coinvolti in questo compito, con i peculiari carismi della
"laicità". Le situazioni nuove, sia ecclesiali che sociali,
economiche, politiche e culturali, reclamano con una forza del tutto
particolare la loro specifica partecipazione (Ibid., n. 3).
8. E' una felice
coincidenza che la celebrazione giubilare di questo "Santo della
carità" venga ad inserirsi nella conclusione dell'ultimo decennio del
nostro secolo, che la Comunità ecclesiale in Italia ha consacrato al programma
"Evangelizzazione e testimonianza della carità".
Come scrivevo ancora nella Christifideles
Laici, la carità nelle sue varie forme, dall'elemosina alle opere di
misericordia, "anima e sostiene un'operosa solidarietà attenta alla totalità
dei bisogni dell'essere umano" (n. 41). Essa è e sarà sempre necessaria,
da parte dei singoli e delle Comunità. E "si fa più necessaria quanto più
le istituzioni, diventando complesse nell'organizzazione e, pretendendo di
gestire ogni spazio disponibile, finiscono per essere rovinate dal
funzionalismo imperante, dall'esagerata burocrazia, dagli ingiusti interessi
privati, dal disimpegno facile e generalizzato" (Ibid.).
La sensibilità di Omobono
stimola esemplarmente ad aprirsi all'intero orizzonte della carità nella
varietà delle sue espressioni, oltre quelle materiali: carità della cultura,
carità politica, carità sociale, in ordine al bene comune. Un esempio tanto
eloquente può efficacemente contribuire a rasserenare l'attuale clima politico
e sociale, favorendo uno stile di concordia, di reciproca fiducia, di impegno
partecipativo.
9. Sono
particolarmente lieto che la celebrazione dell'«Anno di sant'Omobono» si
estenda a tutto il 1998, secondo anno della fase preparatoria al Grande
Giubileo, dedicato specialmente allo Spirito Santo.
La cara figura
dell'antico mercante accompagni dal cielo il provvidenziale evento. Invocato
con la profonda e tradizionale devozione e con una fede sempre più consapevole,
egli ottenga a tutti i battezzati la fedeltà ai doni dello Spirito, ricevuti
soprattutto nel sacramento della Confermazione. Ai fedeli laici ottenga una più
matura consapevolezza che la loro partecipazione alla vita della Chiesa "è
talmente necessaria che senza di essa lo stesso apostolato dei Pastori non può
per lo più raggiungere la sua piena efficacia" (Apostolicam actuositatem,
10). A tutti i componenti della Chiesa cremonese ottenga dal Signore l'ardore
richiesto ai nuovi evangelizzatori, chiamati nella stagione post-sinodale ad
essere veri testimoni di fede, speranza e carità.
Con questi fervidi
auspici, memore della mia Visita pastorale a Cremona, nel giugno 1992, e del
successivo incontro con quanti sono venuti a Roma in pellegrinaggio, nel
novembre dell'anno scorso, a suggello del Sinodo diocesano, imparto di cuore a
Lei, venerato Fratello, ai presbiteri, ai diaconi, ai consacrati e alle
consacrate, ai fedeli laici, a ogni famiglia, a ogni parrocchia e alla Città
tutta un'affettuosa Benedizione Apostolica.
Dal Vaticano, 24 Giugno
1997
IOANNES PAULUS PP. II
© Copyright 1997 -
Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Voir aussi : https://www.propfaithboston.org/documents/52746/2467989/Saint+Homobonus.pdf/ce52b56c-fc4b-ed57-07e8-ed4f353e77ea
