August
16
St. Stephen of Hungary
(975-1038)
(Spiritual Patron of: Hungary)
The
Church is universal, but its expression is always affected—for good or
ill—by local culture. There are no “generic” Christians; there are Mexican
Christians, Polish Christians, Filipino Christians. This fact is evident in
the life of Stephen, national hero and spiritual patron of Hungary.
Born a pagan, he was baptized around the age of 10, together with his
father, chief of the Magyars, a group who migrated to the Danube area in the
ninth century. At 20 he married Gisela, sister to the future emperor, St.
Henry. When he succeeded his father, Stephen adopted a policy of
Christianization of the country for both political and religious reasons. He
suppressed a series of revolts by pagan nobles and welded the Magyars into a
strong national group. He asked the pope to provide for the Church's
organization in Hungary—and also requested that the pope confer the title of
king upon him. He was crowned on Christmas day in 1001.
Stephen established a system of tithes to support churches and pastors and
to relieve the poor. Out of every 10 towns one had to build a church and
support a priest. He abolished pagan customs with a certain amount of
violence, and commanded all to marry, except clergy and religious. He was
easily accessible to all, especially the poor.
In 1031 his son Emeric died, and the rest of Stephen's days were embittered
by controversy over his successor. His nephews attempted to kill him. He
died in 1038 and was canonized, along with his son, in 1083.
Comment:
God’s gift of holiness is a Christlike love of God and humanity. Love must
sometimes bear a stern countenance for the sake of ultimate good. Christ
attacked hypocrites among the Pharisees, but died forgiving them. Paul
excommunicated the incestuous man at Corinth “that his spirit may be saved.”
Some Christians fought the Crusades with noble zeal, in spite of the
unworthy motives of others. Today, after senseless wars, and with a deeper
understanding of the complex nature of human motives, we shrink from any use
of violence, physical or “silent.” This wholesome development continues as
people debate whether it is possible for a Christian to be an absolute
pacifist or whether evil must sometimes be repelled by force.
Quote:
“Although the Church has contributed much to the development of culture,
experience shows that, because of circumstances, it is sometimes difficult
to harmonize culture with Christian teaching.
“These difficulties do not necessarily harm the life of faith. Indeed they
can stimulate the mind to a more accurate and penetrating grasp of the
faith. For recent studies and findings of science, history and philosophy
raise new questions which influence life and demand new theological
investigations” (Vatican II, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the
Modern World, 62).