Show notes
It's the Feast of St. Francis Borgia, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "Heaven", today's news from the Church: "Pilgrimage to the Holy Martyrs Despite the Ban by the Cardinal of Toronto", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? podcast@sspx.org
Sources Used Today:
- "Heaven" — From the Assumption to Advent
- "Pilgrimage to the Holy Martyrs Despite the Ban by the Cardinal of Toronto" (FSSPX.news)
- The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press)
Saint Francis Borgia had just about everything a man could want in sixteenth-century Spain. He was wealthy, powerful, happily married, and closely connected to the royal family.
Then one encounter with death changed the way he looked at everything.
Francis was born in 1510 into the famous Borgia family. His family included some of the most powerful figures in Renaissance Europe. Francis became a trusted member of the court of Emperor Charles V, married a noblewoman named Eleanor de Castro, and together they had eight children.
By his late twenties, he was already one of the most important noblemen in Spain.
Then, in 1539, Empress Isabella died.
Francis was assigned to accompany her body to Granada for burial. According to the famous account, when the coffin was opened to verify her identity, he was horrified by how quickly the beautiful young empress had begun to decay.
The experience shook him.
He reportedly resolved never again to serve a master who could die.
It wasn't that Francis suddenly abandoned everything. He still had a wife, children, and responsibilities. In fact, he became Duke of Gandía and spent several years governing his estates, raising his family, and caring for the poor.
But something had changed inside him.
When Eleanor died in 1546, Francis began seriously considering religious life. He had encountered the newly founded Society of Jesus and was deeply impressed by its spiritual ideals.
Eventually, he made an extraordinary decision.
He gave up his dukedom, arranged for his children's futures, and entered the Jesuits.
Imagine the scandal at court.
One of Spain's wealthiest noblemen had voluntarily exchanged his title, estates, and political influence for the life of an ordinary priest.
And he wasn't finished surprising people.
Francis eventually became the third Superior General of the Jesuits, succeeding Saint Ignatius of Loyola and Father Diego Laínez. Under his leadership, the order expanded dramatically. He strengthened Jesuit schools, encouraged missionary work, and helped send missionaries to distant parts of the world.
There's an interesting connection to Saint Teresa of Ávila, too. Francis met Teresa during the early years of her mystical experiences and encouraged her after hearing about her spiritual life. Two great reformers of the sixteenth-century Church found themselves supporting one another.
Francis died in Rome in 1572, exhausted after a demanding diplomatic mission undertaken at the pope's request.
His relics are venerated in Madrid, where devotion to him has continued for centuries.
Francis Borgia's life wasn't a rejection of marriage, family, or public service. He had lived all three faithfully.
But he learned that none of them, not even an emperor's favor or a nobleman's fortune, could last forever.
And he wanted to give his life to the One who could.
Saint Francis Borgia, humble Jesuit and nobleman who chose the treasures of heaven, pray for us.
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