Paschal Baylon was a Franciscan friar in Spain. Before joining the Order of Friars Minor in 1564, he worked as a shepherd. He always brought a book into the fields with the hope that someone who could read would pass by and help him learn. And someone did. He later explained his reasons for wanting to become a follower of Saint Francis of Assisi. He wrote: “I was born poor and I am resolved to die in poverty and penance.”
And so, Brother Pascal lived an austere life of prayer and simplicity. He was not a priest. But he served the order in various ways that affirmed his vocation to the simple life: cook, gardener, gatekeeper, and mendicant. He was, for a time, the official beggar of Saint Joseph’s convent. He is best remembered, however, as a contemplative and a mystic who experienced ecstatic visions during extended periods of prayer before the Holy Eucharist. It was the joy of his life to pray in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Saint Paschal Baylon was proclaimed a Seraph of the Eucharist by Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903). A seraph is an angelic being, part of the highest order of the heavenly host. And a seraph is associated with light, love, and purity of mind, body, and spirit. Over long years, Saint Paschal Baylon’s tomb has been the site of many reported miracles. More than four hundred years after his death, he is still venerated as patron of sons, cooks, Eucharistic Congresses, and Eucharistic Associations. His feast is celebrated on May 17th, the day that he passed from this life into eternal life.
As we think on the Resurrection of the Lord, we pray for the grace to model our lives on the Gospel like Saint Paschal Baylon. We pray for the blessing to remember our spiritual poverty, that is, our complete dependence on divine grace. We pray for the courage to share God’s love and mercy with every thought, word, and deed. And as we celebrate the life and legacy of Saint Paschal Baylon, we turn with him in prayer and we reflect on the search for god, the boundless love of God, and the utter poverty of the human condition.
From the Writings of Saint Paschal Baylon
Seek God above all things.
It is right for you to seek God before and above all else, because God wants you to have what you ask of him.
This will make you more ready to serve God and it will help you to love him more perfectly.
Let your prayers be motivated by this intention; and when you pray, do so out of love, in season and out of season.
Detach your heart from the things of this world.
Consider that there is nothing in this world except for you and God.
Never, not even for the briefest moment, turn your heart away from God.
Let your thinking be lowly and simple.
Without weariness, always focus your attention on what is above.
Let the love of God be like oil poured over everything.
Whenever you receive some gift from the Lord, offer yourself to him entirely with joy and gladness.
Humble and despise yourself.
Renounce your own will, so that you may devote yourself, body and soul, to the Lord’s service.
Make frequent, even countless acts of praise and thanksgiving.
Rejoice in God’s power and goodness.
God grants you favors and blessings for which you owe him thanks.
Rejoice and exult! You have been enriched with graces and blessings!
Place little value on your own good or advantage so that you can serve the Lord more and more faithfully.
Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.
Amen.
Garvey, Cliff. “SERAPH OF THE EUCHARIST.” The Assisi Project. 17 May 2022. https://assisiproject.com/2022/05/17/seraph-of-the-eucharist-2/
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