On July 4th, the Church remembers Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, whose memory quickly went beyond the kingdom’s borders, and throughout the Christian world that sovereign who was the most beautiful ornament of glorious Portugal was known.
Newsroom (11/07/2022 08:23, Gaudium Press) Whoever has had the pleasant opportunity to visit Coimbra will certainly have admired its many wonders: from the precious tomb of Dom Afonso Henriques, founder of the Kingdom of Portugal, to the many beautiful parks that adorn the city. Also shining brightly is the historic University, which, through its solid roots and exquisite fruits, is the institution that represents the greatest expression of the Portuguese language.
However, those who come from afar cannot fail to notice the sincere affection of the inhabitants for their outstanding patron saint, Queen Saint Elizabeth: the angel of kindness and peace that the Lord sent to Portugal.
Curiously, Saint Elizabeth was not Portuguese by birth. The hand of Providence chose to gather her in the Aragonese soil, where she came into the world in the distant year of 1271. She was preceded in nobility and holiness by her great aunt, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, from whom she inherited, besides her name, the most excellent qualities. The little daughter of Peter III of Aragon and Constance of Sicily was, like her aunt, a great follower of St. Francis of Assisi and a soul totally dedicated to the poor and needy.
She pacified tempers and wars from the cradle to the hour of her death, and there was no ill person, from the first nobleman to the last, who escaped her beneficial influence. Everyone left her presence ready to reconcile with God and forgive his neighbor.
A girl who sweetened hearts
When Saint Elizabeth was born, there was a quarrel between her father and her grandfather, James I, the Conqueror. It had been a long time since they had spoken, because this King of Aragon did not approve of the marriage of his son Peter to Lady Constance. As soon as the holy girl was born, the domestic disagreements were erased and there was great harmony in that royal house.
The fearless grandfather did not hide his great fondness for this child and insisted that she be brought up in his palace, so that he could enjoy her company. The most profound reason why he did not want to part with her was the sensitive inflow of blessings and gentleness that emanated from her. In an atmosphere full of tensions and heavy burdens, this precious treasure sweetened hearts. After the death of James I, the infant stayed a few more years with her parents. Very soon she would become Queen of Portugal.
In Portugal’s Court
In 1282 she left for the Portuguese lands, in order to marry Dom Dinis, who had just ascended the throne. Never had a sovereign of such modesty and kindness been seen there. Her recollection and union with God soon captivated the people, who soon reciprocated the love they were receiving. To increase everyone’s confidence in the young sovereign as soon as she arrived she obtained peace between Dom Dinis and his brother who was disputing his crown.
Her life at court was a constant search for the supernatural. Without omitting any of the obligations imposed by her condition as queen, her heart was not tied to this earth. She was present at all the festivities of the kingdom and sincerely rejoiced with the people; she girded her crown and wore the richest dresses to receive, next to the king, the illustrious authorities who came to honor her and place themselves at her service. However, she did not become conceited and wanted those glories for herself. She considered herself a sinner and would have preferred a thousand times to be poor than to possess all the royal treasures.
Precursor of the devotion to the Immaculate Conception
Prayer and the life of piety played a primordial role in her existence and were the cause of all the conquests for the good of the kingdom and of souls that she obtained. Every morning she attended Holy Mass in her oratory with her mind absorbed in holy considerations. From the age of eight she recited the Divine Office, and later added the daily recitation of the penitential psalms and other devotions in honor of the saints and of Our Lady.
Her devotion to the Blessed Mary was tender and fruitful, bequeathing to posterity an indelible trait for Portuguese-Brazilian spirituality: the patronage of the Immaculate Conception. In fact, it was Saint Elizabeth who chose her as patroness of Portugal and made sure that her feast was celebrated for the first time, on December 8, 1320, when the theological disputes in favor of the Immaculate Conception of Mary were spreading their first rays.
Sufferings of wife and queen
Thus supported by divine forces, she prepared herself for the great crosses and misfortunes that awaited her. After the birth of her two children, Constança and Afonso, the Holy Queen heroically endured the dissolute life that Don Dinis began to lead. Without murmuring or becoming impatient, she prayed a lot and did penance for the sovereign’s conversion.
She witnessed with even greater suffering the enmities between her relatives’ Christian rulers, who disputed among themselves, out of ambition, lands and honors, and as a result of their pretensions, caused bloodshed.
Courageously, Saint Elizabeth stood up to her full stature and prevented a great deal of fighting that was about to break out. Dom Dinis and Dom Afonso – the king’s brother – were at war for the crown of Portugal. The same king his husband had with the monarch of Castile, Sancho IX, serious disputes over the borders between the kingdoms. Years later, Dom Fernando IV of Castile – his son-in-law – and Dom Jaime II of Aragon – his brother – nurtured a fierce mutual enmity that was heading for a terrible confrontation. His brother, Frederick of Sicily, and Robert of Naples waged a violent war for political reasons?
How many tears this desolating picture cost his upright heart! Constantly praying to God and imploring each of these sovereigns to listen to the voice of justice, she was victorious in all the disputes in which she intervened. The Holy Queen proved that peace is not so much due to treaties and economic considerations, as it is due to holy souls that placate anger and hatred through gentleness and clemency.
Mother’s courage and intrepidity
The most poignant act of Saint Elizabeth, the one that cost her the most suffering and anguish, was to face her son’s rebellion against the king. Desirous of ruling the kingdom and judging that the crown was too late, the envious heir wanted to proclaim himself king and declared war on Don Dinis. Despising all the good examples that his mother had always given him, he organized an army and fought against the author of his days.
On one side, the king marches in front of his men, willing to do anything to keep his rightful position. On the other, the insolent son confronts him and disregards the divine mandate that obliges one to honor father and mother. At the moment when the silence in the two enemy camps indicates the beginning of the battle, the intrepid figure of the queen appears: on her swift mount, she tears through the arena of discord and interposes herself between the creatures she loves most in this world to implore forgiveness and peace.
Her look, always full of gentleness, turns this time stern and penetrating toward the ambitious son: “How dare you do this? Are you so heavy with the obedience you owe your father and lord? What can you expect from the people the day it falls to you to rule the kingdom, if you are legitimizing treason with this bad example? Finally… if my motherly advice and affection are of no use to you, at least fear the wrath of God, who justly punishes scandals!”
Could this maternal appeal, made before thousands of subjects, be resisted? Repentant and full of confusion, the son kneels without retort, asks the king’s forgiveness, and swears allegiance to him. Once again the Holy Queen removes the dark clouds from the horizon and makes the rainbow of bonanza shine, to the delight of all.
Charity and love for the poor
Along with his peacemaker spirit, it was in the practice of charity and love for the poor that his love for God was fully projected. She dedicated herself so much to the weak, cared for the sick, founded hospitals, and protected every category of the destitute, that it is impossible to find a human explanation for the astonishing fecundity of her initiatives.
When the dear Queen went out in the palace, a multitude of unfortunate people followed her, asking for help, and never did any of them leave without being generously attended to. She liked to personally take care of the most repulsive lepers, to treat their wounds and wash their clothes; she directed the orphans and widows to a dignified life, and even in the hour of death she did not abandon the unfortunate, for whom she provided a dignified grave and had Masses celebrated for their souls. As a corollary of his unshakable faith, not a few were the sick who left his presence entirely cured.
Dies as a Franciscan tertiary
When Dom Dinis died, in 1325, Saint Elizabeth was 54 years old, and still lived eleven more. In this period she embraced the Third Order of Saint Francis and abandoned the court pomp, in order to live exclusively for prayer and charity. Her heroic virtue and self-giving reached their maximum splendor; she was ready to reign in Heaven.
On July 4, 1336, while she was mediating a peace action in Estremoz, Mary Most Holy came to take her to her definitive homeland, where she would enjoy eternal glory. While everyone mourned her insurmountable loss, she rejoiced to be in the imminent definitive possession of the God she had served so well. Her last words were: “Mary, Mother of grace, Mother of mercy, protect us from the enemy and receive us at the hour of death.” It was her wish to be buried in Coimbra, in the Convent of Santa Clara, founded by her.
Her memory quickly went beyond the borders of the kingdom, and throughout the Christian world that sovereign who was the most beautiful ornament of glorious Portugal was known.
A singular canonization
The unique way in which St. Elizabeth was canonized serves to show how, if it is God’s will to glorify one of his illustrious children, no human obstacle is able to stop Him.
Countless were the miracles obtained from her body, which remained surprisingly incorrupt and exuded an odorous balsam. In Portugal and Spain, devotees longed to see her on the altars and to dedicate churches in her honor. The sovereigns who descended from her insisted to the ecclesiastical authorities to speed up the process.
In the early 17th century, canonization was the final step in a series of authorizations granted by the Holy See for the veneration of saints. Thus, it was common that only in some dioceses or regions could a Blessed be celebrated, but once that jurisprudence was over, the cult was no longer official. This system, added to a series of numerous canonizations in that period, eventually led Pope Urban VIII to institute a meticulous and cautious system for the admission of new blessed into the ranks of the saints.
With this reforming purpose in mind, he only ascended to the papal throne and immediately declared that he would canonize no saints! And just when everything was favorable for the definitive glorification of dear Queen Elizabeth… What did the grateful devotees do? They entrusted the filial intention to heaven, and obtained through prayer what human means could not achieve.
After sending several letters reinforcing the request, and also a representative who insisted a lot with Urban VIII, all that the then reigning sovereign, Philip IV, obtained was that the Pope, out of politeness and courtesy, accept an image of the venerable Queen.
However, a superior design hovered over the intricate affair. The Pope, having fallen seriously ill, with malignant fevers and almost without hope of life, remembered the Queen of Portugal. So much was spoken of her love for the sick, her untiring zeal to heal their body and soul… The Pope also entrusted himself to her, forgetting his prudent reserve for the just of God.
Behold, the next day he dawned well, without any risk to his life! He was so moved by the goodness of his protector that he changed his mind. He would canonize, by special exception, the Queen of Portugal; and he would do it with a “big heart,” enlisting himself in the ranks of her devotees. This explains the magnificent ceremony that took place in St. Peter’s Basilica, on May 25, 1625. Not before or since, in the 21 years of his pontificate, had Urban VIII canonized any other saint!
Texto extraído da Revista Arautos do Evangelho, Julho/2007, n. 67.
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A Igreja lembra, no dia 4 de julho, Santa Isabel de Portugal, cuja memória rapidamente ultrapassou as fronteiras do reino, e em todo o orbe cristão era conhecida aquela soberana que foi o mais belo ornato do glorioso Portugal. Redação (04/07/2022 08:23, Gaudium Press) Quem alguma vez teve a aprazível oportunidade de visitar Coimbra, certamente… Ver artigo
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