September 19, was the feast of the Patron Saint of Naples: San Gennaro or Saint Jannuario, one of three dates when prayers are said for the miracle of the liquefaction of the saint’s blood.
Newsdesk (20/09/2022 8:31 PM, Gaudium Press) Archbishop Domenico Battaglia of Naples today raised the vial containing the relic of the blood of the 3rd century martyr saint in Naples Cathedral, revealing its liquefaction.
“Today the sign of St. Januarius’ blood shed for the sake of Christ and his brothers tells us that goodness, beauty and righteousness are and always will be victorious,” the archbishop stressed.
“Here is the meaning of this blood which, united to the blood shed by Christ and all the martyrs of all places and times, is a living testimony that love always wins.”
More than 2,000 people gathered at the Naples Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary for the feast of St. Januarius, the city’s patron saint, known as San Gennaro in Italian. The bishop was martyred during the Christian persecution by Emperor Diocletian.
In his homily, the archbishop of Naples warned against reducing the veneration of the city’s saint to mere superstition.
“It matters little, my brothers and sisters, whether the blood liquefies or not; let us never reduce this celebration to an oracle to be consulted,” Battaglia said.
“Believe me, what really matters to the Lord, what our bishop and martyr Januario strongly asks of us, is the daily commitment to bet on love, to dissolve selfishness, to break the dams that hold back the good, letting love, like blood, run in the body of this city, giving everyone hope, confidence, the possibility of redemption and eternal life,” he added.
Liquefaction Occurs Three Times a Year
The miracle is expected three times a year: in September, on the saint’s feast day; on the Saturday before the first Sunday in May to commemorate the transfer of the saint’s remains; and – finally – on December 16, in memory of the 1631 Vesuvius eruption. When the blood does not liquefy, Neapolitans interpret this as a bad omen .
With CNA information.
Compiled by Florence MacDonald