aeternus

Happy feast day to St. Louis, King of France and to all Saint Louisians here in Missouri. We will be heading down to the Cathedral today for the annual “Fete” celebration. It is too bad that they do not have the Medieval Knights demonstrating their battling techniques. The boys LOVED that. I guess we’ll have to find pleasure in strolling through the artisan tents. But, I do not mean to make light of this feast day. What an amazing man we have to remember today. King, Crusader, man of virtue and piety…

It is say “Of St. Louis of France (1214-70) that “without counting his other prayers the holy King knelt down each evening fifty times and each time he stood upright repeated slowly an Ave Maria”.

When we speak of a ‘genuflection’ today we think of going down on one knee but in the present context I think we should understand the act of ‘genuflection’ or ‘prostration’ as going down on both knees, bowing so as to touch the ground with the forehead. [The literature is not clear on this and a single genuflection may have been used ]. The double genuflection is known in the Orthodox church as a great metany (metanœa), referred to in Latin as a veniae (a pardon) and to the Irish monks as the slectain. Those who practised this form of asceticism on a regular basis developed hard callouses on the knees and bumps on the forehead.”

What a beautiful, beautiful act to honor our God! This practice helps us to show our Lord how much we love and adore Him. This prostration is an outward sign of love which speaks also to those who might see us exampling this in front of the Eucharistic presence in the tabernacle or monstrance.

Of course it is of little use to mention Saint Louis unless we hear some of the man’s words. Perhaps one of the most famous lines written is from a letter he wrote to his son. The glimpse it gives us into this earthly king’s heart is inspirational. He says:

“If God send thee adversity, receive it in patience and give thanks to our Saviour and bethink thee that thou hast deserved it, and that He will make it turn to thine advantage. If He send thee prosperity, then thank Him humbly, so that thou becomest not worse from pride or any other cause, when thou oughtest to be better. For we should not fight against God with his own gifts.”

Photograph from and oil painting and shrine at the Basilica of St. Louis, King in St. Louis.

Genuflection quote from:Beads and Prayers: The Rosary in History and Devotion
© John Desmond Miller June 2002