Our Lady of Good Remedy---Her Intercession saved Countless Christian Slaves

Matthew 25: 37-40

"Then the Righteous will answer Him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?

And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."

Those gospel passages from Matthew's gospel give us Jesus' teachings on what is commonly known as the Corporal Works of Mercy. Who could have ever thought at the time of Christ that 1200 years later these simple directives from our Lord would not only lead to the founding of two religious orders, the Trinitarians and the Mercedarians, but also to a special devotion to the Blessed Mother where she is known as Our Lady of Good Remedy.

The Christian societies of southern Europe and the Muslim tribes of North Africa waged war with each other intermittently from the eighth through the fifteenth centuries. During these times Muslim bandits continually raided Sicily, Southern France and parts of Spain, kidnapping Christians and dragging them into slavery and/or holding them for ransom. The time had come for a man by the name of John of Matha to appear on the scene. He was destined to save and rescue the kidnapped and imprisoned and they numbered in the thousands.

John was born in southern France in 1169. Born to noble parents of high standing, John, had the best education available at the time but never became self-indulged. On the contrary, John always had an affinity for the downtrodden and always saw fit to give most of the monies his parents sent him to the sick and the poor. In fact, it is known that John visited the hospital every Friday to assist in taking care of the sick.

Acknowledging his calling to the priesthood, John of Matha, was enrolled at the University of Paris, learned theology and was ordained a priest in 1193. As he celebrated his first Mass he saw a vision of Christ holding two chained captives by their hands. One was a Moor (Muslim) and the other a Christian. The Christian held a staff emblazoned with a red and blue cross. It was this moment in time when John decided his mission in life was to rescue Christians from the Moors.

Realizing he needed time to plan, reflect and pray about his new calling, John sought out the hermit known as, Felix of Valois, for his guidance and mentoring. Felix, already 70-years-old, readily agreed and joined forces with John. Together they headed to Rome to ask Pope Innocent III, for permission to start a new order dedicated in honor of the Blessed Trinity. On December 17, 1198, this permission was granted and so was born the Order of the Most Holy Trinity aka Trinitarians.

When Father John began his ministry of rescuing and ransoming, he had no idea that those captured and imprisoned numbered in the thousands. John needed money...lots of money...to begin "buying" enslaved Christians back from the Moors. He knew in his heart there would be only one way he might have success. He turned his money quest over to the Blessed Virgin.

Our dearest Mother Mary apparently heard John's call for help and she answered him without hesitation. In fact, over the following centuries, thousands upon thousands of Christians were saved and returned home. John of Matha, in thanksgiving and in appreciation of our Lady's intercession bestowed on her the title of "Our Lady of Good Remedy".

Devotion to Mary under this title is well known throughout Europe and Latin America. Her feast day is October 8 and she is depicted as the Blessed Virgin handing a bag of money to John of Matha. We should all remember that whenever we are having a difficult time obtaining help with something, no matter how complicated it may seem, we can invoke Our Lady of Good Remedy. She is simply waiting to hear from you.

John of Matha was canonized a saint by Pope Alexander VII in 1666. His feast day is December 17. His partner, Felix of Valois, was canonized a saint by Pope Urban IV in 1262. His feast day is November 4.

We ask both St. John of Matha and St. Felix of Valois to pray for us all.

And last but not least, we ask Our Lady of Good Remedy to PLEASE pray for us.

copyright©LarryPeterson 2017