(1577-1622) Mark Rey was born in Sigmaringen, Prussia (modern-day Germany), and became a philosophy professor and then a lawyer. He was devoted to the Blessed Sacrament and was extraordinarily generous to the poor, becoming known as “the poor man’s lawyer.” Mark was disenchanted with his profession and joined his brother as a Capuchin Franciscan, taking the name Fidelis, which means “faithful” in Latin. Fidelis led a group of Capuchins to preach to the Calvinists in Switzerland, which eventually led to his martyrdom.
Many addictions, compulsions, and unhealthy attachments begin as comforts or survival tactics. They are not reason-based, but grow from lived experience. In recovery, we surrender to God. This can mean upending how we sought to deal with discomfort. How have you experienced freedom in surrender?
“Woe to me if I should prove myself but a half-hearted soldier in the service of my thorn-crowned Captain” (Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen).
Reflection by Brad Farmer