(1210-1294) Named Pietro at birth, the eleventh of twelve siblings, Saint Celestine V became a Benedictine monk at 17 and a hermit at age 20. He wore a hair shirt and iron chains, and observed four Lents every year, taking only bread and water for three of them. At age 84, Peter sent a letter to the cardinals who had been taking two years to select the next pope, telling them that God was not pleased with the delay. In response, and due to his reputation of holiness and miracles, they made him the 192nd Pope. Celestine V was the first pope to formalize the papal resignation process. He abdicated after only five months and spent the rest of his life in prayer as a hermit.
Pietro sought to encourage others to do the right thing. When they put him in charge and made him Pope Celestine V, he learned that he wasn’t up for the task, and he showed the humility to admit it. As an example of great humility, we might ask ourselves how often we are humbly following a Step 10 (“We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it) in our own recovery.
Saint Celestine V, pray for us, that we speak up when we ought, and that we admit our wrongs when we notice them. Amen.
Reflection by Brad Farmer