He Stored Up Treasure for Himself
From the life of Saint Casimir (1458-1484) Written by a contemporary
By fulfilling the commands of the Most High he stored up treasure for himself
Narrated by Frank Dugan, Huntington Beach, California
By the power of the Holy Spirit, Casimir burned with a sincere and unpretentious love for almighty God that was almost unbelievable in its strength. So rich was his love and so abundantly did it fill his heart, that it flowed out from his inner spirit toward his fellow men. As a result nothing was more pleasant, nothing more desirable for him, than to share his belongings, and even to dedicate and give his entire self to Christ’s poor, to strangers, to the sick, to those in captivity and to all who suffer. To widows, orphans and the afflicted, he was not only a guardian and patron but a father, son and brother. One would have to compose a long account to record here all his works of love and dedication for God and for mankind. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine or to express his passion for justice, his exercise of moderation, his gift of prudence, his fundamental spiritual courage and stability, especially in in a most permissive age, when men tended to be headstrong and by their very natures inclined to sin.
Daily he urged his father to practice justice throughout his kingdom and in the governance of his people; and whenever anything in the country had been overlooked because of human weakness or simple neglect, he never failed to point it out quietly to the king.
He actively took up the cause of the needy and unfortunate and embraced it as his own; for this reason the people called him the patron of the poor. Though the son of a king and descendant of a noble line, he was never unapproachable in his conversation or dealings with anyone, no matter how humble or obscure.
He always preferred to be counted among the meek and poor of spirit, among those who are promised the kingdom of heaven, rather than among the famous and powerful men of this world. He had no ambition for the power that lies in human rank and he would never accept it from his father. He was afraid the barbs of wealth, which our Lord Jesus Christ spoke of as thorns, would wound his soul, or that he would be contaminated by contact with worldly goods.
Many who acted as his personal servants or secretaries are still alive today; these men, of the highest integrity, who had personal knowledge of his private life, testify that he preserved his chastity to the very end of his life.
Source: The Liturgy of the Hours – Office of Readings
Saint Casimir (1458-1484) was the son of the king of Poland, King Casimir IV, and was the third of his thirteen children. He was born at the royal palace in Krakow in 1458. From childhood he was attracted to a life of holiness, austerity, and charity. He practiced the Christian virtues with special regard to chastity and kindness to the poor. He was zealous in the faith. He had a particular devotion to the Holy Eucharist and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Convinced the cause was unjust, he refused to lead an army against King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary in 1471, in a campaign ordered by his father and demanded by the Hungarian nobility to seize the Hungarian throne. Though confined to the castle of Dobzki, Casimir resisted all efforts to make him change his mind. He also resisted his father’s efforts to have him marry and devoted himself to study and prayer. He served as viceroy while his father was out of Poland for four years from 1479-83. He died the following year of consumption on a visit to Lithuania in 1484 at the age of 26. Many miracles were reported at his tomb at Vilna and for years after his death. His body was found to be intact forty years later when he was canonized by Pope Adrian VI in 1522.