Saint Denis

First Point

When Saint Paul visited Athens, that famous city in Greece, he converted a great number of people there, among whom was Saint Denis,¹ one of the judges in that city, who was illustrious by his birth and very enlightened in matters of human learning. It is even said of him that he knew, because of the extraordinary eclipse that appeared when our Lord was suffering on Calvary, that this event happened, because the God of nature was dying. So, when Saint Paul came and preached to them about a God unknown to them,² Saint Denis concluded that this must be the one whose coming and death nature had proclaimed with visible signs. Once Saint Paul made known to him who this God is and that he alone deserves homage, because, as he said, this is the One who made the whole world and everything that is in it; he is the Lord of heaven and earth and has made the human race, so that people may search for him and try to find him, and this same God is not far from them, for in him they have life, movement, and being,³ Saint Denis promptly believed in this God and renounced the worship of the false gods. How admirable was the conversion of this great saint, who served the Church very well both by his sublime writings and by preaching the Gospel. If Saint Paul had converted no one but Saint Denis, he would without doubt have rendered a great benefit to the Church. So it is that God, as he did in the case of Saint Denis and others, makes use of their natural intelligence and what they acquire through human learning to bring them to him.

Second Point

This saint, once converted, was so faithful to grace that in a short time he was able to instruct others. He, therefore, devoted himself to preach the holy Gospel and traveled to France, where he became bishop of the principal city of the kingdom and there preached with such apostolic zeal that a great number of the inhabitants renounced their false gods and believed in Jesus Christ. How happy we ought to consider ourselves to have received through Saint Denis the beginning of the true faith and our knowledge of the God whom we must adore! What honor we must pay this saint, especially today when the Church celebrates his feast! What gratitude must we show him for having procured for us so great a blessing!Yet it would be of little use to be enlightened by the light of faith if we did not live according to the Christian spirit and if we did not observe the maxims of the holy Gospel. The main purpose of faith isto lead us to practice what we believe. This made Saint James say that faith is dead which is not accompanied by good works. You believe, he adds, that there is one God; you do well; the devils also believe this, but we are justified by our works, not by faith alone.⁴ Be convinced that the main conversion is that of the heart and that without it the conversion of the mind is quite sterile. This is whyif you strive to strengthen your faith, let it be in order to increase your piety.

Third Point

The reward given to apostolic people in this life is to be persecuted and to die in the defense and promotion of the faith they have proclaimed. The disciple, says our Lord, is not greater than his master, nor is the Apostle greater than the one who sent him.⁵ If they have persecuted me, he adds, they will also persecute you.⁶ This is what happened to Saint Denis after he had spent a long time preaching the Gospel. The devils who made themselves adored in the different idols of the false gods endured impatiently the numerous and illustrious conversions made by this apostolic man. He was arrested, cruelly flogged, and then exposed to wild beasts, which, out of respect for his sanctity, would not touch him. Finally, he was condemned to be beheaded. Such was the end of all the labors of Saint Denis and the consequence of all he had done to procure in this kingdom the establishment of religion and the true worship of God. Because this was also the end and the consummation of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ and of all he did on earth for our salvation, it was very fitting that this saint be treated like his Master and die as he did in a cruel death. This saint was glad to shed his blood and to give witness to Jesus Christ by his fidelity in his service and in the ministry God had entrusted to him. Like Saint Denis, you are called to announce the truths of the holy Gospel. Carry out this ministry well, and take care that those whom you guide are well instructed in the mysteries of our holy religion. After spending your life in the performance of such a holy work, do not expect to receive any other recompense than to suffer and to die as Jesus Christ did in sorrow.

Historical Context

In this meditation Denis (martyred around 260), bishop of Paris, has been confused with Dionysius the Areopagite in the Acts of the Apostles (17:34), a common confusion until about the nineteenth century. According to Saint Gregory of Tours, Denis, bishop of Paris, was sent to France by the Pope and martyred at a spot that was later named for him, Saint-Denis, near Paris. The Abbey of Saint-Denis became the burial place of the French kings. De La Salle opened a school in SaintDenis in 1708; a community of Brothers is still there today.

Scripture Citation

1. Acts 17:34
2. Acts 17:23
3. Acts 17:24; 27–28
4. Jas 2:17, 19–24
5. Jn 13:16
6. Jn 15:20