St. John of Capistrano wasn't always a saint. He started out as a
successful lawyer and politician in 15th-century Italy, living a comfortable
life with big plans for his future. But when he was thrown into prison during a
war and his engagement fell apart, everything changed. In that dark cell, he
had a dream of St. Francis of Assisi that turned his whole life upside down.
When he got out, he joined the Franciscans at age 30, leaving behind wealth and
status to follow Jesus Christ completely. It's a powerful reminder that God can
redirect our lives at any moment, and that it's never too late to answer His
call.
What made John truly special was his deep devotion to Mary and the Rosary. He
traveled all across Europe preaching, and he never went anywhere without his
rosary beads in hand. He understood something vital: that Mary leads us
straight to her Son. John would preach for hours to massive crowds, sometimes
with tens of thousands of people listening, and he always encouraged them to
pray the rosary daily. He knew that this simple prayer wasn't just reciting
words, it was walking through the life of Christ with His mother as our guide.
In a time when Europe was facing wars and divisions, John offered people the
rosary as a weapon of peace and a path to holiness.
John's life shows us that faith isn't meant to be passive or comfortable. Even
though he was in his sixties and seventies, he led a crusade to defend
Christian Europe from invasion, literally riding into battle while holding up a
banner with Jesus's name on it. He fasted, he prayed constantly, and he pushed
his body to its limits for God's glory. But here's the thing: all that action
flowed from his prayer life. He could be that bold and tireless in serving God
because he was constantly connected to Jesus through Mary and the Rosary. His
exterior strength came from his interior life. That's the lesson for us; we
can't give what we don't have. If we want to live courageously for Jesus Christ,
we need to be rooted in prayer first.
How can we be more like St. John today? Start simple: pray the rosary
regularly, even if it's just once a week at first. John didn't see the rosary
as an obligation but as a joy, a chance to spend time with the Lord and His
mother. We can also learn from his willingness to let go of worldly success
when God called him to something greater. Maybe God isn't calling you to become
a Franciscan friar, but He might be asking you to let go of something, pride,
comfort, fear, that's holding you back from following Him more fully. Like
John, we need to be willing to look foolish in the world's eyes if it means
being faithful to Christ.
St. John of Capistrano's feast day on October 23 is a perfect opportunity to
ask for his intercession and to recommit ourselves to a deeper prayer life.
This saint reminds us that holiness isn't reserved for people who have it all
together from the start. It's for lawyers who end up in prison, for people who
experience failure and heartbreak, for anyone willing to say yes to God's
surprising plans. Pick up your rosary, ask Mary to lead you closer to her Son,
and remember St. John's example: a life of prayer gives us the strength to do
extraordinary things for God. Let's ask him to help us love Mary and the rosary
the way he did, so that we too can become the saints God created us to be.
©2025 James Dacey, Jr., OFS
