I cannot even imagine at 12 years old entering a religious order or a boy entering the seminary, but that is what Saint Jaime Hilario Barbal did. I guess that is why he is a saint! His family was hardworking and pious and grew up near the Pyrenees mountains. He was born on January 2, 1898 in northern Spain as Manuel Barbal Cosan. He entered the seminary at age 12, but he began to loose his hearing in his teens so he was sent home. He joined the Brothers of the Christian Schools at age 19. This is where he took the name Jaime Hilario. He was an exceptional teacher and catechist and believed in universal education, especially for the poor. But his hearing grew worse and in the early 1930s he was forced to retire from teaching and began working in the garden of the house.
When the Spanish Civil War broke out, he was imprisoned in 1936. He was on a prison ship with religious and one January 15, 1937 he was convicted of being a Christian brother. Two rounds from a firing squad did not kill him (it is believed some soldiers intentionally shot wide), bur their commander murdered with five shots in close range. Saint Jaime was the first of 97 LaSalle Brothers killed in Catalunia, Spain during the Spanish Civil War to be recognized as a martyr. He died on January 18, 1937. He was canonized on November 21, 1999 by Pope John Paul II.
Today we must be grateful for our religious freedom in the United States. We can pray without fear and we must take the time to be with our Lord in prayer each day.
I particularly loved this quote from Saint Jaime and that is why I chose to write about him today.
"The day you learn to surrender yourself totally to God, you will discover a new world, just as I am experiencing. You will enjoy a peace and a calm unknown, surpassing even the happiest days of your life."
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