St. Casimir

Casimir was born in 1458 in Krakow. It was the third of nine children of Casimir, King of Poland. Many saints have come from large families, and such families come to the great Catholic Church vocations.
His mother Elizabeth, daughter of the Emperor of Austria, was a fervent Catholic and was careful with all my heart because his children were also enthusiastic practitioners of religion. She in a letter to a friend makes a formidable list of qualities that should be a good mother, and no doubt that these qualities were what he practiced with his own children.
And besides education that gave her parents, Casimir had the great luck that the king got two teachers who were great educators. Father John and Professor Callimachus. Father John was Polish and left a reputation for being very wise and very holy, but his greatest honor comes from having been the one who went to St. Casimir to a very high sanctity. The Professor was a great scholar Callimachus who had been secretary of Pope Pius II, and later spent 30 years at the court of King of Poland, helping with the instruction of youth. Callimachus said: "Casimiro is a teen saint", and Father John also wrote: "Casimir is an exceptional young man as a virtue."
Of course, not enough to get a good education on the part of parents and have good teachers, but it is necessary that the young do your part all possible efforts to be good. Then the twelve brothers Casimir, who had the same teachers, none came to holiness, and some even gave bad examples. Instead our holy reached heights of virtue admired those who knew him and treated him.
They say St. Casimir's biographers that his greatest dream and his strongest desire was always to please God. For that tried to control his body, before the sensual passions stained his soul. As the son of the king, dressed very simply but without any luxury. It mortified in the eating, drinking, watching in and sleeping. Many times he slept on the bare ground and tried not to drink liquor. And this in a royal palace where the people were rather inclined to a life of ease and comfort and many binges.
For Casimir the center of his devotion was the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ. In those days the spiritual masters often insisted that to be earnest and to grow in the love of God takes a lot of meditating on the Passion of Christ. Our saint spent much time meditating on the Agony in the Garden and the whipping he suffered, as the crowning of thorns and the blows they gave to our Lord. Times and times she was thinking about the rise of Jesus to Calvary and the five wounds of the crucified, and meditate on the love that brought Jesus to sacrifice himself for us. He liked very bloody Christs, and before a crucifix was time and time meditating, praying and giving thanks.
Casimir Another great devotion was to the Blessed Sacrament. As during the day was quite busy helping his father to rule the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania took advantage of the rest and silence of the night to go to temples and spend hours worshiping Jesus in the Holy Host.
His favorites were the poor. People are surprised that the son of a king, nor ever in his words or his treatment was proud and contemptuous with anyone, not even the most miserable and unfriendly. One biographer (sent by Pope Leo X to collect data about it) says that the charity of Casimir was almost unbelievable, a true gift of the Holy Spirit. That is so great that he had God, it was immensely loving neighbor, and that nothing was so pleasant and appealing as the delivery of all goods for the needy, and not just their property, but of his time, his energies, his influence on his father and his intelligence. Always preferred to the most afflicted, the poor, foreigners who had no one to rescue workers, and the sick. Defending the unfortunate and so the people called him "the defender of the poor."
His father wanted to marry the daughter of Emperor Frederick, but Casimiro said he had promised the Blessed Virgin kept in perpetual chastity. And so honorable renounced marriage.
The secretaries and others who lived with for several years Casimiro all were to agree that it is likely that this young saint did not commit a single mortal sin in his life. And this is all the more remarkable in that they lived in a palace of government where there is usually a lot of relaxation of customs. The people were astonished at seeing a young man of twenty observed conduct so balanced and serious as if they were sixty.
His father the king warning him respectfully but with great courage, the flaws it found in the government, especially when injustices were committed against the poor. And the pope attended promptly to their requests and tried to remedy it.
Casimir was the same as Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Saint Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother, St. Stanislaus Kostka, St. John Berchmans, and Saint Theresa of Ávila , a great sanctity, in a few years.
Became ill with tuberculosis, and on 4 March 1484, at the tender age of 26 years, died a holy death left everyone with the most uplifting memories of goodness and purity. They buried him in Vilma, capital of Lithuania.
After 120 years opened his tomb and buried his body was found incorrupt, as if just buried. Even their clothes were damaged, and that the site where they had buried was very humid.
On his chest they found a poem to the Blessed. Virgin, which he had recited often and ordered placed it on his body when they were burying. This poetry that he had spread far begins:
Every day my soul, gave it to Mary his praise. In his hall of honor and worship stretch, etc.., Etc.
Even after he died he wanted his tomb in honor of the Virgin Mary to whom he had great devotion throughout his life.
St. Casimir worked tirelessly to spread the Catholic religion in Poland and Lithuania, and these two nations have admirably kept their Catholic faith, and at this time when people see that their religion is in danger, call on the young saint who was so enthusiastic our religion. And he demonstrates how much prodigies intercede before God for all who call upon faith.

Prayer
Father may the life of Casimir
help us in our every day life
so we too can love the crucifix
of your son Jesus Christ more each
and every day.
AMEN

References:Catholic.Net