August 25 | Saint Louis IX of France

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories. Today, imagine being just 12 years old and waking up one day and being told, you are the king of France. Not a pretend king in a video game, a real, breathing monarch with the weight of an entire nation on your young shoulders.

Add to that a life filled with epic battles, getting captured as a prisoner of war, surviving a brutal six-year crusade, and eventually dying of a terrible plague in a foreign land. This is actually the real, absolutely fascinating life of today's saint, Saint Louis IX, famously known as the Good King of France.

Louis was born on April 25, 1215, in Poissy, France. From the very beginning, his mom was not messing around when it came to his faith. She took extreme care to instill a profound love of God in him from a young age. In fact, she once looked at him and said something so intense, you'll probably never forget it. She said, I love you, my dear son, as much as a mother can love her child, but I would rather see you die than love her child.

Dead at my feet than that you should commit a mortal sin. That's some serious tough love, right? But it worked. When his father passed away, Louis became the king of France at just 12 years old. Because he was still a minor, his mother stepped up to assist him with the massive decisions of the kingdom until he was old enough to take the throne fully.

Even with all the wealth, power, and distractions of the royal court, Louis didn't care about showing off or demanding attention. Instead, he spent hours and hours in private prayer, devoting himself entirely to God when no one else was watching. As he grew up, Louis proved to be an incredible leader. At age 19, he married a woman named Margaret. They had a long, happy marriage and raised 11 kids together. But Louis wasn't just a great family man. He was a revolutionary king.

Louis ruled with maturity, deep mercy, and incredible faith. He never swore, he sought continuous conversion within the church, and he personally made sure court cases were handled justly. He refused to give special treatment to powerful feudal lords, and ensured that if they committed a misdemeanor, they were punished according to the law, just like Anyone else?

But here is where King Louis gets truly legendary. He cared for his people with massive fervor, opening hospitals and constantly feeding the poor. Every single day, in addition to all the other impoverished people fed by the palace, King Louis specifically invited 13 homeless people to come and eat right there with him. The King of France sharing his daily meals with the homeless? He did this because he'd Desperately wanted to imitate his own personal hero and patron, St. Francis of Assisi. Speaking of patrons, you might be wondering, what is St.

Louis the patron saint of? Because of his incredible devotion to Franciscan spirituality, he is the co-patron of the Third Order of Franciscans, and he is also the patron saint of architecture. But Louis' life wasn't all peace and quiet. When the Holy Land was conquered by Muslims, Louis boldly helped lead the massive efforts to take it back. The first crusade he fought in lasted six grueling years, and things got so intense that he was actually taken prisoner for a time.

Eventually, he was released and had to rush back to France because his mother's health was severely declining. He made it back just in time to be present for her death. Louis simply could not rid his mind of the brutal images of Christians suffering in the Middle East. So, he packed up and left for a second crusade to the Holy Land.

Sadly, shortly after arriving, tragedy struck. Louis contracted the plague and died in Tunis, Tunisia, on August 25, 1270, at the age of 56. He was canonized as a saint in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII. Tomorrow, look for someone who is sitting alone. Look for the person who might feel invisible or left out.

Go up to them and invite them to sit with you. Share your table with them, just like St. Louis did. You don't need a golden crown to be a royal servant of God. You just need a welcoming heart. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.