September 22 | Saint Thomas of Villanova

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 that you are given one of the most powerful and wealthy jobs in 16th century Spain. You are the Archbishop of Valencia. You have a massive, beautiful palace, a massive salary, and thousands of people looking up to you. Most people in this position would kick back, buy fancy clothes, and enjoy the high life.

But instead, you do the exact opposite. You take your massive paycheck and give almost all of it away. You turn your luxurious palace into a giant, open-door shelter and soup kitchen for the poor. And instead of wearing gold and silk, you wear plain, simple clothes, rejecting all the flashy stuff that usually comes with being a boss. You don't just talk about changing the world, you actually do it, with your own hands, every single day. This is the story of St. Thomas of Villanova.

If you are a bishop, a priest, someone who works for a charity, or someone who is poor and in need, listen up, because St. Thomas of Villanova is actually your patron saint. To understand Thomas, we have to go back to Castile, Spain, where he was born around the year 1488. His family wasn't super rich, but they were incredibly devout and famous for being generous to the poor. Growing up, Thomas absorbed a really radical rule from his parents. Whatever you own isn't yours alone.

In fact, the legends say that when Thomas was just a kid, he would walk out of the house with his clothes on, see someone on the street who was freezing, take his clothes off to give to them, and walk back home without them. Whether that's an exaggerated legend or exactly how it happened, it shows exactly what kind of heart he had from day one.

As Thomas grew up, he went to the University of Alcalá, which was basically the Harvard of Spain at the time, studying philosophy and theology. He even became a popular professor at Salamanca, the most prestigious university in the whole country. For him, studying God was all about figuring out how to help people's souls.

So, despite having this amazing, successful academic career ahead of him, he walked away from it all and joined the Augustinian Order to become a friar. He knew that if the church was going to get better—back then, the church was dealing with a lot of corruption and decay—it had to start with personal change. He embraced a life of poverty, obedience, and community.

Thomas became a legendary preacher. He didn't sugarcoat things. He was direct and challenged the wealthy on their responsibilities to the poor. He didn't just call out obvious bad behavior. He called out what is known as structural indifference. That means he called out the sneaky, quiet ways that comfortable people make excuses for ignoring people who are suffering.

His reputation got so big that in 1544, the Pope appointed him to be the Archbishop of Valencia. Thomas actually tried to say no. He knew being a bishop meant dealing with politics and people who just wanted status. He only accepted because of obedience to the Pope.

Once he became archbishop, he went into hyperdrive. First, he cracked down on his priests, demanding that they actually learn their face properly and show up for their people. But his biggest move was what he did with the church's money. Thomas took the huge revenues of his office and poured them directly into the streets. He didn't view charity as some nice thing you do once in a while. He believed helping the poor was an Absolute obligation of love. His house became a safe zone for the needy, where he fed hundreds of people and made sure nobody was wasting money on luxury.

By the time he died, totally worn out from his hard work in 1555, he had completely renewed his diocese. St. Thomas of Villanova challenges us with that lesson he learned as a little boy. What you have is not purely your own. When you have extra, it's not just for you to hoard. It's an opportunity to help someone else. Look around your room, your closet, or even your schedule. Do you have a bunch of clothes you never wear? Pack them up and donate them.

Do you have some extra money you were just going to spend on something you don't really need? Give it to a charity. Or maybe it's your time. Take the gospel seriously enough to live it visibly, just like Thomas did. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.