Saint Veronica of the Veil

There are more Catholic recognized saints than there are days in a year. If we wanted to, we could celebrate each day with a dedication to a different saints for the next 27 years and not have celebrated them all. Yeah, that’s a lot of saints.

And that’s also a lot of hope. Saints are not created by the church. They are people no different than the rest of us who have chosen to answer a call from God that is theirs alone. While you might be able to retrace the life of a particular saint and walk for a mile in their shoes, the results would not be the same. One thing that is abundantly clear, or should be, is that each and every person was created by God for a particular purpose. For some that purpose takes a lifetime to achieve. For others, it might only take a moment. Unfortunately not everyone answers the call. Some spend a life looking in the wrong place or insisting that theirs is a greater purpose than it actually is. We all can’t be the Blessed Mother, but we can point the way to her Son. We can’t all be John the Baptist, but we can help prepare the way. Sometimes all that is require is a smile when everything seems its darkest. You just never know.

Saint Veronica of the Veil is not found in scripture, but is portrayed during the Stations of the Cross. She is no one special, what she did was not overly brave or difficult. She was simply one of the bystanders watching Christ make His way to Calvary. As He struggled under the weight of the cross, His face was drenched in sweat. Droplets of blood mingled with the sweat as well as dust from the road. Our Lord must have seemed pitiful to those watching. Veronica was so filled with compassion for this condemned man that she did two things. First she dared to approach Him. That in and of itself did require some courage. Then she removed her veil, and offered it to Him to wipe his face. Christ accepted, pressing His sweaty, bloody, filthy face into the cloth. It left an image, an impression that is considered to be one of the most precious artifacts in the Vatican. It is the face of our Lord, our God, our Savior on His way to take our rightful place on the cross.

Today Catholics all around the world celebrate an event that has no scriptural proof of existence, and yet Veronica herself has become a symbol of true compassion when we are asked to step beyond our fears of persecution or ridicule to offer another human being a moment of dignity in their suffering. To do so in my opinion is the most Christ-like thing we might ever be called to do. Fear not, for we are never alone. He is before you always.

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Spinach-Three Cheese Manicotti Casserole
1/2 Yellow Onion
1 lb Hot Italian Sausage
1 tablespoons Crushed Garlic
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 (24 oz) jar Pasta Sauce
1 (16 oz) can Crushed Tomatoes
Italian Seasoning to taste
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
10 Spinach-Three Cheese Stuffed Manicotti
1/2 cup Italian Blend Cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray, set aside.

Cut onion in half from root to tip. Reserve half for another purpose, dice remaining half. Place sausage in a large skillet. Scatter diced onion over the sausage. Brown over medium-high heat, breaking the sausage apart as it cooks. Drain well.

To the crumbled sausage mixture add crushed garlic, salt, pasta sauce and crushed tomatoes. Stir to blend. Season to taste with a nice Italian Herb Seasoning blend. Taste and adjust as necessary with seasonings. Drizzle heavy cream into the sauce, stir to combine. Let simmer for a few minutes longer.

Ladle some of the sauce into the prepared casserole dish. Arrange the stuffed Manicotti over the sauce. Spoon remaining sauce over the pasta. Finish with a scattering of the cheese blend.

Place casserole dish on a baking sheet, place in the heated oven. Bake until bubbling and the pasta is heated through, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Serve with a nice salad, some warm bread and if desired a bottle of your favorite Red Wine.

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The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower.
All who come to him will have life forever.