Prince of Poland and Lithuania, patron of Lithuania · Feast: 4 March
Open in the Daily Word app“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21
Casimir was born on 3 October 1458 in the royal castle at Krakow, the son of Casimir IV, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and of Elizabeth of Austria. With his brothers he was taught by the priest and historian Jan Dlugosz. From youth he was known for his prayer, his simple way of living and his love of the poor.
In 1471, when he was thirteen, his father sent him with an army to Hungary, where a party of nobles had offered him the crown against King Matthias Corvinus. The campaign failed: the soldiers were unpaid and deserted, the promised support did not come, and the Pope favoured Matthias. Casimir returned home. His father, displeased, is said to have confined him for a time in the castle of Dobczyce. He would never again take up that claim.
In the following years he served his father faithfully. Between 1481 and 1483, during the king's long stay in Lithuania, he governed the Polish kingdom from Radom and was remembered for his justice and care for the weak. According to his early biographers, he refused a marriage proposed for him, wishing to remain celibate for the love of God, and he had a deep devotion to the Eucharist and to the Virgin Mary.
Weakened by a disease of the lungs, he died at Grodno on 4 March 1484, aged twenty-five, and was buried in the cathedral of Vilnius, where a splendid chapel was later built over his tomb. He was canonised in the sixteenth century, with the decree confirmed by Pope Clement VIII in 1602. He is the patron of Lithuania and is also honoured in Poland, especially by the young.
A prince's son, he dressed plainly and gave to those in need.
He kept his heart for God in the midst of a royal court.
He used authority for justice and not for his own glory.
He turned to her every day of his short life.
His early life tells that he would rise at night to go and pray at the door of a church, and that he could be found kneeling there on the ground before it was opened.
A long Latin hymn in praise of Mary, Omni die dic Mariae, is called the Hymn of St Casimir because a copy is said to have been buried with him. He did not write it, but he is remembered as having loved it and prayed it often.
A later legend tells that in 1518, when Lithuanian soldiers came to relieve the besieged city of Polotsk, a young man in white appeared and showed them where to cross the river Dvina. They believed he was St Casimir.
Every day, every day, sing to Mary, my soul.
Omni die dic Mariae, the hymn associated with St Casimir, in substance
The heart goes where the treasure lies (Matthew 6:21).
Rank did not separate him from those in need.
Twenty-five years are enough for a saint.
Dear friends, St Casimir had what many people dream of. He was the son of a king, with wealth, palaces and a future full of power. At thirteen he was already sent with an army to win a crown. Yet he is remembered five hundred years later for something else: for kneeling at the church door before dawn and for his love of the poor.
Jesus tells us that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). It is a simple test. Where does my mind go when I am not busy? What do I fear to lose? What do I spend my money on? Casimir's treasure was God, and so he could wear plain clothes in a royal court and pass his days without pride.
He also shows us that a holy life does not mean running from duty. When his father gave him the kingdom to look after, he governed with justice and with care for the weak. Those of us with authority at home, at work or in the parish can learn from him. Authority is given so that we may serve.
He died at twenty-five. In this time of fasting, let us pray especially for our young people, who hear on every side that happiness means money, pleasure and success. At this Holy Mass / Holy Qurbana let us ask St Casimir to help them, and all of us, to put our treasure where it can never be lost. Amen.
Lord our God, you gave St Casimir a heart set on the things of heaven in the midst of a royal court. Through his prayers, help our young people to keep pure hearts, and help us all to use what we have in the service of the poor. Amen.