Happy feast of St. Vitalis of Gaza, a hermit who spent the last years of his life with a different prostitute every night.
Yup.
Yup.
A 7th-century hermit, Vitalis lived in the desert until he was 60, when he moved to Alexandria to work as a day laborer, earning only enough money to hire a different prostitute each night.
One day Vitalis was killed in the street. At his funeral, dozens of reformed prostitutes wept. Each testified that she owed her soul to Vitalis, who had come to her room, handed her all the money he had, and said, "Here's your money. I want to buy you one night without sin."
Then he would pray with & for her, offer to arrange a marriage or find a monastery for her.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because you're loved. You're worth more than what you've done or what's been done to you. Because Jesus died to save you and set you free from sin."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because you're loved. You're worth more than what you've done or what's been done to you. Because Jesus died to save you and set you free from sin."
Every night. For years. All at the cost of his reputation and ultimately his life.
So here's to St. Vitalis. May he remind you what you're worth. May he inspire you to fight for the dignity of the used and abused, the sinner, the traumatized, the hardened and the fragile.
So here's to St. Vitalis. May he remind you what you're worth. May he inspire you to fight for the dignity of the used and abused, the sinner, the traumatized, the hardened and the fragile.
May he give you the courage to preach the Gospel, whatever the circumstances, whatever the cost. And may he teach you to love Jesus more than your reputation, more than your very life.
St. Vitalis of Gaza, pray for us!
St. Vitalis of Gaza, pray for us!
