Something similar happened to Moses when God asked him to free his people from the slavery of Egypt. The Old Testament passage relates: “God said to Moses, ‘I am who am.’ Then the Lord added: ‘This is how you will speak to the Israelites: “I am” sent me to you’” (Ex 3:14).
As St. Angelo’s mystical experiences continued, the story goes, the divine voice gave him the following key for his homilies: “From now on, preach simply, as if you were conversing, so that everyone can understand you.” So the priest stopped consulting his books on oratory and rhetoric and began to prepare his sermons with the Bible and before a crucifix.
Little by little he gained a lot of success in the town, but he didn’t achieve the same results with the nobility and the wealthy. A cardinal asked him to preach during Lent in Naples, Italy, and the priest’s simple homily was ridiculed and dismissed by the wealthy people. For two days the church was almost empty.
The local priest didn’t want the saint to continue preaching, but the cardinal paid no attention. This created a scandal and made the nobility — who were also very gossipy — go to the church to see the outcome. But they were unexpectedly surprised.
In a church packed with the faithful, the saint asked at the end of his sermon that they pray for a person who was present there and who was going to die. The Mass ended and as the people left murmuring about that request, a lawyer who used to mock the priest fell dead to the floor. Everyone was astonished and the priest’s reputation for holiness spread.
The churches where St. Angelo went to preach were always full, and he obtained many conversions. He performed miraculous healings, had the gift of bilocation, could read thoughts, and predicted the future. His feast day is Oct. 30.
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