Saint of the Day (May 16)

ST. UBALD

This saint lived in twelfth-century Italy. He was an orphan raised by his uncle, a bishop. Ubald was given a good education. When he finished his schooling, he had the chance to marry. But he became a priest instead. Eventually, the pope made him bishop of Gubbio, the city of his birth.
St. Ubald became well known for his mild and patient disposition. One time, for example, a worker was repairing the city wall. He badly damaged the bishop's vineyard. The saint gently pointed it out to him. The workman must have been very tired. He probably did not even recognize the bishop. He shoved Bishop Ubald so hard that he fell into a pile of wet cement. He was covered with it. He got up, cleaned himself off and went into the house. Some people saw the whole thing and demanded that the worker be brought to court. Bishop Ubald appeared in the courtroom and obtained the man's freedom.
The holy bishop loved peace and he had the courage it takes to keep it. Once, when the people of Gubbio were fighting in the streets, he threw himself between the two angry crowds. He seemed unafraid of the swords clashing and the rocks flying. Suddenly he fell to the ground. The people stopped fighting at once. They thought the bishop had been killed. But he got up. He showed them he was not even hurt. The people thanked God. They stopped fighting and went home.
Another time, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa was on his way to attack Gubbio. St. Ubald did not wait for him and his army to come to the city. He went out on the road to talk to him. No one knows what he said. All they know is that he convinced the emperor to leave Gubbio alone.
The saint had a great amount of physical pain. Yet he never talked about it. On Easter Sunday, 1160, he rose for Mass. He gave a beautiful sermon and blessed the people. Then he had to go back to bed. He was not able to get up again. He died on May 16, 1160. All the people came to pay their respects. They cried and prayed to St. Ubald to take care of them from heaven.