The Catholic Connection: Veteran’s Day and St. Martin of Tours

As we near the end of the calendar year, it makes sense that November is a month of remembrance. It fittingly starts with All Saints Day. On the first day of the second-to-last month, we remember all those in heaven and contemplate how we can emulate them.

The very next day, of course, is All Souls Day. It is a good day to visit graves and remember “for you are dirt, and to dirt, you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19, NAB). Our family lost some relatives recently, making it even easier to reflect on our return to dirt.

However, this special day is for more than visitation and remembrance. My Catholic Life expresses it this way:

The Feast of All Souls, then, is much more than a spiritual family reunion where we visit the graves of our ancestors and recall with a tear all the good times. All Souls Day longs for a deeper bond, for an ultimate reunion with God at the head of the family in heaven with all His saints and angels.

Following All Souls’ day comes a day that many do not realize is related to a canonized saint. This day is Veteran’s Day, November 11. As the wife of a retired combat veteran, this day has special meaning for me. Until fairly recently, though, I did not realize it has Catholic roots. I learned about the Catholic connection through a homily a few years ago.

Veteran’s Day and St. Martin’s Feast day

This connection comes through St. Martin of Tours. His feast day is also November 11. Some would suggest there is no coincidence.

It starts with Armistice Day. According to Military.com:

In legislation that was passed in 1938, November 11 was “dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day.'” As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.

World War II and the Korean War followed “the war to end all wars.” With more soldiers to remember, in 1954, Congress changed November 11 from Armistice Day to Veterans Day to include all veterans.

Catholic Roots of Veterans Day

To find the Catholic roots of Veterans Day, take another look at Armistice Day.

In the early hours of 11 November, final terms were laid out and at 5.12 am, the armistice was signed. It declared the “cessation of hostilities by land and in the air six hours after the signing”. Terms of the agreement included: the immediate German withdrawal from the territories they had acquired during the conflict; the disarmament and demobilisation of the German military; and the release of Allied prisoners. The terms made it impossible for Germany to resume any fighting.

It is the date that is important. The “cessation of hostilities” was to begin on the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month”.

Was this intentional? Note that this was St. Martin’s feast day long before it became Armistice Day. This Saint of Tours being well-known, many prayed for his intercession to end the war. They saw the hand of God in signing the Armistice on this special day.

They might be right. The Badger Catholic says “Traditionally, November 11 had previously served as a day of signing peace treaties in honor of Saint Martin.” A little digging shows me four of them, but I would not be surprised if there are more.

Aleteia adds this:

But the armistice timing was chosen deliberately — scheduled for the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For centuries, St. Martin’s Day (also known as Martinmas) had marked a time of new beginnings in Europe — a new school term, the first day of rental agreements, and the date when debts were paid. What better day to mark a new beginning of peace?

St. Martin and Peace Treaties

This begs the question; why is St. Martin of Tours associated with new beginnings and with peace treaties?

St. Martin was a Christian Roman soldier. He served for many years in a cavalry unit in France. Eventually, though, he said to his commander, “I have served you as a soldier; now let me serve Christ.” He remained a soldier for the next 3-5 years (depending on the source) but ultimately got his wish. This saint, who started service as a soldier, ultimately became a Bishop. He served God in both capacities.

There is a story of Martin sharing his cloak with a beggar that is well-known. He was still a soldier at the time. Biographer Sulpicius Severus tells it this way:

Accordingly, at a certain period, when he had nothing except his arms and his simple military dress, in the middle of winter, a winter which had shown itself more severe than ordinary, so that the extreme cold was proving fatal to many, he happened to meet at the gate of the city of Amiens a poor man destitute of clothing. He was entreating those that passed by to have compassion upon him, but all passed the wretched man without notice, when Martin, that man full of God, recognized that a being to whom others showed no pity, was, in that respect, left to him. Yet, what should he do? He had nothing except the cloak in which he was clad, for he had already parted with the rest of his garments for similar purposes.

Taking, therefore, his sword with which he was girt, he divided his cloak into two equal parts, and gave one part to the poor man, while he again clothed himself with the remainder. Upon this, some of the by-standers laughed, because he was now an unsightly object, and stood out as but partly dressed. Many, however, who were of sounder understanding, groaned deeply because they themselves had done nothing similar. They especially felt this, because, being possessed of more than Martin, they could have clothed the poor man without reducing themselves to nakedness.

In reading this story, I especially take note of how Martin influenced the bystanders. While some laughed, others saw their failings. Hopefully, it changed them. This is something to bear in mind in our public words and actions. Evangelizing often comes through action. The rest of the story shows that action can bring us closer to God.

After sharing his cloak, this happened:

That night in a dream, Martin saw Christ wearing that portion of cloak that he had given the beggar, and heard him saying to the angels that surrounded him, “Martin the catechumen has clothed me with this garment.”

All of this occurred before Martin became a baptized Christian. After the vision, he had himself baptized. Martin’s desire became to live entirely for Christ.

There are many other stories about him. For example, a St. Martin of Tours Parish website tells us:

As bishop of Tours, Martin preached around the countryside, performing many wonders, from communication with animals to raisings from the dead… The saint’s biographer, Sulpicius Severus, compared Martin to the Apostles and attributed to him amazing miracles that included healings, exorcisms, visions of angels, and temptations by devils.

You can read Severus’ biography at New Advent. Interestingly, Sulpicius Severus is also a canonized saint. One of his desires was to eventually meet St. Martin. In Chapter 25 of Martin’s biography, Severus tells us how that eventually happened.

As I am writing this, the Gospel this weekend was about the ten virgins and their oil lamps. In his homily, the priest spoke of preparation and concluded by telling us to store up oil for our lamps.

This is one reason why it is so important to remember our saints. They are our examples. We can prepare and store oil by emulating them.

The St. Martin’s parish website concludes with this:

But the triumph worth winning, as Martin’s life attested, was in the victory over self and the allurements of the world.

This is the victory we are all called to. On Veteran’s day, and the rest of the month, remember the Catholic connection. Thank our veterans, but also pray for them. I will pray that they (and I) learn to be like this soldier and bishop of the 4th Century. My prayer is that we all grow in the desire to live entirely for God.