St. John of Matha & St. Josephine Bakhita (8 February): The Forgotten Catholic War Against Slavery

About this sermon

Today we reflect on two powerful Catholic saints whose lives confront the reality of slavery head-on: Saint John of Matha, founder of the Trinitarian Order, and Saint Josephine Bakhita, former slave turned religious sister. Saint John of Matha, born in the 12th century, founded the Order of the Most Holy Trinity after receiving a profound vision during his first Mass — a vision that would define his life’s mission: the ransom and redemption of Christian captives. Alongside Saint Felix of Valois, he spent his life raising funds, entering slave markets, and freeing thousands of enslaved souls, embodying Christ’s command to love both body and soul. Nearly 600 years later, Saint Josephine Bakhita would live the horror of slavery firsthand. Kidnapped at the age of eight in Sudan, she endured years of brutal treatment, abuse, and torture before being brought to Italy. There, through the patience and charity of Catholic religious sisters, she encountered the God she had long sensed in her heart — and found true freedom in Christ. Her forgiveness of her captors, her joyful service as a religious sister, and her unwavering faith stand as a living witness to the power of grace, redemption, and Christian charity. Her feast day is now observed as the International Day of Prayer Against Human Trafficking. This reflection confronts modern myths about slavery, highlights the Catholic understanding of human dignity, and calls us to prayer — both for those still enslaved today and for our own freedom from spiritual bondage. 🕊️ “God can always bring good out of evil.” 00:00 – Introduction: Two Saints and the Reality of Slavery 00:20 – Feast Days: St. John of Matha & St. Josephine Bakhita 00:51 – The Vision at St. John of Matha’s First Mass 01:29 – Hermitage with St. Felix of Valois 01:39 – The Stag Vision and Founding of the Trinitarians 02:01 – Ransoming Slaves and the Mission of the Order 02:27 – Catholic Charity: Body and Soul 03:02 – Christianity and the End of Slavery 03:39 – Early Life of St. Josephine Bakhita 04:00 – Kidnapped into Slavery at Age Eight 04:42 – Brutality and Scarification 05:57 – Purchased by an Italian Ambassador 06:47 – Encounter with Catholic Religious Sisters 07:48 – Choosing Religious Life 08:01 – Legal Ruling: Slavery Illegal in Italy 08:55 – Christianity and the Abolition of Slavery 09:07 – Life as a Religious Sister 09:36 – Bakhita on Forgiveness 10:18 – Final Suffering and Death 10:59 – Canonization and Feast Day 11:01 – International Day of Prayer Against Human Trafficking 11:28 – Prayer, Intercession, and Spiritual Slavery 12:16 – Closing Prayer and Blessing Please say 3 Hail Marys for the priest 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #SaintJosephineBakhita #SaintJohnoMatha #CatholicSaints #EndHumanTrafficking #CatholicHistory #ChristianCharity #HumanDignity #Ca