25 JANUARY – THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL

Dom Prosper Gueranger:

We have already seen how the Gentiles in the person of the Three Magi offered their mystic gifts to the Divine Child of Bethlehem, and received from Him, in return, the precious gifts of faith, hope and charity. The harvest is ripe. It is time for the reaper to come. But who is to be God’s labourer? The Apostles of Christ are still living under the very shadow of mount Sion. All of them have received the mission to preach the gospel of salvation to the uttermost parts of the world, but not one among them has, as yet, received the special character of Apostle of the Gentiles. Peter, who had received the Apostleship of Circumcision (Galatians ii. 8) is sent specially, as was Christ Himself, to the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel (Matthew xv. 24). And yet, as he is the Head and the Foundation, it belongs to Him to open the door of Faith to the Gentiles (Acts xiv. 26), which he solemnly does by conferring Baptism on Cornelius, the Roman centurion. But the Church is to have one more Apostle — an Apostle for the Gentiles — and he is to be the fruit of the martyrdom and prayer of Saint Stephen. Saul, a citizen of Tarsus, has not seen Christ in the flesh and yet Christ alone can make an Apostle. It is then, from Heaven, where He reigns impassible and glorified, that Jesus will call Saul to be His disciple just as, during the period of His active life, He called the fishermen of Genesareth to follow Him and hearken to His teachings. The Son of God will raise Saul up to the Third Heaven, and there will reveal to him all His mysteries: and when Saul, having come down again to this Earth, will have seen Peter (Galatians i. 18) and compared his Gospel with that recognised by Peter (Galatians ii. 2) — he can say, in all truth, that he is an Apostle of Christ Jesus (Galatians i. 1) and that he has done nothing less than the great Apostles (2 Corinthians xi. 5).

It is on this glorious day of the Conversion of Saul, who is soon to change his name into Paul, that this great work is commenced. It is on this day that is heard the Almighty voice which breaks the cedars of Libanus (Psalm xxviii. 5) and can make a persecuting Jew become first a Christian, and then an Apostle. This admirable transformation had been prophesied by Jacob when, on his death-bed, he unfolded to each of his sons the future of the tribe of which he was to be the father. Judah was to have the precedence of honour. From his royal race was to be born the Redeemer, the Expected of nations. Benjamin’s turn came. His glory is not to be compared with that of his brother Judah, and yet it was to be very great — for, from his tribe is to be born Paul, the Apostle of the Gentile nations.

These are the words of the dying Prophet: Benjamin, a ravenous wolf, in the morning will eat the prey, and in the evening will divide the spoil (Genesis xlix. 27). Who, says an ancient writer, “is he that in the morning of impetuous youth goes like a wolf in pursuit of the sheep of Christ, breathing threats and slaughter against them? Is it not Saul on the road to Damascus, the bearer and doer of the high priest’s orders, and stained with the blood of Stephen whom he has stoned by the hands of all those over whose garments he kept watch? And he, who, in the evening, not only does not despoil, but with a charitable and peaceful hand, breaks to the hungry the bread of life — is it not Paul, of the tribe of Benjamin, the Apostle of Christ, burning with zeal for his brethren, making himself all to all, and wishing even to be an anathema for their sakes?

Oh the power of our dear Jesus! how wonderful! How irresistible! He wishes that the first worshippers at His crib should be humble Shepherds — and He invites them by His Angels, whose sweet hymn was enough to lead these simple-hearted men to the stable where lies, in swaddling-clothes, He who is the hope of Israel. He would have the Gentile Princes, the Magi, do him homage — and bids to arise in the Heavens a star whose mysterious apparition, joined to the interior speaking of the Holy Ghost, induces these men of desire to come from the far East and lay, at the feet of a humble babe, their riches and their hearts. When the time is come for forming the Apostolic College, He approaches the banks of the sea of Tiberias, and with this single word “Follow me,” He draws after Him such as He wishes to have as His Disciples. In the midst of all the humiliations of His Passion, He has but to look at the unfaithful Peter, and Peter is a penitent. Today, it is from Heaven that He evinces His power: all the mysteries of our redemption have been accomplished, and He wishes to show mankind that He is the sole author and master of the Apostolate, and that His alliance with the Gentiles is now perfect: He speaks. The sound of His reproach bursts like thunder over the head of this hot Pharisee who is bent on annihilating the Church. He takes this heart of the Jew and by His grace, turns it into the heart of the Apostle, the Vessel of election, the Paul who is afterwards to say of himself: “I live not I, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians ii. 20).

The commemoration of this great event was to be a Feast in the Church, and it had a right to be kept as near as might be to the one which celebrates the martyrdom of Saint Stephen, for Paul is the Proto-martyr’s convert. The anniversary of his martyrdom would, of course, have to be solemnised at the summer solstice. Where, then, place the Feast of his Conversion if not near Christmas, and thus our own Apostle would be at Jesus’ crib and Stephen’s side? Moreover, the Magi could claim him as being the conqueror of that Gentile-world, of which they were the first-fruits.

And lastly, it was necessary, in order to give the court of our Infant-King its full beauty that the two Princes of the Church — the Apostle of the Jews and the Apostle of the Gentiles —should stand close to the mystic crib: Peter, with his Keys, and Paul, with his Sword. Bethlehem thus becomes the perfect figure of the Church, and the riches of this season of the Cycle are abundant beyond measure.

*****

We give you thanks, O Jesus, who has this day prostrated your enemy by your power and raised him up again by your mercy. Truly are you the Mighty God, and your victories will be praised by all creatures. How wonderful are you in your plans for the world’s salvation! You make men your associates in the work of the preaching of your word and in the dispensing of your Mysteries, and in order to make Paul worthy of such an honour you use all the resources of your grace. It pleased you to make an Apostle of Stephen’s murderer so that your sovereign power might be shown to the world, your love of souls be evinced in its richest gratuitous generosity, and grace abound where sin had so abounded. Sweet Saviour! Often visit us with this grace which converts the heart, for we desire to have the life of grace abundantly, and we feel that its very principle is often in danger within us. Convert us, as you did your Apostle, and after having converted us, assist us: for, without you, we can do nothing. Go before us, follow us, stand by our side. Never leave us, but as you have given us the commencement, secure to us our perseverance to the end. Give us that Christian wisdom which will teach us how to acknowledge, with tear and love, that mysterious gift of grace which no creature can merit and to which, nevertheless, a creature’s will may put an obstacle. We are captives: you alone are master of the instrument with which we can break our chains. You put it into our hands, bidding us make use of it so that our deliverance is your work, not ours — but our captivity, if it continues, can only be attributed to our negligence and sloth. Give us, O Lord, this your grace, and graciously receive the promise we now make, that we will render it fruitful by co-operating with it.

Assist us, holy Apostle of Jesus, to correspond with the merciful designs of God in our regard. Obtain of Him, for us, that we may be overcome by the sweetness of an Infant-God. His voice does not make itself heard. He does not blind us by the glare of His divine light. But this we know — He often complains that we persecute Him! Oh that we could have the courage to say to Him, with a heart honest like yours: “Lord! what will you that we do?” He would answer and tell us to be simple, and to become little children, like Himself — to recognise now, after so many Christmases of indifference, the love He shows us in this mystery of Bethlehem — to declare war against sin — to resist our evil inclinations — and to advance in virtue, by walking in His divine footsteps. You have said in one of your Epistles: “If any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema!” (1 Corinthians xvi. 22)

Oh teach us to know this dear Jesus more and more that so we may grow in His love, and by your prayers preserve us from that ingratitude which turns even the sweet Mysteries of this holy season into our own greater condemnation. Glorious Vessel of election, pray for the conversion of sinners who have forgotten their God. When on this Earth you spent yourself for the salvation of souls. Continue your ministry now that you are reigning in Heaven and draw down upon them that persecute Jesus the graces which triumph over the hardest hearts. Apostle of the Gentiles, look with an eye of loving pity on so many nations that are still sitting in the shadow of death. During your mortal life, you were divided between two ardent desires — one, to be with Christ, the other, to remain longer on Earth labouring for the salvation of immortal souls: now that you are united forever with the Jesus you preached to men, forget not the poor ones to whom their God is a stranger. Raise up in the Church apostolic men who may continue your work. Pray to our Lord that He bless their labours and the blood of such among them as are Martyrs of zeal. Shield, with your protection, the See of Peter, your Brother-Apostle and your Leader. Support the authority of the Church of Rome which has inherited your power and looks on you as her second defence. May your powerful intercession lead her enemies into humble submission, destroy schisms and heresies and fill her Pastors with your spirit, that, like you, they may seek, not themselves, but solely and in all things the interests of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Also on this day according to the ROMAN MARTYROLOGY:

At Damascus, the birthday of St. Ananias, who baptised Saint Paul. After he had preached the Gospel at Damascus, Eleutheropolis and elsewhere, he was scourged under the judge Licinius, had his flesh torn, and lastly being overwhelmed with stones, ended his martyrdom.

At Antioch, in the time of Julian the Apostate, the holy martyrs Juventinus and Maximus, who were crowned with martyrdom. On their birthday, St. John Chrysostom preached a sermon to his people.

At Clermont in Auvergne, the Saints Projectus, bishop, and Marinus, a man of God, who were murdered by the leading men of that city.

Also the holy martyrs Donatus, Sabinus and Agape.

At Tomis in Scythia, St. Bretannion, bishop, who by his great sanctity and his zeal for the Catholic faith shone in the Church, under the Arian emperor Valens, who he opposed with fortitude.

At Arras in France, St. Poppo, abbot, renowned for miracles.

And in other places, many other holy martyrs, confessors and virgins.

Thanks be to God.

25 JANUARY – THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY

Epistle – Romans xii. 16‒21

Brethren, be not wise in your own conceits. To no man rendering evil for evil: providing good things not only in the sight of God, but also in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as is in you, having peace with all men; not revenging yourselves, my dearly beloved: but give place to wrath for it is written, “Revenge is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” But if your enemy be hungry, give him to eat; if he thirst, give him to drink; for doing this, you will heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good.

Thanks be to God.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

This love of our neighbour recommended to us by the Apostle is a consequence of that universal brotherhood which our Saviour by his birth brought us from Heaven. He came to establish peace between Heaven and Earth. Men, therefore, ought to be at peace one with another. Our Lord bids us not to be overcome by evil, but to overcome evil by good — and did not He first practise this by coming among us, who were children of wrath, that He might make us children of adoption by His humiliations and His sufferings?

Gospel – Matthew viii. 1‒13

When Jesus had come down from the mountains, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and adored Him, saying, “Lord, if you will it, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretching forth his hand, touched him, saying, “I will; be made clean,” and forthwith his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “Tell no man: but go, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses commanded for a testimony to them.” And when he had entered into Capharnaum, there came to him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, “Lord, my servant lies at home sick of the palsy, and is grievously tormented.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion replying, said, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers: and I say to this man, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it.” Jesus hearing this, marvelled; and said to them that followed him, “Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith in Israel. And I say to you that many will come from the East and the West, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the children of the kingdom will be cast into the exterior darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Jesus said to the centurion, “Go, and as you have believed, so be it done to you,” and the servant was healed at the same hour.

Praise be to you, O Christ.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

The human race was infected with the leprosy of sin: the Son of God touches it by the mystery of the Incarnation and restores it to health. But He requires that the sick man, now that He is healed, will go and show himself to the priest and comply with the ceremonies prescribed by the law. And this, to show that He allows a human priesthood to co-operate in the work of our salvation. The vocation of the Gentiles of which the Magi were the first-fruits is again brought before us in the faith of the Centurion. A Roman soldier, and millions like him, will be reputed as true children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, while they who are the sons of this Patriarch according to the flesh will be cast out from the feast chamber into the gloom of blindness. And their punishment will be given as a spectacle to the whole Earth.

Let man, then, saved as He has been by the coming of the Emmanuel, sing a hymn of praise to the power of the God who has wrought our salvation by the strength of His almighty arm. Man had been sentenced to death but now that he has God for a brother he will not die: he will live: and could he spend his life better than in praising the works of this God that has saved him?

24 JANUARY – SAINT TIMOTHY (Bishop and Martyr)

 

Timothy was born at Lystra in Lycaonia. His father was a Gentile and his mother a Jew. When the Apostle Paul came into those parts Timothy was a follower of the Christian religion. The Apostle had heard much of his holy life and was thereby induced to take him as the companion of his travels. But on account of the Jews who had become converts to the faith of Christ and were aware that the father of Timothy was a Gentile, he administered to him the rite of circumcision. As soon as they arrived at Ephesus, the Apostle ordained him Bishop of that Church. The Apostle addressed two of his Epistles to him — one from Laodicea, the other from Rome — to instruct him how to discharge his pastoral office. He could not endure to see sacrifice which is due to God alone, offered to the idols of devils. And finding that the people of Ephesus were offering victims to Diana on her festival, he strove to make them desist from their impious rites. But they, turning upon him, stoned him. The Christians could not deliver him from their hands till he was more dead than alive. They carried him to a mountain not far from the town and there, on the ninth of the Calends of February (January 24), he slept in the Lord.

Dom Prosper Gueranger:

Before giving thanks to God for the miraculous conversion of the Apostle of the Gentiles, the Church assembles us together for the Feast of his favourite disciple. Timothy — the indefatigable companion of Saint Paul — the friend to whom the great Apostle, a few days before shedding his blood for Christ, wrote his last Epistle — comes now to await his master’s arrival at the crib of the Emmanuel. He there meets John the Beloved Disciple, together with whom he bore the anxieties attendant on the government of the Church of Ephesus. Stephen, too, and the other Martyrs, welcome him, for he also bears a Martyr’s palm in his hand. He presents to the august Mother of the Divine Babe the respectful homage of the Church of Ephesus which Mary had sanctified by her presence and which shares with the Church of Jerusalem the honour of having had her as one of its number, who was not only, like the Apostles, the witness, but moreover, in her quality of Mother of God, the ineffable instrument of the salvation of mankind.

*****

In you, holy Pontiff, we honour one of the disciples of the Apostles — one of the links which connect us immediately with Christ. You appear to us all illumined by your intercourse with Paul the great Doctor of the Gentiles. Another of his disciples, Dionysius the Areopagite, made you the confidant of his sublime contemplations on the Divine Names, but now, bathed in light eternal, you yourself are contemplating the Sun of Justice in the face-to-face vision. Intercede for us, who enjoy but a glimpse of His beauty through the veil of His humiliations that we may so love Him as to merit to see Him, one day, in His glory. In order to lessen the pressure of the corruptible body which weighs down the soul (Wisdom ix. 15), you subjected your outward man to so rigorous a penance that Saint Paul exhorted you to moderate it: assist us in our endeavours to reduce our flesh to obedience to the spirit. The Church reads without ceasing the counsels which the Apostle gave to you and to all Pastors through you for the election and the conduct of the clergy: pray that the Church may be blessed with Bishops, Priests and Deacons endowed with all those qualifications which he requires from the dispensers of the mysteries of God. Lastly, we beseech you, who ascended to Heaven decked with the aureola of martyrdom, encourage us who are also soldiers of Christ that we may throw aside our cowardice and win that kingdom, where our Emmanuel welcomes and crowns His elect for all eternity.

Also on this day according to the ROMAN MARTYROLOGY:

At Antioch, in the persecution of Decius, the bishop St. Babilas, who frequently glorified God by his sufferings and torments and ended his holy life in chains, with which he ordered his body to be buried. Three boys whom he had instructed in the faith of Christ, Urbanus, Philidian and Epolonius, are said to have suffered with him.

At Neocaesarea, the holy martyrs Mardonius, Musonius, Eugenius and Metellus, who were burned to death, their remains being thrown into the river.

At Foligno, in the time of Decius, St. Felician, consecrated bishop of that city by Pope Victor. After many labours, he was crowned with martyrdom in extreme old age. Also, the holy martyrs Thyrsus and Projectus.

At Bologna, St. Zamas, the first bishop of that city, who was consecrated by Pope St. Denis, and there wonderfully propagated the Christian faith.

Also blessed Suranus, abbot, who lived in the time of the Lombards.

And in other places, many other holy martyrs, confessors and virgins.

Thanks be to God.

23 JANUARY – SAINT ILDEPHONSUS (Bishop and Confessor)

 

Ildephonsus was born at Toledo in Spain, of most noble parents whose names were Stephen and Lucy. He was brought up with great care and instructed in all the liberal arts. His first master was Eugenius, Bishop of Toledo, who, seeing him to be a youth of very great promise, sent him to Seville that he might be under the guidance of Isidore, whose reputation for learning was well known. He lived with Isidore for 12 years after which, being formed to piety and imbued with sound doctrine, he returned to Toledo, to Eugenius, who made him Archdeacon of that Church on account of his great virtues and learning. Ildephonsus, desiring to avoid the snares of the world, embraced the monastic life, in the Monastery of Agali of the Order of Saint Benedict, though his parents endeavoured to divert him from his holy resolution by every possible entreaty and every sort of menace.

The Abbot of the monastery dying not long after, the monks elected Ildephonsus as his successor, for they had observed in him, among his other virtues, a love of equity, affability of manner, prudence and admirable piety. It was not possible, though the Saint had hoped it, that so much merit and such resplendent virtues should lie long concealed: and therefore, on the death of Eugenius, he was elected Archbishop of Toledo by the wish of the clergy, senate and the whole people. It would take too long a time to tell how much he did in this his new post of honour, both by word and example, to the people committed to his care — and how many miracles he wrought — and in how many ways he merited at the hands of the Virgin Mother of God.

He built a Monastery for virgins at a place called Deilfa, and richly endowed it. He most ably refuted and drove out of Spain certain heretics who were disseminating the heresy of Helvidius which denied the perpetual Virginity of Mary, the Mother of God. His controversy on this subject is contained in the Book he wrote on the Virginity of our Lady. And she herself rewarded the zeal of her servant by a miracle. Ildephonsus having gone down during the night to assist at Matins for the Feast of our Lady’s Expectation, they who accompanied him, had no sooner reached the threshold of the church than they beheld a dazzling light inside, at which they were seized with fear and withdrew. The Saint fearlessly entered and advanced to the altar where he beheld the Blessed Virgin. He fell on his knees before her and received from her a vestment in which to offer up the Holy Sacrifice.

On another occasion, when the clergy and a great concourse of people were assembled for the feast of Saint Leocadia and Ildephonsus was kneeling at the Saint’s tomb praying — the tomb suddenly opened and Saint Leocadia came forth. She then spoke of the great things done by Ildephonsus in honour of the Mother of God, and said in the presence and hearing of the whole assembly: “O Ildephonsus, our Lady, the Queen of Heaven, has gained a triumph through you.” As she was retreating from the spot, Ildephonsus seized the sword of King Receswind, who happened to be there, and cut off a portion of the veil which Leocadia wore on her head. He, with much solemnity and ceremony, placed both it and the King’s sword in the treasury of the Church, where they are kept to this day.

Ildephonsus left several eloquent writings, some of which he never finished owing to the many troubles and occupations which engrossed his time. He at length made a happy death after being Bishop 9 years and 2 months, and was buried in the Basilica of Saint Leocadia, about the year of our Lord 667, Receswind being then King of Spain. During the general occupation of the kingdom by the Moors his relics were translated to the city of Zamora and placed in the Church of Saint Peter, where they are honoured with much devotion by the inhabitants.

Dom Prosper Gueranger:

The Gothic Church of Spain deputes today one of her most glorious Prelates to represent her at the crib of the Divine Babe and to celebrate His ineffable birth. The praise which falls from Ildephonsus’ lips, seems at our first hearing it to have the Mother’s dear honour for its only theme: but how can we honour the Mother without at the same time proclaiming the praise of the Son to whose birth she owes all her greatness?

Among the glorious Pontiffs who honoured the noble episcopate of Spain during the seventh and eighth centuries — for example, Leander, Isidore, Fulgentius, Braulio, Eugenius, Julian, Helladius — among them, and in the foremost rank, stands Ildephonsus, with his glory of having been the Doctor of the Virginity of the Mother of God, just as Athanasius is the Doctor of the Div'inity of the Word, Basil the Doctor of the Divinity of the Holy Ghost, and Augustine the Doctor of Grace. The holy Bishop of Toledo has treated the dogma of Mary’s Virginity in all its completeness. With profound learning and with fervid eloquence, he proves, against the Jews, that Mary conceived without losing her Virginity; against the followers of Jovinian, that she was a Virgin in her Delivery; against the disciples of Helvidius, that she remained a virgin after she had given birth to her Divine Son. Other holy Doctors had treated separately on each of these sublime questions before our Saint, but he brought together all their teachings and merited that a Virgin-Martyr should rise from her tomb to thank him for having defended the honour of the Queen of Heaven. Nay, Mary herself, with her own pure hand, clothed him with that miraculous chasuble which was an image of the robe of light with which Ildephonsus shines now in Heaven at the foot of Mary’s throne.

*****

We salute you with devout hearts, O holy Pontiff, who stands pre-eminent in your love of the Mother of God, even in that glorious Spain, where her honour has had such brave defenders. Come and take your place near the crib of Jesus where this incorruptible Mother is watching over this babe who, being both her God and her Son, consecrated her virginity but did not impair it. Pray for us to her, and remind her that she is our mother also. Ask her to receive the hymns we sing in her honour, and to bless the offering we make of our hearts to her divine Son. That our prayer may find a readier welcome from this august Queen, we will make use of your own words, O holy Doctor of Mary’s virginity; and thus will we speak to her: “I come to you, the sole Virgin-Mother of God. 'I prostrate myself before you, the sole co-operatrix of the Incarnation of my God. I humble myself before you that were alone found worthy to be the Mother of my Lord. I pray to you, the Handmaid, unlike all others, of your Son, that you obtain for me the forgiveness of my sins, that you procure for me the being cleansed from my evil deeds, that you get me a love of your grand glory, that you reveal to me the exceeding sweetness of your Jesus, that you grant me to proclaim and defend the purity of our holy Faith. Grant that I may cling to my God and to you, and be faithful to your Son and to you — to Him as my Creator, to you as Mother of my Creator. To Him as the Lord of hosts, to you as the Handmaid of the Lord of all. To Him as God, to you as Mother of God. To Him as my Redeemer, to you as the instrument of my redemption. He became the price of my ransom, but He became so by His becoming incarnate from your flesh. He assumed a mortal body, but He took it from yours, and with this His sacred body He blotted out my sins. My own human nature, which He took to His kingdom and set it above the Angels on the right hand of His Father, He took from your pure flesh and blood when He humbled Himself and was made Man.

I, then, am your servant, Mary, because your Son is my Lord. You are our Lady, because you are the Handmaid of our Lord. I am the servant of the Handmaid of my Lord, because you, that are our Lady, was made Mother of my Lord. I pray you, I fervently pray you, O Holy Virgin, that I may receive Jesus by that Holy Spirit by whom you became Mother of Jesus. May I be made to know Jesus by that Holy Spirit by whom you knew, and possess, and bring forth Jesus. May I speak of Jesus in that same Holy Spirit in whom you confessed yourself the Handmaid of the Lord. May I love Jesus in that same Holy Spirit in whom you adore Him as your God and gaze on Him as your Son. And may I obey this your Jesus as faithfully as He Himself, though God, was subject to you and to Joseph!”

Also on this day according to the ROMAN MARTYROLOGY:

At Philippi in Macedonia, St. Parmenas, one of the first seven deacons, who by the grace of God faithfully discharging the office of preaching committed to him, obtained the glory of martyrdom in the time of Trajan.

At Caesarea in Mauritania (Morocco), the holy martyrs Severian and his wife Aquila, who were consumed by fire.

At Antinous in Egypt, St. Asclas, martyr, who, after various torments, was thrown into a river and gave up his precious soul to God.

At Ancyra in Galatia, St. Clement, bishop. After having frequently endured torments, he finally completed his martyrdom under Diocletian. In the same place, St. Agathangelus, who suffered on the same day under the governor Lucius.

At Alexandria, St. John the Almoner, bishop of that city, most celebrated for his charity towards the poor.

In the Province of Valeria, St. Martyrius, monk, mentioned by Pope St. Gregory.

And in other places, many other holy martyrs, confessors and virgins.

Thanks be to God.

22 JANUARY – SAINTS VINCENT (Deacon and Martyr) AND ATHANASIUS (Martyr)

 

Vincent was born at Huesca in northern Spain. When quite a child he applied himself to study. He was taught the sacred sciences by Valerius, the Bishop of Saragossa. This prelate entrusted him with the duty of preaching the Gospel, on account of himself not being able to discharge that office by reason of an impediment in his speech. This having reached the ears of Dacian who had been made governor of that province by Diocletian and Maximian, Vincent was apprehended at Saragossa and led in chains to Valencia before the judgement-seat of Dacian. There he was tortured by lashes and the rack in the presence of many people, but neither the violence of the torments, nor the harsh or bland speeches addressed to him, could induce him to swerve from his resolution. He was therefore laid on a gridiron which was set on burning coals. His flesh was torn off with iron hooks and red-hot plates were laid over him. After this he was led back to prison, the floor of which had been strewn with broken potsherds so that when he lay down to sleep his body might be tortured by their sharp edges. But while he was shut up in this dark prison a most bright light penetrated the place. They who were present were astonished beyond measure, and the gaoler informed Dacian of what had occurred. Vincent was then ordered to be taken out of prison and put on a soft bed, for the governor thought to gain over by such comforts as this him whom he had failed to seduce by tortures. But Vincent’s invincible spirit, strengthened by its faith and hope in Christ Jesus, overcame all their efforts and after triumphing over fire and sword, and all his tortures, took his flight to Heaven, there to receive the crown of martyrdom, on the eleventh of the Calends of February (January 22). His body was thrown on a marsh and denied burial but a crow miraculously defended it by its claws, beak and wings against birds of prey and a wolf. Dacian hearing this, ordered it to be thrown into a deep part of the sea but by a fresh prodigy it was washed to the shore, and the Christians gave it burial.

Dom Prosper Gueranger:

Vincent the Victorious, vested in the sacred dalmatic and holding his palm in his hand, comes today to His Jesus’s crib, and right welcome is he to Stephen, the Crowned, his leader and his brother. Spain is his country. He is a Deacon of the glorious Church of Saragossa and, by the strength and warmth of his faith, he is a type of that land which is, by excellence, the Catholic Kingdom. But he does not belong to Spain only: like Stephen and like Laurence, Vincent is the favourite and hero of the whole Church. Stephen, the Deacon, preached the divinity of Jesus amid the shower of stones which were hurled on him as a blasphemer. Vincent, the Deacon, confessed his faith in Jesus on his red-hot gridiron, as did that other Deacon, Laurence. This triumvirate of Martyr-Deacons cluster together in the sacred Litany, and when we hear their three grand names, the Crown, the Laurel and the Conqueror, we hail them as the three bravest knights of our most dear Lord.

Vincent triumphed over the torture of fire because the flame of divine love which burned within his soul was keener than that which scorched his body. He was comforted in the most miraculous manner during his great sufferings, but God worked these prodigies, not to deprive Vincent of his crown, but to show his own power. The holy Deacon had but one thought in the midst of all his pains — he was ambitious to make a return by the gift of his own life for that sacrifice by which his divine Master had died for him and for all men. And now, that so generous a lover of God should be at the crib of this same Jesus — is it not right and just? Oh how he urges us every Christmas to love this Divine Infant! He that hesitated not, when called on to give himself to his Lord, even though it was to cost him such cruel pains — what cowards would he not call us who can come so many Christmases to Bethlehem and have nothing to give but cold and divided hearts! His sacrifice was to be burnt alive, and torn, and cut and he smiled as he gave it: what are we to say of ourselves who take years to think before we will give up those childish things which prevent us from ever seriously beginning a new life with our new-born Jesus? Would that the sight of all these Martyrs in whose company the Church has made us live during these few last days would touch our hearts, and make them resolute and simple!

There is an ancient Christian tradition which makes Saint Vincent the patron of vineyards and labourers in vineyards. This was no doubt suggested by the saint having held the office of Deacon, for the Deacon has to pour wine into the chalice during the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and that wine is to be changed into the Blood of Christ. A few days ago we assisted at the mystery of the Feast at Cana: Jesus then offered us the sacred cup, the wine of His love: today, again, He offers it to us by the hand of His martyr Vincent. To make himself worthy of his high office the holy Deacon mingled his own blood as a generous wine in the cup that holds the price of the world—s salvation. It is thus that we are to understand that expression of Saint Paul which says that “the Saints fill up, in the flesh, by the merit of their sufferings, those things that are wanting, not in their efficacy, but in their fullness, of the sufferings of Christ” (Colossians i. 24), whose members the Saints are.

*****

Hail, Victorious Deacon! How beautiful are you with the chalice of salvation in your brave hands! It was your office to offer it at the altar in order that the wine it contained might be changed by the sacred words, into the Blood of Christ and, when the Mystery was accomplished, you had to take this same chalice and present it to the Faithful, to the end that they who thirsted after their God might drink at the source of eternal life. But on this day you offer it yourself to Jesus, and it is full to the brim with your own blood! Oh how faithful a Deacon, giving even your very life in testimony to the Mysteries of which you were the dispenser.

Three centuries had elapsed since Stephen’s sacrifice. Sixty years had gone by since the sweet incense of Laurence’s martyrdom had ascended to the throne of God, and now it is the last persecution — peace is dawning on the Church — and a third Deacon comes to prove that time had not impaired the Order — it was the Deacon of Saragossa — yourself, dear Saint! Bright is your name in the list of Martyrs, O Vincent, and the Church is proud of your triumph. It was for the Church, after Jesus, that you combated: have pity on us, therefore, and signalise this day of your Feast by showing us the effects of your protection. You are face to face with the King of Ages, whose battle you fought on Earth, and you gaze with a loving yet dazzled eye on His eternal beauty. We, also, we, who are in this valley of tears, possess Him, and see Him, for He calls Himself our Emmanuel, God with us. But it is under the form of a weak babe that He shows Himself to us, for He fears to overpower us with the splendour of His majesty. Pray for us, O holy Martyr Vincent, for at times we tremble at the thought that this sweet Jesus is, one day, to be our Judge. When we reflect on what you did and suffered for Him, we have scarcely courage to think upon ourselves, for what good works can we show? Or who can say of us that we were ever warm in defending the cause of our Divine Master? Oh that your Feast might shame us into the earnest uncalculating simplicity which this sweet Babe of Bethlehem has come to teach us — the simplicity which springs from humility and confidence in God, and which made you go through all your martyrdom with a brave but with such a calm spirit! Pray for us that we may, at length, obey the God who teaches us by His own example and, with hearts ambitious for nothing but pleasing Him, accomplish His will, whatever that may ask of us. Aand all this with the calm cheerfulness of devoted service.

Pray, Vincent, for all Christians, for all are called to fight against the world and their own passions. We are all invited to a palm, a crown, a victory. Jesus will admit none but conquerors to the banquet of eternal glory where He has promised to drink with us the new wine in the Kingdom of His Father (Matthew xxvi. 29). The wedding-garment which all must have on who enter there must be washed in the Blood of the Lamb — we must all be Martyrs, at least in heart, for we have all to triumph over self, and that is the harshest of tyrants. Fly to the assistance of the martyrs who in distant countries are dying for the true Faith. Obtain for them such courage that they may be the Vincents of our age. Protect Spain, your country. Beseech our Emmanuel to send her heroes of your stamp so that the Catholic Kingdom which has ever been so jealous of purity of Faith may speedily triumph over the trials which are at present heavy on her. Will the illustrious Church of Saragossa — founded by Saint James the Apostle, visited by the Blessed Mother of God and sanctified by the ministry of your deaconship — will such a country as this ever grow indifferent about Faith or suffer the bond of unity to be broken! And since the devotion of the Christian people looks on you as the protector of the Vine, bless this portion of creation which God has destined for man’s use, and which He has deigned to make both the instrument of the deepest of His Mysteries and the symbol of His love of mankind.

Anastasius, a Persian by birth, embraced the monastic life during the reign of Heraclius. After visiting the Holy Places in Jerusalem, he courageously endured, at Caesarea in Palestine, both imprisonment and scourgings for the faith of Christ. Not long after, the Persians put him to several kinds of torture for the same reason. King Chosroes, at last, ordered him to be beheaded, together with seventy other Christians. His relics were at first carried to Jerusalem to the monastery where he had professed the monastic life. Afterwards they were translated to Rome and were deposited in the monastery near the Salvian Waters.

Dom Prosper Gueranger:

On this same 22nd of January the Church honours the memory of the holy Persian monk Anastasius who suffered martyrdom in the year 628. Chosroes, having made himself master of Jerusalem, had carried with him into Persia the wood of the True Cross, which was afterwards recovered by Heraclius. The sight of this Holy Wood excited in the heart of Anastasius, who was then a pagan, the desire of knowing the religion of which it is the trophy. He renounced the Persian superstitions in order to become a Christian and a monk. This, together with the neophyte’s zeal, excited the pagans against him and after enduring frightful tortures, the Soldier of Christ was beheaded. His body was taken to Constantinople, and thence to Rome, where it is still honoured. Two celebrated Churches of Rome, one in the city itself, and the other outside the walls, are dedicated in common to Saint Vincent and Saint Anastasius, because these two great martyrs suffered on the same day of the year, though in different centuries. This is the motive of the Church uniting their two Feasts into one. Let us pray to this new champion of the Faith that he intercede for us to the Saviour whose Cross was so dear to him.

Also on this day according to the ROMAN MARTYROLOGY:

At Embrun in France, the holy martyrs Vincent, Orontius and Victor, who were crowned with martyrdom in the persecution of Diocletian.

At Novara, St. Gaudentius, bishop and confessor.

At Sora, the abbot St. Dominic, renowned for miracles.

And in other places, many other holy martyrs, confessors and virgins.

Thanks be to God.

21 JANUARY – SAINT AGNES (Virgin and Martyr)

Dom Prosper Gueranger:

How rich is the constellation of martyrs which shines in this portion of the sacred cycle. Yesterday we had Saint Sebastian. Tomorrow we will be singing the name which means Victory, for it is the feast of Vincent. And now, today, between these two rich palm branches we are rejoiced with the lovely rose and lily-wreath of Agnes. It is to a girl of thirteen that our Emmanuel gave this stern courage of martyrdom which made her meet the enemy with as bold a front as either the valiant Captain of the Praetorian band or the dauntless Deacon of Saragossa. If they are the soldiers of Jesus, she is His tender and devoted Spouse. These are the triumphs of the Son of Mary! Scarcely has He shown Himself to the world, and lo! every noble heart flies towards Him according to that word of His: “Wherever the body will be, there will the eagles also be gathered together” (Matthew xxiv. 28).

It is the admirable result of the virginity of His Blessed Mother who has brought honour to the fecundity of the soul and set it far above that of the body. It was Mary that first opened the way by which certain chosen souls mount up even to the Divine Son and fix their gaze, in a cloudless vision, on His beauty, for He Himself said: “Blessed are the clean of heart for they will see God” (Matthew v. 8).

What a glory is it not for the Catholic Church that she alone has the gift of this holy state of virginity which is the source of every other sacrifice, because nothing but the love of God could inspire a human heart to vow virginity! And what a grand honour for Christian Rome that she should have produced a Saint Agnes, that angel of Earth, in comparison with whom the Vestals of paganism are mere pretences of devotedness, for their virginity was never punished by fire and sword, nay, rather, was flattered by the recompense of earthly honours and riches!

Not that our Saint is without her recompense — only, her recompense is not marred with the flaw of all human rewards. The name of this child who lived but thirteen short years will be echoed to the end of time in the sacred Canon of the universal Sacrifice. The path trod by the innocent maiden on the way to her trial is still marked out in the Holy City. In the Circus Agonalis (Piazza Navona) there rises the beautiful Church of Saint Agnes with its rich cupola. And beneath are the vaults which were once the haunts of infamy but now are a holy sanctuary where everything reminds us of her who here won her glorious victory. Further on, on the Nomentana Road, outside the ramparts, is the beautiful Basilica built by Constantine. And here, under an altar covered with precious stones, lies the body of the young Saint. Round this Basilica there are immense crypts and in these did Agnes’ relics repose until the epoch of peace surrounded by thousands of martyrs, whose holy remains were also deposited here.

Nor must we pass over in silence the gracious tribute of honour paid by Rome each year on this Feast to her beloved Martyr. Two lambs are placed on the altar of the Basilica Nomentana. They are emblems of the meekness of Jesus and the innocence of the gentle Agnes. After they have been blessed by the Abbot of the religious community which serves this Church, they are taken to a monastery of nuns where they are carefully reared. Their wool is used for making the Palliums which the Pope sends to all Patriarchs and Metropolitans of the Catholic world as the essential emblem of their jurisdiction. Thus, this simple woollen ornament, which these prelates have to wear on their shoulders as a symbol of the sheep carried on the shoulders of the good Shepherd and which the Sovereign Pontiff takes from off the Altar of Saint Peter in order to send it to its destination, carries to the very ends of the world the sublime union of these two sentiments — the vigour and power of the Prince of the Apostles and the gentleness of Agnes the Virgin.

We will now quote the beautiful eulogium on Saint Agnes written by Saint Ambrose in his Book, On Virgins. The Church gives almost the entire passage in her Office of today’s Feast and, assuredly, the Virgin of Christ could not have had a finer panegyrist than the great Bishop of Milan who is the most eloquent and persuasive of all the Fathers on the subject of holy Virginity. We read that in the cities where Ambrose preached mothers were afraid of their daughters being present at his sermons, lest he should persuade them to such love of Christ as to choose the better part. “Having resolved,” says the holy Bishop, “to write a Book on Virginity, I think myself happy in being able to begin it on the Feast we are keeping of the Virgin Agnes. It is the Feast of a Virgin: let us walk in the path of purity. It is the Feast of a Martyr: let us offer up our Sacrifice. It is the Feast of Saint Agnes: let men admire and children not despair, let the married wonder and the unmarried imitate. But what can we speak worthy of this Saint whose very name is not void of praise? As her devotedness is beyond her years and her virtue superhuman, so, as it seems to me, her name is not an appellation but a prophecy, presaging that she was to be a Martyr.” The holy Doctor is here alluding to the word Agnus, from which some have derived the name Agnes. And he says that the young Saint had immolation in her very name, for it called her victim. He goes on to consider the other etymology of Agnes, from the Greek word agnos, which means pure. And he thus continues his discourse:

“The maiden’s name is an expression of purity. Martyr, then, and Virgin! Is not that praise enough? There is no praise so eloquent, as merit that is too great to need seeking. No one is so praiseworthy as he who may be praised by all. Now, all men are the praisers of Agnes, for when they pronounce her name they say her praise, for they say ‘A Martyr.‘ There is a tradition that she suffered martyrdom at the age of thirteen. Detestable, indeed, the cruelty that spared not even so tender an age! But oh! the power of faith that could find even children to be its witnesses! Here was a victim scarce big enough for a wound, for, where could the sword fall? And yet she had courage enough to conquer the sword. At such an age as this, a girl trembles if she but see her mother angry, and cries, as though it were a grievous thing, if but pricked with a needle‘s point. And Agnes, who stands amid blood-stained murderers is fearless! She is stunned with the rattle of the heavy chains, and yet not a flutter in that heart! She offers her whole body to the sword of the furious soldier, for though she knows not what death is, yet is she quite ready to endure it. Perchance, they will take her by force to the altars of their gods! If they do, she will stretch out her hands to Jesus and, amid those sacrilegious fires, she will sign herself with that blessed sign, the trophy of our divine conqueror. And then, if they will, and they can find shackles small enough to fit such tender limbs, they may fasten her hands and neck in their iron fetters!

How strange a martyrdom! She is too young to be punished, yet she is old enough to win a victory. She cannot fight, yet she easily gains a crown. She has but the age of a scholar, yet has she mastered every virtue. Bride never went to nuptials with so glad a heart, or so light a step, as this young virgin marches to the place of execution. She is decked not with the gay show of plaited tresses, but with Christ. She is wreathed not with flowers, but with purity. All stood weeping. Agnes shed not a tear. Some wondered how it could be that she, who had but just begun her life, should be as ready to sacrifice it as though she had lived it out. And every one was amazed that she who was too young to give evidence even in her own affairs should be so bold a witness of the divinity. Her oath would be invalid in a human cause, yet she is believed when she bears testimony for her God. Their surprise was just: for a power thus above nature could only come from Him who is the author of all nature. Her executioner does all he can to frighten her. He speaks fair words to coax her. He tells her of all the suitors who have sought her as their bride. But she replies: ‘The Spouse insults her Beloved if she hesitates. I belong to Him who first betrothed me. Why, executioner, do you not strike? Kill this body which might be loved by eyes I would not wish to please.’ She stood, she prayed, she bowed down her head. The executioner trembles as though himself were going to be beheaded. His hand shakes and his cheek grows pale, to strike this girl who loves the danger and the blow. Here, then, have we a twofold martyrdom in a single victim — one for her chastity, the other for her faith. She was a Virgin before and now she is a Martyr.”

*****

How sweet and yet how strong, Agnes, is the love of Jesus, your Spouse! It enters an innocent heart, and that heart becomes full of dauntless courage! Thus was it with you. The world and its pleasures, persecution and its tortures — all were alike contemptible to you. The pagan judge condemned you to an insult worse than a thousand deaths — and you did not know that the Angel of the Lord would defend you! How is it that you had no fear? It was because the love of Jesus tilled your heart. Fire was nothing. The sword was nothing. The very hell of men’s making, even that was nothing to you, for your love told you that no human power could ever rob you of your Jesus. You had His word for it and you knew He would keep it. Dear Child, innocent even in the capital of pagan corruption and free of heart even amid a slavish race, we read the image of our Emmanuel in you. He is the Lamb and you are simple, like Jesus: He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and, like Him, you are invincible. Truly, these Christians, as the pagans said, are a race of beings come from Heaven to people this Earth! A family that has Martyrs and heroes and heroines, like you, brave Saint! — that has young virgins filled like its venerable Pontiffs and veteran soldiers, with the fire of Heaven and burning with ambition to leave a world they have edified with their virtues — is God’s own people and it never can be extinct. Its Martyrs are to us the representation of the divine virtues of our Lord Jesus Christ. By nature they were as weak as we. They had a disadvantage which we have not — they had to live in the very thick of paganism, and paganism had corrupted the whole Earth. And notwithstanding all this, they were courageous and chaste.

Have pity on us and help us, O you, one of the brightest of these great Saints! The love of Jesus is weak in our hearts. We are affected and shed tears at the recital of your heroic conduct, but we are cowards in the battle we ourselves have to fight against the world and our passions. The habitual seeking after ease and comfort has fastened upon us a certain effeminacy. We are ever throwing away our interest upon trifles. How can we have earnestness and courage for our duties? Sanctity! We cannot understand it and when we hear or read of it, we gravely say that the Saints did very strange things and were indiscreet, and were carried away by exaggerated notions! What must we think on this your Feast, of your contempt for the world and all its pleasures, of your heavenly enthusiasm, of your eagerness to go to your Jesus by suffering? You were a Christian, Agnes! Are we, too, Christians? Oh pray for us that we may love like Christians, that is, with a generous and active love, with a love which can feel indignant when asked to have less detachment from all that is not our God. Pray for us that our piety may be that of the Gospel, and not the fashionable piety which pleases the world and makes us pleased with ourselves. There are some brave hearts who follow your example but they are few. Increase their number by their prayers, that so the Divine Lamb may be followed wherever He goes in Heaven, by a countless number of Virgins and Martyrs.

Innocent Saint, we meet you each year at the crib of the Divine Babe and we delight on your Feast to think of the wonderful love there is between Jesus and His brave little Martyr. This Lamb is come to die for us too, and invites us to Bethlehem. Speak to Him for us. The intercession of a Saint who loved Him as you did can work wonders even for such sinners as we. Lead us to His sweet Virgin-Mother. You imitated her virginal purity. Ask her to give us one of those powerful prayers which can cleanse even worse hearts than ours. Pray also, O Agnes, for the holy Church which is the Spouse of Jesus. It was she that gave you to be His, and it is from her that we also have received our life and our light. Pray that she may be blessed with an ever-increasing number of faithful virgins. Protect Rome, the city which guards your relics and loves you so tenderly. Bless the Prelates of the Church and obtain for them the meekness of the lamb, the firmness of the Rock, the zeal of the good Shepherd for His lost sheep. And lastly, O Spouse of Jesus, hear the prayers of all who invoke you and let your charity for us, your exiled brethren, learn from the Heart of Jesus the secret of growing more ardent as our world grows older.

Also on this day according to the ROMAN MARTYROLOGY:

At Athens, the birthday of St. Publius, bishop, who as successor of St. Denis the Areopagite nobly governed the Church of Athens. No less celebrated for the lustre of his virtues than for the brilliancy of his learning, he was gloriously crowned for having borne testimony to Christ.

At Tarragona in Spain, during the reign of Gallienus, the holy martyrs Fructuosus, bishop, Augurius and Eulogius, deacons, who, after being thrown into prison, were cast into the fire, where their bonds being burnt, they extended their arms in the form of a cross and consummated their martyrdom in prayer. On their anniversary St. Augustine preached a sermon to his people.

At Troyes, St. Patroclus, martyr, who won the crown of martyrdom under the emperor Aurelian.

In the monastery of Reichenau, St. Meinrad, hermit, who was killed by brigands.

At Pavia, St. Epiphanius, bishop and confessor.

And in other places, many other holy martyrs, confessors and virgins.

Thanks be to God.

20 JANUARY – SAINT SEBASTIAN (Martyr)

 

Sebastian, whose Father was of Narbonne and his mother a lady of Milan, was beloved by Diocletian on account of his noble birth and his virtues. Being a captain of the Praetorian cohort, he was able to give assistance and alms to the Christians whose faith he himself followed, though privately. When he perceived any of them trembling at the great tortures of the persecutors, he made it his duty to encourage them. And so well did he do it that many would go and, for the sake of Jesus Christ, would freely offer themselves to the executioners. Of this number were the two brothers Mark and Marcellian who were in custody under Nicostratus, whose wife, named Zoe, had recovered her speech by the prayer made for her by Sebastian. Diocletian, being told of these things, summoned Sebastian before him and after upbraiding him in very strong words, tried every means to induce him to turn from the faith of Christ. But finding that neither promises nor threats availed, he ordered him to be tied to a stake and to be shot to death with arrows.

Everyone thought he was dead, and a pious woman named Irene gave orders that his body should be taken away during the night and buried. But she, finding him to be still alive, had him taken to her house where she took care of him. Not long after, having quite recovered, he went before Diocletian, and boldly chided him for his wickedness. At first the Emperor was struck dumb with astonishment at the sight, for he had been told that Sebastian was dead. But, at length, the strange event and the Martyr’s sharp rebuke so inflamed him with rage that he ordered him to be scourged to death with rods. His body was thrown into a sewer, but Lucina was instructed by Sebastian, in her sleep, both as to where his body was, and where he wished to be buried. Accordingly, she buried him at the Catacombs where afterwards a celebrated Church was built called Saint Sebastian’s.

Dom Prosper Gueranger:

At the head of her list of heroes, after the two glorious Apostles Peter and Paul who form her chief glory, Rome puts her two most valiant Martyrs, Laurence and Sebastian, and her two most illustrious Virgins, Caecilia and Agnes. Of these four, two are given us by the Calendar of Christmastide as attendants in the court of the infant Jesus at Bethlehem. Laurence and Caecilia will come to us further on in our year when other Mysteries will be filling our hearts and the Liturgy: but Christmas calls forth Sebastian and Agnes. Today it is the brave soldier of the Praetorian band, Sebastian, who stands by the crib of our Emmanuel. Tomorrow we will see Agnes, gentle as a lamb, yet fearless as a lion, inviting us to love the sweet babe whom she chose for her only one Spouse.

The chivalrous spirit of Sebastian reminds us of the great Archdeacon: both of them, one in the sanctuary, and the other in the world, defied the tortures of death. Burnt on one side, Laurence bids the tyrant roast the other. Sebastian, pierced with his arrows, waits till the gaping wounds are closed and then runs to his persecutor Diocletian, asking for a second martyrdom. But we must forget Laurence today to think of Sebastian. We must picture to ourselves a young soldier who tears himself away from all the ties of his home at Milan because the persecution there was too tame, whereas, at Rome, it was raging in wildest fierceness. He trembles with anxiety at the thought that perhaps some of the Christians in the Capital may be losing courage. He has been told that, at times, some of the Emperor’s soldiers who were soldiers also of Christ, have gained admission into the prisons and have roused up the sinking courage of the confessors. He is resolved to go on the like mission and, who knows? he may come within reach of a palm himself. He reaches Rome, he is admitted into the prisons and encourages to martyrdom such as had been shaken by the tears of those who were dear to them. Some of the gaolers, converted by witnessing his faith and his miracles, became martyrs themselves. And one of the Roman Magistrates asks to be instructed in a religion which can produce such men as this Sebastian. He has won the esteem of the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian-Hercules for his fidelity and courage as a soldier. They have loaded him with favours, and this gives him an influence in Rome which he so zealously turns to the advantage of the Christian religion that the holy Pope Caius calls him the Defender of the Church.

After sending innumerable martyrs to Heaven, Sebastian at length wins the crown he had so ardently ambitioned. He incurs the displeasure of Diocletian by confessing himself a Christian. The heavenly King, for whose sake alone he had put on the helmet and soldier’s cloak, was to him above all emperors and princes. He is handed over to the archers of Mauritania who strip him, bind him and wound him, from head to foot, with their arrows. They left him for dead but a pious woman named Irene took care of him, and his wounds were healed. Sebastian again approaches the Emperor who orders him to be beaten to death in the circus, near the imperial palace.

Such are the soldiers of our new-born King! But how richly does He repay them for their service! Rome, the capital of his Church, is founded on seven Basilicas, as the ancient city was on its seven hills, and the name and tomb of Sebastian grace one of these seven sanctuaries. The Basilica of Sebastian stands in a sort of solitude on the Appian Way outside the walls of the Eternal City. It is enriched with the relics of the holy Pope and Martyr Fabian. But Sebastian, the valiant leader of the Praetorian guard, is the patron and, as it were, the Prince of the holy temple. It was here that he wished to be buried as a faithful guardian near the well in which the bodies of the holy Apostles had been concealed, lest they should be desecrated by the persecutors. In return for the zeal of Saint Sebastian for the souls of his Christian brethren whom he preserved from the contagion of paganism, God has made him the Protector of the Faithful against pestilence. A signal proof of this power granted to the holy Martyr was given at Rome in the year 680 under the Pontificate of Saint Agatho.

*****

Brave soldier of our Emmanuel, you are now sweetly reposing at the foot of His throne. Your wounds are closed and your rich palm branch delights all Heaven by the freshness of its unfading beauty. Look down on the Church on Earth that tires not in singing your praise. Each Christmas we find you near the crib of the Divine Babe, its brave and faithful sentinel. The office you once filled in an earthly prince’s court is still yours, but it is in the palace of the King of kings. Into that palace, we beseech you, lead us by your prayers and gain a favourable hearing to our own unworthy petitions. With what a favourable ear must not our Jesus receive all your requests, who loved Him with such a brave love! Thirsting to shed your blood in His service, you scorned a battlefield where danger was not sure and Rome, that Babylon which, as Saint John says, was “drunk with the blood of the Martyrs” (Apocalypse xvii. 6), Rome alone was worthy of you. And there, it was not your plan to cull a palm, and hurry on to Heaven. The courage of some of your fellow Christians had wavered, and the thought of their danger troubled you. Rushing into their prisons where they lay mutilated by the tortures they had endured, you have them back the fallen laurel and taught them how to secure it in the grasp of holy defiance. It seemed as though you were commissioned to form a Praetorian band for the King of Heaven, and that you could not enter Heaven unless marshalling thither a troop of veterans for Jesus. Your turn came at last. The hour of your confession was at hand and you had to think of your own fair crown. But for such a soldier as you, Sebastian, one martyrdom is not enough. The archers have faithfully done their work — not an arrow is left in their quivers and yet their victim lives, ready for a second sacrifice. Such were the Christians of the early times, and we are their children!

Look, then, O Soldier of Christ, upon us, and pity us as you did your brethren who once faltered in the combat. Alas, we let everything frighten and discourage us and, often we are enemies of the Cross even while professing that we love it. We too easily forget that we cannot be companions of the martyrs unless our hearts have the generosity of the martyrs. We are cowardly in our contest with the world and its pomps, with the evil propensities of our nature, and the tyranny of our senses — and thus we fall. And when we have made an easy peace with God and sealed it with the sacrament of His love, we behave as though we had now nothing more to do than to go on quietly to Heaven without further trials or self-imposed sacrifices. Rouse us, great Saint, from these illusions, and waken us from our listless life. Our love of God is asleep and all must needs go wrong. Preserve us from the contagion of bad example and of those worldly maxims which gain currency even with Christian minds, because Christian lips call them rules of Christian prudence. Pray for us that we may be ardent in the pursuit of our sanctification, watchful over our inclinations, zealous for the salvation of others, lovers of the Cross and detached from earthly things. By the arrows which pierced you, we beseech you shield us from those hidden darts which Satan throws against us. Pray for us that we may be clad with the armour of God described to us by the great Apostle. May we have on the breast-plate of justice, which will defend us from sin; the helmet of salvation, that is, the hope of gaining Heaven, which will preserve us from both despair and presumption; the shield of faith, which will ward off the darts of the enemy who seeks to corrupt the heart by leading the mind into error; and lastly, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God by which we may put all false doctrines to flight and vanquish all our vices, for Heaven and Earth pass away, but the word of God abides forever and is given us as our rule and the pledge of our salvation (Ephesians vi. 13).

Defender of the Church! As the Vicar of Christ called you, lift up your sword and defend her now. Prostrate her enemies and frustrate the plots they have laid for her destruction. Let her enjoy one of those rare periods of peace during which she prepares for fresh combats. Obtain for Christian soldiers engaged in just wars the blessing of the God of Hosts. Protect the Holy City of Rome where your tomb is honoured. Avert from us, by your intercession, the scourge of pestilence and contagion. Hear the prayers which each year are addressed to you for the preservation of the creatures given by God to man to aid him in his daily labour. Secure to us, by your prayers, peace and happiness in this present life, and the good things of the life to come.

Also on this day according to the ROMAN MARTYROLOGY:

At Nicaea in Bithynia, St. Neophytus, martyr, who, in the fifteenth year of his age was scourged, cast into a furnace, and exposed to wild beasts. As he remained uninjured and constantly confessed the faith of Christ, he was at last killed with the sword.

At Cesena, St. Maurus, bishop, renowned for virtues and miracles.

In Palestine, in the time of the emperor Marcian, the birthday of St. Euthymius, abbot, who adorned the Church by his zeal for Catholic discipline and the gift of miracles.

And in other places, many other holy martyrs, confessors and virgins.

Thanks be to God.

19 JANUARY – SAINT CANUTE (King and Martyr)

 

Canute IV, son of Swein Estrithus, King of Denmark, was conspicuous for his faith, piety and purity of life. Even from his infancy he gave proof of exceeding holiness. Having been elected by the popular vote to the throne held by his father, he at once began zealously to promote religion, to add to the revenues of the Churches, and to provide the same with costly fittings and furniture. Being also inflamed with zeal for the propagation of the faith, he refused not to enter into just war with barbarous nations which, when he had conquered and subdued, he subjected to the law of Christ. Having obtained several glorious victories and increased the riches of his treasury, he laid his regal diadem at the feet of a crucifix, offering himself and his kingdom to Him who is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He chastised his body by fasting, hair-shirts and disciplines. He was assiduous in prayer and contemplation, liberal in his alms to the poor and ever kind to all, never deviating from the path of justice and the divine commandments.

By these and other such virtues, the holy King made rapid strides to the summit of perfection. Now it happened that William, Duke of Normandy, invaded the kingdom of England with a formidable army and the English sought assistance from the Danes. The King resolved to grant them his aid and entrusted the expedition to his brother Glaus. But he, from the desire he had of getting possession of the throne, turned his forces against the King and stirred up the soldiers and people to rebellion. Neither were there wanting motives for this rebellion, for the King had issued laws commanding the payment of ecclesiastical tithes, the observance of the commandments of God and His Church, and the infliction of penalties on defaulters, all which were made handle of by perverse and wicked malcontents who began by spreading murmuring, exciting the people to revolt and, at last, to plot the death of the saintly King.

Foreknowing what was to happen, the King saw that he would soon be put to death for justice’s sake. Having foretold it, he set out to Odense where, entering into the Church of Saint Alban the Martyr as the place of combat, he fortified himself with the Sacraments and commended this his last struggle to our Lord. He had not long been there when a band of conspirators arrived. They endeavoured to set fire to the Church, to burst open the doors and to force an entrance. But failing in this, they scaled the windows and with great violence threw a shower of stones and arrows on the holy King who was on his knees praying for his enemies. Wounded by the stones and arrows and, at last, pierced through with a spear, he was crowned with a glorious martyrdom and fell before the altar, with his arms stretched out. Gregory VII was the reigning Pontiff. God showed by many miracles how glorious was His martyr, and Denmark was afflicted with a great famine and sundry calamities in punishment of the sacrilegious murder which had been perpetrated.

Many persons who were afflicted with various maladies found aid and health by praying at the tomb of the martyr. On one occasion when the Queen endeavoured during the night to take up his body secretly and carry it to another place, she was deterred from her design by being struck with fear at the sight of a most brilliant light which came down from Heaven.

Dom Prosper Gueranger:

The Magi Kings, as we have already observed, have been followed to the crib of Jesus by saintly Christian monarchs. And it was just that these should be represented on the Church’s Calendar during the season which is consecrated to the Mystery of His birth. The eleventh century is one of the most glorious of the Christian era and gave, both to the Church and the various States of Europe, a great number of saintly kings. Among them, Canute IV of Denmark stands pre-eminent by reason of the aureole of his martyrdom. He had every quality which forms a Christian Prince: he was a zealous propagator of the faith of Christ, he was a brave warrior, he was pious and he was charitable to the poor. His zeal for the Church (and in those days her rights were counted as the rights of the people) was made the pretext for putting him to death: he died in the midst of a sedition as a victim sacrificed for his people’s sake. His offering to the new-born King was that of his blood, and in exchange for the perishable crown he lost, he received that which the Church gives to her Martyrs and which can never be taken away. The history of Denmark in the eleventh century is scarce known by the rest of the world, but the glory of that country having had one of her kings a Martyr is known throughout the whole Church, and the Church inhabits the whole Earth. This power, possessed by the Spouse of Christ, of conferring honour on the name and actions of the servants and friends of God, is one of the grandest spectacles out of Heaven, for when she holds up a name as worthy of honour, that name becomes immortalised, whether he who bore it were a powerful king or the poorest peasant.

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O holy King, the Sun of Justice had risen upon your country and all your ambition was that your people might enjoy the fullness of its light and warmth. Like the Magi of the East, you laid your crown at the feet of the Emmanuel and, at length, offered your very life in His service and in that of His Church. But your people were not worthy of you. They they shed your blood as the ungrateful Israel will shed the Blood of the Just One who is now born to us, and whose sweet infancy we are now celebrating. You offered your martyrdom for the sins of your people. Offer it now also for them that they may recover the true faith they have so long lost. Pray for the rulers of Christian lands that they may be faithful to their duties, zealous for justice and may have respect for the liberty of the Church. Ask for us of the Divine Infant a devotedness in His cause like that which glowed in your breast. And since we have not a crown to lay at His feet, pray for us that we may be generous enough to give our whole heart.

Also on this day according to the ROMAN MARTYROLOGY:

On the Via Cornelia at Rome, the holy martyrs Marius and his wife Martha, with their sons Audifax and Abachum, noble Persians, who came to Rome through devotion in the time of the emperor Claudius II. After they had been beaten with rods, tortured on the rack and with fire, lacerated with iron hooks, and had endured the cutting off of their hands, Martha was put to death in the place called Nympha. The others were beheaded and cast into the flames.

At Smyrna, under Marcus Antoninus and Lucius Aurelius, the birthday of blessed Germanicus, martyr, who, in the bloom of youth, being strengthened by the grace of God and freed from all fear, provoked the beast which, by order of the judge, was to devour him. Being ground by its teeth, he deserved to be incorporated into the true bread of life, Christ Jesus, for whom he died.

In Africa, the holy martyrs Paul, Gerontius, Januarius, Saturninus, Successus, Julius, Catus, Pia and Germana.

At Spoleto, in the days of the emperor Antoninus, the passion of St. Pontian, martyr, who was barbarously scourged for Christ by the command of the judge Fabian, and then compelled to walk barefoot on burning coals. As he was uninjured by the trial, he was put on the rack, was torn with iron hooks, and then thrown into a dungeon, where he was comforted by the visit of an angel. He was afterwards exposed to the lions, had melted lead poured over him and finally died by the sword.

At Lodi, St. Bassian, bishop and confessor, who in conjunction with St. Ambrose courageously combated the heretics.

At Worcester in England, St. Wulstan, bishop and confessor, conspicuous for merits and miracles. He was ranked among the saints by Pope Innocent III.

And in other places, many other holy martyrs, confessors and virgins.

Thanks be to God.