THE OLD ROMAN Vol. II Issue XX W/C 17th January 2021
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THE SECOND SUNDAY POST THE EPIPHANY
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WELCOME to this the twentieth edition of Volume II of “The Old Roman” a weekly dissemination of news, views and information for and from around the world reflecting the experience and life of 21C “Old Romans” i.e. western Orthodox Catholics across the globe.
CONTRIBUTIONS… news items, magazine, devotional or theological articles, prayer requests, features about apostolates and parish mission life are ALL welcome and may be submitted via email. Submissions should be sent by Friday for publication the following Sunday.
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The charity, "English Heritage" in the United Kingdom that preserves and maintains historic buildings around the country, has been running a social media campaign #StillChristmas. The idea is to encourage people to celebrate Christmastide as it was traditionally, from Christmas Eve until Candlemas on February 2nd, to counter the "lockdown" and traditional "January blues" that so many people complain of about the beginning of every new year.
Independently, "The Old Roman" via Old Roman TV has been sending out a similar message with adverts encouraging viewers to "keep Christmas" until Candlemas by retaining their Nativity Sets or Cribs. For "The Old Roman" the idea is to culturally reclaim Christmastide as a form of witness to Catholic Tradition. For sure, there is the added psychological benefit of keeping Christmas lights and decorations up to counter the dark and dreariness of the winter; but also there is the counter-cultural impact going against the grain of the secularist and commercialised takeover of our festive season might engender.
It would make quite an impact if, for example, Old Romans made a point of not attending seasonal social gatherings before Christmas Eve, but instead postponing or deferring such events to take place in January i.e. in Christmastide itself. This would highlight the contrast between religious and secular seasonal observance - in Advent, Christians would fast and in January would feast for Christmas; whereas most people feast in Advent and fast (e.g. new year dieting etc.) in January!
There would be significant economic benefits for Old Romans reclaiming Christmastide this way too. We all know that the "January Sales" begin from St Stephen's Day for the New Year... gifts that cost the earth before Christmas are suddenly cheap as chips the next day. Savings could be made especially if, Old Romans returned to or adopted the older custom of exchanging gifts on Epiphany.
Likewise, hosting or arranging social events in January would be significantly cheaper too - most hospitality venues are booked up throughout December and can charge extortionate rates, but the same are often desperate for business in the new year. The first month of the year, often the worst winter weather-wise, would suddenly be something to look forward to, a season of parties and bargain gifts!
The reduced costs of food, hospitality and presents would also reduce the levels of anxiety and stress so many experience in the run-up to Christmas emotionally as well as financially. Most people are paid monthly and at the end of the month. With Christmas falling on December 25th, many people strain to make their October/November wages cover everything required in readiness for Christmas Day. Reverting to celebrating Christmas in Christmastide would alleviate such pressures and allow December's salary to be factored in, and with everything being cheaper post December 25th, money could go further!
While perhaps too late for this Christmastide, there is plenty of time now to think ahead about Christmas 2021. However, even now the psychological benefit of keeping the "light of Christmas" in our homes until Candlemas could be felt immediately. If Cribs and Trees have already been taken down - they can just as easily be put back up and those Christmas songs and carol CD's or playlists can be turned back on at the flick of a switch! With the COVID pandemic still affecting us all - what would be the harm of turning Christmas back on again for the rest of this Christmastide...?
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WISHING ALL READERS OF
"THE OLD ROMAN"
A VERY BLESSED CHRISTMAS
& HAPPY NEW YEAR
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HE The Most Reverend Joash Jaime D.D.
Titular Bishop of Alexandria Minor
Auxiliary in the Philippines
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During the lockdown here in our parish in Bacoor, Province of Cavite and most parts of our country are under strict quarantine rules, the pandemic has forced us to ask some very deep questions about life. As Christians we have been brought into conversations about death and the eternal things, what we call the “last things.” Some of our parishioners ask me “father, is this the end of the world?” Not altogether comfortable things to think about, but deeply Catholic. As a person of faith I could not escape the nagging feeling that maybe I had not measured up so well to my Christian commitment. Before the pandemic it was easy to get distracted by the business of life. Now at times, it seemed like there was too much time, too much quiet.
Perhaps it was an opportunity to take stock and to make some changes. Was God reminding me that life is fragile and that there were some things in life that I was neglecting? I really do believe that God brings light out of darkness, even when it’s a rampaging virus. Where was God in all of this?
One afternoon while walking around in the community where our parish is located I observed its seems a ghost town during the three Months lockdown – schools, grocery stores, markets, are all closed, no noisy children playing around the streets and all churches (Catholic and different Christian churches) are also closed. I ask my self thought on how churches were temporarily closed with little or no access to Sacraments. Would people come back? Would faith grow or fade? Then as I passed small gate of the church I saw a bouquet of flowers left on the ground against the locked door with a note “for the mama Mary”. A way to say to God, “I love you.” I felt reassured.
Most priests found themselves jumping into the deep side of the pool called technology. All of the sudden we were putting together livestream Masses, short taped messages to the people, and online Go-to-Meetings to connect with larger groups of people. It was not the same as the real thing but it was the best way to stay connected. But not in our parish because we not have a good Internet access, a very slow connection. But it does not stops us in celebrating Holy Mass, even thou we cannot go on livestream Mass. What I did is that I use the Public Address Sound System that can be heard almost in the entire community while celebrating a private Mass.
Priests continue to do their priestly ministry. Confessions are heard, Mass is celebrated, anointing for those who are dying and counselling for people who find these times very difficult. Funerals and blessings don’t stop. People die and the Church with love gives them the last spiritual care on Earth that can be given as they make their way to God.
Priestly life and mission continues but with a different look. Wearing face Masks, Face Shield and physical distancing are a must, and we wash or disinfect our hands continuously. Masses are now celebrated with a very limited faithful’s (30% of the seating capacity are only allowed by our local government). People bring their own chairs and umbrellas outside the church. Processions with the Blessed Sacrament happen, but from the back of a pick-up truck as it slowly winds through parish neighbourhoods.
I am reminded that faith is not so easily abandoned. Parish life and faith are strong. We will get through this. The Church has gone through rough times from the very beginning and I suppose will until the end of time. But in each trial and over centuries, Christ has never left us and the Church has grown into a stronger witness of faith. He is here now, He will never leave us, and through this present test of life, I still believe.
Called to Serve,
✠Joash Cambysopolitanus
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ORDO w/c Sunday 17th January 2021
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OFFICE |
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N.B. |
| 17.01 |
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FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS
Com. Sunday II post Epiphany
Com. St Anthony of Egypt, Abbot
(W) Missa "In nómine Jesu" |
dii |
2a) Sun.II.PEph
3a) St Anthony
Gl.Cr.Pref.Trinity
PLG Epiphany II |
| 18.01 |
M |
ST PETER'S CHAIR AT ROME
Com. St Paul, Apostle
Com. St Prisca, V&M
(W) Missa “Statuit ei Dominus” |
gd |
2a) St Paul
3a) St Prisca
Gl.Cr.Pref.Apostles |
| 19.01 |
T |
SS. Marius, Audifax & Abachum, Mm
Com. St Canute IV K&M
(R) Missa "Iusti epulenter"
UK St Wulstan of Worcester
Com. SS. Marus, Martha, Audifax & Abachum
Com. St Canute King & Martyr
(W) Missa “Sacerdotes tui“ |
s
d
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2a) St Canute
3a) de S. Maria
noGl.Pref.Common
2a) The Martyrs
3a) St Canute
Gl.Pref.Common |
| 20.01 |
W |
St Fabian of Rome & St Sebastian, Martyrs
(R) Missa “Intret in conspéctu tuo” |
d |
Gl.Pref.Common |
| 21.01 |
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St Agnes of Rome, V&M
(R) Missa “Me exspectaverunt peccatores” |
d |
Gl.Cr.Pref.Common |
| 22.01 |
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SS. Vincent & Anastasius, Mm
(R) Missa “Intret in conspéctu tuo” |
d |
Gl.Pref.Common |
| 23.01 |
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THE ESPOUSAL OF THE BVM & ST JOSEPH
(W) Missa “Salve, sancta parens”
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gd |
2a) St Joseph
Gl.Cr.Pref.BVM |
| 24.01 |
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St Timothy of Ephesus
Com. Sunday III post Epiphany
(R) Missa “Statuit ei Dominus” |
d |
2a) Sun.III.PEph
Gl.Cr.Pref.Trinity
PLG Epiphany III |
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Nota Bene
a) The Feast of the Holy Name is celebrated traditionally on the second Sunday after Epiphany NOT on the Sunday following the Circumcision.
RITUAL NOTES
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| KEY: A=Abbot A cunctis=of the Saints B=Bishop BD=Benedicamus Domino BVM=Blessed Virgin Mary C=Confessor Com=Commemoration Cr=Creed D=Doctor d=double d.i/ii=double of the 1st/2nd Class E=Evangelist F=Feria Gl=Gloria gr.d=greater-double (G)=Green H=Holy Heb.=Hedomadam (week) K=King M=Martyr mpal=missae pro aliquibus locis Mm=Martyrs Pent=Pentecost P=Priest PP/PostPent=Post Pentecost PLG=Proper Last Gospel Pref=Preface ProEccl=for the Church (R)=Red (Rc)=Rose-coloured s=simple s-d=semi-double Co=Companions V1=1st Vespers V=Virgin v=votive (V)=violet W=Widow (W)=white *Ob.=Obligation 2a=second oration 3a=third oration |
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Join Archbishop Jerome of Selsey as he explores and explains the mysteries of the Sacred Liturgies of Christmastide from Advent through to Candlemas.
Monday's 6.45pm GMT
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SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
The third Mystery of the Epiphany shows us the completion of the merciful designs of God upon the world, at the same time that it manifests to us, for the third time, the glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The Star has led the soul to faith; the sanctified Waters of the Jordan have conferred purity upon her; the Marriage Feast unites her to her God. We have been considering, during this Octave, the Bridegroom revealing himself to the Spouse; we have heard him calling her to come to him from the heights of Libanus; and now, after having enlightened and purified her, he invites her to the heavenly feast, where she is to receive the Wine of his divine love.
A Feast is prepared; it is a Marriage Feast; and the Mother of Jesus is present at it, for it is just that having cooperated in the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word, she should take part in all that her Son does, and in all the favours he bestows on his elect. But in the midst of the Feast, the Wine fails. Wine is the symbol of Charity or Love, and Charity had failed on the earth; for the Gentiles had never tasted its sweetness; and as to the Synagogue, what had it produced but wild grapes? The True Vine is our Jesus, and he calls himself by that name. He alone could give that Wine which gladdeneth the heart of man; He alone could give us that Chalice which inebriateth, and of which the Royal Psalmist prophesied.
Mary said to Jesus: They have no Wine. It is the office of the Mother of God to tell him of the wants of men, for she is also their Mother. But Jesus answers her in words which are apparently harsh: Woman! what is it to me and to thee? My hour is not yet come. The meaning of these words is that, in this great Mystery, he was about to act not as the Son of Mary, but as the Son of God. Later on, the hour will come when, dying upon the Cross, he will do it as Man, that is, according to that human nature which he has received from her. Mary at once understands the words of her Son, and she says to the waiters of the Feast what she is now ever saying to her children: Do whatsoever he shall say to you.
Now, there were six large water pots of stone there, and they were empty. The world was then in its Sixth Age, as St. Augustine and other Holy Doctors tell us. During these six ages, the earth had been awaiting its Saviour, who was to instruct and redeem it. Jesus commands these water pots to be filled with water; and yet, water does not suit the Feast of the Spouse. The figures and the prophecies of the ancient world were this water, and until the opening of the Seventh Age, when Christ, who is the Vine, was to be given to the world, no man had contracted an alliance with the Divine Word.
But when the Emmanuel came, he had but to say, Now draw out, and the water pots were seen to be filled with the wine of the New Covenant, the Wine which had been kept to the end. When he assumed our human nature—a nature weak and unstable as Water—he effected a change in it; he raised it up even to himself, by making us partakers of the divine nature; he gave us the power to love him, to be united to him, to form that one Body of which he is the Head, that Church of which he is the Spouse, and which he loved from all eternity, and with such tender love, that he came down from heaven to celebrate his nuptials with her.
St. Matthew, the Evangelist of the Humanity of our Lord, has received from the Holy Ghost the commission to announce to us the Mystery of Faith by the Star; St. Luke, the Evangelist of Jesus’ Priesthood, has been selected, by the same Holy Spirit, to instruct us in the Mystery of the Baptism in the Jordan; but the Mystery of the Marriage Feast was to be revealed to us by the Evangelist John, the Beloved Disciple. He suggests to the Church the object of this third Mystery by this expression: This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and he manifested his glory. At Bethlehem, the Gold of the Magi expressed the Divinity of the Babe; at the Jordan, the descent of the Holy Ghost and the voice of the Eternal Father proclaimed Jesus (known to the people as a carpenter of Nazareth) to be the Son of God; at Cana, it is Jesus himself that acts, and he acts as God, for, says St. Augustine, He who changed the water into wine in the water pots could be no other than the same who, every year, works the same miracle in the vine. Hence it was that, from that day, as St. John tells us, his disciples believed in him, and the Apostolic College began to be formed.
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Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus; Commemoration of the Second Sunday Post Epiphany: Missa “In nomine Jesu”
Holy Mother Church reveals to us the greatness of His name. It was on the occasion of the rite of Circumcision that a name was given to children among Jews. So the Church uses the same Gospel as that of the Feast of the Circumcision, and dwells on the second part which tells us that “the Child was called Jesus” (Gospel), “as God had bid that He should be called” (Collect). This name means Saviour, for “there is no other name given to men whereby we must be saved” (Epistle).
The name Jesus comes from the Greek Iesous which was derived from the Aramaic, Yeshu. It means “Yaweh is salvation.” The name was not unique, even in biblical times, and today it is common in Arabic-speaking East and in Spanish-speaking countries. From apostolic times the name has been treated with the greatest respect, as honour is due the name which represents Our Lord, himself.
The Holy Name of Jesus is, first of all, an all-powerful prayer. Our Lord Himself solemnly promises that whatever we ask the Father in His Name we shall receive. God never fails to keep His word. When, therefore, we say, “Jesus,” let us ask God for all we need with absolute confidence of being heard. For this reason, the Church ends her prayer with the words, “through Jesus Christ,” which gives the prayer a new and Divine efficacy. But the Holy Name is something still greater.
Each time we say, “Jesus,” we give God infinite joy and glory, for we offer Him all the infinite merits of the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ. St. Paul tells us that Jesus merited the Name Jesus by His Passion and Death. Each time we say “Jesus,” it is an act of perfect love, for we offer to God the infinite love of Jesus. The Holy Name of Jesus saves us from innumerable evils and delivers us especially from the power of the devil, who is constantly seeking to do us harm. The Holy Name of Jesus gradually fills our souls with a peace and joy we never had before. The Holy Name of Jesus gives us strength that our sufferings become light and easy to bear.
The origin of this feast is traced to the sixteenth century, when it was celebrated by the Franciscan Order. In 1721 the Church, under the rule of Pope Innocent XIII, made the keeping of this solemnity universal. This Feast is kept on the First Sunday of the year; but if this Sunday falls on 1st, 6th or 7th January, the feast is kept on 2nd January. It is the central feast of all the mysteries of Christ the Redeemer; it unites all the other feasts of the Lord, as a burning glass focuses the rays of the sun in one point, to show what Jesus is to us, what He has done, is doing, and will do for mankind. It originated towards the end of the fifteenth century, and was instituted by the private authority of some bishops in Germany, Scotland, England, Spain, and Belgium. The Office and the Mass composed by Bernardine dei Busti (d. 1500) were approved by Sixtus IV. The feast was officially granted to the Franciscans 25 February, 1530, and spread over a great part of the Church. The Franciscans, Carmelites, and Augustinians kept it on 14 Jan.; the Dominicans 15 Jan. At Salisbury, York, and Durham in England, and at Aberdeen in Scotland it was celebrated 7 Aug., at Liege, 31 Jan., at Compostela and Cambrai, 8 Jan. [Grotefend, “Zeitrechnung”, II, 2. 89]. The Carthusians obtained it for the second Sunday after Epiphany about 1643; for that Sunday it was also extended to Spain, and later, 20 Dec., 1721, to the Universal Church. The Office used at present is nearly identical with the Office of Bernardine dei Busti. The hymns “Jesu dulcis memoria,” “Jesu Rex admirabilis,” “Jesu decus angelicum,” usually ascribed to St. Bernard, are fragments of a very extensive “jubilus” or “cursus de aeterna sapientia” of some unknown author in the thirteenth century. For the beautiful sequence “Dulcis Jesus Nazarenus” [Morel, “Hymnen des Mittelalters,” 67] of Bernardine dei Busti the Franciscans substituted a prose sequence of modern origin: “Lauda Sion Salvatoris;” they still celebrate the Feast on 14 January.
If we wish “to rejoice at seeing that our names are written in heaven under that of Jesus” (Postcommunion), let it be often on our lips on earth.
In the Proper Last Gospel today (of the Second Sunday Post Epiphany) is given a figure of the transubstantiation, which St. Thomas calls the greatest of all miracles, and by reason of which the Eucharistic wine becomes the blood of the testament. And as it is the Eucharist which enables Jesus to consummate, as Bossuet has it, His mystical marriage with our souls, the Fathers have seen in the wedding feast of Cana a symbol of the union of the Word with the Church. Blessed Mary, full of the charity of which the Epistle speaks, asks of Jesus His first miracle on behalf of the bridegroom and bride who are in trouble because “they have no wine” for their guests (Gospel). Her power as Mother of God is so great that, at her request, Jesus anticipates the hour appointed for the “manifestation of His divinity” to His disciples so that He also places His power at the service of His love.
Six water-pots, which were used for the cleansing of bands during meals, are filled to the brim; and, after the miracle, the chief steward who was in charge of the arrangements for the feast, with all the knowledge that was his, declared the new wine to be exceptionally good. Confronted by this proof of the divinity of Jesus,” His disciples believed in Him” (Gospel). By the Mass which washes away our sins (Secret) and the communion which enables the almighty power of Jesus to transform our souls (Postcommunion), let us realise within us the mystery of the water that the priest mixes with the wine by becoming partakers of the divinity of Him Who has put on our humanity.
INTROIT Philippians 2: 10-11
In the name of Jesus let every knee bow of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth; and let every tongue confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father. (Ps. 8: 2) O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is Thy Name in the whole earth. Glory he to the Father. v. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Repeat For a Child is born…
COLLECT
0 God Who didst appoint Thine only-begotten Son the Saviour of mankind, and didst bid that He should be called Jesus: mercifully grant that we may enjoy the vision of Him in Heaven Whose holy Name we venerate on earth. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R.Amen.
Commemoration of the Second Sunday Post Epiphany
Almighty, everlasting God, You Who govern both the heavens and the earth, graciously hear the humble prayers of Your people and grant us Your peace all the days of our life. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.
EPISTLE Acts of the Apostles 4: 8-12
Lesson from the Epistle of the Acts of the Apostles. In those days: Peter filled with the Holy Ghost, said to them: Ye princes of the people and ancients, hear: If we this day are examined concerning the good deed done to the infirm man, by what means he hath been made whole, be it known to you all, and to all the people of IsraeI, that by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God hath raised from the dead, even by Him this man standeth before you whole, This is the stone which was rejected by you the builders, which is become the head of the corner: neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved.
GRADUAL/ALLELUIA Psalm 105: 47
Save us, 0 Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations: that we may give thanks to Thy holy Name, and may glory in Thy praise. V. Isaias 63: 16 Thou, 0 Lord, art our Father and Redeemer, Thy Name is from eternity. Alleluia, alleluia. V. (Psalm 144: 21) My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless His holy Name Alleluia.
GOSPEL Luke 2: 21
At that time. After eight days were accomplished that the child should be circumcised; His Name was called Jesus, which was called by the Angel before He was conceived in the Womb.
OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Psalms 85: 12, 5
I will praise Thee, 0 Lord my God with my whole heart, and I will glorify Thy Name for ever; for Thou, 0 Lord, art sweet and mild, and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon Thee, alleluia.
SECRET
May Thy blessing, by which all creatures live, hallow, we beseech Thee, most merciful God, this our sacrifice which we ,offer to Thee to the glory of the Name of Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ, that it may please Thy majesty and Bring Thee praise, and avail us unto salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God Forever and ever. R.Amen.
Commemoration of the Second Sunday Post Epiphany
Hallow our offerings, O Lord, and cleanse us from the stains of our sins. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.
PREFACE of the Nativity
It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God, for through the Mystery of the Word made flesh, the new light of Thy glory hath shone upon the eyes of our mind, so that while we acknowledge God in visible form, we may through Him be drawn to the love things invisible. And therefore with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominations, and with all the hosts of the heavenly army, we sing the hymn of The glory, evermore saying:
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY…
COMMUNION ANTIPHON Psalms 85:9-10
All the nations Thou hast made shall come and adore before Thee, 0 Lord; and they shall glorify Thy Name: for Thou art great, and dost wonderful things: Thou art God alone, alleluia.
POSTCOMMUNION
O almighty and everlasting God who didst create and redeem us, look graciously upon our prayer, and with a favorable and benign countenance deign to accept the Sacrifice of the saving Victim, which we have offered to Thy Majesty in honor of the Name of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: that through the infusion of Thy grace we may rejoice that our names are written in heaven, under the glorious Name of Jesus, the pledge of eternal predestination. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God For ever and ever. R. Amen.
Commemoration of the Second Sunday Post Epiphany
O Lord, we beseech You that the effects of Your power may ever increase within us; and, strengthened by the divine sacrament, we may be prepared by Your grace to lay hold of what it promises. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.
Proper Last Gospel John, 2. 1-11 (Second Sunday Post Epiphany)
AT that time there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee: and the Mother of Jesus was there. And Jesus also was invited, and His disciples, to the marriage. And the wine failing, the Mother of Jesus saith to Him: They have no wine. And Jesus saith to Her: Woman, what is that to Me and to thee? My hour is not yet come. His Mother saith to the waiters: Whatsoever He shall say to you, do ye. Now there were set there six water-pots of stone, according to the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three measures apiece. Jesus saith to them: Fill the water-pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And Jesus said to them: Draw out now, and carry to the chief steward of the feast. And they carried it. And when the chief steward had tasted the water made wine, and knew not whence it was, but the waiters knew who had drawn the water: the chief steward calleth to the bridegroom, and saith to him: Every man at first setteth forth good wine, and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse; but thou has kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee: and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him
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How are Old Roman vocations to the Sacred Ministry discerned, formed and realised? If you are discerning a vocation to the Sacred Ministry and are considering exploring the possibility of realising your vocation as an Old Roman or transferring your discernment, this is the programme for you!
Questions are welcome and may be sent in advance to vocations@secret.fyi anonymity is assured.
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MEDITATIONS FOR EVERY DAY IN THE YEAR
BY BISHOP CHALLONER
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Richard Challoner (1691–1781) was an English Roman Catholic bishop, a leading figure of English Catholicism during the greater part of the 18th century. The titular Bishop of Doberus, he is perhaps most famous for his revision of the Douay–Rheims translation of the Bible.
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ON THE SACRED NAME OF JESUS
FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY
Consider first, these words of the apostle, Phil. ii, spoken of the eternal Son of God, incarnate for us: 'He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and in hell; and that every tongue shall confess, that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.' Christians, let us then venerate this sacred name, and all the mysteries and heavenly truths it contains - which are so many and so great, that no tongue can sufficiently express them, nor heart conceive them. The name of Jesus came from heaven; it signifies a Saviour; but such a Saviour as should deliver his people from their sins; reconcile lost man to God; purchase for him mercy, grace, and salvation, and of a slave of Satan, and a child of hell, make him a son of God, and heir of heaven. O what has not our Lord Jesus done, what has he not suffered, that he might be such a Jesus to us? None but he could ever fulfil the import of this heavenly name; none but a God-man, an Emmanuel, that is, a God with us, could be a Jesus to save his people from their sins, and be to them a never-failing source in all true good; even to that degree as to make them in a manner partners in his divinity.
Consider 2ndly, that the name of Jesus is a name of virtue and of power. In this name the churches of God were planted throughout the earth. In this name the Apostles wrought all kinds of miracles, and even raised the dead to life. By this name millions of martyrs have overcome death in all its shapes. This name has peopled the deserts with holy solitaries, and every nation of the Christian world, in every age, with innumerable saints, who 'looking upon Jesus the author and finisher of their faith,' have, through his name overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, and are now set down with Jesus in his throne, according to the promise he has made to them that conquer in his name, Rev. iii.21. To this sacred name so many mighty monarchs have yielded themselves captives, submitting both themselves and their kingdoms to the great conqueror, and oftentimes leaving even their crown and sceptre for the love of this divine name. O kingdoms of Jesus, kingdom of mercy and grace, when wilt thou extend thy conquest over all the universe, and bring all kings and people all nations and all hearts, to bow down, to embrace, and to give all praise and glory to this adorable name?
Consider 3rdly, that the name of Jesus carries with it an unspeakable majesty, tempered with humility, meekness, sweetness, and love; inasmuch as it expresses to us a God made man - even a poor, meek, and humble man - out of a pure love for us. It shows forth to us all the divine attributes, stooping, as I may say, to the work of our redemption, in order to raise us up from the dung-hill, and to bring us to a heavenly kingdom. Jesus is a name of mercy, a name of comfort, a name of grace and of salvation: it promises pardon and forgiveness to all penitent sinners; it preaches to them deliverance from their slavery and from their bonds; the discharge of all their debts; the healing of all their maladies; and the rescuing them from all their enemies, and from the wrath to come. It supports the Christian pilgrim under all his labours; it comforts him in all his afflictions; it is his refuge in all dangers; it sets before him the source of all his good; it encourages him to pray with an assurance that there is nothing but what he may obtain, if he prays in the name of his Saviour. It puts to flight all the powers of hell; they cannot bear that sacred name. It conquers the world and the flesh; in fine, opens heaven to all its true lovers and followers. O sacred name, mayest thou be always in our hearts, and on our lips! It was so with the blessed apostle St. Paul: O may we, like him, find all things in Jesus!
Conclude ever to venerate the divine name of Jesus, as presenting to your souls the principal object of the Christian's faith, the strongest grounds of his hope, and the chiefest motive, and most powerful attraction, to engage his love, viz., a God incarnate, and crucified for us. Thus you may exercise, as often as you hear his sacred name, all the thee theological virtues of faith, hope, and love of God. RETURN TO MENU
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A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
Revd Dr Robert Wilson PhD
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Holy Name of Jesus/Second Sunday after Epiphany
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, as well as commemorating the Second Sunday after Epiphany. The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus is of medieval origin. Devotion to the holy Name of Jesus was especially popular in medieval England. The date was fixed on the Second Sunday after Epiphany in the eighteenth century.
However, though the origin of this feast is medieval the roots of the feast are biblical in origin. In the Old Testament the name of someone tells something about their identity. When they are called by God they are sometimes given a new name. Thus, Abram becomes Abraham. When Moses encounters God at the burning bush God reveals himself by revealing the divine name, “I am who I am”. Indeed, so sacred was the divine name that later Jews would not utter it. The Angel of God’s presence who went before the Israelites in the wilderness bore the divine name for “my name is in him” (Exodus 23:21).
In the New Testament the Saviour was given the name Jesus because he would save his people from their sins. After his death and resurrection the early Church gathered in his name. It was in his name that the apostles worked miracles such as the healing of the lame man in today’s Epistle. When the apostles were charged by the Jewish authorities not to teach in his name they replied that salvation could be found in no other name, because “there is no other name given to men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
The Old Testament prophets had looked forward to a coming age when all who called upon the name of the Lord would be saved. In Jesus this promise had now been fulfilled. His coming was the coming of God into the world. As St. Paul put it to the Philippians God had highly exalted him and given him a name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).
When the Old Testament was translated into Greek in the Septuagint Kyrios the Lord was the word used for God. When the early Christians said that Jesus Christ is Lord they used the same Greek word Kyrios that the Septuagint used for God. In other words he was given the divine name, meaning that he shared in the divine identity. He could therefore be worshipped and not simply venerated. Thus, long before the later language of the Nicene Creed of being of one substance with the Father, Jesus Christ was worshipped as God because he bore the divine name and thus shared in the divine identity. As St. Athanasius later put it, though the language of being of one substance with the Father was not in the Scriptures it conveyed the true sense of the Scriptures. Thus, from the earliest days of the Church baptism was in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People today often take offence at the exclusive claims of Christianity that salvation is only by Christ, and this is not a new reaction. The ancient pagan world reacted in a similar way, for they believed that there were many gods and many lords. The Jews were regarded with suspicion because they worshipped only one God, but at least they were following their own ancestral customs. By contrast, the early Church insisted that only one God should be worshipped and he had revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ, in whom alone salvation could be found. The pagan world should therefore renounce their idols and worship him.
It scandalised then and it scandalises now. The early Church confronted a world in which the cult of the Emperor was the fastest growing religion. The claim that Jesus Christ is Lord posed a direct challenge to the cult of the Emperor and the worship of the civil power. St. Paul troubled the authorities in Thessalonica because he gave allegiance to another king, one called Jesus. That is why so many of the early Christians became martyrs, because they refused to accept the cult of the Emperor and were therefore deemed guilty of treason against the State. In effect the Church presented an alternative society to that of the Empire.
Eventually the Empire succumbed and accepted Christianity. The Church no longer trained its members for Christian dying, but for Christian living. Though in the West the Empire fell to the barbarian incursions they were converted to Christianity and Christendom was the result. Subsequently, Western societies succumbed to the Enlightenment and were secularised (the situation we find ourselves in today). In the East the Roman Empire continued as Byzantium for another thousand years before it too fell to the Islamic Ottoman Empire. The ideal of a Christian civilisation passed to Russia, before that itself fell to the militant atheism of the Soviet Union in the twentieth century (returning to a situation like that of the age of the martyrs).
The purpose of the European Enlightenment was to effect a separation between Church and State and so create a civilised but non religious humanity. In effect, western societies repudiated Christian dogma, but still sought to live by a secularised version of Christian ethics. However, it now seems that our society is reverting to open paganism. Instead of being seen as a necessary evil to keep the peace in a fallen world, the increasing power of the State is now presented as the solution to every problem. It is the modern day equivalent of the pagan cult of the Emperor, for it involves the worship of the civil power.
Since Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, the truth of the Gospel is unchanging. The message that it is Jesus and not Caesar who is Lord is still the same today. This is especially important at the present time when governments all over the world are trying to use the present crisis as a way to increase their power and control over people. But we know that the powers that be in this world are not our ultimate authority. If Jesus Christ is Lord then the Chinese Government is not, Vladimir Putin is not, the President of the European Commission is not, Boris Johnson is not, Donald Trump is not, Jo Biden is not. All these people and other similar ruthless seekers after power and success in this world may seem all powerful and may be very successfully manipulating the present crisis as a way of amassing more power for themselves and their governments, but they are not (whatever delusions of grandeur they may have about themselves) the ultimate authority.
God in Christ has triumphed by the Cross over the principalities and powers, the dark forces of rebellion against God that seem to rule this world. We now live in the time between his victory over the forces of evil by the cross and the final victory when God will be all in all.
For, as St. Paul put it to the Philippians, our true commonwealth is in heaven, from where we await the final coming of Christ to transform our mortal bodies into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself.
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THIS WEEK'S FEASTS
& COMMEMORATIONS
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St Anthony of the Desert
17th January Patriarch of Monastic Life
(251-356)
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Saint Anthony was born in the year 251, in Upper Egypt. Hearing at Mass the words, If you would be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, he gave away all his vast possessions — staying only to see that his sister's education was completed — and retired into the desert. He then begged an aged hermit to teach him the spiritual life, and he also visited various solitaries, undertaking to copy the principal virtue of each.
To serve God more perfectly, Anthony immured himself in a ruin, building up the door so that none could enter. Here the devils assaulted him furiously, appearing as various monsters, and even wounding him severely; but his courage never failed, and he overcame them all by confidence in God and by the sign of the cross. One night, while Anthony was in his solitude, many devils scourged him so terribly that he lay as if dead. A friend found him in this condition, and believing him dead carried him home. But when Anthony came to himself he persuaded his friend to take him back, in spite of his wounds, to his solitude. Here, prostrate from weakness, he defied the devils, saying, I fear you not; you cannot separate me from the love of Christ. After more vain assaults the devils fled, and Christ appeared to Anthony in His glory.
Saint Anthony's only food was bread and water, which he never tasted before sunset, and sometimes only once in two, three, or four days. He wore sackcloth and sheepskin, and he often knelt in prayer from sunset to sunrise.
His admirers became so many and so insistent that he was eventually persuaded to found two monasteries for them and to give them a rule of life. These were the first monasteries ever to be founded, and Saint Anthony is, therefore, the father of cenobites of monks. In 311 he went to Alexandria to take part in the Arian controversy and to comfort those who were being persecuted by Maximinus. This visit lasted for a few days only, after which he retired into a solitude even more remote so that he might cut himself off completely from his admirers. When he was over ninety, he was commanded by God in a vision to search the desert for Saint Paul the Hermit. He is said to have survived until the age of a hundred and five, when he died peacefully in a cave on Mount Kolzim near the Red Sea. Saint Athanasius, his biographer, says that the mere knowledge of how Saint Anthony lived is a good guide to virtue.
Reflection. The more violent the assaults of temptation suffered by Saint Anthony, the more firmly did he grasp his weapons, namely, mortification and prayer. Let us imitate him in this, if we wish to obtain victories like his.
Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, a compilation based on Butler's Lives of the Saints and other sources by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894); Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Guérin (Bloud et Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 1; The Saints, a Concise Biographical Dictionary, edited by John Coulson (Hawthorn Books, Inc.: New York, 1957).
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St Peter’s Chair at Rome
18th January
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Saint Peter having triumphed over the devil in the East, the latter pursued him to Rome. But he who had formerly trembled at the voice of a poor servant girl now feared not the very throne of idolatry and superstition. The capital of the empire of the world and the center of impiety called for the zeal of the Prince of the Apostles. God had established the Roman Empire and extended its dominion beyond that of any former monarchy, to facilitate the propagation of His Gospel; and its metropolis was of the greatest importance for this enterprise. Saint Peter took that province upon himself and, repairing to Rome, there preached the faith and established his ecclesiastical chair.
That Saint Peter preached in Rome, founded the Church there, and died there by martyrdom under Nero, are incontestable facts, by the testimony of all writers of different countries who lived around that time — persons of unquestionable veracity, who could not but be informed of the truth in a matter so important, and of its own nature so public and notorious. This fact is verified by monuments of every kind, attesting the prerogatives, rights and privileges which that church enjoyed from these early times, in consequence of its title as seat of the Vicar of Christ.
It was an ancient custom observed by churches to keep an annual festival commemorating the consecration of their bishops, and the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter is found in ancient martyrologies. Christians justly celebrate the founding of this mother-church, the center of Catholic communion, in thanksgiving to God for His mercies to His Church, and to implore His future blessings for it.
Reflection. As one of God's greatest mercies to His Church, let us earnestly beg Him to raise up in it zealous pastors, directed by His Spirit, with which He animated His Apostles.
Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, a compilation based on Butler's Lives of the Saints and other sources by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894).
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St Marius, Audifax & Abachum
19th January Martyrs († 270)
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Roman martyrology: At Rome, on the Cornelian road, 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. 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.
Marius, a nobleman of Persia, with his wife Martha, and two sons, Audifax and Abachum, being converted to the faith, distributed his fortune among the poor, as the primitive Christians did at Jerusalem, and came to Rome to visit the tombs of the apostles. The emperor Aurelian then persecuted the church, and by his order a great number of Christians were shut up in the amphitheater, and shot to death with arrows, and their bodies burnt. Our saints gathered and buried their ashes with respect; for which they were apprehended, and after many torments under the governor Marcianus, Maris and his two sons were beheaded; and Martha drowned, thirteen miles from Rome, at a place now called Saint. Ninfa.
Their relics were found at Rome in 1590. They are mentioned with distinction in all the western Martyrology from the sacramentary of St. Gregory. Their relics are kept principally at Rome; part in the church of St. Adrian, part in that of St. Charles, and in that of St. John Calybite. Eginhart, son-in-law and secretary of Charlemagne, deposited a portion of these relics, which had been sent him from Rome in the abbey of Selghenstadt, of which he was the founder, in the dioceses of Mentz.
The martyrs and confessors triumphed over the devil by prayer; by this, poor and weak as they were, they were rendered invincible; by engaging Omnipotence itself to be their comfort, strength, and protection. If the art of praying well, the art of living well, according to the received maxim of the fathers and masters of a spiritual life, nothing is certainly of greater importance, than for us to learn this heavenly art of conversing with God in the manner we ought. We admire the wonderful effects which this exercise produced in the saints, who by it were disengaged from earthly ties, and made spiritual and heavenly; perfect angels on earth: but we experience nothing of this in ourselves. Prayer was in them the channel of all graces, the means of attaining all virtues, and all the treasures of heaven. In us it is fruitless: the reason is plain; for the promises of Christ cannot fail: “we ask, and receive not, because we ask amiss."
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St Canutus
19th January King of Denmark, Martyr
(† 1086)
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Saint Canutus, King of Denmark, was endowed with excellent qualities of both mind and body. As a young prince, he cleared the seas of pirates and subdued several neighboring provinces which were harassing Denmark by their incursions. His courage rivaled in excellence with his ability in the conduct and skills of war, but his singular piety, in a time when few of his land were Christian, eclipsed all his other endowments.
Saint Canutus succeeded his elder brother Harold on the throne of Denmark in the year 1080. He began his reign by a successful war against the troublesome, barbarous enemies of the state, and by planting the faith in the conquered provinces. Amid the glory of his victories he humbly prostrated himself at the foot of the crucifix, laying there his diadem, and offering himself and his kingdom to the King of kings. After having provided for the peace and safety of his country, he married Eltha, daughter of Robert, Earl of Flanders, who proved herself a spouse worthy of him. They are the parents of Blessed Charles, Count of Amiens and Flanders, a martyr for his faith, brutally slain like his father, while in prayer.
The justice of Saint Canutus as sovereign became evident when he condemned to death a Danish lord whose vessel, to sustain the owner's luxury, had pillaged the ship of a neighboring country and massacred the crew. He applied himself to the reform of all internal abuses. For this purpose he enacted severe but necessary laws for the strict administration of justice, the repression of violence and tyranny by the powerful, without respect to persons. He favored and honored holy men, and granted many privileges and immunities to the clergy. His charity and tenderness towards his subjects made him study all possible ways to make them a happy people. He showed a royal munificence in building and adorning churches, and gave the crown which he wore, of very great value, to a church in his capital and place of residence, where the kings of Denmark are still buried.
To the virtues which constitute a great king, Canutus added those which prove the great Saint. A rebellion having sprung up in his kingdom, the king was surprised at church by the rebels. Perceiving his danger, he confessed his sins at the foot of the altar and received Holy Communion. Stretching out his arms before the altar, the Saint fervently recommended his soul to his Creator; in this posture he was struck down on his knees by the enemies of his Christian reign.
Reflection. The soul of a man is endowed with many noble powers, and feels a keen joy in their exercise; but the keenest joy we are capable of knowing consists in prostrating all our powers of mind and heart in humble adoration before the majesty of God.
Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, a compilation based on Butler's Lives of the Saints and other sources by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894); Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Guérin (Bloud et Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 1
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St Wulstan
19th January Bishop of Worcester
(† 1095)
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Wulstan was the son of Athelstan and Wulfgeva. Even during his youth his piety had been noted, and he went on to study at the monasteries of Evesham and Peterborough. Once he was an adult his parents joined separate monasteries in Worcester. After his ordination Wulstan led his flock by good example rather than mere words and sermons.
He became Bishop of Worcester in 1062 only a few years before the the Norman invasion. As Bishop he was known for inspirational preaching, great humility, and asceticism. He was one of the first bishops in England to make pastoral visits to the parishes of his diocese and was influential in ending the sale of Irish prisoners as slaves in England. It was he who put in hand the building of the present Worcester cathedral.
Wulstan’s story is recorded in The Life of Saint Wulstan written in Latin between 1124 and 1143 by William of Malmesbury who extended an earlier version by the monk Coleman, Wulstan’s friend and chaplain. JHF Peile, a former Archdeacon of Worcester translated Malmesbury’s Latin text and published the first English version of the saint’s life, as a book in 1934.
Early Years. Wulstan was born in the village of Itchington, Warwickshire. He was the son of Aethelstan and Wulfgifu who also entered the religious life in separate Worcester monasteries once Wulstan reached adulthood. Wulstan studied first at a monastery in Evesham before going for more advanced training in Peterborough. He was a strong athletic young man and Malmesbury’s account shows clearly that he was very attractive to women, and had to endure several advances and considerable temptation for much of his life.
After much prayer, and an austere life of self-denial, in an attempt to ward off temptation, Wulstan had a dream in which a bright cloud descended upon him and relieved him of his strong carnal desires. Despite this he still had to fight off further advances in the coming years.
Wulstan then took a job working for the Bishop of Worcester (Brihtheah) who soon realised his potential and gave him the chance to advance to the priesthood and take charge of a local parish. Wulstan, however, turned down the offer as he wanted to be a monk, and it was not long before he did indeed enter a monastery in Worcester.
His extent of Wulstan’s renunciation of worldly values is summed up in a quote in Malmesbury’s account: “Happy is the man who grows sick of the attractions of the world. The pleasure of them passes in a moment of time but the tooth of conscience gnaws as long as a man lives.”
As a monk he was very popular and regarded as exemplary as a man of holiness by his brothers, virtually free of faults and perfect in virtues. His austere life style included minimal sleep, and lying prostrate on a bare floor the foot of the altar.
He went on to be appointed as Prior of the monastery and continued his saintly life demonstrating the virtues of love and kindness particularly to those in need. He kept watch for hours at the door of the Church so that he could baptise the children of the poor and help those who had been assaulted.
His holiness drew attention of the Cardinals when the Bishopric of Worcester became vacant and despite his reluctance Wulstan accepted the post in 1061. It was not long before he had plans made for the building of a new Cathedral, but work did not actually start on this until 1084. Malmesbury records several miracles attributed to Bishop Wulstan:
A workman fell 40ft from the roof of the Cathedral but Wulstan, standing nearby, made a holy gesture as the man was tumbling, and he stood up unhurt, blessing the bishop.
Visiting Evesham, Wulstan received a plea from a monk named Eigelric who lay dying from a fever and who desired the bishop’s absolution. Wulstan prayed at the monk’s bedside and gave a blessing – and suddenly “all the pains and weakness of the sufferer fled, and health abounded to drive out the disease”. Eigelric never ceased to bless God and the bishop for his healing.
Among Wulstan’s many other “miracles” was the laying of healing hands on a woman at Evesham who had become a violent and frenzied idiot, on a leper at Kempsey whose flesh “came again like that of a little child”, and on Gunnilda, daughter of King Harold, whose eyesight had been attacked by a malignant tumour. Wulstan made the sign of the Cross before her eyes and “straightway she was able to … receive the light of day”.
Eventually, the fame of Wulstan’s holiness had gone through all the land and even to the ends of the world. The Kings of Ireland paid him many signs of reverence. Malcolm, King of Scotland commended himself to his prayers. The Pope of Rome, the Archbishop of Bari and the Patriarch of Jerusalem, in letters, besought his advocacy with God.
Wulstan died a little after midnight on Saturday the nineteenth day of January in the year of the Incarnation of Our Lord, one thousand and ninety-five when he had been Bishop for 34 years. For centuries after his death, St Wulstan’s tomb in the Cathedral brought pilgrims flocking to Worcester, but sadly, the saint’s shrine was destroyed by order of Henry VIII during the Reformation.
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SS. Fabian & Sebastian
19th January Martyrs
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Pope Saint Fabian was a layman when elected pope, a position he held from January 10, 236 until his martyrdom on January 20, 250. St Sebastian died in 288 under Diocletian. From the Roman Breviary:
“Fabian was a Roman, and sat as Pope from the reign of the Emperor Maximian till that of Decius. He appointed a deacon to each of the seven districts of Rome to look after the poor. He likewise appointed the same number of subdeacons to collect the acts of the Martyrs from the records kept by the seven district notaries. It was by him that it was ordained that every Maundy Thursday the old Chrism should be burnt and new consecrated. He was crowned with martyrdom upon the 20th of January, in the persecution of Decius, and buried in the cemetery of St. Callistus on the Appian Way, having sat in the throne of Peter fifteen years and four days. He held five Advent ordinations, in which he ordained twenty-two priests, seven deacons, and eleven bishops for divers Sees.
The father of Sebastian was of Narbonne, and his mother a Milanese. He was a great favourite of the Emperor Diocletian, both on account of his noble birth and his personal bravery, and was by him appointed captain of the first company of the Praetorian Guards. He was in secret a Christian, and often supported the others both by good offices and money. When some shewed signs of yielding under persecution, he so successfully exhorted them, that, for Jesus Christ’s sake, many offered themselves to the tormentors. Among these were the brothers Mark and Marcellian who were imprisoned at Rome in the house of Nicostratus. The wife of Nicostratus himself, named Zoe, had lost her voice, but it was restored to her at the prayer of Sebastian. These facts becoming known to Diocletian, he sent for Sebastian, and after violently rebuking him, used every means to turn him from his faith in Christ. But as neither promises nor threats availed, he ordered him to be tied to a post and shot to death with arrows.
Sebastian was treated accordingly, and left for dead, but in the night the holy widow Irene sent for the body in order to bury it, and then found that he was still alive, and nursed him in her own house. As soon as his health was restored, he went out to meet Diocletian, and boldly rebuked him for his wickedness. The Emperor was first thunderstruck at the sight of a man whom he believed to been some time dead, but afterwards, frenzied with rage at the reproaches of Sebastian, ordered him to be beaten to death with rods, under which torment the martyr yielded his blessed soul to God. His body was thrown into a sewer, but he appeared in sleep to Lucina, and made known to her where it was, and where he would have it buried. She accordingly found it and laid it in those Catacombs, over which a famous Church hath since been built, called St. Sebastian’s-without-the-Walls.”
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St Agnes of Rome
21st January Virgin and Martyr
(† 304)
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Saint Agnes was twelve years old when she was led to the altar of Minerva at Rome and commanded to obey the persecuting laws of Diocletian by offering incense. In the midst of the idolatrous rites she raised her hands to Christ, her Spouse, and made the sign of the life-giving cross. She did not shrink when she was bound hand and foot, though the manacles slipped from her young hands, and the heathens who stood around were moved to tears. Bonds were not needed for her; she hastened gladly to the place of her torture.
When the judge saw that pain had no terrors for her, he inflicted a sentence comporting an insult worse than death: she was condemned to be taken to a house of infamy and her clothes stripped off. I have an Angel with me, she said, and he will guard me. Christ, whom you do not know, surrounds me like a wall which cannot be forced. And so it occurred. The Spouse of Virgins revealed, by a miracle, His custody of the pure in heart: her hair grew miraculously to such a length that she was entirely covered by it. The place to which she was taken was illuminated by a brilliant, inexplicable light; and there she knelt down to pray. At that site a Church has been built in honor of this young maiden's victory over impurity. Only an impudent suitor, the cause of her arraignment as a Christian, dared approach her, and her Angel struck him dead at her feet. His father prayed Agnes to raise him up again by her magic arts; she answered that magic was not responsible for his death, but only the young pagan's lack of respect for God. She said she would pray to Him that her Lord's glory might be manifested by the miracle his father requested, and it was granted to her prayer.
At length the sentence of death by the sword was passed upon her by a subordinate judge. For a moment she stood erect in prayer, then bowed her neck to the sword, rejoicing that the time of her liberation had arrived. The Angels bore her pure soul to Paradise. A week after her death, Saint Agnes appeared to her parents as they were praying at her tomb; she was amid a choir of virgins clothed in golden robes and crowned with garlands. She begged them not to weep for her as for one dead, telling them rather to rejoice with her in her happiness.
Reflection. Her innocence endeared Saint Agnes to Christ, as it has endeared her to His Church ever since. Even as penitents we may imitate her innocence in our own sphere. Let us strictly guard our eyes, and Christ, when He sees that we desire to keep our hearts pure for love of Him, will fortify our resolution and bless it.
Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, a compilation based on Butler's Lives of the Saints and other sources by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894); Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Guérin (Bloud et Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 1
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SS. Vincent & Anastasius
22nd January Martyrs
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Vincent of Saragossa, Deacon (also known as Vincent of Aragon) Born in Huesca, Spain; died January 22, 304. He was educated and ordained a deacon by Bishop Saint Valerius of Saragossa with the commission to preach (White). (Gill confusingly says: “As a young priest he served Valerius, Bishop of Saragossa, and after a time became his archdeacon.” Is it possible that at the time a presbyter could become a deacon? Deacons did have more power at the time because the faculties necessary for most sacraments had not yet been delegated to the presbyters; deacons held the purse- strings.)
The ancient legend, but not an eyewitness account, relates that the governor Dacian was doing his utmost to stamp out Christianity in his domain. He killed 18 believers in Saragossa in 303. It was during these persecutions under Emperor Diocletian, that Vincent, the bishop, and the priests were arrested, led away in chains, and imprisoned in Valencia. Because Valerius suffered from a speech impediment, Vincent acted as his spokesman and, on behalf of them all, boldly declared their allegiance to Christ. Saint Valerius was exiled and later may have died as a martyr.
Vincent underwent terrible tortures; he had resisted turning over his church’s sacred books, and sacrificing to false gods. He was stretched upon a rack, torn with metal hooks, and laid upon a frame of sharp iron bars heated from beneath by fire. When even this diabolic cruelty failed to break his will, he was thrown into a dungeon the floor of which was strewn with broken crockery that added to the agony of his already lacerated body.
Vincent declared that God sent the angels of heaven to comfort him. His cell, he said, was illuminated with a heavenly light, and might have been filled with roses (the gift of scent), so sweet was its fragrance. He sang hymns as he suffered, so that even the jailer was astounded. As he looked into the cell of the tormented saint and saw him upon his broken knees, suffering agony yet singing praises to God, he was overcome by wonder, and confessed in that hour his conversion. On hearing this, the Roman governor was infuriated, but finding all his efforts to unnerve his victim were useless, gave orders for the torture to stop–perhaps to win Vincent by clemency or to prevent him from becoming a martyr.
For a time Vincent had some relief. The faithful were permitted to gaze upon his broken body, probably in the hope that they would abandon their faith. Instead, they came in troops, kissed the open sores, and carried away as relics cloths dipped in his blood. The gentle hands of Christian women tended his wounds. But he did not survive long and died of his injuries in prison in 304 or 305.
When he died, the anger of the authorities was renewed and followed him to his grave. His body was thrown into a bog as prey to the wild birds and beasts, but it was strangely preserved it is said by the protection of a raven. When any wild beast or bird tried to attack the mortal remains of the saint, the raven drove them away. Thwarted, Dacian had Vincent’s body tied to a stone and cast into the sea. But in the night it was washed ashore, and again loving hands gave it reverent care and secret burial. Relics were claimed by Valencia, Saragossa, Lisbon (the Augustinian monastery), Paris, and Le Mans.
He was the protomartyr of Spain. There can be no doubt of Vincent’s martyrdom. Prudentius devoted a poem to his praise and embroidered acts of his martyrdom have been preserved. The fame of Saint Vincent spread very rapidly and far, as Saint Augustine testifies, in a sermon, that his cultus extended to every part of the Roman Empire and everywhere the name of Jesus was known.
anastasiusAnastasius the Persian (also known as Magundat) died at Bethsaloe, Assyria, January 22, 628. According to his Greek biographer, Magundat was a young Persian soldier in the army of King Chosroes II when it captured Jerusalem in 614. He became curious about the Christian religion, and was impressed by its sublime truths. He returned to Persia, left the military, and retired to Hierapolis.
There he lodged and often prayed with a devout Persian Christian silversmith. The religious art that he saw moved him to inquire more and more about the faith. Finally, he left Hierapolis, and went to Jerusalem where he was baptized Anastasius by Modestus and entered a monastery in 621. Anastasius was always the first at all spiritual duties, especially in assisting at the Mass. His attention to pious discourse testified to the sincerity of his soul. He never read about the triumphs of the martyrs without an abundance of tears, and burned with an ardent desire to become a martyr himself.
After seven years in the monastery, he was allowed to go to Caesarea in Palestine to visit holy places and preach the Gospel to the Persian garrison. He was arrested there, flogged, and put to hard labor. The governor Marzabanes commanded him to be chained by the foot to another prisoner, and his neck and one foot also to be linked by a heavy chain, and condemned him in this condition to carry stones. Upon hearing of his troubles, Anastasius’s old abbot sent two monks to assist him, and ordered prayers for him. Meanwhile, Anastasius would pray all night. A Jew reported having seen him shining in glory and angels praying with him.
The governor called for him again. Marzabanes had received detailed orders from Chosroes: If Anastasius would abjure Christianity by word of mouth, he might choose to return to military service or still remain a Christian and return to the monastery. The governor added that he might in his heart always adhere to Christ, provided that he would but once renounce Christ, privately in the presence of the governor. Anastasius sent back the answer that he would never lie or dissemble.
After repeatedly refusing to renounce his faith, he was taken in chains to the Euphrates, where an officer of Chosroes also failed to induce him to apostatize, even with the help of torture: beatings with staves three days in a row. The martyr’s tranquility and patience astonished the officer, who went again to acquaint the king of his behavior. Meanwhile, the Christian jailer gave everyone free access to the prisoner, and Christians soon filled the prison. Each one sought to kiss his feet or chains, and kept as relics whatever had been sanctified by his touch. They also overlaid his fetters with wax to receive their impression. The saint was embarrassed by all this and tried to discourage his admirers.
Eventually, together with 68 other Christians, Anastasius was strangled and beheaded at Bethsaloe (Barsaloe) on the bank of the Euphrates. Their bodies were left exposed to be devoured by dogs, but they left his body untouched. He body was laid in the monastery of Saint Sergius nearby, and later moved to Palestine, Constantinople, and, in 640, Rome where they are enshrined in the chapel ad Scalas Sanctus near Saint John Lateran. The monk who attended him took his linen tunic back to his monastery in Palestine. Anastasius’s head was brought to Rome and enshrined in the church of Saint Vincent and Saint Anastasius, both celebrated today. Miracles have been attributed to images of his head, which were approved by the seventh general council (Act. 4).
The cultus of Saint Anastasius may have come to England by way of Saint Theodore of Canterbury. Anastasius’s vita was rewritten by the Venerable Bede shortly before Bede’s death. Saint Anastasius is honored the same day by both the Roman and Orthodox Churches.
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The Espousal of the Blessed Virgin Mary & St Joseph
23rd January
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January 23rd is the traditional day of the feast called “The Espousal of the Virgin Mary with St Joseph.” Although never on the general Calendar, it was kept by many religious orders, especially those with a particular devotion to the Virgin Mary, and on many local calendars.
We don’t often think of the marriage of Mary and Joseph, or the events that transpired prior to the Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel. What we do know is that Mary was presented at the temple at a young age, at which time she likely took a vow of perpetual virginity. What, then, was her reaction to the Lord calling her to marriage? As before when she entered the temple, and later, when she accepted the message of Gabriel, Our Lady demonstrates perfect fidelity to the Lord—the quality which sets her apart from all others, and the reason for her chosen status as the Mother of God.
But consider Saint Joseph, her spouse. He, too, entered into a marriage with a vow of chastity, resigning himself to the will of God, and to the protection of the Lord’s sacred vessel of the Incarnation. Even following the Annunciation, Joseph placed his trust in God, choosing not to quietly divorce his wife (as we read in the Gospel he considered), but rather entrusting himself and his family to the Lord’s wisdom and plan.
On the feast of the Espousal, we are called to our own leap of faith—our own abandonment of our personal desires for those of the Lord. We look to emulate Mary and Joseph, who in their infinite trust, placed themselves in the hands of God, faithfully, continently, and chastely living as husband and wife, raising the Son of Man.
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Links to Government websites; remember these are being updated regularly as new information and changes in statuses develop:
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For the ORC Policy Document click below |
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