Friends in Christ, today is the Feast of St. Matthias, the Apostle. According to tradition, Matthias was one of the 72 disciples that the Lord sent out, two-by-two during his ministry, and this is affirmed by the historian Eusebius and by St. Jerome as well. He had been there with Jesus and the apostles from day one, and he had seen Jesus resurrected, this is known from the Acts of the Apostles.
.
What more do we know about St. Matthias? He was assigned to preach the gospel in Judea, and in so doing he wrought many miracles. Later, he went to Cappadocia, the mountainous part of central Turkey, then to the region by the Caspian Sea. He endured persecution and ill-treatment from the savage people with whom he worked; he was martyred by crucifixion and then chopped apart.
.
A legend tells us that enemies once gave Matthias a poisoned drink that had blinded everyone who drank it, but he drank it in the name of Christ, and it did him no harm. More than 250 people had been blinded by the drink, and Matthias restored their sight by laying his hand on each of them.
.
Matthias received so many blessings and graces from Christ – but these virtues and gifts were built upon solid human virtues, which they must be. In his life, it is said that Matthias always tried to be virtuous. He was careful to put into practice what he taught others, he persevered with patience when things were difficult, and was not over-confident or proud when things went well. Above all, he was known for purity. Clement of Alexandria says[i] that he was remarkable for his insistence on mortifying the flesh to subdue sensual appetites, a lesson he learned from Christ himself.
.
Matthias replaced Judas who turned away from the Faith. In our own life, even among friends and relatives there are those who have left the Way. But we should be like St. Matthias, who undaunted, nevertheless continues on. He is the patron saint of recovering alcoholics, carpenters, and tailors.
.
[i] He repeats the actual words of St. Matthias: ‘It behooves us to combat the flesh, and make use of it, without pampering it by unlawful gratifications. As to the soul, we must develop her power by faith and knowledge.’
Friends in Christ, today is the feast of Saints Nereus and Achilleus. They lived back in the 1st century, and were baptized by St. Peter himself. They were servants of the niece of the Emperor. Her name was Domitilla. Now the day came when Domitlla was preparing to get married. As she was putting on her jewels and wedding garments, Nereus and Achilleus began to explain to her how great it was to live as virgins for Christ, for they had made a promise of virginity. They showed her that virginity was dear to God and an imitation of Christ.
.
Friends in Christ, today is the feast of Saints Nereus and Achilleus. They lived back in the 1st century, and were baptized by St. Peter himself. They were servants of the niece of the Emperor, her name was Domitilla.
.
Now the day came when Domitlla was preparing to get married. As she was putting on her wedding garments and her jewelry, Nereus and Achilleus began to explain to her how great it was to live as virgins for Christ, for they had made a promise of virginity. They showed her that virginity was dear to God and an imitation of Christ.
.
Now Domitilla admired these young Christians, and as they explained the beauty of virginity, she decided to renounce her marriage; she was baptized, and received the veil of a Consecrated virgin from Pope Clement himself. Pledged now as a virgin, she converted many to the Christian Faith because of her influence.
.
Her husband-to-be, Aurellian, was outraged by all of this. Some of these new Christians he put into forced labor on his estate, and at night he gave them dog food to eat. But they would not leave the Faith, and so he had one beaten to death, and another he suffocated.
.
A third man, Marcos – he ordered that an enormous rock be dropped onto him, but instead, Marcos miraculously carried the rock on his shoulders for 2 miles as if it were light as a feather – many more converted to the Catholic Faith by this miracle alone.
.
Aurellian banned Nereus and Achilleus and sent them into exile on the island of Pontus, until they should change their mind. But they did not. So they were ordered to their death. They showed the courage of Christians, and were beheaded about the year 80.
.
Next Aurellian dragged Domitilla forcibly to his wedding. He ordered the musicians to play music for entertainment and dancing. Meanwhile, Domitilla prayed to God that this marriage would not be. Aurellian, upon hearing the music, began uncontrollably to dance. He danced, and danced, and danced… No matter how much he tried, he could not stop dancing, and after 2 days he fell over dead. His brother, outraged by this, set fire to the house, and so Domitilla also, became a martyr for Jesus Christ.
.
In the early years of the Faith, martyrdom was and still is, the greatest thing one could do with one’s life. But as with these women saints today, virginity is another way to give a bold witness to Christ with one’s life.
Friends in the Lord, in the 14th and 15th centuries, the Catholic Church in Europe was a mess. Laxness and sin and scandal were everywhere: in the priesthood, the monasteries, and even the Papacy. Society itself was very corrupt, and the Church was swimming in it.
.
It was in this setting that Martin Luther broke with the Faith in the Protestant Reformation. It is true that Luther and others taught heresies and rejected serious teachings of Christ, but the strength of Protestantism was because of the corruption in the Church.
.
So, the Church had to really get down to business and begin reform. There had in fact been a budding, Catholic reform movement for years, and this movement culminated in the Council of Trent, which was even more important than the 2nd Vatican Council.
.
The Council of Trent outlined an enormous task of reform, and when the Council ended, then began the difficult task of implementing these reforms; this work largely fell onto the shoulders of Pope Pius V, whose feast is today.
.
He had become a Dominican at age 14, then a lecturer in philosophy and theology, and very early, he had become involved in this growing reform movement, which got him noticed. As a bishop, his work in his diocese bore great fruit.
.
When he was elected Pope, he announced his clear intention of carrying out the reforms called for by the Council of Trent. Pius V insisted that bishops reside in their diocese; he reformed religious orders, and also established seminaries to properly train priests; before this time there were no seminaries, priests learned on-the-job as sort of an apprentice.
.
The Pope held various synods, and he revised the Breviary. Pius V brought unity to divine worship, published catechisms, revised the translation of scripture, and revitalized the study of theology and canon law.
.
As if that were not enough, it was during his pontificate, that the Turks threatened war on Europe; Pius V led the Catholic world in prayer of the Rosary, for the victory at Lepanto. It saved Europe from Islam.
.
When he was elected Pope, he chose to continue wearing his white, Dominican habit. That tradition continued, and this is the reason that the Pope wears white to this very day.
.
As with most big Councils, and as we have seen with Vatican II, lots of turmoil and problems happen afterwards for many years. These same troubles occurred then, and this saddened Pius V to no end, until his death in 1572.
.
Pope Pius V teaches us to persevere in our efforts, always trusting in God; though he did not see the fruits of his labor in his lifetime, the reforms did take hold, and they renewed the Church for centuries thereafter.
Friends in Christ, today is the feast of St. George[i] and also St. Adalbert.
Today, St. George:
St. George was a martyr who died for the Faith in 304AD, but he is perhaps most famous for his encounter with the dragon.
.
According to legend, it happened that near the city of Selena, there was a large lake, wherein lurked a dragon, perhaps a sort of sea-monster, like the Loc Nest Monster. Many times the dragon would come up to the city walls and poison people by his breath, because he was infected with the plague.
.
To appease this monster, the townspeople fed him two sheep every day, to keep it satisfied. But as they were running out of sheep, they painfully decided to feed him one sheep and one person. The name of the person was drawn by lot. But soon almost all the young people had been eaten up.
.
Then one day the lot fell upon the only daughter of the king. The king was beside himself with grief, and ready to give anything except his daughter, but the girl courageously began walking down toward the lake.
.
At this moment George, who was a Knight, happened to be passing by, and seeing the girl in tears, he asked her why she wept. When she told him, he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, I am going to help you in the name of Christ. ‘Oh, Brave knight she said, save yourself, otherwise you will die with me.
.
Just then, the dragon reared his head out of the lake and began coming toward them. George, mounting his horse and arming himself with the sign of the cross, bravely went after the dragon, and with his lance, he dealt the beast a serious wound. Then he called to the girl and had her throw her apron around the neck of the beast. When she had done this, the dragon followed her by her apron strings like a little dog on a leash.
.
She led him toward the city and the people cried ‘we will be eaten alive!’ but George said: the Lord has sent me to deliver you from this dragon, believe in Christ and be baptized, and I will slay it. Then the king and all the people were baptized, and George, drawing his sword put an end to the beast. On that day twenty thousand were baptized.[ii]
.
In this story, the dragon represents the devil. The King, is God the Father. His beloved daughter, is the Church. And St. George, who slays the dragon, represents Jesus Christ.
.
[i] St. George was a Christian from his youth, and he joined the army under emperor Diocletian. He became a Colonel. But when a persecution was begun against Christians in 304, George openly professed his Faith, even under horrific tortures.
[ii] The king built a magnificent church there in honor of the Blessed Virgin and St. George,
and from the altar flowed a spring whose waters cure all diseases.
Friends in Christ, today is the feast of St. Turibius of Spain. St. Turibius was born in 1538; as a child he had a very Christian heart, but never intended to be a priest or religious. He was educated in Law, and was so brilliant that he became professor of law at the University of Salamanca.
.
His talent was noticed by the King, who made him chief judge of the ecclesiastical court of the Inquisition at Granada. This was a surprising position for a layman to hold, but there was more to come.
.
In those days, Spain was extending it’s influence all over the New World. Now in Peru, corruption was everywhere, as Spanish explorers sought their fortune. Because corruption had also infected the church in Peru, it was almost powerless to convert the people to Christ. It was therefore believed that only a person with great strength of character and a great mind could succeed there. And so, in a surprise move, Turibius, then a layman, was recommended to be Archbishop of Lima, Peru!
.
He was shocked by this decision and protested, but to no avail. At age 43, he was ordained a priest (evidently he agreed to it), then a bishop and then immediately sent to Peru.
.
Arriving in Lima, he soon realized the enormous responsibility laid upon him. His diocese stretched some 400 miles along the coast, and inland up the Andes mountains. Worse, was the attitude he found by the Spanish explorers. They had come to make their fortune, and they made the Indians serve that purpose, they were treated very badly. The vast distance between Peru and Spain made addressing issues of justice very difficult. In all of this, religion seemed to be completely lost, and the example given to the natives was only greed and self-indulgence.
.
Turibius set to work, first traveling through the vast, rugged diocese. He began by reforming the clergy and restored discipline to the priesthood. He was inflexible and strict with regard to the scandals and sinful lifestyles that he saw. Using his authority, he fought against the injustices and vice, and worked at protecting the natives from exploitation.
.
Turibius founded numerous churches, religious houses, and hospitals, as well as the first seminary in the New World, and he also gave Confirmation to the future: St. Rose of Lima.
.
He made it a point to study and master the various Indian dialects, so that he could speak to the people in their own tongue. Turibius visited every part of his diocese, often staying for days with neither bed nor sufficient food, and he went to confession every day.
.
He earned a lot of enemies for himself, but he won scores of converts, because the natives realized that he loved them more than gold.
.
St. Turibius is the patron saint of Peru, and of the rights of native peoples.
Friends in Christ, today is the Feast of St. Joseph. It is a solemnity, the highest rank of feast in the Church.
.
St. Bernadine of Siena says, that when God gives a person a certain vocation: to be a husband, or mother, or priest, or a nun, or a father – when God gives a certain vocation, he also gives that person all the graces needed to fulfill the task.
.
Now St. Joseph was chosen to be the guardian and protector of the greatest treasures in the universe: Jesus Christ, and the Blessed Virgin – the Savior of the world, and the Queen of the world, and he carried out his vocation with complete fidelity.
.
For example: When he heard that Herod would kill the Child Jesus, he flew immediately into action: ‘We must flee the city, he thought – ‘now! During the night’ And in his calm, quiet way, he reassured Mary: ‘It will be ok. You are safe.’
.
Working quickly and with hardly a word, he loaded the mule, and made all the preparations in one night, for a journey of over 300 miles. Always prudent and wise, he took a few tools, to support his family in Egypt. Mary put together a bundle of clothes for the Child and she looked to her protector: O Joseph! O Joseph.[i]
.
Here is just one hint of the courage of St. Joseph. Joseph is the silent one in scripture. He says not one word. He does not impose himself on anyone, yet to call on him, one will find his immediate, fatherly care to keep us safe and secure.
.
St. Joseph protected and guarded the Child of the Blessed Virgin, but we too are the children of Mary. Joseph protects us. When we are afraid, Mary seems to say to us: go to Joseph! When we are sad, and don’t know the way, she says, go to Joseph!
.
St. Joseph is not only the Patron of the Universal church, he is also the patron of a happy death. A happy death is not to die without suffering or trial – the great saints suffered much. A happy death is to die in the friendship of God, with our sins forgiven, and St. Joseph is the Patron of a happy death because he died in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
.
So when we are anxious or worried, let us go to Joseph, this protector. And if we fear death, let us simply place our concern in the care of St. Joseph and then think nothing more of it.
.
[i] Incarnation, Birth, and Infancy of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Liguori, p. 272.
Friends in Christ,
Today is the Feast of St. Cyril of Jerusalem. St. Cyril was ordained bishop of Jerusalem in 348AD, and he was a great defender of the Faith. Twice he was exiled because of his faithfulness to Christ. Of the 35 years he was a bishop, 16 were spent in exile.
St. Cyril is perhaps best known for his Catechetical Instructions. Shortly after he was ordained a priest, his bishop thought so highly of him, that he put him in charge of teaching the catechumens. These are the people who are preparing for baptism. This is basically what we know today as RCIA. Cyril’s catechetical talks were delivered for several years to these candidates – in those days, one prepared for years to be baptized (if you were an adult).
This series of 19 talks on the faith are the only ones that we still have from that period; they are very valuable because they contain a full exposition of the teaching and ritual of the Church in the middle of the 4th century. His explanations of theology and doctrines is so clear, that he not only addressed challenges to the faith in his day, but anticipated questions that would arise later.
When he was ordained bishop, a remarkable phenomenon happened which made an impression on the entire city. A letter written, tells us what happened: ‘On the 7th of May, about 9 o’clock, a great luminous cross appeared in the sky, just over Golgotha; it was seen not by one or two persons, but by the whole city. It continued for several hours, visible to our eyes and brighter than the sun. The whole city, filled with awe, ran to the church giving praise to Jesus Christ.’
This was a sign which occurred at the beginning of his episcopate. But a more interesting event also occurred during St. Cyril’s life.
The Emperor Julian, who had turned against the Faith – he wished to prove the falsehood of Christ’s words. Jesus had foretold the complete and utter destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, which had come to pass in 70AD; Julian therefore, in order to contradict Christ, ordered that the Temple be rebuilt.
As the vast preparations were being made by the workers to rebuild the temple, Bishop Cyril stood by calmly and predicted that instead of rebuilding, they would actually demonstrate the prophecy of Christ that they would not be able to do it. No sooner did the workman begin, than terrible fireballs bursted forth from the earth at the foundation; fire appeared on all of the workmen’s tools, and images of crosses appeared on their garments. With the onset of earthquakes, the whole project had to be abandoned, just as Cyril had foretold.
In those days, the kingdom of God was growing, and a great light of that period was St. Cyril of Jerusalem.
Friends in Christ, today is the feast of St. Frances of Rome. St. Frances was born in 1384. She was of nobility, married at the age of 12, and although her marriage had been arranged, it was a happy one, lasting for forty years. But there were sorrows. They lost two children to the plague.
.
In those days Rome was a horrid place, with violence, disease, and poverty; wolves were even known to roam the streets. All of this made Frances and her husband very sensitive, especially to the needs of the poor.
.
Marvelous things surrounded the life of Frances. Once when the army of Naples demanded their son as a hostage, Frances went to church and dedicated her son to the Blessed Virgin. When the troops arrived and put her son on a horse, the horse refused to move. The soldiers, seeing the hand of God in it, returned the boy to his mother.
.
But marvels through her life did not stop with external signs. Her prayers and her life became such an example to the wealthy ladies of Rome, that many in her social circles gave up their worldly lives to help the sick. These women eventually began the Benedictine Oblate Sisters, and after her husband’s death, Frances herself joined this order.
.
Having lived in this Benedictine Order, the Mother superior wrote this about Frances: With peace of soul Frances always accepted the will of God and gave him thanks for everything that happened. She endured the slander of those who reviled her, and did not show the least hint of aversion toward them. She habitually prayed to God for those against her.
.
The superior also said this: ‘God made Frances so lovable that anyone with whom she spoke was immediately captivated by love for her and ready to help in everything she wanted. Divine power was present and working in her words; in a few sentences she could bring consolation to those who were anxious, calm the restless, pacify the angry, and reconcile enemies. Frances seemed able to calm the passions of every type of person with a single word, and lead them to do whatever she asked. For this reason people flocked to her from all directions. Nevertheless, she openly rebuked them for their sins and fearlessly reproved what was evil.
.
St. Frances also had the special privilege of a visible presence of her guardian angel. She is the patron saint of automobile drivers, taxi drivers, the death of children, and widows.
Beloved in Christ,
In the first centuries of the Faith, Christians were often fed to the lions and other wild animals in the coliseum, to the cheers of bloodthirsty crowds. Two such great martyrs are Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, whom we remember today. They were beautiful girls, who were the best of friends; Perpetua was 22 years old, with long hair; Felicity was younger. Together they wanted to serve Christ, and be great Christian women.
Perpetua was her father’s favorite, and she also had a little baby; but her father, a pagan, often tried to get her to give up her Faith. Well one evening, while they were eating supper, there was a knock on the door. It was the imperial guards. The two girls were summoned to be interrogated.
News spread quickly, and a vast crowd gathered. The girls were seated on a platform before the judge. Perpetua wrote this in her diary: ‘They first questioned others about their Faith. When it was my turn, my father came to the front and held up my baby; he said, ‘Have pity on your child, and give up this religion.’ It hurt me to see this.
I was finally asked, ‘Are you a Christian.’ And I answered ‘Yes I am.’ ‘I was sad for my father, because he would have no joy when I became a martyr. Then the judge passed sentence on us, and condemned us to the wild beasts. That night in prison, I had a dream, and I saw that the next day, victory would be mine.’ In the morning, on the greatest day of their life, the girls woke up with excitement and marched to the Coliseum as if in a procession to heaven; they were singing.
Entering the arena, the roar of the crowd was deafening. The first attack came from a savage bull. Perpetua was tossed by the bull’s horns into the air, and thrown to the ground; there she was seen calmly pinning up her hair, in a state of happiness. When she was told of the attack, she could hardly believe it, until she saw the wounds on herself. She seemed to be in an ecstasy. With a smile she reassured the others saying, ‘Stand fast in the Faith.’
As she went to the aid of Felicity, who had also been tossed, the crowd began demanding their death; after giving each other the kiss of peace, they were killed by the gladiators. Perpetua was still alive after the first blow of the sword, and so she helped the nervous executioner, guide the sword to her own throat.
A witness to these things states: ‘That day a good many came to believe in Christ, for they had never seen so great a Christian woman, as Perpetua.’
No saints are more uniformly honored in the early calendars of the Church, than saints Perpetua and Felicity.
Fr. Luke Winkelmann
Friends in Christ, today is the feast of St. Cyril and Methodius. St. Cyril and Methodius were brothers, and were born in Greece. They both became bishops, and brought the gospel to the Slavic nations. In fact, they invented the Slavic alphabet, so that they could spread the faith. They are the saints of the liturgical calendar today. But also listed in the Roman Martyrology for saints of today we find – St. Valentine! So who is St. Valentine?
.
St. Valentine lived way back in the Roman Empire, when there were laws against being Catholic. Emperor Claudius had also issued an edict forbidding marriage. He needed to increase his army, and he thought that unmarried, single men made better soldiers.
.
Now Valentine was a priest, and he therefore secretly met with young couples, and prepared them for the sacrament of marriage. Eventually he was arrested for this. Emperor Claudius demanded that he worship the pagan gods. Valentine answered: ‘If you but knew the grace of God, you would turn your mind from idols and adore the God who is in heaven.’ But the emperor’s heart was hardened, and he condemned him to death.
.
Now while he was awaiting his death in jail, Valentine prayed that the Lord would enlighten even the people in that jail. His jail guard, Asterius, had a blind daughter, and the daughter felt sorry for Valentine, and often brought him food in prison. In gratitude, he one day prayed over the girl, and her sight was miraculously restored. This led the whole household of Asterius to convert to the faith.
.
Now in prison, Valentine would look out of his cell window, through the cold, iron bars into the blue sky, and doves would sometimes land near the window. He thought about the married couples he had prepared, and about his family. He wanted to send them a message. Well just within reach, grew a cluster of violets. Reaching between the bars, he took some of the leaves, which were shaped like a heart, and he poked holes in them with a thorn, forming words. “Remember your Valentine,” he would write. Attaching them to the doves, he sent them out. The next day, and the next, he sent more messages that simply said, “I love you. – your Valentine” And so this legend would seem to be the origin of sending Valentines.
.
After performing many cures, and bringing so many to Christ, even in prison, he was beheaded for the Faith, on Feb. 14th, 273, in Rome.
St. Valentine: priest, and martyr for the Holy Catholic Faith.
