Monday, April 22, 2013
Ss. Soter and Caius, Popes and Martyrs
St. Soter St. Soter, the successor to Pope Anicetus, died a martyr’s death in 175. He was noted for his kindness to certain Greeks who had been condemned to the mines because of their faith in Christ. When he ascended the chair of Peter he forbade consecrated virgins to touch the sacred vessels and palls, […]
0 Comments
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
St. Anicetus, Pope and Martyr
Pope Anicetus, St. Peter’s tenth successor (154-165), ruled at a time when many noteworthy events transpired in the Church of God. It was the golden age of Gnosticism, and its chief proponents, Valentine and Marcion, had come to Rome. From the Orient Polycarp arrived to discuss the question regarding the day for celebrating Easter. Among […]
0 Comments
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
St. Benedict Joseph Labre, Confessor
Saint Benedict Joseph Labre, born on March 26, 1748 in northern France, exemplifies a very particular kind of holiness found in both East and West. He was a wanderer who prayed ceaselessly, a pilgrim walking from one holy place to another, a fool for Christ. As a young man, Benedict Joseph made a number of […]
0 Comments
Saturday, April 13, 2013
St. Hermenegild, Martyr
Leovigild, Arian King of the Visigoths, had two sons, Hermenegild and Recared, who were reigning conjointly with him. All were Arians, but Hermenegild married a zealous Catholic, the daughter of Sigebert, King of France, and by her holy example was converted to the faith. His father, on hearing the news, denounced him as a traitor, […]
0 Comments
Thursday, April 11, 2013
St. Leo, Pope, Confessor, Doctor of the Church
Leo I, Pope and Doctor of the Church, ruled from 440 to 461. He is surnamed “the Great” and ranks among the most illustrious sovereigns that ever sat on the throne of St. Peter. Of his life, we know little; with him the man seems to disappear before the Pope. He saw most clearly that […]
0 Comments
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Low Sunday—Octave Day of Easter
[Station at St. Pancras’.] Low Sunday, so called in order to emphasize the contrast between the great Easter solemnity and the Sunday which ends the Octave, is also known as Quasimodo, from the first words of the Introit. In the Latin Missal and Breviary it is called Dominica in Albis (deponendis), because the neophytes on […]
0 Comments
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Easter Saturday
[Station at St. John’s Lateran.] The conclusion today of the baptismal celebrations calls the neophytes together again in the Lateran Basilica beside the font in which on Easter Eve they were born to newness of life. Today’s stational liturgy seems to be influenced more than ever by the thought of purity and innocence, like a […]
0 Comments
Friday, April 5, 2013
Easter Friday
[Station at St. Mary of the Martyrs.] In the Seventh Century the Roman Pantheon was dedicated to St. Mary and the heroic sons of the Roman Church, who had suffered martyrdom. The martyrs indeed seem to have a particular right to the glory of the Resurrection on account of their perfect resemblance to Christ crucified; […]
0 Comments
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Easter Thursday
[Station at the Twelve Holy Apostles.] Under the high altar of this church are preserved the relics of the Apostles Philip and James only; the stational feast is celebrated in honor of all the Apostles together. The Lesson from the Acts of the Apostles deals with the conversion of the treasurer of Candace, Queen of […]
0 Comments