The feast day of St. Callistus I is celebrated on October I. He is honored as a Pope and martyr of the faith.
St. Callistus was a slave for a Roman who worked for Caesar. He was put in charge of the bank by his master. He manged to lose the money deposited and in fear he fled. He was caught and sent to prison. He was released and told to try to recover the money. This time, he was arrested after getting into a brawl in a Jewish synagogue. He was then sent to Sardenia to work in the mines. The mistress of the emperor was able to influence his release.
Callistus became superintendent of the cemetery of St. Callistus. He was ordained a deacon by the Pope and became the friend and adviser of the Pope. When the pope died, Callistus was elected to be Bishop of Rome with a majority vote. This led to a schism with his rival St. Hippolytus who became the first anti-pope. Hippolytus accused Pope Callistus of sympathizing with heretics. He also disagreed with Pope Callistus’ teaching about the power of Divine Mercy in the sacrament of confession.
In the year 236, both Pope Callistus and Hyppolytus were martyred during an uprising in Rome. They were both canonized as saints. It is believed that Hyppolytus made peace with the church before his death.
St. Callistus is the first pope after St. Peter to be honored as a martyr.
“God loves each one of us as if there were only one of us.”
The feast day of Bl. Eugene III is celebrated on July 8. He served as the Bishop of Rome from 1145-1153. He was the first Cistercian Pope. Little is know about his early life. Bl. Eugene was ordained a priest by Pope Innocent II. St. Bernard of Clairvaux led him into the Cistercian Order in 1138. He became the abbot of the monastery of S. Anastasio aale Tre Fontance outside of Rome.
The election of Bl. Eugene III as the Bishop of Rome took place in 1145. Because of the turmoil of the times which was during the Crusades Bl. Eugene was unable to live in Rome. He lived in Viterbo, Siena, and France. He actively reformed the church. Three synods were held while he was Pope; Paris (1149), Tier (1147-1148) and Rheims (1148) The synods focused on reforming the clerical life.
Bl. Eugene III died on July 8, 1153 in Tivoli, Italy. He was recognized as a pious and meek man. Pope Pius X beatified him in 1872.
Time is a treasure of inestimable value,
because in every moment of time we may gain
an increase of grace and eternal glory.
Quote of St. Alphonsus Liguori; Feast day August 1
The feast day of St. Silverius is celebrated on June 20.
St. Silverius was the son of Pope Hermisdas who had been married before entering his ministry. St. Silverius was chosen as Pope while he was serving as a sub deacon. He was ordained on June 8, 536.
As Pope, St. Silverius refused to approve the doctrine of monophysitism which believed Christ had one nature not two (human and divine). Because of this ruling Pope Silverius was deposed and replaced by a deacon named Vigilus. St. Silverius was accused of treason and degraded to the rank of monk. After an appeal he was sent to Rome for an inquiry. Silverius however was forced to live on the island of Palmaria off Naples.
St. Silverius died from murder by starvation in the year 539. He was recognized a saint by popular acclamation.
Cast yourself into the furnace of the gentle heart of Jesus.
All your defects and imperfections will be consumed there.
During his catechesis for the general audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis described the gift of piety received from the Holy Spirit, saying not to confuse it with pity. He described piety as a friendship with God, given us by Jesus; a friendship that changes our life and fills us with enthusiasm and joy. According to Zenit News Agency, Pope Francis said this gift is often misunderstood as pity.
Pope Francis told thousands gathered for his weekly general Audience that when the Holy Spirit pours love into our hearts we are led to perceive the Lord’s presence and love in our lives. This moves us to respond joyfully in prayer and adoration.
Pope Francis said,
“We experience ever anew, with joy and gratitude, the loving relationship with God our Father which has been granted us in Jesus his Son which grounds and perfects our authentic worship of God.”
Pope Francis clarified that piety is often misunderstood and confused as pity. “However,” he said ,
“piety is not having compassion for someone, having pity for one’s neighbor but indicates our belonging to God and our profound bond with Him. This bond gives meaning to the whole of our life and keeps us firm, in communion with Him, in the most difficult and trying moments.”
He stressed that there are two aspects of piety. First is a bond with the Lord which is not intended as a duty or an imposition. The bond comes from within. Pope Francis explained that it is a relation lived with the heart: it is our friendship with God, given to us by Jesus: a friendship that changes our life and fills us with enthusiasm and joy.
Pope Francis continued:
“When the Holy Spirit makes us perceive the presence of the Lord and all his love for us, He warms our heart and moves us almost naturally to prayer and to celebration,”
The pope stated that the second point of piety makes us grow in relationship and communion with God and leads us to live as his children, helping us to pass this love on to others, recognizing them as our brothers.
Distinguishing piety from pity, Pope Francis stressed that pity does not motivate the faithful in their relationships and encounters.
“Why do I say not to pity? Why do some people think that having compassion is close your eyes, make a face like a little picture, pretend to be a saint,” he said. “This is not the gift of piety.”
Rather, he said,
“piety means to be truly capable of rejoicing with those in joy, to weep with those who weep, to welcome and help those who are in need.”
Pope Francis noted the very close relation between the gift of piety and meekness, he said piety “makes us meek, it makes us tranquil, patient, in peace with God, and at the service of others with meekness.” Meekness is one of the beatitudes.
Recalling Paul’s Letter to the Romans: “All who are led by the Spirit of God ,these are sons of God, and ye have not received a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit adopted as children, by whom we cry, ‘Abba, Father. ‘” The Apostle Paul’s words still apply to faithful today, he stressed.
The Pope concluded his homily with an invitation. He asked the faithful to ask the Lord that the gift of his Spirit conquer our fear, our uncertainties, also our restless, impatient spirit, rendering us joyful witnesses of God and of his love, adoring the Lord in truth and also in the service of our neighbor, with meekness and with the smile that the Holy Spirit always gives us in joy.
This article was originally posted on June 5, 2014
Pope Francis preached about fear during his morning homily at Casa Santa Marta on Friday, May 15. According to Vatican Radio he said that Christian joy is a gift. It is a gift from the Holy Spirit.
Pope Francis began his homily by saying, “Fear is not a Christian attitude, but rather an attitude of a caged animal without freedom.” The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells us that Jesus appeared to Paul in a vision telling him not to be afraid. To go on speaking and not to be silent, for he was with him. Pope Francis described fear as an attitude that can harm, weaken and diminish. In his homily he emphasized that a fearful Christian is a person who has not understood the message of Jesus.
Pope Francis explained, “This is why Jesus says to Paul: ‘Do not be afraid. Continue to speak.’ Fear is not a Christian attitude. It is an attitude, we could say, of a caged animal, without freedom, who does not have the freedom to look ahead, to create something, to do good… no, always: ‘No, but this is dangerous, there is something else, something else…’ And this is a vice. It is the fear of doing evil. A person who is afraid does nothing, doesn’t know what to do. He is focused on himself, so that nothing bad will happen.”
Pope Francis encouraged the faithful to ask for the grace of courage, so as not to become fearful. The pontiff continued, “There are fearful communities that always go on the safe side: ‘No, no, we aren’t doing this… No, no, this can’t be done, this can’t be done.’ It seems they have written on the gateway: ‘Forbidden.’ Everything is forbidden because of fear. And you enter into this community and the air is stale, because it is a sick community. Fear makes a community sick. The lack of courage makes a community sick.”
Pope Francis stated that fear must not be confused with fear of the Lord, a grace that allows the faithful to experience awe in adoration.
Pope Francis continued by describing the true meaning of joy which is the opposite of fear.
“Christian joy is not simply enjoyment, is not a fleeting cheerfulness,” he explained. “Christian joy is a gift, it is a gift of the Holy Spirit. And having a heart that is always joyful because the Lord has triumphed, the Lord reigns, the Lord is at the right hand of the Father, the Lord has looked upon me and called me and has given me His grace, and has made me a Son of the Father… That is Christian joy. A Christian lives in joy.”
Continuing his homily, Pope Francis said that it is the lack of joy in Christian communities that causes it to become sick. Perhaps it would be a fun-loving community but it has grown sick with worldliness, because it does not have the joy of Jesus Christ. And thus, when the Church is fearful and when the Church does not receive the joy of the Holy Spirit, the Church is sick, the communities are sick, the faithful are sick.
Pope Francis concluded with this prayer: “Lift us up, O Lord, to Christ seated at the right hand of the Father… raise our spirit. Take away our every fear, and grant us joy and peace.”
Courage is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit which is received when one receives the Sacrament of Confirmation. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are: Wisdom, Understanding, Courage (fortitude), Counsel, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord (Awe), Thousands of Catholics will be confirmed this spring. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are what guide a Catholic Christian throughout his/her life. Without the Holy Spirit as our advocate we are afraid and uncertain about the will of god in our lives.
The feast day of St. John I is celebrated on May 18.
Pope John I was born in Tuscany, Italy. Little is known about his early life. He was elected pope one week after the death of his predecessor Hormisdas on August 13, 523.
There was great turmoil during the time of his election. The heresy of Arianism (the belief that Jesus was not divine) was causing persecution in many areas. Pope John was frail but he was the first pope to travel to Constantinople. He counseled the Byzantine emperor Justin, who persecuted heretics, to treat heretics with mercy. He celebrated Easter Mass in Constantinople before returning to Rome.
The king of Ostrogoths, Theodoric, was an Arian Christian. Because the edict against Arianism had not been lifted he became furious. While Pope John was returning to Rome, he had him kidnapped and imprisoned. St. John died in prison of thirst and starvation on May 18, 526. He is honored as a martyr.
When Doubting Thomas was refuted face to face, all mankind was given instruction.
