28 Jun 2010
Happy Feast of Saint Irenaeus!
The writings of St. Irenaeus entitle him to a high place among the fathers of the Church, for they not only laid the foundations of Christian theology but, by exposing and refuting the errors of the gnostics, they delivered the Catholic Faith from the real danger of the doctrines of those heretics.
He was probably born about the year 125, in one of those maritime provinces of Asia Minor where the memory of the apostles was still cherished and where Christians were numerous. He was most influenced by St. Polycarp who had known the apostles or their immediate disciples
Many Asian priests and missionaries brought the gospel to the pagan Gauls and founded a local church. To this church of Lyon, Irenaeus came to serve as a priest under its first bishop, St. Pothinus, an Asian like himself. In the year 177, Irenaeus was sent to Rome. This mission explains how it was that he was not called upon to share in the martyrdom of St. Pothinus during the terrible persecution in Lyons. When he returned to Lyons it was to occupy the vacant bishopric. By this time, the persecution was over. It was the spread of gnosticism in Gaul, and the ravages it was making among the Christians of his diocese, that inspired him to undertake the task of exposing its errors. He produced a treatise in five books in which he sets forth fully the inner doctrines of the various sects, and afterwards contrasts them with the teaching of the Apostles and the text of the Holy Scripture. His work, written in Greek but quickly translated to Latin, was widely circulated and succeeded in dealing a death-blow to gnosticism. At any rate, from that time onwards, it ceased to offer a serious menace to the Catholic faith.
The date of death of St. Irenaeus is not known, but it is believed to be in the year 202. The bodily remains of St. Irenaeus were buried in a crypt under the altar of what was then called the church of St. John, but was later known by the name of St. Irenaeus himself. This tomb or shrine was destroyed by the Calvinists in 1562, and all trace of his relics seems to have perished.
— via “St. Irenaeus,” Catholic Online.
[ comments ] [ transmitted 09:06 mst ]
Anne, the daughter of peasants, was born in Almendral, Spain, in 1549. She took care of sheep until she was twenty years old. Four miles from her hometown was Avila, the city where St. Teresa and her Carmelite nuns lived. Anne wanted to be a nun too, and St. Teresa accepted her into the monastery. Anne became a lay sister instead of a cloistered nun. This meant that Sister Anne could go out and do the errands while the other nuns who stayed home prayed. For the last six years of her life, St. Teresa chose Sister Anne to be her traveling companion and secre- tary. St. Teresa went around to visit the communities of Carmelite nuns. Sometimes she started a new convent. Sometimes she helped the nuns become more enthusiastic about the wonderful life they had chosen. St. Teresa thought very highly of Sister Anne and praised her to the other nuns. Although Sister Anne never had the chance to go to school, she knew how to read and write. She recorded her experiences with the great St. Teresa. It was Sister Anne who was with her when she died. Sister Anne’s life continued quite normally for six years after St. Teresa’s death. Then the superiors decided to open a new convent in Paris, France. Five nuns were selected to go and Sister Anne was one of them. While the people of Paris were warmly greeting the nuns, Sister Anne slipped into the kitchen and prepared a meal for her hungry sisters. Eventually, four of the five nuns moved on to the Netherlands. Sister Anne remained behind in France because she had been appointed the prioress or superior. Considering herself unworthy of this office, she reminded the Lord that most of the young French women joining their community were from rich, noble families. She was only a shepherdess. Within her heart, Sister Anne heard the Lord’s answer: ”With straws I light my fire.” Sister Anne was later sent to the Netherlands to start more new convents. She went first to Mons and then to Antwerp. The young women who came to join the Carmelites thought of Sister Anne as a saint. Sister Anne died in Antwerp in 1626. She was proclaimed “blessed” by Pope Benedict XV.
Francis was born in the Abruzzi region of Italy on October 13, 1563. His father was a Neapolitan prince. His mother was related to the Aquino family to which the thirteenth-century saint, Thomas Aquinas, belonged. Francis had a good upbringing. He was active in sports. But when he was twenty-two, a disease similar to leprosy, brought him close to death. While he was sick, he thought about the emptiness of the pleasures of the world. He realized that real happiness could only be found in something deeper. Francis made a vow that if he got better, he would dedicate his life to God. He recuperated so quickly that it seemed like a miracle. Francis kept his promise. He began his studies to become a priest. After being ordained, Father Francis joined a group who were devoted to prison ministry. They cared for the prisoners and prepared condemned men to die reconciled to God. Francis and another priest, John Augustine Adorno, started a new religious congregation called the Minor Clerics Regular. When Father John died, Francis was chosen as the superior or leader of the group. He was not at all comfortable with this position. In fact, he was so humble that he actually signed his letters, ”Francis the sinner.” He also took his turn, along with the other priests, sweeping the floors, making beds and washing dishes. Father Francis often spent almost the whole night praying in church. He wanted all the priests to spend at least one hour a day in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Francis spoke so often and so well about God’s love for us that he became known as “the preacher of the love of God.” Francis did not live a long life. He died in June, 1608, at the age of forty-four. Just before he died, he suddenly cried, ”Let’s go!” ”Where do you want to go?” asked the priest by his bed. “To heaven! To heaven!” came the answer in a clear, happy voice. Francis Caracciolo was proclaimed a saint by Pope Pius VII in 1807.
For those of us who think that the faith and zeal of the early Christians died out as the Church grew more safe and powerful through the centuries, the martyrs of Uganda are a reminder that persecution of Christians continues in modern times, even to the present day.
These two saints are mentioned in the First Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass. They were widely honored and prayed to by the early Christians. The feast of these two martyrs was included in the Roman calendar of saints by Pope Vigilius in 555. Marcellinus was a priest. Peter assisted him in his ministry. Both were very brave in the practice of their Christian faith. They served the Christian com- munity with great self-sacrifice. During the persecution of Diocletian, many Christians were killed. Marcellinus and Peter were martyred in 304. As they awaited execution in prison, they continued to witness to their faith in Jesus. Many people, including their jailer and his family, were impressed by their strong faith and became Christians too. When the time came for their execution, Marcellinus and Peter were brought to a hidden spot in a forest called Silva Nigra. This was done to keep the Christians from finding them. Marcellinus and Peter were put to work clearing the briars away to prepare the place where they would be buried. Then they were beheaded. Some time later, their executioner was sorry for the terrible thing he had done. He led the Christians to the graves. Then Marcellinus and Peter were buried in the catacomb of St. Tiberius. Pope Gregory IV sent their relics to Frankfurt, Germany, in 827. He believed that the relics of these two saints would bring blessings to the Church in that nation.
Justin was from Samaria. He lived in the second century. His father brought him up without any belief in God. When he was a boy, Justin studied poetry, history and science. As he grew up, he kept on studying because he wanted to find out the truth about God. One day as he was walking along the shore of the sea, Justin met an old man. They began to talk together. Since Justin looked troubled, the man asked him what was on his mind. Justin answered that he was unhappy because he had not found anything certain about God in all the books he had read. The old man told him about Jesus, the Savior. He encouraged Justin to pray so that he would be able to understand the truth about God. So Justin began to pray and to read the Word of God, the Bible. He grew to love it very much. He was also impressed to see how brave the Christians who were dying for their belief in and love for Jesus were. After learning more about the Christian religion, Justin became a Christian when he was about thirty years old. Then he used his great knowledge to explain and defend the faith with many writings. Justin went to Rome and began teaching there. It was in Rome that he was arrested for being a Christian. The judge asked him, ”Do you think that by dying you will enter heaven and be rewarded?” “I don’t just think so,” the saint answered. ”I am sure of it!” And he died a martyr around the year 166.
When the archangel Gabriel announced to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she was to be the mother of the Savior, he also told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was going to have a baby. Elizabeth was an older woman. Mary knew that she would appreciate some help. So she started out at once on the journey to Elizabeth’s house. Mary’s trip was long and dangerous. Riding on a donkey, it was uncomfortable too. But that didn’t stop her. Mary reached her cousin’s house and greeted Elizabeth. At that moment, God revealed to Elizabeth that Mary had become his mother. Elizabeth asked joyfully, ”How have I deserved that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Mary remained humble. She quickly gave all the credit to God. She exclaimed: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid, and holy is his name.” What graces the Blessed Mother brought to the home of her cousin! St. John the Baptist, while still hidden in his mother’s womb, was cleansed of original sin. Zachary, Elizabeth’s husband who had become mute for doubting the angel of God, was able to speak again. And Elizabeth was filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Mary stayed three months at her cousin’s home. With great kindness and love, she helped Elizabeth. It was a wonderful time for them both.
Saint Maximinus was one of those pastors whom God raised in the most dangerous times to support his church. He was born at Poitiers, nobly descended, and related to Maxentius, bishop of that city before St. Hilary. The reputation of the sanctity of St. Agritius, bishop of Triers, drew him young to that city, and after a most virtuous education, he was admitted to holy orders, and, upon the death of Agritius, chosen his successor in 332. When St. Athanasius was banished to Triers in 336, St. Maximinus received him, not as a person disgraced, but as a most glorious confessor of Christ, and thought it a great happiness to enjoy the company of so illustrious a saint. St. Athanasius stayed with him two years; and his works bear evidence to the indefatigable vigilance, heroic courage, and exemplary virtue of our saint, who was before that time famous for the gift of miracles. St. Paul, bishop of Constantinople, being banished by Constantius, found also a retreat at Triers, and in St. Maximinus a powerful protector. Our saint, by his counsels, precautioned the emperor Constans against the intrigues and snares of the Arians, and on every occasion discovered their artifice, and opposed their faction. He was one of the most illustrious defenders of the Catholic faith in the council of Sardica in 347, and had the honor to be ranked by the Arians with St. Athanasius, in an excommunication which they pretended to fulminate against them at Philippopolis. St. Maximinus is said to have died in Poitou in 349, having made a journey thither to see his relations. He was buried near Poitiers; but his body was afterwards translated to Triers on the day which is now devoted to his memory. St. Maximinus, by protecting and harboring saints, received himself the recompense of a saint.
fantastic: quaint or strange in form, conception, or appearance.
