Sunday, July 16, 2017
Our Savior and His Love for Us

http://amzn.to/2t5chGJ
This past week I was thankful to have been on a 5 Day Ignatian Spiritual Retreat in Ridgefield, Connecticut.  While I will write more in length in the coming days on my time there, I did want to share a book recommendation that I found extremely enlightening, insightful, and doctrinally solid.

The book is "Our Savior and His Love for Us" by the famous Dominican Philosopher of the 20th century - Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange.

Fr. Lagarange probes the meaning of 32 different topics relating to Our Lord's Divine Life and how they show His love for us. Each chapter is truly marvelous and beautifully written - spurning on each souls that already are well familiar with the life of the Lord.  I took away several insights on the Last Supper that I was not aware of despite having heard the story many different times already.

If you are looking for truly edifying spiritual reading, please consider "Our Savior and His Love for Us"
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Saturday, July 8, 2017
St. Elizabeth, Queen and Widow

SemiDouble (1954 Calendar): July 8

Elizabeth, of the royal race of Aragon, was born in the year of our Lord 1271. As a presage of her future sanctity, her parents, contrary to custom, passing over the mother and grandmother, gave her in Baptism the name of her maternal great-aunt, St. Elizabeth, Duchess of Thuringia. No sooner was she born, than it became evident what a blessed peacemaker she was to be between kings and kingdoms; for the joy of her birth put a happy period to the miserable quarrels of her father and grandfather. As she grew up, her father, admiring the natural abilities of his daughter, was wont to assert that Elizabeth would far outstrip in virtue all the women descended of the royal blood of Aragon; and so great was his veneration for her heavenly manner of life, her contempt of worldly ornaments, her abhorrence of pleasure, her assiduity in fasting, prayer, and works of charity, that he attributed to her merits alone the prosperity of his kingdom and estate. On account of her widespread reputation, her hand was sought by many princes; at length she was, with all the ceremonies of holy Church, united in matrimony with Dionysius, king of Portugal.

The following is taken from The Liturgical Year by Abbot Gueranger:

In the footsteps of Margaret of Scotland and of Clotilde of France, a third Queen comes to shed her brightness on the sacred cycle. Born at the southern extremity of Christendom, where it borders of Musselman lands, she was destined by the Holy Ghost to seal with peace the victories of Christ, and prepare the way for fresh conquests. The blessed name of Elizabeth, which for half a century had been rejoicing the world with its sweet perfume, was given to her, foretelling that this newborn child, as though attracted by the roses which fell from the mantle of her Thuringian aunt, was to cause these same heavenly flowers to blossom in Iberia.

There is a mysterious heirship among the saints of God. The same year in which one niece of Elizabeth of Thuringia was born in Spain, another, the Blessed Margaret of Hungary, took her flight to heaven. She had been consecrated to God from her mother’s womb, as a pledge for the salvation of her people, in the midst of terrible disasters; and the hopes so early centered in her were not frustrated. A short life of twenty-eight years spent in innocence and prayer, earned for her country the blessings of peace and civilization; and then Margaret bequeathed to our Saint of today the mission of continuing in another land the work of her holy predecessors.

The time had come for our Lord to shed a ray of His grace upon Spain. The thirteenth century was closing, leaving the world in a state of dismemberment and ruin. Weary of fighting for Christ, kings dismissed the Church from their councils, and selfishly kept aloof, preferring their own ambitious strifes to the common aspiration of the once great body of Christendom. Such a state of things was disastrous for the entire West; much more, then, for that noble country where the Crusade the multiplied kingdoms as so many outposts against the common enemy, the Moors. Unity of views and the sacrifice of all things to the great work of deliverance could alone maintain in the successors of Pelayo the spirit of the grand memories of yore. Unfortunately these princes, though heroes on the battlefield, had not sufficient strength of mind to lay aside their petty quarrels and take up the sacred duty entrusted to them by Providence. In vain did the Roman Pontiff strive to awaken them to the interests of their country and of the Christian name; these hearts, generous in other respects, were too stifled by miserable passions to heed his voice; and the Musselman looked on delightedly at these intestine strifes, which retarded his own defeat. Navarre, Castile, Aragon, and Portugal were not only at war with each other; but even within each of these kingdoms, father and son were at enmity, and brother disputed with brother, inch by inch, the heritage of his ancestors.

Who was to restore to Spain the still recent traditions of her Ferdinand III? Who was to gather again these dissentient wills into one, so as to make them a terror to the Sacracen and a glory to Christ? James I of Aragon, who rivalled St. Ferdinand both in bravery and in conquests, had married Yoland, daughter of Andrew of Hungary; whereupon the cultus of the holy Duchess of Thuringia, whose brother-in-law he had thus become, was introduced beyond the Pyrenees; and the name of Elizabeth, changed in most into Isabel, became, as it were, a family jewel with which the Spanish princesses have loved to be adorned. The first to bear it was the daughter of James and Yoland, who married Philip III of France, successor of St. Louis; the second was the grand-daughter of the same James I, the Saint whom the Church honors today, and of whom the old king, with prophetic insight, loved to say, that she would surpass all the women of the race of Aragon.

Inheriting not only the name, but also the virtues of the “dear St. Elizabeth,” she would one day deserve to be called “the mother of peace and of her country.” By means of her heroic self-renunciation and all-powerful prayer, she repressed the lamentable quarrels of princes. One day, unable to prevent peace being broken, she cast herself between two contending armies under a very hailstorm of arrows, and so forced the soldiers to lay down their fratricidal arms. Thus she paved the way for the happy event, which she herself was not to have the consolation of seeing: the re-organization of that great enterprise for the expulsion of the Moors, which was not to close till the following century under the auspices of another Isabel, her worthy descendant, who would add to her name the beautiful title of “the Catholic.” Four years after Elizabeth’s death, the victory of Salado was gained by the united armies of all Spain over 600,000 infidels, showing how a woman could, under most adverse circumstances, inaugurate a brilliant Crusade, to the immortal fame of her country.

Prayer:

O blessed Elizabeth! we praise God for thy holy works, as the Church this day invites all her sons to do (in the Invitatory). More valiant than those princes in whose midst thou didst appear as the angel of thy fatherland, thou didst exhibit in thy private life a heroism which could equal theirs, when need was, even on the battlefield. God’s grace was the motive-power of thy actions, and His glory their sole end. Often does God gain more glory by abnegations hidden from all eyes but His, than by great works justly admired by a whole people. It is because the power of His grace shines forth the more; and it is generally the way of His Providence to cause the most remarkable blessings bestowed on nations, to spring from these hidden sources. How many battles celebrated in history have first been fought and won in the sight of the Blessed Trinity, in some hidden spot of that supernatural world, where the elect are ever at war with hell, nay, struggle at times even with God Himself; how many famous treaties with peace have first been concluded between heaven and earth in the secret of a single soul, as a reward for those giant struggles which men misunderstand and despise! Let the fashion of this world pass away; and those deep-thinking politicians, who are said to rule the course of events, the proud negotiators and warriors of renown, all, when judged by the light of eternity, will appear for what they are: mere deceptions screening from the sight of men the only names truly worthy of immortality.

Glory then be to thee, through whom the Lord has deigned to lift a corner of the veil that hides from the world the true rulers of its destinies. In the golden book of the elect, thy nobility rests on better titles than those of birth. Daughter and mother of kings, thyself a queen, thou didst rule over a glorious land; but far more glorious is the family throne in heaven, where thou reignest with the first Elizabeth, with Margaret and with Hedwige, and where others will come to join thee, doing honor to the same noble blood which flowed in thy veins.

Remember, O mother of thy country, that the power given thee on earth is not diminished now that the God of armies has called thee to thy heavenly triumph. True, the land of Iberia, which owes its independence principally to thee, is no longer in the same troubled condition; but if at the present day there is no fear of the Moors, on the other hand, Spain and Portugal have fallen away from their noble traditions: lead them back to the right path, that they mat attain the glorious destiny marked out for them by Providence. Thy power in heaven is not restrained within the borders of a kingdom; cast then a look of mercy on the rest of the world: see how nations, recognizing no right but might, waste their wealth and their vitality in wholesale bloodshed; has the time come for those terrible wars, which are to be harbingers of the end, and wherein the world will work its own destruction! O mother of peace! hear how the Church, the mother of nations, implores thee to make full use of thy sublime prerogative; put a stop to these furious strifes; and make our life on earth a path of peace, leading up ot the joys of eternity.
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Thursday, July 6, 2017
Consoling Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Note: This article is taken directly from the SSPX website.

On the feast of the Sacred Heart, the Consoling Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus held a moving ceremony at Vigne di Narni in Italy.

Two American postulants took the habit: Rita and Cassian became Sister Maria Maddalena dell’Amore Misericordioso and Sister Maria Bernadette di Gésu Crucifisso. Three novices also made their first vows: Sister Maria Caterina (French), Sister Maria Chiara (French), and Sister Maria Veronica (American). The Consoling Sisters of the Sacred Heart make a fourth vow, the vow to practice and spread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

About thirty sisters and over a dozen priests assisted at the ceremony, including Fr; Alain-Marc Nély, Second General Assistant of the Society of St. Pius X, and Fr. Robert Brucciani, District Superior of England.

Before his death in 1996, the founder of the Consoling Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Fr. Basilio, asked the Society to provide spiritual care for the sisters. In his sermon during the ceremony on June 23, Fr. Emmanuel du Chalard reminded the religious of the importance of fidelity:

The communities that remain faithful to the doctrinal, liturgical and religious Tradition of the Church, to the letter and the spirit of their Rule, are blessed by the Lord. Innovations made under the pretext of adapting to the modern world or the frailty of vocations today lead to comfort and relaxation, and are the beginning of the decadence of the religious life.
     
The founders had the grace of state to write the Rules or Constitutions, and their successors have the duty to keep them and observe them. And a true reform, when made, is always a return to a closer observance of the Rule, like St. Teresa of Avila’s reform.

"It is an invitation to remain faithful to your religious life, to your Rule, and this fidelity will guarantee the future of your congregation.

“With a fourth vow, you promise to practice and spread the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and only that can draw down blessings upon your Institution and the persons and families that discover it thanks to your apostolate.

“What is more, you pray and make many sacrifices for the sanctification of priests. Many of them are here today to show their gratitude. We beg you to continue and to redouble – at least in intensity – your spiritual assistance that is so necessary to us. As the Founder of our Society used to say: What the Church needs most is not just priests but holy priests. And in that, you, dear Sisters, you can help us very much.”

The Consoling Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus currently exercise their apostolate in three different houses:
  • Vigne di Narni, the motherhouse that includes the novitiate and where the religious care for some elderly people.
  • The priory of Montalenghe, near Turin.
  • In India, the orphanage of Palayamkottai has 70 children and a dozen elderly or sick people. Five professed sisters, two novices, and some volunteers devote themselves with priceless generosity. The house is a miracle of Divine Providence; it runs only on donations and receives no help from the State.
For more information:

Consoling Sisters of the Sacred Heart
Via Flaminia Vecchia, 20
 05030 Vigne di Narni (TR) Italy
Email: consolatrici@gmail.com

Consoling Sisters of the Sacred Heart
Society of Servi Domini
Opp. Government. High School
Burkitmanagar
Trirunelveli TN 627 351 - India
Email: servidomini2000@gmail.com
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Consecration of A New Church for the SSPX Novitiate of Brothers in Philippines


On May 13, 2017, Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X, consecrated the magnificent St. Bernard Novitiate Church in Iloilo, Panay Island, in the center of the Philippine Archipelago.
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Monday, July 3, 2017
Office of Vespers for the Patronal Feast of the Abbey of Our Lady of Consolation at Stanbrook (Worcestershire)


::First Vespers::

ANTIPHONS


1 Who is she who cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array.

PSALM 109 - DIXIT DOMINUS http://www.drbo.org/chapter/21109.htm

2 Shew me thy face, let thy voice sound in my ears: for thy voice is sweet and thy face comely.

PSALM 112 - LAUDATE, PUERI http://www.drbo.org/chapter/21112.htm

3 To thee we cried, O holy Mother of God, and through thee came the help of God to us.

PSALM 121 - LAETATUS SUM http://www.drbo.org/chapter/21121.htm

4 Put forth flowers like the lily, and give a sweet smell; bud forth in comeliness, and sing together a canticle, and proclaim Mary blessed in her works.

PSALM 126 - NISI DOMINUS http://www.drbo.org/chapter/21126.htm

-----
LITTLE CHAPTER - Ecclus. xxiv
COME over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits: for my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb.

Short Responsory
THY consolations * O Virgin Mother of God. Thy consolations. V. Have given joy to my soul. O Virgin. Glory. Thy consolations.

HYMNUS: Ave maris stella
Hail, O Star of the ocean, God's own Mother blest,
ever sinless Virgin, gate of heav'nly rest.

Taking that sweet Ave, which from Gabriel came,
peace confirm within us, changing Eve's name.

Break the sinners' fetters, make our blindness day,
Chase all evils from us, for all blessings pray.

Show thyself a Mother, may the Word divine
born for us thine Infant hear our prayers through thine.

Virgin all excelling, mildest of the mild,
free from guilt preserve us meek and undefiled.

Keep our life all spotless, make our way secure
till we find in Jesus, joy for evermore.

Praise to God the Father, honor to the Son,
in the Holy Spirit, be the glory one.
Amen.

V. O let thy mercy be for my comfort. R. According to thy word unto thy servant.

My soul † * doth magnify the Lord.
2 And my spirit hath rejoiced * in God my Saviour.
3 For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden : * for behold, from henceforth * all generations shall call me blessed.
4 For he that is mighty hath magnified me; * (Here all make a profound reverence) and holy is his Name.
5 And his mercy is on them that fear him * throughout all generations.
6 He hath shewed strength with his arm; * he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
7 He hath put down the mighty from their seat, * and hath exalted the humble and meek.
8 He hath filled the hungry with good things; * and the rich he hath sent empty away.
9 He remembering his mercy * hath holpen his servant Israel.
10 As he promised to our forefathers, * Abraham and his seed for ever.
11 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
12 As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. I called to mind Mary's humility and thy judgments, O Lord, in her greatness, and I was comforted.

COLLECT:

O GOD, the Father of mercies and author of all consolation, who art pleased that all who call upon thee in whatever tribulation, shall receive wonderful comfort through the Mother of thine only-begotten Son; grant in thy mercy that we who rightly glory in her powerful patronage may never cease to follow in her footsteps. Through the same.

In 1652, Pope Innocent X founded the confraternity of Our Lady of Consolation. In 1652, Pope Innocent X founded the confraternity of Our Lady of Consolation.

::At II Vespers::
All as at First Vespers, except the following:

V. Thy rod and thy staff.
R. They have comforted me.

At the Magnificat
Ant. O immaculate Mother of God, who didst often console Jesus, weeping, console us at our last hour.

Image Source
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St. Leo II

SemiDouble (1954 Calendar): July 3
Not on the 1962 Calendar of Saints
Not on the 1969 Calendar of Saints

Today is the feastday of St. Leo II, Pope and Confessor.

The following is taken from The Liturgical Year by Abbot Gueranger:

Pope Leo II, a Sicilian, was learned in sacred and profane subjects, as also in the Greek and Latin tongues, and was moreover an excellent musician. He rearranged and improved the music of the sacred hymns and psalms used in the Church. He approved the Acts of the Sixth General Council, which was held at Constantinople, the Legates of the Apostolic See presiding, in the presence of the Emperor Constantine, the Patriarchs of Constantinople and Antioch, and 170 Bishops; Leo also translated these said Acts into Latin. It was in this Council that Cyrus, Sergius, and Pyrrhus were condemned for teaching that there is in Christ only one will and one operation... 

He was a true father to the poor. Not by money only, but by deeds, his labors, and his advice, he relieved the poverty and loneliness of widows and orphans. He was leading all to live holy and godly lives, not by mere preaching, but by his own life, when he fell asleep in the Lord in the year 683, having reigned as Pope for eleven months, and was buried in the Church of St. Peter on the fifth of the Nones of July (i.e. July 3).

In the month of June, he held one ordination, where he ordained 9 priests, 3 deacons, and 23 bishops for diverse places.

Prayer to St. Leo II:

O glorious Pontiff, by thy teaching we realize more fully the strength of the Rock whereon the Church stands; we know that the gates of Hell shall never prevail against Her. For surely the efforts of the spirits of darkness never (until our own evil times) went to such lengths as they did in that sad crisis to which thou didst put an end; nor was their success, however great in appearance, contrary to the divine promise; for it is to the teaching of Peter and his successors, not to their silence, that the unfailing assistance of the Holy Ghost is guaranteed. O loving Pontiff, obtain for us uprightness of faith and heavenly enthusiasm wherewith it behooves us to hail Peter and Christ acting together in the unity divinely established between them. The liturgy is deeply indebted to thee; grant us to relish more and more the hidden manna it contains, and may our hearts and voices fittingly render these sacred melodies!

Collect from Mass:

O Eternal Shepherd, who appointed blessed Leo II, shepherd of the whole Church, let the prayers of this supreme pontiff move You to look with favor upon Your flock and to keep it under Your continual protection. Through our Lord . . .
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Wednesday, June 28, 2017
A Catholic Tour of Barcelona & Madrid

On Tuesday I returned from a week-long trip to Barcelona and Madrid, a trip to celebrate the completion of my 21 month-long MBA Program at DePaul University.  The trip was approximately 1 week long and some of the highlights included attending the Corpus Christi Procession in Barcelona, visiting the famous Black Madonna at the mountain monastery of Montserrat, and seeing the Royal Palace of Madrid along with its Cathedral next door.

The following are some of the pictures of my trip.  Please note these photos are copyright (c) A Catholic Life Blog, 2017.

The Churches & Sights in Barcelona, Spain

























The Famous Mountain Monastery of Montserrat











Madrid, Spain - the Cathedral








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Monday, June 26, 2017
Sts. John and Paul


Double (1954 Calendar): June 26

Saints John and Paul, Roman brothers, were imperial officers of high repute. They should not be confused with the Apostles by the same name. When Julian the Apostate summoned them to appear at his court, they refused to remain faithful to their Master in Heaven. Having been allowed ten days in which to reconsider their decision, the brothers used the time to distribute their possessions to the poor. Firm in their love of God and fellow men, John and Paul were beheaded in about A.D. 362.

Traditional Matins Reading:

John and Paul, Roman brethren, fed the poor of Christ out of the riches left to them by Constantia, Constantine's daughter, whom they had faithfully and piously served. Being invited into the number of his familiars by Julian the Apostate, they boldly refused, declaring that they had no wish to be in company of one who had forsaken Jesus Christ. Whereupon, he gave them tendays for deliberation, at the end of which term they must know for certain they were to die unless they would consent to attach themselves to him and to sacrifice to Jupiter.

They, meanwhile, employed the time in distributing the remainder of their goods to the poor, so that they might the more quickly go to the Lord, and so as to assist more persons, through whose means they might be received into the eternal tabernacles. On the tenth day, Terentianus, prefect of the prætorian guard, was sent to them, bringing with him the statue of Jupiter, that they might worship it, and he expounded to them the emperor's mandate: to wit, that unless they would pay nomage to Jupiter, they must forthwith die. They, still continuing their prayer, replied that they hesitated not to suffer death for the faith of Christ, whom they with both mind and mouth did adore as God.

Now Terentianus was afraid lest there should ensue a popular tumult were they executed in public, so there and then, on the sixth of the Kalends of July, and in their own house, their heads being struck off, they were secretly buried; whilst the rumour was spread abroad that John and Paul had been sent into banishment. But their death was published by the unclean spirits that began to torment a number of persons whose bodies they possessed: amongst whom was the son of Terentianus who, being troubled by a devil, was led to the sepulchre of the martyrs and there freed. By the which miracle, both he and his father Terentianus believed in Christ; Terentianus himself, as it is said, afterwards wrote the history of their blessed martyrdom.

The following is taken from The Liturgical Year by Abbot Gueranger:

Amidst the numerous sanctuaries which adorn the capital of the Christian universe, the church of Saints John and Paul has remained from the early date of its origin one of the chief centers of Roman piety. From the summit of the Cœlian Hill it towers over the Coliseum, the dependencies of which stretch subterraneously even as far as the cellarage of the house once inhabited by our Saints. They, the last of the Martyrs, completed the glorious crown offered to Christ by Rome, the chosen seat of his power. The conflict in which their blood was spilt consummated the triumph whose hour was sounded under Constantine, but which an offensive retaliation on the part of hell seemed about to compromise.

No attack could be conceived more odious for the Church than that devised by the apostate Cæsar. Nero and Diocletian had violently and with hatred declared against the Incarnate God a war of sword and torture; and without recrimination, Christians by thousands had died, knowing that the testimony thus demanded was merely the order of things, just as it had been in the case of their august Head before a Pontius Pilate, and upon the cross. But with the clever astuteness of a traitor, and the affected disdain of a false philosopher, Julian purposed to stifle Christianity amidst the bulrushes of an oppression progressive to a nicety, and respectfully abhorrent of human blood. Merely to preclude Christians from public offices, and to prohibit them from holding chairs for the teaching of youth, that was all the apostate aimed at! However, the blood which he wanted to avoid shedding must flow, even though a hypocrite’s hands be dyed therewith; for, according to the divine plan, bloodshed alone can bring extreme situations to an issue, and never was Holy Church menaced with greater peril. They would now make a slave of her whom they had beheld still holding her royal liberty in face of executioners. They would now await the moment when, once enslaved, she would at last disappear of herself, in powerlessness and degradation. For this reason the bishops of that time found vent for their indignant soul in accents such as their predecessors had spared to princes whose brute violence was then inundating the empire with Christian blood. They now retorted upon the tyrant scorn for scorn; and the manifestations of contempt that consequently came showering in from every quarter upon the crowned fool, completely unmasked at last his feigned moderation. Julian was now shown up as nothing but a common persecutor of the usual kind; blood flowed, the Church was rescued.

Thus is explained the gratitude which this noble Bride of the Son of God has never ceased to manifest to these glorious Martyrs we are celebrating today: for amidst the many generous Christians whose outspoken indignation brought about the solution of this terrible crisis, none are more illustrious than they. Julian was most anxious to count them among his confidants: with this view, he made use of every entreaty, as we learn from the Breviary Lessons; nor does it appear that he even made the renouncing of Jesus Christ a condition. Well then, it may be retorted, why not yield to the Imperial whim? Could they not do so without wounding their conscience? Surely too much stiffness would be rather calculated to ill-dispose the prince, perhaps even fatally. Whereas to listen to him would very likely have a soothing effect upon him; nay, possibly even bring him round to relax somewhat of those administrative trammels unfortunately imposed upon the Church by his prejudiced government. Yea, for aught one knew, the possible conversion of his soul, the return of so many of the misled who had followed him in his fall, might be the result! Should not such things as these deserve some consideration? should they not impose, as a duty, some gentle handling? Ah! yes; such reasoning as this would doubtless appear to some people as wise policy. Such preoccupation for the apostate’s salvation could easily have had nothing in it but what was inspired by zeal for the Church and for souls; and indeed the most exacting casuist could not find it a crime for John and Paul to dwell in a court where nothing was demanded of them contrary to the divine precepts. Nevertheless the two brothers resolved otherwise; to the course of soothing and reserve-making, they preferred that of the frank expression of their sentiments, and this bold out-speaking of theirs put the tyrant in a fury and brought about their death. The Church has judged their case, and she has found them not in the wrong; hence, it is unlikely that the former path would have led them to a like degree of sanctity in God’s sight.

The names of John and Paul inscribed on the sacred diptychs show well enough their credit in the eyes of the Divine Victim, who never offers Himself to the God Thrice-Holy without blending their memory with that of His own immolation. The enthusiasm excited by the noble attitude of these two valiant witnesses to the Lord, still re-echoes in the Antiphons and Responsories proper to the Feast. It was formerly preceded by a Vigil and fast; together with the sanctuary which encloses their tomb, it may be said to date as far back as the very morrow of their martyrdom. Granted by a singular privilege a place in the Leonian Sacramentary; whilst so many other martyrs slept their sleep of peace outside the walls of the Holy City, John and Paul reposed in Rome itself, the definitive conquest of which had been won for the God of armies by their gallant combat. That very same day of the year immediately succeeding their victorious death (June 26, 363), Julian fell dead, uttering against heaven his cry of rage: “Galilean, thou hast conquered!”

From the Queen City of the universe their renown, passing beyond the mountains, shone forth almost as soon and with nearly equal splendor in the Gauls. Returned from the scene of his own struggle in the cause of the Divinity of Jesus Christ, Hilary of Poitiers at once propagated their cultus. This great Bishop was called to our Lord scarce five years after their martyrdom; but he had already found time to consecrate to their name the church in which his loving hands had laid his sweet daughter Abra and her mother, awaiting the hour when he too should be joined to them in the same spot, expecting the day of the Resurrection. It was from this very church of Saints John and Paul, called later on St. Hilary the Great’s, that Clovis on the eve of the battle of Vouillé beheld streaming towards him that mysterious light, presage of the victory which would result in the expulsion of Arianism from the Gauls, and in the foundation of monarchical unity. These holy Martyrs continued, in after years, to show the interest they took in the advancement of the kingdom of God by the Franks. When the disastrous issue of the second Crusade was filling the soul of St. Bernard with bitterness (for he had preached it), they appeared to him, upraised his courage, and manifested by what secrets the King of Heaven had known how to draw His own glory out of events in which man saw only failure and disaster.


Prayer:

 O Almighty God, let our joy be doubled on this feast of the victory of blessed John and Paul, for they were made true brothers by sharing the same faith and the same martyrdom. Through our Lord . . .
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