St. Thomas Beckett

Today is the 5th Day of Christmas. 

The Church also remembers St. Thomas Beckett, Bishop and Martyr.

Ora pro nobis. 

Born in AD 1118, Thomas eventually became the Archbishop of Canterbury. In AD 1170, Thomas was brutally murdered after he confronted the king for his seeking to exert power over the life of the Church. 

"What miserable drones and traitors have I nourished and brought up in my household, who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born cleric?", said the king. Four knights took this as a royal command, and later burst into the cathedral at night, and brutally murdered him as he clung to the altar. 

May we follow his example of allegiance to the Faith over allegiance to human authorities, civic or ecclesiastical, even at the cost of our lives. For those who stand up to those who abuse power, who refuse to be bullied into betraying their conscience or faith, who work for liberty in conscience and freedom of religion, St. Thomas Beckett, pray for us.

O God, our strength and our salvation, you called your servant Thomas Becket to be a shepherd of your people and a defender of your Church: Keep your household from all evil and raise up among us faithful pastors and leaders who are wise in the ways of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ the shepherd of our souls, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. 

Amen.

Slaughter of the Innocents

 On this 4th Day of Christmas, the Church remembers the Holy Innocents, that otherwise nameless and unremembered group of children who were brutally murdered by a power mad king in his attempt to kill the infant Jesus and so eliminate a possible threat to his continued dominion. 

Orate pro nobis.

How often do we accept when we are told by those holding the reins of power that "collateral damage" is acceptable or inevitable, or do we turn a blind eye towards the suffering of children, when inflicted in the name of maintaining privilege, luxury, access to cheap goods, or dominion?  

How long until we see every human person as our own child, our own most beloved, for whom we have the duty of care? How long until we refuse to serve any power, system, economy, or person that reduces anyone into a commodity, a problem to be eliminated, an alien, or as lacking the same human dignity that we demand for ourselves? 

...until the day that we are ourselves transformed by the love of God, and the world is renewed...

For the dawning of that day, please, pray. 

We remember today, O God, the slaughter of the holy innocents of Bethlehem by King Herod. Receive, we pray, into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims; and by your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish your rule of justice, love, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. 

Amen.

St. John the Beloved

 Today, the Third Day of Christmas, the Church remembers St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, the author of the Gospel of John, the Letters of John, and the Book of the Revelation.

Ora pro nobis.

The Apostle John was a historical figure, one of the "pillars" of the Jerusalem church after Jesus' death. He was one of the original twelve apostles and is thought to be the only one to have lived into old age and not be killed for his faith. He was exiled (around 95 AD) to the Aegean island of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation.

He was the "beloved disciple", who as a young man was one of the early disciples of Jesus. Of all the male apostles, John is the only one who did not run away when Jesus was arrested and crucified. He stood with Mary, the mother of Jesus, at the foot of the the cross, and there Jesus commended the duty of care for his mother to him. John cared for Mary until her death many years later. 

He lived to old age, even though he faced exile, deprivation, and torture because of his faith in Jesus. He wrote many of the works that are part of the Christian holy scriptures, perhaps most famously the words that begin with "God so loved the world..." and "God is love". 

In gratitude we remember John, faithful witness of Jesus and his recording of Jesus’ astonishing revelation that the nature of God is self-emptying, self-sacrificing love.

Shed upon your Church, O Lord, the brightness of your light, that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and evangelist John, may so walk in the light of your truth, that at length we may attain to the fullness of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. 

Amen.

St. Lucy, Martyr

 Today the Church remembers Lucia of Syracuse (283–304 AD).

Ora pro nobis.

St. Lucia, or St. Lucy, was a Roman Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is one of eight women (including the Virgin Mary) explicitly commemorated by Roman Catholics in the Canon of the Mass. Her traditional feast day, known in Europe as Saint Lucy's Day, is observed by Western Christians on 13 or 16 December. Lucia of Syracuse was honored in the Middle Ages and remained a well-known saint in early modern England. She is one of the best known virgin martyrs, along with Agatha of Sicily, Agnes of Rome, Cecilia of Rome and Catherine of Alexandria.

Sources

The oldest record of her story comes from the fifth-century Acts of the Martyrs. The single fact upon which various accounts agree is that a disappointed suitor accused Lucy of being a Christian, and she was executed in Syracuse, Sicily, in the year 304 AD during the Diocletianic Persecution. Her veneration spread to Rome, and by the sixth century to the whole Church. The oldest archaeological evidence comes from the Greek inscriptions from the Catacombs of St. John in Syracuse. Jacobus de Voragine's Legenda Aurea was the most widely read version of the Lucy legend in the Middle Ages. In medieval accounts, Saint Lucy's eyes were gouged out prior to her execution. The most ancient archaeological traces attributable to the cult of Saint Lucia have been brought back to Sicily, particularly in Syracuse and are preserved in the archaeological museums of the city.

Life

According to the traditional story, Lucy was born of rich and noble parents about the year 283 AD. Her father was of Roman origin,[1] but died when she was five years old,leaving Lucy and her mother without a protective guardian. Her mother's name Eutychia seems to indicate that she came from a Greek background.

Like many of the early martyrs, Lucy had consecrated her virginity to God, and she hoped to distribute her dowry to the poor. However, Eutychia, not knowing of Lucy's promise, and suffering from a bleeding disorder, feared for Lucy's future. She arranged Lucy's marriage to a young man of a wealthy pagan family.

Saint Agatha had been martyred 52 years before during the Decian persecution. Her shrine at Catania, less than 50 miles from Syracuse, attracted a number of pilgrims; many miracles were reported to have happened through her intercession. Eutychia was persuaded to make a pilgrimage to Catania, in hopes of a cure. While there, St. Agatha came to Lucy in a dream and told her that because of her faith her mother would be cured and that Lucy would be the glory of Syracuse, as she was of Catania. With her mother cured, Lucy took the opportunity to persuade her mother to allow her to distribute a great part of her riches among the poor.

Eutychia suggested that the sums would make a good bequest, but Lucy countered, "...whatever you give away at death for the Lord's sake you give because you cannot take it with you. Give now to the true Savior, while you are healthy, whatever you intended to give away at your death."

News that the patrimony and jewels were being distributed came to Lucy's betrothed, who denounced her to Paschasius, the Governor of Syracuse. Paschasius ordered her to burn a sacrifice to the emperor's image. When she refused, Paschasius sentenced her to be defiled in a brothel.

The Christian tradition states that when the guards came to take her away, they could not move her even when they hitched her to a team of oxen. Bundles of wood were then heaped about her and set on fire, but would not burn. Finally, she met her death by the sword thrust into her throat.

Absent in the early narratives and traditions, at least until the fifteenth century, is the story of Lucia tortured by eye-gouging. According to later accounts, before she died she foretold the punishment of Paschasius and the speedy end of the persecution, adding that Diocletian would reign no more, and Maximian would meet his end. This so angered Paschasius that he ordered the guards to remove her eyes. Another version has Lucy taking her own eyes out in order to discourage a persistent suitor who admired them. When her body was prepared for burial in the family mausoleum it was discovered that her eyes had been miraculously restored.. This is one of the reasons that Lucy is the patron saint of those with eye illnesses.

Almighty God, by whose grace and power your holy martyr Lucia triumphed over suffering and was faithful even to death: Grant us, who now remember her in thanksgiving, to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world, that we may receive with her the crown of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

3rd Sunday of Advent

 John the Baptist, Jesus’ own cousin, was in prison for preaching the truth. He had baptized Jesus, had seen the Holy Spirit descend on him like a dove, and had heard the voice of God say "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

John had seen it, and heard it, yet in his despair he began to question it. Why was he in prison if the Son of God had come? Why were the Romans still in charge? Why was Herod still on the throne? Why was there still evil? He sent some disciplescto ask, "Are you the One, or are we to wait for another?"

He had seen! He had heard! And his suffering caused him to doubt. How like John we all are.

How did Jesus reply? "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."

We all want the healing to happen to us, the cleansing, the raising. And we want it to happen now!But just because it isn’t happening to us right this moment does not mean it isn’t happening.

God is working out his design at his own pace. He will bring his kingdom, the new heaven and new earth, in the fullness of his time. And while we wait, often in the midst of sorrow, shadow, death, and oppression, we must turn in faith back to the One who experienced the worst that we could do to him, and who loved us from the cross, to find hope and endurance in trust that his resurrection will also be ours someday.

May that day come quickly! In this Advent season of hopeful waiting, we cry out maranatha!, Lord, come quickly!

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