Friends at Court

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 32, 6 August 1903, Page 31

Friends at Court

QLEANINQS FOR NEXT WEEK'S CALENDAR

August 9, Sunday.— Tenth Sunday after Pentecost. St. Emygdius, Bishop and Martyr. 10, Monday.— St. Lawrence, Martyr. „ 11, Tuesday.— St. Sixtus 11., Pope and Martyr. „ 12, Wednesday.— St. Clare, Virgin. 13, Thursday.— St. Philomene, Virgin and Martyr, „ 14, Friday.— St. Hormisdas, Pope and Confessor. „ 15, Saturday.— Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Emygdius, Bishop and Martyr. St. Emygdius, a native of Rhenish Prussia, was consecrated Bishop of Ascalon by Pope Marcellus. After a saintly life, memorable for the miracles which God wrought through his instrumentality, he was martyred during the persecution of Diocletian. St. Lawrence, Martyr. St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr, was born near Iluesca, Spain. He was the chief among the seven deacons of the Roman Church. In the year 258 Pope Sixtus was lead out to die, and St. Lawrence stood by, weeping that he could not share his fate. The holy Pope comfoitcd him with the words : ' Do not weep, my son ; in three days you will follow me.' This prophecy came true. The prefect of the city knew the rich offerings which the Christians put into the hands of the clergy, and he demanded the treasures of the Roman Church from Lawrence, their guardian. The saint promised, at the end of three days, to show him riches exceeding all the wealth of the empire, and set about collecting the poor, the infirm, and the religious who lived by the alms of the faithful. He then bade the prefect ' see the treasures of the Church. 1 Christ, whom Lawrence had served in his poor, gave him strength in the conflict which ensued Roasted over a slow fire, he made sport of his pains. 'I am done enough,' he said, ' eat if you will.' His remains were buried in the Catacombs of Campo Yerano Constantine built over his tomb a basilica, which is one of the fine patriarchal churches and one of the seven principal stations. St. Sixtus 11., Pope and Martyr. St. Sixtus, a Greek by birth, ruled the Church for about a year. He was beheaded three days before St. Laurence, in 258. St. Clare, Virgin. St. Clare of Assisi, who renounced wealth and rank to embiace the religious state was remarkable for her lo\e of poverty and her devotion to the Blessed Sacrament She became, under the direction of St. Francis of \ssisi, the founder of a very strict religious Order, the members of winch practised the most rigorous austerities. She died in her 60th year, A.I). 1253. St. Philomene, Virgin. St Philomene was one of those countless martyrs who scaled their faith with their blood in the persecution of the Roman Emperors The date and manner of iiCi death aie uncertain St. Hormisdas, Pope and Confessor. St Ilormisdas, who was unanimously elected Pope on the death of St Symmachus, m 514, displayed great eneigy in propagating the Gospel, and eradicating heresy and schism. He died in 523. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The word assumption is a teim employed to-day in the language of the Church to signify the miraculous removal into heaven of the Blessed Virgin Mary, body and soul Jesus Christ, before dying, having recommended His Mother to St. John, this Apostle took care of her, and it is believed that she followed him to Asia, and finally settled at Ephesus, where she died. The Church honors! her, death under the name of ' deposition, rest, sleep, passage,' since the beginning of the fifth century, as it appears from a letter of the Ecumenical Council at Ephesus, of the year 431. Since the century following, the faithful commenced to distinguish the Assumption from the other solemnities of the Blessed Virgin. About the end of tie seventh century, the belief in her resurrection became current. We find this pointed out under the name of Assumption in the ancient niartyrology attubutcd to St. Jeiome, and in the Sacramentaries of Popes St. Gelasius and St. Gregory. The Feast of the Assumption is celebrated on August 15th In regard to this assumption or resurrection of body and soul of the Blessed Virgin into heaven it is no article of faith, but only a common opinion which it would be rash to contradict.