Friends at Court

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 34, 20 August 1903, Page 31

Friends at Court

QLEANINQS FOR NEXT WEEKS CALENDAR

August 23, Sunday.— Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost. Feast of the Most Pure Heart of Mary. „ 24, Monday.-— St. Alphonsus, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor. 25, Tuesday.— St. Bartholomew, Apostle. 26, Wednesday.— St. Zephyrinus, Pope and Martyr „ 27, Thuisday.— St. Joseph of Calasanctius, Confessor. „ 28, Friday.— St. Augustine, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor. 29, Saturday.— Beheading of St. John the Baptist. St. Alphonsus, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor. St. Alphonsus Liguori was born at Naples in 1696. At the age of 30 he abandoned the legal profession, in which he had already made a name for himself, and, in spite of the opposition of his father, he became a priest. Applying himself zealously to the duties of his sacred calling, he touched by his fervent discourses the hearts of the most inveterate sinners, gtill more abundant was the fruit which he gathered in the tribunal of penance, where he joined a singular prudence and fumness to the most tender sentiments of paternal affection. He founded, and for a long time governed, the ' Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.' For eight years he was Bishop of St. Agatha, but at length obtained leave to resign this responsible office, which he had accepted only very reluctantly. In the midst of his labors he found time to compose a number of doctrinal and devotional works, which have earned for him the title of ' Doctor of the Church.' St. Alphonsus died in 1787 at the age of 90 # St. Bartholomew, Apostle. St. Bartholomew was one of the twelve Apostles, and is geneially supposed to be identical with Nathaniel. He carried the Gospel to India, i.e., Arabia Felix or Yemen. A century later traces of Christianity were found in these countries by Pantaenus of Alexandria, who also discovered a copy of St. Matthew's Gospel in Hebrew, which had been left there by St. Bartholomew. Armenian writers inform us that he afterwards traversed Persia, Babylonia, Mesopotamia, Syria, and Asia Minor. Thence he passed into Greater Armenia, and there, after making numerous conversions, suffered a cruel martyrdom at Albanopolis. By order of King Astyages, whose predecessor and brother, Polymius, had been converted by him, the Apostle was flayed alive and beheaded. St. Zephyrinus, Pope and Martyr. St Zephyrinus became Pope in 202, the year in which the Emperor Septimus Severus began a general persecution of the Church throughout the Roman Empire His pontificate was troubled by many heresies, which the Holy Pontiff resolutely combated. Whether his death was that of a martyr, or this title was given to him on account of his previous sutTenngs for the faith, cannot be accurately determined. St Augustine, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor. St. Augustine, the most illustrious among the* Doctors of the Church, was born in 354 at Tagasta, in Africa. He received his literary education in the schools of Madaura and Carthage, and was reared by his mother, St. Monica, in the Christian faith, but, as his own ' Confessions ' tell us, his conduct was far from exemplary ;he early lost his faith and innocence. At the age of twenty he embraced the Mamchean heresy, and ior a space of nine years remained more or less under its influence Setting out for Rome and thence to Milan, he was, by God's grace, rescued from the errors of his youth, and together with his son, Adeodatus, and his lriend, Alypius, baptised by St Ambrose in 387. He was then 33 years of age. From this time forth Augustine devoted himself with his whole mind and soul to the service of truth and the Church. He was ordained priest by Valenus, Bishop of Hippo, who also, about the year 395, appointed him coadjutor and successor to his See For 35 years Augustine was the centre of ecclesiastical life in Africa, and the Church's mightiest champion against heresy. His death occurred in 430, while Hippo was besieged by the Vandals. These barbarians entered and burned the city, but the library of Augustine was providentially saved.