Memorial of Saints (June 5)

St. Boniface was influenced early in life to commit himself to God. After his ordination, he became a very inspiring preacher. In 718 A.D., Boniface was authorized by the Pope to be a missionary to Germany. Boniface had to convert the people from pagan superstitions. He built new churches and new convents all over Germany. He was then named Bishop of Mainz and Primate of Germany. In 754 A.D., while quietly reading in his tent, he was killed by a band of pagans. St. Boniface is known in Catholic tradition as the Apostle of Germany (died ca. 754 A.D.).

St. Dorotheus of Tyre was a scholar and a priest who was exiled during Emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians. After the persecutions ended, Dorotheus returned and was made bishop of Tyre. He was able to attend the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., but had to flee again, this time to Varna in Bulgaria, because of another wave of persecutions. St. Dorotheus was arrested there at Varna and died of the beating he received (died ca. 362 A.D.).

St. Sanctius was born at Albi, France, and was captured by the Moors as a young boy. He was brought to Cordova where he was trained to be a member of the Turkish infantry corps. He however decided to declare his Christian faith. Because of this declaration, he was condemned by the authorities, was tortured and then impaled to death as a martyr for Christ (died ca. 851 A.D.).

What Happened to the Apostles after Pentecost (Part three)

St. Philip

St. Philip is listed among the apostles awaiting the Holy Spirit in the upper room - as mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles 1:13. After Pentecost, one story-tradition reports that Philip preached in Greece, and was crucified upside down (like St. Peter), in Hierapolis under Emperor Domitian. Another tradition says that Philip brought the gospel to Phrygia and Hierapolis, in Asia Minor and was crucified there. After his martyrdom, stories say that his remains were eventually brought to Rome and have been preserved in the basilica of the Apostles since the time of Pope Pelagius (ca. 561 A.D.).

St. Bartholomew

The Roman Martyrology says the apostle Bartholomew (called "Nathanael" in the gospel of John), preached in India, Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt and Greater Armenia, where he was flayed and beheaded by King Astyages. The place of his martyrdom was at Abanopolis on the West Coast of the Caspian Sea. There are proofs that St. Bartholomew preached in India according to St. Pantaenus, who found there a copy of the gospel of Matthew in Hebrew in the 3rd century A.D. The peoples St. Bartholomew preached the gospel were the most barbaric in the East, so much so, that when war was declared on the new Christian communities formed by him, St. Bartholomew was beaten, his skin cut into strips and removed, leaving the apostle agonizing with his flesh open and bleeding for a long time. The dreadful manner of his martyrdom explains why in sacred art, St. Bartholomew is shown holding a knife in one hand, with his skin draped over his other arm.

St. Matthew

To Matthew was given the holy task to write one of the gospels. One story-tradition says that after Pentecost, Matthew preached in Judea and then in Ethiopia were he suffered martyrdom. Another tradition states that he preached in Persia and it was there that he was martyred. Many scholars believe that St. Matthew wrote his gospel around the year 70 A.D., in Antioch, Syria. Because of his profession in accounting, before Christ called him to be one of His Twelve apostles, Matthew's written account of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, is the most precise, complete, and accurate. It is no wonder therefore that St. Matthew has been made the patron saint of accountants, bankers, and bookkeepers.

To be continued.

Solemnity of Corpus Christi (B)

(Edited) Reflections (from) Solemnity of Corpus Christi (B), June 10, 2012

Liturgical readings

Exodus 24:3-8
Psalm 116
Hebrews 9:11-15
Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

"He took bread and gave it to them; He likewise took a cup and passed it to them."

The passage from the book of Exodus presents the person of Moses offering sacrifices to Yahweh in behalf of the people Israel. The sacrifices involved the use of animals; their blood was splashed on the altar as part of the ritual. Now proceeding to the New Testament, the passage from Mark's gospel presents the Person of Jesus offering His very Self as a sacrifice for the redemption of the new Israel. As Moses used animals in the rite, Jesus used bread to signify His Body, and wine to signify His Blood in the Last Supper rite. The sacrifices offered by Moses and the priests of the Old Testament sealed the covenant between Yahweh and the 12 tribes of Israel. The sacrifice of Jesus' Body and Blood in the New Testament sealed the covenant between the God and the new Israel - signified by the 12 apostles.

The Last Supper marked the institution of the Eucharist in our history as children of God. The meal of bread and wine was an act of the Lord's mercy toward us. The Father provides us not only physical food from creation, but He provides us more important and real food - His very Son - to give life to our souls and spirit. The Eucharist calls us to elevate our minds and hearts to what is above, and to leave behind for awhile secular concerns that can weigh our minds, hearts, and souls down to earth. Examining closely the gospel passage, one will find that the Last Supper was held in an "upstairs room" - symbolic of what God wants of His children. Jesus calls us in the Eucharist to lift our sights and our hopes also to a spiritual level, besides temporal concerns.

Whenever one attends the Sunday Eucharist, let it be a reminder of the important sacrifice the Father had done to save us from earthly bondage to sins committed in the rush for power, money and sex. He has saved us, is saving us, and will always save us through the once-for-all sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, at Calvary. As the priest or bishop in the Sunday Eucharist elevates the bread and the wine during the consecration, we are invited to respond to the call to elevate our minds and hearts to this mystery of God's mercy. It is God's grace that ultimately lifts and elevates our spirit and souls to what is noble in us, what is best in us and what would influence us and others towards the greater good. For when we receive Christ Himself in communion, all are called to bring the spirit of Jesus to others: in word and deed.