Memorial of Saints (May 29)

St. Cyril of Caesarea became a Christian as a boy. Since his father was pagan, he was disowned by his father and put out of the house. He was then brought to the governor, who offered him pardon if he would renounce his Christian faith and sacrifice to the pagan gods. Cyril naturally refused to renounce his faith and stood steadfast in his belief in Christ. St. Cyril was beheaded and died a martyr for Christ (died ca. 251 A.D.).

St. Maximinus of Trier had a good education under the administration of bishop Agritius. Upon the death of Agritius, Maximinus succeeded to the episcopate in 333 A.D. He staunchly opposed the Arian heresy - supporting St. Athanasius, the leading figure against Arianism. St. Maximinus also gave refuge to Paul of Constantinople and others who were victims of the Arians. He convened the Synod of Cologne which also opposed the Arian heresy. Both St. Jerome and St. Athanasius regarded St. Maximinus of Trier as one of the most courageous bishops of his time (died ca. 347 A.D.).

Sts. Sisinnius, Martyrius and Alexander were three brothers coming from Cappadocia, who all migrated to Milan, Italy. Sisinnius was ordained a deacon, while Martirius was conferred the lectorate, both by Bishop Vigilius. The three brothers were sent to the Tyrol as missionaries. Because of the success of the three in their work of converting the pagans, they were attacked. Sisinnius was beaten to death, Martyrius was dragged to his death, and Alexander was burned to death. All three died as martyrs for Christ within the span of just several days (died ca. 397 A.D.).

St. Theodosia of Constantinople was a nun at the monastery of St. Anastasia. She led a group of nuns in resisting a band of soldiers who were ordered to enforce the iconoclastic orders of Emperor Leo III. The soldiers came to destroy the image of Christ over the monastery's main entrance. Because of their resistance, Theodosia was imprisoned and tortured to death - together with twelve other women (died ca. 745 A.D.).

Sts. William Arnaud, Stephen of Narbonne, and Raymond were martyrs along with others. They came to be known as the Martyrs of Toulouse. These three were commissioned by the Pope to combat Albigensianism. William and his companions were given shelter for a night by Count Raymond VII of Toulouse. Some men, probably allied with the Albigensians, entered the castle and killed William, Stephen, Raymond and their companions. Miracles were reported to have happened at their graves (died ca. 1242 A.D.).

Blessed Richard Thirkeld was educated in Oxford before he entered the priesthood at a very late age. As a priest, he performed his duties around the York area in England. When the authorities learned that he was a priest and that he was seen to be visiting a prisoner at night-time, he was arrested and was condemned to die. His execution was kept private as he was greatly venerated by the people (died ca. 1583 A.D.).

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (B)

(Edited) Reflections (from) Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Sunday (B), June 3, 2012

Liturgical readings

Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40
Psalm 33
Romans 8:14-17
Matthew 28:16-20

"In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

The last passage of Matthew's gospel, Mt 28:16-20 is one of the most studied passages in the gospels. The reason? It is a key passage that contains many key themes. And one important theme of this last passage of Matthew is Christ's authority to commission His followers for a universal mission: to bring into one fold all the children of God "in the name of the Holy Trinity". Although the term "Trinity" is not found in the gospel of Matthew, and not found in the other three gospels as well, mention of the three Divine Persons is found in some gospel passages. One instance of the mention of the three Divine Persons is in the story of Christ's baptism in Mt 3:13-17. The "Trinity" is a dogma in the Catholic Church. It is a truth based on Scripture. Even if that truth of the Trinity is not explicitly and literally spelled out in the Bible as the word Trinity, it is still the truth. Other Christian denominations may not agree with this, but we are called to respect their theology as well.

The dogma on the Holy Trinity is proclaimed to assert the truth that the "Holy Trinity" is an important article of faith in the Catholic Church. The presence of the three Divine Persons of God is found in the New Testament. Modern theologians of the Catholic Church, especially those who have spearheaded Vatican II theology, would refer to this as "second reflection". That is how their specialized studies point to the truth of the Trinity. For the universal faithful, simply assenting to the truth presented by the Church is an act of faith taken as one's personal belief and in community. This is true especially in the celebration of the Mass, the other sacraments, and in paraliturgical services. All prayer in the Church begins with an invocation to the Trinity. The Eucharist opens the sign of the Cross, and ends with the sign of the Cross after the blessing of the priest-presider or bishop. Many great teachers of the faith, like the doctors of the Church, encourage all to honor the Trinity and to make a simple act of faith in prayer: acknowledging that there is "one God in three divine Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit" who guides and provides for all.

This dogma on the Holy Trinity is not only basic to the Catholic faith but essential to the history of the world's salvation. This was made clear to all in the universal Church when Blessed John Paul II ushered in the new millenium in honor of the Trinity. He dedicated the three years before the beginning of the new millenium to the three Divine Persons: 1997 to Jesus, 1998 to the Holy Spirit, and 1999 to the Father. It has been a great privilege for many of us to see and celebrate this event in the turn of the millenium. Not all have been privileged to be alive when the Holy Father opened the millenium in honor of the Holy Trinity. We are fortunate and blessed indeed. And it is our religious duty to thank God in the Eucharist always for revealing Himself as a community of Persons, and how in His Divine Mercy, He continues to be with us "always, until the end of the world."

What Happened to the Apostles after Pentecost? (Part One)

Introduction

Before the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the apostles and disciples, Acts 1:15-26 says that there were about one hundred twenty of them gathered together. Peter, the leader of Christ's inner circle of Twelve, made it known to the whole community, that another should take the place of Judas Iscariot - the one who betrayed Christ and killed himself after despairing and losing hope of being forgiven. So that the Eleven may be restored to the original number of Twelve (note: twelve symbolizing the twelve tribes of Israel), they drew lots, and the choice fell on Matthias. Matthias thus became part of the apostles and was added to the Eleven.

When the day of Pentecost came, the Holy Spirit gave the apostles and the whole community of disciples, the power and the strength, to witness to Christ not only to the Jews, but also to the rest of the world. This blog post will tell that story (based mostly on holy tradition) of where the apostles preached and met a martyr's death (except for one - John).

St. Peter

Peter was the first of the apostles to preach to the Gentiles. He converted many to the Way of Jesus with his preaching. Because of the success of his evangelization, he was imprisoned by Herod Aggripa in 43 A.D. An angel of the Lord helped him escape prison. Tradition then say that he went to Rome, where he became Rome's first "bishop". From here, he ended up being crucified upside down (because Peter felt himself unworthy to be crucified in the manner of his Master) at the foot of Vatican Hill, during the Christian persecution wrought in the reign of Emperor Nero in about 64 A.D. Excavations under St. Peter's Basilica have unearthed what is believed to be his tomb.

St. James the Great

St. James was the first among the apostles to die as a martyr, around the year 42 A.D. He was beheaded in Jerusalem by Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:1-2). Many stories report that he first preached at Spain before his martyrdom. His remains were then transferred from Jerusalem to the Church of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Though there are no historical records to attest to this truth, the Church in Compostela, Spain, became one of the great pilgrimage centers of the Middle Ages. St. James has therefore become the patron saint of Spain, as well as the patron saint of labourers, pilgrims, and those suffering from rheumatism.

St. John the Evangelist

John was the brother of James the Great. Both were sons of Zebedee and referred to by Jesus as "sons of thunder" because of their volatile temperament. Traditional stories recount that John went to Rome during the reign of Emperor Domitian. He was said to have miraculously escaped martyrdom by emerging from a cauldron of boiling oil unscathed. He then went to Ephesus, where he was said to have witnessed the assumption into heaven of the Blessed Virgin Mary. From Ephesus, John was then exiled to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the book of Revelation. When Domitian died in 96 A.D., John returned to Ephesus and wrote the fourth gospel, plus the three New Testament epistles bearing his name. He died in Ephesus - the only one of the apostles who did not suffer the pains of martyrdom.

To be continued.