Feasts in the Second Week of April

The following are excerpts from the "Lives of Saints" by Alban Butler, unless otherwise noted. Any commentary of my own is in italics.

Sunday, April 7

St. Hegesippus

He wrote in the year 133 a History of the Church in five books, from the Passion of Christ down to his own time, the loss of which work is extremely regretted. In it he gave illustrious proofs of his faith, and showed the apostolical tradition, and that though certain men had disturbed the Church by broaching heresies, yet down to his time no episcopal see or particular church had fallen into error. This testimony he gave after having personally visited all the principal churches, both of the East and the West.

How monumentally stunning must be the glories of the Saints judging by the mightiness of the tiny stream which our feeble eyes now see! How incalculably precious is this deposit of the Faith which has been preserved by them through the millenia to our time! May the blasphemers of this Faith and the enemies of these Saints tremble at the words of the Apocalypse: "And they cried with a loud voice, saying: How long, O Lord (holy and true) dost thou not judge and revenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" (Apoc 6:10).

Monday, April 8

The Annunciation Of The Blessed Virgin Mary

The feast of the Annunciation is usually held on March 25; it is moved in the Catholic Church, Anglican and Lutheran liturgical calendars when this date would fall during Holy Week or Easter Week or on a Sunday. The Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches do not move the feast, having special combined liturgies for those years when the Annunciation coincides with another feast; in fact in these churches a Divine Liturgy is celebrated on Good Friday when it coincides with the Annunciation. (Wikipedia, Annuniation)

THIS great festival commemorates the most important embassy that was ever known: an embassy sent by the King of kings, performed by one of the chief princes of His heavenly court; directed, not to the great ones of this earth, but to a poor, unknown virgin, who, being endowed with the most angelic purity of soul and body, being withal perfectly humble and devoted to God, was greater in His eyes than the mightiest monarch in the world. When the Son of God became man, He could have taken upon Him our nature without the cooperation of any creature; but He was pleased to be born of a woman. In the choice of her whom He raised to this most sublime of all dignities, He pitched upon the one who, by the riches of His grace and virtues, was of all others the most holy and the most perfect.

The design of this embassy of the archangel is to give a Saviour to the world, a victim of propitiation to the sinner, a model to the just, a son to this Virgin, remaining still a virgin, and a new nature to the Son of God, the nature of man, capable of suffering pain and anguish in order to satisfy God's justice for our transgressions.

The sacrificial offering of a soul to God through the death of a holocaust is the essential act of redemption. Thus, the Salvation of the Cross was worked by Christ by voluntarily giving His spirit to God in death, as the Apostle says: "now once at the end of ages, he hath appeared for the destruction of sin, by the sacrifice of himself" (Heb 9:26). The physical sufferings of Christ were not strictly necessary, therefore. He could have given up His soul to God at the moment of the Incarnation, and the spiritual anguish of this act (recorded in the Agony of Gethsemane) would not have been mitigated thereby. The bloody externals of His death, therefore, were not essential to the Redemption itself but were the expressions of His unutterable love for us and were given for our instruction both to outline the Way of the Cross which we are to follow and the terrible nature of sin which we are to avoid.

...heavenly visions and a commerce with the blessed spirits had been familiar to her; but what alarmed her, he says, was the angel's appearing in human form, in the shape of a young man... high commendations make her cautious how she answers, till in silence she has more fully considered of the matter: "She revolved in her mind," says St. Luke, "what manner of salutation this should be." ...The angel, to calm her, says: "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor before God."

This "favor of God" is a surety against all fears and dangers in this darkness, for He Who hath risen from death itself according to His own prophecy and Who now liveth and reigneth with God as God has power over all things in Heaven and on Earth. Such favor is indeed most consoling.

He then informs her that she is to conceive and bring forth a Son Whose name shall be Jesus, Who shall be great, and the Son of the Most High, and possessed of the throne of David, her illustrious ancestor.

St. Gabriel adds to these four prophecies the final and momentous statement: "...and of His kingdom there shall be no end." What must Mary have thought of being the mother of such a king! And how strange and incongruous to our minds was to be the earthly life of this king of an eternal kingdom! This, as He explains to Pilate, is because His kingdom is not of this world: it is from Above.

Mary, out of a just concern to know how she may comply with the will of God without prejudice to her vow of virginity, inquires, "How shall this be?" Nor does she give her consent till the heavenly messenger acquaints her that it is to be a work of the Holy Ghost, who, in making her fruitful, will not intrench in the least upon her virginal purity.

Her purity is manifested by her apparent lack of concern for the Kingdom and her eminence as Queen Mother of the mightiest empire the Earth would ever see (for it would itself be outlived by this kingdom after seeing all others pass away like withered grasses); instead, her mind goes first to the preservation of virtue, more precious in her eyes than the immortal throne which has just been announced as her destiny.

In submission, therefore, to God's will, without any further inquiries, she expresses her assent in these humble but powerful words: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to Thy word."

Once assured of her virtue, no further inquiry arises from her lips. Who is this King of Glory? How shall His Kingdom stand? Why was she chosen to be His Mother? Instead, she takes the Fruit of Life with the "fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum" that, by its total simplicity and perfect trust in the face of impenetrable mystery, is the fountain of salvation for all souls who drink of its waters (John 4:13).

The Holy Ghost is invited by purity to dwell in souls, but is chased away by the filth of the contrary vice. Humility is the foundation of a spiritual life.

Thus lust is the sin of Eve which chased her from the Garden of Paradise, and as humility is the foundation of spiritual life, likewise pride is the foundation of spiritual death. Practice purity and humility by the imitation of the Blessed Virgin, therefore, that God might vouchsafe the grace to join her in the Paradise of the Elect.

Monday, April 8

St. Perpetuus, Bishop

ST. PERPETUUS was the eighth Bishop of Tours from St. Gatian, and governed that see above thirty years, from 461 to 491, when he died on the 8th of April. During all that time he labored by zealous sermons, many synods, and wholesome regulations, to lead souls to virtue. St. Perpetuus had a great veneration for the Saints, and respect for their relics, adorned their shrines, and enriched their churches. As there was a continual succession of miracles at the tomb of St. Martin, Perpetuus finding the church built by St. Bricius too small for the concourse of people that resorted thither, directed its enlargement... Our Saint made and signed his last will, which is still extant, on the 1st of March, 475, fifteen years before his death. By it he remits all debts that were owing to him; and... declares the poor his heirs. He adds most pathetic exhortations to concord and piety. ... The smart of poverty, says a spiritual writer, is allayed even more by one word of true sympathy than by the alms we give. Alms coldly and harshly given irritate rather than soothe. Even when we cannot give, words of kindness are as a precious balm; and when we can give, they are the salt and seasoning of our alms.

Tuesday, April 9

St. Mary Of Egypt

AT the tender age of twelve, Mary left her father's house that she might sin without restraint, and for seventeen years she lived in shame at Alexandria. Then she accompanied a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and entangled many in grievous sin. She was in that city on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, and went with the crowd to the church which contained the precious wood. The rest entered and adored; but Mary was invisibly held back. In that instant her misery and pollution burst upon her. Turning to the Immaculate Mother, whose picture faced her in the porch, she vowed thenceforth to do penance if she might enter and stand like Magdalen beside the Cross. Then she entered in. As she knelt before Our Lady on leaving the church, a voice came to her which said, "Pass over Jordan, and thou shalt find rest." She went into the wilderness, and there, in 420, forty-seven years after, the Abbot Zosimus met her. She told him that for seventeen years the old songs and scenes had haunted her; ever since, she had had perfect peace. ... Let us, too, learn from her not to be content with confessing and lamenting our sins, but to fly from what leads us to commit them.

It is interesting to note that St. Mary was seen by Abbot Zosimus to levitate during prayer. This phenomenon was to be repeated by many western saints, including St. Francis and St. Thomas Aquinas.

Wednesday, April 10

St. Bademus, Martyr

BADEMUS was a rich and noble citizen of Bethlapeta in Persia, who founded a monastery near that city, which he governed with great sanctity. He conducted his religious in the paths of perfection with sweetness, prudence, and charity. To crown his virtue, God permitted him, with seven of his monks, to be apprehended by the followers of King Sapor, in the thirty-sixth year of his persecution. He lay four months in a dungeon, loaded with chains, during which lingering martyrdom he every day received a number of stripes. But he triumphed over his torments by the patience and joy with which he suffered them for Christ.

At the same time, a Christian lord named Nersan, Prince of Aria, was cast into prison because he refused to adore the sun. At first he showed some resolution; but at the sight of tortures his constancy failed him, and he promised to conform. The king, to try if his change was sincere, ordered Bademus to be introduced into the prison of Nersan, which was a chamber in the royal palace, and sent word to Nersan that if he would despatch Bademus, he should be restored to his liberty and former dignities. The wretch accepted the condition; a sword was put into his hand, and he advanced to plunge it into the breast of the abbot. But being seized with a sudden terror, he stopped short, and remained some time without being able to lift up his arm to strike. He had neither courage to repent, nor heart to accomplish his crime.

He strove, however, to harden himself, and continued with a trembling hand to aim at the sides of the martyr. Fear, shame, remorse, and respect for the martyr made his strokes forceless and unsteady; and so great was the number of the martyr's wounds, that the bystanders were in admiration at his invincible patience. After four strokes, the martyr's head was severed from the trunk. Nersan a short time after, falling into public disgrace, perished by the sword. The body of St. Bademus was reproachfully cast out of the city by the infidels, but was secretly carried away and interred by the Christians. His disciples were released from their chains four years afterward, upon the death of King Sapor. St. Bademus suffered on the 10th of April in the year 376.

Worldlings wonder how holy solitaries can pass their whole time buried in the most profound solitude and silence. But those who have had any experience of this happiness are surprised, with far greater reason, how it is possible that any souls which are created to converse eternally with God should here live in constant dissipation...

Thursday, April 11

St. Leo The Great

LEO was born at Rome. He embraced the sacred ministry, was made archdeacon of the Roman Church by St. Celestine... On the death of Sixtus, Leo was chosen Pope, and consecrated on St. Michael's day, 440... Vandals and Huns were wasting the provinces of the empire, and Nestorians, Pelagians, and other heretics wrought more grievous havoc among souls. Whilst Leo's zeal made head against these perils, there arose the new heresy of Eutyches, who confounded the two natures of Christ.

At once the vigilant pastor proclaimed the true doctrine of the Incarnation in his famous "tome;" but fostered by the Byzantine court, the heresy gained a strong hold amongst the Eastern monks and bishops. After three years of unceasing toil, Leo brought about its solemn condemnation by the Council of Chalcedon, the Fathers all signing his tome, and exclaiming, "Peter hath spoken by Leo." ...He died A. D. 461, having ruled the Church twenty years.

The full quotation of this triumphant exclamation reads:

After the reading of the foregoing epistle, the most reverend bishops cried out: This is the faith of the fathers, this is the faith of the Apostles. So we all believe, thus the orthodox believe. Anathema to him who does not thus believe. Peter has spoken thus through Leo. So taught the Apostles. Piously and truly did Leo teach, so taught Cyril. Everlasting be the memory of Cyril. Leo and Cyril taught the same thing, anathema to him who does not so believe. This is the true faith. Those of us who are orthodox thus believe. This is the faith of the fathers. Why were not these things read at Ephesus? These are the things Dioscorus hid away. (Council of Chalcedon [A.D. 451], Extracts from the Acts, Session II, available here)

It is most instructive to read the truncated version which the Schismatic East repeats on the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy:

And at the fourth stop, before the western door of the church, the preside reads again from the Synodikon: "This is the faith of the Apostles; this is the faith of the Fathers; this is the faith of the Orthodox; this faith makes fast the inhabited world. These preachers of true religion, we praise as brothers and as those we long to have as our fathers, to the glory and honour of the true religion for which they struggled..." (Fr. Patrick.com, March 18 2013; Systema Typikou, #1725: Triumph of Orthodoxy)

If they were truly orthodox, they would include Peter and his successors: "Leo loved to ascribe all the fruits of his unsparing labors to the glorious chief of the apostles, who, he often declared, lives and governs in his successors." (A. Butler).

Friday, April 12

St. Julius, Pope

ST. JULIUS was a Roman, and chosen Pope on the 6th of February in 337. The Arian bishops in the East sent to him three deputies to accuse St. Athanasius, the zealous Patriarch of Alexandria. These accusations, as the order of justice required, Julius imparted to Athanasius, who thereupon sent his deputies to Rome; when, upon an impartial hearing, the advocates of the heretics were confounded and silenced upon every article of their accusation. The Arians then demanded a council, and the Pope assembled one in Rome in 341. The Arians instead of appearing held a pretended council at Antioch in 341... and then wrote to his Holiness, alleging a pretended impossibility of their appearing...

The Pope easily saw through these pretences, and in a council at Rome examined the cause of St. Athanasius, declared him innocent of the things laid to his charge by the Arians, and confirmed him in his see. ... Finding the Eusebians still obstinate, he moved Constans, Emperor of the West, to demand the concurrence of his brother Constantius in the assembling of a general council at Sardica in Illyricum. This was opened in May 347, and declared St. Athanasius and Marcellus of Ancyra orthodox and innocent, deposed certain Arian bishops, and framed twenty-one canons of discipline. St. Julius reigned fifteen years, two months, and six days, dying on the 12th of April, 352.

Saturday, April 13

St. Hermenegild, Martyr

LEOVIGILD, King of the Visigoths, had two sons, Hermenegild and Recared, who reigned conjointly with him. All three were Arians, but Hermenegild married a zealous Catholic, the daughter of Sigebert, Ring of France, and by her holy example was converted to the faith... the king had him loaded with fetters and cast into a foul dungeon at Seville. Tortures and bribes were in turn employed to shake his faith, but Hermenegild wrote to his father that he held the crown as nothing... At length, on Easter night, an Arian bishop entered his cell, and promised him his father's pardon if he would but receive Communion at his hands. Hermenegild indignantly rejected the offer, and knelt with joy for his depth-stroke.

We cannot help noting how different St. Hermengild's heroic conduct is from the ecumenist heretics who now hold his holy Church captive. May God deliver her from them by the prayers of St. Hermengild.

The same night a light streaming from his cell told the Christians who were watching near that the martyr had won his crown, and was keeping his Easter with the Saints in glory... [Recared] labored so earnestly for the extirpation of Arianism that he brought over the whole nation of the Visigoths to the Church. "Nor is it to be wondered," says St. Gregory, "that he came thus to be a preacher of the true faith, seeing that he was brother of a martyr, whose merits did help him to bring so many into the lap of God's Church."

Thus the merits of the Saints invisibly infuse the Church with grace.