Called Reprobus (reprobate) before his baptism, Christopher was a Canaanite by birth and a giant of a man. Legend says he traveled for a time in search of the most powerful prince in the world, that he might serve him. This quest eventually led him to follow the devil himself! However, seeing the unholy one's fear of cross posted at a nearby roadway, he promptly left to follow Christ. Eventually he met a hermit who told him that his new Lord much requires prayer and fasting. Neither of these Christopher could do; for he knew not what prayer meant, and fasting was out of the question for such a large man. The hermit told him to instead assist travelers who attempted to cross a famous river, where most were pulled under and perished. This Christopher found acceptable.
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Born of noble Christian parents in Cappadocia, after the death of his father, George travelled with his mother to Palestine. He became a soldier and was later made a tribute, or colonel, in the army. He found the favor of the Emperor Diocletian, until he began to persecute Christians. Whereupon, George resigned his commission and rebuked the emperor. His defiance in the face of the emperor's bloody cause led him before a cruel judge. Imprisoned and tortured on a wheel, his conviction was only hardened. Hearing a voice from heaven saying, “Fear not, I am with thee,” he courageously met his end. Led through the streets of the city of Lydda, where the Acts of the Apostles tell St. Peter healed a man sick with the palsy, he was beheaded. This occurred in 303, and many pagans are said to have converted on account of the saint's fortitude. St. George is the patron of soldiers, England, and Catalonia; he is often depicted tilted against a dragon. Over the next several months, I will be posting segments from a larger article on the Fourteen Holy Helpers. "So who are these Holy Helpers?" It all goes back to the Black Death (1346-49), a time when plague devastated the land. Attacking without warning, it's victim would be bereft of reason and succumb to the malady within hours. Consequently, many souls were deprived of their last sacraments. Some researchers have extrapolated that as high as sixty percent of Europe's population was decimated by the flea-borne pestilence. With civil authorities incapable of responding to the misanthropic threat, the pious turn their confidence heavenward; inclining their prayers to special patrons of disease, known to the Church since its earliest days. The association of a saint with particular afflictions is generally drawn from their virtues, but more often, from the method of their martyrdom. For example, St. Dionysius’ beheading being the reason he is invoked against headaches. The efficacy of prayers to the saints in heaven for our bodily and spiritual ills is by no means trivial on such accounts. As Christ taught through parables, so a greater meaning lay dormant in the legends of the saints. A meaning often expressed by the poet, and truly understood through the potent work of the Holy Spirit upon the intellect.
The boy's parents told him it was a delusion, but a monk at the nearby monastery told him that if he should ever see the boy again, to ask him what it was he wanted. That opportunity came on June 28, 1446. As before, the child appeared; only now joined by thirteen others in a halo of glory. “In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!,” Herman commanded, “What is it that you want?” The child replied, “We are the fourteen holy helpers, and we desire a chapel built for us.” The following Sunday, Herman saw two candles descend from the sky at the very spot of the vision. A woman passing by also witnessed the occurrence and the account was brought before Abbot Frederic IV and his community. They were understandably incredulous. But, after several extraordinary favors were granted to those who prayed at the site, the decision was made to build a chapel in honor of the fourteen holy helpers.
Why should you care about figures whose lives are often obscured in legend? If you are reading this, the answer should be because you are a practicing Catholic. Thus, you appreciate the place of sacred tradition. On the chance that the reader gives little care to the lives of the saints, or worse yet, is hostile towards them on account of their veracity, I offer the thoughts of Joseph von Goerres on the artform of legendary lore. In the Middle Ages, “the science of criticism was unknown; therefore little care was exercised in separating the poetic additions from the authentic legends.” The Church had not spoken on the subject, canonical rules and the necessary organs for the rigid examination of all the evidence in these matters had not been developed; legendary lore flourished under these conditions. The authors of legends which we might find fanciful in our age were generally convinced that the reader could distinguish between truth and poetic embellishment. Legends should be regarded as illustrations rather than portraits of the person depicted. St. George likely didn’t spar with an actual dragon, but the allegorical meaning shouldn’t be lost on our modern age. The persecution of Diocletian was like a fire breathing menace and St. George’s defiance, in a sense, slew the enemy. His martyrdom won a number of souls over to the Christian faith, and his legacy lives still today in spite of his mortal death. "The question remains; who are the fourteen?"
Sts. Christopher, Blase, George, Giles, Vitus, Eurasmus, Cyriacus, Achatius, Eustachius, Dionysius, Pantaleon, Margaret, Barbara, and Catherine. Now, let's learn a little bit about them. Continued next week... Every January 6th, the Church celebrates the Epiphany of our Lord. While at Christmas we extolled the union of our Lord's divinity with His humanity, at Epiphany we honour the mystic union of souls with Christ. On this day a star led the Wise Men to the manger; Gentiles from afar came to glorify and praise the King of kings. The names of the Magi have come down to us from pious tradition; Casper, Melchior, and Balthazar. Todays Gospel reads: ...seeing the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And entering into the house, they found the Child with Mary His mother, and falling down they adored Him. And opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matt. ii. 1-12) A wonderful tradition my family has adopted is baking a King's Cake to celebrate the Epiphany. Different European cultures have their own iteration of the cake, the specific title of "King's Cake" has it's origins in the New Orleans Marti Gras celebration. While in Catholic grade school, I recall the mother of a classmate bringing in a king's cake. The student whose slice contained a pea was "king" for the rest of the day. I no longer remember what that designation meant for the child; probably just bragging rights. In my family, the reward is being the one to scrawl the year above the doorway with the blessed chalk received at mass. This year is (20+c+B+M+21). I tried the following recipe this year, it turned out quite well. https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/traditional-new-orleans-king-cake/ ( I substituted brown sugar for the filling and added raisins.) Here are several short prayers that may be recited during the festivities: "May all who come to our home this year rejoice to find Christ living among us; and may we seek and serve, in everyone we meet, that same Jesus who is your incarnate Word, now and forever. Amen. God of heaven and earth, you revealed your only-begotten One to every nation by the guidance of a star. Bless this house and all who inhabit it. Fill us with the light of Christ, that our concern for others may reflect your love. We ask this through Christ our Saviour. Amen. Loving God, bless this household. May we be blessed with health, goodness of heart, gentleness, and abiding in your will. We ask this through Christ our Saviour. Amen." Christ Our King: Thy Kingdom Come! On this day, January the 5th, we celebrate the Commemoration of St. Telesphorus, Pope and Martyr. According to the Liber Pontificalis, he was of Greek nationality and occupied the see 11 years, 3 months and 21 days. Proceeding Pope St. Xystus, he was the eighth pope in succession. Beginning his pontificate in the twelfth year of Hadrian's reign (128-29), he suffered a glorious martyrdom in the first year of Antonius Pius' (138-39); the account of his martyrdom recorded by St. Irenaeus in Against Heresies (Book III.3.3)
Rosary window depicting St. Telesphorus White Abbey, Kildare, Ireland. The following is taken from the St. Andrew Daily Missal "St. Telesphorus, Pope, undertook numerous labours to confess the divinity of Christ, and suffered a glorious martyrdom at Rome" (Roman Martyrology) in 138. The Mass Sacerdotes Dei is said (second Mass of the Common, p. 1618) with the following prayers. Collect O God, who givest us joy by the annual solemnity of blessed Telesphorus Thy martyr and bishop, mercifully grant that we may rejoice in the protection of him whose birthday we celebrate. Through our Lord. Secret Sanctify, O Lord, the offerings devoted to Thee, and by the intercession of blessed Telesphorus Thy martyr and bishop, do Thou look upon us, appeased by this sacrifice. Through our Lord. Postcommunion Refreshed by participation in this holy gift, we beseech Thee, O Lord our God, that by the intercession of blessed Telephorus Thy martyr and bishop, we may experience the effect of the worship which we perform. Through our Lord. Here is a recording of the introit, 'Sacerdotes Dei benedicite...' The Greek Church celebrates St. Telesphorus' feast day on Feb. 22. Bibliography
https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103303.htm http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/36375 https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=954 https://projects.flocknote.com/note/694501 https://catholicsaints.info/pope-saint-telesphorus/ Liber Pontificalis - https://archive.org/details/bookofpopesliber00loom St. Andrew Daily Missal |
AuthorShawn Briggs is a father, musician, and traditional Catholic with a love for the faith and dedication to Christ the King. Archives
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