[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: December 10, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: May our prayer of petition rise before you, we pray, O Lord, that, with purity unblemished, we, your servants, may come, as we desire, to celebrate the great mystery of the Incarnation of your Only Begotten Son. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

• Lehi Lentils
• Whole Wheat-Barley Bread

ACTIVITIES

• Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
• Religion in the Home for Preschool: December

PRAYERS

• Advent Wreath Prayers I
• Advent Wreath Prayers II
• Roman Ritual Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
• December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception
• Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe
• Collect of the Mass of Pope St. Melchiades
• Christmas Anticipation Prayer

LIBRARY

• Ecclesia in Africa | Pope John Paul II

Advent: December 10th

Monday of the Second Week of Advent

Old Calendar: St. Melchiades, pope and martyr

St. Melchiades "who suffered much during the persecution of Maximianus; when at last peace was restored to the Church, died in the Lord." He was an African whom St. Augustine calls "the true child of the peace of Jesus Christ." He ruled the Church of God in the last period of the Christian persecution from 311-314; hence the title of martyr is applied to him in a wider sense. His was the good fortune of witnessing the beginning of an era of peace, for in 312 the Emperor Constantine granted freedom to the Church. According to the the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite today is his feast.

Jesse Tree ~ Joseph

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St. Melchiades (also known as St. Miltiades)

Two popes had been exiled by Emperor Maxentius, and for nearly two more years the Church in Rome was steeped in turmoil, making it impossible to choose a pope. Finally Miltiades, an African, was elected. He had served as a priest under Marcellinus during the terrible Diocletian persecution. Now, however, he witnessed the effects of a kinder, more generous Roman government. Indeed, the Church would actually be favored with splendid gifts. By 311 the Church began to enjoy a peace resulting from a decree of toleration issued in both the East and the West. Emperor Maxentius ordered the properties of the Church restored. These included the land and buildings that had been confiscated during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. In 312 for the first time since the outbreak of persecution, a pope was able to preside over the celebration of Easter in full possession of the Church's holy assets.

Pope Miltiades worked diligently in a difficult time of transition. His edicts included forbidding the Christians to fast on Thursday and Sunday (the days during which the pagans kept their fasts) and directing that the Eucharist plate blessed by the bishop be carried to the various churches.

Constantine, having been proclaimed emperor in Gaul, now marched on Rome. The sign of the cross had been revealed to him in a vision where he was told that "by this sign shalt thou conquer." Constantine ordered his standards changed, and for the first time in history, the sign of peace was borne by an army. Constantine's legions defeated Maxentius, and the year 312 ushered in a new era, an era of peace; the Christians were truly set free. During the emperor's stay in Rome, the famous Lateran palace was given to Pope Miltiades by Fausta, Constantine's wife. The Lateran served as the papal residence for some four hundred years.

Less than a year later, a schism broke out in North Africa. Headed by a rigorist named Donatus, the faction objected to the policies of the bishop of Carthage, Caecilian. Bypassing the pope, they appealed directly to Constantine to intervene. The emperor, annoyed that he should be called on to settle disputes among the clergy, commissioned Miltiades and three other Gallic bishops to rectify the matter. The pope gathered fifteen additional bishops and held a synod in the great Lateran palace. The decision of this synod was to condemn Donatus and his party and to support the true bishop, Caecilian. The Donatists (as they later became called) appealed again to Constantine, but by the time another council could be called, Pope Miltiades had died.

St. Miltiades was an excellent pontiff who guided the Church wisely during a difficult time of changeover. Pope Miltiades was the last pope to be buried in a catacomb in the cemetery of Calixtus. His feast is celebrated December 10.

Excerpted from The Popes: A Papal History, J.V. Bartlett

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 5:17-26

2nd Week of Advent

“The Son of Man has authority on earth.” (Luke 5:24)

We don’t have to wonder what Jesus was trying to say to the people who witnessed his healing and for­giveness of the man lowered through the roof. He made it perfectly clear: he is someone with authority.

Jesus has authority over sin. Who can forgive sins but God alone? Of course, no one else can. That’s why it shocked everyone within earshot when Jesus told the man: “Your sins are forgiven.” In this passage, Jesus shows us that he has the power to remove the stain of sin and make us right before God. Not only does he wipe the slate clean; he can set us free from sinful habits that continue to trip us up—patterns like mood­iness or a sharp tongue. He can break the power of guilt and shame over our past so that we can see how bright a future he has in store for us. All this because Jesus took our sin and disarmed it, nailing it to his cross (Colossians 2:14-15). Now that’s authority!

Jesus has authority over sickness. When some Pharisees objected to Jesus’ statement of forgiveness, he proved his authority by healing the man as well. If he could restore atro­phied muscles and reknit weakened bones with just a word, surely he could remove sin as well! You may know someone who has been healed through prayer, whether it was at a healing Mass, at a prayer meeting, or in some other venue. Some of these healings are dramatic, like cancer remission, and some are more modest, like relief from a headache! But no matter how big or small, there are people around us who can testify that Jesus is still in the business of healing.

Jesus doesn’t exercise his author­ity like a tyrant. He isn’t motivated by greed or a lust for power. No, he is a wise ruler, a just king, a merci­ful sovereign. We have nothing to fear from him. There is no need to avoid him or try to set ourselves up as a rival to his throne. In fact, com­ing under his authority is the most sensible thing we could do. Who else can forgive our sins and heal our hearts?

“Lord Jesus, I believe that you are Lord and God. Come and reign over me; I want to spend my days in the shelter of your authority.”

Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 85:9-14