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Old Calendar: St. Sabbas, abbot
St. Sabbas is pictured as an abbot with an apple. He was once tempted to eat an apple outside of the prescribed mealtime, whereupon he vowed never to eat apples again. The Martyrology says: "At Mutala in Cappadocia the holy abbot Sabbas; in Palestine he gave the shining example of a holy life. Untiringly he labored in defense of the true faith against those opposing the Council of Chalcedon." In Jerusalem he built a famous laura (as oriental monasteries are called), which bears his name. When the Arabs later conquered the Holy City, the monks fled to Rome, where they built a monastery and introduced the veneration of their saint. In the Eastern Church St. Sabbas ranks high in popular devotion; he is distinguished by the titles "God-bearer, the Saint, Citizen of the Holy City, Star of the Desert, Patriarch of Monks." This feast is celebrated in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.
St. Sabbas
Saint Sabbas the Sanctified was born in the fifth century in Cappadocia, in the pious Christian family of John and Sophia. His father was a military commander. Journeying to Alexandria on military matters, his wife went with him, but they left their five-year-old son in the care of an uncle. When the boy reached eight years of age, he entered the monastery of St. Flavian, located nearby. The gifted child quickly learned to read and became an expert on the Holy Scriptures. In vain did his parents urge St. Sabbas to return to the world and enter into marriage. At seventeen years of age he received monastic tonsure, and attained such perfection in fasting and prayer that he was given the gift of wonderworking. After spending ten years at the monastery of St. Flavian, he went to other monasteries. St. Sabbas lived in obedience at this monastery until the age of thirty.
He was later blessed to seclude himself in a cave. On Saturdays, however, he left his hermitage and came to the monastery, where he participated in divine services and ate with the brethren. After a certain time St. Sabbas received permission not to leave his hermitage at all, and he struggled in the cave for five years. After several years, disciples began to gather around St. Sabbas, seeking the monastic life. As the number of monks increased, a lavra sprang up. When a pillar of fire appeared before St. Sabbas as he was walking, he found a spacious cave in the form of a church.
St. Sabbas founded several more monasteries. Many miracles took place through the prayers of St. Sabbas: at the Lavra a spring of water welled up, during a time of drought there was abundant rain, and there were also healings of the sick and the demoniacs. The saint surrendered his soul to God in the year 532.
Symbols: Abbot with an apple.
Things to Do:
1st Week of Advent
They picked up the fragments left over—seven baskets full. (Matthew 15:37)
Heres a question to ponder. If Jesus is the all-knowing perfect Son of God, why didnt he give the apostles exactly the right amount of food for this crowd? Why did they end up with extra bread? Maybe he thought that the disciples might get hungry again. Or maybe he anticipated more people showing up later. More likely, Jesus used the leftovers to teach his disciples something.
The number of baskets remaining—seven—can give us a clue. In Jewish tradition, seven was an expression of perfection, the kind of perfection found only in God. It took God six days to create the world, and then he rested on the seventh. It was a day of satisfaction and plenty. It was a time to enjoy his creation. In the same way, the bread that Jesus provided satisfied the crowd in a way that no earthly food could (Matthew 15:37).
The number seven also shows us Gods limitless generosity. Isaiah lists seven gifts of the Spirit (11:2-3). The Book of Proverbs describes divine wisdom as having seven pillars (9:1). Jesus told Peter to forgive seventy-seven times, that is, always (Matthew 18:22). He knew that Peter could be so forgiving because Gods mercy is boundless.
Notice also that the apostles started with seven baskets, and they finished with seven baskets. It was Jesus way of saying that whenever we rely on Gods resources in our giving to someone, we will never run out. These fragments werent really leftovers. They were part of his endless supply of blessings!
All of these elements apply in a special way to the Eucharist, the Bread of Life that Jesus gives us every day at Mass. This bread, which is his Body, is unlike any other food we could ever eat. It is perfect, lacking in nothing. It is full of Gods eternal, unlimited blessings. When we receive this bread in faith and surrender our hearts to Jesus, he fills us with everything we need. He satisfies our hearts deepest desires. And he gives us plenty of leftover grace to share with everyone we will encounter. What a generous, loving God he is!
Lord, I trust that your Body and your Blood can satisfy the deepest desires of my heart.
Isaiah 25:6-10
Psalm 23:1-6