Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Feast Day Of Saint John Chrysostom - 27 January

Saint John Chrysostom "is honoured as a saint in the Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, as well as in some others." ... "Because the date of his death is occupied by the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (14 September), the General Roman Calendar celebrates him since 1970 on the previous day, 13 September; from the 13th century to 1969 it did so on 27 January, the anniversary of the translation of his body to Constantinople." [1]

Quoted from Wikipedia [2]:

In Antioch, over the course of twelve years (386–397), [Saint John Chrysostom] gained popularity because of the eloquence of his public speaking at the Golden Church, Antioch's cathedral, especially his insightful expositions of Bible passages and moral teaching. The most valuable of his works from this period are his Homilies on various books of the Bible. He emphasised charitable giving and was concerned with the spiritual and temporal needs of the poor. He spoke against abuse of wealth and personal property:

Do you wish to honour the body of Christ? Do not ignore him when he is naked. Do not pay him homage in the temple clad in silk, only then to neglect him outside where he is cold and ill-clad. He who said: "This is my body" is the same who said: "You saw me hungry and you gave me no food", and "Whatever you did to the least of my brothers you did also to me"... What good is it if the Eucharistic table is overloaded with golden chalices when your brother is dying of hunger? Start by satisfying his hunger and then with what is left you may adorn the altar as well. [Emphasis  added.]

This is still happening today, not just in Rome but everywhere else where Catholic clergymen live so much better than those without food, shelter and health care.  Quoted from Catholic News Agency [3]:

Vatican City, Jan 24, 2021 / 07:00 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis prayed on Sunday for a homeless man who died near St. Peter’s Square amid freezing temperatures.

Speaking after the Angelus on Jan. 24, the pope led prayers for the 46-year-old Nigerian man who was reportedly found dead by volunteers from the Community of Sant’Egidio on Wednesday.

“Last Jan. 20, a few meters from St. Peter’s Square, a 46-year-old Nigerian homeless man named Edwin was found dead because of the cold,” the pope said.

“His story was added to that of many other homeless people who recently died in Rome in the same dramatic circumstances. Let us pray for Edwin.” 

He continued: “May we be reminded of the words of St. Gregory the Great, who, when faced with the death of a mendicant from cold, said that Masses would not be celebrated that day because it was like Good Friday.” 

“Let us think about Edwin. Let us think of what this man, 46 years old, felt in the cold, ignored by all, abandoned, even by us. Let us pray for him.”

The pope recognized and acknowledged this reality.  Yet, most clergymen still continue to enjoy the rather comfortable lives they lead, leaving others around the world to suffer without giving all that much thought to "these least brothers of mine". [4]


[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Chrysostom, quoted without hyperlinks and references, except for the definition of the word "translation".
[2] Ibid.

Friday, January 22, 2021

The Espousals Of The Blessed Virgin Mary - 23 January

 Quoted from Wikipedia [1]:

The Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary or Marriage of the Virgin Mary is a feast that is celebrated in certain parts of the Roman Catholic Church among certain congregations such as the Oblates of St. Joseph. It was removed from many local calendars by the Sacred Congregation of Rites. It was formerly generally observed on January 23.

Copied from the Roman Catholic Daily Missal, 1962, Angelus Press, page 1636:

When Mary arrived  at the age when it was the custom for Jewish maidens to leave the service of the Temple, the high priest told her that a husband would be chosen for her.  But Mary had already made a vow of virginity to God and God did not fail to fulfill the desires of His handmaid.  She found, on being espoused, that Joseph her spouse had, like her, made a vow of chastity, and that she would therefore dwell with him in perfect security.

Painting by Raphael of the Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary:



Wednesday, January 6, 2021

The Epiphany Of Our Lord - 6 January

Quoted from the Roman Catholic Daily Missal, 1962, Angelus Press, page 229:

The word "Epiphany" means "manifestation." The Church in the Mass commemorates a triple manifestation of Christ: to the Magi, that is, to the Gentiles; in His Baptism, when the Voice from Heaven declared: "This is My Beloved Son"; and in the miracle of changing water into wine at Cana.

Quoted from the same source as above, the COLLECT:

O GOD, Who on this day didst manifest Thine only-begotten Son to the Gentiles by the guidance of a star: graciously grant, that we, who know Thee now by faith, may be led even to contemplate the beauty of Thy Majesty.  Through the same our Lord.

The song associated with the Epiphany is We Three Kings Of Orient Are [1]:

"We Three Kings", original title "Three Kings of Orient", also known as "We Three Kings of Orient Are" or "The Quest of the Magi", is a Christmas carol that was written by John Henry Hopkins Jr. in 1857. At the time of composing the carol, Hopkins served as the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and he wrote the carol for a Christmas pageant in New York City. Many versions of this song have been composed and it remains a popular Christmas carol.

There are many uploads on YouTube, here are two:

1. A unique version was sung by Clamavi De Profundis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDqTL49OwDA

2. A traditional version was sung by The Robert Shaw Chorale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1ZOGTPsxng


[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Three_Kings, quoted without emphasis and hyperlinks.

Friday, January 1, 2021

Liturgical Calendar - Tridentine (Traditional Rite) - 2021

Here is the link to the "2021 Roman Catholic Traditional Rite Calendar": https://www.tridentinecatholic.com/2021cal.pdf

The 2020 Tridentine calendar was used last year as a reference in choosing selected feast days, except for the Feast of San Juan Diego on 9 December.

January has many days commemorating the Feasts of Our Lord Jesus Christ:

1. Octave Day of the Nativity of Our Lord - 1 January

2. Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus - Sunday after the Octave Day of the Nativity of Our Lord - 3 January 2021, or 2 January (per the 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal, Angelus Press, p. 221)

3. The Epiphany of Our Lord - 6 January

4. Feast of The Holy Family - First Sunday after the Epiphany - 10 January 2021

5. Commemoration of the Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ - 13 January

There are many other feast days and commemoration days of saints in January 2021 not listed above that are on the calendar.

For a quick reference, this website lists the days of saints by the month: http://catholictradition.org/Saints/feast-days.htm