FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT (YEAR B)
SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 18, 2024
Greetings beloved family and Happy First Sunday of Lent. May God’s grace and mercy be with us all as we embark on this journey of the Lenten seasonđ
Today is the First Sunday of Lent, the first of the six Sundays of the season of Lent before we enter into the Holy Week, as we all prepare ourselves for the coming of the great mystery of the Passion of the Lord and all of His saving works, and the glorious celebration at Easter. We’re called to make good use of this season of Lent to remind ourselves to be more faithful and committed to God, resisting the temptations of sin.
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on February 18, 2024 on EWTN” |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 18, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | February 18, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 18, 2024 |
Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | February 18, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUALđšJOYFULđšLUMINOUSđšSORROWFULđšGLORIOUS” on YouTube |
Today’s Bible Readings: First Sunday of Lent (Year B), February 18, 2024
Reading 1, Genesis 9:8-15
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Reading 2, First Peter 3:18-22
Gospel, Mark 1:12-15
*40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | First Sunday in Lent: Hunger | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/first-sunday-in-lent-hunger/
A PRAYER TO WALK HUMBLY THROUGH LENT: Father, In Micah 6:8, You say, âO people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.â Today we choose to walk humbly with You. We choose to live by Your Holy Spirit and to follow Your lead. Help us to hear You clearly, for we do not want to walk by pride or self-sufficiency, we want to walk with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen đ
God of goodness and mercy, hear my prayer as I begin this Lenten journey with you. Let me be honest with myself as I look into my heart and soul, noticing the times I turn away from you. Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with you and live forever in your abundant grace. Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father. Give me the strength to commit myself to grow closer to you each day. Amenđ
LENTEN FAST AND ABSTINENCE (Lenten Fast and Abstinence regulations from the USCCB): Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.
For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards
Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their own sui iuris Church. If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the âpaschal fastâ to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Resurrection.
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY: MONTH OF THE PASSION OF OUR LORD: The month of February is traditionally dedicated to the Passion of Our Lord in anticipation of the liturgical season of Lent. In this month, we begin to meditate on the mystery of Jesus’ sufferings which culminated in his death on the Cross for the redemption of mankind. Saints who had a special devotion to Christ’s passion include St. Francis of Assisi, who was the first known Saint to receive the stigmata; St. John of the Cross; St. Bridget of Sweden; and St. Catherine of Siena.
On this special feast day, as we begin our Lenten journey, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we continue to remember our beloved late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on the first memorial anniversary of his death. We pray for the repose of his gentle soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May the gentle soul of Pope Benedict XVI and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ⌠Amen đ âď¸đŻâď¸đŻâď¸đŻ
During this season of Lent, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen đ
PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amenđ
A PRAYER FOR PEACE: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the true King of peace. In You alone is found freedom. Please free our world from conflict. Bring unity to troubled nations. Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart. Dispel all darkness and evil. Protect the dignity of every human life. Replace hatred with Your love. Give wisdom to world leaders. Free them from selfish ambition. Eliminate all violence and war. Glorious Virgin Mary, Saint Michael the Archangel, Every Angel and Saint: Please pray for peace. Pray for unity amongst nations. Pray for unity amongst all people. Pray for the most vulnerable. Pray for those suffering. Pray for the fearful. Pray for those most in need. Pray for us all. Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen đ
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS
Bible Readings for today, First Sunday of Lent | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021824.cfm
Gospel Reading ~ Mark 1:12â15
“Jesus was tempted by Satan, and the angels ministered to him”
“The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and He remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to Him. After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: âThis is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.â
In todayâs Gospel reading, Jesus is driven out into the physical wilderness by the Holy Spirit, immediately after His baptism, to a place where He is alone, away from the crowds. He remained there for forty days, which is the length of our Lenten season. In the wilderness He was tempted or put to the test by Satan. The image of âwild beastsâ suggests the difficulty of the test and the intensity of the struggle that Jesus experienced. The reference to âSatanâ indicates that there was a spiritual dimension to His testing experience. Just before He begins His public ministry, He is somehow obliged by God to enter fully into the wilderness experience. It was Jesusâ relationship with God, His faithfulness to Godâs call and mission, that was being put to the test. He was tempted to take a path other than the one His baptism had set Him upon. This testing experience came at the very beginning of His public ministry. He would face a similar testing experience at the end of His public ministry, during the course of His passion, in particular in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The call of Lent is a call to personal renewal. This is the call of Jesus in todayâs Gospel reading, âRepent and believe in the Gospelâ. According to Markâs Gospel today, Jesusâ call to renewal was the second part of His opening message. The first part of that opening message was, in a sense, more important: âThe time has come, and the kingdom of God is close at handâ. This is the heart of Jesusâ good news. Godâs reign, Godâs rule, was close at hand. Jesus announced that God was powerfully present in a life-giving way through Himself. This remains Jesusâ message to us today. The call to renewal is a call to open our lives more fully to this God who is powerfully present through His risen Son. The call of Lent is the call to turn towards God who comes towards us in Christ. This call will often entail turning away from something, turning away from whatever it is that might be preventing us from opening our lives more fully to Godâs presence. This turning away is what we mean by repentance. It will mean something different for each of us. In turning more fully towards God and away from what comes between God and ourselves, we will be renewed, we will experience a new Spring time of the Spirit. Real renewal of this kind does not happen in an instant. It takes time â in a sense, it takes a lifetime. Lent is a season that gives us time. It is a long season in the churchâs year, seven weeks in all. We are given this time to help us to look at ourselves and to see what areas of our lives need renewal.
In the wilderness, Jesus struggled to remain true to His baptism. Lent is the time when we struggle to remain true to our baptism; it is the time when we make a special effort to get back onto the path that our baptism calls us to take, if we have drifted from it; it is the time when we try to face down what the Gospel reading refers to as the âwild beastsâ that work to take us away from the path that the Lord is asking us to take. The Gospel reading declares that in Jesusâ struggle with the wild beasts He had the help of Angels. âThe Angels looked after Himâ. The Angels are the expression of Godâs protective, supportive and caring presence. Jesus was not alone in this time of great spiritual testing; God was with Him. Today’s Gospel reading reminds us also that in our own struggle to remain true to our baptism, we are not alone. The Angels will look after us too. Indeed, the letter to the Hebrews states, âbecause Jesus was tested by what He suffered, He is able to help those who are being testedâ. The one who was himself tested will help all of us in those times when our own faith is put to the test, when our moral and spiritual values are threatened by forces that do not correspond to Godâs purpose for our lives. As we begin our Lenten struggle to renew our response to our baptismal calling, we are being assured that we will not be alone in that struggle. The Lord will be with us as one who has been tested and tempted in every way as we are. We can enter that struggle confident that, in the images of the Gospel reading, the wild beasts will not get the better of the Angels, or in the words of Paulâs letter to the Romans, where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. If we are prepared to engage in the struggle to be faithful, as Jesus was, the Lordâs grace, the Lordâs presence, will see us through to the end.
Our first reading this Sunday from the Book of Genesis details the aftermath of the Great Flood when God sent a great rain and flood to inundate the whole world, causing the destruction and death of all the people, the descendants of Adam and Eve, except for Noah and his immediate family, who had been spared by God for their faith and obedience to God, while all the others were wicked and filled with all sorts of sins and vices of the world. God ordered Noah to build a great ship, the Ark of Noah, for which he would become very famous for, and everyone and all the living things that were present in that ship were saved by God, Who then as we heard in our first reading, made a Covenant and promise with Noah and his family, that He would never destroy anyone again with a similar Great Flood. Through that narrative of the Great Flood, its destruction of all the unrepentant and wicked sinners in the world, and its aftermath, all of us are first of all reminded as we begin this penitential season and time of Lent, of the need for all of us to be reconciled with God by the forgiveness of our many sins and wicked ways, which have separated us all from the wonderful and generous love of God. For there can be no sin or wickedness, imperfections and corruption present before the Lord our God, Who is all good and perfect. Sin is caused by our disobedience and refusal to obey the Lordâs will, His Law and commandments, and through sin, we have been corrupted and defiled, and hence, we have to be separated from God, and cast out from the bliss of the Gardens of Eden, where everything was once perfect. Sin led mankind to this lack of grace from God, and our separation from the Lord and Master of life, and hence, that was why we had to suffer and experience death, which was the natural and logical consequence of our sins. Disobedience leads to sin and sin then leads to death. We had not meant to suffer such fate, or to endure and experience the bitterness of death, the separation from the Lord, and yet, by our own conscious choice, we have chosen to cast ourselves out of the Holy Presence of God. Yet, God has always desired to call us all back to Him, and He still loved us all despite all the wickedness and sins that we have committed. And this is because what He despises is not us per se, but rather our sins and wickedness, which we have done and committed in His sight. And God is so great and merciful that even the greatest of sinners are still within the reach of His mercy and compassion.
In our second reading today from the Epistle of St. Peter the Apostle to the Church and the faithful, he reminded the faithful using the same example and story of Noah and the Great Ark he built, in obedience to God, in saving himself and his family from the Great Flood of his time. St. Peter showed how our salvation was just like the journey of Noah through the time of the Great Flood, and how he persisted and survived, and how God made a Covenant with him and his family. This is because through the example of the Great Flood, the waters involved in that event was clearly a force of destruction, but also at the same time a force that brought about new life and rejuvenation. The same experience was faced by the Israelites when the Lord brought them out of the land of Egypt through the leadership of Moses, as they walked through the waters of the Red Sea, into their freedom from their slavery. In the same manner therefore, the Lord led us all through His death on the Cross, as He suffered and endured the worst punishments and trials for our sake, showing us the concrete and most enduring form of His love. His compassion and love have been shown unto us in the flesh in Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. He united us all, our humanity and our existence to Him, through His incarnation in the flesh, and by the waters of baptism, He has brought us all like how Noah led all of his family and the living things in the world into the Great Ark, and like how Moses led the Israelites through the Red Sea to their freedom. The Lord has therefore brought us through death and then to new life, through His most glorious Resurrection, through which He has defeated and conquered death itself, and broke forever the yoke of sin and evil over us. He renewed and made with us all, a perfect and Eternal Covenant, meant for our salvation and everlasting life.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, on this first Sunday in the season of Lent, we are all reminded of the nature and the importance of this time and season of preparation, in which we prepare ourselves for the upcoming commemoration and celebration of the most important events in Holy Week and Easter, which is highlighted in our Scripture readings today, using the story of Noah and the Great Flood as a reminder for us first of all of the fate of sinners who are unrepentant, the dangers of sin, and ultimately, how Godâs love and grace can help us to overcome all these dangers, threats and dominion of sin, evil and death. If we put our faith and trust in the Lord, He will help and guide us all into the path of righteousness and freedom from all these. Let us all therefore begin our observances this Lenten season with great commitment and genuine faith, and let us all do our best so that in each and every moments of our lives, particularly during this Lenten season, we may make best use of them to draw ever closer to God, seeking His love and guidance, help and strength so that by His power and guidance we may come ever closer to His forgiveness, mercy and love. Let us all help one another in seeking Godâs grace and salvation, and support each other with love and compassion, with generosity in how we share our blessings and excesses with those who have less or none. We are called to be ever more generous, in almsgiving, that is in giving whatever we can spare for all those around us who are less fortunate than us. And almsgiving should not just be limited to material giving, but rather, should also include our time and attention, our love and care in particular for all those who are less fortunate and unloved, all around us. During this time of Lent, each and every one of us are reminded to sharpen the side of our humility and faith, deepening our relationship with God through charity and love, while at the same time rejecting Satan and all of his false promises and lies, and resist the many temptations all around us to commit what is sinful against the Lord. We are all called to be ever more faithful to God and to be good and worthy role models in our faith, inspiring many others to follow in our footsteps as well. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and be with us always and may He empower us all throughout this Lenten season so that we may continue to serve Him and to walk in His presence, now and always. May God bless us all in our every good works, efforts and endeavours for His greater glory. Amen đ
*SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Simeon of Jerusalem, Bishop and Martyr;
Saint Francis Regis Clet, Priest, Lazarist Missionary and Martyr; Saint Tarasius of Constantinople, Bishop; Saint Flavian of Constantinople and Blessed John of Fiesole (Fra Angelico). Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and these Saints, we humbly pray for the Church, for persecuted Christians, the conversion of sinners and all who have fallen away from the joy of living in God’s loving presence and grace. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life and Christians all over the world. Amenđ
SAINT SIMEON OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP & MARTYR: St. Sineon was the son of Cleophas, otherwise called Alpheus, brother to St. Joseph, and of Mary, sister to the Blessed Virgin. He was therefore nephew both to St. Joseph and to the Blessed Virgin, and first cousin to Our Savior Jesus Christ. He is in the Gospel of Matthew, and is one of the brethren of Christ mentioned in Acts who was present at the birth of the Church on the first Pentecost. We cannot doubt but that he was an early follower of Christ, and that he received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, with the Blessed Virgin and the apostles. He was martyred in early apostolic times. When the Jews massacred St. James the Lesser, his brother Simeon reproached them for their atrocious cruelty. St. James, Bishop of Jerusalem, being put to death in the year 62, twenty-nine years after Our Saviourâs Resurrection, the apostles and disciples met at Jerusalem to appoint him a successor. They unanimously chose St. Simeon, who had probably before assisted his brother in the government of that Church.
In the year 66, in which Sts. Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom at Rome, the civil war began in Judea, by the seditions of the Jews against the Romans. The siege and the destruction of Jerusalem took place during his episcopacy. He accompanied the Christian community to Pella. The Christians in Jerusalem were warned by God of the impending destruction of that city. They therefore departed out of it the same year,âbefore Vespasian, Neroâs general, and afterwards emperor, entered Judea,âand retired beyond Jordan to a small city called Pella, having St. Simeon at their head. In the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem, St. Simeon led the Christians back to the city, they returned thither again, and settled themselves amidst its ruins, till Adrian afterwards entirely razed it. The Church here flourished, performed miracles and multitudes of Jews were converted by the great number of prodigies and miracles wrought in it.
Vespasian and Domitian had commanded all to be put to death who were of the race of David. St. Simeon had escaped their searches; but, under the Emperor Trajan, St. Simeon was eventually arrested, tortured and arraigned before Atticus, the governor, on charges of being a Christian and a relative of Jesus. For at a certain period, all descendants of David were apprehended. After enduring all types of torture, he was affixed to a cross, even as His Savior. Those present marveled how a man of such advanced age (he was 120 years old) could so steadfastly and joyously bear the excruciating pains of crucifixion. He was martyred for the twin crimes of being Jewish and Christian and his death was that of crucifixion. He died on the 18th of February, 106 A.D. He ruled over the Church of Jerusalem for over forty years. St. Simeon is the Patron Saint of Curriers and Sawmen.
PRAYER: “ALMIGHTY GOD, mercifully look upon our infirmities: that whereas we are afflicted by the burden of our sins; the glorious intercession of thy Martyr and Bishop blessed Simeon may be our succor and defense. Through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end”âŚ. Amenđ
SAINT FRANCIS REGIS CLET, PRIEST, LAZARIST MISSIONARY & MARTYR: St. Francis Regis Clet CM (1748-1820) Martyr, Religious Priest of the Vincentian Order, Lazarist Missionary to China was born Francois Regis Clet on 19 August 1748 in Grenoble and died 18 February 1820 in Wuchang, China, he’s one of the Martyr Saints of China. St. Francis Regis Clet, the tenth of 15 children, was born into a farm family in Grenoble in the southwest corner of France in 1748 and was named for the recently Canonised fellow-Grenoblian, Jesuit St John Francis Regis (Jean Francois Regis).  After completing studies at the Royal College (founded by the Jesuits), he followed his elder brother and sister into vowed religious life.  In Lyons in 1769, he entered the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians). After Ordination, St. Francis served as professor of moral theology at the Vincentian seminary in Annecy where he was affectionately called âthe walking libraryâ because of his encyclopedic knowledge and academic discipline. In 1786, he became Rector of Annecy and two years later, Director of Novices in Paris.
St. Francis Regis petitioned to go to China as a missionary several times but his superiors did not accede to his request until 1791. At the age of 43, he replaced another priest who had to withdraw from the assignment at the last minute. A confrere, in writing about Cletâs assignment to China, noted: “He has everything you could ask for â holiness, learning, health and charm.â After a six month sea journey from France and some transition time in Macao, which included assuming the dress and customs of the Chinese people, the new missioner arrived in Kiang-si in October of 1792 as the only European in the area. St. Francis’ acculturation was hampered by his life-long difficulty with the language. In 1793 he joined two Chinese confreres in Hou-Kouang in the Hopei Province where both of his companions died within his first year, one in prison and one from exhaustion. In that year, St. Francis became superior of an international group of Vincentian missioners scattered over a very large territory, and he himself pastored an area of 270 thousand square miles. In that leadership capacity, he developed standards so that there would be a uniform approach to ministry (sacramental and catechetical) among the missioners. His own life was simple and austere â he lived like the poor in the country. His great spirit of mortification accommodated the most diverse regimes and it was on foot that he made his long journeys. Gentle and humble, he nevertheless showed great firmness inspired by sound and upright judgement. In 1811, the anti-Christian persecutions in China intensified with the Christians being accused of inciting rebellion against the ruling dynasty. For several years, Clet endured abuse and attacks, which frequently forced him to find refuge in the mountains. In 1819, with a generous reward on their heads, Clet and a Chinese confrere became fugitives. Like Jesus, he was finally betrayed by one of his own, a Catholic schoolmaster whom Clet had challenged for his scandalous behaviour. Like the missionary St Paul, Clet endured ignominy and forced marches in chains over hundreds of miles.
During the course of his judgement, St. Francis RĂŠgis Clet was treated with the most extreme inhumanity. To one of his judges, the holy confessor allowed himself to say: âMy brother, you judge me now, in a short time my Lord Himself will judge you.â A few months later, the magistrate, who fell out of favour, was executed. On 1 January 1820, Fr Clet was found guilty of deceiving the Chinese people by preaching Christianity and was sentenced to strangulation on a cross. Pending confirmation of the sentence by the emperor, he wrote: âI prepare for death, often repeating with Saint Paul: âif I live, it is for Jesus Christ and death will be for me a gainâ.â Finally, the emperor TsiatsĂŻn declared that âthe European had deceived and corrupted many people by preaching the Christian religion and that he should be strangled.â On 18 February Francis Regis Clet was executed. He was 72 years old, twenty-nine of whom spent in the Chinese mission. As in the case of Jesus, Christians took his body and buried it on a hillside where it rested until it was returned to the Vincentian motherhouse in Paris several decades later and is now honoured at St Lazare. St Francis was Beatified on 27 May 1900 by Pope Leo XIII and Canonised on 1 October 2000 by St Pope John Paul II.
SAINT TARASIUS OF CONSTANTINOPLE, BISHOP: St. Tarasius was born at Constantinople in the middle of the eighth century, of a noble family. His mother, Eucratia, brought him up in the practice of the most eminent virtues. By his talents and virtue, he gained the esteem of all, and was raised to the greatest honors of the empire, made first a Consul and afterward first Secretary of State to the Emperor Constantine IV and the Empress Irene, his mother. In the midst of the court and in its highest honors, he led a life like that of a religious. St. Tarasius was chosen, by the unanimous consent of the court, clergy and people to succeed to the Patriarch of Constantinople. Saint Tarasius declared that he could not in conscience accept the government of a see which had been cut off from the Catholic communion â which had occurred through the fault of his predecessor, who afterward recognized his error in approving a group of dissidents â except on condition that a general Council be convoked to settle the dispute concerning holy images, which was dividing the Church at that time. This being agreed to, he was solemnly declared Patriarch, and consecrated soon afterward, on Christmas Day.
The Council was opened on the 1st of August, 786, in the Church of the Apostles at Constantinople; but, being disturbed by the violence of the Iconoclasts, it adjourned, to meet again the following year in the Church of Saint Sophia at Nicea. The Council declared the positive thought of the Church in relation to the matter under debate, which was whether or not holy pictures and images should be allowed a relative honor. Afterward synodal letters were sent to all the churches, and in particular to the Pope, who approved the council. The life of the holy Patriarch Tarasius was a model of perfection for his clergy and people. His table contained barely the necessaries of life; he allowed himself very little time for sleep, rising the first and retiring last in his spiritual family. Reading and prayer-filled all his leisure hours.
After the Emperor repudiated his legitimate wife and, with the collaboration of a servile priest, married a servant whom he had crowned as Empress in her place, he used all his efforts to gain the Patriarch of Constantinople over to his desires. Saint Tarasius resolutely refused to countenance the iniquity, even when imprisoned by the irritated monarch. Soon afterward, the emperor lost his empire and his life, having spurned the reproaches of Saint Tarasius. The holy man gave up his soul to God in peace after governing his church for twenty-two years in great purity of life, on the 25th of February, 806.
PRAYER:Â God, Light and Shepherd of souls. You established St. Tarasius as Bishop in Your Church to feed Your flock by his word and form it by his example. Help us through his intercession to keep the Faith he taught by his word and follow the way he showed by his example. Amenđ
SAINTÂ FLAVIAN OF CONSTANTINOPLE: St. Flavian is Known to Eastern Christians as âSt. Flavian the Confessor,â the patriarch endured condemnation and severe beatings during a fifth-century dispute about the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ. Though he died from his injuries, his stand against heresy was later vindicated at the Churchâs fourth ecumenical council in 451. St. Flavian is closely associated with Pope St. Leo the Great, who also upheld the truth about Christâs divine and human natures during the controversy. The Popeâs best-known contribution to the fourth council â a letter known as the âTome of Leoâ â was originally addressed to St. Flavian, though it did not reach the patriarch during his lifetime. He was highly-regarded as a priest during the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II (which lasted from 408 to 450), and he became Archbishop of Constantinople following the death of Patriarch Saint Proclus in approximately 447. Early in his patriarchate, Flavian angered a state official named Chrysaphius by refusing to offer a bribe to the emperor. The ruler’s wife Eudocia joined the resulting conspiracy which Chrysaphius hatched against Flavian, a plot that would come to fruition in an illegitimate Church council and the patriarch’s death. As head of the Church in Constantinople, Flavian had inherited a theological controversy about the relationship between deity and humanity in the person of Jesus Christ. In an occurrence that was not uncommon for the time, the doctrinal issue became entangled with personal and political rivalries. Flavian’s stand for orthodoxy gave his high-ranking court opponents a chance to act against him by encouraging the proponents of doctrinal error and manipulating the emperor in their favor.
The theological issue had arisen after the Council of Ephesus, which in 431 had confirmed the personal unity of Christ and condemned the error (known as Nestorianism) that said he was a composite being made up of a divine person and a human person. But questions persisted: Were Jesus’ eternal divinity, and his assumed humanity, two distinct and complete natures fully united in one person? Or did the person of Christ have only one hybrid nature, made up in some manner of both humanity and divinity? The Church would eventually confirm that the Lord’s incarnation involved both a divine and a human nature at all times. When God took on a human nature at the incarnation, in the words of Pope St. Leo the Great, âthe proper character of both natures was maintained and came together in a single person,â and âeach nature kept its proper character without loss.â During Flavianâs patriarchate, however, the doctrine of Christâs two natures had not been fully and explicitly defined. Thus, controversy came up regarding the doctrine of a monk named Eutyches, who insisted that Christ had only âone nature.â Flavian understood the âmonophysiteâ doctrine as contrary to faith in Christâs full humanity, and he condemned it at a local council in November of 448. He excommunicated Eutyches, and sent his decision to Pope Leo, who gave his approval in May 449. Chrysaphius, who knew Eutyches personally, proceeded to use the monk as his instrument against the patriarch who had angered him. He convinced the emperor that a Church council should be convened to consider Eutychesâ doctrine again. The resulting council, held in August 449 and led by Dioscorus of Alexandria, was completely illegitimate, and later formally condemned. But it pronounced against Flavian and declared him deposed from the patriarchate. During this same illicit gathering, known to history as the âRobber Council,â a mob of monks beat St. Flavian so aggressively that he died from his injuries three days later. Chrysaphius seemed, for the moment, to have triumphed over the patriarch. But the state officialâs ambitions soon collapsed. Chrysaphius fell out of favor with Theodosius II shortly before the emperorâs death in July 450, and he was executed early in the reign of his successor Marcian. St. Flavian, meanwhile, was canonized by the Fourth Ecumenical Council in 451. Its participants gave strong acclamation to the âTome of Leoâ â in which the Pope confirmed St. Flavianâs condemnation of Eutyches and affirmed the truth about Christâs two natures, both divine and human.
BLESSED JOHN OF FIESOLE (FRA ANGELICO): Bl. John of Fiesole, popularly known as Bl. Fra Angelico, was a Dominican painter in the mid-fifteenth century known for the beauty of his paintings and the holiness of his priestly life. Nicknamed âAngelicoâ by his brothers, his Dominican consecration and life are worthy of imitation as he preached Jesus Christ by his life, his words, and his paintings. Given the name Guido at Baptism, this saint was born near Vicchio, in the vicinity of Florence, at the end of the 14th century. From his youth he practiced the art of painting. Having entered the Dominican convent in Fiesole, he was given the name Brother Giovanni (Brother John). Often called “Angelic Brother John”, or Fra Angelico (Angelic Friar) because of his holiness. After ordination he held various responsibilities, one of which was that of prior of the convent in Fiesole. Faithful to the promises he made as a Dominican, to preach the Gospel after having contemplated it in prayer, Fra Angelico put his creativity at the disposal of the Lord. With brush and paint in hand, he used his talents to transmit to all people the sublimity and the redemptive strength of the divine mysteries. Between 1425 and 1447, Fra Angelico carried out his activity for the Dominican convents and other ecclesiastical institutes at Fiesole, Florence (most especially at the convent of San Marco), Cortona and Orvieto. He painted some of his highest artistic achievements; The Annunciation, The Adoration of the Magi, and The Crucified Christ, to name a few. The fame of his genius merited him the esteem of the Sovereign Pontiffs Eugenio IV and Nicolas V, who contracted him for the task of frescoing several rooms in the Vatican Palace (1445-49).
Fra Angelico died on February 18, 1455, in the convent of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome and was buried in the adjoining Basilica, where his body was covered by a simple slab on which was carved his portrait. With a personality that was uncomplicated and clear, Brother Giovanni had lived a poor and humble life, refusing honors and positions. The virtue and the profound religious spirit which characterized the life of this artist and Dominican is reflected in his spirituality, his purity, and the luminosity of his art. Even before his official recognition as a blessed of the Church, he had been given by the faithful the title âBeato Angelico.â In a moving ceremony on October 18, 1984, Pope John Paul II, on his knees in front of Fra Angelicoâs tomb, proclaimed him solemnly to be the universal patron of all artists. The Incarnation was one of Fra Angelicoâs favorite themes, and he painted over 25 variations of it. His painted meditations, so needed at the time of the early Renaissance, are still necessary today. God became man to bring us closer to Himself by way of all things human. He makes all things new by fashioning them into possible vehicles of grace for us, so that by visible realities and concrete concepts, we can arrive at an understanding and a love of higher, invisible realities, all leading to God Himself. Pope Saint John Paul II beatified Bl. Fra Angelico on October 3, 1982, and in 1984 declared him Patron Saint of Catholic artists.
Let us pray:
My penitential Lord, though You were perfect in every way and always enjoyed full communion with Your Father, You allowed Your human nature to experience the hunger of fasting so that You could infuse that penitential act with Your divine grace. Please give me the resolve I need to form a habit of fasting and self-denial so that I will perceive more clearly the hunger I have for You, Your Father, and the Holy Spirit. My temperate and courageous Lord, You confronted all temptation with courage and strength. You fasted throughout the forty days and forty nights so as to teach us how to navigate the ups and downs of life. Please give me the virtues of temperance and courage, and bestow the Holy Spirit upon me so that I may follow You into the desert of my own life. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen đ
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Simeon of Jerusalem,
Saint Francis Regis Clet; Saint Tarasius of Constantinople; Saint Flavian of Constantinople and Blessed John of Fiesole (Fra Angelico) ~ Pray for usđ
Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for us all during this season of Lent, let us be renewed by prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor. We pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world. May God keep us all safe and well during these challenging times and may this season of Lent bring us all true salvation in Christ as we remain united in peace, love and faith. Have a blessed, safe, fruitful and grace-filled Sunday and Lenten Season ~ Amenđ
Blessings and Love always, Philomena đ
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