MEMORIAL OF SAINTS TIBURTIUS, VALERIAN AND MAXIMUS, MARTYRS; SAINT BENEZET; SAINT LIDWINA OF SCHIEDAM, VIRGIN AND BLESSED PETER GONZÁLEZ, PRIEST: Today, on this third Sunday of Easter, we celebrate the Memorial of Saints Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus, three Christian Martyrs who were buried on April 14th. They are known by their inclusion in the Acts of St. Cecilia. Saint Benezet (Little Benedict), he’s Patron Saint of Avignon; bachelors; bridge-builders. Blessed Peter Gonzalez, Priest, Dominican protector of captives and sailors, he’s Patron Saint of sailors and Saint Lydwina of Schiedam, Virgin (Lydwine, Lydwid, Lidwid, Liduina of Schiedam), she is the Patron Saint of those with chronic pain, chronically ill, ice skaters and town of Schiedam. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick, the Church, for persecuted christians and the conversion of sinners and for Christians all over the world.🙏
SAINTS TIBURTIUS, VALERIAN AND MAXIMUS, MARTYRS: Saints Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus, three Christian Roman Martyrs of the 2nd and 3rd century, who were buried in the cemetery of Praetextatus on April 14th. They are known by their inclusion in the Acts of St. Cecilia, a mid-fifth-century Acts of the Martyrs. According to the Acts, Valerian was Cecilia’s husband, Tiburtius his brother, and Maximus a Roman soldier or official who died with them. As Valerian and Tiburtius refused to worship the pagan gods (the supposed protectors of Rome’s earthly glory and wealth), they were executed. Their courage and composure in the face of death was so remarkable that it converted their guard, Maximus. After professing Christianity, he too suffered martyrdom. The three were buried by the grieving Cecilia, and a little later she herself was sentenced.
The three martyrs were traditionally honoured with a joint feast day on 14 April, as shown in the Tridentine Calendar. The 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar removed this celebration, since the only thing really known about them is the historical fact of their burial in the Catacombs of Praetextatus. However, it allowed them to be honoured in local calendars. The 2001 decree of promulgation of the revised Roman Martyrology declared: “In accordance with the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council on the Sacred Liturgy, ‘the accounts of martyrdom or the lives of the saints are to accord with the facts of history’ (art. 92 c), the names of saints included in the Martyrology and their notices have to be subjected more carefully than before to the judgement of historical study.” Accordingly, the revised Roman Martyrology now merely states, under 14 April: “At Rome, in the cemetery of Praetextatus on the Appian Way, Saints Tiburtius, Valerian and Maximus, martyrs.’ The Eastern Orthodox Church honors them together with Saint Cecilia on November 22nd.
PRAYER: Almighty God, for Whom holy Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus uplifted their testimony, grant, we beseech Thee, unto all whosoever call the same to solemn memory, grace to imitate the example of their godly courage. 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… Amen🙏
SAINT BENEZET, THE BRIDGE BUILDER: St Benezet, the Bridge Builder, also known as “Little Benedict” (c 1163-1184). St Benezet is also known as Benezet of Hermillon, Benedict, Bennet, Benet, Benoit, Little Benedict the Bridge Builder. Born in c 1163 at Hermillon, Savoy, France and died in 1184. He is a Shepherd, Mystic, miracle-worker, Founder of the Fratres Pontifices – the Bridge-Building Brotherhood, he was the builder who instigated and directed the building of the Pont d’Avignon and founder of the tradition of the bridge building brotherhood. St Benezet, the Bridge Builder, was born somewhere in the countryside of eastern or northeastern France. As he grew up he tended his mother’s sheep. Though uneducated and unskilled, gentle Benedict was a quiet, devout youth, thoughtful of others. One day in 1177, while the sun was in eclipse, Benezet heard a voice, he believed was Jesus, commanding him three times to go to Avignon, where the Rhone current was especially swift and to build a bridge there. He was also told that Angels would watch over his flocks in his absence. He obeyed the Divine order, without delay and reported immediately to the Bishop of Avignon. Naturally, the Bishop was hesitant about accepting the word of the frail teenager. But little Benezet lifted a massive stone to begin the work and announced that it would be the start of the foundation. This would become the Pont Saint-Bénézet. Thus he succeeded in convincing the Bishop that the construction of the bridge would be an act of true Christian charity. Permission was granted and the youth set about his task. According to the legend, there were shouts of “Miracle! Miracle!” when Bénézet had lifted and laid that first huge stone. Eighteen miracles occurred in total during the project – the blind had their vision restored, the deaf could hear again, cripples could walk and hunchbacks had their backs straightened. For the next seven years St. Benedict worked hard on the project and around 1181 he won support for his project from wealthy sponsors who formed themselves into a Bridge Brotherhood to fund its construction. This was a religious association active during the 12th and 13th centuries and begun in Avignon but by it’s inspiration, it spread across Europe and whose purpose was building bridges, especially to assist pilgrims. It was customary for a bishop to grant indulgences to those who, by money or labour, contributed to the construction of a bridge. They also maintained and/or built hospices at the chief fords of the principal rivers, besides building bridges and looking after ferries. The Brotherhood consisted of three branches– knights, clergy and artisans, where the knights usually had contributed most of the funds and were sometimes called donati, the clergy were usually monks who represented the church and the artisans were the workers who actually built the bridges. Sisters are sometimes mentioned as belonging to the same association. In addition to the construction of bridges, the brotherhood often attended to the lodging and care of pilgrims and travellers and the collection of alms, in this area, the sisters were most active.
In 1184, sadly, young Benezet died, some four years before the great stone bridge at Avignon was completed. The wonders that occurred during the bridge’s erection and the miracles wrought at the Bridge Builder’s tomb convinced the people of Avignon that the young man was a Saint and he was referred to as such as early at 1237. They, therefore, built a Chapel on the “Bridge of St Benezet” to enshrine his relics. There the body was venerated until 1669, when floodwaters carried away a large segment of the bridge. His remains were rescued from the flood and on examination, were found to be incorrupt. Now they repose in the local church of St Didier. Understandably, bridge builders adopted little Benedict as their Patron Saint. The remains of the bridge still remain a pilgrimage site. St Benezet’s bridge has another claim to fame – it achieved worldwide fame through its commemoration by the song “Sur le Pont d’Avignon” (“On the Bridge of Avignon”). One can build in a figurative as well as a literal sense. Bishops, the pope in particular, are often called “pontiffs”, a title derived from the Latin word for “builder of bridges”. Building bridges between God and mankind is their special calling. Our Lord Himself was a “pontiff” in the sense that He made his Cross a bridge, on which souls could enter heaven. The beatitude “Blessed are the peacemakers” promises heaven to those who work for reconciliation, that is, “build bridges”. Some persons labour to raise walls, or “iron curtains” to divide mankind. Others labour to tear down the walls that divide, straighten the paths that connect, bridge the crevices that separate people. Surely they come close to fulfilling the great commandment to love our neighbour as oneself. St Benezet was one such. He promoted the unity of God’s children. St. Benezet is the Patron Saint of Avignon; bachelors; bridge-builders and construction workers. His body is incorrupt.
Little St Benezet ~ Pray for us!🙏
SAINT LIDWINA OF SCHIEDAM, VIRGIN: St. Lydwina of Schiedam, Virgin (Lydwine, Lydwid, Lidwid, Liduina of Schiedam) (1380-1433) was a Dutch mystic who is honored as a saint by the Catholic Church. St. Lidwina is thought to be one of the first documented cases of multiple sclerosis. She is the Patron Saint of those with chronic pain, chronically ill, ice skaters and town of Schiedam. St. Lidwina was born into a poor country family of Holland in 1380. At an early age, she prayed to the Mother of God and experienced visions of incredible religious images. When she was 15, she went ice-skating with some friends and fell. She broke a rib from this fall, but gangrene continued to consume her body. No medical professional could diagnose her injury, and this began her martyrdom.
As the gangrene spread throughout her body, she became permanently paralyzed. Pieces of her body even fell off, and she suffered from external bleeding. Despite these medical complications, Saint Lidwina never gave up on her faith in God. She engaged in constant prayer and commitment in her faith to God. She continued to experience great pain for the rest of her life, but she was rewarded with visions of faith from God. She died in 1433 at age 53. She was canonized by Pope Leo XII in 1890. Today, she serves as an inspiration for chronically-ill patients and those with multiple sclerosis.
PRAYER: Lord, we devoutly recall the sufferings of St. Lidwina. Give success to our joyful prayers and grant us also constancy in our Faith. Amen🙏
BLESSED PETER GONZÁLEZ, PRIEST: Bl. Peter González (1190 – 15 April 1246), sometimes referred to as Pedro González Telmo, Saint Telmo, or Saint Elmo, was a Castilian Dominican friar and priest, born in 1190 in Frómista, Palencia, Kingdom of Castile and Leon. St. Peter Gonzales, Dominican protector of captives and sailors. He preached a campaign against the Moors, and then cared for the captured Muslims and sailors. Saint Paul had a conversion experience on the road to Damascus. Many years later, the same proved true for Peter Gonzalez, who triumphantly rode his horse into the Spanish city of Astorga in the 13th century to take up an important post at the cathedral. The animal stumbled and fell, leaving Peter in the mud and onlookers amused.
Humbled, Peter reevaluated his motivations—his bishop-uncle had secured the cathedral post for him—and started down a new path. He became a Dominican priest and proved to be a most effective preacher. He spent much of his time as court chaplain, and attempted to exert positive influence on the behavior of members of the court. After King Ferdinand III and his troops defeated the Moors at Cordoba, Peter was successful in restraining the soldiers from pillaging, and persuaded the king to treat the defeated Moors with compassion.
After retiring from the court, Peter devoted the remainder of his life to preaching in northwest Spain. Having developed a special mission to Spanish and Portuguese seamen, he is considered their patron. He is the Patron Saint of Sailor. Bl. Peter Gonzalez died in 1246 and was beatified in on December 13, 1741, Rome, Papal States, Pope Benedict XIV.
Blessed Peter González ~ Pray for us 🙏