Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.
Saint Felix.
Pope and Martyr.
Feast Day 30 May.
Simple.
Red Vestments.
Pope Saint Felix I. (269 A.D. - 274 A.D.),
Fresco in The Sistine Chapel, Vatican.
Date: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Pope Saint Felix I ascended, in 269 A.D., The Throne of Peter, to whom Jesus, before His Ascension, had committed The Church. He commanded Masses to be Celebrated over the tombs of Martyrs, and it is in remembrance of this prescription that the relics of Martyrs are placed in a small cavity of the Altar Stone, called "Tomb".
The Altar, nowadays, has indeed often the shape of a tomb, this being a relic of the "Confession" or underground tomb which is found under The High Altar in Roman Basilicas, and is reached by stairs.
The custom of uniting the remembrance of Martyrs to The Sacrifice of The Mass or of Calvary, shows that these Martyrs, having entered into the bosom of Jesus (Gospel), have found there the strength to confess their Faith before their enemies and the Grace of being children of The Father (Epistle).
Saint Felix bore witness to Christ in 274 A,D, under the persecution of Emperor Aurelian.
Mass: In Paschaltide. Protexisti. With Collects of Mass: Statuit.
Mass: Out of Paschaltide. Statuit.
The following Text is from "The Liturgical Year",
by Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
Volume 8.
Paschal Time.
Book II.
The Holy Popes of the primitive ages of The Church abound during these last days of our Paschal Season. Today, we have Pope Saint Felix I, a Martyr of The Persecution under Emperor Aurelian, in the Third Century A.D.
The "Acts of Pope Saint Felix I" have been lost, with the exception of this one detail; that he proclaimed a Dogma of The Incarnation, with admirable precision, in a Letter addressed to The Church of Alexandria, a passage of which was read with much applause at the two Ecumenical Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon (431 A.D.-451 A.D.).
We also learn from a Law that he passed, for those troubled time of The Church, that this Holy Pontiff was zealous in procuring, for The Martyrs, the honour that is due to them. He decreed that The Holy Sacrifice should be offered up on their tombs.
No comments:
Post a Comment