Saint Blaise. Bishop And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 3 February.

Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

English: Saint Blaise confronting the Roman Governor. 

Scene from The Life of Saint Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste (Armenia). 

Martyr under the Roman Emperor Licinius (4th-Century A.D.).

Stained-Glass Window from the area of Soissons, Picardy, France. 

Early-13th-Century.

Français: Saint Blaise devant le gouverneur romain : scène de la vie de saint Blaise, évêque de Sébaste en Arménie, martyr sous le règne de l'empereur Licinius (IVe siècle). Vitrail de la région de Soissons (Picardie, France), début du XIVe siècle. Versement de l'Office des biens privés, 1951.

Current location: Louvre Museum, Paris, France.

Credit line: Assigned by the Office of private goods and interests, 1951.

Source/Photographer: Jastrow (2005).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Blaise (Armenian: Սուրբ Բարսեղ, Sourb Barsegh; Greek: Άγιος Βλάσιος, Agios Vlasios), also known as Saint Blase, was a Physician, and Bishop of Sebastea, in historical Armenia (modern Sivas, Turkey).

According to The Acta Sanctorum, he was Martyred, by being beaten, attacked with iron carding combs, and beheaded. In The Latin Church, his Feast Day falls on 3 February; in The Eastern Churches, The Feast Day falls on 11 February.

The first reference we have to him is in manuscripts of the medical writings of Aëtius Amidenus, a Court Physician at the very end of the 5th-Century A.D., or the beginning of the 6th-Century A.D; There, his aid is invoked in treating objects stuck in the throat.

Marco Polo reported the place where "Meeser Saint Blaise obtained The Glorious Crown of Martyrdom", Sebastea, the Shrine near The Citadel Mount, was mentioned by William of Rubruck in 1253. However, it appears to no longer exist.

English: Church of Saint Blaise, Alsace, France.

Français: Alsace, Bas-Rhin, Valff, Eglise Saint-Blaise, 

Maître-autel (XVIIIe) avec statues de Sainte-Marguerite 

et Saint-Jean de Népomucène, Tableau Saint-Blaise.

Photo: 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Rh-67.

(Wikimedia Commons)

From being a healer of bodily ailments, Saint Blaise became a Physician of Souls, then retired for a time, by Divine Inspiration, to a cavern, where he remained in Prayer. As Bishop of Sebastea, Blaise instructed his people, as much by his example as by his words, and the great virtues and Sanctity of the Servant of God were attested by many Miracles. From all parts, the people came flocking to him for the cure of bodily and spiritual ills.

In 316 A.D., the Governor of Cappadocia and Lesser Armenia, Agricolaus, began a Persecution, by order of the Emperor, Licinius. Saint Blaise was seized. After interrogation and a severe scourging, he was hurried off to prison, and subsequently beheaded. The legendary Acts of Saint Blaise were written 400 years later, in Greek, and are, thus, a Mediaeval record.

The Legend, as given in the Grande Encyclopédie, is as follows:

Blaise, who had studied Philosophy in his youth, was a Doctor in Sebaste, in Armenia, the City of his birth, who exercised his art with miraculous ability, good-will, and piety. When the Bishop of the City died, he was chosen to succeed him, with the acclamation of all the people. His holiness was manifest through many Miracles: From all around, people came to him to find cures for their spirit and their body; even wild animals came in herds to receive his Blessing.

In 316 A.D., Agricola, the Governor of Cappadocia and of Lesser Armenia, having arrived in Sebastia at the order of the Emperor Licinius to kill the Christians, arrested the Bishop. As he was being led to prison, a mother set her only son, choking to death of a fish-bone, at his feet, and the child was cured straight away. Regardless, the Governor, unable to make Blaise renounce his Faith, beat him with a stick, ripped his flesh with iron combs, and beheaded him.

In many places, on The Day of his Feast, The Blessing of Saint Blaise is given: Two Candles are Consecrated, generally by a Prayer, these are then held, in a crossed position, by a Priest over the heads of The Faithful, or the people are touched on the throat with them. At the same time, the following Blessing is given: "May Almighty God, at the intercession of Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, preserve you from infections of the throat and from all other afflictions".

English: Valentino Rovisi, Saint Blaise, 1780, fresco, 

San Biagio Church in Alleghe.

Polski: Chwała św. Błażeja i osiem epizodów z życia 

świętego, 1780, fresk, kościół w Alleghe.

Photo: 27 December 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Stanisław Gurba.

(Wikimedia Commons)

One of The Fourteen Holy Helpers [Editor: Also known as The Fourteen Auxiliary Saints], Blaise became one of the most popular Saints of The Middle Ages. His cult became widespread in Europe in the 11th- and 12th-Centuries and his legend is recounted in the 14th-Century Legenda Aurea. Saint Blaise is The Saint of The Wild Beast.

He is The Patron of The Armenian Order of Saint Blaise. In Italy, he is known as San Biagio. In Spanish-speaking Countries, he is known as San Blas, and has lent his name to many places (see San Blas). In Italy, Saint Blaise's remains rest at the Basilica over the town of Maratea, shipwrecked there during Leo III the Isaurian's iconoclastic Persecutions.

Many German Churches, including the former Abbey of Saint Blasius, in The Black Forest, and the Church of Balve, are Dedicated to Saint Blaise/Blasius.

In Cornwall, England, the Village of St Blazey derives from his name, where the Parish Church is still Dedicated to Saint Blaise. Indeed, The Council of Oxford, in 1222, forbade all work on his Festival. There is a Church Dedicated to Saint Blaise in the Devon, England, Hamlet of Haccombe, near Newton Abbot (also one at Shanklin, on The Isle of Wight, and another at Milton, near Abingdon, in Oxfordshire), one of the Country's smallest Churches. It is located next to Haccombe House, which is The Family Home of The Carew Family, descendants of the Vice-Admiral on board The Mary Rose at the time of her sinking. One curious fact associated with this Church is that its "Vicar" goes by the Title of "Arch-Priest".

English: Statue of Saint Blaise on The Holy Trinity Column 

in Olomouc, Czech Republic.

Čeština: Socha Svatého Blažeje na sloupu 

nejsvětější trojice v Olomouci.

Source: Own work.

Author: Michal Maňas.

(Wikimedia Commons)

There is a Saint Blaise's Well In Bromley, Kent, where the water was considered to have medicinal virtues. Saint Blaise is also associated with Stretford, in Lancashire. A Blessing of the Throats Ceremony is held on 3 February at Saint Etheldreda's Church, in London, and in Balve, Germany.

In Bradford, West Yorkshire, a Roman Catholic Middle School, named after Saint Blaise, was operated by The Diocese of Leeds from 1961 to 1995. The name was chosen due to the connections of Bradford to the woollen industry and the method whereby Saint Blaise was Martyred (with the wool-comb).

Saint Blaise (Croatian: Sveti Vlaho or Sveti Blaž) is The Patron Saint of Dubrovnik, and, formerly, The Protector of The Independent Republic of Ragusa. At Dubrovnik, Croatia, his Feast Day is celebrated on 3 February, when Relics of The Saint are paraded in Reliquaries. The Festivities begin the previous day, on Candlemas (2 February), when White Doves are released. Chroniclers of Dubrovnik, such as Rastic and Ranjina, attribute his Veneration there to a vision in 971 A.D., to warn the inhabitants of an impending attack by The Venetians.

English: Church of Saint Blaise, 

Montepulciano, Italy.

Italiano: Montepulciano - 

Chiesa di S. Biagio.

Photo: August 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Geobia.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Blaise (Blasius) revealed The Venetians' pernicious plan to Stojko, a Canon of Saint Stephen's Cathedral. The Senate summoned Stojko, who told them in detail how Saint Blaise had appeared before him, as an old man with a long beard and a Bishop's Mitre and Staff. In this form, the effigy of Blaise remained on Dubrovnik's State Seal and coinage until the Napoleonic era.

In England, in the 18th- and 19th-Centuries, Blaise was adopted as mascot of wool-workers' pageants, particularly in Essex, Yorkshire, Wiltshire and Norwich. The popular enthusiasm for the Saint is explained by the belief that Blaise had brought prosperity (as symbolised by The Woolsack) to England, by teaching the English to comb wool. According to the Tradition, as recorded in printed broadsheets, Blaise came from Jersey, Channel Islands. Jersey was certainly a centre of export of woollen goods (as witnessed by the name jersey for the woollen textile). However, this legend is probably the result of confusion with a different Saint, Blasius of Caesarea (Caesarea being also the Latin name of Jersey).

In iconography, Blaise is represented holding two Crossed Candles in his hand (The Blessing of Saint Blaise), or in a cave surrounded by wild beasts, as he was found by the hunters of the Governor. He is often shown with the instruments of his Martyrdom, steel combs. The similarity of these instruments of torture to wool combs led to his adoption as The Patron Saint of wool combers, in particular, and the wool trade, in general.

English: Saint Blaise Blessing a young child (note the Crossed Candles).

Altarpiece in The Church of Saint Blaise, Alsace, France.

Français: Alsace, Bas-Rhin, Valff, Eglise Saint-Blaise,

Maître-autel (XVIIIe), Tableau Saint-Blaise (XIXe).

Date: 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Rh-67.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Saint Blaise.
   Bishop and Martyr.
   Feast Day 3 February.

Simple.

Red Vestments.

English: Saint Stephen, Saint Blaise, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Peter, and the donor, Pierre Rup. Swiss wooden Altarpiece, circa 1450. Museum of Fine Arts, Dijon, France.

Français: Saint Etienne Saint Blaise Saint Jean Baptiste Saint Pierre et le donateur Pierre Rup. Suisse vers 1450. Bois. Musée des beaux arts de Dijon (Côte d'Or, France).

Date: 3 July 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: François de Dijon.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Blaise, elected Bishop of Sebastea, Armenia (Introit), had a part in The Redemption of The Saviour. "The sufferings of The Saviour abounded in him" (Epistle), and, after a life of severe Penance, passed among wild beasts in a cave on Mount Argeus, "he gave his life for Jesus" (Gospel). Having suffered the most atrocious torments under Licinius, he was beheaded in 316 A.D.

Like The Redeemer, Saint Blaise healed bodies while healing Souls, wherefore his intercession was often Prayed for. In consequence of his having saved the life of a child, who was dying, choked by a bone which had stuck in his throat, The Church recognises his "prerogative for healing all diseases of the throat". She Blesses two Candles, to this effect, and asks God for all those, whose necks the Candles shall touch, that they may be delivered from throat diseases, or from any other ill, through the merits of this Holy Martyr's passion. He is one of The Fourteen "Auxiliary Saints".

Let us, with Saint Blaise, take part in The Sufferings of The Redeemer, so as to be able with him to take part in His triumph (Epistle).

Mass: Sacerdótes Dei. Of a Martyr Bishop.

THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL

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"Alma Redemptoris Mater" (Sweet Mother Of The Redeemer). The Last Day Of This Beautiful Marian Anthem. It Is Now Succeeded By "Ave Regina Caelorum" (Hail, Queen Of Heaven).

   

The Blessed Virgin Mary

is Crowned Queen of Heaven

by Her Beloved Son,

Illustration: CALEFACTORY.ORG

Today is the last day of Alma Redemptoris Mater (Sweet Mother of The Redeemer),

one of the four Marian Anthems of Praise to The Blessed Virgin Mary. It is sung from

First Vespers in Advent to Second Vespers of Candlemas (2 February).

It is succeeded by Ave Regina Caelorum (Hail, Queen of Heaven), which is sung

from Compline, on Candlemas (2 February), until Maundy Thursday, exclusive.

Alma Redemptoris Mater

(Sweet Mother of The Redeemer).

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Ave Regina Caelorum

(Hail, Queen of Heaven).

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Happy Oriel Day !!!

Coat-of-Arms, 

Oriel College, 

Oxford University.

Official Blazon.

Gules, 

three lions passant guardant in pale Or;

 bordure engrailed argent.

Illustration: HERALDRY OF THE WORLD

This Article was taken from, and can be read in full at,

A CHAPLAIN ABROAD - FR BEDE ROWE

HAPPY ORIEL DAY !!!

Happy Feast Day to you !,

Happy Feast Day to you !,

Happy Feast Day, dear "The House of Mary, 

The Blessed Virgin in Oxford" !,

Happy Feast Day to you !

Oriel College, Oxford.

Illustration: A CHAPLAIN ABROAD - FR BEDE ROWE

All over the world, Old Orielenses celebrate this day,

our College Feast Day. For, although as a College, Oriel is known as Oriel, its correct Title is that found above,

"The House of Mary, The Blessed Virgin in Oxford".

Rejoice on The Purification of The Blessed Virgin. Rejoice at The Presentation of The Child Jesus in the Temple. Rejoice on the great Feast Day.

And may The Blessed and Most Holy Virgin Mary,

Protectress and Co-Redemptrix, guard our Holy Church from all the wiles of Satan,

may she stand victorious

with Saint Michael and all The Angels and Saints.

Amen.

The Blessing Of The Candles On The Feast Of The Purification Of Mary. 2 February.

This Article was initiated by reading the excellent Blog,
TRANSALPINE REDEMPTORISTS

Text is from "The Liturgical Year",
by Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.,
unless stated otherwise.

English: The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.

Français: La présentation de Jésus au Temple.

Artist: James Tissot (1836–1902).

Date: Between 1886 and 1894.

Current location: Brooklyn Museum,

New York, United States of America.

Credit line: Purchased by public subscription.

Source/Photographer: Online Collection of Brooklyn Museum;

Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2006, 00.159.27_PS1.jpg.

(Wikimedia Commons)

"We Must Hold As A Principle Of Our Spiritual Life,

That The Mysteries Brought Before Us, Feast After Feast,

Are Intended To Work In Us The Destruction Of The Old,

And The Creation Of The New Man."

- Dom Guéranger — "The Liturgical Year".

THE BLESSING OF THE CANDLES.

The Blessing before The Mass: “That as these candles, by their visible light, dispel the 

darkness of the night, so our hearts, burning with invisible fire, and enlightened by the 

Grace of The Holy Ghost, may be delivered from all blindness of sin; that the eye of our Soul being purified, we may discern those things that are pleasing to Thee, and beneficial to our Souls.”

Illustration and Caption from TRANSALPINE REDEMPTORISTS

After Terce, follows The Blessing of the Candles, which is one of the three principal Blessings observed by the Church during the year; the other two are those of the Ashes and of the Palms. The signification of this ceremony bears so essential a connection with the Mystery of Our Lady's Purification, that, if Septuagesima, Sexagesima, or Quinquagesima Sunday fall on 2 February, the Feast is deferred to 3 February; but the Blessing of the Candles, and the Procession which follows it, always takes place on this precise day.

In order to give uniformity to the three great Blessings of the year, the Church prescribes, for that of the Candles, the same colour for the Vestments of the Sacred Ministers as is used in the two other Blessings, of the Ashes and of the Palms — namely, Purple.

Thus, this Solemn function, which is inseparable from the day on which Our Lady's Purification took place, may be gone through every year on 2 February, without changing the colour prescribed for the three Sundays just mentioned.

English: Three Red Candles at Christmas-tide.

Deutsch: Drei brennende rote Kerzen in der Weihnachtszeit.

Photo: 25 December 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: 4028mdk09.

(Wikimedia Commons)

It is exceedingly difficult to say what was the origin of this ceremony. Baronius, Thomassin, and others, are of the opinion that it was instituted towards the close of the 5th-Century, by Pope Saint Gelasius, in order to give a Christian meaning to certain vestiges still retained by the Romans of the old Lupercalia.

Saint Gelasius certainly did abolish the last vestiges of the feast of the Lupercalia, which, in earlier times, the pagans used to celebrate in the month of February. Pope Innocent III, in one of his Sermons for the Feast of the Purification, attributes the institution of this ceremony of Candlemas to the wisdom of the Roman Pontiffs, who turned, into the present religious rite, the remnants of an ancient pagan custom, which had not quite died out among the Christians.

The old pagans, he says, used to carry lighted torches in memory of those which the fable gives to Ceres, when she went to the top of Mount Etna in search of her daughter, Proserpine. But, against this, we have to object that, on the pagan Calendar of the Romans, there is no mention of any feast in honour of Ceres for the month of February.

We, therefore, prefer adopting the opinion of Dom Hugh Menard, Rocca, Henschenius, and Pope Benedict XIV: That an ancient feast, which was kept in February, and was called the Amburbalia, during which the pagans used to go through the City with lighted torches in their hands, gave occasion to the Sovereign Pontiffs to substitute, in its place, a Christian ceremony, which they attached to the Feast of that Sacred Mystery, in which Jesus, the Light of the World, was presented in the Temple by His Virgin-Mother.

The Mystery of today's ceremony has frequently been explained by Liturgists, dating from the 7th-Century. According to Saint Ivo of Chartres [in his Second Sermon on the Purification], the was, which is formed from the juice of the flowers, by the bee, always considered as the emblem of virginity, signifies the virginal flesh of the Divine Infant, who diminished not, either by His Conception or His Birth, the spotless purity of his Blessed Mother.

The same Holy Bishop would have us see, in the flame of our Candle, a symbol of Jesus, Who came to enlighten our darkness. Saint Anselm [Commentary on Saint Luke], Archbishop of Canterbury, speaking on the same Mystery, bids us consider the three things in the Blest Candle: The wax; the wick; and the flame. The was, he says, which is the production of the virginal bee, is the Flesh of Our Lord; the wick, which is within, is His Soul; the flame, which burns on the top, is His Divinity.

Formerly, The Faithful looked upon it as an honour to be permitted to bring their wax tapers to the Church, on this Feast of the Purification, that they might be Blessed, together with those which were to be borne in the Procession by the Priests and Sacred Ministers; and the same custom is still observed in some Congregations. It would be well if Pastors were to encourage this practice, retaining it where it exists, or establishing it where it is not known.

[Editor: The following paragraph, written by Abbot Guéranger in the Late-19th-Century, can readily be applied to today's situation, whereby many Catholic practices, Rites and Traditions are under attack from several quarters.]

There has been such a systematic effort to destroy, or at least to impoverish, the Exterior Rites and Practices of Religion, that we find, throughout the World, thousands of Christians who have been insensibly made strangers to those admirable sentiments of Faith, which The Church alone, in her Liturgy, can give to The Body of The Faithful.

Thus, we shall be telling many what they have never heard before, when we inform them that The Church Blesses the Candles, not only to be carried in the Procession, which forms part of the ceremony on 2 February, but also for the use of The Faithful, inasmuch as they draw, upon such as use them with respect, whether on sea or on land, as the Church says in the Prayer, special Blessings from Heaven.

These Blest Candles ought also to be lit near the bed of the dying Christian, as a symbol of the immortality merited for us by Christ, and of the protection of Our Blessed Lady.

As soon as all is prepared, the Priest goes up to the Altar, and thus begins The Blessing of The Candles. The Prayers having been said, the Celebrant sprinkles the Candles with Holy Water, saying The Asperges in secret, and then Incenses them; after which, he distributes them to both Clergy and Laity [in receiving the Candle, The Faithful should kiss first the Candle and then the Priest's hand].

During the distribution, The Church, filled with emotion at the sight of these Sacred Symbols, which remind her of Jesus, shares in the joyous transports of the aged Simeon, who, whilst holding The Child in his arms, confessed Him to be The Light of the Gentiles. She chants his sweet Canticle, separating each verse by an Antiphon, which is formed out of the last words of Simeon.

Antiphon.

Lumen ad revelationem gentium,

et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.

A Light to the revelation of the Gentiles,

and the glory of Thy people Israel.

Canticle of Simeon.

Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine: *

secundum verbum tuum in pace . . .

THE PROCESSION.

Filled with Holy Joy, radiant with the mystic light, excited, like the venerable Simeon, by the impulse of the Holy Spirit, the Church goes forth to meet her Emmanuel. It is this meeting which the Greek Church calls the Hypapante, under which name she also designates The Feast on 2 February. The Church would imitate that wondrous Procession, which was formed in the Temple of Jerusalem on The Day of Mary's Purification. Let us listen to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.

"On this day, The Virgin-Mother brings The Lord of the Temple into the Temple of The Lord; Saint Joseph presents to The Lord a Son, Who is not his own, but The Beloved Son of that Lord, Himself, and in Whom He is well pleased; Simeon, The Just Man, confesses Him for Whom he had been so long waiting; Anna, too, the widow, confesses Him.

"The Procession of this Solemnity was first made by these four persons [Editor: Mary, Joseph, Simeon, Anna], which afterwards was to be made, to the joy of the whole Earth, in every place and by every Nation. Let us not be surprised at its then being so little; for He they carried was little ! Besides, all who were in it were Just, and Saints, and perfect — there was not a single sinner." [First Sermon On The Purification.]

And yet let us join The Holy Procession. Let us go to meet Jesus, The Spouse of our Souls, as did The Wise Virgins, carrying in our hands lamps burning with the flame of Charity. Let us remember the command given us by Our Lord: "Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands: And you yourselves like to men who wait for their Lord [Saint Luke xii 35, 36]. Guided by Faith, and enlightened by Charity, we shall meet and know Him, and He will give Himself to us.

The Holy Church opens her Chants in this Procession with the following Antiphon, which is found, word for word, in The Greek Liturgy of this same Feast.

Antiphon.

Adorna thalamum tuum, Sion, 

et suscipe Regem Christum . . .

Adorn thy bride-chamber, O Sion,

and receive Christ, thy King . . .

After the Procession, the Celebrant and his Ministers put off their Purple Vestments, and vest in White for the Mass of the Purification. But if it be any of the three Sundays, Septuagesima, Sexagesima, or Quinquagesima, the Mass of the Feast is Deferred till the morrow, as has already been explained.

THE MASS.

In the Introit, The Church sings the glory of Jerusalem's Temple, that was this day
visited by Emmanuel. Great is The Lord in The City of David, great is He on His Mount of Sion. Simeon, the representative of the whole human race, receives into his arms Him that is The Mercy sent us by God.

In the Collect, The Church Prays that her children may be presented, as Jesus was, to The Eternal Father; but, in order that they may meet with a favourable reception, she asks Him to give them purity of heart.

All The Mysteries of The Man-God have for their object, the purifying of our hearts. He sends
His Angel, that is, His Precursor, before His Face, that he may prepare His way; and we
have heard this Holy Prophet crying out to us, in the wilderness: Be humbled, O ye hills !
and ye valleys, be ye filled up ! At length, He that is The Angel of The Testament comes in person
to seal the alliance with us.

He comes to His Temple, and this temple is our heart. But He is like a refining fire, that takes away the dross of metals. He wishes to renew us, by purifying us; that thus we may be worthy to be offered to Him, and with Him, by a perfect Sacrifice. We must, therefore, take care, and not be satisfied with admiring these sublime Mysteries.

WE MUST HOLD AS A PRINCIPLE OF OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE, THAT THE MYSTERIES BROUGHT BEFORE US, FEAST AFTER FEAST, ARE INTENDED TO WORK IN US THE DESTRUCTION OF THE OLD, AND THE CREATION OF THE NEW MAN.

We have been spending Christmas; we ought to have been born together with Jesus; this new Birth is now at its fortieth day. On 2 February, we must be offered by Mary, who is also our Mother, to The Divine Majesty, as Jesus was. The moment is come for our offering, for it is the hour of The Great Sacrifice; let us redouble the fervour of our preparation.

The following Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

The Purification Of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
   Feast Day 2 February.

Double of The Second-Class.

Violet Vestments for The Blessing of The Candles.

White Vestments for The Mass of The Purification of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Presentation of Christ in the Temple.

Artist: Hans Holbein the Elder (1465–1524).

Date: 1500-1501.

Current location: Kunsthalle Hamburg, Germany.

Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. DVD-ROM, 2002.

ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.

Permission: [1]

(Wikimedia Commons)

With The Feast of The Purification, ends The Sanctoral Cycle of The Season After Epiphany. It is
one of the oldest Feasts of Our Lady and, in Rome in the 7th-Century A.D., it ranked after
The Assumption.

The Feast is kept on 2 February, because Mary, wishing to obey the Mosaic Law, had to go to Jerusalem forty days after The Birth of Jesus (25 December-2 February) to offer the prescribed sacrifice [Editor: The Church has instituted for Christian Mothers the fine Ceremony of "Churching"], Mothers were to offer a lamb, or, if their means did not allow, "two doves or two young pigeons".

The Blessed Virgin took with her to Jerusalem the Infant Jesus, and The Candlemas (Candlemass) Procession recalls the journey of Mary and Joseph ascending to the Temple to present "The Angel of The Covenant" (Epistle, Introit) as Malachy had prophesied.

"The wax of the Candles signifies the Virginal Flesh of The Divine Infant," says Saint Anselm, "the wick figures His Soul and the flame His Divinity."

The Purification to which the Mother of The Saviour was not obliged to conform, as her Motherhood was beyond ordinary laws, is not placed in the foreground by The Liturgy, and The Presentation of Jesus is the principal object of this Feast.

If this Solemnity is considered as belonging to the Season of Christmas, Jesus will be seen manifested by Simeon as The God Who "shall illumine the Gentiles with His Light and shall be The Glory of the people of Israel" (Gospel); and if, as belonging to the Season of Epiphany, we shall adore Jesus in the accomplishment of this prophecy, either at the Marriage Feast at Cana, where He commences to "manifest His Glory" (Gospel of Second Sunday), or in the midst of the multitude, when He spreads the Light of His Doctrine (Gospel of the Fifth and Sixth Sundays).

We may read the Fourth Prayer of The Blessing of Candles in order to understand the symbolism of the Lamp of the Sanctuary and the Candles Blessed on this day, and to know the right use to be made of them by the bed of the dying, during storms and in the perils to which may be exposed "our bodies and Souls on land and on the waters" (First Prayer of The Blessing of Candles).

If The Feast of The Purification falls on a Privileged Sunday, it is Transferred to the following day; nevertheless, The Blessing of The Candles takes place before The Sunday Mass.

Every Parish Priest Celebrates Mass for the people of his Parish.

Mass: Suscépimus, Deus.

The Purification Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Feast Day 2 February.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

The Purification of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
   Feast Day 2 February.

Double of The Second-Class.

White Vestments.

Purification of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: Rene de Cramer.

"Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium".

Used with Permission.

With The Feast of The Purification, ends The Sanctoral Cycle of The Season after Epiphany. It is one of the oldest Feasts of Our Lady and, in Rome in the 7th-Century A.D., it ranked only after The Assumption in importance. The Feast is kept on 2 February, because Mary, wishing to obey The Mosaic Law, had to go to Jerusalem forty days after The Birth of Jesus (25 December - 2 February) to offer the prescribed sacrifice [The Church has instituted for Christian mothers the fine Ceremony of "Churching".]. Mothers were to offer a lamb, or, if their means did not allow, "two doves or two young pigeons".

The Blessed Virgin Mary took with her to Jerusalem The Infant Jesus, and The Candlemas Procession recalls the journey of Mary and Joseph ascending to the temple to present "The Angel of The Covenant" (Epistle, Introit) as Malachy had Prophesied.

"The wax of the candles signifies The Virginal Flesh of The Divine Infant," says Saint Anselm, "the wick figures His Soul and the flame His Divinity."

The Purification to which The Mother of The Saviour was not obliged to conform, as her Motherhood was beyond ordinary laws, is not placed in the foreground of The Liturgy and The Presentation of Jesus is the principal object of this Feast.

If this Solemnity is considered as belonging to The Season of Christmas, Jesus will be seen manifested by Simeon as The God Who "shall illumine the Gentiles with His Light and shall be The Glory of the people of Israel" (Gospel); and if, as belonging to The Season after Epiphany, we shall Adore Jesus in the accomplishment of this Prophecy, either at The Marriage Feast at Cana, where He commences to "manifest His Glory" (Gospel of The Second Sunday after Epiphany), or in the midst of the multitude, when He spreads The Light of His Doctrine (Gospel of The Fifth and Sixth Sundays after Epiphany).

We may read The Fourth Prayer of The Blessing of Candles in order to understand the symbolism of The Lamp of the Sanctuary and the Candles Blessed on this day, and to know the right use to be made of them by the bed of the dying, during storms, and in the perils to which may be exposed "our bodies and Souls on land and on the waters" (First Prayer of The Blessing of Candles).

If The Feast of The Purification falls on a Privileged Sunday, it is Transferred to the following day; nevertheless, The Blessing of The Candles takes place before The Sunday Mass.

Every Parish Priest Celebrates Mass for the people of his Parish.

Mass: Suscépimus, Deus.

The Blessed Candles should be held lighted in the hand during the Gospel and also from the Sanctus to the Communion.

Saint Ignatius Of Antioch. Bishop And Martyr. Feast Day 1 February.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,

unless otherwise stated.

Saint Ignatius.

   Bishop and Martyr.

   Feast Day 1 February.

Double.

Red Vestments.

English: The Parish Church of Saint John the Baptist, Italy.

Painting of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, who suffered Martyrdom by being mauled by Lions.

Italiano: Agna, chiesa parrocchiale di San Giovanni Battista: interno, dipinto raffigurante Sant'Ignazio di Antiochia sbranato dai leoni.

Date: 11 August 2015.

Source: Own work.

Author: Threecharlie.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The affirmation of The Divinity of Jesus, founded on the wisdom of His Words and the Miracles of His Life, is the object aimed at in The Season after Epiphany, which ends tomorrow. Saint Ignatius of Antioch (not to be confused with Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556. Feast Day 31 July)), illustrious for his teaching, corroborates these different testimonies by his Martyrdom, one of the most glorious in history.

This Third Successor of Saint Peter at Antioch (Gradual) was condemned to the wild beasts during the Persecution of Emperor Trajan and sent in chains to Rome. The Introit and Epistle sum up the sentiments of his heart. "Let fire, Cross, beasts, and all the torments of the devil come upon me, so long as I enjoy Jesus Christ."

"The grain of wheat must die in order to bring forth much fruit" (Gospel). And Saint Ignatius, on hearing the roaring of the Lions, exclaimed "I am the wheat of Jesus Christ: May I be ground by the fangs of wild beasts and become a bread agreeable to my Lord Jesus Christ" (Communion).

He was Martyred at Rome between 110 A.D., and 118 A.D. His name is mentioned in The Canon of The Mass (Second List).

Let us, like this Saint, die to the World, and to ourselves, as a testimony that it is Jesus Who lives in us (Alleluia).

Mass: Mihi autem.

Solemn High Mass For The Feast Of The Purification Of The Blessed Virgin Mary (Candlemas). Holy Name Of Jesus Church, Brooklyn, New York. 1900 hrs,

Illustration: NEW LITURGICAL MOVEMENT

Saint John Bosco (1815 - 1888). Confessor. Feast Day 31 January.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint John Bosco.
   Confessor.
   Feast Day 31 January.

Double.

White Vestments.

English: Portrait of Saint John Bosco.

Română: Don Bosco la Torino în 1880 (fotografie originală).

Date: 1880.

Source: Unknown.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint John Bosco was born on 16 August 1815 at Becchi, Piedmont, Italy. Even in early youth he had a great influence on children; and, while still a young shepherd, his future mission was revealed to him in a vision of thousands of lambs and sheep gathered round him.

He was brought up by a Saintly mother, Margaret Bosco, and, later, under the care of the Parish Priest of Castelnuovo, near Asti. He afterwards entered the Seminary of Chieri. After his Ordination, he settled down in Turin, where he was "all to all" (Breviary) and "through his confidence in God" (Breviary) achieved great works in spite of the most fierce opposition.

His wish to help young boys and girls, especially of the poorer classes, led him to Found, in 1852, The Congregation of The Salesian Fathers, and, in 1872, that of The Daughters of Our Lady, Help of Christians (Collect).

Don Bosco writing.

Turin, Italy.

Date: 1865-1868.

Source: Turin.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Full of zeal for Souls and for the Propagation of The Faith (Martyrology), he established the foreign missions. Comparing him to Abraham, The Church sings: "Against hope, he believed in hope, that he may be made father of many Nations, according to that which was said to him" (Communion).

Dom Bosco guided young people as their "father and master" (Collect) with such wisdom and prudence that The Church compares him to Solomon: "His heart was as large as the sand that is on the sea-shore" (Introit), "a golden heart like that of a mother, for the poorest among the poor" (Pope Pius XI).

Like Saint Francis of Sales, whose name Saint John Bosco gave to his Order [Editor: The Salesians], he did everything in a Spirit of Divine Charity, forgetting himself and working for The Glory of God and the salvation of Souls (Introit, Collect, Alleluia, Offertory, Secret).

In the same way as this great Doctor of The Church [Editor: Saint Francis de Sales], Saint John Bosco was inspired by the doctrine of Saint Paul (Epistle) and by the example of Christ, Who was meek and humble of heart; he practised and preached Holy Joy, kindness, thanksgiving (Epistle, Postcommunion), goodness, meekness, and humility (Gospel).

In difficult circumstances, he defended the interests of The Church and often "helped the Roman Pontiff" (Breviary) by his influence on sectarian statesmen. Thanks to him, the effects of anti-religious laws in Italy were often mitigated.

This Holy Man died in 1888, when 73 years of age. He was Canonised by Pope Pius XI on Easter Sunday 1934, and his Feast extended to the Universal Church in 1936.

His Religious Family is carrying on his work, so that, on 3 December 1933, Pope Pius XI could describe it as numbering: 19,000 Religious; 1,430 Houses of Education; eighty Religious Provinces; Thousands of Churches, Chapels, Boarding Schools and Boys' Clubs; seventeen Territories in The Mission Field; hundreds of thousands of pupils, and about a million Old Pupils; about as many Co-operators, who, after his own expression, "lengthen his arm".

In Heaven, Saint John Bosco Prays for them and for those who have recourse to his intercession (Postcommunion).

Mass: Dedit illi.

The following Text and Illustrations are from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

John Bosco (Italian: Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco; 1815 – 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco, was an Italian Roman Catholic Priest of The Latin Church, educator and writer of the 19th-Century. While working in Turin, where the population suffered many of the effects of industrialisation and urbanisation, he dedicated his life to the betterment and education of street children, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth.

He developed teaching methods based on love, rather than punishment, a method that became known as the Salesian Preventive System. A follower of the Spirituality and Philosophy of Saint Francis de Sales, John Bosco dedicated his works to him, when he founded The Salesians of Don Bosco, based in Turin.

Saint John Bosco Parish Church,

Makati City, Philippines.

Photo: 18 May 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Ramon FVelasquez.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Together with Maria Domenica Mazzarello, he Founded The Institute of The Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, a Religious Congregation of Nuns dedicated to the care and education of poor girls.

In 1876, John Bosco Founded a Movement of Laity, The Association of Salesian Co-operators, with the same Educational Mission to The Poor. In 1875, he began to publish The Salesian Bulletin. The Bulletin has remained in continuous publication, and is currently published in fifty different editions and thirty languages.

Saint John Bosco established a network of Organisations and Centres to carry on his work. Following his posthumous Beatification, in 1929, he was Canonised as a Saint in The Roman Catholic Church by Pope Pius XI in 1934.

"Pro-Lifers Saved My Baby". One Wonders Whether The Mainstream Media (TV, Radio, Newspapers) Will Lead On That News Item. 100-1 They Won't. Ask Yourselves: "Why ?"

Illustration: THE GOOD COUNSEL NETWORK

Saint Martina. Virgin And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 30 January.

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Madonna and Child with Saint Martina and Saint Agnes.

Artist: El Greco (1541–1614).

Date: 1597-1599.

Current location: National Gallery of Art,

Washington, D.C., 

United States of America.

Source: [1]

(Wikimedia Commons)

Martina of Rome was a Roman Martyr, under Emperor Alexander Severus. She is a Patron Saint of Rome.

She was Martyred in 226 A.D., according to some authorities, more probably in 228 A.D., under the Pontificate of Pope Urban I, according to others. The daughter of an ex-Consul, and orphaned at an early age, she so openly testified to her Christian Faith that she could not escape the Persecutions under Alexander Severus. Arrested and commanded to return to idolatry, she refused, whereupon she was subjected to various tortures and was finally beheaded.

The Relics of Martina were discovered on 25 October 1634, by the painter Pietro da Cortona, in a Crypt of Santi Luca e Martina, situated near The Mamertine Prison and Dedicated to the Saint.[1]

Pope Urban VIII, who occupied The Holy See at that time, had the Church repaired and, it would seem, composed the Hymns which are sung at her Office.

Her Feast Day is 30 January.

The Church of Santi Luca e Martina, Rome.

Photo: March 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Panairjdde (FlagUploader).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from "The Liturgical Year",
by Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
Available from ST. BONAVENTURE PUBLICATIONS

Christmas.
   Book II.
   Fourth Edition.
   Volume 3.

A Fourth Roman Virgin, wearing on her brow a Martyr's Crown, comes today to share the honours given to Agnes, Emerentiana, and Prisca, and offer her Martyr's Palm to The Lamb.

Her name is Martina, which the pagans were wont to give to their daughters in honour of their god of war. Her Sacred Relics repose at the foot of The Capitoline Hill, in the ancient temple of Mars, which has now become the beautiful Church of Saint Martina.

The Holy Ambition to render herself worthy of Him, Whom she had chosen as her Divine Spouse, gave her courage to suffer torments and death for His sake; so that, of her, as of the rest of The Martyrs, we may say those words of The Liturgy, "she washed her robes in The Blood of The Lamb". Our Emmanuel is "the mighty God, the Lord that is mighty in war", not, like the Mars of the pagans, needing the sword to win his battles.

He vanquishes his enemies by meekness, patience, and innocence, as in the Martyrdom of today's Saint, whose victory was grander than was ever won by Rome's boasted warriors.

This illustrious Virgin, who is one of the Patrons of the City of Rome, is honoured by having her praises sung by one of the Popes. It was Pope Urban VIII who wrote the Hymns which are recited on her Feast, and which we subjoin to The Lessons which recount the glorious combats of our Saint.

English: Interior of the Church of Santi Luca e Martina, Rome.

Architect: Pietro da Cortona.

Italiano: Chiesa dei Santi Luca e Martina, Roma. Interno.

Architetto: Pietro da Cortona.

This File: 12 February 2006.

User: Torvindus.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Saint Martina.
   Virgin and Martyr.
   Feast Day 30 January.

Semi-Double.

Red Vestments.

The Sanctoral Cycle makes us honour today a Virgin, who, by her constancy in the midst of the most atrocious torments, bore witness before all (Introit) to The Divinity of Christ, her Spouse (Gospel). "I am a Christian," she declares to her executioners, "and I confess Jesus Christ."

The Epistle puts on her lips the words of Wisdom: "Lord, my Saviour, Thou hast become my help and protector." And she, herself, said, in the midst of her sufferings: "I love my Lord Jesus Christ, Who strengthens me."

Saint Martina was beheaded in 228 A.D., and joined in Heaven The Train of Virgins who surround The Divine King (Alleluia). Her Remains rest in a former temple of Mars, transformed into a Church, which bears the name of this Virgin, whose name recalls that of the god of war.

Let us arm ourselves, to defend The Divinity of Jesus, with love of Purity.

Mass: Loquébar.

Saint Francis De Sales (1567-1622). Confessor. Bishop. Doctor Of The Church. Feast Day, Today, 29 January.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint Francis of Sales.
   Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of The Church.
   Feast Day 29 January.

Double.

White Vestments.

Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622).

Francis of Sales from de:Wikipedia.

From a painting in Heimsuchungskloster,

Oberroning, Bayern, Deutschland,

(Convent of The Visitation Sisters,

Oberroning, Bavaria, Germany).

This File: 18 April 2005.

User: Searobin.

(Wikimedia)

The Word Made Flesh makes known to us, by His teachings, the Mysteries of His Divine Wisdom, and, by His Miracles, His eternal love. Saint Francis of Sales (Saint Francis de Sales), a Doctor of the Church, had a share in the knowledge of the Incarnate Word (Gradual), and, like Him, by his gentle Charity (Collect) worked wonders of conversion.

Sent to "preach the word of God to the Calvinists of Chablais, he brought back sixty thousand to the Catholic Faith" (Breviary). Having become the father of the Church at Geneva, and founder of the Order of the Visitation, he shed over this double family (Communion) the rays of his Apostolic zeal and of his gentle holiness.

"May your light shine before men, so that, seeing your works, they may glorify your Father Who is in Heaven" (Gospel). It is especially God's goodness which this Saint revealed. "If we must fall into some excess," Saint Francis of Sales would say, "let it be on the side of gentleness".

Saint Francis de Sales.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

"I wish to love him so much, this dear neighbour, I wish to love him so much ! It has pleased God so to make my heart ! Oh !, when shall we be impregnated with gentleness and in Charity towards our neighbour ?"

Saint Francis of Sales died at Lyons, France, in 1622.

Let us remember this Saint's two sayings: "You can catch more flies with a spoonful of honey than with a hundred barrels of vinegar." "What is good, makes no noise; noise does no good."

Mass: In médio.

Coat-of-Arms 

of Saint Francis de Sales.

Date: 5 December 2013.

Source: Own work.

Reference: File:Franz von Sales Bischofswappen.jpg.

Commons Images Used: File:Template-Bishop.svg.

Author: Jayarathina.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Francis de Sales, C.O., T.O.M., A.O.F.M. Cap. (French: François de Sales) (1567 – 1622) was a Bishop of Geneva and is honoured as a Saint in the Roman Catholic Church. He became noted for his deep Faith and his gentle approach to the religious divisions in his land resulting from the Protestant Reformation. He is known also for his writings on the topic of Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation, particularly the Introduction to the Devout Life and the Treatise on the Love of God.

Francis de Sales was Beatified in 1661 by Pope Alexander VII, who then Canonised him four years later. He was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1877.

The Roman Catholic Church currently celebrates Saint Francis de Sales' Feast Day on 24 January, the day of his burial in Annecy, France, in 1624. From the year 1666, when his Feast Day was inserted into the General Roman Calendar, until the reform of this Calendar in 1969, it was observed on 29 January, and this date is kept by those who celebrate the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.