MASS: Dómine, refúgium
LESSON: Isaiah 55:6-11
GOSPEL: St Matthew 21:10-17
Today’s Homily: Tuesday Lent I
MASS: Dómine, refúgium
LESSON: Isaiah 55:6-11
GOSPEL: St Matthew 21:10-17
Day: February 20, 2024
O Clavis David
The fourth great “O” is: O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel; qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.
English: O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel; you open and no one can shut; you shut and no one can open: Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
It reflects the following prophecies and Scripture:
O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel;
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 (comp. Isaiah 7:14-16, where the promise of “a child,” “a son,” is first made – a child who was, like this Child, to be “God with us”). The word translated “government” (misrah) occurs only here and in verse 7, it is probably to be connected with sat, “prince,” and Israel. Government was regarded as a burden, to be born on the back or shoulders, and was sometimes symbolized by a key laid upon the shoulder. Vizier means “burdened.” The Latin writers often speak of the civil power as borne on the shoulders of magistrates (Cic., ‘Orat. pro Flacc,’ § 95; Plin., ‘Paneg.,’ § 10).
“His name shall be called.” It is not important whether we view what follows as one name or several. Isaiah does not mean that the “Child” should bear as a name, or names, any of the expressions, but only that they should be truly applicable to him.
“Wonderful” The Messiah would be “wonderful” in His nature as God-Man; in His teaching, which “astonished” those who heard it (Matthew 7:28); in His doings (Isaiah 25:1); in the circumstances of His birth and death; in His resurrection, and in His ascension. “Wonder” would be the first sentiment which His manifestation would provoke, and hence this descriptive epithet is placed first.
“Counsellor” As the Word, as Wisdom itself, as He who says, “Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am Understanding” (Proverbs 8:14), He is well named “Counsellor.” None will ever seek His counsel in vain, much less repent of following it.
“The mighty God” The term “El”, God, had been previously applied to the Messiah only in Psalm 45:6. It denotes in Isaiah absolute divinity; it is never used hyperbolically or metaphorically.
“The Everlasting Father” If the term “Father,” applied to our Lord, sits uncomfortably with us, we must remember that the distinction of three Persons in the Godhead had not yet been revealed (in Scripture). But the reference here is indeed to the Everlasting Father, the one Creator, Preserver, Protector of mankind who is absolutely eternal.
“The Prince of Peace” A “Prince of Peace” had been long shadowed forth, as in Melchizedek, “King of Salem,” i.e. “of Peace;” and again in Solomon, “the peaceful one;” and Isaiah himself had already prophesied the peacefulness of the Messiah’s kingdom (Isaiah 2:4). Compare the song of the angels at our Lord’s birth (Luke 2:14). If the peacefulness has not vet very clearly shown itself, our Lord’s kingdom has yet to come into the hearts of most men. Christ is a Prince, often so called, Ezekiel 34:24 He is so by birth, being the King’s Son, the Son of God, and by office, power, and authority; He is so a Prince as that He is a King; He is exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour; and He is a Prince superior to kings, being the Prince of the kings of the earth, Acts 5:31 and He is called the “Prince of peace”, because he is the author of peace; just as He is said to be the “Prince of life”, Acts 3:15 for the same reason: He is the author of peace between Jew and Gentile, by abrogating the ceremonial law, the enmity between them, and by sending the Gospel to both, and making it the power of God to salvation to some of each of them, and by bringing them into the same Gospel church state, and making them partakers of the same privileges and blessings, internal and external, Ephesians 2:14 and He is the author of peace between God and sinners; He has made it by the blood of the cross, having the chastisement of their peace laid upon Him, in consequence of a covenant of peace He made with his Father, who was in Him reconciling the world to Himself.- “His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore.” Isaiah 9:7 The Messiah’s kingdom shall ever increase more and more; there shall be no limits to it; ultimately it shall fill the world (comp. Matthew 28:18, 19). The continual spread of Christianity tends to the accomplishment of this prophecy. That the Messiah is to sit on the throne of David, suggests, but does not absolutely imply, His Davidic descent. That descent is, however, announced with sufficient clearness in Isaiah 11:1, 10 (see O Radix Jesse). A gradual establishment of the kingdom would seem to be implied, such as is taught also in the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven. The kingdom is to be both universal in respect of extent and in respect of duration eternal. God’s jealousy of his own honour, which is bound up with the prosperity and final triumph of his people over all their enemies, will assure the performance of all that is here prophesied.
“I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open.” Isaiah 22:22 The first mention of the key of the house of David is found in the book of Isaiah, in a description of the duties of Eliakim, the royal chamberlain of King Hezekiah of Judah: And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. (Isaiah 22:20-22) The key of the house of David is symbolic for the government of Eliakim in Isaiah 22 (v.21), which is a type or symbol of the government of Jesus Christ as described in Isaiah 9. Note also that according to Isaiah, the government or kingdom of Jesus Christ is established, or founded, on a work of judgement (Isa 9:7). This is an important aspect of the key of the house of David.The key of the house of David, possessed by Christ, opens two important doors. In the travelling Tabernacle of Moses, there were two “doors”. Through the first door was the Holy Place, the first apartment. This is the door opened first chronologically in Revelation 4:1, in the heavenly Tabernacle, with the key of David. “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.” Rev 4:1-2 The scene that John sees in heaven after the first door is opened, is a throne room (Rev 5:6-11). In this scene, the one on the throne is God the Father, and the Lamb as it had been slain is Jesus, returning to His Father from His crucifixion. There is a book or scroll with seven seals which only Jesus as the slain Lamb can open, and the seals are opened in sequence from Rev. 6:1 to 8:1. Christ as the sacrificed Lamb is the only one qualified to receive the title deed to the Kingdom, containing the names of all the saved, the Lamb’s book of life. The type of this in the Old Testament is the kinsman redeemer Boaz, who by purchasing the land of Naomi, also took Ruth as his wife. Jesus is our kinsman redeemer, who by His sacrifice bought back ownership of the earth, which Adam had forfeited to Satan at the fall. By this, Jesus also takes those faithful believer’s He has redeemed as His bride, restoring to them their inheritance. “For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.” Psalm 37:22
The second door opened the veil or door from the Holy Place into the Most Holy. On the Day of Atonement the high priest entered the Most Holy apartment of the Sanctuary or Temple, which was symbolic of the judgement of God’s people. In the Most Holy was the Ark of the Covenant, containing the standard of judgement the Ten Commandments of God (Exodus 20:2-17). The last of the seven churches is called Laodicea “a people judged” because they are living in the time of the judgement. This event is also described in Daniel: “I beheld till the thrones were cast down [set in place], and the Ancient of days [God the Father] did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgement was set, and the books were opened.” Dan 7:9-10 The books being opened in the judgement are the evidence, to include the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 3:5), which is Christ’s last will and testament: “And for this cause he [Christ] is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.” Hebrews 9:15-17 Those being judged are the professed people of God, those who claim to be the heirs of Christ, the rightful inheritors of eternal life: “For the time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” 1 Peter 4:17 “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” Matthew 19:29
you open and no one can shut; you shut and no one can open:
-
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Matthew 28:18 Jesus here asserts that He, as Son of man, has received from the Father supreme authority in heaven and earth, over the whole kingdom of God in its fullest extent. This is not given to Him as Son of God; for, as God, naught can be added to Him or taken from Him; it is a power which He has merited by His incarnation, death, and Passion (Philippians 2:8-10), which was foretold in the Old Testament (Psalm 2:8; Psalm 8:5-8 & Daniel 7:13, 14), and with which he was imbued on the day that He rose victorious from the grave. The power is exercised in His mediatorial kingdom, and will continue to be exercised till He has put all enemies under His feet, and destroyed death itself (1 Corinthians 15:24-27); but His absolute kingdom is everlasting; as God and Man He reigns forever and ever. This mediatorial authority extends not only over men, so that He governs and protects the Church, disposes bureau events, controls hearts and opinions; but the forces of heaven also are at his command, the Holy Spirit is bestowed by Him, the angels are in His employ as ministering to the members of His body. It is with this authority that He imbues His apostles and their successors in the Church
“And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.” Matthew 6:19,
- And to the angel of the church of Philadelphia write: These things saith the Holy One and the true one, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and no man shutteth, shutteth and no man openeth: I know thy works. Behold, I have given before thee a door opened, which no man can shut: because thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name. Revelation 3:7-8 Like the Philadelphians in Revelation 3 (see above ref the key of David), we must never deny the Lord, nor be overly proud of our attempts at holiness, remembering always from Whom our strength is supplied. “The keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19) are not to be confounded with “the key of knowledge” in Christ’s rebuke to the hypocritical Pharisees “Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.” Luke 11:52. The keys belong to Christ, but have been committed to His Church, but not unreservedly. If the Church errs in binding or loosing, He cancels the judgement. Binding and loosing, in the common language of the Jews, signified to forbid and to allow, or to teach what is lawful or unlawful. The Church may open where Christ will shut, and shut where Christ will open. He alone openeth so that none shall shut, and shutteth so that none can open.
Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
- “…To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.” Isaiah 42:7. Though in Christ, the Messiah has the power to heal both physical as well as spiritual blindness, it is the latter we should interpret here.
“Come and lead the prisoners” we might understand as those Jews shut up under the law, i.e. entrapped by ignorance and hypocrisy, tied to the “letter and not the spirit” of the law (cf 2 Corinthians 3:6); “from the prison house” we may understand as those entrapped and enslaved by sin and Satan; “those who dwell in darkness” i.e. the Gentiles, destitute of all divine knowledge, having not known the prophets and the law as had the Jews.
SUPPORT THE ARCHBISHOP’S WINTER APPEAL
The Ottaviani Intervention
Critique of the Novus Ordo Missae, led by Cardinals Ottaviani and Bacci, presented to Pope Paul VI just after its introduction in 1969. Commonly known as ‘The Ottaviani Intervention’.
The Great Sacrilege – Fr. James F Wathen
A critique of the Novus Ordo Missae
O Clavis David
The fourth great “O” is: O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel; qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.
English: O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel; you open and no one can shut; you shut and no one can open: Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
It reflects the following prophecies and Scripture:
O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel;
- “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 (comp. Isaiah 7:14-16, where the promise of “a child,” “a son,” is first made – a child who was, like this Child, to be “God with us”). The word translated “government” (misrah) occurs only here and in verse 7, it is probably to be connected with sat, “prince,” and Israel. Government was regarded as a burden, to be born on the back or shoulders, and was sometimes symbolized by a key laid upon the shoulder. Vizier means “burdened.” The Latin writers often speak of the civil power as borne on the shoulders of magistrates (Cic., ‘Orat. pro Flacc,’ § 95; Plin., ‘Paneg.,’ § 10).
“His name shall be called.” It is not important whether we view what follows as one name or several. Isaiah does not mean that the “Child” should bear as a name, or names, any of the expressions, but only that they should be truly applicable to him.
“Wonderful” The Messiah would be “wonderful” in His nature as God-Man; in His teaching, which “astonished” those who heard it (Matthew 7:28); in His doings (Isaiah 25:1); in the circumstances of His birth and death; in His resurrection, and in His ascension. “Wonder” would be the first sentiment which His manifestation would provoke, and hence this descriptive epithet is placed first.
“Counsellor” As the Word, as Wisdom itself, as He who says, “Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am Understanding” (Proverbs 8:14), He is well named “Counsellor.” None will ever seek His counsel in vain, much less repent of following it.
“The mighty God” The term “El”, God, had been previously applied to the Messiah only in Psalm 45:6. It denotes in Isaiah absolute divinity; it is never used hyperbolically or metaphorically.
“The Everlasting Father” If the term “Father,” applied to our Lord, sits uncomfortably with us, we must remember that the distinction of three Persons in the Godhead had not yet been revealed (in Scripture). But the reference here is indeed to the Everlasting Father, the one Creator, Preserver, Protector of mankind who is absolutely eternal.
“The Prince of Peace” A “Prince of Peace” had been long shadowed forth, as in Melchizedek, “King of Salem,” i.e. “of Peace;” and again in Solomon, “the peaceful one;” and Isaiah himself had already prophesied the peacefulness of the Messiah’s kingdom (Isaiah 2:4). Compare the song of the angels at our Lord’s birth (Luke 2:14). If the peacefulness has not vet very clearly shown itself, our Lord’s kingdom has yet to come into the hearts of most men. Christ is a Prince, often so called, Ezekiel 34:24 He is so by birth, being the King’s Son, the Son of God, and by office, power, and authority; He is so a Prince as that He is a King; He is exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour; and He is a Prince superior to kings, being the Prince of the kings of the earth, Acts 5:31 and He is called the “Prince of peace”, because he is the author of peace; just as He is said to be the “Prince of life”, Acts 3:15 for the same reason: He is the author of peace between Jew and Gentile, by abrogating the ceremonial law, the enmity between them, and by sending the Gospel to both, and making it the power of God to salvation to some of each of them, and by bringing them into the same Gospel church state, and making them partakers of the same privileges and blessings, internal and external, Ephesians 2:14 and He is the author of peace between God and sinners; He has made it by the blood of the cross, having the chastisement of their peace laid upon Him, in consequence of a covenant of peace He made with his Father, who was in Him reconciling the world to Himself. - “His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore.” Isaiah 9:7 The Messiah’s kingdom shall ever increase more and more; there shall be no limits to it; ultimately it shall fill the world (comp. Matthew 28:18, 19). The continual spread of Christianity tends to the accomplishment of this prophecy. That the Messiah is to sit on the throne of David, suggests, but does not absolutely imply, His Davidic descent. That descent is, however, announced with sufficient clearness in Isaiah 11:1, 10 (see O Radix Jesse). A gradual establishment of the kingdom would seem to be implied, such as is taught also in the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven. The kingdom is to be both universal in respect of extent and in respect of duration eternal. God’s jealousy of his own honour, which is bound up with the prosperity and final triumph of his people over all their enemies, will assure the performance of all that is here prophesied.
- “I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open.” Isaiah 22:22 The first mention of the key of the house of David is found in the book of Isaiah, in a description of the duties of Eliakim, the royal chamberlain of King Hezekiah of Judah: And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. (Isaiah 22:20-22) The key of the house of David is symbolic for the government of Eliakim in Isaiah 22 (v.21), which is a type or symbol of the government of Jesus Christ as described in Isaiah 9. Note also that according to Isaiah, the government or kingdom of Jesus Christ is established, or founded, on a work of judgement (Isa 9:7). This is an important aspect of the key of the house of David.The key of the house of David, possessed by Christ, opens two important doors. In the travelling Tabernacle of Moses, there were two “doors”. Through the first door was the Holy Place, the first apartment. This is the door opened first chronologically in Revelation 4:1, in the heavenly Tabernacle, with the key of David. “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.” Rev 4:1-2 The scene that John sees in heaven after the first door is opened, is a throne room (Rev 5:6-11). In this scene, the one on the throne is God the Father, and the Lamb as it had been slain is Jesus, returning to His Father from His crucifixion. There is a book or scroll with seven seals which only Jesus as the slain Lamb can open, and the seals are opened in sequence from Rev. 6:1 to 8:1. Christ as the sacrificed Lamb is the only one qualified to receive the title deed to the Kingdom, containing the names of all the saved, the Lamb’s book of life. The type of this in the Old Testament is the kinsman redeemer Boaz, who by purchasing the land of Naomi, also took Ruth as his wife. Jesus is our kinsman redeemer, who by His sacrifice bought back ownership of the earth, which Adam had forfeited to Satan at the fall. By this, Jesus also takes those faithful believer’s He has redeemed as His bride, restoring to them their inheritance. “For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.” Psalm 37:22
The second door opened the veil or door from the Holy Place into the Most Holy. On the Day of Atonement the high priest entered the Most Holy apartment of the Sanctuary or Temple, which was symbolic of the judgement of God’s people. In the Most Holy was the Ark of the Covenant, containing the standard of judgement the Ten Commandments of God (Exodus 20:2-17). The last of the seven churches is called Laodicea “a people judged” because they are living in the time of the judgement. This event is also described in Daniel: “I beheld till the thrones were cast down [set in place], and the Ancient of days [God the Father] did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgement was set, and the books were opened.” Dan 7:9-10 The books being opened in the judgement are the evidence, to include the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 3:5), which is Christ’s last will and testament: “And for this cause he [Christ] is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.” Hebrews 9:15-17 Those being judged are the professed people of God, those who claim to be the heirs of Christ, the rightful inheritors of eternal life: “For the time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” 1 Peter 4:17 “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” Matthew 19:29
you open and no one can shut; you shut and no one can open:
-
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Matthew 28:18 Jesus here asserts that He, as Son of man, has received from the Father supreme authority in heaven and earth, over the whole kingdom of God in its fullest extent. This is not given to Him as Son of God; for, as God, naught can be added to Him or taken from Him; it is a power which He has merited by His incarnation, death, and Passion (Philippians 2:8-10), which was foretold in the Old Testament (Psalm 2:8; Psalm 8:5-8 & Daniel 7:13, 14), and with which he was imbued on the day that He rose victorious from the grave. The power is exercised in His mediatorial kingdom, and will continue to be exercised till He has put all enemies under His feet, and destroyed death itself (1 Corinthians 15:24-27); but His absolute kingdom is everlasting; as God and Man He reigns forever and ever. This mediatorial authority extends not only over men, so that He governs and protects the Church, disposes bureau events, controls hearts and opinions; but the forces of heaven also are at his command, the Holy Spirit is bestowed by Him, the angels are in His employ as ministering to the members of His body. It is with this authority that He imbues His apostles and their successors in the Church
“And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.” Matthew 6:19,
- And to the angel of the church of Philadelphia write: These things saith the Holy One and the true one, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and no man shutteth, shutteth and no man openeth: I know thy works. Behold, I have given before thee a door opened, which no man can shut: because thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name. Revelation 3:7-8 Like the Philadelphians in Revelation 3 (see above ref the key of David), we must never deny the Lord, nor be overly proud of our attempts at holiness, remembering always from Whom our strength is supplied. “The keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19) are not to be confounded with “the key of knowledge” in Christ’s rebuke to the hypocritical Pharisees “Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.” Luke 11:52. The keys belong to Christ, but have been committed to His Church, but not unreservedly. If the Church errs in binding or loosing, He cancels the judgement. Binding and loosing, in the common language of the Jews, signified to forbid and to allow, or to teach what is lawful or unlawful. The Church may open where Christ will shut, and shut where Christ will open. He alone openeth so that none shall shut, and shutteth so that none can open.
Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
- “…To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.” Isaiah 42:7. Though in Christ, the Messiah has the power to heal both physical as well as spiritual blindness, it is the latter we should interpret here.
“Come and lead the prisoners” we might understand as those Jews shut up under the law, i.e. entrapped by ignorance and hypocrisy, tied to the “letter and not the spirit” of the law (cf 2 Corinthians 3:6); “from the prison house” we may understand as those entrapped and enslaved by sin and Satan; “those who dwell in darkness” i.e. the Gentiles, destitute of all divine knowledge, having not known the prophets and the law as had the Jews.
SUPPORT THE ARCHBISHOP’S WINTER APPEAL
O Clavis David
The fourth great “O” is: O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel; qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.
English: O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel; you open and no one can shut; you shut and no one can open: Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
It reflects the following prophecies and Scripture:
O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel;
- “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 (comp. Isaiah 7:14-16, where the promise of “a child,” “a son,” is first made – a child who was, like this Child, to be “God with us”). The word translated “government” (misrah) occurs only here and in verse 7, it is probably to be connected with sat, “prince,” and Israel. Government was regarded as a burden, to be born on the back or shoulders, and was sometimes symbolized by a key laid upon the shoulder. Vizier means “burdened.” The Latin writers often speak of the civil power as borne on the shoulders of magistrates (Cic., ‘Orat. pro Flacc,’ § 95; Plin., ‘Paneg.,’ § 10).
“His name shall be called.” It is not important whether we view what follows as one name or several. Isaiah does not mean that the “Child” should bear as a name, or names, any of the expressions, but only that they should be truly applicable to him.
“Wonderful” The Messiah would be “wonderful” in His nature as God-Man; in His teaching, which “astonished” those who heard it (Matthew 7:28); in His doings (Isaiah 25:1); in the circumstances of His birth and death; in His resurrection, and in His ascension. “Wonder” would be the first sentiment which His manifestation would provoke, and hence this descriptive epithet is placed first.
“Counsellor” As the Word, as Wisdom itself, as He who says, “Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am Understanding” (Proverbs 8:14), He is well named “Counsellor.” None will ever seek His counsel in vain, much less repent of following it.
“The mighty God” The term “El”, God, had been previously applied to the Messiah only in Psalm 45:6. It denotes in Isaiah absolute divinity; it is never used hyperbolically or metaphorically.
“The Everlasting Father” If the term “Father,” applied to our Lord, sits uncomfortably with us, we must remember that the distinction of three Persons in the Godhead had not yet been revealed (in Scripture). But the reference here is indeed to the Everlasting Father, the one Creator, Preserver, Protector of mankind who is absolutely eternal.
“The Prince of Peace” A “Prince of Peace” had been long shadowed forth, as in Melchizedek, “King of Salem,” i.e. “of Peace;” and again in Solomon, “the peaceful one;” and Isaiah himself had already prophesied the peacefulness of the Messiah’s kingdom (Isaiah 2:4). Compare the song of the angels at our Lord’s birth (Luke 2:14). If the peacefulness has not vet very clearly shown itself, our Lord’s kingdom has yet to come into the hearts of most men. Christ is a Prince, often so called, Ezekiel 34:24 He is so by birth, being the King’s Son, the Son of God, and by office, power, and authority; He is so a Prince as that He is a King; He is exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour; and He is a Prince superior to kings, being the Prince of the kings of the earth, Acts 5:31 and He is called the “Prince of peace”, because he is the author of peace; just as He is said to be the “Prince of life”, Acts 3:15 for the same reason: He is the author of peace between Jew and Gentile, by abrogating the ceremonial law, the enmity between them, and by sending the Gospel to both, and making it the power of God to salvation to some of each of them, and by bringing them into the same Gospel church state, and making them partakers of the same privileges and blessings, internal and external, Ephesians 2:14 and He is the author of peace between God and sinners; He has made it by the blood of the cross, having the chastisement of their peace laid upon Him, in consequence of a covenant of peace He made with his Father, who was in Him reconciling the world to Himself. - “His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore.” Isaiah 9:7 The Messiah’s kingdom shall ever increase more and more; there shall be no limits to it; ultimately it shall fill the world (comp. Matthew 28:18, 19). The continual spread of Christianity tends to the accomplishment of this prophecy. That the Messiah is to sit on the throne of David, suggests, but does not absolutely imply, His Davidic descent. That descent is, however, announced with sufficient clearness in Isaiah 11:1, 10 (see O Radix Jesse). A gradual establishment of the kingdom would seem to be implied, such as is taught also in the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven. The kingdom is to be both universal in respect of extent and in respect of duration eternal. God’s jealousy of his own honour, which is bound up with the prosperity and final triumph of his people over all their enemies, will assure the performance of all that is here prophesied.
- “I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open.” Isaiah 22:22 The first mention of the key of the house of David is found in the book of Isaiah, in a description of the duties of Eliakim, the royal chamberlain of King Hezekiah of Judah: And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. (Isaiah 22:20-22) The key of the house of David is symbolic for the government of Eliakim in Isaiah 22 (v.21), which is a type or symbol of the government of Jesus Christ as described in Isaiah 9. Note also that according to Isaiah, the government or kingdom of Jesus Christ is established, or founded, on a work of judgement (Isa 9:7). This is an important aspect of the key of the house of David.The key of the house of David, possessed by Christ, opens two important doors. In the travelling Tabernacle of Moses, there were two “doors”. Through the first door was the Holy Place, the first apartment. This is the door opened first chronologically in Revelation 4:1, in the heavenly Tabernacle, with the key of David. “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.” Rev 4:1-2 The scene that John sees in heaven after the first door is opened, is a throne room (Rev 5:6-11). In this scene, the one on the throne is God the Father, and the Lamb as it had been slain is Jesus, returning to His Father from His crucifixion. There is a book or scroll with seven seals which only Jesus as the slain Lamb can open, and the seals are opened in sequence from Rev. 6:1 to 8:1. Christ as the sacrificed Lamb is the only one qualified to receive the title deed to the Kingdom, containing the names of all the saved, the Lamb’s book of life. The type of this in the Old Testament is the kinsman redeemer Boaz, who by purchasing the land of Naomi, also took Ruth as his wife. Jesus is our kinsman redeemer, who by His sacrifice bought back ownership of the earth, which Adam had forfeited to Satan at the fall. By this, Jesus also takes those faithful believer’s He has redeemed as His bride, restoring to them their inheritance. “For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.” Psalm 37:22
The second door opened the veil or door from the Holy Place into the Most Holy. On the Day of Atonement the high priest entered the Most Holy apartment of the Sanctuary or Temple, which was symbolic of the judgement of God’s people. In the Most Holy was the Ark of the Covenant, containing the standard of judgement the Ten Commandments of God (Exodus 20:2-17). The last of the seven churches is called Laodicea “a people judged” because they are living in the time of the judgement. This event is also described in Daniel: “I beheld till the thrones were cast down [set in place], and the Ancient of days [God the Father] did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgement was set, and the books were opened.” Dan 7:9-10 The books being opened in the judgement are the evidence, to include the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 3:5), which is Christ’s last will and testament: “And for this cause he [Christ] is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.” Hebrews 9:15-17 Those being judged are the professed people of God, those who claim to be the heirs of Christ, the rightful inheritors of eternal life: “For the time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” 1 Peter 4:17 “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” Matthew 19:29
you open and no one can shut; you shut and no one can open:
-
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Matthew 28:18 Jesus here asserts that He, as Son of man, has received from the Father supreme authority in heaven and earth, over the whole kingdom of God in its fullest extent. This is not given to Him as Son of God; for, as God, naught can be added to Him or taken from Him; it is a power which He has merited by His incarnation, death, and Passion (Philippians 2:8-10), which was foretold in the Old Testament (Psalm 2:8; Psalm 8:5-8 & Daniel 7:13, 14), and with which he was imbued on the day that He rose victorious from the grave. The power is exercised in His mediatorial kingdom, and will continue to be exercised till He has put all enemies under His feet, and destroyed death itself (1 Corinthians 15:24-27); but His absolute kingdom is everlasting; as God and Man He reigns forever and ever. This mediatorial authority extends not only over men, so that He governs and protects the Church, disposes bureau events, controls hearts and opinions; but the forces of heaven also are at his command, the Holy Spirit is bestowed by Him, the angels are in His employ as ministering to the members of His body. It is with this authority that He imbues His apostles and their successors in the Church
“And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.” Matthew 6:19,
- And to the angel of the church of Philadelphia write: These things saith the Holy One and the true one, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and no man shutteth, shutteth and no man openeth: I know thy works. Behold, I have given before thee a door opened, which no man can shut: because thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name. Revelation 3:7-8 Like the Philadelphians in Revelation 3 (see above ref the key of David), we must never deny the Lord, nor be overly proud of our attempts at holiness, remembering always from Whom our strength is supplied. “The keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19) are not to be confounded with “the key of knowledge” in Christ’s rebuke to the hypocritical Pharisees “Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.” Luke 11:52. The keys belong to Christ, but have been committed to His Church, but not unreservedly. If the Church errs in binding or loosing, He cancels the judgement. Binding and loosing, in the common language of the Jews, signified to forbid and to allow, or to teach what is lawful or unlawful. The Church may open where Christ will shut, and shut where Christ will open. He alone openeth so that none shall shut, and shutteth so that none can open.
Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
- “…To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.” Isaiah 42:7. Though in Christ, the Messiah has the power to heal both physical as well as spiritual blindness, it is the latter we should interpret here.
“Come and lead the prisoners” we might understand as those Jews shut up under the law, i.e. entrapped by ignorance and hypocrisy, tied to the “letter and not the spirit” of the law (cf 2 Corinthians 3:6); “from the prison house” we may understand as those entrapped and enslaved by sin and Satan; “those who dwell in darkness” i.e. the Gentiles, destitute of all divine knowledge, having not known the prophets and the law as had the Jews.
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Carissimi: Today’s Mass; Sunday IV Post Pentecost
Good Shepherd Reflections
Beginning with his homily on Good Shepherd Sunday, +Jerome has given extensive teaching concerning the imagery and concept of the Good Shepherd and its practical realisation in the lives of 21C Christians.
Delivered during broadcast Mass on Good Shepherd Sunday 2021
- His Grace reflects on the personification in Christ of God as the Good Shepherd described in the Old Testament, made a present reality in the fulfilment of Christ’s gospel mission, His passion, death and resurrection;
- of the Gospel as vocation i.e. God calling humanity to Himself in the voice of the Good Shepherd, via the incarnate Word and of the necessity of the sheep to discern and recognise the voice of the Good Shepherd through Divine Revelation and the Apostolic tradition and doctrine;
- how to recognise the “hirelings” referred to in the Gospel (John 10) by their nature, behaviour and false teaching, contrasting their doctrine with the constant and consistent doctrine of Christ in His Church via the legacy of His Apostles and their true successors i.e. those still preaching without deviation, the doctrine received from Christ.
Delivered during Mass broadcast on the Feria of (Monday following) Good Shepherd Sunday
- His Grace speaks to vocational discernment i.e. the general vocation of the Gospel to all humanity and then of the particular vocation of individuals;
- of the individuality of our calling as unique persons purposed, conceived and given life by God for His Will, called by name by God to communion with Him;
- of the importance of individuals discerning, honing and disciplining their “skills, gifts, talents, abilities and predispositions” as innate gifts bestowed by God equipping them for the realisation of His Will i.e. of the ultimate good of humanity, realised through communion with Him by extension within the fellowship of the Church;
- how Christian adults and communities should be places where young Christians i.e. younger people, may be helped to discern their “skills, gifts, talents and abilities” guided and mentored by the older and experienced members of the church family, perhaps supplanting or substituting for the lack of individual discernment available in a school system designed for the many rather than the individual;
- of the necessity ideally of church families being collaborations between baptised individuals identifying, nurturing, mentoring, enabling, cooperating and pooling together their particular “gifts, skills, talents and abilities” to realise them for the common good of the Church and of the community they would serve.
Delivered during live broadcast 19th April 2021
- His Grace begins by reflecting on the portrayal of God in the Old Testament as shepherd and then how that metaphor becomes reality in Christ as the Good Shepherd;
- then he shares an anecdote about the experience of a tourist with Middle Eastern shepherds, observing how sheep recognise and follow the voice of their shepherd and not another, but learns that sheep will follow any voice when they are ill and how this relates to so many people who, having stopped learning how to recognise and discern the Good Shepherd’s voice, end up wandering off and getting lost, falling into despair or confusion often through an affliction – of lack of faith, doubt, distraction, self interest etc;
- His Grace then reads from the prophet Ezekiel about false shepherds and God’s statement that He will claim His flock back for His own, Christ becoming the realisation of this prophecy;
- through Divine Revelation and the Apostolic teaching we can learn to know and recognise the voice of the Good Shepherd, but this requires us to study, availing ourselves of the benefit of 2’000 years of collective insight, wisdom, knowledge and lived experience, this is how we become “good sheep” through familiarity with the Scriptures and embrace of the consistency and constancy of the Apostolic teaching within the Church;
- the Holy Spirit enables baptised Christians through the sensus fidelium to innately recognise the authentic voice of Christ when presented with new doctrines – comparing it with the consistency and constancy of the Apostolic tradition;
- to be “good sheep” requires effort on the part of individual Christians themselves to use the God-given attributes of humanity to rise above the maelstrom of emotional and subjective thinking to use the higher intellectual capability to reason above the limits and constraints of our empirical experience of life, to grasp and exercise objective reason to perceive and realise the ultimate good i.e. God’s love;
- adulting as Christians means rising above the subjective and emotional and engaging the rational mind to overcome and subdue feelings, the antithesis to the contemporary zeitgeist which seeks to elevate subjectivity and emotions above facts and objective truth;
- adulting as Christians means being able to recognise one’s identity ultimately in relation to God’s image and growing into His likeness, through humility and subjugation of self will to embracing His Will and recognising the fulfilment of His Will as the ultimate good and purpose of their life;
- being “good sheep” means also to trust in God’s providence, having a balanced appreciation and understanding of incarnational living i.e. a balance between the spiritual and the material and the right appreciation of material things as tools for enabling God’s Will rather than as ends in themselves or for ourselves, to trust in God to provide what is necessary for us to sustain life and share His love;
- that “good sheep” have as the foundation of their lives, prayer – as an expression of communion with God and the means of effecting and realising communion with Him.
Tertiodécimo Kaléndas Aprilis. Luna.
Tertiodécimo Kaléndas Aprilis. Luna. The Twentieth Day of March. The Night of the Moon.
In Judǽa natális sancti Jóachim, patris Vírginis Genitrícis Dei Maríæ, Confessóris. Ipsíus tamen festum ágitur décimo séptimo Kaléndas Septémbris. In Judea, St. Joachim, the father of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. His feast day is on the 16th of August. In Asia item natális sancti Archíppi, qui beáti Pauli Apóstoli éxstitit commílito, et cujus ipse in Epístola ad Philémonem et ad Colossénses méminit. In Asia, the birthday of St. Archippus, fellow-labourer of the apostle St. Paul, who is mentioned by him in his epistles to Philemon and the Colossians. In Syria sanctórum Mártyrum Pauli, Cyrílli, Eugénii et aliórum quátuor. In Syria, the holy martyrs Paul, Cyril, Eugene, and four others. Eódem die sanctórum Photínæ Samaritánæ, Joseph et Victóris filiórum, itémque Sebastiáni Ducis, Anatólii, Phótii, Phótidis, Parascéves et Cyríacæ germanárum; qui omnes, Christum conféssi, martyrium sunt assecúti. On the same day, the Saints Photina, a Samaritan, and her sons Joseph and Victor; also, Sebastian, a military officer, Anatolius, and Photius; Photides, Parasceves, and Cyriaca, sisters, all of whom were put to death for the confession of the faith. Amísi, in Paphlagónia, sanctárum septem mulíerum, scílicet Alexándræ, Cláudiæ, Euphrásiæ, Matrónæ, Juliánæ, Euphémiæ et Theodósiæ; quæ in fidei confessióne sunt cæsæ, eásque secútæ sunt Derphúta et soror ipsíus. At Amisus in Paphlagonia, seven holy women, Alexandra, Claudia, Euphrasia, Matrona, Juliana, Euphemia, and Theodosia, who were put to death for the confession of the faith. They were followed by Dephuta and her sister. Apollóniæ sancti Nicétæ Epíscopi, qui, pro sanctárum Imáginum cultu ejéctus in exsílium, illic réddidit spíritum. At Apollonia, Bishop St. Nicetas, who died in exile where he had been sent for upholding the veneration of sacred images. In monastério Fontanéllæ, in Gállia, sancti Wulfránni, Epíscopi Senonénsis, qui, relícto Episcopátu, ibídem, clarus miráculis, decéssit e vita. In the monastery of Fontanelle in France, St. Wulfram, bishop of Sens, who resigned his bishopric, and after having performed miracles, departed out of this life. In Británnia deposítio sancti Cuthbérti, Epíscopi Lindisfarnénsis, qui, a puerítia ad óbitum usque, sanctis opéribus et miraculórum signis effúlsit. In England, the death of St. Cuthbert, bishop of Lindisfarne, who from his childhood until his death was renowned for good works and miracles. Senis, in Túscia, Beáti Ambrósii, ex Ordine Prædicatórum, sanctitáte, prædicatióne et miráculis clari. At Sienna in Tuscany, blessed Ambrose of the Order of Preachers, celebrated for sanctity, eloquence, and miracles.
Et álibi aliórum plurimórum sanctórum Mártyrum et Confessórum, atque sanctárum Vírginum. And elsewhere in divers places, many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins. R. Deo grátias. R. Thanks be to God.
Butler’s Lives of the Saints:
| March XX. | ||
| St. Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne, Confessor | ||
| St. Wulfran, Archbishop of Sens | ||
ORCCE Ordo: Feria Quinta infra Hebdomadam II in Quadragesima ~ Feria major
Nota Bene: More than 100 Christians Slain as Herdsmen Burn Homes, Chuch Buildings in Nigeria
Air Force Academy Removes Bible Verse From Cadet’s Whiteboard
Islamic Extremists in Somalia Behead Two Christians
Attacks on Memorial Crosses Multiply
Kim Jong-Un Orders Execution Of 33 People For Contact With Christian Missionary
Grieving California mom takes down cross on road after Atheist’s protest
Woman in Sweden Denied Work as Midwife for Refusing to Perform Abortions
Muslim Extremists Sabotaged Church Foundations In A Village Near Okara
Are Middle Eastern Christians Considered Collateral Damage?
Churches Targeted in Bomb Attacks in Zanzibar, Tanzania
Syrian Believers are running out of options
Open Season on Christians in Libya
Syrian Believers are running out of options
Churches Targeted in Bomb Attacks in Zanzibar, Tanzania
U.S. Supreme High Court turns away homeschoolers’ request for asylum
Why Are Christians the World’s Most Persecuted Group?
Why Has Boko-Haram’s Attacks Continued Unchecked?
The Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham’s dhimmi pact for the Christians of Raqqa province
Sudan Arrests Pastor During Sermon, Threatens Him
Mainstream Media Mum on Atrocities Against Christians
Islamist Militia Group in Libya Suspected in Killing of Seven Coptic Christians
Religious Leaders In CAR Calling For Calm : “Churches and mosques must be rid of armed infiltrators”
WRITE TO ENCOURAGE Pastor Behnam Irani imprisoned in Iran
Filmmakers address plight of Middle East Christians
Iowa State removing Bibles from hotel guest rooms
Burma (Myanmar): Ethnic Cleansing of Christian Kachin
Syrian town of Saidnaya battles armed groups
Enquiry Of Increased Violence In CAR
Machine Gun Preacher Raided By FBI
Pakistan Christian Man Allegedly Tortured and Murdered By Police in Islamabad
Two murdered in Russian church shooting
Anti-Christian Violence Detailed in Hearing Calling for Filling of Religious Freedom Post
NIGERIA: Terrorists Brutally Attack Christians While Sparing Muslim Neighbors
Reports of Horrific Torture Of Children In Syria
Kenneth Bae returned to labor camp, sister pleads for his release #BringBackBae
‘Proselytism’ Conviction of Convert from Islam in Morocco Overturned
Central African Republic: Soldiers Lynch Man Minutes After Presidential Address
Who are the Pakistani Taliban?
Grenade Attack on Phillippine Church
How Syrian Christians Are In Danger
Syria’s Catholic Leader Opposes Plans to Bring Refugees to the West
American Detained By North Korea- Free Kenneth Bae
Update: Pastor and Son Killed in Central African Republic as Religious Leaders Try to Keep Peace
Chaos In The Central African Republic, Making Sense & Asking Questions
Nigeria: Battered By Islamic Terror Group – Kill 52, Set 300 Houses Ablaze
Forgive or Forget: Survivors of genocide in the Holocaust, Rwanda & Cambodia
Michigan Mom says School Told Son Not to Bring Bible to School
Syria: Christian Stabbed with Crucifix, Decapitated
Tertiodécimo Kaléndas Januárii. Luna
Tertiodécimo Kaléndas Januárii. Luna. The Twentieth Day of December. The Night of the Moon.
Vigília sancti Thomæ Apóstoli.
The Vigil of St. Thomas, Apostle.
Romæ natális sancti Zephyríni, Papæ et Mártyris. Ipsíus tamen festum recólitur séptimo Kaléndas Septémbris.
At Rome, the birthday of St. Zephyrinus, pope and martyr. His feast is celebrated on the 26th of August.
Ibídem pássio sancti Ignátii, Epíscopi et Mártyris; qui, tértius post beátum Petrum Apóstolum, Antiochénam rexit Ecclésiam. Hic, in persecutióne Trajáni, damnátus ad béstias, Romam vinctus míttitur; ibíque, circumsedénte Senátu, immaníssimis pœnárum supplíciis primo est afféctus, dehinc objícitur leónibus, quorum déntibus præfocátus, hóstia Christi effícitur. Ejus vero festívitas Kaléndis Februárii celebrátur.
In the same city, the martyrdom of St. Ignatius, bishop and martyr. He was the third after St. Peter the Apostle to rule the church of Antioch, and in the persecution of Trajan was condemned to the beasts. By order of Trajan he was sent to Rome in fetters, and there tortured and afflicted with the most cruel torments in the midst of the assembled Senate. Finally he was cast to the lions, and being ground by their teeth became a sacrifice for Christ. His feast is observed on the 1st of February.
Item Romæ sanctórum Mártyrum Liberáti et Bájuli.
At Rome, the holy martyrs Liberatus and Bajulus.
In Arábia sanctórum Mártyrum Eugénii et Macárii Presbyterórum, qui a Juliáno Apóstata, cum ipsíus impietátem arguíssent, sævíssimis plagis affécti sunt, atque in vastíssimam erémum relegáti, et gládio cæsi.
In Arabia, the holy martyrs Eugene and Macarius, priests. For reproving Julian the Apostate for his impiety, they received severe stripes, were banished to a vast desert, and finally were put to the sword.
Alexandríæ sanctórum mílitum et Mártyrum Ammónis, Zenónis, Ptolemæi, Ingenis et Theóphili; qui, tribunálibus astántes, cum quidam Christiánus, in supplíciis pósitis, trepidáret et jam prope ad negándum declináret, vultu, óculis ac nútibus illum conabántur erígere. Cumque hac de causa clamor totíus pópuli in eos prosilíret, prorumpéntes in médium se Christiános esse testáti sunt; per quorum victóriam Christus, qui suis eam ánimi constántiam déderat, gloriosíssime triumphávit.
At Alexandria, the holy martyrs Ammon, Zeno, Ptolemy, Ingen, and Theophilus, soldiers. Standing near the tribunals, and seeing a Christian under torture and almost ready to apostatize, they endeavoured to encourage him by their looks and by signs. When on account of this the crowd raised an outcry against them, they stepped forward and declared themselves Christians. In their victory, Christ also who had given them fortitude triumphed.
Géldubæ, in Germánia, sancti Júlii Mártyris.
At Gelduba in Germany, St. Julius, martyr.
Antiochíæ natális sancti Philogónii Epíscopi, qui, Dei nutu ex causídico ad eam Ecclésiam regéndam accersítus, advérsus Aríum, una cum sancto Alexándro Epíscopo et Sóciis, primum pro fide cathólica certámen íniit, clarúsque méritis quiévit in Dómino; cujus ánnuam festivitátem sanctus Joánnes Chrysóstomus præcláro encómio celebrávit.
At Antioch, the birthday of St. Philogonius, bishop, who was called by the will of God from the office of lawyer to the government of that church. With the saintly bishop Alexander and his companions, he engaged in the first contest for the Catholic faith against Arius. Renowned for merits he rested in the Lord, and his feast was commemorated by St. John Chrysostom with an excellent eulogy.
Bríxiæ sancti Domínici, Epíscopi et Confessóris.
At Brescia, St. Dominic, bishop and confessor.
In Hispánia deposítio sancti Domínici de Silos Abbátis, e sancti Benedícti Ordine, miráculis in captivórum liberatióne celebérrimi.
In Spain, the death of St. Dominic of Silos, abbot of the Order of St. Benedict, renowned for the miracles which he had wrought for the liberation of captives.
Et álibi aliórum plurimórum sanctórum Mártyrum et Confessórum, atque sanctárum Vírginum.
R. Deo grátias.
And elsewhere in divers places, many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
R. Thanks be to God.
| December XX. | ||
| St. Philogonius, Bishop of Antioch, Confessor | ||
| St. Paul of Latrus, or Latra, Hermit | ||
FOR NEWS OF CONTEMPORARY MARTYRS…
Open Doors – The world’s largest outreach to persecuted Christians in the most high-risk places.
Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East – providing humanitarian relief in Iraq through St George’s Church and Clinic.
Voice of the Persecuted – Informing the world of Christian persecution, one of the worst humanitarian crises on the planet, today.