Friends at Court

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIV, Issue 25, 21 June 1906, Page 31

Friends at Court

QUBANINOS FOR NEXT WEEK'S CALENDAR June 24, Sunday.— Third Sunday after Pentecost. ' St. N John the Baptist. • - . „ 25, Monday.— St. Gallican, Martyr. ' - "• „ 26, Tuesday.— SS. John and Paul, .Martyrs. - „ 27, Wednesday .-St. William, Abbot. - •• " ™' Thursday.— St. Leo 11., Pope and Confessor. „ 29, Friday .-SS. Peter and Paul, Apostles. „ 30, Saturday.— Commemoration of St. Paul, Apostle. . ; St. John the Baptist. St. John the Baptist, the precursor of the Messiah, was born six months before J«s>us Christ, and was the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth. He was the last representatne cf the Prophets of the Old • Covenant-; his work was to announce the way for and to prepare the advent of the promised Messiah. John was put to death by the order of Herod, at the instigation of-Herodias, whose licentiousness he 'had the boldness to reprove. St. G-allican, Martyr. St. Gallican, a Roman officer of high rank, resigned his position in order to devote himself to the r secvice of the sick noor. He received the crown of martyrdom at Alexandria, in Egypt, during the reign of Julian the Apostate, about the year 362. SS. Joha and Paul-, Martyrs. Like, St. Gallican, these two Roman officers were martyred during the reign of Julian the Apostate. Their names have always been famous in the Church, but only scanty records have been preserved of their lives and sufferings. St. William, Abbot. St. William, a native of 'Northern It r aly, inspired with, the desire of leading a penitential -life, retired to a lonely spot named JMonte Vergine, near Benevento. Having been followed by many persons desirous -to place their souls under his guidance, he established a religious congregation, which was afterwards united to the-Bene-d ctinc Order. •'St. William died in 1142. . St. Leo 11., Pope and Confessor. St. Leoi was a Sicilian by birth. During a short pontificate of nineteen months he enacted many wise and useful laws for the reform of discipline and the regulation of Divine worship. St. Leo passed to a better life A.D. 683. SS. Peter and Paul, Apostles. St. Peter was known originally as Simon Barjona — that is, Simon, son of Jchn. The name Peter, which ipeans rock, was given to him by our Divine Lord to signify that he was to be the solid foundation of Christ's future Church. * I say to thee,' said Christ, ' that thou art Peten i(that is, Rock), and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,' etc. This solemn promise of Christ was fulfilled after His Resurrection, when He said to St. Peter, ' Feed My lanubs, feed My sheep,' words which, in the figurative language of the East, signify the exercise of supreme power over the Church. The principal events in the life of St. Peter— his imprisonment, Ins government of the Church from Antioch, and finally from Rome— are cqmmemo rated by special feasts. Today we consider more rarticularlv the glorious death by which he atoned for his former 'denial of his DivdneMas-. ter. St. Peter was crucified at Rome, under the Emperor Nero, about the year 67. St. Paul is associated with St. Peter in this day's solemnity because, after; having labored with him for trie conversion of Rome, he received the crown of martyrdom on the same- day. Commemoration of St. Paul, Apostle. .' The miraculous conversion of St. Paul is commemorated on January 25. After his baptism' he spent ' three years preparing himselE in solitude and" p v raver%-for the work of the Apostolate. At' the end of that Itirrie .he proceeded to Jerusalem to confer with St. Peter.; During, his stay in the Holy City he preached in the synagogues with- $uch success that the fanatical Jews endeavored to .+ake away his life. The missionary career on which he thus entered terminated only with his death.