• St. Demetrius (306). Martyr. (Historical)
• St. Evaristus (107). Martyr, Pope. (Traditional)

ST. EVARISTUS succeeded St. Anacletus in the see of Rome, in the reign of Trajan, governed the Church nine years, and died in 112. The institution of cardinal priests is by some ascribed to him, because he first divided Rome into several titles or parishes, assigning a priest to each; he also appointed seven deacons to attend the bishop. He conferred holy orders thrice in the month of December, when that ceremony was most usually performed, for holy orders were always conferred in seasons appointed for fasting and prayer. St. Evaristus was buried near St. Peter’s tomb on the Vatican.

REFLECTION: The disciples of the apostles, by assiduous meditation on heavenly things, were so swallowed up in the life to come, that they seemed no longer inhabitants of this world. If Christians esteem and set their hearts on earthly goods, and lose sight of eternity in the course of their actions, they are no longer animated by the spirit of the primitive Saints, and are become children of this world, slaves to its vanities, and to their own irregular passions. If we do not correct this disorder of our hearts, and conform our interior to the spirit of Christ, we cannot be entitled to his promises.

WORD OF THE DAY

TRIDENTINE MASS. The Eucharistic liturgy celebrated in the Latin Rite according to the Roman Missal promulgated by the apostolic constitution Quo Primum of Pope Pius V on July 14, 1570. A revised missal was decreed by the Council of Trent in order to unify what by then had become a variety of "Roman Rites" that had proliferated since the Middle Ages. "For four centuries it furnished the priests of the Latin Rite with norms for the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, and heralds of the Gospel carried it to almost all the world" (Pope Paul VI, Apostolic Constitution, promulgating the Roman Missal revised by decree of the Second Vatican Council, April 3, 1969). (Etym. Latin Tridentinus, from Tridentum, ancient form of Trent.)

Modern Catholic Dictionary, Fr. John Hardon SJ (Get the real one at Eternal Life — don’t accept an abridged or edited version of this masterpiece!)

October, Month of the Rosary

Maria Magnificata. Short Meditations for October, the Month of the Rosary. 26th Day — Mary sees Jesus laid in the Sepulcher.