• St. Gundleus (Woolo), (Historical)

KING SAPOR, of Persia, in the eighteenth year of his reign, raised a bloody persecution against the Christians, and laid waste their churches and monasteries. Jonas and Barachisius, two brothers of the city Beth-Asa, hearing that several Christians lay under sentence of death at Hubaham, went thither to encourage and serve them. Nine of that number received the crown of martyrdom. After their execution, Jonas and Barachisius were apprehended for having exhorted them to die. The president entreated the two brothers to obey the King of Persia, and to worship the sun, moon, fire, and water. Their answer was, that it was more reasonable to obey the immortal King of heaven and earth than a mortal prince. Jonas was beaten with knotty clubs and with rods, and next set in a frozen pond, with a cord tied to his foot. Barachisius had two red-hot iron plates and two red-hot hammers applied under each arm, and melted lead dropped into his nostrils and eyes; after which, he was carried to prison, and there hung up by one foot. Despite these cruel tortures, the two brothers remained steadfast in the faith. New and more horrible torments were then devised, under which, at last, they yielded up their lives, while their pure souls winged their flight to heaven, there to gain the martyr’s crown which they had so faithfully won.

REFLECTION: Those powerful motives which supported the martyrs under the sharpest torments ought to inspire us with patience, resignation, and holy joy under sickness and all crosses or trials. Nothing is more heroic in the practice of Christian virtue, nothing more precious in the sight of God, than the sacrifice of patience, submission, constant fidelity, and charity in a state of suffering.

WORD OF THE DAY

PARVITAS MATERIAE. Slightness of matter, especially in sins of unchastity. According to the teaching of the Church, “in venereal pleasures, there is no slightness of matter” (Alexander VII, Response of the Holy Office, 1661). This means that the sin of lust is grave by its very nature, provided full consent is given, even though full sexual satisfaction was not obtained. In pastoral practice, however, when one checks oneself in the process of sinful sexual arousal, the presumption is that there had not been full consent from the beginning.

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!)