FEBRUARY 24, 2024 – LENT DAY 11 – ST. MATTHIAS, APOSTLE.

• St. Ethelbert (616). (Historical) the first Catholic king of England
• St. Matthias. Apostle, Martyr. (Traditional) typically on the 24th (except leap years). [and your editor knows this is a leap year, but wasn’t sure if it should be moved to tomorrow… ]
• St. Tarasius (806). Bishop. (Historical)
• St. Walpurga (Walburga) (779). Abbot or Abbess, Virgin. (Historical)

AFTER our Blessed Lord’s ascension His disciples met together, with Mary His mother, and the eleven apostles, in an upper room at Jerusalem. The little company numbered no more than one hundred and twenty souls. They were waiting for the promised coming of the Holy Ghost, and they persevered in prayer. Meanwhile there was a solemn act to be performed on the part of the Church, which could not be postponed. The place of the fallen Judas must be filled up, that the elect number of the apostles might be complete. St. Peter, therefore, as Vicar of Christ, arose to announce the divine decree. That which the Holy Ghost had spoken by the mouth of David concerning Judas, he said, must be fulfilled. Of him it had been written, “His bishopric let another take.” A choice, therefore, was to be made of one among those who had been their companions from the beginning, who could bear witness to the resurrection of Jesus. Two were named of equal merit, Joseph called Barsabas, and Matthias. Then, after praying to God, who knows the hearts of all men, to show which of these He had chosen, they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, who was forthwith numbered with the apostles. It is recorded of the Saint, thus wonderfully elected to so high a vocation, that he was above all remarkable for his mortification of the flesh. It was thus he made his election sure.

REFLECTION: Our ignorance of many points in St. Matthias’s life serves to fix the attention all the more firmly upon these two-the occasion of his call to the apostolate, and the fact of his perseverance. We then naturally turn in thought to our own vocation and our own end.

WORD OF THE DAY

LAPSI. Third-century Christians who relapsed into heathenism by sacrificing to the gods or performing other acts of apostasy. There were three classes: sacrificati, who had actually offered sacrifices to idols; thurificati, who had merely burned incense to the gods; and libellatici, who certified in writing that they had offered sacrifice to idols without having actually offered sacrifice. After the edict of Decius (250-25) the lapsi who had apostasized through weakness often wished to repent and return to Christian worship. Pope Cornelius and St. Cyprian favored their return, and the synods of that time felt that after their performance of certain public penances they should be readmitted. Novatian opposed this leniency and formed a schismatic community. The Donatist schism was occasioned by a new class of lapsi, called “traditores,” mostly clerics, who gave up the sacred books to the civil authorities and later repented. Several synods including the First Council of Nicaea in 325, drew up canons relative to the treatment of lapsi.

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!)

LENT MEDITATION DAY 11

Enjoy daily meditations this lent from Fr. Richard Clarke, SJ. Short and powerful, written in 1880 for busy lay people to reap rewards through lent. (includes audio) Lent Day 11: Saturday after the First Sunday in Lent— The Aggravation of the Sacred Agony.

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