FEBRUARY 26, 2024 – LENT DAY 13 – ST. PORPHYRY, BISHOP.
- St. Alexander (326). Bishop. (Historical)
- St. Porphyrius (420). Bishop. (Historical)
AT the age of twenty-five, Porphyry, a rich citizen of Thessalonica, left the world for one of the great religious houses in the desert of Scete. Here he remained five years, and then finding himself drawn to a more solitary life passed into Palestine, where he spent a similar period in the severest penance, till ill health obliged him to moderate his austerities. He then made his home in Jerusalem, and in spite of his ailments visited the Holy Places every day; thinking, says his biographer, so little of his sickness, that he seemed to be afflicted in another body, and not his own. About this time God put it into his heart to sell all he had and give to the poor, and then in reward of the sacrifice restored him by a miracle to perfect health. In 393 he was ordained priest, and intrusted with the care of the relics of the True Cross; three years later, in spite of all the resistance his humility could make, he was consecrated Bishop of Gaza. That city was a hot-bed of paganism, and Porphyry found in it an ample scope for his apostolic zeal. His labors and the miracles which attended them effected the conversion of many; and an imperial edict for the destruction of the temples, obtained through the influence of St. John Chrysostom, greatly strengthened his hands. When St. Porphyry first went to Gaza, he found there one temple more splendid than the rest, in honor of the chief god. When the edict went forth to destroy all traces of heathen worship, St. Porphyry determined to put Satan to special shame where he had received special honor. A Christian church was built upon the site, and its approach was pared with the marbles of the heathen temple. Thus every worshipper of Jesus Christ trod the relics of idolatry and superstition under foot each time he went to assist at the Holy Mass. He lived to see his diocese for the most part clear of idolatry, and died A.D. 420.
REFLECTION: All superstitious searching into secret things is forbidden by the first commandment, equally with the worship of any false god. Let us ask St. Porphyry for a great zeal in keeping this commandment, lest we be led away, as so many are, by a curious and prying mind.
WORD OF THE DAY
DIVINE PRAISES. A series of praises, recited for generations after the benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. They are thought to have been originally compiled in 1797 in reparation for blasphemy and profane language. Praise of the Immaculate Conception, her bodily Assumption into heaven, the Sacred Heart, St. Joseph, and the Precious Blood have been added since the middle of the nineteenth century. The present text reads:
† Blessed be God.
† Blessed be his holy Name.
† Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
† Blessed be the name of Jesus.
† Blessed be his most Sacred Heart.
† Blessed be his most Precious Blood.
† Blessed be Jesus in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar.
† Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
† Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
† Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
† Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
† Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
† Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
† Blessed be God in his angels and in his saints.
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 13
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 13: Monday after the Second Sunday in Lent — The Consolations of the Sacred Agony.
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