April 14 — Saintstiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus

The Church now makes a commemoration only of our three great Martyrs.

The two following Lessons are extremely short The reason is, that this Feast is very ancient ; and in the early ages of the Church, Simple Offices, as they are called, were extremely frequent ; and it was only for great Feasts, that three Nocturns were said, e$ch with three Lessons.

Valerian, a Roman by birth, and of a noble family, was married to the blessed Cecily, who was of equal nobility. By the advice of this virgin, he and his brother Tiburtius were baptised by the holy Pope Urban, under the reign of the Emperor Alexander Severus. Almachius, the City Prefect, having been informed that they had become Christians, had distributed their patrimony among the poor, and were burying the bodies of the Christians, — he summoned them before him, and severely rebuked them. Finding, however, that they persevered in confessing Christ to be God, and in proclaiming the gods to be but vain images of devils,— he ordered them to be scourged.

But they were not to be induced, by this scourging, to adore the idols of Jupiter; they continued firm in the profession of the true Faith : they were, therefore, beheaded four miles out of Borne. One of the Prefect's officials, by name Maximus, who had been appointed to lead them to execution, was filled with admiration at seeing the courage

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Valerianus Bomanus, nobili genere ortus, Alexandre Severo Imperatore, hortatu beatae Caeciliae, Virginis, quam sibi pari nobilitate uxorem desponderat, una cum Tiburtio fratre a sancto Urbano papa baptizatur. Ouos ubi praefectus Urbis Almachius christianos esse cognovit, et patrimonio pauperibus distribute, Christianorum corpora sepelire, accersitos graviter reprehendit : atque ubi Christum Deum constanter confitentes, deos autem daemoniorum inania simulacra prsedicantes videt, virgis caedi jubet.

Sed cum verberibus cogi non possent, ut J ovis simulacrum venerarentur, imo fortes in fidei veritate permanerent, ad quartum ab Urbe lapidem securi f eriuntur. Quorum virtutem admiratus Maximus praefecti cubicularius, qui eos ad supplicium perduxerat, Christianum se esse professus est, cum multis prae- 2 A

PASCHAL TIME. fecti ministris : qui paulo post plumbatis contusi, omnes ex diaboli ministris Christi Domini martyres evaserunt. wherewith they suffered, and professed himself to be a Christian, as did likewise several other servants of the Prefect. Not long after, they were all beaten to death with whips loaded with plummets of lead ; and thus, from being slaves of the devil, they became Martyrs of Christ our Lord.

Holy and precious fruits of the great Caecilia's apostolate ! we this day unite with the blessed Spirits in celebrating your entrance into the court of heaven. Thou, O Valerian, wast led to Faith, and to the sublimest of all virtues, by thy noble spouse ; thou wast the first to enter into the joy of the Lord ; but, in a few days, thy Cecily followed thee, and the love, begun on earth, was made eternal in heaven. Speaking of thee and her, an Angel said, that your Roses and Lilies should never fade ; their fragrance of love and purity is sweeter by far now, than when they bloomed here below. Thou, 0 Tiburtius ! — brother of these two angels of earth ! — thou owest to them thy beautiful Martyr's palm ; thou art a sharer in their eternal happiness, and the three names, Ccecilia, Valerian, and Tiburtius, are to be for ever united in the admiration of Angels and men. The sight of the two brothers suffering so bravely for Christ, inflamed thy ambition, O Maximus, to imitate them ; the God of Csecilia became thine ; thou sheddest thy blood for him ; and he, in return, has put thee in heaven near Caecilia, Valerian and Tiburtius, to whom, whilst on earth, thou wast so inferior by birth and position.

Now, therefore, 0 holy Martyrs, be our protectors, and hear the prayers we address unto you. Speak in our favour to the Immortal King, for whom you so bravely fought and died ; ask him to fill our hearts with his love, and make us generous like you. You despised this fleeting life ; we, too, must despise it, the sight of our Risen Lord. The battle we have to fight may, perhaps, be different from yours ; but the reward that awaits us is, like your own, everlasting. Rather than betray Christ, you laid down your lives; our duty is the same, — we must die rather than sin. Pray for us, 0 holy Martyrs, that our lives may, henceforward, be such as will honour this year's Pasch. Pray, also, for the Church of Rome, your Mother ; her days of trial have returned ; she has a right to count upon your intercession, for obtaining the help she needs.