May 27 — Same Day. Saint John the First, Pope and Martyr

The palm of martyrdom was won by this holy Pope, not in a victory over a Pagan Persecutor, but in battling, for the Church's Liberty, against a Christian King. But this King was a heretic, and therefore an enemy of every Pontiff that was zealous for the triumph of the true Faith. The state of Christ's Vicar here on earth is a state of combat ; and it frequently happens, that a Pope is veritably a Martyr, without having shed his blood. St. John the First, whom we honour to-day, was not slain by the sword ; a loathsome dungeon was the instrument of his martyrdom : but there are many Popes, who are now in heaven with him, Martyrs like himself, who never even passed a day in prison or in chains : the Vatican was their Calvary. They conquered, yet fell in the struggle with so little appearance of victory, that heaven had to take up the defence of their reputation, as was the case with that angelic Pontiff of last Century, Clement the Thirteenth.

The Saint of to-day teaches us, by his conduct, what should be the sentiment of every worthy member of the Church. He teaches us, that we should never make a compromise with Heresy, nor approve of the measures taken by worldly policy for securing what it calls the rights of Heresy. If the past ages, aided by the religious indifference of Governments, have introduced the " Toleration of all Religions," or even the principle that "all Religions are to be treated alike by the State," — let us, if we will, put up with this latitudinarianisra, and be glad to see, that the Church, in virtue of it, is guaranteed from legal persecution ; but, as Catholics, we can never look upon it as an absolute good. Whatever may be the circumstances in which Providence has placed us, we are bound to conform our views to the principles of our Holy Faith, and to the infallible teaching and practice of the Church, — out of which, there is but contradiction, danger and infidelity.

The holy Liturgy thus extols the virtues and courage of our Saint.

John, by birth a Tuscan, governed the Church during the reign of the Emperor Justin the Elder. He undertook a journey to Constantinople, in order to solicit the Em-

Eeror's protection against the eretical king Theodoric, who was persecuting the faithful of Italy. God honoured the Pontiff, during this journey, by several miracles. Wb en about to visit Corinth, a certain nobleman lent him a horse, which he kept for his wife's use, on account of its being so gentle. When the Pontiff afterwards returned, and gave the horse back to the nobleman, it was no longer the tame creature as before ; but, as often as its mistress attempted to ride it, would snort and prance, and throw her from its back, as though it scorned to bear a woman's weight, after it had carried the Vicar of Christ. They therefore gave the horse to the Pontiff. But a greater miracle was that which happened at

J pannes Etruscus, Justino seniore Imperatore rexit Ecclesiam : ad quern profectus est Constantinopolim auxilii causa, quod Theodoricus rex h<ereticus divexabat Italiam : cujus etiam iter Deus miraculis illustravit. Nam cum ei nobilis vir ad Corinthum equum, quo ejus uxor mansueto utebatur, itineris causa commodasset ; factum est, ut domino postea remissus equus ita ferox evaderet, ut fremitu et totius corporis agitatione semper deinceps dominam expulerit : tamquam indignaretur mulierem reci-

5 ere, ex quo sedisset in eo esuChristivicarius. Quamobrem illi equum pontifici donaverunt. Sed illud majus miraculum, quod Constautinopoli in aditu portae aureae, inspectante frequentissimo populo, qui una cum Imperatore Pontifici honoris causa occurrerat, caeco lumen restituit Ad

684 pasch cujus pedes prostratus etiam Imperator eum veneratus est. Rebus cum Imperatore compositis, in Italiam rediit, statimque epistolam scripsit ad omnes Italiae episcopos, jubens eos arianorum Ecclesias ad Catholicum ritum consecrare, illud subjungeus : Quia et nos quando f uimusConstantinopoli, tarn pro religione Catnolica, quam pro regis Theodorici causa, quascumque illis in partibus eorum Ecclesias reperire potuimus, Catholicas eas consecravimus. Quod iniquissimo animo f erens Theodoricus, dolo accersitum Pontificem Rayennam in carcerem conjecit: ubi squalore inediaque afflictus, paucis diebus cessit e vita, cum sedisset annos duos, menses novem, dies quatuordecim : ordinatis eo tempore episcopis quindecim. Paulo post moritur Theodoricus : quern quidam Eremita, ut scribit sanctus Gregorius, vidit inter Joannem Pontificem, et Symmacbum Patritium, quern idem occiderat, demergi in ignem Liparitanum, ut videlicet illi, quibus mortem attulerat, tamquam judices essent ejus interitus. Joannis corpus Ravenna Romam portatum est, et in Basilica sancti Petri sepultum.

Jj TIME.

Constantinople. Near to the Golden Gate, and in the presence of an immense concourse of people, who had assembled there, together with the Emperor, to show honour to the Pontiff, he restored sight to a blind man. The Emperor, also, prostrated before him, out of a sentiment of veneration. Having arranged matters with the Emperor, he returned to Italy, and immediately addressed a Letter to all its Bishops, commanding them to consecrate the Churches of the Arians, that they might be used for Catholic Service. He added these words: "For, when at "Constantinople, for the in- " terests of the Catholic Reli- " gion, and on account of king " Theodoric, we consecrated all "the Arian Churches we " could find in that country, "and made them Catholic." Theodoric was exceedingly angry at this ; and, having craftily got the Pontiff to come to Ravenna, put him in prison. There, from the filth of the place, and from starvation, he died in a few days. He reigned two years, nine months, and fourteen days; during which time, he ordained fifteen Bishops. Theodoric died soon after ; and St. Gregory relates, that a certain Hermit saw him plunged into a pit of fire at Lipari, in the presence of John the Pontiff, and the Patrician Symmachus, whom he had murdered : thus they whom he had put to death, stood as judges condemning him to punishment The body of St. John was taken from Ravenna to Rome, and buried in the Basilica of Saint Peter.

Thy fair Palm, O holy Pontiff, was the reward of thy proclaiming the spotless Holiness of the Church of Christ. She is the glorious Churchy as St. Paul calls her, having neither spot nor wrinkle? and, for that very reason, she can never consent to yield to Heresy any of the inheritance given her by her Divine Lord. Now-a-days, men form their calculations on the interests of this passing world, and are resolved to regulate society independently of the rights of the Son of God, from whom proceeds all social order, as well as all truth. They have deprived the Church of her external Constitution and influence; and, at the same time, they give encouragement to the Sects that have rebelled against her. So has it been within the last few years, with Catholic Mexico ; and how severely has not the crime been punished ! O holy Pontiff, awaken in our hearts the sentiment of what Divine Truth is, and how Error can never create prescription against her rights. Then shall we submit to the unhappy necessities handed down to us by the fatal triumph of Heresy, without accepting, as a Progress, the principle and law that " all Religions are on an equality/ In thy prison, brave Martyr ! thou proclaimedst the rights of the one only Church ; preserve us, who are living during that Revolt which was foretold by the Apostle, from those cowardly compromises, dangerous prejudices, and culpable want of solid instruction, which are the ruin of so many souls ; and may our last words, on leaving this world, be those that were taught us by our Jesus himself : Heavenly Father ! Hallowed be thy Name ! May thy Kingdom come I

*Eph. v. 27.

2 II. Thess. ii. 3.

PASCHAL TIME.

MAY 30.

SAINT FELIX THE FIRST,

POPE AND MARTYR.

The holy Popes of the primitive ages of the Church abound during these last days of our Paschal Season. To-day, we have Felix the First, a Martyr of the persecution under Aurelian, in the 3rd Century. His Acts have been lost, with the exception of this one detail ; that he proclaimed the dogma of the Incarnation, with admirable precision, in a Letter addressed to the Church of Alexandria, a passage of which was read, with much applause, at the two (Ecumenical Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon.

We also learn from a law he passed for those troubled times of the Church, that this holy Pontiff was zealous in procuring for the Martyrs the honour that is due to them. He decreed, that the Holy Sacrifice should be offered up on their tombs. The Church has kept up a remnant of this law, by requiring that all Altars, whether fixed or portable, must have, amongst the Relics that are placed in them, a portion of some belonging to the Martyrs. We shall have to speak of this custom in a future volume.

The Liturgy gives us this short notice regarding the Holy Pontiff.

Felix Komanus, patre Felix, a Roman by birth,

Constantio, Aureliano im- and son of Constantius, go* peratore prefuit Ecclesiae. verned the Church during the

Constitu it ut Missa supra reign of the emperor Aurelian* et sepulchra tyrum celebraretur. Qui cum mense Decembri haduas, et creasset Presbyteros vem, Diaconos quinque, Episcopos per di versa loca quinque, martyrio coronatus, via Aurelia sepelitur se sedificatam dedicarat Yixit in annos duos, menses quatuor, dies viginti novem.

He decreed that the Mass memorias Marshould be celebrated upon the shrines and tombs of the Martyrs. He had two ordinations buisset Ordinationes in the month of December, noand made nine Priests, five Deacons, and five Bishops for divers places. He was crowned with Martyrdom, and was buried on the Aurelian Way, in Basilica qriara a in a Basilica which he himself had built and dedicated. He pontificatu reigned two years, four months, and twenty-nine days.

Thou, 0 holy Pontiff, didst imitate thy Divine Master in his Death, for thou gavest thy life for thy sheep. Like him, too, thou art to rise from thy tomb, and thy happy soul shall be reunited to its body, which suffered death in testimony of the truth thou proclaimedst at Rome. Jesus is the first-bom of the dead; thou followedst him in his Passion, thou shalt follow him in his Resurrection. Thy body was laid in those venerable vaults, which the piety of early Christians honoured with the appellation of Cemeteries, — a word which signifies a place wherein to sleep. Thou, O Felix, wilt awaken on that great day, whereon the Pasch is to receive its last and perfect fulfilment : — pray that we also may then share with thee in that happy resurrection. Obtain for us, that we may be faithful to the graces received in this year's Easter ; and prepare us for the visit of the Holy Ghost, who is soon to descend upon us, that he may give stability to the work that has been achieved, in our souls, by our merciful Saviour.