St. Polykarp - Feast Day February 23

Feast Day: February 23 
Born: (around)69 :: Died: 155

St. Polycarp became a Christian when the followers of Jesus were still few. In fact, Polycarp was a disciple of one of the first apostles, St. John. He was also a friend of St. Ignatius of Antioch. 

All that Polycarp learned from St. John he taught to others and he was a well respected Christian leader. He was a new kind of Christian for his time. He was not a Jew and did not know the Old Testament Scriptures; instead he knew well the customs and beliefs of the Apostles. 

Polycarp became a priest and then bishop of Smyrna in present-day Turkey. He was Smyrna's bishop for many years and the Christians loved their holy and brave shepherd. The Churches in Asia Minor chose St. Polycarp to go on their behalf and discuss with Pope Anicetus an important matter - the date of the Easter celebration in Rome.

During that time Christians faced torture and death under Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Polycarp was shown to his enemies by a traitor. When his captors came to arrest him, he invited them first to share a meal with him. 

Then he asked them to let him pray a while. The judge tried to force Bishop Polycarp to

curse Jesus and save himself from death. "For eighty-six years I have served Jesus Christ," answered the saint, "and he has never done me any wrong. How can I curse my King who died for me?"

The soldiers tied St. Polycarp's hands behind his back and placed him on a burning pile but the fire did not harm him. One of the soldiers then stabbed a dagger into his heart and killed him. And so, in the year 155, Polycarp died a martyr. 

He went to be forever with his Divine Master Jesus Christ whom he had served so bravely.

St. Cecilia - Feast Day November 22

Feast Day: November 22
Born: around 90 :: Died: around 117

Cecilia was a Roman noblewoman who had given her heart to Christ. Under the rich clothes worn by women of high class, Cecilia wore a rough shirt that caused her suffering. She wanted to be able to offer this sacrifice to Jesus, whose bride she intended to be. 

But Cecilia's parents gave her in marriage to a young pagan noble, Valerian of Trastevere. Celia is considered the patroness of music because during the wedding celebration, the lovely bride sat apart, singing a hymn of love to God in her heart and praying for his help. 

When she and Valerian, her husband, were alone, she gathered up courage and said to him: "I have a secret to tell you. You must know that I have an angel of God watching over me. If you let me keep my promise to be Christ's bride only, my angel will love you as he loves me." 

Valerian was surprised and said kindly, "Show me this angel. If he comes from God, I will do as you wish." 

Cecilia said, "If you believe in the one true God and receive the waters of Baptism, then you

will see my angel." Valerian went to Bishop Urban and was received with joy. After he had professed his belief in the Christian religion, he was baptized and returned to St. Cecilia. There by the saint's side, the young man saw the splendid angel.

The angel placed a crown on each of their heads, and offered Valerian a favor and Valerian asked that his brother also be baptized.

Valerian's brother, Tiburtius, learned of the Christian faith from Cecilia. She spoke so beautifully of Jesus that before long, he too was baptized. Together the two brothers performed many works of charity and mercy, like burying dead Christian martyrs.

When they were arrested for being Christians, they went bravely to death rather than give up their new faith in Jesus. St. Cecilia lovingly buried their bodies, before she too was arrested. 

She even converted the officers who tried to make her sacrifice to false gods. When she was put into a fire, it did not harm her. Then they tried to suffocate her and finally, a man was sent to her house to behead her. 

He struck her neck three times, but Cecilia did not die immediately. She lay on the floor unable to move. Yet by holding out three fingers of one hand, and one of the other, she still professed her belief in the Blessed Trinity. 

When her tomb was opened about one thousand five hundred years later in Rome, her body was still found perfect and incorrupt.

St. Lawrence Virtue Club Report

Virtue Club Report by Pablo Cortez
Feast Day: August 10
Born: (about) 100 Death:158

St Lawrence was born in about the year 100 and lived until the year 158. He was  about 58 when he was martyred in Rome. His feast Day is August 10.

St. Lawrence was a deacon under Pope Sixtus II along with 6 other deacons. These deacons were responsible for caring for the poor and the needy. At this time in history there was big trouble with people in power who did not like Christians. They decided to murder the Pope. As they took the Pope away to behead him, Lawrence followed while weeping. He cried out to the Pope,

"Father, where are you going without your deacon?"

"I am not leaving you, my son," answered the Pope. "In three days you will follow me."

Lawrence was so happy that he gave the rest of the money he had with him to the poor. Then, so that he would have more money to give to the poor, he also sold expensive Church vessels.

The prefect of Rome who was very greedy man, suspected that the Church had a great treasures hidden away. He wanted it for himself so he ordered Lawrence to bring the Church's treasure to him. St. Lawrence said he would obey and bring the Church’s greatest treasure to the prefect in three days. 

St. Lawrence traveled through the city and brought together all the sick and poor people that the Church took care of. On the third day he presented them to the prefect and he said: "These people are the Church's treasure."

The powerful prefect was furious. He ordered Lawrence to be killed by being burned alive. He specified that he wanted Lawrence to suffer more so he said to burn him slowly. That is just what happened. The executioners burned him slowly over an iron grill while St. Lawrence was tied down.

God gave St. Lawrence so much strength and joy that he even joked and said,  “You should turn me over now. I am done on this side.”  And just before he died, he said, "It's cooked enough now."

Before he died, he prayed that the city of Rome would be converted to Jesus and that the Catholic faith would spread all over the world. After that, he went to receive the glorious martyr's reward --- heaven.

“Lawrence died on August 10,158. His feast spread throughout Italy and northern Africa. Emperor Constantine built a beautiful basilica in Lawrence's honor. St. Lawrence is among the saints mentioned in the First Eucharistic Prayer at Mass.”*1

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The virtue of the month is UNDERSTANDING which is one of the seven  Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

A synonym for this virtue is FAITH.

St. Thomas Aquinas defined this virtue like this:

(paraphrased)

With the gift of understanding, we know how we must live to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Just saying we believe in Jesus and we have faith in Him is not enough. Our lives must prove that, too.

A person with understanding is not confused by all the conflicting messages in the secular culture about the right way to live.

This is as true today(2010)as it was in St. Lawrence’s time (100 to 158AD) or St. Thomas’ time (1225 to 1274).
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I chose St. Lawrence as an example of the virtue of UNDERSTANDING (FAITH).

St. Lawrence could have run away when they took Pope Sixtus II away. He could have used the money he had to run and hide. He did not. He lived his faith to the moment of death.

He had faith even when he was being burned. He did not pray or yell to God saying, “Why did you do this. I have followed you all these years and this is what you’ve done to me?!” Instead he knew he was going to heaven and that his time on earth was over. He prayed for all of us as he was being tortured. 

SOURCES:

CatholicNotebook.blogspt.com

Holy Spirit Interactive (on-line)

Dictionary.com

FOOTNOTES: *1 Holy Spirit Interactive (on-line)

DEFINITIONS: Prefect: Person in command or chief magistrate in Ancient Rome