From USCCB, CNA and Catholic Online:
Daily Readings:
Saints/Martyrs/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated:
St. Fabian
Feastday: January 20
250
Eusebius, born just a few years after Fabian's death, tells us how Fabian came to Rome after Pope Anteros died in 236. A layperson, and not a very important one, he may have come for the same reason many still come to Rome today during a papal election: concern for the future of the faith, curiosity about the new pope, a desire to grieve for the pope who had passed. Seeing all the important people gathered to make this momentous decision must have been overwhelming. Which one would be the new pope? Someone known for power? Someone known for eloquence? Someone known for courage?
Suddenly during the discussion, a dove descended from the ceiling. But it didn't settle on "someone known" for anything at all. The dove, according to Eusebius, "settled on [Fabian's] head as clear imitation of the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove upon the Savior." There must have been something of the Holy Spirit working because everyone suddenly proclaimed Fabian as "worthy" to be pope and this stranger was elected.
To us the dove signifies peace, and this dove was prophetic. Starting close to Fabian's election, the suffering and persecuted Church began a time of peace. The emperor, Philip, was friendly to Christians and not only was the persecution stopped but Christians experienced acceptance.
In this era of peace, Fabian was able to build up the structure of the Church of Rome, appointing seven deacons and helping to collect the acts of the martyrs.
But, in a timeless story, the people who had always been in power were not happy to see the newcomers growing and thriving. There were many incidents of pagans attacking Christians and when Philip died so died the time of peace. The new emperor, Decius, ordered all Christians to deny Christ by offering incense to idols or through some other pagan ritual.
In the few years of peace, the Church had grown soft. Many didn't have the courage to stand up to martyrdom. But Fabian, singled out by symbol of peace, stood as a courageous example for everyone in his flock. He died a martyr in 250 and is buried in the Cemetery of Calixtus that he helped rebuild and beautify. A stone slab with his name can still be found there.
In His Footsteps:
Pray for all places where the Church suffers persecution and for all who face death, danger, or isolation for their faith. But pray especially for all who live where the Church is accepted and thrives in peace that this peace will not make their faith flabby and weak.
Prayer:
Pope Saint Fabian, it's so easy to believe that peace means a life without conflict or suffering. Help us to see that the only true peace is the peace Christ brings. Never let us as a Church or as individual Christians choose to deny our beliefs simply to avoid an unpleasant situation. Amen
St. Euthymius
Feastday: January 20
Euthymius was born of wealthy parents at Militene, Armenia. He studied under the bishop there and was ordained. He was appointed supervisor of the monasteries in the diocese but when twenty-nine, he became a monk at the Pharan laura near Jerusalem. About 411, he left to live with a companion in a cave near Jericho, attracted numerous disciples, left his companion, Theoctistus, as superior, and moved to a more remote spot. He still attracted many and converted so many, including a great many Arabs, that Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem consecrated him bishop to minister to them. Juvenal built him a laura on the rode from Jerusalem to Jericho, which Euthymius ruled by vicars. He attracted enormous crowds among them, Eudoxia, the widow of Emperor Theodosius II, who followed his advice to give up her allegiance to the Eutychians and return to orthodoxy in 459. He died on January 20 after sixty-six years in the desert. His feast day is January 20.
St. Fechin
Feastday: January 20
Fechin was probably born at Luighne (Leyney), Ireland. He was trained by St. Nathy, was founding Abbot of Fobhar, or Fore, in Westmeath, and died of the plague that devastated Ireland in the year 665. His feast day is January 20th.
St. Maurus
Feastday: January 20
St. Maurus d. 946, bishop. A native of Rome and nephew of Pope John IX, he was ordained then became a Benedictine at Classe in Ravenna, its abbot in 926 and bishop of Cesena, Italy in 934. His feast day is January 20th.
St. Eustochium Calafato
Feastday: January 20
1468
Foundress and Poor Clare. She was born circa 1435, the daughter of Countess Matilda Carafata, at Messina, Sicily. Betrothed, Eustochium lost her fiance before they could wed. When her father died in 1446, she became a Poor Clare at Bascio convent and devoted herself to penance and charitable activities. Her mother and sister were at Monte Vergine Convent, and Eustochium went there for the stricter observances. She became abbess in 1462. She was canonized in 1988. In some lists her name is Eustachia or Smaragda.
St. Neophytus
Feastday: January 20
Martyr. He was put to death at the age of fifteen in Nicaea.
St. Molagga
Feastday: January 20
655
Abbot-founder and a disciple of St. David of Wales. Irish by birth, Molagga went to Wales and founded Fermoy Monastery. He is also called Laicin.
St. Abadios
Feastday: January 20
I am a martyred in Roman Emperor Diocletian’s persecutions. When I confessed Christ at K’balakhis, I was thrown from a rocky precipice at Bilgai, Kemet
Scriptural Readings:
Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Heb 7:25—8:6
Jesus is always able to save those who approach God through him,
since he lives forever to make intercession for them.
It was fitting that we should have such a high priest:
holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners,
higher than the heavens.
He has no need, as did the high priests,
to offer sacrifice day after day,
first for his own sins and then for those of the people;
he did that once for all when he offered himself.
For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests,
but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law,
appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever.
The main point of what has been said is this:
we have such a high priest,
who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne
of the Majesty in heaven, a minister of the sanctuary
and of the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man, set up.
Now every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices;
thus the necessity for this one also to have something to offer.
If then he were on earth, he would not be a priest,
since there are those who offer gifts according to the law.
They worship in a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary,
as Moses was warned when he was about to erect the tabernacle.
For God says, “See that you make everything
according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry
as he is mediator of a better covenant,
enacted on better promises.
Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17Responsorial PsalmR. (8a and 9a) Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you,
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, “The LORD be glorified.”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Mk 3:7-12GospelJesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, “You are the Son of God.”
He warned them sternly not to make him known.
Next Day
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Daily Readings:
Saints/Martyrs/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated:
St. Fabian
Feastday: January 20
250
Eusebius, born just a few years after Fabian's death, tells us how Fabian came to Rome after Pope Anteros died in 236. A layperson, and not a very important one, he may have come for the same reason many still come to Rome today during a papal election: concern for the future of the faith, curiosity about the new pope, a desire to grieve for the pope who had passed. Seeing all the important people gathered to make this momentous decision must have been overwhelming. Which one would be the new pope? Someone known for power? Someone known for eloquence? Someone known for courage?
Suddenly during the discussion, a dove descended from the ceiling. But it didn't settle on "someone known" for anything at all. The dove, according to Eusebius, "settled on [Fabian's] head as clear imitation of the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove upon the Savior." There must have been something of the Holy Spirit working because everyone suddenly proclaimed Fabian as "worthy" to be pope and this stranger was elected.
To us the dove signifies peace, and this dove was prophetic. Starting close to Fabian's election, the suffering and persecuted Church began a time of peace. The emperor, Philip, was friendly to Christians and not only was the persecution stopped but Christians experienced acceptance.
In this era of peace, Fabian was able to build up the structure of the Church of Rome, appointing seven deacons and helping to collect the acts of the martyrs.
But, in a timeless story, the people who had always been in power were not happy to see the newcomers growing and thriving. There were many incidents of pagans attacking Christians and when Philip died so died the time of peace. The new emperor, Decius, ordered all Christians to deny Christ by offering incense to idols or through some other pagan ritual.
In the few years of peace, the Church had grown soft. Many didn't have the courage to stand up to martyrdom. But Fabian, singled out by symbol of peace, stood as a courageous example for everyone in his flock. He died a martyr in 250 and is buried in the Cemetery of Calixtus that he helped rebuild and beautify. A stone slab with his name can still be found there.
In His Footsteps:
Pray for all places where the Church suffers persecution and for all who face death, danger, or isolation for their faith. But pray especially for all who live where the Church is accepted and thrives in peace that this peace will not make their faith flabby and weak.
Prayer:
Pope Saint Fabian, it's so easy to believe that peace means a life without conflict or suffering. Help us to see that the only true peace is the peace Christ brings. Never let us as a Church or as individual Christians choose to deny our beliefs simply to avoid an unpleasant situation. Amen
St. Euthymius
Feastday: January 20
Euthymius was born of wealthy parents at Militene, Armenia. He studied under the bishop there and was ordained. He was appointed supervisor of the monasteries in the diocese but when twenty-nine, he became a monk at the Pharan laura near Jerusalem. About 411, he left to live with a companion in a cave near Jericho, attracted numerous disciples, left his companion, Theoctistus, as superior, and moved to a more remote spot. He still attracted many and converted so many, including a great many Arabs, that Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem consecrated him bishop to minister to them. Juvenal built him a laura on the rode from Jerusalem to Jericho, which Euthymius ruled by vicars. He attracted enormous crowds among them, Eudoxia, the widow of Emperor Theodosius II, who followed his advice to give up her allegiance to the Eutychians and return to orthodoxy in 459. He died on January 20 after sixty-six years in the desert. His feast day is January 20.
St. Fechin
Feastday: January 20
Fechin was probably born at Luighne (Leyney), Ireland. He was trained by St. Nathy, was founding Abbot of Fobhar, or Fore, in Westmeath, and died of the plague that devastated Ireland in the year 665. His feast day is January 20th.
St. Maurus
Feastday: January 20
St. Maurus d. 946, bishop. A native of Rome and nephew of Pope John IX, he was ordained then became a Benedictine at Classe in Ravenna, its abbot in 926 and bishop of Cesena, Italy in 934. His feast day is January 20th.
St. Eustochium Calafato
Feastday: January 20
1468
Foundress and Poor Clare. She was born circa 1435, the daughter of Countess Matilda Carafata, at Messina, Sicily. Betrothed, Eustochium lost her fiance before they could wed. When her father died in 1446, she became a Poor Clare at Bascio convent and devoted herself to penance and charitable activities. Her mother and sister were at Monte Vergine Convent, and Eustochium went there for the stricter observances. She became abbess in 1462. She was canonized in 1988. In some lists her name is Eustachia or Smaragda.
St. Neophytus
Feastday: January 20
Martyr. He was put to death at the age of fifteen in Nicaea.
St. Molagga
Feastday: January 20
655
Abbot-founder and a disciple of St. David of Wales. Irish by birth, Molagga went to Wales and founded Fermoy Monastery. He is also called Laicin.
St. Abadios
Feastday: January 20
I am a martyred in Roman Emperor Diocletian’s persecutions. When I confessed Christ at K’balakhis, I was thrown from a rocky precipice at Bilgai, Kemet
Scriptural Readings:
Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Heb 7:25—8:6
Jesus is always able to save those who approach God through him,
since he lives forever to make intercession for them.
It was fitting that we should have such a high priest:
holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners,
higher than the heavens.
He has no need, as did the high priests,
to offer sacrifice day after day,
first for his own sins and then for those of the people;
he did that once for all when he offered himself.
For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests,
but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law,
appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever.
The main point of what has been said is this:
we have such a high priest,
who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne
of the Majesty in heaven, a minister of the sanctuary
and of the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man, set up.
Now every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices;
thus the necessity for this one also to have something to offer.
If then he were on earth, he would not be a priest,
since there are those who offer gifts according to the law.
They worship in a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary,
as Moses was warned when he was about to erect the tabernacle.
For God says, “See that you make everything
according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry
as he is mediator of a better covenant,
enacted on better promises.
Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17Responsorial PsalmR. (8a and 9a) Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you,
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, “The LORD be glorified.”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Mk 3:7-12GospelJesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, “You are the Son of God.”
He warned them sternly not to make him known.
Next Day
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
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