St. Anastasius, January 22
Kathy Rabenstein
+ Anastasius the Persian M (RM)
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Died at Bethsaloe, Assyria, January 22, 628. According to his Greek
biographer, Magundat was a young Persian soldier in the army of King
Chosroes II when it captured Jerusalem in 614. He became curious
about the Christian religion, and was impressed by its sublime truths. He
returned to Persia, left the military, and retired to Hierapolis.
There he lodged with a devout Persian Christian silversmith with whom
he often prayed. The religious art that he saw moved him to inquire more
and more about the faith. Finally, he left Hierapolis, and went to
Jerusalem where he was baptized Anastasius by Modestus and entered
a monastery in 621.
Anastasius was always the first at all spiritual duties, especially in
assisting at the Mass. His attention to pious discourse testified to the
sincerity of his soul. He never read about the triumphs of the martyrs
without an abundance of tears, and burned with an ardent desire to
become a martyr himself.
After seven years in the monastery, he was allowed to go to Caesarea
in Palestine to visit holy places and preach the Gospel to the Persian
garrison. He was arrested there, flogged, and put to hard labor. The
governor Marzabanes commanded him to be chained by the foot to
another prisoner, and his neck and one foot also to be linked by a heavy
chain, and condemned him in this condition to carry stones.
Upon hearing of his troubles, Anastasius's old abbot sent two monks to
assist him, and ordered prayers for him. Meanwhile, Anastasius would
pray all night. A Jew reported having seen him shining in glory and
angels praying with him.
The governor called for him again. Marzabanes had received detailed
orders from Chosroes: If Anastasius would abjure Christianity by word
of mouth, he might choose to return to military service or still remain a
Christian and return to the monastery. The governor added that he might
in his heart always adhere to Christ, provided that he would but once
renounce Christ, privately in the presence of the governor. Anastasius
sent back the answer that he would never lie or dissemble.
After repeatedly refusing to renounce his faith, he was taken in chains
to the Euphrates, where an officer of Chosroes also failed to induce him
to apostatize, even with the help of torture--beatings with staves three
days in a row. The martyr's tranquility and patience astonished the
officer, who went again to acquaint the king of his behavior.
Meanwhile, the Christian jailer gave everyone free access to the
prisoner, and Christians soon filled the prison. Each one sought to kiss
his feet or chains, and kept as relics whatever had been sanctified by
his touch. They also overlaid his fetters with wax to receive their
impression. The saint was embarrassed by all this and tried to
discourage his admirers.
Eventually, together with 68 other Christians, Anastasius was strangled
and beheaded at Bethsaloe (Barsaloe) on the bank of the Euphrates.
Their bodies were left exposed to be devoured by dogs, who left his
body untouched. He body was laid in the monastery of St. Sergius
nearby, and later moved to Palestine, Constantinople, and, according to
Husenbeth, Rome, where they are enshrined in the chapel ad Scalas
Sanctus near St. John Lateran. The monk who attended him took his
linen tunic back to his monastery in Palestine.
Anastasius's head was brought to Rome and enshrined in the church of
St. Vincent and St. Anastasius, both celebrated today. Miracles have
been attributed to images of his head, which were approved by the
seven general council (Act. 4). St. Anastasius is honored the same day
by both the Roman and Orthodox Churches (Attwater, Benedictines,
Encyclopedia, Husenbeth).
Other Saints Honored January 22
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+ = celebrated liturgically
+ Blaesilla (Blesilla) of Rome, Widow (AC)
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Died 383. Daughter of patrician St. Paula (f.d. January 26) and sister of
St. Eustochium (f.d. September 28), early in life Blaesilla followed in her
mother's elegant footsteps and, like her saintly mother, practiced great
austerities. When St. Jerome (f.d. September 30) arrived in Rome in 382,
their friend St. Marcella (f.d. January 31) insisted he should teach their
group of pious women Hebrew and exegesis.
Blaesilla threw herself so vehemently into the ascetic life that in 384, at
age 20, she died. The widow Paula was almost crazy with grief, but the
young, sarcastic Jerome rebuked her and promised to glorify Blaesilla by
writing about her, which he did (Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Martindale)
+ Brithwold (Berhtwald) of Sarum, OSB B (AC)
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Died 1045. St. Brithwold was a monk at Glastonbury who was chosen
bishop of Ramsbury in 1005. Thereafter he moved his seat to Old
Sarum. He was a great benefactor to Malmesbury and Glastonbury,
where he was buried (Benedictines).
+ Dominic of Sora, OSB, Abbot (RM)
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Born at Foligno, Etruria, Italy; died at Sora, Campania, Italy, 1031. St.
Dominic became a Benedictine and eventually abbot-founder of several
monasteries: Scandrilia, Sora, Sangro, and elsewhere in the old kingdom
of Naples. He was eighty years old when he died (Benedictines).
St. Dominic is pictured in a hermit's cell being visited by three men
carrying a dish. Sometimes he is portrayed as covered with snakes
(Roeder).
St. Dominic is invoked against fever, hail, mad dogs, and snake-bite
(Roeder).
Blessed Francis Gil, OP M (AC)
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Died 1744; beatified in 1906. A native of Tortosa, Spain, Blessed Francis
became a Dominican in Barcelona and was sent to the Philippines. From
there he was sent to Tonkin, where after long apostolic labors, he was
imprisoned for several years and beheaded at Checo (Benedictines).
Gaudentius of Novara B (RM)
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Died c. 418. St. Gaudentius, a priest of Ivrea near Turin, was befriended
by St. Laurence of Novara (f.d. April 30) and St. Eusebius of Vercelli
(f.d. December 16). He succeeded Laurence as bishop of Novara and
governed the see for twenty years (Benedictines).
Blessed Matthew Alonso Leziniana, OP M (AC)
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Died 1745; beatified in 1906. Born at Navas del Rey in the diocese of
Valladolid, Spain. After his profession as a Dominican and ordination as
a priest, Blessed Matthew was sent to the Philippines and, like Blessed
Francis Gil, then on to Tonkin, where he was eventually beheaded
(Benedictines).
Vincent of Digne B (AC)
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Died 380. An African by birth who succeeded St. Domninus as bishop
of Digne. He is the principal patron saint of the city and diocese
(Benedictines).
Vincent, Orontius, and Victor MM (RM)
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Died 305. Vincent and Orontius were brothers from Cimiez near Nice,
France. They preached the Gospel to the people of the Spanish
Pyrenees and were martyred, with St. Victor, at Puigcerda in the
province of Gerona. Their bodies were subsequently brought to Embrun,
France (Benedictines).
Bl. Walter (Gautier, Gualterius) of Himmerode, OSB Cist. (AC)
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Born in Brabant; died at Villers, 1222. Knight of the Third Crusade, who
had become a familiar figure at tournaments until he found his way to the
Cistercian abbey of Himerode. There he was appointed guest master
and became a gentle, calm confessor. His affable, tactful manner
attracted many to the monastic life (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
Blessed William Patenson M (AC)
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Born at Durham; died at Tyburn, 1592; beatified in 1929. William studied
for the priesthood at Reims and was ordained there in 1587. He was
condemned for his priesthood and hanged, drawn and quartered at
Tyburn (Benedictines).
Sources:
========
Attwater, D. (1983). The penguin dictionary of saints, NY:
Penguin Books.
Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The
book of saints: A dictionary of servants of God canonized
by the Catholic Church extracted from the Roman and other
martyrologies. NY: Macmillan.
Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1966). The
book of saints: A dictionary of persons canonized or
beatified by the Catholic Church. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell.
Encyclopedia of Catholic saints, January. (1966).
Philadelphia: Chilton Books.
Husenbeth, Rev. F. C. (ed.) (1928). The lives of the fathers,
martyrs, and other principal saints by Rev. Alban Butler.
London: Virtue & Co.
Martindale, C. C., SJ. (1951). The Queen's Daughters: A
Study of Women Saints. New York: Sheed & Ward.
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Kathy R.
krab...@ana.org