John points to the Redeemer

[Weedy]

John points to the Redeemer

"John did not baptize with the Spirit but with water, since he was
unable to take away the sins of those being baptized. He washed their
bodies with water but not their hearts with pardon. Why did one whose
baptism did not forgive sins baptize, except that he was observing his
vocation as forerunner? He whose birth foreshadowed greater birth, by
his baptizing foreshadowed the Lord who would truly baptize. He whose
preaching made him the forerunner of Christ, by baptizing also became
his forerunner, using a symbol of the future sacrament. With these
other mysteries he makes known the mystery of our Redeemer, declaring
that he has stood among people and not been known. The Lord appeared
in a human body: he came as God in flesh, visible in his body,
invisible in his majesty."
by Gregory the Great (excerpt from FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES 4)

<<>><<>><<>>
20 January – St Pope Fabian

(c 200 – c 250)
Martyr, Peacemaker, Evangeliser, Confessor, Administrator and
Reformer, Apostle of Charity – the Bishop of Rome from 10 January 236
to his death in 250, succeeding Anterus. He is famous for the
miraculous nature of his election, in which a dove is said to have
descended on his head to mark him as the Holy Spirit’s unexpected
choice to become the next pope. He was succeeded by Cornelius.

According to the Liber Pontificalis, Fabian was a noble Roman by birth
and his father’s name was Fabius. Nothing more is known about his
background. The legend concerning the circumstances of his election is
preserved by the fourth-century writer Eusebius of Caesarea (Church
History, VI. 29).

After the short reign of Pope Anterus, Fabian had come to Rome from
the countryside when the new papal election began. “Although present,”
says Eusebius, Fabian “was in the mind of none.” While the names of
several illustrious and noble churchmen were being considered over the
course of 13 days, a dove suddenly descended upon the head of Fabian.
To the assembled electors, this strange sight recalled the gospel
scene of the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus at the time of his
baptism by John the Baptist. The congregation took this as a sign that
he was marked out for this dignity and Fabian was at once proclaimed
bishop by acclamation.

During Fabian’s reign of 14 years, there was a lull in the storm of
persecution which had resulted in the exile of both Anterus’
predecessor Pontian and the antipope (and later saint) Hippolytus.
Fabian had enough influence at court to effect the return of the
bodies of both of these martyrs from Sardinia, where they had died at
hard labour in the mines. The report that he baptised the emperor
Philip the Arab and his son, however, is probably a legend, although
he did seem to enjoy some connections at court, since the bodies of
Pontian and Hippolytus could not have been exhumed without the
emperor’s approval.

According to the sixth-century historian Gregory of Tours, Fabian sent
out the “apostles to the Gauls” to Christianise Gaul in A.D. 245.
Fabian sent seven bishops from Rome to Gaul to preach the Gospel. He
also condemned Privatus, the originator of a new heresy in Africa.

The Liber Pontificalis says that Fabian divided the Christian
communities of Rome into seven districts, each supervised by a deacon.
Eusebius (VI §43) adds that he appointed seven subdeacons to help
collect the acta of the martyrs—the reports of the court proceedings
on the occasion of their trials. There is also a tradition that he
instituted the four minor clerical orders – porter, lector, exorcist
and acolyte.

His deeds are thus described in the Liber Pontificalis:
“He divided the regiones into deaconships and made seven
sub-deaconships which seven secretaries oversaw, so that they brought
together the deeds of the martyrs faithfully made whole and he brought
forth many works in the cemeteries.”

The Liberian Catalogue of the popes also reports that Fabian initiated
considerable work on the catacombs, where honoured Christians were
buried and where he also caused the body of Pope Pontian to be
entombed at the catacomb of Saint Callixtus.

With the advent of Emperor Decius, the Roman government’s tolerant
policy toward Christianity temporarily ended. Decius ordered leading
Christians to demonstrate their loyalty to Rome by offering incense to
the cult images of deities which represented the Roman state. This was
unacceptable to many Christians, who, while no longer holding most of
the laws of the Old Testament to apply to them, took the commandment
against idolatry with deadly seriousness. Fabian was thus one of the
earliest victims of Decius, dying as a martyr on 20 January 250, at
the beginning of the Decian persecution, probably in prison rather
than by execution.

Fabian was buried in the catacomb of Callixtus in Rome. The Greek
inscription on his tomb has survived, and bears the words:
Fabian, Bishop, Martyr.

His remains were later re-interred at San Sebastian’s Outside the
Walls, (appropriately, for these two Martyrs share today as their
Memorial) by Pope Clement XI where the Albani Chapel is dedicated in
his honour.

https://anastpaul.com/2019/01/20/


Saint Quote:
The devil strains every nerve to secure the souls which belong to
Christ. We should not grudge our toil in wrestling them from Satan and
giving them back to God.
--St. Sebastian

Bible Quote:
Take every care to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that
binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as one hope is
the goal of your calling by God. There is one Lord, one faith, one
baptism, and one God and Father of all, over all, through all and
within all. [Ephesians 4:3-6 ]


<><><><>
CHRIST OUR MORNING STAR

O Christ, our Morning Star,
Splendour of Light Eternal,
shining with the glory of the rainbow,
come and waken us
from the greyness of our apathy,
and renew in us your gift of hope.
Amen.
(By Bede the Venerable.)