Give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
Year: B(II). Psalm week: 1. Liturgical Colour: Green.
St Eusebius of Vercelli (283 - 371)
He was born in Sardinia and brought up in Rome, and later (in around 340) was made the first bishop of Vercelli in Piedmont. He lived in a community with his diocesan priests, the first bishop ever to do so.
He was a strong supporter of orthodoxy, and in 355 was sent into exile by the Emperor for refusing to sign the condemnation of St Athanasius which had been passed by the Council of Milan. He was in exile for six years, harshly treated by those who had charge of him. On his release he worked hard for unity, but in vain.
He co-operated with St Hilary in fighting Arianism, and eventually died peacefully in Vercelli, where a manuscript of the Gospels in his handwriting is preserved.
St Peter Julian Eymard (1811 - 1868)
He was born in the town of La Mure, France in the year 1811. Ordained a priest and engaged in pastoral work for some time, he later entered the Society of Mary. A fervent disciple of the Eucharistic Mystery, he established two congregations, one for men, the other for women, dedicated to the worship of the Eucharist. He was also the initiator of many other apostolates, aptly chosen to arouse love for the Holy Eucharist among the faithful. He died on August 1, 1868 in the town in which he was born.
Other saints: Saint Peter Faber (1506-1546)
2 Aug (where celebrated)
Peter Faber (1506-1546) was born in Savoy, France. In 1525, he enrolled at the University of Paris. He was ordained a priest in May 1534. While in Paris, he was among the group of six students who under the leadership of Ignatius of Loyola would form the nucleus of the Society of Jesus. Renowned as a religious scholar, spiritual guide and talented mediator, Faber was tasked with missionary work and other important tasks throughout Europe. He was a pioneer of ecumenism. He died in Rome in August 1546. Pope Francis, by a decree of confirmation of cult, also known as equipollent canonization, inscribed Faber in the Church’s universal calendar in 2013.
About the author of the Second Reading in today's Office of Readings:
Second Reading: St Ignatius of Antioch (- 107)
He was the second bishop of Antioch after St Peter (the first being Evodius). He was arrested (some writers believe that he must have been denounced by a fellow-Christian), condemned to death, and transported to Rome to be thrown to the wild beasts in the arena. In one of his letters he describes the soldiers who were escorting him as being like “ten leopards, who when they are kindly treated only behave worse.”
In the course of his journey he wrote seven letters to various churches, in which he dealt wisely and deeply with Christ, the organisation of the Church, and the Christian life. They are important documents for the early history of the Church, and they also reveal a deeply holy man who accepts his fate and begs the Christians in Rome not to try to deprive him of the crown of martyrdom.
He was martyred in 107.
Liturgical colour: green
The theological virtue of hope is symbolized by the colour green, just as the burning fire of love is symbolized by red. Green is the colour of growing things, and hope, like them, is always new and always fresh. Liturgically, green is the colour of Ordinary Time, the orderly sequence of weeks through the year, a season in which we are being neither single-mindedly penitent (in purple) nor overwhelmingly joyful (in white).
| Mid-morning reading (Terce) | Philippians 2:2-4 |
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Be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. There must be no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, so that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead.
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| Noon reading (Sext) | 2 Corinthians 13:4 |
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He was crucified through weakness, but still he lives now through the power of God. So then, we are weak, as he was, but we shall live with him, through the power of God, for your benefit.
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| Afternoon reading (None) | Colossians 3:12-13 |
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You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same.
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