Universalis
Wednesday 2 August 2023    (other days)
Wednesday of week 17 in Ordinary Time 
 or Saint Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop 
 or Saint Peter Julian Eymard, Priest 

Using calendar: Malta - Gozo. You can change this.

Let us adore the Lord, for it is he who made us.

Year: A(I). 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 Cyril of Jerusalem (315 - 386)

Cyril was born in 315 of Christian parents and succeeded Maximus as bishop of Jerusalem in 348. He was active in the Arian controversy and was exiled more than once as a result. His pastoral zeal is especially shown in his Catecheses, in which he expounded orthodox doctrine, holy Scripture and the traditions of the faith. They are still read today, and several of the Second Readings of the Office of Readings are taken from them. He died in 386. He is held in high esteem by both the Catholics and the Orthodox, and he was declared a Doctor of the Church by the Pope in 1883.

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)1 Peter 1:13-14 ©
Free your minds, then, of encumbrances; control them, and put your trust in nothing but the grace that will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Do not behave in the way that you liked to before you learnt the truth, but make a habit of obedience.

Noon reading (Sext)1 Peter 1:15-16 ©
Be holy in all you do, since it is the Holy One who has called you, and scripture says: Be holy, for I am holy.

Afternoon reading (None)James 4:7-8,10 ©
Give in to God: resist the devil, and he will run away from you. The nearer you go to God, the nearer he will come to you. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.

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Scripture readings taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. For on-line information about other Random House, Inc. books and authors, see the Internet web site at http://www.randomhouse.com.
 
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