From: rich <
richarra@gmail.com>
March 31st - St. Acacius, or Achatius, Bishop
3rd v.
This Acacius has been claimed as a bishop of Antioch in Pisidia by
some and of Melitene in Armenia Minor by others; a third view is that
he was not a bishop at all. But a report of his trial has been
preserved, in a document of which the Greek original is lost.
According to this, Acacius was the great support of the Christians of
Antioch, and as such was haled before the consular agent Martian. He
declared that Christians were loyal subjects of the emperor, who
prayed for him regularly, but when invited to an act of worship of the
same emperor he refused.
Thereupon ensued a discussion between Martian and Acacius which ranged
over the seraphim, Greco-Roman mythology, the Incarnation, Dalmatian
morals, the nature of God and the religion of the Cataphrygians
(Christian heretics, who arose in the second century; so called
because the first lived in Phrygia. They followed the errors of
Montanus). When ordered to accompany the officer to sacrifice in the
temple of Jupiter and Juno, Acacius replied, =E2=80=9CI cannot sacrifice to someone who is buried in the isle of Crete. Or has he come to life again?=E2=80=9D Then Martian made an accusation of magic and wanted to know where were the magicians who helped him; and to Acacius's rejoinder
that all came from God and that magic was hateful to Christians he
objected that they must be magicians, because they had invented a
religion. =E2=80=9CYou make your own gods and are afraid of them; =E2=80=9C=
we destroy
them=E2=80=9D, responded Acacius. =E2=80=9CWhen there are no masons, or the=
masons
have no stone, then you have no gods. We stand in awe of our God--but
we did not make Him; He made us; for He is Master. And He loves us,
for He is Father; and in His goodness He has snatched us from
everlasting death.=E2=80=9D
Finally Acacius was required to disclose the names of other
Christians, on pain of death, and he would not. =E2=80=9CI am on trial and = you
ask for names. If you cannot overcome me alone, do you suppose you
would be successful with the others. You want names--all right: I am
called Acacius, and I have been surnamed Agathangelus [=E2=80=98good angel = =E2=80=98].
=E2=80=9CDo what you like.=E2=80=9D Acacius was then returned to prison and=
the
proceedings of the examination forwarded to the emperor, Decius, who,
we are told, could not forbear to smile when reading them.=C2 The
emperor Decius having read the interrogatory, recompensed Martian by
making him governor of Pamphilia, but admired so much the prudence and constancy of Acacius, that he ordered him to be discharged, and
suffered him to profess the Christian religion.
The acta disputationis (appropriately so called) are in Acta Sanctorum
for March, vol. iii, and in Ruinart. Father Delehaye assigns them to
his third category of such documents, viz. an embroidery of an
otherwise reliable document: see his Les Passions des Martyrs. See
also Allard, Histoire des Persecutions, vol. ii; and J. Weber, De
actis S. Achatii (1913) but cf. the unfavourable judgement passed on
Weber's dissertation by Delehaye in Analecta Bollandiana, vol. xxxi=
ii
(1914), pp. 346-347.
Saint Quote:
"Whoever wishes to make progress in perfection should use particular
diligence in not allowing himself to be led away by his passions,
which destroy with one hand the spiritual edifice which is rising by
the labors of the other. But to succeed well in this, resistance
should be begun while the passions are yet weak; for after they are
thoroughly rooted and grown up, there is scarcely any remedy"
--St. Vincent de Paul
Bible Quote:
=C2 The chalice of benediction which we bless, is it not the communion of
the blood of Christ? And the bread which we break, is it not the
partaking of the body of the Lord?=C2 [1Cor 10:16] DRB
<><><><>
Prayer for the Helpless Unborn
=C2 =C2 =C2 Heavenly Father, in your love for us,
=C2 =C2 =C2 protect against the wickedness of the
=C2 =C2 =C2 devil, those helpless little ones to
=C2 =C2 =C2 whom you have give the gift of life.
=C2 =C2 =C2 Touch with pity the hearts of those
=C2 =C2 =C2 women pregnant in our world today
=C2 =C2 =C2 who are not thinking of motherhood.
=C2 =C2 =C2 Help them to see that the child they
=C2 =C2 =C2 carry is made in your image--as well
=C2 =C2 =C2 as theirs- made for eternal life.
=C2 =C2 =C2 Dispel their fear and selfishness and
=C2 =C2 =C2 give them for womanly hearts to love
=C2 =C2 =C2 their babies and give them birth and
=C2 =C2 =C2 all the needed care that a mother
=C2 =C2 =C2 alone can give.
=C2 =C2 =C2 We ask this through Jesus Christ,
=C2 =C2 =C2 your Son, our Lord, who lives and
=C2 =C2 =C2 reigns in the Holy Spirit, one God,
=C2 =C2 =C2 forever and ever.
=C2 =C2 =C2 Amen.
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