OCTOBER 14, 2011
DAILY PRAYER WITH REGNUM CHRISTI
INTO THE LION'S MOUTH
Father Daniel Ray, LC
Luke 12: 1-7
At that time: So many people were crowding together that they were
trampling one another underfoot. He began to speak, first to his
disciples, "Beware of the leaven-- that is, the hypocrisy-- of the
Pharisees. There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor
secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in
the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered
behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you,
my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after
that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the
one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I
tell you, be afraid of that one. Are not five sparrows sold for two
small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even
the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You
are worth more than many sparrows."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are present here as I
turn to you in prayer. I trust and have confidence in your desire to
give me every grace I need to receive today. Thank you for your love,
thank you for your immense generosity toward me. I give you my life
and my love in return.
Petition: Lord, give me courage to keep following you even in the
face of temptation.
1. Lion Food: St. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, was arrested and then
transported to Rome, where death by lions awaited him. In a letter,
he urges the Romans to do him no "untimely charity" of interceding
with the emperor to spare him from execution. He writes to them, "I
beseech of you not to show an unseasonable goodwill towards me.
Suffer me to become food for the wild beasts, through whose
instrumentality it will be granted me to attain to God" (Letter to
the Romans). When Christ speaks of having no fear of those who kill
the body but after that can do no more, he means it quite literally.
If we encounter a situation in which we must either be faithful to
Christ or cave in to pressure and abandon the path of the Lord, we
should never hesitate. Follow Christ. Do not fear those who might
"kill" by their criticism or disapproval of our rectitude of
conscience. Do not be afraid.
2. Becoming Eucharist: St. Ignatius continues, "I am the wheat of
God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be
found the pure bread of God" (Letter to the Romans). He is drawing a
connection between his own coming martyrdom—wheat ground by the
teeth of wild beasts—and the Eucharist—the pure bread of
God. These words are not just grisly yet pious analogy; rather, they
touch on the most profound meaning of the mystery of the Eucharist
and our participation in it. The Eucharist is the most complete
worship given to God the Father: It is the Incarnation of God among
us, it is Christ's sacrifice of his body on the Cross, and it is his
Resurrection from death to eternal life. Through the Eucharist we
become an acceptable sacrifice to the Lord. We need to offer the
struggles and challenges of each day in order to remain united with
Christ in the Eucharist.
3. More than Birds: In our daily life we take many small things for
granted because they seem to have little import in the grand scheme
of things. "What were the high and low temperatures a year ago
today?" "What does it matter now?" we might as well respond. "Where
will the four sparrows I saw in the park two weeks ago get food to
eat?" It's not even a question that occurs to us. We have many other
things of immediate importance that require our attention and action.
Yet such a question is important enough to occur to God. Christ tells
us in Luke 12:24, "They do not sow or reap; they have no storehouses
and no barns; yet God feeds them." He continues, "And how much more
are you worth than the birds!" If God would make time to think about
something so insignificant among all the goings-on in the world, how
much more will he be taking care of our needs!
Conversation with Christ: Lord, when I look at the difficulties and
rough spots I know I will be facing today, I worry about the
sacrifices I'll have to make. Maybe events won't turn out as I hope.
Help me to have confidence and trust in you like St. Ignatius. Help
me realize that you have taken care of every minute detail of all
that will occur today.
Resolution:When faced with any worry today I will pray, "Jesus, I
trust in you." meditation.regnumchristi.org

Oct. 14 SAINT CALLISTUS I Pope and Martyr (†223)
magnificat.ca/cal/engl/10-14.htm
Early in the third century, it was to Callistus, then a deacon, that Pope Saint Zephyrinus confided the government of the clergy, as well as the creation and maintenance of the Christian cemeteries, which at that time were the catacombs of Rome. At the death of the Sovereign Pontiff, Callistus succeeded him as Head of the Church.
It is he who made obligatory for the entire Church, the fast of the Ember Days which the Apostles had instituted, to bring down blessings on each season of the year. During his time, the Christians began to build churches, which though destroyed during the various persecutions, were eventually rebuilt. Among the catacombs owed to his government, is the one on the Appian Way which bears his name. Many precious memories are conserved there; in it are found the tomb of Saint Cecilia, the crypts of several popes, and paintings which attest the perfect conformity of the primitive Faith with that of the present-day Church.
During the pontificate of Saint Callistus, several very striking conversions occurred among the very officers of the persecuting emperor Alexander Severus. At one time an officer, his family and household, forty-two persons in all, were baptized by the Pope on the same day. Many others asked him for Baptism; among them a Senator and sixty-eight persons of his household, and a guardian of the saintly Pope, whose name was Privatus, after the prayers of the Holy Father had cured him of an ulcer. All these new Christians were martyred, and their heads were exposed at the various gates of Rome to discourage any who would propagate the Faith of Christ in that city. Despite the continuing pursuits and his constant solicitude for all the churches, Saint Callistus found the means to have a diligent search made by fishermen for the body of a priest of his clergy, which had been cast into the Tiber after his martyrdom. When it was found he was filled with joy, and buried it with hymns of praise.
During the persecution Saint Callistus was obliged to take shelter in the poor and populous quarters of the city. The martyred priest, Calipodius, appeared to him soon afterwards, saying: “Father, take courage; the hour of the reward is approaching; your crown will be proportionate to your sufferings.” Soon afterwards he was discovered there, and the house was guarded by soldiers who received the order to allow no food to enter it for several days. And Saint Callistus was martyred in his turn. With a rock suspended from his neck, he was thrown from a window into a well on October 14, 223. The priest Asterius recovered and buried his body in the catacomb named for Calipodius. A week later Asterius too was arrested and thrown into the Tiber. The Christians interred this martyr also.

October 14 is the feast day of Saint Callixtus I, Roman Pontiff. This prayer is for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.