Sts. Marcellinus and Peter
On June 2, the Catholic Church remembers two fourth-century martyrs,
Saints Marcellinus and Peter, who were highly venerated after the
discovery of their tomb and the conversion of their executioner.
Although
the biographical details of the two martyrs are largely unknown, it is
known that they lived and died during the reign of the Roman Emperor
Diocletian. In 302, the ruler changed his tolerant stance and pursued a
policy intended to eliminate the Church from the empire.
Diocletian
and his subordinate ordered the burning of Catholic churches and their
sacred texts, as well as the imprisonment and torture of clergy and
laypersons. The goal was to force Christians to submit to the Roman
pagan religion, including the worship of the emperor himself as divine.
It
was at the mid-point of this persecution, around 303, that a Roman
exorcist by the name of Peter was imprisoned for his faith. While in
prison, tradition holds that Peter freed Paulina, the daughter of the
prison-keeper Artemius, from demonic influence by his prayers.
This
demonstration of Christ's power over demons is said to have brought
about the conversion of Paulina, Artemius, his wife, and the entire
household, all of whom were baptized by the Roman priest Marcellinus.
After
this, both Marcellinus and Peter were called before a judge who was
determined to enforce the emperor's decree against the Church. When
Marcellinus testified courageously to his faith in Christ, he was
beaten, stripped of his clothes, and deprived of food in a dark cell
filled with broken glass shards.
Peter, too, was returned to his
confinement. But neither man would deny Christ, and both preferred death
over submission to the cult of pagan worship.
It was arranged for
the two men to be executed secretly, in order to prevent the faithful
from gathering in prayer and veneration at the place of their burial.
Their executioner forced them to clear away a tangle of thorns and
briars, which the two men did cheerfully, accepting their death with
joy.
Both men were beheaded in the forest and buried in the
clearing they had made. The location of the saints' bodies remained
unknown for some time, until a devout woman named Lucilla received a
revelation informing her where the priest and exorcist lay.
With
the assistance of another woman, Firmina, Lucilla recovered the two
saints' bodies and had them re-interred in the Roman Catacombs. Sts.
Marcellinus and Peter are among the saints named in the Western Church's
most traditional Eucharistic prayer, the Roman Canon.
Pope St.
Damasus I, who was himself a great devotee of the Church's saints during
his life, composed an epitaph to mark the tombs of the two martyrs. The
source of his knowledge, he said, was the executioner himself, who had
subsequently repented and joined the Catholic Church.
2 Peter 3:12-15, 17-18
12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of
God, because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved, and the
elements will melt with fire!
13 But according to his promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
15 And count the forbearance of our Lord as salvation.
So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom
given him,
17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand,
beware lest you be carried away with the error of lawless men and lose
your own stability.
18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of
eternity. Amen.
Mark 12:13-17
13 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Hero'di-ans, to entrap him in his talk.
14 And they came and said to him, "Teacher, we know
that you are true, and care for no man; for you do not regard the
position of men, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay
taxes to Caesar, or not?
15 Should we pay them, or should we not?" But knowing
their hypocrisy, he said to them, "Why put me to the test? Bring me a
coin, and let me look at it."
16 And they brought one. And he said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said to him, "Caesar's."
17 Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar the things
that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they were
amazed at him.
Psalms 90:2-4, 10, 14, 16
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever
thou hadst formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to
everlasting thou art God.
3 Thou turnest man back to the dust, and sayest, "Turn back, O children of men!"
4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.
10 The years of our life are threescore and ten, or
even by reason of strength fourscore; yet their span is but toil and
trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with thy steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
16 Let thy work be manifest to thy servants, and thy glorious power to their children.
Lord, help me You first in my life
Tuesday 2nd June 2020
9th Week in Ordinary Time
Ss
Marcellinus & Peter, martyrs
2
Pt. 3:11-15A, 17-18; Ps. 90(89):2, 3-4,
10, 14,16;
Mk. 12:13-17(Ps
Wk I)
The Pharisees and Herodians came to “catch” Jesus, to get him to deny either one’s obedience to God or to the emperor. Instead, Jesus catches them by surprise. It is not a choice of choosing one or the other but about choosing one over the other.
Obedience to God and the emperor is not the same but is inter-connected. A Jew may pay taxes to the emperor because it is what the Roman law, that is, the “world” expects from him. It should not, however, turn him away from giving total allegiance to God because it is what God expects from him. The question is: to whom do we give our greater obedience — to God or man?
During the time of the early Church, a question arose. “Will Jesus return as he promised?” “Do we stop waiting for him and go on with our lives?” In other words, “Do we still obey the laws of someone who did not keep his promise?” Here too, is the issue of choosing between the “things of God” and the “things of the world”.
The writer of the second letter of Peter warns believers not to be “carried away by the errors of unprincipled people” who think that this world is all and everything.
There are the “things of God” and the “things of the world”.
They are not the same but are inter-connected. We cannot separate or
compartmentalise them. But let us be clear. How we live in this world is
connected to our relationship with God, and how we are judged by Him at the end
of time.
Lord, help me You first in my life.
