Oct 14 – Memorial for St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr
St. Callistus (d. 223) was born a slave, owned by Carpophorus, a Christian in the household of Caesar. His master entrusted a large sum to Callistus to open a bank, which took in several deposits, made several loans to people who refused to pay them back, and went broke. Knowing he would be personally blamed and punished, Callistus fled, but was caught and returned to his owner. Several depositers begged for his life, believing that he had not lost the money, but had stolen and hid it.
They were wrong; he wasn’t a thief, just a victim, but he was sentenced to work the tin mines. By a quirk of Roman law, the ownership of Callistus was transferred from Carpophorus to the state, and when he was later ransomed out of his sentence with a number of other Christians, he became a free man. Pope St. Zephyrinus put Callistus in charge of the Roman public burial grounds, today still called the Cemetery of Saint Callistus. He later became an archdeacon and the 16th pope.
Most of what we know about him has come down to us from his critics, including an anti-Pope of the day. He was, on more than one occasion, accused of heresy for such actions as permitting a return to Communion for sinners who had repented and done penance, or for proclaiming that differences in economic classes were no barrier to marriage.
This last put him in conflict with Roman civil law, but he stated that in matters concerning the Church and the sacraments, Church law trumped civil law. In both cases he taught what the Church has taught for centuries, including today, and though a whole host of schismatics wrote against him, his crime seems to have been to practice orthodox Christianity. He was martyred for his faith.
- Patron Saint Index
Jl 4:12-21
Lk 11:27-28
“Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it.”
In Singapore, it is very common for parents to feel immense pride whenever their children do well in school. This is doubly so when a friend or relative praises the child for having done well. As a parent myself, I can certainly understand that sense of pride when the child that you have been nurturing for so long has done well in some aspect or other.
In today’s Gospel reading, we can see some semblance of this when a woman from the crowd tells Jesus that, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed”. In other words, blessed is Mary who played the role of earthly mother to Jesus. Interestingly, these words echo the archangel Gabriel’s words at the annunciation; words that also form part of the Hail Mary that we say so frequently.
However in His reply, Jesus instead reminds us that “Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it”. Jesus does not deny that Mary is blessed. That is an indisputable fact. Jesus goes on to include us in that same category of blessedness as Mary, so long as we listen to the word of God.
In doing so, Jesus does two things for us. First, He reminds us that it is the observance of God’s word that defines the goodness of a person and his or her acts. This stands above all that we, or our parents, can do of our own accord. The second thing that Jesus has done is even more important. He reminds us that it is not simply Mary who is blessed, but all of us who choose to listen to God.
So the next time I receive praise for my son, I am not going to bask in parental pride. Rather, I am going to say a quick prayer to God, to thank Him for the gift of my child. And also a prayer to Mary for those times when I get complaints about any mischief that my son may have been up to at school.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Jacob Woo)
Prayer: Lord, we pray for the strength and fortitude to always obey Your word.
Thanksgiving: We thank the Lord for counting us among His holy people, and giving us the chance to receive the blessings that He has showered upon us.
OXYGEN 
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