Dec 11 – Memorial for St. Damasus I, pope
St. Damasus (306-384) was raised in a pious family. His father was a priest in Rome, and Damasus served for a time as deacon in his father’s church, St. Laurence. He was ordained a priest and became assistant to Pope Liberius. He was elected the 37th pope in a disputed election, in which a minority chose the anti-pope Ursinus. The two reigned simultaneously in Rome, which eventually led to violence between their supporters and Damasus’ false accusation of a crime.
His pontificate suffered from the rise of Arianism and from several schisms, including break-away groups in Antioch, Constantinople, Sardinia, and Rome. However, it was during his reign that Christianity was declared the religion of the Roman state. He enforced the 370 edict of Emperor Valentinian controlling gifts to prelates, and opposed Arianism and Apollinarianism. He supported the 374 council of Rome, which decreed the valid books of the Bible, and the Grand Council of Constantinople in 381, which condemned Arianism.
He was the patron of his secretary, St. Jerome, and commissioned him to make the translation of scripture now known as the Vulgate. Damasus restored catacombs, shrines, and the tombs of martyrs, and wrote poetry and metrical inscriptions about, and dedicated to, martyrs. They state that he would like to be buried in the catacombs with the early martyrs, but that the presence of one of his lowly status would profane such an august place. Ten of his letters, personal and pontifical, have survived.
- Patron Saint Index
Isa 41:13-20
Mt 11:11-15
“I tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.”
Today’s readings are very interesting. At first glance, they don’t seem to be related in theme. In the Gospel reading, Jesus spoke about John the Baptist — that there is no greater man born of a woman, yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is. Then Jesus switches focus, and what he says seems a little ominous. He said, “up to the present time, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence and the violent are taking it by storm”. I must admit that there are times when it is difficult for me to understand what Jesus really means, until someone (a Bible scholar or official Catholic writings) put it into context; which helps explain the meaning of His Words.
There are two things that I want to reflect on today. The first is that even though John the Baptist is considered “as none greater than he” by our Lord, yet the least in heaven is still greater than him. Jesus is not putting John the Baptist down. In fact, he is praising John, saying he is the greatest; and at the same time, Jesus is painting a beautiful picture for us about heaven, where even the least will be great. The premise is that we make it to heaven.
The next point I want to focus on is the violence that Jesus speaks of. If you know our Lord, He is never violent — He is peaceful, but never a doormat. He has righteous anger, like when He overturns the tables of the money changers and merchants defiling the temple, the dwelling place of God. I believe that Jesus is speaking of the spiritual battle that we all face if we want to make it to heaven. We do not gain entrance by being complacent. Make no mistake, the spiritual battle is real. The ones who are ‘violent’ are the ones vigorously fighting against the enemies of the soul. When speaking of the enemies of the soul, we refer to the world, the flesh, and the devil. In this battle, we can’t play nice; we need to fight with all our might. Tools recommended are prayers, Scripture, fasting and self-denial. Prayers and scripture readings to fortify ourselves with the Truth, help us to see through the lies the world tries to sell us and the lies the devil tries to deceive us. Fasting and self-denial to battle the unbridled desires of the flesh. The good news is that we are not alone. God is on our side, “holding us by the right hand, telling us, ‘do not be afraid, I will help you.’”
Brothers and sisters in Christ, if you are reading this, I am confident that you want to go the heaven as much as I do. Then as Christians, let’s do battle and rage violence against the enemies of our souls and not give them any quarter. When we get to heaven, even though we are the least, we can become great.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Winnie Kung)
Prayer: My most loving and victorious Lord, You have conquered sin and death for us. We humbly ask you to strengthen us in the battle for our souls. Fortify us in Your Truth, hide us in Your wounds, and protect us in Your mercy.
Thanksgiving: Heavenly Father, Thank You for giving us, Jesus, to teach us Your way. Thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit to guide us. In the battle for our souls and eternal lives, thank you for the sanctifying gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of God).
OXYGEN 
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