Daily Gospel Reflection
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October 14, 2022
At that time:
So many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus 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.”
“Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.”
I have three sons, Patrick (12), Michael (10), and Matthew (7). There is a lot of energy in our house. There is a lot of movement in our house. And yes, there is a lot of yelling in our house by them and me: “Brush your teeth! Stop fighting! Pack your bag! If you’re going to run, go outside!”
For all of the nagging and yelling that I feel like I do, I was surprised by a birthday gift my son Michael gave me a few years ago. He was seven at the time. He decorated the inside of a shoebox with messages of love. All of the messages were drawn in hearts. One that stood out was, “Nothing will ever stop making me love you.”
My family sees all of me. They know the good and the bad and everything in between. They experience the hugs, the smiles, the tears, and yes, the yelling. And with this message from Michael, I know that despite my faults, I am always loved.
Likewise, God sees all of us. God knows the good and the bad and everything in between. Despite our faults, God loves us unconditionally. “Nothing will ever stop making me love you.”
How are we called to love and be loved today?
Prayer
Almighty and ever-loving Father, you know us better than we know ourselves. Too often, we place our trust in things of this world, failing to place our full trust in you. Your Son proclaimed to us that you know even the number of hairs on our heads. Help us to behold the great love you have for us, and all of our brothers and sisters, that we may more faithfully place our trust in you. We ask this through your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Saint Callistus began his life as a slave and ended it as pope, murdered or martyred around the year 222 AD.
Callistus’ biography was written by one of his ecclesial enemies, Hippolytus, so it presents a somewhat biased and unfavorable view of Callistus. Hippolytus was the clear favorite for papal election but he was passed over in favor of Callistus, causing Hippolytus no small amount of envy. Hippolytus vehemently disagreed with Callistus’ policy of reversing the excommunications of those who had committed murder and adultery and bringing them back into the Church, upon their repentance. Despite his uncharitable bias, there are some certain definite facts that can be gleaned from Hippolytus' account, known as the Philosophumena.
Callistus was a slave, born in late second-century Rome. Callistus' Christian master put him in charge of a bank that held money for the local community. Callistus irresponsibly lost the money, either through dishonest investment or careless stewardship, and fled the wrath of his master.
When pursuers closed in, he jumped into the sea, but was caught and sentenced to work in a mill. The people who had lost money from his bad investments wanted Callistus returned so that he could recover their funds. Facing mounting pressure to return the lost money, Callistus tried to collect from other debtors, who promptly initiated a brawl. After this misdemeanor, Callistus was sentenced to work in the mines with other Christian prisoners.
Mercifully, Emperor Commodus granted amnesty to many imprisoned Christians in the mines, and Callistus was released. He made his way back to Rome and re-established himself in the community. Pope Victor I gave him a pension, and Callistus' health, taxed from years of hard labor, began to recover.
When St. Zephyrinus was elected pope in 199, he put Callistus in charge of a public cemetery for Christians. This was one of the first pieces of property in Rome that the Church owned, and unlike his earlier experience with stewarding money, Callistus managed the cemetery wisely. This cemetery eventually became known as the Catacombs of Saint Callistus on the Via Appia Antica. There are at least nine popes now buried there. After Callistus' excellent stewardship of this cemetery, Zephyrinus asked Callistus to serve as one of his counselors, and he ordained him a deacon. The two became close friends.
When Zephyrinus died, Callistus was elected pope in 217 by a majority of the Christians in Rome, according to the custom of the time. He was merciful in dealing with sinners, reversing excommunications and working to preserve orthodox Christianity against various schisms and heresies. He has also been credited with the official implementation of the Ember Day fasts.
It is possible that Callistus was martyred—not in an imperial persecution, but perhaps in some kind of popular uprising—or he was murdered. Legend has that he was thrown into a well, perhaps because of this legend his titular church contains a well. Some of Callistus' relics rest in the reliquary chapel at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus.
St. Callistus, the young slave who became pope—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Callistus is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed October 3, 2024.