Subj : February 12th - St. Melitius To : All From : rich Date : Sun Feb 11 2018 09:09:37 From: rich February 12th - St. Melitius, Archbishop of Antioch Meletius belonged to one of the most distinguished families of Lesser Armenia, and was born at Melitene. His sincerity and kindly disposition gained for him the esteem of both Catholics and Arians, and he was promoted to the bishopric of Sebastea. However, he met with such violent opposition that he left it and retired, first into the desert and afterwards to Beroea in Syria, a town of which Socrates supposes him to have been bishop. The Arians had oppressed the church of Antioch ever since the banishment of Eustathius in 331, several succeeding bishops having fostered the heresy. Eudoxus, the last of these, though an Arian, was expelled by a party of Arians in a sedition and shortly afterwards usurped the see of Constantinople. Arians and some Catholics then agreed to raise Meletius to the chair of Antioch, and the emperor confirmed their choice in 361, although other Catholics refused to recognize him, as they regarded his election as irregular on account of the share that the Arians had taken in it. The Arians hoped that he would declare himself of their party, but they were undeceived when, on the arrival in Antioch of the Emperor Constantius, he was ordered with several other prelates to expound the text in the Book of Proverbs concerning the wisdom of God "The Lord hath created me in the beginning of His ways". First George of Laodicea explained it in an Arian sense, then Acacius of C=C3=A6sarea gave it a meaning bordering on the heretical, but Meletius expounded it in the Catholic sense and connected it with the Incarnation. This public testimony angered the Arians, and Eudoxus at Constantinople persuaded the emperor to banish Meletius to Lesser Armenia. The Arians gave the see to Euzoius, who had previously been expelled from the Church by St. Alexander, Archbishop of Alexandria. From this time dates the famous schism of Antioch, although it really originated with the banishment of St. Eustathius about 30 years before. The complex events of the next 18 years, during which St. Meletius was several times exiled and recalled, are a matter of general ecclesiastical history. The fortunes of orthodox and of Arians, of Meletius and of other claimants to the Antiochene see, ebbed and flowed, largely according to the policies and views of the reigning emperors; and some prelates and others were only too ready "to accommodate their opinions to those invested with supreme authority", as the historian Socrates put it. The death of the Emperor Valens in 378 put an end to the Arian persecution, and St. Meletius was reinstated; but his difficulties were not at an end, for there was another orthodox hierarch, Paulinus, recognized by many as bishop of Antioch. In 381 the second oecumenical council assembled at Constantinople, and St. Meletius presided; but while the council was yet sitting death took this long-suffering bishop, to the great grief of the fathers and the Emperor Theodosius who had welcomed him to the imperial city with a great demonstration of affection, "like a son greeting a long-absent father". By his evangelical meekness Meletius had endeared himself to all who knew him. Chrysostom tells us that his name was so much venerated that his people in Antioch gave it to their children they cut his image on their seals and on their plate, and carved it on their houses. All the fathers of the council and the faithful of the city attended his funeral in Constantinople. One of the most eminent of the prelates, St. Gregory of Nyssa, delivered his funeral oration. He refers to the dead man's "sweet calm look and radiant smile, the kind hand seconding the kind voice" and closes with the words, "He now sees God face to face and prays for us and for the ignorance of the people". Five years later St. John Chrysostom, whom St. Meletius had ordained deacon, pronounced his panegyric on February 12--the day of his death or of his translation to Antioch. His panegyrics by St. Gregory of Nyssa and Chrysostom are still extant. See the Acta Sanctorum, February, vol. ii; ERG., p. 91 DCB., vol. iii, pp. 891-893 Hefele in the Kirchenlexikon and H. Leclercq in the Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. x, pp. 161-164. Saint Quote: The Church is the only one, the Roman Catholic! And if there were left upon earth but one Catholic, he would be the one, universal Church, the Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ against which the gates of Hell shall never prevail. -- Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich Bible Quote: 17 Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation;[a] the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, God was in Christ reconciling[b] the world to himself,[c] not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. [Corinthians 5:17-19] RSVCE <><><><> EVENING PRAYER # 3 Evening Prayer to the Son of God O Only-Begotten Word of the Father, Jesus Christ, who alone are perfect: according to the greatness of your mercy, do not abandon me, your servant, but ever rest in my heart. O Sweet Jesus, Good Shepherd of Your flock, deliver me from the attacks of The Enemy. Do not allow me to become the prey of Satan's evil intent, even though I have within me the seed of eternal damnation. Instead, O Lord Jesus Christ, Adorable God, Holy King, while I sleep, protect me by Your Holy spirit, through Whom You sanctified Your Apostles. Enlighten my mind by the light of the Holy Gospel, my soul by the love of Your Cross, my heart by the purity of Your teaching. Protect my body by Your sacred passion, my senses by Your humility, and awaken me in due time for Your glorification. For You, above all, are adorable, together with Your eternal Father, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen. By: Saint Antiochus --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .