Christmas: January 10th

MASS READINGS

January 10, 2025 (Readings on USCCB website)

PROPERS [Show]

Mass Propers for Friday of Christmas Time after Epiphany:

Entrance Antiphon, Ps 112(111):4: A light has risen in the darkness for the upright of heart; the Lord is generous, merciful and just.

Alleluia Verse, Cf. Mt 4:23: Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease among the people.

Preface of the Epiphany or of the Nativity.

Preface of the Epiphany of the Lord, Christ the light of the nations: It is truly right and just our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.

For today you have revealed the mystery of our salvation in Christ as a light for the nations, and, when he appeared in our mortal nature, you made us new by the glory of his immortal nature.

And so, with the Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim:

Communion Antiphon, 1 Jn 4:9: By this the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his Only Begotten Son into the world, so that we might have life through him.

COLLECT PRAYER

Friday of Christmas Time after Epiphany: Grant, we ask, almighty God, that the Nativity of the Savior of the world, made known by the guidance of a star, may be revealed ever more fully to our minds. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

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Today the Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Paul the Hermit (230-342). The West learned of the life of St. Paul from St. Jerome (+ 420); the book, which he devoted to the life of the first Christian hermit, charmed and instructed generations of the faithful and formed the inspiration of many artists. St. Paul is said to have died in 342, in a hermitage in the region of Thebes in Egypt after having received at the age of 113 a visit from St. Antony of Egypt.

Epiphany Reflection: The Marriage Feast of Cana
1. The third manifestation of Christ's divinity took place at the wedding feast in Cana, where Christ changed water into wine. He "manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him."

2. After the epiphany in Bethlehem and at the Jordan, we witness the epiphany at Cana. The first miracle in the life of Christ was inspired by the need of His friend, the poor bridegroom, and performed at the request of Mary, His mother. The disciples who had gathered about Him were today to catch a glimpse of the glory and power that were really His. For a moment His divinity is revealed, and He exercises His almighty power, which had hitherto been concealed under a humble exterior. "What He shall say to you, do ye," the solicitous mother told the servants of the bridegroom. Jesus told them to "fill the waterpots with water." The servants thereupon prepared six pots and filled them to the brim with water. Jesus drew near and commanded them: "Draw out now and carry to the chief steward." The steward tasted the water made wine, and he was astonished. Whence came this wine? Quietly and without a word or gesture Christ had changed the water into wine. Thus Jesus "manifested His glory."

The liturgy recognizes in this miracle a figure of what the Church accomplishes in the Mass. A more wonderful transubstantiation occurs daily at Mass in our churches: bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ. Like His disciples, we also are witnesses of His divine power and majesty. We, too, believe in Him and follow Him with unfaltering confidence and trust. "And we saw His glory, the glory as it were, of the only-begotten of the Father" (John 1:14). "Let all the earth adore Thee, O God, and sing to Thee; let it sing a psalm to Thy name, O Most High."

"Thou hast kept the good wine until now," the steward exclaimed when he met the bridegroom. This was not the usual custom, for "every man at first setteth forth good wine, and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse; but thou hast kept the good wine until now" (Gospel). For the liturgy the "good wine" which has been saved until now is the Holy Eucharist. It has been saved until now, that is, until the new dispensation, until the time of the mystical wedding of Christ with His Church. Many precious gifts God gave to His Chosen People in the Old Testament; but this, His most precious gift, is reserved for the day when His only-begotten Son should take flesh in the womb of the Virgin.

"Thou hast saved the good wine until now." The holy Eucharist is another manifestation, or epiphany, of Christ. Here God reveals Himself in the form of bread and wine. Having partaken of this miraculous "wine," we also experience a change. We are strengthened, cleansed, and purified. "Shout with joy to God, all the earth, sing ye a psalm to His name. Come and hear all ye that fear God, and I will tell you what great things the Lord hath done for my soul." In the Eucharist we see His glory. We believe in Him; we follow Him.

3. The Lord begins His public life by working the miracle at Cana. This miracle is the seal placed for all times on His redemptive work. Christ not only changes water into wine. He makes that which is human divine, that which is passing eternal, that which is earthly heavenly. There is no human need for which Christ does not have a remedy. He invites all those who are laden with burdens to come to Him.

In the Epistle, St. Paul gives a masterful description of the men whom the Lord has changed from pagans into true Christians: "Let love be without dissimulation. Hating that which is evil, cleaving to that which is good; loving one another with the charity of brotherhood; with honor preventing one another; in carefulness not slothful; in spirit fervent; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; instant in prayer; communicating to the necessities of the saints; pursuing hospitality. Bless them that persecute you; bless and curse not. Rejoice with them that rejoice; weep with them that weep; being of one mind one towards another; not minding high things but consenting to the humble." Happy the man whom Christ has so transformed!
—Excerpted from The Light of the World, Volume One by Benedict Baur, O.S.B.

St. Paul, Hermit
St. Paul is called "the first hermit" in the Missal and Breviary, a rare distinction, for such titles are seldom appended. Our saint was the standard-bearer of those courageous men who for the love of Christ left the world and entered the wilderness to dedicate themselves wholly to contemplation amid all the privations of desert life. The hermits were the great men of prayer in those difficult times when the Church was locked in fierce struggle with heresy after heresy. For centuries the example of their lives served as the school of Christian perfection. Their action set the background for the rise of monasticism and religious orders in the Church.

The Breviary retains an edifying legend concerning today's saint. One day St. Anthony, then ninety, was divinely inspired to visit the hermit Paul. Though they had never met previously, each greeted the other correctly by name. While they were conversing at length on spiritual matters, the raven that had always brought Paul half a loaf of bread, came with a whole loaf. As the raven flew away, Paul said: "See, the Lord, who is truly good and merciful, has sent us food. Every day for sixty years I have received half a loaf, but with your arrival Christ sent His servants a double ration." Giving thanks, they ate by a spring.

After a brief rest, they again gave thanks, as was their custom, and spent the whole night praising God. At daybreak Paul informed Anthony of his approaching death and asked him to fetch the cloak he had received from St. Athanasius, that he might wrap himself in it. Later, as Anthony was returning from his visit, he saw Paul's soul ascending to heaven escorted by choirs of angels and surrounded by prophets and apostles. Further traditional matter may be found in The Life of Paul the Hermit, written by St. Jerome about the year 376.

Patronage: Clothing industry; weavers; basket weavers; hermits; Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit

Symbols and Representation: Dead man whose grave is being dug by a lion; man being brought food by a bird; man clad in rough garments made of leaves or skins; old man, clothed with palm-leaves, and seated under a palm-tree, near which are a river and loaf of bread; pictured with Saint Anthony the Abbot.

Highlights and Things to Do:

• Bake a loaf of bread to celebrate this feast, as it is recounted in the Golden Legend how St. Paul received his daily bread every day from God.
• Read St. Jerome's account of the Life of St. Paul.
• The Order of St. Paul the Hermit (Paulines) runs the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, PA. Read more about the order and if in the neighborhood pay a visit (or a virtual visit) to the Shrine.
• See the Community of Blessed Eusebius which prayerfully supports the Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit.
• Read about St. Paul the Hermit:
  • Catholic Encyclopedia
  • The Golden Legend
  • Catholic Ireland
  • Saints Stories for All Ages
  • CatholicSaints.info
• See the statue of St. Paul the Hermit at St. Peter's Basilica Colonnade.
• See some iconography of St. Paul.

Pope St. Miltiades (also known as St. Melchiades)
Two popes had been exiled by Emperor Maxentius, and for nearly two more years the Church in Rome was steeped in turmoil, making it impossible to choose a pope. Finally, Miltiades, an African, was elected. He had served as a priest under Marcellinus during the terrible Diocletian persecution. Now, however, he witnessed the effects of a kinder, more generous Roman government. Indeed, the Church would actually be favored with splendid gifts. By 311 the Church began to enjoy a peace resulting from a decree of toleration issued in both the East and the West. Emperor Maxentius ordered the properties of the Church restored. These included the land and buildings that had been confiscated during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. In 312 for the first time since the outbreak of persecution, a pope was able to preside over the celebration of Easter in full possession of the Church's holy assets.

Pope Miltiades worked diligently in a difficult time of transition. His edicts included forbidding the Christians to fast on Thursday and Sunday (the days during which the pagans kept their fasts) and directing that the Eucharist plate blessed by the bishop be carried to the various churches.

Constantine, having been proclaimed emperor in Gaul, now marched on Rome. The sign of the cross had been revealed to him in a vision where he was told that "by this sign shalt thou conquer." Constantine ordered his standards changed, and for the first time in history, the sign of peace was borne by an army. Constantine's legions defeated Maxentius, and the year 312 ushered in a new era, an era of peace; the Christians were truly set free. During the emperor's stay in Rome, the famous Lateran palace was given to Pope Miltiades by Fausta, Constantine's wife. The Lateran served as the papal residence for some four hundred years.

Less than a year later, a schism broke out in North Africa. Headed by a rigorist named Donatus, the faction objected to the policies of the bishop of Carthage, Caecilian. Bypassing the pope, they appealed directly to Constantine to intervene. The emperor, annoyed that he should be called on to settle disputes among the clergy, commissioned Miltiades and three other Gallic bishops to rectify the matter. The pope gathered fifteen additional bishops and held a synod in the great Lateran palace. The decision of this synod was to condemn Donatus and his party and to support the true bishop, Caecilian. The Donatists (as they later became called) appealed again to Constantine, but by the time another council could be called, Pope Miltiades had died.

St. Miltiades was an excellent pontiff who guided the Church wisely during a difficult time of changeover. Pope Miltiades was the last pope to be buried in a catacomb in the cemetery of Calixtus. His feasts was originally celebrated on December 10, but moved to January 10 in the calendar revision of 1969.
—Excerpted from The Popes: A Papal History, J.V. Bartlett

Highlights and Things to Do:

• Read more about the Pope St. Miltiades:
  • 32nd Pope, Miltiades
  • Catholic Encyclopedia
  • PopeHistory
  • CatholicSaints.info
• St. Miltiades is often venerated as one of 3 of the black popes.
• Pope St. Miltiades is buried in the Catacombs of St. Calllixtus along the Appian Way.