A synod was called by Pope Liberius in 355 to help settle the growing split between loyal Catholics and the Arians, and the Pope’s delegate was the first bishop of Vercelli, Bishop Eusebius.
During the Council, the Arians were vicious in arguing that the Son of God did not always exist, that he was inferior in divinity to God the Father. The Arians wanted their opponents to condemn the writings and teachings of St. Athanasius who defended the true faith at the First Council of Nicaea.
Eusebius and other bishops loyal to Rome refused to go along with the condemnation of Athanasius. Instead, Eusebius laid the Nicene Creed on the table and insisted that all sign it before taking up any other matter. The Roman Emperor, himself an Arian Heretic, began to put pressure on Eusebius and the loyal bishops. But Eusebius did not relent, in fact he confronted the Emperor for attempting to use secular force to influence Church decisions.
And you’d like to think Eusebius’ courage and constancy changed the Emperor’s mind and converted the Arians…well, no. Eusebius, like Athanasius before him, was condemned to exile for not supporting the Emperor’s will and heretical beliefs. And In exile, the Arians continued to harass the faithful bishop, even dragging him through the streets and imprisoning him.
This reminds me of a line of Mother Theresa: “God doesn’t call us to be successful, only to be faithful.” We might not always be successful in converting the heretical emperor or fallen away family member. But we are called to be faithful to trying. We are to uphold Catholic teaching, when faced with pressure from the secular world; maybe some will be converted…God willing…when they witness our constancy and fortitude and patience and willingness to suffer for the truth.
As you know, I like to use the proper readings for the saints on their memorials. I like to preach on the virtues of the saints, and those proper readings are chosen by the Church because there is some confluence between God’s word and the life of the saint, the saint in some way exemplifies and illustrates God’s word by their life. And I find it pretty noteworthy that the Gospel reading for St. Eusebius is the beatitudes.
It's almost as if the Church is saying, take note of this saint, he exemplifies the beatitudes of Jesus Christ. He was meek as Jesus was meek, he was pure of heart as Jesus was pure of heart, he was insulted and persecuted and had every evil uttered against him because he was faithful to God, and for this, for his faithfulness, he is counting among the blessed and his honored by the Church, but also held up as an example, of what it means to be a holy bishop, and faithful Catholic.
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That the pope, bishops, and clergy may be filled with constancy in teaching and living out the Gospel, and that our parish may bear witness with great confidence to our life-giving faith in word and deed.
For Bishop-elect Michael Woost who will be consecrated bishop this week, for blessings upon his ministry as auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Cleveland.
That politicians and government officials may protect religious freedom, promote virtue, and look to the law of Christ to guide their work for the good of nations and the human race
For all those who experience persecution for the sake of the Gospel, that they may be sustained in their faith, and bear fruit for the salvation of souls.
That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection, especially N. for whom this mass is offered.
O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the desires of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our lord.
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