The feast of one of my favorite saints, and coincidentally, also my BIRTHDAY!! I’m going on a hike with my kids – including the challenging little one. I am also going to Izzy’s dance recital! In between I will be doing laundry, cleaning the house, getting a head start on the typing, and hoping I get my check today!! Such is life and it’s all pretty good! Interestingly, in our immediate family all three of the ladies (me, Rosie and Izzy) have our birthdays in June. Funny how things work out.
I reread what I wrote in years past for this day, and I don’t really see a need to change anything. I would add that last year at this time I was considering dropping any apologetics talk from this blog at all. This year I realize that there is a need for it. Or at least I still have a need for it and hopefully I have become more seasoned and nuanced (translate to not making the same stupid mistakes) as time goes on.
“Justin is known as an apologist, one who defends in writing the Christian religion against the attacks and misunderstandings of the pagans.”
“He was an earnest seeker after truth, and studied”
Today is the feast of Justin Martyr. By some odd coincidence it is also my birthday. It wasn’t until I reverted back to my Catholic Faith and started to get interested in such things that I discovered that I was born on the feast of a saint that I felt such an immediate kinship too. Of course it wasn’t until I reverted back to my Catholic Faith that I felt the need to defend it, study it, and seek the truth from it. Isn’t it funny sometimes how God gives us the role models that we need, and puts them in special places in our lives for us to benefit from, even when we aren’t aware of it? How he designed this special date as a connection between this holy saint and me, born centuries later, is just awesome. It makes me even more aware that God really has a plan and is working it, every day, of every year, through the centuries and that I am indeed a part of it!
Here is a description of the mass written by Justin Martyr around 155:
On the day we call the day of the sun, all who dwell in the city or country gather in the same place.
The memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets are read, as much as time permits.
When the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered admonishes and challenges them to imitate these beautiful things.
Then we all rise together and offer prayers* for ourselves . . .and for all others, wherever they may be, so that we may be found righteous by our life and actions, and faithful to the commandments, so as to obtain eternal salvation.
When the prayers are concluded we exchange the kiss.
Then someone brings bread and a cup of water and wine mixed together to him who presides over the brethren.
He takes them and offers praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and for a considerable time he gives thanks (in Greek: eucharistian) that we have been judged worthy of these gifts.
When he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all present give voice to an acclamation by saying: ‘Amen.’
When he who presides has given thanks and the people have responded, those whom we call deacons give to those present the “eucharisted” bread, wine and water and take them to those who are absent.169
Catechism of the Catholic Church:
1346 The liturgy of the Eucharist unfolds according to a fundamental structure which has been preserved throughout the centuries down to our own day. It displays two great parts that form a fundamental unity:
– the gathering, the liturgy of the Word, with readings, homily and general intercessions;
– the liturgy of the Eucharist, with the presentation of the bread and wine, the consecratory thanksgiving, and communion.
The liturgy of the Word and liturgy of the Eucharist together form “one single act of worship”;170 the Eucharistic table set for us is the table both of the Word of God and of the Body of the Lord.171
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