Liturgical Calendar

Saint of the day

Saint Artemius (d.363)

Saint Artemius was a soldier under Emperor Constantine the Great. He was appointed as the imperial prefect of Egypt by Emperor Constantius, and used his influential position to spread the Arian heresy. During the reign of Julian the Apostate, Artemius hunted down and persecuted many religious, including monks, nuns, and bishops. He even persecuted Saint Athanasius. However, through prayer, Artemius converted to orthodox Christianity. He turned his persecution against pagans, including Julian. Saint Artemius was accused of destroying pagan idols, and was arrested, tortured, and martyred.

Reflection

Humans are easily influenced. Even though he was an intelligent man, Saint Artemius was still influenced by others to believe in the Arian heresy. He persecuted many Christians, but eventually converted to Christianity after watching the martyrs' witness to their faith. Saint Artemius gives us a powerful message: it's never too late to make up for our mistakes. Ask for Jesus' assistance if you have strayed from your Christian beliefs, and want to return to your faith.

Prayer

Dear God, I am so tempted to imitate what I know is evil, just because it looks like fun! Please give me the wisdom to recognize the long-term consequences of my actions. Thank you for the people I know who through their life teach me what is good. (Taken from "Good News Days by Day: Bible Reflections for Teens.")

Meditations

Meditation for Gospel

There is a lot of discussion about what Jesus means by 'blaspheme against the Holy Spirit' - it must be a very grace offense, since it is the only sin in all of scripture that Jesus tells us is "unforgivable." A common understanding is that blaspheming the Holy Spirit is essentially denying the opportunity to receive the forgiving grace of God. Whenever you feel sorry for your sin or feel bad for hurting another, something inside you prompts you to make it better, to reconcile. When you follow this prompting, you are being led by the Holy Spirit. You may be led to saying sorry, going to confession, returning a stolen item, and so on. If you deny this prompting, and decide to continue sinning even though you feel bad, you cannot be forgiven, because you do not allow yourself to be forgiven. To be forgiven is our choice - if we want to be forgiven, we must be open to changing our ways, giving up our sin, and being obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit that leads us to the freedom of being forgiven. If we deny this prompting, we blaspheme the Holy Spirit.