Hello everyone! Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where you read the daily Gospels and the Saint of the Day.
Let’s get started! Today is Thursday, December 11th, and the Gospel reading is Matthew 11, 11-15.
And the scripture to reflect on is Matthew 11, 11.
Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist, yet he who is last in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Remember a couple days ago when my brother told the Saint of the Day story of St.
Juan Diego?
Well, today’s reading is about John the Baptist.
We just did a lesson of how John the Baptist and St.
Juan Diego are similar.
They both were messengers of God that prepared two-way faith believers and make more faith in Jesus.
They both lived simple lives that fulfilled important missions.
And they both had great humility, obedience, and trust for God.
Today’s Saint of the Day is Saint Damasus I.
He was born 305 and died 384.
He’s the patron saint of archaeologists.
Of Spanish descent, Damasus was born in Rome in the 4th century.
He was a child when Constantine issued the Addict of Milan, freeing Christians from persecution.
Damasus became a priest and was elected pope in 366.
He was very devoted to the cult of the martyrs, especially St.
Lawrence, and repeated the church dedicated to him.
From the being of his papacy, Damasus faced great trials, for he was challenged by a rival anti-pope.
Damasus did two things that had a long-lasting major effect in the church.
He changed the language of the liturgy of the West from Greek to Latin, and he asked St.
Jerome to do a few translations to the Bible into Latin, the language of the people.
The pope wanted them to better understand the liturgy of the Word of God.
Jerome’s version of the Bible was the standard Catholic translation for the centuries.
St.
Jerome described Damasus as an incredible person learned in the scriptures of the Virgin Doctor of the Virgin Church, who loved chastity and heard its praises with pleasure.
You probably don’t remember the day you went from crawling on all fours to balancing on two feet.
It must have been pretty scary for you to take all those new steps, knowing that you might fall down again.
But someone who loved you was always there holding your hand and trusting in you that you can do it.
Damasus reminds us of the importance of reading and praying with the scriptures and of centering your life on the Eucharist, which Vatican II described as a source and submit of Christian life.
We find both in Mass.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, thank you for your strength and courage, and help us to always trust in you.
And help us that we may prayfully read the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to inspire us.
St.
Damasus I, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back tomorrow, scattering more flowers.
See ya!