On Saint Sebastian, we are
quit of winter [yes, well, it may seem
like it today, but don’t put away your long underwear just yet]
When the bearded saint, (Anthony, 17 January)
And the arrow-pierced
saint, (Sebastian, 20 January)
Ant the combed saint have
passed (Blaise, 4 February)
Then the cold is over.
[That is as may be. Here it
should actually say something like
“When the Dragon-slayer has passed (George, 23 April)
Then the cold is over.”
Or
“When the Dove has passed (Pentecost,
sometime in May usually)
Then the cold is over.”
(I have seen a chill in May kill my newly planted tomatoes…)]
The last twelve days of
January rule the weather for the whole year. [Which someone else can track. I’ve done my part with the 12 days of Christmas and the
first 12 days of January]
Speaking of which, the sun
shone bright and clear here at Rudd’s Little Acre on the 4th of
January, aka Saint Parailde’s day (corresponding to April (first 12 days) and
also to November (12 Days of Xmas).
According to weather lore:
If the sun shines on Saint
Parailde’s day, it foretells pestilence.
and
If the sun shines on the 11th
day of Christmas, then will there be many deaths among men [probably from the
pestilence].
Boo on both counts.
Saint Sebastian (a manly man if evert there was one) was
invoked against the pestilence, as the plague was often symbolized as arrows of
death. Perhaps those of us who DON’T
think the eradication of men to be a Good Thing should ask Sebastian to
intercede and keep both pestilence and death at bay.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Today is the feast of Saint
Fabian, Pope, and Saint Sebastian, Soldier, both martyrs for Our Lord.
Fabian was the leader of the
Christians during a time of peace for them. The persecutions had ended, and the Church grew and
thrived. Lots of people became
Christians (the ‘in’ thing that season) and used their substance to build
churches and relieve the poor and sing a New Church into being and earn really
neat quill pens blessed by the Emperor by telling him that his pet projects were really in line with Christian thinking. But this small pocket of peace ended, and the persecutions began again
under Decius, of which Pope Fabian was one of the first martyrs. Lots of the new Christians, and not a
few of the old ones (especially those with souvenir quill pens), fell away and
apostatized.
Well, after all, persecution IS hard, no question. You start by being one who
“doesn’t play well with others”, followed by the loss of your job (not
ostensibly because of your religion, because that would be illegal.) Then there are government thugs
intimidating your family (it only takes an APB on your car tags or your children
failed in school for your beliefs, but don’t worry, your children will be
trained to denounce you if they want to get ahead); your bank accounts frozen (so easily done, just ask Rhode Island) –
which means your bills cannot be paid (which means that you have no electricity
or heat, and eventually no house); no money, which means no way to feed your
family, or even move away to someplace less biased. And then you are moved to 'camps', so that you don't contaminate others... and then somebody decides that you have no right to live.
Sound familiar? If not, stand by. It will. And
then watch the apostatizing begin.
Pray for the strength not to be one of them.
As for Saint Sebastian, you can read several excellent posts by Mr. Nelson of Abbey Roads. Please pray for to those sorry souls
who co-opt the saints for their own wrong-doing.
And please pray for us sorry
souls who don’t fly to the saints enough for our souls’ benefit.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is also the Eve of Saint Agnes. I hope you young
ladies have been fasting today.
Artwork:
"Saints Fabian and Sebastian", The Hours of Catherine of Cleves (15th century)
