ST PUBLIUS, ABBOT - 25 JANUARY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JANUARY

Saints celebrated on the 25th of January

Prayer to the Angels and the Saints

Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.

In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.

Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.

Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.

ST PUBLIUS, ABBOT 

Saint Publius, Abbot near Zeugma, upon the Euphrates, is honoured by the Greeks. He was the son of a senator, in that city, and sold his estate, plate, and furniture, for the benefit of the poor; and lived first an hermit, afterwards governed a numerous community in the fourth age. 

HE GOVERNED A NUMEROUS COMMUNITY

He allowed his monks no other food than herbs and pulse, and very coarse bread; no drink but water: he forbade milk, cheese, grapes, and even vinegar, also oil, except from Easter to Whitsuntide. 

NO OTHER FOOD THAN HERBS AND PULSE

To put himself always in mind of advancing continually in fervour and charity, he added every day something to his exercises of penance and devotion; he was remarkably solicitous to avoid sloth, being sensible of the inestimable value of time. 

THE INESTIMABLE VALUE OF TIME

Alas! what would not a damned soul, what would not a suffering soul in purgatory give for one of those moments which we unthinkingly throw away. As far as the state of the blessed in heaven can admit of regret, they eternally condemn their insensibility as having lost every moment of their mortal life, which they did not improve to the utmost advantage. 

TWO CONGREGATIONS

Theodoret tells us that the holy abbot Publius founded two congregations, the one of Greeks, the other of Syrians, each using their own tongue in the divine office: for the Greek and Chaldean were from the beginning sacred languages, or consecrated by the church in her public prayers. St Publius flourished about the year 369. 

(From Fr Butler's Lives of the Saints)