A guest with no wedding garment,

"But since you have already come into the house of the marriage feast,
our holy church, as a result of God's generosity, be careful, my
friends, lest when the King enters he find fault with some aspect of
your heart's clothing. We must consider what comes next with great
fear in our hearts. But the king came in to look at the guests and saw
there a person not clothed in a wedding garment. What do we think is
meant by the wedding garment, dearly beloved? For if we say it is
baptism or faith, is there anyone who has entered this marriage feast
without them? A person is outside because he has not yet come to
believe. What then must we understand by the wedding garment but love?
That person enters the marriage feast, but without wearing a wedding
garment, who is present in the holy church. He may have faith, but he
does not have love. We are correct when we say that love is the
wedding garment because this is what our Creator himself possessed
when he came to the marriage feast to join the church to himself. Only
God's love brought it about that his only begotten Son united the
hearts of his chosen to himself. John says that 'God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten Son for us' (John 3:16)."
 by John Chrysostom  (excerpt from FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES 38.9)

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August 30th – St. Pammachius the Senator

The Roman senator, proconsul, and scholar, Pammachius, belonged to the
house of the Furii. In 385, he married Paulina, the second daughter of
Saint Paula. He spent much of his time in study and religious affairs.
He was a great friend of Saint Jerome, his former school fellow.

Pammachius was probably one of the religious men who denounced to Pope
Saint Siricius a certain man named Jovinian. He taught many errors :
First, that marriage and virginity were equally meritorious; secondly,
that those once baptized can sin no more; thirdly, that those who fast
and those who eat have equal merit, if they praise God; fourthly, that
all have an equal reward in heaven; fifthly, that all sins are equal;
sixthly, that the Blessed Virgin was not a virgin after giving birth
to our Lord (4). This last error was followed by Hinckmar, Wickliife,
Bucer, Peter Martyr, Molineus, and Basnage

 He certainly sent copies of the heretic's writings to Jerome, who
replied to them in a long treatise. This reply did not meet with the
entire approval of Saint Pammachius: he found its language too strong
(a failing to which Jerome was generally very inclined) and that it
contained exaggerated praise of virginity and depreciation of
marriage; so he wrote and told him so. Jerome replied in two letters,
thanking him for his interest and defending what he had written.
Meanwhile, Jovinian was condemned at a synod at Rome in 390 and by
Archbishop Saint Ambrose of Milan.

When Paulina died in childbirth in 397, Pammachius provided a banquet
for all the poor of Rome following her funeral Mass. He received a
long letter of condolence from his friend Saint Paulinus of Nola, who
praised her goodness and her husband's faith and fortitude. The letter
ended: "Your spouse is now a pledge and a powerful intercessor for you
with Jesus Christ. She now obtains for you as many blessings in heaven
as you have sent her treasures [Masses] from hence, not honoring her
memory with fruitless tears, but making her partner of these living
gifts (i.e., by alms given for the repose of her soul); she is honored
by the merit of your virtues; she is fed by the bread you have given
to the poor." Saint Jerome tells us that Pammachius watered her ashes
with the balm of alms and mercy, which obtains the pardon of sins;
that from the time of her death he made the needy their coheirs.

Thus, Pammachius devoted the balance of his life to study, prayer, and
works of charity. (Some say that he donned the monastic habit and
received ordination to the presbyterate, but this seems unlikely.)
Together with Saint Fabiola he built at Porto a large hospice to
shelter pilgrims coming to Rome, especially the poor and the sick.
This was the first such enterprise in the West. Pammachius and Fabiola
spent much time there personally tending to their guests.

Pammachius was enormously disturbed by the bitter controversy between
Jerome and Saint Rufinus over the teachings of Origen. He wrote to
Jerome urging him to undertake the translation of Origen's De
principiis, and gave Jerome very useful help in his controversial
writings, but he could not convince Jerome to tone down the language
of his works.

Pammachius also wrote to the people living on his estates in Numidia
in North Africa to urge them to abandon the Donatist schism and return
to the Church. This action drew a letter of thanks from Saint
Augustine in 401. Pammachius had a church in his house on the Coelian
hill, consequently called titulus Pammachii its site is now occupied
by the Passionist church of SS. Giovanni e Paolo, beneath which
remains of the original house have been found. St. Pammachius died in
410 at the time Alaric and the Goths captured Rome; he is often stated
to have been a priest but this does not seem to have been so
.
A fairly complete account of Pammachius, compiled by Father John Pien,
is printed in the Acta Sanctorum, August,  vol. vi.


Saint Quote:
It behooves thee to be very careful, for thou livest under the eyes of
the Judge who beholds all things.
-- St. Bernard

Bible Quote:
Let your manners be without covetousness, contented with such things
as you have. For he hath said: I will not leave thee: neither will I
forsake thee.  [Hebrews 13:5] DRB


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I Love You, O My God
By St Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)

I love You, O my God
and my only desire is to love You
until the last breath of my life.
I love You,
O my infinitely lovable God
and I would rather die loving You,
than live without loving You.
I love You, Lord
and the only grace I ask,
is to love You eternally My God,
if my tongue cannot say
in every moment that I love You,
I want my heart to repeat it to You
as often as I draw breath.
Amen

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