December 11
St Damasus I
Friday, week 2 of Advent
St Damasus I served as Pope during a pivotal era in the fourth century, from the late 360s into the 380s, a time when the Church faced both internal theological disputes and external challenges as Christianity was becoming increasingly recognized within the Roman Empire. His pontificate was marked by efforts to affirm the doctrinal unity of the Church, particularly amid the controversies around Arianism—a significant Christological debate of the time. St Damasus promoted the authority of the bishop of Rome, convened synods to clarify orthodox teaching, and worked to strengthen the organization and liturgy of the early Church. He is also renowned for commissioning St Jerome to produce the Latin translation of the Bible, later known as the Vulgate, making the Scriptures more widely accessible to the Western Church.
St Damasus had a deep reverence for the martyrs and took care to preserve and adorn their burial sites in Rome, fostering devotion to those who had given their lives for the faith. While some accounts of his early life and papacy are shaped by legend or are not fully documented, his contribution to the shaping of Catholic doctrine and liturgy is widely recognized. The Church commemorates St Damasus I to honor his efforts in defending orthodoxy, promoting scriptural fidelity, and nurturing veneration of the martyrs. His life encourages the faithful to uphold the truth with zeal and reverence, especially as the Church journeys through Advent in hope and preparation.
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The liturgical day
Mass readings
ReadingIs 48, 17-19
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
Holy One of Israel:
I am the Lord your God,
I give you useful instruction,
I guide you on the path you walk.
If only you had paid attention to my commandments,
your peace would be like a river,
your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Your descendants would be like the sand,
your offspring like its grains;
his name would never be cut off
nor wiped out before me.
– The word of the Lord.
Psalm1, 1-2, 3, 4.6
Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
who does not follow the way of sinners,
does not sit with those who scoff,
but delights in the law of the Lord
and meditates on his law day and night!
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water,
that yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never wither;
all that he does shall prosper.
Not so are the wicked.
But they are like chaff
blown away by the wind.
The Lord knows the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
GospelMt 11, 16-19
At that time,
Jesus said to the crowds:
"To what shall I compare this generation?
It is like children sitting in the marketplaces,
who call out to others, saying:
'We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance.
We sang dirges,
and you did not mourn.'
For John came neither eating nor drinking,
and they say, 'He is possessed!'
The Son of Man came eating and drinking,
and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'
But the wisdom of God has been proved right
by what she does."
– Let us acclaim the Word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org