Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Today's Stational Church is that of Santo Stefano Rotondo :
Just a short distance from the colleta church or gathering place of Saints John and Paul on the Coelian Hill, this Lenten station takes us back to a sacred area which still preserves its aura of mystery. The site was sacred to the pagans because of the black rock of the Magna Mater on the nearby Palatine, an area upon which “profane” outsiders were forbidden to set foot. Later, the site had a large army barracks with an ancient pagan sanctuary to Mithras, a popular deity among soldiers. Today, the site is sacred to Christians who venerate it as the place which gave martyrdom and glory to saints. The 5th century church of Santo Stefano Celimontana, or Santo Stefano Rotondo, may be the oldest of the round Roman churches with the central altar. Originally it held the relics of St. Stephen the Protomartyr, whose relics had been discovered in the Holy Land in 415, but it was later rededicated to St. Stefan, King of Hungary. Because of its original connection to the Holy Land, the church was modeled on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher – their circumferences and diameters are almost identical. [source]
Today's Readings: Jeremiah 20:10-13; Psalm 18; John 10:31-42
Liturgy of the Hours: Week I
History: Thomas Cranmer becomes the Archbishop of Canterbury (1533); Birth of Maimonides (1135).
Quote of the Day: “Trust God and do not worry, for you will be victorious.” - Saint Paul of the Cross
Labels: Daily Almanac
