St. Narcissus
St. Narcissus Bishop of Jerusalem October 29 Second Century St. Narcissus was born towards the close of the first century, and was almost fourscore years old when he was placed at the head of the church of Jerusalem, being the thirtieth bishop of that see. In 195, he and Theophilus, bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, presided in a council of the bishops of Palestine held at Caesarea, about the time of celebrating Easter; in which it was decreed that this feast is to be kept always on a Sunday, and not with the Jewish passover. Eusebius assures us, that the Christians of Jerusalem preserved in his time the remembrance of several miracles which God had wrought by this holy bishop; one of which he relates as follows. One year on Easter-eve the deacons were unprovided with oil for the lamps in the church, necessary at the solemn divine office that day. Narcissus ordered those who had care of the lamps to bring him some water from the neighboring wells. This being done, he pronounced a devout prayer over the water; then bade them pour it into the lamps; which they did, and it was immediately converted into oil, to the great surprise of the faithful. Some of this miraculous oil was kept there as a memorial at the time when Eusebius wrote his history. The veneration of all good men for this holy bishop could not shelter him from the malice of the wicked. Three incorrigible sinners, fearing his inflexible severity in the observance of ecclesiastical discipline, laid to his charge a detestable crime, which Eusebius does not specify. They confirmed their atrocious calumny by dreadful oaths and imprecations; one wishing he might perish by fire, another, that he might be struck with a leprosy, and the third, that he might lose his sight, if what they alleged was not the truth. Notwithstanding these protestations, their accusation did not find credit; and, some time after, the divine vengeance pursued the calumniators. The first was burnt in his house, with his whole family, by an accidental fire in the night; the second was struck with a universal leprosy; and the third, terrified by these examples, confessed the conspiracy and slander, and by the abundance of tears which he continually shed for his sins, lost his sight before his death. Narcissus, notwithstanding the slander had made no impression on the people to his disadvantage, could not stand the shock of the bold calumny, or rather made it an excuse for leaving Jerusalem, and spending some time in solitude, which had long been his wish. He spent several years undiscovered in his retreat, where he enjoyed all the happiness and advantage which a close conversation with God can bestow. That his church might not remain destitute of a pastor, the neighboring bishops of the province, after some time, placed in it Pius, and after him Germanion, who, dying in a short time, was succeeded by Gordius. While this last held the see, Narcissus appeared again like one from the dead. The whole body of the faithful, transported at the recovery of their holy pastor, whose innocence had been most authentically vindicated, conjured him to reassume the administration of the diocese. He acquiesced; but afterwards, bending under the weight of extreme old age, made St. Alexander his coadjutor. This primitive example authorizes the practice of coadjutorships; which, nevertheless, are not allowable by the canons except in cases of the perpetual inability of a bishop through age, incurable infirmity, or other impediment as Marianus Victorius observes in his notes upon St. Jerome. St. Narcissus continued to serve his flock, and even other churches, by his assiduous prayers and his earnest exhortations to unity and concord, as St. Alexander testifies in his letter to the Arsinoites in Egypt, where he says that Narcisus was at that time about one hundred and sixteen years old. The Roman Martyrology honors his memory on the 29th of October. The pastors of the primitive church, animated with the spirit of the apostles were faithful imitators of their heroic virtues, discovering the same fervent zeal. the same contempt of the world, the same love of Christ. If we truly respect the church as the immaculate spouse of our Lord, we will incessantly pray for its exaltation and increase, and beseech the Almighty to give it pastors according to his own heart, like those who appeared in the infancy of Christianity. And, that no obstacle on our part may prevent the happy effects of their zeal, we should study to regulate our conduct by the holy maxims which they inculcate, we should regard them as the ministers of Christ; we should listen to them with docility and attention; we should make their faith the rule of ours, and shut our ears against the language of profane novelty. O! that we could once more see a return of those happy days when the pastor and the people had but one heart and one soul; when there was no diversity in our belief; when the faithful seemed only to vie with each other in their submission to the church, and in their desire of sanctification.
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St. Narcissus, Thanks for your kindness, in opening your eyes to my needs. I am always grateful to your loving care.
Please pray for Jacob that he finds the right path, for his parents that they find the strenght and wisdom to guide him and for all cancer patients that they deal with their disease with grace and dignity. Thank you.
St narcissus great saint please pray for me and my family i belive in you with all my heart
god bless you
Amen
St Narcissus, I am in awe of your saintly life of intercessory prayer for your flock, the faithful. I love you dear saint, who bore no hatred towards your detractors, help us poor sinners to give up our holy indignation at the sins of others. Please pray for me to give my energy and creativity in order to provide opportunities for learning to take place among my students. Bless my yearbook with great success. Bring it to fruition soon. Bless my enemies too and those who practise detraction and calumny. God's grace will free me from fear and save me from the hands of my foes.
Bless and free Christian from the torment of seizures, developmental delays, speech delays and unsocial behaviours. Give my daughter graces and gifts untold to bear with this cross. Amen.
Dear St. Narcissus, I happened to come across the life of your Holiness, during the year of priests in 2009. Ever since you had been a powerful intercessor during times of misery and need. I have a picture of your Holiness with closed eyes, and once while I was direly seeking your help, they slowly opened and kindly looked upon me! My prayers were answered, miraculously, and I often pray for your intercession. Thank You.
St. Narcissus, Bishop of Jerusalem, this the first time I hear and read about your amazing, saintly life of service to the Lord in His vineyard, Your prayer life sustained you through much unjust calumny, but the actions and accusations of your detractors did not deter you from continuing with your focus on Christ Jesus. You were duly vindicated, but you did not rejoice in it. Instead you sought to be unknown and unseen. How many of us can behave in such a dignified manner. How we seek to take revenge or to seem justified? Help us when we are in similar situations within family, work circles or community. You reward was a long life of active service to Jesus Christ. Your served your flock as Bishop of Jerusalem through "constant, fervent prayer and ernest exhortations" to the faithful for unity and peace. St. Narcissus, pray for us on your special day. May we devote our time to prayer and the Sacraments. May bishops all over the world emulate your fine example. Amen
Dear Maureen Bright, Saw your request for a saint book aor children of one page per saint. I believe that Fr, Daniel Lord of very long ago authored an entire series of childrens saint books. Each featured approx. 10 -12 saints. Try finding them at Catholic home school book fairs. Keller Books carries many used, all Catholic books. Also, try Seton Home School in Virginia. lAdditionally, there was a home-school mom, I believe who illustrated a beautiful book of the saints, and included a prayer to the saint after telling the life of person. I possess the book, but don't know presently where it may be packed after our move.. You may contact me if you wish. Pam Gavin
A great pastor and a great saint! St. Narcissus is my favorite intercessor and I wish to testify that he saved me from a lot of trouble last year. His closed eyes were opened while I prayed before his picture! Thank you great pastor, for interceding for me!
wonderfully written
hey does anyone know the saint 4 friendship? im doing a report 4 school and im stumped... Help!
Hi, can anyone recommend a good Lives of the Saints book that children could enjoy as well as adults? i.e., one page per Saint (Feast Day) with a nice Illustration? Been searching but no luck yet. Thank you!
man this st. is freakin awsome i just want to put this st. in me literaly thank u for yo time ile hollu