Callistus was a former slave who served as Bishop of Rome from c218 until his death, c223. He had been ordained Deacon by his predecessor, Pope Zephryinus, who placed him in charge of the church’s cemetery on the Appian Way, still known today as the Catacombs of
St Callistus. Callistus also became a sort of theology tutor to the relatively unlearned Zephyrinus.

As pope, Callistus made absolution after the performance of public penance possible for all sins, including the serious sins of adultery, fornication and murder. He also recognised the legitimacy of marriages between slaves and free citizens. This ‘laxity’ met with strong opposition from a ‘rigorist’ party, who elected one of their own, Hippolytus, as rival Bishop of Rome, the first ‘antipope’ in Christian history.

There is no record of the circumstances of Callistus’ death, but he is accounted to have been a martyr.

Edward was nearly the last Anglo-Saxon King before the Norman conquest of 1066. (His successor at his death on 5^thJanuary 1066 was Harold Godwinson who was defeated at the Battle of Hastings later that year.) Edward endowed the construction of St Peter’s Abbey, Westminster, the first Romanesque church in England, where he was himself eventually buried. He was hailed throughout his life as a gentle, loyal and devoted king, renowned for his life of prayer, chaste marriage and love of the poor; he is the only King of England to have been canonised, nearly a century after his death, in 1161. His feast is celebrated on the day of the transfer of his remains to Westminster Abbey.

Wilfrid (c633-709/710), born a Northumbrian noble, entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Gaul and at Rome. He returned to Northumbria about 660 and became Abbot of the newly-established monastery at Ripon. At the Synod of Whitby, called in 664 to settle the differences between the customs of Rome and those practised by the Irish monks of Iona and their satellites, Wilfrid was the outstanding spokesman for the Roman position, and his eloquence persuaded the Synod to agree to adopt Roman usage, especially concerning the date of Easter. Wilfrid was appointed Bishop of Northumbria. He went to Gaul for consecration because he was unsure of the valid consecration of the Anglo-Saxon bishops. During his absence political machinations led to the appointment of a rival Bishop of Northumbria. Wilfrid returned to become Bishop of Ripon instead.

Throughout his 45-year episcopate political strife was a constant between the Anglo-Saxon tribes and kingdoms. Wilfrid repeatedly had to appeal to Rome to secure his position. He was frequently at loggerheads with Kings and Archbishops alike. For five years he was an itinerant missionary in Sussex, on the Isle of Wight, and in Frisia. He was a prolific builder of churches and a very successful fundraiser. He was buried at Ripon, where miracles were said to have taken place at the spot where the water used to wash his body was discarded. Forty-eight churches were titled for him, and his relics were divided among eleven places. The many monasteries he founded produced a generation of scholars and saints.

Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (1881-1963) was elected Pope on 28^th October 1958 after 11 ballots. Already 76 years of age, he astounded those who had thought he would be a mere caretaker pope by summoning the Second Vatican Council.

Born of sharecroppers in the Bergamo province of Lombardy, he received a doctoral degree in canon law prior to his ordination to the priesthood. After service in his home diocese, he was appointed by Pope Pius XI as Apostolic Visitor to Bulgaria in 1925; in 1935 he moved to be Apostolic Visitor to Turkey and Greece. When World War II broke out he worked with the Jewish underground, probably saving the lives of thousands of Jews. After the war he enthusiastically supported the establishment of the nation of Israel. He became Nuncio to France, and then Patriarch of Venice until his election to the papacy.

The first session of Vatican II met in October 1962. Already Pope John had been diagnosed with the stomach cancer which would lead to his death the following June. His feast day is the first day of the Council’s meeting.

Denis’ name is derived from the Latin name Dionysius (Greek Dionysios); for that reason, perhaps, he has sometimes been thought to be the ‘Dionysius the Areopagite’ (the Areopagus was the hill on which the high council of Athens met to deliberate) converted by
St Paul in Athens. [Acts 17.34] (There is a tradition, impossible to verify, that Dionysius became the first bishop of Athens.) The St Denis whom we commemorate today, on the other hand, lived almost certainly in the mid-3^rd Century. He was sent to Gaul and made Bishop of Paris. He was martyred by being beheaded during the persecution of Roman Emperor Diocletian around 250; legendarily when the sword had severed his head Diocletian picked it up and walked several miles with it, preaching a sermon on repentance as he went. (He is perhaps the most famous cephalophore in history.) He is the patron saint of France, and during the 14^th Century ‘black death’ he was accounted one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers whose intercession is particularly effectual.

Newman’s long life (1801-1890) nearly spans the whole of the 19^th Century; his conversion to the Catholic Church in 1845 neatly divides his own life into two halves. He had a distinguished career in the Church of England, culminating in the post of Vicar of the University Church in Oxford. He was the leader of a group called the Oxford movement.

He spoke of his departure from the Church of England as ‘the parting of friends.’ His own sister never spoke to him again after his conversion. He left Oxford in 1846 and went to Oscott where Nicholas Wiseman (then the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District) resided. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1847 in Rome. Returning to England as an Oratorian, he settled in Edgbaston and founded an Oratory where, apart from a short interlude in Ireland, he was to live in seclusion for more than 40 years. In 1879 he was made a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII, though he was never a bishop and was exempted from the requirement of living in Rome. His hymns, devotions and sermons continue to inspire to this day; Pope St Paul VI spoke of Newman as ‘the father of the Second Vatican Council.’

Jesus, who is called Christ, was born of Mary.

We give thanks to the Lord, with you, our Mother: as he was dying he gave us into your care.

The Virgin Mary is exalted high above the choirs of angels; on her head is a crown of twelve stars.

Blessed Mother, and pure Virgin, renowned queen of creation, may all who keep your festival experience the power of your intercession.

Perhaps you will be glad that we sit for the readings in Mass (other than the Gospel) for this morning's first reading is rather long! However, we are given the model for our liturgy of the word within Nehamiah Chapter 8.

Everyone stands - to hear the Word of God. The speaker is raised on a dais so that everyone can see and hear them.

The Word of God is explained - also translated into the common language(s) of the people present. This is the purpose of the Homily - you will know that ordinarily we keep notices etc to a different time in the celebration of Eucharist.

Perhaps it is easy to miss the point - but there is a special physical place for the readings. This in a Church is the Ambo - distinctively not the place of sacrifice, which is the Altar. In Nehemiah's day that might have been forced on them, as the temple was in ruins and the Word therefore had to be read just outside the gates. But it is important to remember that the Word has its own special place in our Churches - and should in our hearts.

The physical response to hearing the Word has now been lost in our tradition - but you will have seen others prostrating themselves, heads to the floor, in response. We perhaps do need to maintain that disposition in our hearts and minds - this is God speaking to us.

The Gospel today tells us that we have to be uncompromising in our discipleship. We are either following Jesus or we are not. The two examples Luke gives - of a recently bereaved man who is told to leave the dead to bury their dead, and the person who just asks if they may first go and say farewell to family and friends and then follow Jesus - are a deliberate use of the technique of hyperbole. Jesus would quite likely have compassion on the bereaved man and would expect us to be charitable to those we must leave as we move on in life.

This exaggerated speech technique - hyperbole - does point out to us that Jesus is saying something of great importance here. If family, friends - our comfortable way of life - are getting between us and progress on our journey with Christ - then we do have to make a difficult decision - following Christ is not always easy.

Right at the end of his Gospel, Luke does let us know that following Jesus will lead to us having the gifts we need to take our Lord into the lives of those we meet on our journey. So, it is quite possible that we will return to those we might have had to leave on the journey and pick up with them again, but this time God might inspire them with faith to also follow on the way.

roughly in the middle of his Gospel, Luke turns Jesus about and he begins the journey from Galilee towards Jerusalem.  Both a physical and a metaphysical direction - for Jesus did walk through the hills to Jerusalem, but also turned to face, and embrace his destiny there.

The physical journey begins by taking him directly through a Samaritan area - and there had been for generations open hostility between Samaritan and Jew. His direction of travel, and his purpose, were both rejected by samaritan peoples and there were words said! When is disciples proclaim the vengeance of Elijah - who had called on fire to hail down upon Samarian messengers (twice) - Jesus tells them no! Indeed - he rebukes them.

Perhaps the message to us today is to expect some kick back as we travel towards our Jerusalem - our encounter with God - and that we must not respond with anger. Jesu's way is to show what is right by our lives. That is why we say at the end of Mass:

"Go in Peace, Glorifying the Lord by your Lives"