Author: Fr Henle

MATTHIAS, ELECTED APOSTLE
Known only from first chapter of Luke’s Acts,
Matthias earned his choice in Judas’ stead
As twelfth Apostle, Peter said, by facts:
He closely followed Christ where ere He led.
Meeting in their secluded Upper Room,
Apostles and disciples joined in prayer
For our Lord’s guidance indicating whom
To choose. Christ’s mother, too, was there;
Heard them confirm in prayer her Son divine
(Her last appearance in our Holy Book).
By lots they chose Matthias to assign
As twelfth who with them Pentecost partook.
‘Tis said he preached among most savage men;
Was martyred, but we know not where or when.

Collect: O ALMIGHTY God, who into the place of the traitor Judas didst choose thy faithful servant Matthias to be of the number of the twelve Apostles; Grant that thy Church, being alway preserved from false Apostles, may be ordered and guided by faithful and true pastors; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THOMAS, SKEPTICAL APOSTLE
A Galilean Jew, Thomas was known
For questioning what e’er he held in doubt.
When risen Christ to him His wounds had shown,
A humbled Thomas hailed Him with a shout,
"My Lord and My God!" Thus the first was he
Of followers to laud Christ’s sovereign state.
Much legend tells how Thomas proved to be
To India’s throngs Christ’s foremost advocate.
Their "Christians of St. Thomas" still attest
Some seven Churches founded by their seer,
Converting thousands to our Lord confessed
‘Til slain in prayer by Brahmin soldier’s spear.
For Indians saved so widespread is his fame
Two postage stamps there issued bear his name.

JAMES THE JUST, BISHOP AND MARTYR
Not known as a disciple ‘til Christ rose,
This James, His "brother," quickly took the helm
To steer Christ’s infant Church where e’er it goes
In bringing to the world God’s saving realm.
Close friend of the Apostles, guiding them
As leader of their early Christian band,
When chosen Bishop of Jerusalem
James well presided with a righteous hand.
Paul sought out his approval more than once
As "pillar" of the Church to be conferred.
In his epistle, James all us confronts:
Be more than hearers; doers of the Word!
By Pharisees thrown from the Temple’s crest,
Then stoned and clubbed, James went to martyr’s rest.

SIMON THE ZEALOUS
Obscurest of apostles, Simon’s zeal
Was said to be projected for our Lord
in unseen faithful tending to the weal
Of heathens he converted to His Word.
Frustrated patriot, lore says he threw
Himself into a missionary thrust
That took our hope in Jesus Christ anew
As far as Egypt. Turning back, he must
Have met Apostle Jude with whom he teamed
To preach the Way in Persia.  There, ‘tis said,
They angered local priests who promptly schemed
To see that these apostles soon were dead.
The scholars differ on how Simon died.
Some maintain sawed to death, some crucified

JUDE, APOSTLE AND EPISTLER
Jude spent much time in living down his name
Because it was by faithful oft confused
With that of traitor Judas, and for shame,
Since Jude, ‘tis said, was by our Lord well used.
A kin of Jesus, Jude by Him was sent
To heal the ailments of a Turkish king
Who, well again, was grateful and content
For Jude to urge his subjects and thus bring
Them also to salvation. Jude composed
A canonized epistle, his endeavor
To warn of false corruption, which he closed:
"Our Lord, before all time and now and ever."
Jude’s martyrdom was lengthy in its throes;
They tied him to a cross and shot arrows.

ALL SAINTS’ DAY
This Celtic New Year’s Day that we made ours
To celebrate the memory of our saints
Inspires us to recall their saintly hours
And live our lives more Godly without taints.
Our martyrs’ noble deaths we first observed
With solemn feast day early on, and then
Communion of our lives with saints who served,
Both known to us and lost beyond our ken.
This major feast time and baptismal day
We share our loving thoughts with saints who passed
From mortal toils to God’s gracious array
Of blessed joys in Heaven at the last.
For such a dearer presence with our Christ
Most willingly their lives they sacrificed.

ANDREW, APOSTLE & FIRST MISSIONARY
Well-traveled messenger for Christ, he brought
Wild men and Greeks to Him, but yet another
For whom he is most known as having sought;
He first fetched Simon Peter, his own brother.
Tradition tells how Andrew preached Christ’s word
The lengths of Asia Minor and Dead Sea;
Was later hailed by Scots, so deeply stirred,
Their patron saint and they from England free.
In Greece, 'tis said, he brought a governor’s wife
To Christ, defied her mate’s condemning words
And asked, as cross on which to lose his life,
An X-shaped one as lesser than our Lord’s.
Saint Andrew’s cross, on which his life was mown,
Is blazoned still on flags o’er Scotland flown.

MARY MAGDALENE,
DISCIPLE TO THE DISCIPLES
"Don't touch me," Mary Magdalene was told
In this New Testament's most wrenching scene
As she reached to embrace Him who, of old,
Her true and caring guide had always been.
He cast out seven demons as her dross,
Restoring her to penitential grace.
In all four Gospels she was at His Cross,
Distraught to see Him die in such disgrace.
But now, not yet ascended as our Lord,
A risen Jesus bade her tell His few
He lived again!  With that most precious word,
She launched the news Christianity is true.
Disciple to disciples was her right
For having kept His vigil day and night.

JAMES OF ZEBEDEE, A FAVORED APOSTLE
This James and brother John were aptly named
The "Sons of Thunder" by our Lord because,
In their ambitious zeal they would have flamed
A town rejecting Christ, who made them pause.
This James was one of three with sins yet rife
Most favored by our Lord, chosen by Him
To see Him bring a young girl back to life;
To hear His warning words of end times grim.
They viewed His sadness at Gethsemane,
And saw our Lord transfigured, robed in white.
Their mother asked the Lord if John and he
Might in his Kingdom share his left and right.
Christ promised only His own bitter cup.
James was the first apostle thus to sup.

ST. BARTHOLOMEW, THE APOSTLE
Believed to be Nathaniel, bookish friend
Whom Philip brought to Jesus: "Come and see,"
Converted when he learned our Lord had kenned
His coming still at rest beneath a tree.
Sixth of the twelve apostles to our Lord,
Mentioned just once in each synoptic book
But, honest Israelite true to his word,
He spread Good News where e'er his travels took.
Tradition says he preached Arabia wide
With text of Matthew's Gospel he did bring
In Hebrew, gaining converts in his stride;
He even brought to Christ Armenia's king.
And none would match the martyr's death he died,
Flayed first with tanners' knives, then crucified.

DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
From desert wilds came fervent John to cry
For our repentance with God's Kingdom near;
Garbed raggedly in skins to prophecy
Salvation for us and to baptize here.
Ascetic zealot, he condemned all sin
Including ruler Herod's who'd eloped
With brother's wife and whose desire to win
John's least approval could not e'en be hoped.
Thus Herod jailed this saint to please his mate
Who wanted John slain, but which Herod barred.
She tricked him when her daughter asked a plate
With John's head on it as her just reward.
Bold harbinger of Christ, John lost his life
And severed head to Herod's vengeful wife.

MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST
Born Levi, son of Alpheus, a Jew
Collecting Roman taxes on his kind,
This publican was wealthy but had few
Admirers, which facts Jesus had in mind
In calling him as Matthew (Yahweh's gift).
A sinner who knew sinners' ways, he gave
A feast for publicans at which to lift
Our Lord as He their souls could surely save.
He wrote his book in Hebrew from the texts
Of sermons made to fellow Jews to prove
Our Lord the true Messiah to their sects.
His Gospel's theme is God's redemptive love,
Beatitudes and Lord's Prayer each a fount
Of wisdom as is Sermon on the Mount.

SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS
Of seven archangels in sacred lore,
Saint Michael is the foremost, having cast
Fierce Satan down to Hell forevermore
To win the "war in heaven" at the last.
He is God's militant, but Gabriel
Is God's predictive voice while he who heals
Among God's archangels is Raphael.
These three outrank the rest with their appeals.
We give our thanks all angels sent to man
From God, personified and winged for flight,
Are blessed with special knowledge of His plan,
Conveying it to earth to set us right.
To each God sends an angel who defends
Us as for sinning ways we make amends.