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Gospel: Luke 11: 29-32
While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
“This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Imagine someone decided to write a biography about your life. What would you hope they’d share? How would you want to be remembered?
Now imagine that author was a self-declared enemy of yours, and the only account the world would have of your life is what that person decided to write. How might the story change?
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Today we celebrate the life of Saint Callistus 1st, pope and martyr, who died around 222 AD. All we know about his life was written, ironically enough, by his sworn enemy, Hippolytus.
Both Callistus and Hippolytus were Catholic. Both died as martyrs. Both are now revered as Saints. So, why were they sworn enemies?
At the time these men lived, the Church was still very young. Doctrines about who Jesus was, what he taught, and how Christians should live their lives were still being hotly debated – as can be the case, to some extent, today.
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Hippolytus was known for being exceptionally stringent and rigid in his theology. Christians needed to live austere, near perfect lives. He also believed some sins couldn’t be forgiven in confession, such as sexual immorality, denouncing the Catholic faith, or murder.
Callistus, on the other hand, chose mercy, freely opening the doors to repentant sinners. After demonstrating their sorrow over a particular sin, Callistus believed they should be welcomed back, as Jesus urges in today’s Gospel.
Perhaps his heart was so open to forgiveness because he himself had been shown mercy; Callistus was born a slave. Over the course of his storied life, he became entrusted with much – from his master’s fortune, all the way to becoming an advisor to the pope!
A few years thereafter, he himself became pope, serving a short term before being martyred, likely in an anti-Christian riot. Memory of his life – and insistence upon mercy – endures to this day ironically because of his rival, Hippolytus, who held a far stricter view of God and the Church.
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So, what might the story of Callistus say to us?
There’s an undeniable goodness about Christians, which transcends time, even rivalries. In the words of Jesus, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and glorify your heavenly Father.”
How might I share such goodness today?
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Image credits: (1) Biography (Bio) (2) Etsy (3) A Catholic Life