Daybreak

Thursday of the Second Week of Advent Optional Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, 304-384; when Damasus was elected pope, a minority elected and consecrated another deacon, Ursinus, as pope; supporters of the antipope even managed to get Damasus accused of a grave crime—probably sexual—as late as A.D. 378; he had to clear himself before both a civil court and a Church synod; as pope, his lifestyle was simple in contrast to other ecclesiastics of Rome, and he was fierce in his denunciation of Arianism and other heresies; during his pontificate, Christianity was declared the official religion of the Roman state, and Latin became the principal liturgical language as part of the pope’s reforms Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/11/25 Gospel: Matthew 11:11-15