Formula of Concord: Solid Declaration – Confident.Faith

Today we commemorate Justin, Martyr. Raised in a pagan family, Justin was a convert to Christianity who would become a Christian teacher in Ephesus and Rome. Arrested due to his refusal to make pagan sacrifices, Justin was tried and executed along with six other Christians. The record of the trial proceedings before Rusticius, a Roman prelate, documents Justin’s confession of faith, and served as a source of great encouragement for other believers.

Today we observe the Visitation. While pregnant with Jesus, the Virgin Mary visited her relative, Elizabeth, who was then pregnant with John the Baptist, another child conceived under miraculous circumstances. In the presence of Christ, John ‘leaps’ in his mother’s womb, foreshadowing his role as forerunner of the Messiah. This presence of the Messiah also caused Elizabeth to proclaim Mary’s blessedness and Mary responded with the Magnificat, a summation of her place in salvation history and God’s gracious gifts.

Today we commemorate Bede the Venerable, Theologian. Bede was the last of the Early Church Fathers. Placed in a monastery at the age of seven, Bede rarely left his monastery home and devoted his life to teaching and writing. A prolific writer, Bede produced both histories and theological works — his commentaries are still used today. Bede’s most well-known disciple, Cuthbert, reported that Bede was working on translating the Gospel of John at the time of his death. Bede is buried in Durham Cathedral.