Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  Amen.

Pope St. Hyginus.

Today is the feast of Pope St. Hyginus who was murdered by the Roman Emperor in ARSH 142.  We have no idea who he was or what he looked like, but he was and is a real dude, and he loves you, and wants you to get to heaven.  Seeing how he is looking upon the Beatific Vision right now, and is contemplating God face-to-face, it would be a fine idea to ask him to put in a good word for you and yours.  Remember, the vast, vast majority of people who have ever lived are utterly forgotten by those alive today.  Someday you too will pass out of all living memory.  Only a very few people are remembered by name long after they are dead.  But all of those people, all of those lives with all of their ups and downs, loves and losses, were and are every bit as real as you and me.  It is the antithesis of humility to think that the world began with your achieving sentience, or that it began in say, oh, I dunno, ARSH 1968 or thereabouts – just to pick a random date.  Ahem.  Cough-cough.

Pope St. Hyginus, whoever you are, please pray for us to the Lord Our God.