St. Telosphorous (5 January): The Pope Who Shaped Christmas, Easter, and Our Lives

About this sermon

St. Telesphorus, Pope from 128–139 AD, is one of the most quietly influential saints in Church history. Though little is known about his life, his impact reaches nearly 2,000 years into the future—and into every Catholic Mass celebrated today. A former hermit, possibly living on Mount Carmel, St. Telesphorus is venerated by the Carmelite Order and remembered especially on his feast day, January 5th. He is credited with establishing several foundational traditions of the Church, including: • Midnight Mass at Christmas • The Gloria at Mass (first introduced at Christmas) • A 7-week Lent (42 days) • Celebrating Easter always on Sunday, rather than by the Jewish calendar date His name itself reflects his legacy: Telesphorus means “bringing light from afar.” And indeed, his actions continue to shape the spiritual lives of millions today. But this reflection goes deeper than history. This talk challenges us to consider: How our words and actions echo into the future The reality of sin, forgiveness, and mercy Why humility is acceptance of truth How to heal from past wounds—even the ones we caused ourselves Why guilt must be transformed into present action How holiness often works silently and unseen In a world increasingly divorced from reality, this meditation calls us back to truth, humility, patience, and prayer—the true preparation for judgment and for heaven. 📿 Ask God for humility. Ask for truth. Ask for love. And be patient as God works. 00:00 – Introduction to St. Telesphorus 00:41 – Hermit life & Carmelite connection 01:06 – Meaning of the name “Telesphorus” 01:30 – Origin of Midnight Mass 01:52 – Introduction of the Gloria at Mass 02:07 – The 7-week Lent (42 days) 02:20 – Why Easter is always celebrated on Sunday 02:54 – The far-reaching power of one life 03:30 – How our actions affect others long-term 03:45 – Childhood wounds, words, and lasting scars 04:23 – Sins of ignorance & mercy 04:46 – Forgiving others—and forgiving yourself 05:35 – The hidden good we will see in heaven 05:55 – Judgment Day: reality, not cruelty 06:36 – Humility as acceptance of truth 06:49 – The danger of a world divorced from reality 07:26 – Comparing ourselves to the saints rightly 07:54 – How to grow in love of God 08:12 – Turning guilt into action 08:44 – Silent witness and unseen influence 09:21 – Final exhortation: ask God for humility 09:31 – Closing prayer & blessing Please remember to say 3 Hail Marys for the priest 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.us for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #StTelesphorus #CatholicSaints #ChurchHistory #MidnightMass #EasterSunday #CatholicReflection #TraditionalCatholic #Humility #Forgiveness #J

Topics

• Christmas
• Easter