Saint Asterius of Amasea, Bishop

Asterius studied law and the art of public speaking (known as rhetoric) and began a career in law.  But the Lord's call led him to leave behind the bar for the clerical life.  He was ordainged priest and eventually became bishop of Amasea in Pontus, Asia Minor.  With his expertise in public speaking, it is no wonder that he became famous as a preacher.  Twenty-one of his sermons are, in fact, still extant, and they frequently extoll the importance of charity to the poor.  They also reveal that the Church, in the latter part of the 4th century, was already keeping the feasts of Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, and the anniversaries of the martyrs.  Saint Gregory the Great describes this good pastor as overflowing with the Holy Spirit.  St. Asterius died around the year 400 AD.