Tuesday after the Third Sunday of Lent.

Tuesday after the Third Sunday of Lent.
Station at St Pudentiana.
(S. Pudenziano.)

The Basilica of Pudens,
the domus Pudentiana or the titulus sancti Pudentis
was one of the oldest of the urban titular churches,
and so far, nothing has appeared to disprove the truth
of the ancient ecclesiastical tradition which asserts that
it was sanctified by the sojourn of Peter in the house of the senator Pudens.
Pudens was the father of Sts. Pudentiana and Praxedes.

Mosaic image of Our Lord in the apse
of
the Basilica of St. Pudentiana.

We see the Saviour stretching our His Hand
to protect the apostolic church and ancient residence
of the Popes of the second century.
He holds an open book in which we may read the words:
Dominus conservator Ecclesiae Pudentianæ,
-The Lord is the protector of the Church of Pudentiana-
to express a special tutelage over the basilica,
which in olden times was a visible monument
of the apostolate and primacy of St. Peter.

The Good Shepherd of Hermas.

The memories of Pope St. Pius I (A.D. 158 - 167),
of his brother Hermas, the mystic author of the The Shepherd of Hermas,
those of Priscilla, Pudentiana, Praxedes,
Justin the Philosopher, Hippolytus the Doctor
-all these are connected with the Viminal,
(the smallest of the famous seven hills of Rome),
and with the history of the house of Pudenti
in such a way as to make it appear that
in the second century
this was really the papal residence.

The Church of S. Pudentiana,
the Papal Residence of the Second Century,
was sanctified by the sojourn of St. Peter the Apostle.

The sacred Liturgy re-echoed this local tradition,
and the Gospel for today,
containing the passage in which Peter interrogates Our Lord
concerning the forgiveness of sins,
has been chosen on purpose,
in order to recall the memory of the Apostle
in the very place where he was the guest of Pudenti.