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From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.

OUR Paschal season, which has already given us the admirable Doctor St Leo, brings before us to-day the humble Peter Celestine. He was, like Leo, sovereign pontiff, but no sooner was he throned on the chair of Peter than he left it and returned to solitude. Among the long list of sainted men who compose the venerable series of Roman Pontiffs, our Lord would have one in whose person was to be represented the virtue of humility; that honour was conferred on Peter Celestine. He was dragged from the quiet of his solitude, compelled to ascend the throne of St Peter, and made to hold in his trembling hand the keys of the kingdom of heaven. The holy hermit, whose eyes had been ever fixed on his own weakness, had then to provide for the necessities of the whole Church. In his humility, he judged himself to be unequal to so heavy a responsibility. He resigned the tiara, and begged to be permitted to return to his dear hermitage. His divine Master, Christ, had, in like manner, concealed his glory, first in thirty years of hidden life, and then, later on, under the cloud of his Passion and Sepulchre. The sunshine of the Pasch came; the gloom was dispersed, and the Conqueror of Death arose in all his splendour. He would have his servants share in his triumph and glory; but their share is to be greater or less, according to the measure in which they have, here on earth, imitated his humility. Who, then, could describe the glory which Peter Celestine receives in heaven, as a recompense for the profound humility which made him more eager to be unknown than the most ambitious of men could be for honour and fame? He was great on the pontifical throne, and still greater in his solitude; but his greatness, now that he is in heaven, surpasses all human thought.

Holy Church speaks his praise in these few lines; their simplicity admirably harmonizes with the hermit Pope, whose life they narrate:

Petrus, a nomine quo Pontifex est appellatus, Cælestinus dictus, honestis; catholicisque parentibus Æserniæ in Samnitibus natus, adolescentiam vix ingressus, ut animum a mundi illecebris custodiret, in solitudinem secessit. Ibi contemplationibus mentem nutriens, corpus in servitutem redigens, ferream catenam ad nudam carnem adhibebat. Congregationem, quæ postea Cælestinorum dicta est, sub Regula sancti Benedicti instituit. Hinc quasi lucerna supra candelabrum posita, quum abscondi nequiret (Romana Ecclesia diu viduata Pastore) in Petri cathedram ignorans, et absens, ascitus, magna novitatis admiratione non minus quam repentino gaudio cunctos affecit. Cum autem in Pontificatus sublimitate collocatus, variis distentus curis, assuetis incumbere meditationibus vix posse cognosceret; oneri pariter et honori voluntarie cessit; indeque priscam vitæ rationem repetens, obdormivit in Domino, ej usque pretiosam mortem crux praefulgens in aere ante cubiculi ostium reddidit amplius gloriosam. Miraculis multis tam vivens quam post obitum claruit, quibus rite examinatis, Clemens Quintus, anno postquam decessit undecimo, Sanctorum numero adscripsit.
Peter, who from the name he took as Pope was called Celestine, was born at Isernia, in the Abruzzi, of respectable and Catholic parents. When quite a boy, he retired into solitude, that he might be out of the reach of the world's vanities. There he nourished his soul with holy contemplations, bringing his body into subjection, and wearing an iron chain next to his skin. He founded, under the Rule of St Benedict, the congregation which was afterwards called the congregation of Celestines. The Roman Church having been for a long time widowed of its Pastor, Celestine was chosen, unknown to himself, to occupy the Chair of Peter, and was therefore compelled to quit his solitude, for he was a lamp that was set upon a candlestick, and could not be hid. All men were filled with joy as well as with surprise at this unexpected choice. But when thus exalted to the Pontificate, he found that the multiplicity of cares rendered it almost impossible for him to continue his wonted contemplations, and resigned, of his own accord, the onerous honours of the Papal throne. He therefore resumed his former mode of life, and slept in the Lord by a precious death, which was rendered still more glorious by the apparition of an exceedingly bright cross, which hovered over the door of his cell. He was celebrated for many miracles both before and after his death; which being authentically proved, he was canonized, eleven years after his departure from this world, by Pope Clement the Fifth.

Thou didst obtain, O Celestine, the object of thy ambition. Thou wast permitted to descend from the Apostolic Throne, and return to the quiet of that hidden life, which for so many years had been thy delight. Enjoy to thy heart's content the holy charm of being unknown to the world, and the treasures of contemplation in the secret of the face of God.[1] But this life of obscurity must have an end; and then the Cross—the Cross which thou hast loved above all earthly possessions—will rise up in brightness before thy cell door, and summon thee to share in the Paschal triumph of him who came down from heaven to teach us this great truth, that he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.[2] Thy name, O Celestine, will for ever shine on the list of Roman Pontiffs; thou art one of the links of that glorious chain which unites Holy Church with Jesus, her Founder and her Spouse; but a still greater glory is reserved for thee—the glory of being for ever with this same Risen Jesus. Holy Church, which during the short period of thy holding the keys of Peter, was 

obedient to thee, has now for centuries paid, and will continue to the end of the world to pay thee the tribute of her devotion, because she recognizes in thee one of God's elect, one of the princes of the heavenly court. And we, O Celestine, we also are invited to ascend where thou art, and contemplate, together with thee, the most beautiful among the children of men,[3] the Conqueror of sin and hell. But there is only one path that can lead us thither; it is the path thou didst tread—the path of humility. Pray for us that we may be solidly grounded in this virtue, and desire it with all our hearts; that we may change our miserable self-esteem into an honest self-contempt; that we may despise all human glory, and be courageous, yea, cheerful under humiliation; and that thus having drunk of the torrent, as did our divine Master, we may one day, like him, lift up our heads,[4] and cluster round his throne for all eternity.


[1] Ps. xxx 21.
[2] St Matt. xxiii 12.
[3] Ps. xliv 3.
[4] Ps. cix 7.

 

From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.

THE martyr of to-day carries us back to the persecutions under the Roman Emperors. It was at Camerino, in Italy, that he bore his testimony to the true faith; and the devotion wherewith he is honoured by the people of those parts has caused his feast to be kept throughout the Church. Let us, therefore, joyfully welcome this new champion, who fought so bravely for our Emmanuel. Let us congratulate him upon his having the privilege of suffering martyrdom during the Paschal season, all radiant as it is with the grand victory won by life over death.

The account given by the Liturgy of St Venantius is a tissue of miracles. The omnipotence of God seemed, on this and many other like occasions, to resist the cruelty of the executioners in order to glorify the martyr.It served also as a means of converting the bystanders, who, on witnessing these almost lavish miracles, were frequently heard to exclaim, that they too wished to be Christians, and embrace a religion which was not only honoured by the superhuman patience of its martyrs, but was so visibly protected and favoured by heaven.

Venantius Camers, quindecim annos natus quum Christianae religionis accusaretur apud Antiochum, qui sub Decio Imperatore Camerino praeerat, in porta civitatis prœsidi se obtulit, quem ille pollicitationibus ac terroribus diu tentatum flagris caedi et vinculis adstringi jussit. Sed iis mirabiliter ab angelo solutus lampadibus postea aduritur, atque inverso ore fumo supposito suspenditur. Ejus constantiam in tormentis demiratus Anastasius cornicularius, et quod eum ab angelo iterum solutum candida veste supra fumum ambulantem vidisset, in Christum credidit, et a beato Porphyrio presbytero cum familia baptizatus, paulo post martyrii palmam cum eodem promeruit.

At Venantius præsidi sistitur, et ab eo iterum frustra tentatus ut Christi fidem desereret, in carcerem conjicitur, quo Attalus prœco mittitur, qui ei dicat se quoque Christianum fuisse, et ei nomini propterea renuntiasse, quod cognovisset inane esse fidei commentum, quo Christiani praesentibus se abdicant ob vanam futurorum spem. Verum nobilis Christi athleta callidi hostis insidias non ignorans, diaboli ministrum a se penitus rejecit: quare ad Præsidem iterum adducto omnes contusi sunt dentes, maxillaeque confractae, atque ita caesus in sterquilinium dejicitur. Sed inde ab angelo quoque ereptus rursus stetit ante judicem, qui Venantio adhuc loquente, e tribunali cecidit, et in ea voce: Verus est Venantii Deus, nostros deos destruite, exclamans exspiravit.

Quod quum præsidi nuntiatum esset, extemplo Venantium leonibus objici jussit, qui naturali feritate omissa, ad ejus se pedes abjecerunt; interim ille populum Christi fidem edocebat: quare inde amotus iterum in carcerem truditur. Quumque postridie præsidi referret Porphyrius, se per visum noctu populos quos Venantius aqua tingebat clarissima luce fulgentes, ipsum vero præsidem obscurissima caligine opertum vidisset, præses ira incensus eum illico capite plecti imperat; deinde Venantium per loca vepribus et carduis consita trahi usque ad vesperam. Is cum semianimis relictus esset, mane se iterum præsidi præsentavit, cujus jussu statim e rupe praecipitatur; sed inde etiam divinitus ereptus, denuo per loca aspera ad mille passus trahitur, ubi militibus siti aestuantibus, in proxima convalle ex lapide, in quo et genuum formam reliquit, sicut etiam nunc in ejus ecclesia videre licet, crucis signo a Venantio facto, aquæ manarunt. Eo miraculo plures permoti in Christum crediderunt, quos omnes praeses eo loco una cum Venantio capite feriri jussit. Fulgura et terrœaemotus eo tempore ita magni fuere, ut præses aufugeret; qui paucis tamen post diebus divinam haud valens effugere justitiam, turpissimam mortem oppetiit. Christiani interim Venantii et aliorum corpora honorifico loco sepelierunt, quæ Camerini in ecclesia Venantio dicata condita adhuc sunt.

Venantius, who was born at Camerino, was but fifteen years of age when he was accused of being a Christian, and arraigned before Antiochus, the governor of the city, in the reign of the Emperor Decius. He presented himself to the governor at the city gate, where, after being long and uselessly coaxed and threatened, he was scourged and condemned to be chained. But he was miraculously released by an angel, and was then burned with torches, and hung, with his head downwards, over a fire, that he might be suffocated by the smoke. One of the officials, Anastasius by name, having noticed the courage wherewith he suffered his torments, and having also seen an angel in a white robe walking above the smoke, and again liberating Venantius, believed in Christ, and together with his family was baptized by the priest Porphyrius, with whom he afterwards merited to receive the palm of martyrdom.

Venantius was again brought before the governor; and being solicited, though to no purpose, to give up his faith, was thrown into prison. A herald named Attalus was sent hither, to tell him that he also had once been a Christian, but had renounced his religion on discovering that it was false, and that Christians were duped into giving up the good things of the present by the vain hope of what was to follow in the next life. But the high-minded soldier of Christ, knowing well the snares of our crafty enemy the devil, utterly spurned his minister from his presence. Whereupon he was again led before the governor, and all his teeth were beaten out and his jaws broken; after which, he was thrown into a dung-pit. But, being delivered thence also by an angel, he again stood before the judge, who, whilst Venantius was addressing him, fell from the judgementseat, and died exclaiming: ‘The God of Venantius is the true one! destroy our gods!'

When this was made known to the governor, he immediately ordered Venantius to be exposed to the lions: but those animals, forgetting their own savage nature, threw themselves at his feet. The Saint, meanwhile, instructed the people in the Christian faith, and was therefore removed and again thrown into prison. On the following day Porphyrius told the governor that he had had a vision during the night, and that he saw that those who were bathed with water by Venantius were brilliant with a splendid light, but that the governor was covered with a thick darkness. This so irritated the governor, that he immediately ordered Porphyrius to be beheaded, and Venantius to be dragged, until evening, over land covered with thorns and thistles. He was left there half dead; but he again presented himself in the morning to the governor, who at once condemned him to be cast headlong from a rock. Again, however, he was miraculously preserved in his fall, and was once more dragged for a mile over rough places. Seeing that the soldiers were tormented with thirst, Venantius made the sign of the cross, and water flowed from a rock in a neighbouring dell; on which rock Venantius left the impress of his knees, as may still be seen in the church which is dedicated to him. Many were moved by that miracle to believe in Christ, and were all beheaded, together with Venantius, on that very spot, by the governor’s orders. So awful were the lightnings and earthquakes which followed the execution, that the governor took to flight. But he was not able to escape divine justice; and, a few days after, met with a most humiliating death. Meanwhile the Christians gave honourable burial to the bodies of all these martyrs, and they now repose in the church which was dedicated to Venantius in the town of Camerino.

Dear youthful martyr, loved of the angels, and aided by them in thy combat! pray for us. Like thyself, we too are soldiers of the Risen Jesus, and must give testimony before the world to the divinity and the rights of our King. The world has not always in its hands those material instruments of torture, such as it made thee feel; but it is always fearful in its power of seducing souls. It would rob us also of that new life which Jesus has imparted to us and to all them that are his members: holy martyr, protect us under these attacks! Thou hadst partaken, during the days of thy last Easter, of the divine Flesh of the Paschal Lamb, and thy courage in martyrdom redounded to the glory of this heavenly nourishment. We also have been guests at the same holy Table; we also have partaken of the Paschal banquet. Like thee, we have known of our Lord in the breaking of bread:[1] obtain for us the appreciation of the divine mystery, of which we received the first fruits at Bethlehem, and which has been gradually developed within our souls, as well as before our eyes, by the merits of the Passion and Resurrection of our Emmanuel. We are now, at this very time, preparing to receive the plenitude of the divine gift of the Incarnation. Pray for us, O holy martyr, that our hearts may more than ever fervently welcome and faithfully preserve the rich treasures which are about to be offered us by the sublime mysteries of the Ascension and Pentecost.


[1] St Luke xxiv 35.

 

From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.

THE Seraph of Assisi was sure to depute some of his children to pay their court to his Risen Master. The one he sends to-day is the humblest and most obscure of men; another will follow, three days hence, powerful in word and work, and holding a palm in his hands, as a most devoted preacher of the Gospel. Paschal Baylon was a simple peasant. He was a shepherd-boy; and it was in tending his flock that he found the Lord Jesus. He had a great love for contemplation. Forests and fields spoke to him of their great Creator; and, in order that he might be the more closely united with him, he resolved to seek him in the highest paths of perfection. He was ambitious to imitate the humble, poor and suffering life of the ManGod; the Franciscan Cloister offered him the opportunity of satisfying this desire and he flew to it. On that blessed soil, he grew to be one of heaven's choicest plants, and the whole earth has now heard the name of the humble lay-brother of a little convent in Spain. Holy Church brings him before us to-day enraptured in the contemplation of Jesus' Resurrection. He had trod the path of humiliation and the cross; it was but just that he should share in his Master's triumph. It was of him, and of such as he, that this divine Saviour spoke, when he said: Ye are they that have continued with me in my temptations; and I dispose to youas my Father hath disposed to me, a kingdom; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and may sit upon thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.[1]

The account given by the Liturgy of the angelic life of this illustrious son of St Francis is as follows:

Paschalis Baylon, pauperibus piisque parentibus in oppido Turris Formosæ Seguntinæ Dioecesis in Aragonia natus, a teneris annis plura dedit futurae sanctitatis indicia. Sortitus animam bonam, ac rerum coelestium apprime studiosam, pueritiam atque adolescentiam in gregis custodia transegit; quam ille vivendi rationem ideo praecipue diligebat, quod humilitati fovendae, ac innocentiae conservandae imprimis utilem atque opportunam judicaret. Erat in victu modicus, in oratione assiduus, tantaque apud coaevos et socios florebat auctoritate et gratia, ut eorum lites componens, errores corrigens, ignorantiam erudiens, ac desidiam excitans, velut omnium parens, et magister maximo studio coleretur ac amaretur: Beatus etiam tum a plerisque appellatus.

Qui vero in saeculo, terra nempe deserta et inaquosa, adeo feliciter adoleverat, flos convallium, plantatus in domo Domini, mirum ubique sparsit sanctitatis odorem. Igitur Paschalis arrepto vitæ severioris instituto, atque in ordine Minorum strictioris observantiae discalceatorum cooptatus, exsultavit ut gigas ad currendam viam suam, totumque se Domino excolendum tradens, dies noctesque cogitabat, qua se ratione magis ei magisque conformaret. Ita factum est brevi, ut eum tanquam seraphicæ perfectionis exemplar, ipsi quoque provectiores imitandum sibi proponerent. Ipse autem in humili servientium gradu constitutus, se velut omnium peripsema reputans, ardua quæque et abjecta domus ministeria veluti jure quodam peculiari sibi debita summa cum hilaritate suscipiebat et exercebat, humilitate ac patientia pari. Carnem spiritui quandoque reluctari nitentem jugi maceratione afflictavit, atque in servitutem redegit; spiritum vero assidua sui abnegatione ferventiorem in dies ad anteriora extendebat.

Deiparam Virginem, cujus clientelae se ab ineunte aetate dicaverat, tanquam matrem quotidianis colebat obsequiis, atque filiali exorabat fiducia. Porro erga sanctissimum Eucharistiae Sacramentum difficile dictu est quam ardenti teneretur devotionis affectu: quem defunctus etiam in cadavere retinere visus est, dum jacens in feretro, ad sacrae Hostiae elevationem bis oculos reseravit et clausit, magna omnium qui aderant admiratione. Ejusdem veritatem inter haereticos publice palamque professus, multa et gravia ob eam causam perpessus est; crebro etiam ad necem petitus, sed singulari Dei providentia impiorum manibus ereptus. Saepe inter orandum omnibus destituebatur sensibus, dulcique languebat amoris deliquio; quo tempore coelestem illam scientiam hausisse creditus est, qua homo rudis et illitteratus, de mysteriis Fidei difficillimis respondere, atque aliquot etiam libros conscribere potuit. Denique meritis plenus, eadem qua prœdixerat hora, feliciter migravit ad Dominum, anno salutis millesimo quingentesimo nonagesimo secundo, sexto decimo kalendas Junii, eodem quo natus fuerat, Festo Pentecostes recurrente, annum agens secundum supra quinquagesimum. Quibus, aliisque virtutibus insignem, ac miraculis tam in vita quam post mortem clarum, Paulus Quintus Pontifex Maximus illum Beatum appellavit: Alexander autem Octavus Sanctorum catalogo adscripsit. Tandem Leo decimus tertius peculiarem coetuum eucharisticorum, item societatum omnium a sanctissima Eucharistia, sive quæ hactenus institutae, sive quœ in posterum futurae sunt, Patronum caelestem declaravit et constituit.

Paschal Baylon was bom of poor and pious parents, at TorreHermosa, a small town of the diocese of Siguenza, in Aragon. Even from his infancy he gave many signs of future sanctity. He was endowed with a good disposition, and had a great love for the contemplation of heavenly things. He passed the years of boyhood and youth in tending flocks. He loved this kind of life more than any other, because it seemed to him the best for fostering humility and preserving innocence. He was temperate in his food, and assiduous in prayer. He had such influence over his acquaintance and companions, and was so dear to them, that he used to settle their disputes, correct their faults, instruct their ignorance and keep them out of idleness. He was honoured and loved by them as their father and master; and even then was often called the blessed Paschal.

Thus did this flower of the valley bloom in the world, that desert and parched land; but once planted in the house of the Lord, he shed everywhere around him a wondrous odour of sanctity. Having embraced the severest sort of life by entering the Order of the Discalced Friars Minor of strict observance, Paschal rejoiced as a giant to run his way. Devoting himself wholly to the service of his God, his one thought both day and night was how he could further imitate his divine Master. His brethren, even they that were most advanced, soon began to look upon him as a model of seraphic perfection. As for him, he put himself in the grade of the lay-brothers. Looking on himself as the off-scouring of all, he cheerfully took on himself with humility and patience the most tiring and menial work of the house, which work he used to say belonged to him by a special right. He mortified and subdued his flesh, which at times would strive to rebel against the spirit. He maintained the fervour of his spirit by assiduous self-denial, and daily stretched himself forward to the things that were more perfect.

He had consecrated himself from his earliest years to the Blessed Virgin; he honoured her as his Mother by daily devotions, and prayed to her with filial confidence. It would be difficult to describe the ardour of his devotion to the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. Even after his death, this devotion seemed to linger in his body; for when laid in his coffin, his eyes were seen to open and shut twice during the elevation of the sacred Host, to the astonishment of all that were present. He publicly and openly professed before heretics his faith in the dogma of the Real Presence, and had much to suffer on that account. His life was frequently attempted; but, by a special providence of God, he was rescued from the hands of the wicked men who sought to kill him. Frequently, when at prayer, he was rapt in ecstasy, and swooned away with the sweetness of love. It was on these occasions that he was supposed to receive the heavenly wisdom whereby he, though uneducated and illiterate, was enabled to give answers upon the profoundest mysteries of faith, and even write several books. Finally, rich in merit, he happily took his flight to heaven, at the hour which he had foretold, in the year of our Lord 1592, on the sixteenth of the Kalends of June (May 17), and on the Feast of Pentecost, the same on which he was born, being in his fifty-second year. These and other virtues procured him a great reputation, and as he was celebrated for miracles both before and after his death, he was beatified by Pope Paul the Fifth, and canonized by Alexander the Eighth. Lastly, Leo XIII declared and appointed him the special patron in heaven of Eucharistic conferences, and of all sodalities of the Holy Eucharist now existing or to be instituted in the future.

 


Heaven opened to receive thee, O Paschal! Even when here below, the fervour of thy contemplation often gave thee a foretaste of the delights of eternal bliss; but now every veil is drawn aside, and thou art face to face with him whom thou didst so ardently desire to possess. Thou hast no further need to unite thyself with him by humiliation and suffering; thou enjoyest his own glory, his own happiness, his own triumph, and he will have thee enjoy it for all eternity. Deign to cast an eye of pity on us, who have not thy eagerness to walk in our Redeemer’s footsteps, and who, as yet, have but the hope of being united to him for eternity. Gain for us courage. Gain for us that love which leads straight to Jesus, which surmounts every obstacle of flesh and blood, and gives to man an admirable resemblance to his divine Model. The pledge of this happy transformation has been given to us by our being permitted to partake of the Paschal Mystery; may it be perfected by our fidelity in keeping close to our divine conqueror and Lord! Though he leave us some time further in this vale of tears, his eye is ever upon us, he longs to see us persevere in our loyalty to him. Yet a little while, and we shall see him! Behold! says he, I come quickly; hold fast that which thou hast. Behold! I stand at the gate and knock. If any man shall hear my voice, and open to me the doorI will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.[2] Thus will the Pasch of time be changed into the Pasch of eternity. Pray for us, O Paschal, that like thee, we may hold fast that which, by the grace of our Risen Jesus, we already possess.


[1] St Luke xxii 28, 29, 30.
[2] Apoc. iii 11, 20.

 

 

From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.

TO the martyrs who were slain because they refused to adore false gods—to the martyrs whose blood was shed by heretics—there is added to-day another brave soldier of Christ, who won his crown in a very different sort of combat. The sacrament of Penance whereby sinners regain the heaven they had lost claims John Nepomucen as its glorious defender.

A holy secrecy shrouds the reconciliation made between God and the penitent. This sacramental secrecy deserved to have its martyr. When Jesus instituted the sacrament of Penance—that second baptism, wherein the Blood of our Redeemer washes away the sins of the Christian soul—he willed that man should not be deterred from confessing his humiliations to his spiritual physician by the fear of their ever being revealed. How many hidden martyrdoms have there not been, during these eighteen hundred years, for the maintenance of this secret, which, whilst it gives security to the penitent, exposes the confessor to obloquy, injustice, and even death! But the martyr we honour to-day was not one of these hidden sufferers. His testimony to the inviolability of the sacramental seal was public; he gave it amidst cruel tortures; it cost him his life.

All praise, then, to the brave and faithful priest! Right worthy was he to hold in his hands the keys that open or shut the gate of heaven! In this great fact of the observance of the seal of confession, on which depends the salvation of millions of souls, we have a permanent miracle. But there was one thing wanting to it—the glory of martyrdom. The holy priest of Prague gave it that glory; and he offers the fair palm to our Risen Jesus, whom we have seen, during these days between his Resurrection and Ascension, mercifully instituting the sacrament of Penance, wherein he communicates to men his own power of forgiving sin.

We subjoin the Lessons approved by the Holy See for the feast of this great martyr:

Joannes Nepomuci Bohemiae oppido, unde Nepomuceni cognomen duxit, a parentibus aetate provectis, non sine futurae sanctitatis praesagio, flammis supra nascentis domum mirabiliter collucentibus, ortus est. Quum infans in gravem morbum incidisset, beatæ Virginis ope, cui natum parentes referebant acceptum, e vitæ periculo evasit incolumis. Egregia indole, piaque institutione coelestibus indiciis Obsequente, inter sanctas religiosasque exercitationes pueritiam egit: nam ecclesiam frequenter adire, ac sacerdotibus ad aras operantibus ministrare in deliciis habebat. Zatecii politioribus litteris ad humanitatem informatus, Pragœ vero gravioribus disciplinis excultus, philosophiae, theologiae, sacrorumque canonum magisterium et lauream emeruit. Sacerdotio initiatus atque a scientia sanctorum ad lucra animarum rite comparatus, ministerio verbi Dei se penitus addixit. Quum igitur in vitiis exstirpandis, et revocandis in viam salutis errantibus, eloquentia et pietate uberes ederet fructus, inter canonicos metropolitanae Ecclesiae Pragensis cooptatus, mox sibi demandatam Evangelii coram rege Wenceslao Quarto praedicandi provinciam suscepit, eo successu ut Joannis suasu multa rex faceret, magnoque in honore ejus virtues haberet. Conspicuas tamen, quas ille obtulit, dignitates Dei servus, ne a divini verbi praeconio avocaretur, constantissime recusavit.

Regiis illum eleemosynis in pauperes erogandis praefectum, Joanna regina conscientiae sibi moderatorem adscivit. Quum autem Wenceslaus ab officio institutoque decessisset, atque in vitia praeceps abriperetur, piae vero conjugis obtestationes et monita gravate ferret, contendere ausus est ut in sacramentali judicio sacerdoti credita reginae arcana sibi a Joanne panderentur. At Dei minister, blanditiis primum, tormentis deinde et carceris squalore tentatus, nefariae regis cupiditati fortiter obstitit. Furentem tamen Wenceslai animum quum ab execrando proposito nec humana nec divina jura deterrerent, supremum agonem, quem instare sibi athleta Christi noverat, populo in concione de impendentibus etiam regni calamitatibus admonito, non obscure praenuntiavit. Mox Boleslaviam profectus, ad beatæ Virginis imaginem antiquo cultu celebrem, cœleste praesidium ad certandum bonum certamen effusis precibus imploravit. Inde vespere revertentem in pervigilio Dominicae Ascensionis, rex e fenestra conspicatus arcessit; quumque vehementius urgeret, et proximam in aquis, si obluctari pergeret, submersionem intentaret, Joannes invicta constantia terrores minasque refutavit. Itaque, regis imperio, in Moldavam, flumen Pragam interfluens, noctu dejectus, illustrem martyrii coronam est consecutus.

Sacrilegum facinus clam patratum et martyris gloriam insigne prodigium divinitus patefecit. Ubi enim exanime corpus secundo flumine vehi cœpit, ardentes faces aquis supernatantes et discurrentes apparuerunt. Quamobrem ex arena postridie mane corpus elatum canonici deinde, regis iram nihil timentes, in metropolitanam ecclesiam solemni pompa intulerunt, et sepulturae mandarunt. Quum autem in dies invicti sacerdotis memoria miraculis et maxima fidelium, eorum praecipue qui fama periclitantur, veneratione cresceret, post annos demum amplius trecentos, in juridica recognitione corporis, quod sub humo tamdiu jacuerat, lingua ejus incorrupta et vivida reperta est: quæ, sexto post anno judicibus a Sede Apostolica delegatis exhibita, novo prodigio repente intumuit, et subobscurum ruborem in purpureum commutavit. His itaque aliisque signis rite probatis, Benedictus Decimus tertius, Pontifex Maximus, die decima nona mensis Martii, anno salutis millesimo septingentesimo vigesimo nono, primum hunc sacramentalis sigilli assertorem, arcani fidem sanguine obsignantem, sanctorum martyrum catalogo adscripsit.

John was born of parents who were advanced in years, at Nepomuk, a town in Bohemia, from which he took the name of Nepomucen. His future sanctity was foretold by the appearance of bright rays miraculously shining over the house wherein he was born. When an infant, he was seized with a dangerous illness; but was delivered from death by the protection of the blessed Virgin, to whom his parents considered themselves indebted for his birth. He was blessed with an excellent disposition, and received a pious training, in keeping with the indications given from heaven. He spent his boyhood in the practice of religious exercises; it was his delight to be frequently in church and serve the priests at Mass. He went through his humanities at Zatek, and the higher studies at Prague, where he took his degrees in Philosophy, Theology, and Canon law. He was ordained priest; and being, by his proficiency in the science of the Saints, well fitted for gaining souls, he devoted himself entirely to preaching the word of God. In consideration of the great fruits produced by his eloquence and piety, which extirpated vice and brought sinners back to the way of salvation, he was made a Canon of the Metropolitan Church of Prague. Being afterwards chosen as preacher to King Wenceslaus the Fourth, he so far succeeded, that the king had a great regard for his virtue, and often followed his advice. He offered him several high dignities; but the saint always refused to accept them, fearing that they would interfere with his preaching the divine word.

He was entrusted w'ith the distribution of the royal alms to the poor, and Queen Jane chose him as her own spiritual director. Wenceslaus, who had given himself up to vices, which disgraced his character both as a king and a Christian, was displeased at the entreaties and counsels of his wife, and even dared to insist on John’s revealing to him the secrets, told to him as priest, by the queen in the sacrament of Penance. The minister of God courageously resisted the king’s impious request, and neither bribes, nor tortures, nor imprisonment, could make him yield. Seeing that the king had reached such a pitch of rage that the laws of neither man nor God made him relent, the soldier of Christ plainly foretold in one of his sermons his own approaching death, and the calamities that were to befall the kingdom. He then set out for Buntzel, where is kept an image of the blessed Virgin that has been venerated for centuries: he there implored heaven in fervent prayer, to grant him the assistance he needed, in order to fight the good fight. As he was returning home, on the evening before the Vigil of the Ascension, the king, who was standing at the palace window, saw him, and sent word that he was to repair to him. The king was more than ever urgent in his demand, and threatened John with immediate drowning, if he continued to refuse compliance. The saint was not to be conquered, and showed the king that he was not afraid of his threats. Wherefore, by the king's orders, he was thrown that same night into the river Moldau, which flows through Prague; and thus obtained the glorious crown of martyrdom.

The sacrilegious crime thus privately committed was miraculously revealed, as was also the great glory of the martyr. For as soon as life was extinct, and the corpse began to float down the stream, flaming torches were seen following it on the surface of the water. The next morning, the Canons went and took the body from the sand on which it lay, and heedless of the king's displeasure, had it carried with much solemnity to the metropolitan Church, and gave it burial. The memory of this courageous priest became most venerable in course of time both through the miracles that were wrought, and through the devotion of the faithful—of those especially whose good name is injured by evil report. After upwards of three hundred years, a juridical examination was made of his body (which, during all the time, had lain under the ground), and his tongue was found to be incorrupt and like that of a living man. Six years later the tongue was shown to judges delegated by the Apostolic See; when, by a fresh miracle, it immediately resumed the fulness of life, and, from being of a brownish colour, became perfectly red. These and other miracles having been authentically proved, he was canonized by Pope Benedict the Thirteenth, on the nineteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord 1729, as the defender of the seal of confession, and the first martyr to shed his blood for the maintenance of its holy secrecy.

How great, O glorious martyr, was the honour reserved for thee by the Son of God, when he chose thee to be the one who was to attest, by laying down his life, the sacredness of the secret which protects the sacrament of Penance! Other priests, as well as thyself, have bravely suffered persecution for the sake of the secrecy of the mystery of reconciliation: but thou wast the one chosen by heaven to give a solemn testimony of priestly discretion. Thy sufferings were known to more than angels: thy martyrdom was a public one, and the faithful honour thy courage as an eloquent proof of how truly our good Shepherd, Jesus, removes every difficulty that could deter the strayed sheep from returning to the fold.

We address ourselves to thee, O holy martyr, on this day of thy triumph and beseech thee to intercede for sinners. Admirable minister of the sacrament of Penance! thou seest how many Christians there are who neglect to avail themselves of the means of salvation prepared for them by our risen Saviour. Instead of laying hold of this ‘second plank after shipwreck,’ they let themselves be carried on to the deep abyss by the tide of their sinful habits. There are thousands who have turned a deaf ear, even this Easter, to the call of Holy Church, who invited them, as an affectionate Mother, to approach the tribunal of mercy and reconciliation. We beseech thee, intercede for these blind, unwary, ungrateful men. Procure for them the grace which will lead them to the feet of the God of mercy, who is ever ready to grant pardon.

There are others, again, who go to Confession, but who have not the dispositions requisite for receiving the grace of the Sacrament—the justification of their souls. Pray also for these, that they may see the danger they thus incur of profaning the Blood of Christ. Obtain for all them who approach the holy tribunal an honest avowal of their sins, and contrition of heart; that thus the life of our Risen Jesus may be imparted to them and that they may never again lose it. By thy powerful intercession, raise up zealous and faithful ministers of this great sacrament of which thou wast the martyr. Draw down the blessing of heaven on their arduous labour: then will the number of the children of God be increased, and the grace of the Holy Ghost triumph in souls that have long been dead in sin.

Cast, too, an eye of compassion on thy fatherland of Bohemia, where there are so many faithful hearts that love and honour thee. Alas! there are tares which disfigure that portion of the Church. The enemy came, not many years after thy glorious martyrdom, and sowed the baneful weeds of heresy in thy native land. The good seed claims thy protection; but take pity also on the cockle, for even it may be turned, by the true faith, into wheat, and be garnered into the house of our heavenly Father. Secure peace to thy Bohemia and save her from the snares that are laid for her.

 

From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.

IN order to honour her eternal High Priest, the Church presents to him this day the merits of a pontiff who, after his mortal career, was admitted into a happy immortality. Ubaldus, here on earth, was the image of our Lord Jesus Christ. Like his divine Master, he received the holy anointing of priesthood; he was a mediator between God and man; he was the shepherd of a flock; and now he is united with our Risen Jesus, the great Anointed, the Mediator, the Shepherd. In proof of his influence in heaven, Ubaldus has had given to him a special power against the wicked spirits who lay snares for our perdition. It has frequently happened that the simple invocation of his name has sufficed to foil their machinations. The Church has fixed this day as his feast with the view of encouraging the faithful to have recourse to his protection.

Let us now read the account she gives of the virtues of the saintly bishop:

Ubaldus, Eugubii in Umbria nobili genere natus, a primis annis pietate et litteris egregie est institutus. Jamque adolescens, ut uxorem duceret saepe tenta tus, nunquam tamen a proposito servandae virginitatis recessit. Sacerdos effectus, patrimonium suum pauperibus et Ecclesiis distribuit, et Canonicorum Regularium Ordinis sancti Augustini institutum suscipiens, illud in patriam transtulit, atque in eo aliquandiu sanctissime vixit. Cujus sanctitatis opinione evulgata, ab Honorio Secundo summo Pontifice Ecclesiae Eugubinæ invitus praeficitur, et Episcopalis consecrationis munere decoratur.

Ad suam itaque revertens Ecclesiam, quum de consueta vivendi ratione nihil admodum immutasset, in omni tamen virtutum genere eo magis eminere coepit, quo efficacius aliorum etiam salutem verbo et exemplo procuraret, factus forma gregis ex animo. Nam victu-parco, vestitu moderato, lectulo aspero et pauperrimo, crucis mortificationem jugiter in suo corpore circumferebat, dum inexplebili orationis studio spiritum quotidie recrearet. Hinc admirabilem illam mansuetudinem est adeptus, qua gravissimas injurias et contumelias non modo aequanimiter tulit, verum etiam mirifico dilectionis affectu persecutores suos omni benignitatis testimonio complectebatur.

Biennio antequam ex hac vita migraret, quum diutinis afflictaretur infirmitatibus, inter acerbissimos corporis cruciatus, velut aurum in fornace purgatum, Deo gratias indesinenter agebat. Adveniente autem sacro Pentecostes die, quum multis annis Ecclesiam sibi commissam summa cum laude gubernasset, sanctis operibus ac miraculis clarus, quievit in pace: quem Cœlestinus Papa Tertius in Sanctorum numerum retulit. Ejus virtus prœcipue in effugandis spiritibus immundis elucet. Corpus vero per tot saecula incorruptum magna fidelium veneratione in patria colitur, quam non semel a praesenti discrimine liberavit.

Ubaldus was born at Gubbio in Umbria, of a noble family. He was from childhood formed in the most admirable way to piety and learning. When grown up, he was frequently urged to marry; but nothing could shake his resolution of leading a life of celibacy. On being ordained priest, he divided his fortune between the poor and the Churches, and entered among the Canons Regular of the Order of St Augustine. He established that Institute in his own country, and was for some time a most fervent observer of all its regulations. The fame of his virtue spread far and wide. Pope Honorius the Second compelled him to accept the charge of the Church of Gubbio; and, accordingly, he was consecrated bishop.

When he took possession of his see, he changed little or nothing of his mode of life; but he began to apply himself more than ever to the practice of every virtue, in order that he might the more effectually, both by word and example, procure the salvation of souls, for he was a pattern of the flock in all earnestness. His food was scanty, his dress unpretending, his bed hard and most poor. Whilst always bearing about in his body the mortification of the Cross, he refreshed his spirit every day with prayer, in which he seemed insatiable. The result of such a life was a meekness so admirable that he not only bore the worst injuries and insults with patience, but even treated his persecutors with surprising affection and showed them all possible kindness.

During the last two years of his life he suffered much from sickness. In the midst of the most acute pains, whereby he was made pure as gold that is cleansed in the furnace, he ceased not to give thanks to God. Finally, on the holy feast of Pentecost, after governing for many years and in a most laudable manner the diocese that had been entrusted to him, he slept in peace, venerated for his holy life and miracles. He was canonized by Pope Celestine the Third. God has given him a special power for driving away unclean spirits. His body, which has remained incorrupt for several centuries, is honoured with much devotion by the faithful of the city of Gubbio, which he has more than once rescued from the calamities that threatened it.

O blessed Pontiff! be thou our protector against the spirits of hell. They are devoured by envy at seeing how man, that lowly and feeble creature, has become the object of God’s predilection. The incarnation of the Son of God, his death on the cross, his glorious resurrection, the sacraments which give us the life of Grace—all these sublime means, whereby the infinite goodness of God has restored us to our lost dignity,have excited the rage of the old enemy, and he seeks revenge by insulting, in us, the image of our Creator. At times he attacks man with all the frenzy of angry jealousy. To mimic the operations of sanctifying grace, which, so to speak, makes us the instruments of God’s good pleasure, Satan sometimes takes possession of our fellow-creatures, and makes them his slaves. Thy power, O Ubaldus, has often manifested itself by rescuing these unhappy victims of the devil’s jealousy; and Holy Church, on this day, celebrates the special prerogative conferred on thee by our heavenly Father. Relent not in the exercise of thy charitable office. And yet, O holy Pontiff, thou knowest that the snares of the wicked spirits are more inj urious to the souls than to the bodies of men. Have pity, then, on the unhappy slaves of sin, who, though the divine Sun of the Pasch has risen upon them, are still in the darkness of guilt. Pray for them, that they may become once more children of the light, and share in the Easter Resurrection which Jesus offers to all.