SAINT PIUS THE FIFTH, POPE
Liturgical Year
Dom Guéranger
We
have already met with the names of several Pontiffs on the Paschal Calendar.
They form a brilliant constellation around our Risen Jesus, who, during the
period between his Resurrection and Ascension, gave to Peter, their
predecessor, the Keys of the kingdom of heaven. Anicetus, Soter, Caius, Cletus
and Marcellinus, held in their hands the palm of martyrdom; Leo was the only
one that did not shed his blood in the cause of his Divine Master. Today, there
comes before us a holy Pope, who governed the Church in these latter times; he
is worthy to stand amidst the Easter group of Pontiffs. Like Leo, Pius the
Fifth was zealous in combating heresy; like Leo, he saved his people from the
Barbarian yoke.
The whole life of Pius the Fifth was a
combat. His Pontificate fell during those troubled times, when Protestantism
was leading whole countries into apostasy. Italy was not a prey that could be
taken by violence: artifice was therefore used, in order to undermine the
Apostolic See, and thus envelope the whole Christian world in the darkness of
heresy. Pius, with untiring devotedness, defended the Peninsula from the danger
that threatened her. Even before he was raised to the Papal Throne, he
frequently exposed his life by his zeal in opposing the preaching of false
doctrines.
Like Peter the Martyr, he braved every danger, and was the dread of the
emissaries of heresy. Placed upon the Chair of Peter, he kept the innovators in
check by fear, he roused the sovereigns of Italy to energy, and, by measures of
moderate severity, he drove back beyond the Alps the torrent, that would have
swept Christianity from Europe, had not the Southern States thus opposed it.
From that time forward, Protestantism has never made any further progress: it
has been wearing itself out by intestine anarchy of doctrines. We repeat it:
this heresy would have laid all Europe waste, had it not been for the vigilance
of the Pastor, who animated the defenders of Truth to resist it where it
already existed, and who set himself as a wall of brass against its invasion in
the country where he himself was the Master.
Another enemy, taking advantage of the confusion caused in the West by
Protestantism, organized an expedition against Europe. Italy was to be its
first prey. The Ottoman fleet started from the Bosphorus. Here again, there would
have been the ruin of Christendom, but for the energy of the Roman Pontiff, our
Saint. He gave the alarm, and called the Christian Princes to arms. Germany and
France, torn by domestic factions that had been caused by heresy, turned a deaf
ear to the call. Spain alone, together with Venice and the little Papal fleet,
answered the Pontiff's summons. The Cross and Crescent were soon face to face
in the Gulf of Lepanto. The prayers of Pius the Fifth decided the victory in
favour of the Christians, whose forces were much inferior to those of the
Turks. We shall have to return to this important event when we come to the
Feast of the Rosary, in October. But we cannot omit mentioning, today, the
prediction uttered by the holy Pope, on the evening of the great day of October
7th, 1571. The battle between the Christian and Turkish fleets lasted from six
o'clock in the morning till late in the afternoon. Towards evening, the Pontiff
suddenly looked up towards heaven, and gazed upon it, in silence, for a few
seconds. Then turning to his attendants, he exclaimed: "Let us give thanks
to God! The Christians have gained the victory!" The news soon arrived at
Rome; and thus, Europe once more owed her salvation to a Pope! The defeat at
Lepanto was a blow to the Ottoman Empire, from which it has never recovered;
its fall dates from that glorious day.
Of the many miracles which attested the
merits of this holy Pontiff, even during his life, we select the two following.
As
he was one day crossing the Vatican piazza, which is on the site of the ancient
Circus of Nero, he was overcome with a sentiment of enthusiasm for the glory
and courage of the Martyrs, who had suffered on that very spot, in the first
Persecution. Stooping down, he took up a handful of dust from the hallowed
ground, which had been trodden by so many generations of the Christian people
since the peace of Constantine. He put the dust into a cloth, which the Ambassador
of Poland, who was with him, held out to receive it. When the Ambassador opened
the cloth, after returning to his house, he found it all saturated with blood,
as fresh as though it had been that moment shed; the dust had disappeared. The
faith of the Pontiff had evoked the blood of the Martyrs, which thus gave
testimony, against the heretics, that the Roman Church, in the 16th Century,
was identically the same as that for which those brave heroes and heroines laid
down their lives in the days of Nero.
The heretics attempted, more than once, to
destroy a life, which baffled all their hopes of perverting the Faith of Italy.
By a base and sacrilegious stratagem, aided as it was by an odious treachery,
they put a deadly poison on the feet of the Crucifix, which the Saint kept in
his Oratory, and which he was frequently seen to kiss with great devotion. In
the fervour of prayer, Pius was about to give this mark of love to the image of
his Crucified Master, when suddenly the feet of the Crucifix detached
themselves from the Cross, and eluded the proffered kiss of the venerable old
man. The Pontiff at once saw through the plot, whereby his enemies would fain
have turned the life-giving Tree into an instrument of death.
In
order to encourage the Faithful to follow the sacred Liturgy, we will select
another interesting example from the life of this great Saint.
When,
lying on his bed of death, and just before breathing his last, he took a
parting look at the Church on earth, which he was leaving for that of Heaven.
He wished to address a final prayer for the Flock which he knew was surrounded
by danger; he therefore recited, but with a voice that was scarcely audible,
the following stanza of the Paschal Hymn. We beseech thee, O Creator of all
things! that, in these days of
Paschal joy, thou defend thy people from every assault of death!
Let us now read the eulogy of this Saintly Pope of modern times,
as given in the Divine Office.
Pius was born at Bosco, a town in Lombardy, though his parents were the
Ghisleri, a noble family at Bologna. He entered the Order of the Friars
Preachers, when he was fourteen years of age. He was remarkable for his
patience, deep humility, great mortifications, love of prayer and religious
discipline, and most ardent zeal for God’s honour. He applied himself to the
study of Philosophy and Theology, and with so much success, that, for many
years, he taught them in a manner that gained him universal praise. He preached
the word of God in many places, and produced much fruit. For a long period, he
held with dauntless courage the office of Inquisitor; and, at the risk of his
life, preserved many cities from the then prevalent heresy.
The Stanza recited by the dying Pontiff, was, in the Breviary of his
time, as follows:
Quaésumus,
Auctor omnium,
In hoc
Paschali gaudio.
Ab omni mortis impetu
Tuum defende
populum.
When the Hymns were
corrected, under the Urban the Eighth, this stanza was totally changed:
Ut sis perenne mentibus.
The Monastic Breviary has retained the original. (Trans.)
Paul the Fourth, who esteemed
and loved him on account of his great virtues, made him bishop of Nepi and
Sutri, and, two years later, numbered him among the Cardinal Priests of the
Roman Church. Having been translated by Pius the Fourth to the Church of
Mendovi, in Piedmont, and finding that many abuses had crept in, he made a
visitation of the whole diocese. Having put all things in order, he returned to
Rome, where he was entrusted with matters of the gravest importance; all of
which he transacted with an apostolic impartiality and firmness. At the death
of Pius the Fourth, he was, contrary to everyone’s expectation, chosen Pope.
With the exception of his outward garb, he changed nothing of his manner of
life. The following are the virtues in which he excelled: unremitting zeal for
the propagation of the Faith, untiring efforts for the restoration of
Ecclesiastical discipline, assiduous vigilance in extirpating error, unfailing
charity in relieving the necessities of the poor, and invincible courage in
vindicating the rights of the Apostolic See.
A powerful fleet having been
equipped, at Lepanto, against Selimus, the emperor of the Turks, who was
flushed with the many victories he had gained, the Pontiff won the battle, not
so much by arms as by prayers. He, by a divine revelation, knew of the victory
the moment it was won, and announced it to his household. Whilst engaged in preparing
a new expedition against the Turks, he fell dangerously ill. He suffered the
most excruciating pains with exceeding great patience. When his last hour
approached, he received the Sacraments, according to the Christian practice,
and most calmly breathed forth his soul into God’s hands in the year 1572, and
in the sixty- eighth year of his age, after a pontificate of six years, three
months, and twenty-four days. His body is honored by the devout veneration of
the Faithful; it lies in the Church of Saint Mary Major. Through his
intercession, many miracles have been wrought by God; which being authentically
proved, he was canonized by Pope Clement the Eleventh.
An illuminated breviary that belonged to Pope St. Pius V
St. Pius is one of the leading glories of the Dominican Order. We find the
following Responsories and Hymns in the Breviary of that Order.
RESPONSORIES
R. Whilst this new Moses was praying to
God on the mount, with hands extended, the perfidious Amalec, Israel's foe, was
put to flight on the gulf of Lepanto, * And the victory was revealed to Pius.
Alleluia.
R. Whilst he stretched forth the rod of
the Rosary, the wicked enemies were drowned in the sea. * And the victory was
revealed to Pius. Alleluia.
R. The white waxen Lambs, that were
blessed by Pius, gave health to the sick: the bullets that were fired, rebounded:
* They that were shot at, escaped injury. Alleluia.
R. They multiplied flour, they quenched
fire, they calmed the sea. * They that were shot at, escaped injury. Alleluia.
R. To show the ancient combats of the
Martyrs of Rome, he works a great miracle: * Before a crowd of people.
Alleluia.
V. He gives to a Christian Ambassador
some dust impregnated with blood, which he took up from the Vatican ground. *
Before a crowd of people. Alleluia.
R. He wished to kiss the feet of Christ
fastened to the Cross; but the feet withdrew, that the life of Christ's dear
servant might be saved: * They were covered with poison, and would not be
kissed. Alleluia.
V. God forbid that I should glory, God
forbid that I should seek to imprint my kisses, save in the Cross of my Lord. *
They were covered with poison, and would not be kissed.
HYMN
Let our sweet organs give forth their glad sound in
honour of blessed Pius! Let the joys of this sacred day dispel all dismal
storms.
His name in baptism was Michael, and he conquered the devil in battle: he took the name of
Pius, and repressed the impious foe.
He was the firm shield against the dangers that at
tacked the Church: he was the strong sword that mowed down the ranks of the
heretics.
He was the zealous Phinees who stood for the defense
of the Holy City, that he might protect the Faithful from the scimitar of the
Turks.
His strenuous care redisciplined morals; and to
impious errors he opposed a barrier of restraint.
Pius had too generous a heart to hide his wealth in a
napkin; he threw open his whole treasury, that he might relieve the necessities
of his people.
Kind father of the poor, with his hands ever pouring
forth charity, he fed and amply he fed and amply provided for his subjects when
suffering famine.
We beseech thee, O Creator of all things! that, in these
days of Paschal joy, thou defend thy people from every assault of death. Amen.
The
following Hymn is placed near the tomb of our Saint, in the Church of Saint
Mary Major, for the use of those who visit his Shrine.
HYMN
The scourge of war is on us, for the worship of God is
despised: the chastisement that avenges guilt is menacing our earth.
In this peril, which of the heavenly citizens can we
invoke in our defense, better than thee, O Pius?
O blessed Pontiff! no mortal ever laboured with such
zealous vigour to prompt God's glory on earth as thou didst; No mortal ever
struggled, as thou didst, to free Christian lands from the yoke which
barbarians were seeking to put upon them. Thy power is greater now that thou
art in heaven: look upon us thy clients! Keep civil discord down, and repel our
enemies.
May thy prayers bring golden Peace upon the earth;
that, being in calm security, we may sing our canticles to God with a gladder
heart.
To thee, O Blessed Trinity, one God, be glory, praise
and power, for ever and ever. Amen.
Pontiff of the living God! Thou wast, whilst on earth,
the pillar of iron and wall of brass, spoken of by the Prophet. Thine
unflinching firmness preserved the flock intrusted to thee from the violence
and snares of its many enemies. Far from desponding at the sight of the
dangers, thy courage redoubled, just as men raise the embankments higher, when
they see the torrent swell. By thee was the spread of Heresy checked; by thee
was the Mussulman invasion repelled, and the haughty Crescent humbled. God
honoured thee, by choosing thee as the avenger of his glory, and the deliverer
of the Christian people: receive our thanks, and the homage of our humble
praise! By thee were repaired the injuries done to the Church during a period
of unusual trial. The true reform, the reform that is wrought by authority, was
vigorously applied by thy strong and holy hand. To thee is due the restoration
of the Divine Service, by the publication of the Books of holy Liturgy. And all
these glorious deeds were done in the six short years of thy laborious
Pontificate!
Hear, now,
the prayers addressed to thee by the Church Militant, whose destinies were once
in thy hands. When dying, thou didst beseech our Risen Jesus to grant her
protection against the dangers which were then threatening her: oh! See the state to which licentious error has now
reduced almost the whole Christian world! The Church has nothing left to her, wherewith to make head against
her countless enemies, save the promises of her Divine Founder; all visible
support is withdrawn from her; she has been deprived of everything except the merit of suffering and the power
of prayer. Unite, O holy Pontiff, thy prayers to hers, and show how
unchanged is thy love of the Flock of Christ. Protect, in Rome, the Chair of
thy Successor, attacked as it now is by open violence and astute hypocrisy.
Princes and Peoples seem to have conspired against God and his Christ: disconcert
the schemes of sacrilegious ambition, and the plots of impiety which would fain
give the lie to the word of God. Avert, by thine intercession, the scourges
which are threatening Europe that has become ungrateful to the Church, and
indifferent to the attempts made against her to whom they owe all they have.
Pray that the blind may see, and the wicked be confounded. Pray that the True
Faith may enlighten those numberless souls that call error truth, and darkness
light. In the midst of this dark and menacing night, thine eyes, O holy
Pontiff, discern them that are the faithful sheep of Christ: bless them, aid
them, and increase their number. Ingraft them to the venerable Tree which dieth
not, that so they may not be drifted by the storm. Get them docility to the
Faith and traditions of holy Church; it is their only stay amidst the tide of
error, which is now threatening to deluge the whole world. Preserve to the
Church the holy Order, in which thou wast trained for the high mission destined
for thee; keep up within her that race of men, powerful in work and word,
zealous for the Faith and sanctification of souls, of which we read in her
Annals, and which has yielded Saints such as thyself. And lastly, O Pius,
remember that thou wast once the Father of the Faithful: oh! Continue to be so,
by thy powerful intercession, till the number of the elect be filled up!
Our Lady of Victory ora pro nobis!
Pope St. Pius V, ora pro nobis!
St. Alexis ora pro nobis!
May the Newchurch of Darkness, with haste leave Rome!
No comments:
Post a Comment