What Does The Prayer Really Say?
W D T P R S

I read this morning in the 2004 Martyrologium Romanum (p. 372) that today is the anniversary of the death of St. Thomas More, whose feast is celebrated together with St. John Fisher is 22 June.

9. Londini in Anglia, passio sancti Thomae More, qui die vigesima secunda iunii una cum sancto Ioanne Fisher commemoratur.

Today on the calendar published by the Vatican we find that it is not only the feast day of St. Mary Goretti, it is also the feast “Omnium Sanctorum Romanorum Pontificum… Of all the Holy Roman Pontiffs”.   This feast is celebrated in the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican.

The following is taken from a book probably not on your bookshelf or at your religious goods store … the Proprium Missarum ad usum Sacrosanctae Patriarchalis Basilicae Vaticanae ... Proper of Masses for use at the Most Holy Patriarchal Vatican Basilica” for 6 July:

COLLECT:
Deus, qui mirabili providentia disposuisti
ut plurimi Summi Pontifices,
fide clari et sollicitudine pleni,
martyres ac doctores
in Ecclesia sancta fierent,
eorum intercessione concede
populum tuum tales habere pastores,
qui ipsorum magisterio obsequentem
ad vitam perducant aeternam.

LITERAL VERSION:
O God, who by a wondrous providence determined
that in the Holy Church many Supreme Pontiffs,
distinguished for their faith and filled with diligent care,
would become martyrs and teachers,
by their intercession grant
that Your people have the kind of shepherds
who may guide the people, obedient to their Magisterium,
unto life eternal.

The prayer singles out a characteristic of the early Popes, martyrdom, and a characteristic of all the popes: teaching.  Often we think in terms of martyrs and confessors, but here we have martyrs and doctors.   Doctores here is not being used so much in the technical sense of "Doctor of the Church", but rather in the sense that all the Pontiffs have Christ’s authority to teach as well as to govern and sanctify.

Another point not to be missed is that the Pope is described as a shepherd who leads.  Thus, those who are led are like sheep.  They must be obedient and not rebellious subjects.  Obedience is necessary not only for the good sake of the individual, but also for the collective flock.  If an individual sheep leaves the flock, he endangers himself.  However, he also endangers others.  By straying he constrains the shepherd to leave the "99" and go in search of the one who is lost.  Thus, the "99" are exposed to dangers in the absence of the shepherd.

When our shepherds are constantly constrained to deal with the problems created by dissenters, they have less time for the more positive dimension of their ministry.

Always examine your conscience under the light of charity.

Attention patristibloggers!  

St. John Chrysostom has a nice riff on Christ healing the paralytic taken from today’s Gospel reading for Holy Mass in the Novus Ordo (Matthew 9:1-8):

Only God could know what is in another’s mind.  That Jesus has this knowledge is attested from many evidences.  Jesus shows here that he is truly God and equal to the One by whom he is begotten.  He does this by revealing and making clear to them what they were thinking.  Indeed, some were debating within themselves the very issue of whether Jesus is nothing less than God.  But because they were afraid of the crowd, they did not dare to bring their opinion out into the open.  He revealed their thoughts while showing great restraint when he said, “Why do you ponder evil thoughts in your hearts?”

And surely if there was any cause to be annoyed it would have been felt by the suffering paralytic, because it seemed that he had been almost completely bypassed.  Imagine him complaining, as if he were thinking: “I came to receive healing, but now you are talking about my sins being forgiven.  How do you know this?  Why do you change the subject?”  But in fact the paralytic now says nothing of the sort.  Rather, he gives himself over to the authority of the One who heals.

But those who are malicious and all too full of themselves are always plotting against the good works of others.  Therefore he chides them but does so in all fairness, as if to say, “For if you disbelieved in my first statement and thought that it was boasting, consider that I am adding something else to it: the revelation of your secrets.  (Homily of Matthew 29.2 in NPNF 1 10:196-97)