According to the Franciscan Media; A man who vigorously
pursues a goal may produce results far beyond his expectations and his
intentions. Thus it was with Peter of the Golden Words, as he was
called, who as a young man became bishop of Ravenna, the capital of the
empire in the West.
At the time there were abuses and vestiges of paganism evident in his
diocese, and these he was determined to battle and overcome. His
principal weapon was the short sermon, and many of them have come down
to us. They do not contain great originality of thought. They are,
however, full of moral applications, sound in doctrine and historically
significant in that they reveal Christian life in fifth-century Ravenna.
So authentic were the contents of his sermons that, some 13 centuries
later, he was declared a doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIII. He
who had earnestly sought to teach and motivate his own flock was
recognized as a teacher of the universal Church.
In addition to
his zeal in the exercise of his office, Peter Chrysologus was
distinguished by a fierce loyalty to the Church, not only in its
teaching, but in its authority as well. He looked upon learning not as a
mere opportunity but as an obligation for all, both as a development of
God-given faculties and as a solid support for the worship of God.
Some time before his death, St. Peter returned to Imola, his birthplace, where he died around A.D. 450. |
Comment:
Quite likely,
it was St. Peter Chrysologus’s attitude toward learning that gave
substance to his exhortations. Next to virtue, learning, in his view,
was the greatest improver of the human mind and the support of true
religion. Ignorance is not a virtue, nor is anti-intellectualism.
Knowledge is neither more nor less a source of pride than physical,
administrative or financial prowess. To be fully human is to expand our
knowledge—whether sacred or secular—according to our talent and
opportunity. | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment