July
30
St. Peter
Chrysologus
(406-450? A.D.)
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.
Story:
Eutyches, the leader of the heresy denying the humanity of Christ, sought
support from church leaders, Peter Chrysologus among them, after his
condemnation in ad 448. Peter frankly told him: “In the interest of peace
and the faith, we cannot judge in matters of faith without the consent of
the Roman bishop.” He further exhorted Eutyches to accept the mystery of the
Incarnation in simple faith. Peter reminded him that if the peace of the
church causes joy in heaven, then divisions must give birth to grief.
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.