📜Saint Damasus I, of Hispanic origin, governed the Church in a time of great turmoil, marked by schisms and heresies, especially Arianism. Elected in 366, his pontificate was contested by the antipope Ursinus, leading to conflicts in Rome. However, Damasus stood out as a vigorous defender of orthodoxy and the primacy of the Apostolic See. He convened synods to condemn heresies such as Apollinarianism and Macedonianism, affirming the correct doctrine on the Trinity and the Incarnation. His most lasting contribution was commissioning Saint Jerome with the monumental task of translating the Holy Scriptures into Latin from the original Hebrew and Greek, resulting in the celebrated Vulgate, which became the official version of the Bible in the Latin Church for centuries. Furthermore, he showed great zeal for the memory of the martyrs, restoring the catacombs and composing beautiful verse epitaphs for their tombs, reinforcing the cult of the saints. He died in 384, leaving a legacy of doctrinal firmness, ecclesiastical organization, and love for the Word of God and the tradition of the martyrs.
📖Epistle (I Pt 5:1-4, 10-11)
Dearly beloved: The ancients therefore that are among you, I beseech, who am myself also an ancient, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ: as also a partaker of that glory which is to be revealed in time to come: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking care of it, not by constraint, but willingly, according to God: not for filthy lucre's sake, but voluntarily: Neither as lording it over the clergy, but being made a pattern of the flock from the heart. And when the prince of pastors shall appear, you shall receive a never failing crown of glory. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little, will himself perfect you, and confirm you, and establish you. To him be glory and empire for ever and ever. Amen.
✝️Gospel (Mt 16:13-19)
At that time, Jesus came into the quarters of Caesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is? But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.
🪨The Rock of Peter and the Zeal of the Shepherd
🔥Today's liturgy weaves a sublime tapestry on the mystery of the Papacy, connecting its divine institution, its pastoral mission, and its historical personification in Saint Damasus I. The Gospel of Matthew transports us to the foundational moment at Caesarea Philippi, where Peter's profession of faith—"Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God"—is not a mere product of human reason, but a divine revelation. In response, Christ not only praises the faith but establishes the office: "thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church." Saint Augustine deepens this reality by explaining that the rock is both the person of Peter, the first to whom leadership is conferred, and the faith he professed on behalf of all. "Upon this rock which you have confessed... upon this rock which you have recognized, saying, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,' upon this rock I will build my Church" (St. Augustine, Sermon 295, 1). It is on this visible foundation, the Pope, that the Church stands united and firm against the "gates of hell." The Epistle, written by Saint Peter himself, serves as the instruction manual for this sacred office, exhorting pastors to care for the flock "not by constraint, but willingly," being "patterns" and not "lording it over" them. Saint Damasus perfectly embodied this dual aspect: with the authority of the keys, he defended the rock of faith against heresies and, at the same time, fed the flock by giving them the treasure of the Vulgate, the bread of the Word of God in an accessible language. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reaffirms that the Pope is the "perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful" (CCC 882), a role that Saint Damasus exercised with apostolic zeal, consolidating the Church amidst the storms of his time and preparing it to receive the "unfading crown of glory."
✍️See English version of the critical articles here.
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