\nGueranger’s The Liturgical Year<\/span>. Gueranger’s style and examination of Pius is romantic it is nonetheless attentive to some important details (the entire entry from the <\/i>Liturgical Year is not presented here).<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n
We have already met with the names of several The whole life of Pius V was a combat. His pontificate Another enemy, taking advantage of the confusion caused in the West by The zeal of this holy Pope for the reformation of Christian morals, his The heretics attempted more than once to destroy a life which In order to encourage the faithful to follow Pontiff of the living God, thou wast, <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Church observes the liturgical memorial –though it’s an optional one– of the 16th century Dominican pope and saint, Pius V. This towering figure deserves some attention from us today given the various battles we face in the liturgical reform given by Pope Benedict or the persecution of Christians. Much of what we do today … Continue reading Saint Pius V<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[1714],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25532"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25532\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"St](\"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/St%20Pius%20Vb.jpeg\")
\nPontiffs on the Paschal Calendar. They form a brilliant constellation
\naround our Risen Jesus, who, during the period (ed. on the old Tridentine
\ncalendar) between his Resurrection and Ascension, gave to Peter, their
\npredecessor, the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Anicetus, Soter, Caius,
\nCletus and Marcellinus, held in their hands the palm of martyrdom: Leo was the
\nonly one who did not shed his blood in the cause of his divine Master, Today
\nthere comes before us a holy Pope who governed the Church in these latter
\ntimes; he is worthy to stand amidst the Easter group of Pontiffs. Like
\nLeo, Pius V was zealous in combating heresy; Like Leo, he saved his people from
\nthe barbarian yoke.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nfell during those troubled times when Protestantism was leading whole countries
\ninto apostasy. Italy was not a prey that could be taken by violence: artifice
\nwas therefore used, in order to undermine the Apostolic See and thus develop
\nthe whole Christian world into the darkness of heresy. Pius defended the
\nPeninsula with untiring devotedness from the danger that threatened her.
\nEven before he was raised to the Papal Throne he frequently exposed his life by
\nhis zeal in opposing the preaching of false doctrines. Like Peter the Martyr,
\nhe braved every danger and was the dread of the emissaries of heresy. When
\nseated on the Chair of Peter, he kept the innovators in check by fear, roused
\nthe sovereigns of Italy to energy and by measures of moderate severity drove
\nback beyond the Alps the torrent that would have swept Christianity from Europe
\nhad not the Southern States thus opposed it. From that time forward,
\nProtestantism has never made any further progress: it has been wearing itself
\nout by doctrinal anarchy. We repeat it: this heresy would have laid all
\nEurope waste, had it not been for the vigilance of the pastor who animated the
\ndefenders of truth to resist it where it already existed, and who set himself
\nas a wall of brass against its invasion in the country where he himself was the
\nmaster.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nProtestantism, organized an expedition against Europe. Italy was to be its
\nfirst prey. The Ottoman fleet started from the Bosphorus. This again
\nwould have meant the ruin of Christendom but for the energy of the Roman
\nPontiff, our Saint. He gave the alarm, and called the Christian Princes
\nto arms. Germany and France, torn by domestic factions that had been
\ncaused by heresy, turned a deaf ear to the call. Spain alone, together
\nwith Venice and the little Papal fleet, answered the summons of the
\nPontiff. The Cross and Crescent were soon face to face in the Gulf of
\nLepanto. The prayers of Pius V decided the victory in favour of the Christians,
\nwhose forces were much inferior to those of the Turks. We shall return to
\nthis important event when we come to the Feast of the Rosary in October.
\nBut we cannot omit to mention today the prediction uttered by the holy Pope, on
\nthe evening of the great day of October 7, 1571. The battle between the
\nChristian and Turkish fleets lasted from six o’clock in the morning till late
\nin the afternoon. Towards evening, the Pontiff suddenly looked up towards
\nheaven, and gazed upon it in silence for a few seconds. Then turning to
\nhis attendants, he exclaimed: “Let us give thanks to God! The Christians
\nhave gained victory!” The news soon arrived at Rome; and thus, Europe once
\nmore owed her salvation to a Pope! The defeat at Lepanto was a blow from
\nwhich the Ottoman Empire has never recovered: its fall dates from that glorious
\nday.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nestablishment of the observance of the laws of discipline prescribed by the
\nCouncil of Trent and his publication of the new Breviary and Missal have made
\nhis six years’ pontificate to be one of the richest periods of the Church’s
\nhistory. Protestants themselves have frequently expressed their admiration
\nof this vigorous opponent of the so-called Reformation. “I am surprised,” said
\nBacon, “that the Church of Rome has not yet canonized this great man.” Pius
\nV did not receive this honour till about a hundred and thirty years after his
\ndeath; so impartial is the Church, when she has to adjudicate this highest of
\nearthly honours even to her most revered Pastors!<\/span><\/p>\n
\nbaffled all their hopes of perverting the faith of Italy. By a base and
\nsacrilegious stratagem, aided by treachery, they put a deadly poison on the
\nfeet of the crucifix which the Saint kept in his Oratory, and which he was
\nfrequently seen to kiss with great devotion. In the fervour of prayer,
\nPius was about to give his mark of love to the image of his crucified Master,
\nwhen suddenly the feet of the crucifix detached themselves from the Cross and
\neluded the proffered kiss of the venerable old man. The Pontiff at once
\nsaw through the plot whereby his enemies would fain have turned the life-giving
\nTree into an instrument of death.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nthe sacred Liturgy, we will select another interesting example from the life of
\nthe great Saint. When lying on his bed of death, and just before breathing
\nhis last, he took a parting look at the Church on earth, which he was leaving
\nfor that of heaven, he wished to make a final prayer for the flock which he
\nknew was surrounded by danger; he therefore recited, but with a voice that was
\nscarcely audible, the following stanza of the Paschal hymn: “We beseech
\nthee, O Creator of all things that in these days of Paschal joy, thou defend
\nthy people from every assault of death!”<\/span><\/p>\n
\nwhilst on earth, the pillar of iron and wall of brass, spoken of by the prophet
\n(Jer I,18). Thine unflinching firmness preserved the flock entrusted to thee
\nfrom the violence and snares of its many enemies. Far from desponding at
\nthe sight of the dangers thou didst redouble thy courage just as men raise the
\nembankments higher when they see the torrent swell. By thee was the spread of
\nheresy checked; by thee was the Mussulman (i.e., a Muslim) invasion repelled,
\nand the haughty Crescent humbled. God honoured thee by choosing thee as
\nthe avenger of his glory and the deliverer of Christian people: receive our thanks
\nand the homage of our humble praise! By thee were repaired the injuries done to
\nthe Church during a period of unusual trial. The true reform – the reform
\nthat is wrought by authority – was vigorously applied by thy strong and holy
\nhand. To thee is due the restoration of the Divine Service by the
\npublication of the books of holy Liturgy. And all these glorious deeds
\nwere done in the six short years of thy laborious pontificate!