Workers carry flowers to place near the altar in St. Peter's Square April 26 in advance of the canonization of Blesseds John XXIII and John Paul II. (CNS/Paul Haring)
Posted on 04/27/2014 2:02:42 PM PDT by NYer
Workers carry flowers to place near the altar in St. Peter's Square April 26 in advance of the canonization of Blesseds John XXIII and John Paul II. (CNS/Paul Haring)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- From St. Peter to Pope Francis, there have been 266 popes; 78 of them are recognized as saints, and that number will jump to 80 after the April 27 canonizations of Blesseds John XXIII and John Paul II.
The earliest popes were martyred for their faith, which the Catholic Church takes as a clear sign of holiness. Once the persecution of the church ended, the clusters of pope's names with the title "saint" before them got thinner.
Over the past 701 years, and as of April 27, only four popes will have been declared saints.
Here's a quick look at some of the top 10 most interesting of the earliest popes who are saints:
1. St. Peter, who was first named Simon, was the first to refer to Jesus as Christ, the Son of the living God. His special stature in the Gospels to "feed the sheep" of Christ helped form his mission to proclaim, protect and nourish the faith. He is also considered the first pope. Early tradition says he was crucified at the foot of Vatican Hill in the mid-60s during the reign of Emperor Nero, martyred because of his Christian faith and preaching. His tomb is believed to have been found under St. Peter's Basilica.
2. St. Soter was Bishop of Rome from around 167 A.D. to his death about seven years later. It's believed St. Soter formally introduced the annual celebration of Easter in Rome.
3. St. Fabian was pope 236-250. He is famous for the miraculous nature of his election, in which a dove is said to have descended on his head to mark him as the Holy Spirit's unexpected choice to become the next pope.
4. St. Damasus was born in Rome and served as pope 366-384. His papacy coincided with the establishment of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380, and he was a staunch advocate of the primacy of the bishop of Rome as being the direct successor of Peter. He is said to have established Latin as the standard liturgical language in Rome.
5. St. Leo the Great was born with the name Leo, which he kept as pope. Serving as pope 440-461, he was the first pope to be called "the great" and is a doctor of the church. He confirmed the church's position on the incarnation of Christ -- that Christ was both divine and human. He is best known for having met Attila the Hun in 452 and persuading him to turn back from his invasion of Italy.
6. St. Gregory the Great was pope 590-604 and was the second pope to be referred to as "the Great," after Leo. He was related to two popes, and his mother and two aunts were also canonized, leading him to be considered "a saint among saints." He had been a monk and did not want to serve as pope upon his election. He often lamented his new duties as pontiff as having to "bear with secular business" and no longer being part of the peaceful and contemplative life of the monastery. Nonetheless, he put great emphasis on simplicity and charity and donated food to Rome's poor as well as invited poor people to eat with him each day.
7. St. Nicholas I the Great was pope 858-867. He was the third and last pope to receive the title of "great." He worked to strengthen papal authority and denied anyone had the right to depose a bishop without papal authority. He staunchly upheld marriage laws and urged bishops of their duty to excommunicate a royal Catholic who left her spouse for another. He did support freedom to marry and did not endorse some bishops when they excommunicated another royal for marrying without her father's consent.
8. St. Gregory VII was pope 1073-1085. He enacted many reforms such as reversing centuries of civil control over church affairs and giving the pope of Rome full sovereignty over all church affairs in the West. He promoted a more saintly episcopacy and priesthood and fought against simony, the buying and selling of church office. He introduced the legislation that locked in the observance of celibacy, despite frequent debates over the issue. He decreed the Roman rite for all of Europe and established Nov. 1 as All Saints' Day. He lifted the excommunication of Emperor Henry IV in 1077 after the emperor did public penance of walking barefoot in the snow.
9. St. Celestine V was a Benedictine monk and hermit who resigned from the papacy just a few months after his election in 1294 because he wanted to return to his humble monastic life. He issued a papal bull articulating the ability of a pope to resign and establishing rules for an abdication. Pope Benedict XVI, the next pope in history who would voluntarily resign in 2013, placed the pallium he received when he was elected in 2005 on the saint's tomb in L'Aquila, Italy, in 2009 and left it there as a gift.
10. St. Pius X was elected pope in 1903 and served until his death in 1914. He promoted greater piety among the faithful, encouraged the frequent reception of the sacraments of penance and the Eucharist, and insisted on proper decorum during the celebration of the Mass. He highlighted the beauty and appropriateness of Gregorian chant, cautioned against using popular musical styles and encouraged efforts to ensure that the faithful could participate actively in the Mass by singing. He reorganized the Roman Curia and established a congregation of cardinals to codify Canon Law. He embraced scientific inquiry and designed sundials. However, when given the first papal car in 1909 by then-Archbishop John M. Farley of New York, the pope never used it, sticking with his horse and landau carriage.
Unlike the current pontiff who seems hell bent on giving Holy Communion to adulterers.
Like this one?
St. Gianna Beretta Molla
In 1961, Gianna was once again expecting. During the second month, Gianna developed a fibroma on her uterus. After examination, the doctors gave her three choices: an abortion, which would save her life and allow her to continue to have children; a complete hysterectomy, which would preserve her life, but take the unborn child's life, and prevent further pregnancy; or removal of only the fibroma, with the potential of further complications. After the operation, complications continued throughout her pregnancy. Gianna was quite clear about her wishes, expressing to her family, "This time it will be a difficult delivery, and they may have to save one or the other -- I want them to save my baby."
On April 21, 1962, Good Friday of that year, Gianna went to the hospital, where her fourth child, Gianna Emanuela, was successfully delivered via Caesarean section. However, Gianna continued to have severe pain, and died of septic peritonitis 7 days after the birth.
On April 21, 1962, Good Friday of that year, Gianna went to the hospital, where her fourth child, Gianna Emanuela, was successfully delivered via Caesarean section. However, Gianna continued to have severe pain, and died of septic peritonitis 7 days after the birth.
The miracle recognized by the Roman Catholic Church to canonize Gianna Molla involved a mother, Elizabeth Comparini, who was 16 weeks pregnant in 2003 and sustained a tear in her placenta that drained her womb of all amniotic fluid. Because a normal term of pregnancy is 40 weeks, Comparini was told by her doctors the baby's chance of survival was "nil."
Through praying to Gianna Molla and asking for her intercession, Comparini delivered by Caesarean a healthy baby despite the lack of amniotic fluid for the remainder of her pregnancy.
When Catholic anti-Protestants have nothing worthwhile to say, they spam FreeRepublic hourly with their liturgical nonsense.
Hebrews 13: ... 9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so. 10 We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.
11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Amen.
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=47
Early life and accession
According to the Liber Pontificalis, Fabian was a noble Roman by birth, and his father’s name was Fabius. Nothing more is known about his background. The legend concerning the circumstances of his election is preserved by the fourth-century writer Eusebius of Caesarea (Church History, VI. 29).[5] After the short reign of Pope Anterus, Fabian had come to Rome from the countryside when the new papal election began. “Although present,” says Eusebius, Fabian “was in the mind of none.” While the names of several illustrious and noble churchmen were being considered over the course of thirteen days, a dove suddenly descended upon the head of Fabian. To the assembled electors, this strange sight recalled the gospel scene of the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus at the time of his baptism by John the Baptist. The congregation took this as a sign that he was marked out for this dignity, and Fabian was at once proclaimed bishop by acclamation, although there were several famous men amongst the candidates for the vacant position.[5]
Stay faithful, my friends.
“When Catholic anti-Protestants have nothing worthwhile to say, they spam FreeRepublic hourly with their liturgical nonsense.”
Such as?
Such as? -vlad
You asked for an example, and I will post the words from Jesus mouth! It is illustrative of how hypocritical the Roman Catholic cult is perceived...
Matthew 6: 1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
I did ask for an example. I asked for an example of this: “When Catholic anti-Protestants have nothing worthwhile to say, they spam FreeRepublic hourly with their liturgical nonsense.”
You failed to post such an example. I am not surprised that you failed.
No fail here, except in simple minded people! I am not surprised at the puerile response.
You still have nothing to say in response, but decided to deride the Scripture I posted. It is a clear response to the spam from the RCC within FreeRepublic.
“No fail here, except in simple minded people!”
You’re clearly talking about yourself.
“I am not surprised at the puerile response.”
I am not surprised that you would say such a thing when you failed to provide evidence in support of your own claim.
“You still have nothing to say in response,”
Clearly I responded with a question. Clearly you failed to answer it with what evidence I asked for.
“but decided to deride the Scripture I posted.”
I derided no scripture. Are you now simply going to make up false things I never said? Why is it that anti-Catholics so quickly resort to posting outright falsehoods?
“It is a clear response to the spam from the RCC within FreeRepublic.”
What “liturgical nonsense” is posted as spam here? Can you answer the question or not?
Thank you for posting that fascinating history of the saint.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa...
Your question is not a response. Your posts are nonsensical diatribes against those you accuse of being anti-cultists.
You also make rash statements about others who make a mark on your beloved cult. The statements I posted from from Christ's mouth are enough to indict your cult!
What “liturgical nonsense” is posted as spam here?
Vain repetitious prayers posted repeatedly, malconceived appeals to dead people and a constant elevating a human woman as equal to Christ, among other things ...!
But, I am sure you will snark again! You have no answers!
Thank you for your posts always. I just love this man’s story. The dove landed on him. He blossomed into a great leader and martyr. I read the cardinals had a miracle like this with Pope Francis.
“Vain repetitious prayers posted repeatedly, malconceived appeals to dead people and a constant elevating a human woman as equal to Christ, among other things ...!”
Again, will you actually post examples of “liturgical nonsense”? All you’re doing is venting about things - none of which even appear to be liturgical matters. Will you post any examples or not?
“But, I am sure you will snark again! You have no answers!”
Clearly you have no answers. You have failed, again.
Liturgy- Liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions. -wiki
ie: “Vain repetitious prayers posted repeatedly, malconceived appeals to dead people and a constant elevating of a human woman as an equal to Christ, among other things ...!”
Have a nice day! I'm done with your nonsense. You can post about alleged failures all you wish, but the readers can easily see your lack of a decisive response. I have done my job. I am just following Paul's advice to Timothy...
1 Timothy 1: 3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. 8 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
“I posted examples of your cult’s liturgical nonsense...”
No, actually you didn’t. You can quote Wikipedia all you want. What you can’t do is be taken seriously when you think anything liturgical among Christians is “Vain repetitious prayers”.
You failed. Again.
Whatever!
So, go say 14 "Hail Mary's" and 17 "Our Father's" and don't forget to give my regards to Saint Whoever...
Hebrews 5: ... Page Options Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on email << < = = > >> Show resourcesAdd parallel Hebrews 5 New International Version (NIV) 5 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.”[a] 6 And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”[b] 7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
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