This brief introduction allows us to remember the true teaching of the Church, PERENNIAL teaching, with absolutely unchangeable dogmas and doctrines... Today we want to remember Pope Saint John XXIII whose optional liturgical memorial falls on October 11th. We want to remember him with his own words and with his own teaching.
SOME TEACHINGS of Saint John XXIII
First session of the First Roman Synod:
“Dear Brothers and children: we might draw your attention with the breadth of doctrinal and patristic exploration, or drawing on considerations of modern and very modern order and style.
We prefer to thank you for this, and focus on two sources of celestial, evangelical and ecclesiastical doctrine, which are: the teaching of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in their letters and, alongside these two oracles, the Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, completed and illustrated by the invaluable Roman Catechism, or Catechism of the Council of Trent, published by Saint Pius V (1566) and republished by the Venetian Pope Clement XIII (1758-1769). Cardinal Agostino Valerio, a friend of Saint Charles Borromeo, called this Catechismus Romanus divinitus datum Ecclesiae (a divine gift to the Church) and we have the opportunity... to recall its very high value for the current use of sacred preaching in parishes, and for those who have little time for profound studies, and also for those who, engaged in these, are anxious for theological, dogmatic and moral precision.
We prefer to thank you for this, and focus on two sources of celestial, evangelical and ecclesiastical doctrine, which are: the teaching of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in their letters and, alongside these two oracles, the Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, completed and illustrated by the invaluable Roman Catechism, or Catechism of the Council of Trent, published by Saint Pius V (1566) and republished by the Venetian Pope Clement XIII (1758-1769). Cardinal Agostino Valerio, a friend of Saint Charles Borromeo, called this Catechismus Romanus divinitus datum Ecclesiae (a divine gift to the Church) and we have the opportunity... to recall its very high value for the current use of sacred preaching in parishes, and for those who have little time for profound studies, and also for those who, engaged in these, are anxious for theological, dogmatic and moral precision.
Saying this is also a reminder - please forgive us - of Our joyful and industrious youth, as We have been busy, also for the press, with the widest knowledge of this true and most precious treasure.
«Ad iuvandam rempublicam Christianam, et restituendam veterem Ecclesiae disciplinam nobis divinitus datum esse videtur… (i.e.: To help the Christian republic, and restore the ancient discipline of the Church, it seems that it was divinely given to us … ) — are the words of the ancient Bishop of Verona - vos qui aliquantum aetate processistis (you who are to a certain extent advanced in age) - this is our case and that of the older ones among you - legite bune catechismum, septies et plusquam septies: mirabiles eniyn fructus ex eo percipietis " (or:read the good catechism, seven times and more than seven times: you will receive wonderful results ).”
«Ad iuvandam rempublicam Christianam, et restituendam veterem Ecclesiae disciplinam nobis divinitus datum esse videtur… (i.e.: To help the Christian republic, and restore the ancient discipline of the Church, it seems that it was divinely given to us … ) — are the words of the ancient Bishop of Verona - vos qui aliquantum aetate processistis (you who are to a certain extent advanced in age) - this is our case and that of the older ones among you - legite bune catechismum, septies et plusquam septies: mirabiles eniyn fructus ex eo percipietis " (or:read the good catechism, seven times and more than seven times: you will receive wonderful results ).”
(John XXIII – Address at the first session of the First Roman Synod – 25 January 1960)
For the Tridentine Catechism, download it in pdf CLICK HERE
AT THE FIRST ROMAN SYNOD – the Constitutions
For the Tridentine Catechism, download it in pdf CLICK HERE
AT THE FIRST ROMAN SYNOD – the Constitutions
“The Synod speaks of order, harmony, peace and true enjoyment, because it is true spiritual beauty from down here, a reflection of the ineffable beauties that await us in the celestial regions. And in this light of truth, of discipline, of perfect order, the agreement of the trinomial that we often love to remember returns: lex credendi, lex supplicandi, lex agendi: law of believing, law of praying, law of doing.
This is the golden rule of Catholic life, individual and collective: this is the source of all consolation: the sure path, along which the faithful always reach their goals.
The Church of Christ is a material temple, which multiplies wherever four stones join together to compose an altar. The Church is above all a spiritual temple, where every Christian knows he has his place: he knows he has it, and is aware of his duty to keep it with honour, with dignity, with grace. Blessed is he who understands these things and secures eternal goods by respecting them.
Beloved children, priests and lay people, we are Christians and Catholics. We honor our sacred origins and our religious history and tradition.
We know how to renounce certain sinuosities of our little self, in which we love to hide the deficiencies of our religious culture, certain oddities of our pretentious personal taste of judging everything, what the Authority of the Holy Church, rich in centuries-old experience and maternal wisdom, believes it appropriate to dispose in this way in the relationships of material and external structures, sacred buildings, rites, devotions, but above all in the interpretation of the law of the Lord, marked in the two Testaments and in the magisterium and living ministry of the Universal Shepherd - however humble his person - enlivened by the reality and grace of a promise and divine assistance, which cannot fail in the order of the doctrine of faith and customs.
The lofty words of the great Christian poet always remain true for what is sufficient for the universal salvation from the octopus of innumerable errors, which roam the world and seduce the unwary:
If evil greed calls for something else to you - Be men and not mad sheep. (Dante, Paradiso, V, 80-81)
The invitation: be men and not crazy sheep, fed by the wind, becomes a warning for general correction.”
If evil greed calls for something else to you - Be men and not mad sheep. (Dante, Paradiso, V, 80-81)
The invitation: be men and not crazy sheep, fed by the wind, becomes a warning for general correction.”
(John XXIII – Allocution for the Sacred Constitutions of the First Roman Synod – 28 June 1960)
CLOSURE OF THE FIRST ROMAN SYNOD
CLOSURE OF THE FIRST ROMAN SYNOD
"Having arrived at this reality of human and Christian life, it may seem strange that after two thousand years of religious experience and of the Gospel spread and lived, there are still those who have the courage to tell us that the entire history of the Catholic Church ., that all of Christianity is nothing but the continuation of a great fable over the life of the world, which it is necessary to dispel, in order to do everything again.
Let us leave these deluded people to their apparent naivety, and let us prepare to continue the exercise of hope, unconquered because it is the security of the word of the Lord regarding us for which the great final comfort is reserved, and to the great disappointment of the unbelievers for the definitive inanity of their efforts: along the way perhaps it will be convenient for us to suffer some pressure from them. (..)
Dear Brothers and children, let us help our very good, zealous and peaceful clergy to sanctify themselves, so that the blessing of the Lord corresponds to their efforts and may be poured out on all families for the distinguished, industrious and beneficial priestly work.
Today, Sunday 31 January, is the liturgical commemoration of Saint John Bosco. This name is a poem of grace and apostolate: from a small village in Piedmont it brought the glory and successes of Christ's charity to the farthest reaches of the world.”
(John XXIII – Solemn closing address of the First Roman Synod – 31 January 1960
“Complacency is followed by admonition, in relation to what God expects from each of you, for the country from which you come, or for the one to which He himself will have you give your life.
“Complacency is followed by admonition, in relation to what God expects from each of you, for the country from which you come, or for the one to which He himself will have you give your life.
A priestly action can never serve to spiritually dominate the world, if not to a triple condition of moral elevation, on which the glory of every missionary and the triumph, renewed over the centuries, of truth and grace in the Catholic Church are intertwined.
Dear young people! You read in Our heart, more than Our lips can tell you.
What constitutes the uncontaminated glory of the Catholic priesthood, anywhere on earth, and in all the services of the good apostolate, especially now, and undoubtedly in the future, is this: the immaculate life, that is: the purity of the mind and of the heart; the spirit of meekness and humility; the perennial and pure flame of action and sacrifice.
a) Do not let yourselves be informed or seduced by any wind of doctrine, nor by any aura that takes anything away from the integrity of this teaching, which is at the beginning of every other. Any concession on this point, or even a slight compromise, is always a deception and disappointment.
Ah! dear children: how sad is the fate of withered flowers! The perfume, the general edification, and almost the veneration of the people were expected from them. And instead a gust of wind and storm destroyed everything. Unhappy is youth when this flower is wasted: and how the step of one who did not honor the great promise of his total consecration to God is dragged on with difficulty and with pain, even for long years!!”
Ah! dear children: how sad is the fate of withered flowers! The perfume, the general edification, and almost the veneration of the people were expected from them. And instead a gust of wind and storm destroyed everything. Unhappy is youth when this flower is wasted: and how the step of one who did not honor the great promise of his total consecration to God is dragged on with difficulty and with pain, even for long years!!”
(John XXIII at the Urban College of Propaganda Fide 30.11.1958)
“The priest is first and foremost a man of God, « vir Dei ». This is how the Christian people think and judge you, this is how the Lord wants you. Therefore try to conform your life to those pure thoughts that this definition in itself arouses in your heart. By saying man of God, everything that is not God is excluded from the priest. (..) May your life therefore be impregnated with the good scent of Christ, in ardent love for Him, who guides us to the Father. This is the true basis of a priestly life full of intimate peace and irresistible enchantment for souls. (..)
“The priest is first and foremost a man of God, « vir Dei ». This is how the Christian people think and judge you, this is how the Lord wants you. Therefore try to conform your life to those pure thoughts that this definition in itself arouses in your heart. By saying man of God, everything that is not God is excluded from the priest. (..) May your life therefore be impregnated with the good scent of Christ, in ardent love for Him, who guides us to the Father. This is the true basis of a priestly life full of intimate peace and irresistible enchantment for souls. (..)
May Jesus Christ be your only friend and consoler, in the vigils before the Tabernacle, or at the study table, in the care of the poor and the sick, in the ministry of sacred preaching. Seek Him alone, considering human things in His light, to win them over to Him. Take upon yourself His gentle yoke and light weight, practicing the virtues proper to every consecrated life: dedication to the Lord and to souls, sleepless work for the Church, exercise of the fourteen works of mercy, prompt and sincere obedience to the Bishop, respect full of virile tenderness for holy things.
Jesus is not found in a dissipated life, even if the most sacrosanct reasons of the ministry were invoked.(..)
Souls seek the word of Christ, and the priest must communicate it to them in its integrity and freshness.(..)
In communicating these thoughts to you, a great example rises to our and your gaze, in the radiant figure of the Holy Parish Priest of Ars, who truly lived, outside of every pose and every rhetoric, the ideals of priestly life . He was a man of God: he loved the Altar and the pure sources of Revelation, he touched souls with the mystical rod of purification, and actively cooperated in their salvation.
It has been said that the graces of conversion obtained through the prayers and above all through the Holy Mass of Curé Vianney will never be known. And his simple and convinced preaching reached everyone's hearts, to work wonders of grace - while once upon a time he had been judged to be lacking in intellectual gifts! What more convincing proof is there that it is not human resources that conquer souls, but only the virtue of God, which works through his docile instruments?”
(John XXIII to the Priests gathered for the First Centenary of the Transit of Saint John Mary Vianney – 12 March 1959)
“Venerable Brothers and beloved sons,
“Venerable Brothers and beloved sons,
The initial note for this second conversation is offered to us by the Acts of the Council of Trent, right from the first chapter de reforme of Session XXII. They are points of doctrine and practical guidelines of conduct that are familiar to us from our seminary years, and which we still retain and repeat by heart.
"Nothing is more effective in encouraging piety and the worship of God in the Christian people than the life and example of those who have dedicated themselves to the divine ministry." By being relieved from the cares of the century and placed on high, priests are seen by all, and sought as a reason for edification and example. (..)
Allow us, Venerable Brothers and beloved sons, to mention some of these virtues in reference to three characteristic elements of the human person and priestly dignity, that is, the head, the heart, the tongue.
And let's start from the head: understand first.
It is from the head that the doctrine, the judgement, the good judgment of the man of the Church, who is the priest of Christ, are measured. (..)
Today more than ever the need for good cultivation is evident. The ignorant, the incapable cannot and must not be ordained a priest. Seminars, Synods, Councils, Pontifical Constitutions, doctrine of the Fathers and theologians, require the application of the head, and with this the splendor of the doctrine.
Therefore, you must study and study all your life. The object of ever new studies will never be lacking.
However, it is equally serious, in the choice of studies and books, to proceed with caution: since not all are good, not all are perfect in terms of conformity to the pure doctrine of the Gospel, and of the most well-known and certain interpreters of Christian teaching.
Every good priest must be able to bear witness to this teaching more faithfully. And it is in this task that everyone's good judgment and value are measured. The overabundance of literary production in every sector of human knowledge often becomes a temptation to intellectual drift, to bizarre and dangerous positions, towards which those who lack experience run, and are easily and quickly led to trust in themselves.
The knowledge of the Sacred Books: Old-New Testament: of the Fathers and of the great masters of philosophy and theology, Prince Aquinas: liturgical science and its application, a truly delightful garden with the most fragrant and majestic flowers and trees: and thirdly, the knowledge and practice of the general legislation of the Code of Canon Law placed at the service of the social order, both internally, or in the diocesan administration, as in relations with the external world, constitute the three sources of doctrine, of discipline and of sanctification, from which the robust and square heads of the best priests rise, becoming true and noble servants of the Holy Church and of souls.
(..)
(..)
And now, come on. head, Venerable Brothers and beloved children, let us move on to the heart.
When it is said of a priest: he is a man of heart: this is the first happy note that begins a eulogy in which ordinarily many people easily join. And he often joins in to the point of forgiving even some exuberance of less adjusted and appropriate head movements. Much credence is also given to what was written, with the authority of a man of letters rather than a philosopher and moralist, and is widely applied, that often "the heart has its reasons that reason does not know". Now the dignity of our ministry tells us not to take this lightly.
Even the reasons of the heart must be studied and justified or corrected.
The heart of a priest must be filled with love, just as his head must be shining with truth and doctrine.
Love of Jesus, ardent, pious, vibrant and open to all those outpourings of mystical intimacy that make the exercise of priestly piety and prayer so attractive: both the official prayer of the universal Church and that of well-chosen and followed private forms , and to which being able to abandon oneself is a delight and tasty and solid nourishment of the spirit; it is a perennial source of courage, of comfort amidst the difficulties, sometimes amidst the harshness of life and of priestly and pastoral ministry.
Love of Jesus, ardent, pious, vibrant and open to all those outpourings of mystical intimacy that make the exercise of priestly piety and prayer so attractive: both the official prayer of the universal Church and that of well-chosen and followed private forms , and to which being able to abandon oneself is a delight and tasty and solid nourishment of the spirit; it is a perennial source of courage, of comfort amidst the difficulties, sometimes amidst the harshness of life and of priestly and pastoral ministry.
Love of the Holy Church and of souls, especially those entrusted to our care and our most sacred responsibilities: souls belonging to all social classes; but, with particular interest and concern, the souls of sinners, of the poor of every kind, of those who fall under the enumeration of the works of mercy, bringing the inspiration of evangelical charity to all relationships.
(..)
And so here we are at the third point of observation – THE LANGUAGE – which we proposed to touch on in reference to the commitment of our priestly sanctification. Oh! what words.
(..)
And so here we are at the third point of observation – THE LANGUAGE – which we proposed to touch on in reference to the commitment of our priestly sanctification. Oh! what words.
Oh! what a lesson to everyone, but particularly to the clergy.
It is therefore no longer a question of the head or the heart, but of the tongue.
We are always in the doctrine or order of charity: but with special reference to the gift given by God to man to transmit to heaven and earth in a resounding voice what is the interiority of the spirit.
«Be of one mind - wrote Saint Peter from Rome to the distant faithful of ancient Asia Minor which is present Anatolia - be all of one mind, compassionate, lovers of brothers, merciful, modest, humble: do not return evil for evil, nor curse for curse : instead bless, because you were called to do this, that is, to possess the blessing as an inheritance. Whoever loves life and wants to enjoy happy days, let him restrain his tongue from evil, and let his lips not tell lies. Flee from evil and do good; seek peace and follow it because the eyes of the Lord are turned upon the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayers. However, the face of the Lord is against those who do evil" [1Pt.3,8-12].
Ah! Brothers and children: do not be dismayed by what we are about to say.
We have the impression that, on the point of governing the language, we all more or less sin a little: and that knowing how to remain silent and knowing how to speak in good time and well is a sign of great wisdom and great priestly perfection.
In a beautiful volume, which reveals the spiritual intimacies of Our great Predecessor Pius never harm anyone, and when he happened to hear others say it, even in an intimate conversation, he would turn everything into a benign interpretation, or immediately stop the topic.
May the long practice of life teach everyone that for the happiness of our spirit it is much more beneficial to see the good in things and dwell on it, than to look for the bad and the defective, and underline it lightly, worse if with malice.
We know the teaching of Saint Peter in this regard.
The Apostle Paul is even stronger: there is no need to quote him here. Above all, the language of St. James is energetic, which in describing the miseries and damages of too much speaking against the truth and against charity, surpasses all comparisons. The text of his Catholic epistle would deserve to be learned by heart on this point and engraved on the walls of ecclesiastics' homes:
«Nolite multiple magistri fieri, fratres mei, scientes quoniam maius iudicìum sumitis. In multis enim offendimus omnes. Si quis in verbo non offendit, hic perfectus est vir: potest etiam brake circumducere totum corpus… Lingua modicum quidem membrum est, et magna exaltat. Ecce quantus ignis, quam magnam silvam incendit !
Et lingua ignis est, unìversitas iniquitatis. Language constituted in memberis nostris, quae maculat totum corpus, et inflammat rotam nativitatis nostrae, inflamed in gehenna. Omnis enim natura bestiarum et volucrum et serpentium et caeterorum domantur, et domita sunt a natura humana inguam autem nullus hominum tamare postet, inquietum malum, full poisonous poison. In ipsa benedicimus Deum et Patrem, et in ipsa maledicimus omnes, qui ad similitudem Dei facts sunt. Ex ipso ore procedit benedictio et maledictio. Do not oportet, my brothers, haec ita fieri…
Quis sapiens et disciplinatus inter vos? He demonstrated ex bona conversatione operationem suam in meekness sapientiae.
Quod si zelum amarum habetis, et contentiones sint in cordibus vestris; nolite Gloriari, et mendaces esse adversus veritatem.
Non est enim ista sapientia desursum descendens, sed terrena, animalis, diabolica. Ubi enim zelus et contentio, ibi inconstantia et omne opus pravum.
What autem desursum est sapientia, primum quidem pudica est, deinde pacifica, modesta, suadibilis, bonis consenteens, full mercy et fructibus bonis, non iudicans, sine simulatione. Fructus autem iustitiae in pace seminatur, facientibus pacem »
( translation )
( translation )
“Become no more teachers, my brothers, knowing that you will receive greater judgment. Because we all stumble over many things. If one does not stumble over words, he is a perfect man: he can also keep his whole body under bridle. Look how big the fire is, how big the burning forest is! And it is a tongue of fire, a university of iniquity.
In our members the tongue is established, which stains the whole body, and inflames the wheel of our birth, set on fire by hell. For all species of animals, birds, serpents and other animals are tamed and are tamed by human nature; In it we bless God and the Father, and in it we curse all who are made in the likeness of God.
Blessings and curses come from his mouth. It is not necessary, my brothers, for these things to happen in this way... Who is wise and disciplined among you?
Show by your good conduct that he acts in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have a bitter zeal and there are discords in your hearts; do not boast or be a liar against the truth. Because this wisdom is not that which descends from above, but earthly, animal, diabolical. Because where there is jealousy and contention, there is inconstancy and every wrong work.
But that which is wisdom from above is first of all chaste, then peaceful, modest, persuasive, consenting to goods, full of compassion and good fruits, non-judgmental, without pretensions. But the fruit of justice is sown in peace, by those who make peace"
(..)
(..)
What we were able to say, to listen, to reflect, led us to better appreciate the substance of the words of the Tridentine: Levia etiam delieta quae in ipsis maxima essent, effugiant: ut eorum actiones cunctis afferant venerationem (i.e.: Even the most destructive read, which were the greatest in them, escape: so that their actions bring reverence to all).
This is the sublime ideality of the Christian priesthood: to arouse edification and veneration among the people, in the light of Christ.
May it truly be so for each and all of you, my beloved Brothers and children, now and forever.”
(John XXIII – Address to the second session of the First Roman Synod – 26 January 1960)
(John XXIII – Address to the second session of the First Roman Synod – 26 January 1960)