August 21: Saint Pius X, Pope—Memorial homily
“Where is the road which leads us to Jesus Christ? It is before our eyes: it is the Church. It is our duty to recall to everyone, great and small, the absolute necessity we are under to have recourse to this Church in order to work out our eternal salvation.” -St Pius X
-Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Pius X, one of the great reformer popes and the first pope of the twentieth century.
In Today’s Gospel, Pope Pius X was certainly the foreman “Summoning the laborers” in the vineyard, for love of the Lord.
-On this anniversary of his death, we should pay special attention to this pope’s life, and see what wisdom he has for us.
-Others might talk about him being one of the great “pastoral popes”, with many of his reforms focusing on improving the life of the local Church.
-Still others will focus on his role in beginning the liturgical reform that is still ongoing in the Church today.
-Born into a poor Italian family and one of 10 children, this first pope of the 20th century is most well-known for his liturgical and canonical reforms.
-Through his 11 year papacy, (1903-1914) he held the motto, “Restore all Things in Christ.”
-Pope St. Pius X changed first Holy Communion to an earlier age (seven), encouraged frequent reception of the Eucharist.
-Pope Pius said about the children, “It is necessary that children be nourished by Christ before they are dominated by their passions, so they can with greater courage resist the assaults of the devil, of the flesh, and their other enemies, whether internal or external.”
Pope also held a strong devotion to Our lady.
-He said this about Our Lady, “Let the storm rage and the sky darken – not for that shall we be dismayed. If we trust as we should in Mary, we shall recognize in her, the Virgin Most Powerful ‘who with virginal foot did crush the head of the serpent.'”
-And, “Yet in the midst of this tide of evil, the Virgin Most Merciful rises before our eyes like a rainbow, as the arbiter of peace between God and man.”
- “The Rosary is the most beautiful and the most rich in graces of all prayers, it is the prayer that touches most the Heart of the Mother of God … and if you wish peace to reign in your homes, recite the family Rosary.”
-He was also an advocate against the modernistic theology, encouraged laypeople to read the Bible,
He introduced a universal catechism, reformed the curia, renewed seminary formation, revised the Code of Canon Law, revitalized the liturgy, encouraged Gregorian Chant, and emphasized Saint Thomas Aquinas’ teachings.
-A pastor at heart, he was humble, loved teaching children, and cared for the poor.
-Pope Pius X was big on catechizing the Church from starting more and improved seminaries and bringing opportunities for lay people to be more educated in their Faith.
-He has quoted about this issue saying: “All the strength of Satan’s reign is due to the easygoing weakness of Catholics.”
-And: “The greatest obstacle in the apostolate of the Church is the timidity, or rather the cowardice, of the faithful.”
He said this about the importance of strong catechesis:
“We ought, therefore, to do all that lies in our power to maintain the teaching of Christian doctrine with full vigor, and where such is neglected, to restore it; for in the words of our predecessor Benedict XIV, “There is nothing more effective than catechetical instruction to spread the glory of God and to secure the salvation of souls.”
-He will always be known as the Pope of the Eucharist.
-For he was determined that the faithful should imitate the example of the earliest Christians.
-In consequence, he urged the reception of frequent and even daily Holy Communion for all in the state of sanctifying grace and of right intention.
-Since at the time it wasn’t the norm for lay people to receive Holy Communion every day.
-He insisted that children be allowed to the Spiritual Banquet prepared by Jesus at an earliest age and declared that they were bound to fulfill the precept of the Easter Communion as soon as they reach the age of discretion.
-On this change he said: “Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to Heaven.”
-He opposed modernism within the Church, seeing it as a synthesis of heresies with doctrines presented in a scattered and disjointed manner, creating doubt.
-His Will and Testament contained the words: “I was born poor, I have lived poor, and I wish to die poor.”
-As a man with extensive experience as a parish priest (a rarity in the papacy), he had a keen insight into how to reach people with the Gospel.
-St Pius X teaches all of us that at the root of our zeal for the faith, there must always be close personal union with Christ, to cultivate and to develop, day after day.
“Only if we are in love with the Lord shall we be able to bring people to God and open them to his merciful love and thereby open the world to God's mercy.”
-This was the essence of all his teaching, of all his pastoral commitment.
He died in 1914 at the age of 78 years, at the onset of the First World War, which he had foreseen.
-He was canonized by Pope Pius XII forty years later, on May 29, 1954, and recognized universally as a Saint for his charity, his piety, his zeal.
-He became the first pope to be canonized since Pope Saint Pius V, who died in 1572.
May Pope St. Pius X inspire all of us to know our faith, hand it down, and be courageous enough to live it out in our modern world.
-Pope St. Pius X, pray for us
Homily on St. Pope Pius X