Doctors of the Church and Perfection: St. Peter Canisius
repost
Can you imagine a Dutch Jesuit teaching in the universities of Europe being a Doctor of the Church?
Can you imagine a scholar, diplomat and teacher so influential that by three years after his death, at least 40 colleges and universities had been started by him with the support of European princes and bishops?
Can you imagine a Jesuit who started the Catholic Press, even as we know it today? Father Hardon wrote, "Peter Canisius was the first publisher, the first author, the first editor of the Society of Jesus."
If Peter Canisius were alive today, he would be king of the theological internet. His influence in writing and spreading the Gospel throughout Europe in the Counter-Reformation is practically unimaginable.
St Peter Canisius, 1521-1597. Doctor of Catechetical Studies was a man of his age. He obtained his MA by nineteen and on the day of his ordination was given a vision of the Sacred Heart. One hardly knows where to begin with his works and like Robert Bellarmine, the works of Peter brought thousands of Protestants back to the Faith.
For our purposes, in this perfection series, I want to concentrate on his dedication to the Truth for this first post, as it will show you the man. I again quote Fr. John Hardon. And, this is why I blog SO much. Without orthodoxy and the dedication to the Truth, one cannot start on the road to perfection.
Peter thought that people don't become heretics out of malice, they become heretics out of ignorance. What was true in the 16th century, is true today. The amount of error, in otherwise nominally Catholic circles today, is enough to make the angels and Peter Canisius weep. That's why how many mornings, one, two in the morning, I was draped, dead tired over the typewriter, typing to get some more truth, one more page, one more article, one more book into print. I cannot tell you the number of times I've invoked Peter Canisius to keep me going. You can see why I chose Peter Canisius for the feast of Our Lady's Assumption. In other words, in order to over-come evil which is always the fruit of error, you must keep proclaiming the truth, proclaim the truth, proclaim the truth by what you say, by what you write and by how you live. The nuns walking the streets without religious garb are not proclaiming the truth. Either they are no longer nuns and then they're proclaiming what they are or they are still nuns under vows and they're not telling the truth, am I clear? You proclaim what you are. That's Peter Canisius. Assume that most people are mislead because of ignorance – what was true then, is sadly true today. I was giving a Lenten lecture in the Newark, N.J. Cathedral a couple of Lents ago and after the Mass some six seminarians came to introduce themselves, they said, "Father, thanks for writing the Catholic Catechism. After our classes in the seminary we go to our rooms and read the Catholic Catechism to find out what the Church really teaches. But it's comforting to know that the Church survived and became stronger than ever in rising over the era of those days and we are confident will rise over the errors of these days." 'But, my friends there must be somebody who has the courage to keep, though it's a thin lasting voice, proclaiming the truth.'
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Firmness is a virtue – in fact, it's a cluster of virtues. It is, first of all, the foundation of certitude in faith and Peter Canisius was absolutely certain, never a shadow of doubt, that's firmness of mind. Firmness is constancy of the will and that is firmness which we call courage so that if you read and reread and by the way, the best biography of St. Peter Canisius was written by Father James Broderick. Do you, by any chance, have it? You don't? Get it. Read it, it's great – reads like music, fascinating, interesting and brings out the character of one of the Church's great saints, whose firmness was shown in his unwavering faith and in his fearless courage. St. Peter Canisius, pray for us. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Saints/Saints_019.htm
To be continued....be of a firm disposition and you will find perfection.
