June 28th - St. Paul I
757 - 767 AD
Paul was the brother of Pope Stephen III, and like him was educated under
the tutelage of the popes. Paul served his brother on many diplomatic
missions. The two brothers seem to have been quite close, and when Stephen
fell ill in 757 Paul devotedly nursed him. Even while Stephen was dying, a
party began an intrigue to seat the archdeacon Theophylact on the papal
throne. But when Stephen was buried, the great majority chose Paul to
succeed his brother. He was consecrated on May 29, 757.
Naturally Paul continued the policy of his brother. He maintained close
relations with Pippin and relied on his aid to hold the Papal States
against
Lombard and Greek. The greatest danger was from the Lombards. Aistulf had
died shortly after his final defeat and he was succeeded by Desiderius,
duke
of Istria. But the new king met a sudden and strange challenge, ex-king
Ratchis, who had abdicated in 768 to become a monk, now left his monastery
to dispute the iron crown with Desiderius. Desiderius promised peace to
the
Pope if he would help him, and Stephen had sent an embassy including Paul
which had persuaded Ratchis to return to his duties in the cloister.
Desiderius, forgetful of this act of friendliness, had designs on the
Papal
States. He even made an alliance, strange enough, with the Eastern Empire.
Pope Paul pleaded with Pippin for help, but the Frankish king was so
involved in wars with the dukes of Aquitaine and Bavaria, that he could
help
the Pope only by diplomacy. Actually Paul succeeded in holding on to his
kingdom without any major war. Toward the end of his pontificate he even
asked Pippin to get Desiderius to help him against the Greeks!
The threat from the Greeks was not too serious. The Emperor, with no army
to
spare for Italy, relied on diplomacy. He tried to pervert Pippin to his
iconoclast heresy, but his pleas were resisted by the stout-hearted Frank.
The Pope, of course, was not idle. He wrote to Pippin and encouraged him
to
remain loyal and orthodox. The Pope's care was rewarded. The Frankish
bishops assembled in a synod at Gentilly in 767 and reaffirmed their
belief
in traditional Catholic doctrines, especially in the correct veneration of
holy images.
Paul also wrote to Emperors Constantine and Leo to win them back from
their
heresy, but again in vain.
Paul was a man of noble character, outstanding even among the popes for
his
charity to the poor. During the night he would often visit prisons and
perform acts of mercy. His only defect was, perhaps, a poor choice of
officials; but if he discovered any injustice, he hastened to make up for
it. He died outside the city on June 28, 767. Paul I is venerated as a
saint. His feast is kept on June 28.
Saint Quote:
Now it is within the power of anyone who cares to find out the truth, to
know the tradition of the Apostles, professed throughout the world in
every
church. We can name those too who were appointed bishops by the Apostles
in
the churches and their successors down to our own time.... But inasmuch as
it would be very tedious in a book like this to rehearse the lines of
succession in every church, we will put to confusion all those who, either
from waywardness or conceit or blindness or obstinacy combine together
against the truth, by pointing to the tradition, derived from the
Apostles,
of that great and illustrious Church founded and organized at Rome by the
two glorious Apostles, Peter and Paul, and to the faith declared to
mankind
and handed down to our own time through its bishops in their succession.
For
with this Church, because of its more powerful leader****p, every church,
that is to say, the faithful from everywhere, must needs agree, and in it
the tradition that springs from the Apostles has been continuously
preserved
by men from everywhere....
-Saint Irenaeus of Lyons
Bible quote:
If anyone serves Me, My Father will honor him. St. John 12:26
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Novena in Honor of Jesus as True King
Over a period of 9 consecutive days:
Pray one Our Father
Pray one Hail Mary
Pray one Glory Be
O Lord our God, You alone are the Most Holy King and
Ruler of All Nations. We pray to You, Lord, in the great
expectation of receiving from You, O Divine King, mercy,
peace, justice and all good things.
Protect, O Lord our King, our families and the land of our
birth. Guard us, we pray, Most Faithful One! Protect us from
our enemies and from Your Just Judgement.
Forgive us, O Sovereign King, our sins against You. Jesus,
You are a King of Mercy. We have deserved Your Just
Judgement. Have mercy on us, Lord, and forgive us. We
trust in Your Great Mercy.
O Most Awe-inspiring King, we bow before You and pray;
may Your reign, Your kingdom, be recognized on earth!
Amen.
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