St. Peter Damian
Feast day: February 21
“May Christ be heard in our language, may Christ be seen in our life, may he be perceived in our hearts” (Sermo VIII, 5).
This was the prayer of St. Peter Damian, Italian Benedictine monk, cardinal-bishop of Ostia, Italy, and Doctor of the Church. Born in 1007, St. Peter Damian is known for a deep devotion to Christ as evidenced in his initial life as a hermit and in his writings calling for the reform of the Church particularly with regard to simony and priestly celibacy.
Orphaned shortly after his birth, St. Peter Damian was subjected to the most menial and cruel labor by one of his brothers. Later, he was adopted by his elder brother Damianus, who gave St. Peter Damian an education in theology and canon law.
But his early suffering only brought him closer to Christ, as St. Peter Damian chose to leave the world of the university and join the monks of the Camaldolese monastery of Fonte Avellana, Italy, for a life of solitude, meditation, and prayer. Rapidly becoming the spiritual guide of the monks, St. Peter Damian was eventually noticed by the Bishop of Ravenna, and the pope soon made him a cardinal and bishop of Ostia. St. Peter Damian was sent on missions often to resolve differences among the clergy, and he opposed the antipopes, especially Honorius II.
A voluminous writer, St. Peter Damian is known for his “Liber Gomorrhianus,” or “Book of Gomorrah,” a long letter addressed to Pope St. Leo IX. Discussing the crisis in the priesthood at that time, the book caused no little enmity for St. Peter Damian. Nevertheless, he later noted that he would rather be persecuted than to fail to speak out: “Indeed, I prefer to be thrown innocent into a well with Joseph, who accused his brothers of the worst of crimes to their father, than to be punished by the retribution of divine fury with [the high priest] Eli, who saw the evil of his children and was silent.” Still, he did not demonize those giving into temptation but instead was adamant that they were redeemable. And he implored them not to give up hope.
St. Peter Damian also wrote on purgatory, the Eucharist, and other theological and ascetical topics. However, he believed that what mattered most was to worship God, not to write about him. He died in 1072 returning from Ravenna, which he had just reconciled with the Holy See.
Reflection
Dear Jesus, help me to fall in love with you so much that I want to give my entire life to you. May I never compromise nor care more about human esteem than I do for your love. I ask, O Lord, to be your instrument of peace and love in our world as I defend the teaching of the Church in a changing world.
Prayer
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that we may so follow the teaching and example
of the Bishop Saint Peter Damian,
that, putting nothing before Christ
and always ardent in the service of your Church,
we may be led to the joys of eternal light.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
