574. August 21, St Pius X (II)

Meditations no. 505 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

By divine institution the Church possesses the governmental structure needed to carry out her mission on earth.

The Lord sealed a covenant of peace with him, and made him a prince, bestowing the priestly dignity upon him for ever. These words from the Book of Sirach are applied to St Pius X in the liturgy, recalling the power he received when God raised him to the papacy. Today’s feast brings to mind the office of the Pope, who, by Christ’s will, is the visible head of the whole Church.

Christ said to Simon: You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. … I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Our Lord’s words to Peter, which promise to make him the firm foundation of his Church, also contain the promise to give the Prince of the Apostles supreme authority in the Church. As Pope Leo XII has written, Everyone recognizes that keys are a sign of authority. Consequently, when Jesus promises to give Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, he is promising him power and authority over the Church … And what follows has the same meaning. ‘Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’ By this metaphor of binding and loosing he means the power to make laws, to judge and to punish. Christ declares that this power will be so extensive and effective that all of Peter’s decrees will be ratified by God. This power is, therefore, sovereign and independent, for there is no power on earth above it. It extends to the whole Church and to everything entrusted to her.

The decisions of the Roman Pontiff, the successor of St Peter in the see of Rome, ought to be gratefully accepted by all Christians. This is what our Father has taught us to do, and on many occasions he has given us example of obedience to the Church’s decisions. You well know the ardent love that I have for the Pope and for the Holy See. You have heard me say that we must always defend his authority and be ready as docile sons to correct any of our opinions in accord with the Church’s teaching authority.

We ought to be thankful to God for this supreme authority, which is deeply rooted in Christ’s love for his Spouse, the holy Church, and which keeps the Church united and strong. The best way to show our gratitude is to joyfully accept the Holy Father’s words and decisions.

In close union with the Father’s prayer, we ask our Lord today to always give the Roman Pontiff the great fortitude needed to safeguard, also by human legal procedures, the divine government of the Good Shepherd’s flock.

Filial obedience to the decisions of the Holy See.

My beloved sons and daughters, in Opus Dei we strive always and in everything to sentire cum Ecclesia, to have one mind with Christ’s Church, our Mother. Corporately we have no other doctrine than the teaching of the magisterium of the Holy See. We accept everything that the magisterium accepts, and we reject whatever it rejects.

As a consequence of our love for the Church, we do not wish to be freed from the bonds, the holy fetters, of the common discipline of Christians. On the contrary, by God’s grace, and may he pardon the apparent lack of humility, we want to be the best sons and daughters of the Church and the Pope.

In addition, we also try to get our friends and colleagues to love the Church’s indications and to incorporate them into their lives. With my mouth I will proclaim your truth to all generations. We have to strive to make our Father’s words a reality in our own life and in the lives of all Christians: Christ. Mary. The Pope. Haven’t we just summed up in three words the loves that constitute the entire Catholic faith?

There are many ways to show this love of ours. One way is by making the official prayer of the Church, the liturgy, the source of our life of piety. And therefore we take great care in celebrating the liturgy, obeying lovingly the indications that are to be followed by all Catholics. We defend the authority of the Holy See, and spread its teaching among our friends and acquaintances. Above all, we maintain an unshakable trust in our holy Mother the Church.

Our Father always taught us that our supernatural effectiveness hinges on our filial obedience. I see you, my Jesus, after the resurrection, at that miraculous catch of fish. Cast the net to the right of the boat and you will find them (Jn 21: 6). They hadn’t caught anything all night. For nothing can be accomplished without your love! How are we going to consecrate to you the world, all mankind, when our weakness, my wretchedness and your smallness, my son, are so apparent? We have to cast the net. And we cast the net by obeying the magisterium of the Church.

My children, we have to be bread for the altar and bread for the world, for the table, being divine and human. We will achieve this only by obeying the Holy Church, by being children of this good, spotless Mother, by loving the Roman Pontiff, by loving the unity of the Church, closely united to the divine stem that will always remain sound.

Our love for the Apostolic See rises above human weaknesses.

In the Mass today we read, For we never used either words of flattery, as you know, or a cloak for greed, as God is witness; nor did we seek glory from men, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her children. … we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

These words addressed to the Thessalonians show how authority and government in the Church should always be exercised as a loving service toward all the faithful. This is also evidenced by the title that the Pope uses as an insignia of honour and glory: servus servorum Dei, the servant of the servants of God. Our gratitude to our Lord for giving his flock this divine government is so great that we want to join our Father in saying, Thank you, my God, for placing in my heart such love for the Pope.

Our attitude toward the Holy See is one of love, reverence and respect, though sometimes it may be necessary to overcome some misunderstanding, or one may not clearly understand some human aspect of those who assist the Roman Pontiff in directing the Church. For many years the Father used to go to St Peter’s Square every day, or almost every day, to recite the Creed in front of the Basilica and the Vatican. He used to say it in Spanish, as my mother taught it to me, he would say, but he would change it and insert a few words. When he came to the I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy, Catholic Church, he always used to repeat three times, I believe in my Mother, the Roman Church. Then he would add, in spite of everything. At one point he thought that it was a suitable moment to speak about his devotion in the Vatican, to the Cardinal Secretary of State, Cardinal Tardini. Naturally, he spoke in Italian, and translated ‘in spite of everything’ as malgrado tutto. The Cardinal asked, ’What do you mean by malgrado tutto? Our Father answered, your errors and mine.

The Father has taught us to distinguish between the Church, which is always holy and spotless because it is the Mystical Body of Christ, and its members who, like everyone else, are subject to errors and weakness and whom we must excuse and forgive.

Once again we go to our intercessor, St Pius X. He loved the Church greatly and led his flock with fortitude. We ask the Blessed Virgin to fill our hearts with a love for the Spouse of Christ as great as our Father’s. I consider myself as the least of priests on earth. Yet at the same time I want no one to outdo me in loving and serving the Church and the Pope. For this is the spirit that I have received from God and that I strive with all my strength to pass on to each of my children.