Posted on 09/17/2002 4:42:49 PM PDT by Lady In Blue
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December 1978, Volume I, Number 12
God, in His eternal wisdom, has seen fit to permit times of great confusion Robert Francis Romulus Bellarmine was born during the height of the Protestant revolt, on October 4, 1542. His maternal uncle was the virtuous Cardinal Cervini, who reigned as Pope Marcellus II for only twenty-two days. Robert's parents had their son educated at the college in Montepulciano, which was founded by the newly approved Society of Jesus. Young Robert pursued his childhood ambition to be a religious and was admitted to the Jesuits in 1560. His mind was attuned to the study of philosophy and theology and he took delight in studying these subjects for long hours. He taught humanities in the City of Florence and in 1569 he was transferred to the great Belgian seat of learning, Louvain, for courses in theology. The primary purpose for his studying at Louvain was that this city was located in the heart of Protestant country and it afforded the seminarian the opportunity of seeing and hearing, on a first hand basis, the results of Protestant thinking. BELLARMINE was recognized as a keen, thorough theologian. Moreover, he possessed the ability to express himself eloquently, so much so, that he was authorized by his bishop to preach even before his ordination. The Bishop of Ghent ordained him to the Holy Priesthood in 1570 and later appointed him Professor of Theology at the University of Louvain. Here he was noted for his lectures on the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas. Through his lectures and sermons he won many souls infected by Protestant ideas back to the Faith. The young priest was sent to the Jesuit Roman College in 1576 and given the charge of the newly founded theological position, "Chair of Controversies". His main task was to shed the light of eternal truths on the heresies which were invading the Church at that time. For twelve years Bellarmine worked untiringly at lectures and writings and became famous throughout Europe as the leading anti-Protestant exponent. So strong and convincing were his arguments that Protestants were forbidden by their pastors to read them and special institutes were begun to try to refute his writings. The lectures he gave were put into book form, the title of which is De Controversiis. It has become his most famous work. The simplicity of his arguments came from a soul which was described by his contemporaries as singular in his freedom from sin, his spirit of humility and poverty, and Ms devotedness to work. His charity knew no bounds and he seemed to be happiest when he was working with the poorest of poor, to whom he gave not only spiritual comfort but of his own material goods as well. De Controversiis was at first well received by the reigning Pontiff, Sixtus V. However, after Sixtus read through it and realized that Bellarmine took the position that the Holy See did indeed have temporal power, but in an indirect manner rather than direct, the Pope proposed to place the work on The Index. This deeply hurt the author, however, Providence intervened, as Sixtus died before this could take place and the succeeding Pope, Gregory XIV, gave Bellarmine's work his special approval. OUR SAINT was appointed to several important posts. From 1588 to 1594 he was Spiritual Director and later Rector of the Jesuit College. One of the students under his direction was Aloysius Gonzaga, who died in 1591. Bellarmine later had the happiness of promoting the cause of his beatification. In 1594 Bellarmine was named Provincial of the Order in Naples. Three years later Pope Clement VIII recalled him to Rome, created him a cardinal, examiner of bishops and consuitor to the Holy Office. The Pope was so impressed with Bellarmine that he made him his own theologian, saying that "the Church of God has not his equal in learning." O God, grant that through the intercession In 1602 the Pope and Bellarmine were involved in a theological dispute over the seemingly contradictory dogmas of man's free will versus the infallibly efficacious nature of God's grace. The Pope wished to make an infallible definition in this regard and Bellarmine thought it unnecessary. As a result Clement decided to send Bellarmine away from the Vatican. He himself consecrated the cardinal as Archbishop of Capua, to show that there was no animosity involved. Capua is an important see near the port of Naples. Here Bellannine lived for three years, during which time he made frequent visits to the families of his diocese, gave instructions in the Faith to children and adults and gave almost all his salary to the poor of the area. At this time he was instrumental in encouraging the creation of small farms to be run by the peasants and assisted in the opening of various industries for the unemployed. Pope Clement VIII died in 1605 and was succeeded by Leo XI, whose reign lasted twenty-seven days. Pope Paul V was then elected to the papacy. One of his first acts was to return Bellarmine to Rome and to appoint him a member of the Holy Office. Cardinal Bellarmine had been on friendly terms with Galileo Galilei and it fell to him to warn the scientist to be more reserved in proposing new theories which were not yet established by sufficient proof. At the same time he begged the pope to be more understanding towards Galileo. IT SEEMED that controversy hounded Bellarmine. He was heavily involved in the dispute between the Vatican and the British monarchy. He wrote several tracts condemning the forcing of Catholics to take the oath of supremacy. English Catholics were torn in conscience because of the wording in the oath which attributed formerly recognized rights of the Church in England as "damnable heresy". This same controversy spread to France and was known as the Gallican theory. In essence, it stated that papal primacy was limited by the temporal power of kings which was inviolable; it also confirmed that papal authority was limited by the authority of the general council of bishops, who alone could give to the pope's pronouncements the authority of infallibility. Cardinal Bellarmine who had had several personal disagreements with the supreme pontiffs of his time, nevertheless remained staunchly loyal to the papacy and to the authority of the pope when properly exercised. He had a clear vision of the truth which the Church has always held of the office of the Vicar of Christ. We are indebted to him for the following statements which was published in his work, De Romano Pontifice (Book II, Chapter 29): "Just as it is licit to resist a pontiff who attacks the body, so it is licit to resist him who attacks souls, or who disturbs the civil order, or above all, who tries to destroy the Church. It is licit to resist him by not doing what he orders and by impeding the execution of his will. It is not licit, however, to judge him, to punish him, or to depose him, for such acts belong to a superior." TOWARDS THE END of his life, Cardinal Bellarmine wrote several devotional works, among them Ascent of the Mind to God, On the Seven Words of Christ, The Sighing Dove, and The Art of Dying Well He took part in several papal elections and, at one time, was considered as a prime candidate for that office. Shortly after the election of Pope Gregory XV his health began to fail and he retired in the summer of 1621 to the Monastery of Sant' Andrea in Rome. He edified all those around him by his complete resignation to the Will of God and died peacefully at the age of seventy-nine years, September 17, 1621. After his death those who knew him best remarked about his heroic sanctity, his sense of mortification and selflessness in the service of God. Although long recognized as a saint, he was officially beatified on May 13, 1923, by Pope Pius XI. The same pope canonized him on June 29, 1930, and declared him a Doctor of the Church in 1931. His remains rest today in the Jesuit Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, next to his spiritual son, Saint Aloysius Gonzaga.
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September 17, 2007
 St. Robert Bellarmine
(1542-1621)
When Robert Bellarmine was ordained in 1570, the study of Church history and the Fathers of the Church was in a sad state of neglect. A promising scholar from his youth in Tuscany, he devoted his energy to these two subjects, as well as to Scripture, in order to systematize Church doctrine against the attacks of the Protestant Reformers. He was the first Jesuit to become a professor at Louvain.
His most famous work is his three-volume Disputations on the Controversies of the Christian faith. Particularly noteworthy are the sections on the temporal power of the pope and the role of the laity. He incurred the anger of both England and France by showing the divine-right-of-kings theory untenable. He developed the theory of the indirect power of the pope in temporal affairs; although he was defending the pope against the Scottish philosopher Barclay, he also incurred the ire of Pope Sixtus V. Bellarmine was made a cardinal by Pope Clement VIII on the grounds that "he had not his equal for learning." While he occupied apartments in the Vatican, Bellarmine relaxed none of his former austerities. He limited his household expenses to what was barely essential, eating only the food available to the poor. He was known to have ransomed a soldier who had deserted from the army and he used the hangings of his rooms to clothe poor people, remarking, "The walls won't catch cold." Among many activities, he became theologian to Pope Clement VIII, preparing two catechisms which have had great influence in the Church. The last major controversy of Bellarmine's life came in 1616 when he had to admonish his friend Galileo, whom he admired. Bellarmine delivered the admonition on behalf of the Holy Office, which had decided that the heliocentric theory of Copernicus was contrary to Scripture. The admonition amounted to a caution against putting forward—other than as a hypothesis—theories not yet fully proved. It was an example of the fact that saints are not infallible. Bellarmine died on September 17, 1621. The process for his canonization was begun in 1627 but was delayed for political reasons, stemming from his writings, until 1930. In 1931 Pius XI declared him a Doctor of the Church. Quote:
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From a treatise On the Ascent of the Mind to God by
Saint Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor
(1542-1621)
Incline my heart to your decrees
Sweet Lord, you are meek and merciful. Who would not give himself wholeheartedly to your service, if he began to taste even a little of your fatherly rule? What command, Lord, do you give your servants? Take my yoke upon you, you say. And what is this yoke of yours like? My yoke, you say, is easy and my burden light. Who would not be glad to bear a yoke that does not press hard but caresses? Who would not be glad for a burden that does not weigh heavy but refreshes? And so you were right to add: And you will find rest for you souls. And what is this yoke of yours that does not weary, but gives rest? It is, of course, that first and greatest commandment: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart. What is easier, sweeter, more pleasant, that to love goodness, beauty and love, the fullness of which you are, O Lord, my God?
Is it not true that you promise those who keep your commandments a reward more desirable than great wealth and sweeter than honey? You promise a most abundant reward, for as your apostle James says: The Lord has prepared a crown of life for those who love him. What is this crown of life? It is surely a greater good than we can conceive of or desire, as Saint Paul says, quoting Isaiah: Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him.
Truly then the recompense is great for those who keep your commandments. That first and greatest commandment helps the man who obeys, not the God who commands. In addition, the other commandments of God perfect the man who obeys them. They provide him with what he needs. They instruct and enlighten him and make him good and blessed. If you are wise, then, know that you have been created for the glory of God and your own eternal salvation. This is your goal; this is the center of your life; this is the treasure of your heart. If you reach this goal, you will find happiness. If you fail to reach it, you will find misery.
May you consider truly good whatever leads to your goal and truly evil whatever makes you fall away from it. Prosperity and adversity, wealth and poverty, health and sickness, honors and humiliations, life and death, in the mind of the wise man, are not to be sought for their own sake, nor avoided for their own sake. But if they contribute to the glory of God and your eternal happiness, then they are good and should be sought. If they detract from this, they are evil and must be avoided.
Source: The Liturgy of the Hours - Office of Readings
Saint Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) was born in 1542 in the town of Monte Pulciano in Tuscany. He entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and studied at Florence and Mondovi and then at Padua and Louvain. After ordination to the priesthood in 1570 he distinguished himself by brilliant disputations in defense of the Catholic faith. He also taught theology in the Roman College in Louvain, lecturing on St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica and gained a reputation for his learning and brilliant preaching. He studied Scripture and the Church Fathers and learned Hebrew. In 1576 he was called to Rome and taught at the newly founded Roman College for eleven years, during which time he prepared his monumental Disputationes de controversiis Christianae Fidei adversus hujus temporis Haereticos, a study of the Catholic faith to refute the Protestant Centuries of Magdeburg. In 1592 he was named rector of the Roman College and in 1594 became provincial of the Naples province of the Jesuits. He became Pope Clement VIII's theologian in 1597 and in 1599 was elected to the College of Cardinals and named bishop of Capua. He became embroiled in the controversy over his friend Galileo, who accepted his admonition in 1610 that it would be wise to advance his findings as hypotheses rather than as fully proved theories. In the last decade of his life his writings were on spiritual matters, among them Art of Dying Well. He solved many pressing questions in the various Roman Congregations, was a champion of the papacy and brilliant defender of the faith in the wake of the Protestant reformation. He died at Rome in 1621 at age 79, was canonized in 1930 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1931.
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