De sancto Pancratio
The Martyrdom of Saint Pancratius
The young noble Pancratius is converted to the faith and stands firm against the threats of Emperor Diocletian, ultimately suffering martyrdom.
The name Pancratius comes from 'pan,' meaning 'all,' and 'gratus,' meaning 'speedy'—as if to say 'all-speedy'—because he was grateful in his youth; or, as the Glossary says, 'pancras' means 'rapine,' 'pancranarius' means 'subject to the lash,' and 'pancras' means 'a stone of various colors.' For he himself seized the prey of captives, was subjected to the lashes of torture, and was colored by a variety of virtues. Pancratius was born to noble parents, but while in Phrygia, he was orphaned of both father and mother and left under the care of his uncle, Dionysius. They both returned to Rome, where they owned a large estate, and in their neighborhood, Pope Cornelius was hiding with the faithful. After Dionysius and Pancratius received the faith of Christ from Cornelius, Dionysius eventually died in peace, while Pancratius was captured and brought before the Caesar. Pancratius was about fourteen, and Diocletian said to him, 'Little child, I advise you not to die a miserable death. Because you're a boy, you're easily deceived, and because you're clearly noble and have been like a son to me, I ask you to turn away from this madness so that I can keep you as my own son.' Pancratius replied, 'Even though I'm a boy in body, I carry an old man's heart. By the power of my Lord Jesus Christ, your terror is worth no more to us than this painting we're looking at. Your gods, however, whom you urge me to worship, were deceivers and violators of sisters, who didn't even spare their own parents.' If you were to recognize your own servants as such today, you'd immediately order them to be killed. I'm amazed that you aren't ashamed to worship such gods. Augustus, therefore, thinking he had been defeated by a boy, ordered him to be beheaded on the Via Aureliana around the year of our Lord 287, and the noblewoman Cocavilla carefully buried his body.
The Justice of the Saint
The tomb of Saint Pancratius becomes a place where divine justice is manifest, particularly in the punishment of those who swear false oaths.
As Gregory of Tours says, if anyone intends to swear a false oath at his tomb, they are either immediately seized by a demon and go mad before they can even reach the choir chancel, or they fall to the floor and die on the spot. There was a significant dispute between two men, and the judge knew perfectly well who was guilty. Driven by a zeal for justice, the judge led both men to the altar of Saint Peter and forced the guilty one to clear himself of the innocence he claimed by taking an oath, asking the apostle to reveal the truth through some judgment; but when the man had sworn and suffered no harm, the judge, knowing his malice and burning with a zeal for justice, exclaimed, 'This elder Peter is either too merciful or he favors the lesser man.' 'Let's go to the young Pancratius and ask him.' When they arrived and the guilty man presumed to swear a false oath over the tomb, he couldn't pull his hand away and died shortly after. For this reason, many still observe the practice of taking oaths for difficult matters over the relics of blessed Pancratius.
The Liturgical Calendar
A brief reflection on the liturgical seasons, specifically the time of pilgrimage between Pentecost and Advent.
Regarding the feasts that occur during the time of pilgrimage. Having discussed the feasts that occur during the time of reconciliation—which the Church marks as the period from Easter to the octave of Pentecost—we should now look at the feasts that happen during the time of pilgrimage, which the Church marks as the period from the octave of Pentecost until Advent. However, the beginning of this time doesn't always start here, but varies according to the date of Easter.
Read the original Latin
Pancratius a pan, quod est totum, et gratus, quod est citius, quasi totus cito gratus, quia in sua pueritia, vel sicut dicitur in Glossario, pancras dicitur rapina, pancranarius flagellis subjectus, - pancras lapis varie coloratus. Ipse enim rapuit praedam captivorum, fuit subjectus flagellis tormentorum, coloratus varietate virtutum. Pancratius nobilissimis ortus parentibus dum apud Phrygiam et patre et matre orbatus esset, sub cura Dionysii patrui sui relictus est. Ambo ergo Romam, ubi largum habebant patrimonium, redierunt, in quorum vico Cornelius papa cum fidelibus latitabat. A quo quidem Cornelio cum praedictus Dionysius et Pancratius fidem Christi recepissent, tandem Dionysius in pace moritur et Pancratius capitur et Caesari praesentatur. Erat autem Pancratius quasi annorum XIV, cui dicit Dyocletianus Caesar: infantule, suadeo tibi, ne mala morte moriaris, quia, cum puer sis, facile deciperis, et quia nobilis comprobaris et carissimi mei filius exstitisti, rogo te, ut recedas ab hac vesania, ut velut filium meum te habeam. Qui Pancratins: etsi puer sum corpore, cor tamen gero senile et virtute domini mei Jesu Christi terror vester tantum apud nos est, quantum haec pictura, quam cernimus, Dii autem tui, quos me hortaris colere, deceptores et germanarum stupratores fuerunt, qui etiam nec parentibus pepercerunt. Quod si hodie tuos servos tales cognosceres, protinus occidi jnberes.
Tales Deos miror, quomodo colere non erubescis. Augustus igitur putans se a puero victum, jussit eum in via Aureliana decollari circa annos domini CCLXXXVII, enjus corpus Cocavilla senatrix diligenter sepelivit. Ad ejus sepulchrum, ut ait Gregorius Turonensis, si quis falsum jurare volnerit, antequam ad chori cancellum perveniat, aut statim a daemone captus insanit aut cadens in pavimentum protinus vitam perdit. Lis non modica inter duos erat el judex reum minime ignorabat. Zelo igitur justitiae judex ductus ambos ad altare sancti Petri deduxit et ibidem reum innocentiam suam, quam praetendebat, juramento expiare coegit, rogans apostolum, ut aliquo judicio ostenderet veritatem, Cum autem ille jurasset et nihil mali passus fuisset, judex ejus malitiae conscius zelo accensus justitiae exclamavit: senior iste Petrus aut nimis misericors est aut minori defert. Eamus ad Pancratium juvenem et ab eo requiramus, Cum ergo venissent et super tumulum reus jurare falsum praesumsisset, manum inde trahere non potuit et ibidem postmodum exspiravit, unde usque hodie a plerisque observatur, ut super reliquias beati Pancratii pro arduis juramentum fiat. ind Be festivitatibus, quae occurrunt Ínfru tempus peregrinationis.
Dicto de festivitatibus, quae occurrunt inter tempus reconciliationis, quod tempus repraesentat ecclesia a pascha usque ad octavam pentecostes, sequitur videre de festivitatibus, quae eveniunt infra tempus peregrinationis, quod tempus repraesentat ecclesia ab octava pentecostes usque ad adventum. Principium autem hujus temporis non semper hic incipit, ed juxta paschalem terminum variatur.
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