Feast of St. Linus
Pope St. Linus was, according to the lists of the Church, the second pope after St. Peter. He is mentioned several times in the writings of the early Church Fathers:
"Peter was succeeded by Linus, Linus by Clement, Clement by Anacletus ... " (St. Augustine, Letters, 53:1:2)
"The blessed apostles, then, having founded and built up the Church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of the episcopate. Of this Linus, Paul makes mention in the Epistles to Timothy." (St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3:3:3)
The passage St. Irenaeus is referring to here is 2 Timothy 4:21:
According to the history books, Pope St. Linus reigned anywhere from 64/67 - 76/79. He is said to have made official the decree that women must wear veils in the Church; he is said to be buried next to St. Peter; Ss. Mark and Luke were martyred during his reign; he alledgedly wrote an account of the martyrdoms of Ss. Peter and Paul; and he is said to have died a martyr himself.
Now, of course, modern historians question all of the above - but then again, what don't they question? The decree about women, they say, is nothing more than St. Paul's decree concerning the same, simply misattributed to St. Linus; there is no proof that he is buried next to St. Peter; the account of St. Peter's martyrdom, they say, is from at least the 6th century, so St. Linus couldn't have written it; and, since there were no wide-spread persecutions from Nero to Domitian, these historians doubt St. Linus' martyrdom as well.
At any rate, he is celebrated today as a martyr, because in the Roman books his martyrdom was recorded as September 23. So we celebrate Pope St. Linus, martyr and pope.
Let them exalt him in the Church of the people: and praise him in the chair of the ancients ... Thou shalt make them princes over all the earth: they shall remember Thy name through-out all generations. Alleluia. (Ps. 106:31-32, 44:17-18; Gradual, Mass of St. Linus)
If thou lovest Me, Simon Peter, feed My lambs; feed My sheep. Alleluia, alleluia. (John 21:15-17; Introit, Mass of St. Linus)
Prayer
O Eternal Shepherd, do Thou look favorably upon Thy flock, which we beseech Thee to guard and keep for evermore through the Blessed Linus, Thy Martyr and Supreme Pontiff, whom Thou didst choose to be the chief shepherd of the whole Church. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who livest and reignest with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, forever and ever. Amen. (Collect, Mass of St. Linus)
"Peter was succeeded by Linus, Linus by Clement, Clement by Anacletus ... " (St. Augustine, Letters, 53:1:2)
"The blessed apostles, then, having founded and built up the Church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of the episcopate. Of this Linus, Paul makes mention in the Epistles to Timothy." (St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3:3:3)
The passage St. Irenaeus is referring to here is 2 Timothy 4:21:
According to the history books, Pope St. Linus reigned anywhere from 64/67 - 76/79. He is said to have made official the decree that women must wear veils in the Church; he is said to be buried next to St. Peter; Ss. Mark and Luke were martyred during his reign; he alledgedly wrote an account of the martyrdoms of Ss. Peter and Paul; and he is said to have died a martyr himself.
Now, of course, modern historians question all of the above - but then again, what don't they question? The decree about women, they say, is nothing more than St. Paul's decree concerning the same, simply misattributed to St. Linus; there is no proof that he is buried next to St. Peter; the account of St. Peter's martyrdom, they say, is from at least the 6th century, so St. Linus couldn't have written it; and, since there were no wide-spread persecutions from Nero to Domitian, these historians doubt St. Linus' martyrdom as well.
At any rate, he is celebrated today as a martyr, because in the Roman books his martyrdom was recorded as September 23. So we celebrate Pope St. Linus, martyr and pope.
Let them exalt him in the Church of the people: and praise him in the chair of the ancients ... Thou shalt make them princes over all the earth: they shall remember Thy name through-out all generations. Alleluia. (Ps. 106:31-32, 44:17-18; Gradual, Mass of St. Linus)
If thou lovest Me, Simon Peter, feed My lambs; feed My sheep. Alleluia, alleluia. (John 21:15-17; Introit, Mass of St. Linus)
Prayer
O Eternal Shepherd, do Thou look favorably upon Thy flock, which we beseech Thee to guard and keep for evermore through the Blessed Linus, Thy Martyr and Supreme Pontiff, whom Thou didst choose to be the chief shepherd of the whole Church. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who livest and reignest with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, forever and ever. Amen. (Collect, Mass of St. Linus)
<< Home