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Biography
He was an orphan from Ravenna. After a difficult childhood, one of his older brothers enabled him to study. Peter took the name Damiani. He was successful after his studies, but he thought eternity was more important than fame and honor. He led an ascetic life and at the age of 28 he left for a community of hermits in Fonte Avellana near Gubbio. He later became prior and was then appointed bishop of Ostia and cardinal. Even before that, he often rebuked dignitaries and tried to reform the Church. He wrote many scholarly works. He made his last journey to his hometown to reconcile with the pope.
ŽIVOTOPIS PRE MEDITÁCIU
HE HAD THE GOOD OF THE WHOLE CHURCH AT HEART
He was born in Ravenna in 1007 into a large, low-income family. Both his parents died very early, and he felt mistreated by his siblings. Barefoot and in torn clothes, he had to feed his eldest brother’s pigs. Once, when he found some money, instead of using it for his own needs, he used it to celebrate Holy Mass for his parents. He certainly considered other options, but in the end, the one that allowed him to be among the blessed poor in spirit—those who are needy and whose efforts are to please the Lord—prevailed. His sister Roselinda, who took care of him when he was abandoned, and then his much older brother, who became archpriest in Ravenna, helped him through his difficult childhood. In addition to his basic needs, he was given the opportunity to receive an education, which Peter took advantage of with great diligence. He studied grammar, rhetoric, and law in Faenza and Parma. He then became a high school teacher in Ravenna. Perhaps as a token of gratitude for the help he received in his studies, he took the middle name Damiani after his brother.
In 1035, at the age of 28, he entered the strict Benedictine monastery founded by St. Romuald in Fonte Avelana on Monte Catria. The monks followed an ascetic regime, which was initially difficult for Peter, but he nevertheless devoted himself to the study of Scripture and theology. He copied manuscripts for a living. In 1043, he was elected prior.
He was kind and had great compassion for the poor and abandoned. However, he was also energetic, strict, and driven by his zeal. He quickly founded five more religious communities and wrote several manuals for them on monastic and hermit life. He quickly founded five more religious communities and wrote several manuals for them on monastic and hermit life. He cared not only for the welfare of the monastic communities, but also for the welfare of the whole Church. He also admonished some bishops and wealthy itinerant monks. At synods, he spoke out against various vices and shortcomings. He knew the German imperial court and popes, starting with Leo IX, as well as Conrad II and Henry III. Both he and his successor Victor II entrusted him with certain tasks and consulted him on matters of church reform. During this period, Peter Damiani wrote the treatises Gratissimus and Gomorrhianus, which were directed against sacrilege and immorality among the clergy. Another pope, Stephen IX, appointed Peter as bishop of Ostia and cardinal in order to involve him in the reform efforts of the papal court. While in Rome, Peter collaborated with the reformer Hildebrand, who later became an advisor to several popes and later Pope Gregory VII. He had great compassion for the poor and abandoned; on the other hand, he was energetic and strict with organizational skills. In his zeal, he quickly founded five other religious communities and wrote several manuals on monastic and hermit life for them. He had at heart not only the good of the monastic communities, but also that of the whole Church. He also admonished some bishops and wealthier itinerant monks. At synods, he spoke out against various vices and shortcomings. He had contacts with the German imperial court, with Conrad II and Henry III, and with popes, beginning with Leo IX. He and his successor Victor II entrusted him with certain tasks and consulted him on issues of church reform. At that time, Peter Damiani wrote the treatises Gratissimus and Gomorrhianus, directed against sacrilege and moral disorders among the clergy. The next pope, Stephen IX, appointed Peter as bishop of Ostia and cardinal in order to involve him in the reform activities of the papal curia. In Rome, Peter collaborated with the reformer Hildebrand, who had been a Cluniac monk and became not only an advisor to several popes, but later also Pope Gregory VII.
Peter Damian, as a representative of the Roman Curia, reformed the Milanese bishopric and other Lombard bishoprics in 1059. From 1061, he vigorously opposed the rebellious Pope Honorius II and defended the monastery in Cluny against the unjustified demands of the local bishop, thereby resolving various complaints. It was a period of conflict between secular and spiritual power. In 1069, he prevented the divorce of Henry IV and Bertha of Savoy.
During the reign of Nicholas II, Peter wanted to be relieved of his episcopal duties and return to the monastery of Fonte Avellana, which the pope granted him. He also devoted himself to woodcarving there. His last mission was in Ravenna, when the city was spiritually divided into two opposing camps. He resolved the situation and died on his way back at the Benedictine monastery in Faenza. He was also buried there.
In the case of Peter Damian, the Church recognized the spontaneous and universal veneration of this saint, whom Pope Leo XII declared a Doctor of the Church in 1828.
DECISION, PRAYER
In Matthew 5, I will read about the Beatitudes and how they relate to my life. chosen
“Almighty God, you strengthened Saint Peter Damian to devote his life to the service of the Church; help us to follow his teaching and example, so that we may put nothing before Christ and thus attain eternal joy. Through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
