Pope Saint Damasus I
306 - 384
All lovers of Scripture have reason to celebrate this day. Damasus was the pope who commissioned Saint Jerome to translate the Scriptures into Latin, the Vulgate version of the Bible.
Damasus was a sixty-year-old deacon when he was elected bishop of Rome in 366. His reign was marked by violence from the start when another group decided to elect a different pope. Both sides tried to enforce their selections through violence. Though the physical fighting stopped, Damasus had to struggle with these opponents throughout his years as pope.
Damasus may not have won this battle directly, but he won the war by initiating works that outlasted all his opponents. Not only did he commission the Vulgate translation but he also changed the liturgical language of the Church from Greek to Latin. He worked hard to preserve and restore the catacombs, the graves of the martyrs, and relics.
Damasus was a writer -- but he didn't author many-volumed treatises as other Christian writers did. Damasus liked to write epigrams in verse: short sayings that capture the essence of what needed to be said. He wrote many epigrams on martyrs and saints. And he wrote one about himself that shows his humility and the respect he had for the martyrs. In a Roman cemetery is the papal crypt he built. All that is left of him there, however, is this: " I, Damasus, wished to be buried here, but I feared to offend the ashes of these holy ones." Instead, when he died in 384, he was buried with his mother and sister.
From the Decree of Damasus (attributed to Damasus):The arrangement of the names of Christ, however, is manifold: Lord, because He is Spirit; Word, because He is God; Son, because He is the only-begotten son of the Father; Man, because He was born of the Virgin; Priest, because He offered Himself as a sacrifice; Shepherd, because He is a guardian; Worm, because He rose again; Mountain, because He is strong; Way, because there is a straight path through Him to life; Lamb, because He suffered; Corner-Stone, because instruction is His; Teacher, because He demonstrates how to live; Sun, because He is the illuminator; Truth, because He is from the Father; Life, because He is the creator; Bread because He is flesh; Samaritan, because He is the merciful protector; Christ, because He is anointed; Jesus, because He is a mediator; Vine, because we are redeemed by His blood; Lion, because he is king; Rock, because He is firm; Flower, because He is the chosen one; Prophet, because He has revealed what is to come.
From The Faith of the Early Fathers , by William A. Jurgens, Copyright 1970, the Order of St. Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota
In His Footsteps:Damasus' love and respect for Scripture is shown in his authorization of the Vulgate translation. Spend 30 minutes today reading and meditating on Scripture. Try to make this a daily habit. One way to do this is keep a Bible open by your bedside and read it first thing in the morning and last thing before you turn out the light at night.
Prayer: Saint Damasus, instead of worrying about the short term of life on earth, you took God's view and looked to the things that last. Pray for me that I may be able to look beyond immediate popularity and fleeting favors, and choose to do the things that God wants me to do. Amen
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Pope St. Damasus, Please continue to pray for me, to make me more humble and persevering, in obeying the will of God.
St.Damasus i belive you great pope please pray 2 god for me and my family
god bless you Amen
St. Damasus was really an inspired pontiff since his work is still of great relevance to the entire Church. May he pray for us Christifideles laici and to all the Church's ministers and the whole Church.
Kay - as I understand it, St. Damasus was names the patron saint of archaeology for the work he did restoring and preserving the crypts and catacombs in Rome.
I am confused - I followed the link showing Pope St. Damasus as the patron saint of archaeologists, but having read this article, I don't know why he might be listed as such. Just because he translated into Latin?
St. Damasus, Since you chose to obey the will of God, He lifted you up to become the supreme pontiff, and his vicar. Still you remained very humble, and your contribution to the Church; by asking Jerome to translate the bible from Greek to Latin, and making Latin the official language of the Church were very remarkable. Please pray for us.
I learned very much from this article. Thank you for being there for us, Catholic.org. As a convert in1995, I am thrilled to have a resource to help me learn more about the Catholic Church.
The article states that Damasus was the pope who commissioned Saint Jerome to translate the Scriptures into Latin, the Vulgate version of the Bible. What does "Vulgate version" of the Bible mean?
Thanks
Brian R. Barber
His feast fell on a sunday : thanks to you I could nevertheless get to know him and pray to him for me and for all those for whom I pray - - - including YOU ! ! Many thanks __ and let us continue to pray for every one another connected with catholic-online .
Thank you, Catholic Online, for your true information. Japanese Chatholic Charch web sites unfortunately do not say true information. They are liable to keep away from historical details. They are also liable to sweep black mark under the carpet. I wish they were giving Japanese ture historical details. It's a shame, but it's the truth.
Very helpful , Saint Damasus , is choose man from GOD i love him and i wish to Devote to him . is name is not known , i love him that s why i named after Saint Damasus
This was a great article on Pope Saint Damasus I. It told us about his life, showed us his heart, inspires daily prayer and the reallity of what is important.
Very helpful for my report on the life of a saint!
I have really enjoyed reading this and like the section, From The Decree of Damasus.