St. Gregory of Nyssa, "Father of the Fathers"

Bishop: ca. 330-395 A.D.

Birth, family background, and early life

St. Gregory was the son of St. Basil the Elder and St. Emmilia. He was born at Caesarea, Cappadocia, and was cared for by his brother St. Basil (the Great), and his sister St. Macrina the Younger. Being well educated, St. Gregory became a rhetorician and entered into marriage with Theosebeia. He became a professor of rhetoric but became depressed because of his students. His friend St. Gregory Nazianzen, led him to enter religious life. Eventually, he was ordained a priest. In the first years of his priesthood, he lived in seclusion at Iris in Pontus. Then in 372 A.D., his brother St. Basil, who was bishop of Caesarea, was instrumental in Gregory's being named bishop of Nyssa, lower Armenia.

A staunch defender of the Church against heresies

When St. Gregory took his episcopal seat in the diocese of Nyssa, he found his see overrun by Arianism. Aside from this problem, he was then falsely accused of stealing Church property and was imprisoned. Although St. Gregory was able to escape from prison, he was deposed by a synod of bishops from Galatia and Pontus in 376 A.D., and was exiled until 378 A.D., when the Emperor Gratian restored him to the see of Nyssa. St. Gregory then became active in the council of Antioch (379 A.D.) and in the General Council of Constantinople (381 A.D.), which battled heresies and reaffirmed the orthodox teaching of the Church (especially as regards the decrees of the Council of Nicaea against Arianism). Together with other Fathers of the Church, St. Gregory of Nyssa was a pillar of orthodoxy and a great opponent of Arianism.

His writings and influence

Together with St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, the three Cappadocian Fathers had an immense infuence in Eastern Christianity. Of these three Fathers, it was St. Gregory of Nyssa who was the most mystical in his writings. He wrote a commentary on the Song of Songs in the form of fifteen homilies dedicated to a wealthy Christian named Olympias. His other great mystical work, "The Life of Moses", is a rearrangement of the story of Moses, that presents the Old Testament patriarch as the model of mystical ascent to God. In this written work, St. Gregory was able to expound well on his original mystical teaching on the "epektasis" - the constant pursuit of God that is paradoxically at the same time, the enjoyment of His presence (confer Philippians 3:13).

St. Gregory of Nyssa also wrote his Catechetical Discourse, treatises against Eunomius and Appolinaris, a book on virginity, and commentaries on Scripture. The second General Council of Nicaea in 680-681 A.D., called him "Father of the Fathers."

Sources of this blog post:

• Dictionary of Saints, by John J. Delaney
• Pocket Catholic Dictionary, by John A. Hardon, SJ
• The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism, by editor Bernard McGinn

St. John Cassian, Abbot and Ascetical Writer

Latin Father of the Church: ca. 360-435 A.D.

Introduction

St. John Cassian was a monk who was able to connect Eastern monasticism and early Western monasticism. As an ascetical writer, his thought was influenced by the writings of Evagrius Ponticus. His two major writings were of great influence in the West for more than a millenium. These two writings were:

• "The Conferences (ca. 426-429 A.D.),
• and "The Institutes" (ca. 430 A.D.).

The life of St. John Cassian

The writer Gennadius in the fifth century A.D. says that St. John Cassian was born in Scythia, of wealthy parents, and that at 380 A.D., he went to Palestine with a friend named Germanus.

St. John Cassian and Germanus became monks at Bethlehem. Then they went to Egypt where they lived as hermits under Archebius. They continued on and visited the famous Fathers (abbas) of the desert until they arrived at Skete.

In about 400 A.D., John Cassian became a follower of St. John Chrysostom at Constantinople and was ordained a deacon by him. When John Chrysostom was deposed, together with others, John Cassian went to Rome in 405 A.D., to defend Chrysostom before Pope Innocent I. Several years later he went to Marseilles and lived there until his death in 435 A.D.

Founded monasteries

In about 415 A.D., St. John Cassian founded two monasteries, where he applied the spirit of Egyptian asceticism and monastic life. It was for his monks that he wrote "The Institutes" or "Institutes of the Monastic Life". Through this writing, he set forth the rules for monastic life - listing eight chief hindrances to a monk's perfection. St. John Cassian's "Institutes" greatly impressed St. Benedict that it influenced Benedict's own spirit of Western monasticism.

Other writings

"The Institutes" was St. John Cassian's second major work. His first major writing was "The Conferences" or "Conferences on the Egyptian Monks". This writing contains twenty-four recollections of conversations with noted abbas and leaders of Eastern monasticism - conversations on the interior spiritual practices of monastic life.

This writing was censured by Pope Pelagius for containing erroneous doctrine in some of its passages. His other writing, "De Incarnatione Domini", which was against Nestorian, was written at the request of an archdeacon who was later to become Pope St. Leo the Great. In this work, St. John Cassian denounces Pelagianism.

"Purity of heart"

Despite censure from Pope Pelagius, St. John Cassian's works was of great influence to Western monasticism. Especially important was his emphasis on "purity of heart" (puritas cordis: Mt 5:8) as the aim, or direction, the monk uses to attain the goal of the kingdom of heaven. Although St. John Cassian wrote for his fellow monastics, important parts of his teaching are also applicable to all devout Christians - especially his teaching on prayer.

Though coming from the East, St. John Cassian is listed also as one of the Latin Fathers of the Church.

References of this article

• Pocket Catholic Dictionary, by John A. Hardon, SJ
• The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism, by editor Bernard McGinn
• Dictionary of Saints, by John J. Delaney

Five Important Documents in the Catholic Church

There are five very important types of documents in the Catholic Church. The most important is the Apostolic Constitution while the least important is the Papal Message. These five documents are all issued by the Pope [or council].

The five types of Church documents

The five important Church documents in order of importance:

• 1. Apostolic Constitutions
• 2. Encyclical Letters
• 3. Apostolic Exhortations
• 4. Apostolic Letters
• 5. Papal Messages

Apostolic Constitutions

The Apostolic Constitution is a Church document of the highest authority that is issued by a Pope or council. The two types of Apostolic Constitutions:

• Dogmatic Constitution
• Pastoral Constitution

The Dogmatic Constitution has something to do with dogma and the teachings of the Church. An example of a Dogmatic Constitution is the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium in Latin. This was issued during the Second Vatican Council, 21 November 1964 A.D.

The Pastoral Constitution has to do with the application of the doctrines of the Church. An example of this document is the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes in Latin. This document was also issued during the Second Vatican Council, 7 December 1965 A.D.

Encyclical Letters

Encyclical Letters are pastoral letters written by the Pope concerning matters of doctrine for the entire Church. The origin of these Encyclical Letters are based on the Letters of the Apostles in the New Testament. Pope John Paul II wrote a total of fourteen (14) encyclical letters. Two popular encyclicals he wrote:

• on the Blessed Mother [The Mother of the Redeemer, Redemptoris Mater, March 25, 1987 A.D.]
• and on the Eucharist [Ecclesia de Eucharistia, April 17, 2003 A.D.]

Apostolic Exhortations

These Church documents are written by the Pope as an encouragement for people to take practical action. Examples of this Apostolic Exhortation:

• Ecclesia in Asia.
• The document for religious that was issued by Pope Paul VI on 29 June 1971 A.D. - Apostolic Exhortation on the Renewal of Religious Life, Evangelica testificatio.

Apostolic Letters

Apostolic Letters are issued by the Pope for matters of lesser importance, such as the establishment of a new diocese. Examples of Apostolic Letters issued after the period of the Second Vatican Council:

• Apostolic Letter on Mixed Marriages [by Pope Paul VI, Matrimonia Mixta, 7 January 1970 A.D.],
• Apostolic Letter Containing Norms for the Order of the Diaconate [by Pope Paul VI, Ad pascendum, 15 August 1972 A.D.],
• Apostolic Letter Concerning Mass Stipends [by Pope Paul VI, Firma in traditione, 15 June 1974 A.D.

The late Holy Father, John Paul II, composed a total of forty-five (45) Apostolic Letters.

Messages of the Holy Father

These documents of the Holy Father are for various purposes. Examples of these during the pontificate of John Paul II: the Papal Message for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace, 1 January 1989 A.D., and the Message for the World Communications Day every Sunday before Pentecost Sunday.