Commemoratio ad Laudes tantum: S. Eleutherii Papæ et Martyris
Today, in the quiet solemnity of Laudes, Holy Church bids us commemorate Sanctus Eleutherius, Pope and Martyr, whose steadfast witness adorns the early centuries of the Church with the crimson crown of fidelity. In the context of this commemoration, the lectionary readings—Wisdom 7:7–14 and Luke 12:35–40—resound with renewed clarity. They do not merely instruct; they prepare. They are, as St. Cyprian says of Sacred Scripture, “arma fidei“—the arms of faith which the soldier of Christ must never lay aside.
I. Wisdom Is a Gift of Martyrs (Wis 7:7–14)
“I prayed, and understanding was given me; I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.” (Wis 7:7)
This passage from the Sapientia Salomonis, read today under the gentle light of the early morning office, reminds us of the divine source of all true wisdom. It is not earned, but granted—poured forth upon the humble and the prayerful. St. Eleutherius, serving as Bishop of Rome during perilous times under Marcus Aurelius, certainly knew that episcopal governance was not possible by mere prudence of the flesh, but only through the wisdom that comes from above (cf. James 3:17).
St. Augustine, in his De Trinitate, remarks: “The wisdom of God is not acquired by human industry but is infused into the soul by God Himself.” (Bk. XII, ch. 15). Thus, Eleutherius, like Solomon before him, received a share in this wisdom not through ambition but through the humble supplication that rises like incense from the Church at prayer.
Moreover, the text tells us: “I preferred her to scepters and thrones… all gold is but a little sand in her sight” (v. 8–9). Here we see a foreshadowing of martyrdom. The wisdom of the world clings to power and comfort; the wisdom of God leads to the Cross. St. Eleutherius, who governed the Church during her infancy and under pressure, likely from both Roman persecution and internal heresy, valued the “wisdom” of the faith above political safety. His blood, spilled in witness (martyrium), confirms that he counted Christ more valuable than life itself.
St. Gregory Nazianzen says: “The wise man is one who sees all things in the light of eternity.” (Orat. 20). The Martyr-Pope’s life confirms this: only the eternal Wisdom, begotten before the ages (cf. Prov 8:22), can render one both courageous and humble, both shepherd and sacrifice.
II. Vigilance in the Night of This World (Luke 12:35–40)
“Let your loins be girded, and lamps burning in your hands.” (Lk 12:35)
Our Lord’s exhortation to watchfulness, proclaimed in the Gospel, takes on a deeper hue when read in the light of the martyrs. Vigilance is not passive anticipation—it is active fidelity. To “gird one’s loins” recalls the Paschal preparation of the Israelites (Ex 12:11), and to keep lamps lit evokes the wise virgins awaiting the Bridegroom (Mt 25:1–13). Both images are figures of the Church militant, alert in hope and ready for sacrifice.
St. Cyril of Alexandria interprets this passage in his Commentary on Luke: “To keep the lamps burning signifies perseverance in the life of virtue and the unwavering confession of faith even in the face of persecution.” The martyr, then, is the living fulfillment of this Gospel call. He stands ready—clothed in grace, bearing the light of truth—and when the Master comes (through death or at the end of days), he is found worthy.
St. Eleutherius, in his office as Pontiff, did not merely wait for the Lord in comfort; he kept vigil in a storm. His watchfulness is a rebuke to the drowsiness of our modern Christian age, where the faith is often diluted in compromise. The martyr, however, knows what hour it is. “Be you also ready: for at what hour you think not, the Son of man will come.” (Lk 12:40)
The Catena Aurea of St. Thomas Aquinas, commenting on this passage, offers this from St. Bede: “The loins girded are the mortification of the flesh; the burning lamps are the good works which shine before men.” Is this not the very image of St. Eleutherius? A man of discipline, girded with truth, and luminous in works—particularly the ultimate work of bearing witness unto death.
III. The Legacy of the Watchful Wise
The confluence of Sapiential prayer and Evangelical vigilance encapsulates the Christian life in its fullness. Wisdom directs the soul toward God, while watchfulness maintains the soul in readiness for His coming. In this, the saints—especially the martyrs—are our perfect teachers.
In the Martyrology, St. Eleutherius is listed not with elaborate description, but with the simple declaration of his martyrdom. Yet this brevity conceals a brilliance: a life spent for Christ is a lamp that no darkness can quench.
Let us then imitate the Martyr-Pope in our own stations:
- By praying for true wisdom—detached from the world’s estimation.
- By living watchfully—resisting spiritual sloth.
- And by witnessing—whether by life or death—that Christ alone is our treasure and our King.
In the words of St. Ambrose: “The Church is always adorned with the wisdom of the saints and the watchfulness of the martyrs. They are the living stones of her foundation, and the fire of their love still burns in her lamps.” (Expositio Evangelii secundum Lucam).
Ora pro nobis, sancte Eleutheri, ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.