In the spirit of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr
Commemoration of St. Liborius, Bishop and Confessor (Lauds only)
Today’s lessons from the Epistle and Gospel — 1 Peter 5:1–11 and Luke 22:24–30 — harmonize beautifully in their portrayal of ecclesiastical authority as service, suffering as a mark of divine favor, and humility as the pathway to glory. These readings speak with particular force when considered in the light of today’s saint, St. Apollinaris, bishop and martyr of Ravenna, a shepherd who bore witness to Christ both in doctrine and in blood. The commemorated saint of the day, St. Liborius, though not martyred, bore the episcopal office with fidelity and quiet strength, fittingly remembered today at Lauds.
I. The Shepherd Who Suffers: 1 Peter 5:1–11
“Feed the flock of God which is among you… being made a pattern of the flock from the heart.” (1 Pet. 5:2–3)
St. Peter, writing as an elder to his fellow presbyters, speaks not from abstract authority but from the weight of his own lived experience — as one who walked beside Christ, faltered, and was restored. He exhorts the bishops and priests to feed the flock not by constraint but willingly, “not for filthy lucre,” but eagerly and humbly.
St. Gregory the Great, in his Regula Pastoralis, echoes this spirit:
“He must learn, not only to live aright, but also to teach rightly; not only to speak to the people with eloquence, but to weep with them in compunction.” (Bk. 1, ch. 10)
The Bishop, then, is not a prince among men, but a visible image of Christ the Good Shepherd, whose throne is the Cross.
St. Apollinaris, ordained by St. Peter himself according to ancient tradition, embodies this Petrine charge. As bishop of Ravenna, he preached amid persecution, was scourged, exiled, returned, and ultimately gave his life in martyrdom. He did not “lord it over the clergy,” but shared in the sufferings of Christ and thus partook in His glory.
II. The Temptation to Greatness: Luke 22:24–30
“And there was also a strife amongst them, which of them should seem to be the greater.” (Luke 22:24)
How tragic and human — that even at the Last Supper, as the Lord prepared to give His Body and Blood, the apostles disputed over rank. Yet Christ, ever the patient Teacher, gently reorients them: “Let the greater among you be as the younger, and he that is the leader, as he that serveth.”
Here the Lord gives the pattern for apostolic authority: not dominance but diakonia — service. St. John Chrysostom, commenting on this passage, observes:
“They were not yet free from human passions. But He bears with them, and corrects them not sharply, but with gentle reproof.” (Hom. 83 on Matthew)
It is a stunning reality that our Lord says, “I am in the midst of you as He that serveth.” This is the divine logic of the Kingdom: that the Sovereign stoops, that the Master kneels to wash feet. Thus He establishes His Kingdom — not through power, but through humility, sacrifice, and love.
III. The Crown of Humility and Martyrdom
“God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble… Be you humbled therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in the time of visitation.” (1 Pet. 5:5–6)
St. Peter’s call to humility is not simply moral advice; it is eschatological hope. The faithful bishop, the humble priest, the suffering Christian — all are invited to cast their cares upon God and endure the prowling lion (Satan) in firm faith. The reward? A share in “eternal glory in Christ Jesus.”
St. Apollinaris teaches us this with his life and death. He fed the flock through persecution, exile, and martyrdom — “a witness unto the end,” as Tertullian would say. And through his blood, he was united with Christ, the true Shepherd and Bishop of souls.
And so too, though less publicly, St. Liborius labored in fidelity — not shedding his blood, but shedding his life in daily sacrifice, ever recalling the words of St. Ambrose:
“The office of a bishop is not to rule but to serve; not to dominate but to minister.” (De Officiis, Bk. 2, ch. 28)
IV. Conclusion: “And I dispose to you a Kingdom…”
Our Lord’s final words in the Gospel resound like a seal upon His teaching:
“I dispose to you, as My Father hath disposed to Me, a kingdom.” (Luke 22:29)
But this Kingdom is not won by ambition. It is granted to those who serve, suffer, and remain steadfast in trial — whether like Apollinaris in martyrdom, or like Liborius in quiet fidelity.
Let us then heed the call of the Apostle: be sober, be watchful, and humble yourselves beneath the mighty hand of God. In this humility is hidden the seed of heavenly glory.
Prayer (adapted from the Roman Breviary, July 23):
Grant, we beseech Thee, O Almighty God, that the solemn feast of Thy blessed Martyr and Bishop Apollinaris may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen