It's the Feast of
St. Lawrence,
2nd Class, with the color of
Red. In this episode: the meditation: "The Ritual of the Miracle", today's news from the Church: "The Deposit of Faith Does Not Change", a preview of the Sermon: "The Greatest Temptation for Good Souls", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
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Sources Used Today:
- "The Ritual of the Miracle" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumption
- "The Deposit of Faith Does Not Change" (FSSPX.news)
- "The Greatest Temptation for Good Souls" (SSPX Sermons)
- The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press)
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Saint Hugh of Montaigu is one of those medieval bishops whose story begins with a family connection that could easily have defined his entire career. He was born around 1065 in Burgundy, France, into a noble family, and his uncle was none other than Saint Hugh of Cluny, one of the most influential abbots in medieval Europe.
That's quite a shadow to grow up under.
But the younger Hugh developed a reputation of his own. He entered the clergy, became deeply involved in the reforming life of the Church, and in 1115 was chosen as Bishop of Auxerre in Burgundy.
The diocese he inherited needed work.
Church discipline had grown uneven, monasteries needed reform, and some clergy had become far too comfortable. Hugh wasn't interested in simply occupying an impressive bishop's residence and enjoying the privileges that came with the office. He traveled throughout his diocese, corrected abuses, restored churches, and worked to bring monasteries and clergy back to a more serious spiritual life.
And he wasn't afraid to get personally involved.
One of Hugh's greatest interests was the rebuilding of the Cathedral of Saint Stephen at Auxerre. The earlier cathedral had suffered badly from fire, and Hugh helped begin the great reconstruction that would eventually produce one of Burgundy's most impressive churches. Parts of the medieval complex associated with his era can still be seen today.
But Hugh's world was much bigger than Auxerre.
He lived during the age of the Crusades, when pilgrims, monks, soldiers, and bishops moved constantly between France and the Holy Land. Hugh himself traveled to Jerusalem, something that required months of dangerous travel by road and sea. Medieval pilgrimage wasn't tourism. A bishop leaving France for Jerusalem had no guarantee that he would ever make it home.
Hugh did return, and he brought that pilgrim spirit back into his work as bishop.
He was also closely connected with the extraordinary monastic revival happening throughout Burgundy. Cluny was at its height, the new Cistercian movement was beginning to spread, and nearby monasteries were producing figures such as Bernard of Clairvaux. Hugh lived right in the middle of one of the richest periods of monastic history.
He governed Auxerre for more than twenty years before his death in 1136.
There aren't many spectacular miracle stories attached to Hugh. What remains instead is something more tangible: a diocese strengthened, monasteries reformed, and a cathedral rising stone by stone.
That's not a bad legacy.
Saint Hugh of Montaigu reminds us that sometimes rebuilding the Church looks exactly like rebuilding anything else: patiently repairing what has been neglected and leaving something stronger for the people who come after us.
Saint Hugh of Montaigu, pilgrim bishop and patient builder of the Church, pray for us.
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The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition.
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The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood.
Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls.
Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it.
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