ON SAINT PONTIUS, ABBOT OF ST. ANDREW'S NEAR AVIGNON.
YEAR 1088
PrefacePontius, Abbot of St. Andrew's near Avignon (St.)
The city of Avignon is joined by a bridge of three hundred paces to the suburb on the opposite bank across the River Rhone: whose admirable structure Theophylus Raynaudus excellently depicts in the Acts of St. John Benedict, the monastery of St. Andrew, surnamed Pastor and Pontiff on account of his initial care of sheep and then the construction of this bridge. Near the suburb of this bridge is the monastery of St. Andrew, built like a fortress on rather high and very steep rocks. The Life of St. Pontius was written under Peter the Abbot, his successor: Life of St. Pontius, which we applied every diligence to obtain, through our contacts both at Avignon and at Paris, since the Life had been sent there to the monastery of St. Germain des Pres. But in vain. It was formerly distributed into Lessons to be read at Matins, the first part of which we obtained in Paris from the Feuillant Fathers, and give here, together with a summary contracted from the said Acts by Hugh Menard, published in book 2 of his observations on his Martyrology: in which his veneration is thus set forth for March 26: At Avignon, St. Pontius, Abbot, conspicuous for the glory of miracles. Saussay in the Gallic Martyrology has these words: At Avignon, St. Pontius, Abbot of St. Andrew's and Confessor: name in the Martyrologies. who by his prayer obtained copious rains from heaven in a time of drought, and no less distinguished for miracles than for virtues, departed to the Lord with a most holy end. Bucelinus adorns him with a larger eulogy taken from Menard. The title prefixed to the Lessons is of this kind: On the feast of St. Pontius, Abbot of the monastery of St. Andrew of Andaon, who died in the year one thousand and eighty-seven, on the twenty-sixth day of March. In place of Andaonensis, it is also written Audanoonensis, Andranensis, Andarnensis.
LIFE
Written by a contemporary author and disciple.
Pontius, Abbot of St. Andrew's near Avignon (St.)
BHL Number: 6894
[1] How greatly the Blessed and Venerable Pontius adorned the monastery of Andraon with miracles, signs, and virtues St. Pontius becomes a monk: cannot easily be said: who, although he excelled his contemporaries in divinely given grace and refinement, nevertheless in the flower of his age, together with his father and another brother, on Mount Andraon consecrated his body to the living God after the manner of Isaac. Where, having put on the cowl, all his discourse and discussion was about forming human morals, restraining pleasures, fleeing rashness, following simplicity, loving Christ, and worshiping Christ. For he knew with certainty that this was the only purpose set before the Christian, without which nothing worthy of God, nothing worthy of immortality, can be done.
[2] Rightly considering, the divine Pontius, that nothing should be done before anything else by a Ruler of the Church, nothing with greater zeal, he is elected Abbot: than that the Lord's flock should be truly taught; as soon as he was elected Abbot by legitimate lot, desiring to satisfy the pastoral office to the best of his ability, he began by preaching to send forth the sound of Evangelical doctrine and to visit many regions. When he arrived at the distinguished city of Carpentras in the County of Avignon, led by the Holy Spirit, in the manner of a good son he first betook himself to his father's house, that is, the temple, which is called the house of the heavenly Father, for the purpose of greeting the heavenly Father: he frees demoniacs. where a multitude of demoniacs was kept for the purpose of obtaining deliverance, as also happens in these times. Moved by compassion that a man, created in the image of God, should be so agitated by a demon, having performed the exorcism, with a sufficient examination of all sins having been first conducted, he freed all by the word of the Lord and restored them to health.
[3] Hear, I beseech you, most beloved Brothers, the truth shining and flowing from every side. Christ in the Gospel testifies that all crimes and sins are forgiven by the merit of Confession, saying: Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose you shall retain, they are retained. John 20:22 Because the devil, who is called the father of lies, in the midst of the church of Carpentras, with the people hearing and the crowd marveling, confesses and testifies that he knew some crime about a companion of the divine Pontius, which after Confession was made is completely unknown. For what is it, Brothers, for the devil after Confession to be ignorant of sins, except that those same sins have been forgiven? Whence the excellent Prophet David rightly says: Blessed are those whose iniquities have been forgiven and whose sins have been covered. Psalm 32:1
[4] How pleasing it is to receive God's pilgrims in charity can be seen not only in Abraham, Lot, and the other ancient Patriarchs, but also in a certain man of the monastery of St. Andrew: he gives sight to a blind woman: where when a Priest had received the holy man Pontius as his guest with honor, as was fitting, his mother, who had been deprived of natural light for twelve years, hearing that the said St. Pontius was being hosted at home, was rejoicing as if foreknowing her cure: who, washing her eyes with the water with which the holy man had washed his hands, recovered the sight she had lost. Naaman the Syrian is washed in the Jordan and through Elisha is cleansed of leprosy; the old woman is washed with the hand-washing water to the glory of God and through St. Pontius is cured of the deprivation of sight.
[5] It is not doubted that our Lord Jesus Christ was agitated by many kinds of temptations from the devil. I say this therefore, Brothers, so that you may not be surprised if you should sometimes hear that a human creature, created by the natural goodness of God and loved as His special member, is harassed by a demon, when we read that Christ, our head, was tempted. Wherefore, as Scripture testifies that the most patient Job was wounded by a demon from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head, he frees a woman agitated by a demon: Job 2:7 so men worthy of faith testify that in the time of the divine Pontius there was a certain woman, a neighbor of the monastery of Andraon, who, wandering through forests every night, was incredibly agitated by a demon. Whom God freed through St. Pontius, having first been fortified with the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The testimony of her completely recovered health was the works of mercy which she exercised in a Christian and devout manner, by clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, and visiting churches.
[6] How wicked it is to deny tithes to ecclesiastical men, and from what things they ought to be given, is abundantly taught in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, where the Lord said to Aaron: To the sons of Levi, that is, to the Priests, who bear the sins of the people and serve me in the ministry of the tabernacle of the covenant, you shall command the tenth part of all fruits to be given. Num. 18:20 And since cursed is he who does not keep the things written in the book of life, how great a curse befell a certain castle, commonly called Podium Altum, on account of tithes not paid since the matter pertains more closely to us, it is to be heard with more attentive ears. For in the aforesaid castle there is a certain notable pool where an abundance of fish is taken at every season: the inhabitants of which place, when, at the devil's urging, they refused to pay the tenth part of the fish, justly owed to the monastery, the curse having been proclaimed by St. Pontius, immediately whatever was alive in that pool died and sought the shore. by the prayer of St. Pontius the fish die: Recognizing this, the aforesaid settlers brought live fish from elsewhere, which, having been twice and again put in alive, were found dead on the shore the following day.
[7] After this, some days having passed, the aforesaid settlers, compelled by the intolerable stench and pressing necessity, led by repentance, after the tithes were pledged, came to the holy man's presence, swearing that they would henceforth by no means dispute the tenth part of the fish, but would pay it without contradiction in perpetuity, giving the monastery of St. Andrew the right to have one small boat in the said pool for the monks' use, by his blessing provided St. Pontius would not disdain to give his blessing to the pool already cursed: who, overcome by the prayers of those asking, with satisfaction for the damage first having been received, with the monks and inhabitants of Podium Altum gathered together, solemnly betook himself to the aforesaid pool: the fish are restored to life. where, with thanksgiving and blessing offered first, he sent back the fish that were dead on the shore, which immediately, running this way and that, sought the deep and deeper parts of the pool, alive.
[8] When in the month of May no hope of a harvest appeared in the whole County of Avignon, because absolutely nothing of flowers or plants was seen in the fields, all the people of Avignon came before him, greatly grieving, he procures rain and fertility of crops. to consult what should be done about this matter. To whom he said: Let us implore the heavenly goodness and go to meet His face in Confession, so that we may be able to implore His mercy. Gather yourselves devoutly tomorrow in the church of St. Mary, which is called the principal church, and there you shall hear what you are to do. In the portico of which church, preaching early in the morning about fraternal charity, he promised such an abundance of rain and fertility of crops that year for the people of Avignon as could not be exceeded. And immediately, after the most sacred mysteries were completed and ample and great almsgiving was given, such an abundance of water was given from heaven that no one remembered ever having seen a more abundant crop.
ANOTHER LIFE
Contracted by Menard from the larger Acts.
Pontius, Abbot of St. Andrew's near Avignon (St.)
[1] The father of St. Pontius, inflamed with divine love, leaving the world, bound himself to the monastic life in the monastery of Andaon near Avignon, which rejoices in the title of St. Andrew: He is made Abbot: and he brought with him two sons, whom he devoted to the service of God there. The holy Pontius, excelling others by the splendor of his virtues, was declared Abbot of the same monastery by the votes and wishes of all.
[2] At one time, as he was diligent in his duty, visiting the provostships of his monastery, which the author of his Life calls honors, he came to Carpentras: passing by a certain church, a demon, he saw before its doors a huge crowd of people who were seated around a possessed person, like a performer, revealing sins not disclosed in confession. who was publicly exposing the secret sins of each person. The monk who accompanied St. Pontius was pressing him harder to approach closer: but on the contrary the blessed man said he did not wish to keep company with demons. At last, overcome by the prayers of his companion and the surrounding people,