October 14 - Saint Callistus I, "rescued from the slavery of corruption"

Often times, the Collect Prayers for the saints we honor, reflect something of their lives.  Today’s collect contained a prayer asking God to rescue us from the “slavery of corruption.”

Callistus was born a slave in the late 2nd century.  Seeing natural intelligence in him, his Master appointed him master of a bank. A short time later, however, the bank failed, and Callistus fearing for his life, fled Rome.  He was caught, and sentenced to hard labor as punishment.  At the request of some creditors, however, Callistus was released in hope that he could regain some of the lost money.  But, while trying to collect money outside of a synagogue one day, he was accused of insulting Jews, and so was arrested and sent to the mines of Sardinia.

Some time passed, and through bargaining between the emperor and the Pope, Callistus and many other Christians imprisoned in Sardinia, were released.  After his release, Callistus studied theology and became a deacon.  10 years later, Pope Zephyrinus , who had very little theological training, summoned Callistus, to serve as his theological advisor.   Callistus soon became a powerful force in the Church.  He eventually was elected Pope himself in the year 217, despite protests from his rival candidate, Hippolytus.  In 223, not long after his election, Callistus was martyred in an anti-Christian riot that swept through Rome.

All the information we have about Callistus, was written in a biography by his rival, Hippolytus, who actually became anti-Pope of a schismatic group for a while, before being reconciled
Hippolytus was very strict and rigid in his understanding of Church law: the early Church had very harsh rules about readmitting back to Holy Communion public sinners and those who were guilty of adultery, murder, and fornication. Hippolytus became enraged by the mercy of Pope Callistus, who readmitted public sinner back into communion of the Church after they had performed public penance.

Perhaps Pope Francis was inspired by Pope Callistus’s mercy, when he announced the upcoming Year of Mercy.  In the papal bull announcing the Year for Mercy, Pope Francis announces that God is the liberating force for those oppressed by slavery to sin.  This Holy Year will bring to the fore the richness of Jesus’ mission echoed in the words of the prophet: to bring a word and gesture of consolation to the poor, to proclaim liberty to those bound by new forms of slavery in modern society.

We do well to turn to Saint Callistus, who himself was a slave who showed mercy to those enslaved by sin;  seeking his intercession for all those bound by the many forms of slavery to sin in our modern society, that we may too be filled with mercy