St. Peter Damian – The Doctors of the Church: The Charism of Wisdom with Dr. Matthew Bunson

Born: 1007, Ravenna, Italy
Died: February 23, 1072, Faenza, Italy

Dr. Matthew Bunson discusses St. Peter Damian, a Doctor of the Church from the second millennium. Born into a turbulent era marked by apocalyptic fears and church reform, Damian’s suffering led to intense prayerfulness. He became a fervent voice for reform, addressing corruption and abuses within the clergy.
Despite reluctance, he was appointed Cardinal Bishop of Ostia and played a crucial role in papal reform. Damian emphasized the importance of the cross, penance, and fidelity to Christ. His writings offer insights into addressing contemporary church challenges.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

* Historical Context: How did the apocalyptic fears and need for reform in St. Peter Damian’s era reflect challenges in today’s Church?
* Personal Suffering and Virtue: How did St. Peter Damian’s early suffering shape his spiritual life and virtues?
* Balancing Solitude and Service: What tension did St. Peter Damian face between a desire for solitude and a call to serve actively in the Church?
* Role in Church Reform: How did St. Peter Damian become a catalyst for reform within the Church, particularly in addressing corruption and abuses?
* Emphasis on the Cross and Penance: What importance did St. Peter Damian place on the cross, penance, and fidelity to Christ in the Christian life?
* Relevance Today: How can St. Peter Damian’s teachings and writings offer guidance for addressing contemporary challenges within the Church?


For more on St. Peter Damian and his teachings:

From Vatican.va, an excerpt from the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI General Audience 2009:
“St Peter Damian, who was essentially a man of prayer, meditation and contemplation, was also a fine theologian: his reflection on various doctrinal themes led him to important conclusions for life. Thus, for example, he expresses with clarity and liveliness the Trinitarian doctrine, already using, under the guidance of biblical and patristic texts, the three fundamental terms which were subsequently to become crucial also for the philosophy of the West: processio, relatio and persona (cf. Opusc. XXXVIII: PL CXLV, 633-642; and Opusc. II and III: ibid., 41 ff. and 58 ff). However, because theological analysis of the mystery led him to contemplate the intimate life of God and the dialogue of ineffable love between the three divine Persons, he drew ascetic conclusions from them for community life and even for relations between Latin and Greek Christians, divided on this topic. His meditation on the figure of Christ is significantly reflected in practical life, since the whole of Scripture is centred on him. The “Jews”, St Peter Damian notes, “through the pages of Sacred Scripture, bore Christ on their shoulders as it were” (Sermo XLVI, 15). Therefore Christ, he adds, must be the centre of the monk’s life: “May Christ be heard in our language, may Christ be seen in our life, may he be perceived in our hearts” (Sermo VIII, 5). Intimate union with Christ engages not only monks but all the baptized. Here we find a strong appeal for us too not to let ourselves be totally absorbed by the activities, problems and preoccupations of every day, forgetting that Jesus must truly be the centre of our life.
Communion with Christ creates among Christians a unity of love. In Letter 28,