Saint Eusebius, Bishop of Vercelli - Feast Day: December: 16th - Latin Calendar - August 2nd - Ordinary Time
Saint Eusebius, model of perseverance and humility, pray for us.
Saint Eusebius was born of a noble family, in the isle of Sardinia, where his father is said to have died in chains for the faith. His mother, whose name was Restituta, being left a widow, carried him, and a daughter she had, both in their infancy, to Rome. Eusebius was brought up in the practice of piety, and in the study of sacred learning, and ordained lector by Saint Sylvester.
We do not know why he was called to Vercelli, a city in Piedmont. He served that church until the episcopal chair became vacant, wherein, he was unanimously chosen by the clergy and people to fill the vacancy. He is the first bishop of Vercelli whose name we know. Saint Ambrose assures us, that he was the first who in the West united the monastic life with the clerical, living himself, and making his clergy in the city live, almost in the same manner as the monks in the East did in the deserts. They shut themselves up in one house with their pastor having no other ambition than to appease God's anger by fervent and uninterrupted prayers. He formed a clergy on whose innocence, piety and zeal in the functions of their ministry inspired other churches to demand his disciples for their bishops, and a great number of holy prelates came out of his school, who were burning and shining lamps in the church of God…
The Arians governed all things by violence, under the authority of the Arian Emperor Constantius. In 354, Pope Liberius deputed Saint Eusebius to beg leave of that emperor to assemble a free council. Constantius agreed to a council, which met at Milan, in 355, while the emperor resided in that city… When Eusebius came to Milan, he insisted on all signing the Nicene Creed, that rule of faith before the cause of Saint Athanasius should be brought to a hearing; for the chief purpose of the heretics was to procure the condemnation of that most formidable champion of the faith. Eusebius insisted upon the innocence of Saint Athanasius, and that he could not be condemned without being heard. Constantius told the bishops that his will ought to pass for a rule, so he banished Eusebius to Scythopolis, in Palestine, there to be treated at the discretion of the Arian bishop, Patrophilus. His chains did not hinder him from serving the Church, and confounding the heretics.
Eusebius was lodged at first with the good Count Joseph, and was comforted by visits of many holy men. When Count Joseph died, and the Arians, with the emperor's officers, insulted the saint, dragged him on the ground through the streets, sometimes carried him backwards half naked, and at last shut him up in a little chamber, plying him for four days with all manner of violence's to engage him to conform. The saint had abandoned his body to suffer all manner of evil treatments from their hands, without opening his mouth all that while... His sufferings were aggravated every day, till the place of his exile was changed. From Scythopolis he was sent into Cappadocia, and, some time afterwards, into Upper Thebais, in Egypt… In a letter written to Gregory, Bishop of Elvire, Eusebius expresses a desire to end his life in sufferings, that he might be glorified in the kingdom of God. Instead, Constantius died, toward the end of the year 361, Julian his successor, gave leave to banished prelates to return to their sees. Eusebius went to Alexandria, and, along with Saint Athanasius in the council held there in 362, formulated a plan to allow penitent prelates who had been deceived by the Arians, especially at Rimini, to preserve their dignity…
Saint Eusebius next travelled over the East, and through Illyricum, confirming in the faith those that were wavering, and bringing back many that were gone astray. Italy, at his return, changed its mourning garments, according to the expression of Saint Jerome (feast day Sept. 30). There Saints Hillary of Poitiers and Eusebius met, and were employed in opposing the Arians, particularly Auxentius of Milan; but he had gained the favor of Valentinian, and was maintained under his protection against the united zealous efforts of SS. Hilary and Eusebius.
Saint Jerome, in his chronicle, places the death of Saint Eusebius in 371. An ancient author says it happened on the 1st of August. He is styled a martyr in two old panegyrics in his praise, printed in the appendix of the works of Saint Ambrose. There only remains of his works three epistles. In the Cathedral of Vercelli is shown an old MS. Copy of the gospels of SS. Matthew and Mark, said to be written by Saint Eusebius. It is almost worn out with age after nearly eight hundred years, when King Berengarius caused it to be covered with plates of silver. The body of Saint Eusebius is laid in a shrine above a side altar in the cathedral at Vercelli. The Roman Missal and Breviary give his office on the 16th of December, which is probably the day on which his relics were removed; for his name occurs in ancient calendars on the 1st of August.
The holy fathers, who by their zeal and learning maintained the true faith, shunned the dangerous rocks of error, because in their studies they followed the rules laid down by divine revelation, and made sincere humility the foundation of all their literary pursuits. Conscience that they were liable to mistakes, they entertained a modest diffidence in themselves and their own judgment, and said with Saint Austin, "I may err, but a heretic I will never be." This humility and caution is a sure guard against any fatal errors in religion and safeguards against pride, which betrays the conduct of man… How many heresies have been set up by scholars among Christians! The root of these abuses is a secret vanity, self-sufficiency, or complacency in opinion of their own knowledge which scholars easily entertain. As the apostle tells us, that "science puffs up"; not of itself, but through the propensity of the human heart to pride. It is important then to never trust in our own abilities, but to make modesty and humility, by which men know themselves, the foundations of his learning. The most ignorant among scholars are usually the most apt to overrate their knowledge and abilities.