Episode VIII- Pope Sixtus I

In this chapter we will see how the Papacy of Pope Sixtus I takes us even further through the development of some vital aspects of the early Church.

Early Life

Pope Sixtus I was born in the Via Lata section of Rome. The Via Lata was the name of a long street in the center of Rome. It was particularly unusual in that it was longer and wider than most Roman streets at the time. It is located near the Pantheon and Forum Romanum, which are now the locations of some fascinating ruins of the great Roman Empire.
His father’s name was believed to be Pastor.

Role in the Church

Pope Sixtus was believed to have been elected Pope in the year 115, also during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. Sixtus had the benefit of being Pope during a relatively good period of time with regard to relations between the Roman Empire and Catholic Church. In fact, at one point Emperor Hadrian drafted a very pro-Catholic letter to another governing official of the Empire in Asia, stating:

“If someone makes accusations and proves that the Christians are violating the laws, then you will punish according to the gravity of their responsibility: but, by Hercules, if someone uses it as a pretext to slander another, you decide according to seriousness and have that person punished.”

So in essence Hadrian was stating that Christians should be prosecuted according to the laws themselves and not by the local people or official’s particular feelings towards Christianity itself. Well, it looks like Christianity has finally made it as an accepted part of Roman society. What a far cry from the days of persecution of our Lord Jesus and our other early Church fathers.

Pope Sixtus is most notable for introducing three major reforms to early Church practice. The first of these reforms was the decree that only ordained priests were able to touch the sacred vessels of the Mass, which are the chalice and the paten. A chalice is the cup Catholics use to drink the Precious Blood of Christ during the Mass. A paten is a shallow plate or disc which holds the consecrated Host that will be eaten during the Eucharistic celebration of the Mass. The consecrated Host is the bread that has become the Body of Christ through the process of transubstantiation.

Over time a lot of people have become upset by this particular development, asking questions like “Well what makes a priest so special that only he gets to touch the sacred vessels and nobody else?” To understand this you have to understand the formation of the priesthood and how people perceived this position within the Church. Christ appointed his disciples as the Vicars of Christ on Earth. This means that the priests were the ones taking Jesus’ place within the Church. So it is believed that Jesus bestowed the responsibility of consecrating the Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Christ solely to the priests, and that the priests along could only distribute Holy Communion. The Church has relaxed this position today in that while the priest is still the only one to perform the consecration itself, but other lay parishioners are now able to distribute the Eucharist by becoming what is known as a Eucharistic minister. Eucharistic ministers can be both men and women.

Sixtus’ second reform was in mandating that after the priest recites the Preface in the Mass that he recite the Sanctus with the rest of the congregation. The Sanctus is actually a hymn that is traditionally sung as the last part of the initial prayers as he is beginning to consecrate the Eucharist. Here is the Sanctus hymn:

“Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might.
Heaven and Earth are full of Your glory,
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest,
Hosanna in the highest,
Hosanna in the highest.”

After this hymn is sung by all Catholics then kneel at the pews in reverence as the priest completes the consecration of the Eucharist.

The third innovation by Pope Sixtus was his mandate to bishops who have been summoned to the Holy See to not return to their diocese unless they are presenting an Apostolic letter of some sort. The Holy See is the name of the central governing body of the Catholic Church. By doing this, Sixtus asserted Rome as the hub of Catholic influence throughout the rest of the world.

Pope Sixtus was also the author of at least two known important writings. The first of these letters explains the Church’s doctrine of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity refers to the recognition of the relationship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit united as one.
The second letter written by Sixtus again discusses the importance of Rome as being the center of Catholic influence.

Death

Pope Sixtus was believed to have died around the year 125 or 126. Although he was initially believed to have been martyred, there is no evidence to support this claim.

Pope Sixtus was believed to have originally been buried next to St. Peter. There are stories that his bones, or relics, were moved to a place called Alatri in the year 1132. To this day, Alatri celebrates Pope Sixtus I as its patron saint.

Honors

The feast day of Pope Sixtus I is celebrated on April 6. Also, throughout the history of the Church there have been four other popes who have named themselves after Pope Sixtus. The fact that there are four other Popes who have named themselves after Sixtus is an honor in and of itself, and demonstrates just how important he has been to the Church.

In Catholic tradition, Popes always used their birth names until about the sixth century when a man named Mercury ascended to the Papacy. He did not want to have the Papal name of a pagan god so he chose a new name for himself. The tradition has stuck ever since, and today most Popes choose a name with a previous Pope with whom they relate to in some way. Also, as a side note, Sixtus’ name was most likely spelled differently than we know it today. It was most likely originally spelled “XYSTUS.”

Conclusion

In conclusion, this chapter shows us just how far back our Catholic roots go. It’s hard to believe that here we are in the early second century and we are discussing the implementation of elements of the Mass that are still in use today. For me it just goes to show just how powerful Jesus’ promise of never letting the Church die is and how real his presence is even in our own lives.

Pope Sixtus was a very important Pope in our early Church. His reforms have survived the tests of time, and he continues to be seen as a very influential and positive advocate in forming early Church doctrine. His concepts of the Holy Trinity have been part of a dialogue that has persisted for centuries, and added to the brilliance of the Church’s expression of our Lord in Heaven.