The Pope Who Resigned Before Benedict XVI | St. Peter Celestine (19 May)

About this sermon

St. Peter Celestine is one of the most fascinating and misunderstood popes in Catholic history. Long before Pope Benedict XVI resigned the papacy, St. Peter Celestine became the most famous pope to step down from the Chair of St. Peter. But his story is far deeper than a resignation. In this talk, we explore the life of St. Peter Celestine — a Benedictine monk, hermit, founder of the Celestine Order, and eventually pope during one of the most chaotic periods in Church history. We discuss his struggles with scruples, his life of extreme penance, the corruption and division surrounding the papacy in the 13th century, and why God may call even the holiest souls to apparent failure. This reflection also examines: • Catholic teaching on scruples and spiritual warfare • Why sanctity attracts souls • The importance of obedience in the spiritual life • Lessons from Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation • Trusting God during times of crisis in the Church • How suffering and failure fit into Divine Providence We also remember St. Pudentiana, one of the earliest Roman saints, whose home became one of the first places where St. Peter offered Mass in Rome. If you are struggling with fear, uncertainty, discouragement, or confusion about the future of the Church, this meditation on St. Peter Celestine offers a powerful reminder: God remains in control, even when everything appears to go wrong. 00:00 Introduction 00:31 St. Pudentiana and the First Masses in Rome 01:51 Early Life of St. Peter Celestine 02:20 Leaving the Monastery for Solitude 02:59 Understanding Scruples in the Spiritual Life 04:21 Confirmation and Courage Against Fear 05:19 Scruples as an Appetite for Security 06:18 Overcoming Scruples Through Obedience 06:33 Extreme Penance and Asceticism 07:14 Founding the Celestine Order 08:34 Success, Failure, and the Will of God 09:06 Chaos in the Medieval Papacy 09:38 The Cardinals Elect Peter Celestine Pope 10:26 Why He Never Wanted the Papacy 10:42 The Disaster of His Pontificate 11:31 Resignation of St. Peter Celestine 11:57 Imprisonment by the Next Pope 12:21 Why God Allows Difficult Missions 12:51 Lessons for Pope Benedict XVI’s Resignation 13:31 Fear, Faith, and Crisis in the Church 14:14 Living Through Hard Times with Faith 15:00 Meditation on Death and Eternity 15:55 Final Exhortation and Prayer Please remember to say 3 Hail Marys for the priest 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.us for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #SaintPeterCelestine #CatholicChurch #Catholic #CatholicHistory #Pope #TraditionalCatholic #BenedictXVI #CatholicSaints #ChurchHistory #Faith