pope and doctor of the Church
Biographical Information about St. Gregory the Great[1]
Readings for the Memorial of St. Gregory the Great[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible (Readings for the Proper of St. Gregory)
Commentary:
Reading 1 1 Thes 4:13-18
This passage from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians is almost single-handedly the genesis of the popular Pentecostal “Left Behind” series of novels. Here the Evangelist reassures the Church at Thessalonica that those who have already passed from this life to the next will not be forgotten in the resurrection that will take place at the second coming of Christ. Rather they will be raised with him – first. Then those faithful followers still alive will be taken up to heaven.
It is important to understand, when reading this passage that it is clear St. Paul expected the Parousia – the second coming, to occur during his own lifetime. This passage would emphasize the need for preparedness and vigilance, a common theme in the Gospels published later.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:1 and 3, 4-5, 11-12, 13
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
This song of praise exhorts the people to praise the Lord for his wondrous works of creation. The reason for this exhortation is that God will come to rule the earth with his justice. In this passage we see the forerunner of the understanding of the New Jerusalem – the Heavenly Kingdom.
Gospel Lk 4:16-30
In this passage from St. Luke’s Gospel we find the Lord back in his home town of Nazareth. He reads from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah and then tells those present that he has come to fulfill the oracle he proclaimed (“he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind”. These were clear references to the miraculous works he had already performed in other parts of the country. The Lord saw that they were expectation that he would perform signs there as well but the lack of faith would prevent him. (Those congregated knew him form boyhood and did not believe he was the Messiah or even a prophet.)
In response to this unbelief, Jesus trotted out two examples from the stories about the Prophets that demonstrated that those unworthy of God’s grace were ignored in favor of more worthy subjects. This caused the wholesale uprising against him and he left them. We can speculate about why, as furious as they were with him, none dared lay a hand on him. “He passed though the midst of them and went away.”
Or For the Proper of St. Gregory
Reading 1 2 Corinthians 4:1 – 7
St. Paul is responding to criticism from some of the faith community and is responding in this selection to that criticism. He first says he has not been disheartened by it, rather he is unashamed and fervent in his proclamation of God’s word. He goes further saying that those who do not understand what he is saying are making their claims out of unbelief rather than because he is not being clear. He concludes by saying that his proclamation is the Gospel of Jesus, not his own wisdom and that he is not glorious somehow but “an earthen vessel, mortal and a simple servant of God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 96 1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8, 10
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
This song of praise exhorts the people to praise the Lord for his wondrous works of creation. The reason for this exhortation is that God will come to rule the earth with his justice. This last strophe especially relates to the Feast of Gregory as it says “he governs the people with equity.”
Gospel Luke 22:24 - 30
This argument among the disciples is timed ironically in that it occurs in the upper room during the feast of the last supper, following the Lord’s announcement that one of his closest friends would betray him. Jesus proceeds to provide the disciples with straight forward teaching about the servant role they were to exemplify. He then promises all of them that, because they will have stood by him, they will also be with him in heaven.
Reflection:
The Holy Scripture is very rich in content today, with many possible directions for us to reflect upon. We could look at St. Paul’s message to the Thessalonians and take up the idea of role grieving for those we have lost has for us and our own hope for the resurrection. We could also think again about the idea of being spiritually prepared for our own call home. Finally we could also examine our response to signs of Christ in our life and how we so frequently discount them because they come from things or people familiar to us – as the Lord himself was rejected by the people of his home town. All are worthy topics, deserving of our attention.
It is, however, also the feast day of St. Gregory, a Pope and Doctor of the Church. Since he is one of our spiritual leaders and a major contributor to the Teaching Magisterium of the Church, we will look at the role of our own prayers in strengthening our ability to understand God’s influences in our lives.
One of the many contributions of St. Gregory for which we are grateful is his association with St. Benedict. Together these two great men gave us the foundation for what we recognize today as the prayer of the Church or Liturgy of the Hours. St. Gregory is attributed with developing the chant form we recognize as Gregorian Chant. When sung, the prayer of the Church rises to God, prayed twice. It is like incense, heavenly aroma rising to God from the soul.
Our own prayer life is so important that we cannot begin to express its necessity here. We can relate it to the Gospel though. In the passage today Christ goes to see the community he grew up in. They have no doubt heard about his miracles and expected something great from him. But when they saw him they assumed that because they had known him from his boyhood, he could not really be that special.
That is what our prayer will help us sort out - what messages and signs there are in the people and activities common to us that are actually from God. Our prayer lives need to focus in such a way that the Lord’s call to us and his activity in our lives might be easily discerned. We cannot afford to be like those ancient residents of Nazareth who discounted the Lord of Life because they knew him and his family. We, though our prayer must look for God in all things and at all times.
For those of us who have vowed to pray daily the Prayer of the Church, we ask the song we sing to reach into our hearts that it might bring forth the service to God we have also pledged. For those who pray daily, know that God is with us always and we need to look for him constantly. For those who will not or cannot pray, we pray for them that God’s mercy and grace open their hearts and minds to his love.
Pax
[1] The picture today is St. Gregory by Francisco de Goya Y Lucientes, 1797
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
Biographical Information about St. Gregory the Great[1]
Readings for the Memorial of St. Gregory the Great[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible (Readings for the Proper of St. Gregory)
Commentary:
Reading 1 1 Thes 4:13-18
This passage from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians is almost single-handedly the genesis of the popular Pentecostal “Left Behind” series of novels. Here the Evangelist reassures the Church at Thessalonica that those who have already passed from this life to the next will not be forgotten in the resurrection that will take place at the second coming of Christ. Rather they will be raised with him – first. Then those faithful followers still alive will be taken up to heaven.
It is important to understand, when reading this passage that it is clear St. Paul expected the Parousia – the second coming, to occur during his own lifetime. This passage would emphasize the need for preparedness and vigilance, a common theme in the Gospels published later.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:1 and 3, 4-5, 11-12, 13
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
This song of praise exhorts the people to praise the Lord for his wondrous works of creation. The reason for this exhortation is that God will come to rule the earth with his justice. In this passage we see the forerunner of the understanding of the New Jerusalem – the Heavenly Kingdom.
Gospel Lk 4:16-30
In this passage from St. Luke’s Gospel we find the Lord back in his home town of Nazareth. He reads from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah and then tells those present that he has come to fulfill the oracle he proclaimed (“he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind”. These were clear references to the miraculous works he had already performed in other parts of the country. The Lord saw that they were expectation that he would perform signs there as well but the lack of faith would prevent him. (Those congregated knew him form boyhood and did not believe he was the Messiah or even a prophet.)
In response to this unbelief, Jesus trotted out two examples from the stories about the Prophets that demonstrated that those unworthy of God’s grace were ignored in favor of more worthy subjects. This caused the wholesale uprising against him and he left them. We can speculate about why, as furious as they were with him, none dared lay a hand on him. “He passed though the midst of them and went away.”
Or For the Proper of St. Gregory
Reading 1 2 Corinthians 4:1 – 7
St. Paul is responding to criticism from some of the faith community and is responding in this selection to that criticism. He first says he has not been disheartened by it, rather he is unashamed and fervent in his proclamation of God’s word. He goes further saying that those who do not understand what he is saying are making their claims out of unbelief rather than because he is not being clear. He concludes by saying that his proclamation is the Gospel of Jesus, not his own wisdom and that he is not glorious somehow but “an earthen vessel, mortal and a simple servant of God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 96 1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8, 10
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
This song of praise exhorts the people to praise the Lord for his wondrous works of creation. The reason for this exhortation is that God will come to rule the earth with his justice. This last strophe especially relates to the Feast of Gregory as it says “he governs the people with equity.”
Gospel Luke 22:24 - 30
This argument among the disciples is timed ironically in that it occurs in the upper room during the feast of the last supper, following the Lord’s announcement that one of his closest friends would betray him. Jesus proceeds to provide the disciples with straight forward teaching about the servant role they were to exemplify. He then promises all of them that, because they will have stood by him, they will also be with him in heaven.
Reflection:
The Holy Scripture is very rich in content today, with many possible directions for us to reflect upon. We could look at St. Paul’s message to the Thessalonians and take up the idea of role grieving for those we have lost has for us and our own hope for the resurrection. We could also think again about the idea of being spiritually prepared for our own call home. Finally we could also examine our response to signs of Christ in our life and how we so frequently discount them because they come from things or people familiar to us – as the Lord himself was rejected by the people of his home town. All are worthy topics, deserving of our attention.
It is, however, also the feast day of St. Gregory, a Pope and Doctor of the Church. Since he is one of our spiritual leaders and a major contributor to the Teaching Magisterium of the Church, we will look at the role of our own prayers in strengthening our ability to understand God’s influences in our lives.
One of the many contributions of St. Gregory for which we are grateful is his association with St. Benedict. Together these two great men gave us the foundation for what we recognize today as the prayer of the Church or Liturgy of the Hours. St. Gregory is attributed with developing the chant form we recognize as Gregorian Chant. When sung, the prayer of the Church rises to God, prayed twice. It is like incense, heavenly aroma rising to God from the soul.
Our own prayer life is so important that we cannot begin to express its necessity here. We can relate it to the Gospel though. In the passage today Christ goes to see the community he grew up in. They have no doubt heard about his miracles and expected something great from him. But when they saw him they assumed that because they had known him from his boyhood, he could not really be that special.
That is what our prayer will help us sort out - what messages and signs there are in the people and activities common to us that are actually from God. Our prayer lives need to focus in such a way that the Lord’s call to us and his activity in our lives might be easily discerned. We cannot afford to be like those ancient residents of Nazareth who discounted the Lord of Life because they knew him and his family. We, though our prayer must look for God in all things and at all times.
For those of us who have vowed to pray daily the Prayer of the Church, we ask the song we sing to reach into our hearts that it might bring forth the service to God we have also pledged. For those who pray daily, know that God is with us always and we need to look for him constantly. For those who will not or cannot pray, we pray for them that God’s mercy and grace open their hearts and minds to his love.
Pax
[1] The picture today is St. Gregory by Francisco de Goya Y Lucientes, 1797
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
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