predication.net

Saint

Feast: September 3  (the day of his episcopal ordination)

* around 540 Rome

+ March 12, 604 

Pontificate: 590 – 604

Meaning of the name: watchful, awake (from Gr.)

Emblem: dove, seagull, book, papal tiara

St. Gregory was born in Rome around 540, the son of Jordan, a wealthy senator who later renounced his position and became one of the nine deacons of Rome. We also venerate Father and Mother Silvia as saints. Gregor received a thorough education and was appointed prefect by Emperor Justin the Younger, although Gregor was only 34 years old at the time. However, a year later – after his father’s death – he left his career as a prefect and founded a Benedictine monastery in his own house. He accepted their religious robes. In addition, he also founded six other monasteries in Sicily. During the pontificate of Pope Pelagius II. (579-590) became a deacon and papal envoy in Constantinople. After the death of Pelagius, he was unanimously elected pope.

Many turbulent events marked his pontificate. It was then that the migration of people took place. Thanks to Gregor, it was possible to Christianize the Visigoths in Spain. The Arian Lombards, Gauls, and Anglo-Saxons also returned to the true doctrine. During the plague in Rome, he performed a penitential devotion, after which the destruction was averted. He reformed the liturgy, especially liturgical singing. Until now, it has been used in the so-called religious services. The Gregorian chant is named after him and comes from his time. Also, the custom of celebrating the Gregorian Mass for the dead comes from this period. He wrote many works. He belongs to the four Western Church Fathers. History gave him the epithet Great, but he used the title “servus servorum Dei” (servant of God’s servants).

What does the blessing express? What is its core?

In its essence, every blessing is a request to God himself to send his goodness or protection to a specific person, group, place, or even an object – and thus a prayer in which I entrust the person, place, or thing in question to God’s goodness and protection. In a figurative sense, it is any wish for good. It can occur using gestures, words, or perhaps by sprinkling holy water.

Is the blessing reserved only for priests, or can anyone bless?

Anyone can entrust someone to God’s goodness and ask for God’s protection. Blessing, in this sense, also belongs to the laity. We can mention, for example, parental blessings to children. At the same time, the most important thing is always the intention of the lesser – and if it is good and accompanied by a desire for God, it is more than a correctly pronounced blessing prayer, as we find it in the “benediction” – Blessing Rites. In contrast, the priestly blessing has a liturgical and sacramental dimension, resulting from the sacrament of consecration. So anyone can bless another, but everyone in the way that belongs to them.

In addition to people, we also encounter the blessing of cars, ships, banners, or briefcases. What can be blessed?

The palette is extensive: from people to buildings, means of transport, work tools to animals, fields, food, and much more. We always proceed from the fact that a blessing is a wish that the given thing or place serves the reasonable purpose for which it is intended. Conversely, blessing objects or activities that serve evil is impossible. This can be weapons, instruments of torture, occult objects, drugs, gambling, or blessing a person to do something evil.

What does a blessed motorcycle or a rosary gain by blessing? Are they becoming “safer” or “more powerful”?

The blessing does not cause change in the sense of magical understanding, the essence of the object does not change. But the blessing expresses that the given thing belongs to God and is intended for good. At the same time, some blessings make a person grateful – for example, by blessing food, the food does not change, but we are led to realize that we have everything from God, and with this awareness, food also connects us with God. Blessing is meant to serve the relationship between man and God.

“Blessed be you, Lord, God of the whole world…“, we pray at the Mass of St. How can a person bless the Lord?

As I mentioned before, a blessing is a wish for good. So, to bless God is to wish him well and rejoice in his being. If I rejoice in God’s existence and presence, I receive a great gift from God. Therefore, blessing God ultimately means bestowing a person, because I rejoice in the existence of the One who gave me life, and thus also in my life itself.

What place does blessing have in the life of a believer?

There are many things in life that we cannot determine. Parents do not influence which path their children choose, and a doctor does not guarantee that his patient will recover. Often, we can’t do much. But when we bless, we entrust the person in question to the care and protection of the Lord God, that is, to the best hands. It is an act of trust, faith, and goodwill that we show in this way.

The kingdom of heaven can be likened to ten virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom. Five were foolish, while five were wise. This parable reflects our earthly journey towards the kingdom of God. On this path, we are called to behave wisely, not unwisely. All ten virgins represent Christians who know their destination and possess the grace of baptism and a Christian lifestyle. However, they differ in their ability to sustain this lifestyle, symbolized by the length of time their lamps remain lit. Let’s remember our responsibility to behave wisely on this journey.

Some Christians’ light fades quickly, while others maintain it for extended periods. Wise Christians shine throughout their lives because they continually try to cooperate with God’s grace and multiply it within themselves. They nurture the strength and courage to serve as a good Christian witness, persevering in doing good and enduring evil.

According to the Gospel, being wise means consciously and persistently focusing one’s life on Jesus Christ. When the bridegroom didn’t come, all the virgins fell asleep due to natural fatigue. Falling asleep with a clear conscience is different from succumbing to sleep unprepared. Belief requires using the strength and values we have acquired in times of “light” to navigate life’s “darkness.”

The wise virgins refused to share their oil, seeming “unchristian.” However, specific values that require sacrifice, prayer, or sacraments unique to each person cannot be shared. When the virgins went to buy more oil, they missed their opportunity as the door closed.

Seizing the present moment is essential to our spiritual growth. A future-oriented mindset should motivate us to make the most of the present, while reflecting on experiences should inform and enhance our current reality. May we be inspired to live our Christian lives to the fullest, utilizing the graces available in each moment.

The king was saddened, but for the sake of the oath and for the sake of his fellow-constables, he did not want to disappoint her. Immediately, he sent an executioner and ordered John’s head to be brought. He went away, beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother” (Mk 6:17-29).
John did not accuse Herod of rejecting his first wife or of being polygamous, as these were situations permitted in the Bible, but of taking his brother’s wife, which is condemned in the Book of Leviticus (Lev. 18:16). Herodias was the daughter of Aristobulus, the brother/half-brother of Philip and Herod Antipas. Thus, the tetrarch has a concubine as his wife who is also his sister-in-law and niece: he could not have done worse. The very ambitious woman then brings about the ruin of Herod Antipas, and together with him, Caligula kills her.

According to Josephus Flavius, the death of the Baptist had a political motive; Herod feared that the popularity the Baptist had among the people would cause a revolt that would threaten his position. The evangelist wants to make a point about the Baptist’s actions: it is not a moralistic condemnation, but a connection between power and religion that keeps people in subjection. It is unlikely that the daughter of Herodias, the princess, would dance in public. Prostitute dancers were called in for these occasions. This expresses a humiliating flattery of power. In a story where everyone has a name, only the daughter is nameless. We know from Josephus Flavius that her name is “Salome,” but the Gospels are silent on this because she is a representative figure. She is a characterless figure, without personality, she has no will of her own and has to ask her mother what she wants. Through the anonymity of the daughter, the Evangelist presents us with the situation of a people who are ready to prostitute themselves just to remain attached to the representatives of power. The author of the text thus recalls the theme of prostitution of the people of God through the dance, a typical role of prostitutes.
From a certain point on, the plot of the story shifts to a representational plane. Proper names disappear: the daughter will remain nameless, Herod will be ‘king’, Herodias ‘mother’. The evangelist brings a figurative sense to the story. The title “king” makes Herod the enemy of God, the true king of Israel. Herod is presented as the bearer of a power that, in order to maintain itself, feeds on death and violence. Between his own prestige and the life of an innocent, he chooses the former. A foreign king who is not of David’s line represents an illegitimate power that is contrary to God’s promises. In order to retain power, Herodias allies himself with an illegitimate king at the expense of the people. He thus represents a Jewish ruling class that is unfaithful to God. The Jewish aristocracy is more ruthless than the ruling political power, has less reverence for God, and does not hesitate to prostitute the people it cares about just so it can take advantage of them. The nameless daughter without personality and will represents the people, subjugated and manipulated by the ruling class. The image of the daughter represents a people whose efforts are aimed at supporting the powerful, even at the cost of renouncing their own dignity.
At the feast, the only course, the only food, is the decapitated head of John the Baptist; a ghostly menu. Power serves as a dish, on a “platter,” to the girl and her mother, the head of a dead man. In the world of the dead, they feed on corpses. The condemnation of the illegitimate union of Herod and Herodias serves as a backdrop that shows the unfaithfulness to God on the part of the Jewish leaders; John condemned not only Herod’s personal immorality, but also the connection between the Jewish leaders and Roman power. The death of the Baptist was the result of the incitement of Jewish, It has nothing to offer. The only instrument it wielded was political power. The connection between political power and religious power does not allow the people to have an intimate relationship with God, but manipulated by this connection, the people prostitute themselves. This is the charge that cost the Baptist his life, and the same fate would befall Jesus.

With Holy Baptism we became God’s children. If we follow the doctrine that our Savior brought us, we will meet the opposition of the world in which sin reigns. Jesus Christ says: “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (Jn 15, 20). Sin is afraid of the truth, because it exposes it, tears off its mask. For a sinner who finds himself in the vicinity of a pious Christian, there are only two options: either he acknowledges his sin and repents, or he hardens his heart and begins to persecute this witness of the truth. You will surely agree with me that we often experience the second alternative. How should we behave in such moments? First of all, we must be sure that we are innocent. Because we often consider as wrong even what we have earned by our actions or by using the wrong words. If the offense was caused by our sin, let us accept the painful consequences as repentance. But if we are innocent, let’s not resist! Let us be guided by the words of Jesus Christ: “Love “Love your enemies, do good, lend, and expect nothing in return! Your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is good to the ungrateful and the wicked” (Lk 6:35). Such an attitude towards wrongdoing testifies to the truth and promotes personal growth. In the biography of St. John Vianney, the parish priest of Ars, there is a story about an unmarried woman who gave birth to a child, with the father’s identity unknown. Living near the vicarage, she became the subject of malicious rumors that the parish priest was the father. John Vianney, knowing the truth, chose not to defend himself against this unjust slander, trusting fully in God’s justice. The rumors persisted for years. However, during a mission in Ars, the true father finally confessed to the priest, admitting his long-held shame over the impact on the priest’s honor. Afterward, he publicly acknowledged the truth, putting an end to the false accusations against Saint John Vianney. Through this ordeal, the priest achieved greater perfection and earned many merits in heaven.

Mother’s upbringing and example

What is hidden behind the word mother?

The man says that she is his life guide, the one who takes care of his household children, cleans laundry, helps him raise children, and the like.

The children will say: She is the one who gave me life, who takes care of me both spiritually and materially, who loves me more than herself, and so on.

Society will say that the mother is the legal representative of the child and the first person close to the child.

The Church says about the mother that she is the one who gives not only physical life but also spiritual life. He takes care of both earthly and eternal education.

Today, on the feast of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, we read about a widowed mother from the town of Naim whose only Son, who was already dead, was resurrected by Jesus.

What the Naima woman felt when she accompanied her dead Son, only a mother who has already experienced this pain from the death of a child knows best. When Jesus met her, his heart trembled and moved with compassion, and he said: “Don’t cry!” (Lk 7:13). This event is described by the evangelist Luke, who is the only one to explain things, and it is assumed that he got them from the Virgin Mary. Mary also knew pain as she stood under the cross at the death of her Son.

Don’t cry! These words are relevant many times, even today, not in the physical death of the mothers’ sons, but even more so in the mental death. Who will count the number of tears of mothers when their sons are physically healthy, but their souls are not healthy?! When sin made their soul’s dead souls. The mother sees her Son healthy, and his soul is dead for eternity. The mother who brought him into the world and wants him to be with her in eternity when she sees how her Son rejects eternal life is the most unhappy Catholic mother. This pain is much greater than the pain of a mother’s Son dying physically. She knows that he died reconciled to God and has hope of meeting him with God. But what about the death of the soul? We had the holiday of St. Ludovic. His mother, Saint Blanca, often told him: – I would rather see you physically dead than with one grave sin. – How sad it is to meet mothers indifferent to their sons’ souls. How painful it is when a mother still advises her child to sin when she encourages him to sin, when she defends his sin, and so on.

This does not match Saint Monica’s behavior. Someone will say that he knows everything about her:

• How she endured wrongs from her mother-in-law.

• She also talks about how she helped her husband find peace of mind.

• How she prayed for her Son Augustín for sixteen years.

It’s a shame they know it but don’t follow her example. They would know what a wonderful feeling it is to wait for death. She died in Ostia, near Rome, far from her native Carthage. However, she died in the arms of her Son, no longer an errant Manichean, but the Son of a priest and a bishop.

Today’s world needs new Monicas. We need women, mothers, and brides who look not only with the eyes of the body at the people around them but also with the eyes of faith. It is beautiful when a woman, mother, and daughter-in-law knows how to take her place in the house, family, and society. It is valuable when such a woman knows how to defend her place even before the community of believers – the Church, especially before her conscience and God. St. Monica today teaches modern women an old but still modern Christian principle: Let us live so that none of us will be separated on the last day. Today, it is appropriate for women, mothers, and brides to pray to St. Monica for the virtues and graces with which she excelled. Today, sons, husbands, and parents-in-law should pray for their mothers, wives, and daughters-in-law that God bless them with the virtues that Saint Monica abounded in. And then today’s holiday will fulfill its role.

Saint Monica, mother, wife, and daughter-in-law, pray for us!

Traditional moralists, who believe in the wisdom of nothingness, appear to their opponents as dull, monotonous, stern, and cursing damners. Well, believe them, they are not. They are rebels because it remains in the age of relativism orthodoxy as the only possible form of rebellion; these rebels also sing during the fight. They constantly keep hope in themselves until the end, even when they condemn our civilization. All the prophetsoffer hope. The patient has not died yet.

Patient, Western Civilization, maybe really soon he will die, perhaps a little later, but once for sure, because everything human is mortal. However, it is not necessary that she died immediately. On the slippery slope, along which they plunge into the abyss, “someone” has carved handles, which, if we catch it in time, we can still go back. As long as our single will is not just some kind of illusion, we are free to return, regret, turn around, and turn back the hands of the clock, which shows the wrong time. Unless we are victims of ourselves and our tools, like Dr. Frankenstein, as long as we are not slaves to time and masters of moralizing, we can still go back. No one with a flaming sword will close the way to paradise, which has long been settled. The history of the Israeli nation, our ancient history of the archetype, are interwoven with countless examples of the nation’s repentance and its return to God’s favor despite many, almost irreversible failures.

And God, like the loving father of the prodigal son, constantly waiting for our return. For this reason, we traditional and old-fashioned seafarers can smile because we are rebels and we have hope. However, relativists have no reason to smile. In his work The Fall, Camus briefly summarized: “Sometimes I think about what future historians will say about us. A simple sentence will suffice: they were fornicators, and they read newspapers.” We traditionalists “do not read The Times; we read eternity”, as Thoreau advises. And it is in her that we read the most wonderful news for us: God decided that we will make his bride.
A prevailing opinion is slowly disappearing: that traditional Virtue is uninteresting. It’s the opposite but the truth. Virtue will prevail. Virtue conquers the world.

What God planned, we will not change, and therefore will never change human nature. A person will starve from ordinary food repeatedly, and the stones will never be replaced with bread. It is the same with food for our spirit. A skeptic has the same digestion as a believer, only he does a different diet. He is not consciously looking for the right food to feed him, and he may find her only by chance. It can, for example, despise Mother Teresa’s faith, but he can no longer despise her when he once met her in person. These people do not know what Virtue is. They think it is something like a dried plum: old, wrinkled, and disgusting. By doing so, they essentially contrast Virtue and happiness however, it contradicts the comparisons of the oldest and the wisest philosophers and the discovery of the great moralists Plato and Aristo of the body and, last but not least, the content of Scripture.

They do not see Virtue’s winning campaign. However, the defenders of the virtues, who let themselves go, also made mistakes in part involve in a false dispute of concepts between Virtue and happiness, between Virtue and joy, Virtue and vigor; and who, somewhere along the way, lost the key to the victory of Virtue – to the pursuit of Virtue.
Medieval people knew how to be passionate about Virtue.
Today, however, it only seems bizarre, eccentric, and idiosyncratic. In the sixteenth century, Spencer could still portray Virtue as a beautiful lady. However, in Milton’s time, in the seventeenth century, divine virtues already appear cold, unpleasant, and unsympathetic, while vices, which were offered by the devil, enjoy more and more popularity and interest. Nietzsche generalized this contrast to the contrast between “Apollonian” cold reasoning, reason and truth and “Dionysian” explosiveness, passion, evil – and attraction. Well, Hannah Arendt he is right when he writes about the “emptiness of evil” (in the work Eichmann in Jerusalem), and members of the literary discussion group at Oxford University (among others, Lewis, Tolkien and Williams) point out that goodness is much more burdensome than evil, although others write otherwise. Liberals have a hard time getting fired up for Virtue because they have always tended to identify with general things like social justice, which is correct, but very distant. Conservatives rather identify with loyalty to a smaller whole – family, neighbors, and marriage, in short, to what we feel an irrational passion for. For ages, we have been created equally for emotional passion and reasonableness. And since liberalism gives us no room for zeal in virtues, only in vices, and conservatism shows zeal for Virtue, it is clear. If the world became what it was twenty years ago, when heroic virtues fascinated it, we can say he won.