Sunday 27 February 2022
8th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Spiritual Reading
Your Second Reading from the Office of Readings:
8th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Moral Reflections on Job by Pope St Gregory the Great
An upright and honest man who feared God and shunned evil.
Some people are so simple that they do not know what uprightness is. Theirs is not the true simplicity of the innocent: they are as far from that as they are far from rising to the virtue of uprightness. As long as they do not know how to guard their steps by walking in uprightness, they can never remain innocent merely by walking in simplicity. This is why St Paul warns his disciples I hope that you are also wise in what is good, and innocent of what is bad but also Brothers, you are not to be childish in your outlook, though you can be babies as far as wickedness is concerned. Thus Christ our Truth enjoins his disciples with the words Be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves. In giving them this admonition, he had to join the two together, so that both the simplicity of the dove might be instructed by the craftiness of the serpent, and the craftiness of the serpent might be attempered by the simplicity of the dove.
That is why the Holy Spirit has manifested his presence to mankind, not only in the form of a dove but also in the form of fire. For by the dove simplicity is indicated, and by fire, zeal. So he is manifested in a dove and in fire, because those who are full of the Spirit have the mildness of simplicity, but catch fire with zeal of uprightness against the offences of sinners.
An upright and honest man who feared God and shunned evil. Undoubtedly whoever longs for the eternal country lives sincerely and uprightly: perfect in practice, and right in faith, sincere in the good that he does in this lower state, right in the high truths which he minds in his inner self. For there are some who are not sincere in the good actions that they do, looking not to be rewarded within themselves but to win favour from others. Hence it is well said by a certain wise man, Woe to the sinner who follows two ways. A sinner goes two ways when an action he performs belongs to God but what he aims at in his thought belongs to the world.
It is well said, who feared God and shunned evil, for the holy Church of the elect starts on the path of simplicity and of uprightness from fear but completes that path in charity. When, from the love of God, she feels an unwillingness to sin, then she may shun evil. But when she is still doing good deeds from fear then she is not entirely shunning evil: the fact is that she would have sinned if she could have sinned without being punished.
So then: when Job is said to have feared God, it is rightly related that he also shunned evil. Fear comes first and charity follows later; and when that has happened, the offence which is left behind in the mind is trodden underfoot by the desires of the heart.
________
On this date in other years:
Saint Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church
A manuscript written in 1173, from Cilician Armenia.
From the Book of Lamentation by St Gregory of Narek
To you, Christ, I will flee
As far as salvation is concerned, the power of man is shown to be limited in itself. And so you, Author of all blessings, pour out your mercies on us. You, the Almighty, give us strength. You, our Defender, to whom all things are possible, call us to you and pardon us. At your generosity, our Liberator, we rejoice. By you, Incorruptible God, we are made proof against all infirmities and given life. By you, our Renewer, we are illuminated. And so, knowing what my human nature is, I will flee to you, Christ, Son of the living God, wholly Blessed.
Moreover, looking back at the words I had written which led to this prayer, what I wrote then is further justified thus: “It is better to fall into the hands of the Lord than into the hands of men, for as he is great, so also is his mercy great”.
In this book of Lamentations I do not seek to belittle the merits of those who beg for salvation: for without merit, it is impossible to approach God.
But I glorify the Name of the Lord and I praise his grace which is directed to all people. In my words I proclaim all those who have, by a good life, risen to great honour, through the healing power of your great mercy.
For you are Life; you are Salvation; you are Wholeness; you are Immortality; you are Blessedness; you are Enlightenment!
Grant me peace from the sadness of my sins, so that you may have peace, my Judge, from my weeping, my nagging, and the importunities with which I constantly bother you.
For the only thing that truly pleases you is the salvation of man, O forever Blessed!
Amen.
Copyright © 1996-2022 Universalis Publishing Limited: see www.universalis.com. Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. Text of the Psalms: Copyright © 1963, The Grail (England). Used with permission of A.P. Watt Ltd. All rights reserved.