Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
“It is you who have stood by me in my trials.”
Jesus is addressing us who claim to be his followers. We need to be aware of where Jesus ‘walks’, where he ‘stands.’ It is always and everywhere, through all life’s trials, before and with his Father!
In John 17 he will say, “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours.” Jesus belongs to the Father; so do we belong to him and to his Father. This stance has beautiful commentary in the life of our saint today, St. Gregory the Great. He came to be called “great” because of the immense influence he had on the centuries following him. He was able to take on the burdens of the office he did not want because he had learned to live with himself. Gregory teaches that learning to live with oneself has to do with contemplation – learning to see all of life’s situations—under God’s gaze!
One of the most destructive ideas that can take hold of us is that we are made persons by the environment! Yes, the environment plays a very important role in our formation. Yet we need not be victims of our environment. We must decide how we will see things. God seeks to continually break into old patterns of thinking and behaving, asking us to see ourselves in his light of his forgiving, challenging, love. This identity is the continual refinement of our belonging, not to ourselves, but to God! In seeking to live with ourselves we are seeking to live in the sight of God. It is the only firm place to stand in the face of life’s trials: before the God who has given us to Jesus, to stand—and walk—beside him and never leave him!
Reflection by Fr. Xavier Nacke, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections