Saturday, September 3, 2016

MEMORIAL OF SAINT GREGORY THE GREAT

Antiphon

Blessed Gregory, raised upon the throne of Peter,
sought always the beauty of the Lord
and lived in celebration of that love.

Collect

O God, who care for your people with gentleness
and rule them in love,
through the intercession of Pope Saint Gregory,
endow, we pray, with a spirit of wisdom
those to whom you have given authority to govern,
that the flourishing of a holy flock
may become the eternal joy of the shepherds.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.

Amen.



Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great
Pope and Doctor of the Church

Reading
1 COR 4:6B-15

Brothers and sisters:

Learn from myself and Apollos not to go beyond what is written,
so that none of you will be inflated with pride
in favor of one person over against another.
Who confers distinction upon you?
What do you possess that you have not received?
But if you have received it,
why are you boasting as if you did not receive it?
You are already satisfied; you have already grown rich;
you have become kings without us!
Indeed, I wish that you had become kings,
so that we also might become kings with you.

For as I see it, God has exhibited us Apostles as the last of all,
like people sentenced to death,
since we have become a spectacle to the world,
to angels and men alike.
We are fools on Christ’s account, but you are wise in Christ;
we are weak, but you are strong;
you are held in honor, but we in disrepute.
To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty,
we are poorly clad and roughly treated,
we wander about homeless and we toil, working with our own hands.
When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;
when slandered, we respond gently.
We have become like the world’s rubbish, the scum of all,
to this very moment.

I am writing you this not to shame you,
but to admonish you as my beloved children.
Even if you should have countless guides to Christ,
yet you do not have many fathers,
for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.


Responsorial Psalm
PS 145:17-18, 19-20, 21

R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.

R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

He fulfills the desire of those who fear him,
he hears their cry and saves them.
The LORD keeps all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

May my mouth speak the praise of the LORD,
and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.


Alleluia
JN 14:6

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.


Gospel
LK 6:1-5

While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath,
his disciples were picking the heads of grain,
rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.
Some Pharisees said,
“Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”

Jesus said to them in reply,

“Have you not read what David did
when he and those who were with him were hungry?
How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering,
which only the priests could lawfully eat,
ate of it, and shared it with his companions?”

Then he said to them,

“The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”



September 3

St. Gregory the Great (540?-604)

Coming events cast their shadows before: Gregory was the prefect of Rome before he was 30. 
After five years in office he resigned, 
founded six monasteries on his Sicilian estate and became a Benedictine monk in his own home at Rome.

Ordained a priest, he became one of the pope's seven deacons, and also served six years in the East as papal representative in Constantinople. He was recalled to become abbot, 
and at the age of 50 was elected pope by the clergy and people of Rome.

He was direct and firm. He removed unworthy priests from office, forbade taking money for many services, emptied the papal treasury to ransom prisoners of the Lombards and to care for persecuted Jews and the victims of plague and famine. He was very concerned about the conversion of England, sending 40 monks from his own monastery. He is known for his reform of the liturgy, 
for strengthening respect for doctrine. 
Whether he was largely responsible for the revision of "Gregorian" chant is disputed.

Gregory lived in a time of perpetual strife with invading Lombards and difficult relations with the East. When Rome itself was under attack, he interviewed the Lombard king.

An Anglican historian has written: "It is impossible to conceive what would have been the confusion, the lawlessness, the chaotic state of the Middle Ages without the medieval papacy; 
and of the medieval papacy, the real father is Gregory the Great."

His book, Pastoral Care, on the duties and qualities of a bishop, was read for centuries after his death. He described bishops mainly as physicians whose main duties were preaching and the enforcement of discipline. In his own down-to-earth preaching, Gregory was skilled at applying the daily gospel to the needs of his listeners. Called "the Great," Gregory has been given a place with Augustine (August 28), Ambrose (December 7) and Jerome (September 30)
as one of the four key doctors of the Western Church.



O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will proclaim Your Praise!

Invitatory Psalm
Psalm 99 (100)


The Lord is the source of all wisdom: 

come, let us adore him.


Rejoice in the Lord, all the earth,
and serve him with joy.
Exult as you enter his presence.


The Lord is the source of all wisdom: 

come, let us adore him.


Know that the Lord is God.
He made us and we are his
– his people, the sheep of his flock.


The Lord is the source of all wisdom: 

come, let us adore him.


Cry out his praises as you enter his gates,
fill his courtyards with songs.
Proclaim him and bless his name;
for the Lord is our delight.
His mercy lasts forever,
his faithfulness through all the ages.


The Lord is the source of all wisdom: 

come, let us adore him.


Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.


The Lord is the source of all wisdom: 

come, let us adore him.



Hymn

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, thy great Name we praise.
Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.
To all life thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish, like leaves on the tree,
Then wither and perish; but naught changeth thee.
Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
All laud we would render: O help us to see
‘Tis only the splendor of light hideth thee.


Psalm 135 (136)
A paschal hymn

The Lord alone has wrought marvellous works,
for his love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his love is forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his love is forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his love is forever.
He alone works wonders,
for his love is forever.
In his wisdom he made the heavens,
for his love is forever.
He set the Earth upon the waters,
for his love is forever.
He created the great lights,
for his love is forever.
The sun, to rule over the day,
for his love is forever.
The moon and stars, to rule over the night,
for his love is forever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

The Lord alone has wrought marvellous works,
for his love endures forever.


Psalm 135 (136)

He brought Israel out from Egypt,
with arm outstretched,
with power in his hand.

He struck down the first-born of Egypt,
for his love is forever.
He led Israel out from their midst,
for his love is forever.
With a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his love is forever.
He divided the Red Sea in two,
for his love is forever.
He led Israel out through the sea,
for his love is forever.
He overthrew Pharaoh and his army,
for his love is forever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

He brought Israel out from Egypt,
with arm outstretched,
with power in his hand.


Psalm 135 (136)

To the Lord of heaven give thanks:
he set us free from our foes.

He led his people through the wilderness,
for his love is forever.
He struck down great kings,
for his love is forever.
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his love is forever.
And Og, the king of Bashan,
for his love is forever.
He gave their land to his people,
for his love is forever.
A heritage for Israel his servant,
for his love is forever.
He remembered us in our affliction,
for his love is forever.
He rescued us from our enemies,
for his love is forever.
He gives food to all creatures that live,
for his love is forever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his love is forever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

To the Lord of heaven give thanks:
he set us free from our foes.

Lord, show me your ways,
– and teach me your paths.


First Reading
Jeremiah 31:15-22,27-34

A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamenting and weeping bitterly:
it is Rachel weeping for her children,
refusing to be comforted for her children,
because they are no more.
The Lord says this:
Stop your weeping,
dry your eyes,
your hardships will be redressed:
they shall come back from the enemy country.
There is hope for your descendants:
your sons will come home to their own lands.
I plainly hear the grieving of Ephraim,
‘You have disciplined me, I accepted the discipline
like a young bull untamed.
Bring me back, let me come back,
for you are the Lord my God!
Yes, I turned away, but have since repented;
I understood, I beat my breast.
I was deeply ashamed, covered with confusion;
yes, I still bore the disgrace of my youth.’
Is Ephraim, then, so dear a son to me,
a child so favoured,
that after each threat of mine
I must still remember him,
still be deeply moved for him,
and let my tenderness yearn over him?
It is the Lord who speaks.
Set up signposts,
raise landmarks;
mark the road well,
the way by which you went.
Come home, virgin of Israel,
come home to these towns of yours.
How long will you hesitate, disloyal daughter?
For the Lord is creating something new on earth:
the Woman sets out to find her Husband again.

See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I am going to sow the seed of men and cattle on the House of Israel and on the House of Judah. And as I once watched them to tear up, 
to knock down, to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, 
so now I shall watch over them to build and to plant. It is the Lord who speaks.

In those days people will no longer say:
‘The fathers have eaten unripe grapes;
the children’s teeth are set on edge.’

But each is to die for his own sin. 
Every man who eats unripe grapes is to have his own teeth set on edge.

See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah, but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant of mine, so I had to show them who was master. It is the Lord who speaks. No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive – it is the Lord who speaks. Deep within them I will plant my Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbor to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, ‘Learn to know the Lord!’ No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest – it is the Lord who speaks – 
since I will forgive their iniquity and never call their sin to mind.


Responsory

℟. Create a pure heart in me, O God,
* and give me a new and steadfast spirit.

℣. Turn away your face from my sins and blot out all my guilt,
* and give me a new and steadfast spirit.


Second Reading
A sermon of St Gregory the Great

For the love of Christ I do not spare myself in preaching him

‘Son of man, I have appointed you as watchman to the house of Israel.’ Note that Ezekiel, whom the Lord sent to preach his word, is described as a watchman. Now a watchman always takes up his position on the heights so that he can see from a distance whatever approaches. Likewise whoever is appointed watchman to a people should live a life on the heights so that he can help them by taking a wide survey.

These words are hard to utter, for when I speak it is myself that I am reproaching. 
I do not preach as I should nor does my life follow the principles I preach so inadequately.

I do not deny that I am guilty, for I see my torpor and my negligence. Perhaps my very recognition of failure will win me pardon from a sympathetic judge. When I lived in a monastic community I was able to keep my tongue from idle topics and to devote my mind almost continually to the discipline of prayer. Since taking on my shoulders the burden of pastoral care, I have been unable to keep steadily recollected because my mind is distracted by many responsibilities.

I am forced to consider questions affecting churches and monasteries and often I must judge the lives and actions of individuals; at one moment I am forced to take part in certain civil affairs, next I must worry over the incursions of barbarians and fear the wolves who menace the flock entrusted to my care; now I must accept political responsibility in order to give support to those who preserve the rule of law; now I must bear patiently the villainies of brigands, and then I must confront them, yet in all charity.

My mind is sundered and torn to pieces by the many and serious things I have to think about. When I try to concentrate and gather all my intellectual resources for preaching, how can I do justice to the sacred ministry of the word? I am often compelled by the nature of my position to associate with men of the world and sometimes I relax the discipline of my speech. If I preserved the rigorously inflexible mode of utterance that my conscience dictates, I know that the weaker sort of men would recoil from me and that I could never attract them to the goal I desire for them. So I must frequently listen patiently to their aimless chatter. Because I am weak myself I am drawn gradually into idle talk and I find myself saying the kind of thing that I didn’t even care to listen to before. 
I enjoy lying back where I once was loath to stumble.

Who am I — what kind of watchman am I? I do not stand on the pinnacle of achievement, I languish rather in the depths of my weakness. And yet the creator and redeemer of mankind can give me, unworthy though I be, the grace to see life whole and power to speak effectively of it. 
It is for love of him that I do not spare myself in preaching him.


Responsory

℟. Gregory’s teaching on morals and on the mystical life sprang from the source of holy scripture;
through him the living water of the gospel flowed out to all nations,
* and he who now is dead still speaks to us.

℣. As an eagle’s glance encompasses the earth beneath it,
Gregory’s boundless charity encompasses all men, both great and small,
* and he who now is dead still speaks to us.

Let us pray.

God our Father, your rule is a rule of love,
your providence is full of mercy for your people.
Through the intercession of Saint Gregory
grant the spirit of wisdom to those you have placed in authority,
so that the spiritual growth of the people may bring eternal joy to the pastors.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.

Let us praise the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.