536B
Additional
information about Saint Gregory
Of Narek [1]
 |
| St. Gregory of Narek artist and date are unknown |
From The Common of Doctors of the Church or
Readings and Commentary:[2]
Reading 1: Wisdom 7:7-10, 15-16
I pleaded, and the spirit of Wisdom came to me.
I preferred her to scepter and throne,
And deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,
nor did I liken any priceless gem to her,
Because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand,
and before her, silver is to be accounted mire.
Beyond health and comeliness I loved her,
And I chose to have her rather than the light,
because the splendor of her never yields to sleep.
Now God grant I speak suitably
and value these endowments at their worth:
For he is the guide of Wisdom
and the director of the wise.
This selection from the Book of Wisdom is part of Solomon’s speech. Here he recalls that he “prayed” for Wisdom (see also 1 Kings 3:6-9 and 2 Chronicles 1:8-10) and it was given, a great prize valued above his riches. Solomon goes on to pray that he can speak of Wisdom so that he might share what he has learned with others.
CCC: Wis 7:16-17 2501
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 37:3-4, 5-6, 30-31
R. (30a)
The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.
The mouth of the just
tells of wisdom
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 37:3-4, 5-6, 30-31
Psalm 37 is a lament containing the plea to be
faithful to God and remain steadfast in the time of adversity. The psalmist
sings that the faith of the people will bring them salvation and that the Lord
is faithful and intercedes for them against the wicked. The common message is
that salvation comes from the Lord.
This selection of Psalm 37 (the main thrust of
which is evil is passing but God and his Law are eternal) exhorts the listener
to trust in God and the “light” of truth will show the way of righteousness.
The psalm appropriately extols the true teaching of God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 7:21-29
Commentary on Mt 7:21-29
This is the final section of the first of five
great discourses of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. In it, he broadens his
attack on false prophets to include those who perform acts in his name, but
lead lives of sin. He uses the analogy of the house built upon sand and the
house built upon rock to indicate that those who have a deep faith and act out
of that faith have a strong foundation and can stand against adversity, while
those who give the faith lip service for others to see, but do not have that
deep faith, will fall. He will not even recognize them when they come before
him in final judgment.
The Lord also makes a distinction between saying
and doing. The metaphor of the “house built on rock” refers to those who
hear the word of the Lord from an authentic source and act upon it. The house
built on sand is a metaphor for those who either are not taught authentically
(by false prophets) or who do not act upon what they have been given.
CCC: Mt 7:21-27 1970; Mt 7:21 443, 1821, 2611, 2826; Mt 7:28-29 581
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Gregory of Narek) (c. 950 – 1003/1011) was an Armenian mystical and lyrical poet, monk, and theologian. He was brought up and educated in a religious environment. His father was a bishop and his education was at the monastery of Narek located in the eastern part of modern-day Turkey (close to the Armenian border). St. Gregory has long been venerated as a saint in the Armenian Church but, during his life, he was not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church. He is the only Doctor of the Church who was not in communion with her in his lifetime.
It was his mystic poetry that attracted another modern saint to him. St. John Paul II described him as "one of Our Lady's principal poets" and "the great doctor of the Armenian Church."
We are given St. Gregory’s situation to highlight St. Matthew’s Gospel in which Jesus tells us “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.” Though in his life he was not in union with the Holy See, his faith and his works were aligned with the deep faith so necessary in our saints. His life’s work brought many to follow out Lord, especially his best known work, his Book of Lamentations.
Here is a short quote from that work echoing Psalm 51:
And now, compassionate
God,
as you instructed in your own words,
“Make offerings in the name of God’s salvation
and you shall be made holy,
for I want contrition not sacrifice.”
Be exalted anew in remembrance of this offering in
incense,
for everything is in you, and everything is from you.
To you glory from all.
We are reminded that even those who do not necessarily worship with us may share the essence of our faith. In the case of St. Gregory, born into a time when the Crusades were about to take place, in a region (Turkey) that was soon to become a battleground for Christianity, his works would be come important in holding and gaining the Christian faithful. We thank God for the gift of artists such as Gregory and the gift of wisdom he left for us.
We ask for his
intercession on this, his feast day. May
his prayers help us to express the beauty of our faith.
Pax
[1]
Placed on the Roman Calendar on 25 January 2021
[2] The
readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm
and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
No comments:
Post a Comment