BE CONTENT
They that know THY name will put their trust in THEE:
for THOU, LORD, hast not forsaken them that see THEE.
The name of the LORD is a strong tower:
the righteous runneth into it, and is safe, I will trust and
not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and
my song; HE also is become my salvation.
I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen
the righteous forsaken, nor HIS seed begging for bread.
For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not HIS saints,
they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall
be cut off. The LORD will not forsake HIS people for HIS great
name's sake: because it has pleased the LORD to make you
HIS people. Who delivered us from so great a death, and
doth deliver: in whom we trust that HE will yet deliver us.
Be content with such things as ye have: for HE hath said,
I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may
boldly say, The LORD is my helper, I will not fear what man
shall do unto me.
AMEN and AMEN
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November 17th - St. Gregory Thaumaturgus
Gregory was born to a distinguished pagan family in Neoceasarea in 213. He
became a disciple of Origin, and afterward was appointed Bishop of
Neoceasarea.
Illustrious for his doctrine and sanctity, he was still more memorable for
the
number and brilliance of miracles he worked, which earned for him the
title
Thaumaturgus - Miracle Worker - and made him comparable to Moses, the
Prophets
and the Apostles, according to the testimony of St. Basil.
Through his prayer, he moved a mountain that prevented the construction of
a
church. He dried a lake that was the cause of dissension between two
brothers.
He stopped the flooding of the Icus River that was devastating the fields
by
planting his staff along the border of the river. His staff took root, and
was
transformed into a great tree beyond whose limits the water would not
pass.
Many times he expelled devils from the idols and the bodies of possessed
persons. These are some of the many miracles he worked, which caused
multitudes
to enter the Catholic Faith. He also had the spirit of the Prophets,
foretelling
many future events.
On his deathbed he was informed that the number of heretics in Neoceasarea
was
only seventeen. He gave thanks to God, because he had found but seventeen
Catholics in the diocese when he became Bishop.
He was a noted theological writer, and wrote several works which, like his
miracles, illustrated the teachings of the Church of God. He died between
270
and 275.
Comments of the late Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira: (died 1995)
God grants the gift of miracles to many of His saints. It is a way God
chooses
to prove that the Catholic Church is divine. It is also a means to show
the
whole Church how He is united with a particular saint, and that He wants
to
be
particularly glorified through him. But very rarely does He grant to a
single
person the capacity to work one miracle after another, each one more
extraordinary than the other. This is what He did with St. Gregory
Thaumaturgus.
An interesting thing about the miracles St. Gregory worked is that they
are
not
open to discussion or contestation. An atheist or any other enemy of the
Church
can revolt against a miracle of Lourdes and assert that the person was
cured
by
self-suggestion. But no one, except a crazy man, can say that a mountain
moved
from one place to another due to the self-suggestion of the onlookers, or
that a
lake dried up overnight for the same reason. If it were a phenomenon of
self-suggestion, after some time everyone would realize that the mountain
was
still in its original place and the lake filled with water.
The same can be said about the staff he planted on the river bank, which
took
root and became a large tree. If this were a phenomenon of
self-suggestion,
the
tree would not have stood there in open sight of every traveler for a long
period of time; there would have been just the staff. Self-suggestion is
impossible in such a case. The miracles worked by St. Gregory Thaumaturgus
were
absolutely undisputable.
As we just pointed out, the working of miracles, especially extraordinary
miracles like those worked by St. Gregory, is a means Divine Providence
has
to
show the world that the Catholic Church is divine. But his miracles also
have
other implications.
We see that there was a practical reason for St. Gregory Thaumaturgus to
move
the mountain from its original site. It was preventing the construction of
a
church. He worked this grand miracle to resolve a rather unim****tant
problem. I
know that it is im****tant to build a church, but it could be constructed
at
the
top the mountain or in another place. There is no reason to believe that
this
particular site was the only place the church could be built.
But Divine Providence wanted him to ask for an extraordinary miracle in
order to
show how paternal God is, how good and accessible Divine Providence is to
those
who are faithful. Miracles are not only worked on occasions of great
anguish, in
face of imminent tragedies. God is a Father, Our Lady is a Mother. They
give
us
graces, even the greatest ones, just for our convenience, with a
magnificent
liberality.
The Book of Confidence insists strongly on this point: we need to ask for
everything, to ask insistently, and to ask with the certainty that our
requests
will be granted. We should ask even for the very simple things we need.
Because
of the familial relation****p we have with Our Lady and Our Lord, we should
be
sure that these things will be given. Here we see an astoni****ng miracle -
the
moving of a mountain - granted by God just to make the life of the saint
easier,
so that his desire to build a church on that site could be conveniently
executed.
Another miracle mentioned in the excerpt was that of the lake. Two
brothers
were
quarrelling over its waters; he caused the lake to dry up. He gave a
spectacular
lesson to these brothers. He sent the message: "You are fighting over the
property rights of the water of this lake. Well, there is no longer any
water to
quarrel over, so let your dispute end." We see that there was a reason for
this
great miracle, but it was a trifling reason, just a family quarrel like so
many
others that we hear about everyday. Perhaps if he would have spoken
sternly
to
the brothers, he would have convinced them of their bad behavior. There
was
nothing catastrophic in the dissension. Notwithstanding, God heard his
prayer
and resolved that simple quarrel in a marvelous way.
The third miracle involved the flooding of a river in Neoceasarea. In
certain
areas man has always had to live with floods, and most probably his city
had
experienced many such floods before and survived them without so many
problems.
Again, God made an extraordinary miracle to show that He hears not only
the
prayers of those in despair; He is also pleased to grant us graces for our
day-to-day life. He is pleased to attend to the normal needs of our lives.
If God worked such astoni****ng miracles through St. Gregory in order to
resolve
small problems, how much more pleased would He be to assist us in the
spiritual
necessities of our lives? How many mountains of bad habits do we have to
be
removed from our souls? How many lakes of self-love to be dried up? How
many
floods of worldly attachments to be stopped? We should direct ourselves to
Our
Lord through Our Lady asking these favors with filial confidence.
Hearing this, some of us might become discouraged and say: "Yes, St.
Gregory
achieved these results because he was a saint. But I am nothing but a
sinner
and
a broken man. If I were to ask for such great things, I would reach
nothing."
I respond to this objection saying: St. Gregory Thaumaturgus is in Heaven,
ready
to attend to our prayers. If he resolved the small problems of his
relatives
and
friends with astoni****ng miracles, he can likewise help us, who have major
problems. Most probably he will resolve our troubles with even greater
miracles.
Today on his feast day, we should ask him for all the graces we need.
Finally, it is worth noting that he had a special power to expel devils.
He
expelled devils from the idols and from persons who were possessed.
St. Gregory was an anti-e***enical saint. On his death bed, when someone
told
him there were only 17 heretics in his diocese, he was exultant, because
when he
first became the Bishop of Neoceasarea, there were only 17 Catholics. He
had
completely reversed the situation. It was his way to say to God: "I have
fulfilled my mission." There was nothing left for him to do but deliver
his
saintly, innocent soul into the hands of the Creator.
See pictures at:
http://www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j203sd_Gregory_11-17.html
Bible Quote
Another parable he proposed unto them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is
like
to
a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. Which is
the
least indeed of all seeds; but when it is grown up, it is greater than all
herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come, and dwell
in
the
branches thereof. (Matthew 13:31-32)
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A Prayer to Redeem Lost Time
My God! Source of all mercy! I acknowledge Your sovereign power, while
recalling the wasted years that are past, I believe that You, Lord, can in
an instant turn this loss to gain. Miserable as I am, yet I firmly believe
that You can do all things. Please restore to me the time lost, giving me
Your grace, both now and in the future, that I may appear before You in
"wedding garments." - Amen.
-Saint Teresa of Ávila
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