Subj : January 10th - Saint Gregory of Nyssa To : All From : rich Date : Wed Jan 09 2019 07:25:16 From: rich January 10th - Saint Gregory of Nyssa (333-398) Saint Gregory of Nyssa was the younger brother of Saints Basil the Great an= d Macrina, and one of the greatest of the Easter Fathers of the Church. Alo= ng with his brother, Basil, and Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Saint Gregory of N= yssa is known as one of the Cappadocian Fathers. A deep and contemplative t= heologian, the works of Saint Gregory greatly impacted the manner in which = we understand the Scriptures, the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, an= d the life of Moses. Gregory was born in modern-day Turkey in the years following the persecutio= n of Christians. His grandparents had fled to Turkey during the reign of Em= peror Diocletian. He was raised by his elder brother and sister, Saints Bas= il the Great and Macrina. From a young age, Saint Gregory excelled at his s= tudies, becoming a professor of rhetoric at an early age, working for sever= al years before entering the monastery founded by Saint Basil. Ordained a p= riest, he was later consecrated the Bishop of Nyssa (in Lower Armenia) in 3= 71, at the age of 38. At the time of Saint Gregory's election, the Church found itself in= the midst of the great Arian heresy=E2=80=94a school of thought which deni= ed the divinity of Christ. Saint Gregory's enemies had him arrested= on false charges of embezzlement. He was acquitted after some time and res= tored to his see, to the great joy of his followers. Saint Gregory fought tirelessly against heresies, and preached the tenets o= f the Trinitarian faith. Following the death of his brother, he was recogni= zed as a defender of orthodoxy, writing and preaching effectively against A= rianism and other questionable doctrines. Saint Gregory held a position of = prominence at the Council of Constantinople, which reaffirmed the divinity = of the Trinity. He spent the remainder of his life, following this great co= uncil, writing, preaching, and traveling. Generally considered one of the great pillars of mystical writing of the Ch= urch, Saint Gregory is referred to as the =E2=80=9CFather of Mysticism.=E2= =80=9D While his brother, Saint Basil the Great, is credited with providing= structure and organization to the eastern Church, Saint Gregory's = writings filled the hearts of the faithful with spirituality and the mystic= al vision of Christ. He penned countless reflections and commentaries on th= e Holy Scriptures, including a well-known text on the Life of Moses. His ot= her writings and homilies included treatises on the Lord's Prayer, the Song= of Songs, and the Beatitudes. Pope Benedict XVI, in his General Audience regarding Saint Gregory of Nyssa= praised the writings, interpretations, and contemplations of Saint Gregory= , especially as they related to the sanctity of the human body, as created = in God's image: =E2=80=9CMan was honoured by God and placed above every other creature: "Th= e sky was not made in God's image, not the moon, not the sun, not the beaut= y of the stars, no other things which appear in creation. Only you (human s= oul) were made to be the image of nature that surpasses every intellect, li= keness of incorruptible beauty, mark of true divinity, vessel of blessed li= fe, image of true light, that when you look upon it you become what he is, = because through the reflected ray coming from your purity you imitate he wh= o shines within you. Nothing that exists can measure up to your greatness" = (Homilia in Canticum 2: PG 44, 805d). Let us meditate on this praise of the human being. Let us also see how man = was degraded by sin. And let us try to return to that original greatness: o= nly if God is present, does man attain his true greatness. Man therefore recognizes in himself the reflection of the divine light: by = purifying his heart he is once more, as he was in the beginning, a clear im= age of God, exemplary Beauty (cf. Oratio Catechetica 6: SC 453, 174). Thus, by purifying himself, man can see God, as do the pure of heart (cf. M= t 5: 8): "If, with a diligent and attentive standard of living, you wash aw= ay the bad things that have deposited upon your heart, the divine beauty wi= ll shine in you.... Contemplating yourself, you will see within you he who = is the desire of your heart, and you will be blessed" (De Beatitudinibus 6:= PG 44, 1272ab). We should therefore wash away the ugliness stored within o= ur hearts and rediscover God's light within us. Man's goal is therefore the contemplation of God. In him alone can he find = his fulfilment. To somehow anticipate this goal in this life, he must work ceaselessly towa= rd a spiritual life, a life in dialogue with God. In other words--and this = is the most important lesson that St Gregory of Nyssa has bequeathed to us-= -total human fulfilment consists in holiness, in a life lived in the encoun= ter with God, which thus becomes luminous also to others and to the world.= =E2=80=9D Saint Quote: =E2=80=9CAll things belong to God, who is our Father and the Father of all = things. We are all of the same family; all of us are brothers. Amongst brot= hers, it is best that all inherit equal portions.=E2=80=9D --Saint Gregory of Nyssa <><><><> God our Father, Saint Gregory, your bishop, praised you by the splendor= of his life and teaching. In your kindness, as we forget what is past and = reach out to what is before us, help us to attain that vocation to which we= are called. You have shown forth your watchfulness, and were a fervent Preacher of = godliness: by the wisdom of the teachings you have gladden the Church's fai= thful, Righteous Father Gregory, entreat Christ our God to grant us his gre= at mercy. --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .