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POPE SUMS UP ST. GREGORY’S TEACHINGS
“Gregory teaches us, before all, the importance and necessity
of prayer. He affirms that 'it is necessary to remind oneself of
god more frequently than one breathes,' since prayer is the encounter
of the thirst of god with our thirst. God thirsts that we thirst
for him.”
Pope Benedict dedicated this reflection to St. Gregory, a fourth-century
bishop. He made it during this general audience on August 24, 2007
in Vatican City. The Holy Father introduced the reflection saying
that he would summarize some of Gregory's teachings. He touched
on the saint's writings about themes such as the Trinity, Christ's
humanity, Mary, charity, prayer and purification.
The Pope explained that St. Gregory made the light of the Trinity
glow, defending the faith proclaimed in the Council of Nicea: one
God in three equal and distinct Persons.” He also explained
the Gregory also fought the heresy of Apollinaris, contending that
"what had not been assumed had not been cured," and affirming
that "precisely our intellect, our reason, was in need of a
relationship, an encounter with God in Christ.” St. Gregory
offered a precursor to the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, teaching
that "with a view to her lofty mission [she] was 'prepurified.”
The Holy also showed how St. Gregory also taught about solidarity
with others. He said that St. Gregory underlines that man must imitate
the goodness and love of God. The Pope then recommends: 'If you
are healthy and rich, alleviate the need of the one who is sick
and poor; if you have not fallen, help the one who has fallen and
lives in suffering; if you are happy, console the one who is sad;
if you are fortunate, help the one who has been bitten by misfortune.”
Above all, Benedict XVI offered Gregory as an example of prayer.
God thirsts that we thirst for him. In prayer, we have to direct
our heart to God to surrender ourselves to him as an offering that
should be purified and transformed. In prayer, we see everything
in the light of Christ, we let down our guard and we submerge ourselves
in the truth and in listening to God, nurturing the fire of our
love."
The Pontiff also spoke of Gregory's teaching on the task of purifying
the soul to reach God. He stated that "Gregory […] felt
the need to draw near to God to overcome the weariness of his own
being. He experienced the urging of the soul, the vivacity of a
sensitive spirit and the instability of fleeting happiness. For
him, in the drama of a life in which the awareness of his weakness
and misery weighed heavily, the experience of the love of God was
always stronger.
In parting the Poe gave the following remarks: You have a task
-- St. Gregory says to us as well -- the task to find the true light,
to find the true measure of your life. And your life consists in
encountering God, who thirsts for our thirst.
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“Jesus’
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