Thursday, December 12 : Saint Gregory the Great

John the Baptist counsels us to perform great works, telling us: “Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance,” and, “He who has two tunics should share with one who has none, and he who has food should do likewise” (Lk 3,8.11). Is it not now evident what Truth means by saying: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force”? We must examine these divine words very thoroughly. We must ask how the kingdom of heaven can suffer violence? Who inflicts violence in heaven? And we must also ask why, if the kingdom of heaven can suffer violence, it has endured violence from the days of John the Baptist, but not earlier? The old Law… as a punishment has struck all sinners, but has not restored them to life through repentance. When John the Baptist became forerunner of our Redeemer’s grace, preaching repentance so that a sinner who was dead as a result of his sin might live by being converted, truly from his days the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence. What is the kingdom of heaven but the abode of the righteous?… The humble, the pure, the meek and the merciful reach the joys on high. But when anyone… after sinning turns to repentance, it is as if the sinner is entering a foreign place. And so… in proclaiming repentance to sinners, John teaches them to do violence to the kingdom of heaven. Dearly beloved, let us think over the evils we have committed; let us give ourselves to continual sorrow. Let us seize by our repentance the inheritance of the righteous which we have not kept by our way of life. Almighty God desires to suffer this kind of violence from us. He desires us to seize by our tears the kingdom of heaven which is not owed us on our merits.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team