Tuesday, August 22 : Saint Gregory the Great

“Yet still I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.” (Job 13:3) We ‘speak with the Almighty,’ when we beseech His pity; but we ‘reason with Him,’ when uniting ourselves to His righteousness, we sift our actions with minute investigation. Or otherwise, to ‘reason with God,’ is for him who obeyed His commandments here, to come with Him hereafter as Judge to judge the people. As it is said to the Preachers that leave all things, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. [Matt. 19, 28] Whence the Lord saith by Isaiah too, Relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together. [Is. 1, 17. 18.] For it is light that they should reason with God concerning their charges [d] in the Judgment, who, at the words of God, entirely give up the present world. Thus the ‘speaking’ has to do with prayer, and the ‘reasoning’ has to do with judgment, Therefore the holy man ‘speaks’ to the Almighty now, that he may ‘reason’ with the Almighty hereafter, in that He cometh with God afterwards as a judge, who here in this present time was familar with Him in prayer.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team