St. Peter Chrysologus, whose feast we celebrate today, must have had a good and pure heart because of the "golden words" that emanated from his mouth.
Peter was born in Northern Italy in the middle of the 4th century. He became a priest and was soon appointed Bishop of Ravenna in the western part of the Roman Empire. He was known for his writings and his preaching, especially during this time when the early Church was defining itself and conceptualizing the "mysteries" that it had been given by God to safeguard and to communicate to all the ages. He was declared a doctor of the Church in the 18th century!
It is really amazing to think that God has given to men knowledge of his very reality and his design and purpose for the universe including man and his destiny. Even the principalities and the authorities in the heavens do not know these things.
They are summed up for us in what Scripture and the Church calls "statutes" – or guidelines for living that proceed directly from the mind of the one who made the component parts of life – God - so he ought to know how it all works and fits together!
When we "remain on the vine which is Christ" then we remain connected to the source of the mysteries – and things need not be so "mysterious" for us! And our words and our deeds can prove that we have "gotten the message" – that the love of God dwells in our hearts, with his goodness and his justice: for these things will emanate from us – they will come forth from the "golden-ness" of our actions and our words – and like Peter of Ravenna – we shall be valued as a special messenger of God manifold gifts and graces!
I am the vine, you are the branches, says the Lord:
whoever remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit!
No comments:
Post a Comment