{"id":8488,"date":"2014-11-07T20:00:08","date_gmt":"2014-11-07T19:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/?p=8488"},"modified":"2014-11-07T21:42:25","modified_gmt":"2014-11-07T20:42:25","slug":"he-opened-their-minds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/2014\/11\/he-opened-their-minds\/","title":{"rendered":"He opened their minds"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SanWe had on Monday last this magnificent text from Pope Saint Gregory:<\/em><\/p>\n

From the Exposition of the Prophet Ezekiel by St Gregory the Great, Pope & Doctor<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI saw a hand stretched out towards me, holding a rolled up scroll. It then spread out the scroll before me, and I saw that it was written on within and without.\u201d\u00a0 In this vision the Prophet represents all preachers of the Gospel, and the scroll given to him represents holy Scripture.\u00a0 It is rolled up, since the words of Scripture are often obscure.\u00a0 Because of their profundity they are not easily understood by everyone.\u00a0 But the scroll is then spread out before the Prophet, because holy preachers are able to reveal the hidden meaning of Scripture to the faithful.<\/strong>\u00a0 Truth himself opened out this scroll when, \u201cHe opened their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures.\u201d\u00a0 The scroll was written on within and without because Scripture has a literal or historical sense and a spiritual or allegorical sense.\u00a0 The writing \u201cwithout\u201d is the plain sense of the letter, attainable by the weak.\u00a0 The writing \u201cwithin\u201d is the spiritual understanding, given only to the strong.\u00a0 It is \u201cwithin\u201d because it promises invisible things, whereas what is written \u201cwithout\u201d is visible and earthly.\u00a0 It is \u201cwithin\u201d when it sets forth heavenly realities, and \u201cwithout\u201d when it shows how earthly things should be rightly used, or properly excluded from what we may rightly desire.<\/p>\n

The strong are able to feast on the hidden and sublime words of holy Scripture. We little ones, though, must usually find our nourishment in its more open precepts. For this reason the Psalmist said: \u201cThe high mountains are a refuge for the stags, and the rock for the hedgehogs.\u201d\u00a0 Those who can already make the leap of divine contemplation are able to attain the mountain heights of spiritual understanding.\u00a0 But as for us: we are more like the hedgehogs who find refuge in the rocks, for we are covered by the spines of our sins, and so unable to understand profound truths. Nevertheless, we are safe in the haven of the Rock: that is, we are saved through our faith in Jesus Christ.<\/strong>\u00a0 St Paul therefore told some people: \u201cI did not consider myself to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.\u201d Or in other words: \u201cBecause I did not think you could grasp the mysteries of his divinity, I spoke to you only about his human weakness.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Prophet goes on: \u201cThere were written on the scroll lamentations, songs and woe.\u201d\u00a0 By this he means that holy Scripture contains everything we need to edify us and instruct us.\u00a0 Have you sinned, and bitterly regret what you have done?\u00a0 Here you will find lamentations, teaching you how to repent.\u00a0 Do you yearn for the consolation of heavenly joys?\u00a0 Here you will find a song for your comfort.\u00a0 Are you a sinner who not only refuses to repent, but even disdains the hope of heavenly rewards?\u00a0 Here you will find written the woes of your condemnation.\u00a0 It remains for us then, brethren, to wake up to the words of this scroll. Let us afflict ourselves with tears for the sins we remember having committed, in order that through our lamentation we may come at last to the song of life. The dreadful alternative is to experience woe without end.\u00a0 We do not despair of avoiding that, because the magnitude of our sickness cannot compare with the greatness of the divine Doctor, to whom be praise and glory for ever and ever.\u00a0 Amen.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We had on Monday last this magnificent text from Pope Saint Gregory: From the Exposition of the Prophet Ezekiel by St Gregory the Great, Pope & Doctor \u201cI saw a hand stretched out towards me, holding a rolled up scroll. It then spread out the scroll before me, and I saw that it was written <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[178],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-florilegium-patristicum"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paVypq-2cU","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8488"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8488"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8499,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8488\/revisions\/8499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}