Morning Devotion for Eastertide
May 9, 2022
Feast Day of Gregory of Nazianzus
Bishop and Theologian
The Invitatory
Alleluia. The Lord is risen indeed: Come Let us adore him.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ..
Reading: John 8:25-32
They said to him, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Why do I speak to you at all? I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.’ They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.’ As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’
Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones
Gregory of Nazianzus, born c. 330, is one of the eight great Theologians of the ancient Church and one of the four Cappadocian Fathers. Gregory lived in a turbulent time. In 312, Constantine issued a decree that legalized Christianity. In 325 he summoned a council of Bishops at Nicea, to settle the dispute concerning the nature of Christ. The bishops declared Athanasius' view, that Christ was of one substance with God, to be the teaching of the church. This declaration took the form of a creedal statement, that Christ was defined as begotten, not made. The Arians disagreed and did not accept defeat quietly. When Basil became Archbishop of Caesarea, he made Gregory Bishop of Sasima to consolidate his position against the Arians. This appointment did not have a happy outcome. Later in 379, after the death of the Arian Emperor Valens, Gregory was asked to go to Constantinople to preach there. Due to his preaching on the Trinity and the deity of Christ the city largely adopted the Trinitarian position and Gregory was consecrated bishop of Constantinople. He presided at the Council of Constantinople in 381, which confirmed the Athanasian position. Having accomplished what he believed to be his mission at Constantinople, and weary of ecclesiastical politics, Gregory resigned and retired to his home town of Nazianzus, where he died in 389.
It seems that even Jesus has difficulty in convincing others of his identity. Jesus is the one whose words have consistently revealed him. In the opening of this passage we have a sense of how frustrating an effort this has been for him, as he allows himself to remind his opponents that he has ample ground to condemn them for their attitudes and deeds with respect to him; however, this he does not do. As he has said, he does not judge, but only speaks the words of the Father, which themselves will condemn unbelief because of the truth of their origin. Because the Jews persist in their misunderstanding Jesus paraphrases his previous statement. After the crucifixion and glorification of Christ, then – when it is too late -- they will perceive that he taught the words of life. The lifting up of the Son of Man will cause his return to the Father who sent him. At the same time, however, the Father has always been present with the Son, a fact that has continually been made manifest in Jesus’ doing the work of the Father. If the believers of this were those who are addressed in the following passage, we might conclude that theirs was a very imperfect faith, indeed. To “believe” is not precisely the same as to “believe in.” Although the latter expression usually refers to true faith, at least the beginning of it, the present statement simply means no more than some were impressed by his words and were inclined to hear more. Consequently, Jesus tells them what is required for true faith. If you endure in my word: being receptive to the word is insufficient; one must also take it in and act on it constantly. Only then can one be a true disciple. True discipleship, in turn, brings with it the possession of the truth and truth makes a man free. Jesus’ suggestion that they have yet to acquire truth and freedom touches a sensitive nerve, provoking a stronger reaction. Jesus asks us to consider the nature of true spiritual freedom and to contend with the reality that to have freedom is to have freedom received from Christ. This is true freedom
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
