November: Day 17: Saint Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea

November: Day 17:
Saint Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea
 
(Lessons From His Life:
a. About the Motivation to Read the Word of God, and
b. About Prudent Caution)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The now glorified Saint Gregory, who before his baptism was called Theodore, came from a noble family in Neocaesarea. He was brought up in paganism, but received a good education, and having become acquainted with Origen, the teacher of the Alexandrian school, he was enlightened by Christian teaching and devoted himself with all his soul to "reading and studying the Holy Scriptures." Then secular activity ceased to attract him, he fell in love with the desert and withdrew, putting aside care for everything worldly and striving for communion with the one God. The ascetic life of Saint Gregory did not remain unknown and he, although he hid, moved from one desert to another, though against his will he was ordained in absentia as Bishop of the Neocaesarean Church. Then he no longer resisted the general election, realizing in his soul that it was not without the will of God that he was called to this difficult service, to which he devoted himself with all his strength, and the Lord helped him and glorified him with the gift of miracles, for which he received the names of "Wonderworker" and "second Moses." Thus, he acted successfully in his pastoral field, which in the beginning of his receiving the title of Bishop of Neocaesarea had were no more than 17 Christians in this large city, and after his death the entire city consisted of Christians, with the exception of 17 pagans.

The holiness of Bishop Gregory's life was often clearly attested to by extraordinary, miraculous signs; but even then, as now, there were many people who treated everything supernatural with distrust and even mockery. Thus, wanting to laugh at the gift of clairvoyance attributed to Saint Gregory, three such people, on the path where the Saint was supposed to pass, once laid one of their comrades, pretending to be dead, and they themselves sat near him and plaintively asked for money for the burial of the poor man. The Saint, having given the money that was with him, also took off his outer clothing and gave it to cover the deceased. The deceivers began to laugh at his credulity:

“If he really had the Divine Spirit in him,” they said, “then he would have seen clearly that a living man lay before him, and not a dead one.” However, they probably understood something else when, having begun to call and push their pretending comrade, they saw with horror that he was in fact dead.

During the persecution by Decius (250), Saint Gregory "withdrew from the city, saving his life, which was needed for the flock and other churches," and God miraculously preserved him, hiding on a secluded hill with a former pagan priest, whom he converted to Christianity and ordained to the rank of deacon. Once, when they were looking for him, Saint Gregory, noticing the approach of soldiers, stood in prayer with raised hands together with the deacon who was with him and asked God to protect them. And in fact, the soldiers, who passed by the praying people several times, did not notice them and, coming down from the mountain, said that they did not find anyone there, but saw only two trees grown together.

Returning to Neocaesarea after the end of the persecution, Saint Gregory continued his zealous service to the church, attended synods against false teachers, and died in the year 270.

II. The life of Saint Gregory presents us with two lessons.

a) Let us emulate, brethren, first of all, Saint Gregory’s love for reading the word of God, to which he devoted himself with all zeal after accepting Christianity. Of all the books that exist in the world, the truest, the most edifying, is the Bible, or book of Holy Scripture.

1) The first reason why we should read the word of God is that it communicates only heavenly and saving truths. All other books are filled with errors, but the Bible contains an accurate, correct exposition of heavenly things. Many books contain opinions that are seductive, harmful, or at least insufficient for the sanctification of the human heart, but the Bible contains holy rules that lead man to the fear of God and are able to ennoble and sanctify our moral nature. This is the first reason why we should read the Holy Scriptures!

2) The second reason that prompts us to read the Holy Scriptures is the origin of the Holy Scriptures. All books, except the Bible, are the fruit of the human mind, natural or blessed, but the Bible is the word or the voice of God Himself. "All scripture is inspired by God" (2 Tim. 3:16), says the Apostle Paul. The whole Bible was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God put thoughts into the prophets and apostles and made them convey these thoughts in writing. The royal prophet David, who in his time wrote the Psalms, which are part of the Holy Scriptures, feeling that in this case it was not his mind that acted, but the Holy Spirit inspired him with what to write, said of himself: "My tongue is the pen of a quick scribe" (Psalm 44:2), i.e. I am only a scribe, and God is the Author of the words I have written. How can we not read the Scriptures that have been sent down to us from our Creator, from our Father in heaven? If it is rude, ignorant and almost unnatural to leave unread, without paying attention to what our earthly parents write to us, then it is even more unwise, rude not to read or not to listen to what our Father in heaven writes to us.

3) Finally, the Holy Scriptures must be read also because God Himself commands us to read and examine them. “Search the scriptures” (John 5:39), said Jesus Christ. The following words of God have the same meaning as the above words: “Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ear to the words of my mouth” (Psalm 78:1). And what God commands must be fulfilled; the Holy Scriptures must be read or listened to willingly, often, and attentively. (see the teaching of Jacob, Archbishop of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas).

b) Let us, secondly, imitate the prudent caution of Saint Gregory in life.

Realizing that his premature death, as an experienced shepherd of the Church, during the persecution could cause great confusion in ecclesiastical affairs, and most importantly, fearing the cowardice of Christians who were not yet strong in the faith, he, as we have said, went with them to the desert mountains and there hid from the persecutors who were looking for him, like hunters for prey. From his refuge he did not cease to manage the affairs of his Church and by wise arrangements he achieved that in the Neocaesarean region the persecution of Diocletian did not cause significant harm to the Church and among the flock of Saint Gregory there were no fallen. Thus the wise shepherd, by prudent caution, saved himself and his flock from the imminent danger that threatened them.

A great thing is prudent caution and discretion in business. And our Savior teaches such prudent circumspection in life. “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it — lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?” (Luke 14:28-33). So, when you decide to do something, especially something important in your life – whether to arrange, for example, your fate by getting married, or the fate of your son or daughter – do not be rash, but carefully discuss your plans, so as not to, as they say, tie up your life and that of your own child and not later cry about your lot. And in unimportant things, too, be circumspect and careful: at the first desire to do this or that, to go somewhere, etc., at the first invitation of your friend or acquaintance to this or that, do not rush right away, but think and discuss: will it be good if you do this, will you not have to suffer and regret it because of this. Especially in view of some danger, we need to be prudent and careful. The Lord gave us reason so that we could illuminate the paths of our lives; let us use this dear lamp of the mind, so that we do not stumble and fall into the temptation of others and to our grief. Amen.

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.