Peter began to say to Jesus,‘We have given up everything and followed you.”Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you,there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sistersor mother or father or children or landsfor my sake and for the sake of the Gospelwho will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:houses and brothers and sistersand mothers and children and lands,with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
REFLECTION
Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you,there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sistersor mother or father or children or landsfor my sake and for the sake of the Gospelwho will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:houses and brothers and sistersand mothers and children and lands,with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
Jesus answers Peter with candor, when he mentions in His reply that he will receive for his loyalty "a hundred times more in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, WITH PERSECUTIONS, and eternal life in the age to come."
Today there are a couple of Saints whose memorial feast day is celebrated, St. Bede the Venerable and St. Pope Gregory VII. Both of these saints were loyal to the Catholic Church, for which they received blessings and persecutions.
St. Bede was a dedicated Benedictine monk. He focused his life on prayer, fasting, and "charitable hospitality." He was a brilliant writer and teacher. His writings were mostly about theology and the Scriptures, but he also wrote about science, literature, and history. He was widely sought for his authoritative writings and knowledge about scripture. Many wanted his guidance even Pope Sergius. Humbly Bede refused to go to Rome. Bede felt that love instead of learning was his purpose in life. He said, "It is better to be stupid and uneducated brother who, working at the good things he knows, merits life in heaven, than to be one who - though being distinguished for his learning in the Scriptures, or even holding the place of a teacher - lacks the bread of love."
St. Bede died after completing the Anglo-Saxon translation of the Gospel of John. In 1899, Pope Leo XIII gave him the title of Doctor of the Church.
The other Saint who is celebrated today is St. Pope Gregory VII St. Pope Gregory was baptized Hildebrand in Tuscany, Italy. He was a monk and was well educated. He was helpful to many popes in performing diplomatic and administrative services. While he was only a deacon, Cardinal Hildebrand was elected to be Pope. He would not accept the election because it was not canonical and went into hiding. When the conclave of Cardinals voted for him according to canon law, then he accept. Then he was ordained
priest and bishop then crowned Pope Gregory VII.
Pope Gregory VII's reign was plagued with 3 serious problems in the Church. The first problem was Simony which is "the buying and selling of sacred offices and things. Second was unlawful marriages of the clergy. The third problem was "lay investiture" whereby kings and other nobles appointed Church officials.
The first thing Gregory did was to write a papal letter explaining that the bishop of Rome is also the Vicar of Christ and the center of unity in the Church. He opposed Holy Roman Emperor King Henry IV concerning the selection of bishops and abbots.
He was a strong leader for the Church and resisted secular takeover of the Church. He even excommunicated the Emperor Henry IV. Because of his tenacious stand on these principles he was exiled. He said, "I have loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore, I die in exile."
Despite the above problems during his rule, he was instrumental in making the priesthood celibacy compulsory; he healed the Schism with the Orthodox Churches; he worked on recovering the holy sites in Jerusalem; he explained the Church's theology about the real presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist; he gave a statement to bring to light a deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.
Even though he suffered persecution and died in exile, he was a true Vicar of Christ and certainly received his reward in eternity.
Let us pray for all priests, bishops, cardinals and the Pope to be as dedicated to the truth and protect the Holy Catholic Church as St. Bede and St. Pope Gregory VII were in their time.
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