325 part ii: meditations for more solemn feasts believe to be unable to suffer in [H]is divinity, was also subject to death in our flesh.”139 After Holy Communion 1. “And seeing the star they rejoiced” (Mt 2:10). If the Magi were overcome by an unusual joy when, having gone out of Jerusalem, they caught sight again of the star appearing to them, then it is also necessary for you to abound with great joy when the Sun of Justice, Christ our God, shines in your heart. If the same kings, the Wise Men, gazing upon it intently, followed that star to where it directed their course, thus you should gaze at the light of Jesus present in you, so that, following its lead, you may attain Jesus Himself, already reigning in Heaven. Observe this light, lest it vanish from you, and thus deviating [yourself ] from the way of perfection you would not find God, when indeed it was by the grace of seeking Him that you made your way from the Babylon of the world to the Jerusalem of the religious life. 2. “The star, which they had seen in the East, went before them” (Mt 2:9). Behold, He who had brought the Magi to Himself by His light shines in you, my soul, in order to bring you to Him. Therefore, after the severe night of so many sins and faults, “Arise,” and “be enlightened, O Jerusalem, because your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (Is 60:1). People say that it is a great vice if someone sleeps after the sunrise and snores loudly. As for you, do not indulge in such sleep after the Sun (that is, God) has risen in you, but awaken and be swiftly [f.98v] enlightened. Oh, how long shall you be fond of the night? How long shall you remain in the darkness? The Pharaoh beseeched Moses to remove the three-day darkness from his 139 Gregorius Magnus, XL Homiliarum in Evangelia: Liber I — Homilia X (Matth. II, 1-12), in: PL, vol. 76, Ateliers catholiques du Petit-Montrouge, Paris 1857, p. 1113 (n. 1470). Cf. GFGH, p. 58 (Homily 8).
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mw==