Divine Mercy: The Heart of the Gospel

A Contribution to the Discussion on the Feast of The Divine Mercy 125 emphasis mine. We will see later what that last phrase implies.) We need to be aware o f the fact that the Christian Church o f the Byzantine Tradition, including the Orthodox, considers St. Gregory of Nazianzen to be one o f her greatest Doctors, bestowing upon him the title “The Theologian,” a title that was originally reserved for St. John, the Apostle and Evangelist, on account o f his lofty doctrine. During the Ecumenical Council held after his death, the Council Fathers declared, that if any doctrine did not agree with the teaching o f St. Gregory, it was not orthodox. According to St. Gregory’s own definition, a “the­ ologian” is one who “knows” God by experience, experience that comes through prayer: “One who prays,” he says, “is a theologian, a theologian is one who prays.” Generally, St. Gregory’s declaration regarding the feast o f the Octave of the Pasch evokes surprise on the part of readers. In one o f the scien­ tific studies on specific topics treated by Gregory, the author points out that the first of these topics in chronological order is precisely the sub­ ject-matter o f the Octave. It is found in his sermon on New Sunday , a name that in the Byzantine tradition refers to the Sunday that is the eighth day after Easter Sunday. The author of the study explains that, for Gregory, the Octave o f the Pasch is the king o f days, so that it was fitting that it be preceded by the queen o f the seasons o f the year (that is, spring). Here for the first time, the author of the elaboration claims, we find a further development of the Paschal Feast, for that Sunday is the beginning of a new creation accomplished by Christ’s resurrection. A footnote supplied in the essay after this statement declares, that it is an astonishing fact, that the Nazianzen did not attribute such a title (namely, king o f days) to the day o f the Pasch [see Francesco Trisoglio, San Gregorio di Nazianzo in un quarantennio di studi (1925-1965), Rivista lasalliana, Collegio San Giuseppe - Torino, 1974, p .4 17]. This rather bold concept of the Easter Octave Day had to exist already before Gregory, who makes reference to the ancient observance of New Sunday. He distinguishes the Pasch from its Octave, affirming that “that (Sunday - meaning, Easter Day) was the day o f salvation, but this (Sunday - meaning, the Octave of Easter Day) is the birthday of sal­ vation.” These are the exact words found in a homily about New Sunday, whose author, according to the publisher M. Kmosko and the