Friday in the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time

We pray the Church’s daily prayers and offerings, then sit with Saint Gregory of Nyssa as he explains why seeing God means possessing every true good. We wrestle with whether purity of heart is impossible and hear why God’s promises fit our nature and are fulfilled in the lives of the saints. 
• Opening prayers and daily offering through the Immaculate Heart of Mary 
• Saint Gregory of Nyssa on blessedness and the vision of God 
• “To see is to have” as a biblical way of speaking about sharing in God’s glory 
• The Beatitudes and why purity of heart matters 
• The fear that holiness is impossible and why that fear can discourage us 
• God’s commands as fitted to the nature He created 
• Moses, Paul, and John as witnesses that blessedness is real 
• Psalm prayers of thirst for God and longing to behold His face 
If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our publications now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple App and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org.

Transcript

Opening Prayers And Offering

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Friday, in the twelfth week of ordinary time. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. O my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. For the remission of my sins, for the intentions of my family and friends, and in particular, for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.

Saint Gregory On Seeing God

SPEAKER_00 0:45

From a homily by Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Bishop. The happiness God promises certainly knows no limits. When one has gained such a blessing, what is left to desire? In seeing God one possesses all things. In the language of Scripture, to see is to have. May you see the good things of Jerusalem is the same as, may you possess the good things of Jerusalem. When the prophet says, May the wicked man be carried off and not see the glory of the Lord, he means may he not share in the glory of the Lord. One who has seen God has, in the act of seeing, gained all that is counted good, life without end, everlasting freedom from decay, undying happiness, a kingdom that has no end, lasting joy, true light, a voice to sing pleasingly in the spirit, unapproachable glory, perpetual rejoicing, in a word, the totality of blessing. Such is the wonderful hope held out by the Beatitudes.

Is Purity Of Heart Possible

SPEAKER_00 1:40

As we have seen, the condition for seeing God is purity of heart. And now once more my mind is in confusion, as from an attack of giddiness, wondering if purity of heart is something impossible, something beyond the capacity of human nature, if the vision of God is dependent on purity of heart, and if Moses and Paul did not attain this vision, they state that neither they nor anyone else can see God, then the promise of the Beatitude spoken by the Word seems to be something impossible of realization. What do we gain from knowing the means by which God may be seen if we have not the power to see him? It is like saying that one is blessed if one is in heaven, because in heaven things are seen that are not seen on earth. If we were told beforehand how to get to heaven, it would be helpful to know that the one is blessed if one is in heaven. But as long as the way to heaven is impossible, what do we gain by knowing about the happiness of heaven? This only saddens and annoys us when we realize the good things we are deprived of, because it is impossible to get there. Surely the Lord does not encourage us to do something impossible to human nature, because the magnitude of what he commands is beyond the reach of our human

Why God’s Command Fits Our Nature

SPEAKER_00 2:58

strength. The truth is different. He does not command those creatures to whom he has not given wings to become birds, nor those to whom he has assigned a life on land to live in water. If then, in the case of all other creatures, the command is according to the capacity of those who receive it, and does not oblige them to do anything beyond their nature, we shall come to the conclusion that we are not to give up hope of gaining what is promised by the Beatitude. John and Paul, and Moses, then, and any others like them, did not fail to achieve that sublime happiness that comes from the vision of God. Not Paul who said, There is stored up for me a crown of righteousness, which the judge who judges justly will give me, nor John who leaned on the breast of Jesus, nor Moses who heard God saying to him, I know you above all others. If it is clear that those who taught that the contemplation of God was beyond their powers, are themselves blessed, and if blessedness consists in the vision of God and is granted to the pure of heart, then purity of heart, leading to blessedness,

Moses Paul John And True Blessedness

SPEAKER_00 4:05

is certainly not among things that are impossible. Hence it can be said that those who with Paul teach that the vision of God is beyond our powers are right in what they say, and that the voice of the Lord does not contradict them when he promises that the pure in heart will see God.

Psalms Thirst For God And Closing Prayers

SPEAKER_00 4:24

My soul thirsts for you, my God, my flesh longs for you. In justice I shall behold your face, and when I awake I shall be filled with the vision of your glory. My flesh longs for you. Grant, O Lord, that we may always revere and love your holy name, for you never deprive of your guidance those you set firm on the foundation of your love. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen. All that I have, and all that I am, I give to your hands, Jesus, through the heart of Mary, your blessed mother. Amen. Sacred heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Join The Cristeros And Resources

SPEAKER_00 5:18

If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our publications now available on Amazon.com. The Cristuros app is available on the Apple App and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org.