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MAY 6 - THE GOSPEL breski1 Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 15,26-27.16,1-4a. Jesus said to his disciples: "When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit …More
MAY 6 - THE GOSPEL
breski1

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 15,26-27.16,1-4a.

Jesus said to his disciples: "When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me.
And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
I have told you this so that you may not fall away.
They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God.
They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me.
I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you."


Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
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Saint Gregory the Great (c.540-604)
Pope, Doctor of the Church
Book XIII, v. 11-12 Moralia, Exposition on the book of Job


The persecuted Church

"And the liar is lifted up against my face, gainsaying me." [Job 16: 9] Even in her time of peace Holy Church is subject to the ‘liar,’ in that there are numbers in her, who disbelieve in the promise of eternal life, and yet falsely feign themselves to be of the faithful. And as they do not dare openly to gainsay her preaching, she is exposed to the liar, not, as it were, ‘before her face,’ but behind her back; but when the time of wickedness breaks out, he who now disparages being full of apprehension, comes ‘before the face to gainsay,’ in that he withstands by open sentences of the voice the words of true faith.
But it is to be known that when we meet with such things at the hands of carnal men, it is not so much they individually that rage cruelly in our death, as the evil spirit who rules their minds, as it is said by Paul, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood; but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world. [Eph. 6, 12] Whence, whereas here also he is speaking of lying [A.B.D. ‘the liar’], with propriety he turns his words directly to tell of the prince of that lying, and says; Ver. 9. He gathered his fury against me; and threatening me he gnashed against me with his teeth; mine enemy looked on me with terrible eyes. What else are all wicked men but members of the devil? Therefore he himself does by them, whatever he puts it into their hearts that they ought to do.
For the devil even now entertains fury against Holy Church, but his fury is scattered, in that he sets afoot his secret temptations through the agency of individuals; but when he bursts out against her in open persecution, ‘he gathers his fury against her,’ in that in the afflicting of her he knits up himself with the entire bent of his efforts.