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Theology of the Heart: Teachings of the Saints |
The
Lord has made his salvation known to the whole world
Pope St. Leo the Great
The loving providence of God
determined that in the last days he would aid the world, set on its
course to destruction. He decreed that all nations should be saved in
Christ.
A promise had been made to
the holy patriarch Abraham in regard to these nations. He was to have a
countless progeny, born not from his body but from the seed of faith.
His descendants are therefore compared with the array of the stars. The
father of all nations was to hope not in an earthly progeny but in a
progeny from above.
Let the full number of the
nations now take their place in the family of the patriarchs. Let the
children of the promise now receive the blessing in the seed of Abraham,
the blessing renounced by the children of his flesh. In the persons of
the Magi let all people adore the Creator of the universe; let God be
known, not in Judaea only, but in the whole world, so that his name may
be great in all Israel.
Dear friends, now that we
have received instruction in this revelation of God’s grace, let us
celebrate with spiritual joy the day of our first harvesting, of the
first calling of the Gentiles. Let us give thanks to the merciful God,
who has made us worthy, in the words of the Apostle, to share the
position of the saints in light, who has rescued us from the power of
darkness, and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved Son. As Isaiah
prophesied: the people of the Gentiles, who sat in darkness, have seen a
great light, and for those who dwelt in the region of the shadow of
death a light has dawned. He spoke of them to the Lord: The Gentiles,
who do not know you, will invoke you, and the peoples, who knew you not,
will take refuge in you.
This is the day that Abraham
saw, and rejoiced to see, when he knew that the sons born of his faith
would be blessed in his seed, that is, in Christ. Believing that he
would be the father of the nations, he looked into the future, giving
glory to God, in full awareness that God is able to do what he has
promised.
This is the day that David
prophesied in the psalms, when he said: All the nations that you have
brought into being will come and fall down in adoration in your
presence, Lord, and glorify your name. Again, the Lord has made known
his salvation; in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
This came to be fulfilled,
as we know, from the time when the star beckoned the three wise men out
of their distant country and led them to recognize and adore the King of
heaven and earth. The obedience of the star calls us to imitate its
humble service: to be servants, as best we can, of the grace that
invites all men to find Christ.
Dear friends, you must have
the same zeal to be of help to one another; then, in the kingdom of God,
to which faith and good works are the way, you will shine as children of
the light: through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with God
the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
