Saint Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, was a younger brother of Saint Basil the Great (January 1). His birth and upbringing came at a time when the Arian disputes were at their height. Having received an excellent education, he was at one time a teacher of rhetoric. In the year 372, he was consecrated by Saint Basil the Great as bishop of the city of Nyssa in Cappadocia.
Saint Gregory was an ardent advocate for Orthodoxy, and he fought against the Arian heresy with his brother Saint Basil. Gregory was persecuted by the Arians, by whom he was falsely accused of improper use of church property, and thereby deprived of his See and sent to Ancyra.
In the following year Saint Gregory was again deposed in absentia by a council of Arian bishops, but he continued to encourage his flock in Orthodoxy, wandering about from place to place. After the death of the emperor Valens (378), Saint Gregory was restored to his cathedra and was joyously received by his flock. His brother Saint Basil the Great died in 379.
Only with difficulty did Saint Gregory survive the loss of his brother and guide. He delivered a funeral oration for him, and completed Saint Basil’s study of the six days of Creation, the Hexaemeron. That same year Saint Gregory participated in the Council of Antioch against heretics who refused to recognize the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God. Others at the opposite extreme, who worshipped the Mother of God as being God Herself, were also denounced by the Council. He visited the churches of Arabia and Palestine, which were infected with the Arian heresy, to assert the Orthodox teaching about the Most Holy Theotokos. On his return journey Saint Gregory visited Jerusalem and the Holy Places.
In the year 381 Saint Gregory was one of the chief figures of the Second Ecumenical Council, convened at Constantinople against the heresy of Macedonius, who incorrectly taught about the Holy Spirit. At this Council, on the initiative of Saint Gregory, the Nicean Symbol of Faith (the Creed) was completed.
Together with the other bishops Saint Gregory affirmed Saint Gregory the Theologian as Archpastor of Constantinople.
In the year 383, Saint Gregory of Nyssa participated in a Council at Constantinople, where he preached a sermon on the divinity of the Son and the Holy Spirit. In 386, he was again at Constantinople, and he was asked to speak the funeral oration in memory of the empress Placilla. Again in 394 Saint Gregory was present in Constantinople at a local Council, convened to resolve church matters in Arabia.
Saint Gregory of Nyssa was a fiery defender of Orthodox dogmas and a zealous teacher of his flock, a kind and compassionate father to his spiritual children, and their intercessor before the courts. He was distinguished by his magnanimity, patience and love of peace.
Having reached old age, Saint Gregory of Nyssa died soon after the Council of Constantinople. Together with his great contemporaries, Saints Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian, Saint Gregory of Nyssa had a significant influence on the Church life of his time. His sister, Saint Macrina, wrote to him: “You are renowned both in the cities, and gatherings of people, and throughout entire districts. Churches ask you for help.” Saint Gregory is known in history as one of the most profound Christian thinkers of the fourth century. Endowed with philosophical talent, he saw philosophy as a means for a deeper penetration into the authentic meaning of divine revelation.
Saint Gregory left behind many remarkable works of dogmatic character, as well as sermons and discourses. He has been called “the Father of Fathers.”
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:19-25).
Apostle Paul makes it so clear for us as believers, to know if we are walking in the Spirit or in the flesh. He gives us the list of virtues by which we can recognize the acts of the flesh in us verses the acts of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is the outward, visible and godly virtues displayed in a believer’s life, that evidences the inward, invisible presence of the Holy Spirit. These virtues or characteristics stand in stark contrast to the fruits, or acts, of the flesh. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies. St. Paul after listing the flesh acts and before listing the Spirit acts, he warns us that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Then he listed the fruit of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Then he continues to tell us the way to get rid of these fleshly acts and that by crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires.
'The demons, therefore, if they see all Christians, and monks especially, laboring cheerfully and advancing, first make an attack by temptation and place hindrances to hamper our way, to wit, evil thoughts. But we need not fear their suggestions, for by prayer, fasting, and faith in the Lord their attack immediately fails. But even when it does, they cease not, but knavishly by subtlety come on again. For when they cannot deceive the heart openly with foul pleasures they approach in different guise, and thenceforth shaping displays they attempt to strike fear, changing their shapes, taking the forms of women, wild beasts, creeping things, gigantic bodies, and troops of soldiers. But not even then need you fear their deceitful displays. For they are nothing and quickly disappear, especially if a man fortify himself beforehand with faith and the sign of the cross.
The New Testament has a definite affirmative answer to this question in the first epistle of John chapter 4:7 "Whoever loves is born of God, and he who does not love does not know God."
The definitive evidence that you have faith in God is that you have the love of God.
The definition of faith would be deficient if we do not pay attention to the words of St Paul in his epistle to the Galatians chapter 5 :6 "the faith which works by love." In the sense that faith is not faith if it is not fruitful, and the fruit is the life of love.
Jesus said that it is by our fruits that we are known as His disciples (Mathew 7:20) “Thus you will recognize them by their fruit.” “Fruitless branches” professing believers who do not display the fruit of the Spirit are cut off (John 15:6) "If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch & withers." A genuine faith is one that not only believes in God, the devils themselves do that, but leads to obedience to Christ's commands (James 2:19) " You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe & shudder!"
Faith should be activated and expressed through love. St. Paul in his epistle to the Romans chapter 10 :9 said, "Say with your mouth," Jesus is Lord". Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. Then you will be saved." The word "in your heart" here means your love i.e., if you have the faith that produces love.
So, St. Paul made sure that faith is not a word said with your mouth and your tongue, but to be seen in you the fullness of Jesus' love that you have believed in and loved from your heart.
And St. Paul completes the verse and says that this love that you have received from your faith in Christ, is the sign of your acceptance of Christ and your unity with Him, which is also the sign that you are saved. Salvation is the unity with Christ.
This love and faith in Jesus are not just a human feeling and emotion, but the love that proves your faith in him, as Jesus defined it in the Gospel of John chapter 14:21 "Anyone who has my commands and obeys them loves me."
So, the faith in Jesus is the faith that leads you to love. And the proof and sign of this love is your obedience to His commands.
So, this is the faith that will save you. Now we can summarize and say that the proof of you having faith in God, is the love in you. And the sign of your salvation is that this love has a fruit in your life.
The relationship between God the Father and man, whether before his creation or after his creation, was based on God’s special and sincere love to him. And that He loved him with the same love for His Son Jesus Christ. God the Father called us out of nowhere to exist because of His love to us. He loved us just as much as He loved His Son Jesus Christ. Therefore, the loving relationship between us and God the Father must reach the image and likeness of love between the Father and His Son Jesus. I must love Him as Jesus loved Him. To have a relationship with God means to enter into this circle of love.
The Heavenly Father expresses His love for us with an abundance of endless giving, and we express our love for Him in complete submission to His will, like Jesus. We cannot enter into unity with God except with love. To be submissive to God’s will means to be united by His will. Just as Christ does nothing of Himself except what the Father wills, so too should we. We must say like David “I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.”
When I unite with my Heavenly Father and focus on His will, I find that He loves my brother, so I choose to love my brother as He loves him and loves me. I find that He forgives my brother, so I submit to Him and forgive my brother as He forgives me. I see Him loving my brother and giving His only begotten Son to save him, so I also strive for my brother’s salvation. And this is the real meaning of the church, a body that has many organs all united by the head, Jesus Christ.
On the contrary, the fake love that Satan made is the self-love and selfishness. It is the love of consumption. The love of the world and its desires does separate us from the true love, the love of God. And that is why the Gospel says, “friendship with the world is enmity with God?”, why? Because it separates us from the essence of the true love, which is the love of giving, submission, and unity with God.
Do you know that love is the first and greatest commandment in the Gospel “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27). Also, Christ’s commandment to us is that we love one another as He has loved us. (John15:12.) Love is the essence of the Gospel.
So, sisters and brothers we must submit to God’s will because it is light and life. We have to obey Christ’s commandment so that He may dwell in us and pour out His Holy Spirit, to free us from ourselves and our selfishness and open us to receive His eternal life and His glory. Amen
Lord, I’m weary. My energy is sagging, and my motivation is lagging. And I am so in need of you. I need your strength and your fresh touch to get back on track again. Your Word says the joy of the Lord is my strength. If that's true, then I need your joy to replace all the bone-tired parts of my mind, body, and soul.
The pressures of life sometimes push me into a corner, rendering me helpless to move forward. A hundred voices call my name, and I feel paralyzed at times to answer, not knowing where to turn. Lord, help me not to quit, to keep running the race faithfully, and to find strength in that safe, secret place of yours, under the shadow of the Almighty.
I need your strength to say no when I'm tempted to surrender to harmful things, or when selfishness clings to my clothes and won't let go. I need your strength to say yes, when cowardice and fear nudge me to deny the convictions of my heart. I need your strength to reach out in love to those both close to me and all around me.
In Jesus Name I pray. Amen
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another”
God has loved us so much that he has bestowed His love on us and called us His children(The Children of God i.e. His beloved).
Now we are the children of God and has not yet been revealed what we shall be,
BUT
We know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Every one of us must have this hope
THE ONE WHO HAS THIS HOPE IN HIM
MUST DO WHAT?
PURIFIES HIMSELF just as He (i.e., JESUS) is pure.
IMPORTANT THING WE MUST KNOW
Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness because sin is lawlessness.
THAT IS WHY (JESUS) WAS MANIFESTED
JESUS WAS MANIFESTED in order to
1- TAKE AWAY OUR SINS,
&
2- IN HIM (JESUS) THERE IS NO SIN
&
3- WHOEVER ABIDES IN HIM (JESUS) DOES NOT SIN however abides in Him.
We the children of God, must not be deceived.
BECAUSE
1- He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as JESUS is righteous
&
2- He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.
AND THAT IS WHY
The Son of God came to our world (was manifested)
IN ORDER THAT
He DESTROYS the works of the DEVIL.
WE MUST KNOW THAT
WHOEVER has been born of God “DOES NOT SIN”,
HOW CAN THAT BE?
BECAUSE JESUS’ SEED REMAINS IN HIM, AND SO HE CANNOT SIN
WHY
BECAUSE HE WHO ACCEPTS JESUS HAS BEEN BORN OF GOD
BY THIS WAY WE CAN SEE WHO ARE
The CHILDREN OF GOD & the CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL “both are manifested”
What are the manifestations of the children of the devil?
1- Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God,
2- Nor is he who does not LOVE his brother.
FOR this is the message that we heard from the beginning
THAT WE SHOULD LOVE ONE ANOTHER
