Pope St. Gregory
the Great leading a procession to end plague in Rome.
LEGENDS OF THE
BLESSED SACRAMENT
ST. GREGORY
THE GREAT DURING THE PLAGUE IN ROME
Our illustration represents this great Saint leading
the procession of clergy around the city of Rome, in order to propitiate the
anger of God, on account of the destructive plague which at that time
devastated the country; and being come to the tomb of Adrian, he perceived an
angel sheathing his sword in token of an answer of peace. How much St. Gregory
the Great, like other Saints, was penetrated with devotion, reverence, and love
for the Holy Eucharist, his famous Missal, known as the Sacramentary, will
testify. In his sermons he speaks also of the Holy Eucharist, and illustrates,
by quotations of wonderful facts, the inestimable worth and the power of the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In his thirty-seventh Homily he relates: ' Not long
ago it happened that a man was taken prisoner and carried far away. Now after
he had been a long time kept in prison without his wife knowing anything about
it, she believed him to be dead, and caused every week, on certain days, the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to be offered for him. After a long time had elapsed
the man returned home, and related to his astonished wife that on certain days
of the week the chains which bound him became loose. In this way at length he
succeeded in making his escape. Now when his wife inquired on which days of the
week this wonder took place, she discovered that the days on which his chains
became loose were those upon which the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered
for him.'
In his
dialogues, or conferences, upon the miraculous lives of the Saints in Italy he
relates in the fourth book the following marvelous occurrence: ' Agatho, Bishop
of Palermo, journeyed from Sicily to Rome. Upon the way he fell into the danger
of being shipwrecked. A frightful storm arose, which well-nigh sank the vessel
in which he voyaged. No hope remained but in the merciful pity of Almighty God.
Then all began to pray and to offer up petitions to Him that their lives might
be spared. Whilst they were thus praying a certain sailor was occupied in
steering a boat which 'was fastened to the ship, but which, through the
violence of the storm, broke away from her holdfast and sank with the
unfortunate man beneath the waves, and Bishop Agatho reckoned him as dead. In
the meantime the ship in which the Bishop sailed arrived, after many dangers,
at the island of Ostika. Here the Bishop offered the Sacrifice of the Mass for
the unfortunate sailor; and, as soon as the ship was repaired, continued his
voyage to Rome. When he landed he found the sailor, whom he believed to be
dead, standing on the shore. Full of joy, he inquired how he had escaped the
great dangers of so many days. The sailor then related how his little boat
seemed continually on the point of capsizing, but always rose unharmed again to
the top of the waves. Day and night he succeeded in struggling with the waves;
but being weakened with hunger and thirst he must inevitably have gone to the
bottom had not help been sent to him. "At length, suddenly," narrated
he, "when I was quite prostrate, and as it were out of my mind, knowing
not whether I was sleeping or waking, I saw a man standing before me, who
offered me bread. Scarcely had I received it when my strength returned to me,
and soon after I was picked up by a ship and brought hither." When the
Bishop learned the day on which this event took place he discovered that it was
the same on which he had offered Holy Mass for the unfortunate man on the
island of Ostika.'
Icon of the
Madonna by St. Luke, believed to accurately depict face of Blessed Virgin Mary
February 24
(591)
Plague in Rome ends after Pope St. Gregory the Great
leads a procession with a painting of Our Lady by Saint Luke.
St. Gregory the Great. In order to propitiate the anger of God, the holy
Pope prescribed a public procession of both people and clergy, in which was to
be carried the portrait of our blessed Lady painted by St. Luke. The procession
was advancing in the direction of Saint Peter’s; and as the holy picture,
followed by the Pontiff, was carried along, the atmosphere became pure and free
from pestilence. Having reached the bridge which joins the city with the
Vatican, a choir of angels was heard singing above the picture, and saying:
‘Rejoice, O Queen of heaven, alleluia! for He whom thou deservedst to bear,
alleluia! hath risen, as he said, alleluia!’
As soon as the
heavenly music ceased, the saintly Pontiff took courage, and added these words
to those of the Angels: ‘Pray to God for us, alleluia! Thus was composed the
Paschal Anthem to our Lady. Raising his eyes to heaven, Gregory saw the destroying
Angel standing on the top of the Mole of Hadrian, and sheathing his sword. In
memory of this apparition, the Mole was called the Castle of Sant’ Angelo, and
on the dome was placed an immense statue representing an Angel holding his sword
in the scabbard.
Ven. Abbot Dom Guéranger,
O.S.B.
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