Gregory the Great - Doctor of the Church - Dialogue IV (I Samuel ch. 13)

What is the Will of God for the Lion?

and for the "Man of God"? (characters

in this narrative chapter (I Samuel, ch. 13)

Gregory the Great was

a prolific author and great unifier of

the Western Church; after death he was

canonized a saint; he had been elected Pope

in 590 C.E. and served until his

death in 604.

It is written in the Scriptures,

But the just man, though he die

early, shall be at rest [Wisdom

of Solomon 4:7].  What, then,

does it matter to the just if

they undergo harsh treatment at

death, since they are on their

way to eternal life?  Sometimes,

perhaps, it is a fault of theirs,

slight though it be, that has to

be expiated by such a death.  For

this reason the reprobate are given

power over the just while they

[those being martyred / abused]

are still alive.  But once the

just have died, the wicked are

punished all the more severely

because of the cruel power they

exercised against holy people.

This is demonstrated in the case

of the barbarian who was permitted

by God to strike down the deacon

but was not allowed to rejoice

over his death [13th chapter of

First Samuel on the Man of God

and the old prophet who lied

to him]. . .The man of God who

was sent to Samaria stopped on 

the way for a meal, contrary to

God's command.  For this 

disobedience he was killed by

a lion.  But Scripture at once

adds that the donkey and the lion

were standing by the dead prophet,

and 'the lion had not eaten of

the dead body.'  From this passage

we see that the sin of disobedience

was atoned for by his death, because

the lion attacked the living prophet

and killed him, yet did not dare

touch him once he was dead.  God allowed

the beast to kill, but not to eat

of its kill, because the prophet,

though blameworthy in life, was

sanctified in the death he suffered

as a punishment for his disobedience.

In the first instance the lion took

away the life of a sinner; in the second

he stood guard over the body of a just man.

DIALOGUES (Transl. by O.J. Zimmerman for

VOL. 39 of Fathers of the Church series,

CUA Press, Washington DC, 1959)