The Shepherd
Think again, and even now, how
the famous Shepherd — the One
who lays down his life for his sheep,
came pressing sore to find
the solo agent straying, lost
upon the mountain’s rugged hills,
how he found that wanderer, and having
found it, bore it firmly
on his shoulders and, having done so,
schlepped it back
to its blinking, live community.
Having set it right, he numbered it
among the sheep who never strayed.
A figure then, a puzzle; he lit
a candle — see, his very flesh — and swept
an unkempt house, cleansing
all the world of contagion. He sought
the precious coin whose Royal
Image was obscured by stain.
Listen. Ever — now — he calls together
all his friends the angels
upon the finding of that coin,
and makes them all partakers in his joy.
Gregory Nazianzus
Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329 – 390), also known as Gregory the Theologian or Gregory Nazianzen, was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age. Gregory made a significant impact on the shape of Trinitarian theology among both Greek- and Latin-speaking theologians, and he is remembered as the “Trinitarian Theologian.” Much of his theological work continues to influence modern theologians, especially in regard to the relationship among the three Persons of the Trinity. Along with the brothers Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, he is known as one of the Cappadocian Fathers.