September 28, 2021
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they have dug a pit before me; into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Psalm 57:1,6
Pope Gregory XI had issued three papal bulls to England, calling for the arrest and imprisonment of the heretic Wycliffe. Death came quickly, not to the Reformer but to him who had called for his destruction. Pope Gregory died suddenly, and the representatives of Rome who had assembled for Wycliffe’s trial scattered.
Following the death of Gregory was an election of two rival popes. The ensuing conflict actually provided time for the Reformation to grow. Each of the two popes claimed infallibility and demanded obedience while calling on “true” followers to make war on the other. Recriminations were flying back and forth while both of the rivals promised special rewards in heaven for their supporters. The bloodbaths that resulted occupied the papacy to the fullest, taking attention off of Wycliffe who quietly labored diligently to point people to the Prince of Peace. And like Jesus, he was a preacher of truth to the poor. He also organized a body of simple, devout men—who loved the truth and desired to share it—into preachers who went all over England—in the cities, marketplaces, country lanes seeking out the poor, sick, and aged in order to open to them the glad tidings of God’s grace.
Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Isaiah 58:6-8