Most human beings are endowed with average gifts. Once in a while we encounter a man or woman clearly outstanding. Pope St. Gregory I, for instance, was one of these first-class personalities. Gregory was born around 540 into a patrician Roman family that had already given two popes to the Church. His family trained him for civil service. Roman civil service had always been a distinguished career. Able civil servants were all the more necessary in the sixth century when Italy was being overrun by barbarian invaders. Around 570, when aged thirty, he was named prefect (governor) of Rome, with the duty of defending, financing, provisioning and policing the Eternal City. He proved more than equal to the task.
After his father’s death in 575, however, as the result of a religious “conversion,” Gregory decided to become a monk. For himself and a group of like-minded men, he turned his family home into a monastery, and set out on a program of prayer and study. But he was too able a man for the popes to leave in the cloister. Four years later he was put in charge of one of Rome’s regional deaconries, and ordained a deacon. Before long he was sent on a mission to the Roman Emperor in Constantinople as an aposcrisiarius (papal ambassador). If he had to leave the monastery, he at least took along the monastic life. A number of his monks went with him, and they set up a temporary monastic house in Constantinople. During the mission he pleaded with the Emperor to send troops to protect Italy from invaders, but the short-sighted emperor was not persuaded. Returning to Rome in 586, Deacon Gregory became an advisor to Pope Pelagius II. In 589 Rome was stricken by a terrible epidemic, of which the Pope himself was one of the victims. Gregory was chosen by acclamation to succeed him as bishop of Rome. While waiting patiently for the Emperor’s permission for his consecration, the pope-elect organized a massive penitential procession in Rome to beg divine intervention. Tradition says that when St. Michael the Archangel appeared, sheathing his sword, on the top of the Mausoleum of Hadrian, the plague ceased. The new pope truly regretted being permanently called out of the cloister, but he accepted the call as a divine assignment and began his energetic rule.
First, he gradually became the real ruler of most of Italy. When Emperor Maurice refused to send protective troops, Italy turned more and more to the popes for leadership. Gregory prevented the Lombards from invading Rome, not by arms but by paying them a large sum and promising them an annual tribute thereafter. Not the noblest method perhaps, but one that prevented further war. Popes after him eventually became rulers of the “Papal States.” Second, he acknowledged the administrative division of Christianity into five patriarchates: Constantinople, occupying the post of honor over the eastern patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem; and Rome, ruling the West. But he also maintained the Petrine authority of the bishops of Rome by insisting that appeals could be made from the Patriarch of Constantinople to that of Rome. Gregory was no swaggerer as pope, however. He signed himself “Servant of the Servants of God.” As Patriarch of the West, he attended carefully to his duties in Italy, Africa, Gaul (France), and Spain. It was he, too, who sent a mission to England to preach the gospel to the pagan Anglo-Saxons, after the British Christians refused to lift even a finger to save the souls of these invaders.
As a monk and lover of scripture, Gregory did much to regularize the Latin Liturgy. For instance, the Roman Canon of the Mass (Eucharistic Prayer I) clearly derives from the Sacramentary that he approved. “Gregorian Chant” more likely developed in the ninth century, but he also contributed to that development. The turbulence of his era demanded clear and forthright doctrinal statements. Gregory as a writer spoke to the man-in-the-street. His Moralia, based on the Book of Job, was a popular treatise on moral theology; his Pastoral Care, on the duties of bishops and priests; his Dialogues, on holiness, death and the afterlife. The homilies he delivered are more profound. The 800 remaining letters he wrote show the man himself, confessedly imperfect yet wonderfully wise. This literary output caused him to be early ranked with SS. Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome, as one of the four pioneer “Doctors of the Western Church.” Learning and good deeds further merited for him the title of “Great” that posterity has wisely conferred on him.
One admonition, by the way, that Pope Gregory earnestly addressed to Christians of his day and to us as well, is this: Don’t forget to have masses offered for the poor souls in purgatory. Do our dear ones deserve to be left stranded halfway to heaven? --Father Robert F. McNamara
Scripture(2 Cor 4:1-2,5-7)
Since we have this ministry through the mercy shown us, we are not discouraged. Rather, we have renounced shameful, hidden things; not acting deceitfully or falsifying the word of God, but by the open declaration of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus. For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to bring to light the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of Jesus Christ.
But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.
Writings
(Year C). In the cognition of the Almighty God our first door is faith, and our second-sight (species) to which, walking by faith, we arrive. For in this life we enter the door of faith, that afterwards we may be led to the other. And the door is opposite the door, because by the entrance of faith is opened the entrance of the vision of God. But if any one wishes to understand both these doors as of this life, this by no means runs counter to a sound meaning. For often we desire to contemplate (considerare) the invisible nature of Almighty God, but we are by no means able; the soul, wearied by these difficulties, returns to itself and uses itself as a ladder by which it may mount up, that first it may consider itself, if it is able, and then may explore, as far as it can, that Nature which is above it. But if our mind be distracted (sparsa) by earthly images, it can in no way consider either itself or the nature of the soul, because by how many thoughts it is led about, by so many obstacles is it blinded. And so the first step is that it collect itself within itself (recollection); the second, that it consider what its nature is so collected (introversion); the third, that it rise above itself and yield itself to the intent contemplation of its invisible Maker (contemplation). But the mind cannot recollect itself unless it has first learned to repress all phantasmata of earthly and heavenly images, and to reject and spurn whatever sense impressions present themselves to its thoughts, in order that it may seek itself within as it is without these sensations. So they are all to be driven away from the mind’s eye, in order that the soul may see itself as it was made, beneath God and above the body, that receiving life from What is above, it may impart life to that which it governs, beneath. . . . When the soul, stript of bodily images, is the object of its own thought, it has passed through the first door. But the way leads from this door to the other, that somewhat of the nature of the Almighty God may be contemplated. And so, the soul in the body is the life of the flesh ; but God, who gives life to all, is the life of souls. And if life that is communicated (vita vivificata) is of such greatness that it cannot be comprehended, who will be able to comprehend by his intellect of how great majesty is the Life that gives life (vita vivificans)? But to consider and to grasp this fact is already in some measure to enter the second door ; because the soul from its estimate of itself gathers what it should think concerning the unencompassed Spirit, who incomprehensibly governs what He has incomprehensibly created. When the soul raised up to itself understands its own measure, and recognizes that it transcends all bodily things, and from the knowledge of itself passes to the knowledge of its Maker, what is this, except to see the door opposite the door ? However much it strive, the soul is not able fully to fathom itself; how much less the greatness of Him who was able to make the soul. But when, striving and straining, we desire to see somewhat of the invisible Nature, we are fatigued and beaten back and driven off: and if we are not able to penetrate to what is within, yet already from the outer door we see the inner one. For the very effort of the looking is the door, because it shows somewhat of that which is inside, although there be not yet the power of entering. (Homilies on Ezekiel)
Musical Selection
Anglorum iam apostolus,
nunc angelorum socius,
ut tunc, Gregori, gentibus,
succurre iam credentibus.
Tu largas opum copias
omnemque mundi gloriam
spernis, ut inops inopem
Iesum sequaris principem.
Vidétur egens náufragus,
Dum stipem petit Angelus;
Tu munus jam post géminum,
Prǽbes et vas argénteum.
Te celsus Christus pontifex
suæ præfert Ecclesiæ;
sic Petri gradum percipis,
suius et normam sequeris.
O pontifex egregie,
lux et decus Ecclesiæ,
non sinas in periculis
quos tot mandatis instruis.
Sit Patri laus ingenito,
sit decus Unigenito,
sit utriusque parili
maiestas summa Flamini.
To English Isles sent formerly,
Now in angelic company,
Make haste, St. Gregory, relieve
And help the people who believe.
From riches and from wealth you turned.
The glory of the world you spurned,
That you might follow, being poor,
Prince Jesus, who was poor before.
This Christ, High Pontifex, decreed
That you would take His Church’s lead,
And learn St. Peter’s steps to tread:
The rule of all called in his stead.
O Pontifex, our leader bright,
The Church’s honor and its light,
Through dangers let them all be brought,
The ones you carefully have taught.
The unborn Father let us praise,
And to His Son like glory raise,
And to their Equal, majesty.
All glory to the Trinity. Amen
Collect
Merciful Father, who chose your bishop Gregory to be a servant of the servants of God: grant that, like him, we may ever long to serve you by proclaiming your gospel to the nations, and may ever rejoice to sing your praises; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, now and for ever. Amen.(English Missal)
