Today we continue our regular series called “Learning from the Saints.” Our guide is expert Bert Ghezzi, a dear friend of mine and the author of numerous books including Voices of the Saints, Saints at Heart, and Discover Christ: Developing a Personal Relationship with Jesus.
His newest book is The Saints Devotional Bible, which illuminates the Scriptures with the saints’ own reflections. You can learn more about Bert and his work at BertGhezzi.com.
Today, Bert profiles St. Gregory the Great, the sixth-century patron of musicians, singers, and teachers.
We call Pope Gregory I “the Great” because in his short thirteen-year reign he completed a series of world-historical accomplishments. An outline of his achievements leaves us breathless: He made himself the political leader of the West, rebuilt Rome, rescued its population from famine and plague, conducted a reform of the church, withstood the arrogant power of the Byzantine emperor, initiated the temporal power of the papacy, stopped the Lombard invasions, promoted Benedictine monasticism, sponsored the creation of “Gregorian” chant and engineered the conversion of the English to Christianity.
Gregory suffered daily from gastritis and gout. But his personal discomfort never caused him to lose focus. He referred to himself as the “servant of the servants of God”—a name that popes still use—and patterned his life according to the phrase.
In the city of Rome that barbarians had ravaged, young Gregory emerged as a significant civic leader. But in 573 he followed his heart’s desire. He sold his vast estates and founded St. Andrew’s monastery at his house. But he was allowed only a few years of monastic life. Then the pope engaged his service as one of Rome’s seven deacons and as ambassador to Byzantium. Elected pope himself in 590, Gregory immediately faced crises—floods, plague and invasions. Amid the general breakdown of the empire, he virtually assumed the role of emperor. For example, he unilaterally appointed governors in Italian cities. In 593, ignoring the representative of the eastern emperor, he concluded a separate peace with the Lombard invaders. With such decisive actions, Gregory founded the powerful medieval papacy.
Gregory was also a prolific writer, whose works handed on the tradition of the fathers to the newly converted barbarians. Two of his books were medieval “bestsellers”: the Dialogues that told of saints’ lives and the Pastoral Care that for centuries set the standards of preaching and discipline for bishops and priests. Gregory himself was a gifted preacher whose homilies made hearers think twice, like the following selection:
“When our hearts are reluctant we often have to compel ourselves to pray for our enemies, to pour out prayer for those who are against us. Would that our hearts were filled with love! How frequently we offer a prayer for our enemies, but do it because we are commanded to, not out of love for them. We ask the gift of life for them even while we are afraid that our prayer may be heard. The judge of our souls considers our hearts rather than our words. Those who do not pray for their enemies out of love are not asking anything for their benefit.
“Jesus, our advocate, has composed a prayer for our case. And our advocate is also our judge. He has inserted a condition in the prayer that reads: Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Sometimes we say these words without carrying them out. Thus our words bind us more tightly.
“What are we to do then, my friends? We must bestow our love on our brothers and sisters. We must not allow any malice at all to remain in our hearts. May almighty God have regard for our love of our neighbor, so that he may pardon our iniquities! Remember what he taught us: Forgive, and you will be forgiven. People are in debt to us, and we to them. Let us forgive them their debts, so that what we owe may be forgiven.”
Gregory the Great died in 604. His last act was to send a warm coat to a poor bishop who suffered from the cold.
(Image Credit: H-T)
Read more from Bert at his website www.BertGhezzi.com, or check out his many books on Amazon.
 |
 |
 |
 |