Yesterday, September 3rd, was the feast day of St Gregory the Great.
I read…
Born around 540 AD, into a wealthy family, Gregory was a government official in Rome before he was 30. After five years in office he resigned, gave away his wealth, became a monk and founded six monasteries.
Ordained a priest, Gregory became one of the pope’s deacons, became an abbot and in 590 AD was elected as Pope. He reformed church liturgy and worship, organized church administration, promoted missionary work, but above all cared for the poor and disadvantaged.
I learnt:
Sight: Encountering some English boys at a Roman slave market Gregory asked where they were from. On hearing they were Angles, he famously replied, ‘Non Angli, sed angeli’, – ‘Not Angles, but angels’. Following this he sent Augustine (later Saint Augustine) to bring Christianity to England.
It’s about how I see people. When I was teaching, I didn’t think ‘angels’ when I saw English boys. Perhaps I should have done. Perhaps I still should do.
Stillness: As a monk he prayed, read the scriptures. He said, ‘Holy Scripture presents a kind of mirror to the eyes of the mind, so that our inner face may be seen in it.’ He talked about ‘the tension between the stillness of the cloister and the noise of public duty’ recognising the need to balance the necessary busyness of everyday life with places of stillness and quiet.
It’s about my balance – between doing stuff, meeting people, going places, and times of quiet and reflection.
Service: As Pope, Gregory regularly shared his meals with the poor. He believed that all church revenue should be given to those in need. He encouraged priests and bishops to give themselves to their people; they were servants. He described himself as the ‘servant of the servants of God’.
It’s about humility, giving not getting, service not status, carrying each other’s burdens. I’m wondering what my today will look like if I’m to be a ‘servant of the servants’.
malcolmsmusings.org 