Dear Friends in Christ,

Today’s memorial feast of Pope St. Gregory the Great (died 604) puts a spotlight on a man whose life holds lessons for a 21st-century Church.

In his lifetime the barbarian Ostrogoths sacked Rome, while the Franks and Lombards did their best to harass the Italian peninsula. A plague took its toll on the region, too.

Gregory, who grew up in a wealthy and influential Roman family, could have chosen to pursue a life of relative comfort and security. 

Instead, he embraced the monastic life and later accepted the papacy, reluctantly, when it was thrust upon him.

One thread that ran through his years was his support for the poor. He even sold off some Church assets to help feed people amid a famine.

The world today still resembles the world of Gregory. Military invasions and pandemics and (man-made) famines and power politics are a reminder that human nature hasn’t changed much since the sixth century.

Gregory’s preferential option for the monastic life and for the poor could be a timely tonic for those feeling trapped by consumerism and political partisanship on all sides.

Simpler lifestyles and outreach to the marginalized, along with more time for prayer and the sacraments, could be a fruitful way to move forward.

As autumn approaches in the Northern Hemisphere and the academic year begins, now is as good a time as ever to consider how the Holy Spirit might be inviting us to simplify our lives and focus more on helping others.

To that end, it might be good to consider praying with our Retreat Guide on poverty of spirit: Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit: A Retreat Guide on the First Beatitude.

Embrace that kind of poverty, and you will understand something of what made Gregory great.

In Christ,

Father Edward McIlmail, LC
Ask a Priest contributor