Today, the Church celebrates the liturgical Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great. Pope Saint Gregory was born approximately in the year 540 AD, the son of a Roman senator and therefore a child who was offered much privilege. He was already a Prefect of Rome at the age of 30. For a brief while, he entered a monastery, but soon returned to politics. In time, he was advanced to the highest levels of the Church. He was named Pope on 3 September 590 and during his 14 years in that office sent a large-scale mission to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity.
He was a talented administrator who managed to bring many groups of peoples - previously at war with one another - together in professing their allegiance to Rome. We can almost hear Gregory echoing the words that Saint Paul spoke almost six centuries previous to the early Christian community at Corinth: When I came to you, brothers and sisters ... I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom, for I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified (1 Cor 2:1-2).
May this revered saint, famous for creating the calendar that we still use today (known as the Gregorian calendar) and for revising the liturgy of his day, creating the style of music known as Gregorian chant and contributing to the development of the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts which is still in use in the Byzantine Rite, intercede for us and help us to seek the wisdom of knowing Jesus Christ who's disciples we all are.
Have a great day.
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