Memorial of St. Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor
Yesterday, we saw a negative example of people’s expectations being defied by Jesus. Today, we see a more positive example in the person of St. Gregory the Great. Early in his life, he was governor of Rome. When his father died, he gave up that position and established a monastery. However, circumstances in his life and the world were such that in 590, he became pope. Once again, he had significant responsibilities for the life and government of Rome, both temporal and spiritual. In Gregory’s life, he began living a life immersed in the world, felt God’s call to a life of contemplation, and after answering that call was sent back into the world.
Gregory might have very easily become discouraged at how he was called back into the world and back into administration after being in the monastery, thinking that (because of the administrative oversight he had over Rome) he was essentially doing his old job again. Yet St. Gregory was able to accomplish many things, not just in administration, but doing great work for the spiritual benefit of people, making various reforms, developing the liturgical chant that bears his name, and sending missionaries to England. As with the people in yesterday’s gospel, Gregory’s expectations of what God wanted were overturned. But the focus of Gregory’s life was not on his expectations of God, but on God Himself. With Gregory’s example, we can look at our own lives, and see how we do and do not adapt to the new circumstances that God places in our lives.