On September 3, the Catholic Church celebrated the feast of St. Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church.
Newsroom (September 6, 2021 10:20 AM, Gaudium Press) Saint Gregory the Great, who was born in Rome in the year 540, was mayor of Rome until he felt inspired by God to sell everything he owned to help the poor and the Catholic Church.
Influenced by St. Benedict, Gregory entered the monastic life, was appointed deacon by Pope Pelagius and sent to Constantinople as apostolic nuncio. Some time later, he was called to Rome to be the secretary to the Holy Father. When the Pope died, the religious was chosen as the successor of St. Peter, taking the pontifical chair in the year 590.
The fruits of his religious work are innumerable. We highlight here the conversion of England and the compilation of the Antiphonary, the revision and restructuring of the sacred music system, the foundation of the Schola Cantorum in Rome, and the composition of several famous hymns. He delivered his soul to God in the year 604 and became the fourth Doctor of the Church.
Phrases of St. Gregory the Great
01 – “Before men, it is a virtue to bear with one’s enemies, but before God, the virtue is to love them.”
02 – “It is better to have some scandal when telling the truth than to leave the truth abandoned and defenceless.”
03 – “From envy are born hatred, malediction, slander, joy caused by the misfortune of one’s neighbour and displeasure caused by his prosperity.”
04 – “Those who here on earth are afflicted because of the truth, there in Heaven will be satiated with true sweetness.”
05 – “Many teach what they have acquired with study, not with conduct, and so what they preach with the word they destroy with their way of life.”
06 – “Just as sparks fly from a cold stone, cut by a hammer, from the divine word, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, fire springs forth.
07 – “The road is narrow and difficult for the one who walks on it sad and self-pitying, but it is wide and easy for the one who walks with love.”
08 – “In God’s eyes, the desire has the same value as the work, when the execution of the latter does not depend on our will.”
09 – “All the saints were martyrs either by the sword or by patience.”
10 – “Just as an inconsiderate word drags to error, untimely silence leaves in error those whom it could instruct.”
Prayer to Saint Gregory the Great
Eternal and Almighty God, you willed that St. Gregory the Great should govern all your people, serving them by word and example. Guard, by his prayers, the shepherds of your Church and the sheep entrusted to them, guiding them in the way of salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen. (EPC)
Compiled by Zephania Gangl