Gregory the Great: An Example Transcending Centuries

I once taught a course entitled, “Serving to Learn, Learning to Serve.” The course focused on making the stranger our neighbor or, in other words, developing a strong partnership. Consequently, we shifted the school’s vision of service from an us and them affiliation to a we relationship. We encouraged our students to see the world through the eyes of our new neighbors.

The course also focused on respecting what our recipients could offer us. Therefore, we developed a true partnership built upon mutual trust and respect. We established that those who we serve also could serve us. We developed service opportunities that aligned both parties in a relationship built on a level playing field where both parties acknowledge the gifts that each brought to the partnership.

Students learned that poor people didn’t need others to assess their needs and desires. Furthermore, students learned that charity sometimes negatively impacts poorer communities. They understood that authentic charity didn’t rest in the power they possessed, but in the power they unleashed in others through love, hope, and faith.

Now I turn to Gregory the Great whose example and courage transcends the century that seem so distant to our own century. As Bishop of Rome, he used his institutional power to encourage others so they would trust one another, love one another, and hope in one another so others were strengthened to serve in mutual collaboration. As a Christian, he realized that the only way to love God was through loving his neighbor. In this respect, he knew God’s grace would draw him and other Christians to respect the dignity of every human being by loving, believing, and hoping that every person is sacred.

Gregory the Great used his intellect, wisdom, and hope to impact society in a positive way. His commitment to serving others revealed his faithful affinity with Christ. He initiated the Gregorian Mission in which he sent Augustine of Canterbury to convert the pagan Anglo-Saxons. In addition to his commitment to evangelism and service, he is also known for his keen intellect. His moral theology shaped medieval spirituality. His writings offered practical advice for Christians. His ideals of discretion and moderation instructed Christians on how they could and must love their neighbor as well as God in every effort. His writings also addressed the themes of the mystery of suffering, the failure of virtue despite one’s will, the conflict between contemplative purity and the dangers of public duties.

Gregory the Great offers us a legacy of how to apply our intelligence to serve others. Therefore, a course such learning to serve and serving to learn resonates with young people. Young people desire to make a difference through their minds, hearts, and hands. Consequently, as a Church, we need to give them opportunities to impact our world in a positive way.

Using Gregory the Great’s example, we can lead our young people to the places where they can serve God and neighbor. In my experience, young people enjoy meeting Christ among the people in a soup kitchen, in a nursing home, or in a remote village of Haiti. For them, service is what gives liturgy its meaning. Therefore, it is critical to ensure that our worship leads to service. Gregory the Great knew that intrinsically and made it part of his vocation as the Bishop of Rome.

[Image Credit: Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. via Flickr]