St Gregory the Great

Gregory live in the early part of the Seventh Century, a Doctor of the Church and Bishop of Rome, he brought reform to the Church. By the 7th century The Church had grown a bit soft. Gregory brought a sense of structure and formation to the clergy, standardized the Liturgy, infusing chant and a greater solemnity, and wrote extensively on morals and ethics. Under his teachings and leadership strengthened the Church so as to maintain spiritual and moral leadership. There is no doubt that Saint Gregory was a great Bishop and an outstanding shepherd.

Today we might wring our hands as we watch some of the silliness that occurs in the Church. The example that this venerable saint leaves us is to return to our roots. At the Last Supper the Apostles shared in this sacred meal with our Lord. This was to be the foundation upon which we do the Liturgy, and recall the Paschal Mystery. Jesus tells his Apostles to go our and preach good news, offering a baptism for the forgiveness of sins. This is the very rudimentary mission of our Church. Discipleship entails the living and proclaiming the word of God.

Throughout the ages there have been holy men and women to recall the Church to it's origins. On our part there needs to be an active participation in the life of the Church. Often on some of the message boards, when there is a crisis, someone will post the question, "Why isn't the Church doing something?" I guess they expect to see the Pope and a group of bishops serving soup, clearing debris, or standing guard over a group of refugees. But actually we are the Church and what needs to be done is done by the entire Body of Christ.

What Saint Gregory would want us to understand is that by our moral lifestyle, worshiping in spirit and in truth, and works of charity, we continue on the mandates of Christ Jesus. Our faith does not allow for fence sitting. Gregory is a great example of how Church needs to continue to unfold the kingdom of God before the world. We take responsibility in sharing all that we have seen and heard.