Homily: September 3 - St. Gregory the Great - Servant of the Servants of God

“The Kings of the Gentiles lord their power over their subjects…but it shall not be so among you; rather, let the greatest be as the youngest, and the leader as servant.”  Such a fitting Gospel reading for the memorial of St. Gregory the Great.  He was the first Pope to refer to himself as the servus servorum Dei—the servant of the servants of God, a title which St. John Paul II used for himself many times.  The Pope does not sit upon top of the hierarchy lording his power over the Church, rather he is the servant of all, as he leads, guides, shepherds.  Though, he is in a position of authority, he does not use that authority for his own gain, but for the common good and the good of the Church.

St. Gregory is one of only two popes formally given the title “the Great”.  And in the end, he is known as great just because he was a competent administrator, but that he poured himself out in service to Christ.  He knew that true human greatness is found a total and surrender to Christ.  He put into practice all that he preached and became a living example of the Gospel he proclaimed.

Our Lord Jesus himself said, “I have come not to be served, but to serve.” And so all Christians are to learn from him, and live by his Spirit, seeking not to be served, not to have our needs and desires catered to, not to go on power trips and take delight in controlling others.  The apostles had a hard time with this, they had an argument, “who is the greatest?”  And Jesus says, the little one is the greatest, not the one who sits at table, but the one who serves at table.

Gregory the Great was the son of a Roman senator, and because of his great administrative talents and moral integrity he served as Roman Prefect, the highest civil office in Rome when he was only 30 years old.  And yet, he desired to devote his life more fully to the service of God, and became a hidden, quiet, simple servant of the Lord as a Benedictine monk.

To be the greatest, we must become servant of all.  This is Christ’s teaching whether you are Pope or President, Bishop or Grandparent, teacher, priest, parent, boss, employee, we are all called to emulate the servant heart of Christ; who though he was God, did not grasp at godliness, but emptied himself, and became a slave.

This does not mean that authority is bad, but that it must be used not for our own good, but for the common good.

Through the intercession of St. Gregory the Great, may we put all of our goods, talents, and abilities, our whole life, into the hands of God the Father, that we may be like his Son, the servant of all, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.