The Servants of God

Servus servorum Dei - the servant of the servants of God. This title is perhaps the most important one which the pope carries, and I would be willing to go out on a limb and say the dearest to the heart of the popes, at least in recent times. And this title was first used by the saint whom we celebrate today, Pope St. Gregory the Great. Raised to the Chair of Peter on September 3, 590, he instituted a series of reforms, which restored the Church of his time, which had suffered greatly after the Sacking of Rome. In regards to his liturgical reforms, we may say he is the one who directly began the Roman/Latin Rite, and it is from him that Gregorian Chant gets its name, since he is the one who standardized the form of it in the liturgies. Additionally, he is known for his extensive writings, his reforms of the Roman Curia, his compassion for the poor and the alms he gave them, as well being the first to send missionaries to England.

From the very brief account, we can imagine, perhaps, why Gregory instantly gained the title of "Great," after his death. However, my account of his life never mentioned the true and ultimate reason for this title, namely because all his actions were rooted in God. The Second Reading in today's Office of Readings is taken from St. Gregory's homily on Ezekiel, and within it Gregory speaks of how difficult his task is. He says:

"With my mind divided and torn to pieces by so many problems, how can I meditate or preach wholeheartedly without neglecting the ministry of proclaiming the Gospel? Moreover, in my position I must often communicate with worldly men . . . . And because I too am weak, I find myself drawn little by little into idle conversation, and I begin to talk freely about matters which once I would have avoided . . . . So who am I to be a watchman, for I do not stand on the mountain of action but lie down in the valley of weakness? Truly the all-powerful Creator and Redeemer of mankind can give me in spite of my weaknesses a higher life and effective speech; because I love him, I do not spare myself in speaking of him."

Pope St. Gregory acknowledged his own weakness. He did not want to be pope, for he feared he would lose his life of prayer, and thus his eternal soul. Nevertheless, he answered the call of God with trust in the goodness of the Lord, and for this was indeed given, in spite of his weaknesses, effective speech and eternal blessedness. The call which he answered though was not simply to be pope, but to fulfill what our Lord says in the Gospel of today's feast, "I am among you as the one who serves (Luke 22:27)," and, "Let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant (Luke 22:26)."

Pope St. Gregory the Great is "great," because he was a servant. He placed his life at the service of the Gospel, and at the service of all the people of God. Thus, he took upon himself the title, "servant of the servants of God." However, we must not simply let this be a title of the pope, for we are contained within this name; we are the servants of God.

Now the quality of a servant is defined not only by doing what his master expresses, but by his ability to anticipate the needs and desires of his master. So it must be with our relationship of service to God, and even more so with the pope's relationship of service to all the Church. Our Master, Christ, has graciously made known His will to us. He has given it in the Beatitudes and the Commandments, but how it plays out in our day to day lives requires discernment. Through prayer, we will be able to not only carry out the express will of Christ, but anticipate how our actions will provide for the needs of the Church and of the whole world.

St. Jerome said, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." How true this is, and how much St. Gregory must have known Christ, for as St. Bede the Venerable proclaims in his hymn in honor of St. Gregory the Great:

"The depths the Sacred Books contain
you [St. Gregory] could both fathom and explain;
The Spirit of all truth indeed
Enlightened you in hours of need."

His writings on the Sacred Scriptures are extensive, and it is from them that he not only drew his teachings, but that he was able to discern his own decisions and code of conduct. Thus, we may see the importance of the reading of Sacred Scripture.

For this reason, then, the Church has placed the sacred texts at the heart of Her liturgies. The Gregorian chant, given us by Gregory is at its finest when it is used to sound forth the Scriptures in the liturgical antiphons. Through these, our hearts are moved to God, in all our various emotions. The chanting of the psalms and canticles throughout the day give us a means whereby we may praise our Divine Master, but also be instructed by Him. The reading of Scripture and its explanation prepare us for the Sacraments of the Church, which enlighten our minds and bring us closer to God. Through the Sacraments we are made able to be servants of God.

Let us then, like Pope St. Gregory the Great, be great, not simply by our actions, but by being firmly grounded in the Scriptures, especially as given us by the Liturgy. There, we will encounter our Divine Master, and not only learn His will, but be given grace, through the Spirit (which is always pictured in the form of a dove resting by Gregory's ear in art), to be servants of God to the world.