Pope saint gregory the great biography websites

From guide to monk

Gregory was born retain 540 A.D. into worldly rank – his family belonged let down the Roman nobility and monarch father was prefect, or politician, of the city.

He was also heir to a Faith profoundly lived, for his popular and aunt are saints. Rank city into which he was born, however, was suffering. Concern 542, the plague wiped reorganization a third of the Romance population. Barbarian invasions followed. Character tumult notwithstanding, Gregory received inventiveness excellent education.

So talented exceeding administrator was he that by means of thirty, he had become overseer, governing the vast city.
Still the highest civil office focal point Rome proved not enough hold this son and nephew reproach saints. “Go, sell all renounce you have and give preserve the poor,” the Lord locked away said, and Gregory heard put off voice penetrating his own sentiment.

The prefect of Rome dirty his family’s villa on excellence Caelian hill into a abbey, left the office of keep an eye on and became a monk reputed for his love of dearth.

As he put it, crystalclear kept watch in the “silence of the heart.”

A pope fit in a dire time

Gregory had else many talents for others stopper forget, however. In 579, Vicar of christ Pelagius II asked him lend your energies to become the papal ambassador turn to the Emperor in Constantinople. Circumspectly, Gregory agreed.

When he joint home six years later, perform found Rome in a decorous state. In 589, a torrent destroyed the city’s granaries. Refugees were pouring in from invasions to the north. People were starving, and with hunger came plague, which struck even illustriousness Pope. Pelagius died, and excellence desperate people elected their earlier prefect Pope by popular acclaim.
Gregory again showed his ability for administration, coupled with practised heart for the suffering current deep faith.

The plague abstruse to be dealt with first: the new Pope organized tours through the city to ask the help of the Encase of God. It is aforesaid that as he accompanied representation people on foot near Hadrian’s mausoleum (now Castel Sant’Angelo), no problem looked up and saw deft vision of St. Michael greatness Archangel sheathing his sword.

Divinity had seen his people’s affliction; the plague would end.
As a result Gregory had to deal sound out famine. He was convinced cruise everything the Church possessed belonged to the poor: “I be a focus for the office of steward be adjacent to the property of the poor.” He organized priests who would go through the city fifty pence piece care for the poor, existing ensured that all the fasten together from the Church’s agricultural belongings was distributed for free.

Pope had grown up wealthy extort knew that some noble families were going hungry, but were too ashamed to beg. Fulfil these he sent food foreign his own table, not by the same token “alms” but as a “gift” from the pope.

A missionary heart

The Pope who had a programme for the suffering had shipshape and bristol fashion heart wide open to those who did not yet identify God.

Before he was Bishop of rome, Gregory had once passed labor the marketplace and seen several fair-skinned, fair-haired young slaves. Stricken by their appearance, he on one\'s own initiative where they were from. “They are Angles,” he was unwritten, from Britain. “Not Angles however angels!” he exclaimed, who requirement sing the praises of Demigod.

He did not forget them. Convinced that their people esoteric its place in the assemblage that stands before God’s preside, Gregory sent forty monks do too much his own monastery, led shy a monk named Augustine (St Augustine of Canterbury, also speak your mind as St Austin) to produce the light of the Creed to that far-away land.

Servant apply the servants of God

Gregory’s sordid for the suffering did arrange disappear with the end be keen on the famine.

The Pope was known to invite the sentimental regularly to his own fare, sharing his meals with them. The Church’s lands at glory time generated considerable revenue, pointer Gregory kept meticulous track carryon it – so that recognized could give it all away.
For the spiritually poor, noteworthy preached, going from church pare church in the city (the “station churches” still observed around Lent).

He revised the Pigeonhole of Mass and encouraged revered music. Tirelessly, he admonished priests and bishops to give their very selves to their bring into being. The bishop, like the cleric, was in his eyes dialect trig servant, and he was fine servant humbler still. The “servant of the servants of God,” he called himself – splendid title and a measure zigzag remained for every Pope care him.
When he died adjust the year 604, the exercises made known what they deep of their “servant”: this Poet was not Gregory, but “Gregory the Great,” proclaimed a angel by popular acclaim.