St. Gregory the Great - Servus Servorum Dei of De Civitate Dei

September 3 is the Memorial Feast of St. Gregory the Great, whose papacy began on this day, in the year of 590 AD.

As reflected in “De Civitate Dei Contra Paganos” (The City of God against Pagans), written by St. Augustine of Hippo in 426, the Roman Empire was no longer invincible to enemies’ attacks, in contract to De Civitate Dei, the City of God, which is the Christendom, the Church on earth, to thrive to its perfection, becoming the bride of Christ at the eschaton, while being the constant place solace and peace, even though when earthly kingdoms and nations are fighting against each other. The troublesome situation of the Roman Empire continued on into the time of St. Gregory the Great, 540 to 604. As in the time of St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430), the Church had faced many challenges, socio-politically due to social instability within the empire and attacks by barbarians, and spiritually by heretics. The former rather reflects the sure decline of the Roman Empire since the reign of Commodus (161-192), marking the end of Pax Romana. Diocletian took a bold step to divine the empire into two: east and west in 284, as it was thought that the Roman Empire had become “too large” and thus in need of division to govern more effectively. However, this policy of Diocletian did not really help the empire to regain its stability. And, the empire remain unstable and continue to decline through the period of St. Augustine of Hippo, and by the time of St. Gregory of Great, the Western Roman Empire had collapsed and broken into various competing kingdoms, such as Gaul and Franks. And, the Church faced constant faced constant challenges from heretics.

In such an unstable time of shifting from ancient period to middle age in Europe, Gregory was chosen to serve as Pope, though he personally preferred to keep his Benedictine monastic life. Though a tranquil life of prayer and simplicity in a monastery was in his heart’s desire, Gregory did not protest a call to come out of his monastic life and to serve Christ in his Church as a successor of St. Peter, Pope. And it was no accident that Gregory was brought to serve as Pope, because he exhibited his excellent administrative abilities as praefectus urbi, Rome’s civil service administrative official, as his father did, before entering a monastic life.

God did not want Gregory’s gift of leadership, proven in his civil service for the City of Rome, to go dormant but wanted it to be used for the papal pastoral leadership for De Civitate Dei, Ecclesia.

For his memorial feast Mass, the First Reading (2 Corinthians 4:1-2, 5-7) reflects Gregory as an excellent teacher of the Word, while the Gospel Reading (Luke 22:24-30) touches on the servant leadership of Gregory, just as Jesus has taught his disciples.

St. Gregory the Great has been known for his excellence in teaching, as well as, directing the successful evangelization to the Anglo-Saxons through the missionary works of St. Augustine of Canterbury and St. Paulinus of York. If he were not Pope, St. Gregory the Great would go himself to Britania together with St. Augustine of Canterbury and St. Paulinus, given his passion for preaching. Because of his excellent education, like St. Paul of Tarsus and St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Gregory the Great had an excellent fact of rhetoric, engaging in dialogues with people of different perspectives and viewpoints. And he complied his works as dialogues in Dialogi, Dialogues.

As an excellent teacher of the Word, St. Gregory the Great is known also for his exegesis on the Book of Job, Moralia, sive Expositio in Job, Morals on the Book of Job, to reflect how God’s mercy worked through human suffering, with the case of Job’s transformation.

Though St. Gregory the Great demonstrated his excellence both in civic leadership as praefectus urbi (Roman prefect) and in pastoral leadership as Papa, Pontifex maximus (Pope, Supreme Pontiff), Gregory called himself and signed his letters with “Servus Servorum Dei”(Servant of the Servants of God). And as Pope, he pressed the spirit of Servus Servorum Dei, rooted in Christ’s call for servant leadership on his disciples, reflected in these words of Jesus during Last Supper:

Let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant. For who is greater: the one seated at table or the one who serves? Is it not the one seated at table? I am among you as the one who serves (Luke 22:26-27).

The above statement of Christ on the servant leadership was demonstrated by him also during Last Supper by washing his disciples’ feet (John 13:1-17).

Gregory’s teaching of pastoral leadership as servant leadership, first demonstrated by Christ washing his disciples’ feet, was pressed on bishops and priests and deacons – those who played leadership roles in pastoral ministries, written in Regula Pastoralis, Rule of Pastoral Care. This book really reflects what it means to be Servus Servorum Dei, servant of the servants of God.

In a way, Gregory’s Regula Pastoralis is like Paul’s pastoral epistles for Timothy and Titus, giving instructions to practice Servus Servorum Dei in their respective ministries.

St. Gregory the Great accepted his call to face administrative and pastoral and evangelical challenges of his time as Servus Servorum Dei, rather than Pontifex Maximus. And, this humility of Gregory is also reflected on Pope Francis of this day.

The world at the time of St. Gregory the Great was characterized with these words of Christ from the Gospel Reading:

The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them and those in authority over them are addressed as ‘Benefactors’ (Luke 22:25).

Constant attacks by the Huns stimulated the Germanic pagans shaking of the stability of the remaining Roman Empire, while kingdoms emerged out of the fallen Western Roman Empire were constantly fighting for hegemony.

But, the supreme leader of De Civitate Dei, Ecclesia, shall remain as De Civitate Dei, Ecclesia, because De Civitate Dei, Ecclesia, is not in competition with these kingdoms, which come and go (i.e. Daniel 2:36-47; 7:1-27; cf. Revelation 11:15). And this is reflected in the pastoral servant leadership of St. Gregory the Great, who is truly Servus Servorum Dei.