May 27—St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop and Missionary

Our country is tilted toward England more than the other European countries that colonized this land. So, in many respects our culture leans toward the British. We follow English common law, the Magna Carta is a basis for the Constitution, and we speak English, allowing us to enjoy the great literature of our common tongue. So, it is worth considering the saint that brought the Church back to England in 597, St. Augustine of Canterbury.

England was Christian when the Roman empire was Christianized. But with the withdrawal of Roman legions from England in the 5th century, the island was overrun by Angles, Saxons, and Jutes from Germany. The king of Kent in southeastern England was Æthelbehrt, who married a Frankish princess, who was Catholic. This allowed St. Gregory the Great to send St. Augustine and a number of monks to Canterbury to convert the king and his kingdom. St. Augustine, not the great philosopher from Africa, was a Benedictine monk from Rome. Although his group of 40 companions were daunted by their task, St. Gregory encouraged them onward. Soon after his arrival they met with the king who converted that same year. Large-scale conversions of the people occurred quickly, although King Æthelbehrt never coerced his subjects to do so. He died in 604. St. Augustine of Canterbury is called the “Apostle to the English”.

Some say that King Æthelbehrt was predisposed to receive the Gospel by virtue of his marriage to a Catholic princess. It gives us a chance to keep in mind how we can predispose others to a deepening of their faith. WE MUST PRACTICE OUR FAITH! We are disciples called to spread the Good News. Our actions and our words show the depth of our discipleship.

September 3--St. Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

There are only four popes who have been called “Great”, St. Leo the Great, St. Nicholas the Great, soon to be St. John Paul the Great, and St. Gregory the Great.  St. Gregory was born in Rome at the end of the sixth century.  After serving in various public offices in Rome, he quit public life to become a Benedictine monk.  But his diplomatic skills required his services as an ambassador to Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.  He was elected pope in 590 and served until 604.  In that time he wrote extensively on theological and moral subjects as well as writing hundreds of letters.  He is credited with introducing Gregorian Chant into the liturgy.  He sent missionaries to England to evangelize the Germanic tribes there.  He organized the processes of giving donations and food to the poor in Rome.  He is also considered the pope who revitalized the papacy and brought the institution of the papacy to its central place in the Church as first in charity and authority.  He introduced the title Servum servorum Dei, “Servant of the Servants of God”, which is the last of the eight titles of a pope.

There is a great deal that St. Gregory accomplished for the Church.  As pope he had care for all people’s spiritual needs, but he also cared for the physical needs of those in Rome who had been brought low by bad economics and war.  He even cared for the needs of those who weren’t Christian by sending missionaries.  Servanthood is founded upon Jesus’ commitment to serve us:  “If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet.  I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do” (Jn. 13:14-15).

We are servants and friends of Jesus if we do as he commands.  What greater thing can we do than serving each other and our society by our lives of Christian love and fellowship?  Our worship together on Sunday solidifies our solidarity in living as Christ calls us:  “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (Jn 13:34).  This is the true legacy that St. Gregory the Great, and all the saints, gives us.