Start:Stop offers the chance for busy commuters to Start their day by Stopping to reflect for ten minutes. Starting every quarter hour between 7.45am and 9.00am on Tuesday mornings at St Stephen Walbrook, in the heart of the City of London, we invite people to drop in for as long as they can to hear a sequence of bible readings, reflections and prayers or simply to sit and reflect. For more information visit our website. This reflection is from Tuesday 4th September 2018.
Thank you for joining us for Start:Stop. My name is Phillip Dawson. This reflection will last ten minutes. We begin with a bible reading, which can be found on page 50 in the New Testament section of the Bible.
Bible Reading – Mark 10.42-45
So Jesus called them and said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’
Reflection
A little earlier in Mark’s gospel, we hear the disciples arguing on their way to Capernaum about which one of them is the greatest. Two of the disciples - James and John – seem to take things a step further, demanding preferential treatment by being granted permission to sit either side of Jesus “in glory.” A case of a desire to lead by ‘who you know’ rather than ‘what you know’.
The passage we have just read is Jesus’s response to the brothers’ demand. We learn again that Christ-like leadership is a reversal of the power balance that – to this day and in almost every area of life – we still see in many examples of leadership from around the world (from politicians to those who run large businesses and even some with responsibility in the church); rulers who take advantage of their positions, who flaunt their authority over others, people who seek titles and prestige without working for it; without personal cost. Jesus instructed his disciples to put the needs of their followers first. To be servant leaders.
Someone who walked in the way of Christ as a servant leader was Pope Gregory I (known as St Gregory the Great), whose feast day was celebrated by many parts of the church yesterday. Unlike the disciples who competed for ‘greatness’ Gregory never used this term himself; arguably what earned him this epithet was his desire to be anything but “Great”. Gregory’s preferred choice was “Servant of the servants of God” – which has remained as one of the official titles of the papacy ever since; just one of his many legacies (reforming liturgy and church music and launching the first recorded mission from Rome to convert the English to Christianity, being just some of the others).
Born in AD540 Gregory lived at a time of great change and uncertainty, between the end of ancient world and the beginning of the medieval age. In Gregory’s formative years the Western Roman Empire had fallen; Rome had been reconquered by the Byzantine Emperor but was under repeated attack. Bureaucratic corruption was rife, education and the arts declined; a plague caused famine, panic and rioting; in some areas over one third of the population died. Amid such scenes of devastation, it is not surprising that many felt the Day of Judgement was near. Gregory excelled as a student and followed his father into employment as a government official, quickly rising through the ranks and becoming Prefect of Rome from 573 to 578. On the death of his father, he relinquished all his wealth and his status and converted the family’s Roman villa into a monastery – he later founded six more on land the family owned in Sicily. He devoted his life to contemplative prayer and study.
Gregory’s spirituality was heavily influenced by the writings of St Augustine and of St Benedict. He described contemplation as “resting in God” and saw living a contemplative life as being crucial for those in religious orders. Writing later in his Homilies on Ezekiel he described the difference between the active and contemplative life; a definition which was influenced by his experience as a legislator and official.
“For the active life ceases with the body. For who in our everlasting country will give bread to the hungry, where none hungers? Who will bury the dead where none dies? Wherefore the active life ceases with this present world; but the contemplative life begins here, that it may be perfected in the heavenly country, because the fire of love which begins to burn here, when it sees Him whom it loves, will in His love blaze up the more.”
“For the active life ceases with the body. For who in our everlasting country will give bread to the hungry, where none hungers? Who will bury the dead where none dies? Wherefore the active life ceases with this present world; but the contemplative life begins here, that it may be perfected in the heavenly country, because the fire of love which begins to burn here, when it sees Him whom it loves, will in His love blaze up the more.”
The contemplative life which Gregory craved did not last long; his skills as an administrator were soon called on by the Pope, who first made him a Deacon of Rome and then an Emissary to Constantinople, becoming Papal Secretary on his return. At the age of 50, Gregory himself was elected Pope and, despite trying to avoid the appointment by fleeing to Rome and pleading with the Emperor (to whom he explained his unsuitability for the role describing himself as “a monkey, obliged to play the part of a lion”), he reluctantly assumed his papacy in AD590. Gregory was the first monk to become Pope.
Like St Augustine of Hippo, another Doctor of the Church, we know much about Gregory through the legacy of his writings, many of which survive. In his letter to Theoctista, the sister of the Byzantine Emperor Maurice, written in October 590, he tells of his anxieties about his new responsibilities - and the apparent loss of the contemplative life;
“I have been bought back to the world in the guise of a bishop, in which I am as much a slave to earthly cares, as I remember being a slave to them in my life as a layman. For I have lost the profound joy of my peace and quiet.... I seem to have risen externally, while falling internally…... From all sides I am shaken by the waves and weighed down by the tempest of affairs.”
How many of us can remember times when we felt like this?! Finding it harder to make time to spend with God as we climb the greasy pole – “Rising externally but falling internally” as Gregory did – all too easily swallowed up in the “tempest” of daily life.
As Pope, Gregory immediately set to work addressing the “earthly cares” he saw all around him – putting into practice his servant-leadership; reforming the church, using its vast resources as a land owner to help restore Rome’s economy, creating jobs and increasing food production, wiping out corruption and improving aid to the destitute. Like the current Pope, Gregory was known for being present with all people – those with status in society and those without. During Gregory’s tenure as Pope, the church filled the gap and provided not only spiritual comfort but became the key provider of public services and economic control.
Despite his fears on taking office, Gregory found time to combine his active life with periods of contemplation; finding a balance which, he came to believe, was a pre-requisite for effective leadership. He set out his ideas in his seminal work “Pastoral Care”. Although written for Bishops, Pastoral Care became a rule-book for leadership across the medieval world, containing advice not only on matters of faith but matters of state. Chapter Two is titled “That none should enter on a place of government who practise not in life what they have learned by study” (sage advice for politicians of any age). Chapter Four is titled “That for the most part the occupation of government dissipates the solidity of the mind” and begins : “Often the care of government, when undertaken, distracts the heart in various directions; and one is found unequal to dealing with particular things, while with confused mind divided among many.” For ‘government’ perhaps we can read any large business or organisation – even charities can lose sight of their raison d’etre.
As Pope, Gregory immediately set to work addressing the “earthly cares” he saw all around him – putting into practice his servant-leadership; reforming the church, using its vast resources as a land owner to help restore Rome’s economy, creating jobs and increasing food production, wiping out corruption and improving aid to the destitute. Like the current Pope, Gregory was known for being present with all people – those with status in society and those without. During Gregory’s tenure as Pope, the church filled the gap and provided not only spiritual comfort but became the key provider of public services and economic control.
Despite his fears on taking office, Gregory found time to combine his active life with periods of contemplation; finding a balance which, he came to believe, was a pre-requisite for effective leadership. He set out his ideas in his seminal work “Pastoral Care”. Although written for Bishops, Pastoral Care became a rule-book for leadership across the medieval world, containing advice not only on matters of faith but matters of state. Chapter Two is titled “That none should enter on a place of government who practise not in life what they have learned by study” (sage advice for politicians of any age). Chapter Four is titled “That for the most part the occupation of government dissipates the solidity of the mind” and begins : “Often the care of government, when undertaken, distracts the heart in various directions; and one is found unequal to dealing with particular things, while with confused mind divided among many.” For ‘government’ perhaps we can read any large business or organisation – even charities can lose sight of their raison d’etre.
Gregory’s solution to this confusion in leadership – which “distracts the heart” was to return to the contemplative life as much as possible and draw strength from it. In his Homilies on Ezekiel he wrote:
“just as it is the right order of living to pass from the active to the contemplative, so usually it is useful for the mind to turn back from the contemplative to the active, that by the very fact that the contemplative has inflamed the mind, the active might be more perfectly held.”
After being inspired by a group of blonde haired, fair-skinned slaves, who he described as “Angels not Angles”, Gregory sent his own monks, led by Augustine (who became St Augustine of Canterbury) on the first large-scale mission from Rome, to convert the Anglo Saxons to Christianity. Augustine brought the Pastoral Rule and Gregory’s other writings with them. Alfred the Great later translated the work into Old English and added his own preface to the work. The Gregorian Mission was the start of monastic missions to the north, which transformed the shape of medieval Europe; even John Calvin eventually praising Gregory as “the last good pope”.
Gregory practiced what he preached. He is called “Great” because, as John Calvin said, he was “Good”. Whether through selling all that he had and entering religious life, his style of servant leadership of both church and state or his personal battle between finding a balance between the contemplative and active life, there is much we can learn from him.
Before our time of prayer, perhaps we might reflect on our own leadership – at home or at work or in any sphere of life. What do we enjoy more – the power, position and authority – or the joy of humble service? Are we servant leaders, recognising the potential in our followers and those around us? Christ calls us to reverse the power balance. By coming closer to each other we come closer to God.
Prayers
The response to our prayers is Speak Lord for your servant is listening.
Lord, help us to follow the example of Gregory the Great
and all the saints who have gone before.
Strengthen and guide all who are reluctant to lead.
Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.
Lord, help us to be masters of ourselves,
that we may be servants of others.
Help us to cast off our desire for self-gratification; to relish in the joy of humble service.
Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.
Help us to cast off our desire for self-gratification; to relish in the joy of humble service.
Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.
Eternal God, in the tempest of life which distracts our hearts,
lead us back to your stillness,
to gain strength through resting in your presence.
Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.
God our Father,
Help us to begin this day joyfully in your name
and to spend it in loving service of you and our fellow man.
Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.
Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.
Blessing
Whatever today may hold,
Whatever tomorrow might bring,
whatever our strengths,
whatever our weaknesses,
May God be with us,
to hold, to heal, to guide and to bless our actions.
This day let us rest in His presence,
in quiet confidence and joyful celebration,
for he is ours
and we are His
for all eternity.
Amen.
Thank you for joining us for Start:Stop today. Please pick up our latest Parish Newsletter which is on the table at the entrance to the church, which has news about our informal discussion group on Thursday evenings, which starts this week at 5.30pm. Our Community Choir launches next Wednesday lunchtime and a new service of Choral Evensong is being introduced on the third Wednesday of every month, starting at 6.00pm on 19th September.
I hope you have a wonderful week.
The next reflection will begin in a few minutes.
Links
Image : The Washing of Feet (Sieger Köder)
History Today : The Death of Gregory the Great – Richard Cavendish, 3rd March 2004
Verbum Blog : Pope St Gregory the Great and Post-Roman Europe – Alex Renn, 3rd September 2012
History Today : The Death of Gregory the Great – Richard Cavendish, 3rd March 2004
Verbum Blog : Pope St Gregory the Great and Post-Roman Europe – Alex Renn, 3rd September 2012
Catholic Exchange – Make America Meek Again – the legacy of St Gregory the Great – Sean Fitzpatrick, 11th March 2016
Translation of Pastoral Rule, Book 1
Translation of Pastoral Rule, Book 1
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