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The Stages of Evangelization, According to Pope St. Gregory the Great Msgr. Charles Pope • July 4, 2017 • Doubting Thomas, by Duccio di Buoninsegna, SienaIn evangelizing souls (including our own), there are usually stages that precede conversion. In the past I have written on these stages and referred to them as “Mad … Sad … Glad.” 1. Mad – In this stage, one may present as angry, resistant, or averse to the message of the Gospel or to some aspect of the Christian moral vision.2. Sad – In this stage, one comes to realize that worldly notions and...

May You Sleep the Sleep of the Just: A Short Meditation on the Burden that Sin Brings By: Msgr. Charles PopeThere’s an old expression, seldom used today although I remember the old folks used it sometimes when I was young, “May you sleep the sleep of the just.” When my Great Aunt Polly used it, she meant simply, “May you sleep well.” But more richly and historically, the phrase speaks to a serenity that comes from having a quiet conscience, a conscience that is untroubled by the burden of unconfessed and unrepentant sin. A serene and clean conscience is an...

The Sins That Come From Being a Busybody – A Meditation on a Teaching of St. Gregory By: Msgr. Charles PopeFaults in others I can see, but praise the Lord there’re none in me!The term “busybody” usually refers to one who is intent on the matters of others but looks little to his own issues. Busybodies also tend to focus especially on the faults, foibles, and troubles of other folks. Seldom are they chattering away about good news related to other people; more often it is the scurrilous and scandalous that occupy their minds.Merriam-Webster online defines a busybody as  “a person who...

Pope Gregory the Great: Advice to the Married By: Msgr. Charles PopeEvery now and again when I write on Holy Matrimony, especially the Church’s more staunch biblical teachings (indissolubility, no contraception, etc.), someone will inevitably write in with a kind of sneer and wonder at or even laugh at a celibate man advising married people about marriage. To be sure, inner experience of something has its place, but so does external observance. I remember as a youth that my swimming coach, who was out of the water, would often correct us if our form was wrong, and advise us...

A Silent Priest is a Dead Priest – A Meditation on a Teaching of St. Gregory the Great By: Msgr. Charles PopeA former Archbishop of Washington was known to often remark, “There’s nothing deader than a dead priest.” Some wondered as to the meaning of this expression, and those who knew him the best explained that it was a sort of version of the old Latin expression Corruptio optime pessima (The corruption of the best is the worst thing of all).Of all the men on the planet who need to be alive, vocal, clear, and active, the priest is...

A Light in the “Dark Ages” The Life and Legacy of Saint Gregory the Great By: Robert Kennedy By any account, 590 was a disastrous year in Rome. Plague had struck, sweeping through the homes of poor and wealthy alike. Even the pope was carried away by the fearsome disease. The spring floods were the worst in memory; the Tiber broke through its retaining walls, causing enormous damage. The Lombards, a fierce barbarian tribe that had been invading Italy, were now threatening the city itself. Food was in short supply, civil government was breaking down, and there was little...

On the Thought of Gregory the Great "Holiness Is Always Possible, Even in Difficult Times" VATICAN CITY, JUNE 4, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience, the second catechesis he dedicated to the figure of Pope Gregory the Great. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, I return today, in this our Wednesday meeting, to the extraordinary figure of Pope Gregory the Great, to glean additional light from his rich teaching. Despite the many commitments connected with his work as Bishop of Rome, he has left us numerous works, which in...

On Gregory the Great "He Was a Man Immersed in God" VATICAN CITY, MAY 28, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience, which he dedicated to the figure of Pope Gregory the Great. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters! Last Wednesday I spoke about a Father of the Church little known in the West -- Romanus the Melodius. Today I wish to present the figure of one of the greatest fathers in the history of the Church, one of the four doctors of the West, Pope Gregory, who was bishop of Rome between...

Gregorian Chant In the three centuries following the death of Saint Benedict, there emerged in the Western Church a marvelously unified tradition of liturgical music known as Gregorian Chant, taking its name from the sixth century Pope Saint Gregory the Great, who did much to promote the use of the chant.Characterized chiefly by its purely melodic form, without even the simplest harmonies, Gregorian Chant is sometimes known as "plainsong"; the word "plain" being used to distinguish it from the later harmonic music rather than to denote any lack of charm or interest.Noteworthy also is the unmeasured or "free" rhythm:...

September 3, 2005Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, pope and doctor of the Church Psalm: Saturday 38 Reading ICol 1:21-23 Brothers and sisters:You once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds;God has now reconciled youin the fleshly Body of Christ through his death,to present you holy, without blemish,and irreproachable before him,provided that you persevere in the faith,firmly grounded, stable,and not shifting from the hope of the Gospel that you heard,which has been preached to every creature under heaven,of which I, Paul, am a minister. Responsorial PsalmPs 54:3-4, 6 and 8 R. (6) God himself is my help.O...

September 3, 2002Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, pope and doctor of the Church Psalm: Tuesday Week 39 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel Reading I1 Cor 2:10b-16 Brothers and sisters:The Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.Among men, who knows what pertains to the manexcept his spirit that is within?Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God.We have not received the spirit of the worldbut the Spirit who is from God,so that we may understand the things freely given us by God.And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom,but with...