Liturgy Alive St Gregory the Great, Pope, Doctor of the Church

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Saturday, September 3, 2016

 

ST. GREGORY THE GREAT
Pope and Church Doctor
September 3

Introduction

Gregory the Great (540–604) was civil prefect (governor) of Rome; he became a Benedictine monk, later papal envoy to Constantinople. Elected Pope, he reluctantly accepted, as he preferred the monastic life. He was a very capable administrator, looking upon his task as service. His incumbency during difficult times was marked by his efforts to care for the socially deprived, to reconcile factions within the Church, to create cordial relations with the Church in Spain and France and to evangelize England. He reformed the Roman liturgy, though his relation to "Gregorian chant" is mere fantasy, for the "old Roman" music he promoted disappeared in the 14th century. Let us honor him today especially as a reformer of the Church and "servant of the servants" as he called himself.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
St. Gregory followed Jesus, your Son,
in his commitment to you
and his service to the people entrusted to him.
May the Spirit of Jesus be alive in us
and dispose us to become, like your Son,
powerless and vulnerable,
so that we can serve one another,
especially the weakest of our brothers and sisters.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

Prayer over the Gifts

God of all people,
as Jesus serves us himself at table
in the signs of bread and wine,
let him fill us with that love,
which alone can understand
that to be great is to serve others
and to use up our lives
to give people a chance to live and be free.
May we seek no other reward
than to share the destiny of Jesus,
our Lord and Savior for ever.

Prayer after Communion

Loving God,
your Son, Jesus, has been with us
in this Eucharistic celebration
as the servant of us all.
Let him dispose our hearts
and fill it with the courage
to understand and accept others,
to accompany them on the road of life
to suffer their pains
and to rejoice with their joys,
that we may serve them with Jesus,
our Savior and Lord for ever.

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