Today is the feast of St. Gregory the Great, an administrator in the Roman Empire, monk and then pope. While in the monastery, he was known for codifying monastic prayer and developing Gregorian chant.
But most interestingly, he was a prolific and engaging writer. He wrote of his frustrations with himself, and the problems he faced upon leaving monastic life for the papacy. He observed that he was consumed with the matters of administration. His mind was "divided and torn to pieces" by problems, he found that he let his "tongue run" and was drawn into "idle conversation" and talking "freely about matters which once I would have avoided. What once I found tedious I now enjoy."
Since leaving my administrative responsibilities, I resonate with these thoughtful observations of such an honest and holy man. I hope I did not lead too many people astray by my chatter and droning on about things when I ran DeLaSalle. It's been good for me to step back from what I once thought was so essential to my life, and to try to do things differently and with more love and purpose. I pray that God can lead me more deeply into loving service without focusing too much on myself.
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