And...we're back for the first full week of saintly action as Gregory the Great squares off against Hugh of Lincoln!
In the only Saturday matchup of the season, Elizabeth of Hungary snatched a spot in the Saintly Sixteen by soundly defeating Felicity 70% to 30%.
Stay tuned later today as Tim and Scott share some Breaking News on a fun-filled, informative, and never-a-dull-moment edition of Monday Madness.
Vote now!
Gregory the Great
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, who thereupon retires to a monastery, must not be in want of a papacy. Yet if history teaches us but one thing, it is that the church often tends to come calling for leadership from those who sought to eschew the trappings of power and privilege. Such it was with Gregory I, one of only two popes to carry the title of “the Great.” The son of a Roman senator and a prefect of Rome, he sold his vast estates for the benefit of the poor and the foundation of monasteries—one of which he himself entered in 573. Later in life, Gregory would be filled with nostalgia for his austere life, and rightly so, seeing as his time in the monastery would last only six years.
Gregory was called by the pope to serve as Ambassador to Constantinople in 579; after six years of service in Byzantium, he returned to Rome, and again attempted to return to monastic life as the abbot of a monastery, convinced that the future of Christianity lay with monasticism rather than with the declining powers of empire. Although he had aspirations of leading missionaries to work among the Anglo-Saxons in Britain, he was elected as Bishop of Rome and became Pope Gregory I in 590. (Gregory would later send the monk Augustine to the Anglo Saxons in 596, earning him the title of “Apostle of the English.”)
Gregory inherited charge over the church in a stressful time. He had to organize the defense of Rome against invaders and arrange for its feeding from the riches of papal granaries away from the city. In 592, separately from the permission of the emperor, he made peace with the invaders and appointed Church governors to manage Italian towns and estates during the breakdown in imperial authority amid the crumbling Eastern empire.
Gregory’s impact on the church was profound. He set in motion the systematization and ordering of the Western liturgy—including in the codification and adaptation of preexisting forms of plainsong into what we now know as “Gregorian Chant.” He wrote the earliest account of the life of Benedict of Nursia, spurring the greater adoption of his rule among monastic communities. His Book of Pastoral Rule became a classic text on the work of ministry and is still commonly loved.
For all of Gregory’s centrality to the restoration of the Western church among the ruins of empire, it is his humility that is long remembered. A title he assumed for himself alone was later adopted for future Bishops of Rome—servus servorum Dei— servant to the servants of God.”
Collect for Gregory the Great
Almighty and merciful God, you raised up Gregory of Rome to be a servant of the servants of God, and inspired him to send missionaries to preach the Gospel to the English people: Preserve in your church the catholic and apostolic faith they taught, that your people, being fruitful in every good work, may receive the crown of glory that never fades away; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Hugh of Lincoln
Hugh of Lincoln is the patron saint of many important things like cobblers and sick children, but, critically, he is also the patron saint of swans. Hugh is said to have had such companionship with the animals of the bishops’ palace in Lincon that wild swans would eat out of his hand and one white swan would follow him all around the grounds.
Long before the bishops’ palace in the mid-twelfth century, young Hugh was known to hold towels for his mother, Anne de Theys, as she washed the sores of lepers, which was undoubtedly a formative experience of faith in action. After his mother’s death, he was sent to a religious community, where he began to follow the Rule of St. Augustine. While not exactly a monastic community, this community dedicated their life to prayer, to service, and to the people of the churches around them. Hugh thrived and became a deacon while there, but ultimately desired a more secluded life of prayer and became a Carthusian monk in 1163, shortly after which he was ordained as a priest.
Hugh’s compassion, warmth, and humor flowed out of his conviction and work in the monastery to his fellow brothers, and even King Henry II soon learned of Hugh’s reputation. Henry II was desperately seeking repentance after Thomas Beckett’s death and was insistent that such a notable and faithful leader as Hugh come to be the prior of the Witham Charterhouse, the first Carthusian monastery in England: a truly great honor.
But Hugh’s motivation since his childhood of holding towels for his mother as she wiped the sores of lepers was never about seeking honor, and so he turned it down. It took two bishops whom he respected to talk him into it and he went to England in 1179. The focus of his work when he arrived was the condition of the hazardous living quarters for the monks and the lack of provision for the peasants who had been displaced to build this monastery. Rather than chastise the king when he happened upon him hunting on the grounds next to the monastery, he invited the king into a life of prayer for the people and for his own soul. Hugh was elected as Bishop of Lincoln in 1186, and after his death in 1200, he was canonized in 1220 and is celebrated on November 17th.
Hugh of Lincoln: patron saint of cobblers, sick children and people, and swans; friend to animals, peasants, and his fellow monks. He was faithful, prayerful, dedicated, and unyielding to his calling and work.
Collect for Hugh of Lincoln
Holy God, who endowed your servant Hugh of Lincoln with wise and cheerful boldness, and taught him to commend the discipline of holy life to kings and princes: Grant that we also, rejoicing in the Good News of your mercy, and fearing nothing but the loss of you, may be bold to speak the truth in love, in the name of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
46 comments on “Gregory the Great vs. Hugh of Lincoln”
So today I’m reflecting on Hugh
A thing Anglicans frequently do:
How he humbled the king
(Not the easiest thing)
And I hope that you’ll vote for Hugh, too.
I voted for Gregory just before I read your poem. 🙂 Thank you for these verses -- I always enjoy them!
Today I voted for Gregory the Great, which greatly surprised me, given the “great” in his appelation (“great” not being my favorite word right now). I voted for Gregory for being a powerful person who remained humble, for providing leadership in a time of chaos and threat, for serving the needs of the most vulnerable, for continuing to lead and live a very busy and public life at a time when that leadership was critical . . . when he would have preferred to withdraw to a life of contemplation.
As one in animal rescue, I must vote for Hugh.
In this time, I think we need inspiration from one who cared for the lepers and the poor.
I have to vote for Hugh, the patron saint of swans. Last month three valuable black necked swans were stolen from my retirement community. By some miracle the thieves used an honest "fence" who reported them to the sheriff and we got our swans back.
My dog follows me everywhere. When she does, I will think of Hugh.
I could vote today! Thanks for fixing the glitch!
Gregory the Great, servant to the servants of God.
I voted for Hugh today. He has a compelling story that I hadn’t heard before. It’s one of the things I enjoy most about Lent Madness-learning about those new yet faithful folks. And besides, my much loved grandpa on my mother’s side was named Hugh. He was a gentle soul with a strong side that showed when needed.
Another tough match. I ultimately went with Hugh because I too adore animals and generally prefer the company of my dog over that of other people. Which perhaps is not the point. I chose Hugh for his bravery in approaching King Henry II as he hunted on the monastery grounds and brought him into a life of prayer. Given the fact that Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury no less, was murdered by followers of the king over church rights, it is amazing Hugh wasn't ruined or worse.
Gregory is my choice! I am grateful that he sent Augustine to England!!
You had me at swans.
I wanted to vote for both of them. In the end it is Gregory who won for me. It was my love of Gregorian Chant that swayed the vote. Song over swan!
Gregorian chants are so beautiful and calming. Appreciate Gregory’s humility as well.
As a Sister of Saint Gregory and lover of Gregorian Chant my vote is always for Gregory.
As I advocate for animal welfare, I proudly voted for Hugh of Lincoln, inspired by his compassion.
So glad the voting worked today. Good work. As a member of St Gregory the Great Episcopal Church in Athens, GA, I certainly wanted my vote to count!
Still unable to vote….very frustrating!
Spoke truth to the power of kings, had a sense of humour and was so cool that swans became his friends!!!! Yes, Greg was a cool dude too but Hugh is awesome.
Gregory against the barbarians. Need more leaders like him today.
Thank you for the notes on Hugh of Lincoln. I am challenged by his unfailing compassion and love. These days we see so much hatred around us, it is healing to read of someone who was so filled with holy love. However, Gregory won out because of his visionary and humble leadership-it is wonderful to see outstanding spiritual leaders who understand who the real leader, is.
Loved the Jane Austen parody in Gregory's bio. Good writing aside, I had to vote for Gregory for his contributions to church music (among many other accomplishments).
Gregorian chant!
Gregory the Great is one of the pillars of Western Civilization. His ministering to lepers mirrors Jesus' healing of these "unclean" members of humanity, an exercise of Chrisian empathy.
Yesterday, Elon the Musk declared that the fundamental weakness of Western Civilization is empathy. Obviously, he knows nothing of Gregory and other great and generous pillars of society. Not only is he ignorant of history, he is mean and stupid.
Sancte Gregorie, ora pro nobis.
I can well imagine that it was very prudent for Hugh to refrain from chastising a king who had already killed clergy. And perhaps “Hey Hugh!” wasn’t quite as specific in medieval times. But I had to go with Gregory, who did his duty during the crumbling of empire. We too inhabit an empire rotting from within and dangerous in its death throes. Oligarchs and pirates are busy trying to carve up the public carcass. We have work to do to protect the poor and vulnerable and to resist power. And yet monasticism would be so sweet. We have to maintain community both in and out of the world. Gregory, guide us.
As much as I am grateful for Gregory's support of monasticism and liturgy and music, my vote goes to Hugh.
It seems to me that the whole power-corrupts schtick enabled by the church/state partnership begun with Constantine's conversion was already in full swing two and a half centuries later when Gregory was pope. While as a young man he divested his wealth to the poor. But as pope in anxious times, he focused on the preservation of the institutional church, securing granaries to fed the enclave, and forging alliances with wealthy estates.
Hugh, on the other hand, remained true to his mother's (and Christ's) example, reaching out to those in need beyond institutional bounds -- including both the paupers displaced by the monastery's construction, and a king in need of forgiveness and amendment of life.
It's thw swans.
I still can't vote. Using Samsung tablet with newest version of software. I enjoy reading about the saints, but miss being able to vote.
Way to the work, Gregory!