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.
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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.
60 comments on “Gregory the Great vs. Hugh of Lincoln”
For the calendar and for the chants, I'll go with Gregory today.
I was unable to vote for Gregory because the system would not function. Thus I was able to vote for Hugh though Gregory was by pick.
Both are commendable however Gregory did what Jesus commanded, give all to the poor and he did. Hugh probably did not have the wealth but gave his to GOD.
Poor Gregory. He knew how he thought he should live life in the service of God but God had other plans. It was not just once but over and over during his lifetime.
Icing on the cake: I have a very good friend who is a practicing Gregorian monk. He is now in his 2nd year of seminary.
My father was from a town near Lincoln. I vote for Hugh though both are worthy.
Seems to have been a true devout soul!
Sounds to me as if Hugh's mother should be a recognized also if she bathed lepers and raised her son to be charitable.
I voted for Gregory. Though he and Hugh had similar personal qualities, there was something about Gregory that drew me.
I am not able to do a Reply to other comments. Anyone else have this problem?
If you have a good knowledge of the early church, you're likely familiar with Gregory The Great, and he was great. But sometimes you just have to go with the underdog. I was drawn to Hugh's caring and kindness for the less fortunate and his ability to sway the King was brilliant. But it was the last paragraph that confirmed my choice: 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.
Oh such a tough choice today. I lean toward Gregory the Great since I so often pray the Daily Office with the Brotherhood of St. Gregory - one of the best online office versions.
Gregorian chant is hard to pass up
I'm so glad to learn about Hugh of Lincoln, who was able to resist institutional power peacefully and even soften the king's heart. He cared for the poor and the swans. Wonderful. He's now one of my favorite saints. Thank you, Lent Madness!
Swans can be very aggressive birds. If they liked Hugh, then he deserves my vote.
A tough call. In the end, the swans did it for me.
I loved learning more about Hugh, particularly has character and presence after Becket's martyrdom. I ultimately stayed with Gregory (my first choice) because I am definitely more Benedictine than Carthusian. I give thanks for both!
Both of today's saints seem to have wound up in positions they didn't initially want, but made the best of their reluctant elevation and used their office to help those less fortunate.
Where was Hugh born and raised? He had to be talked into going to England, where from?
I will vote however I think both are worthy of advancement.
Gregory the Great is, by definition, Great.
Gregory the Great for me. Both men were highly admirable. I decided because of the beauty of Gregorian Chants, which have brought joy to millions over the centuries.
3rd time in a row that I cannot vote. What am I doing wrong? No matter what I do the circles to clicks are grayed out and do not respond.
I’ve been participating in Lent Madness for years and this is the first time I have been totally unable to vote. Bummer!
I saw so many parallels between Gregory the Great & Hugh of Lincoln that it was very hard to make a choice! They were both very humble men, both dedicated their lives to God and to the betterment of humankind, and both obtained high status in the church...although neither man actively sought out any power or authority. What finally pushed me into Gregory's camp was contrasting his desire to give up all his wealth and power to serve God and all mankind with the desire of super wealthy and super powerful men who are destroying a nation in order to obtain more power and wealth. There is a huge heed in the 21st century for leaders who put other people's needs before their own needs.
Because I have a sick child in the hospital, I vote for Hugh of Lincoln
So glad to see Lent Madness back! Will there be a booklet available someplace so I can check off the various saints as I vote for them?
Many, many thanks!
Compassion, warmth and humour won my vote for Hugh. We need more of these in our leaders. I must also confess to reservations about Gregory for his role in conflating Mary Magdalene the the unnamed prostitute in Luke.
Your voting is allowing for multiple votes by the same person. Might want to fix it.
The Empire was only crumbling in Italy. It remained strong for some time in the East.
I was touched by the narrative for both of these men- especially their humility. I voted for Gregory because of the long term impact he has on the church. I especially love that he helped inspire and/or develop Gregorian chant!
I couldn't bring myself to vote for Gregory as he is the Pope who maligned Mary Magdalene as the sinful woman who anointed Jesus... And her sin became being a prostitute.
I voted for Gregory, but that’s a great limerick!
No trouble voting, but I have to access it by going to the website. Not getting the email with link, altho’ I’ve been on the list without problems since very early days. And on Comcast all that time, too. Email isn’t in junk/spam or trash, I did get the Saturday email, but on Sunday morning. Nothing today, at least so far. All other daily emails arriving timely.
Anyone else with this issue? Is it just me, or is it Xfinity/Comcast?
(And Go, Gregory! As a 12-year student of French nuns, I grew up with Gregorian chant, and now happily embracing Anglican.)
They both sound like great guys, but I had to go with Hugh, the fellow who is the Patron Saint of Swans. And how cool that even wild swans liked him and followed him around. Swans are gorgeous, but fierce & can be aggressive.
Becca, your penultimate sentence sealed the deal with my vote. Thank you.