Today the church celebrates the Feast of Saint Gregory the Great, a pope of the church in the middle ages. An Anglican historian has written, “It is impossible to conceive what would have been the confusion, the lawlessness, the chaotic state of the Middle Ages, without the medieval papacy. And of the medieval papacy, the real father is Gregory the Great. Called ‘The Great,’ Gregory has been given a place with Augustine, Ambrose, and Jerome as one of the four key doctors of the Western Church. He is also credited with Gregorian chant.”

In today’s homily, Father Jerry pays a special tribute to the late Maya Angelou, with her own special reflection on the words, “God loves me.”

O God help us to realize not only our doubts and failings, but the good that we do as well. May we always possess the hope that Your hand is always there to grab us when we fall. Let us be inspired and motivated by our faith in your compassion to transform lives struggling to find purpose by Your forgiveness, to heal broken hearts and spirits, and by Your justice to restore hope and dignity to all Your sons and daughters.