What is your most dominant thought? The answer to that question will tell you a lot about who you are and what you are doing with your life.

Human thought is creative. What you think, becomes. What you allow to occupy your mind forms the reality of your life and affects the whole world for generations to come. Thought determines action. 

Saint Gregory the Great’s life was full of impressive accomplishments and decisive action to lead the Church. But all of it flowed from his most dominant thoughts. So what did he focus his mind on? The life and teachings of Jesus.

Gregory was born around 540 in Rome to a noble family. He was well educated and expected to make good use of his position by going into public office. He did so and quickly rose through the ranks. Yet, even as a young man Gregory felt in his heart a call to contemplative life. When his father died, Gregory turned the estate he inherited into a monastery where he spent his days contemplating Scripture and diving into prayer.

Just five years later, Pope Pelagius II made Gregory a deacon and commanded him to be one of his Ambassadors to Constantinople. Gregory would have preferred to remain at his monastery, but he obeyed the pope and did his best to support Rome’s interests. After Pelagius died, Gregory himself was elected pope. He would go on to lead the Church through a time of division and turmoil. He reformed the papacy and the Church in Rome by drawing people back to contemplating Jesus’ example and then living it out.

Your actions are determined by your last most dominant thought. As you move from one activity to the next in your day, become aware of what you are thinking and how different thoughts make you feel. Become aware of the thoughts that encourage you to love God and those around you more, and those thoughts that don’t. Then consciously try to focus more and more of your thinking on those that do. When you realize that your mind is wandering toward negative, self-destructive, or gossip-ridden thoughts, steer your mind in another direction.

You cannot grow an oak tree with an apple seed. You cannot grow a good life with bad thoughts. Certain thoughts give birth to certain actions. With each passing day God invites you to change, to grow, and to become a-better-version-of-yourself. God loves you as you are, but he loves you too much to let you stay that way.



Feast Day: September 3

Patron Saint of: Musicians, Singers, Students, and Teachers

Also Known As: Pope Gregory I

Symbols: A Dove