Book review: “In the Eye of the Storm: a biography of Gregory the Great”

At Saint Gregory's Abbey, there is a book read to the monks at their evening meal, typically Monday through Friday. This book, “In the Eye of the Storm: a biography of Gregory the Great,” by Sigrid Grabner, was read during March and April. It of course was of interest to the monks since Saint Gregory the Great is the patron of the abbey. 

The book is a fast-paced biography of the first monk to become pope. It starts with the story of Saint Gregory's early days, Rome and the world he lived in. Rome was no longer the center of the world politically, it had been replaced by Constantinople, modern day Istanbul, Turkey, where the Roman emperor resided.  

Saint Gregory was of an aristocratic family, the Aniciis. He was taught to be of service to his home city of Rome. He was well educated due to this noble birth, and he quickly rose in rank within the administration of the city of Rome to eventually became the prefect. He was of great service to the people of Rome. When his father died, the path for him to become a monk was opened. His mother, Saint Sylvia, was able to fulfill her dream of becoming a nun. Saint Gregory turned his home into a monastery. This monastery, which he called Saint Andrew's, did not follow only the Rule of Saint Benedict. As was the custom of the time, various rules were followed. Saint Gregory was very happy as a monk.

Pope Pelagius II became pope, made Saint Gregory a deacon and sent him to Constantinople to represent him at the imperial court. During this time, he wrote his famous commentary on the Book of Job, “The Moralia.” The imperial court was not concerned with what happened in Rome or in Italy. They believed the local leaders should manage local affairs. The old capital of Rome was on its own. The pope eventually became responsible for the city. Six years later, Saint Gregory returned to Rome and his monastery, but a plague changed his life.  
    
Saint Gregory and his fellow monks, along with the pope and his clergy, tried to help the people of Rome during the plague. Pope Pelagius II caught the plague and died on Feb. 8, 590. The people of Rome decided that Gregory should be the next pope, but he did not think he was worthy. However, the people and the city officials ultimately prevailed. He began at once as pope to help the people of Rome suffering from the plague and other problems that were created by the vacuum of the empire's neglect of the city and region.
    
Pope Gregory served the people by finding ways to feed them and protecting them from the invading Lombards threatening the city. The imperial officials were almost powerless or did not care to protect the city from them. Saint Gregory filled in the void and began what historians called the “monarchical medieval papacy.” He took over responsibility of caring for the people and became fond of the title, “Servant of the Servants of God.”  He fulfilled his goal of protecting Rome and the region from the Lombards by arranging treaties and pacts.
    
Saint Gregory's health was poor while he was pope. He had over done his asceticism as a monk and as a result damaged his health. He had gout and other illnesses. However, he would not let this hold him back in his service to the Church and Rome. He died on March 12, 604, having been pope for 14 years. He became one of the three popes with the title “the Great” after their names: Saint Leo the Great (440-461) and Saint Nicholas the Great (858-867).
    
Grabner illustrates the custom, attributed to Saint Gregory, of a priest saying Mass for a deceased person for 30 consecutive days, whereby it is believed that the deceased would be released from purgatory at the end of the 30 days. He wrote a commentary on Job, gave many homilies and wrote books on the Italian saints which are called “The Dialogues.” The most important of those biographies is in the second book, which is the first biography of Saint Benedict, the founder of Western monasticism.  
    
This book does not have any maps or illustrations. A map could have helped to locate the various places mentioned in the book. The book does contain a chronology, an index of persons and a subject index. The book is very readable. It is a translation from the original German by Chase Faucheux, which was originally published in 2009. General and academic readers will enjoy this fast-paced book. Saint Gregory the Great's feast day is Sept. 3. This book is highly recommended to those interested in Church history, Saint Gregory the Great, the history of Rome and Benedictine monasticism. 

Br. Benet Exton, O.S.B., Saint Gregory's Abbey, Shawnee, is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.