In Gregory the Great’s Pastoral Care the balance of the Christian life of the clergy not only permeates Gregory’s discussions in each major section of the book but also this theological motif served him to challenge the tendency of the clergy of his times to have a negative attitude towards the active life.
Overall, Gregory’s middle-ground position of work is noteworthy and deserves more attention. He seems to defend ‘the mixed life’ in his discussions, where the balance motif serves such a purpose. The ‘mixed life’ is understood as the combination of both the active and contemplative life of the clergy in a religious context. In Gregory’s view both the active and the contemplative life are good, although the contemplative life is better. This, however, does not mean that the contemplative life should be favored in an unbalanced position in regard to the active life. Such an idea is dangerous and might lead to vices. There is no doubt that it is Gregory’s balance motif the tool he uses to get the clergy’s attention of his times, where he uses such a motif to challenge the clergy’s notion of religious work and vocation.
In addition, Gregory’s Pastoral Care also has an autobiographical character. It is Gregory himself who is attempting to embrace a more flexible view of his vocational calling as the new leader of the church. In this respect the value of Pastoral Care for studying the early stages of the Christian church’s understanding on vocation of the clergy is undeniable.
*This is a summary of the paper published as “Gregory the Great on the Balance of the Christian Life of the Clergy,” Revista Teologica, Seminario Presbiteriano do Sul 74, no. 2 (October 2021): 66-80. If you’d like to read this paper in full, please click here. All rights reserved by the publisher. Used by permission.