As pope, Gregory had a formal nightly meal. Rather than taking this meal alone, Gregory had a tradition of inviting 12 poor men to dine with him every evening, honoring the 12 Apostles by serving those in need.
One evening, as the meal was about to begin, a 13th guest unexpectedly arrived at the door—a beggar who looked even more destitute than the others.
He had not expected a 13th guest, he had not prepared enough food for 13, and he had no idea who this poor man was. It would have been easy to turn this beggar away and say that serving 12 poor men at his table was enough.
However, without hesitation, Gregory welcomed the ragged man in, making room at the table.
But something strange was afoot. When Gregory asked his steward to help prepare an extra seat, the steward was bewildered: he could only see 12 guests!
Despite the strangeness, and even with stretched resources, Gregory ensured that the beggar was fed and treated with the same dignity as the other guests.
As the evening went on, Gregory found himself strangely captivated by the 13th guest. Each time he glanced at this particular man, his appearance seemed to change—sometimes the man looked youthful, while at other moments, his face seemed older and more distinguished. There was something familiar about him that Gregory couldn’t quite place.
Eventually, curiosity got the better of him, and Gregory approached the man to ask who he really was. The man answered: “I am your angel, whom God sent to test your charity.”
Gregory then realized why the steward was not able to see this 13th guest.
From then on, Pope Gregory devoted himself even more to the poor. He cultivated deep humility and led as a servant. It was these qualities that allowed him to go on and do great things for God. His influence on Christian civilization and European history in general was so profound as to earn him the title “the Great.” He is among those we call the “Fathers of the Church” and is one of the four great Doctors of the Western Church.
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