Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Luke (6: 1-5) in which Jesus tells the Pharisees that the Son Man is master of the Sabbath. After reading the Gospel Fr Paul shares a little about the life of Pope St Gregory the Great, whose memorial we celebrate today.Gregory was born in Rome in 540 and followed a career in public service that was usual for the son of an aristocratic family. By taking this path, he finally became the Prefect of the City of Rome, a post he held for some years.  In that role, Fr Paul notes, Gregory founded a monastery in Rome and some others in Sicily and then he became a monk himself. He was ordained deacon and was sent as an envoy to Constantinople on a mission that lasted five years.  He was elected Pope on 3 September 590, and was the first monk to be elected to this office. He sent Augustine and his monks as missionaries to England in 596, providing them with continuing advice and support and in 601 he sent more reinforcements. Gregory wrote extensively on pastoral care, spirituality, and morals, and called himself “servant of the servants of God.”  Gregory died on 12 March 604, but as this date always falls within Lent, his feast is celebrated on the date of his election as Pope.In the tradition of our Church, Fr Paul invites us to pray, ‘St Gregory…Pray for us!’