There’s an unspoken rule in some Christian circles: ambition is dangerous. If you’re a person with energy, drive, and a desire to excel, chances are you’ve already been silently or outrightly labeled as a prideful person. It appears to be a quiet, undercurrent belief that ambition is pride manifest.

But ambition itself is not the enemy. Pope Gregory the Great, one of the Church’s most influential leaders, offered words that changed my perspective when he said: “Do not fear to set your ambition to become a saint.”

This quote broke something loose inside me. For too long, I felt stifled by the messaging that my ambition—my drive to push myself and test my limits—was something dangerous. But Gregory’s words reframed it all. Ambition is not something to fear. Ambition, when aimed at holiness, is one of the most powerful forces a person can wield. It can lift the weak, serve the poor, and glorify God.

A Brief Example

When I was a pastor, I made a habit of running to the gym instead of driving—about a mile away from my house. It wasn’t vanity; it was about keeping my heart healthy, pushing my body to its limits, and keeping my temple strong. It was part of my way of giving life my best effort.

One day, my wife mentioned this routine to a pastor’s wife, and the response was immediate: “What, is that a pride thing?” It was the kind of sneer that implied that my desire to push myself physically—to take care of my body—was prideful.

This wasn’t the first time I’d felt that underlying suspicion. Whether at church or in other Christian settings, the idea of being ambitious, of wanting to excel, was constantly questioned, as if ambition in itself was something wrong.

But here’s where Pope Gregory’s words helped me realize a deeper truth. It’s not ambition itself that’s dangerous. Every virtue has an opposite vice. The real issue is how we use our ambition. Ambition can be selfish, yes, but it can also be consecrated. It can be used to build ourselves up, or it can be channeled to build others up.

Gregory’s challenge is simple: “Do not fear to set your ambition to become a saint.” This was a message that changed how I viewed ambition. I didn’t need to bury it. I needed to aim it toward the greatest goal: sainthood. Holiness.

The Example of Judas in The Chosen

This tension between ambition and humility is perfectly illustrated in the latest season of The Chosen. Judas, the disciple most often seen as the ultimate symbol of betrayal and pride, is portrayed early on as someone with bold ideas. He comes into Jesus’ ministry with suggestions—taking collections, setting up reward systems, and thinking creatively about how to expand the mission. He encourages the disciples to think bigger and bolder.

But the reaction from the other disciples is clear: they push back. They tell Judas to quiet down, to “just do the work you’re told.” There’s an undercurrent of suspicion toward his ambition that is plainly told by the director, toward the fact that he’s thinking outside of the box or thinking too greatly.

This reflects a broader attitude in Christian culture—one that often views ambition with suspicion. The idea is that if you’re too bold, if you dream too big, you must be prideful. But Judas’ problem (at least on screen) wasn’t that he had big ideas. The problem was that his ambition wasn’t rooted in serving others. It wasn’t grounded in love or humility. I wish that the writers had baked this into the script.

Pope Gregory’s message could have been a balm for the Judas we see on screen. Don’t fear ambition—just consecrate it serve. Judas didn’t need to stifle his ambition. He needed to reframe it according to the Beatitudes. If his ambition had been channeled toward truly helping the poor, lifting the downtrodden, or glorifying God, things might have turned out differently.

Ambition as a Gift

What Pope Gregory understood is that ambition can be a gift when it’s channeled for good. Gregory didn’t shy away from encouraging Christians to pursue greatness. In his time, he saw the potential in strong, driven people to do great things for God’s Kingdom. He knew that ambition for sainthood was not only acceptable, it was necessary.

St. Paul echoes this idea in Philippians 2:3, where he tells us to “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Paul doesn’t condemn ambition. He condemns selfish ambition. The difference is key. Ambition, when directed toward others, toward service and love, becomes one of the most powerful tools we have as Christians. As he says elsewhere, outdo one another in love.

In fact, ambition should be redeemed, not suppressed. The world doesn’t need people who are afraid to be strong. It needs those who are willing to use their strength for the right reasons.

Pope Gregory saw this clearly. He understood that ambition, when rooted in love, can change the world. He once wrote, “Where love exists, it works great things.” This is the key to understanding holy ambition: love must guide it. Ambition that is grounded in love is not selfish. It serves. It builds. It protects. It glorifies God.

A Call Back to Ambition

The world often pushes us to believe that ambition is something to be stifled, something that should be kept in check to avoid pride. But this approach fails to recognize the potential that God has given us. God gave you ambition for a reason. There’s no need to bury it or be ashamed of it.

Like Pope Gregory said, set your ambition on becoming a saint. That is the highest goal, and it’s one that requires boldness. You are allowed to aim high. You are allowed to dream big and strive for greatness, as long as your ambition is rooted in love and service to others.

Ambition isn’t the problem. It’s how we use it. Ambition, when directed toward holiness, can change the world. It can build up the Church, strengthen the weak, protect the vulnerable, and serve the poor. God created us with the drive to do great things—not for our own glory, but for His.

So don’t fear your ambition. Use it. Let it push you toward holiness, toward serving others, and toward making a lasting impact for God’s Kingdom.

Pope Gregory’s words—“Do not fear to set your ambition to become a saint”—reminded me that it’s not ambition that’s the problem; it’s what we do with it. So don’t be afraid to aim for sainthood. Don’t be afraid to consecrate your passion and your dreams of higher things to serve the lower things. Let your ambition drive you toward lifting up the Lord Jesus, and with him, our neighbor.