Priestly Virtues

Letter 4,1 - to Constantius, bishop of Milan. September 593

"Therefore it is proper for you to respond to their behavior with priestly kindness in all things, and to agree with their needs with holy compassion. If some of these happen to have vices, you should ensure them with timely criticisms, so that your priestly indignation is itself combined also with the virtue of sweetness. Thus you should also be loved by your subjects then, even when you shall be gravely feared.
This approach will also provide your person with great reverence in their judgement. For, just as hasty and repeated fury is despised, even so discrete indignation against faults very often becomes all the more frightening, as it is slow to arise.
But John, our sub-deacon, returning here has reported to us many good things about your Fraternity. Concerning these, we ask almighty God to complete what He himself has begun, so that he may show that you have made progress inwardly and outwardly, now among men and afterwards among the angels."

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 287.