A Good Sheperd

Quote from Letter 5,60 to Childebert, king of the Franks. 15  August 595

(And) how then is he going to intercede for the sins of others, who has not first wept for his own sins? For such a sheperd does not defend his sheep, but deveices them, since, while shame prevents him from persuading other to do what he does not himself, it can only be that the Lord's people remain a prey to robbers, and their deaths result from that which should have been their greatest support and protection of their safety.
Let your Excellency's Highness consider how depraved and how perverse this is, from your own consideration also. For it is certain that you do not appoint a general as an army commander, unless you have first established his hard work and loyalty, unless the courage and concern of the life he led before shows that he is suitable.
But if the control of an army is entrusted to no others, but only to men of this sirt, what sort of leader there should be for men's souls is redily shown by comparison with that army.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 396

The Sheep and a Wolf

Quote from Letter 5,50 to all the bishops of Gaul who are under the rule of Childebert. 12 August 595

We exhort each of you to be concerned about his office [Virgil, bishop of Arles], so that he who desires to accept the reward promised for feeding his sheep, may guard the flock entrusted to him with pastoral care and prayer, so that the craftly wolf does not invade and tear apart the sheep entrusted to him, and there should not be any punishment in retribution, instead of a reward. And so we hope, dearest brethren, and with all our prayers we beseech that our almighty Lord may make your Beloved more and more fervent in the constancy of our love, and may allow you to remain in full agreement, in the peace of the Church.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 394

The Virtue of Charity

Quote from Letter 5,58 to Virgil, bishop of Arles in Gaul, sent through the priest, John and deacon, Sabinian. 12 August 595

O what a good thing charity is, which through a mental image shows what is absent as present to ourselves, through love, uniting what is devided, putting in order what is confused, levelling what is unequal and completing what is incomplete! The outstanding preacher rightly calls it the 'bond of perfection', because the other virtues certainly generate perfection, but charity binds them together also, so that they cannot now be loosened from the mind of the one who loves. And so I find you, dearest brother, to be filled with this virtue, as testified bothe by these who come from Gaul, and the words of the letter you sent to me.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 392

Decreed in Saint Peter's

Quote from Letter 5,57a Decree to the clergy in the basilica of Saint Peter the apostle. 5 July 595

In the perpetual reign of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the time of his most serene Lord Maurice Tiberius and of Theodosius, our emperors, in the thirteenth year of the rule of our same Lordship Maurice, in the thirteenth ediction, on the fifth day of the month of July, Pope Gregory, before the most sacred body of Saint Peter the apostle, sitting with the bishops and all the priests of the Roman Church, with the deacons and all the other clergy standing by, spoke as follows:
(1) In this Holy Church of Rome, over which heavenly dispensation has wanted me to preside, and extremely reprehensible costom arose some time ago, that certain singers are chosen for service at the holy altar, and having been appointed to the rank of deacon attend to the modulation of their vouces, when the shoul dhave been given time for the office of preaching and concern for charity.
For this it very often comes about that during the Mass, when a pleasant voice is required, the minister singing fails to look for an appropriate live, and angers God over his morality while delighting the people with his voice.
On this matter, I decide with the present decree that in this see, ministers of the holy altr ought not to sing, and should only fulfill the office of reading from the gospels, as part of solemn Mass. I think that psalms and the other reading should be presented through the sub-deacons or, if necessity demands it, through the lesser orders. 
And if anyone should attempt to go against my decree, let him be anathema. And the esponse of all was 'let him be anathema'.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 388

Strictness and Mercy

Quote from Letter 5,57 to John, archbishop of the Corinthians. July 595

(I)n the case of Paul the deacon, bearer of this letter, his guilt strongly confouds and convicts him, because when deceived by a promise, he held back from accusing his former bishop, and incited by greed, he consented against his better judgment to keep silent, rather than to reveal the truth. And yet, because it suits us to be more merciful than strict, we pardon him for this fault and propose that he should be recaleld to his order and position. For we believe that the affliction that he has borne from the time his sentence was pronounced, can suffice for the punishment of this fault.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 387

Harmony and Unity

Quote from Letter 5,56 to Peter and Providentius, bishops of Istria. July 595

May God, who rejoices in the unity of the faithful and reveals the truth to those who seek it, make clear to your hearts, most beloved brethren, the great desire I feel for you to be held within the bosom of the holy, universal Church, and remain in harmony, in its unity.
And I do not doubt that this will come about, if you reject the stimulus of controversy, and intend to satisfy yourselves about the truth of these matters where there is uncertainty.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 386

Punishment

Quote from Letter 5,55 to John, abbot of Reggio. July 595

(I)t is necessary for you, supported in this by the direction of our authority, to go to the monastery, and examine alll those allegations, with a very carefyll investigation. And if you find it to be so (Heaven forbid!), you will punish them according to the rules, so that a worthy punishment teaches them to abstain from wicked and illegal activities in the future.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 386

Election of a Bishop

Quote from Letter 5,54 to the nobles of Syracuse. July 595

But because Agatho has been chosen by the clergy and preople of the church of Syracuse, and another person has been chosen by some others, it is necessary for the one who has been chosen by the clergy and people to come to us in the meantime, so that with both of them established in competition, the one who seems to be more useful and pleases God should be consecrated as bishop. For to us it is desirable to consecrate just such bishop there, with the grace of Christ, who with God's assistance should continue to imitate in all things the goodness of the aforesaid bishop, to whose activities you bear witness.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 385

Remembering Conversion

Quote from Letter to Leander, most reverend and most holy brother and fellow-bishop. July 595

I (have) exposed to your ears everything that I disliked about myself, since I had put off the grace of conversion for a long time, and to a great extent, and ever after I was inflamed by a love of Heaven, I thought it better to wear secular clothing. For what I was seeking concerning the love of eternity was already being revealed to me, but an ingrained habit had prevented me from changing my external attire. And when my mind was still forcing me to serve the present world, as it were superficially, then many things began to build up against me from the same worldly concern, so that I was held back in it now, not by its outward show but, which is more serious, by my thoughts, But finally I fled anxiously from all of this, and looked for the haven of a monastery, leaving behind what belonged to the world, as I then mistakenly thought. From the shipwrech of this life, I came out naked. For as a wave, once a storm has built up, often shakes a careless tethered boat even from off a bay on the safest of shores, so I suddenly found myself in an ocean of secular cases, under the pretext of ecclesiastical rank. As for the peace of the monastery, because when I had it, I did not hold on to it firmly, it was only when I lost it that I realized how tightly it should have been held.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 379

Relics of Saint Peter

Quote from Letter 6,6 to Childebert, king of the Franks. September 595

Thus your faith and your fairness likewise may shine forth for all natons, to be desired as something glorious and praiseworthy,
Besides this, we have sent your Excellency the keys of  Saint Peter, in which filings from the links of his chains are enclosed. When hung from your neck, this would protect you from all evils.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 405

Friendship

Quote from Letter 5,53 to leander, bishop in Spain. July 595

Since you love me greatly you can read in the tables of your heart with what eagerness I am longing to see you. But because I cannot see you seperated as you are by a long stretch of territory, I have done ne thing that my love for you dictated, that is to send ove to your Holiness the book of Pastoral Rule, which I wrote at the beginning of my episcopate, and the books which you already knew i had written on the Exposition of the blessed Job, after the arrivel here of our joint son, the priest Pr0binus.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 378

On Orthodoxy

Quote from Letter to Theodelinda, queen of the Lombards. July 595

For we venerate the fur holy synods: the Nicene, in which Arius is condemned, the one at Cosntantinople, in which Macedonius was found guilty, the first one in Ephesus, in which Nestor and Dioscorus were found gulty and the Chalcedonian, in which Eutyches was condemned. Ans we also declare that anyone who disagrees with these four synods is an enemy of the true faith. And we condemn whomsoever they condemn, and whomsoever they absolve, we too absolve. We strike down under the imposition of anathema anyone who presumes to add or substract from the faith of those same four synods, but especially the Chalcedonian, over which some doubt has arisen in the minds of ignorant people.
Therefore, since you know this from my open declaration, it is right that you should no longer have any scrap of doubt about the Church of Saint Peter, the prince of the apostles. But persist in the true faith, and build your life firmly on the rock of the Church, that is on the confession of Saint Peter, the prince of the apostles.
Otherwise, all your tears and great deeds may go to waste, it they are found hostile to the true faith.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 378

On a calling

Quote from Letter 5,51 to Andrew, a scholastic. June 595

(W)ith a common and concordant voice and assent they repeatedly sought our venerable brother and priest, Marinianus, as they had learnt that he had lived with me for a long time in a monastery.

He tried to escape the office, but they were finally able to persuade him in various ways, although with difficulty, to give his consent to their request. 

And we were al acquainted with his way of life and had found him diligent in winning souls, so we did not delay at all in having him consecrated. Let your Glory therefore receive him as is fitting, and offer the help of your comfort as he begins his office. For it is extremely onerous for anyone to be new, as you well know, in any sort of office. But I have great confidence that almighty God, who has thought him worthy to be in charge of his flock, will both encourage him to take of his inner life and strengthen him with the piety of his grace to look after external matters. But this new office will certainly be troublesome, as we said before, after this long period of peace and quiet.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 376