Letter 3,60 - to Fortunatus, bishop of Naples. August 593
"You should therefore repay their [the citizens of Napels] affection with your own morality, repressing the evil, opening up to the good with discretion and maximum kindness, and urging them to follow the better parties more frequently, so that they may rejoice to have found a father's morality in you, and you too, with the cooperation of the Lord, may more zealously carry out the pastoral care entrusted to you."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 280.
Showing posts with label Lord. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lord. Show all posts
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Friday, 11 March 2011
Good, Dust And Ashes
Letter 3,4 - to Boniface, bishop of Reggio. September 592
"I have learnt from certain persons coming to Rome, that your Fraternity is very active in works of charity, and I thanked almighty God, because in accordance with the words of that outstanding preacher, ' we now live, if you stand form in the Lord' .
But I must admit that my mind was greatly troubled by the fact that you ourself have announced these same works to many others.
From this fact i have gathered that your object must have been to please not the eyes of God, but the judgment of man.
Wherefore, my dear brother, when your actions are good outwardly, you must guard those within with great care, to prevent the desire of pleasing men from creeping in, and to prevent all the labor of your good deeds from becoming to nothing.
For who are we, who seek to be pleased by men? What are we other than dust and ashes?"
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 237.
"I have learnt from certain persons coming to Rome, that your Fraternity is very active in works of charity, and I thanked almighty God, because in accordance with the words of that outstanding preacher, ' we now live, if you stand form in the Lord' .
But I must admit that my mind was greatly troubled by the fact that you ourself have announced these same works to many others.
From this fact i have gathered that your object must have been to please not the eyes of God, but the judgment of man.
Wherefore, my dear brother, when your actions are good outwardly, you must guard those within with great care, to prevent the desire of pleasing men from creeping in, and to prevent all the labor of your good deeds from becoming to nothing.
For who are we, who seek to be pleased by men? What are we other than dust and ashes?"
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 237.
Monday, 4 October 2010
Victory Over Enemies
Letter 1,72 - to Gennadius, patrician and exarch of Africa. August 591.
"Just as the Lord has made your Excellency shine in this life with the brightness of your victories in wars against our enemy, even so you should oppose the enemies of his Church with all the force of your mind and body, so that from both triumphs your fame shines forth more and more, as you both earnestly resist adversaries to the Catholic Church in public wars, for the sake of the Christian people, and bravely fight ecclesiastical battles like a warrior for the Lord.
For it is known that men of heretical religion, if they are given the license to do harm (Heaven forbid!), rise up strongly against the Catholic faith, so as to transfuse the limbs of the Christian body with their own poisonous heresy, to pollute them if they can.
For we know that they are raising their heads against the Catholic Church, with the Lord opposing them, and want to bring down the faith of the Christian name.
But let your Eminence check their attempt, and press down their arrogant necks with the yoke of rectitude."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 186.
"Just as the Lord has made your Excellency shine in this life with the brightness of your victories in wars against our enemy, even so you should oppose the enemies of his Church with all the force of your mind and body, so that from both triumphs your fame shines forth more and more, as you both earnestly resist adversaries to the Catholic Church in public wars, for the sake of the Christian people, and bravely fight ecclesiastical battles like a warrior for the Lord.
For it is known that men of heretical religion, if they are given the license to do harm (Heaven forbid!), rise up strongly against the Catholic faith, so as to transfuse the limbs of the Christian body with their own poisonous heresy, to pollute them if they can.
For we know that they are raising their heads against the Catholic Church, with the Lord opposing them, and want to bring down the faith of the Christian name.
But let your Eminence check their attempt, and press down their arrogant necks with the yoke of rectitude."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 186.
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
Help For Those In Need
Letter 1,65 - to Peter. July 591.
"If we confront the needs of our neighbors with customary compassion and kindly intent, without doubts we find the Lord merciful to our requests. Indeed we have learnt that Pastor, who has a wife and slaves and suffers from an extreme weakness of vision, and who served with Jonathas, once of glorious memory, is subject to a great many needs. For that reason we order your Experience with the letter bearing this instruction not to delay in giving him annually enough measures of corn, and enough measures of beans also to sustain him, and these costs could be charged to your account afterwards."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 182.
"If we confront the needs of our neighbors with customary compassion and kindly intent, without doubts we find the Lord merciful to our requests. Indeed we have learnt that Pastor, who has a wife and slaves and suffers from an extreme weakness of vision, and who served with Jonathas, once of glorious memory, is subject to a great many needs. For that reason we order your Experience with the letter bearing this instruction not to delay in giving him annually enough measures of corn, and enough measures of beans also to sustain him, and these costs could be charged to your account afterwards."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 182.
Saturday, 18 September 2010
Protection, 1/3
Letter 1,60 - to Januarius, archbishop from Cagliari in Sardinia. July 591.
"If our Lord himself, by witness of Holy Scripture, declares he is the husband of widows and father of orphans, then we also, as members of his body, ought to strive to imitate his head, with the greatest effort of our will, and preserving justice, we must defend orphans and widows."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 179.
"If our Lord himself, by witness of Holy Scripture, declares he is the husband of widows and father of orphans, then we also, as members of his body, ought to strive to imitate his head, with the greatest effort of our will, and preserving justice, we must defend orphans and widows."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 179.
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