Letter 3,45 - to John, bishop of Gallipoli. June 593
"From the report that your Fraternity sent to us, it has been found that Andrew, our brother and fellow-bishop, has without doubt had a concubine. But because it is uncertain wether he touched her while appointed to holy orders, you must warn him with a concerned exhortation. It her knows that he had intercourse with her while appointed to holy orders, he should retire from the office he holds and in no way presume to minister it. And if perchance, knowing he is guilty of his affair, he conceals his sin and presumes to minister, he should know that danger threatens his soul from the divine judgement.
But as for the woman from the poor-list whom he had chastised with cudgels, although we do not believe that her death eight month later was a result of that beating, yet because he had her punished in this way contrary to the rule of his vocation, suspend him from celebration of Mass for two months. Thus, at least this disgrace may teach him how he might behave for the future.
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 264.
Showing posts with label divine judgement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label divine judgement. Show all posts
Thursday, 4 August 2011
Sunday, 2 January 2011
On Holy Ordination
Letter 2,31 - to John, bishop of Squillace, on holy ordination. July 592.
"But we order you never to ordain anyone illegally, and do not permit anyone to take on holy orders who is a bigamist, or one whose wife was not a virgin, or an illiterate person, or one infected in any part of his body, or a penitent, or a person bound to a court or to any other state of servitude.
But if you discover any men of this sort, please do not dare to promote them.
On no account accept Africans indiscriminately, nor unknown strangers, who want to be ordained. For some of the Africans are in fact Manicheans, others re-baptized, and most foreigners in fact, even when established in the minor orders, have often been proved to have had pretensions for higher orders.
We also advise your Fraternity to pay full attentions to the souls entrusted to you, and to turn them more to the profits of the soul than to the comforts of the present life.
Be diligent in conserving and disposing the property of the church, so that the future judge, when he has come to give his judgment, may have approve the fact that you have carried out the office of priest, undertaken by you in a worthy manner."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 212.
"But we order you never to ordain anyone illegally, and do not permit anyone to take on holy orders who is a bigamist, or one whose wife was not a virgin, or an illiterate person, or one infected in any part of his body, or a penitent, or a person bound to a court or to any other state of servitude.
But if you discover any men of this sort, please do not dare to promote them.
On no account accept Africans indiscriminately, nor unknown strangers, who want to be ordained. For some of the Africans are in fact Manicheans, others re-baptized, and most foreigners in fact, even when established in the minor orders, have often been proved to have had pretensions for higher orders.
We also advise your Fraternity to pay full attentions to the souls entrusted to you, and to turn them more to the profits of the soul than to the comforts of the present life.
Be diligent in conserving and disposing the property of the church, so that the future judge, when he has come to give his judgment, may have approve the fact that you have carried out the office of priest, undertaken by you in a worthy manner."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 212.
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Dearest Brethren
Letter 1,75 - to all the bishops of Numidia. August 591.
"You requested from our predecessor of blessed memory that all the customs of previous times should be preserved for you, which he preserved over a long past, from the very first regulations of Saint Peter, the prince of the apostles, right up to now.
And we indeed, in accordance with the sequence of your review, allow any custom to remain unchanged, provided however that it is known to employ nothing contrary to the Catholic faith, whether about the election of primates and the other chapters, except for those which affect the episcopate from the Donatists, whom we prohibit in every way from being promoted to the rank of primate, even though their clergy might raise them to this position.
Rather let it suffice for them just to take care of the common people entrusted to them, but not even to go before those bishops whom the Catholic faith has taught in the bosom of the Church, and has brought forth for the culmination, which is becoming a primate.
You therefore, dearest brethren, anticipate our admonitions with the zeal of your love for the Lord, knowing that a very strict judge is going to be brought down to examine all we are doing, and he will approve of each one of us not for the privilege of a more sublime rank, but for the merits of our deeds."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 188.
"You requested from our predecessor of blessed memory that all the customs of previous times should be preserved for you, which he preserved over a long past, from the very first regulations of Saint Peter, the prince of the apostles, right up to now.
And we indeed, in accordance with the sequence of your review, allow any custom to remain unchanged, provided however that it is known to employ nothing contrary to the Catholic faith, whether about the election of primates and the other chapters, except for those which affect the episcopate from the Donatists, whom we prohibit in every way from being promoted to the rank of primate, even though their clergy might raise them to this position.
Rather let it suffice for them just to take care of the common people entrusted to them, but not even to go before those bishops whom the Catholic faith has taught in the bosom of the Church, and has brought forth for the culmination, which is becoming a primate.
You therefore, dearest brethren, anticipate our admonitions with the zeal of your love for the Lord, knowing that a very strict judge is going to be brought down to examine all we are doing, and he will approve of each one of us not for the privilege of a more sublime rank, but for the merits of our deeds."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 188.
Sunday, 19 September 2010
Prayers, No Bribes
Letter 1,64 - to Felix, bishop of Messina. July 591.
"And for the rest, we are opposed to your being obliged to send anything extra to us. And since we are not pleased by presents, the palm-embroided roes which your Fraternity sent we have received with due thanks, but we have sold them at a good price and have sent the proceeds to your Fraternity as a single payment, so that you cannot suffer any loss therefrom.
But since w have learnt that your Charity wishes to come to us, we warn you with this letter that you should not take on the trials of the journey.
But pray for us, that the more the distance of the journey separates us, the more we are joined together in our minds with mutual love, with Christ's assistance, so that, by helping each other with an exchange of prayers, we may return the office undertaken by us to our coming Judge in a blameless condition."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 181.
"And for the rest, we are opposed to your being obliged to send anything extra to us. And since we are not pleased by presents, the palm-embroided roes which your Fraternity sent we have received with due thanks, but we have sold them at a good price and have sent the proceeds to your Fraternity as a single payment, so that you cannot suffer any loss therefrom.
But since w have learnt that your Charity wishes to come to us, we warn you with this letter that you should not take on the trials of the journey.
But pray for us, that the more the distance of the journey separates us, the more we are joined together in our minds with mutual love, with Christ's assistance, so that, by helping each other with an exchange of prayers, we may return the office undertaken by us to our coming Judge in a blameless condition."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 181.
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Considering Divine Judgement
Letter 1,33 - to Venantius, patrician ex-monk. February 591.
"You know that divine judgement will condemn us for idle talk, and will examine our reason for useless words with great care. Consider therefore what this judgement will do concerning a perverse deed, if it will condemn some in its court for their words.
Ananias had solemnly promised to give money to God, but afterwards he withdrew it,overcome by the persuasion of the Devil. But you know with what death he was punished.
If therefore he who withdrew from God the money he had given deserved the danger of death, consider how great the danger you will deserve before the divine tribunal, you who have withdrawn from almighty God not money, but yourself, after devoting yourself to Him in you monk's habit."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 152.
"You know that divine judgement will condemn us for idle talk, and will examine our reason for useless words with great care. Consider therefore what this judgement will do concerning a perverse deed, if it will condemn some in its court for their words.
Ananias had solemnly promised to give money to God, but afterwards he withdrew it,overcome by the persuasion of the Devil. But you know with what death he was punished.
If therefore he who withdrew from God the money he had given deserved the danger of death, consider how great the danger you will deserve before the divine tribunal, you who have withdrawn from almighty God not money, but yourself, after devoting yourself to Him in you monk's habit."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 152.
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