Quote from Letter 4,24 to Januarius, bishop of Sardina. May 594
As for the cleric Paul, he is said to have been discovered sinning on many occasions and, despising his habit, he has reverted to life as a layman and has fled to Africa. If that is so, once he has first suffered corporeal punishments, we order him to be handed over for penance.
Thus, in accordance with the apostolic sentence, his spirit may be saved through carnal affliction and with a continuous flow of tears he can wash away the earthly disease of sins, which he is said to have contracted through wicked deeds.
But let no religious person be associated with those who have been suspended from ecclesiastical communion, in accordance with the rules of the canons.
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 305
Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Monday, 23 January 2012
Monday, 26 September 2011
Church Discipline
Letter 4,5 - to Boniface, bishop of Reggio. September 593
"We wish you also to show concern for the reputation of the aforesaid clergy of yours, so that nothing evil is heard about them, and nothing that tends to be contrary to Church discipline. for their office ought to reflect their embellishment of it, not the foulness of their actions.
However, we have decreed that what we decided concerning the Sicilian subdeacons, should be observed with regard to yours also. Do not allow that decision of ours to be spoilt by anyone's arrogance or temerity. Thus, as long as you have most strictly obeyed all of our commands, you should not show yourself to be a sinner against our warning (as we also believe). Nor would the order of pastoral rule entrusted to you accuse you in any way, as being guilty of slackness."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 290.
"We wish you also to show concern for the reputation of the aforesaid clergy of yours, so that nothing evil is heard about them, and nothing that tends to be contrary to Church discipline. for their office ought to reflect their embellishment of it, not the foulness of their actions.
However, we have decreed that what we decided concerning the Sicilian subdeacons, should be observed with regard to yours also. Do not allow that decision of ours to be spoilt by anyone's arrogance or temerity. Thus, as long as you have most strictly obeyed all of our commands, you should not show yourself to be a sinner against our warning (as we also believe). Nor would the order of pastoral rule entrusted to you accuse you in any way, as being guilty of slackness."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 290.
Sunday, 31 July 2011
A Matter Of Consciounce
Letter 4,34 - to Andrew, bishop of Tarentum. June 593
"We have found out with manifest truth that you have certainly had a concubine, concerning whom divided suspicions have arisen among some people. But since in ambiguous matters a judgement should not be absolute, we have decided that this should be left for your conscience. And so if you recall being stained by intercourse with her, while appointed to a holy order, you should lay aside your priestly rank and in no way presume to engage in church administration, knowing that your are ministering with danger to your soul, and that you are giving clear account to our God if, while conscious of this sin, you want to remain in the order which you now have by concealing the truth.
Wherefore we encourage you again, if you find that you have been deceived by the cunning of the ancient enemy, be quick to conquer him while you can with sustainable penitence, in case of the day of Judgement your are condemned as his partner, which we do not want. But if in your view you are not guilty of this charge, you must remain in the order in which you are now."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 263.
"We have found out with manifest truth that you have certainly had a concubine, concerning whom divided suspicions have arisen among some people. But since in ambiguous matters a judgement should not be absolute, we have decided that this should be left for your conscience. And so if you recall being stained by intercourse with her, while appointed to a holy order, you should lay aside your priestly rank and in no way presume to engage in church administration, knowing that your are ministering with danger to your soul, and that you are giving clear account to our God if, while conscious of this sin, you want to remain in the order which you now have by concealing the truth.
Wherefore we encourage you again, if you find that you have been deceived by the cunning of the ancient enemy, be quick to conquer him while you can with sustainable penitence, in case of the day of Judgement your are condemned as his partner, which we do not want. But if in your view you are not guilty of this charge, you must remain in the order in which you are now."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 263.
Saturday, 11 June 2011
A Reprimande
Letter 3,25 - to all the inhabitants of Rimini. March 593
"My dearly beloved sons, if you are willing to pay more careful attention to your sin, you should purge yourselves with constant prayers before God, because you took on your bishop not with devoted minds, nor as his sons.
The lack of peace and annoyances that you inflicted on him have brought him to this extreme, an attack of bodily illness. And yet we learnt nothing about him from those letters that were written to us, but we simply saw that he was debilitated, and for that reason we took care to keep him here."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 251.
"My dearly beloved sons, if you are willing to pay more careful attention to your sin, you should purge yourselves with constant prayers before God, because you took on your bishop not with devoted minds, nor as his sons.
The lack of peace and annoyances that you inflicted on him have brought him to this extreme, an attack of bodily illness. And yet we learnt nothing about him from those letters that were written to us, but we simply saw that he was debilitated, and for that reason we took care to keep him here."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 251.
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
No Flock Without a Shepherd
Letter 1,32 - to Romanus, patrician and exarch of italy. February 591.
"It has come to our notice that your excellency has already detained Blandus, the bishop of the city of Ortona, in the city of Ravenna for a long time. And it happens that a church without a bishop, and its people, just like a flock without a shepherd, disperse, and in that place infants die without baptism for the remission of their sins. Again, because we do not believe that your Excellency would have held him, unless for some likely case of aberration, it is necessary that a synod be held and the matter be brought out into the open, if any charge would be brought against him."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 152.
"It has come to our notice that your excellency has already detained Blandus, the bishop of the city of Ortona, in the city of Ravenna for a long time. And it happens that a church without a bishop, and its people, just like a flock without a shepherd, disperse, and in that place infants die without baptism for the remission of their sins. Again, because we do not believe that your Excellency would have held him, unless for some likely case of aberration, it is necessary that a synod be held and the matter be brought out into the open, if any charge would be brought against him."
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 152.
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