Meditate on the Words of our Creator

Quote from Letter 5,46 to Theodore, the emperor's physician. June 595

(Y)ou have received the gift of intelligence, the gift of wealth and the gift of compassion and charity from the Holy Trinity. Yet while you are incessantly distracted by secular cases and are occupied by continual trials, you fail to read each day the words of our Redeemer. But what is Holy Scripture other than a letter of almighty God to his creation? And certainly if your Glory has been established anywere else, and you were accepting a letter from an earthly emporer, you would not cease, you would not rest, you would not allow any sleep for your eyes, unless you had first acknowledged what your earthly emperor had written to you. The Emperir of Heaven, the Lord of men and angels, sends his own letters to you for the sake of your life, and yet, glorious son, you fail to read those same letters with passion.
Study, I beg you, and each day meditate n the words of your Creator. Learn the heart of God inthe words of God, so that you long more ardently for eternity, so that your mind is inflamed with greater desires for the joys of Heaven.
For your rest will be all the greater then, as now you have no rest from love of your Creator. But for this to be done, may almighty God pour on you his Spirit, the Comforter. May He fill your mind with his presence, and by filling it, may he give you relief.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 372

Angry about the Use of the Title of Universal Bishop

Quote from Letter5,45 to Sabinian, deacon in Constantinopel. 1 June 595

For he has even come to this, that he has sent the Council's acts here, with the chance use of the priest John, in which he called himself the 'universal'  patriarch on almost every line, But I hope in almighty God that our celestial Majesty is destroying that man's hypocrisy.

Yet I am suprised that he was able to deceive your Beloved into allowing his Lordship the emperor to be persuaded to send over his own letter about this case to me, in which he advised me that I should make peace with that bishop. For if the emperor wants to uphold justice, he ought to have advised him to refrain from that proud title, and there would have been peace between us at once.

I suspect, however, tht you did not consider at all how cunninly our afaoresaid brother, John, did this. For he did it so that our Lordship the emperor would be listenend to, and John whould seem to have been confirmed in his vanity, or he would not be listened to by me, and his mind would be irritated against me.

But we follow the path of righteousness, fearing nothing in this case other that the almighty Lord. Therefore, let your Beloved be in no way afraid, and for the sake of truth, despise all of those things that you see elevated in this world with the appearance of Truth, but contrary to it, and trust in the grace of almighty God and in the assistance of Saint Peter (..).

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 371

Sadness And Happiness

Quote from Letter 5,43 to Domitian, metropolitan bishop. 1 June 595

The letters of your beatitude, most charming and one whom I should embrace to the full extent of my heart, I received sadly but reread happily. For who would not grieve in this land, which has been handed over to the swords of the barbarians, and now has almost no one who can live in it, and yet has people dying in it every day? 

But whatever amount of sadness one might feel, who woould not be aroused by your letters to the joy of exaltation? In them with the efficiency of your speech and the talent of your most powerful wisdom, they spoke to the depths of my heart, with the tongue not of the flesh, but of true love. 

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 365

Universal Bishop

Quote from Letter 5,44 to John, bishop of Constantinopel. 1 June 595

For as I speak, I am truly weeping, and from the innermost pain in my heart I reflect (for my sins!) that my brother, has not been able so far to be brought back to humility. 

Yet he was appointed to the rank of bishop for this purpose, that he should bring back the souls of other men to humility. And I regret that my brother, who teaches the true wordt to others himself, does not consent to teaching, even with me beseeching him.

Consider this carefully, I beg you. In this rash presumption, the peace of the whole Church is being disturbed, and you deny the grave of God that pours out for all mankind in common. Of course, you will be able to grow in this grace, but only as far as you decide to get control of yourself. Then you will be made so much the greater, as your restrain yourself from usurping an arrogant and foolish title.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 365

Use Either Hand For Right Hand

Quote from Letter 5,42 to Anastasius, bishop of Antioch. 1 June 595

Now there is no longer any doubt that many blossoms of human souls are springing up in its valleys [i.c. number of converts and 'depth' of christian belief in the patriarchate of Antioch, AS] , and that they are turning into mature fruit through the strams of your tongue. And so, we render unto almighty God with our voices due praise from heart and mouth, from deep within our souls, and we rejoice in your Beatitude, and not only in you, but in all of those who are subject to you.

From your Holiness, so charming and pleasant to me, I have in fact received a letter perspiring, as it were, from your hard work itself. And indeed I know that after those hight points of peacefulness, in which you were touching heavenly secrets with the hand of your heart, it is extremely har dto put up with the world outside. But remember that you rule an apostolic see, and may more quickly moderate your sorrow, since you have become all things to all men. In the book of Kings, as your Holiness knows very well, someone is described 'who use either hand for the right hand'. In this matter I am nor in doubts over my Lord Anastasius, formerly my most charming and pleasant patron.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 363

The Title of Universal Bishop

Quote from Letter 5,41 to Eulogius, bishop of Alexandria, and Anastasius, bishop of Antioch. 1 june 595

My special intention was that we should first of all frequently work on the mind of our oft-mentioned brother over this matter [John, patriarch of Constantinopel; the use of the title universal bishop, AS], which is disturbing the whole fabril of the universal Church due to this new pride. And if het is in no way willing to bend from the rigidity of his arrogance, then what ought to be done should be delt with in greater detail, with the comfort of almighty God.

For as your Holiness, so venerable to me, is well aware, this title of universal bishopwas offered through the holy synod of Chalcedon to the pontiff of the apostolic see, which I serve as directed by God. But none of my predecessors have ever consented to use this most profane title, because of course if one patriarch is called universal, the title is diminished for the rest of the patriarchs. But, Heaven forbid, far be it from a Christian mind to want to seize for oneself the means whereby one might appear to diminish the honor of one's brethren, to even a tiny extent.

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II,  359

The Burden Of Commanding A Church

Quote from Letter 5,40 to Sebastian, bishop of Resini. 1June 595

(..) Boniface has alerted me to the fact that the patriarch Lord anastasius, a most holy man, wanted to send you to one of his cities to be in charge of the church there,, and you were unwilling to give your assent.
I very gladly embraced your good sense and wisdom and praised you highly, and considered you fortunate and myself unfortunate, as I have consented to take on the control of the Church at such a time as this. 
But if perhaps your mind, in deference to your brethren and intent on works of mercy, should ever decide to consent to this request, I ask that you do not place anyone else's love before mine. For there are churches in the island of sicily lacking bishops, and if it pleases you to control a church, with God's authority, you can do so better near the treshold of saint Peter the apostle with his assistance. 
But if, however, it does not please you, may almighty God look after you with his protection and lead you to the rewards of Heaven, wherever you wnat to be.


Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 358.