Resultados25 letters/passages
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.02
Was it not the case -- as you well know -- that the prelates of this Apostolic See, which by God's providence I now serve, were offered the title of "universal" by the venerable Council of Chalcedon? Yet not one of them ever accepted it or claimed this ill-advised name, lest by seizing the glory of singularity by virtu …
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.02
Guard against the wicked suggestions of evil men. Flee from every instigation to give offense. Offenses must come, to be sure, but woe to the one through whom they come. Because of this abominable title of pride, the Church is torn apart and the hearts of all the brothers are provoked to offense. Has it escaped your me …
gregory_great · c. 596 · score 0.02
Gregory to Mauricius Augustus [Emperor Maurice]. Most pious lord, your thoughtful concern for the unity of the holy Church -- lest any scandal arise from disagreements among bishops -- has repeatedly led you to urge me to receive the representatives of my brother and fellow bishop Cyriacus kindly, and to let them retur …
gregory_great · c. 596 · score 0.02
And Paul the Apostle urges: "Making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3). And again: "Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). This peace you will truly have with us when you turn away from the pride of a prof …
gregory_great · c. 599 · score 0.02
… eror's disposition is favorable -- my deacon, who represented our Church at the imperial court, reports that the Emperor fully supports this. Many good reports of our brother Syagrius have reached us, from your testimony and others', and especially from John the Regionarius [a papal regional officer] on his return to u …
gregory_great · c. 591 · score 0.02
Book II, Letter 30 To Maurilius and Vitalianus [senior military commanders]. Gregory to Maurilius and Vitalianus, Magistri Militum. We have communicated with Your Glory through our son Vitalianus, both by word and by letter, urging you to coordinate with him. On the eleventh day of January, Ariulph [the Lombard Duke of …
gregory_great · c. 596 · score 0.01
I too, unworthy as I am, having come to a place of rule, had at times determined to seek some retreat. But seeing the divine counsels opposed to me, I submitted the neck of my heart to my Maker's yoke — reflecting especially that no hiding place can save the soul without God's grace, as we observe when even saints some …
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.01
Gregory to Eulogius, Bishop of Alexandria, and Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch. When the great preacher says, "As long as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I will honor my ministry," and then says elsewhere, "We became like little children among you," he clearly sets an example for those who follow: we should preserve hu …
gregory_great · c. 601 · score 0.01
Gregory to Ethelbert, King of the English. Almighty God raises good people to the governance of nations so that through them he may bestow the gifts of his loving-kindness on all who are placed under their care. This we have found to be the case with the nation of the English, over which your Glory has been set so that …
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.01
… of that abominable title of pride, and he forbade his archdeacon -- sent to the imperial court according to custom -- from celebrating Mass with you. After Pelagius's death, when I, unworthy as I am, succeeded to the governance of the Church, I addressed your Fraternity through my representatives and through our mutual …
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.01
We must therefore pray earnestly and implore Almighty God with constant supplications to remove this error from that man's soul and to deliver the Church's unity and humility from this plague of pride and disorder. With the Lord's favor we must act together and apply all our powers to prevent the living members of Chri …
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.01
The one who said: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven; I will sit upon the mount of the testament, in the sides of the North; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High." For what are all your brother bishops of the universal Church but stars of …
gregory_great · c. 596 · score 0.01
Furthermore, in your letters I find you seeking with great longing for serenity of mind, and panting for tranquillity of thought free from disturbance. But I do not know how your Fraternity can attain to this. For one who has undertaken the pilotage of a ship must watch all the more as he moves further from shore — for …
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.01
Our Creator descended from the heights of his glory to give honor to the human race, and we -- created from dust -- set our faces toward heaven, pass our tongues over the earth, and feel no shame or fear at being lifted up. Even we, who are corruption, and sons of men who are worms. Let us remember, dearest brother, wh …
gregory_great · c. 590 · score 0.01
Book I, Letter 72 To Peter, Subdeacon [Gregory's delegate in Sicily]. Gregory to Peter. You learned from a previous letter that we wanted our brother bishops in Sicily to assemble here for the feast of the blessed Apostle Peter. However, their legal dispute with the distinguished Justin, the ex-praetor [former governor …
gregory_great · c. 590 · score 0.01
But consider — you hadn't slain those beasts yet. Why were you already expecting to consume them through obedience? The beast you mentioned in your letter refused to be brought down by the sword of your words. You have to feed on what you've actually managed to win over. As for our brothers — I believe things will unfo …
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.01
Far be it -- far be it from any Christian mind -- that anyone should try to seize for himself something that would diminish, even in the slightest degree, the honor of his brothers. Since we ourselves are unwilling to accept this honor even when it is offered, consider how disgraceful it is that someone should try to u …
gregory_great · c. 590 · score 0.01
Book I, Letter 17 To all the Bishops of Italy. Gregory to all. The detestable Authari [king of the Lombards, the Germanic people who had invaded and occupied much of Italy] during this recently completed Easter season forbade the children of Lombards from being baptized in the Catholic faith. For this sin, God struck h …
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.01
All that was foretold has come to pass. The king of pride draws near, and -- terrible to say -- an army of priests is being marshaled for him, since those appointed as leaders in humility have enlisted under the banner of pride. But in this matter, even if I said nothing at all, the power of Him who personally and uniq …
gregory_great · c. 601 · score 0.01
Gregory to Etherius, Bishop of Lyon. The language of your letter, full of venerable gravity, has so engaged my heart that I wish we could exchange words constantly -- so that even in absence, this ongoing conversation might make distance irrelevant. How great is your love for the order of the Church, your respect for d …
gregory_great · c. 594 · score 0.01
I say this with tears and deep grief in my heart, and I attribute it to my own sins that this brother of mine -- appointed to the episcopal rank for the very purpose of leading souls back to humility -- has himself proved incapable of returning to humility, and though he teaches truth to others, refuses to teach it to …
gregory_great · c. 590 · score 0.01
Book I, Letter 18 To Peter the Subdeacon [Gregory's delegate in Sicily]. Gregory to Peter. We have been informed that Marcellus of the church of Baruta, who was assigned penance in the monastery of Saint Adrian in Palermo, is not only lacking food but also suffering from a shortage of clothing. We therefore order you t …
gregory_great · c. 602 · score 0.01
Gregory to all the bishops of the Council of Byzacium [a province in North Africa]. As it is praiseworthy and wise to show proper reverence and honor to superiors, so it is a matter of integrity and the fear of God not to overlook their faults through indulgence -- lest the disease spread from the head to the whole bod …
gregory_great · c. 596 · score 0.01
Take heed therefore, and quickly wipe away the ground of offense from your heart, so that Almighty God may be able to receive the sacrifice of your offering as acceptable. Furthermore, while you have truly and accurately professed the right faith, we find that among those whom you have held to be condemned by the most …
gregory_great · c. 590 · score 0.01
Book I, Letter 6 To Narses, Patrician [a high-ranking nobleman at the imperial court in Constantinople]. Gregory to Narses. By describing the sweetness of contemplation so eloquently, you have reopened wounds I thought I was learning to live with. You remind me of what I've lost inwardly, even as I've risen — …