Letter 3011: Were it not for the constant obstacles that sins throw in the way of our shared hopes, I would have obeyed the...

From: Avitus, bishop of Vienne To: Viventiolus, bishop Date: ~502 AD Context: Avitus explains why he cannot attend a feast, caught between the arrival of secular authorities and his obligations to fellow bishops. Bishop Avitus to Bishop Viventiolus. Were it not for the constant obstacles that sins throw in the way of our shared hopes, I would have obeyed the summons of our customary fellowship with my usual willing service. For it would have been doubly advantageous to attend both the feast and your company — so you can see that my absence is a loss to me alone, since I cannot carry out your instruction. The expected arrival of the secular authorities keeps us on edge from moment to moment. If I am not present when they come, those who are accustomed to finding fault with us over even the smallest things will have no trouble finding something to criticize here.

Avitus episcopus Viventiolo episcopo. Nisi frequenter vota communia peccatorum impedirentur obiectu, iussioni consuetu- dinariae caritatis solito volueram parere servitio. Nam cum festivitati vobisque occur- rere duplicis compendii res fuisset, videtis ad mei solius pertinere dispendium, quod nequeo implere praeceptum. Ita namque apud nos per momenta singula potestatum speratur adventus, ut, nisi illis venientibus praesens esse curavero, ab eis, qui solent in nobis etiam leviora culpare, quamlibet simplex abscessus meus non solum negle- gentiae, sed etiam contumaciae deputetur. Quapropter communi necessitate perspecta impossibilitati meae clementer ignoscite et ut desideriis nostris si non iugiter, vel in- terdum satisfacere possimus, orate. Viventiolus episcopus Avito episcopo. Ad similitudinem divinae benignitatis deliberatio vestra cultorum suorum petitio- nibus temperetur, ut in sollemnitate sancti Iusti plebeculam suam apostolatus vestri visitatio benedicat.