Letter 1002: What my tongue speaks my conscience approves; since even before you had become engaged in the employments of any office of dignity, I have greatly loved and greatly respected you. For the very modesty of your deportment made certain incipient claims on affection even from one who had been resistant. And, when I heard that you had come to adminis...

Gregory to Justinus, Praetor of Sicily. What I say here, I say with a clear conscience: even before you held any office of rank, I had great love and great respect for you. The very modesty of your character made a claim on my affection that I could not resist. When I heard you had been appointed praetor of Sicily, I was genuinely delighted. But since learning that a certain friction has been developing between you and the church clergy, I have been deeply troubled. Now that you are charged with civil administration and I with the governance of the Church, we can and should maintain our personal regard for one another -- so long as neither of us does harm to the communities we serve. I urge you, therefore, by Almighty God, before whose fearsome judgment we must all give account, to keep the fear of Him always before your eyes. Never allow anything to create even the slightest discord between us. Let no prospect of gain lead you into injustice. Let neither threats nor favors from anyone cause you to stray from what is right. Consider how short life is. You who exercise judicial authority -- think carefully about the Judge before whom you yourself must one day stand. We must recognize that all worldly gains we leave behind us here, and that the only thing we carry to judgment from dishonest gains is the case against us. The advantages worth pursuing, then, are those that death cannot take away -- the kind that the end of this present life reveals as lasting forever. Regarding the grain shipment you wrote about: the distinguished Citonatus insists, quite to the contrary, that the amount shipped will only just meet the past indiction quota for replenishing the public granary, and no more. Give this matter your close attention, because if there is any shortfall in what is delivered, it will mean the death not of one person alone, but of the entire populace. As for the management of the Church patrimony in Sicily, I have sent -- under God guidance, I believe -- a man you will find yourself in complete agreement with, provided you are the lover of justice I have found you to be. And as for your wish that I remember you kindly: I can say in all honesty that, unless the ancient enemy manages to introduce some injustice between us, your character is such that I will never be ashamed to call you my friend.

Book I, Letter 2 To Justinus, Prætor of Sicily. Gregory to Justinus, Prætor of Sicily. What my tongue speaks my conscience approves; since even before you had become engaged in the employments of any office of dignity, I have greatly loved and greatly respected you. For the very modesty of your deportment made certain incipient claims on affection even from one who had been resistant. And, when I heard that you had come to administer the prætorship of Sicily, I greatly rejoiced. But, since I have discovered that a certain ill-feeling is creeping in between you and the ecclesiastics, I have been exceedingly distressed. But now that you are occupied with the charge of civil administration, and I with the care of this ecclesiastical government, we can properly love one another in particular so far as we do no harm to the general community. Wherefore I beseech you by Almighty God, before Whose tremendous judgment we must give account of our deeds, that your Glory have always the fear of Him before your eyes, and never allow anything to come in whereby even slight dissension may arise between us. Let no gains draw you aside to injustice; let not either the threats or the favours of any one cause you to deviate from the path of rectitude. See how short life is: think, you that exercise judicial authority, before what judge you must at some time go. It is therefore to be diligently considered that we shall leave all gains behind us here, and that of harmful gains we shall carry with us to the judgment the pleas only that are against us for them. Those advantages, then, are to be sought by us which death may in no wise take away, but which the end of the present life may show to be such as will endure forever. As to what you write concerning the grain, the magnificent Citonatus asserts, very differently, that the amount shipped will meet the past indiction's quota for replenishing the public granary, but no more. Give attention to this matter, since, if what is transmitted be at all defective, it will be the death not of any one single person only, but of the whole people together. Now for the management of the patrimony of Sicily I have sent, as I think under the guidance of God, such a man as you will be in entire accord with, if you are a lover of what is right, as I have found you to be. Moreover, as to your desire that I should remember you kindly, I confess the truth when I say that, unless any injustice should creep in from the snares of the ancient foe, I have learned your Glory's modesty to be such that I shall not blush to be your friend. About this page Source. Translated by James Barmby. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360201002.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.