Letter 11060: One who receives with willing mind and embraces in the bosom of his heart words of fatherly admonition declares himself without doubt to be one who would be an amender of faults. On which account the absolute promise of your Excellence assures us sufficiently. For we hold in place of a pledge the words of one who is good for payment.

Gregory to Theodebert, King of the Franks. Someone who receives fatherly counsel with a willing mind and embraces it in his heart shows himself to be a man ready to correct what is wrong. Your Excellency's clear promise assures us on this point -- I take the word of someone who is good for payment as a pledge. I ask your Excellency, adhering to the commands of our God, to give your earnest attention to the convening of a synod. Let every moral failing in priests and the simoniacal heresy [buying church offices] -- which was the first heresy to arise in the Church from wicked ambition -- be condemned and uprooted by the definition of the council, under the force of your royal authority. If gold is loved more than God in your territories, he who now remains patient while his commands are despised will make himself felt in vengeance later. I say all this for your own good, which is why I press you again and again. Even through importunity, I hope to do good to my most excellent and most dear sons. It will be entirely to your kingdom's advantage if what is done there against God is corrected by your Excellency's reform. I have also learned from returning monks how generously your Excellency supported our most reverend brother and fellow bishop Augustine on his way to the nation of the Angli. I give you the greatest thanks and ask that you extend the same generosity to the monks who carry this letter, so that under your protection they may accomplish their journey without difficulty and with the help of Christ -- and you may reap an even richer reward before the eyes of God.

Book XI, Letter 60 To Theodebert, King of the Franks . Gregory to Theodebert, etc. One who receives with willing mind and embraces in the bosom of his heart words of fatherly admonition declares himself without doubt to be one who would be an amender of faults. On which account the absolute promise of your Excellence assures us sufficiently. For we hold in place of a pledge the words of one who is good for payment. Therefore let your Excellency vouchsafe, adhering to the commands of our God, to give zealous attention to the assembling of a synod, that every corporal vice in priests, and simoniacal heresy, which was the first to arise in Churches from iniquitous ambition, may under threat of the censure of your power be removed by the definition of a council, and be cut off by the roots; lest, if gold is loved in your parts more than God, He who now remains tranquil while His precepts are despised be felt hereafter to be wrathful in vengeance. And indeed, because we say all this for your own behoof, we therefore cease not to press you again and again, that we may be able, even by importunity, to do good to our most excellent and most sweet sons. For it will be in all respects of advantage to your kingdom, if what is done in those parts against God be corrected by the emendation of your Excellency. Furthermore, what good service your Excellency did to our most reverend brother and fellow bishop Augustine on his progress to the nation of the Angli we have learned from the report of certain monks who returned to us from him. Rendering you the greatest thanks for this, we beg you to bestow your benefits abundantly on the monks, the bearers of these presents, whom we have sent to our said brother, to the end that, while under your patronage, they find no difficulties in your parts, but accomplish easily with the help of Christ the journey they have undertaken, you may reap your richer fruit of reward before the eyes of our God. About this page Source. Translated by James Barmby. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 13. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1898.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360211060.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.