Letter 4001: Gregory to Constantius, Bishop of Mediolanum (Milan). On receiving the letters of your Fraternity I returned great thanks to Almighty God, that I was counted worthy to be refreshed by the celebration of your ordination. Truly that all, by the gift of God, with one accord concurred in your election, is a fact which your Fraternity ought with the ...
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Gregory to Constantius, Bishop of Milan.
On receiving the news of your ordination, I gave great thanks to Almighty God for counting me worthy to share in this joy. The fact that everyone, by God's grace, united in your election with one voice is something your Fraternity should weigh with the deepest consideration. After God, you owe a great debt to those who, with such willing hearts, chose you to lead them.
It is therefore fitting that you respond to their loyalty with priestly generosity and attend to their needs with genuine compassion. If faults appear in any of them, correct these with measured reproof, so that your righteous indignation as a priest carries with it a note of gentleness. In this way, you will be loved by your people even when you are greatly feared. This approach will also command deep respect, for while frequent and hasty anger is despised, carefully considered indignation against real faults grows more formidable in proportion to its rarity.
Our subdeacon John, now returned, has reported many good things about you. We pray that Almighty God Himself will bring to completion what He has begun — that He may show you to have grown in goodness, both inwardly and outwardly, now among men and hereafter among the angels.
We have also sent you, according to custom, a pallium to be used during the sacred rites of the Mass. But I ask you: when you receive it, honor its dignity and its meaning through humility.
Book IV, Letter 1
To Constantius, Bishop.
Gregory to Constantius, Bishop of Mediolanum (Milan).
On receiving the letters of your Fraternity I returned great thanks to Almighty God, that I was counted worthy to be refreshed by the celebration of your ordination. Truly that all, by the gift of God, with one accord concurred in your election, is a fact which your Fraternity ought with the utmost consideration to estimate, since, after God, you are greatly indebted to those who with so submissive a disposition desired you to be preferred before themselves.
It becomes you, therefore, with priestly benignity to respond to their behaviour, and with kind sympathy to attend to their needs. If perchance there are any faults in any of them, rebuke these with well-considered reproofs, so that your very priestly indignation be mingled with a savour of sweetness, and that so you may be loved by your subjects even when you are greatly feared. Such conduct will also induce great reverence for your person in their judgment; since, as hasty and habitual rage is despised, so discriminate indignation against faults for the most part becomes the formidable in proportion as it has been slow.
Further, John our subdeacon, who has returned, has reported many good things of you as to which we beseech Almighty God Himself to fulfil what He has begun; to the end that He may show you to have advanced in good inwardly and outwardly both now among men and hereafter among the angels.
Moreover, we have sent you, according to custom, a pallium to be used in the sacred solemnities of Mass. But I beg you, when you receive it, to vindicate its dignity and its meaning by humility.
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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/360204001.htm>.
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Gregory to Constantius, Bishop of Milan.
On receiving the news of your ordination, I gave great thanks to Almighty God for counting me worthy to share in this joy. The fact that everyone, by God's grace, united in your election with one voice is something your Fraternity should weigh with the deepest consideration. After God, you owe a great debt to those who, with such willing hearts, chose you to lead them.
It is therefore fitting that you respond to their loyalty with priestly generosity and attend to their needs with genuine compassion. If faults appear in any of them, correct these with measured reproof, so that your righteous indignation as a priest carries with it a note of gentleness. In this way, you will be loved by your people even when you are greatly feared. This approach will also command deep respect, for while frequent and hasty anger is despised, carefully considered indignation against real faults grows more formidable in proportion to its rarity.
Our subdeacon John, now returned, has reported many good things about you. We pray that Almighty God Himself will bring to completion what He has begun — that He may show you to have grown in goodness, both inwardly and outwardly, now among men and hereafter among the angels.
We have also sent you, according to custom, a pallium to be used during the sacred rites of the Mass. But I ask you: when you receive it, honor its dignity and its meaning through humility.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.