Letter 7025: Gregory to Gregoria, Lady of the Bed-chamber (cubiculariæ) to Augusta. I have received the longed for letters of your Sweetness, in which you have been at pains all through to accuse yourself of a multitude of sins: but I know that you fervently love the Almighty Lord, and I trust in His mercy that the sentence which was pronounced with regard t...

Gregory to Gregoria, Lady of the Bedchamber to the Empress. I have received the welcome letters of your Sweetness, in which you have labored throughout to accuse yourself of a multitude of sins. But I know that you love the Almighty Lord with fervor, and I trust in His mercy that the words spoken about a certain holy woman proceed from the mouth of Truth regarding you as well: "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven her, for she loved much." And how they were forgiven is shown by what follows: that she sat at the Lord's feet and heard the word from His mouth. For, caught up in contemplation, she had transcended the active life that her sister Martha still pursued. She also sought her buried Lord with burning devotion, and stooping over the tomb, found His body gone. But even when the disciples went away, she remained standing before the entrance of the sepulcher, and the one she sought as dead she was counted worthy to see alive -- and to announce His resurrection to the disciples. This came about through the wonderful dispensation of God's loving-kindness: that life should be proclaimed by a woman's mouth, since it was through a woman's mouth that death first entered Paradise. And at another time as well, together with another Mary, she saw the risen Lord and held His feet. Consider, I beg you, what hands held whose feet. That woman who had been a sinner in the city -- those hands once stained with wrongdoing touched the feet of Him who sits at the right hand of the Father above all the angels. Let us estimate, if we can, what the depths of heavenly loving-kindness are: that a woman plunged through sin into the whirlpool's depths should be lifted so high on the wings of love through grace. It is fulfilled, dear daughter -- what was promised to us by the prophetic voice concerning the Lord's coming: that He receives the ungodly and dines with them. He took on sinful flesh to cure sinners, just as a doctor administers bitter medicine to heal the sick. I ask you, then: weigh your own case by this example. Do not despair of yourself because of your sins. Hold firmly to your love of God. For however much a person may have sinned, if they turn to the Lord with their whole heart, they will not be rejected. The Judge who now waits is the same Lord who forgave that woman because she loved much.

Book VII, Letter 25 To Gregoria. Gregory to Gregoria, Lady of the Bed-chamber (cubiculariæ) to Augusta. I have received the longed for letters of your Sweetness, in which you have been at pains all through to accuse yourself of a multitude of sins: but I know that you fervently love the Almighty Lord, and I trust in His mercy that the sentence which was pronounced with regard to a certain holy woman proceeds from the mouth of the Truth with regard to you: Her sins, which are many, are forgiven her, for she loved much Luke 7:47. And how they were forgiven is shown also by what follows afterwards; that she sat at the Lord's feet, and heard the word from His mouth Luke 10:39. For, being rapt in the contemplative, she had transcended the active life, which Martha her sister still pursued (Ib. 40). She also sought earnestly her buried Lord, and, stooping over the sepulchre, found not His body. But, even when the disciples went away, she remained standing before the door of the sepulchre, and whom she sought as dead, Him she was counted worthy to see alive, and announced to the disciples that He had risen again. And this was by the wonderful dispensation of the loving-kindness of God, that life should be announced by a woman's mouth, because by a woman's mouth had been the first taste of death in Paradise. And at another time also, with another Mary, she saw the Lord after His resurrection, and held His feet. Bring before your eyes, I pray you, what hands held whose feet. That woman who had been a sinner in the city, those hands which had been polluted with iniquity, touched the feet of Him who sits at the right hand of the Father above all the angels. Let us estimate, if we can, what those bowels of heavenly loving-kindness are, that a woman who had been plunged through sin into the whirlpool's depth should be thus lifted high on the wing of love through grace. It is fulfilled, sweet daughter, it is fulfilled, what was promised to us by the prophetic voice concerning this time of the holy Church: And in that day the house of David shall be an open fountain for ablution of the sinner and of her that is unclean Zechariah 13:1. For the house of David is an open fountain for ablution to us sinners, because we are washed from the filth of our iniquities by mercy now disclosed through the son of David our Saviour. But as to what your Sweetness has added in your letters, namely that you will continue to be urgent with me till I write that it has been revealed to me that your sins are forgiven, you have demanded a difficult, nay even an unprofitable thing; difficult indeed, because I am unworthy of having a revelation made to me; but unprofitable, because you ought not to become secure about your sins, except when in the last day of your life you shall be able no longer to bewail them. But, until that day comes, you ought, ever suspicious and ever fearful, to be afraid of faults, and wash them with daily tears. Assuredly the apostle Paul had already ascended into the third heaven, had also been caught up into Paradise, and heard secret words which it was not lawful for a man to speak 2 Corinthians 12:2, etc., and yet, still fearful, he said, I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, while preaching to others, I myself should become a castaway 1 Corinthians 9:27. One who is caught up into heaven still fears; and shall one whose conversation is still on earth desire already not to fear? Consider, most sweet daughter, that security is wont to be the mother of carelessness. You ought not, then, in this life to have security, whereby you may be rendered careless. For it is written, Happy is the man that is always afraid Proverbs 28:14. And again it is written, Serve the Lord in fear, and rejoice unto him with trembling Psalm 2:11. In short, then, it must needs be that in the time of this life trembling possess your soul, to the end that it may hereafter rejoice without end through the joy of security. May Almighty God fill your soul with the grace of His Holy Spirit, and, after the tears which you daily shed in prayer, bring you to eternal joys.