Letter 9005: We have received the letter of your Greatness, in which you speak of having incurred our displeasure, and of your wish to be in favour with us through direct satisfaction. And indeed we have heard such things of your Greatness as ought never to have been committed by a faithful man. For all assert that you are the author of all that great mischi...

Gregory to Marcellus, proconsul of Dalmatia. I have received the letter of your Greatness, in which you speak of having incurred my displeasure and of your wish to regain my favor through direct satisfaction. I have indeed heard things about your Greatness that a faithful man should never have committed. Everyone asserts that you are the author of all the great trouble in the case of Maximus: that the plundering of that church, the ruin of so many souls, and the audacity of that unprecedented presumption all originated with you. As for your seeking my favor: it is fitting that with your whole heart and soul, and with tears, as befits you, you should make satisfaction to our Redeemer for these things. Unless satisfaction is made to Him, what real good can my forgiveness or favor do you? But as long as I observe you still entangled in the ruinous schemes of pretenders and in the defense of those who have gone astray, I cannot see what kind of satisfaction you are offering either to God or to men. Your Greatness may know that you genuinely and openly satisfy God and men when you bring what is crooked back to what is right and what is arrogant back to the discipline of humility. If this is done, you may be confident that you will have favor with both God and men.

Book IX, Letter 5 To Marcellus, Pro-Consul of Dalmatia . Gregory to Marcellus, etc. We have received the letter of your Greatness, in which you speak of having incurred our displeasure, and of your wish to be in favour with us through direct satisfaction. And indeed we have heard such things of your Greatness as ought never to have been committed by a faithful man. For all assert that you are the author of all that great mischief in the case of Maximus, and that the spoiling of that Church, and the perdition of so many souls, and the audacity of that unheard-of presumption, had their beginning through you. And indeed, with regard to your seeking to be in favour with us, it is fitting that with your whole heart and soul, and with tears, as becomes you, you should satisfy our Redeemer for such things as these: for, unless satisfaction is made to Him, what certain good can our forgiveness or favour do you? But while we observe you to be still implicated in the ruinous conduct of pretenders, or in the advocacy of those who have gone astray, we see not of what sort your satisfaction is either to God or men. For then your Greatness may know that you openly and evidently satisfy God and men, when you bring back both what is devious to rectitude and what is presumptuous to the rule of humility. If this is done, you may know that you will thus be in favour both with God and men. 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/360209005.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.