Letter 9120: The renown of good deeds being fragrant after the manner of ointment, the odour of your glory has extended from the Western parts as far as here. Besprinkled by the sweetness of which breath of air, I declare that I greatly loved one whom I knew not, and within the bosom of my heart seized you with the hand of love; nor did I love without alread...
Pope Gregory the Great→Claudius in Spain|c. 599 AD|Pope Gregory the Great|Human translated
barbarian invasionmonasticism
Barbarian peoples/invasions; Military conflict; Miracles & relics
Gregory to Claudius in Spain.
The fragrance of good deeds travels like perfume, and the report of your glory has reached us here all the way from the West. Touched by the sweetness of that report, I found myself feeling deep affection for a man I had never met — seizing you, as it were, with the hand of love within my heart. Nor was this love uninformed: I already knew your good qualities by reputation. Of one who is known to me by the strength of feeling he inspires but remains unseen in person, I can truly say I know the man, even if I do not know his face.
Here is a powerful testimony to your reputation: Your Glory is said to stand faithfully at the side of the excellent king of the Goths. Since good men always displease the wicked, the fact that you have pleased a good king proves that you yourself are good.
Greeting you, then, with the respect that is due to you, I encourage you to continue on the path you have begun, so that the true saying of Solomon may be fulfilled in you: "The path of the just is as a shining light, and grows unto the perfect day" (Proverbs 4:18). For now that the light of truth shines upon us and the sweetness of the heavenly kingdom opens itself to our minds, it is indeed already day — but not yet the perfect day. The perfect day will come only when no night of sin remains in our souls. Grow, then, toward that perfect day. Until the heavenly country appears, let there be a steadily increasing harvest of good works here, so that in the judgment to come the fruit of your reward may be all the greater for the earnestness of your labor now.
To this end, we commend to Your Glory our most beloved son Cyriacus, the father of our monastery, asking that after he has accomplished what has been entrusted to him, nothing delay his return. May Almighty God guide your actions by His grace and bring you to the heavenly rewards.
Book IX, Letter 120
To Claudius in Spain .
Gregory to Claudius, etc.
The renown of good deeds being fragrant after the manner of ointment, the odour of your glory has extended from the Western parts as far as here. Besprinkled by the sweetness of which breath of air, I declare that I greatly loved one whom I knew not, and within the bosom of my heart seized you with the hand of love; nor did I love without already knowing him to be one whose good qualities I had learned. For of him who is known to me by great intenseness of feeling, but remains unknown by bodily vision, I undoubtedly can say truly that I know his person, though I know not his home. Now herein is a great assertion of your good repute, that your Glory is said to cleave sedulously to the excellent king of the Goths; since, while good men always displease bad ones, it is certain that you are good, who have pleased one that is good. For this reason, addressing you with the greeting that is due to you, I hope that you are being exercised in these things which you have begun, so that that true sentence of Solomon may be fulfilled in you — The path of the just is as a shining light, and grows unto the perfect day Proverbs 4:18. For, now that the light of truth shines upon us, and the sweetness of the heavenly kingdom discloses itself to our minds, it is indeed already day, but not yet perfect day. But it will then be perfect day, when there shall be no longer anything of the night of sin in our souls. But do you grow unto the perfect day, that, until such time as the heavenly country shall appear, there may be spreading increase of good works here; to the end that in the retribution hereafter the fruit of reward may be by so much the greater as earnestness in labour has been increasing now. Wherefore we commend to your Glory our most beloved son Cyriacus, the Father of our monastery, that, after he has accomplished what has been enjoined him, there be no hindrance to delay his return. May Almighty God guard you by the protection of His heavenly arm, and grant unto you to be glorious both now among men and after long courses of years among the angels.
◆
Gregory to Claudius in Spain.
The fragrance of good deeds travels like perfume, and the report of your glory has reached us here all the way from the West. Touched by the sweetness of that report, I found myself feeling deep affection for a man I had never met — seizing you, as it were, with the hand of love within my heart. Nor was this love uninformed: I already knew your good qualities by reputation. Of one who is known to me by the strength of feeling he inspires but remains unseen in person, I can truly say I know the man, even if I do not know his face.
Here is a powerful testimony to your reputation: Your Glory is said to stand faithfully at the side of the excellent king of the Goths. Since good men always displease the wicked, the fact that you have pleased a good king proves that you yourself are good.
Greeting you, then, with the respect that is due to you, I encourage you to continue on the path you have begun, so that the true saying of Solomon may be fulfilled in you: "The path of the just is as a shining light, and grows unto the perfect day" (Proverbs 4:18). For now that the light of truth shines upon us and the sweetness of the heavenly kingdom opens itself to our minds, it is indeed already day — but not yet the perfect day. The perfect day will come only when no night of sin remains in our souls. Grow, then, toward that perfect day. Until the heavenly country appears, let there be a steadily increasing harvest of good works here, so that in the judgment to come the fruit of your reward may be all the greater for the earnestness of your labor now.
To this end, we commend to Your Glory our most beloved son Cyriacus, the father of our monastery, asking that after he has accomplished what has been entrusted to him, nothing delay his return. May Almighty God guide your actions by His grace and bring you to the heavenly rewards.
Human translation — New Advent (NPNF / ANF series)