Letter 2058: Another letter from Ruricius to the same.

ANOTHER LETTER LIKEWISE FROM RURICIUS TO THE SAME MAN. The day before I received the letter of your Holiness, I had sent my fellow-presbyter to your Fraternity over the same matter about which you have written to me, as you will be able to learn from his own account, because not only our son Eparchius himself, but his brother too, had tearfully begged me through letters that I should come as an intercessor to your Apostleship; and I, compelled both by his confession of fault, and by his plea for pardon, and by the affection of kinship, granted it, since I did not believe that you would write to me on this matter. But since you have deigned, out of that love which exists between us, by God's favor, to consult my lowliness, so that I might indicate to you, by my own letter above all, whether your severity was just, let my lord know that I both approve and commend and vehemently admire your deed, because, while you inflicted pain upon one man who had not despaired, by the warning of the spiritual sword, for the restoring of his salvation, you have conferred health upon many who were ailing. For many in the Church, who cannot be cured by word, are healed by example. It remains that mercy follow upon severity, so that you may receive with the gentleness of a father the one whom you have rebuked with the authority of a bishop, and, calling upon that Gospel example which we ought in all things both to follow and to imitate, who not only mercifully bestowed pardon upon the son who had squandered his father's substance and confessed his crime, but even freely restored to him his former favor, so too we may grieve together with the one who has fallen, may come to the aid of the one who is broken; let us embrace him on his return, let us rejoice over him when he is found. And I am certain that your Apostleship has acted for this very reason, that you might shut out from his mother for a little while the son who was sickening, so that you yourselves might after a short time restore him unharmed, and that you might grieve him for a time, over whom you long to rejoice for eternity.

LVIII. ITEM ALIA RURICII AD IPSUM. Ante diem, quam litteras uestrae sanctitatis acceperim, conpresbyterum meum, sicut ipso referente poteritis agnoscere, ad germanitatem uestram in eadem, qua mihi scripsistis, causa direxeram, ut, quia mihi non solum ipse filius noster 1 noster om. v epistulis scripsi, epfs S, episcopus v Kr . dedi ex dedit S, has desiderat Kr . 2 postolauit S 3 hare S 9 fili S omacius S eparchi S 13 ideoque Luetjohann 14 caus S 15 decet v, dicit S 17 supplicatione (digne)mini quia Mommsenus, supplicatiouem i iniqua S, supplicatione minime . iniqua v, supplicatione non iniqua Qu- xtafsson defessione S stultae S 18 non add . v, om . 8 19 conferre Sl in rasura 24 rurici S 2R ut] et v Eparchius, sed etiam frater suus flebiliter per litteras supplicarant, \'apostolatui uestro precator accederem, qui et confessione culpae et deprecatione ueniae et consanguinitatis affectu conpulsus indulsi, quia uos mihi super hac re scripturos esse non credidi. sed quia humilitatem meam dignati estis pro ea, quae inter nos est deo propitio, caritate consulere, ut uobis, utrum iusta esset uestra districtio, meis potissimum apicibus indicarem, sciat domnus meus, quod ego factum uestrum et probo et conlaudo et uehementer admiror, quia, dum uni indesperato per admonitionem gladii spiritalis pro reddenda salute intulistis dolorem, multis contulistis languentibus sanitatem. Multi etenim in ecclesia, qui curari nequeunt uerbo, sanantur exemplo. superest seueritatem misericordia subsequatur, ut recipiatis lenitate patris, quem corripuistis auctoritate pontificis, et iuxta illum euangelicum inuocantes, quem nos per omnia et sequi et oportet imitari, qui filio paternae substantiae decoctori et facinus confitenti non solum ueniam clementer inpertiit, uerum etiam pristinam gratiam libenter indulsit, et nos condoleamus lapso, subueniamus adtrito; amplectamur reuersum, laetemur inuentum. quod et apostolatum uestrum propterea fecisse certus sum, ut paululum infirmantem filium excluderetis a matre, ut eum ipsi post modicum restitueretis incolumem et eum contristaretis ad tempus, de quo gaudere concupiscitis in aeternum.