Letter 3003: Your letter, when it arrived, was like a draught of water in dry weather — not because what you said was...

From: Taurentius (correspondent) To: Ruricius, Bishop of Limoges Date: ~490 AD Context: A Gallic Christian thanks Ruricius for pastoral care and shares news. Taurentius to the most holy Father Ruricius. Your letter, when it arrived, was like a draught of water in dry weather — not because what you said was sentimental, but because it was true, and truth is increasingly hard to come by. The news of the church here is mostly of small things, which is perhaps how it should be. The great dramas — the heresies, the invasions, the collapses of empire — recede into the background; the daily life of a Christian community, with its small victories and small failures and its persistent effort to mean something, goes on. I want to tell you about something that gave me real encouragement last week. One of the young men of this community who had been, for several years, drifting — present at the liturgy but absent in spirit, going through the forms without the substance — came to me and asked for a serious conversation about what the faith actually requires. I do not know what prompted it. Something in your letter that I shared with him, possibly. But the conversation itself was one of those rare occasions when you feel that something real is happening, that a person is genuinely turning toward God rather than simply feeling guilty about turning away from him. I tell you this because you are part of the network of prayer and thought and correspondence that makes such things possible. Your servant, Taurentius

III. DOMINO SANCTO AC BEATISSIMO ET OMNI MIHI CULTU ATQVE HONORE UENERANDO PATRI ET IN CHRISTO DOMINO PATRONO RURICIO EPISCOPO TAURENTIUS. Litterae sanctitatis uestrae me spiritali cibo pastum incitauerunt ad spem futurorum et uerba prophetica claritate 1 benigni v, benigno S inrigastis cf. Rur. ep. II9, ingastis S, intrastis v 2 preciosa S presentiam S 3 possedeam S 7 incrementum v, incremantium S quod S quo-lira. 14 unde] cf. Rur. ep. II9 et 52 8 que S recollatione v 9 dulciscit S 12 quantumcumque v presumere S 13 que S 15 et] ut coni. Momvisenus 16 infelices S, infelicem t, absolutione v, ablutione S 17 redempte S 20 uestre S 21 reuertendam S 22 anni S 28 Turentius n 29 encitauernnt S radiantia ad discutiendas errorum tenebras purissima luce fulserunt. recognosco plenum caritatis affectum et sinceritatem piae castigationis amplector. eloquentiam in uerbis, in exeplis perfectionem, in consilio gratiam, in officio diligentiam, in ueritate constantiam, in admonitione ueritatem, scientiam probatis in dogmate. uos antiquos scripturarum interpretes et diuinorum uoluminum tractatores ueneranda mihi nomina Cyprianum, Augustinum, Hilarium, Ambrosium rettulistis, alios facundiae flore uernantes, alios et in reuelandis occultioribus spiritales, alios mulcendis inperitorum sensibus blandientes, alios in fidei assertione pugnantes. Praeteritae calumniamur aetati, quod uiros illos admiratione dignissimos haec saecula non tulerunt. pro certo doctrinam iuniores ambierant (eorum), qui ante docuerunt. ego autem aetatem meam non de canentium putamine capillorum nec, sicut beatitudo uestra de saeculari auctore mutuata est, de colore barbae albentis agnosco, cum, etiamsi esset error in conputo, senescentis annos de torpore membrorum per morbi incrementa sentirem. sed omni precum humilitate deposco, utpro correctione morum meorum, pro inspirando mihi desiderio paenitendi, pro domini nostri propitiatione in sanctis uestris orationibus supplicetis, ut, qui ad uitandum procliue illius uiae in perniciosa uergentis erectum et cum labore gradiendum iter ostenditis, et ingressum boni operis et piae emendationis obtineatis effectum non in uerbere disciplinae, sed in indulgentiae medicina et misericordiae lenitate. hanc quoque uobis conferte mercedem: debetis enim fenus domino de thesauro, qui 2 recognusoo S 4 offitio S indulgentiam v 5 admunitione S ueritatem] et add. v 6 probatis expungi uult Mommsenus interpretis S Q 7 tractares S 8 agustinum S hylarium S ratuj.Iistis S, sed et illustres v 9 facundie S 11 fide S 12 praeteritae v, preteritate S 14 iuniores scripsi, iunioris S ambirent v eorum addidi, om. S 15 eam v potamine S 16 seculari S 17 barbe S etiamsi] non add. v essem t. error om. t\' 18 num senescentes scribendum ? de torpore Kr., decorpore S, decrepitos r 19 omni scripsi, omnium S 22 supplicitis S 23 uergentes S rectum r 25 ueruere S, feruore t. 27 fgnus S fidei uestrae traditus et a uobis illo commendante susceptus est. adquirite desperantes, arguite neglegentes, deditos somno ignauae securitatis excutite, resides excitate. decet ouem perditam in umeris suis bonum reportare pastorem et munitioribus caulis eas, quibus lupus insidiatur, includere. Sanctum Augustinum, sicut iusseratis, inueni, quem cum filio communi Rustico presbytero esse credebam. operae pretium est, ut admiremini studium meum, quod, quae opuscula contineret, hucusque (qui) nesciui, sane capitulatim iam librum traditurus inspexi. chartaceus liber est et ad ferendum iniuriam parum fortis, quia citius charta, sicut nostis, uetustate consumitur. legite, si iubetis, atque transcribite. et spero, ut, postquam uobis bene cognitus fuerit, ad me, cui est incognitus, remittatur, quia corrigere neglegentiam meam frequentata membranae ipsius lectione dispono. ora pro me.