Letter 6051: Gregory, servant of the servants of God, to the servants of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since it had been better not to have begun what is good than to return back from it when begun, you must, most beloved sons, fulfil the good work which with the help of the Lord you have begun. Let, then, neither the toil of the journey nor the tongues of evil-spe...
Gregory, servant of the servants of God, to the servants of our Lord Jesus Christ going to England.
Since it would have been better not to have begun a good work than to turn back from it once begun, you must, most beloved sons, bring to completion the good work which with the Lord's help you have begun. Let neither the hardship of the journey nor the tongues of those who speak ill deter you; but press on with all urgency and all fervor in what you have undertaken under God's guidance, knowing that great toil is followed by the glory of an eternal reward. In all things humbly obey Augustine your superior, who is returning to you and whom we also appoint as your abbot — knowing that whatever is accomplished in you through his guidance will profit your souls in every way.
May Almighty God protect you with his grace, and grant that I may see the fruit of your labor in the eternal homeland — so that even though I cannot labor alongside you, I may be found together with you in the joy of the reward; for truly I long to labor with you. God keep you safe, most beloved sons.
Given the tenth day before the Kalends of August, in the fourteenth year of the reign of our lord the Emperor Maurice Tiberius, most pious Augustus, the thirteenth year of his consulship, the fourteenth indiction.
Human translation - New Advent (NPNF / ANF series)
Latin / Greek Original
Original text not yet available in this corpus.
This letter still needs a Latin or Greek source-text backfill. The source link, when available, is preserved so the text can be checked and added later.
View sourceRevision history
- 2026-05-27v2.2.34-import
Initial corpus import from New Advent / NPNF.
Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360206051.htm
Related Letters
Our most pious and God-appointed lord, among his other august cares and burdens, watches also in the uprightness of spiritual zeal over the preservation of peace among the priesthood, inasmuch as he piously and truly considers that no one can govern earthly things aright unless he knows how to deal with divine things, and that the peace of the r...
Gregory to John, Bishop of Constantinople. Though consideration of the case moves me, yet charity also impels me to write, since I have written once and again to my most holy brother the lord John, but have received no letter from him. For some one else, a secular person, addressed me under his name; seeing that, if those were really his letters...
Gregory to Anthemius, Subdeacon of Campania. As often as we hear things of our brethren and fellow bishops that show them to be to blame and cause us sadness, necessity compels us in no slight degree to take thought for their amendment. Seeing, then, that it has been reported to us that the bishops of Campania are so negligent that, unmindful of...
I have heard that you were rescued from a maritime danger — that you came very close to death at sea and were delivered.
Gregory to Januarius, Bishop of Caralis (Cagliari). We have ascertained from the report of our fellow bishop Felix and the abbot Cyriacus that in the island of Sardinia priests are oppressed by lay judges, and that your ministers despise your Fraternity; and that, so far as appears, while you aim only at simplicity, discipline is neglected. Wher...