Letter 11057: There being in brotherly love one heart and one soul, as the mind rejoices in the prosperity of another, so is it afflicted in his adversity, since in both it is bound to be partaker by the law of charity. And so the greater sorrow had come upon us for your sadness, lest perchance the affliction of a prolonged grief might batter your heart with ...

Gregory to Aregius, Bishop of Vapincum [Gap, in Gaul]. In brotherly love there is one heart and one soul -- we rejoice in another's prosperity and suffer in their adversity, because charity binds us to share in both. So the greater was my sorrow for your grief, fearing that prolonged affliction might batter your heart with unrelenting pain. But having received the letters of your Charity, I have found the comfort I hoped for, and I give thanks to Almighty God that your equanimity remains intact and your mind has been restored to peace. I expected nothing less from you -- that with priestly patience you would overcome whatever adversity came your way. I also recall how your Fraternity's zeal burned in the past against simoniacal heresy [buying and selling of church offices]. I urge you to stay focused on this. Among the other matters I have written about, see to it that simony is condemned by the strict definition of a council. If your diligence fulfills our desire in this, you will offer Almighty God a most acceptable sacrifice in the correction of vice, and will show others how brightly the care of pastoral office shines in you. My experience of your life, which I know to be far superior to that of many, gives me confidence that you will be of great assistance in this effort. Finish what you have begun under God's guidance, so that the good work started in you may be brought to completion by God the Creator of all. I also ask your Fraternity to show your customary charity to the monks I am sending to our most reverend brother and fellow bishop Augustine [of Canterbury]. Help them along their way to Britain.

Book XI, Letter 57 To Aregius, Bishop of Vapincum . Gregory to Aregius, Bishop of Gaul. There being in brotherly love one heart and one soul, as the mind rejoices in the prosperity of another, so is it afflicted in his adversity, since in both it is bound to be partaker by the law of charity. And so the greater sorrow had come upon us for your sadness, lest perchance the affliction of a prolonged grief might batter your heart with continual pain, and burden your life with groans. But, having received the letters of your Charity, we have been consoled with the joy we hoped for, and we give thanks to Almighty God, for that we now know that your equanimity is unimpaired, and that your mind has been restored to comfort. Nor indeed was it otherwise to be expected of you than that you would undoubtedly overcome with priestly patience whatever adversity there might be. Further, we well recollect how the zeal of your Fraternity flamed up of old in uprooting simoniacal heresy. Wherefore we exhort that you give your earnest attention to this, and that, among other things that we wrote of, it be condemned by the strict definition of a council; that so, the bent of our desire being fulfilled by the help of your solicitude, you may both offer to Almighty God a most acceptable oblation in the correction of vices, and also show, for the edification of others, how the care of the pastoral office shines forth in you. Moreover our experience of your life, which we have known to be much superior to that of many, moves us to presume on great assistance from you in this matter. And so complete ye your kindness as under God you have begun, that the good which with a right aim has been begun in you may, by the help of God the Creator of all, be brought to completion. Furthermore, let your Fraternity bestow your accustomed charity on the monks whom we have sent to our most reverend brother and fellow bishop Augustine; and so endeavour to succour them for proceeding on their way, as well personally as through others as you can, that, while through your provision they have no difficulties or delays in your parts, both we may feel that our confidence in you was not in vain, and Almighty God may give you the recompense of His grace for the conversion of the souls on whose behalf they have been sent. 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/360211057.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.