Letter 56

From: Ruricius, bishop of Limoges To: Same bishop as previous letter Date: ~506 AD Context: Ruricius explains that the constant stream of petitioners actually serves as a useful pretext for maintaining their correspondence. Another letter from Ruricius to the same bishop. The constant flow of petitioners fills the role of our shared duty of correspondence — so that what we ought to do out of mutual love, we end up doing under the compulsion of others' needs. While we grant what is asked by strangers, we pay what we know we owe to our own love. This exchange of letters, born of necessity, becomes voluntary through grace.

LVI. ITEM ALIA RURICII AD IPSUM EPISCOPUM. Adsiduitas supplicantum supplet in nobis gratiae communis officium, ut hoc, quod facere debeamus per mutuae dilectionis affectum, faciamus per externae necessitatis imperium, dum alienae tribuimus petitioni, quod propriae debere nos cognoscimus caritati, ut haec litterarum necessitudo esset ex uoluntate necessitudinis iocunda, non uero calamitate deplorantis extorta. tamen, quia spontaneam scribendi neglegimus gratiam, saltim praetermittere non debemus ingestam. ideoque per fratrem et conpresbyterum nostrum Maxentium, quem nobis 9] Matth. 24,12. 13] Luc. 12, 49. 5 dependo v, deponendo S 6 offitium S 7 comuni S postolare S 10 peius Kr., peris S, longi temporis coni . v 11 sopitis Luetjohann, sospitis S nobis v. flatiba S 12 amore v 15 et add. Luetjohaim, om. S inluminet] finit add. S 17 rurici S 18 supplicantum Lwtjohawn, supplicatum S, supplicatuum uel supplicantium v in notis 19 offitium S debemus coni. Mommsenus per Kr., super S Mommsetm 20 affectu Mommsenus facimus r 22 necessitudo] quae add. Momtn- senus 23 non uero Gustafsson, nouo S, non ex Kr., non iuuet coni. Mommsemts, noua v 26 conpresbiterum S frater noster epistulis ipsius commendauit, dedi, quibus sospitatione depensa ipsum apostolatui uestro, secundum quod postulauit, insinuo, quia illic notos et amicos habere se dicit, qui eum beatitudini uestrae possint in praesenti plenius intimare, quorum testimonio possit credi, quod assertioni ipsius fortasse non creditur.