THE BIBLE IS JUST A PRELUDE

'...a banquet of delights which is a prelude to that of heaven...'
Gregory the Great in Mariano Magrassi, Praying the Bible, p.65. 

MARRIAGE

'The married should be advised, then, that they not worry themselves so much about what they must endure from their spouse but consider what their spouse must endure on account of them.'

Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule, p.171. 

MARRIAGE

'For those who are bound in marriage should be advised that as they mutually consider what is good for their partner, they should be careful that when they please their spouse, they do not displease their Maker.' 

Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule, p.169. 

PREACHING

'Since it is often the case that when a sermon is delivered in accordance with a high standard, the soul of the speaker is inflated by the hidden joys of self-display, therefore it is necessary that great care be taken so that he might feel the sting of fearful conscience. Otherwise, the one who is able to return others to health will ignore himself and develop the swelling of pride. Let him not abandon himself by helping others or stumble as he enables others to rise. Unfortunately, there are some for whom the greatness of their virtue has become the occasion for their perdition because they were foolishly secure in the confidence of their strength and then died unexpectedly  through negligence. For when virtue resists the vices, the soul is gratified. But in doing so, the mind of the one who does these good things ignores fear and circumspection and instead, rests secure in self-confidence.' 

Gregory the Great, Book of Pastoral Rule, p.209. 

PREACHING

'...every preacher should be "heard" more by his deeds than by his words. Moreover, the footprint of his good living should be that path that others follow rather than the sound of his voice showing them where to go.'

Gregory the Great, Book of the Pastoral Rule, p.206.

GODLINESS

'...the human soul in this world is like a ship sailing against the current of a river - it is never able to stay in one place, because it will slide back to the lowest area, unless it struggles mightily.' 

Gregory the Great, Book of Pastoral Rule, p.197. 

FAILURE TO GET WHAT YOU WANT

'...those who desire the things of the world but are worn out by the labor of adversity should be advised that they wisely consider how great it is that the Creator and Dispenser of all things watches over all those whom he does not release to their own desires. For when a physician despairs for the life of a sick man, he allows him to take anything that he desires. But if it is believed that he might be made well, he is not permitted to have many of the things he desires.' 

Gregory the Great, Book of the Pastoral Rule, p.168. 

FALSE TEACHING

'....the hearts of novices who are growing in their understanding of the Word cut themselves with the sword of error as they make for themselves a reputation as teachers. Therefore, when we  instruct these people not to follow perverse teachings, it is necessary that we first advice them against seeking vainglory. For if the root of pride is cut out, then the branches of false teaching will wither.' 

Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule, p.157. 

HATING GOD'S ENEMIES

'...to hate God's enemies with a perfect hatred is to love what they were made to be but to reprove what they do; in other words, to reprove the actions of the wicked but to remain of assistance to them.' 

Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule, p.152. 

ECONOMIC JUSTICE

'...it is a perfect justice for the one who receives from the common Lord to use it for the common good.' 

Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule, p.146. 

THE HUMBLE & PROUD

'Let the humble hear how the things they strive for are eternal, and the things that they despise are transitory; let the proud hear that the things that they pursue are transitory, and the things that they abandon are eternal.' 

Gregory the Great, Book of Pastoral Rule, p.131. 

IT'S GOOD TO TALK

'...often those who are overtly silent, when they suffer some injustice, develop a greater pain because they do not speak about what they endure. For if their tongues spoke calmly about what they suffered, the pain would fade from consciousness. For wounds that are enclosed are more painful. But where the pain that burns internally is released, the wound is opened for healing. They should know, therefore, that they aggravate the seriousness of their pain by withholding all speech when they become annoyed. They are to be advised, therefore, that if they love their neighbors as themselves, they should not keep silent about the things that justly deserve censure. For by the medicine of the voice, both parties can receive healing: for the one who inflicted the harm, his evil actions are checked, and the one who sustained the pain is relieved by releasing his wound.' 

Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule, p.122. 

THE WISE & THE DULL

'The wise of the world and the dull should be advised differently. For the wise should ignore what they know, and the dull should be encouraged to learn what they do not know. For the former, the first thing to eradicate is the notion that they are intelligent. For the latter, whatever is already known of heavenly wisdom is to be encouraged because, as they do not suffer from pride, their hearts are able to sustain some building.' 

Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule, p.98. 

POVERTY & RICHES

'...consolation is to be offered to those who are tried by the "furnace of poverty," while fear is to be instilled in those who exalt in the consolation of temporal glory. The first are to learn that they possess riches that they do not see, and the latter are to know that they cannot truly possess the riches that they behold.' 

Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule, p.91. 

PEOPLE PLEASING & CHRISTIAN MINISTRY

'It should also be known that good spiritual directors desire to please others, but this is to lead their neighbors by the sweetness of their own character to an affection for the Truth. It is not because they desire to be loved, but instead because they use affection for themselves as a sort of road to introduce the hearts of their audience to the love of the Creator. For it is certainly difficult for a preacher who is not loved, regardless of how well he speaks, to be heard. The one, then, who is set over others should study how to be endearing so that he may be heard, but not so that he can be loved for its own sake.'

Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule, p.76.  

PEOPLE PLEASING & CHRISTIAN MINISTRY

'...it is important that the spiritual director be vigilant that he is not assailed by a desire to please others, or else even though he might carefully penetrate the things of the internal life and provide what is necessary of external concerns, he seeks the love of the laity more than he seeks the Truth; or supported by his good works and appearing to be otherworldly, his love of self separates him from his Creator. For he is the enemy of the Redeemer, who through the good works that he performs desires to be loved by members of the Church rather than by him. For indeed, a servant is guilty of adulterous thoughts if he desires to please the eyes of the bride when he is sent by the groom to offer gifts.' 

Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule, p.74. 

SOCIAL ACTION & PREACHING

'Doctrine does not penetrate the mind of the needy if the hand of compassion does not commend it to the soul. But the seed of the Word grows well, when the kindness of the preacher waters it in the heart of  his audience.' 

Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule, p.72. 

KING SAUL

'...when he was small to himself, he was great to the Lord; but when he thought of himself as great, he became small to the Lord.' 

Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule, p.63.

THE DANGERS OF CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP

'Often...a spiritual director swells with pride by virtue of being placed in a position in a position of authority over others. Because everything serves his needs and his orders are quickly performed according to his wishes and all the laity praise him for the things he does well but have no authority to critique what goes wrong, and because they often praise what really should be rebuked, the mind of the priest is often seduced by the approval of those below him, and as a consequence, he is exalted inordinately. And while he is outwardly encircled with immense favor, internally he loses his sense of truth. Forgetful of who he is, he scatters himself among the voices of others and believes what he hears them say about him rather than what he should discern about himself from within.'

Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule, p.62. 

HUMANKIND

'By nature a human is superior to a brute animal, but not other humans.'
Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule, p.62.