To Theodore, the Emperor’s Physician, on Reading Scripture

Gregory to Theodore, physician to the emperor. I give thanks to Almighty God that distance does not separate the hearts of those who truly love one another. For see, most sweet and glorious son: we are far apart in body, and yet we are present with each other in love. Your deeds bear witness to this, and so do your letters; I found it in you when you were with me, and I recognize it in your glory now that you are away. May this make you both loved by people and worthy forever in the sight of Almighty God. For since love is the mother of the virtues, you bear the fruits of good works for this reason: that you keep in your soul the very root of those fruits. Now as for what you have sent me, at God’s prompting, for ransoming captives, I confess that I received it both with joy and with sorrow. With joy for you, because I see from it that you are preparing a dwelling in the heavenly homeland. But with great sorrow for myself, because on top of my care for the property of the holy apostle Peter, I must now also give an account of the property of my most sweet son, the lord Theodore, and be answerable for having spent it carefully or carelessly. But Almighty God has poured into your mind the tender heart of his own mercy, and has granted you to give anxious thought to what the excellent preacher says of our Savior: “Though he was rich, yet for our sake he became poor.” At the coming of that same Savior, may he show you to be rich in virtues, let you stand free of all fault, and give you heavenly joys for earthly ones, lasting joys for passing ones. [a]

As to what you say you want done for you near the most sacred body of the holy apostle Peter, be sure that even if your tongue were silent, your love would require it to be done. I wish indeed that we were worthy to pray for you, but I have no doubt that I am not worthy. Still, there are many worthy people here who are being ransomed from the enemy by your offering and who serve our Creator faithfully. With regard to them you have done what is written: “Store up alms in the bosom of the poor, and it will pray for you.” [c]

But since the one who presumes more loves more, I have a complaint to make against the most sweet nature of my most glorious son, the lord Theodore. He has received from the holy Trinity the gift of talent, the gift of wealth, the gift of mercy and of love, and yet he is bound up without ceasing in worldly business, is taken up with constant processions, and neglects to read the words of his Redeemer every day. For what is Holy Scripture but a kind of letter from Almighty God to his creature? Surely, if your glory were living somewhere else and received a letter from an earthly emperor, you would not dawdle, you would not rest, you would not give sleep to your eyes until you had learned what the earthly emperor had written. [d] The Emperor of heaven, the Lord of men and angels, has sent you his letters for the good of your life, and yet, glorious son, you neglect to read these letters eagerly. So study them, I beg you, and meditate every day on the words of your Creator. Learn the heart of God in the words of God, so that you may sigh more eagerly for the things that are eternal, and your soul may be kindled with greater longing for the joys of heaven. For a man will have the greater rest here, the less he rests now in the love of his Maker. And so that you may do this, may Almighty God pour into you the Spirit, the Comforter. May he fill your soul with his presence, and in filling it, bring it to calm. [e] As for me, know that I suffer many bitter troubles here, too many to count. But I give thanks to Almighty God that I suffer far less than I deserve.

I commend to your glory my son, your patient, the lord Narses. I know indeed that you regard him as commended to you in every way. But I ask you to do what you are already doing, so that by asking for what I see is being done, I may have a share in your reward. Further, I have received the blessing your excellency sent me with the same love with which it was sent. And in return for your love I have made bold to send you a duck with two small ducklings, so that whenever your eye is drawn to look at it, the memory of me also may come back to you amid the business and bustle of your affairs. [f]