To Cyriacus, Bishop of Constantinople, on Taking Up the Pastor’s Burden

Gregory to Cyriacus, bishop of Constantinople. We have received with fitting love our common sons, George the presbyter and Theodore your deacon. And we rejoice that you have passed from the care of the church’s business to the government of souls, since, in the words of the Truth, “He who is faithful in a little will be faithful also in much.” And to the servant who manages well it is said, “Because you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.” And to him it is at once said further, concerning the eternal reward, “Enter into the joy of your Lord.” Now you say in your letter that you had greatly wished for rest. But in this you show that you have rightly taken up a pastor’s responsibility. For just as a place of rule should be denied to those who covet it, so it should be offered to those who flee from it. “And no one takes this honor on himself, but he who is called by God, as Aaron was.” And again the same excellent preacher says, “If one died for all, then all died; and Christ died for all. It remains that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again.” And to the shepherd of holy church it is said, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? Feed my sheep.” From these words it appears that if one who is able refuses to feed the sheep of Almighty God, he shows that he does not love the chief Shepherd. For if the only Son of the Father, to accomplish the good of all, came forth from the Father’s hiddenness into our midst, what shall we say if we prefer our own hiddenness to the good of our neighbors? So rest is to be desired by us with all our heart; and yet for the benefit of many it should sometimes be laid aside. For just as we ought to flee from busy affairs with all our desire, so, if there should be a lack of someone to preach, we must put a willing shoulder under the burden of those affairs. We are taught this by the conduct of two prophets, one of whom tried to avoid the office of preaching, while the other desired it. For Jeremiah answered the Lord who sent him, saying, “Ah, Lord God, I cannot speak, for I am a child.” And when Almighty God was looking for someone to preach, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah offered himself of his own accord, saying, “Here I am; send me.” See: different voices came outwardly from the two, but they flowed from the same fountain of love. [a]

For there are indeed two commands of love: the love of God and the love of one’s neighbor. That is why Isaiah, wishing to benefit his neighbors by an active life, desires the office of preaching; but Jeremiah, longing to cling constantly to the love of his Maker by a life of contemplation, protests against being sent to preach. So what the one desired, and was right to desire, the other shrank from, and was right to shrink from: the second for fear that by speaking he would lose the gains of silent contemplation; the first for fear that by keeping silent he would suffer the loss of diligent work. But this is to be carefully noticed in both: the one who refused did not resist to the end, and the one who wished to be sent first saw himself cleansed by a coal from the altar. And so no one who has not been cleansed should dare to approach sacred ministries, and no one whom heavenly grace chooses should proudly refuse under a show of humility. [c]

Moreover, I find you in your letters seeking with great longing for peace of mind, and yearning for calm of thought free from disturbance. But I do not know how your fraternity can attain this. For one who has taken on the steering of a ship must keep watch all the more the farther he goes from shore. Sometimes he must foresee the coming storms from signs. Sometimes, when they come, he must ride over them on a straight course if they are small, or, if they swell violently, avoid them by steering to the side as they rush on. And often he must keep watch alone, when all who have no charge of the ship are at rest. How, besides, can you have calm of thought, having taken up the burden of a pastor’s charge, seeing that it is written, “See, giants groan under the waters”? For in the words of John, “The waters are peoples.” And the giants groaning under the waters means this: whoever in this world has grown in rank and power, as though in a kind of massive size of body, feels the load of greater trouble all the more because he has taken on himself the care of ruling peoples. But if the power of the Holy Spirit breathes on the troubled mind, at once what was done bodily for the people of Israel takes place in us spiritually. For it is written, “But the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea.” And through the prophet the Lord promises, saying, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and the rivers will not overflow you.” For the rivers overflow those whom the busy affairs of this world throw into confusion with disturbance of mind. But one who is held up in mind by the grace of the Holy Spirit passes through the waters and yet is not overflowed by the rivers, because in the midst of crowds of peoples he goes on his way in such a manner as not to sink the head of his mind beneath the busy affairs of the world. [d]

I too, who have come to a place of rule unworthy as I am, had at times resolved to look for some place of retreat. But seeing that the counsels of God were against me, I bowed the neck of my heart to my Maker’s yoke. I reflected especially on this: that no hiding places whatever can save the soul without the grace of God. And we see this sometimes when even saints go astray. For Lot was righteous in the depraved city itself, and sinned on the mountain. But why speak of these examples, when we know of greater ones? For what is more delightful than Paradise? What is safer than heaven? And yet man, out of Paradise, and the angel, from heaven, fell by sinning. So it is his power we should seek and his grace we should implore, for without him we are nowhere without fault, and with him we are nowhere without righteousness. We should take care, then, that disturbance of thought does not get the better of our minds; for it can by no means be got rid of entirely. Whoever is in a place of rule must sometimes think even of earthly things, and must also take care of outward matters, so that the flock entrusted to him may be able to live and do what it has to do. But we must see to it most carefully that this same care does not go beyond its proper measure, and that once it has been lawfully admitted into the heart, it is not allowed to become excessive. That is why it is rightly said through Ezekiel, “Let the priests not shave their heads, nor let their locks grow long; but let them keep their heads trimmed short.” For what do the hairs on the head signify but the thoughts in the mind? Rising above the brain without our sensing it, they stand for the cares of the present life. Because our perception is careless, and these cares sometimes come on us insistently, they advance, as it were, without our feeling them. Since, then, all who are set over others ought indeed to have outward concerns, and yet not give themselves over to them too much, the priests are rightly forbidden either to shave the head or to let their locks grow long. In this way they may neither cut off from themselves entirely their thoughts about bodily needs, for the sake of the life of those under them, nor again let those thoughts grow too much. And it is also well said there, “Let them keep their heads trimmed short,” meaning that the concerns of a temporal charge should go as far as is needed, and yet should soon be cut short, so that they do not grow to an excessive length. So while, on the one hand, the life of the body is protected by the outward provision that is managed, and, on the other, the heart’s attention is not hindered by that provision being excessive, the hairs on the priest’s head are kept long enough to cover the skin and cut short enough not to veil the eyes. [e]

Further, we have received with full trust the letters you addressed to us, and we give thanks to Almighty God. By the shared confession of the faithful he guards from every tear of error the seamless coat, woven from the top throughout, that is to say his church, in the unity of grace. And against the flood, so to speak, of the many sins of this perishing world, he builds an ark of many planks, in which the chosen of Almighty God may be kept safe for life. For when we in turn send you the confession of our faith, and you show your love toward us, what are we doing in holy church but smearing the ark with pitch, so that no wave of error may get in and kill all the spiritual, as being the men, and the fleshly, as being the beasts? [g]

But now that you have wisely professed a right faith, it remains, no doubt, that you should guard all the more carefully the peace of hearts, because of what the Truth says: “Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.” And Paul the apostle urges, saying, “Being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” And again he says, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see God.” You will truly have this peace with us only if you turn away from the pride of a profane name, as the same teacher of the Gentiles says: “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding profane novelties of words.” For it is indeed too bad if those who have been made preachers of humility should glory in the self-exaltation of an empty name, when the true preacher says, “But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” So he is truly glorious who glories not in temporal power but, for the name of Christ, glories in his suffering. In this, then, we embrace you from the bottom of our heart, and in this we recognize you as priests: if you reject the vanity of words and fill the place of holiness with holy humility. For see, we have been offended by this impious title, and we keep in our mind, and express in words, complaints that are by no means slight. But your fraternity knows what the Truth says: “If you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” Here we must consider that, while every fault is done away by the offering of sacrifice, so great is the evil of the offense caused in another’s heart that the Lord does not accept, from one who has sinned in this way, even the sacrifice which usually does away with sin. So take care quickly to wipe the cause of offense from your heart, so that Almighty God may be able to look on the sacrifice of your offering as acceptable. [h]

Further, while you have professed the right faith truly and exactly, we find that among those whom you have held to be condemned by the most holy general synods you have condemned a certain Eudoxius. We have not found his name mentioned in the Latin language, either in the synods or in the books of the bishops of blessed memory Epiphanius, Augustine, or Philaster, whom we know to have been the chief disputants against heretics. Now if any one of the catholic Fathers really condemns him, we follow their judgment without any doubt. If, however, in your synodical letter you wished to condemn by name also those who are condemned in the writings of the Fathers apart from the holy synods, your fraternity has named too few by many. But if you meant those whom the general synods reject, then you have named too many by this one. But in the midst of all these things we must remember that, so that we may be free to profess the true faith and to arrange in peace and harmony whatever has to be done, we ought to pray without ceasing for the life of our most serene lords and of their children: that Almighty God may put barbarous nations under their feet and grant them long and happy lives, so that through a Christian empire the faith that is in Christ may reign. [i]