To Marinianus, Bishop of Ravenna, on Fasting in His Illness

Gregory to Marinianus, and so on.

Great weakness constrains us, dearest brother; if we were free of it, we would rightly seem to deserve blame. But since, while we are in this fragile body, we cannot go on living without giving way to its weaknesses, we ought not to blush for what necessity lays on us. And so, since all the physicians say that fasting is harmful to those who suffer from bleeding, we urge your fraternity by this present letter to remember what you have been used to enduring from your sickness, and by no means to lay on yourself the labor of fasting. If, however, by the mercy of God, you find yourself so much improved in health as to have enough strength, we allow you to fast once or twice a week. But before all else you must take care not to give way in any manner to irritation, so that the sickness, which is believed to be lighter now and, as it were, held in check, may not come back on you more heavily afterward through being aggravated. [a]