A letter from Gregory VII, pope (2/16/1074)

Translated letter:

Gregory, bishop servant of the servants of God, to Matilda, his beloved daughter in Christ, greeting and the apostolic blessing. How great are my care and my unceasing devotion to your welfare and that of your kindred, he alone knows who searches the mysteries of the heart and who understands better than I myself. But if you weigh the matter carefully you will, I think, perceive that I ought to take care, by the love I bear you, that you shonld not abandon those [who belong to you] in order that you may devote yourself solely to the salvation of your own soul. For love, as I have often said and shall continue to say, "seeketh not its own." Among the weapons against the prince of this world which, by God's grace, I have supplied to you, the most potent is, as I have suggested, a frequent partaking of the Lord's body, and I am therefore directing you to entrust yourself wholly to the unfailing protection of the Mother of God, reminding you of the teaching of St. Ambrose in regard to the taking of the Lord's body. [Quotations from Ambrose, Gregory I and Chrysostom.] This, then, I have written you, best beloved daughter of St. Peter, that your faith and confidence in receiving the body of the Lord may constantly increase. This treasure and these gifts, and not gold or precious stones, your soul requires of me, in love of your father, the prince of Heaven — though you might receive from other priests gifts more worthy of your deserts. But now concerning the Mother of God, to whom above all I have committed you, do now commit and shall never cease to commit you until, as we hope, we shall meet her face to face, what can I say of her whom earth and heaven cease not to praise, though never as her merits deserve? May you believe beyond all doubt that, as she is higher and better and more holy than all human mothers, so she is more gracious and tender toward every sinner who turns to her. Cease, therefore, every sinful desire and, prostrate before her, pour out your tears from an humble and a contrite heart. You will find her, I surely promise you, more ready than any earthly mother and more lenient in her love for you.1 Dated at Rome. 14th kalends of March, Indiction 12.

Original letter:

Gregorius episcopus servus servorum Dei dilecte in Christo filie Mathildi salutem et apostolicam benedictionem. Quanta sit mihi cura quantaque incessanter de te tuaque salute sollicitudo, ipse solus, qui cordis archana rimatur, intellegit et multo melius me ipso cognoscit. Tu tamen, si pensare non neglegis, ut reor, animadvertis, quia pro tantis tui curam me oportet habere, pro quantis te caritatis studio detinui, ne illos desereres, ut tue solius anime saluti provideres. Caritas enim, ut sepe dixi et dicam sequens celestem tubam, non quae sua sunt querit. Sed quia inter cetera, quae tibi contra principem mundi arma Deo favente contuli, quod potissimum est, ut corpus Dominicum frequenter acciperes, indicavi et, ut certe fiducie matris Domini te omnino committeres, precepi, quid inde beatus Ambrosius, videlicet de sumendo corpore Domini, senserit, his in litteris intimavi. Ait enim in libro quarto de sacramentis inter cetera: "Si mortem Domini annuntiamus, annuntiamus remissionem peccatorum. Si, quotienscunque effunditur sanguis Domini, in remissionem peccatorum funditur, debeo illum semper accipere, ut semper mihi peccata dimittantur. Qui semper pecco, semper debeo habere medicinam." Item ipse Ambrosius in libro quinto de sacramentis: "Si cotidianus est panis, cur post annum illum sumas, quemadmodum Greci in Oriente consuerunt facere? Accipe cotidie, quod cotidie tibi prosit; sic vive, ut cotidie merearis accipere. Qui non meretur cotidie accipere, non meretur post annum accipere, quomodo Iob sanctus pro filiis suis offerebat cotidie sacrificium, ne forte aliquid vel in corde vel in sermone peccassent. Ergo tu audis, quod, quotienscunque offertur sacrificium, mors Domini resurrectio Domini significetur et remissio peccatorum. Et panem istum vite non cotidianum assumis? Qui vulnus habet, medicinam requirit. Vulnus est, quia sub peccato sumus; medicina est celeste et venerabile sacramentum." Item Gregorius papa in libro quarto dialogorum: "Debemus itaque presens seculum, vel quia iam conspicimus defluxisse, tota mente contemnere, cotidiana Deo lacrimarum sacrificia, cotidianas carnis eius et sanguinis hostias immolare. Hec nanque singulariter victima ab eterno interitu animam salvat, que illam nobis mortem unigeniti per mysterium reparat. Qui licet surgens a mortuis iam non moritur et mors ei ultra non dominabitur, tamen in se ipso immortaliter atque incorruptibiliter vivens pro nobis iterum in hoc mysterio sacre oblationis immolatur; eius quippe ibi corpus sumitur, eius caro in populi salute partitur, eius sanguis non iam in manu infidelium, sed in ora fidelium funditur. Hinc ergo pensemus, quale sit pro nobis hoc sacrificium, quod pro absolutione nostra passionem unigeniti filii semper imitatur. Quis enim fidelium habere dubium possit in ipsa immolationis hora ad sacerdotis vocem celos aperiri, in illo Iesu Christi mysterio angelorum choros adesse, summis ima sociari, terram celestibus iungi, unumquid ex visibilibus atque invisibilibus fieri?" Item Iohannes Grisostomus patriarcha ad neophitos: "Videte, quemammodum sponsam sibi Christus coniunxit; videte, quo vos cibo satietatis enutrit. Ipse nobis cibi substantia est atque nutrimentum. Nam sicut mulier affectionis natura cogente genitum alere sui lactis foecunditate festinat, sic et Christus, quos ipse regenerat, suo sanguine semper enutrit." Etenim, ut idem Iohannes scribit ad Theodorum monachum: "Lubricum genus est natura mortalis; cito quidem labitur, sed non sero reparatur, et ut facile cadit, ita et velociter surgit." Debemus, o filia, ad hoc singulare confugere sacramentum, singulare appetere medicamentum. Hec ideo, karissima beati Petri filia, scribere procuravi, ut fides ac fiducia in accipiendo corpus Domini maior tibi accrescat. Talem quidem thesaurum taliaque dona, non aurum, non lapides pretiosos amore patris tui, celorum videlicet principis, a me tua requirit anima, licet ab aliis sacerdotibus longe meliora pro meritis accipere possis. De matre vero Domini, cui te principaliter commisi et committo et nunquam committere, quousque illam videamus, ut cupimus, omittam, quid tibi dicam, quam celum et terra laudare, licet ut meretur nequeant, non cessant? Hoc tamen procul dubio teneas, quia, quanto altior et melior ac sanctior est omni matre, tanto clementior et dulcior circa conversos peccatores et peccatrices. Pone itaque finem in voluntate peccandi et prostrata coram illa ex corde contrito et humiliato lacrimas effunde. Invenies illam, indubitanter promitto, promptiorem carnali matre ac mitiorem in tui dilectione. Data Rome XIIII Kalendas Martii, Indictione XII.

Historical context:

Gregory discourages Matilda from abandoning the world in order to save her soul. The letter says `I kept you from deserting them' (`te . . . detinui, ne illos desereres') without identifying `them,' but it may refer to her husband and her mother. Matilda had apparently asked to have her marriage dissolved so she could take the veil, but Gregory advised her that her work for God in the world was too important. We do not have her thoughts on this, but the letter from Anselm (ep.325 below) suggests that she had recurring thoughts about a religious life. Gregory encourages Matilda to take the Eucharist daily with citations from the fathers [not included in the translation]. He cites Ambrose and Gregory I on the effectiveness of taking Christ's body daily, and John Chrysostom for suggestive female images of Christ's joining the bride to himself and nourishing those he regenerates with his blood `like a woman compelled by affection who hastens to feed her child with the richness of her milk.'

Scholarly notes:

(1) Reprinted with permission of the publisher.

Printed source:

Register Gregors VII, MGH, EpSel, ed. Erich Caspar, ep.1.47; the first four sentences are cited in the chronicle of Hugh, abbot of Flavigny (Hugonis Chronicon), II, MGH SS 8, p.462. Translation from The Correspondence of Pope Gregory VII, pp.23-4(1)

Date:

2/16/1074