The Book of Pastoral Rule Quotes

“No one does more harm in the Church than he who has the title or rank of holiness and acts perversely.”
― Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule

“those who do not speak the words of God with humility must be advised that when they apply medicine to the sick, they must first inspect the poison of their own infection, or else by attempting to heal others, they kill themselves.”
― Pope Gregory I, The Book of Pastoral Rule

“And so there are some, as we have said, enriched with great gifts, who, while they are ardent for the studies of contemplation only, shrink from serving to their neighbour’s benefit by preaching; they love a secret place of quiet, they long for a retreat for speculation. With respect to which conduct, they are, if strictly judged, undoubtedly guilty in proportion to the greatness of the gifts whereby they might have been publicly useful. For with what disposition of mind does one who might be conspicuous in profiting his neighbours prefer his own privacy to the advantage of others, when the Only-begotten of the supreme Father Himself came forth from the bosom of the Father into the midst of us all, that He might profit many?”
― Pope Gregory I, The Book of Pastoral Rule

“Moreover, because the slothful mind is typically brought to its downfall gradually, when we fail to control our speech, we move on to more harsh words. Thus, at first, we are happy to speak of others kindly; afterwards, we begin to pick at the lives of those of whom we speak, and finally our tongues break into open slander against them.”
― Pope Gregory I, The Book of Pastoral Rule

“The spiritual director should not reduce his attention to the internal life because of external occupations, nor should he relinquish his care for external matters because of his anxiety for the internal life.”
― Pope Gregory I, The Book of Pastoral Rule

“He must, therefore, be the model for everyone. He must be devoted entirely to the example of good living. He must be dead to the passions of the flesh and live a spiritual life. He must have no regard for worldly prosperity and never cower in the face of adversity. He must desire the internal life only.”
― Pope Gregory I, The Book of Pastoral Rule

“Necessity demands that one should carefully examine who it is that comes to the position of spiritual authority; and coming solemnly to this point, how he should live; and living well, how he should teach; and teaching rightly, with what kind of self-examination he should learn of his own weakness.”
― Pope Gregory I, The Book of Pastoral Rule

“Pope Gregory believed that successful pastoral leadership required a balance between the contemplation of the isolated ascetic and the action of the well-trained administrator.”
― Pope Gregory I, The Book of Pastoral Rule

“For indeed, we sin greatly if we do not rejoice in the good works of others, and we gain no reward if we do not imitate the things that we love.”
― Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule

“because in truth these who know not the things of the Lord are unknown of the Lord; as Paul attests, who says, But if any man knoweth not, he shall not be known (1 Cor. xiv. 38).”
― Pope Gregory I, The Book of Pastoral Rule

“The shepherds themselves have not known understanding (Isai. lvi. 11); whom again the Lord denounces, saying, And they that handle the law knew Me not (Jer. ii. 8).”
― Pope Gregory I, The Book of Pastoral Rule

“Against such the Lord complains by the prophet, saying, They have reigned, and not by Me; they have been set up as princes, and I knew it not (Hos. viii. 4).”
― Pope Gregory I, The Book of Pastoral Rule

“And let the fear and dread of you be upon all of the animals of the earth.”45 Clearly, fear and dread were prescribed for the animals, but evidently it was forbidden among humans. By nature a human is superior to a brute animal, but not other humans.”
― Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule

“For, indeed, nothing is more fugitive than the heart, which deserts us as often as it slips away through bad thoughts.”
― Gregory the Great, The Book of the Pastoral Rule