Letters to Rusticiana, Noble Wife

Letters to St. Gregory the Great (Dvoeslova), addressed to the noble wife Rusticiana, concern her pilgrimage to holy places. In the first letter, the saint urges Rusticiana not to delay her intention, emphasizing the importance of fulfilling the vow, so as not to give way to the machinations of the enemy. In the second letter to St. Gregory encourages Rusticiana to reflect on the transience of earthly life and the approaching Last Judgment, encouraging her to more deeply comprehend her pilgrimage. 1. Having received your letter, honorable wife, I was comforted by learning about your well-being, because I wish that the merciful Lord would protect your life with his protection and manage your affairs. But I was extremely surprised that you postponed your intention to travel to holy places and have not yet fulfilled the promised good deed. When we give lunch in our hearts to do some good deed as a gift to God; then it must be fulfilled immediately, so that the insidious enemy, complaining in the soul, does not prevent the fulfillment of the vow. Therefore, venerable wife, you must resist all the obstacles you encounter and with all your heart desire to put a good intention into action, so that you can live peacefully here on earth and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven in the next century. As for the fact that Nassiv, as you write, tried to dispel the slander against you; but the Most Pious Sovereigns not only did not heed her, but also accepted her with grief: then you must think about whose gift this is; and therefore, place all your trust in the One who does not allow people to harm others as much as they want, and be confident that He, in His mercy, will Himself destroy evil plans (Book 2 Scripture 27). 2. After reading your letter, I was pleased to learn that you traveled to Mount Sinai. Believe me, I would also like to travel with you; but I don’t want to return the way you returned. I can't believe you visited St. places, and saw many Fathers; because if you had seen them, you would not have returned to Constantinople so soon. Because you have not left your love for this city; then I think that you did not pay attention to what you saw with your bodily eyes. But may the Almighty Lord enlighten your mind with His grace, and grant you to think about the impermanence of the temporary; because time is running and now, as I say this, so the Judge is approaching and the hour is coming when we, against our will, will have to leave the world from which we now do not want to part. I ask you to greet from me Annion and Eusevia, with their children. I am so constrained that I have no freedom even at this moment (Book 4 Scripture 46).