Pastoral Rule, Dialogues & Letters 61

GREGORY: I will now relate to you something from a nearby place, which I learned from the account both of the venerable man Maximian the bishop, and of Laurio, whom you know, a veteran monk, who both survive up to now; which Laurio was reared by the most holy man Anastasius in that monastery which is called Suppentonia near the city of Nepi. This Anastasius was constantly joined, both by the nearness of place and by the greatness of character and by zeal for the virtues, to a man of venerable life, Nonnosus, prior of the monastery which is situated on Mount Soracte. Now this same Nonnosus lived under a most harsh Father of his monastery; but he always bore his ways with wonderful even-mindedness.

And so he presided over the brothers in gentleness, just as he frequently softened the Father's wrath by his humility. But because his monastery is situated on the very summit of the mountain, no level ground lay open for the brothers to cultivate even any small garden; but one very tiny plot had spread out on the side of the mountain, which a mass of huge rock, jutting out naturally, occupied. One day, when the venerable man Nonnosus was thinking that this same little spot could have proved suitable at least for growing seasoning-herbs, if the mass of that rock did not hold it, it occurred to his mind that fifty pairs of oxen could not move that same mass.

And when despair of human labor had been reached, he betook himself to divine consolation, and there in the silence of the night gave himself to prayer. And when in the morning the brothers came to that same place, they found that a mass of such great size had withdrawn farther from that spot, and by its withdrawal had given ample room to the brothers. At another time also, when this same venerable man was washing the glass lamps in the oratory, one fell from his hands, which, broken into countless pieces, shattered apart; fearing the most vehement fury of the Father of the monastery, he at once gathered all the fragments of the lamp, and placed them before the altar, and with heavy groaning gave himself to prayer.

And when he had lifted his head from prayer, he found the lamp whole, which in fear he had gathered up in fragments. And so in two miracles he imitated the virtues of two Fathers: in the mass of rock, the deed of Gregory who moved a mountain; but in the repairing of the lamp, the virtue of Donatus, who restored a shattered chalice to its former soundness. PETER: We have, as I see, new miracles from old examples. GREGORY: Do you wish to learn something also in the working of Nonnosus concerning the imitation of Elisha as well? PETER: I do wish it, and eagerly desire it. GREGORY:

One day, when old oil was lacking in the monastery, and the time for gathering olives was now pressing, but no fruit appeared on the olive trees, it seemed good to the Father of the monastery that the brothers should go round about to gather olives and to provide labor for strangers, so that from the wages of their work they might bring back a little oil for the monastery. But the man of the Lord Nonnosus with great humility forbade this to be done, lest the brothers, going out from the monastery while they sought the gains of oil, should suffer the losses of their souls. But because on the monastery's trees a few olives seemed to be present, he commanded them to be gathered, and to be put in the press, and that however little oil might be able to come out, it should be brought to him.

And so it was done, and the brothers brought to Nonnosus, the servant of God, the oil received in a small vessel; which he at once placed before the altar, and when all had gone out, he prayed, and afterwards, summoning the brothers, he commanded them to lift up this oil which they had brought, and by pouring it out sparingly to divide it among all the vessels of the monastery, so that all might appear infused with the blessing of that oil; which vessels, as they were empty, he had at once closed up. But on the next day, all being opened, they were found full. PETER: We daily prove the words of the Truth to be fulfilled, which say: 'My Father works until now, and I work' (John 5:17).