37. To a certain heretic

Peter, the humble abbot of the Cluniacs, to a heretic I choose not to name.[1]

Though your bestial foolishness, profound stupidity and complete lack of learning convince that your wandering senses are despised and are not worthy in the least…, nonetheless there are two reasons which impel a soul made nauseas by you to respond to you. One, because I am commanded to care for the infirm of my flock, to firm up the broken, the restore the lost, to comfort the weak; the other reason is because, I fear that the simple lambs in fellowship with you be infected with your pestilence by dwelling together every day…

None takes away my life [anima] from myself, but I lay it down and take it up again, and, now my soul is disturbed and My soul is sad to the point of death and No one has a greater love than this, to lay down his life for his friends, and I lay down my life for my sheep.

[1]Discussed in DIP (Order and Exclusion), 125-7.