Praise And Fragrance

Τοιοῦτον δὲ προσαγαγὼν τῷ στόματί τε καὶ τῇ γλώσσῃ τῆς νύμφης τὸν ἔπαινον πάλιν πρὸς τὰ μείζω τῶν ἐγκωμίων μετέρχεται λέγων ὅτι Ὀσμὴ ἱματίων σου ὡς ὀσμὴ λιβάνου. Ὁ δὲ λόγος οὗτος φιλοσοφία τίς ἐστιν εἰς ὅτι βλέπει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὁ κατ’ ἀρετὴν βίος ὑποδεικνύων· πέρας γὰρ τῆς ἐναρέτου ζωῆς ἡ πρὸς τὸ θεῖόν ἐστιν ὁμοίωσις· καὶ τούτου χάριν ἥ τε τῆς ψυχῆς καθαρότης καὶ τὸ πάσης ἐμπαθοῦς διαθέσεως ἀνεπίμικτον δι’ ἐπιμελείας κατορθοῦται τοῖς ἐναρέτοις, ὥστε τινὰ χαρακτῆρα τῆς ὑπερκειμένης φύσεως διὰ τῆς ἀστειοτέρας ζωῆς καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν οὐ μονοειδής τίς ἐστιν οὐδὲ μονότροπος ἡ κατ’ ἀρετὴν πολιτεία, ἀλλ’ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν ὑφασμάτων κατασκευῆς διὰ πολλῶν νημάτων, τῶν μὲν ἐπ’ εὐθείας ἀνατεταμένων τῶν δὲ κατὰ τὸ πλάγιον διῃρμένων, ἡ ὑφαντικὴ τέχνη τὴν ἐσθῆτα ποιεῖ, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐναρέτου ζωῆς πολλὰ χρὴ συνδραμεῖν, δι’ ὧν ὁ ἀστεῖος ἐξυφαίνεται βίος, καθὼς ἀπαριθμεῖται τὰ τοιαῦτα νήματα ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος, δι’ ὧν ἡ τῶν καθαρῶν ἔργων ἱστουργία συνίσταται, ἀγάπην λέγων καὶ χαρὰν καὶ εἰρήνην, μακροθυμίαν τε καὶ χρηστότητα καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα, οἷς κατακοσμεῖται ὁ ἐκ τοῦ φθαρτοῦ τε καὶ γηΐνου βίου τὴν οὐράνιον ἀφθαρσίαν μετενδυόμενος, τούτου χάριν ἀποδέχεται τὸν ἐν τῇ ἐσθῆτι κόσμον τῆς νύμφης ὡς τῷ λιβάνῳ κατὰ τὴν ὀσμὴν ὁμοιούμενον. Kαίτοι γε πρὸ τούτου πάντων εἶπε τῶν ἀρωμάτων προέχειν τὴν τοῦ μύρου τῆς νύμφης εὐωδίαν, ὡς δοκεῖν ἐν τούτῳ καθαίρεσιν εἶναι τῶν ἐγκωμίων, εἴπερ ἡ παντὸς ἀρώματος ὑπερτεθεῖσα νῦν πρὸς ἓν τῶν ἀρωμάτων ὁμοιοῦται διὰ συγκρίσεως, οὕτως εἰπόντος τοῦ λόγου ὅτι κατὰ τὴν ὀσμὴν τοῦ λιβάνου ἡ τῶν ἱματίων σού ἐστιν εὐωδία. Ἀλλ’ ἐπειδὴ ἰδιαζόντως κατά τινα λόγον εἰς τὴν τοῦ θείου τιμὴν ἀποτεταγμένον ἦν τὸ τοῦ λιβάνου θυμίαμα, τούτου χάριν ἡ ὑπὲρ πάντα τὰ ἀρώματα εἶναι κριθεῖσα ἀξιοῦται τῆς πρὸς τὸ ἓν ἄρωμα ὁμοιώσεως τὸ τῷ θεῷ ἀνακείμενον, ὡς τὸ νόημα τοῦ αἰνίγματος τοιοῦτον εἶναι ὅτι· σοί, ὦ νύμφη, τῶν ἀρετῶν ἡ περιβολὴ τὴν θείαν μιμεῖται μακαριότητα διὰ καθαρότητός τε καὶ ἀπαθείας τῇ ἀπροσίτῳ φύσει ὁμοιουμένη· τοιαύτη γάρ, φησίν, ἡ τῶν σῶν ἱματίων ὀσμή, ὡς πρὸς τὸν λίβανον ἐμφερῶς ἔχειν τὸν ἀνακείμενον εἰς τὴν τοῦ θείου τιμήν. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Ἐξηγησις Του Αἰσματος Των Ἀσμάτων, Ὁμιλία θʹ Source: Migne PG 44.960d-961c

Having acclaimed the mouth and the tongue of the bride in this manner, He again passes on to a higher order of praise, saying, 'The fragrance of your garments is as the fragrance of frankincense.' 1 This statement is something philosophical, since it indicates to men what the life according virtue should be, for the limit that the virtuous life approaches is likeness to the Divine, and for the sake of this both the purity of the soul and its separation from every disposition of passion are carefully achieved in the virtuous, so that they receive a certain impression of the transcendent Nature through the greater nobility of their life. Then since the virtuous life is not uniform and does not have a single style, for as the art of weaving a garment is performed with the use of many threads, some being stretched vertically and others horizontally, thus even in the the virtuous life many things must twine together if a noble life is to be fashioned, so the holy Apostle enumerates such threads, through which pure works are woven together on the loom, speaking of love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and all such things that adorn the one who from a corruptible and earthly life is putting on the garment of heavenly incorruptibility, 2 for which reason the adornment of the Bride’s garment is likened in its fragrance to be like frankincense. Certainly the Bridegroom earlier said that the sweet smell of the Bride's perfume excelled all the spices, and thus it seems that if she who surpassed all spices is now likened to one particular spice, as the Word says with, 'The sweet smell of your clothing conforms to the fragrance of frankincense,' then it appears to nullify his previous tributes, but since for some reason frankincense was set apart for the honour of the Deity, she who was deemed to be above all spices is reckoned worthy of being likened to the particular spice that is dedicated to God, and so the meaning of the mystery is this, 'O bride, your garment of virtues is like the Divine blessedness since its purity and impassibility is like the unapproachable Nature. For,' he says, 'the scent of your garments is such as to possess a resemblance to that frankincense that is dedicated to the honouring of God.' Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Commentary on The Song of Songs, from Homily 9 1 Song 4.11 2 Galat 5.22, 1 Cor 15.53

A Little Perseverence

Οταν δυνηθῇς δύο μῆνας εὐχῇ, καὶ τῇ ἡσυχία προσκαρτερῆσαι, τότε κἂν ὄνυχά πού τινα, ἢ φαντασίαν μικράν τινα ἐν νῷ λαβεῖν δυνήσῃ τῆς ἐπιπόνου τληπαθείας, καὶ τῆς πολυμόχθου διαγωγής, τῶν διὰ πάσης τῆς ζωῆς προσανεχόντων τῷ μονήρει κανόνι, καὶ τῇ ἀκτυπησία. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΣΠΑ' Ἱλαριος Πρεσβυτέρῳ Source: Migne PG 79.185a

When you are able to persevere two months in prayer and quiet, then you may have a certain sniff or a brief glimpse of the laborious toil and burdensome years of those who through their whole lives are bound to silence by the monastic rule. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 281, to Hilarius the Presbyter

Faith And Works

Ἡγοῦμαι μὲν μηδεμιᾶς ἑτέρας ὑμᾶς τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι παρακλήσεως δεῖσθαι, μετὰ τοὺς λόγους οὓς δἰ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἐποιησάμεθα πρὸς ὑμᾶς, παρακαλοῦντες ὑμᾶς πάντας τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ζωὴν καταδέξασθαι εἰς μίμημα τῆς ἀποστολικῆς πολιτείας, ὃ καὶ ἐδέξασθε ὡς ἀγαθὸν δίδαγμα, καὶ ηὐχαριστήσατε δἰ αὐτὸ τῷ Κυρίῳ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐχὶ ῥήματα ἦν τὰ παῤ ἡμῶν λαληθέντα, ἀλλὰ διδάγματα εἰς ἔργον προελθεῖν ὀφείλοντα ἐπὶ ὠφελείᾳ μὲν ὑμῶν τῶν ἀνεχομένων, ἐπ̓ ἀναπαύσει δὲ ἡμετέρᾳ τῶν ὑποθεμένων τὴν γνώμην, εἰς δόξαν δὲ καὶ ἔπαινον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὗ τὸ ὄνομα ἐπικέκληται ἐφ̓ ἡμᾶς, τούτου χάριν ἀπέστειλα τὸν ποθεινότατον ἡμῶν ἀδελφόν, ἵνα καὶ τὸ πρόθυμον γνωρίσῃ, καὶ τὸ νωθρὸν διεγείρῃ, καὶ τὸ ἀντιτεῖνον φανερὸν ἡμῖν καταστήσῃ. Πολλὴ γὰρ ἡ ἐπιθυμία καὶ ἰδεῖν ὑμᾶς συνηγμένους, καὶ ἀκοῦσαι περὶ ὑμῶν ὅτι οὐχὶ τὸν ἀμάρτυρον ἀγαπᾶτε βίον, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον καταδέχεσθε πάντες καὶ φύλακες τῆς ἀλλήλων ἀκριβείας εἶναι καὶ μάρτυρες τῶν κατορθουμένων. Oὕτω γὰρ ἕκαστος καὶ τὸν ἐφ̓ ἑαυτῷ μισθὸν τέλειον ἀπολήψεται καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ προκοπῇ: ὃν καὶ λόγῳ καὶ ἔργῳ παρέχεσθαι ὑμᾶς ἀλλήλοις προσήκει ἐκ τῆς συνεχοῦς ὁμιλίας καὶ παρακλήσεως. Ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ παρακαλοῦμεν μεμνῆσθαι ὑμᾶς τῆς τῶν πατέρων πίστεως, καὶ μὴ σαλεύεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ ἡσυχίᾳ περιφέρειν ὑμᾶς ἐπιχειρούντων, εἰδότας ὅτι οὔτε πολιτείας ἀκρίβεια καθ̓ ἑαυτήν, μὴ διὰ τῆς εἰς Θεὸν πίστεως πεφωτισμένη, ὠφέλιμος, οὔτε ὀρθὴ ὁμολογία, ἀγαθῶν ἔργων ἄμοιρος οὖσα, παραστῆσαι ἡμᾶς δυνήσεται τῷ Κυρίῳ: ἀλλὰ δεῖ ἀμφότερα συνεῖναι, ἵνα ἄρτιος ᾖ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ μὴ κατὰ τὸ ἐλλεῖπον χωλεύῃ ἡμῶν ἡ ζωή. Πίστις γάρ ἐστιν ἡ σώζουσα ἡμᾶς, ὥς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, δἰ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ἐπιστολή ΣϞE'  Source: Migne PG 32.1037c-1040a

I do not think that there is any further need to commend you to God's grace, after the words that I spoke to you in person, when I exhorted you all to adopt a life in common, in imitation of the of conduct of the Apostles, 1 which you received as good teaching, and gave thanks to the Lord for it. Since then your conduct was not so much due to the words I spoke, but to your putting them into practice, which was to the advantage of those who accepted them, and to my contentment who gave you the counsel, and to the glory and praise of Christ, by whose name we are called, because of this I have sent you a well beloved brother, that he may learn of your zeal and rouse your sloth, and make any resistance known to me. For my desire to see you all united is great, and to hear that you do not wish to live a life without witness, but rather that all of you are vigilant of each other's eagerness, and witnesses of each other's improvement. Thus will each of you receive the full reward, not only on his own behalf, but on the account of a brother's advance, for by word and deed you will be a source of profit to one another, on account of continuous association and encouragement. But above all I exhort you to be mindful of the faith of the Fathers, and not to be shaken by those who in your retreat would attempt to draw you away from it, for you are aware that the strictness of a life does not profit at all unless illuminated by faith in God, nor will a correct confession of faith, if it lacks good works, be able to set you before the Lord. Faith and works must be joined for the man of God to be perfect and for his life not fail through any defect. As the Apostle says, the faith that saves us works through love. 2 Saint Basil of Caesarea, Letter 295 1 Acts 2.44, 2 Galat 5.6

Seeking Understanding

Συνέτισόν με, καὶ ἐξερευνήσω τὸν νόμον σου, καὶ φυλάξω αὐτὸν ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ μου. Βούλεται ἐξερευνῆσαι τὸν νόμον τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ προφήτης ἐπιστάμενος , ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι σαφὴς καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητος . Συνἐτισόν με τοίνυν , ἵνα ζητήσω αὐτὸν μετὰ τῆς πρεπούσης ἐρεύνης καὶ ἐπιστασίας, ὡς ἐξ αὐτοῦ λαβεῖν τῶν πρακτέων καὶ θεωρητῶν τὴν χρῆσιν καὶ κατάληψιν· οὕτω γὰρ δυνήσομαι φυλάξαι αὐτὸν ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ ἀνενδοιάστως αὐτῷ προσερχόμενος. Εἰ δὲ συνέσεως δεῖται ἵνα μόνον ἐρευνήσῃ τὸν νόμον, τίνος δεῖται, συνέσεως ἀπὸ Θεοῦ διδομένης, ἵνα εὔρῃ τὸ τέλος; Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους Ψαλμους, Ψαλμὸς ΡΙϚ' Source: Migne PG 23.1372a

Give me understanding and I shall study your law and I shall guard it with my whole heart. 1 Wishing to study the law of God the prophet is aware that it is not clear and easy to grasp. 'Give me understanding,' then, so that he may examine and ponder it correctly and grasp those things that should be done or contemplated by his study, for only then will he be able to guard it with his whole heart, and without doubt it will be with him. And if it is necessary to study the law with understanding, how great shall be the need for you to have this understanding from God, so that you might reach the end? Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.34

Food And Feasting

Procul dubio singula, quae exhibentur diversis sensibus nostris, singulos sensus delectant. Neque enim vel sonus delectat aspectum, vel color auditum. Cordi autem nostro Dominus et lux est et vox est et odor est et cibus est. Et ideo omnia est, quia nihil horum est. Et ideo nihil est horum, quia horum omnium creator est. Est lumen cordi nostro, cui dicimus: In lumine tuo videbimus lumen. Est sonus cordi nostro cui dicimus: Auditui meo dabis exsultationem et laetitiam. Est odor cordi nostro, de quo dicitur: Christi bonus odor sumus. Si autem cibum quaeritis, quia ieiunastis: Beati qui esuriunt et sitiunt iustitiam. De ipso autem Domino Iesu Christo dictum est, quia factus est nobis iustitia et sapientia. Ecce epulae praeparatae sunt. Iustitia Christus est, nusquam deest; non a coquis praeparatur nobis, nec de transmarinis partibus veluti poma peregrina a negotiatoribus apportatur. Cibus est quem sentit omnis qui sanas fauces habet interioris hominis. Cibus est qui se ipsum commendans ait: Ego sum panis vivus, qui de caelo descendi. Cibus est qui reficit nec deficit; cibus est qui cum sumitur non consumitur; cibus est qui esurientes satiat et integer manet. Cum hinc ad mensas vestras discesseritis, nihil tale manducabitis. Quia ergo ad istas epulas convenistis, bene comedite. Sed cum abieritis, bene digerite. Bene enim manducat et male digerit, qui audit verbum Dei et non facit. Non enim ducit utilem succum, sed crudum ructat indigestione fastidium. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Sermo XXVIIIa, De verisculo Psalmi CIV, Laetetur cor quarentium Dominum Source: Migne PL 38.183

Without doubt each thing that is exhibited to our senses gives its specific pleasure to a sense, for it is not that sound delights sight or colour hearing. But for our hearts the Lord is light and the voice and the fragrance and the food. And He is all these things because He is none of them, and He is none of them because He is the creator of them all. He is the light for our hearts, to whom we say, 'In your light we shall see light,' and He is the sound for our hearts, to whom we say, 'To my hearing you will give exultation and joy,' and he is a fragrance to our hearts, concerning which it is said, 'We are the good fragrance of Christ.' 1 If you seek food because you have been fasting, 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.' 2 And it was said of the Lord Jesus Christ that He has been made justice and wisdom for us. 3 Behold, a feast has been prepared. Christ is justice and there is no lack of Him anywhere. He is not prepared for us by cooks, nor is He brought over the sea by merchants like exotic fruits. He is a food which appeals to everyone who has an inner man that is healthy. He is the food which recommends itself, saying, 'I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.' 4 He is the food which restores and does not perish. He is the food which is taken up and it does not disappear. He is the food that fills the hungry and remains whole. When you depart to your own tables, you will eat nothing like that. Because, then, you have come together for this feast, eat well. But when you go away digest well. For you eat well and digest badly if you hear the word of God and do not do it. If it does not lead to useful deeds, in utter aversion you vomit it out. Saint Augustine of Hippo, from Sermon 28a, On the line of the hundredth and fourth Psalm, 'Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice' 1 Ps 36.9, Ps 51.8, 2 Cor 2.15 2 Mt 5.6 3 1 Cor 1.30 4 Jn 6.51

Manna And Bread

Ambrosius Ireneaus, salutem. Quaeris a me cur Dominus Deus manna pluerit populo patrum, et nunc non pluat. Si cognoscis, pluit, et quotidie pluit de coelo manna servientibus sibi. Et corporeum quidem illud manna hodie plerisque in locis invenitur, sed nunc non est tanti res miraculi; quia venit quod perfectum est. Perfectum autem panis de coelo, corpus ex Virgine, de quo satis Evangelium te docet. Quanto praestantiora haec superioribus? Illud enim manna, hoc est, panem illum qui manducaverunt, mortui sunt: hunc autem panem qui manducaverit, vivet in aeternum. Sed est spiritale manna, hoc est, pluvia spiritalis sapientiae, quae ingeniosis et quaerentibus de coelo infunditur, et irrorat mentes piorum, et obdulcat fauces eorum. Qui igitur intellexerit infusionem divinae sapientiae, delectatur, nec alium cibum requirit, nec in solo pane vivit, sed in omni verbo Dei. Qui curiosior fuerit, quaerit quid sit istud quod melle dulcius sit. Respondet illi minister Dei: Hic est panis, quem dedit tibi Deus manducare. Quid sit iste panis, audi: Sermo, inquit, quem ordinavit Deus. Haec ergo ordinatio Dei, haec alimonia alit animam sapientis, et illuminat atque obdulcat, resplendens veritatis corusco, et mulcens tamquam favo quodam, ita diversarum virtutum suavitate et sermone sapientiae: Favi enim mellis sermones sunt boni, sicut scriptum est in Proverbiis Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Epistola LXIV Source: Migne PL 16.1219b-1220b

Ambrose to Ireneaus, Greetings. You ask me why the Lord God rained manna on the people of the fathers but now He does not. If you consider it, every day He does rain manna from heaven on those who serve Him. The material manna is to this very day found in many places, but it is not now a miraculous event because that which is perfect has come. The Bread from heaven is perfect, the body from the Virgin, concerning which the Gospel sufficiently teaches us. How greatly does this excel what went before it? For those who ate that manna or bread are dead, but he who shall eat this bread shall live for ever. 1 But there is a spiritual manna, that is, the rain of spiritual wisdom, which is poured out from heaven on those who sincerely seek it, and which waters the minds of the righteous, and puts sweetness in their throats. Therefore, he who understands this infusion of Divine wisdom has joy in it, and he does not seek any other food, nor does he live on bread alone, but on every word of God. 2 He who is more curious will ask what it is that is sweeter than honey. The servant of God answers him, 'This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.' And hear what this bread is, 'The word which the Lord has commanded.' 3 Therefore this food commanded by God nourishes the soul of those who are wise, illuminating and sweetening and brightening with the beams of truth, and caressing like the honeycomb with the sweetness of many virtues and the word of wisdom; for good words are like a honeycomb, as it is written in the Proverbs. 4 Saint Ambrose, from Letter 64 1 Jn 6.5 2 Mt 4.4 3 Exod 16.15-16 4 Prov 16.24

Despising The Name

Ad vos, o sacerdotes, qui despicitis nomen meum, et dixistis: In quo despeximus nomen tuum? Offertis super altare meum panem pollutum, et dicitis : In quo polluimus te? in eo quod dicitis : Mensa Domini despecta est. LLX: Vos, o sacerdotes, qui despicitis nomen meum, et dixistis: In quo despeximus nomen tuum? Offerentes ad altare meum panes pollutos et dixistis: In quo polluimus ipsos? In eo quod dicitis, mensa Domini despecta est, et quae superpoista sunt despexistis Quod autem sequitur: et qua superposita sunt despexistis, obelo praenotavimus, quia in Hebraico non habetur, et de sequentibus additum est. Ad vos, igitur, o sacerdotes, qui despicitis nomen meum, iste sermo dirigitur: qui reversi de Babylone, metu praeteritae servitutis, debueratis ad Dominum plena mente converti: et non solum hoc non facitis, sed imitantes Cain, superbis contra Deum vocibus respondentes, sciscitamini ab eo quem occulta non fallunt, et dicitur: In quo despeximus nomen tuum? ut dissimulationis impudentia, vulnus conscientiae protegatis. Vultis ergo scire in quo despexeritis nomen meum? Offertis super altare meum panem pollutum: panes videlicet propositionis, quos juxta traditiones Hebraicas, ipsi serere, ipsi demetere, ipsi molere, ipsi coquere debebatis: et nunc sumitis quoscumque de medio, et voce temeraria respondetis, et dicitis, in quo polluimus eos, sive te? Dum enim sacramenta violantur, ipse cujus sunt sacramenta violatur. Hoc autem quod sequitur: In eo quod dicitis, mensa Domini despecta est, possumus ita interpretari: Quod reversi de Babylone, necdum templo aedificato, manentes in casulis, et in ruinis urbis antiquae, altare tantum exstruxerant, non ejusdem gloriae, cujus pristinum fuerat, et putabant deesse religionis sanctimoniam, quia deerat aedificationis ambitio. Tenues lineas duximus, quibus imprimenda est explanatio spiritualis. Corripit sermo divinus episcopos, atque presbyteros et diaconos negligentes, sive quoniam genus sacerdotale et regale sumus, omnes qui baptizati in Christo, Christi censentur nomine, cur despiciant nomen Dei: et interrogantibus, in quo despexerint nomen ejus, causas monstrat offensae: Offertis, inquit, super altare meum panem pollutum. Polluimus panem, id est, corpus Christi, quando indigni accedimus ad altare, et sordidi mundum sanguinem bibimus, et dicimus, mensa Domini despecta est; non quod hoc aliquis audeat dicere, et quod impie cogitat scelerata voce, proferre; sed opera peccatorum despiciunt mensam Dei. Possumus et aliter dicere: Doctor Ecclesiae qui spiritualem conficit panem, et eum populis dividit, si vel propter humanam gloriam, vel lucra saeculi quae gloriam consequuntur, loquatur in populis et divitibus blandiatur, et honoret peccatores, et juxta Jacobum suscipiat eos, qui cum annulis aureis ad se veniunt, et pauperes sanctos repellat, nomen Dei despicit, et panem polluit doctrinarum, et in ipsum Deum jacit contumelias, mensam Scripturarum ejus mensis idolorum saecularisque doctrinae putans esse communem. Sanctus Hieronymous, Commentarium In Malachiam Prophetam, Caput I Source: Migne PL 25.1548a-1549a

To you, O priests, who despise my name, and have said, 'How have we despised your name?' You offer polluted bread on my altar and you say, 'How have we polluted you?' By what you say the table of the Lord has been made contemptible.' The Septuagint has, 'You, O priests, who despise my name and have said, 'How have we despised your name?' You are offering polluted bread at my altar and you say 'How have we polluted it?' By what you say the table of the Lord is made contemptible and you have despised what has been set on it.' 1 We warn in advance that we have omitted what comes last here, 'and you have despised what you have set on it,' because it it not found in the Hebrew and has been added to comment on what precedes. To you, therefore, O priests, who despise my name, this speech means that having returned from Babylon you neglected reverence in service, you who should have fully turned your minds to the Lord, and it is not only that which you do, but imitating Cain, you reply to the Lord with proud voices, 2 and you enquire of Him who is not deceived by hidden things with, as it is said, 'How have we despised your name?' So you dissimulate with insolence, covering up the wound of your conscience. You wish to know how you have despised my name? You offer polluted bread on my altar, that is, the bread of showing, which according to the traditions of the Jews you should sow and reap, and grind and bake, but now you take up whatever you have and with a bold voice answer and say, 'In what way have we polluted it or you?' While what is holy is violated, He who hold these things as holy is insulted. In that which follows: 'By what you say the table of the Lord has been made contemptible,' we are able to understand this, that returning from Babylon, with the temple yet unbuilt, you dwelt in huts in the ruins of the old city, and the altar alone you set up, but not in its glory as it was of old, for you thought to be careless in the sacred things of religion because you were negligent in your eagerness to rebuild. We have thus considered these few lines, from which we must now take up the spiritual understanding. Here the Divine word cries out against negligent bishops and priests and deacons, or indeed, because we are a priestly and royal race, 3 all who have been baptised in Christ and are reckoned by the name of Christ, asking why they scorn the name of God, and to those addressed, regarding how they have despised his name, He shows the cause of the offense, 'You offer polluted bread on my altar.' We pollute the bread, that is, the body of Christ, when we come unworthily to the altar and in uncleanliness drink the pure blood. Thus we say, 'The table of the Lord has been made contemptible.' Not that someone would dare to say this and give voice to impious thoughts, but the works of sin despise the table of the Lord. We can also speak of this in another manner. A teacher of the Church who fashions spiritual bread and distributes it among the people, if he seeks human glory or worldly advantage in it, he then speaks among the people to flatter the rich and to honour sinners, and according to James, he receives those who come to him with golden rings, and he turns away those who are poor and holy, 3  and thus he despises the name of God and pollutes the bread of teachings, and he boasts insolently before God, thinking that the table of the Scriptures is much like the table of idols and the world's teaching. Saint Jerome, from the Commentary on The Prophet Malachi , Chapter 1 1 Malac 1.7 2 Gen 4.9 3 1 Per 2.9 4 James 2.2-3

Bread And Manna

Hic est panis qui de cælo descendit. Non sicut manducaverunt patres vestri manna, et mortui sunt. Qui manducat hunc panem, vivet in æternum. Item quaeritur de dignitate huius manducationis. Dicit enim, quod manducantes hunc panem non morientur, sicut manducantes, manna. Contra: Hoc aut intelligit de vita spirituali, aut corporali; si de spirituali, nihil dicit, quia patres sancti, qui comederunt manna, non sunt spiritualiter mortui. Si de corporali, similiter; quia qui manducat hunc panem non vivit corporaliter, sed moritur. Si dicas, quod indigne manducantes manna sunt mortui spirituali morte, et hos vocat patres eorum; similiter indigne manducantes corpus Christi moriuntur morte spirituali; primae ad Corinthios undecimo: Qui manducat et bibit indigne iudicium sibi manducat et bibit. Propterea quaeritur: quid est manducare indigne, et quare peccat manducans indigne? Respondeo: Dicendum, quod cibus iste praeponitur illi cibo ratione vivificationis dupliciter: tum quia ille non poterat vivificare, nisi per istum quem signabat; ideo dicitur de iustis, quod omnes eandem spiritualem escam manducaverunt, primae ad Corinthios decimo; sed qui solum ad illum habebant oculum mortui sunt spiritualiter, quia tantum carnaliter gustaverunt. Ita respondet Augustinus. Aliter potest dici , quod manna ordinabatur ad conservationem vitae corporalis, sed hic ad conservationem vitae spiritualis. Et vult Dominus dicere, quod ille panis solummodo vitam corporalem continuabat ad tempus, sed iste vitam spiritualem continuat in aeternum in digne sumentibus; et ideo illo est dignior. Indigne vero accipientes peccant, et convertitur eis panis in venenura, et isti sunt qui remorsura habent mortalis peccati. Ratio, quare peccant, est contemptus, quia tantum hospitem inducunt in tam vile hospitium. Quomodo autem digne accipiatur, docet Augustinus: Innocentiam, inquit, ad altare apportate; peccata, si sint quotidiana, saltem non sint mortifera; antequam ad altare accedatis, dicatur: Dimitte nobis debita nostra etc. Tunc securi accedite; panis est, non venenum. Sanctus Bonaventura, Commentarius In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput VI Source: Here, p695-6

This is the bread which comes down from heaven. Not as your fathers ate manna and died. He who eats this bread shall live in eternity. 1 One may enquire about the worthiness of this eating. For He says that those who eat 'this bread' shall not die, as they did who ate the manna. He says this concerning the spiritual life or the corporeal life. If it is said of the spiritual, He says nothing, because the holy fathers who ate manna are not spiritually dead. If concerning the corporeal, it is likewise, because he who eats 'this bread' does not live on in the body, but dies. If you should say that the unworthy eaters of manna are those who die the spiritual death, and He calls them their fathers, then likewise the unworthy eaters of the body of Christ die the spiritual death, as in the eleventh chapter of the first letter to the Corinthians: 'He who eats and drinks unworthily, he eats and drinks his condemnation.' 2 Whence it may be asked, what is it to eat unworthily, and how does one sin who eats unworthily? I answer that it must be said that 'this bread' is preferred to manna because of a twofold giving of life, because manna is not able to give life unless it signified the later bread , therefore it is said of the righteous, 'because all ate the same spiritual bread,' in the tenth chapter of the first letter to the Corinthians. 3 But they who had an eye for the former only are spiritually dead, because they tasted it only materially. Thus answers Augustine. 1 Besides this it is possible to say that He ordained the manna for the preservation of the bodily life, but 'this bread' for the preservation of the spiritual life. And the Lord wishes to say that the former bread was only for the continuation of bodily life for a time, but the later bread is for the continuation of the spiritual life forever, for those who receive it worthily, and therefore it is more valuable. However, they who receive it unworthily sin, and they change it into poison for themselves, and these are those who are gnawed by mortal sin. The reason why they sin in this way is contempt, because only they would greet such a great guest with such vile hospitality. Augustine teaches how it is received worthily, 'Bring innocence,' he says, 'to the altar.' 4 If sins are trivial they do not bring death. Before you come to the altar let it be said, 'Forgive us our trespasses,' etc. Then you may approach in safety, for it is bread not poison. Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 6 1 Jn 6.58 2 1 Cor 11.29 3 1 Cor 10.3 4 Tractates on John 26.11

Various Eucharists

Qui semel datus est mundo in forma carnis ,is cunctis diebus aut horis datur fidelibus in specie panis, scilicet in esu sacramenti sui, sed saepius et in cunctis horis devotis datur in gustu spiritus sui. Primum ad redemptionem, secundum ad sanctificationem, tertium ad consolationem. Primum exigit ut fides sit recta, secundum ut conscientia sit pura, tertium ut devotio sit pura et prompta. Hoc mentem elevat ut gratiae occurrat; cor aperit, ut excipiat; affectum dilatat, ut plurimum inde plus capiat Hugo De Sancte Victore, Miscellanea, Liber VI, Tit XXIII, De multiplici acceptione Eucharistiae corporis Dominici Source: Migne PL 177.824a

He who once was given to the world in the form of the flesh, is given every day and hour to the faithful under the appearance of bread, that is, in the eating of His sacrament, but more often in every hour of devotion He is given in the taste of His spirit. Firstly for redemption, secondly for sanctification, thirdly for consolation. Firstly faith is examined for correctness, secondly that the conscience is pure, third that devotion is prompt and eager. It elevates the mind so that grace may pass in, it opens the heart for reception, and is expands love that is may be able to hold more. Hugh Of Saint Victor, Miscellanea, Book 6, Chapter 23, On The Various Receptions of the Eucharist of the Body of Christ

Bread And The Word

Non in solo pane vivit homo, sed in omni verbo quod procedit de ore Dei. Ubi non quasi Deus sua utitur potestate, sed quasi homo, ut homo disceret admodum pugnare Scipturarum potitur auctoritate. Et docet quod altera pars coeli sit, atque altera terrae. Idcirco non in solo pane, per quem non nisi exterior homo in commune cum pecoribus vivit, sed in omni verbo per quos interius angelis coaequaretur. Omne quippe verbum Deus charitas jure accipitur, in qua legis et prophetarum omnia pendent verba, sine qua nemo in Deo unquam vel cum Deo vivit. Quod bene Paulus insinuat: Et si quod est aliud mandatum, inquiens, in hoc verbo instauratur. Diliges proximum tuum tanquam teipsum. Ac si diceret, etiam est cibus alius quo pascatur interior homo, habeat aliquis charitatem, et omnibus abundavit bonis, quia fruitur illo verbo ad quod concurrunt universa. Nam in Christo Jesu Deus et homo erat; quisquis illo utitur verbo, charitate pascitur Dei et hominis, quia omnes in Christo diligit et veneratur ut membra Christi; et qui necdum sunt in Christo, curat ut ad eum perveniant, et compleantur omnia membra Christi. Alioquin si habeat omnia rerum verba, et compleat etiam reliqua quasi virtutum opera, factus est omnium reus, si non vixerit hoc omni verbo. Est autem hoc verbum generale omnium verborum, in quo pendent omnia verba, non qualiacunque, sed quae procedunt de ore Dei. Caeterum verba haereticorum et poetarum ac philosophorum, extra hoc verbum sunt, quia non sunt in charitate, neque Christo fruuntur, Patris videlicet Verbo, et ideo quae in Christo sunt omnino diligere nequeunt. Huic sane verbo Moyses intentus panem desiderare non potuit, illoque pastus Elias famem prolixioris inediae omnino non sensit. Non enim qui hoc verbo vescitur panem terrenum, deliciis angelorum satiatus, inquirit. Sed et omnia Scripturarum sanctarum verba, cujuscunque enuntientur officio, sic quasi ex ore Dei sumantur, quia non ejus sunt a quo ex ministerio debite narrantur, sed Dei ex cujus ore procedunt. Quod si quidpiam doctor aliud voluerit interserere, quam quod in hoc omni verbo invenitur, quia non ex ore Dei profertur, neque ex charitate subsistit, tanquam venenum, tanquam virus lethiferum respuatur. Quandoquidem non humanis divina ministrantur officiis, sed inimica, sed fraudulenta diabolicis suggeruntur officiis. Et notandum quod ait: Non in solo pane vivit homo. Ex quo datur indicium quia non deitas, sed homo tentatur, ita ut quomodo praemisi, tota haec tentatio exterius facta credatur. Sanctus Paschasius Radbertus Corbeiensis, Expositio In Evangelium Matthaei, Liber III, Caput IV Source: Migne PL 120.192b-193a

A man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. 1 Where He uses His power as a man, not as God, so that man might learn how a man might fight by the authority of the Scriptures. He teaches that there is one part which is heaven and another of earth. Therefore it is not on bread alone, on which the exterior man alone lives, in the manner of beasts, but on every word by which the interior is made equal to angels. Certainly every word is rightly received as 'God is love,' on which all the words of the Law and the Prophets hang, 2 and without which no one lives in God or with God. Which Paul well suggests, saying, 'And as for any other commandment, with these words it is summed up, 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' 3 As if He had said, even if there is some other bread on which the interior man may feed, let a man have love, and he has abounded with every good, because he enjoys that Word to which everything hastens. Because in Christ Jesus was God and man, whoever makes use of that word is fed with the love of God and man, for all in Christ love and revere as members of Christ, and those who are not yet in Christ, have care that they might come to Him and complete the members of Christ. Besides if someone has every word and he fulfills all the rest as works of virtue, he is made guilty of all if he has not lived with these words for all. 4 For these words are the general word of all words, from which hangs all words, and it is not just any word, but what comes forth from the mouth of God. There are other words of heretics and poets and philosophers which are outside these words, because they are not spoken in love, nor are they fruitful in Christ, He who is the Word of the Father, and therefore they cannot love at all what is in Christ. Certainly, being intent on this Moses had no desire for bread, and when Elijah was fed on them he did not feel the starvation of a long famine. For he who feeds on this word does not seek the bread of the earth, but he is satiated with the delights of angels. And whoever has the duty of proclaiming all the words of Scripture, he takes them as from the mouth of God, for he should not tell them as if they were something of his own work, but as proceeding from the mouth of God. So if some teacher should wish to insert something other than what is found in these words, then because it does not proceed from the mouth of God, nor is it founded on love, so it is a poison and it is spat forth as a fatal venom. Whenever men do not minister to human affairs with Divine things, but with things that are harmful and deceitful, so they are brought under the devil's service. And it must be noted that He says, 'Man does not live on bread alone,' by which a sign is given that it is not Godhood that is tested here but man, so that, as we have said, this whole trial should be thought to be a matter of the exterior. Saint Paschasius Radbertus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 3, Chapter 4 1 Mt 4.4 2 1 Jn 4.8, Mt 22.40 3 Rom 13.9 4 James 2.10

Sin And Holiness

Sic docuit Apostolos suos, ut quotidie in corporis illius sacrificio credentes audeant loqui: Pater noster, qui es in coelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Illi nomen Dei, quod per se sanctum est, in se sanctificari cupiunt; tu dicis: 'Nosti, Domine, quam sanctae, et quam innocentes, et quam purae manus meae sint.' Illi inferunt: Adveniat regnum tuum: spem regni futuro tempore praestolantes, ut regnante Christo, nequaquam regnet peccatum in mortali eorum corpore, junguntque: Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in coelo et in terra, ut imitetur Angelos humana fragilitas, et voluntas Domini compleatur in terra. Tu dicis: "Potest homo si voluerit omni carere peccato. Panem quotidianum, sive, super omnes substantias, venturum Apostoli deprecantur, ut digni sint assumptione corporis Christi. Et vos per nimiam sanctitatem, securamque justitiam audacter vobis coelestia dona vendicatis. Sequitur: Dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. De baptismatis fonte surgentes, et regenerati in Dominum Salvatorem, impleto illo, quod de se scriptum est: Beati quorum remissae sunt iniquitates, et quorum tecta sunt peccata, statim in prima communione corporis Christi dicunt: Et dimitte nobis debita nostra, quae illis fuerant in Christi confessione dimissa; et tu arrogans et superbus de sanctarum puritate manuum, et munditia eloquii gloriaris. Quamvis sit hominis perfecta conversio, et post vitia atque peccata virtutum plena possessio, numquid possunt sic esse sine vitio, quomodo illi, qui statim de Christi fonte procedunt? Et tamen jubentur dicere: Dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris: non humilitatis mendacio, ut tu interpretaris, sed pavore fragilitatis humanae suam conscientiam formidantis. Illi dicunt: Ne nos inducas in tentationem, tu cum Joviniano loqueris, eos qui plena fide baptisma consecuti sunt, tentari ultra, et peccare non posse. Ad extremum inferunt: Sed libera nos a malo. Quid precantur a Domino, quod habent in liberi arbitrii potestate? O homo, nunc mundus factus es in lavacro, et de te dicitur: Quae est ista, quae ascendit dealbata, innitens super fratruelem suum? ut lota quidem sit, sed custodire non valeat puritatem, nisi a Domino Deo sustentetur. Quomodo cupis Dei misericordia liberari, qui paulo ante liberatus es a peccatis? nisi hac ratione qua diximus, ut cum omnia fecerimus, nos inutiles esse fateamur. Oratio ergo tua Pharisaei vincit superbiam, et publicani comparatione damnatur; qui de longe stans, oculos ad Deum non audebat attollere, sed percutiebat pectus suum, dicens: Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori. Unde profertur Domini sententia: Dico vobis, descendit hic justificatus in domum suam plus quam ille. Omnis enim qui se exaltat, humiliabitur, et qui se humiliat, exaltabitur. Apostoli humiliantur, ut exaltentur. Discipuli tui elevantur, ut corruant. Sanctus Hieronymous, Dialogus Adversus Pelagianos, Liber III Source: Migne PL 23.585a-586b

He instructed His Apostles that every day at the sacrifice of His body the faithful may dare to say, 'Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be your name,' 1 earnestly desiring the name of God, which in itself is holy, to be hallowed in themselves, but you say, 'You know, O Lord, how holy, how innocent, and how pure are my hands.' They say, 'Your Kingdom come,' anticipating the hope of the future kingdom, so that when Christ reigns sin may no longer reign in their mortal bodies, 2 and they add, 'Your will be done in earth as it is in Heaven,' so that human weakness may imitate the angels, and the will of our Lord may be fulfilled on earth, but you say, 'If a man wishes, he can be free from all sin.' The Apostles prayed for the daily bread, or the bread surpassing all things, which was to come, so that they might be worthy to receive the body of Christ, but you are led by an excess of holiness and assured righteousness to claim with all audacity the heavenly gifts. It follows, 'Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.' Rising from the baptismal font, and being born again and incorporated into our Lord and Saviour, they thus fulfil what is written of them, 'Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are blotted out,' 3 and then again at the first communion of the body of Christ they say, 'Forgive us our trespasses,' although they were forgiven them with their confession of Christ, but you in your arrogance and pride glorify the cleanliness of your holy hands and the purity of your speech. Although a man may have converted fully, and however firm his possession of virtue is after a time of sins and failings is, can he be as free from fault as those who are just leaving the font of Christ? And yet these latter are commanded to say, 'Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,' and this not in a spirit of a false humility, as you would understand it, but because of the fear of human frailty and a dread of their own conscience. They say, 'Lead us not into temptation,' but you with Jovinian say that those who have been baptized with a full faith are beyond temptation and cannot sin. Lastly they add, 'But deliver us from evil.' Why do they beg from the Lord what they have already by the power of free will? O, man, now you have been made clean by washing, and it is said of you, 'Who is this that comes up all white, leaning upon her beloved?' 4 that is, she is washed, yet she cannot keep her purity unless she is supported by the Lord. How is it that you long to be delivered by the mercy of God, who just a little while ago were released from your sins? It is for the reason we have spoken of, that when we have done everything that we confess we are useless. 5 Therefore your prayer outdoes the pride of the Pharisee, and you are condemned when compared with the tax collector,  who, standing at a distance, did not dare lift up his eyes up to Heaven, but struck his own breast, saying, 'God be merciful to me a sinner.' Hence the Lord's declaration, 'I say to you this man went down to his house justified and not than the other. For every one who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.' 6 The Apostles are humbled so that they may be exalted. Your disciples are lifted up so that they may fall Saint Jerome, Dialogue Against the Pelagians, Book 3 1 Mt 6.9 2 Rom 6.12 3 Ps 31.1 4 Song 8.15 5 Lk 17.10 6 Lk 18.13-15

Works And Nature

Ελθέτω τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμά σου, φησὶ, καὶ καθαρισάτω ἡμᾶς. Οὐκοῦν ἰδία τε καὶ ἐξαίρετος τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος δύναμίς τε καὶ ἐνέργεια, τὸ καθαίρξιν τε καὶ ἀφιέναι τὰς ἁμαρτίας, ὡς ὁ εὐαγγελικὸς λόγος μαρτύρεται. Οὐχοῦν ὁ τὴν δύναμιν τῆς ἀφέσεως αὑτῷ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν μαρτυρήσας, συνεμαρτύρησε πάντως αὐτῷ τὴν θεότητα. Τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο καὶ περὶ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς φήσιν ὁ ᾿Λπόστολος, ὅτι καθαρισμὸν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ποιησάμενος, ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς μεγαλοσύνης τοῦ Πατρός. Ἕν τοίνυν ἑχατέρων τὸ ἔργον, τοῦ τε καθαρίξοντος τὴν ἁμαρτίαν Πνεύματος, καὶ τοῦ τὸν καθαρισμὸν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν πεποτηχότος Χριστοῦ. Ὧν δὲ ἡ ἐνέργεια μία, καὶ ἡ φύσις πάντως ἡ αὐτὴ τούτων ἐστίν. Πᾶσα γὰρ ἐνέργεια δυνάμεώς ἔστιν ἀποτέλεσμα. Εἰ οὖν καὶ ἐνέργεια καὶ δύναμις μία, κῶς ἔστιν ἑτερότητα φύσεως νοῆσαι, ἐν οἷς οὐδεμίαν κατὰ τὴν δύναμίν τε καὶ ἐνέργειαν διαφορὰν ἐξευρίσχομεν; Ὡς γὰρ οὐχ ἔστιν ἐν τοῖς τοῦ πυρὸς ἰδιώμασιν, ὅταν δύο, τὸ φωτίζον τε καὶ τὸ χαῖόν ἐστι, τὸ κοινωνεῖν νομίσαι τοῦ προχειμένου ὑπαλλαγῆν᾽ οὕτως οὐχ ἄν τις εὐφρονῶν μίαν ἑνέργειαν ἐκ τῆς Γραφῆς διδαχθεὶς τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος, διαφοράν τινα φύσεως ὑπονοεῖ Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Ἐις Την Προσυεκην, Λογος Γ' Source: Migne PG 44.1157d-160b

'May your Holy Spirit come and purify us,' says Luke. 1 Since, then, the special virtue and power and work of the Holy Spirit is the purification and cleansing of sin, as the passage of the Gospel witnesses, then the power of the cleansing of sins which is witnessed, gives witness to Him of His Divinity. Yet the Apostle says the very same thing about the Only-Begotten, that having made purgation of sins, He sits on the right hand of the majesty of the Father. 2 Therefore the same thing is the work of either of them, of the Spirit who cleanses from sin as well as of Christ who was made a purgation of sins. But if the work is the same, then their nature must also be exactly the same, for every work is the effect of power. If then there is one work and power, how shall it be thought that there is a difference of nature in those in whom we can find no difference of power and work? For as it is with the properties of fire, where the two works of illuminating and burning are quite similar, there cannot be thought to be a change of subject, so neither will a thoughtful man assume there is a difference of nature in the Son and the Spirit, because he has been taught by Scripture that they have the same work. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On the Lord's Prayer, from the Third Oration 1 Rare variant of Luke 11.2 2 Heb 1.3

Thanksgiving And The Nations

Sicut scriptum est: Propter hoc confitebor tibi in gentibus, et nomini tuo cantabo. Exemplo prophetico probat; scriptum est enim in psalmo decimo septimo gentes admittendas ad gratiam Dei ad percipiendam salutem. Vox enim Christi est, qua futurum dixit quod in gentibus praedicatio ejus fructum habitura esset confessionis sacramenti Dei; ideo gratias ex hoc agit Filius Patri in obedientiam gentium. Unde in Evangelio ait: Confitebor tibi, Pater domine coeli et terrae, quia abscondisti haec a sapientibus, et prudentibus, et revelasti ea parvulis; quoniam bonum placitum fuit ante te. Confessio ergo ista unius Dei est in Trinitate, ex qua surgit laetitia; ut post veri confessionem laetus decantet misericordiam et donum Dei. Ambrosiaster, In Epistolam ad Romanos, Caput XV Source: Migne PL 17.174a

As it is written, 'Because of this I shall confess to you among the nations, and I will sing your name.' 1 He proves it with a prophetic example, for it was written in the seventeenth Psalm that the nations shall be admitted to the grace of God for the reception of salvation. And it is the voice of Christ, which has spoken of future things, that His preaching shall have fruit among the Gentiles in the confession of the mystery of God. Therefore the Son gives thanks to the Father in the obedience of the nations. Hence in the Gospel it says, 'I shall confess to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to little ones, because it was a good that was pleasing before you.' 3 Therefore this is a confession of the one God in Trinity, from which joy rises up, so that after the confession of truth there is joyful singing of the mercy and gift of God. Ambrosiaster, Commentary On The Letter of Saint Paul To The Romans, Chapter 15 1 Rom 15.9, Ps 17.49 2 Mt 11.25-26

The Incarnation And The Trinity

Huic enim limo terreno vim vitalem miscuit, ut in arboribus, unde surgit venustas in foliis, in floribus pulchritudo, sapor in fructibus et medicina. Nec hoc contentus, adjecit etiam vim sensibilem limo nostro, ut in pecoribus, quae non solum vitam habeant, sed et sentiant quinquepertita sensificatione vigentes. Addidit adhuc honorare limum nostrum, et ei vim rationalem immisit, ut in hominibus, qui non solum vivunt, sentiunt, sed et discernunt inter commodum et incommodum, inter bonum et malum, inter verum et falsum. Voluit quoque infirmiora nostra abundantiori gloria sublimare, et contraxit se Majestas: ut quod melius habebat, videlicet seipsum, limo nostro conjungeret, et in persona una sibi invicem unirentur Deus et limus, majestas et infirmitas, tanta vilitas et sublimitas tanta. Nihil enim Deo sublimius, nil vilius limo: et tamen tanta dignatio e Deus descendit in limum,  tantaque dignitate limus ascendit in Deum, ut quidquid in eo Deus fecit, limus fecisse credatur; quidquid limus pertulit, Deus in illo pertulisse dicatur tam ineffabili quam incomprehensibili sacramento. Et attende, quia sicut in illa singulari divinitate trinitas est in personis, unitas in substantia; sic in ista speciali commistione trinitas est in substantiis, in persona unitas: et sicut ibi personae non scindunt unitatem, unitas non minuit Trinitatem; ita et hic persona non confundit substantias, nec substantiae ipsae personae dissipant unitatem. Summa illa Trinitas hanc nobis exhibuit trinitatem, opus mirabile, opus singulare inter omnia, et super omnia opera sua! Verbum enim, et anima, et caro in unam convenere personam; et haec tria unum, 0099A et hoc unum tria, non confusione substantiae, sed unitate personae. Haec est prima et superexcellens mistura; et haec prima inter tres. Adverte homo quia limus es, et non sis superbus; quia Deo conjunctus es, et non sis ingratus. Sanctus Bernardus Clarae Vallensis, Sermones De Tempore, In Vigilia Nativitatis Domini, Sermo III Source: Migne PL 183.98b-99a

For He even mixed the vital power with terrestrial mud, as with plants, from whence the beauty of leaves rises and the fairness of flowers and the sweet aromas of fruits and medicines. But do not be content with just that. Add the sensible power to our mud, as in animals, that not only have life but are empowered with the awareness of sensation. And then add honour to our mud with the mixing of the rational power in it, as in men, who not only live and sense but discern between what is fitting and unfitting, and good and evil, and true and false. Then He wished to make our infirmity yet more glorious, and He narrowed his majesty, for what was better that He had joined Himself to our mud, and in one person was unified to both God and mud, as was majesty to infirmity, and such great vileness to such great sublimity. Nothing is more sublime than God, nothing so vile as mud, and yet such dignity from God descended into mud, and mud with such dignity ascended to God, so that whatever God did mud was thought to do, and whatever mud bore God was said to bear, a most ineffable and incomprehensible mystery. And attend, because as there is one divinity in the Trinity of the persons, and there is unity in substance, so in this special mixing there is a trinity in substance, and a unity in person. So in the former the persons and are not separated in unity and unity does not diminish the Trinity, and in the latter the person does not confuse the substances, nor do the substances disturb the unity of that person. That high Trinity exhibits to us this later trinity, a wonderous work, a singular work among all things, and above all things His. For the Word and the soul and the flesh come together in one person, and these three are one, and this one is three, not to the confusion of the substances, and with the unity of the person. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons for the Year, On The vigil of The Nativity of the Lord, from the Third Sermon

The Father And The Son And Truth

Sed qui misit me, verax est. Videte quemadmodum Patri dat gloriam aequalis Filius Patri. Exemplum enim nobis praebet, gloriam dare Deo, gloriam Dei quaerere, non nostram: quasi diceret, O homo fidelis, si ego Filius Patris, aequalis Patri, consubstantialis Patri, coaeternus Patri, do gloriam ei, a quo sum: quomodo tu superbus es apud eum, cujus es servus? Multa, inquit, habeo de vobis loqui, et judicare; sed qui misit me, verax est, tanquam diceret, ideo verum dico, quia filius veracis, veritas sum. Pater veritas est, Filius veritas. Ait enim apertisime ipse Dominus, Ego sum via, et veritas, et vita. Ergo si Filius veritas, Pater quid, nisi quod ait, veritas? Qui me misit, verax est. Filius veritas, Pater verax est, sed non a veritate. Filius veritas, sed a Patre, quia Filius a Patre, non a seipso, et ideo ait alio loco: A meipso non veni, id est, a meipso non sum. Pater utique verax est, non participando veritatem, sed generando veritatem, quia Pater genuit Filium, qui de seipso ait: Ego sum via, et veritas. Cum autem dixisset Dominus Jesus: Verax est, qui me misit, non intellexerunt illi, quod de Patre eis dicebat; necdum habuerunt oculos cordis apertos, ut intelligere possent aequalitatem veracis et veritatis. Sanctus Beda, In Ioannis Evangelium Expositio, Liber I, Caput VIII Source: Migne PL 92.745c-746a

But He who sent me is true. 1 Note how the equal Son gives glory to the Father. He gives it as an example for us to give glory to God and to seek the glory of God and not our own, as if He were to say, 'O faithful man, if I, the Son of the Father, equal to the Father, consubstantial to the Father, coeternal with the Father, give glory to Him from whom I am, how shall you be proud before Him, you who are his servant? 'Many things I have to tell you and judge,' He says, 'but He who sent me is true,' 1  as if He were to say, 'Therefore I speak the truth, because I am the Son of Him who is true, and I am the truth. The Father is truth, the Son is truth.' For the Lord openly says, 'I am the way and the truth and the life.' 2 Therefore if the Son is truth, what is the Father, unless, as He said, the truth? 'He who sent me is true.' The Son is truth, the Father is true, but not from truth. The Son is truth, but from the Father, because the Son is from the Father and not from Himself, and therefore in another place He says, 'I did not come from myself,' 3 that is, I am not from myself. So the Father is true, and not by participating in the truth but in generating the truth because the Father begat the Son, He who says about Himself, 'I am the way and the truth.' But when the Lord Jesus had said, 'He who sent me is true,' they did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father, for the eyes of the heart was not yet open, so that they were able to understand the equality of the one who is true and the truth. Saint Bede, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book 1, Chapter 8 1 Jn 8.26 2 Jn 14.6 3 Jn 8.42