Wounds And Sin

Si vulnus corpori infligatur, aut os confringatur, aut nervorum junctura resolvatur, sub unius horae spatio hujusmodi vulnera solent corporibus accidere, et plurimis postmodum cruciatibus ac doloribus exactis, multo vix tempore sanari; quanti enim tumores in loco, quanta tormenta generantur? Jam vero si accidat, ut in eodem vulnere, vel in eadem fractura iterum et saepius quis vulneretur, frequentiusque frangatur, quantis hoc poenis curari, et quantis potest cruciatibus medicari? Quanto autem tempore, si tamen potuerit, ad sanitatem perducitur? Et vix aliquando ita curabitur, ut vel debilitatem corporis, vel foeditatem cicatricis effugiat. Transi nunc ab exemplo corporis ad animae vulnera. Anima quoties peccat, toties vulneratur. Et ne dubies peccatis eam velut telis et gladiis vulnerari, audi Apostolum monentem ut assumamus scutum fidei, in quo possitis, inquit, omnia jacula maligni ignita exstinguere. Vides ergo peccata maligni esse jacula, quae in animam diriguntur. Patitur autem et anima non solum vulnera jaculorum, sed et fracturas pedum, cum laquei parantur pedibus ejus, et supplantantur gressus ejus. Haec ergo et hujusmodi vulnera quanto tempore putas posse curari? O si possemus per unumquodque peccatum videre quomodo homo noster interior assidue vulneratur, quomodo sermo malus vulnus infigit! Non legisti: Dicunt quia vulnerant gladii, sed non ita ut lingua? Vulneratur ergo per linguam anima, vulneratur et per cogitationes et concepiscentias malas, frangitur autem et conteritur per opera peccati. Quae si omnia videre possemus, et vulneratae animae sentire cicatrices, certum est quod usque ad mortem resisteremus adversum peccatum. Origen, In Numeros, Homilia VIII, Interprete Rufino Aquileiense Source: Migne PG 12.622d-623c

If a wound is inflicted on the body, or a bone is broken, or a joining of nerves is severed, in the space of one hour those wounds are accustomed to befall, and afterwards there is more pain and grief exacted, which much time is scarcely able to heal; for while there are swellings in place, how great is the torment? Then if it happens that on that same wound and on that same fracture there is often a wound or a break, how great shall this damage be and how great will the treatment of the pain need to be? And then how great the time, if it is possible at all, to lead back to health? And it is hardly likely there will be such a cure that removes bodily debility and the ugliness of scarring. Pass, then, from the example of the body to the wounds of the soul. The soul is wounded as many times as it sins. And lest you doubt that it is wounded as with spears and swords, hear the Apostle exhorting us to 'Take up the shield of faith with which you shall be able to extinguish all the fiery shafts of the wicked one.' 1 You see, therefore, that the sins of the wicked one are shafts directed against the soul. And the soul does not suffer the wounds of shafts only, but also fractures of the foot when a snare is prepared for the feet and its way is supplanted. 2 These wounds and those like them, how much time do you think can cure them? O, that we could see any sin and how it deeply wounds our interior man, and how a wicked word inflicts a wound. Do you not read, 'They say that swords wound, but is it not so with the tongue?' 3 The soul is wounded by the tongue, and it is wounded by evil thoughts and desires, and it is broken and fractured by evil works. If we could see all this and feel the scabs of the soul's wounds, it is certain that we would resist sin to the death. Origen, On Numbers, from the Eighth Homily, Translated by Rufinus of Aquileia. 1 Ephes 6.16 2 Ps 139.5-6 3 Sirach 28.22

Wounds And Fighting

Ὥσπερ στρατιώτης γενναῖος ὑπὲρ τοῦ βασιλέως μαχόμενος, ἐὰν βέλεσι κατατοξευθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων ὑπομείνῃ τὰς ἀλγηδόνας , καὶ μὴ παραχωρήσε τῇ ὀλιγοψυχίᾳ, ἐπιμελείας τυχών, καὶ ἰατρευθείς, ἕξει τὰς οὐλὰς τῶν τραυμάτων εἰς καύχησιν ἀνδρεία; οὕτως καὶ οἱ τρωθέντες παρὰ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ ἐὰν μὴ ἀκηδιάσωσι τοὺς πόνους τῆς μετανοίας, ἀναμφιβόλως σωθέντες καυχήσονται ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως· ὁ γὰρ ἀνδρεῖος , κἂν ἐν τραύμασι γένηται, πάντως νικήσει καὶ τραυματίας μαχόμενος. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΞΖ’ Ἡρακλειῳ Ὑποδιακονῳ Source: Migne PG 79.112b

As a good soldier fights for his king and if he suffers blows from the arms of his enemy, his soul does not despair, because cured and brought back to health the scars of the wounds shall be his boast of bravery, so things are with those who receive wounds from the enemy, if they do not neglect penance, for without doubt they shall have their glory on the day of judgement when salvation follows, for he who is brave, though covered with wounds, may yet fight on and overthrow the one who wounds. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 67, To Heraclius the Subdeacon

Hope And Troubles

Ἡ εἰς τὸ Θεῖον ἐλπὶς , πύργος ἐστὶν ἀῤῥαγής, οὐ τὴν λύσιν μόνον ἐπαγγελλόμενος τῶν δεινῶν, ἀλλ'οὐδὲ παρόντων αὐτῶν ταράττεσθαι συγχωρῶν. Ὁ γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἀπηλλαγμένος , καὶ τῇ ἄνωθεν ἐλπίδι ἑαυτὸν ἐξαρτήσας, οὐ μόνον ταχίστην ἐπάγεται τῶν δεινῶν τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ παρόντων αὐτῶν θορυβοῦται καὶ ταράττεται, τῇ προσδοκία τῆς ἱερᾶς ἐκείνης ἀγκύρας ὀρθούμενος. Χρῶ τοίνυν αὐτῇ , καὶ πάντων ἔσῃ κρείττων τῶν λυπηρῶν. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Δεύτερον, Ἐπιστολὴ IZ', Παμπρεπιῳ Διακονῳ Source: Migne PG 78.469b

Hope in God is a firm tower, yet it does not promise the disappearance of wretched things, but rather distress in present things. For he who rids himself of the things of men has suspended himself by hope to things above, but it does not follow that he is freed from all troubles and burdens, rather he is not cast down by the tumults and trials of present things, for he has been renewed and lifted up on the anchor of holy hope. Hold to this and you shall be superior to every distress. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 2, Letter 17, To Pamprepius the Deacon

A Firm Footing

Tοῦ θεμένου τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς ζωὴν καὶ μὴ δόντος εἰς σάλον τοὺς πόδας μου Οὐ δίδονται εἰς σάλον οἱ πόδες τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου, ὅταν τις ίδρυνθῇ ἐπὶ τὸν ἀῤῥαγῆ καὶ ἰσχυρώτατον τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγον· ὡς χαριστηρίως εἰπεῖν· Ἔστησας ἐπὶ πέτραν τοὺς πόδας μου. Τίθεται δὲ εἰς ζωὴν ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ τέλος κομιζομένου τῆς πίστεως σωτηρίαν· ὡς εἰπεῖν πιστῇ προθέσει· Kal ἡ ψυχή μου αὐτῷ ζῇ. Ζῇ δὲ ψυχὴ ἀρετὴν ἔχουσα καὶ σοφίαν· ὡς, ψυχὴ ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα ἀποθανεῖται. Ως εἰπεῖν τῷ Θεῷ· Ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ σου ζῆσόν με. Οὐ σαλεύεται δὲ τοὺς πόδας ὁ τῷ ὀχυρωτάτῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγῳ ἐνιδρυθείς. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμος ΞΕ’ Source: Migne PG 39.1439a-b

Who has set my soul to live and does not give my feet to stumbling. 1 The feet of a man are not given to stumbling when they have been fixed to the unbreakable and most firm word of God, so that the man gives thanks, saying, 'You placed my feet on a rock.' 2 And the soul is set to live which is directed to the end, the salvation of faith, and with faith he proclaims, 'And in Him my soul shall live.' 3 And the soul's life is the possession of virtue and wisdom, because the soul that sins dies. 4 Thus he says to God, 'With your righteousness revive me.' 5 So the feet are not shaken which are fixed fast on the most firm word of God. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on The Psalms, from Psalm 65 1 Ps 65.9 2 Ps 39.3 3 Ps 21.31 4 Ezek 18.20 5 Ps 118.40

Losing The Light

Auferetur ab impiis lux sua. Neque enim eos nunc Dei lumen illustrat, qui iniquitatis suae malitiam fidei nomine palliant. Nam dum iuxta praedicationem fidei vivere negligunt, et tamen eamdem fidem specie tenus venerantur, honorem vitae praesentis ex nomine religionis quaerunt, hocque eis ex fide lucet, quod eos fides coram hominibus refovet. Sunt vero nonnulli, qui aeterna quae audiunt veraciter credunt, et tamen eidem quam tenent fidei male vivendo contradicunt. Habent hi quoque in tenebris lucem suam, quia dum perversa agunt, et tamen de Deo recta sentiunt, ne tenebrescant funditus, ex quadam parte fulgore luminis illustrantur. Qui dum plus terrena quam coelestia, plus quae vident quam quae audiunt, diligunt, pulsante persecutionis articulo, quod rectum credere videbantur amittunt. Quod illo maxime tempore multiplicius agitur, quando, surgente ipso iniquorum capite, in sanctam Ecclesiam persecutione ultima, liberis suis viribus eius fortitudo grassatur. Ibi tunc cor uniuscuiusque ostenditur, ubi quidquid in occultis latebat aperitur; et qui nunc ore sunt pii, et corde sunt impii, publicata malitia corruunt, et lucem fidei quam specie tenus tenuerant perdunt. Sed inter haec necesse est ut unusquisque nostrum ad cordis sui secretum redeat, et actionis suae damna pertimescat, ne, exigentibus meritis, per districtam iustitiam iudiciorum Dei in talium hominum numerum incurrat. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, Moralia, sive Expositio in Job, Liber XXIX, Caput VII Source: Migne PL 76.484a-c

From the wicked their light shall be taken away. 1 For the light of God does not now shine on those who veil the malice of their iniquity with the name of faith. For while they neglect to live according to the preaching of faith, and yet in appearance reverence that same faith, they seek the honour of this present life under the name of religion, and this that is drawn from faith shines on them, since the faith endears them in the sight of men. But there are some who truly believe the eternal truths which they hear and yet by living wickedly contradict these same things they hold of the faith. They also have their light in darkness, for while they act perversely and yet think rightly about God, they are partially illuminated by brightness, lest they be sunk in darkness. And these while they love the things of earth more than those of heaven, and those that they see more than those they hear, when the time of persecution strikes them, they are seen to lose that right belief, which certainly shall be much more the case at the time of the last persecution when the head of the wicked himself rises against Holy Church, and with his boldness attacks it with unrestrained strength. Then the heart of each one shall be laid open, and whatever lays concealed shall be exposed, and they who are now holy in words and unholy in heart shall fall with their wickedness made public and lose the light of faith which they seemed to possess. And amidst all of this it is necessary for each of us to return to the secret place of his heart, and to fear the condemnation of his deeds, lest he fall as his merits demand by the strict justice of the judgments of God into the number of such men. Saint Gregory the Great, Moralia, or Commentary on Job, Book 29, Chapter 7 1 Job 38.15

Rising And Sitting

Vanum est vobis ante lucem surgere. In vanum est enim intus homini absque divina gratia laborare. Surgite postquam sederitis, qui manducatis panem doloris. Si vultis in excelso esse, estote hic humiles, ubi humilis fuit ille, qui pro nobis pauper fuit factus, ut ibi excelsi sitis, ubi ille sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris. Surrectio exaltationem significat, sessio humilitatem designat. Aliis locis sessio intelligitur ab honore judicandi, ut illic: Sedebitis vos super sedes duodecim. Item sessio humilitatem significat, ut illic: Jesus fatigatus ex itinere sedebat sic super fontem. Nam et in alio psalmo dicitur: Domine, tu cognovisti sessionem meam, et resurrectionem meam, id est, humilitatem meam et exaltationem meam. Ut ergo intelligeretur, ad quam pertineret haec sessio formam, addidit statim: Qui manducatis panem doloris. Manducant panem doloris, qui gemunt in hac peregrinatione. Coelestem ergo desiderio anhelemus patriam: hic humiliatio, illic exaltatio; hic peregrinatio, illic patria. Humiliemur sub potenti manu Dei, ut nos exaltet in tempore visitationis. Alcuinus, Expositio in Psalmos Graduales, Psalmus CXXVI Source: Migne PL 100.628d-629b

It is vain for you to rise before the light. 1 It is in vain for the interior man to labour without Divine grace. You rise up after sitting, you who eat the bread of grief. If you wish to be on high, be humble here, where He was humble who was made a poor man for us, so that you may be raised up there where He sits at the right hand of the Father. This rising signifies exaltation, sitting humility. In other places sitting is understood as the honour given to judging, so that, 'You shall sit upon twelve seats.' 2 This same sitting signifies humility, where it says, 'Jesus was weary from the journey and sat on the well.' 3 And in another Psalm it is said, 'Lord, you know my sitting and my rising,' 4 that is, my humility and my exaltation. And so that it might be understood to which sitting this line refers, he immediately added, 'You who eat the bread of grief.' They eat the bread of grief who groan in this journeying. Therefore let us gasp with desire for the fatherland. Here be humble, there be exalted, here is journeying, there is the fatherland. Let us humble ourselves under the powerful hand of God, so that he might exalt us in the time of His visitation. 5 Alcuin of York, Commentary on the Gradual Psalms, from Psalm 126 1 Ps 126.2 2 Mt 19.28 3 Jn 4.6 4 Ps 138.2 1 Pet 5.6

Trials And Blessings

Beatus vir qui suffert tentationem, quoniam cum probatus fuerit, accipiet coronam vitae, quam repromisit Deus diligentibus se. Huic simile est illud in Apocalypsi: Esto fidelis usque ad mortem, et dabo tibi coronam vitae, quam repromisit, inquit, Deus diligentibus se. Aperte admonens quia tanto amplius gaudere in tentationibus oportet, quanto certius claret Deum his quos diligit majus saepe tentationum pondus imponere, ut scilicet per tentationum exercitium probentur in fide perfecti; cum autem probati sint veraciter esse fideles, hoc est perfecti et integri, in nullo deficientes, jure accipiant promissam vitae aeternae coronam. Sanctus Beda, Super Divi Jacobi Epistolam, Caput I Source: Migne PL 93.13d

Blessed the man who suffers trials, for when he is proved he shall receive the crown of life which God promised to those who love Him. 1 This is similar to what is found in the Apocalypse, 'Be faithful even to death and I shall give to you a crown of life, that which God has promised to the those who love Him.' 2 Openly warning that one ought to rejoice so much the more in trials, as it shines more clearly that God often imposes a greater weight of temptations upon those whom He loves, so that through the exertions of trials they are proved to be of perfect faith, and when they have been proved they are truly faithful, that is perfect and unflawed, lacking in nothing, rightly they receive the promised crown of eternal life. Saint Bede, Commentary on the Letter of Saint James, Chapter 1 1 James 1.12 2 Apoc 2.10

Leading On The Way

Ὁδήγησόν με ἐν τῇ τρίβῳ τῶν ἐντολῶν σου, ὅτι αὐτὴν ἠθέλησα. ᾿Ἵνα εἴπῃ τὸν νόμον, ἤτοι τὴν τρίβον· ἔστι γὰρ ἐντολῶν τρίβος. Τρίβος δὲ λέγεται ἡ τετριμμένη ὁδὸς, ἣν πολλοὶ πρὸ ἡμῶν ἐπορεύθησαν τῶν δικαίων. Ἐὰν δὲ τις μὴ ὁδηγῷ χρήσηται τῷ δ καίῳ, οὐ δύναται ὁδεῦσαι κατὰ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ Χριστοῦ γὰρ ἡμᾶς δεῖ γίνεσθαι μιμητὰς, καὶ αἴρεις τὸν σταυρὸν, καὶ ἀκολουθεῖν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους Ψαλμους, Ψαλμὸς ΡΙH' Source: Migne PG 23.1371b

Lead me on the way of your commandments because I have desired it. 1 He speaks of the law as the way, for the law is a way. And the law is spoken of as a well trodden way, which many righteous men have walked on before us. But if someone lacks a righteous guide, he is not able to walk according to the commandments of God, for we must be imitators of Christ, and take up the cross, and follow after Him. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.35

The Midst Of Tribulations

Si ambulavero in medio tribulationis, vivificabis me. Non abnuit justus iste, ne in mediis tribulationibus ambulet. Scit enim quid tribulatio, secundum Apostolum , patientiam operatur. Scit improbabilem virum non placere, scit victorem militem nisi bello non futurum ; scit intentatam fidem languere , scit in tribulationibus, secundum apostolum , gloriandum: Scit imparem se tribulationibus nisi auxilio Dei esse; et idcirco per Deum salutis suae certus est: et eum in mediis tribulationibus ambulet, per eumdem se vivificandum esse confidit. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum CXXXVII Source: Migne PL 9.790c-d

If I shall walk in the midst of tribulation, you shall preserve me. 1 The righteous man does not refuse to walk in the midst of tribulations. He knows that according to the Apostle tribulation works patience. 2 He knows this does not please the wretched man. He knows there shall be no victorious soldier without battle. He knows that firm faith can grow weak. He knows that according to the Apostle, there is glory in tribulations. 2 He knows that he is no match for tribulations unless with the help of God, and therefore that it is through God that his salvation is certain, and when in the midst of tribulations he shall walk he is confident that he shall be preserved by Him. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 137 1 Ps 137.7 2 Rom 5.3

The Scorned Man

Ὁ ἀθετούμενος ὑπὸ τινος, καὶ μήτε λόγῳ, μήτε ἐννοίᾳ τῷ ἀθετοῦντι φιλονεικῶν, γνῶσιν ἀλεηθῆ κέκτηται, καὶ πίστιν βεβαίαν ἐπιδείκνυται τῷ Δεσπότῃ. Ἅγιος Μάρκος ὁ Ἐρημίτης, Περὶ Τῶν Οἰομένων Ἐξ Ἔργων Δικαιοῦσθαι Source: Migne PG 65.948b

He who is scorned by another and does not dispute with him in word or thought, he is in possession of true knowledge and exhibits firm faith in the Lord. Saint Mark The Ascetic, On Those Who Think Themselves Justified By Works

The Poor Man And Charity

Et tu, pauper, commissam tibi dispensationem non parvam paupertatis existimes si patienter feras, si ingratus non sis, si sis vel in ipsa necessitte sobrius et frugalis; si danti agas gratias, non danti non ingeras blasphemans injurias; si tantum quaeras quantum dat misericordia, non quantum cupiditas importuna compellit. Certe et tu, pauper, qui libenter petis, da etiam tu libenter petentibus. Sed forte dicis, Non habeo: sit dandi animus, et facultas non deerit largiendi, pone advenienti sellam tuam, pone mensam tuam, candelabrum, lucernam: certe ex eo quod accepisti gratanter apppone. Sanctus Petrus Chrysologus, Sermo XXVI Source: Migne PL 52.275a-b

And you, poor man, do not think that the stewardship of poverty committed to you is of little value, if you should bear it patiently, if you should not be ungrateful, if you should be composed and frugal even in need, if you should give thanks to the one who gives and not woundingly abuse the  one who does not give, if you should seek only as much as mercy gives and not as much as pressing greed urges. Certainly even you, poor man, who willingly seek, should also willingly give to those who seek. But perhaps you say, 'I have nothing.' Then have the spirit of giving and you shall not lack the means for generosity. Offer your chair to the one who approaches, set out your table, your candlestick, your lamp. Gladly provide from whatever you have received. Saint Peter Chrysologus, from Sermon 26

Poverty And Blessings

Μὴ ἀποβάλῃς, ἀδελφὲ, καὶ τὸν ἕτερον τῆς πτωχείας λόγον, ὃς τοῦ κατ' οὐρανὸν πλούτου πρόξενος γίνεται. Πώλησόν σου, φησὶ, πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς, καὶ δεῦρο, ἀκολούθει μοι, καὶ ἕξεις θησαυρὸν ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ τοιαύτη πτωχεία δοκεῖ μοι μὴ ἀπᾴδειν τῆς μακαριζομένης πτωχείας. Ἰδοὺ πάντα, ὅσα εἴχομεν, ἀφέντες ἠκολουθήσαμέν σοι, φησὶ πρὸς τὸν Δεσπότην ὁ μαθητής· τί ἄρα ἔσται ἡμῖν; Καὶ τίς ἡ ἀπόκρισις; Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Βούλει νοῆσαι, τίς ὁ πτωχεύων τῷ πνεύματι; Ὁ ἀνταλ λαξάμενος τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς πλοῦτον τῆς σωματικῆς εὐπορίας, ὁ διὰ τὸ πνεῦμα πτωχεύων, ὁ τὸν γήϊνον πλοῦτον οἷόν τι βάρος ἀποσεισάμενος, ἵνα μετάρσιός τε καὶ διαέριος ἄνω φέρηται, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ἐπὶ νεφέλης συμμετεωροπορῶν τῷ Θεῷ. Βαρύ τι χρῆμα τὸ χρυσίον ἐστὶν, βαρεῖα πᾶσα ἡ σπουδαζομένη κατὰ τὸν πλοῦτον ὕλη· κοῦφον δέ τι καὶ ἀνωφερὲς πρᾶγμα ἡ ἀρετή. Ἀλλὰ μὴν ἀντίκειται ταῦτα ἀλλήλοις, τὸ βάρος καὶ ἡ κουφότης. Οὐκοῦν ἀμήχανόν τινα γενέσθαι κοῦφον, τῷ βάρει τῆς ὕλης ἑαυτὸν προσηλώσαντα. Εἰ οὖν χρὴ τοῖς ἄνω προσβῆ ναι, τῶν κάτω καθελκόντων πτωχεύσωμεν, ἵνα ἐν τοῖς ἄνω γενώμεθα. Τίς δὲ ὁ τρόπος, ὑφηγεῖται ἡ ψαλμῳδία· Ἐσκόρπισεν, ἔδωκε τοῖς πένησιν, ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ὁ τῷ πτωχῷ κοινωνήσας, εἰς τὴν μερίδα τοῦ δι' ἡμᾶς πτωχεύσαντος ἑαυτὸν καταστήσει. Ἐπτώχευσεν ὁ Κύριος, μὴ φοβηθῇς μηδὲ σὺ τὴν πτωχείαν. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Εἰς Τους Μακαρισμους, Logos A', Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Source: Migne PG 44.1228d-1229b

Nor should you disregard, brother, the other understanding of poverty which brings forth the wealth of Heaven. 'Sell,' He says, 'all your possessions and give them to the poor, and come follow me, and you shall have treasure in Heaven.' 1 It seems to me that this kind of poverty does not differ from the one that is called blessed. 'Behold, we have left all we had and followed you,' says the disciple to the Master, 'what then shall we have?' And what is the answer? 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.' 2 Do you wish to know who are the poor in spirit? Those who exchange worldly wealth for the wealth of the soul, who are poor according to the spirit who cast off the burden of worldly possessions so that they might be lifted up and taken up on high, as the Apostle says, 'in the cloud walking on high together with God.' 3 Gold is a heavy thing, and every kind of matter that is sought after for the sake of wealth is heavy, but virtue is light and bears souls upwards. Truly these two, heaviness and lightness, are opposed to each other. Therefore if a man has attached himself to the heaviness of matter, it is impossible for him to become light. Since, then, we should incline to the things above, let us become poor in the things that drag us down, so that we may sojourn in the upper regions. The Psalms show us the way, 'He has distributed, he has given to the poor, his righteousness remains forever and ever.' 4 He who shares with the poor will have his share in Him who became poor for us. The Lord became poor, do not fear to be poor. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On The Beatitudes, from the First Oration, on 'Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.' 1 Mt 19.21 2 Mt 19.27, Mt 5.3 3 1 Thes 4.16 4 Ps 111.9

Grace And Man And The Devil

Et ut noveritis, Fratres, quia gratia hoc implet, nemo debet de viribus suis praesumere. Hoc est enim praesumere de gratia Dei. Vocat enim te Deus et iubet ut facias, sed ipse dat vires, ut quod iubet impleri possit. Tibi autem capax fides adhibenda est, ut inundatione gratiae humilies te, supplices Deo nihil de te praesumas; spolies te Golia, induas David. Ad hoc pertinet quod in eodem psalmo dicitur, quod iam commemorare coeperamus: Quid est homo? Hoc enim monet ne de se praesumat homo. Iam videte quomodo incantat adversus Goliam qui de se praesumebat; et commendat tibi David qui infirmus in hominibus in Deo firmissimus erat. Quid est homo? Et dicit quid sit homo: Quoniam innotuisti ei. Hoc est totus homo, si innotescat illi Deus. Si autem non illi innotescat Deus, nihil est homo. Quid est homo, cui non innotuit Deus? Homo vanitati assimilatus est, dies eius velut umbra praetereunt. Ergo, Quid est homo, quoniam innotuisti ei; et filius hominis, quoniam aestimas eum? Quid est, aestimas eum? Placuit tibi eligere illum, et constituere in aliquo superiore et eminentiore loco. Misericordiae tuae est, non meritorum ipsius. Quaere quid sit hominis proprium, peccatum invenies. Quaere quid sit hominis proprium, mendacium invenies. Tolle peccatum, et quidquid consideraveris in homine, Dei est. Non ergo amet homo quod proprium est. Etiam ad hoc potest pertinere illud quod dicit Apostolus: Nemo quod suum est, quaerat. Aliquando enim audiunt illud homines a lectoribus, et aedificantur ad auferendas res alienas. Interest quis tibi dicat: Noli quaerere quod tuum est. Aliquando enim dicitur a malo suasore, aliquando autem dicitur a bono doctore. Deus bonus est doctor. Quando ergo audis a Deo: Noli quaerere quod tuum est, noli sic accipere quomodo dici solet. Aliquid boni est, quod te monet Deus. Quod dicebamus quaerere quid sit tuum, invenies peccatum. Noli ergo quaerere peccatum, et non quaeris tuum. Noli quaerere mendacium, et non quaeris tuum. Veritas enim a Deo est, mendacium abs te. Et si diabolus aliquando aliquid suggerit, consentientem tenet, non cogit invitum. Non enim seducit ille aut trahit aliquem, nisi quem invenerit ex aliqua parte iam similem sibi. Invenit enim eum aliquid cupientem, et cupiditas aperit ianuam intranti suggestioni diaboli. Invenit illum aliquid timentem, monet ut fugiat quod illum invenit timere. Monet ut adipiscatur quod illum invenit cupere. Et per has duas ianuas cupiditatis et timoris intrat. Claude illas, et imples Apostoli illud in hodierna lectione: Non detis locum diabolo. Ibi enim voluit ostendere Apostolus, quia quamvis intret et possideat diabolus, homo illi tamen locum dedit ut posset intrare, Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Sermo XXXII, De Golia et David et de Contemptu Mundi Source: Migne PL 38.200-201

And so that you understand, brothers, that it is grace which achieves this, none of you should rely on his own abilities, for this is to rely on the grace of God. God is exhorting you to do something and it is He who gives you the strength so that you are able to do what He has ordered. What you must provide is abundant faith, so that you might humble yourself under a flood of grace, supplicating God, not trusting in yourself, stripping yourself of Goliath and putting on David. To this pertains what is said in the same Psalm, which I had already began to draw your attention to, 'What is man?' 1 This is a warning to man that he should not rely on himself. Now see how he sings against Goliath who relied on himself, and commends to you David who being weak among men was the strongest in God. 'What is man?' And he says what man is, 'That you would be know by him.' 1 This is the whole man, if God is known by him. But if God is not known man is nothing. What is a man if God is not known by him? Man is likened to a vanity, his days pass like a shadow. 2 Therefore, 'What is man that you are known by him, and a son of man, that you take account of him?' 1 What is it to take account of him? You were pleased to choose him, and establish him in a higher and more eminent place, and this is a matter of your benevolence, not his merits. Look for what is proper to man, and what you will find is sin. Look for what is proper to man, and you will find is falsehood. Take away sin, and whatever you look at in man is of God. Therefore man should not love what is proper to him. And indeed to this it is possible to refer what the Apostle says, 'Do not seek what is yours.' 3 Sometimes men hear this from the lectors and are so edified that they take what belongs to others. It matters who says to you 'Do not seek what is yours.' Sometimes this is said by a wicked seducer, but sometimes it is said by a good teacher. God is a good teacher. Therefore when you hear God saying 'Do not seek what is yours,' don't understand it in the usual way. God is offering you good counsel. As we were saying, seek what is yours and you will find sin. Therefore do not seek sin and you are not seeking what is yours. Don't seek falsehood and you are not seeking what is yours. Truth is from God, falsehood is from you. And if the devil sometimes suggests something, he needs your consent, he cannot compel you unwillingly. Unless he finds something similar to himself in men he cannot seduce or entice. If he finds them greedy for something, it is greed that opens the door for the devil's suggestion to enter. If he finds them afraid of something, he advises them to shun or shirk what they are afraid of. He urges them to go and get what he finds they are greedy for. It is through these two doors of greed and fear that he enters. Shut them, and you fulfill what the Apostle said in today's reading, 'Do not give a space to the devil.' 4 What the Apostle wished to show there was that even though the devil may come in and take possession, yet it is man who gives him a place where he may enter. Saint Augustine of Hippo, from Sermon 32, On Goliath and David and on Contempt for the World 1 Ps 143.3 2 Ps 143.4 3 1 Cor 10.24 4 Ephes 4.27

Teaching And Reproof

Εἴπεν ὁ ἀββᾰς Ποιμὴν, ὅτι ὁ διδάξαι τὸν πλησίον, ὅμοιόν ἐστι τοῦ ἐλέγξαι Ἀποφθέγματα Των Ἁγίων Γερόντων, Παλλάδιος Γαλατίας Source: Migne PG 65.360d

Abba Poemen said, 'He who teaches a neighbour is like he who reproves him.' Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

A Matter Of Judgements

Mihi autem pro minimo est, ut a vobis dijudicer, aut ab humano die. Quos in tantis vitiis reprehendit, miserum dicit ab his se judicari; quippe cum nec a justis judicandum se sciret. Aut ab humano die, hoc est, quia nec a legibus mundo creditis judicandus erat. Supergressus enim humanam justitiam, coelesti justitiae studebat, sicut dicit Dominus: Nisi abundaverit justitia vestra plusquam scribarum et pharisaeorum, non intrabitis in regnum Dei. Humanum ergo diem cum dicit, significat et divinum; in quo judicaturus est Christus, quia sicut jurisconsulti seu pontifices, quos vocant sacerdotes, certos dies quibus judicatur, decreverunt; ita et dies Domini definitus est, quo judicaturus est mundum. Ambrosiaster, In Epistolam Beati Pauli Ad Corinthios Primam, Caput IV Source: Migne PL 17.203a-b

To me it is little that I am judged by you, or by man's day... 1 He admonishes those steeped in vice, saying that it is wretched that he should be judged by them, for certainly he knows he is not judged by the righteous there. 'Or by man's day' means that he would not be judged by the laws of the world either, for he was eager for the heavenly justice which far surpasses human justice, as the Lord says, 'Unless your righteousness far exceeds the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.' 2 Therefore when he speaks of man's day, he points to the Divine day on which Christ shall judge, because just as juriconsults or pontiffs, whom they call priests, decreed certain days for judgement, so there is a set day of the Lord on which the world shall be judged. Ambrosiaster, Commentary On The First Letter of Saint Paul To The Corinthians, Chapter 4 1 1 Cor 4.3 2 Mt 5.20