Asking In Prayer

Κἀγὼ ὑμῖν λέγω· Αἰτεῖτε, καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν, ζητεῖτε, καὶ εὐρήσετε, κρούετε, καὶ ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν. Πᾶς γὰρ ὁ αἰτῶν λαμβάνει, καὶ ὁ ζητῶν εὐρίσκει , καὶ τῷ κρούοντι ἀνοιγήσεται. Τίνα δὲ ὑμῶν τὸν πατέρα αἰτήσει ὁ υἱὸς ἄρτον, μὴ λίθον ἐπιδώσει αὐτῷ; Ἡ καὶ ἰχθὺν, μὴ ἀντὶ ἰχθύος ὄφιν ἐπιδώσει αὐτῷ; Ἡ καὶ ἐὰν αἰτήσῃ ὠὸν, μὴ ἐπιδώσει αὐτῷ σκορπίον; Εἰ οὖν ὑμεῖς πονηροὶ ὑπάρχοντες οἶδατε δόματα ἀγαθὰ διδόναι τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ Πατὴρ ὁ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ δώσει Πνεῦμα ἅγιον τοῖς αἰτοῦσιν αὐτόν; Ὅρα τὸ ἀκριβὲς τῆς λέξεως. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι Αἰτήσασθε, καὶ δοθήσεται, ἀλλ᾽, Αἰτεῖτε, ἀντὶ τοῦ, διηνεκῶς ζητεῖτε . Πᾶς γὰρ ὁ αἰτῶν λαμβάνει. Ἆρα οὖν ὁ ἀσύμφορα αἰτῶν λαμβάνει; Οὐχί πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἡ τῶν ἀσυμφόρων αἴτησις οὐδὲ αἴτησις ἂν κληθείη πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Ὁ γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ προσευχόμενος, ὀφείλει αἰτεῖσθαι ἃ ἐκεῖνος δίδωσιν. Ὅταν δὲ τις τὰ ἀσύμφορα αἰτεῖται, οὐ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ποιεῖται τὴν αἴτησιν· οὗτος γὰρ ἀσύμφορα οὐ δίδωσιν. Ἔπειτα ἄκουε καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου, πῶς διδάσκει ἡμᾶς αἰτεῖσθαι ἃ δεῖ. ῎Ἄρτον γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ υἱὸς καὶ ἰχθὺν καὶ ὠὸν αἰτεῖται. Ὥσπερ οὖν ταῦτα ἀνθρώπου ἐστὶ βρῶσις, οὕτω καὶ τὰ αἰτήματα ἡμῶν ὀφείλουσιν εἶναι συμφέροντα καὶ συμβαλλόμενα ἡμῖν. Νόει δέ μοι, ὅτι ἄρτον μὲν αἰτεῖται πᾶς ὁ τὴν εἰς Τριάδα πίστιν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι αὐτῷ, καὶ τὴν ὀρθότητα τῶν δογμάτων αἰτῶν· ἄρτος γὰρ ταῦτὰ εἰσιν ὡς στηρίζοντα καρδίαν. Ἰχθὺν δὲ αἰτεῖ ὁ ἐν τῷ πελάγει μὲν τοῦ βίου ὢν , ζητῶν δὲ τὴν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ συνέργειαν , ἵνα ἐν μέσῳ τῶν πειρασμῶν ἀκαταβάπτιστος, καὶ ζῶν ὥσπερ ἰχθὺς διαφυλαχθῇ. Ὠὸν δὲ αἰτεῖ ὁ τὰ γεννήματα τῶν ἐναρέτων ψυχῶν δοθῆναι αὐτῷ ζητῶν, αἴτινες δηλαδὴ ψυχαὶ ὄρνισιν ἂν εἰκότως παραβάλλοιντο πτέρυγας λαβοῦσαι , καὶ πνεύματι κουφισθεῖσαι, καὶ ὑπεραναπτᾶσαι τὴν γῆν. Θεοφύλακτος Αχρίδος, Ἑρμηνεία Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Λουκαν, Κεφαλὴ IA' Source: Migne PG 123.857c-859a

And I say to you, Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it shall be opened to you. Everyone who is asking receives, and he who is seeking finds, and it is opened to those who are knocking. Who among you if a son asked a father for bread, would give him a stone? And if he asked for a fish, instead of fish, he would give him a snake? And if he asked for an egg, he would give him a scorpion? If then you who are wicked know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? 1 Note carefully what is said. He does not say, You shall seek and it shall be given, but seek, that is, keep seeking. 'For everyone who is asking receives.' Is it then that he who is seeking what does not benefit, receives it? No. First one must not ask for harmful things from God in prayer. He who prays to God should seek what God may give. When someone asks for harmful things he does not pray to God, since God does not give such things. Hear how the Lord teaches us to ask for what is needful. He says that the son asks for bread and a fish and an egg. As, then, these thing are food for men, so our prayers should be of benefit to us. Understand here that he who seeks bread is he who has faith in the Trinity and asks for the rightness of the teaching to be revealed to him. This is the bread that strengthens the heart of a man. 1 And he asks for a fish who is in the sea of this life and seeks help from God, so that he does not drown in the midst of trials but lives, and is preserved like a fish. And he who asks for an egg, asks for the fruit of virtuous souls to be given to him. which is compared to the souls of birds, which are lifted up by their wings, and with the spirit they elevate themselves over all worldly things. Theophylact of Ochrid, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Luke, Chapter 11 1 Lk 11.9-13 2 Ps 103.15

The Gathering

Et congregatae sunt, ad eum turbae multae, ita ut naviculam ascendens sederet: et omnis turba stabat in littore Turba multa ad Dominum docentem congregata, significat frequentiam populorum, praedicantibus apostolis, ad Christum confluentium. Quod ascendens navim, sedebat in mari, significat quod Christus per fidem ascensurus erat in mentes gentilium, et Ecclesiam collecturus in mari, id est in medio nationum contradicentium, in qua Ecclesia dicitur sedere, hoc est regnare et dominari. Turba vero quae stabat in littore, quae neque in mari, neque in navi erat, gerit figuram recipientium verbum Dei, et jam fide a mari, id est a reprobis separatorum, sed necdum per gratiam baptismatis in Ecclesia intromissorum. Anselmus Laudunensis, Enarrationes In Matthaeum, Caput XIII Source: Migne PL 162.1369b

And great crowds gathered to Him, so that He went up into a boat and sat, and all the multitude stood on the shore. 1 Many crowds were gathered for the teaching of the Lord, which signifies the many peoples sent flowing to Christ by the preaching of the Apostles. That He got up into the boat and was sat in the sea signifies that by faith Christ was to rise up in the minds of the Gentiles and the Church was to be gathered in the midst of the sea, that is, in the midst of dissentient peoples, in which the Church is said to sit, which is to rule and reign. But the crowd that stood on the shore, who were neither in the sea nor in the boat, these bear the figure of those who receive the word of God and by faith have been drawn out of the waters, that is, from among the wicked, but they have not yet entered into the Church through the grace of baptism. Anselm of Laon, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 13 1 Mt 13.2

Teachers And Pupils

Πρέπει μέν που καὶ πατράσι παίδων ἰδίων πρόνοια καὶ γεωργοῖς φυτῶν ἢ σπερμάτων ἐπιμέλεια, καὶ διδασκάλοις μαθητῶν φροντίς, μάλιστα ὅταν δἰ εὐφυΐαν βελτίους ἐφ̓ ἑαυτοῖς ὑποφαίνουσι τὰς ἐλπίδας. χαίρει γὰρ πονῶν καὶ γεωργός, ἁδρυνομένων αὐτῷ τῶν ἀσταχύων ἢ τῶν φυτῶν αὐξανομένων, εὐφραίνουσι δὲ καὶ μαθηταὶ διδασκάλους, καὶ παῖδες πατέρας, οἱ μὲν πρὸς ἀρετήν, οἱ δὲ πρὸς αὔξησιν ἐπιδιδόντες. ἡμεῖς δὲ τοσοῦτον μείζονα μὲν ἐφ̓ ὑμῖν ἔχομεν τὴν φροντίδα, κρείττονα δὲ τὴν ἐλπίδα, ὅσον εὐσέβεια πάσης μὲν τέχνης, πάντων δὲ ζώων ὁμοῦ καὶ καρπῶν ἐστιν ἀμείνων, ἣν ἐν ἁπαλαῖς ἔτι καὶ καθαραῖς ταῖς ὑμετέραις ψυχαῖς ῥιζωθεῖσαν ὑφ̓ ἡμῶν καὶ τραφεῖσαν ἰδεῖν εὐχόμεθα καὶ προελθοῦσαν εἰς ἀκμὴν τελείαν καὶ εἰς καρποὺς ὡραίους, συλλαμβανομένης ἡμῶν ταῖς εὐχαῖς τῆς ὑμετέρας φιλομαθείας. Eὖ γὰρ ἴστε καὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν εἰς ὑμᾶς εὔνοιαν καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ συνεργίαν ταῖς ὑμετέραις ἐναποκεῖσθαι γνώμαις, ὧν πρὸς τὸ δέον εὐθυνομένων, Θεὸς συνεργὸς καλούμενος παρέσται καὶ ἄκλητος, καὶ πᾶς φιλόθεος ἄνθρωπος πρὸς διδασκαλίαν αὐτεπάγγελτος. ἀνίκητος γὰρ ἡ προθυμία τῶν διδάσκειν τι χρήσιμον δυναμένων, ὅταν αἱ τῶν μανθανόντων ψυχαὶ πάσης καθαρεύωσιν ἀντιτυπίας. Οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ σώματος κωλύει χωρισμός, τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος ἡμᾶς δἰ ὑπερβολὴν σοφίας καὶ φιλανθρωπίας μὴ συμπεριορίσαντος τοῖς σώμασι τὴν διάνοιαν, μήτε μὴν τῇ γλώττῃ τῶν λόγων τὴν δύναμιν, δόντος δέ τι πλεῖον καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ χρόνου τοῖς ὠφελεῖν δυναμένοις, ὡς μὴ μόνον τοῖς μακρὰν διεστηκόσιν, ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ τοῖς λίαν ὀψιγόνοις παραπέμπειν δύνασθαι τὴν διδασκαλίαν. καὶ τοῦτον ἡμῖν ἡ πεῖρα πιστοῦται τὸν λόγον, ἐπείπερ οἵ τε πολλοῖς πρότερον ἔτεσι γενόμενοι διδάσκουσι τοὺς νέους, σωζομένης ἐν γράμμασι τῆς διδασκαλίας: ἡμεῖς τε κεχωρισμένοι τοσοῦτον τοῖς σώμασι, τῇ διανοίᾳ σύνεσμεν ἀεί, καὶ προσομιλοῦμεν ῥᾳδίως, τῆς διδασκαλίας οὔτε ὑπὸ γῆς οὔτε θαλάσσης κωλυομένης, εἴ τίς ἐστιν ὑμῖν τῶν ἰδίων ψυχῶν φροντίς. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ἐπιστολή ΣϞΔ' Φήστῳ καὶ Μάγνῳ Source: Migne PG 32.1036c-1037b

It is a father's obligation to look to make provision for his offspring, just as it is a farmer's to nurture his plants and crops, and a teacher's to have care for his pupils, especially when an inborn goodness has revealed good hopes concerning them. The farmer finds has joy in his labours when the ears ripen or the plants increase, the teacher is gladdened at his pupils' growth in virtue, and likewise the father at his son's. But so much greater is the care I have for you and the better the hopes, as much as holiness is greater and better than all the arts, and all animals and harvests, which piety I planted in your hearts while they were yet pure and tender, and I cared for them in the hope of maturity and the bearing of fruits in due season, and my prayers were realised by your love of learning. You know well that you have my good wishes and that God's favour waits on your endeavours, for when we are rightly directed, called or uncalled, God is near to advance them. Every man who loves God is inclined to teaching, and indeed when there is the ability to teach things beneficial he has an eagerness that is almost ungovernable, when the souls of those who will learn have been cleansed of all impediments. It is not bodily separation that is a hindrance, for the Creator, in the fullness of wisdom and love for men, did not restrict our minds to our bodies, nor the power of speech to our tongues, and the ability to be of benefit draws an advantage even from the passing time, and thus we are able to instruct not only those who dwell far away but even those who have yet to be born, and let experience prove it to you, for those who lived many years before us still teach posterity by the instruction preserved in their writings. So we, though so far separated in the body, are always near in our minds and converse with ease; teaching is not restricted by sea or land, if a man has care for souls. Saint Basil of Caesarea, from Letter 294, To Festus And Magnus

Possessing Knowledge

Ό γνωστικὸς καὶ εἰδὼς τὴν ἀλήθειαν, οὐ διὰ μνήμης τῶν πραχθέντων, ἀλλὰ δι' ὐπομονῆς τῶν ἐπερχομένων ἐξομολογεῖται τῷ Θεῷ. Ἅγιος Μάρκος ὁ Ἐρημίτης, Περὶ Τῶν Οἰομένων Ἐξ Ἔργων Δικαιοῦσθαι Source: Migne PG 65.952d

Being knowledgeable and knowing the truth is not through the recollection of things done but in the confession of God in the endurance of present trials. Saint Mark The Ascetic, On Those Who Think Themselves Justified By Works

The Waters Of Teaching

Psal. CIII: Inter medium montium pertransibunt aquae, hoc est, aquae doctrinae inter medium duorum testamentorum. Hoc significatum est, Ezechiel.XLVII: Sanabuntur aquae. Et omnis anima vivens, quae serpit, quocumque venerit torrens, vivet. Torrens iste torrore solis fluens, hoc est, calore charitatis Christi, qui est sapientia Dei, sanat aquas doctrinae humanae. Et anima serpens in deliciis, et divitiis, et honoribus vivet, gustans aquas istas Sanctus Albertus Magnus Commentarium In Evangelium Lucam, Caput V Source: Here p362

In the hundred and third Psalm, 'Through the midst of the mountains the water shall flow' 1 that is, the waters of teaching through the midst of the two Testaments. This was signified in the forty fifth chapter of Ezekiel, 'The waters shall heal, and every living soul which creeps, wherever the torrent shall come, it shall live.' 2 The torrent is the torrent flowing from the sun, that is, from the warmth of the love of Christ, who is the wisdom of God, which heals human teaching, and the soul creeping in worldly pleasures and riches and honours, when it tastes these waters, it shall live. Saint Albert The Great, Commentary On The Gospel of St Luke, Chapter 5 1 Ps 103.10 2 Ezek 47.8-9

The Ways Of Desiring Wisdom

Quinque modis sapientia concupiscitur. Quidam discunt ut sciant: quod est curiositas; quidam ut scientes appareant: quod est vanitas; alii ut vendant et lucrentur: quod est Simoniaca pravitas; alii ut alios aedificent: quod est laudata charitas; alii, ut aedificentur:quod est pia humilitas. Tres superiores sine fructu in concupiscendo abundant. Hi colligunt manna, sed putrescit in ore eroum. Duo posteriores fructum metunt. Hugo De Sancte Victore, Miscellanea, Liber VI, Tit LXXXVIII, Sapientiam quinque modis concupisci Source: Migne PL 177.852d-853a

There are five ways in which wisdom is desired. Some learn that they may simply know, which is mere curiosity. Some that they might appear knowledgeable, which is vanity. Others that they might sell it and profit, which is the depravity of Simon Magus. 1 Others that they might improve others, and this is praiseworthy charity. Others that they may be improved, and this is pious humility. The three former ways give no fruit in their desiring, but they gather the manna and it rots in their mouths. 2 The two latter ways harvest the fruit. Hugh Of Saint Victor, Miscellanea, Book 6, Chapter 88, On the five ways in which wisdom is desired. 1 Acts 8.9-24 2 Exod 16.20

Creation And Vanity

VERANUS. Quid est quod dicit Ecclesiastes: Vanitas vanitatum, et omnia vanitas; cum scriptum sit in libro Genesis: Vidit Deus cuncta quae fecit et erant valde bona? Si cuncta quae fecit Deus, valde bona sunt, quomodo ergo omnia vanitas; et non solum vanitas, sed etiam vanitas vanitatum? SALONIUS. Coelum et terra, maria et omnia quae in hoc circulo continentur, per se quidem bona sunt, quoniam a bono Deo creata sunt, sed comparata Deo, utique pro nihilo habenda sunt, quia semper Deus permanebit id quod est, illa vero omnia transibunt. Nam quae videntur temporalia sunt, quia transitoria; quae autem non videntur aeterna sunt. VERANUS. Quare bis replicavit sententiam suam dicens: Vanitas vanitatum, dixit Ecclesiastes; vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas? SALONIUS. Ad exaggerandam magnitudinem vanitatum iteravit sententiam suam, ut per hoc demonstraret quia omnis mundi gloria sicut flos feni marcescet, et sicut fumus pertransibit. Salonius Viennensis, Expositio Mystica in Ecclesiasten Source: Migne PL 53.994b-c

Veranus: Why is it that Ecclesiastes says, 'Vanity of vanities, everything is vanity,' when it has been written in the book of Genesis, 'God saw all the things He had made and they were very good.' 1 If everything which God made was very good, how then is everything a vanity, and not only a vanity, but even a vanity of vanities? Salonius: Heaven and earth, the sea and everything they is contained in its circuit, are in themselves good because they were created by God, but compared to God they are held as nothing because God always remains what He is, but they shall all pass away. For those things which are seen are temporal and pass away but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Veranus; Why does he twice repeat what he says, 'Vanity of vanities, says Ecclesiastes vanity of vanities and all a vanity?' Salonius: He repeats himself to exaggerate the greatness of the vanity, so that he might show that all the glory of the world withers away like a flower of the field, and as smoke they shall pass away. 3 Salonius of Geneva, A Spiritual Exposition of Ecclesiastes 1 Eccl 1.2, Gen 1.31 2 2 Cor 4.18 3 Isaiah 40.8, 1 Pet 1.24, Ps 36.20

Concerning Captivity

Jam captivitas imminebat, et adhuc adhortabatur Deus tribuens, ut ita dicam, et ante unam diem locum poenitentiae: unde scriptum est, usque ad captivitatem Jerusalem, et usque ad quintum mensem prophetasse Jeremiam. Jam hostium vincula restrinxerant manus, et nihilominus haec quodammodo dicebat Deus: Ecce captivi facti estis: agite, licet sero, poenitentiam: rogate me, et parcam vobis: possum eruere de captivitate, qui tradidi. Habemus itaque quaedam necessaria ex superscriptione ista, quae continet tempora prophetiae, quia juxta suam clementiam exhortatur Deus semper homines ad salutem, ut, cessante delicto, etiam captivitas conquiescat. Haec autem et de nobis possumus intelligere: si peccaverimus, et nos captivi futuri sumus. Etenim tradi peccatorem Satanae, nihil distat ab eo quod Judaei sunt traditi Nabuchodonosor. Utque illos Deus concessit adversario, propter frequentes impietates; sic nos propter peccata quae fecimus, tradimur spiritali Nabuchodonosor: et quos tradidi, inquit, Satanae, ut discant non blasphemare, Apostolus de aliis peccatoribus. Puta quantum malum est peccare, ut tradamur Satanae captivanti animos eorum qui relinquuntur a Deo. Non sine causa autem, neque sine judicio Deus relinquit quos deserit. Cum enim miserit pluviam super vineam, et vinea pro uva attulerit spinas, quid faciet, nisi ut mandet nubibus, ne pluant super eam imbrem? Quapropter in proximo est propter delicta nostra, quorum nobis conscii sumus, et nos captivari. Origenes,Homiliae XIV in Jeremiam, Homilia I, Interprete Hieronymo Stridonensis Source: Migne PL 25.586c-587b

Captivity was imminent, and yet the Lord still exhorted, giving a place of penance even one day before, whence it is written that even to the capture of Jerusalem and even to the fifth month Jeremiah made prophecy. 1 Then even with the fetters of the enemy on the hands, nevertheless the Lord spoke in this manner, 'Behold you have been made captive, but even though it is so late make penance. Ask of me and I will spare you. I who handed you over can bring you out of captivity.' Thus we may identify a certain necessity from what is written, which the times of the prophecy contains, because according to His mercy God is always exhorting men to salvation, so that by ceasing to sin they might overcome captivity. We are even able to understand these things of ourselves, that if we sin we shall be made captive. Indeed 'I have given the sinner to Satan,' 2 is no different from the Jews being given to Nabuchodonosor. Thus as God gave them to the adversary because of their repeated wickedness, so on account of the sins we commit we are given over to the spiritual Nabuchodonosor. 'Who I have given to Satan, so that they learn not to blaspheme,' 3 the Apostle says of other sinners. Think how grave an evil it is to sin, because of which we are given to Satan with the captive souls of those who have forsaken God. It is not without cause or reason that God abandoned those who deserted Him. For when He sends rain upon the vine and it brings forth thorns rather than grapes, what shall He do but command the clouds not to rain on it? 4 Which is imminent on account of our sins, which makes us their associates, and leads us into captivity. Origen, Fourteen Homilies on Jeremiah, from the First Homily, Translated by Saint Jerome. 1 Jerem 1.3 2 1 Cor 5.5 3 1 Tim 1.20 4 Isaiah 5.1-6

Two Sorts Of Listeners

Exiit, qui seminat... Est igitur auditorum verb quadripartita differentia. Alii cor habentes conculcatum ac induratum, praedicationem aure foris audiunt, sed hanc in corde non recipiunt: quibus secus viam, non in via credulitatis vel obedientiae verba cadunt. Non enim omnium fides, nec omnes obediunt Evangelio. Inter aurem enim et cor daemon volitans, quod per unam aurem intrat, per alteram extrahit, ne ad cor descendat. Cum enim praedicator assurgit, ut foris loquatur, assurgit diabolus, ut intus obloquatur, aut falsum esse suggerens, aut pervertens quod dicitur, aut dimicans a quo dicitur, aut somno, aut aliis cogitationibus aggravans illum, cui dicitur. Alii facilitatem obedientiae habentes, sed virtute carentes constantiae, ut filii Ephream intendentes arcum, convertuntur in die belli, cito compuncti, citius arefacti, temporales et leves, non habentes altam radicem charitatis: tempore pacis credunt, tempore tentationis recedunt, dum nil intus prurit, coelibs: dum nil foris saevit, fortes: si nemo molescat, mansueti: si cuncta succedunt, devoti: quibus illud convenit: Confitebitur tibi, cum benefeceris ei. Vere filii Adam, ut qualis pater, tales illi: qui coneousque stetit, donec leviter pulsatus ruit. Sicut primi nimis duri, sic hi nimis molles: illi obstinati, hi pusillanimes; illi non recipiunt verbum, hi non retinent. Isaac, Cisterciensis Abbas, Sermo XVIII In Festum Omnium Sanctorum II Source: Migne PL 194.1751b-c

A sower went out to sow... 1 There are four types among those who hear. There are those with hearts which have been trodden down and made hard, and preaching reaches their outer ear but it is not received into the heart. The seed has fallen beside the path, because the words do not fall onto the way of belief and obedience. The faith is not for everyone, nor do all obey the Gospel. 2 A demon flits about between their ears and hearts, and what enters through one ear it drives out through the the other. When a preacher rises to speak exteriorly, the devil rises up within to speak against him, suggesting what is false, or perverting what is said, or disputing the preacher's good character, or distracting with sleep or other thoughts. Others are able to obey, but they lack the virtue of perseverance, so that they are like the sons of Ephraim bending the bow who are overturned on the day of battle. 3 They are quick to compunction and quicker to relapse. Transient and light, they do not have the taproot of love. 4 In times of peace they are faithful, but in trials they fall. When desire does not trouble them, they are chaste, when no one challenges them they are brave, and if no one irritates them they are peaceable. If all goes well, they are devout, and it was well said of them, 'He will confess you when you bless him.' 5 They are the true sons of Adam, for they are just like that father who stood firm until a light blow toppled him. As the first kind of hearer is too hard, the latter is too soft. As the first kind is obstinate, the latter is weak. The first kind do not receive the Word and the second kind do not keep hold of it. Isaac of Stella, from Sermon Eighteen, A Second on the Feast of All Saints  1 Lk 8.5 2 2 Thes 3.2, Rom 10.16 3 Ps 77.9 4 1 Cor 13.7 5 Ps 48.19

Lacking And Losing Grace

Nota tria, quae impediunt incrementum spirituale: nutrimenti defeclio, quam patiuntur illi qui non habent humorem gratiae; lob octavo: Nunquid potest vivere scirpus sine humore , aut crescere carectum sine aqua? Econtra dicitur de viro iusto in Psalmo: Erit tanquam lignum , quod plantatum esl secus decursus aquarum. Nutrimenti subtractio, quam patiuntur iiii qui se effundunt et se implicant diversis occupationibus. Nam gratiae fatuorum effunduntur; Ecclesiastici vigesimo primo: Cor fatui quasi vas confractum et omnem sapientiam non tenebit; et Genesis quadragesimo nono: Ruben primogenitus meus; et sequitur: Effusus es sicut aqua, non crescas. Nutrimenti vel nutritae rei suffocatio, quam patiuntur qui suffocantur a curis huius saeculi et sollicitudinibus; Matthaei decimo tertio: Cum crevisset herba et fructum fecisset, apparuerunt simul et zizania; Lucae octavo: Exortae spinae suffocaverunt illud; Matthaei decimo tertio: Creverunt spinae et suffocaverunt ea. Sanctus Bonaventura, Collationes In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput III Collatio XIII Source: Here, p553

Let is be noted that there are three things which are an impediment to spiritual growth, firstly a lack of nutrition which is suffered by those who do not have the watering of grace, as in the eighth chapter of Job, 'Can the rush be green without moisture, or a sedge-bush grow without water?' 1 On the contrary it is said of the righteous man in the Psalm, 'He shall be as a tree which has been planted by flowing waters.' 2 Secondly there is a loss of nutrition which is suffered by those who pour themselves out and entangle themselves in many pursuits, for the loss of grace by fools is mentioned in the twenty first chapter of Ecclesiasticus, 'The heart of a fool is like a broken jug, it shall not hold any wisdom.' 3 And in the forty ninth chapter of Genesis, 'Ruben is my firstborn,' and then it follows, 'You have poured yourself forth like water, you shall not grow.' 4 Thirdly there is a stifling of nutrition and the way of nutrition, which is suffered by those who are choked by the cares of the world and its worries. In the thirteenth chapter of Matthew, 'When the crops had grown and put forth their fruit, at once the weeds appeared .' In the eighth chapter of Luke, 'The thorns rose up and choked it,' and in the thirteenth chapter of Matthew, 'The thorns grew and choked them.' 5 Saint Bonaventura, Observations On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 3 1 Job 8.11 2 Ps 1.3 3 Sirach 21.17 4 Gen 49.3-4 5 Mt 13.26, Lk 8.7, Mt 13.7

Judgement And Joy

Et hunc peccatorum a facie Dei interitum, necesse est ut justorum laetitia consequatur. Nam et continuo subjectum est: Et justi laetentur laetitia. Aequa enim judicii coelestis et justa moderatio est, ut peccatores morte conficere, ita, et justos laetitia munerari. Idipsum autem ad ostendendum judicii examen est consecutum: Exsultent in conspectu Dei, epulentur in laetitia. Mundo enim corde, secundum evangelicae benedictionis merita, conspectu Dei digni sunt. Verum laetari in laetitia significationis est altioris, causam scilicet perfectae laetitiae ostendens. Plerique enim in his quae sibi sunt nocitura laetantur ut gaudet lascivus in scortis, ut fur laetatur in furtis, ut unumquemque pro vitiis suis ea quae exercet oblectant. Verum qui in laetitia laetatur, causam laetitiae ex ipsius laetitiae honesta utilique veritate suscipit. Et idcirco ait: In laetitia laetentur, quia in conspectu Dei exultabunt: eam verae exsultationis docens esse laetitiam, quae conspectus Dei jucunditate perfecta sit. Exsultationis autem hujus atque epulantium gaudia, ex quibus est laetitia justorum, sanctus Moyses in divina illa Deuteronomii cantione ita meminit, dicens: Jucundamini coeli simul cum eo, et adorent eum omnes angeli Dei. Jucundamini gentes cum populo ejus, et confortent eos omnes filii Dei. In hac itaque laetitia laetabuntur et justi, coelesti gaudio unanimes, exsultationis divinae societate laetantes. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum LXVII Source: Migne PL 9.444b-c

With this destruction of sinners from the face of God it is necessary that the joy of the righteous should follow, and so the Psalm continues, 'And the righteous shall rejoice in joy.' 1 The just and fair arrangement of the heavenly judgement is that sinners are swept away by death and the righteous are gifted joy. And immediately the result of judgment is revealed, 'They shall exult in the sight of God, they shall feast in joy.' With pure hearts, according to that merited by the evangelical blessing, they are made worthy of the sight of God. 2 This rejoicing in joy has a higher meaning, that is, it reveals the cause of true joy. For many rejoice in things which are harmful, so that a lascivious man has his joy in whores, a thief in theft, and likewise whoever delights in exerting himself in his vices. He who rejoices in joy, takes up the cause of joy from a true and upright and beneficial joy. And therefore it says that they shall rejoice in joy, because they shall exult in the sight of God, which teaches that the joy of true exultation is perfected in the delight in the sight of God. The joy of this exultation and feasting from which is the joy of the righteous, Moses mentions in that divine song in Deuteronomy, 'Let the heavens rejoice with Him, and let all the angels of God adore Him. Let all the nations rejoice with His people, and let all the sons of God strengthen them.' 3 In this, then, the righteous rejoice in joy, united with the joy of heaven, rejoicing in the association with Divine exultation. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 67 1 Ps 67.4 2 Mt 5.8 3 Deut 32.43

Before The Face Of God

Certe, Fratres, modo pereant peccatores a facie Dei. Modo pereant peccatores et non pereant peccatores. Si incipiant iuste vivere, peribunt utique peccatores, sed non peribunt homines. Homo peccator, duo nomina sunt. Homo unum nomen est, et peccator unum nomen est. In his duobus nominibus intellegimus, quia unum horum Deus fecit, alterum horum homo fecit. Hominem enim Deus fecit, peccatorem se ipse homo fecit. Quid ergo contremiscis, quando tibi dicit Deus: Pereant peccatores a facie mea? Hoc tibi dicit Deus: 'Pereat in te quod tu fecisti, et servo quod ego feci.' Et modo ardet ignis in calore verbi, res est in fervore Spiritus Sancti, sicut diximus iam dudum, quia scriptum est in alio psalmo: Nec est qui se abscondat a calore eius. Spiritus autem Sancti esse calorem dicit Apostolus: Spiritu ferventes. Ergo pro facie Dei, tibi pone interim Scripturam Dei. Liquesce ab illa. Paeniteat te, cum audis haec de peccatis tuis. Cum autem te paenitet, et cum te ipsum excrucias sub calore verbi, cum etiam lacrimae currunt, nonne cerae tabescenti et tamquam in lacrimas currenti similis inveniris? Modo ergo fac quod in posterum times, et non habebis quod in posterum timeas. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Sermo XXIIa, De versu 3 Psalmi LXVII, Sicut deficit fumus, deficiant, sicut fluit cera a facie ignis, sic pereant peccatores a facie Dei. Source: Migne PL 38.151-2

Certainly, brothers, sinners perish from before the face of God. 1 Yet in a way they do perish and in a way they do not. If they begin to live rightly, sinners shall perish but men shall not. A man, a sinner, these are two names. A man is one name, and a sinner is one name. With these two names we understand that God made one of them and man made the other. God made man, man made the sinner. Why, then, do you tremble, when God says to you. 'Sinners shall perish before my face?' God is saying to you, 'Let what you have made perish in you and attend to what I have made.' In one way fire flares up in the heat of the Word, and things themselves in the fervour of the Holy Spirit, as we have already said, because it is written in another Psalm, 'There is no one who can hide himself from His heat.' And the Apostle says of the heat of the Holy Spirit, 'Fervent with the Spirit.' 2 Therefore instead of the face of God place before yourself the Scriptures of God. Melt because of them. Repent when you hear these things said of your sins. For when you repent, when you excruciate yourself with the fire of the Word, when tears run, is it not that you find similarity in the melting of wax and in the flowing of tears? Therefore do now what you fear in the future and in the future you will not have what you fear. Saint Augustine of Hippo, from Sermon 22a, On the third verse of the sixty seventh Psalm, 'As smoke vanishes, so let them vanish, as wax melts before the face of fire, so let sinners perish before the face of God.' 1 Ps 67.3 2 Ps 18.7, Rom 12.11

The Poor Of Spirit

Beati pauperes spiritu: quoniam ipsorum est regnum caelorum. Pauper spiritu est humilis corde: id est, pauperem spiritum habens, qui non maga sapit de se. Sicut ex diverso dives spiritu intelligitur magna de se sapiens, et superbus, qui non implet mandatum Christi dicentis: Nisi conversi facti fueritis sicut puer iste, non intrabitis in regnum coelorum. Qui enim jam conversus factus est sicut puer, ille est et pauper spiritu. Et qui pauper est spiritu, ille conversus factus est sicut puer. Et secundum testimonium quidem Christi,et Apostoli, Plentiudo legis dilectio est; tamen nutrix dilectionis humilitas est, et totius mali odii mater superbia. Ergo totius boni initium humilitas est, et totius mali superbia. Denique et perditionis initium a superbia coepit per diabolum, initiumque salutis ab humilitate per Christum: propterea convenienter et ominum beatituduinem humilitarem fecit initium. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia IX Source: Migne PG 56.680

Blessed are the poor of spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 1 Poverty of spirit is a humble heart, 2 that is, he who is poor of spirit does not think great things about himself. So on the contrary he is rich in spirit who thinks great things about himself and he is proud and does not fulfil the commandment of Christ which says, 'Unless you turn and become as this child you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.' 3 For he who has turned is like a child who is poor in spirit, and he who is poor in spirit has turned and become as a child. And according to the testimony of Christ and the Apostle, 'Love is the fullness of the law,' 4 but humility is the nurse of love, and pride is the mother of every hateful evil. Therefore humility is the beginning of every good, and pride of every evil. Finally the beginning of damnation begins by pride through the devil, and the beginning of salvation by humility through Christ. Hence it was fitting that He made humility the beginning of all the beatitudes. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 9 1 Mt 5.3 2 Lk 6.20 3 Mt 18.5 4 Rom 13.10

Blessings And Trials

Μακάριον εἶναι λέγει, τὸν πειρασμὸν ὑπομένοντα. Γενήσεται γὰρ, φησὶν ὁ οὕτως ἀθλητικῶς ἀγαγὼν τὸν ἀγῶνα δόκιμος ἀνὴρ, διὰ πάντων γεγυμνασμενος· οὕτω δὲ ἀναφανέντι ἐκ τν σκυθρωπῶν δοθήσεται στέφανος ζωῆς, εὐτρεπισθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῖς αὐτὸν ἀγαπῶσιν. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Την Ἰάκωβου Ἐπιστολὴ Source: Migne PG 39.1749b-1751a

He says that he is blessed who suffers trials. 1 For let it be, he says, that he is proved a man of trial by struggling bravely and exercising himself in everything, and he will then appear from sorrows and receive a crown of life, prepared by God for those who love Him. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on The Letter of James, fragment 1 Jam 1.12

The Cherubim And The Flaming Sword

Et collocavit ante paradisum voluptatis cherubim et flammeum gladium atque versatilem ad custodiendam viam ligni vitae. Item quia cherubim scientiae multitudo, sive scientia multiplicata interpretatur, bene cherubim et flammeus gladius ad custodiendam viam ligni vitae collocatus esse perhibetur; quia nimirum per disciplinae nobis scientiam coelestis, et per laborem temporalium afflictionum, reditus ad supernam patriam patet, ex qua per stultitiam praevaricationis, perque appetitum carnalium voluptatum discessimus. Et bene non simpliciter flammam, sed gladium dicit flammeum ante paradisum esse collocatum, ut feriendas in nobis illecebras concupiscentiae temporalis insinuet gladio spiritus quod est verbum Dei, si ad lignum vitae, quod est Dominus Christus, penetrare concupiscimus. Bene eumdem gladium versatilem esse refert, ut indicet mystice non nobis semper hunc necessarium esse gladium, sed, ut scriptum est, tempus esse belli, tempus pacis denuntiet: belli videlicet, cum in hujus vitae studio adversum aereas potestates, vel etiam nostrae mentis et corporis vitia, certamus; pacis autem, cum perfecta victoria coronamur. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Genesim, Liber I, Caput XX Source: Migne PL 107.501a-502a

And He placed before the paradise of pleasure Cherubim, and a flaming sword, turning every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. 1 Because 'Cherubim' is interpreted as 'multitude of knowledge' or 'knowledge multiplied,' it is said that the Cherubim and the flaming sword were assigned to guard the way to the tree of life, certainly because it is through the discipline of heavenly understanding and endurance of temporal afflictions that there is an opening for us to return to the heavenly fatherland from which we were cut off by the foolishness of transgression and the appetite of carnal pleasure. And well does it not say just a flame, but a flaming sword was set before paradise, so that the snares of temporal pleasures we bear in us might be destroyed by the Spirit's insertion of the blade that is the word of God, 2 if to the tree of life, which is the Lord Christ, we desire to penetrate. And well is it said that sword is turning, for spiritually this indicates that this sword will not always be necessary for us, but as it is written, there is a time of war and there is a time of peace, 3 that is, the time of war is when we struggle with zeal in this life against the powers of the air, 4 or indeed against the vices of our own minds and bodies, but there is peace when we are crowned with consummate victory. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On Genesis, Book 1, Chapter 20 1 Gen 35.24 2 Ephes 6.17 3 Eccles 3.8 4 Ephes 2.2, 6.12