Hunger And Thirst

Christus hodie in schola eruditionis evangelcae per filium prodigum nobis competentissime proponit poenitentiae et humilitatis exemplum. Qui cum afficeretur gravissima fame, cogitavit redire ad patem, et inter mercenarios unus esse. Quis est qui dilapidat omnia bona vivendo luxuriose, nisi peccator quiliet, qui bona gratuita et naturalia peccando corrumpit et perdit? Sed reversus ad cor, et justitiam incipiens esurire, humiliat se in oculis suis, de de filiali dignitate ad mercenarii sortem devota humilitate descendit. Beati quidem sunt qui esuriunt justitiam, quoniam ipsi saturabuntur. Esurientes, inquit implevit bonis. Qui enim divitias temporales appetunt,non satiabuntur eis. Haec est aqua d puteo Samariae, de qua qui biberit, sitiet iterum. Haec aqua non reficit, quia non sufficit. Divites egereunt et esurient: inquirentes autem Dominum non minuentur omni bono. Cibus autem justitiae dum plus appetitur, plus dulcescit. Unde et ille qui factus est nobis a Deo sapienta et justitia dicit: Qui edunt me, adhunc esurient, et qui bibunt me, adhuc sitient. Non est tamen ita insatiabilis appetitus justitiae, sicut amor pecuniae; nam in istis est appetitus sine satietate, in illa est satietas sine attaediatione. Unde Propheta: Ego in justitia apparebo in conspecto tuo: sataibor cum apparuerit gloria tua. Petrus Blenensis, Sermo XV, In Quadragesima, De Facienda Poenitentia Source: Migne PL 207.603a-c

Today in the school of evangelical instruction Christ expertly puts forth an example of penitence and humility in the prodigal son, he who when he was afflicted with severe hunger thought to return to his father, and to be one of his hirelings. 1 Who is he who ruins every good in luxurious living but the sinner, he who corrupts both gratuitous and natural goods in sin and destroys them. But turning back to his heart, he begins to thirst for righteousness, he humbles himself in his own eyes, and in devout humility he lowers himself from the dignity of a son to the rank of a hireling. Certainly they are blessed 'who thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.' 'He filled those who thirsted with good things.' 2 But those who desire temporal riches, they shall not be satisfied with them. That is the water from the well of the Samaritan woman, from which he who drinks shall thirst again. 3 This water does not refresh because it is does not suffice. 'The rich hunger and thirst, those who seek the Lord do not lack any good.' 4 The more the bread of righteousness is desired the sweeter it is. Whence even He who was made wisdom and righteousness from God for us says, 'They eat of me and shall yet hunger, and they drink of me and shall yet thirst.' 5 Not that there is an insatiable appetite with righteousness as with the love of money, for in the latter the appetite is never satisfied, but in righteousness there is satiety without weariness, and so the Prophet says: 'In righteousness I shall appear in your sight, and I shall be satisfied when your glory appears.' 6 Peter of Blois, from Sermon 15, In Lent, On Making Penance 1 Lk 15.16-18 2 Mt 5.6, Lk 1.53 3 Jn 4.13 4 Ps 33.11 5 1 Cor 1.30, Sirach 24.29 6 Ps 16.15

Fasts And Feasts

Tu autem cum jejunas, unge caput tuum, et faciem tuam lava... Idioma sanctarum scripturarum est, ut sic uni quasi omnibus, et sic omniubs quasi uni loquatur; idcirco singulari numero, tu autem, dixit, cum jejunas, ut unusquisque specialter sibi intelligat hoc dictum. Caeterum notandus est locus, quod non omnia etiam Novi Testamenti praecepta juxta litteram sunt servanda. Alias autem fugientes in jejuniis hominum conscientiam, et vanae laudis jactantiam, uncti capitibus magis ostendimur jejunare, et ridiculi erimus olei pinguedine delibuti. Verumtamen more Palestinae provinciae loquitur, ubi diebus festis solent ungere capita sua solemnia celebrants. Ex quo liquet jejunantes nos festivos esse debere, et in diebus abstinentiae laetitia spiritali pinguescere Est namque interior homo noster, in quo sicuti a capite omnia membra corporis reguntur, ita a mente illlius participantur partes, propter quod saepe caput pro mente ponitur. Quam oportet denique in diebus jejuniorum sacro perungi unguento, illo videlicet de quo sponsa in Canticis ad Sponsum loquitur: Unguentum effusum nomen tuum, ideo adolescentulae diligunt te. Quo nimirum unguento mens nostra peruncta, recte diligit eum, cujus amore interius perfusa, fragrat odorem, et virtutum odoramenta passim bonis operibus decorata respergit. At vero hypocritarum caput unguento ungitur adulationis, de quo Psalmista canens: Oleum autem peccatoris non impinguet caput meum. Christus itaque factus est nobis unguentum, quod effusum per passionem mortis, totam domum, sanctam videlicet Ecclesiam, suo replevit odore. Idcirco non alterius causa jejunare convenit: sed illius spiritu profusi, debemus per abstinentiam macerare carnem, ut ejus passionibus particimur. Alioquin nisi ejus ungamur spiritu amoris, jejunia nostra vana erunt. Sanctus Paschasius Radbertus Corbeiensis, Expositio In Evangelium Matthaei, Liber IV, Caput VI Source: Migne PL 120.302b-303a

When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face... 1 It is the idiom of the Holy Scriptures that as one is spoken for many, so many is for one, therefore when He speaks with the singular 'you' about fasting everyone should understand that it has been spoken to him especially. Besides, let it be noted in this place, that not every commandment of the New Testament should be taken literally. Otherwise in fasts, fleeing from the good conscience of men, even as a boast for vain praise, we would exhibit our heads anointed, and be ridiculous doused in ointments. However it is said of the custom of the province of Palestine that they are accustomed on their feast days to celebrate their solemnities with their heads anointed. From which it is clear our fasts should be feasts, and in the days of abstinence we should anoint ourselves with spiritual joy. For it is our interior man with which as a head all the members of the body are ruled, thus by the mind they are made participant parts, on account of which the head is often set down for the mind. Therefore in the days of fasting one should be anointed with the sacred unguent which the bride speaks of to the groom in the Song of Songs, 'Your name is oil poured out, therefore the young maidens love you.' 2 Whence certainly with our mind anointed, rightly it loves Him whose love is diffused through the interior, a fragrant odor, and the fragrances of virtue waft forth from the adornment of good works. However the heads of hypocrites are anointed with the oil of adulation, concerning which the Psalmist says, 'Let not the oil of the sinner anoint my head.' 3 Thus with the passion of His death Christ was made an ointment for us, which was poured out through the whole house, which is filled with His scent, that is, the Church. Therefore no other cause befits fasting, but that with His spirit diffused in us, we should emaciate the flesh with abstinence so that it participates in His sufferings. Besides, unless we are anointed with the spirit of His love, our fasting shall be in vain. Saint Paschasius Radbertus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 4, Chapter 6 1 Mt 6.17 2 Song 1.3 3 Ps 140.5

Taking Wives

Oὕτως εἶπεν Kύριος ὁ θεὸς Ισραηλ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀποικίαν ἣν ἀπῴκισα ἀπὸ Ιερουσαλημ οἰκοδομήσατε οἴκους καὶ κατοικήσατε καὶ φυτεύσατε παραδείσους καὶ φάγετε τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτῶν, καὶ λάβετε γυναῖkας.. Τί δέ ἐστι τὸ λαθεῖν γυναῖkας; Ἐδήλωτεν ὁ περὶ τῆς σοφίας εἰπών Ταύτὴν ἐζήτησα Κύμην ἀγαγέσθαι ἐμαυτῷ, καὶ ἐραστὴς ἐγενόμην τοῦ κάλλους αὐτῆς. Δεῖ ταύτης ἐρᾷν, ὡς ἐν Παροιμίαις Σολομὼν εἰσηγήτατο, φἡσας Ἑράσθητι αὑτῆς, καὶ τηρήσει σε καὶ χαράχωσον αὐτὴν, καὶ ὑψώσει σε. Καὶ ἄλλας ὦ νόει παρὰ τὴν σοφίαν γυναῖκας, τὰς λοιπὰς ἀρττάς, Οὕτω γὰρ ἐξέσται πολλὰς γυναῖκας λαξεῖν ἐξ ὧν δεῖ τεχνοποιεῖν. ἀπὸ σοφίας λόγον σοφίας, ὡς ἂν καὶ ἄλλους οἰχοδομήσῃς" ἀπὸ σωφροσύνης ἔργα σωφροσύνης, ἵνα σώφρονας ποιήσῃς βίῳ χαὶ λόγῳ" ἀπὸ ὀικαιοσύντς ἔργα διχαιοσύνης ἐν κοινωνί καὶ συναλλάγμασι" ἀλλὰ καὶ δικαίους διδάσκων τεχνοποιῆσεις ἀπὸ δικαιοσύνης. Υἱοὺς δὲ ποιήσεις ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν καὶ θυγατέρας" υἱοὺς μὲν τὰ θεῖα νοῆματὰ χαὶ τὰ δόγματα, θυγατέρας δὲ τὰς πράξεῖς. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαι Εἰς Ἱερεμαιν Source: Migne PG 13.577a-b

Thus says the Lord God of Israel to all those gone into exile from Jerusalem, build houses and dwell in them and plant gardens and eat their fruits, and take wives... 1 But what is it to take a wife? He makes it clear who speaks of wisdom saying, 'I sought to take this bride for myself, and I was made a lover of beauty.' 2 And it is indeed needful to love her, as Solomon teaches us in Proverbs with these words, 'You shall love her and she will guard you, and with a ditch dug about her she will exalt you.' 3 Yet let it be understood that there are other wives apart from wisdom, the other virtues. So it is permitted to take many wives, from which children should be produced. Wise speech is born from wisdom, so that you may edify others. Prudent works are born from prudence, by which you may make others prudent in life and words. Just works in civil life and agreements are born from justice, and in teaching others to be just you will produce children from justice. Indeed you will produce sons and daughters, sons who are holy thoughts and teaching, and daughters who are deeds. Origen, Commentary On Jeremiah, Fragment 1 Jerem 29.4-5 2 Wisdom 8.2 3 Prov 4.6

The Debt Of Love

Quantum cupio sanctitati vestrae debitum reddere de caritate sermonem, tantum me caritatis magis fieri video debitorem; nec invenio qualiter possim verbis explicare praeconium caritatis, in qua sic debemus, quandiu in hoc saeculo vivimus, crescere invicem diligendo, sicut eam jubemur semper debere reddendo. Beatus namque apostolus Paulus, dum nos omnibus debitis praecepisset absolvi, solo nos mutuae caritatis debito semper voluit detineri, dicens: Nemini quidquam debeatis, nisi ut invicem diligatis. Ista est apostolicae summa doctrinae. Haec sunt consulta caritatis paternae, ut nemini quidquam debeamus, nisi ut invicem diligamus. Cum ergo audimus, ut nemini quidquam debeamus, non in hoc verbo remaneamus, sed audiamus et faciamus quod sequitur, ut nos invicem diligamus: et inveniemus sanctam caritatem, quam semper debendo reddamus, et reddendo salubriter debeamus. Magna res caritas est, dilectissimi fratres, quam docente Apostolo sic jubemur semper reddere, ut eam nihilominus jubeamur sine intermissione debere. O caritatis debitum bonum, debitum sanctum, debitum coelestibus refertum commodis, debitum sempiternis plenum omnino divitiis! Sanctus Fulgentius Ruspensis, Sermo V, De caritate Dei ac Proximi Source: Migne PL 65.737b-d

As greatly as I desire to return the debt of your holiness with a sermon on love, just as greatly I see myself as a debtor to love, for I do not find I am able to explain the glory of love, in which, while we live in this world, we should grow in love to one another, because of which we are commanded always to return it. The blessed apostle Paul, while he commands us to dismiss all debts, wished us only to be detained by the one debt of mutual love, saying, 'Owe nothing to anyone, only that you love one another.' 1 This is the summit of the Apostolic teaching, this is the counsel of paternal love, that we should owe nothing to anyone, only that we love one another. When, therefore, we hear that we should owe nothing to anyone, we should not stop there, but we should hear and do what follows, that is, we should love one another, and thus we shall find heaven's love, which we should always return, and profitably return. Love is such a great thing, dearest brothers, which the Apostle teaches us we should always return, so that we are commanded to it without pause. O good debt of love, o holy debt, o debt that bears off to heaven, debt full of eternal riches. Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe, from Sermon 5, On the Love of God and one's Neighbour 1 Rom 13.8

Loving Enemies

Ego autem dico vobis, Diligite inimicos vestros Quoniam ignorantibus mysterium naturae humana impossibile videtur diligere inimicum. Et vere impossibile est, quantum ad carnis naturam, quia passionibus subjacet: quantum autem ad animam, possibile est, quia propri judicii est ideo: et regere et reinere potest carnem a passionibus. Numquam enim anima passibilem regeret carnem, si ipsa passionibus esset subjecta. Puto autem, sicut illud quod dictum est: Ego autem dico, non concupisces: non loquiter Deus ad carnis naturam, quae non potest fieri ut non concupiscat quod suum est: sed ad animam, quae non concupiscere potest. Nam quando quis corporalibus quidem motibus excitatur, voluntas autem illius non inclinatur, ut faciat opus quod facere instigatur, sed stabilii proposito, continentia et operatione justitiae, irrationabiles motus corporis frangit, et si corpore concupiscit, animus ejus non concupiscit; si autem consenserit explere quod cogitat, tunc vere dicitur animo concupiscere: sic in hoc loco: caro quidem inimicum suum diligere non potest, quemadmodum nec est possibile, ut injuriam non sentiat sibi illatam; anima autem inimicum diligere potest, quia dilectio vel odium carnis in sensu est, animae autem in intellectu. Propterea anima quidem secundum rationem vertitur, caro autem invertibilis in passione tenetur: quoniam anima libera est, et sub principatu Dei est; caro autem captiva est, and sub principatu diaboli est, sicut et mundus qui in maligno positus est, quoniam et ipsa caro de mundo est. Quando ergo nocemur ab aliquo, etsi odimus eum, non tamen exsequimur odium nostum, considerantes Dei justitiam, sed magis confringentes motus doloris nostri, et benedicimus ei, et benefacimus. Cognosce quia caro quidem nostra odit inimicum suum, quae nocita diligere non potest, anima autem diligit inimicum. Alioqui si unusquisque motus suae carnis considerat, nullum bonum facere invenitur: quia omne bonum, adversante carnis natura, contradicentibus nobis ipsis explemus. Deinde qui te innocentem injuriatur, si incipias considerare quomodo a diabolo possidetur et agitur, quomodo voluntatem suam adimplet per ministerum ejus, non solum non irasceris ei, sed ahuc misereberis ejus: miseratio autem excitat affectum. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XIII Source: Migne PG 56.702-3

But I say to you, love your enemies. 1 To those ignorant of the mysteries of human nature it appears impossible to love an enemy. And truly it is impossible as much as it pertains to the nature of the flesh, because it is subject to the passions, but as much as it pertains to the soul it is possible, because it has its own judgement and it is able to rule and restrain the flesh from the passions, but if the soul has become become subject to the passions it can never rule the passion affected flesh. I think, as has been said, as I said about not lusting, that God does not speak of the flesh here, which is not able to be something which does not desire its own things, but to the soul, which is capable of not desiring. For when someone is moved by bodily motions, his will may incline not to do the deed which has been instigated, and with the firm intention of continence and with the work of righteousness, he may stamp down on the irrational movement of the body, if the body desires what his soul does not. But if he shall consent to accomplish what it would, then truly he tells the soul to desire. Therefore, in this passage the flesh is not able to love its enemy and likewise it is not possible that it cannot feel an injury that is inflicted, but the soul can love an enemy, because the love or hate of the flesh is in the sense but the soul's is in the mind. Because of which the soul turns over things according to reason, and the body is held fast by passions, since the soul is free and beneath the power of God and the flesh is captive, beneath the power of the devil, and so the world is in wicked position set, 2 because the flesh is from the world. When, then, we are harmed by someone, even if we hate him, we must not follow our hatred, but considering the righteousness of God, and more the ruinous motions of our grief, we bless him and we do good. Let it be known that our flesh hates our enemy because it is not able to love that which harms it. Besides if anyone should consider the motion of his own flesh he will find no good there, because we fulfill every good in contradiction to the averse nature of the flesh. Finally he who is harmed in innocence, if he considers how the devil possesses and acts, and how his will is fulfilled through his servants, he shall not only refrain from anger, but he shall be merciful and mercy shall kindle love. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 13 1 Mt 5.44 2 1 Jn 5.19

Love And Friends And Enemies

Et si diligitis eos, qui vos diligunt, quae vobis est gratia? Nam et peccatores diligentes se diligunt, etc. Si etiam peccatores, publicani et ethnici, erga dilectores suos natura duce norunt esse benefici, quantum vos, inquit, quibus ut gradus professionis eximior, ita cura necesse est sit virtutis uberior, latiori sinu dilectionis amplecti debetis etiam non amantes? Unde quaesitu dignum videtur quomodo cum Dominus eos qui diligentes se solum diligunt, benefacientibus sibi benefaciunt, amicis fenerantur, non modo perfectam non habere charitatem, verum peccatoribus aequiparari testetur, ille pectoris dominici recubitor Epistolam de Dei et proximi dilectione consummans, non uspiam inimicos monuerit esse diligendos, sed absolute dixerit: Quia si diligamus invicem, Deus in nobis manet, et charitas Dei in nobis perfecta est. Quod si quem movet, sciat eum non de inimicorum amore tacuisse, sed et illos fratrum nomine comprehendisse fraternique amoris intuitu diligi, et pro eis praecepisse orari. Scilicet, ut non semper inimici remaneant, sed resipiscant a diaboli laqueis, nobisque germano foedere socientur. Nec durum videatur, quod nondum credentes, propter spem tamen credendi fratres apellari posse dicimus. Nam idem Joannes, eos etiam filios Dei vocitare legitur. Quia Jesus, inquit, moriturus erat pro gente, et non tantum pro gente, sed ut filios Dei, qui erant dispersi, congregaret in unum. Quandiu enim dispersi, nondum filii sunt Dei, sed conveniendo in unum, jam efficiuntur filii. Sanctus Beda, In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, Liber I, Caput VI Source: Migne PL 92.407a-c

And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you. For even sinners love those who love them... 1 If even sinners, tax collectors and gentiles, know by nature that their lovers are of benefit, how much more should you be more excellent, because of which care is needed for a more abundant virtue, so that with a wider lap of love you may embrace with love those who do not love. Now it seems worthwhile to ask how it is that when the Lord says they do not have a perfect love who love only those who love them, and who do good to those who do good to them, and help friends, and He gives witness to it by the comparison with sinners, yet he who reclined on the Lord's breast, concluded his letter about the love of God and neighbour with no exhortation anywhere to the love of enemies, but openly stated, 'Because if we love one another, God remains in us, and the love of God is perfected in us.' 2  If one considers it, one may understand that he has not been silent about the love of enemies, but includes them under the name of brothers who are to be loved with fraternal love, and he has commanded us to pray for them, that is, so that they might not always remain enemies, but recognise the snares of the devil and join us in familial relationship. It does not seem so difficult that we should be able to call them brothers while they are not yet believers on account of the hope of them becoming believers. For the same John even calls them sons of god. 'Because Jesus' it says, 'should die for the people, and not only for the people, but so that the sons of God who are scattered might be gathered into one.' 3 For while they were scattered they were not sons of God, but coming together as one, so they are made sons. Saint Bede, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, Book 1, Chapter 6 1 Lk 6.32 2 1 Jn 4.12 3 Jn 11.51-52

The Wound Of Love

Ἐὰν εὕρητε τὸν ἀδελφιδόν μου, ἀπαγγείλατε αὐτῷ, ὅτι τετρωμένη ἀγάπης εἰμὶ ἐγώ. Kαλὰ δὲ εἶναι τῆς ἀγάπης τὰ τραύματα καὶ παρὰ τῆς Παροιμίας ἐμάθομεν ἥ φησιν Αἱρετὰ μὲν τοῦ φίλου τὰ τραύματα, κακὰ δὲ τῆς ἔχθρας καὶ τὰ φιλήματα. Tίς δὲ ὁ φίλος οὗ τὰ τραύματα τῶν φιλημάτων τοῦ ἐχθροῦ προτιμότερα, παντὶ δῆλόν ἐστι τῷ μὴ ἀγνοοῦντι τὰ τῆς σωτηρίας μυστήρια. Φίλος μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ἀληθινός τε καὶ βέβαιος ὁ καὶ ἐχθροὺς γενομένους ἡμᾶς τοῦ ἀγαπᾶν μὴ παυσάμενος, ἐχθρὸς δὲ ἄπιστός τε καὶ ἀνήμερος ὁ μηδὲν ἠδικηκότας ὑπαγαγὼν τῷ θανάτῳ. Tραῦμα τοῖς πρωτοπλάστοις ἐδόκει ἡ διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς γενομένη τοῦ κακοῦ ἀπαγόρευσις, τραῦμα γὰρ ἐνομίσθη τοῦ ἡδέος ἡ ἀλλοτρίωσις, φίλημα δὲ ἡ πρὸς τὸ ἡδὺ καὶ εὐφανὲς προτροπή. Ἀλλ’ ἔδειξεν ἡ πεῖρα ὅτι τὰ νομιζόμενα τοῦ φίλου τραύματα τῶν φιλημάτων ἦν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ λυσιτελέστερά τε καὶ αἱρετώτερα. Ἐπεὶ οὖν συνέστησεν ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ἀγάπην ὁ καλὸς ἐραστὴς τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν, δι’ ἣν καὶ Ἁμαρτωλῶν ὄντων ἡμῶν Χριστὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀπέθανε, διὰ τοῦτο ἀντερασθεῖσα ἡ νύμφη τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντος δείκνυσιν ἐν ἑαυτῇ ἐγκείμενον διὰ βάθους τῆς ἀγάπης τὸ βέλος, τουτέστι τὴν τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ κοινωνίαν· ἡ γὰρ ἀγάπη ἐστὶν ὁ θεός, καθὼς εἴρηται, ἡ διὰ τῆς κατὰ τὴν πίστιν ἀκίδος τῇ καρδίᾳ ἐγγενομένη. Eἰ δὲ χρὴ καὶ ὄνομα τοῦ βέλους εἰπεῖν τούτου, ἐροῦμεν ὃ παρὰ τοῦ Παύλου ἐμάθομεν ὅτι τὸ βέλος τοῦτό ἐστι Πίστις δι’ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Ἐξηγησις Του Αἰσματος Των Ἀσμάτων, Ὁμιλία IΓ’ Source: Migne PG 44.1044b-d

If you should find my kinsman, say to him that I am wounded by love. 1 That the wounds of love are beautiful we have learnt from Proverbs, which says, 'The wounds of a friend are desirable, but the kisses of an enemy are evil.' 2 And the answer to the question of who the friend is whose wounds are more beneficial than the kisses of a foe is obvious to everyone who is not ignorant of the mysteries of salvation. The friend is the true and unshakable One who even when we were foes never stopped loving us, and the enemy is the faithless and savage one who brings death to those who have done him no harm. To the one who was first formed, the commandment’s prohibition of evil seemed a wound, since the separation from what gives pleasure was thought to be a wound, while a kiss is an incitement to what gives pleasure and appears good. But experience has shown that things thought as wounds from a friend are more profitable and more desirable than the kisses of an enemy. Since, then, the beautiful lover of our souls has commended His love, because of which 'Christ died for us when we were sinners,' 3 the bride, having returned her beloved's love, reveals the shaft of love deeply fixed within her, that is, her fellowship with the Deity. For God is love, 4 as it has been said, and He has come to dwell in the heart by the means of the shaft of faith. And if it is needful to give a name to this shaft, we repeat what we have learned from Paul, that this shaft is 'faith working through love.' 5 Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Commentary on The Song of Songs, from Homily 13 1 Song 5.8 2 Prov 27.6 3 Rom 5.8 4 1 Jn 4.8 5 Galat 5.6

Harmful Beauty

Quaeris quis ille tam noxius, tamque perniciosus decor? Tuus. Adhuc forte sine intellectu es? Planius audi. Privatus, proprius. Non culpamus donum, sed usum. Denique si advertisti, non in decore, sed in suo decore dictus est ille perdidisse sapientiam. Et, in fallor, unus angeli animaeque decor ipsa est. Quid enim vel haec vel ille absque sapientia, nisi rudis deformisque materia est? Ea ergo ille non modo formatus, sed et formosus fuit. Sed perdidit eam, cum fecit suam: ut non sit aliud in decore suo quam in sua sapientia perdidisse sapientiam. Proprietas in causa est. Quod sibi sapiens fuit, quod non dedit gloriam Deo, quod non retulit gratiam pro gratia, quod non secundum veritatem ambulavit in ea, sed ad suam eam retorsit voluntatem: istud est cur eam perdidit; imo istud est quod eam perdidit. Etenim sic habere, perdere est. Et si Abraham, inquit, ex operibus iustificatus est, habet gloriam, sed non apud Deum. Et ego: non ego in tuto, inquam. Perdidi quidquid habeo non apud Deum. Nam quid tam perditum, quam quod extra Deum exsulat? Quid mors, nisi privatio vitae? Ita nihil perditio, nisi alienatio a Deo est. Vae qui sapientes estis in oculis vestris, et eoram vobismetipsis prudentes! de vobis dicitur: Perdam sapientiam sapientium, et prudentiam prudentium reprobabo. Perdiderunt sapientiam, quia sua sapientia perdidit eos. Quid non perdiderunt, qui et ipsi perditi sunt? An vero non perditi, quos nescit Deus? Sanctus Bernardus Clarae Vallensis, In Cantica Canticorum, Sermo LXXIV Source: Migne PL 183.1143b-d

Do you wonder what beauty can be harmful and ruinous? Yours. Perhaps you do not understand yet. Let it be made more clear. It is your own. We do not blame the gift, but the use of it. If you consider it, it was by his own beauty that Lucifer ruined his wisdom. Unless I err, the beauty of an angel and of the soul is one, and it is wisdom. For what is anything without wisdom but raw and disordered matter? Therefore Lucifer was not only ordered but beautiful because of it, but he ruined it when he used it. There is not anything else to be found in his beauty but that with his own wisdom he destroyed wisdom. Possession is the cause. Because he was wise in his own eyes, because he did not give glory to God, because he did not return grace for grace, because he did not walk in the truth but he turned to his own will, that is how he ruined it, that is how he destroyed it, such was his way of destroying it. And if Abraham, it says, had been justified by works, he would have had glory, but not before God. 1 And I am not safe. I have destroyed whatever I have that is not in God. What is so ruined as that which exults to be separated from God? What is death but the loss of life? Therefore there is no ruin but separation from God. 'Alas, you who are wise in your own eyes, and prudent for yourselves,' of whom it is said, 'I shall destroy the wisdom of the wise and the prudence of the prudent I shall reprove.' 2 They will destroy wisdom because their own wisdom has destroyed them. What do that not destroy who have destroyed themselves? Are they not utterly destroyed whom God disregards? Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Commentary On The Song of Songs, from Sermon 74 1 Rom 4.2 2 Isaiah 5.21, 1 Cor 1.19

Seeking Him

In simplicitate cordis quaerite illum; quoniam invenitur ab his qui non tentant illum, apparet autem eis qui fidem habent in illum. Et bene dixi : In simplicitate etc. quoniam invenitur, per gratiam in praesenti, secundum illus Canticorum tertio: Invenit quem diligit anima mea. Ab his qui non tentant illum... Aliud exterius praetendendo, aliud interius intendendo, sicut Scribae et Pharisaei Chrisum tentantes; et hoc dicit contra hypocrisim et duplicitatem; Matthaei vigesimo secundo, Quid me tentatis hypocritae? Apparet autem... Scilicet in futuro per gloriam; primae Ioannis tertio: Cum apparuerit, similes ei erimus; et ad Colossenes tertio: Cum autem Christus apparuerit, vita vestra, tunc et vos apparebitis cum ipso in gloria. His qui fidem habent in illum. hoc dicit contra haeresi et infidelitatem. Et nota, quod dicit: In illum, quid non sufficit credere illi vel illum, sed credere in illum, quod est actus fidei formatae, secundum Augustinum. Vel: invenitur propter devotionem affectus; apparet, per contemplationem intellectus; Psalmus: Gustate, affectu; videte, intellectu. Sanctus Bonaventura, Commentarius In Librum Sapientiae, Caput I Source: Here, 360d-e

Seek Him in simplicity of heart, for He is found by those who do not test Him, and He appears to those who have faith in Him. 1 Well it is said 'In simplicity' because He is found through grace in the present, according to the third chapter of the Song of Songs, 'My soul found him whom it loves.' 2 'By those who do not test Him...' Pretending one thing outwardly while intending another inwardly, as the Scribes and the Pharisees tested Christ, and this is said against hypocrisy and duplicity. In the twenty second chapter of Matthew, 'Why do you test me, hypocrites?' 3 'And He appears...' That is, in the future, in glory. In the third chapter of the first letter of John, 'When He appears we shall be like Him.' And in the third chapter of Colossians, 'When Christ shall appear, your life, then even you will appear with Him in glory.' 4 'To those who have faith in Him.' This is said against heresy and disbelief. Note that it says 'in Him,' because it is not enough to believe Him but to believe in Him, which is the act of mature faith, according to Augustine. 5 Otherwise we could say He is found according to the devotion of love, and He appears in the contemplation of the mind. In the Psalm, 'Taste,' with love, 'see,' with the understanding. 6 Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On Wisdom, Chapter 1 1 Wisdom 1.2-3 2 Song 3.4 3 Mt 22.18 4 1 Jn 3.2, Col 3.4 5 Aug, Tractate 29 On John, 6 6 Ps 33.9

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