State super vias et videte et interrogate de semitis antiquis quae sit via bona et ambulate in ea et invenietis refrigerium animabus vestris

30 Jul 2014

Finding The Way

Παρεβαλόν ποτε γεροντες τῷ ἀββᾷ ᾽Αντώνιῳ και ἧν ὁ αββᾶς ᾽Ιωσὴφ μετ' αὐτῶν. Και θέλων ὁ γέρων δοκιμασαι αὐτους, προεβαλετο ῥῆμα ἐκ τῆς Γραφῆς, και ἢρξατο ἐρωτᾷν ἀπο τῶν μικροτέρον, τι ἐστιν τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο. Και ἓκαστος ἒλεγε κατα τὴν ἰδίαν δύναμιν. ῾Ο δὲ γέρων ἑκαστῳ ἒλεγεν· Οὔπω εὗρες. ῾Υστερον ὅλων λέγει τῷ ἀββᾷ ᾽Ιωσηφ· Σὺ πῶς λέγεις εἶναι τὸν λόγον τοῦτον; ᾽Αποκρινεται· Οὐκ οἶδα. Λέγει οὖν ὁ ἀββᾶς ᾽Αντώνιος· Παντως ἀββᾶς ᾽Ιωσηφ εὗρε τὴν ὁδον, ὁτι εἶπεν, Οὐκ οἶδα.

᾽Αποφθέγματα ᾽Αγίων Γερόντων, Παλλαδιος

Source: Migne PG 65.80d
One time some elders came to Father Anthony and with them was Father Joseph. The old man wished to test them and choosing a passage from Scripture he began asking them, from the youngest up, what the meaning was, and each spoke according to his ability. But to each the old man said, 'You do not yet understand.' Finally he said to Father Joseph, 'What do you say concerning this passage?' He answered, 'I do not know.' Father Anthony then said, 'Father Joseph has found the way, for he said 'I do not know.'

Sayings of the Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

The Presence of Good and Evil


In qua etiam illud quod malum dicitur, bene ordinatum et loco suo positum, eminentius commendat bona, ut magis placeant et laudabiliora sint dum comparantur malis. Neque enim Deus omnipotens quod etiam infideles fatentur: Rerum cui summa potestas cum summe bonus sit, ullo modo sineret mali esse aliquid in operibus suis nisi usque adeo esset omnipotens et bonus ut bene faceret et de malo. Quid est autem aliud quod malum dicitur, nisi privatio boni? Nam sicut corporibus animalium nihil est aliud morbis et vulneribus affici quam sanitate privari, neque enim id agitur cum adhibetur curatio, ut mala ista quae inerant, id est morbi ac vulnera, recedant hinc et alibi sint, sed utique ut non sint; non enim ulla substantia, sed carnalis substantiae vitium est vulnus aut morbus, cum caro sit ipsa substantia, profecto aliquod bonum cui accidunt ista mala, id est privationes eius boni quod dicitur sanitas; ita et animorum quaecumque sunt vitia, naturalium sunt privationes bonorum: quae cum sanantur non aliquo transferuntur, sed ea quae ibi erant, nusquam erunt, quando in illa sanitate non erunt. 

Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensis, Enchiridion de Fide, Spe et Charitate 
Even that which is called evil, when it is ordered and put in its own place, increases our admiration of the good; for we take joy in and esteem the good more when we compare it with the evil. Almighty God, who, as even infidels acknowledge, has supreme power over all things, being Himself supremely powerful, would never permit evil among His works, if He were not so omnipotent and good that He can bring good even out of evil. For what is that which we call evil but the absence of good? In the bodies of animals, disease and wounds are nothing but the absence of health; for when a cure is effected, that does not mean that the evils which were present, namely the diseases and wounds, go away and dwell elsewhere, but rather they cease to exist, for the wound or disease is not a substance but a defect in corporeal substance, the flesh itself being a substance, and therefore something good, of which those evils, that is, the privations of the good which is called health, are accidents, so the defects of souls are nothing but privations of natural good. When they are cured the faults are not transferred elsewhere, for they cannot exist when they cease to exist in the healthy.

Saint Augustine of Hippo, Enchiridion 


22 Jul 2014

The Ways of Heretics

Cum sit igitur tale illorum argumentum, quod neque prophetae preadicaverunt, neque Dominus docuit, neque apostoli tradiderunt, quod abundantius gloriantur plus quam caeteri cognovisse, de iis quae non sunt scripta legentes, et, quod solet dici, de arena resticulus nectere affectantes, fide digne aptare conantur iis quae dicta sunt, vel parabolas Dominicas, vel dictiones propheticas aut sermones apostolicos, ut figmentum illorum non sine teste esse videatur; ordinem quidem et textum Scripturam supergredientes, et, quantum in ipsis est, solventes membra veritatis. Transferunt autem, et transfigunt, et alterum ex altero facientes, seducunt multos, ex iis, quae aptant ex Dominicis eloquiis, male composito phantasmati. Quomodo si quis regis imaginem bonam, fabricatam diligenter ex gemmis pretiosis a sapiente artifice, solvens subiacentem hominis figuram, transferat gemmas illas, et reformans faciat ex iis formam canis, vel vulpeculae, et hanc male dispositam, dehinc confirmat et dicat, hanc esse regis illam imaginem bonam, quam sapiens artifex fabricavit, ostendens gemmas, quae bene quidem a primo artifie in regis imaginene compositae erant, male vero a posteriore in canis figuram translatae sunt; et per gemmarum phantasiam decipiat idiotas, qui comprehensionem regalis formae non habeant et suadeat quoniam haec turpis vulpeculae figura illa est bone regis imago: eodem modo et hi anicularum fabulas assuentes, post deinde sermones, et dictiones, et parabolas hinc inde auferentes, adaptare volunt fabulis suis eloquia Dei.  

Sanctus Ireneaus Lugdunensis, Adversus Haereses, Lib I, Cap VIII.
As it is, then, such is their system, which neither Prophets announced, nor the Lord taught, nor the Apostles handed on, but by which they boast abundantly that they have more knowledge than everyone else, gathering from that which is not Scripture, and, as it is said, striving to weave ropes from sand, while they try to adapt, with an appearance of noble honesty, to their own pronouncements, either the parables of the Lord, or the sayings of the Prophets, or the words of the Apostles, in order that their fantasies may not seem to be lacking witness, and so they pass over the order and the connection of the Scriptures, and so far as it in them lies, twist the limbs of truth, throwing them around, thrusting them here and there, making one thing out of another, and seducing by the adaptation the words of the Lord to their own poor fantastic arrangement. It is just as if the fine image of a king fashioned by the skill of a diligent artist out of precious jewels should be taken apart by someone, and then that he should rearrange the gems to fit them together as to make them into the form of a dog or a small fox, and that poorly executed, and he should then stand there boldly and declare that this was truly the fine image of the king a wise artist constructed, pointing to the jewels which had been admirably fitted together by the first artist to form the image of the king, but which have now been clumsily transferred by the latter to the shape of a dog, and by the mere appearance of the jewels, he should deceive the ignorant who had no conception what the king's form was like, persuading them that an inferior likeness of a small fox was, in fact, the fair image of the king. In such a way do these persons patch together old women's chatter, and then endeavour, by taking away from their proper connection, words, expressions, and parables, to adapt the word of God to their fictions.

Saint Ireneaus of Lyons, Against Heresies, Book 1, Ch 8.

21 Jul 2014

Problematic Appointments

Leo urbis Romae episcopus per Caesariensem Mauritaniam constitutis in Domino salutem. 

Cum de ordinationibus sacredotum quaedam apud vos illicite usurpata crebrior ad nos commeantium sermo perferrei, ratio pietatis exegit ut pro sollicitudine quam universae Ecclessia ex divina institutione dependimus, rerum fidem studeremus agnoscere: vicem curae nostrae proficiscenti a nobis fratri et consacerdoti nostro Potentio delegantes, qui secundum scripta quae per ipsum ad vos direximus, de episcopis quorum culpabilis ferebatur electio quid veritas haberet inquireret, nobisque omnia fideliter indicaret. Unde quia idem plenissime notitiae nostrae cuncta reseravit et sub quibus qualibusque rectoribus quaedam Christi plebes in partibus provinciae Caesariensis habeantur, sincera nobis relatione patefecit, necessarium fuit ut dolorem cordis nostri, quo pro Dominicorum gregum periculis aestuamus, datis nunc quoque ad dilectionem vestram litteris promeremus, mirantes tantum apud vos per occasionem temporis impacati aut ambientium praesumptionem, aut tumultum valuisse popolarem, ut indignis quibusque et longe extra sacerdotale meritum constitutis pastorale fastigium et gubernatio Ecclesiae dederetur. Non est hoc consulere populis sed nocere, nec praestare regimen, sed augere discrimen. Integritas enim praesidentium salus est subditorum, et ubi est incolumitas obedientiae, ibi sana est forma doctrinae. Principatus autem quem aut seditio contulit, aut ambitus occupavit, etiamsi moribus atque actibus non offendit, ipsius tamen initii sui est perniciosus exemplo, et difficile est ut bono peragantur exitu, quae malo sunt inchoata principio.  

Leo I, Epistula XII
Leo, bishop of the city of Rome, to the ordained of Mauritania Cæsariensis, greetings in the Lord.

With regard to the ordination of priests among you, the frequent accounts of those who visited us reported certain illicit practices among you, and thus for reasons of piety we were obliged to strive to arrive at the exact state of the case in accordance with that solicitude which by the Divine command we bestow on the universal Church; and we delegated care of this to our brother and fellow priest, Potentius, who was setting out from us, and who, according to what we wrote and addressed to you by him, was to make inquiry into the truth about the flawed elections of bishops, and to report everything faithfully to us. Thus because he has has most fully brought us to awareness by sincere account of under whom certain people of Christ in parts of the province of Caesarensis are and of their quality, it was necessary that the grief of our heart, stirred up for the Lord's flocks imperiled, be revealed by sending this letter to you, beloved. We are astonished that on account of the troubles of the time that either the over-bearing conduct of the self seeking or the tumults of the people would have so much influence upon you, and that to the unworthiest and those far removed from meriting the priesthood the chief pastorate and governance of the Church has been given. This is not to consult but harm the peoples' interests, not to establish order but to increase divisions. The integrity of those who preside is the safeguard of those governed, and where there is assured obedience, there the form of doctrine is sound. An appointment which is made by sedition or brought about by plotting, even if it does not offend in morals nor in practice, is nevertheless wicked from the mere example of its origin, and it is difficult for things to be brought to a good end which have started from a bad beginning.

Leo I, Letter 12

16 Jul 2014

Enquiring Into Divine Things

Nam interim deos credere, interim se deliberare variavit, ut, propositionis incerto, incertior responsionis nostrae intentio fundaretur. Sed in Natale meo verutiam nolo, non credo: procul est ab eius simplicitate subtilis urbanitas. Quid igitiur? Ut qui rectam viam nescit, ubi, ut fit, in plures una diffunditur, quia viam nescit, haeret anxius, nec singulas audet eligere, nec universas probare; sic cui non est veri stabile iudicium prout infida suspicio spargitur, ita eius dubio opinio dissipatur. Nullum itaque miraculum est, si Caecilius identidem incontrariis ac repugnantibus iactetur aestu et fluctuentur: quod ne fiat ulterius, convincam, et regarduam, quamvis diversa sint, quae dicta sunt; una veritate confirmata probataque, nec dubitandum ei de caetero est, nec vagandam. Et quoniam meus frater erupit aegre se fere, stomachari, indignari, dolere, illiteratos, pauperes, imperitos, de rebus caelestibus disputare; sciat omnes homines sine delectu aetatis, sexus, dignitatis, rationis et sensus capaces et habiles procreatos: nec fortuna nactos, sed natura insitos esse sapientiam: quin ipsos etiam philosophus, vel si qui alii artium repertores in memorias exierunt, prius quam solertia mentis parerent nominis claritatem, habitos esse plebeios, indoctos, seminudos; adeo divites facultatibus suis illigatos, magis aurum suspicere consuesse, quam caelum: nostrates pauperes, et commentos esse prudentiam, et tradidisse caeteris disciplinam. Unde apparet ingenium non dari facultatibus, nec studio parari, sed cum ipsa mentis formatione generari. Nihil itaque indignandum, vel dolendum, si quicumque de divinis quaerat, sentiat, proferat; quum non disputantis auctoritas, sed disputationis ipsius veritas requiatur: atque etiam quo imperitior sermo, hoc illustrior ratio est, quoniam non fucatur pompa facundiae et gratiae, sed, ut est, recti regula sustinetur.

Minucius Felix, Octavius, Caput XVI

Source: Migne PL 3.280a-283b
For he shifted between believing the gods and deliberating about them, so that the direct purpose of my reply was established with greater uncertainty by the uncertainty of his proposition. But in my friend Natalis I will not allow, nor do I believe in, any chicanery: his honesty is far from cunning trickery. What then? Like a man who is ignorant of the right way, when, as it happens, the one road divides into many, because he knows not the way, he becomes anxious and neither dares choose one nor tries all; so, if a man has no steadfast judgment of truth, even as his untrusting suspicion is scattered, so his doubting opinion is destroyed. Thus it is no wonder if Caecilius is in the same way unsettled, and tossed toward things repugnant and swept away by the swell; but that this may no longer continue, I will convict and refute all said, however diverse, confirming and approving the truth alone; and for the future he must neither doubt nor waver. And since my brother broke out in such difficulty, that he was grieved, vexed, and indignant, that illiterate, poor and unskilled people should dispute about heavenly things; let it be known that all men without preference of age, sex, or dignity are created with a capacity and ability of reasoning and feeling. Nor do they gain wisdom by fortune, but have it implanted by nature; moreover, even the philosopher, or others who have gone forth unto celebrity as discoverers of arts, before they attained an illustrious name by their mental skill, were thought plebeian, untaught, half-naked. Thus it is, that rich men, bound to their means, have been more inclined to gaze upon gold than upon heaven, while our poor folk have pondered wisdom and have handed over the teaching to others; whence it appears that intelligence is not given to wealth, nor is prepared by study, but is generated with the very formation of the mind. Therefore one must not be indignant nor aggrieved if any one should inquire, should think or should utter his thoughts about Divine things; since what is required is not arguments about authority but the truth of the argument itself: and even the more unskilled the speech, the more clear the reasoning, since it is not obscured by the pomp of eloquence and grace; but, as it is, it is sustained by the rule of right.

Minucius Felix, Octavius, Chapter 16

14 Jul 2014

Driven Away By Grief

Ambrosius Faustino salutem.

Acerbo te doliturum dolore obitum germanae tuae no ignorabam; non tamen ut a nobis te ablegares, sed ut nobis te redderes: nam et si minus iucunda solatia moerentibus, tamen nonnumquam necessaria sunt. Tu autem abiisti in secreta montium et inter ferarum diversaris spelaea, omni humanae conversationis usu abdicatio, et quod gravius est iudicio tuo.Tantumne de te commeruit germana tua, ut proper quam excellere apud te debuit conditio humana, quae tam egregiam feminam tulit, propter eam apud te minoris praerogativae sit? Illa certe vita excedens, hoc se mulcebat solatio, quos te sibi superstitem derelinqueret, parentem nepotibus, praesulem parvulis, auxiliatorem destitutis: tu ita te et nepotibus et nobis abnegas, ut consaltionis illius fructum non sentiamus. Illa te chara pignora vocant non ad dolendum, sed ad consolandum; ut cum te vident, matrem sibi non credant obiisse: in te eam recognoscant, in te eius praesentiam teneant, in te vitam eius sibi manere arbitrentur.Sed doles quod dudum florentissima repente occiderit. Verum hoc nobis commune non solum cum homniibus, sed etiam cum civitatibus, terrisque ipsis est. Nempe de Bononiensi veniens urbe a tergo Claternam, ipsam Bononiam, Mutinam, Rhegium derelinquebas, in dextera erat Brixillum, a fronte occurrebat Placentia, veterem nobilitatem ipso adhuc nomine sonans, ad laevem Apennini inculta miseratus, et florentissimorum quondam populorum castella considerabas, atque affectu relegebas dolenti. Tot igitur semirutarum urbium cadavera, terramque sub eodem conspectu exposita funera non te admonent unius, sanctae licet et admirabilis feminae, decessionem consolabiliorem habendam; praesertim cum illa in perpetuum prostrata ac diruta sint: haec autem ad tempus quidem erepta nobis, meliorem illic vitam exigat?Itaque non tam deplorandam, quam prosequendam orationibus reor: nec moestificandam lacrymis tuis, sed magis oblationibus animam eius Domino commendandam arbitror.

Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Epistula XXXIX, Faustino

Source: Migne PL 16.1098d-1099d
Ambrose to Faustinus, greetings.

That you would mourn with bitter grief the death of your sister I was not ignorant, however you should not go into exile, but rather return yourself to us, for although mourners are little inclined to receive consolation, it is sometimes necessary for them. But you have gone away to the hidden places of the mountains, and made your dwelling amid the lairs of wild beasts, abandoning all human converse and, what is worse, the use of your judgement. Is it in accordance with your admiration for your sister, that human nature, which ought to be much esteemed by you for producing a woman so honorable, should on her account be of less worth to you? Certainly in leaving this life it was a comfort to her that she left you alive, a parent to nephews, a guardian of little ones, a succour to their destitution; but you spurn your nephews and us, so we do not know the fruit of consolation. These dear pledges call on you not to grieve but to consolation, that seeing your nephews may believe their mother to be still alive. In you may they recognize her, in you may them enjoy her presence, in you may they think her life remains. But you lament that she has been lately cut off in the flower of her age. Truly this is the common fate not only of men, but of cities and countries themselves. Certainly coming from the town of Bononia you left behind you Claterna, Bononia itself, Mutina, Rhegium; on your right was Brixillum, in front of you Placentia, its very name resounding with ancient nobility, on the left the wastes of the Apennines grieved you, and considering the fortresses of once flourishing tribes, you remembered them with sorrowful affection. Do not then the carcases of so many half-ruined cities and lands stretched on their bier beneath your eyes remind you that the death of one woman, holy and excellent as she was, is much less deplorable? Certainly the former are for ever laid prostrate and destroyed, but she for a time is taken from us and is passing a more blessed life elsewhere.Thus I think that you ought not so much to lament, as to offer prayers; I judge that you should not grieve with tears but rather commend her soul to the Lord.

Saint Ambrose, from Letter 39, to Faustinus

13 Jul 2014

The Snares Of The Enemy

Εἷπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς ᾽Αντώνιος· Εἷδον πάσας τὰς παγίδας τοῦ έχθροῦ ἡπλωμένας ὲπὶ τῆς γῆς· καὶ στενάξας εἷπον· Τίς ἂρα παρέρχεται ταύτας; Καὶ ἠκουσα φωνῆς λεγούσης μοι· ῾Η ταπεινοφροσύνη 

᾽Αποφθεγματα των ἀγιων γεροντων, Παλλαδιος


Source: Migne PG 65 77

Father Anthony said, 'I saw the snares of the enemy spread out across the earth and lamenting I said, How shall I avoid these?' And I heard a voice saying to me, 'Humility'.

Sayings of the Fathers, Palladius of Galatia 


12 Jul 2014

The End Times

ἐν γὰρ ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις πληθυνθήσονται οἱ ψευδοπροφῆται καὶ οἱ φθορεῖς, καὶ στραφήσονται τὰ πρόβατα εἰς λύκους, και ἡ ἀγάπη στραφήσεται εἰς μῖσος. αὐξανούσης γὰρ τῆς ἀνομίας μισήσουσιν ἀλλήλους καὶ διώξουσι καὶ παραδώσουσι, καὶ τότε φανήσεται ὁ κοσμοπλανὴς ὡς υἱὸσ θεοῦ, καὶ ποιήσει σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα, καὶ ἡ γῆ παραδοθήσεται εἰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ποιήσει ἀθέμιτα, ἃ οὐδέποτε γέγονεν ἐξ αἰῶνος. τότε ἥξει ἡ κτίσις τῶν ἀντρώπων εἰς τὴν πύρωσιν τῆς δοκιμασίας, καὶ σκανδαλισθήσονται πολλοὶ καὶ ἀπολοῦνται, οἱ δὲ ὑπομείναντες ἐν τῇ πίστει αὐτῶν σωθήσονται ὑπ’ αὐτου τοῦ καταθέματος. 

Ἡ Διδαχή
For in the last days false prophets and the corrupt will abound, and the sheep will turn into wolves, and love will be turned into hate. As lawlessness increases, they will hate and persecute and betray one another. And then will appear the deceiver of the world like a son of God, and he will perform signs and wonders, and the earth will be delivered into his hands, and he will do abominations, things never done in all the ages. Then the world of men will be judged by fire, and many will be scandalized  and perish. But those enduring in the faith will be saved by the one who was cursed.

The Didache

10 Jul 2014

Counsel And Reason


Non est autem de consuetudine praescribendum, sed ratione vincendum. Nam nec Petrus, quem primum Dominus elegit, et super quem aedificavit Ecclesiam suam, eum secum Paulus de circumcisione postmodum disceptaret, vindicavit sibi aliquid insolenter aut arroganter assumpsit, ut diceret se primatum tenere et obtemperari a novellis et posteris sibi potius oportere. Nec despexit Paulum quod Ecclesia prius persecutor fuisset, sed consilium veritatis admisit, et rationi legitimae quam Paulus vindicabat facile consensit, documentum scilicet nobis et concordia et patientia tribuens, ut non pertinaciter nostra amemus, sed quae aliquando a fratribus et collegis nostris utiliter et salubriter suggeruntur, si sint vera et legitima, ipsa potius nostra ducamus. 

Sanctus Cyprianus, Epistula LXXI, Ad Quintum

Migne PL 4.410
It must not be commanded by custom, rather reason must prevail. For Peter, whom the Lord first chose and upon whom he built his Church, 1 when Paul disputed with him about circumcision, 2 did not vindicate himself insolently or arrogantly assume, so as to say that he held primacy and that those newer and later than him should obey. Nor did he look down on Paul because he used to persecute the Church, but he admitted the counsel of truth and with right reason he easily concurred with what Paul asserted, which provides us with an example of harmony and patience, that we should not pertinaciously cling to what is ours, but that sometimes by the useful and wholesome counsel of brothers and colleagues, if it be true and right, we should by them rather than by ourselves be guided.

Saint Cyprian, from Letter 71, To Quintus 


1 Mt 16.18
2 Gal 2. 11-14

8 Jul 2014

Love Men, Destroy Errors

Haec fratres, cum impigra mansuetudine agenda et pradicanda retinete: diligite homines, interficite errores: sine superbia de veritate praesumite, sine saevitia pro veritate certate. Orate pro eis quos redarguitis atque convincitis. Pro talibus enim propheta Deum deprecatur, dicens: Imple facies eorum ignominia, et quaerent nomen tuum, Domine. Quod quidem iam fecit Dominus, ut eorum facies ignominia Maximianistarum apertissime impleret: superest ut norint salubriter erubescere. Ita enim nomen Domini quaere poterunt, a quo perniciosissime aversi sunt, dum pro eo suum nomen extollunt. Vivatis et perseveretis in Christo, et multiplicemini, atque abundetis in charitate Dei, in invicem, et in omnes, dilectissimi fratres. 

Sanctus Augustinus, Contra Litteras Petiliani, Liber I
These things, brethren, with untiring gentleness I would have you hold to in your actions and preaching: love men, destroy errors; take up the truth without pride; strive for the truth without cruelty. Pray for those whom you refute and convict. For such things the prophet entreats God, saying, 'Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name, O Lord.' 1 And this the Lord has done so already, filling the faces of the followers of Maximianus with shame publicly: it still remains that they learn how to blush healthily. Thus they will be able to seek the name of the Lord, from which they have turned away to their utter peril, while they exalt their own name for His. May you live and persevere in Christ, and be multiplied, and abound in the love of God and toward one another, and toward all, most beloved brethren.

Saint Augustine of Hippo, Against the Letters of Petilian, Book 1


1 Ps 82.17

The Great Work Of Man

Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾰς ᾽Αντώνιος τῷ ἀββᾷ Ποιμενι, ὅτι αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ μεγάλη ἐργασια τοῦ ἀνθρωπου, ἴνα τὸ σφάλμα ἑαυτοῦ ἐπάνω ἑαυτοῦ βαλῃ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ, και προσδοκήσῃ πειρασμον ἓως ἐσχάτης ἀναπνοῆς. 

᾽Αποφθεγματα των ἀγιων γεροντων, Παλλαδιος

Source: Migne PG 65.77
Father Anthony said to Father Poemen, 'This is the great work of man, that he takes his faults on himself in the presence of God and expects trials until the last breath.'

Sayings of the Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

7 Jul 2014

A Suitable Habitation

Deus autem omnia praesciens, utrisque aptas praeparavit habitationes: eis quidem qui inquiruent lumen incorruptibilitatis, et ad id recurrunt, benigne donans hoc quod concupiscunt lumen; aliis vero id contemnentibus, et avertentibus se ab eo, et id fugientibus, et quasi semetipsos excaecantibus, congruentes lumini adversantibus praeparavit tenebris: et his qui fugiunt ei esse subjecti, convenientem subdidit poenam. Subiectio autem Dei requietio est aeterna, ut hi qui fugiunt lumen, dignum fugae suas habeant locum, et qui fugiunt aeternam requiem congruentem fugae suae habeant habitionem. Cum autem apud Deum omnia sint bona, qui ex sua sententia fugiunt Deum, semetipsos ab omnibus fraudant bonis; fraudati autem omnibus erga Deum bonis, conseqeunter in Dei iustum iudicium incident. Qui enim fugiunt requiem, iuste in poena conversabuntur; et qui fugerunt lumen iuste inhabitabant tenebras. Quamadmodum autem in hoc temporali lumine, qui fugiunt illud, ipsos se tenebris mancipant, ita ut et ipsi sibi causa fiant, quod destituuntur a lumine et inhabitant tenebras, et non lumen causa est eis huiusmodi conversationis, quemadmodum praediximus: sic aeternum Dei qui fugiunt lumen, quod continet in se omnia bona, ipsi sibi causa sunt ut aeternas inhabitent tenebras.

Sanctus Iraeneus, Contra Haereses, Liber IV, Cap XXXIX.




But God, foreknowing all things, for both prepared suitable habitations, for those who seek the incorruptible light and have recourse to it, He kindly gives the light which they desire, but to those others who scorn it and turn away from it and flee it, those who are like those who blind themselves, He has prepared for them a darkness fitting for the adversaries of the light, and upon those who flee being subject to Him He has inflicted an appropriate punishment. Submission to God is eternal rest, so those who flee the light have a place worthy of their flight; and those who flee eternal peace, have a habitation appropriate to their exile. Since all good things are with God, they who by their own judgement fly from God defraud themselves of all good things; and defrauded of all good things with respect to God, they shall consequently fall under the just judgment of God. For those who flee peace shall justly be turned over to punishment, and those who flee the light shall justly dwell in darkness. For just as it is with this temporal light, that those who flee it surrender themselves to darkness, so that they are the cause of themselves being destitute of light,  so they inhabit darkness; the light is not the cause, as I have said, of this condition: those who fly from the eternal light of God, which contains in itself all good things, are themselves the cause of themselves inhabiting eternal darkness.

Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies, Book 4, Chapter 39

6 Jul 2014

Pope, Empress, Heretics

Leo Pulcheriae Augustae 

Quantum praesidii Dominus Ecclessiae in vestra clementia praepararit multis saepe probavimus documentis. Et quidquid nostris temporibus contra impugnatores catholicae veritatis industria sacerdotalis obtinuit, ad vestram maxime gloriam redundavit: dum, sicut Spiritu Sancto deocente didicistis, illi per omnia potestatem vestram subjicitis, cuius munere et protectione regnatis. Unde quia contra integritatem fidei Christianae, dissensionem quamdam in Constantinopolitana Ecclesia Eutyche auctore generatem, fratris et coepiscopi mei Flaviani relatione cognovi, ita ut totius causae speciem synodalium gestorum textus ostenderit, dignum gloriae vestrae est, ut error, qui, ut arbitror, de imperitia magis quam de versutia natus est, auferatur, priusquam ullas sibi vires de consensu imprudentium pertinacia pravitatis acquirat. Quia etiam ignorantia graves nonnumquam incidit in lapsus, et plerumque in diaboli ruit foveam incauta simplicitas, per quam supradicto subrepsisse intelligo spiritum falsistatis, ut dum aestimat se religiosius de Filii Dei maiestate sentire, si ei naturae nostrae veritatem inesse non diceret, totum illud quod Verbum caro factum est, unius atque eiusdem putaret esse substantiae. Et quantum Nestorius a veritate excidit, dum Christum de matre solum hominem asseruit natum, tantum etiam hic a catholico tramite deviat, qui de eadem virgine non nostram credit editam esse substantiam; volans utique eam solius Deitatis intelligi ut quod formam servi gessit, et quod nostri similis fuit atque conformis, quaedam nostrae naturae fuerit imago, non veritas.

Papa Leo I, Epistula XXXI





 Leo to the Augusta Pulcheria

How much protection the Lord has extended to the Church through your clemency, we have often demonstrated by many instances. And in our times whatever stand the dilgience of the priesthood has made against those who impugn the Catholic Truth, has redounded chiefly to your glory, while, as you have learned from the teaching of the Holy Spirit, you submit your authority in all things to Him, by whose favour and with whose guardianship you reign. Thus because a certain dissension which has begun through the agency of Eutyches in the church of Constantinople against the integrity of the Christian faith, a matter which has been made known to me by my brother and fellow bishop Flavian, and the text of the synod has shown me the cause of the whole affair, it is worthy of your glory that the error, which I judge is born more of ignorance than cunning, should be dispelled before it acquires support by the imprudent pertinacity of other men. Because even ignorance sometimes leads to a grave fall, and many simple folk by heedlessness rush into the devil's pit; it is thus, I think, that the spirit of falsehood has crept over Eutyches, so that while he judges himself to be one who appreciates the majesty of the Son of God more devoutly by not affirming the truth of our nature in Him, he thinks that the whole of that Word which became flesh was of one and the same essence. And as much as Nestorius fell away from the Truth in asserting that Christ was only born man of His mother, so this man wanders from the Catholic path in not crediting that our substance was brought forth from the same virgin, wishing that it be understood as belonging to His Godhead only, so that that which took the form of a slave, and was like us and of the same form, was some sort of image, not truth.

Leo I, Letter 31

5 Jul 2014

A Hard Heart

Solum est cor durum, quod semetipsum non exhorret, quia nec sentit. Quid me interrogas? Interroga Pharaonem. Nemo duri cordis salutem unquam adeptus est, nisi quem forte miserans Deus, abstulit ab eo, juxta prophetam, cor lapideum, et dedit cor carneum. Quid ergo cor durum? Ipsum est quod nec compunctione scinditur, nec pietate mollitur, nec movetur precibus: minis non cedit, flagellis duratur. Ingratum ad beneficia est, ad consilia infidum, ad judicia saevum, inverecundum ad turpia, impavidum ad pericula, inhumanum ad humana, temerarium in divina, praeteritorum obliviscens, praesentia negligens, futura non providens. Ipsum est cui praeteritorum, praeter solas injurias, nihil omnino non praeterit; praesentium nihil non perit; futurorum nulla, nisi forte ad ulciscendum, prospectio seu praeparatio est. Et ut brevi cuncta horribilis mali mala complectar, ipsum est quod nec Deum timet, nec hominem reveretur.

Sanctus Bernadus Calaraevallensis, De Consideratione
The only hard heart is the one that is not horrified that it does not feel. Why question me? Ask Pharaoh. No one with a hard heart attained salvation unless perhaps that one whom God pitied, and for a stone heart, according to the Prophet, gave a heart of flesh. What therefore is a hard heart? It is one that is not split by compunction, nor softened by piety, nor moved by prayers. It does not yield to threats and scourging hardens it all the more. It is ungrateful for benefits, faithless in counsel, cruel in judgement, shameless in immorality, fearless in risk, inhuman to humanity and reckless in the matters of heaven. Forgetful of the past it neglects the present and is ever improvident. Of the past it holds onto nothing apart from its injuries, the present it destroys, and it has no future unless perhaps for the prospect of or the preparation for revenge. To embrace briefly all that this horrible evil is: it is neither in awe of God nor has respect for man.

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, On Consideration

1 Jul 2014

Labour And Hope

Μακαρίῳ καὶ Ἰωάννῃ.

Οὔτε γεωργοὺς οἱ κατὰ γεωργίαν ξενίζουσι πόνοι, οὔτε ναύταις ὁ κατὰ θάλασσαν χειμὼν ἀπροσδόκητος, οὔτε τοῖς μισθαρνοῦσιν ὁ ἱδρὼς παράδοξος, οὔτε μὴν τοῖς εὐσεβῶς ζῇν ἑλομένοις αἱ κατὰ τὸν ἐνεστῶτα κόσμον θλίψεις ἀμελέτητοι. ἀλλ̓ ἑκάστῳ τῶν εἰρημένων οἰκεῖος καὶ γνώριμος τοῖς μετιοῦσι συνέζευκται πόνος, οὐ δἰ ἑαυτὸν αἱρετός, ἀλλὰ δἰ ἀπόλαυσιν ἀγαθῶν προσδοκωμένων. ἐλπίδες γάρ, πάντα τὸν τῶν ἀνθρώπων συνέχουσαι καὶ συγκροτοῦσαι βίον, τὴν ἐφ̓ ἑκάστῳ τούτων παραμυθοῦνται δυσκολίαν. Τῶν μὲν οὖν ὑπὲρ γῆς καρπῶν ἢ τῶν κατὰ γῆν πονούντων, οἱ μὲν παντάπασιν ἐψεύσθησαν τῶν ἐλπίδων, μέχρι μόνης φαντασίας τῶν προσδοκωμένων τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν ἔχοντες, οἷς δὲ καὶ κατὰ γνώμην ἐκβῆναι συνέβη τὸ τέλος, δευτέρας ἐδέησε πάλιν ἐλπίδος, παραδραμούσης καὶ μαρανθείσης ἐν τάχει τῆς προτέρας. μόνοις δὲ τοῖς ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας καμοῦσιν οὐ ψεῦδος ἠφάνισε τὰς ἐλπίδας, οὐ τέλος ἐλυμήνατο τοὺς ἄθλους, βεβαίας καὶ μονίμου διαδεχομένης τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείας. Μὴ τοίνυν ὑμᾶς ταραττέτω διαβολὴ ψευδής, μηδὲ φοβείτω τῶν κρατούντων ἀπειλή: μὴ γέλως λυπείτω καὶ ὕβρις τῶν γνωρίμων, μηδὲ κατάγνωσις παρὰ τῶν κήδεσθαι προσποιουμένων, ἰσχυρότατον πρὸς ἀπάτην δέλεαρ προβαλλομένων παραινέσεως προσποίησιν. 

Ἅγιος Βασίλειος Καισαρείας, Ἐπιστολή ΙΗ', Μακαρίῳ καὶ Ἰωάννῃ

Source: Migne PG 32 282-284
 
To Macarius and John.

The toil of the field comes as no novelty to farmers; sailors are not amazed if they meet a storm at sea; sweat in summer's heat is no wonder to the hired hand; and to those who have elected to live a holy life the afflictions of this present world are not unforeseen. Each of these have the known and proper labour of their callings, not chosen for its own sake, but for the sake of the enjoyment of the good things to which they look forward. Hope is what in each of these cases acts as a consolation in trouble and which bonds and welds all human life. Now of those who labour for the fruits of the earth, or for earthly things, some are altogether disappointed of their hopes, enjoying only in imagination what they have looked for, and even in the case of others, where the end has been attained, another hope is soon needed, so swiftly the first has fled and faded. Only to those who labour for holiness is the hope not revealed to be a lie; nothing can destroy their reward, for the waiting kingdom of heaven is firm and sure. Be then not troubled at a wicked lie; fear not the threats of the powerful; do not be grieved at the laughter and pride of your peers, nor at the condemnation of those who pretend to care for you, those who put forward, as the most effective bait to deceive, an appearance of giving good counsel.

Saint Basil of Caesarea, from Letter 18, to Macarius and John

Weeds In The Church


Nam, etsi videntur in Ecclesia esse zizania, non tamen impediri debet aut fides aut charitas nostra, ut quoniam zizania esse in Ecclesia cernimus, ipsi de Ecclesia recedamus. Nobis tantum modo laborandum est ut frumentum esse possimus, ut, cum coeperit frumentum Dominicis horreis condi, fructum pro opere nostro et labore capiamus. Apostolus in epistola sua dicit: In domo autem magna non solum vasa sunt aurea et argentea, sed et lignea et fictilia, et quaedam quidem honorata, quaedam vero inhonorata. Nos operam demus, fratres charissimi, et quantum possumus laboremus ut vasa aurea vel argentea simus. Caeterum, fictilia vasa confringere Domino soli concessum est, cui et virga ferrea data est. 

Sanctus Cyprianus, Epistula LI, Ad Confessores, De Reditu Ex Schismate Congratulatoria

Source: Migne PL 4.344
For even if there seem to be weeds in the Church, neither our faith nor our charity should be impeded, so that because we see weeds in the Church we should withdraw ourselves from the Church. We ought only to labour that we are able to be the wheat, that when the wheat begins to be gathered into the Lord's barns, we may receive fruit for our labour and work. The Apostle in his epistle says: 'In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earth, some honourable and some dishonourable.' 1 Let us strive, dearest brethren, to labour as much as we can, that we may be vessels of gold or silver. For the rest, to the Lord alone it is granted to break the vessels of earth, to whom is given the rod of iron. 2

Saint Cyprian, from Letter 51, To the Confessors, Celebrating Their Return From Schism

1 2 Tim 2.20
2 Ps 2.9