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 2015

A Martyress On Equality

Ὡς δὲ πολλάκις ἐρωτωμένη, πολλάκις τὴν αὐτὴν ἠφίει φωνὴν, δούλην ἑαυτὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγουσα, καὶ κατηρᾶτο τοῖς πρὸς τὴν ἄρνησιν προκαλουμένοις· τότε δὴ ὁ κριτὴς τῆς ἀδικίας οὐ μόνον τὰ κτήματα, ὦν ἀδίκως καὶ παρὰ τοὺς νόμους ἀφῄρητο, ἀπεστέρησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ζωὴν αὐτὴν προσεζημίωσεν ὡς ἐνόμιζε, πυρὶ παραδοὺς αὐτήν. Ἡ δὲ πρὸς οὐδὲν οὕτω τὼν κατὰ τὸν βίον τερπνῶν ἠπειγμένως ἔδραμεν, ὡς ἐπὶ τὴν φλὸγα ἦλθεν ἐκείνην, προσώπῳ καὶ σχὴματι, καὶ οἰς ἐφθεγγετο, καὶ τῇ ἐπανθούσῃ φαιδρότητι, τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ περιχαρὲς ἐμφαίνουσα· παρακαλοῦσα τὰς παρεστηκυίας τῶν γυναικῶν, μὴ καταμαλακίζεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας πόνους, μηδὲ τὴν τῆς φύσεως ἀσθένειαν προφασίζεσθαι. Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ φυράματος, λέγουσα, τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἐσμὲν. Κατ’ εἰκόνα Θεοῦ γεγόναμεν, ὡς καὶ οὖτοι. Ἀρετῆς δεκτικὸν τὸ θῆλυ ὁμοτίμως τῷ ἄῥῥενι παρὰ τοῦ κτίσαντος γέγονε. Καὶ τί γὰρ ἤ συγγενεῖς τοῖς ἀνδράσι διά πάντων ἐσμέν; Οὐ γὰρ σὰρξ μόνον ἐλήφθη πρὸς γυναικὸς κατασκευὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὀστοῦν ἐκ τῶν ὀστέων. Ὥστε τὸ στεῥῥὸν, καὶ εὔτονον, καὶ ὑπομονητικὸν, ἐξ ἴσου τοῖς ἀνδράσι καὶ παρ’ ἡμῶν ὀφείλεται τῷ Δεσπότῃ. Ταῦτα εἰποῦσα, πρὸς τὴν πυρὰν ἢλατο· ἡ δὲ περισχοῦσα τῆς ἀγίας τὸ σῶμα, ὥσπερ τις θάλαμος φωτεινὸς, τὴν μὲν ψυχὴν ἐπὶ τὴν οὐρνιον χώραν  

Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Εἰς Την Μαρτῦρα Ἰουλίτταν
And as often as she was asked, so she replied with the same answer, 'I am a handmaid of Christ,' and she cursed those who offered a denial; then the unrighteous judge not only stripped of her substantial property, which was in contravention of the law, but besides that he thought to punish her by giving her life to the flames. But she who did not delight in the things of life made haste to come to the flames, and with face and garments and words blooming in the firelight and her soul shining with joy, she addressed the women standing nearby, saying, 'Do not let your piety be softened by suffering, nor seek excuses in a weak nature. We are fashioned from the same thing as men are. We, as they are, are made in the image of God. The female, being made from the same material, is as capable of virtue.  For are we not of the same kind in everything as man? Not from flesh alone was woman formed, but bone from bone. Thus from us, as from the male, constancy, strength and endurance is required by the Lord.' Having said these things, she leaped onto the pyre and with the flames surrounding the body of the blessed one, like a bright chamber, her soul passed to the heavenly realm.

Saint Basil of Caesarea, from A Homily on the Martyr Julitta


29 Jul 2015

Praying Without Distraction


Εἶπε πάλιν· Ἀπελθὼν πώλησον σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ δὸς πτωχοίς· καὶ λαβὼν τὸν σταυρὸν, ἀπάρνησαι σεαυτόν· ἵνα δυνηθῇς ἀπερισπάστως προσεύχεσθαι. 

᾽Αποφθεγματα των ἀγιων γεροντων, Παλλαδιος

Again Father Nilus said, ' Go out and sell what you have and give it to the poor, and take up the cross and deny yourself; then you will be able to pray without distraction.'

Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

27 Jul 2015

Prayer Conditions

Ἔτι δ ἄλογον καὶ τοιούτῳ τινὶ παραδείγματι χρήσασθαι πρός τὸ προτρέψασθαι ἐπὶ τὸ εὐξασθαι καὶ ἀποτρέψασθαι τοῦ ἀμελεῖν τὴν εὐχὴν. Ὡωπερ οὐκ ἔστι παιδοποιήσασθαι χωρὶς γυναικὸς καὶ τῆς εἰς παιδοποιίαν χρησίμου παραλαμβανομένης ἐνεργείας· οὕτως τῶδε τινῶν οὐκ ἄν τις τύχοι μὴ οὕτως εὐξάμενος, μετὰ διαθέσεως τοιᾶσδε, πιστεύων οὕτως, οὐ πρὸ τῆς εὐχῆς τόνδε βιώσας τὸν πρόπον. Οὐ Βαττολογητέον οὖν, οὐδὲ μικρὰ αἰτητέον, οὐδὲ περὶ ἐπιγείων προσευκτέον, οὐδὲ μετά ὀργῆς καὶ τεταραγμένων λογισμῶν ἐπὶ τὴν προσευχὴν ἐλθετέον· ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ χωρὶς καθαρεύσεως ἔστιν ἐπινοῆσαι γινομένην τῇ προσευχῇ σχολήν· ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ ἀφέσεως ἁμαρτημάτων οἴον τε τυχεῖν τὸν εὐχόμενον, μὴ ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας ἀφιέντα τῷ πεπλημμεληκότι καὶ συγγνώμης τυχεῖν ἀξιοῦντι ἀδελφῷ. Ὠφέλειαν δὲ έγγίνεσθαι τῷ ὅν δεῖ τρόπον εὐχομένῳ, ἤ ἐπὶ τοῦτο κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἐπειγομένῳ, πολλαχῶς ἠγοῦμαι συμβαίνειν. Καὶ πρῶτον γε πάντως ὤνατό τι ὁ προς τὸ εὔξασθαι ταθεὶς κατὰ τὸν νοῦν, δι’ αὐτῆς τῆς ἐν τῷ εὔχεσθαι καταστάσεως Θεῷ παρεσταναι ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἐκείνῳ λέγειν σχηματίσας, ὡς ἐφορῶντι καὶ παρόντι· ὥσπερ γὰρ αἰ τοιαίδε φαντασίαι καὶ ὑπομνήσεις, τῶνδέ τινων περὶ τὰ ὥν γεγόνασιν αἰ ὑπομνήσεις, μολύνουσι τοὺς λογισμοὺς τοὺς έν ταῖδε ταῖς φαντασίαις γεγενημένους·τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον πειστεόν, ἐνησιφόρον εἴναι μνήμην πεπιστευμένου τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ κατανοοῦντος τὰ ἐν τῷ ἀδύτῳ τῆς ψυχῆς κινήματα· ῥυθμιζούσης ἐαυτὴν ἀρέσκειν ὡς παρόντι καὶ ἐποπτεύοντι καὶ φθάνοντι ἐπὶ πάντα νοῦν, τῷ ἐτάζοντι καρδίας καὶ ἐρευνῶντι νεφρούς. 

Ὠριγένης, Περὶ Εὐχὴς
And yet it is not unreasonable so as to incline a man to prayer and also to discourage neglect of it that we employ an illustration such as this: just as the generation of children cannot be without woman and that activity which is necessary for the generation of children, so one will not obtain certain things without praying in a certain way, that is, with a certain disposition, a certain faith, a certain prior way of living. Thus one should not babble, nor ask for little things, nor should one pray for worldly things, nor should one enter into prayer with anger and troubled thoughts; for to give one's mind to prayer without being free from guilt is vain; nor shall one's prayers obtain forgiveness of sins unless from the heart there is forgiveness of the one who has offended and the acquisition of pardon from that brother. That which benefits comes to the one who prays rightly, or according to his ability drives himself to do so, coming to be, I think, in many ways. And first it is surely in every way an advantage to the one whose mind is intent on prayer, while in the state of praying, to place himself before God and there to speak to Him as if He were looking on and present; for just as certain mental images and recollections connected with things remembered may obscure thoughts born of other mental images, in like manner one may be persuaded that the recollection of the God of our faith profits us,He who knows the movements within the sanctuary of the soul, the rhythms as it disposes itself to please Him who is present, He who enters into every mind, He who examines the heart, He who searches the deeps. 

Origen, On Prayer


25 Jul 2015

Prayer and Discipline


Et quando in unum cum fratribus convenimus, et sacrificia divina cum Dei sacerdote celebramus, verecundiae et disciplinae memores esse debemus, non passim ventilare preces nostras inconditis vocibus, nec petitionem commendandam modeste Deo tumultuosa loquacitate jactare, quia Deus non vocis sed cordis auditor est. Nec admonendus est clamoribus qui cogitationes hominum videt, probante Domino et dicente: Quid cogitatis nequam in cordibus vestris? Et alio loco: Et scient omnes ecclessiae quia ego sum scrutator renis et cordis. Quod Anna, in primo Regnorum libro, Ecclesiae typum portans, custodit et servat: quae Dominum non clamosa petitione, sed tacite et modeste intra ipsas pectoris latebras precabatur. Loquebatur prece occulta, sed manifesta fide; loquebatur, non voce, sed corde, quia sic Deum sciebat audire: et impetravit efficaciter quod petiit, quia fideliter postulavit. Declarat Scriptura Divina quae dicit: 'Loquebatur in corde suo, et labia ejus movebantur, et vox ejus non audiebatur; et exaudivit eam Deus.'

Sanctus Cyprianus, Liber de Oratione Dominica

Migne PL 4.522
And when we meet together to celebrate the divine sacrifices with God's priest, we should be mindful of modesty and discipline, not brandishing our prayers everywhere with raucous voices, nor launching at God in a torrent of verbosity a petition that should be commended by modesty, for God is not the hearer of the voice but of the heart. Nor does He need clamorous reminders who sees the thoughts of men, as the Lord proves, saying, 'Why do you think evil in your hearts?' 1 And in another place: 'And all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the interior and the hearts of men.' 2 All which Hannah in the first book of Kings, she who was a type of the Church, maintains and observes, for she prayed to God not with noisy petition but with quietness and modesty, from the hidden chambers of her heart. She spoke with hidden prayer but with manifest faith. She spoke not with her voice but with her heart, because she knew that thus God hears; and so she effectually obtained what she sought, because she asked for it with faith. Which Divine Scripture declares, saying, 'She spoke in her heart, and her lips moved, but her voice was not heard, and the Lord heard her.' 3

Saint Cyprian, from On The Lord's Prayer 


1 Lk 5.22
2 Apoc 2.23 
3 1 Kings 1.13

23 Jul 2015

An Improvement In Prayers


In eisdem quoque Homiliis rem narrasse me recolo, quam Speciosus compresbyter meus, qui hanc noverat, me narrante attestatus est. Eo namque tempore quo monasterium petii, anus quaedam Redempta nomine, in sanctimoniali habitu constituta in urbe hac juxta beatae Mariae semper virginis ecclesiam manebat. Haec illius Herundinis discipula fuerat, quae magnis virtutibus pollens, super Praenestinos montes vitam eremiticam duxisse ferebatur. Huic autem Redemptae duae in eodem habitu discipulae aderant, una nomine Romula, et altera, quae nunc adhuc superest, quam quidem facie scio, sed nomine nescio. Tres itaque hae in uno habitaculo commanentes, morum quidem divitiis plenam, sed tamen rebus pauperem vitam ducebant. Haec autem quam praefatus sum Romula aliam quam praedixi condiscipulam suam magnis vitae meritis anteibat. Erat quippe mirae patientiae, summae obedientiae, custos oris sui ad silentium, studiosa valde ad continuae orationis usum. Sed quia plerumque hi, quos jam homines perfectos aestimant, adhuc in oculis summi opificis aliquid imperfectionis habent, sicut saepe imperiti homines necdum perfecte sculpta sigilla conspicimus, et jam quasi perfecta laudamus, quae tamen adhuc artifex considerat et limat, laudari jam audit, et tamen ea tundere meliorando non desinit; haec quam praediximus Romula ea quam Graeco vocabulo medici paralysin vocant molestia corporali percussa est, multisque annis in lectulo decubans, pene omni jacebat membrorum officio destituta, nec tamen haec eadem ejus mentem ad impatientiam flagella perduxerant. Nam ipsa ei detrimenta membrorum facta fuerant incrementa virtutum, quia tanto sollicitius ad usum orationis excreverat, quanto et aliud quodlibet agere nequaquam valebat. 

Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, Dialogorum Libri IV, Libri IV, Cap XV

In the same homilies I also recollect a certain thing that was told me, to which narrative Speciosus, my fellow-Priest, would attest. In the time when I sought the monastic life there was a certain old woman named Redempta established in the holy garb, dwelling in this city near the church of the Blessed Mary Ever Virgin. She was a disciple of that Hirundina who was renowned for her great virtues, and who led a hermit's life in the mountains of Praeneste.This Redempta herself had two disciples who wore the same dress as she had adopted, the one named Romula, but the name of the other, she who has survived to our own day and who I know by sight, I can not tell. These three, then, lived together in a little house, replete with the riches of virtues but leading a poor life in worldly things. Of the disciples just spoken of Romula far surpassed the other in merit of life. She was possessed of admirable endurance, perfectly obedient, a guardian of her mouth for the sake of silence, and one who with great diligence employed herself in continual prayer. But as many things are judged by men to be perfect yet in the eyes of the consummate artisan have some imperfection, as often we unskilful folk see fine seals and praise them as perfect yet a true artist having looked at the same would note flaws, and, though hearing it praised, would not hesitate to lay hands on it and improve it, so the aforesaid Romula was struck down by an affliction of the body which the physicians call by the Greek word of paralysis, and for many years she lay on her bed, being cast down in such a manner that she was deprived almost of the use of all her limbs, yet this scourge did not drive her to impatience, for the damage done to her limbs was to the benefit of her virtues, because the more she was rendered incapable of acting in other things, the more she was able to exert herself in prayer.

Saint Gregory the Great, Dialogues, Bk 4, Chap 15

22 Jul 2015

The Endurance of Women



' Erat autem ibi Maria Magdalene et altera Maria, sedentes contra sepulcrum. Altera autem die quae est post parasceven, convenerunt principes sacerdotum et Pharisaei ad Pilatum, dicentes: Domine, recordati sumus, quia seductor ille dixit adhuc vivens: Post tres dies resurgam.'

Caeteris relinquetibus Dominum, mulieres in officio perseverant, expectantes quod promiserat Jesus, et ideo meruerunt primae videre resurgentem, quia qui perseveraverit usque in finem, hic salus erit. 

Sanctus Hieronymus, Commentariorum In Evangelium Matthaei, Lib IV, Cap XXVII




' Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. Next day, the day after the day of preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees came before Pilate and said, 'Lord, we have remembered that the seducer said while he lived: After three days I will rise again.' 

Though the others abandoned the Lord, the women persevered in their office, waiting for what Jesus had promised, and so they merited to be the first to see the risen one, for 'He who perseveres to the end, he shall be saved.'

Saint Jerome, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Book 4, Chapter 27

21 Jul 2015

Success and Failure in Prayer

'Πρὸς σὲ, Κύριε, κεκρὰξομαι, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν μου δεηθήσομαι.'

 Πολλάκις εἴρηται περὶ τοῦ κεκραγέναι πρὸς Κύριον, ὅτι μόνου τοῦ μεγάλα καὶ ἐπουράνια ἐπιθυμοῦντός ἐστι ὁ κράζειν. Εἰ δέ τις μικρὰ καὶ ἐπίγεια αἰτοίη τὸν Θεον, μικρᾷ καὶ ταπεινῇ κέχρηται τῇ φωνῇ, μὴ φθανούσῃ εἰς ὕψος, μηδὲ ἐρχομένῃ εἰς τὰς ἀκοὰς του Κυρίου. 

Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΚΘ’
'To you, Lord, I have cried out and to my God I pleaded.'

It is often said concerning the act of crying out to the Lord that only with a great and heavenly passion can one be said to cry out, so if someone requests something trivial and worldly from God, the cry of such a voice is small and weak and it does not come to the heights, nor does it reach the hearing of the Lord.

Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 29


19 Jul 2015

Tears Here and There


Ἔλεγον δὲ ὅτι ὅλον τὸν χρόνον τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ, καθεζόμενος εἰς τὸ ἐργόχειρον αὐτοῦ, ῥάκκος εἶχεν ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ, χάριν τῶν δακρύων τῶν πιπτόντων ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ. Ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμὴν ὅτι ἐκοιμήθη, δακρύσας εἶπε· Μακαριος εἶ, ἀββᾶ Ἀρσένιε, ὅτι ἔκλαυσας ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὸν ὦδε, Ὁ γάρ μὴ κλαίων ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὸν ὧδε, αἰωνιως ἐκεὶ κλαύσεται. Εἴτε οὖν ὥδε ἑκὼν, εἴτε ἐκεῖ ἀπὸ βασάνων, ἀδύνατον μὴ κλαῦσαι.  

᾽Αποφθεγματα των ἀγιων γεροντων, Παλλαδιος

And they said of Father Arsenius that the whole of his life when he sat to work with his hands he had a rag in his lap for the sake of the tears that fell from his eyes. Hearing he had passed away, Father Poimen said weeping, ' Blessed are you, Father Arsenius, that you lamented here, for he who does not weep here shall lament in eternity. He who does not weep readily here, there, on account of the torments, shall not be able to refrain from lamenting.'

Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

17 Jul 2015

Tears And Prayer


Πρότερον περὶ λήψεως δακρύων προσεύχου, ἵνα διὰ τοῦ πένθους μαλάξῃς τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ σου ἀγριότητα, καὶ ἐξαγορεύσας κατὰ σου τὴν ἀνομίαν σοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ, παρ' αὐτοῦ ἀφέσεως τεύξῃ. Κέχρησο τοῖς δάκρυσι πρὸς παντὸς αἰτήματος κατόρθωσιν· λίαν γὰρ χαίρει σου ὁ Δεσπότες ἐν δάκρυσι προσευχὴν δεχόμενος. ̓Εὰν πηγὰς δακρύων ἐκχέῃς ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ σου, μηδαμῶς ἐπαίρου ἐν σεαυτῷ ὡς ὑπὲρ τοὺς πολλοὺς ὤν· βοήθειαν γὰρ προσείληφεν ἡ προσευχή σου, ἵνα δυνηθῇς προθύμως ἐξαγορεύειν σου τὰς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ ἐξευμενίσασθαι τὸν Δεσπότην διὰ τῶν δακρύων.  Μὴ οῦ̓ν εἰς πάθος τρέψῃ τὸ τῶν παθῶν ἀλέξημα, ἵνα μὴ πλέον παροργίσῃς τὸν δεδωκότα τὴν χάριν· πολλοὶ δακρύοντες ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν, επιλαθόμενοι τοῦ τῶν δακρύων σκοποῦ, μανέντες ἐξεπλάγησαν. Στῆθι ἐμπόνως, καὶ προσεύχου εὐτόνως, καὶ ἀποστρέφου τὰς τῶν φροντίδων καὶ διαλογισμῶν ἐπιτεύξεις· ταράττουσι γὰρ καὶ θορυβοῦσί σε, ἵνα ἐκλύσως τοῦ τόνου.  

Εὐάγριος ὁ Ποντικός, Περι προσευχῆς
First pray that you may receive tears, so that by means of sorrow you may be able to calm the state of your soul, and by confessing your lawlessness to the Lord, you may obtain forgiveness from him. With tears make every request effective, for it greatly delights your Master to receive prayer with tears. But even if you let flow fountains of tears in your prayer, never be exalted in yourself, as if you were superior to many, for your prayer has received aid so that you may be able to confess your sins easily and propitiate the Lord through tears. Do not, then, turn into a passion this guard against passions, lest you anger all the more He who gave you this grace. Many indeed who weep over their sins have forgotten why they are weeping; gazing elsewhere, they have madly wandered away. Stand fast in your labour and pray with strength, and repulse the schemes of cares and thoughts: they trouble and shout at you in order to undo your strength.

Evagrius Ponticus, On Prayer

15 Jul 2015

A Plea for the Dead


In magna tamen tribulatione me constitutum scias, et, ac si sis meum praeseus, sic charitatis pristinae reminsicor die ac nocte. Deus solus scit. Et ideo peto ut annuas desiderio meo et mecum doleas in morte sororis meae, quae cecidit in hac vastatione a Christo. Sacrificavit enim et exacerbavit Dominum nostrum. Quod nobis manifestum videtur. Pro ejus factis ego in hac die laetitiae Paschae flens die ac nocte, in cilicio et cinere lacrymabundus dies exegi et exigo usque in hodiernum, donec auxilium Domini nostri Jesu Christi et pietas per te vel per eos dominos meos qui coronati fuerint, a quibus postulaturus es ut veniam habeant nefanda naufragia. Memoratus sum enim charitatis tuae pristinae, quod cum omnibus doleas pro sororibus nostris, quas et tu bene nosti, id est Numeria et Candida; pro quarum peccato, quia nos fratres habent, debemus excubare. Credo enim Christum secundum earum poenitentiam et opera, quae penes collegas nostros fecerunt extorres, qui a vobis venerunt, a quibus ipsis de operibus eorum audies, jam Christum eis, vobis martyribus suis petentibus, indulturum. Audivi enim te floridiorum ministerium percepisse. O te felicem, suspicere vota tua quae semper desiderasti vel in terra dormiens. Optasti pro nomine illius in carcerem mitti; quod nunc tibi contigit, sicut scriptum est: Det tibi Dominus secundum cor tuum. Et nunc super ipsos factus antistes Dei recognovit idem minister. Rogo itaque, domine, et peto per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum ut caeteris collegis tuis, fratribus tuis, meis dominis referas, et ab eis petas ut quicumque prior vestrum coronatus fuerit, istis sororibus nostris Numeriae et Candidae tale peccatum remittant. Nam hanc ipsam Etecusam semper appellavi, testis est nobis Deus, qui pro se dona numeravit ne sacrificaret; sed tantum ascendisse videtur usque ad Tria Fata, et inde descendisse. Hanc ergo non sacrificasse ego scio. Quarum jam causa audita, praeceperunt eas praeposisti tantisper sic esse donec epsicopus constitiuatur. Sed quatenus per vestras sanctas orationes et petitiones, in quas nos fidimus, quoniam estis amici sed et testes Christi, quod omnia indulgeatis.

Epistola Celerini ad Lucianum
Know, however, that I am gravely troubled, and that, as if you were present with me, I remember your former love day and night, God only knows, and therefore that I seek that you will grant my desire and that with me you will lament the death of my sister who has fallen from Christ in this present devastation. She has sacrificed and provoked our Lord, it seems manifest to us. For her deeds on this joyous Paschal I am weeping day and night, and in sackcloth and tears I have exhausted days, and I do so even to today, until the aid of our Lord Jesus Christ, through your piety, or through those my lords who have been crowned, from whom you will request it, shall come to the help of a terrible shipwreck. I am mindful of your former love, that with everyone you will grieve for our sisters whom you also knew so well, that is, Numeria and Candida, for whose sin, because they have us as brothers, we ought to have care. Indeed I believe that Christ, according to their repentance and the works which they have done for our exiled colleagues who came from you, those from whom you will hear of their works, will have mercy upon them, with you, His martyrs, petitioning. I have heard that you have received the ministry of those who flourish. O happy you, to receive your wishes that you have always desired, even sleeping on the ground. You have yearned to be sent into prison for His name, that which now has befallen you, as it is written: 'May The Lord give according to your heart.' And now made a priest of God over them, the same minister has acknowledged it. I ask, therefore lord, and beseech by our Lord Jesus Christ, that you will refer this to the rest of your colleagues, your brothers, my lords, and ask from them, that whichever of you is first crowned, should absolve from such a sin our sisters, Numeria and Candida. For the latter, God is our witness, I have always called Etecusa, that is, and excused, because she would give gifts for herself that she might not sacrifice, and she appears only to have gone up to the Three Fates and then descended. I know, therefore, that she did not sacrifice. Their case was recently heard, and they were ordered to to remain as they are for the present, until a bishop is appointed, but until then, by your holy prayers and petitions, in which we trust, because you are friends and witnesses of Christ, be merciful in all this.

Letter of Celerinus to Lucianus

13 Jul 2015

Roman Penance


Καὶ ἐν ταὶς κατὰ Δύσιν Ἐκκλησίαις φυλάττεται, και μάλιστα ἐν τῇ Ρωμαίων. Ἐνθάδε γὰρ ἔκδηλός ὀστιν ὁ τόπος τῶν ἐν μετανοίᾳ ὄντων· ἐστᾶσι δὲ κατηφεὶς, καὶ οἰονει πενθοῦντες. Ἤδη δὲ πληρωθείσης τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ λειτουργίας, μὴ μετασχοντες ὦν μύσταις θέμις, σὺν οἰμωγῇ καὶ ὀδυρμῷ πρηνεὶς ἐπὶ γῆς ῥίπτουσι σφᾶς. Ἀντιπρόσωπος δὲ δεδακρυμένος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος προσδραμὼν, ὁμοίως ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐδάφους πίπτει· σὺν ὀλολυγῇ καὶ τὸ πᾶν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας πλῆθος δακρύων ἐμπίπλαται. Τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ, πρῶτος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ἐξανίσταται, καὶ τοὺς κειμένους ἀνίστησι· καὶ ἧ προσῆκεν ὑπὲρ ἡμαρτηκότων μεταμελουμένων εὐξάμενος, ἀποπέμπει. Και ἑαυτὸν δ' ἑκοντὶ ταλαιπωρούμενος ἕκαστος, ἢ νηστείαις, ἢ ἀλουσίαις, ἢ ἐδεσμάτων ἀποχῇ, ἢ ἑτέροις οἶς προστέτακται, περιμένει τὸν χρόνον, εἰς ὅσον αὐτῷ τέταχεν ὁ ἐπίσκοπος. Τῇ δὲ προθεσμίᾳ, ὥσπερ τι ὅφλημα διαλύσας τήν τιμωρίαν, τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀνίεται, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ εκκλησιάζει. Ταδε μὲν ἀρχῆθεν οἱ Ῥωμαίων ἱερείς ἄχρι καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς φυλάττουσιν.  

Ἑρμείος Σωζομενός, Ἐκκλησιαστίκη Ἱστορία, Τομ Ζ´ Κεφ ΙϚ´
Penance is observed by the Western churches, and especially at Rome, for there there is a conspicuous place for those penitent, where they stand downcast and silent, lamenting in their minds, until the divine service is over, for it is not lawful for them to participate in the mysteries, then with cries and wailing they cast themselves prostrate on the ground. Facing them, having wept, the bishop conducts the ceremony, and falls to the floor in like manner; and all the church overflows with weeping and groaning. After this the bishop rises first, and raises up those laying down, and he offers up prayer on behalf of the repentant sinners present, and so dismisses them. Each of the penitents voluntarily humbles himself, by fasting, or not washing, or by abstaining from meats, or by other prescribed means, for a certain time determined by the bishop. When the period is over, he is relieved of the debt of his sin, and he attends church with the people. These things from the beginning the Roman priests have carefully observed until our times.

Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History, Book VII, Chapter 16

12 Jul 2015

The Remedy Of Forgiveness

Γίνεσθε δὲ εἰς ἀλλήλους χρηστοὶ, εὔσπλαγχνοι, χαριζόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐν Χριστῷ ἐχαρίσατο ὑμῖν. Γίνεσθε οὖν μιμη ταὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς τέκνα ἀγαπητὰ, καὶ περιπατεῖτε ἐν ἀγάπῃ, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ παρέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν προσφορὰν καὶ θυσίαν τῷ Θεῷ εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας.

Τὰ παρελθόντα τῶν μελλόντων πλείονα ἔχει τὴν ἰσχὺν, καὶ δοκεῖ θαυμαστότερα εἶναι καὶ πιστότερα. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἀπὸ τῶν ὑπηργμένων ἤδη ποιεῖται τὴν παράκλησιν· ἐκεῖνα μὲν γὰρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἕνεκεν μείζονα ἔχει τὴν ἰσχύν. Τὸ γὰρ εἰπεῖν, Ἄφες, καὶ ἀφεθήσεταί σοι, κἂν μὴ ἀφῆτε, οὐ μὴ ἀφεθήσεται ὑμῖν, πρὸς μὲν φιλοσόφους ἄνδρας λεγόμενον καὶ τοῖς μέλλουσι πιστεύοντας, μέγα δύναται· ὁ δὲ Παῦλος οὐκ ἀπὸ τούτων ἐντρέπει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ὑπηργμένων. Ἐκείνῳ μὲν γὰρ ἔστι κόλασιν φυγεῖν, τούτῳ δὲ ἀγαθοῦ τινος μετασχεῖν. Τὸν Χριστὸν, φησὶ, μιμῇ. Ἀρκεῖ τοῦτο μόνον εἰς παράκλησιν ἀρετῆς, τὸ τὸν Θεὸν μιμεῖσθαι· τοῦτο μεῖζον ἐκείνου, ὅτι Ἀνατέλλει τὸν ἥλιον ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς καὶ βρέχει ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ἀδίκους. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς, ὅτι τὸν Θεὸν μιμούμεθα, εἶπεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐν οἷς αὐτοὶ εὖ πάσχομεν, πατέρων σπλάγχνα πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἡμᾶς ἔχειν βούλεται· σπλάγχνα γὰρ ταῦτα λέγεται ἡ φιλανθρωπία καὶ οἱ οἰκτιρμοί. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἔνι ἀνθρώπους ὄντας μήτε λυπεῖν μήτε λυπεῖσθαι, δεύτερον εὗρε φάρμακον, ὥστε ἀλλήλοις χαρίζεσθαι·Χαριζόμενοι, φησὶν, ἑαυτοῖς.

Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Ὁμῖλία ΙΖ' Ὑπόμνημα Εἰς την προς Ἐπέσιους Ἐπιστολή
'And be kind to one another, with good hearts, forgiving one other, even as God also in Christ forgave you. Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odor of a sweet smell.'

Events of the past have greater force than those to come, and appear to be more wonderful and more convincing. Therefore Paul establishes his exhortation upon things already been done for us, for they, on Christ's account, have a greater force. For to say, 'Forgive, and you shall be forgiven' and 'If you do not forgive, you shall not be forgiven', this is able to do much when said to men of wisdom who believe in the things to come, but Paul turns not to these only, but also to things already done. In the first way we may escape punishment, in the latter we may share in the good. Imitate, he says, Christ. That alone suffices to exhort to virtue, since it is to imitate God. This is greater than the former, for He makes His sun to rise on the wicked and the good, and he rains on the just and the unjust. For he does not only say that we are imitating God, but that we do so in those things we suffer well, wishing us to have good hearts of fathers towards each other. For by good heart is meant loving men and compassion. For since it cannot be that, being men, we shall avoid inflicting pain or suffering it, he devises a remedy that we should forgive one another.

Saint John Chrysostom, from Homily 17 on the Epistle to the Ephesians,

11 Jul 2015

Teaching And Virtue

Necessarius ad disciplinam bonus omnibus sermo, plenus prudentiae: et mens rationi intenta praecurrit virtutibus, passiones coercet. Docibilis enim virtus. Denique studio et discendo acquiritur, dissimulando amittur. Alioquin nisi sermo bonus necessarius esset ad correctionem, numquam Lex diceret: Non adulterabis. Sed quia nudus sermo ad monendum utilis, ad persuadendum infirmus est, ideo adhibenda est rationis rectae consideratio, ut quod sermo bonus praescripsit, ratio plenius tractata persuadeat. Non enim servili ad obediendum constringimur necessitate, sed voluntate arbitra, sive ad virtutem propendemus, sive ad culpam inclinamur. Et ideo nos aut liber affectus ad errorem trahit, aut voluntas revocat, rationem secuta.

Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Jacob Et Vita Beata, Liber I, Caput I

Source: Migne PG 14.627a-628a
Good discourse full of prudence is necessary for the training of all. The mind intent on reason runs ahead to the virtues, restraining the passions. Virtue is teachable. Thus by study and learning it is acquired and by ignorance it is lost. Unless good discourse were necessary for correction, never would the law have said: 'Do not commit adultery.' 1 But though the bare word is useful for monition, it is weak for persuasion, and so one must take to the consideration of reason, so that which good speech prescribes reason with full examination may persuade. For we are not constrained to obedience by servile necessity, but by free will we either incline to virtue or fall into vice. And so either free affection draws us to error, or, the will restraining us, reason is followed.

Saint Ambrose of Milan, On Jacob and the Good Life, Book 1, Chapter 1

1 Exod 20.14

10 Jul 2015

The Shepherd's Questions

Εἰπὲ τίσι τῶν νομῶν προσακτέον, ἐπὶ ποίας πηγὰς ἰτέον, καὶ τίνας φευκτέον, ἢ νομὰς, ἢ νάματα· τίνας ποιμαντέον τῇ βακτηρίᾳ, τίνας τῇ σύριγγι· πότε ἀκτέπν ἐπὶ νομὰς, καὶ πὸτε ἀνακλητέον ἀπὸ νομῶν· πῶς πολεμητέον τοῖς λύκοις, καὶ πῶς τοῖς ποιμέσιν οὐ πολεμητέον· καὶ μάλιστα ἐν τῷ νυν καιρῷ, ὄτε ποιμένες ἠφρονεύσαντο, καὶ διέσπειραν τὰ πρόβατα τῆς νομῆς, ἵνα τοῖς ἀγιωτάτοις προφήταις τὰ αὐτὰ συνοδύρωμαι. Πῶς τὸ ἀσθενὲς ἐνισχύσω, καὶ τὸ πεπτωκὸς ἀναστήσω, καὶ τὸ πλανώμενον ἐπιστρεψω, καὶ τὸ ἀπολωλὸς ἐκζητήσω, καὶ φυλάξω τὸ ἰσχυρόν; Πῶς ταῦτα καὶ μάθω, καὶ φυλάξω κατὰ τὸν ὀρθὸν τῆς ποιμαντικῆς λόγον, καὶ τὸν ὑμέτερον· ἀλλὰ μή γένωμαι κακὸς ποιμὴν, τὸ γάλα κατεσθίων, καὶ τὰ ἔρια περιβαλλόμενος, καὶ τὰ παχύτερα κατασφάζων ἢ ἀπεμπολῶν, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα παρεὶς τοῖς θηρίοις καὶ τοῖς κρημνοῖς, ποιμαίνων ἐμαυτὸν, οὐ τὰ πρὸβατα ὅπερ ὠνειδίζοντο οἱ πάλαι προεστῶτες τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Ταῦτα διδάσκοιτέ με, καὶ τούτοις στηρίζοιτε τοῖς λόγοις.

Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, Λόγος Θ’

Tell us to what pastures we must go, what springs approach, what fields or streams to fly. Whom are we to shepherd with the staff, whom with the pipes? When must we lead them to pasture and when must we recall them? How must we fight the wolves and how must we avoid fighting with other shepherds, especially at this time when shepherds are thoughtless and have scattered the flocks of the fields, that I should lament together with the holy prophets? How will I strengthen the weak, raise the fallen, bring back the stray, seek the lost and watch over the strong? How am I to teach these things and guard this teaching in the right pastoral way, which is ours? Let me not be a bad shepherd, devouring the milk, clothing myself with the wool, and slaughtering the fattest or selling them off while leaving the rest to beasts and cliffs, thus shepherding myself not the sheep, that which was cursed by the old leaders of Israel. May you teach me these things, with these words support me.

Saint Gregory Nazianzus, Oration 9

9 Jul 2015

A Bishop And A King Save A Town


Desideratus autem Viredunensis episcopus, cui Theudoricus rex multas inrogavit iniurias, cum post multa exitia, damna atque erumnas ad libertatem propriam, Domino iubente, redisset et episcopatum, ut diximus, apud Viredunensim urbem potiretur, videns habitatoris eius valde pauperes atque distitutus, dolebat super eos; et cum ipse per Theudoricum de rebus suis remansisset extraneus nec haberet de proprio, qualiter eos consolaretur, bonitatem et clementiam circa omnes Theudoberthi regis cernens, misit ad eum legationem, dicens: 'Fama bonitatis tuae in universam terram vulgatur, cum tanta sit tua largitas, ut etiam non petentibus opem praestis. Rogo, si pietas tua habet aliquid de pecunia, nobis commodis, qua cives nostros relevare valeamus; cumque hi negutium exercentes responsum in civitate nostra, sicut reliquae habent, praestiterint, pecuniam tuam cum usuris legitimis reddimus'. Tunc ille pietate commotus, septim ei milia aureorum pristitit, qua ille accipiens per cives suos erogavit. At illi negutia exercentes divites per hoc effecti sunt et usque hodie magni habentur. Cumque antedictus episcopus debitam pecuniam obtulisset regi, respondit rex: 'Non habeo necessarium hoc recipere; illud mihi sufficit, si dispensatione tua pauperes, qui oppraemebantur inopia, per tuam suggestionem vel per meam largitatem sunt relevati'.

Sanctus Gregorius Turonensis, Historia Francorum Lib. 3, Cap. 34

Desideratus the bishop of Verdun, on whom king Theodoric had inflicted many wrongs, after many pains and loses and troubles, was restored to his liberty at the Lord's command, and the office of bishop, as we have said, at the city of Verdun, and seeing its inhabitants very poor and destitute he lamented over them, and since he was left without his own property on account of Theodoric, and had nothing of his own with which to comfort them, aware of the goodness and kindness to all of king Theodobert, he sent a legation to him saying: ' The fame of your goodness is found over all the earth, since your generosity is such that you give wealth even to those who do not ask. I beseech that if your piety has any money, that you give it to us that we might be able to relieve our fellow­ citizens; and when those in charge of business secure a return in our city such as the rest have, we will repay your money with lawful interest.' Then Theodobert, stirred with pity, handed over seven thousand gold pieces, which the bishop received and distributed among his fellow ­citizens. And they who were engaged in business were made rich through this, and they retain their greatness to the present day. And when the bishop spoken of came to repay the debt due to the king, the king answered: "I have no need to take this; it is enough for me if by your care the poor men who were suffering poverty have been relieved because of your suggestion and my generosity.'

St Gregory of Tours, from the History of the Franks, Bk. 3, Ch. 34

7 Jul 2015

Some Traits of Heretics


Ἐισί τινες ἐν ἐνδύμασι προβάτων, ἔσωθεν δέ εἰσι λύκαι ἄρπαγες· οὒς ἀπο τῶν καρπῶν ἐπιγινώσκομεν. Οὐτοι τὲ πρόβατα δοκοῦσι μέν εἶναι ἐξ ἡμῶν, άλλ οὐκ εἰσὶν ἐξ ἡμῶν· εἰ γὰρ ᾐσαν ἐξ ἡμῶν μεμενήκεσαν ἂν μεθ' ἡμῶν. Ὅταν δὲ τὸν ἑαυτῶν ἀπεμέσωσι δυσσέβειαν, τὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀποῥῥηξαντες δόλον, ἐπελαβόμενοι τῶν ἀσθενεστέρων καὶ τὰ αἰσθητήρια πρὸς τὰ θεῖα λόγια ἐχοντων ἀγύμαστα, σύν ἑαυτοῖς ὠθοῦειν αὐτοὺς εἰς ἀπώλειαν, στρεβλοῦντες καὶ σκώπτοντες τὰς τῶν πατέρων διδασκλίας, ὡς καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς γραφάς, πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν ἀπώλειαν ἑαυτῶν· οὔς δεῖ προγινώσκοντας φυλάστεαθαι, μὴ τῇ πανουργία αὐτῶν ὑπαχθεντες τινές, ἐκπέσωσι τοῦ ἰδίου στηριγμοῦ. Ἠκόνησαν γάρ γλῶσσαν αὐτῶν, ὡσει ὄφεως· ἰος ἀσπιδων ὑπὸ τὰ χειλη αὐτῶν.  

Φλαυιανος Ἐπισκοπος Κωνσταντίνου Λέοντι Ῥώμης
There are some in sheep's clothing but inwardly they are ravening wolves whom we know by their fruit. These sheep seem to be of us, but they are not of us, for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have remained with us. 1 But when they have vomited forth their impiety, their deceit bursting out, seizing the weak and those who have senses untrained in the divine words, they drag them off with themselves to destruction, twisting and mocking the teachings of the fathers, and likewise the rest of those things written, also to their own destruction, and so we must be forewarned to be on guard lest some should be misled by their deceptions and shaken in their firmness. For they have sharpened their tongues like serpents, adder's poison is under their lips. 2

Flavian Bishop of Constantinople to Leo of Rome

1 1 Jn 2.19 
2 Ps 139.4 

5 Jul 2015

The Judgement of Men


Indico autem quod levitate populi tumultum contra vos detractionis exortum nuntiantibus quibusdam agnovi. Qua ex re excellentiam vestram audio fuisse taedio non modico contristam. Quod si ita est, valde miror cur vos, qui cor fixistis in coelo, verba hominum agitent in terra. Beatus enim Job, cum amici ejus qui ad consolandum venerant increpationem prosiliisent, ait, Ecce enim in caelo testis meus, et conscius meus in excelsis. Qui enim vitae suae in coelo testem habet, judicia hominum in terra pertimescere non debet. Dux quoque bonorum Paulus dicit: Gloria nostra haec est testimonium conscientiae nostrae. Qui iterum dicit: Opus suum probet unusquisque, et sic in semetipso gloriam habebit et non in altero. Si enim laudibus laetamur, et detractionibus frangimur, gloriam nostram non in nobis, sed in aliorum ore posuimus. 

Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, Registri Epistolarum, Liber XI, Epistola XLV, Ad Theocistam

I will reveal that I have been informed by certain persons that, by the levity of the people, a storm of detraction has risen against you. I hear that because of it your Excellency has been wearied with no slight sadness. If this is so, I wonder much why you are agitated, you who have fixed your heart on heaven, by the words of men on earth. The blessed Job, when his friends who had come to console him had broken out into chiding, said, ' Behold my witness is in heaven, my confidant is on high.'1 For one who has the witness of his life in heaven should not fear the judgments of men on earth. Paul also, a leader of good men, says, 'Our glory is this, the testimony of our conscience.' 2 And again he says, 'Let every man prove his own work, and so shall he have glory in himself, and not in another.' 3 For if we are made joyful by praise and broken by detractions, not in ourselves, but in the mouths of others, we have placed our glory.

Saint Gregory the Great, Registry of Letters, Book 11, Letter 45, To Theocista


1 Job 16.20

2 2 Cor 1.12 

3 Gal 6.4

3 Jul 2015

The Utility of Prayer


Τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα συμπάσχον τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ ἀσθενίᾳ καὶ ἀκαθάρτοις οὖσιν ἐπιφοιτᾷ ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐὰν εὕροι τὸν νοῦν μόνον φιλαλήθως αὐτῷ προσευχόμενον ἐπιβαίνει αὐτῷ, καὶ ἅπασαν τὴν κυκλοῦσαν αὐτὸν τῷν λογισμῶν ἢ νοημάτων φάλαγγα, ἐξαφανίζει, προτρεπόμενον αὐτὸν εἰς ἔρωτα πνευματικῆς προσευχῆς. Οἱ μὲν λοιποὶ διὰ τῆς ἀλλοιώσεως τοῦ σώματος ἐμποιοῦσι τῷ νῷ λογισμοὺς ἢ νοήματα ἢ θεωρήματα. ̔Ο δὲ γε θεὸς τοὺναντίον δρᾳ· αὐτῷ τῷ νῷ ἐπιβαίνων, ἐντίθησιν αὐτῷ γνῶσιν ὧν βούλεται, καὶ διὰ τοῦ νοῦ τὴν ἀκρασίαν τοῦ σώματος κατευνάζει.  

Εὐάγριος ὁ Ποντικός, Περι προσευχῆς
The Holy Spirit, sympathizing with our weakness, regularly visits us even in our uncleanliness, and if he only finds the mind loving truth and praying to it, He enters into it and destroys the whole battle array of thoughts and ideas circling around it, urging it onward to the love of spiritual prayer. Other things produce thoughts or ideas or contemplations in the mind by affecting the body, but God does the opposite: entering into the mind, He places within it knowledge as He wishes and through the mind He lulls the weakness of the body.

Evagrius Ponticus, On Prayer

2 Jul 2015

A Dispute over Baptisms


Interea regina fidelis filium ad baptismum exhibet, adornare eclesiam velis praecipit atque curtinis, quo facilius vel hoc misterio provocaretur ad credendum, qui flecti praedicationem non poterat. Baptizatus autem puer, quem Ingomerem vocitaverunt, in ipsis, sicut regeneratus fuerat, albis obiit. Qua de causa commotus felle rex, non signiter increpabat regina, dicens: 'Si in nomine deorum meorum puer fuisset decatus, vixisset utique; nunc autem, quia in nomine Dei vestri baptizatus est, vivere omnino non potuit'. Ad haec regina: 'Deo', inquid, 'omnipotenti, creatori omnium, gratias ago, qui me non usquequaque iudicavit indigna, ut de utero meo genitum regno suo dignaretur adscire. Mihi autem dolore huius causae animus non attingitur, quia scio, in albis ab hoc mundo vocatus Dei obtutibus nutriendus'. Post hunc vero genuit alium filium, quem baptizatum Chlodomere vocavit; et hic cum egrotare coepisset, dicebat rex: 'Non potest aliud, nisi et de hoc sicut et de fratre eius contingat, ut baptizatus in nomine Christi vestri protinus moriatur'. Sed orante matre, Domino iubente convaluit.

Sanctus Gregorius Turonensis, Historia Francorum Lib. 2, Cap. 29

Meanwhile the faithful queen Clotilda prepared her son for baptism, ordering the church adorned with hangings and curtains so that the king might be called to belief in the mystery, he who would not be inclined by preaching. The boy baptized, whom they named Ingomer, died still wearing the white garments in which he was reborn. This caused the king severe disturbance, and he chided the queen harshly, saying: ' If the boy had been dedicated in the name of my gods he would have lived; but now, because he was baptized in the name of your God, he was not able to live at all.' To this the queen said: 'To the omnipotent God, Creator of all, I give thanks, He who has judged me not wholly unworthy, that he should deign to take to his kingdom one born from my womb. Grief does not touch my soul for his sake, because I know that, called from this world in white, he will be fed by visions of God.' After this she give birth to another son, whom she named Chlodomer at baptism; and when he also began to sicken, the king said: "It is not possible but that it will happen to him as happened to his brother, that being baptized in the name of your Christ, he should promptly die.' But through the prayers of his mother, and by the Lord's command, he became well.

St Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks, Bk. 2, Ch. 29

1 Jul 2015

The Soul's Rest

Cur plangimus quod immutare non possumus? Mortuus ad vitam praesentem revocari non valet; vivus ad mortuum pervenire poterit. Corpus quod tanta cura colimus, postmodum vermium esca erit. Anima itaque meritorum qualitate vel gaudebit, vel contristatur; et qualem sibi in paucis his diebus praeparabit habitationem, talem aeternis recipiet temporibus. Quapropter singulis momentis laborandum est pro requie animae, ut dum semper vivere debet, et semper beate et feliciter vivat.

Alcuinus, Epistola LVIII, Ad Matrem de Morte Filii

Source: Migne PL 100.227a-b
Why do we weep what we are not able to change? One is not able to recall the dead to the present life; the living was able to come to the dead. The body on which we expend so much care shall be food for worms. The soul by the value of its merits shall rejoice or lament; and as in these few days it prepares its habitation, so it shall receive in eternity. Thus every single moment we must labour for the soul's rest, that as it will always live, so always it might live blessed and happy.

Alcuin of York, from Letter 58, To a Mother on the Death of a Son