Advice to a Younger Scholar

Absit autem a me, ut quidquam de libris tuae beatitutidinis attingere audeam. Sufficit enim mihi probare mea, et aliena non carpere. Caeterum optime novit prudentia tua, unumqueque in suo sensu abundare, et puerilis esse jactantiae, quod olim adolescentuli facere consueverant, accusando illustres viros, suo nomini fama quaerere. Nec tam stultus sum, ut diversitate explanationum tuarum me laedi putem: quia nec tu laederi, si nos contraria senserimus. Sed illa est vera inter amicos reprehensio, si nostram peram non videntes, aliorum, juxta Persium, manticam consideremus. Superest, ut diligas diligentem te; et in Scripturarum campo, juvenis senem non provoces. Nos nostra habuimus tempora, et cucurrimus quantum potuimus: nunc te currente et longa spatia transmeante, nobis debetur otium: simulque (ut cum honore tuo et venia dixerim) ne solus mihi de Poetis aliquid proposuisse videaris, memento Daretis et Entelli, et vulgaris proverbii: quod bos lassus fortius figat pedem. Tristes haec dictavimus: utinam mereremur complexus tuos, et collatione mutua vel doceremus aliqua, vel disceremus. Sanctus Hieronymus, Epistola CIII, Ad Augustinum

Far be it from me to dare to attack anything which your Grace has written. It is enough for me to present my own views without reviling those of others. But it is well known to one of your intelligence that every one delights in his own opinion and that it is puerile boastfulness, which young men are accustomed to fall into when seeking fame for their own name, to reproach famous men. I am not so stupid that I think myself harmed by the difference of your explanations, since neither are you harmed if you have felt ours to be contrary to yours. But it is true reproof between friends when not seeing his own pouch, he considers, as Persius says, the wallet borne by the other. Rise up that you may love one who loves you, and in the field of Scripture let not a youth provoke an elder. We have had our time and we have run as far as we were able, now we should rest while you run and cover great distances. At the same time, with your favour and without disrespect, lest it should seem to me that to quote from the poets is something which you alone can do, recall Dares and Entellus, and the common proverb, 'The weary ox fixes a firmer foot.'  With sorrow I have dictated this; would that I merited your embraces, and that by converse we might teach and learn. Saint Jerome, Letter 103, To Augustine

Of God and Man

Ἀλλ’ ἰδοὺ, φασὶν, ὁ Ἀπόστολος φανερῶς αὐτὸν ἄνθρωπον ὡμολόγησεν. Τιμοθέῳ γὰρ ἐπιστέλλων οὕτω φησίν ' Ἄνθρωπος Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς.' Τοῦτο δε λέγοντες, τῶν ἀκεραιοτέρων δοκοῦσιν ταράττειν τὸν νοῦν· εἰ γάρ τις συνετῶς τῷ ἀποστολικῷ ἐπιβάλλει ῥητῷ, ἐκ τούτου μάλιστα τοῦ ὀητοῦ τῆς ἀσεβείας αὐτῶν καταψηφίσεται. Ἀλλὰ μὴ οὕτως ακρωτηριάζωμεν τὴν λέξιν, ἀλλ’ ὀλίγον τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ἐπιμνησθέντες, ὀρθὴν τῆς οἰκονομίας ἐντεῦθεν τὴν ὁμολογίαν νοῆσαι δυνησόμεθα. Τί οὔν φησιν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος; ' Εἴς Θεος,' φησὶν περὶ τοῦ Πατρός· καὶ εἴη· περὶ τοῦ Υιοῦ· 'Εἴς καὶ Μεσίτης Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων. Εἰ γὰρ, φησὶν, καὶ γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ’ οὐ διὰ τοῦτο δύο αὐτὸν ὑποπτεύειν ὀφείλομεν· ὥσπερ γὰρ Θεὸς ἥν πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας ὁ Λόγος, οὕτω καὶ γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος, καὶ μεσιτεύσας καὶ τῇ ἀνθρώπου φύσει εἶς πάλιν ἐστιν· διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο Μεσίτην αὐτὸν εἶπηκε Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων, ὡς ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων ἔχεται πάντως. Ἐστι τοὶνυν Μεσίτης τοῦ Θεοῦ, διὰ τὸ τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας ὑπάρχειν τῷ Πατρί· ἔστι δὲ πάλιν καὶ ἀνθρώπων Μεσίτης, διά τὸ  καὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπείας πετεσχηκέναι φύσεως τελείως χωρὶς ἀμαρτίας. Ἄνθρωπον οὖν αὐτὸν ὅταν λέγει Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν, μὴ διὰ τοῦτο σκανδαλιζέσθωσαν, ἀλλ’ ἐννοείτωσαν αὐτὸν καὶ Κύριον καὶ Θεὸν ὀνομαζόμενον μετὰ τοῦ καὶ Χριστὸν πάλιν λέγειν καὶ Ἰησοῦν· ἀκουέτωσαν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου τοῦτο φανερῶς οὕτω κηρύττοντος· Προσδεχόμενοι, φημὶ, τὴν μακαρίαν ἐλπίδα, καὶ ἐπιφάνειαν τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὄς ἔδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Κατα Μὴ Βουλομενων Ὁμολογειν Θεοτοκον Την Ἁγιαν Παρθενον, Ἅγιος Κυριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας

But behold, they say, The Apostle openly confessed him a man. For writing to Timothy, he says, ' The man Jesus Christ' . And by saying this they trouble the minds of the less astute; yet if someone carefully attends to the word, from that very word he will condemn them for impiety. But the matter is not carefully studied, for a little before that which has been quoted, let us remember, a correct form is employed which we are able to understand. What then does says the blessed Paul say? 'One God,' he says of the Father, and then of the Son he says: 'One Mediator of God and man.' For if he said, And he was made man, not by this should we be obliged to adopt him as two, for he was God before his coming and being made man, by the human nature, he mediates and remains one; for Mediator of God and Man, he says, and he is of both. He is then the mediator of God through the possession of the substance of the Father, and again he is the Mediator for men by the possession of perfect human nature without sin. So when he calls Jesus Christ man, one should not be scandalised but one should consider that he is named Lord and God who is also named Jesus Christ. Let them hear the same Apostle openly preaching, 'Expecting, I say, blessed hope, and the manifestation of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, he who has given himself for us.' Against those Unwilling to Confess the Holy Virgin as Theotokos, Saint Cyril of Alexandria

The Value of the Desert

Moyses cum egisset pecus ad interiora deserti tunc resplendentem eminus Deum igne vidit innocuo; nec solum vidit, verum etiam audivit loquentem. Nempe tunc Dominus cum abjici pedum vincula commoneret, sanctam eremi terram pronuntiavit, dicens: Locus in quo tu stas, terra sancta est; manifesto tunc judicio meritum occulti honoris expressit. Confirmata quippe est a Deo sanctitas loci, sanctitate testimonii in quo (ut reor) etiam illud pariter et latenter enuntiat, ut accedens ad eremum pristinis curarum obligationibus vitae se absolvet, et anterioribus vinculis expeditus incedat, ne locum polluat. Ibi primum Moyses divini colloquii familiaris adhibetur interpres; accipit verba, ac vicissim refert; dicenda agendave et percunctatur pariter et docetur, ac mutuo confabulationis usitatoque commercio cum coeli Domino sermocinatur. Ibi virgam resumit in opera signorum potentem, ingressusque eremum pastor ovium, pastor ab eremo revertitur populorum. Sanctus Eucherius Lugdonensis, De Laude Eremi

When Moses took his flock into the interior of the desert there he saw from afar in fire that did not consume the splendor of God; and not only did he see, he even heard speech. Clearly then the Lord when he would remind us to rid our feet of our chains, tells us of the sacred land of the desert, saying, 'The place in which you stand is holy earth.'  With manifest judgement, then, he announces the value of this hidden glory. It is confirmed by God to be a place of sanctity, by which sacred testimony, I think, He also secretly announces that coming to the desert one may cast off the cares of life for one's original obligations, advancing free of one's prior chains lest one pollute the place. There Moses was first admitted to familiarity with Divine converse; there he received the words and in his turn he answered, speaking and doing and questioning and learning, and in mutual communion and common commerce discoursing with The Lord of Heaven. There he took up the staff powerful for the working of signs and having gone into the desert a pastor of sheep, he came out a shepherd of people. Saint Eucherius of Lyon, In Praise of the Desert

Riches And The Kingdom

Εἰ τῆς Χριστοῦ Βασιλείας ἀντιποιῇ, ἡν ἡ ἄφθαρτος διαμονὴ στεφανοῖ, καὶ ἔπαθλον τῆς φθαρτῆς τοῖς χρηστῶς αὐτὴν διέπουσιν ἔθηκεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἡμερότητι κίρνα τὴν ἐξουσίαν, καὶ δέοντι σκορπισμῷ τὸ βάρος κούφιζε τοῦ πλούτου· οὔτε γὰρ σώζεται βασιλεὺς διὰ πολλὴν δύναμιν, οὔτε εἰδωλολατρίας ἐκφευγει ἀσέβειαν ὁ τοῦ ῥέοντος πλούτου φειδόμενος. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΛΕ', Θεοδοσιῳ Βασιλει Source: Migne PG 78.204c

If you would lay claim to the kingdom of Christ and an abiding crown free of all corruption, let that perishable prize which God has given be well cared for. Mix clemency with power, and by dispersal to those who lack lighten the burden of wealth, for a king is not saved by great power nor is one free of the impiety of idolatry when floods of wealth are spared. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 35, to the Emperor Theodosius

Poverty And Choice

Οὖτος ὁ πτωχὸς ἐκέκραξε, καὶ ὁ Κύριος εἰσήκουσεν αὐτοῦ. Οὐκ ἀεὶ ἐπαινετὴ ἡ πτωχεία, ἀλλ' ἡ ἐκ προαιρέσεως κατὰ τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν σκοπὸν κατορθουμένη. Πολλοὶ γὰρ πτωχοὶ μὲν τῇ περιουσίᾳ, πλεονεκτικώτατοι δὲ τῇ προαιρέσει τυγχάνουσιν· οὔς οὐχ ἡ ἔνδεια σώζει, ἀλλ' ἡ προαίρεσις κατακρίνει. Οὐ τοίνυν ὁ ἐνδεὴς πάντως μακαριστὸς, ἀλλ' ὁ κρείττονα ἡγησάμενος τῶν τοῦ κόσμου θησαυρῶν τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τούτος καὶ ὁ Κύριος μακαρίζει λέγων· Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι· οὐχ οἱ πένητες κατὰ τὴν περιουσίαν, ἀλλ' οἱ τὴν πτωχείαν ἐκ ψυχῆς προελόμενοι. Οὐδεν γὰρ τῶν ἀπροαιρέτων μακαριστόν. Διότι πᾶσα ἀρετὴ, μάλιστα δὲ αὔτη πρὸ πάντων, τῷ ἐκουσίῳ χαρακτηρίζεται. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΛΓ’ Source: Migne PG 29.361a-b

The poor man cried out and the Lord heard him. 1 Poverty is not always laudable unless it be a choice correct according to the evangelical counsel. For many who are poor would wish to have the fortune to be in abundance and rank excess, and this sort of deprivation does not save, but rather such a choice is condemned. It is not he who lacks who is blessed but he who chooses the superior command of Christ over the treasures of the world. These the Lord names blessed, saying, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit,' 2 meaning not those who desire an abundance but those who have chosen the poverty of the spirit. For nothing which is not chosen is blessed. Every virtue, and this one above all, is inscribed with freedom. Saint Basil of Caeserea, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 33 1 Ps 33.7 2 Mt 5.3

The Lords of a Bishop

Promotus ergo, et in throno residens in amica Christi magna civitate Alexandria, decreto divino veraciter, et non ex hominibus, neque per homines, hoc primum forte factum et praemium omnibus demontravit. Mittens enim mox dispensatores, et eum qui dicebatur super pacem, dicit coram omnibus ad eos in honorabili secreto: non justum est, fratres, nos ante alterius cujusquam curam habere quam Christi. Omni vero multitudine quae convenerat, audito verbo compuncta ac sustinente, dicit iterum beatus: Euntes ergo per totam civitatem, conscribite mihi usque ad unum omnes dominos meos. Illis autem non intelligentibus, qui hi essent, sed rogantibus dicere, et mirantibus quinam patriarchae domini existerent, respondit rursus angelicum illud os, et ait: Quod vos egenos et mendicos vocatis, illos ego dominos et auxiliatores praedico. Ipsi enim nobis vere et auxiliari, et coelorum regnum donare poterunt. Vita Sancti Joannis Eleemosynarii, Leontius Neapolis Cyprus Episcopus, Interprete Anastasius Bibliothecarius

John being elected and enthroned in the Christ-loving, great city of Alexandria, and that truly by divine decree and not from men nor through man, this was the first glorious deed and victory which he showed to all men: he soon summoned the treasurers and the official who is named the guardian of the peace, and said to them in the hearing of all in the Patriarch's council-chamber, 'It is not right, brethren, that we should consider anyone in preference to Christ'. The whole assembly which had gathered together was deeply moved at his words, and agreed, and then the blessed man continued, 'Go therefore through the whole city, please, and make a list of all my Lords down to the last'. But his hearers could not imagine who these could be, and besought him to tell them, as they were astonished that any could possibly be Lords of the Patriarch; and he opened his angelic mouth again and said: 'Those whom you call poor and beggars, these I proclaim my Lords and helpers. For they are truly able to help us and bestow upon us the kingdom of heaven.' The Life of St John the Almsgiver, Leontius Bishop of Neapolis in Cyprus, translated by Anastasius the Librarian

Fraternal Encouragment

Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ὁ ἐναρξάμενος ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἐπιτελέσει, καὶ μὴ ἀποκάμῃς ὑπηρετῶν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ πνεύματος, μηδὲ ἡμιτελῆ ποιήσῃς τὴν ἀριστείαν τῶν κατὰ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Χριστοῦ στρατευομένων, ἀλλὰ μίμησαι τὸν γνήσιόν σου πατέρα, ὁς κατὰ τὸν ζηλωτὴν Φινεὲς τῇ μιᾷ πληγῇ τοῦ ἐλέγχου τὸν μαθητὴν τῷ διδασκάλῳ συναπεκέντησεν· οὕτω καὶ σὺ εὐτόνως τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ λόγου δι’ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν αἱρετικων βιβλίων ὧσον τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος μάχαιραν, ἵνα μὴ τὴν κεφαλὴν συντεθλασμένος ὁ ὅφις κατὰ τὴν οὐρὰν περισπαίρων τοὺς ἀκεραιοτέπους φοβῇ. Τῶν γὰρ πρώτων τοῦ λόγου ἀναιρεθέντων, ἐὰν τὸ τελευταῐον ἀνεξέταστον ἀφεθῇ, ἰσχύν τινα κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ἔχειν παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς νομισθήσεται.   Πετρος Σεβαστειας, Επιστολη Προς Τον Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης του αὐτου Ἀδελφον.

Since then it befits one who has begun a good work to bring it to completion lest any weariness be attributed to the power of the Spirit, lest a half wrought work militate against the glory of Christ, rather you should imitate your authentic Father, that zeal of Phineas which with one blow of refutation transfixed student and teacher, thus even you with the well exercised hand of the Word should pierce both heretical books with the spiritual sword, so that not only the head of the serpent should be cut off but also the tail, and thus all fear should be utterly dispersed. For if only the first things of a heretic be disposed of, a certain strength against the truth remains to endanger many. Saint Peter of Sebaste, Letter to Saint Gregory of Nyssa his brother.

Ornaments and Chains

Quod autem, fustibus caesi prius graviter et afflicti, per ejusmodi poenas initiastis confessionis vestrae gloriosa primordia, execranda nobis ista res non est. Neque enim ad fustes christianum corpus expavit, cujus est spes omnis in ligno. Sacramentum salutis suae Christi servus agnovit. Redemptus ligno ad vitam aeternam ligno provectus est ad coronam. Quid vero mirum si vasa aurea et argentea in metallum, id est auri et argenti domicilium, dati estis, nisi quod nunc metallorum natura conversa est, locaque quae aurum et argentum dare ante consueverant, accipere coeperunt. Imposuerunt quoque compedes pedibus vestris, et membra felicia ac Dei templa infamibus vinculis ligaverunt, quasi cum corpore ligetur et spiritus, aut aurum vestrum ferri contagione maculetur. Dicatis Deo hominibus et fidem suam religiosa virtute testantibus ornamenta sunt ista, non vincula; nec Christianorum pedes ad infamiam copulant, sed clarificant ad coronam.  Sanctus Cyprianus, Epistola LXXVI, Ad Nemesianum et Caeteros Martyras in Metallo Constitutos

That indeed, being first heavily beaten with clubs and afflicted, you have begun by such punishments the glorious beginnings of your confession, is not something execrable to us. A Christian body is not frightened by clubs; all its hope is in the wood. The servant of Christ recognises the sacrament of his salvation. Redeemed by wood to eternal life, by wood he is carried forward to the crown. Truly what wonder if, as golden and silver vessels, you have been sent to the mine that is the home of gold and silver, except that now the nature of the mine is transformed and the places which previously had been accustomed to give gold and silver have begun to receive them? They have also put fetters on your feet and they have bound your happy limbs and the temples of God with disgraceful chains, as if the spirit could be bound with the body or your gold tainted by touch of iron. To men dedicated to God and to those who give witness to their faith with religious strength, such things are ornaments and not chains, nor do they fetter the feet of the Christians to infamy, but they glorify for a crown. Saint Cyprian, Letter 76, To Nemesianus and Other Martyrs Sent to the Mines

Repentance and Rejection

Quorum si poenitentiam respuamus habentium aliquam fiduciam tolerabilis conscientiae, statim cum uxore, cum liberis, quos incolumes reservaverant, in haeresim vel schisma, diabolo invitante, rapiuntur; et adscribetur nobis in die judicii nec ovem sauciam curasse, et propter unam sauciam multas integras perdidisse, et cum Dominus, relictis nonaginta sanis, unam errantem et lassam quaesierit, et inventam humeris suis ipse portaverit, nos non tantum non quaeramus lapsos, sed et venientes arceamus, et cum pseudoprophetae gregem Christi nunc vastare et lacerare non desinant, occasionem canibus et lupis demus ut quos persecutio infesta non perdidit, eos nos duritia nostra et inhumanitate perdamus. Sanctus Cyprianus, Epistola LI, Ad Antonianum,

If we reject the repentance of those who had some faith in a tolerant conscience, at once with wife, with children, whom they had preserved uninjured, they are carried off, by the devil's invitation, into heresy or schism; and it will be attributed to us on the day of judgment that we had not cared for the wounded sheep and that on account of one wounded one we have made lost many who were sound, whereas the Lord left the ninety and nine that were well and sought the one wandering and weary, and finding it he carried it on his own shoulders; but we not only do not seek the lapsed, but we even drive away those who approach, and this while false prophets are not ceasing to lay waste and tear Christ's flock, and so we give opportunity to the dogs and the wolves that those whom hateful tribulation has not destroyed we might destroy by our hardness and inhumanity. St Cyprian of Carthage, Letter 51, To Antonianus,

Falls and Wounds

Μὴ θαμβηθῆς καθ’ ἡμέραν πίπτων, μηδὲ ἀποπήδα, ἀλλὰ στήθι ἀνδρείως, καὶ πάνατως αἰδεσθήσεταί σου τὴν ὑπομονὴν ὁ φυλάσσων σε ἄγγελος. Ὡς νεαρὸν καὶ ζέον τὸ τραῦμα εὐῖατον εἷναι πέφυκε· τὰ γὰρ χρόνια καὶ ἡμελημένα καὶ κεχερσωμένα δυσίατα, καὶ πολλοῦ τοῦ κόπου, καὶ σιδήρου καὶ ξηρίου, καὶ τοῦ πυρὸς ἐνταῦθα πρὸς ἰατρείαν δεόμενα. Πολλὰ τῳ χρόνῳ ἀνίατα, παρὰ δὲ Θεῷ πάντα δυνατά. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης τῆς Κλίμακος, ἡ Κλίμαξ

Do not be amazed that you fall every day, do not give up, but stand fast bravely, and assuredly the angel who guards you will respect your endurance. While a wound is still fresh and warm it is easy to heal, but if it is old, neglected and festering, it is most difficult to treat, requiring much trouble, cutting and cauterizing by the physician. Many from long neglect become incurable, but with God all things are possible. Saint John Climacus, The Ladder

Mercy and Judgement

'Τοῦ ἐλέους Κυρίου πλήρης ἡ γῆ.  Ἐνταῦθα διέζευκται ἀπὸ τῆς κρίσεως ὁ ἔλεος. Μόνου γὰρ τοῦ ἐλέους Κυρίου πλήρης ἡ γῆ, τῆς κρίσεως εἰς τὸν ὡρισμένον καιρὸν ταμιευθείσης. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὖν ἔλεός ἐστι χωρὶς κρίσεως· οὐ γὰρ ἦλθεν ἴνα κρίνῇ τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ’ ἵνα σώσῃ τὸν κόσμον. Ἐκεί δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ κρίσις χωρίς ἐλέους, διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι ἄνθρωπον καθαρὸν εὐρεθῆναι ἀπὸ ῥύπου, μηδὲ ἐὰν μὶα ἡμέρα ᾖ τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ. Ὥστε ἐάν τις ἴδῃ τὴν κακίαν ὁσημέραι νεμομένην, καὶ τὸ ἐπίκηρον γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἄξιον μυρίων θανάτων, ὅσον ἐπι τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι τυγχανον, θαυμάσει τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς χρηστότητος τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ τῆς ἀνοχῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας. Ἐν τῇ γῇ μέντοι ὄντες τοῦ ἐλέους χρήζομεν. Οἱ γὰρ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ τοῦ μακαρίζεσθαι εἰσιν, ἀλλ’ οὐχὶ τοῦ ἐλεεῖσθαι ἄξιοι. Ἥ τάχα διὰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῖν ἐπενεγθεῖσαν καταδίκην γῆ λεγόμεθα ἡμεῖς οἱ ἀκούσαντες παρὰ Θεοῦ τὸ. Γῆ εἶ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ· οἵ πλήρεις ἐσμὲν τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ θεοῦ· Νεκροὺς γὰρ ὄντας ἡμᾶς ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις καὶ τοῖς παραπτώμασιν ἐλεήσας ὁ Θεὸς συνεζωοποίησε τῷ χριστῷ. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΛΒ’

'The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.' Here mercy is distinguished from judgement. For only the mercy of the Lord fills the earth, judgement having been assigned to a time reserved. Here, then, there is mercy without judgement, for he did not come to judge the world but to save it. Here, then, there is not judgement without mercy, else man would not be able to free himself from filth, not even if he were but one day from birth.Thus if someone knew what evil were done every day,  the mortal race of man being worthy of a thousand deaths by reason of his crimes, he would be amazed at the richness of God's goodness, his patience and his clemency. While on the earth we should be merciful, for there are not any who are blessed in heaven but those who were merciful. Else indeed  condemnation would fall upon us swiftly because of sin done on earth and we would be told what we have had heard from God: 'Dust you are, and to dust you shall go '. However, we are full of the mercy of God; for dead in our sins and errors the merciful God has brought us back to life in Christ. Saint Basil of Caeserea, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 32

The Work of a Young Empress

Βάσσου καὶ Φιλίππου ὑπατευόντων, τελευτᾷ τὸν βίον Ἀρκάδιος, διὰδοχον τῆς ἡγεμονίας Θεοδόσιον τὸν οἱέα καταλιπὼν, ἀρτίως γάλακτι τρέφεσθαι πεπαυμένον· Θυγατέρας δὲ, Πουλχερίαν καὶ Ἀρκαδίαν καὶ Μαρίναν, ἔτι κομιδῇ νέας. ᾝ μοι δοκεῖ μάλιστα τὸν Θεὸν ἐπιδεῖξαι, μόνην εὐσέβειαν ἀρκεῖν πρὸς σωτηρίαν τοῖς βασιλεύουσιν· ἄνευ δὲ ταύτης, μηδὲν εἶναι στρατεύματα καὶ βασιλέως ἰσχυν, καὶ τὴν ἄλλην παρασκευήν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν εὐσεβέστατον τὸν βασιλέα ἔσεσθαι προεϊδεν ἡ τῶν ὅλων οἰκουρὸς θεία δύναμις, ἐπίτροπον αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίας κατέστησε Πουλχερίαν τὴν ἀδελφην. Ἡ δὲ, οὔπω πεντεκαιδέκατον ἔτος ἄγουσα, ὑπερ τὴν ἡλικίαν σοφώτατον καὶ θεϊον ἔλαβε νοῦν. Καὶ πρῶτα μὲν τὴν αὐτῆς παρθενίαν τῷ Θεῷ ἀνέθηκε, καὶ τὰς ἀδελφὰς ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ἐπαιδαγώγησε βίον, ὅπως μὴ ἄλλον ἄνδρα ἐπεισαγάγῃ τοῖς βασιλείοις, καὶ ζήλου καὶ ἐπιβουλῆς πᾶσαν ἀνέλῃ ἀφορμήν. Ἐπιβεβαιῦσα δὲ τὰ δόξαντα, καὶ Θεὸν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἱερέας, καὶ πάντα ἀρχόμενον μάρτυρας ποιουμένη τῶν αὐτῇ βεβουλευμένων, ἐκ χρυσοῦ καὶ λίθων τιμίων θαυμάσιόν τι χρῆμα θεαμάτων κάλλιστον, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἰδίας παρθενίας καὶ τῆς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἡγεμονίας, ἱερὰν ἀνέθετο τράπεζαν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως· καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου τῆς τραπέζης, ὡς ἄν πᾶσιν ἔκδηλα ᾗ, τάδε ἐπέγραψεν. Ὑπεισελθοῦσα δὲ τῆς ἡγεμονίας τὴν φροντίδα, ἄριστα καὶ ἐν κόσμῳ πολλῷ τὴν Ῥωμαίων οἰκουμένην διῴκησεν· εὖ βουλευομένη, ὡς ἐν τάχει τὰ πρακτέα ἐπιτελοῦσα καὶ γράφουσα. Ἠκρίβωτο γὰρ λὲγειν, καὶ γράφειν ὀρθῶς κατὰ τὴν Ῥωμαίων καὶ Ἑλλήνων φωνήν. Τῶν δὲ πραττομένων τὴν δόκησιν εἰς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἀνέφερε· καὶ ἐπεμελεῖτο, ὡς ἄν μάλιστα βασιλικῶς ἀναχθείη τοῖς καθ' ἡλικίαν παιδευομένοις μαθήμασιν. Ἀλλ’ ἱππικὴν μὲν καὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις καὶ τοῖς λόγοις ἄσκησιν, παρὰ τῶν ἐπιστημόνων ἐξεδιδάσκετο. Περὶ δὲ κόσμιος εἶναι καὶ βασιλικὸς, παρὰ τῆς ἀδελφῆς ἑῥῥυθμίζετο· ἐσθῆτα ᾗ χρὴ περιστέλλειν μανθάνων, καὶ πρόπῳ τίνι καθῆσθαι, καὶ βαδίζειν, καὶ γέλωτος κρατεὶν, καὶ πρᾶος καὶ φοβερὸς ἐν καιρῷ εἶναι, καὶ ἁρμοδίως πυνθάνεσθαι τῶν περί του δεομένων. Ούχ ἤκιστα δὲ εἰς εὐσέβειαν αὐτὸν ἦγε, συνεχῶς εὔχεσθαι, καὶ ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις φοιτᾷν ἐθίζουσα· καὶ ἀναθήμασι καὶ κειμηλίοις τοὺς εὐκτηρίους οἴκους γεραίπειν· καὶ ἐν τιμῇ ἔχειν τοὺς ἱερέας, καὶ ἄλλους ἀγαθοὺς ἄνδρας, καὶ τοὺς νόμῳ Χριστιανῶν φιλοσοφοῦντας. Οὐ μὴν ἀλλά καὶ ὑπὸ νόθων δογμάτων νεωτερίζεσθαι κινδυνευούσης τῆς θρησκείας, σπουδῇ καὶ σοφῶς προύστη. Καὶ τοῦ μὴ καινὰς αἱρέσεις ἐν τοῖς καθ' ἡμᾶς χρόνοις κρατεῖν, μάλιστα αὐτὴν αἰτίαν εὑρήσομεν, ὡς ἐν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα εἰσόμεθα. Δὲει δὲ πολλῷ τὸ Θεῖον θρησκεύουσα, μακρὸν ἂν εἴη παρὰ τίσι λέγειν, καὶ πόσους εὐκτηρίους οἴκους μεγαλοπρεπῶς ἐτεκτήνατο· πόσα δὲ καταγώγια πτωχῶν καὶ ξένων, καὶ μοναστικὰς συνοικίας συνεστήσατο, διηνεκῆ τάξασα τὴν εἰς ταῦτα δαπάνην, καὶ τὸ σιτηρέσιον τῶν ἐνοικούντων.  Ἑρμείος Σωζομενός, Ἐκκλησιαστίκη Ἱστορία, Τομ Θ´ Κεφ Α´

In the consulate of Bassus and Philip the Emperor Arcadius died, leaving Theodosius, his son, who was just weaned, as his successor to the empire, and also three daughters of tender age, named Pulcheria, Arcadia, and Marina. It seems to me that God here showed that piety alone suffices for the salvation of rulers, and that without it, neither armies, nor a powerful empire, nor any other thing, are of use. The Divine Power which watches over all things, foresaw that the Emperor would be distinguished by his great piety, and therefore established Pulcheria, his sister, as  protectress of him and his rule. She was not yet fifteen years of age, but was wise beyond her years and possessed of divine intent. She first dedicated her virginity to God, and she taught her sisters to do the same, and no man was allowed to enter the palace that there be no cause for jealousy and intrigue. In confirmation of her resolution, she took God, the priests, and all those ruled as witnesses to her self-dedication, consecrating a holy table of gold and precious stones, a remarkable fabric and very beautiful to see, in token of her virginity and the headship of her brother, in the church of Constantinople, and she inscribed these things on the front of the table, that they be clear to all. Resuming the care of government, she governed the Roman empire excellently and with great order; what she decided was quickly decreed and brought to realisation. She was able to write and to converse with perfect accuracy in the Greek and Latin languages. The value of all that was done she attributed to her brother. She took great care to raise him as a prince, educating him as befitted his years. Though in horsemanship, and the practice of arms and in letters he was taught but the wisest men, in conduct and princely bearing he was taught by his sister; she showed him how to gather up his robes, how to take a seat, how to walk, how to restrain laughter, how to assume a gentle or a formidable aspect for the occasion, and how to inquire fittingly into petitions. And no less did she lead him into piety, and continual prayer; she taught him to frequent the churches regularly, and to honour the houses of prayer with gifts and treasures; and to have reverence for priests and other good men, and for those who, in accordance with the law of Christianity, took to philosophy. And that religion might not be endangered by the innovation of spurious dogmas she provided zealously and wisely. That new heresies have not prevailed in our times, we shall find to be due especially to her, as we shall subsequently see. With how much fear she worshipped God, it would take long for any one to say, and also how many houses of prayer she built magnificently, and how many houses for the poor and strangers she set up, and the monastic communities she established, and the arrangement for the expenses for their perpetual support, and for the provision of the inhabitants. Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History, Book IX, Chapter 1

Seeking the Heights

ΚΥΡ. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν χεῖρα βαλὼν ἐπ’ ἄροτον, καὶ στραφεὶς εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, εὕθετός ἐστιν εἰς τὴν Βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν· ἔχεσθαι δὲ δεῖν τῆς εἰς σωτηρίαν ὁδοῦ, μὴ τῇδε κάκεῖσε περισπωμένους, καὶ φαντασίας ἐώλοις κοσμικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶμ' ἐλαφρὸν καὶ εὐδιαῥῥίπιστον νοῦν, ἀλλ’ ἐντελὴ τε καὶ ἄῦπνον, καὶ εἰς εὐθυ βλέπειν ἀει μεμελετηκότα, τηροῦντας ἐμ ἑαυτοῖς. Καὶ τὸ ἔτι μεῖζον ἐρῶ· φησὶ γὰρ ὁ ἄγγελος ούχ ὅτι χρη ἤδη μόνον αὐτὸν ἀμεταστρεπτὶ ποιεῖσθαι τὴν βάδισιν· προσετίθει δὲ χρησίμως τὸ Μὴ στῇς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ περιχώρῳ. Εἰς τὸ ὅρος σώζου, μὴποτε συμπαραληφθῇς. ΠΑΛΛ. Καὶ τί ἄν Βούλοιτο δηλοῠν τὸ Μὴ στῇς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ περιχώρῳ; ΚΥΡ. Τὸ οἴμαι νωθρόν τε καὶ ἀδρανὲς εἰς τὸ δεῖν ἐξίπτασθαι τοῦ κακοῦ σφαλερόν τε καὶ ἐπιζήμιον. Ἄριστον οὖν παρακελευσμάτων τὸ, 'Μὴ στῇς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ περιχώρῳ,' τοῦτ’ ἔστιν, ἐν μηδενὶ τρόπῳ φαυλότητος διαμελλήσας ἁλῷς, ἄνιθι δὲ μᾶλλον, ὥσπερ εἰς ὅρος, εἰς ἐξῃρημένην τινὰ καὶ περίοπτον ζωὴν, οὐδεν ἔχουσαν τὸ χαμαιῥῥιφὲς, ἀλλ’ ἐν ὑψηλῇ τε καὶ ἐπηρμένῃ διαπρέπουσαν ἀρετῇ, καὶ ἀπηλλαγμένῃ φρονήματος τοῦ χθαμαλωτάτου, τοῠτ’ ἔστιν τοῦ ἐπιγείου καὶ σαρκικοῦ. Γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι 'Τοῦ Θεοῦ οἱ κραταιοὶ τῆς γῆς σφόδρα ἐπήρθησαν.' Ἄνωτάτω γὰρ τῶν ἐπιγείων τὸ ἁγιοπρεπές ἐστι φρόνημα. 'Καὶ νεοττοὶ τὰ ὑψηλὰ πέτονται,' κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, εἴπερ ἔχουσι καθάπερ εἰς ὄρος ἐν οὔρανῷ τὸ πολίτευμα, καὶ μεταποιοῦνται πατρίδος τῆς ἄνω. Γράφει δὲ που καὶ Παῦλος· 'Τὰ ἄνω ζητεῖτε, μὴ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.' ΠΑΛΛ. Ὁρος οὐν ἄρα τὸ νοητὸν, ἡ ἐν ἀγαισμῷ ζωὴ, καὶ τῆς ἐξαιρέτου πολιτείας τὸ ὑπερτενὲς, νοουμένης που κάτω τῆς ἐν ἀκαθαρσίαις καὶ φιλαμαρτήμονος, καὶ τοῖς ἐπιγείοις ἐντετηγμένης. Ἅγιος Κυριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐν Πνευματι Καὶ Ἀληθειᾳ Προσκυνησεως

Cyril: 'No one,' he says, ' who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is worthy of the kingdom of heaven.' One must hold to the way of salvation, lest one be turned to evil and the vacuous imagines of worldly desires should drive the soul, but firm and sleepless we should always take care to look at the direct way, holding it within us. And indeed better I should say what the angel said to Lot, that one should not only refrain from looking back on the way but one should go forward with a will, that is, ' Do not stand in any place. To the saving mountain go, lest you are taken with them.' Palladius:And what does this mean 'Do not stand in any place'? Cyril: I think that it means that it is necessary to fly from sluggishness and indolence that we may be secure from evil. Best then is the exhortation, ' Do not stand in any region,' that is, do not be taken in any type of baseness, but rather ascend the mountain to the excellent visible life which those thrown down upon the earth do not have, but on the heights in well prepared virtue be eminent, far apart from those of low thoughts, that is, the worldly and the carnal. For it is written that ' By God the strong of the earth are lifted up.' For those with thoughts turned to sanctity are high above the worldly. 'And the young fly in the heights' according to Scripture, since for those on the mountain their city is in heaven and they choose the fatherland above. As it was written by Paul, ' Seek things above, not the things of the earth.' Palladius: Then the spiritual mountain is the holy life and the city set apart is for the chosen, while below are thoughts set in impurity and love of sin, and this is the meaning of the worldly. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, On Worshiping in Spirit and Truth

The Wing of the Spirit

Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὔτω λυπεῖ ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμὸν καὶ θολοῖ, ὡς ὁ τῶν βιωτικῶν φροντίδων ὄχλος, καὶ ὁ τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν ἐσμός· ταῦτα γὰρ τοῦ καπνοῦ τούτου τὰ ξύλα. Καὶ καθάπερ τὸ πῦρ, ὅταν ὑγρᾶς καὶ διαβρόχου τινὸς ἐπιλαβηταυ ὕλυς, πολὺν ἀνάπτει τὸν καπνον, οὔτω καὶ ἡ ἐπιθυμία ἡ σφοδρὰ αὔτη καὶ φλογώδης, ὅταν ὑγρᾶς τινος καὶ διαλελυμένης ἐπιλαβηται ψυχῆς, πολύν καὶ αὐτὴ τίκτει τὸν καπνόν. Διὰ τοῦτο χρεία τῆς δρόσου τοῦ Πνεύματος, καὶ τῆς αὔρας ἐκείνης, ἵνα τὸ πῦρ σβέσῃ, καὶ τὸν καπνὸν διαχέη καὶ πτηρὸν ποιὴσῃ ἡμῖν τὸν λογισμόν. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστι τοσούτοις βαρυνόμενον κακοῖς πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναπτῆναι· ἀλλ’ ἀγαπητὸν, εὐζωνους ἡμᾶς ὅντας δυνηθῆναι ταύτην τεμεῖν τὴν ὁδόν· μάλλον δὲ οὐδε οὕτω δυνατὸν, ἂν μὴ τοῦ Πνεύματος λάβωμεν τὸ πτερόν. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Ὁμῖλία B' ,Ὑπόμνημα Εἰς την προς Ἁγιον Ματθαίον

For nothing so hurts and blinds the eye of the soul as the crowd of worldly worries and the swarm of desires; for these are as wood for the smoke, and as fire, when it lays hold of any thoroughly damp material, kindles much smoke, so this desire, so vehement and burning, when it lays hold of the dissolute matter of the soul, generates much smoke. Thus there is need of the dew of the Spirit, and of that air, that it may extinguish the fire, and scatter the smoke, and give wings to our thoughts. For it is not so, it cannot be, that being weighed down with evils one could soar up to heaven; but, beloved, unencumbered we are able to make this our way; or rather it is not possible unless we receive the wing of the Spirit. Saint John Chrysostom, Second Homily on Matthew,

Teaching and the Heart

Ἡ δὲ Βουλὴ τοῦ Κυρίου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μένει· λογισμοὶ τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεάν.  Οὐκ ὀρᾷς τὰ τῶν ἐθνων δόγματα, τὴν ματαίαν ταύτην φιλοσοφίαν, ὅπως λεπτοὶ καὶ περιττοὶ περὶ τὰς εὐρήσεις τῶν δογμάτων εἰσὶν ἔν τε λογικοῖς θεωρήμασι καὶ ἠθικαῖς διατάξεσι, καὶ φυσιολογίαις τισὶ καὶ δόγμασιν ἄλλοις τοῖς ἐποπτικοὶς λεγομένοις; Πῶς διεσκέδασται πάντα, καὶ ἠχρείωται, μόνη δὲ ἐμπολιτεύεται νῦν τῷ κόσμῳ ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου; Πολλαὶ γὰρ αἱ Βουλαὶ ἐν καρδία ἀνθρώπων· ἀλλ’ ἡ βουλὴ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐκράτησε. Καὶ ἀναγκαῖόν γε, εἰ μέλλοι μόνιμος καὶ ἑδραια ἡ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλὴ ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡμῶν ἐναπομένειν, προδιασεδασθῆναι πρότερον ἐν ἡμιν τοὺς ἀνθρωπίνους λογισμούς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ γράφειν μέλλων ἐν κηρῷ, προκαταλεαίνων πρότερον, οὕτως ἐπιβαλλει τοὺς τύπους οὔς  ἐὰν θέλῃ· οὕτω καὶ καρδίαν χρη τὴν μέλλουσαν τρανῶς ὑποδέχεσθαι τὰ θεῖα λόγια, καθαρὰν ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων λογισμῶν ἀποδειχθῆναι. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΛΒ’

'The counsel of the Lord remains in eternity; the thoughts of His heart are from generation to generation.' Do you not see the teachings of the pagans, that vain philosophy, how light and paltry are the insights of their doctrines in their logical theories and ethical arrangements, and their physics and the other teachings which they disclose to initiates in their mysteries? Do you not see how they have all been brushed aside, revealed as rubbish, when the sole truth of the Gospel is brought forth? Many counsels there are in the heart of man but the counsel of the Lord prevails. And it is necessary so that the counsel of the Lord remains stable and firm in our soul that human thoughts are first got rid of. For just as wax which is to be written on is first wiped clean so that letters may be impressed, if the writer so wishes, so the heart must be cleared to receive the Divine words, pure from all contrary thoughts. Saint Basil of Caeserea, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 32

Problems of Belief

Postquam de paradisi gaudiis, culpa exigente, expulsus est primus humani generis parens, in hujus caecitatis atque exsilii quam patimur venit aerumnam, quia peccando extra semetipsum fusus, jam illa coelestis patriae gaudia, quae prius contemplabatur, videre non potuit. In paradiso quippe assueverat homo verbis Dei perfrui, beatorum angelorum spiritibus cordis munditia et celesitudine visionis interesse; sed postquam huc cecidit, ab illo quo implebatur mentis lumine recessit. Ex cujus videlicet carne nos in hujus exsilii caecitate nati, audivimus quidem coelestem esse patriam, audivimus ejus cives angelos Dei, audivimus eorumdem angelorum socios spiritus justorum et perfectorum. Sed carnales quique, quia illa invisibilia scire non valent per experimentum, dubitant utrumne sit quod corporalibus oculis non vident. Quae nimirum dubietas in primo parente nostro esse non potuit, quia exclusus a paradisi gaudiis, hoc quod amiserat, quia viderat recolebat. Hi autem sentire vel recolere audita non possunt, quia eorum nullum, sicut ille, saltem de praeterito, experimentum tenent. Ac si enim praegnans mulier mittatur in carcerem, ibique pariat puerum, qui natus puer in carcere nutriatur et crescat; cui si fortasse mater quae hunc genuit, solem, lunam, stellas, montes et campos, volantes aves, currentes equos nominet, ille vero qui est in carcere natus et nutritus nihil aliud quam tenebras carceris sciat, et haec quidem esse audiat, sed quia ea per experimentum non novit, veraciter esse diffidat; ita in hac exsilii sui caecitate nati homines, dum esse summa et invisibilia audiunt, diffidunt an vera sint, quia sola haec infima in quibus nati sunt visibilia noverunt.   Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, Dialogorum Liber IV, Cap I

After the first Parent of the human race was for his fault driven from the joys of Paradise, he came into the hardship of this blindness and exile which we suffer, for having been prostrated by sin he was no longer able to see those joys of heaven which once he contemplated. In Paradise man was accustomed to delight in the words of God and by purity of heart and heavenly vision he was present with the blessed angels, but after the fall the light that had filled his soul was withdrawn, he from whom we are born by the flesh into this sightless exile, yet we do hear of a heavenly homeland, we hear of the angelic subjects of God, we hear that the angelic spirits are accompanied by the spirits of the just and perfect. But those carnal, because they are not able to know these invisible things by experience, doubt whether there be any such things, they doubt whether a thing can be which corporal eyes do not see, a doubt our first Parent was certainly not able to have, for though exiled from the joys of Paradise he was still able to recall what he had seen and had lost, but later men cannot recall to mind such things which they hear about because they never had former experience of them as the first man did. It is as if a pregnant woman were put in prison and there gave birth to a son, who being born in the prison was nurtured and raised there, and if perhaps his mother should tell him of the sun, the moon, the stars, mountains and fields, flying birds and galloping horses, this fellow who had been born and raised in prison, knowing nothing but its darkness, hearing what was said, would lack confidence in its truth because his own experience had not taught him any such thing. So it is that men who are born in this blind exile, when they hear about sublime and invisible things, lack confidence such things because they know only low and visible things. Saint Gregory the Great, Dialogues, Book 4, Chap 1

The Impious Man and the Sinner

Beatus vir, qui non abiit in consilio impiorum, et in via peccatorum non stetit, et in cathedra pestilentiae non sedit. Sed in lege Domini fuit voluntas ejus, et in lege ejus meditabitur die ac nocte.  Quinque generum observantiam beato viro subesse Propheta commemorat: primam in impiorum consilio non eundi, alteram in peccatorum via non consistendi, tertiam in cathedra pestilentia non sedendi, tum deinde voluntatis in lege Domini ponendae, postremo in ea die noctuque meditandi. Ergo necesse est differre impium a peccatore, peccatorem a pestilente; maxime cum sit impiis consilium, peccatori via, cathedra pestilenti: dehinc cum in consilio impiorum eatur potius quam stetur, in via vero peccatoris stetur magis quam eatur. Quarum rerum causas ut intelligere possimus, discernendum est, quantum differat peccator ab impio: ut per id intelligi possit, cur peccatori via, et impio consilium deputetur: dehinc cur et in via standum, et in consilio eundum sit; cum humana consuetudo, et in consilio standum, et in via eundum esse decernat. Non omnis qui peccator est, et impius est; impius autem non potest non esse peccator. Et sumamus ex usu conscientiae communis exemplum: Patres suos amare possunt filii, licet ebriosi sint et lacivi et prodigi; et inter haec vitia carent impietate, qui non carent crimine. Impii vero, licet in praecipius sint continentiae frugalitatisque virtutibus, omne tamen quodcumque aliud extra impietatem erit crimen in contumelia parentis excedunt. Igitur secundum hoc propositum exemplum, impium discerni a peccatore non dubium est. Et impios quidem eos esse natura ipsa judicii communis ostendit, qui cognitionem Dei expetere fastidiunt, qui nullum esse mundi creatorem irreligiosa a opinione praesumunt, qui mundum in hunc habitum ornatumque fortuitis motibus coastitisse commemorant, qui ne quod judicium creatori suo ob vitam recte criminoseve gestam relinquant, volunt ex naturae necessitate se nasci, et ex eadem rursum necessitate dissolvi. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus Super Psalmos, Psalmus I

Blessed the man who has not walked in the counsel of the impious, nor stood in the way of sinners, and in the seat of pestilence he has not sat. But in the Law of the Lord is his will, and on His Law will he shall meditate day and night.  The Prophet recites five things to be observed by the blessed man. The first, not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly; the second, not to stand in the way of sinners; the third, not to sit in the seat of pestilence; then to set his will in the Law of the Lord; and lastly, to meditate on it day and night. Therefore it must be that there is a distinction between the impious man and the sinner and between the sinner and the pestilent; chiefly because the impious has counsel, the sinner a way, and the pestilent a seat; and further because into the counsel of the impious 'he goes' rather than 'stands'. That we be able to understand the causes of these things, one must discern how the sinner differs from the impious, so it may be understood why the sinner is assigned a way and the impious a counsel; and then why in the way there is 'standing' and in counsel there is 'walking', since men by custom associate standing with counsel and walking with a way. Not everyone, then, who is a sinner is impious, but the impious man cannot fail to be a sinner. Let us take an example from general experience: sons are able to love their fathers though the sons be drunks and lascivious and spendthrifts, and though they have all these vices, though they are not lacking in guilt, they may lack impiety. Impious men, though they may be famed for the virtues of continence and frugality, by despising the parent, exceed the guilt of the others. Therefore, as this example demonstrates, there is no doubt that the impious must be distinguished from the sinner. Indeed, common nature deems those impious who scorn to seek the knowledge of God, who in their irreligion adopt the opinion that there is no Creator of the world, who say that it was brought together into order and beauty by fortuitous movements, who, to deny their Creator judgment on a life lived rightly or in sin, wish it to be that they are born by a necessity of nature and again that by necessity they pass away. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 1

A Plea for Help

Sed utinam vel dum haec loquimur, ipso conscientiae nostrae judicio, et proprii sermonis querimonia excitaremur, vel sero possemus dicere: 'Nunc coepimus, haec mutatio dextrae Excelsi' sed 'ventres pigri' sumus, et idcirco 'adhaeret pavimento anima nostra' quamvis jamdudum ei dixeritis: 'Erige te a mortuis, ut attingas Christum.' Quem quidem Dominum interventu fidei vestrae, per gratiae sacramentum, imposuistis in naviculam cordis nostri. Sed quia somno inertiae nostrae obdormivit in nobis, opus est ut eum excitetis, ut assurgat in excitationem animae nostrae; imperet silentium turbidis cogitationum terrestrium flatibus, et sensuum nostrorum fluctus verbi sui pace componat, ut fiat in corde nostro casta tranquillitas; et spiritu veritatis gubernatore, ac Dei verbo remige, dirigamur ad portum voluntatis nostrae.  Sanctus Paulinus Nolanus, Epistola IX, Ad Amandum

Yet even as I say these things may the very judgement of my conscience and the laments of my own words rouse me, so that, even so late, I may be able to say, 'Now that I have begun, this is the change of the right hand of the Most High.'1 But we are 'slothful bellies'2 and therefore my soul cleaves to the earth, although you have for so long been saying to it, 'Rise from the dead that you may attain to Christ.'3 By the intervention of your faith, through the sacrament of grace, you have established the Lord in the little ship of my heart. But by my idle slumbering Christ has slept within me, and it is your labour to rouse Him that He may rise up to rouse my soul, that he may command silence on the confused gusts of my earthly thoughts, that he may calm with the peace of his own word the billows of my senses; and with the spirit of truth as helmsman and the Word of God as oarsman, I shall be guided to the harbour of my desire. Saint Paulinus of Nola, Letter 9, To Amandus 1. Ps 76.11  2 Tit 1.12 3 Ep 5.14

Natural Disasters and Virtue

ὁ γὰρ τῆς ἐπικειμένης συμφορᾶς φόβος ἀντὶ πάσης παραινέσεως καὶ συμβουλῆς ἀρκεῖ τὰς ἀπάντων σωφρονίσαι ψυχάς. Τίς γὰρ οὕτως ἄθλιος καὶ ταλαίπωρος, ὡς ἐν τοσούτῳ χειμῶνι μεθύειν; τίς οὕτως ἀναίσθητος, ὡς τῆς πόλεως οὕτω σαλευομνης, καὶ ναυαγίας τοιαύτης ἀπειλουμένης, μὴ νήφειν καὶ ἐγρηγορέναι, καὶ πάσης συμβουλῆς καὶ παραινέσεως ἀκριβέστερον άπὸ τῆς ἀγωνίας διορθοῦσθαι ταύτης; Οὐ γαρ τοσοῠτον ἐργάσασθαι δυνήσεται λόγος, ὁσον ἐργάζεται φόβος· καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ ἀπὸ τῶν συμβεβηκότων νῦν δυνατὸν ἀποδεῖξαι. Πόσους γοῦν ἀνηλώσαμεν λόγους, πολλοὺς τῶν ῥαθύμων παταινοῦτες, καὶ συμβουλεύοντες τὰ θέατρα ἀφεῖνα, καὶ τὰς ἐκεῖθεν ἀκολασίας; καὶ οὐκ ἠνέσχοντο, ἀλλ ἀεὶ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ταύτην ἐπὶ τὰς παρανόμους τῶν ὀρχουμένων συνέτρεχον θεωρίας, καὶ σύλλογον διαβολικὸν ἀντικαθίστασαν τῷ πληρώματι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ταῖς ἐνταῦθα ψαλμῳδίαις ἀντήχουν αἱ ἐκεῖθεν κραυγαὶ μετὰ πολλῆς φερόμεναι τῆς σφοδρότητος· ἀλλ’ ἰδοὺ νῦν σιγώντων ἡμῶν, καὶ οὐδὲν περὶ τούτου λεγόντων, αὐτόματοι τὴν ὀρχήστραν ἔφραξαν, καὶ ὁ ἱππόδρομος ἀβατος γέγονε· καὶ πρὸ τούτου μὲν πολλοὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων πρὸς ἐκείνους ἔτρεχον, νυνὶ δὲ πάντες ἐκεῖθεν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησιαν κατέφυγον, καὶ τὸν ἡμέτερον ἄπαντες ἐνυμνοῦσι Θεόν. Ὁμιλία Εἰς τὴν Συμφορὰν τῆς Πόλεως Ἀντιοχείας, Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος

For the fear of pressing calamity seems to most effectively exhort and counsel all souls to be prudent. Who indeed is so wretched and forsaken that in such a storm he would make himself drunk? Who is so insensitive that with the city shaking and ruin impending that he would not be improved in prudence by this disaster? And that it is so on account of this earthquake which has caused so much fear one is able to demonstrate. How many speeches have we wasted on the admonishment of sluggish multitudes, counseling them to forgo the entertainments of the theatre and the vanity there? But they have not abstained, always even up to this time they have raced off to the lawless dance spectacles and have gathered there as a mob of a church against God, and in such a place they have bellowed their songs with all their might. But, behold, now they are silent, they do speak a word, suddenly the dances have stopped and the racetrack, that which before so many had raced to be at, is closed, for now all have fled to the church and we all hymn God. Homily on the Calamity that Befell the City of Antioch, Saint John Chrysostom

Three Ways to Avoid Faults

Tunc beatus Chaeremon: Tria sunt, inquit, quae faciunt homines a vitiis temperare, id est, aut metus gehennae, sive praesentium legum, aut spes atque desiderium regni coelorum, aut affectus boni ipsius amorque virtutum. Nam timor ita mali contagium legitur exsecrari: Timor Domini odit malitiam. Spes etiam, vitiorum omnium excludit incursum: 'Non' enim 'delinquent omnes qui sperant in eum.' Amor quoque ruinam non metuit peccatorum, quia 'Charitas operit multitudinem peccatorum.' Et idcirco beatus Apostolus omnem salutis summam istarum trium virtutum consummatione concludens: 'Nunc,' inquit, 'manent fides, spes, charitas: tria haec.' Fides namque est, quae futuri judicii ac suppliciorum metu vitiorum facit contagia declinari; spes, quae mentem nostram de praesentibus avocans, universas corporis voluptates coelestium praemiorum exspectaione contemnit; charitas, quae nos ad amorem Christi et spiritalium virtutum fructum mentis ardore succendens, quidquid illis contrarium est, toto facit odio detestari. Quae tria, licet ad unum finem tendere videantur, provocant enim nos a rebus illicitis abstinere, magnis tamen excellentiae suae gradibus ab invicem disparantur. Duo namque superiro proprie hominum sunt eorum qui ad profectum tendentes, necdum affectum concepere virtutum. Tertium specialiter Dei est, et eorum qui in sese imaginem Dei ac similitudinem receperunt. Ille namque solus ea quae bona sunt, nullo metu, nulla remunerationis gratia provocante, sed solo bonitatis affectu operatur.  Sanctus Ioannes Cassianus, Collationes, Col XI, Cap VI.

Then the blessed Chaeremon said, 'There are three things which enable men to suppress their faults: either the fear of hell or of present laws; or the hope and desire of the kingdom of heaven; or an affection for goodness itself and love of virtue. For one reads that the fear of evil loathes contamination: 'The fear of the Lord hates evil.' Hope also excludes the intrusions of all faults: 'All who hope in Him shall not fail.' Love also does not fear the ruin of sins, for: 'Love covers a multitude of sins.' And therefore the blessed Apostle encloses the whole sum of salvation in the attainment of these three virtues, saying 'Now abide faith, hope, love, these three.' For faith is that which makes us avoid the infections of faults from fear of future judgment and punishment; hope is that which calls away our mind from present things, and spurns all corporeal pleasures by the expectation of heavenly rewards; love is that which  inflames us with desire of heart for the love of Christ and the spiritual fruit of the virtues, and makes us hate with a perfect hatred whatever is opposed to these. These three things, although they all seem to aim at one end, for they exhort us to abstain from illicit things, yet they differ from each other greatly in the degrees of their excellence. For the first two are fitting for men who in their aim at improvement have not yet acquired an affection for virtue. The third belongs specially to God and to those who have received into themselves the image and likeness of God. For that one alone, with no fear, with no expectation of reward, but simply from the love of goodness, does the things that are good. Saint John Cassian, Conferences, Conference 11, Ch 6.