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

30 Oct 2015

The Power Of Humility



Εὐρίσκω Μανασσῆν ἐκεῖνον ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὡς οὐδέν ἕτερον ἀμαρτήσαντα, καὶ τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν εἰδώλοις, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν Θρησκείαν μολύναντα· ὑπὲρ οὖ εἰ πὰς ὁ κόσμος νενήστευκεν, οὐδὲν ἂν ἄξιον ἀντεισενεγκεῖν ἠδυνατο, ἀλλ’ ἴσχυσεν ἡ ταπείνωσις ἀνίατα ἰάσασθαι ἐν αὐτῷ. Ὅτι εἰ ἠθέλησας θυσίαν, ἔδωκα ἂν, τῷ Θεῷ, φησὶν ὁ Δαυῖδ, ὁλοκαυτώματα, σώματα διὰ νηστείας, οὐκ εὐδοκήσεις. Θυσία τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ τὸ ἐξῆς νενόηται πᾶσιν.

Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης τῆς Κλίμακος, Λογος ΚΕ', ἡ Κλίμαξ

I find that Manasseh sinned like no other man has by his placing of idols in the Temple of God and defiling all the divine worship, and if the whole world had fasted for him, it would not have been enough to repair this, but humility had the power to cure the incurable in him. 'For if you had desired a sacrifice I would have given it,' says David to God, 'Holocausts and fasting bodies do not please you. A sacrifice to God...' 1 And everyone knows the rest.

Saint John Climacus, Step 25, The Ladder

1. Ps 50.18

28 Oct 2015

Remembering Faults


Restat itaque, frater charissime. ut inter ea quae operante Deo exterius facis, semper te interius subtiliter judices, ac subtiliter intelligas et temetipsum qui sis, et quanta sit in eadem gente gratia, pro cujus conversione etiam faciendorum signorum deus percepisti. Et si quando te Creatori nostro seu per linguam, sive per opera reminisceris deliquise, semper haec ad memoriam revoces, ut surgentem corda gloria memoria reatus premat. Et quidquid de faciendis signis acceperis vel accepisti hac non tibi, sed illis deputes donata pro quorem salute collata sunt. Occurit autem menti ista cogitanti quid de uno famulo actum sit, etiam egregie electo. Certe Moyses dum Dei populum ex Aegypto educeret, mira, sicut tua fraternitas novit, signa in Aegypto operatus est. In Sina monte quadraginta diebus et noctibus jejunans, legis tabulas accepit, inter coruscos et tonituros, per timescente omni populo, omnipotentis Dei servitio solus familiari etiam collocutione conjunctus est; Rubrum mare aperuit; in itinere ducem habuit nubis columnam; esurienti populo manna de coelo deposuit; carnes desiderantibus usque ad sitentatem nimiam in eremo per miraculum minstravit. Sed cum jam sitis tempore ad petram ventum fuisset, diffusus est, seque de eadem aquam educere posse dubitavit, quam jubente Domino largis utique fluentis aperuit. Quanta autem post haec per triginta et octo annos in deserto miracula fecerit quis enummerare, quis investigare valeat. Quoties res dubia animum pulsasset, recurrens ad tabernaculum, secreto Dominum requirebat, atque de ea protinus, Deo loquente, docebatur. Iratum populo Dominum placabat saue preces intervetione; surgentes in superbia atque in discordia dissidentes dehiscentis terrae hiatibus absorbebat, victoriis premebat hostes, signa monstrabat civibus. Sed cum jam ad repromissionis terram ventum fuisset, vocatus in montem est; et quam culpam ante annos triginta et octo, ut dixi, fecerat audivit quia de educenda aqua dubitavit. Et propter hoc quia terram repromissions intrare non posset agnovit. Qua in re considerandum nobis est quam timendum sit omnipotentis Dei judicium, qui per illum famulum suum tot signa faciebat cujus culpam tam longo tempore adhuc servabat in cogitatione. Igitur, frater charissime, si et illum agnoscimus post signa pro culpa mortuum, quem ab omnipotente Deo novimus praecipue electum, quanto nos debemus metu contremiscere, qui necdum adhuc novimus si electi sumus? 

Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, Registri Epistolarum, Liber XI, Epistola XXVIII, Ad Augustinum Anglorum Episcopum
So it remains, dearest brother, that among the things which by the operation of God you do outwardly, you should carefully judge yourself within, and carefully understand both what you are yourself and how great is the grace among the people for whom the conversion of which God has given the gift of doing signs. And if at any time you should recall having offended our Creator, whether it be in tongue or deed, always be mindful of these things, so that the rising glory of the heart may be suppressed by memory of guilt. And whatever for the doing of signs you may receive or have received, it is not for yourself, but as gifts for the salvation of others that they have been given to you. Indeed it comes to mind, while I think on these things, what happened with one of the servants of God, even one eminently chosen. Certainly Moses, when he led the people of God out of Egypt, as you know, worked signs in Egypt. Fasting forty days and nights on Mount Sina, he received the tables of the law, among lightning and thunder, and while all the people trembled he alone was associated with the service of Almighty God, even entering into conversation with Him. He opened the Red Sea; on the journey he had a pillar of a cloud as leader; to a hungry people he gave manna from heaven; flesh to those who desired it he supplied beyond satiation in the desert by a miracle. But when in a time of thirst they had come to the rock, he was distrustful, he doubted being able to draw water from it, that which at the Lord's command he then opened into copious streams. But how many miracles after these he did during thirty eight years in the desert who can enumerate or seek out? As many times as a doubtful matter struck his soul, he had recourse to the tabernacle, and sought out the Lord in secret, and, God speaking, he was immediately taught. The anger of the Lord against the people he appeased by the intervention of his own prayers; those who rose in pride and dissented in discord he consumed in gulfs of a gaping earth; he crushed enemies with victories, and showed signs to his people. But when the promised land had been reached, he was called to the mountain and a fault which he had committed thirty eight years before, one which I have spoken of, when he doubted about drawing water from the rock, he heard. And on account of this he was told that he could not enter the promised land. So we must consider and fear the judgment of Almighty God, who made so many signs through that servant, yet whose fault was kept in remembrance for so long. Therefore, dearest brother, if we find that he after many signs perished for a fault, he whom we know to have been especially chosen by Almighty God, with what fear should we tremble, who do not yet know whether we are chosen?

Saint Gregory the Great, Registry of Letters, Book 11, Letter 28, To Augustine Bishop of the English

26 Oct 2015

Seeking and Suffering

Ἐξεζήτησα τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἐπήκουσέ μου.  

Ταῦτα, φησὶν ἀκουσάτωσαν οἱ πραείς, ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐν τᾡ καιρᾡ ἐκείνῳ τῷ χαλεπῷ, ὅτε πᾶς μὲν θυμὸς τῶν μνησικακούντων ἐκινεῖτο κατ' ἐμοῦ, πᾶσα δὲ χεὶρ ἐπ' ἐμὲ ὡπλιζετο, γυμνὸς δὲ ἐγὼ καὶ ἄοπλος ἔτοιμος εἰς πὰσαν αἰκίαν ἐξεκείμην τοῖς πολεμίοις, τότε οὐ συνεχύθην τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῷ φόβῳ, οὐκ  ἐξεκρούσθην ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐννοίας, οὐκ ἀπέγνων τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ σωτηρίας, ἀλλ' ἐξεζήτησα τὸν Κύριον. Οὐχὶ ἐζήτησα μόνον ἁπλῆν τινα καὶ χρονικὴν πρὸς τὸν Κύριον ἐλπίδα, ἀλλ' ἐξεζήτησα. Πλεῖον γάρ τι δηλοῖ παρὰ τὸ ζητῆσαι ἡ ἕμφασις τοῦ ἐκζητῆσαι, ὡς καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἕρευναν ἡ ἐξερεύνησις. Ἐξέλιπον γὰρ ἐξερευνῶντες ἐξερευνήσις. Πολλὴν οὖν τινα σκολὴν καὶ ἀταραξιαν ὁ λόγος παρίστησι διὰ τῆς ἐκζητήσεως.

Καὶ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλιψεών μου ἐῥῥύσατο με. 

Πᾶσα ἡ τοῦ δικαίου ζωὴ τεθλιμμένη ἐστὶ, καὶ Στενὴ καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδός· καὶ, Πολλαὶ αἱ θλιψεις τῶν δικαίων. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολός φησιν, Ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι· καὶ, Ὅτι διὰ πολλῶν θλίψεων δεῖ ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσελθειν. Ῥυεται δὲ ἐκ θλίψεως τοὺς ἁγίους αὐτοῦ ὁ Θεὸς, οὐκ ἀδοκιμάστους αὐτοὺς καταλιμπάνων, ἀλλὰ τὴν ὑπομονὴν αὐτοῖς χαριζόμενος. Εἰ γὰρ Ἡ θλίψις ὑπομονὴν κατεργάζεται, ἡ δὲ ὑπομονὴ δοκιμήν· ὁ τὴν θλίψιν ἀφαιρούμενος τῆς δοκιμῆς ἑαουτὸν ἀπεστρέρησεν. Ὡς οὖν οὐδεὶς στεφανοῦται ἄνευ ἀνταγωνιστοῦ, οὕτως οὐδὲ δόκιμος ἀποφανθῆναι δύναται εἰ μὴ διὰ θλίψεων. Ἐκ πασῶν οὖν τῶν θλίψεων ἐῥῥύσατό με, οὐχὶ μὴ ἐῶν με θλίβεσθαι, ἀλλὰ σὺν τῷ πειρασμῷ καὶ τὴν ἔκβασιν, τοῦ δύνασθαι ὑπενεγκεῖν, χαριζόμενος.

Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΛΓ’
'I sought the Lord and he hearkened to me.'

These things let the meek hear, that I in a difficult time when all the anger of the malicious was against me and every hand was armed against me, and I truly naked and unclad, expecting every outrage of the enemy, that not then was the mind confused by terror, nor was I called away from thought of God, nor did I despair of my salvation, but I sought out the Lord. I did not just seek a shallow and temporary safety in the hope of the Lord, but I sought him out. Indeed the word 'seek out' signals this emphasis more than 'seek', as with 'search out' and 'search'. And indeed 'The seekers fall away seeking.'  Many, then, by attachment to ease and tranquility do this by their seeking.

'And from every trouble he delivered me.'

The life of the just is affliction, and 'Narrow and difficult is the way,' and 'Many are the tribulations of the just.' Thus the Apostle says, 'In everything afflicted,' and, 'Because through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of heaven.' God frees his saints from tribulation but he does not grant a brief period for approval but rather he bestows endurance. For if 'Tribulation works endurance, endurance is approval,' and so he who withdraws from tribulation deprives himself of approval. Thus it is that no one is crowned without adversities and that no one is approved who is able to be so unless by tribulation. 'From all my tribulations he delivered me.' Not that I throw myself into tribulation but that by the testing of what can be borne there is release.

Saint Basil of Caeserea, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 33


24 Oct 2015

Thoughts And Deeds

Ἡμεῖς, ω Βέλιστε, τῆς αὐτῆς τοῖς Γραμματεῦσι καὶ Φαρισαίοις ἐσμὲν ἔνοχοι κρίσεως. Ὥωσπερ γὰρ αὐτοὶ τῇ τοῦ νόμου μελέτῃ τὸ πράττειν τὸν νόμον ᾠήθησαν, ἀρκεῖν αὐτοῖς τὴν ἀπαγγελίαν τοῦ γράμματος πρὸς ἐργασίαν τοῦ πράγματος ἀπροσέχως νομίσαντες· οὕτως ἡμεῖς, αὐτῷ τῷ ἄπτεσθαι θυσιαστηρίων Θεοῦ, εγγίζειν Θεῷ φανταζόμεθα. Ἀλλὰ ταύτην ἡμῶν ὁ Κύριος ἐκκόπτων τὴν οἴησιν, φησὶν, Ἐὰν μὴ περισσεύσῃ ὑμῶν ἡ δικαιοσύνη πλὲον τῶν Γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισσαίων, οὐ δύνησθε εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν Βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Τοῦτο λέγων θεοτρεπῶς· Ἐαν μὴ τὴν δόκησιν, πρᾶξιν ἐργάσησθε, οἱ προσχήματι ἀρκεῖσθαι πρὸς διακονίαν Θεοῦ λογιζόμενοι, ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμιν Βασιλεία οὐκ ἄν ἀνοιγήσεται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀληθής ἐστιν ἡ Βασιλεία, τοῖς ἀληθῶς αὐτὴν ζητοῦσιν ἀνοίγεται. Περισσεία δὲ τῆς τοῦ νόμου δικαιοσύνης ἡ τοῦ Εὐαγγελλίου ἐστὶν ὑψηλότης. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τὴν πραξιν τιμωρεῖται, τὸ δὲ καὶ πρόθεσιν ψιλὴν, μέχρι Βάθους ἐννοιῶν, τὴν κριτικὴν ἀκρίβειαν ἐνδεικνύμενον.  

Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΟΘ' Τιμοθεῳ 
We , best of men, are rendered liable to the same judgement as the Scribes and Pharisees. For they excelled in practice of care for the law and it pleased them to send forth tidings of what was written to do, deeds to which they were inattentive. So it is with us who think he who nears the Divine altar draws close to God. But the Lord cuts off this opinion of ours, saying 'Unless your righteousness exceed the the Scribes and the Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.' Which  divine utterance says: If you think it is opinion rather than the doing of deeds that is pleasing service to God, the kingdom of God shall not be open to you. Because the  kingdom is only truly open to those who truly seek it. The excellence of righteousness is the sublimity of the Gospel. He shall make trial of the deed, it will be brought forth naked, until from the depths of the mind accurate judgement comes forth.

Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book, 1, Letter 79, to Timotheus


22 Oct 2015

Thoughts On A Marriage

Ὁ μὲν οὖν τῆς ἰστορίας λόγος ἐν τούτοις στήσεται· οἴμαι δὲ δεῖν, καὶ ἑτέραν τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἐπινοεῖσθαι θεωρίαν, καὶ τί τὸ ἐντεῦθεν ὑποδηλούμενον εἰπεῐν. Καταβέβηκε τοίνυν ἐξ ούρανῶν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, ὡς αὐτός πού φησιν, ἵνα τὴν ἀνθρώπου φύσιν νυμφίου δίκην οἰκειωσάμενος κυοφορεῖν ἀναπείσῃ τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς σοφίας σπέρματα. Καὶ νύμφη μὲν εἰκότως ἡ ἀνθρωπότης διὰ τούτου καλεῖται, νυμφίος δὲ ὁ Σωτὴρ, ἐκ τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς εἰς νόησιν τὴν ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς ἀνατεινούσης τὸν λόγον τῆς θείας Γραφῆς· συγκροτείται δὲ ὁ γάμος ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τρίτῃ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ἐν ἐσχάτοις τοῦ παρόντος αἰῶνος καιροῖς· ὁ γὰρ τρίτος ἡμίν ἀριθμὸς ἀρχὴν εἰσφέρει, καὶ μεστότητα, καὶ τέλος· οὕτω γὰρ ὁ σύμπας ἐκμετρεῖται χρόνος. Τούτῳ φανεῖται προσεοικὸς, τὸ  δι' ἐνος που τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν εἰρημένον· Πατάξει, καὶ μοτώσει ἡμᾶς, ὑγιάσει ἡμᾶς μετὰ δύο ἡμέρας ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῇ· καὶ ἀναστησόμεθα, καὶ ζησόμεθα ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ γνωσόμεθα διώξομεν τοῦ γνῶναι τὸν Κύριον· ὡς ὄρθον ἔτοιμον εὐρήσομεν αὐτόν. Ἔπληξε μὲν γὰρ διὰ τὴν ἐν Ἀδάμ παράβασιν, εἰπών· Γῆ εἰ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ. Τὸ δὲ φθορᾷ καὶ θανάτῳ πεπληγὸς πάλιν ἐμότωσεν αὐτὸς κατὰ τὴν τρίτην ἡμέραν, τοῦτ’ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἐν πρώτοις, οὐδὲ ἐκ μέσοις, ἀλλ' ἐν ἐσχάτοις καιροῖς, ὅτε δι' ἡμᾶς γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος ὑγιᾶ τὴν φύσιν ἀπέδειξεν, ὅλην ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστήσας ἐν ἑαυτῳ. Διάτοι τοῦτο καλεῖται καὶ ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημένων· οὐκοῦν διὰ τοῦ τὴν τρίτην ἡμέραν εἰπεῖν, καθ' ἥν ὁ γάμος ἐτελεὶτο, τὸν τελευταῖον σημαίνει καιρόν· καταμηνύει δὲ καὶ τὸν τόπον· ἐν Κανᾷ γὰρ τῆς Γαλιλαίας, φησίν. Ἐπιτηρείτω δὲ πάλιν ὁ φιλομαθής· οὐ γὰρ έν τοῖς Ἰεροσολύμοις ἡ πανήγυρις ἔξω τῆς Ἰουδαίας τὸ δεῖπνον, ὡς ἐν τῇ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπιτελεῖται χώρα. 'Γαλιλαία γὰρ τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὡς ὁ προφήτης φησίν. Δῆλον δὲ δήπου πάντως ἐστὶν, ὡς ἡ μὲν τῶν Ἰουδαίων Συναγωγὴ τὸν ἐξ οὐρανῶν ἀπώσατο νυμφίον, προσεδέξατο δὲ, καὶ λίαν ἀσμένως, ἡ ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησία. Ἔρχεται δὲ εἰς τοὺς γάμους οὐκ αὐτόμολος ὁ Σωτήρ· πολλαῖς γὰρ ἁγίων ἐκαλεῖτο φωναίς. Ἀλλ' οἴνος ἐπιλελοίπει τοὺς ἐστιωμένους· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐτελείωσεν ὁ νόμος, οὐκ ἐξήρκει πρὸς τὸ εὐπρᾶναι τελείως τὸ γραμμα τὸ Μωσαικόν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αὐτὸ τὸ τῆς ἐμφύτου νήψεως μέτρον, εἰς τὸ δύνασθαι διασώζειν ἡμᾶς ἐξετείνετο. Οὐκοῦν ἀληθὲς ἄν εἴ καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν, τὸ, οἶνον οὐκ ἔχουσιν, εἰπεῖν· ὁ δὲ πλουσιόδωρος ἡμῶν Θεὸς, οὐ περιορᾷ τῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐνδείᾳ πριβομένην τὴν φύσιν. Οἶνον ἡμῖν ἀπέδειξε τοῦ πρώτου Βελτίονα· 'Τὸ γὰρ γράμμα ἀποκτείνει, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ζωοποιεῖ '

Ἅγιος Κυριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας , Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Ἰωαννην Εὐαγγελιον,  Λογος Δευτερος
The historical account, then, of the Marriage at Cana 1 I will leave there, but I think we must consider the other view of what has been said and make clear what is there expressed. So then the Word of God came down  from Heaven, as He says, so that having as a Bridegroom made human nature His own He might persuade it to bring forth the spiritual seed of wisdom. And fittingly is human nature called the bride and the Saviour the Bridegroom, since holy Scripture lifts up language from things below to a meaning that is above us. The marriage is consummated on the third day, that is, in the last times of the present age, for the number three carries in it beginning, middle and end, and thus is the whole of time measured. And in similar manner to this we see what was said by Hosea, one of the holy prophets, 'He has struck us and He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us, on the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight and we shall know how to pursue the knowledge of the Lord; we shall discover him ready like the dawn. 2 For He struck on account of the transgression of Adam, saying, Dust you are, and to dust you shall return.3 That which was struck by corruption and death He bound up again on the third day; that is, not in the first, or in the middle, but in the last times, when for us made Man He showed our nature whole, raising it from the dead in Himself. So He is also called the first fruits of them that sleep and thus it was said that on the third day the marriage was consummated; for it signifies the last time. He makes known the place too; for he says it was in Cana of Galilee. Let the lover of learning again take note: for the celebration is not in Jerusalem but the feast is outside Judea, as it were in the land of the Gentiles. For it is 'Galilee of the gentiles',4 as the prophet Isaiah said. It is very clear that the synagogue of the Jews rejected the Bridegroom from Heaven and that very happily the church of the Gentiles received Him. The Saviour comes to the marriage not without bidding, for He is called by the many voices of the saints. But wine failed those who feasted; for the law did not perfect, the Mosaic writing did not suffice for perfect enjoyment, but neither was the measure of our inborn sobriety able to reach out and save us. It was thus true to say of us: They have no wine.5 But our bountiful God did not overlook our nature weary with lack of good things. He brought forth wine better than the first, 'For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.'6

Saint Cyril of Alexandria, On the Gospel of John, Book II

1 Jn 2.1
2 Hos 6.1-3 
3 Gen 3.19
4 Is 9.1
5 Jn 2.3
6 2 Cor 3.6

20 Oct 2015

Seeing and Hearing

Ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίοις, καὶ ὦτα αὐτοῦ εἰς δέησιν αὐτῶν.

Ὥσπερ οἱ ἅγιοι σῶμά εἰσι Χριστοῦ καὶ μέλη ἐκ μέρους· καὶ ἔΘετο ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τοὺς μὲν ὀφθαλμοὺς, τοὺς δὲ γλώσσας, ἑτέρους τὸν τῶν χειρῶν, καὶ ἄλλους τὸν τῶν ποδῶν ἐπέχοντας λόγον· οὕτω καὶ αἱ ἅγιαι δυνάμεις αἱ πνευματικαὶ καὶ περὶ τὸν οὐράνιον οὖσαι τόπον, αἱ μὲν ὀφθαλμοὶ λέγονται, τῷ τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν ἡμῶν πιστευθῆναι, αἱ δὲ ὦτα, τῷ παραδέχεσθαι ἡμῶν τὰς δεήσεις. Νῦν οὖν τὴν ἐποπτικὴν ἡμῶν δύναμιν, καὶ τὴν τῶν εὐχῶν ἀντιληπτικὴν, ὀφθαλμοὺς εἶπε καὶ ὦτα. Ὀφθαλμοι οὖν Κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους, καὶ ὦτα αὐτοῦ εἰς δέησιν αὐτῶν. Ἐπειδὴ πᾶσα πρᾶξις τοῦ δικαίου ἀξία τῆς θεωρίας τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ πᾶν ῥῆμα, τῷ μηδὲν ἀργῶς λέγεσθαι παρὰ τοῦ δικαίου, ἐνεργόν ἐστι καὶ ἔμπρακτον, διὰ τοῦτο ἀεὶ ἐφορᾶσθαι καὶ ἀεὶ εἰσακούεσθαι τὸν δίκαιον ὁ λόγος φησί.

Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΛΓ’
The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears incline to their prayers.

As the holy are the body of Christ and parts of its members, and God places in the church some as eyes and some as tongues and others as hands and others are given the office of the feet, so even it is with the holy and spiritual powers of the heavenly place, some are gathered as eyes to attend to our faithfulness and others are ears to receive our prayers. So then the power which watches over us and which receives our prayers are eyes and ears. Thus the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayers. Since every worthy deed of the righteous is seen by God and every word which is spoken without baseness by the just is active and effective, and thus this verse tells us that the righteous are always eminent and heard.

Saint Basil of Caeserea, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 33


18 Oct 2015

Office And The Dog


Μὴ παραδέξῃ αὐτὸν, ἐπισκοπήν σοι, καὶ ἡγουμενείαν, καὶ διδασκαλίαν ὑποβάλλοντα. Κόπος γὰρ κύνα ἀπὸ μακελλικῆς τραπέζης διῶξαι.

Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης τῆς Κλίμακος, Λογος Κβ', ἡ Κλίμαξ

Do not receive him who would incline you to accept a bishop's seat or a position as a leader or a teacher. Beat the dog away from the butcher's table.

Saint John Climacus, Step 22, The Ladder

16 Oct 2015

Advice To An Office Holder

Ἡ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐξουσία, εἰ μὴ κέκραται ἡμερότητι, καὶ ἐπανθεὶ αὐτῇ ἡ Θεῷ δεικονοῦσα προσήνεια, ἀπόνοιά ἐστι μᾶλλον καὶ ἀγριότης. Εἰ δὲ τῷ πράῳ μιγείη, καὶ τούτω ἰθύνει τὸ δικαιον, καὶ εὐθύτης ἐστὶ καὶ χρηστότης καὶ ὁδὸς εὐνομίας, καὶ πραγμάτων γαλήνη.

Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Ἐπιστολὴ MZ' Νεμεσιῳ Ἀρχοντι

Source: Migne PG 78.212b
The power of office, if it is not founded on meekness, which service, showing mildness, blooms sweetly before God, is rather senselessness and savagery. But if you have gentleness in your administration and by it you govern justly and with moderation, then there is integrity and kindness, then there is the way of equity and the tranquility of things.

Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Letter 46, to the Officer Nemesius

14 Oct 2015

The Philisophical Way

Τριῶν τοίνυν τούτων ἀντέχεται ὁ ἡμεδαπὸς φιλόσοφος· πρῶτον μὲν τῆς θεωρίας, δεύτερον δὲ τῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐπιτελέσεως, τρίτον ἀνδρῶν ἀγαθῶν κατασκευῆς· ἄ δὴ συνελθόντα τὸν γνωστικὸν ἐπιτελεῖ. Ὅ τι δ' ἄν ἐνδέῃ τούτων, χωλεύει τὰ τῆς γνώσεως. Ὅθεν θείως ἡ Γραφή φησι· Καὶ εἴπεν Κύριος πρὸς Μωθσῆν, λέγων· Λάλησον τοῖς υἰοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἐγὼ Κὺριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν. Κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα γῆς Αἰγύπτου, ἐν ᾗ κατῳκήσατε ἐν αὐτῇ, οὐ ποιήσετε· καὶ κατὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα γῆς Καναὰν, εἰς ἥν ἐγὼ εἰσάγω ὑμᾶς ἐκεῖ, οὐ ποιὴσετε· καὶ τοῖς νομίμοις αὐτῶν οὐ πορεύσεσθε· τὰ κρίματά μου ποιήσετε, καὶ τὰ προστάγματά μου φυλαξεσθε· πορεύεσθε ἐν αὐτοῖς· ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν· καὶ φυλάξεσθε πάντα τὰ προστάγματα μου, καὶ ποιήσετε αὐτά. Ὁ ποιήσας αὐτὰ ἄνθρωπος, ζήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ἐγὼ Κὺριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν. Εἴτ' οὖν κόσμου καὶ ἀπάτης, εἴτε παθῶν καὶ κακιῶν σύμβολον Αἴγυπτος, καὶ ἡ Κανανὶτις γῆ, ὤν μὲν ἀφεκτέον, ὁποῖα δὲ ἐπιτηδευτέον, ὡς θεῖα καὶ οὐ κοσμικὰ, δείκνυσιν ἡμῖν τὸ λόγιον. Ὅταν δὲ εἴπῃ, Ὁ ποιήσας ἄνθρωπος ζήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς, τήν τε Ἑβραίων αὐτῶν ἐπανόρθωσιν, τήν τε τῶν πέλας ἡμῶν αὐτῶν συνάσκησίν τε καὶ προκοπὴν, ζωὴν λέγει αὐτῶν τε καὶ ἡμῶν. Οἱ γὰρ νεκροὶ τοῖς παρατώμασι συζωοποιοῦνται Χριστῷ, διὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας Διαθήκης. Πολλάκις δὲ ἐπαναλαμβάνουσα ἡ Γραφὴ, τὸ, Ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεός ὑμῶν, δυσωπεῖ μὲν διατρεπτικώτατα ἔπεσθαι διδάσκουσα τῷ τὰς ἐντολἀς δεδωκότι Θεῷ, ὑπομιμνήσκει δὲ ἡμέρα ζητεῖν τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ὡς οἶόν τε γινώσκειν ἐπιχειρεῖν· ἤτις ἄν εἴη θεωρία μεγίστη, ἡ ἐποπτικὴ, ἡ τῷ ὅντι ἐπιστήμη, ἡ ἀμετάπτωτος λόγῳ γινομένη· αὔτη ἄν εἴη μόνη ἡ τῆς σοφίας γνῶσις, ἧς οὐδέποτε χωρίζεται ἡ δικαιοπραγία.

Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λογος Δευτερος, Κεφ Ι'.
These three things, then, the philosopher of our way adheres to: first, contemplation; second, the accomplishment of the commands; third, the fashioning of good men; all of which, taken together, form the man of knowledge, and when one of these is lacking, the parts of knowledge limp. Whence the Scripture divinely says, 'And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them, I am the Lord your God. According to the customs of the land of Egypt, in which you have dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the customs of the land of Canaan, into which I bring you, you shall not do; and in their usages you shall not walk. My judgments you shall do, and My precepts you will guard, and you will walk in them; I am the Lord your God. And you shall guard all My commandments, and do them. And the man who does them shall live in them. I am the Lord your God.'  So whether Egypt and the land of Canaan be the symbol of the world and deceit, or of sufferings and evils, they are to be abstained from; and the declaration also reveals what should be pursued, as being Divine and not worldly. And when it is said, 'The man that does them shall live in them,'  it is for both the correction of the Hebrews themselves and the training and advancement of us who are now present: it speaks of their life and ours. For 'those who were dead in sins are quickened together with Christ,' by our covenant. Scripture, by the repetition of  'I am the Lord your God,' shames by firmly dissuading, teaches the commandments given by God, and reminds us to seek Him daily, that we might attain to knowledge of Him. This is the greatest contemplation, the highest mystery, the real knowledge, that which becomes flawless by reason; this alone is knowledge of wisdom, from which righteous action is never detached.

Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, Book 2, Ch 10.

13 Oct 2015

The Mirror of the Psalms

Καὶ μοι δοκεῖ τῷ ψάλλοντι γίνεσθαι τούτους ὥσπερ εἴσοπτρον, εἰς τὸ κατανοεῖν καὶ αὐτὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐαυτοῦ ψυχῆς κινήματα, καὶ οὕτως αἰσθόμενον ἀπαγγέλλειν αὐτούς. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ ἀκούων τοῦ ἀναγινώσκοντος ὡς περὶ αὐτοῦ λεγομένην τὴν ᾠδὴν καταδέχεται· καὶ ἤ ἐλεγχόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος κατανυγεὶς μετανοήσει, ἤ περὶ τῆς εἰς Θεὸν ἐλπίδος ἀκούων καὶ τῆς εἰς τοὺς πιστεύοντας γινομένης ἀντιλήψεως, ὡς εἰς αὐτὸν γενομένης τοιαύτης χάριτος ἀγαλλιᾶται, καὶ εὐχαριστεῖν ἄρχεται τῴ Θεῷ. Ὅτε γοῦν τὸν τρίτον ψάλλει τις εἰς τὰς ἰδίας θλίψεις συνορῶν, ὡς αὐτοῦ εἶναι νομίζει τὰ ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ ῥὴματα· καὶ τότε τὸν ια' καὶ τὸν ιϲ' ὡς εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν πεποίθησιν καὶ προσευχήν ἐστιν ἀπαγγέλλων· καὶ τὸν μὲν ν' ψαλμὸν ὡς αὐτός ἐστι τὰ ἴδια τῆς μετανοίας ἑαυτοῦ λέγων ῥήματα, τὸν δὲ νγ', καὶ τὸν νε', καὶ τὸν νϲ, καὶ τὸν ρμα', ὅτε ψάλλει τισ, ούχ ὡς ἄλλου διωκομένου, ἀλλ' ὡς ὤν ὁ πάσχων συνδιατίθεται, καὶ ᾄδει τῷ Κυρίῳ ὡς ἰδίους τοὺς λόγους τούτους. Καὶ ὅλως οὕτως ἔκαστος ψαλμὸς παρὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος εἴρηταί τε καὶ συντέτακται, ὡς ἐν αὐτοῖς, καθὰ πρότερον εἴρηται, τὰ κινήματα τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν κατανοεῐσθαι, καὶ πάντας αὐτοὺς ὡς περὶ ἡμῶν εἰρῆσθαι, καὶ εἶναι ἡμῶν αὐτοὺς ὡς ἰδίους λόγους, εἰς ἀνάμνησιν τῶν έν ἡμῖν κινημάτων καὶ διόρθωσιν τῆς ἡμων πολιτείας.

Ἅγιος Ἀθανάσιος Ἀλεξανδρείας, προς Μαρκελλινον Εις Την Ἑρμηνειαν Των Ψαλμων
It seems to me that the Psalms are like a mirror in which one may contemplate oneself and the movements of one's own soul, and experiencing this one gives voice to it. And the one who hears what was read receives it as if they too had read the song, and having been impressed in like manner, sometimes it is repentance that is roused, or, attending to how God helps the hopeful one who trusts in Him, the listener too, as though the gracious help already were his own, rejoices and offers thanks. When it is the third Psalm, a man will ponder his own troubles, as if he thought the words in the psalms were such things; and then the eleventh and twelfth Psalms he will employ as the recital of his own prayer; and the fiftieth psalm he will take a the recital of the words of his own repentance; and when the fifty fourth psalm, the fifty sixth, the fifty seventh, and the one hundredth and forty two are sung, it is not as though someone else were being persecuted but that it were an account of his own suffering, and he sings to the Lord these verses as his own. And every other Psalm is spoken and arranged by the Spirit in the same way: in them the movements of our  souls are contemplated in them, and they speak of everything concerning us, and the words are as are own, for the recollection of the movement within us and as a correction of our condition.

Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, To Marcellinus On the Interpretation of the Psalms

11 Oct 2015

Care And Correction

Ne dicas in animo, quid ad me pertinet, sive bene, sive male faciat? Ubi est charitas, si errantem corrigere non curas? Memento Apostulum dicentem: Quis scandalizatur et ego non uror? Alterius peccatum, suum fecit dolorem. Quid habes Redemptori tuo et Judici omnium in die mangno ostendere, si animas non habes, tuo labore redemptas a diaboli servitute, ostendendas? Quantas in hoc exsilio tuis doctrinis ab iniquitate revocas, et in viam veritatis reducis, procul dubio tantas recipies mercedes in die illa. Ideo non cesset charites operandi bona omnibus: non cesset lingua loquendi de bonis ad omnes, hoc precibus persuadens, illos severitate castigans, secundum modum uniuscujusque aetatis vel personae. Esto lucerna in domo Dei, et per te plurimi illuminentur, et a tenebris vitiorum in viam perpetuae lucis revocantur.

Alcuinus, Epistola LXXIII, Ad Calvinus

Source: Migne PL 100.248b-c
Do not say in your soul, 'What does it matter to me if he does good or evil?' Where is love if you do not care to correct the the one who errs? Remember the Apostle said, 'Who is scandalised and I do not burn?' 1 He makes the sin of another his own grief. What will you have to show your Redeemer and Judge on that great day, if you have no souls which you have saved from the servitude of the devil to show? Your teaching should call back many in this exile from iniquity and return them to the way of truth; without doubt you shall receive your reward on that day. Therefore do not cease to do good works to all, let not your tongue cease to speak of the good to all; some persuade with entreaties, some reprove with severity, according to the age and the character of each. Be a light in the house of God and through you let many be illuminated, and from the darkness of vice into the way of the eternal light recall them.

Alcuin of York, from Letter 73, To Calvinus.

1 2 Cor 11.29

10 Oct 2015

Retreat and Ascent

Τοσοῦτον χρησιμεύει πρὸς σωτηρίαν ἡ τῶν θορύβων τῶν ἀστικῶν ἀναχώρησις, ὅτι τὰς πόλεις καταλιπὼν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ὑιὸς, ἐπ' ἄκρων ὀρέων τοὺς καθαρῶς βιοῦντας ἐμακάριζε. Δεικνὺς δι' ὤν πράττων ἐδίδακεν, ὡς ἀδύνατον, τὸν μὴ ἀποσπασθέντα τῶν χαμαιζήων, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἄκραν ἀρετὴν ἀναβάντα, μακαρισθὴναι παρὰ Θεοῦ, ἢ τῶν μελλόντων τυχεῖν ἀγαθῶν. Ὁ γὰρ τὰ ἄνω φρονῶν, ἐκεῖ κατοικεῖ, οὖ Χριστός ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Θεοῦ καθεζόμενος. 

Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Ἐπιστολὴ Διοσκορῳ
Withdrawal from urban tumult conduces to salvation so much that even the Son of God, abandoning the towns, blessed the purer life on the heights of the mountains. Evidently He teaches by deeds, so that those who are unable to tear themselves from things of the earth and to ascend to virtue, might be blessed by God or meet future goods. He who thinks of high things dwells where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Letter to Dioscorus


9 Oct 2015

Welcoming Brothers


Ὁ αὐτος εἶπεν περι τῆς ὑποδοχῆς τῶν ἀδελφῶν, ὅτι δεῖ ἐρχομενος τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς προσκυνεῐν· οὐ γὰρ αὐτοὺς, ἀλλὰ τὸν Θεὸν προσκυνοῦμεν. Εἰδες γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν ἀδελφόν σου, εἰδες Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου· καὶ τοῦτο, φησὶ, παρὰ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ παρειλήφαμεν. Καὶ ὅτε δέχεσθε, πρὸς ἀνάπαυσιν παραβιάζεσθε· καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ παρὰ τοῦ Λὼτ μεμαθήκαμεν παραβιασαμένου τούς ἀγγέλους. 

᾽Αποφθεγματα των ἀγιων γεροντων, Παλλαδιος

Father Apollo spoke about the reception of brothers, that it was necessary to prostrate oneself before the brothers who came, for it is not before them but before God that one prostrates oneself. ' For seeing your brother,' he said, 'You see the Lord your God, and this we receive from Abraham. And when you have received them drive them into seclusion, for this we have learned from the angels prevailing over Lot.'

Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

8 Oct 2015

Doing Good

Οὐκ ἐστιν, ᾦ φίλη κεφαλὴ, ἐν παραβύστῳ καὶ ἀποκρύφῳ κείμενος ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου νόμος, Μὴ γνώτω ἡ ἀριστερά σου τί ποιεῖ ἡ δεξιά σου, κελεύοντος, ἀλλὰ λευκὸς καὶ σαφέστατος, καὶ τοῖς προσόχοις ἀρίδηλος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῷ εὖ ποιεῖν κενοδοξία παρέπεται καὶ ἐπίδειξις, Μηδὲν, φησὶ, καλὸν γινὲσθω παρὰ σοῦ ἐμπαθως, μηδὲ πέρπερος λογισμος ἀκολουθείτω τῷ κατορθώματι· ἀλλ' εἰ εὖ ποιεῖς, ἀνεπίδεικτος ἔσο καὶ ἄκομπος, τοὺς ἐνταῦθα κρότους μὴ θηρῶν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας στεφάνους προσδοκῶν. 

Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΠΕ', Λεοντιῳ Επισκοπῳ
It is not, dear friend, lying hidden in some corner, this law of the Lord, 'Let your left hand not know what your right hand is doing,'1 but the meaning is clear and most evident to those who are attentive. For when vainglory accompanies action and it is overt in well doing, nothing, I say, is well done, nor does thought come to improvement, but if you would do well, be undemonstrative and boastless, not hunting for applause but waiting for the future crown.

Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 84, to the Bishop Leontios

1. Mt 6.3


7 Oct 2015

Be Prepared

Quotidie operemur bonum, dum tempus habemus; ne nos tenebrae comprehendant, nec imparatos illa metuenda dies inveniat. Tu vero pastorali pietate ac sacerdotali auctoritate, non solum meam suscitare litteris socordiam studeas, sed etiam omnibus te audientibus pia paternitate, ut vigilent, praedicare non cesses. Si lingua sacerdotalis clavis est coelestis regni, decet ut guttur illius tuba sit aeterni Regis, dicente propheta: Clama, ne cesses; exalta sicut tuba vocem tuam. Quis se parat ad bellum, si praeco in castris non clamat? Quis hostibus succinctus in armis obsistit introitum, si speculator in celso turris fastigio dormit? Quis gregem a luporum rabie defendit, si pastor in silvestribus luxuriae dumis latitat? Quis florentis ruris pascua gregi demonstrat, si ductor vagabundis per foveas vestigiis errat?

Alcuinus, Epistola LXX, Ad Speratum Episcopum.

Source: Migne PL 100.242b
Let us do good every day while we have time; let not the darkness comprehend us, let us not be found unprepared on that fearful day. Truly you with your pastoral piety and priestly authority should not only study my letters at your leisure but even with pious paternity cease not to preach to every one who will hear that they should be vigilant. If the tongue of a priest is the key to the kingdom of heaven, it befits that his throat might be a trumpet of the eternal king, with the prophet saying, 'Cry out, do not cease; raise up your voice like a trumpet.' 1 Who is prepared for battle if the herald in the camp does not call them? Who will be girded to resist the entry of the enemy if the watcher in the high tower sleeps? Who defends the flock against the ravening wolves if the shepherd is skulking in the thorn bushes of the woods? Who shows to the flock the fields of flowers, if their leader has gone off with wandering feet toward the pit?

Alcuin of York, from Letter 70, To the Bishop Speratus

1 Isaiah 58.1

6 Oct 2015

A Soul in Need

Mens humana, sollicitudinibus distracta, non intrat ad se per memoriam; phantasmatibus obnubilata, non redit ad se per intelligentiam; concupiscentiis illecta, ad se ipsam nequaquam revertitur per desiderium suavitatis internae et laetitiae spiritualis. Ideo totaliter in his sensibilibus iacens, non potest ad se tanquam ad Dei imaginem reintrare. Et quoniam, ubi quis ceciderit, necesse habet ibidem recumbere, nisi apponat quis et adiiciat, ut resurgat; non potuit anima nostra pefecte ab his sensibilibus relevari ad contuitum sui et aeternae Veritatis in se ipsa, nisi Veritas, assumpta forma humana in Christo, fieret sibi scala reparans priorem scalam, quae fracta fuerat in Adam. Ideo, quantumcumque sit illuminatus quis lumine naturae et scientiae acquisitae, non potest intrare in se, ut in se ipso delectetur in Domino, nisi mediante Christo, qui dicit: Ego sum ostium. Per me si quis introierit, salvabitur et ingredietur et egredietur et pascua inveniet. Ad hoc autem ostium non appropinquamus, nisi ipsum credamus, speremus et amemus. Necesse est igitur, si reintrare volumus ad fruitionem Veritatis tanquam ad paradisum, quod ingrediamur per fidem, spem et caritatem mediatoris Dei et hominum Iesu Christi, qui est tanquam lignum vitae in medio paradisi. Supervestienda est igitur imago mentis nostrae tribus virtutibus theologicis, quibus anima purificatur, et sic imago reformatur et conformis supernae Ierusalem efficitur et pars Ecclesiae militantis, quae est proles, secundum Apostolum, Ierusalem caelestis. Ait enim: Illa quae sursum est Ierusalem libera est, quae est mater nostra. Anima igitur credens, sperans et amans Iesum Christum, qui est Verbum incarnatum, increatum et inspiratum, scilicet via, veritas et vita; dum per fidem credit in Christum tanquam in Verbum increatum, quod est Verbum et splendor Patris, recuperat spiritualem auditum et visum, auditum ad suscipiendum Christi sermones, visum ad considerandum illius lucis splendores.

Itinterarium Mentis in Deum, Sanctus Boneventura
The human mind, distracted by cares, does not enter into itself through memory; obscured by phantasms, it does not return into itself through intelligence; allured by concupiscence, it never returns to itself through the desire for inner sweetness and spiritual joy. Thus thrown down totally among sensible things it is not able to return to itself as to the image of God. And since when it lies fallen it must remain there prostrate unless someone draw near and give assistance that it might rise, so our soul has not been able to be raised up perfectly to behold the eternal Truth in itself unless the Truth, having assumed human form in Christ, should make itself into a ladder, repairing the first ladder which was broken in Adam. Therefore, however much anyone is illuminated by the light of nature and acquired knowledge, he cannot enter into himself so that he may delight in the Lord in himself without the mediation of Christ, He who says, 'I am the door. Through me if any man enter, he shall be saved; and he shall go in, and he shall go out, and he shall find pastures'. Yet we do not approach this door unless we believe in Him, hope in Him, and love Him. It is thus necessary, if we wish to enter into the fruition of Truth, as into Paradise, that we enter through the faith, hope, and charity of the Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ, Who is as the tree of life in the middle of Paradise. The image of our mind must therefore be clothed in the three theological virtues by which the soul is purified, and so the image is repaired and is made to conform to the heavenly Jerusalem and part of the Church militant which is the offspring, according to the Apostle, of the heavenly Jerusalem. He says: 'That Jerusalem which is above is free, which is our mother'. Therefore the soul which believes in, hopes in, and loves Jesus Christ, Who is the Word incarnate, uncreated, and spirated, that is, the way and the truth and the life, where by faith he believes in Christ as in the uncreated Word, which is the Word and the splendor of the Father, he recovers spiritual hearing and vision, hearing to receive the speech of Christ, vision to gaze upon the splendors of His light.

The Journey of the Mind into God, Saint Bonaventura

5 Oct 2015

Knowledge and Folly

Apostolus sciens naturae humanae imperfectam cogitationem hoc solum putare in veri ratione esse quod saperet, ait non in sermone se sapientiae praedicare, ne praedicationis suae inanis esset assertio. Ac ne stultitiae esse praedicator existimaretur, adjecit, verbum crucis stultitiam esse percuntibus: quia eam solam infideles prudentiam crederent esse, quam saperent; et cum nihil nisi intra infirmitatis suae saperent naturam, eam, quae sola Dei perfecta sapientia est, putarent esse stultitiam; per quod in ea ipsa infirmis sapientiae suae opinione desiperent. Ergo quidquid pereuntibus stultitia est, hoc iis qui salvantur Dei virtus est: quia nihil naturalis sensus sui infirmitate moderantur, sed divinae potestatis efficientiam secundum infinitatem coelestis virtus expendunt. Et idcirco sapientiam sapientium, et intelligentiam intelligentium Deus improbat, quia per opinionem stultitiae humanae credentibus salus tribuitur: dum et infideles, quae extra sensum suum sunt, stulta esse decernunt, et fideles potestati ac virtuti Dei omnia largiendae sibi salutis suae sacramenta permittunt. Non erga sunt stulta quae Dei sunt; sed humanae naturae insipiens prudentia est, quae a Deo suo aut signa aut sapientiam ad fidem postulet. Et Judaeorum quidem est postulare signa; quia in Dei nomine per legis familiaritatem non admodum rudes, crucis scandalo commoventur. Graecorum autem est sapientiam poscere, quia gentili ineptia humanaquae prudentia rationem sublati in crucem Dei quaerant. Quae quia secundum sensum naturae infirmis occulta in sacramento sit; fit stultia infidelis: cum quod naturaliter mens imperfecta non concipit, id extra prudentiae causam esse decernat.

De Trinitate, Liber II, Sanctus Hilarius Episcopus Pictaviensis
The Apostle, knowing the imperfect nature of human cognition, that it thinks only what it knows in its reason to be truth, says that he does not preach in the language of knowledge, lest his preaching should be in vain. But to save himself from being judged a preacher of foolishness he adds that the word of the cross is foolishness to the inquisitive because the unbelievers believed knowledge to be only what they knew, and since they knew nothing unless it was within the scope of their infirm nature, that perfect knowledge, which alone is of God, they thought to be foolish, by which they themselves became foolish in the very opinion of their own imperfect knowledge. Thus whatever is foolish to them who perish is the power of God to them who are saved; for the latter do not use as a measure the infirmity of their own natural sense, but weigh the activity of the Divine power according to the infinite heavenly excellence. And so God rejects the wisdom of the wise and the understanding of the prudent, because by judging human foolishness salvation is granted to the believer. While unbelievers determine that everything beyond their own senses is foolishness, believers allow to the power and excellence of God the mysteries by which their own salvation is gifted. There is no foolishness in the things of God but rather folly is in that wisdom of human nature which demands from God, for sake of faith, signs and wisdom. It is of the Jews to demand signs, for they have a long acquaintance through the law with the Name of God, but the scandal of the cross distresses them. It is of the Greeks to demand wisdom, because with Gentile ineptitude and human philosophy they seek the reason why God was lifted up on the cross. Which things, in accordance with the infirmity of our natural intelligence, have been hidden in mystery, and this turns foolishness into unbelief; for that which an imperfect mind does not understand they denounce as being beyond grounds for reasonable credence.


On the Trinity, Book 2, St Hilary of Poitiers

4 Oct 2015

Marriage And Chastity



'Dicunt ei discipuli ejus: Si ita est causa homini cum uxore, non expedit nubere.

Grave pondus uxorum est, si excepta causa fornicationis, eas dimittere non licet. Quid enim si temulentia fuerit, si iracunda, si malis moribus, si luxuriosa, si gulosa, si vaga, si jurgarix, si maledica, tenenda erit istiusmodi? Volumus nolumus sustinenda est. Cum enim essemus liberi, voluntarie nos subjecimus servituti. Videntes ergo apostoli grave uxorum jugum, proferunt motum animi sui, et dicunt: 'si ita causa homini cum uxore non expedit nubere.'

Qui dixit illis: Non omnes capiunt verbum istud, sed quibus datum est.'

Nemo putet sub hoc verbo, vel fatum, vel fortunam introduci: quod hi sunt virgines, quibus a Deo datum sit, aut quos quidam ad hoc casus adduxerit, sed his datum est qui petierunt, qui voluerunt, qui ut acciperent, laboraverunt. Omni enim petenti dabitur, et quaerens inveniet, et pulsanti aperietur.' 


Sanctus Hieronymus, Commentaria in Matthaeum, Liber III, Caput XIX

Source: Migne PL 26 135

'His disciples said to him, 'If the case of a man and a woman is so, it does not profit to marry.' 1

The weight of a wife is heavy if, except on account of fornication, it is not permitted to dismiss her. What indeed if she were a drunkard, or irascible, or of evil character, or addicted to luxury, or a glutton, or a slut, or a nagger, or foul mouthed, must one then retain her? Willing or unwilling she must be endured. We were free and we voluntarily subjected ourselves to servitude. Thus the Apostles, seeing that wives are a heavy yoke, give voice to the trouble of the soul and say, ' If the case of a man and a woman is so, it does not profit to marry.'

'He said to them, ' Not everyone receives this but to those whom it is given.' 2

Let no one think that by these words He is introducing fate or fortune, that they are chaste to whom it is given by God, or that they are led into the state by a some sort of accident, but rather it is given to those who seek it, who wish it, who work for it. To everyone who asks it will be given, and the one who seeks will find, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Saint Jerome, from the Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Matthew, Book 3, Chapter 19


1 Mt 19.10 
2 Mt 19.11 

3 Oct 2015

The Victory of the Martyrs


Petrus quidem ad Ponticos, quanta enim, inquit, gloria, si non delinquentes ut puniamini sustinetis? Haec enim gratia est, in hoc et vocati estis, quoniam et Christus passus est pro nobis, relinquens uobis exemplum semetipsum, uti adsequamini vestigia ipsius. Et rursus: Dilecti, ne epavescatis ustionem, quae agitur in vobis in temptationem, quasi nouum accidat vobis. Etenim secundum quod communicatis passionibus Christi, gaudete, uti et in revelatione gloriae eius gaudeatis exultantes. Si dedecoramini in nomine Christi, beati estis, quod gloria et Dei Spiritus requiescit in vobis, dum ne quis vestrum patiatur ut homicida aut fur aut maleficus aut alieni speculator, si autem ut Christianus, ne erubescat, glorificet autem Dominum in nomine isto. Iohannes vero, ut etiam pro fratribus nostris animas ponamus, hortatur negans timorem esse in dilectione. Perfecta enim dilectio foras abicit timorem, quoniam timor poenam habet, et qui timet non est perfectus in dilectione. Quem timorem intellegi praestet, nisi negationis auctorem? Quam dilectionem perfectam adfirmat, nisi fugatricem timoris et animatricem confessionis? Qua poena timorem puniat, nisi quam negator relaturus est cum corpore et anima occidendus in gehenna? Quodsi pro fratribus, quanto magis pro domino moriendum docet, satis de Apocalypsi quoque sua instructus haec suadere? Mandaverat etenim Spiritus ad angelum ecclesiae Smyrnaeorum: Ecce diabolus ex numero tuo coniciet in carcerem, ut temptemini diebus decem. Esto fidelis ad mortem usque, et dabo tibi vitae coronam. Item ad Pergamenorum de Antipa, fidelissimo martyre, interfecto in habitatione satanae. Item ad Philadelphenorum, quod a temptatione ultima liberaretur, qui Domini nomen non negarat. Exinde victoribus quibusque promittit nunc arborem uitae et mortis veniam secundae, nunc latens manna cum calculo candido et nomine ignoto, nunc ferreae uirgae potestatem et stellae matutinae claritatem, nunc albam vestiri nec deleri de libro vitae et columnam fieri in Dei templo in nomine Dei et Domini et Hierusalem caelestis inscriptam, nunc residere cum Domino in throno eius, quod aliquando Zebedaei filiis negabatur. Quinam isti tam beati victores, nisi proprie martyres?

Tertullianus, Scorpicae

Peter says to those in Pontus, 'How much indeed is the glory, if not being criminals, you suffer patiently? This indeed is grace, to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an eternal example that you should follow in His own footsteps.' 1 And again: 'Beloved, be not alarmed by the burning trial which is happening among you, as if something strange had befallen you. Insofar as you are partake of the passion of Christ, rejoice; for in the revelation of his glory you shall rejoice. If you are reproached because of the name of Christ, you are blessed; because glory and the Spirit of God rest in you. Yet none of you should suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil-doer, or as an interloper in the affairs of others. But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God in this name.' 2 John exhorts us to lay down our lives for our brethren, denying that there is fear in love: 'Perfect love casts out fear, since fear has punishment; and he who fears is not perfect in love.' 3 What fear would it be better to understand but that which is the author of denial? What love does he assert to be perfect but that which puts fear to flight, and encourages confession? What penalty will he give as punishment for fear but that which the denier shall pay with body and soul slain in hell? And if he  he teaches that we must die for the brethren, how much more for the Lord, John being sufficiently instructed by his own Revelation to advise this? For indeed the Spirit commanded the angel of the church in Smyrna: 'Behold, the devil shall throw some of you into prison, that you may be tried ten days. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life.' Also to the angel of the church in Pergamus it was told of Antipas, a very faithful martyr, who was slain where Satan dwells. Also to the angel of  Philadelphia it was said that he was delivered from the last trial who had not denied the name of the Lord. So to every conqueror the Spirit promises now the tree of life and freedom from the second death; now the hidden manna with the white stone and the name unknown, now the power of the rod of iron and the brightness of the morning star; now the clothing in white vestments and the name not erased from the book of life and being made into a pillar in the temple of God with the name of God and of the Lord and of the heavenly Jerusalem inscribed upon it; now to sit with the Lord on His throne, that which once was refused to the sons of Zebedee. Who are these blessed conquerors but the martyrs themselves?

Tertullian, The Antidote

1 1 Pet 2.20-21
2 1 Pet 4. 12-16
3 1 Jn 3.16

2 Oct 2015

Truth and Deception

Cur, bona Domine, pie Redemptor, potens Salvator, cur tantam virtutem operuisti tanta humilitate? An ut falleres diabolum, qui fallenda hominem dejecit de paradiso? Sed utique veritas nullum fallit. Qui ignorat, qui non credit veritatem, ipse se fallit: qui videt veritatem, et odit vel contemnit, ipse se fallit. Veritas itaque nullum fallit. An ideo, ut ipse diabolus se falleret? Sed utique sicut veritas nullum fallit, ita non intendit ut aliquis se fallat, quamvis hoc dicatur facere, cum permittit. Non enim assumpsisiti hominem ut te notum operires, sed ut ignotum aperires. Verum Deum, verum hominem te dixisti, et operibus ostendisti. Res per se occulta fuit, non studio occultata; non sic est facta ut absconderetur, sed et suo ordine perficeretur; nec ut aliquem deciperet, sed ut quemadmodum opertebat fieret. Et si dicitur occulta; non est aliud quam non est omnibus revelata. Nam, etsi veritas non omnibus se manifestat, nulli tamen se negat. Ergo, Domine, nec ut falleres quod et quomodo faciendum erat, per omnia in veritate perstitisti. Qui ergo se fefellit in tua veritate; non de te, sed de propria queratur falsitate.

Sanctus Anselmus Cantuariensis, Meditatio XI, De Redemptione Humana

Why, good Lord, pius Redeemer, powerful Saviour, why did you hide such power with such humility? Was it to deceive the devil who by deceiving man threw him from paradise? But truth deceives no one. He who is ignorant, he who does not believe the truth, deceives himself. He who sees the truth and hates it or despises it, deceives himself. The truth deceives no one. But was it so that the devil would deceive himself? But as the truth deceives no one, so it does not intend someone to deceive himself, although one may say this when it allows it. You did not assume human nature to hide what was knowable of you but that you reveal what was unknown. True God, true man, you pronounced yourself, and with works you showed it. The thing in itself was hidden, it was not made hidden; it was done not to escape attention, but by the way by which it could be brought to perfection; nor was it meant to deceive anyone but it was hidden that it be accomplished. And if it is said to hidden, it means something not revealed to everyone. For even if the truth does not manifest itself to everyone, it does not deny itself to anyone. Therefore, Lord, neither did you deceive nor did make anyone deceive himself, but everything in truth you established. Thus let anyone who has deceived himself about your truth, not you, but himself deplore for falsehood.

Saint Anselm of Canterbury, Meditation 11, On Human Redemption

1 Oct 2015

On a Proverb


Bos lassus fortius figat pedem

Divus Hieronymus oppido quam elegens adagium usurpavit ad beatum Aurelium Augustinum scribens eumque deterre cupiens, ne juvenis senem provocet. Propterea quod tardius quidem ad pugnam excitantur hi, qui jam sunt aetate quasi fessi, verum iidem gravius saeviunt atque urgent, si quando senilis illa virtus irritata recaluit: Memento, inquit, Daretis et Entelli et vulgaris proverbii, quod bos lassus fortius figat pedem. A veteri triturae more ductum apparet, cum circumactis a bubus super manipulos plaustris grana excutiebantur, partim a rotis in hoc armatis, partim a taurorum ungulis. Et lex illa Mosaica, quam citat apostolus Paulus ad Timotheum, vetat, ne bovi trituranti os obligetur. Itaque bos lassus, quoniam gravius figit pedem, magis est ad trituram idoneus. At non item equus ad cursum. Potest allusum videri et ad hoc, quod juvenes corporis agilitate praepollent, senes in stataria pugna ac viribus superiores sunt, id quod et Vergilius in Daretis et Entelli congressu declarat. Nec admodum hinc abludit illud, quod in Graecorum collectaneis positum reperio, Ἀρτέμας Βοῦς, id est, Lente bos, subaudiendum movet pedem. Nam sensim quidem movet, at gravius premit.

Adagia,I,47, Erasmus

The weary ox fixes a firmer foot.

Saint Jerome with more utility than elegance took up the adage when he wrote to the Blessed Aurelius Augustine wishing to deter him lest youth provoke old age. Accordingly those who are already wearied with years are more slowly roused to fight but greater is their violence and drive when the strength of their old age is warmed by anger. 'Remember,' he says, 'Dares and Entellus and the common proverb that the weary ox fixes a firmer foot.' It seems that of old it was the custom to use oxen to thresh the bundles of the threshing floor, partly by binding them to a millstone and partly by use of the hooves of the creatures. And the Mosaic Law, which the Apostle Paul cites to Timothy, prohibits the binding of the mouth of the ox so used. Thus a weary ox, because he treads more heavily is better able to thresh the wheat. One does not use the same horse for every race. It seems that for games that the body of a youth would excel but in a toe to toe fight the elder man is superior, which is what Virgil declares in the encounter of Dares and Entellus. Nor does he sing out of tune in that, for in the Greek collections I find it is given as 'Slowly the Ox', by which should be understood its step, for prudently it moves and it presses down mightily. 

The Adages, I, 47, Erasmus