The Fishermen

Ambulans autem juxta mare Galilaeae vidit duos fratres, Simonem, qui vocatur Petrus, et Andream fratrem ejus, mittentes rete in mare, erant enim piscatores. Id est, incarnatus est Dominus in mari istius mundi: spiritales vidit piscatores, quos ante constitutionem mundi ad opus praedictionis aptos praescivit. Simon interpretatur obediens; Petrus, agnoscens; Andreas, virilis; et hoc bene ad doctorum personam convenit, quia hi solummodo ad opus magisterii habiles sunt, qui sapientiae lumine illustrantur ad cognoscendum, et bene poterantes Dei mandatis obediunt, et hoc aliis ad sciendum faciendumque viriliter suggerunt. Sanctus Beda, In Matthaei Evangelium Expositio, Lib I, Cap IV

'Walking by the sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting their nets into the sea, for they were fishermen'1 That is, The Lord, incarnated in the sea of this world, saw the spiritual fishermen who before the establishment of the world had been predestined to the work of preaching. Simon means obedience, Peter, knower, Andrew, manly; and this well becomes the persons of teachers, because those only are fit for the work of teaching who are lit with the light of wisdom for knowledge and who are well able to obey the commands of God, and who manfully declare in knowledge and deeds to others. Saint Bede, Commentary on Matthew, Book 1, Chapter 4 1 Mt 4.18

Earning a Name

Quaeritur igitur, cur, aut quo jubente, vel antiquum nomen amiserit, vel novum sumpscrit. Ut ex Abram, Abraham diceretur, Dei jussione perfectum est; ut ex Sarai, Sarae vocabulum fieret, aeque Dei imperium fuit. Et ut ad novum instrumentum veniam, ut Simon, Petri nomen acciperet; et filii Zebedaei, Bane Reem, hoc est, filii tonitrui vocarentur, Domini nostri Jesu Christi voce praeceptum est. Quare autem e Saulo Paulus dictus sit, nulla Scriptura memorat. Audacier itaque faciam, sed forte vere de Actibus Apostolorum suspiciones meas affirms, Legimus in eis, quod sanctus Spiritus Antiochiae dixerit: Separate mihi Barnabam et Saulum, in opus ad quod assumpsi eos. Tunc jejunantes et orantes, imponentesque, eis manus, dimiserunt illos. Qui cum Seleuciam Syriae descendissent, et navigantes Salaminam Cypri, quae nunc Constantia dicitur, pervenissent, haberentque secum in ministerio Joannem (propter quem postea aedificatorium Ecclesiae jurgium concitatum est) et omni insula peragata, Paphum usque venissent, invenerunt quemdam magum pseudoprophetam nomine Bar Jeus, cum proconsule Sergio Paulo viro prudente. Qui accitips Barnaba et Saulo, desiderabat Dei sermonem ab eis audire. Resistente itaque magno, et a fide recta Sergium depravante, Saulus qui et Paulus, repletus Spiritu sancto, intuens in eum dixit: O plene omni dolo, et omni fallacia, fili diaboli, inimice omnis justitiae, non desinis subvertere vias Domini rectas? Et nunc ecce manus Domini super te, et eris caecus, non videns solem usque ad tempus, Confestimque cecidit in eum caligo et tenebrae, et circuiens quaerebat qui ei manus daret. Tunc Proconsul, cum vidisset factum, credidit, admirans super doctrina Domini. Et cum a Papho navigassent Paulus, et qui cum eo erant, venerunt Pergen Pamphyliae. Diligenter attende, quod hic primum Pauli acceperit. Ut enim Scipio, subjecta Africa, Africani sibi nomen assumpsit; et Metellus, Creta insula subjugata, insigne Cretici suae familiae reportavit; et Imperatores nunc usque Romani ex subjectis gentibus, Adiabenici, Parthici, Sarmatici nuncupantur; ita et Saulus ad praedictionem gentium missus, a primo Ecclesiae spolio proconsule Sergio Paulo, victoriae suae trophaea retulit, erexitque vexillum, ut Paulus diceretur e Saulo Sanctus Hieronymus, Commentairorum In Epistolam Ad Philemonem

Therefore, one may ask, why, by what command, an old name was lost and a new one assumed. From Abram Abraham was named by the command of God, Sarai become Sarah by the command of God, in the new Testament Simon received the name Peter and the sons of Zebedee were to be called the Bane Reem, that is, the sons of Thunder, by the command of the voice of Christ. Why from Saul Paul was renamed Scripture does not mention. But I shall be bold to say that perhaps it is to be found in the Acts of the Apostles, wherein we read that the Holy Spirit said in Antioch: 'Separate for me Barnabas and Saul for a work to which I will send them. Then fasting and praying and laying on hands they sent they away.' 1  They went down to Seleucia of Syria and sailed to Salamis in Cyprus, which is now called Constantia, and coming there they had John Mark as a minister (after which the building of the Church is entitled) and across the whole isle they travelled. When they came to Paphos they encountered a certain famous false prophet by the name of Bar Jesus in the company of the Proconsul Sergius Paulus, a wise man. He received Barnabus and Saul and he wished to hear them speak. They were opposed by the false prophet, he who sought to deprive Sergius of the right faith, and Saul who would be Paul, full of the Holy Spirit, seeing this, said, 'O full of malice and every deceit, son of the Devil, enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to subvert the ways of the Lord? Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun,' 2 and instantly he fell into blackness and darkness and wandering off he sought someone to lead him by the hand. Then the Proconsul, who had seen all this, believed, amazed at the teaching of the Lord. And when Paul and those who were with him sailed from Paphos, they came to Perge in Pamphyliae. Attend carefully that he is here first named Paul. And indeed Scipio who conquered Africa took on the name Africanus, and Metellus who conquered Crete is reported to have assumed the name Creticus; and Roman Emperors have been named from the peoples they have subdued, as Adiabenicus, Parthicus, Sarmaticus. And so it is with Saul, who was sent to preach to the Gentiles, that on account of his first spoil, the Proconsul Sergius Paulus, returning with his trophy of victory, raising the sail, Saul was named Paul. Saint Jerome, Commentary on the Epistle of Philemon 1 Acts 13 2-3 2 Acts 13 10-11

Faith's Foundation

Οὐκ ἀγνοῶν τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων περὶ αὐτοῦ πολυώνυμον δόξαν ὁ τὰς καρδίας ἐμβατεύων Χριστὸς, ἥρετο τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ μαθητάς· Τίνα με λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἴναι; ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀσπαλῇ ὁμολογίαν διδάξαι πάντας βουλόμενος, ἥν ἐμπνευσθεὶς ὁ Πέτρος παρ' αὐτοῦ ὡς κρηπῖα καὶ βάθρον ἀπέθετο, ἐφ' ᾗ τὴν ἕαυτοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν ὁ Κύριος ᾠκοδόμησε. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΣΛϚ',  Σερηνῳ

Christ, who sees into the heart, was not ignorant of the multitude of men's opinions, when He asked his disciples, 'Who do men say I am?' But wishing to teach all steadfast confession, it was by the inspired Peter he laid down a foundation and base on which He built his Church. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 236, to Serenus

Weakness and Aid

Δὸς ἡμῖν βοήθειαν ἐκ θλίψεως. Μὴ ἀπὸ ἰσχύος ζητήσωμεν τὴν βοθήειαν· μὴ ἀπο εὐπαθείας σαρκός· ἀπὸ μηδενὸς τῶν παρὰ ἀνθρώποις νενομισμνων περιφανῶν ἀξιώσωμεν τυχεῖν τῆς ἀντιλήψεως. Οὐκ ἐν περιβολῇ χρημάτων, οὐκ ἐν δυνάμεως ὅγκῳ, οὐκ ἐν ὑπψώματι δόξης τὸ κρατεῖν περιγίνεται, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς καθ' ὑπερβολὴν θλίψεως χαρίζεται Κύριος τοῖς ἐκζητοῦσιν αὐτὸν τὴν βοήθειαν. Τοιοῦτος ἧν καὶ  ὁ Παῠλος, καυχήματα ἑαυτοῦ τὰς θλίψεις ποιούμενος. Διὰ τοῦτο ἠδύνατο λέγειν· 'Ὅταν ἀσθενῶ, τότε δυνατός εἰμι.' Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΝΘ'

'Give to us help from tribulations.' 1 Not on account of strength do we seek aid. We do not expect such a request from a healthy body, nor from men deemed prosperous. Victory is not from abundance of wealth, nor from excess of power, nor is it in the heights of glory, but the Lord gives aid to those overcome by trouble who seek it. So it was with Paul himself crying out in the midst of troubles, and so he was able to say, 'When I am weak, then I am powerful.' 2 Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 59 1 Ps 59.13  2 2 Cor 12.10

A Warning Against Self Teaching

Βαρύν ὑπῆλθες ζυγὸν, ἀπειροζυγος ὤν. Καὶ δέος ἐστὶ μὴ πρὸς τὴν σμινύην τοῦ Θείου ἀτονήσῃς ἀρότρου, κακείνου φανῇς συνεργὸς τοῦ πύργον οἰκοδομοῦντος, καὶ τὰς δυνάμεις μὴ προορῶντος. Εἰ τοίνυν δόκιμος βούλει γενέσθαι μοναχὸς, μὴ αὐτόβουλον καὶ μονότροπον ἀρέσκειαν μετέρχου, ἀλλὰ κλῖνον τὴν γνώμην τοῖς βίῳ καὶ χρόνῳ καὶ πόνῳ ἤδη τὸν θεῖον σκάψασι καὶ σκαπανεύσασιν ἀμπελῶνα· παρ' ὤν εὐκόλως τὴν ἐργασίαν μαθήσῃ. Γελοῖον γὰρ καὶ καταγέλαστον, βαναύσου μὲν τέχνης πανταχόσε περινοστεῖν διδασκάλους, τὴν δὲ θείαν φιλοσοφίαν, ὡς εὐτελές τι, ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιτρέπειν. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΣΞ', Λουκᾳ Μοναζοντι

You have come under a heavy yoke, unknown until now. And there is grave danger that the plough is slack upon you, so that you appear to be a fellow worker of the one who sought to build a tower and did not consider the requirements to do so. 1 If then one wishes to be proved a monk, you should not enter into pleasing your own will alone but, so that you might learn with ease, be supported by one who with life and time and labour has toiled in and cultivated the Divine vineyard. Laughable it is that in every common trade one would seek a teacher and yet for the Divine philosophy, as if it were a trivial matter, one would turn to oneself. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 260, to the Monk Luke 1 Lk 14. 28-30

Differing Natures

Sane quoniam te novi, accipe hoc quiddam grande et breve. Est natura per locos et tempora mutabilis, ut corpus. Et est natura per locos nullo modo, sed tantum per tempora etiam ipsa mutabilis, ut anima. Et est natura quae nec per locos, nec per tempora mutari potest; hoc Deus est. Quod hic insinuavi quoque modo mutabile, creatura dicitur; quod immutabile, Creator. Cum autem omne quod esse dicimus, in quantum manet dicamus, et in quantum unum est, omnis porro pulchritudinis forma unitas sit: vides profecto in ista distributione naturarum, quid summe sit, quid infime, et tamen sit; qui medie, maiusque infimo, et minus summo sit. Summum illud est ipsa beatitas: infimum, quod nec beatum esse potest, nec miserum: quod vero medium, vivit inclinatione ad infimum, misere; conversione ad summum, beate vivit. Qui Christo credit, non diligit infimum, non superbit in medio, atque ita summo inhaerere fit idoneus: et hoc est totum quod agere iubemur, monemur, accendimur. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensis, ex Epistula XVIII, Caelestino

Since I know you well, receive these short and grand themes. There is a nature through time and place which is mutable, that is, the corporeal. There is nature which is mutable not in respect to place but only in respect of time, namely, that is, the spiritual. And there is a third nature which  is mutable neither in respect of place time, that is, God. Those natures of which I have said that they are somehow mutable are called creatures and that which is immutable is the Creator. When we speak of thing existing it is in as much as it persists and is one, and so unity is the form of every beauty, you certainly see in this classification of natures, which exists in the highest sense, and which occupies the lowest, yet is, and which occupies the middle place, greater than the lowest, but less than the highest. That highest is blessedness itself, the lowest is that which cannot be either blessed or wretched, and the intermediate nature when it stoops towards the lowest lives in wretchedness, and turning toward the highest in blessedness. He who believes in Christ does not seek the lowest, is not proud in that which is intermediate, and thus he is fit to adhere to that which is highest; and this is all that we are commanded, admonished, and inspired to do. Saint Augustine of Hippo, from Letter 18, To Caelestinus

Dogs and Judgement

Ὁ αὐτὸς εἶπεν, ὅτι κύων κρείσσων μού ἐστι· διότι καὶ ἀγάπην ἔχει, καὶ κρίσιν οὐκ ἔρχεται. Αποφθεγματα των ἀγιων γεροντων, Παλλαδιος

Father Xanthia said, ' A dog is better than me. He has love and he does not come to judgement.' Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

Discipline and the Animals

Dicunt aliquanti disciplinam satis duris legibus constitutam. Loquatur ista satis miseri, quos ad omne facinus ille diabolus auctor mortis invitat, quorum mentes insatiabilis gula possidet, super quos regnat ebrietas, quos turpis luxuria captivos tenet, et a quibus numquam superbia ingrata discedit. Illis autem quibus est studium honeste fidem servare continentiae, humilitati pietatique servire, dulce disciplinae onus est et leve jugum Domini, quod non gravat nisi aut perditos aut perituros. Erubesco dicere in confusionem humanae negligentiae, quare apud aliquentos parvum proficiat disciplina, cum videamus pastorale magisterium etiam apud muta animalia non perire. Doceat nos esse servare ordinem disciplinae tam dociles equorum animi, cum in gyrum ducti flexuosis gressibus membra componunt, et sub unius habenae retinaculo ita laxari se consentiunt, ut et currendi et standi modus sub quadam legum dispositione servetur. Ita quos natura numero dividit, studio disciplinae conjungit. Videte quam fortia boum corpora plaustro subjaceant: quae in tantum imperio animum parant, ut jumentia naturaliter levi jugo colla supponant. Ita disciplinae constitionibus serviunt, etiam quae in feritate nascuntur. Unde miror aliquoties hominem cui inest sapientia et intellectus prudentiae, passim praecepta disciplinae negligere, cum videamus mutum animal vitia cavere, jussis obtemperare, imperio deservire, atque ita ad omnem obedientiam animum aptare, ut cum opus fuerit armatis legionibus occurrat, et hostilibus se telis jusum objiciat. Audite in hoc loco prophetam dicentem: 'Cognovit bos possessorem suum, et asinus praesepe domini sui: Israel autem me non cognovit.' Vereor dicere, ne nostram negligentiam pulset ista sententia: non autem cognoscit Dominum, qui conditionis suae non cognoscit officum. Sanctus Valerianus Cemeliensis, Homily I

Some say that any discipline is enough to make laws burdensome. Let it be enough to say to such wretches that the devil, that author of death, beckons them to every crime whom gluttony possesses the mind, over whom drunkenness reigns, whom rank luxury holds captive and from whom graceless pride is never absent. It is for those of faith to attend to the noble study of continence, to serve in humility and piety. Sweet is the weight of discipline and light the yoke of the Lord and it is no burden unless on those damned or to be damned. I blush to speak about the confusion of human negligence, why discipline is of little benefit to so many, when we see that its directive teaching is not absent in dumb animals. Let that teach us to serve the order of discipline. The docile souls of horses when led in a circle adapt their limbs to the winding steps and controlled by one reign they consent to be allowed to be free in such a way that it is under a certain control of law that they run and halt for a time. This is how nature takes creatures diverse in number and unites them through obedience in discipline. See how the strong bodies of oxen are hitched to a wagon. They prepare their spirits for control such that though naturally wild they submit their necks to a light yoke. This is the way in which even beasts, born wild, submit to the controls of discipline. Thus I am often amazed at the behaviour of man. He is endowed with wisdom and prudence yet at a whim he lightly rejects the precepts of discipline. How different the conduct we see in beasts. They avoid vices, obey commands, submit to control and shape their spirits to perfect obedience, so that when needs must they will rush against armed legions and on order they will throw themselves at the spears of the enemy. Here listen to the Prophet saying, 'The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master's crib, yet Israel has not known me.'1 I fear to speak on lest the passage overwhelm our negligence. He who does not know the Lord does not know the office of his nature.  Saint Valerian of Cimelium, from the First Homily 1 Isaiah 1.3

Calling on One's Father

Τῆς γὰρ πονηρᾶς πράξεως, ὁ ἀγαθὸς κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν, πατὴρ γενέσθαι φύσιν οὐκ ἔχει· οὔτε τοῦ κατὰ τὸν βιον βεβληλωθέντος, ὁ ἅγιος· οὔτε τοῦ περιτρεπομένου, ὁ ἀναλλοίωτος· οὔτε τοῦ νεκρωθέντος ἐξ ἁμαρτίας, ὁ πατὴρ τῆς ζωῆς· οὔτε τῶν ἐν τοῖς πάθεσι τῆς ἀτιμίας ἀσχημονούντων, ὁ καθαρὸς καὶ ἀκὴρατος· οὔτε τοῦ πλεονέκτου, ὁ εὐεργέτης· οὔτε ὅλως τῶν ἔν τινι κακῷ εὑρισκομένων, ὁ ἐν παντὶ ἀγαθῷ θεωρούμενος. Εἰ γάρ τις πρὸς ἐαυτὸν βλέπων ἔτι καθαρσίου δεόμενος, καὶ μοχθηρὰν ἑαυτοῦ συνείδησιν ἐπιγινώσςων πλὴρη κηλίδων καὶ πονηρῶν ἐγκαυμἀτων, πρὶν καθαρθῆναι τῶν τοιούτων τε καὶ τοσούτων κακῶν, πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ συγγένειαν ἑαυτὸν εἰσποιοῖ, καὶ λέγοι, Πὰτερ, τῳ δικαίῳ ὁ ἄδικος, τῷ καθαρῷ ὁ ἀκάθαρτος· ὑβρις ἄντικρυς ἄν εἴη καὶ λοιδορία τὰ ῥήματα. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης , Ἐις Την Προσυεκην, Λογος Β'

It is impossible that He who is good by essence should be the father of an evil will, nor the Holy One of a life impure. No more can He who is changeless be the Father of a man ever changing, nor can the Father of life have as a son someone whom sin has slain. He who is wholly pure cannot be the father of those who have degraded themselves by ugly passions, nor can He who pours out blessings be Father of the self seeking. In short, He who is seen to be pure Goodness cannot be father of those who are wholly involved in evil. If then a man examines himself and find that he needs to be purified because his conscience is beset by vile stains and sores, he cannot join to the family of God until he has been cleansed from these evils. The unjust and impure man cannot say 'Father' to One who is just and pure, since this would mean calling God Father of his own evil, and such speech would be utterly prideful and insulting. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On the Lord's Prayer, Second Oration

Bad Fathers, Bad Teaching

Εἰσελεύσῃ ἕως γενεᾶς πατέρων αὐτοῦ.  Οἶμαι λέγειν περὶ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ὅτι τοσοῦτον ἐπιγινώσκει Θεὸν, ὅσον ἡ τῶν πατέρων αὐτοῦ συνήθεια παραδέδωκε· τῇ δὲ οἰκείᾳ τοῦ φρονεῖν δυνάμει οὐδὲν πλέον προσκτᾶται, οὐδὲ προστίθησιν ἑαυτῷ εἰς τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπίγνωσιν. Τοσοῦτον οὗν, φησὶ, παραγίνῃ σὺ, ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τοσαύτη ἐστὶν ἐν αὐτῷ ἡ περὶ σοῦ ἔννοια, ὅση ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ τῶν πατέρων αὐτοῦ ὑπῆρχε. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ ἀργὸν πολὺ τῆς διανοίας καὶ ὅλον γήινον καὶ φιλόσαρκον τοῦ ἐν πλούτῳ καὶ τρυφῇ κυλιομένου παρίστησι, καὶ τοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν βιωτικῶν μεριμνῶν καταπεπνιγμένον τὸν νοῦν ἔχοντος. Εἰσελεύσῃ ἕως γενεᾶς πατέρων αὐτοῦ. Οἱ γὰρ τυθλοῖς διδασκάλοις τὴν ὁδηγίαν ἑαυτῶν ἐπιτέψαντες ἐστέρησαν ἑαυτοὺς τῆς τοῦ φωτὸς ἀπολαύσεως. Ἔχει δὲ καὶ τινα τοιοῦτον νοῦν τὸ,  Εἰσελεύσῃ ἕως γενεᾶς πατέρων αὐτοῦ. Τουτέατι, τοὺς ἐν πονηρῷ βίῳ καὶ δόγμασι πατρίοις μὲν, ἀλλοκρίως δὲ ἔχουσι πρὸς τὴν εὐσέβειαν, καταληφθέντας, οὐκ αὐτοὺς ἐκδικεῖς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀρχηγοὺς τῶν μοχθηρῶν διδαγμάτων ἐπιζητεῖς. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ λεγόμενον· Εἰσελεύσῃ ἕως γενεᾶς πατέρων αὐτοῦ. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΜΗ'

You shall enter into the generation of your fathers. I think this speaks of the sinner that he only knows God insofar as the understanding of his fathers has handed it down to him and by his own faculties he acquires no more, nor does he prepare himself for the knowledge of truth. Only therefore he says, shall you approach, O God, insofar as the understanding of you is in him, that which is fashioned by his fathers. And such a soul is sluggish and earthly and exhibits an attachment to the flesh and the mind is suffocated by the cares of life. 'You shall enter into the generation of your fathers.' He who suffers to be led by blind teachers deprives himself of the light and he who has such sense: 'You shall enter into the generation of your fathers.' That is, those who have the wicked life and teachings of their fathers, those who are strangers to piety, are overtaken, for not only did you not punish them, but even the teachings of these authors of depravity you sought out. And so it is said 'You shall enter into the generation of your fathers.' Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 48

Fathers and Children

Praevaricator et proditor pater es, nisi filiis tuis fideliter consulas, nisi conservandis eis religiosa et vera pietate prospicias. Qui studes terreno magis quam coelesti patrimonio, filios tuos diabolo magis commendare quam Christo, bis delinquis et geminum ac duplex crimen admittis, et quod non praeparas filiis tuis Dei patris auxilium, et quod doces filios patrimonium plus amare quam Christum. Esto potius liberis tuis pater talis qualis Tobias exstitit. Da utilia et salutaria praecepta pignoribus qualia ille filio dedit; manda filiis tuis quod et ille filio mandavit dicens: Et nunc, fili, mando tibi, servi Deo in veritate, et fac coram illo quod illi placet; et filiis tuis manda ut faciant justitiam et eleemosynas, et sint memores Dei et benedicant nomen ejus omni tempore. Et iterum: Omnibus diebus vitae tuae, fili dilectissime, Deum in mente habe, et noli praeterire praecepta ejus. Justitiam fac omnibus diebus vitae tuae, et noli ambulare viam inqiuitatis; quoniam agente te ex veritate, erit respectus operum tuorum. Ex substantia tua fac eleemosynam, et noli avertere faciem tuam ab ullo paupere. Ita fiet ut nec a te avertatur facies Dei. Prout habueris, fili, sic fic. Si tibi fuerit copiosa substantia, plus ex illa fac eleemosynam: si exiguum habueris, ex hoc ipso exiguo communica. Et ne timueris cum facis eleemosynam: praemium enim bonum reponis tibi in diem necessitatis; quia eleemosyna a morte liberat, et non patitur ire in gehennam. Munus bonum est eleemosyna omnibus qui faciunt eam coram summo Deo. Sanctus Cyprianus,Liber de Opere et Eleemosynis

You are a wicked and traitorous father unless you faithfully consult for your children, unless you look forward to preserving them in religion and true piety. You who are careful more for their worldly than their heavenly patrimony, commend your children to the devil more than to Christ. You sin twice, and allow a twofold crime, in not providing the aid of God their Father for your children, and in teaching them to love their worldly estate more than Christ. Be rather to your children such a father as Tobias was. Give useful and saving precepts to those in your care, such as he gave to his son, command your children what he commanded his son, saying: 'And now, my son, I command you, serve God in truth, and do before Him that which pleases Him, and command your sons, that they be righteousness and give alms, and be mindful of God, and bless His name always.' And again: 'All the days of your life, most dear son, have God in your mind, and be unwilling to transgress His commandments. Do righteousness all the days of your life, and be unwilling to walk in the way of iniquity, because if you act truly, there will be respect of your works. Give alms from your substance, and be unwilling to turn your face from any of the poor. Thus it shall be that neither shall the face of God be turned from you. As you have, my son, so do. If your substance is abundant, give alms of it all the more. If you have little, give a little. And fear not when you give alms, for you lay up a good reward for yourself against the day of necessity, because alms deliver from death, and it suffers not to go into Gehenna. Alms are a good gift to all who give in the sight of the most high God.' Saint Cyprian, On Works and Alms

The Seat of Pestilence

Πλαιωεθὲν γὰρ πάθος ψυχῆς, καὶ κακοῦ μελέτη χρόνῳ βεβαιωθεῖσα δυσίατός ἐστιν, ἤ καὶ ἀνίατος παντελῶς, εἰς φύσιν, ὡς τὰ πολλὰ, τοῦ ἔθους μεθισταμένου. Εὐχῆς μὲν οὔν ἄξἰον μὴ προσάψασθαι τοῦ κακοῦ. Δεύτερος δὲ πλοῦς, εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν πεῖραν ὥσπερ ιοβόλου πληψὴν ἀποφεύγειν, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον παρὰ τοῦ Σολομῶντος περὶ τῆς γυναικὸς τῆς φαύλης, ὅτι Μὴ ἐπιστήσῃς σὸν ὅμμα πρὸς αὐτὴν, ἀλλ' ἀποπήδησον· μὴ ἐγχρονίσῃς. Νῦν δὲ οἴδά τινας ἐν νεότητι πρὸς τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς πάθη κατολισθήσαντας, καὶ μεχρι πολιᾶς αὐτῆς διὰ συνήθειαν τοῦ κακοῦ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις παραμένοντας. Ὡς γὰρ οἱ ἐν βορβόρῳ καλινδούμενοι χοῖροι ἀεὶ προσπλάττουσιν ἑαυτοῖς τὸν πηλόν· οὕτως οὖτοι τὸ ἐκ τῆς ἡδονῆς αἶσχος καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν προσαναμάσσονται. Μακάριον μὲν οὖν τὸ μὴ διανοηθῆναι τὸ πνηρόν· εἰ δὲ κατὰ συναρπαγὴν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ ἐδέξω τῇ ψυχῇ βουλεύματα ἀσεβείας, μὴ στῇς ἐπὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο πέπονθας, μὴ ἐνιδρυνθῇς τῷ κακῷ. Μὴ τοίνυν καθεσθῇς ἐπὶ καθέδρας τῆς τῶν λοιμῶν. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός Ἀ

For an old disease of the soul, the established practice of evil through time, is difficult to heal and indeed utterly incurable if it passes into one's customary nature and comes to fullness. Pray then that you are not touched by evil. Then that if it does happen that instantly after it has struck that you flee like one hit by an arrow, of which Solomon writes concerning a disreputable woman: 'Do not let your eye linger on her, but turn away lest you tarry.'1 And indeed one knows that in youth one falls in into the passions of the flesh and even to white hairs it persists on account of one persevering in sin, and like one rolling in mud one covers oneself in ever more filth, and so daily we are bound to the shameful pleasure of it. Blessed therefore is he who has not thought on evil. If, however, you have received in your soul an attack of the enemy counseling an impiety, do not stand in sin. And if you do it, do not remain in the evil. Thus you will not sit in the seat of pestilence. Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 1  1. Prov 9.18

The Monk and the Wife of Mud

Ὁ ἀββᾶς Ὀλύμπιος ὁ τῶν Κελλίων ἐπολεμήθη εἰς πορνείαν. Καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ λογισμός· Ὕπαγε, λάβε γυναῖκα, Καὶ ἀναστὰς ἐποίησε πηλὸν, καὶ ἔπλασε γυναῖκα, καὶ λέγει ἑαυτῷ· Ἰδοὺ ἡ γυνή σου· χρεία οὖν ἐργάζεσθαι πολλὰ, ἵνα θρέψεις αὐτήν. Καὶ ἠργαζετο κοπιῶν πολλά. Καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν, πάλιν ποιήσας πηλὸν, ἔπλασεν ἑαυτῷ θυγατέρα, καὶ λέγει τῷ λογισμῷ αὐτοῦ· Ἔτεκεν ἡ γυνή σου· χρείαν ἔχεις περισσότερον ἐργάσασθαι, ἵνα δυνηθῇς θρέψαι τὸ τέκνον σου, καὶ σκεπάσαι. Καὶ οὕτως ποιῶν ἔτηξεν ἑαυτὸν, καὶ λέγει τῷ λογισμῷ· Οὐκ ἐτι ἰσχύω ὑποφέρειν τὸν κόπον. Καὶ εἴπεν· Εἰ οὐκ ἰσχύεις ὑποφέρειν τὸν κόπον, μηδὲ γυναῖκα ζητήσῇς. Καὶ ἰδὼν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κόπον αὐτοῦ, ἧρεν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὸν πόλεμον, καὶ ἀνεπάη. Αποφθεγματα των ἀγιων γεροντων, Παλλαδιος

Father Olympios of the Cells was struggling with thoughts of fornication. A thought said to him, ' Go and take a wife.' And rising he took some mud and shaped it into the form of a woman. He said to himself, ' Behold a woman, and so begins much labour for you.' After a day again he took some mud and shaped it into a girl, and he said to himself, ' Your wife has given birth. Now are your labours greater, for you must nourish the child and protect her.' And in the doing of this he exhausted himself. He said to himself, ' I do not have the strength for this.' And then he thought, ' If you cannot bear this labour, do not seek a wife.' And beholding his troubles God took from him his struggle, and he had rest. Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

A Lusty Man Chastised

Τί καὶ εἰκῆ βιβλιοφορεῖς, καὶ τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν ἐκτρέπῃ οἶς ποιεῖς; Τοῦ Κυρίου γὰρ καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν περίεργον θέαν κατακρίνοντος, σὺ οὐ μόνον ἐπιμαίνῃ τοῖς κάλλεσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ βίον, ὡς ἔγνων, ἀνδραποδώδη ἠγάπησας, πόρνην σύνοικον λαβὼν, καὶ αἰώνιον ἀτιμίαν ἀγαπῶν, δέον συνιδεῖν τὸ γεγραμμένον· Τίμιος ὁ γάμος ἐν πᾶσι, καὶ ἡ κοίτη ἀμίαντος· πόρνους δὲ καὶ μοιχοὺς κρινεῖ ὁ Θεός· καὶ τὸ μὲν ζηλῶσαι, τὸ δὲ μυσῆσαι. Φονερὸν τὸ ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς χεῖρας Θεοῦ. Οὐχ ἥδεται τούτοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀντιτάσσεται προσέχων. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΣΛΔ' , Ἀμαζονιῳ

Why do you oppose the carrying and reading of the Book by what you do? For it is of the Lord that even a lingering look is condemned, but you are not only maddened by the sight of beauty but even your life, as I understand it, has been trodden underfoot by passion since you have taken to living with a whore, and so it is that you love endless ignominy rather than understanding of Scripture: ' Marriage honourable in everything and an immaculate bed.' Fornicators and adulterers shall be judged by God, and that for which they were eager He has despised. ' A fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of God.' Let not such things be desired but oppose those things about which you were warned. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 234, to Amazonios

The Blood Drinkers

'Super tribus sceleribus Damasci, et super quatour non convertam eum,' et secundum Septuaginta, 'non adversabor eum,'  Id est, Damasci populum, sive Aram, id est, Syrum, hunc sensum juxta historiam habere potest: Si semel meum esset popoulum persecutus, aut secundo, darem veniam; nunc vero cum tertio et quarto crudelis exstiterit, ut captivam multitudienm plaustris ferreis fereret: nonne debeo eum plagis corripere? nonne clementiae meas vultum avesare ab eo? Juxta tropologiam vero hoc possumus dicere: Primum peccatum est, cogitasse quae mala sunt. Secundum, cogitationibus acquievisse perversis. Tertium, quod mente decreveris, opere complesse. Quartum, post peccatum non agere poenitentiam, et in suo sibi complacere delicto. Hoc omnes faciunt haeretici, qui non solum cogitant, et faciunt mala, sed doctrina sua quosque simplices decipiunt, et in morem Damascenorum, qui interpretantur, sanguinem bibentes, eorum quos deceperint, sanguinem bibunt. Super hujuscemodi, inquit, peccatis Dominus: nonne dignum est, ut eos plagis corripiam, et avertam ab eis faciem meam? ut qui veritatem dogmatum meorum non vident, aversione vultus mei tenebris obruantur. Sanctus Hieronymous, Commentariorum In Amos Prophetam

'For the crimes of the tribe of Damascus and because of four, shall I not oppose him?' or as the Septuagint has it, 'shall I not be averse to him?'  That is, the people of Damascus, or Aram, that is, Syria. In the historical sense the meaning of this is: If once my people you had persecuted, or twice, I could have forgiven it, but now indeed three and four times you have cruelly oppressed so that a captive multitude in iron bonds is made, and should I not then correct with blows? Should I not turn the clemency of my face from them? In a figurative sense we are able the meaning is this: The first sin is to have thought some evil, the second is to acquiesce in perverse thoughts, the third is that the mind resolves the work is to be done, the fourth is a lack of penitence after sin and pleasure in the crime. This is what heretics do, who not only think and do evil but even deceive the simple with their own teachings and in the manner of the Damascenes, who are interpreted drinkers of blood, they are the drinkers of the blood of those who they deceive. On account of such sins, says the Lord, is it not right that I should correct them with blows and avert my face from them? Thus they who did not see the truth of my teaching, by the turning away of my face, are overwhelmed by darkness.  Saint Jerome, Commentary on Amos.

A Violent Man Chastised

Ὅτι βδελύσσεται Χριστὸς τοὺς ἄνδρας τῶν αἱμάτων, οὐκ αὐτοὺς δὲ μόνους φημι, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντας τοὺς οἰκοῦντας σὺν αὐτοῖς, ὡς οὐκ ἐπεξιόντας ταῖς αὐτῶν κακουργίαις, δείκνυσιν ἐπὶ Ἡρώδου. Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν τοῦ Βαπτιστοῦ μιαιφονίαν καταλιπὼν ἀνεχώρησωεν. Εἰ τοίνυν μη καὶ σαυτὸν καὶ πάντας τούς ἐν τῇ πόλει τῆς Ἡρώδου βούλει τυχεῖν τελευτῆς, μεθ' ὦν καὶ οἶκός σου καὶ παῖδες ἀφανισθήσονται, παῦσαι τῆς ἀνηκέστου μανίας. Τί μάτην ἐπείγῃ κακῶς ἐξολέσθαι; Ἅγιος Ἰσιδορου Του Πηλουσιωτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΣΛΓ', Ἀναστασιῳ

Christ detests men of blood and I say He detests not only them but everyone who associates with them, for their evil deeds will not be unpunished, as was seen with Herod. For after the wicked murder of the Baptist He withdrew. If then not only yourself but all your people do not wish for Herod's end, with those of your house, even your children being destroyed, stop this fatal madness. Why should you make haste to a wretched end? Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 233, to Anastasius

The Promised Land and Creation

τί λέγει ὁ ἄλλος προφήτης Μωϋσῆς αὐτοῖς; Ἰδού, τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός· Ἐισέλθατε εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν ἀγαθήν, ἣν ὤμοσεν κύριος τῷ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακώβ, καὶ κατακληρονομήσατε αὐτήν, γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα καὶ μέλι.  τί δὲ λέγει ἡ γνῶσις; μάθετε. ἐλπίσατε, φησίν, ἐπὶ τὸν ἐν σαρκὶ μέλλοντα φανεροῦσθαι ὑμῖν Ἰησοῦν. ἄνθρωπος γὰρ γῆς ἐστιν πάσχοῦσα· ἀπὸ προσώπου γὰρ τῆς γ͂ς ἡ πλάσις τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἐγένετο. τί οὖν λέγει Εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν ἀγαθήν, γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα καὶ μέλι; εὐλογητὸς ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν, ἀδελφοί, ὁ σοφίαν καὶ νοῦν θέμενος ἐν ἡμῖν τῶν κρυφίων αὐτοῦ· λέγει γὰρ ὁ προφήτης παραβολὴν κυρίου· τίς νοήσει, εἰ μὴ σοφὸς καὶ ἐπιστήμων καὶ ἀγαπῶν τὸν κύριον αὐτοῦ; ἐπεὶ οὖν ἀνακαινίσας ἡμᾶς ἄλλον τύπον, ὡς παιδίων ἔχειν τὴν ψυχήν, ὡς ἂν δὴ ἀναπλάσσοντος αὐτοῦ ἡμᾶς. λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφὴ περί ἡμῶν, ὡς λέγει τῷ υἱῷ· Ποιήσωμεν κατ’ εἰκόνα καὶ καθ’ ὁμοίσιν ἡμῶν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἀρχέτωσαν τῶν θηρίων τῆς γῆς καὶ τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῶν ἰχθύων τῆς θαλάσσης. καὶ εἶπεν κύριος, ἰδὼν τὸ καλὸν πλάσμα ἡμῶν· Αὐξάνεσθε καὶ πληθυνέσθε καὶ πληρώσατε τὴν γῆν. ταῦτα πρὸς τὸν υἱόν. πάλιν σοι ἐπιδειξω, πῶς πρὸς ἡμᾶς λέγει. δευτέραν πλάσιν ἐπ’ ἐσχάτων ἐποίησεν. λέγει δὲ κύριος· Ἰδού, ποιῶ τὰ ἔσχατα ὡς τὰ πρῶτα. εἰς τοῦτο οὖν ἐκήρυξεν ὁ προφήτης· Εἰσέλθατε εἰς γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα καὶ μέλι καὶ κατακυριεύσατε αὐτῆς. ἴδε οὖν, ἡμεῖς ἀναπεπλάσμεθα, καθὼς πάλιν ἐν ἑτέρῳ προφήτῃ λέγει· Ἰδού, λέγει κύριος, ἐξελῶ τούτων, τουτέστιν ὧν προέβλεπεν τὸ πνεῦμα κυρίου, τὰς λιθίνας καρδίας καὶ ἐμβαλῶ σαρκίνας· ὅτι αὐτὸς ἐν σαρκὶ ἔμελλεν φανεροῦσθαι καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν κατοικεῖν. ναὸς γὰρ ἅγιος, ἀδελφοί μου, τῷ κυρίῳ τὸ κατοικητήριον ἡμῶν τῆς καρδίας. βαρναβα Ἐπιστολή

What does the other prophet Moses say to them? 'Behold, this is what the Lord God says, Enter into the good land, which the Lord vowed to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and take your inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.' And what does knowledge say? Learn. Put your hope, it says, in the Jesus who shall be shown to you in the flesh. For the suffering man is the land, Adam being shaped from the face of the earth. What then is the good land, the land flowing with milk and honey? Blessed be our Lord, brothers, for granting us wisdom and mind for hidden things. For the prophet speaks a parable of the Lord, but who would know it unless he were a wise and learned lover of his Lord? He renewed us, turning us into a different type, as ones having the souls of children as if we were refashioned. He says in Scripture, as he says to his Son, 'Let us make man in our own image and likeness and let him rule over the beasts of the earth and the birds of heaven and the fish of the sea.' And the Lord says, seeing the beauty of our fashioning, 'Increase and multiply and fill the earth.' These things he says to his Son and again I shall show you how he speaks it to us. A second creation he has made in these last times. The Lord says, 'Behold, I make the last things as the first.' About this then the prophet was speaking when he said, 'Enter a land flowing with milk and honey and take your inheritance.' See, then, that you have been refashioned, as again he says in another prophet: ' Behold, says the Lord, I will take from them,' that is those foreseen by the Spirit, 'hearts of stone and put in them hearts of flesh'. For he was to appear in the flesh and dwell among us. For it is now a holy temple, my brothers, these lowly dwelling places of our hearts. The Letter of Barnabas

Directing The Soul

Non ille secundum imaginem Dei homo vanitatis est: sed qui illud amisit, et in peccatum decidit, et in materialia ista dilapsus est, iste homo est vanitatis. Anima igitur secundum sui naturam optima est: sed plerumque per irrationabile sui obnoxia fit corruptioni, ut inclinetur ad voluptates corporis, et ad petulantiam, dum mensuram rerum non tenet, aut fallitur opinione, atque inclinata ad materiam agglutinatur corpori. Sic invisibile ejus impeditur, et malitia repletur; quia dum intendit malitiae, ejus se vitiis replet, et fit defectu bonitatis intemperantior. Perfecta autem anima aversatur materiam: omne immoderatum, mobile, malignum refugit ac respuit; nec videt, nec appropinquat ad ullius terrenae labis corruptionem: divinis intendit, terrenam autem materiam fugit. Fuga autem est, non terras relinquere, sed esse in terris, justitiam et sobrietatem tenere, renuntiare vitiis, non usibus elementorum. Fugiebat David sanctus a facie Saul; non utique, ut terras relinqueret, sed ut immitis, et inobservantis, et perfidi declinaret contagium. Fugiebat autem adhaerens Deo, sicut et ipse ait: Adhaesit anima mea post te'. Abducebat se, et ablevabat vitiis saeculi hujus, elevabat animam suam sicut Isaac in campo, vel abalienabat, vel (ut alii habent) deambulabat. Nam hoc quoque ostendit cum virtutibus familiare habere consortium, ut deambulet unusquisque in innocentia cordis sui, nullo usu terrenis vitiis misceatur, atque irreprehensibilem viam inoffenso mentis carpat vestigio, nec ullum locum in se aperiat corruptioni. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Isaac et Anima

Man according to the image of God is not a vanity, but he who has lost the image and who has fallen into sin and has descended into material things, that man is a vanity. The soul, therefore, according to its own nature is excellent but through irrationality it is made subservient to corruption, so that it inclines to corporeal pleasures and to petulance and does not hold to moderation in things, or it is deceived by opinion and inclines to matter and is fastened to the body. So unseen it is impeded and it is filled with evil, for while intent on wickedness it fills itself with vices and becomes more intemperate through a lack of the good. The perfect soul turns from material things, everything immoderate, mutable, or wicked it flees and rejects, nor does it see nor come near any corruption of worldly faults, on the Divine it is intent, and earthly matter it flees. Yet its flight is not to abandon the world but to hold to it in righteousness and sobriety, renouncing the vices, not making use of their elements. Blessed David fled from the face of Saul, not that he leave the earth but that he avoid the contagion of one cruel, disobedient and treacherous. He fled that he adhere to God, as it is said 'My soul adheres to you.' He withdrew himself and lifted himself from the vices of this world, he lifted up his soul like Isaac who had withdrawn to the field, or as some have it, had walked about in the field. For this also shows familiar association with the virtues, that one walks in the innocence of one's heart, in no way mixed with worldly vices, and with blameless way of mind one takes the path without offence and in oneself there does not open any place of corruption. Saint Ambrose, On Isaac and the Soul

Doubts of a Martyr

Πολλὰ φρονῶ ἐν θεῷ, ἀλλ’ ἐμαυτὸν μετρῶ, ἵνα μὴ ἐν καυχήσει απόλωμαι. Νῦν γὰρ με δεῖ πλέον φοβεῖσθαι καὶ μὴ προσέχειν τοῖς φυσιοῦσίν με. οἱ γὰρ λέγοντές μοι μαστιγοῦσίν με. ἀγαπῶ μὲν γὰρ τὸ παθεῖν, ἀλλ’ οὐκ οἶδα, εἰ ἄξιός εἰμι. τὸ γὰρ ζῆλος πολλοῖς μὲν οὐ φαίνεται, ἐμὲ δὲ πλέον πολεμεῖ. χρῄζω οὖν πραότητος, ἐν ᾗ καταλύεται ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου. Ἅγιος Ἰγνάτιος Ἀντιοχείας, Ἐπιστολή Προς Τραλλιανοις Source: Migne PG 5.667c

Much I have thought on account of God but I take my measure that I not be destroyed by vaunting. Now it is necessary to fear and not to turn my mind to those who flatter me, for by what they say they scourge me. I would love to suffer but I do not know if I am worthy of it. To many these things are not apparent but for me it makes the struggle greater. Thus I have need of meekness, that by it I might destroy the prince of this world. Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Trallians