Kindness And Discipline

Habuit nihilominus bonitatem et disciplinam testis ille dominicus, et Baptista Joannes, qui resipiscentes a peccatis suis homines propheticae pietatis affectu poenitateniae baptismo diluebat; atque ut vere legalium praeceptorum custos immutabilis, et Herodem regem de illicita incusabat uxore, et cunctis ad se concurrentibus purgatioris vitae praecepta mandabat. Scientiae autem illius plenitudinem quisquis potest ignorate, qui, quod pro salute hominum venit Christus e coelo, primus hominibus revelavit? Videtis itaque, fratres, quo orandum compendio, et qua paucitate verborum perfectione vivendis venerabilis propheta quaerebat. Brevissimo namque sermone conclusit quidquid spiritualium habet multitudo virtutum. Si ergo ille praecipuus prophetarum doceri se a Domino, has sanctioris vitae vias tantopere precabatur, quid facere nos, inquam, magis orare debemus dicentes: Bonitatem, et disciplinam, et scientiam, doce nos, Domine, quatenus in nobis bonitas mala vincat vitia, ac voluntatis disciplina castiget. Si enim sciens omnipotentem Dominum Patrem, Filumque ejus unius esse substantiae, Spiritum quoque sanctum pari credideris aeternitate regnantem, nulla te unquam vel paganorum vana persuasio, vel Arianorum perfida turbabut impietas. Si futuri judicii scientia cor tuum mentemque repleveris, habebis tuis in moribus disciplinam; rursus si disciplinae ipsius mensuras regulasque servaveris, si congruam tenebis in omnibus bonitate; quia bonitas temperamentum est disciplinae, et disciplina condimentum est bonitatis, Cave ergo, frater, ne ita velis bonus videri, ut abjicias disciplinam; discipliam secteris, ut removeas bonitatem. Quibus beatus David idcirco scientiam precatur adjungi, ut directo mentis nostrae judicio scire possimus qualiter in nobis esse poscit et districtior bonitas, et blandior disciplina. Sanctus Maximus Taurinensis, Homilia CVII, De eo quod scriptum est in Psal CXVIII: Bonitatem et disciplinam et scientiam, doce me. Source: Migne PL 57.501a-502b

And John the Baptist, that witness of the Lord, also had not a little kindness with his discipline, so that men who repented of their sins on account of his prophetical piety he cleansed in baptism, and then, guarding the immutable precepts of the law, he reproached king Herod who lived illicitly with a woman, and to everyone he commanded that they join him in holding to the teaching of the purgatorial life. Who is able to ignore the plenitude of his knowledge, he who first among men revealed that for the salvation of men Christ came from heaven? Thus see, brothers, how one should pray for profit, and with what concision the venerable Psalmist sought perfection of life. For with the most brief words he encompasses whatever has the greatness of spiritual virtue. If, therefore, he especially of the prophets was taught by the Lord, we should pray for all the more these ways of the holy life, how to make ourselves, I say, pray more as we should: 'Goodness and discipline and knowledge, teach us, Lord,' 1 for as much in us goddess conquers wicked vice, so discipline corrects the will. For if knowing the omnipotent Lord and Father, and Son, to be one substance, and the Holy Spirit also equally you believe to rule in eternity, with nothing of pagan vanity influencing you, or the impiety of Arian perfidy troubling you, if you fill your heart and mind with knowledge of future judgment, you shall have your conduct disciplined; and again if you guard the rules and measures of discipline, you will hold to what is appropriate in all things by kindness, because kindness is the tempering of discipline, and discipline is the seasoning of kindness. Beware, then, brothers, lest wishing to seem good you cast away discipline, and lest pursuing discipline you are stripped of kindness. For which reason the blessed David therefore added a prayer for knowledge, that with the straight judgement of our mind we might be able to know what sort of breadth of kindness should be in us that discipline be sweeter. Saint Maximus of Tours, from Homily 107, On What I s Written in Psalm 118: Kindness And Discipline and Knowledge, Teach Me. 1 .Ps 118.66