Apparitions Of The Dead

Περὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου καὶ τοῦ πλουσίου ἀπορεῖσθαι δύναται· τῶν μὲν ἁπλουστέρων οἰομένων ταῦτα λελέχθαι, ὡς ἀμφοτέρων μετὰ τῶν σωμάτων λαμβανόντων τὰ ἄξια τῶν τῷ βίῳ πεπραγμένων· τῶν δὲ ἀκριβεστέρων, ἐπεὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν οὐδεὶς ἐν βίῳ καταλείπεται, οὐκ ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει οἰομένων ταῦτα γεγονέναι· λέγει γὰρ ὁ πλούσιος, ὅτι «πέντε ἀδελφοὺς ἔχω, καὶ ἵνα μὴ ἔλθωσιν εἰς τὸν τόπον τοῦτον τῆς βασάνου, πέμψον Λάζαρον ἀπαγγέλλοντα αὐτοῖς τὰ ἐνταῦθα·» καὶ διὰ τούτων ζητούντων τὴν γλῶσσαν, καὶ τὸν δάκτυλον, καὶ τοὺς κόλπους Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ τὴν ἀνάκλισιν. Καὶ τάχα τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἅμα τῇ ἀπαλλαγῇ σχῆμα ὁμοειδὲς ὂν τῷ παχεῖ καὶ γηΐνῳ σώματι δύναται οὕτως λαμβάνεσθαι. Εἴ ποτε γοῦν ἱστόρηταί τις τῶν κεκοιμημένων φαινόμενος, ὅμοιος ἑώραται τῷ ὅτε τὴν σάρκα εἶχε σχήματι.   Ὠριγένης, Περὶ Ἀνάστανεως

Concerning Lazarus and the rich man, one may doubt whether, as the more simple are said to think, they both receive the bodies worthy of what they had done in life. Those who are more astute, since after the resurrection nothing in life is left, think these things in resurrection are not so; for the rich man says: 'I have five brothers, and lest they come into this place of torment, send Lazarus to announce to them how it is here.' 1 And these things require a tongue, a finger, and the lap of Abraham, and the reclining body. And perhaps it should be understood that these things are given to the soul which has gone out of the body to give it form, so that it has a likeness to the massy and corporeal body. If then anyone from the dead appears, he is seen in the form which he had in the flesh. Origen, On the Resurrection, Fragment 1 Lk 16.27 -28

Going Out

Ex nobis exierunt, sed non erant ex nobis.  Plangendum videbatur ut damnum, cum audiremus: Ex nobis exierunt; sed mox consolatio subinfertur, cum subditur: Sed non erant ex nobis. Constant enim non posse exire foras nisi Antichristos, eos autem qui non sunt Christo contrarii, foras exire nullo modo posse; qui enim non est Christo contrarius, in corpore ipsius haeret. Sed sunt qui intus sic sunt in corpore Domini, quandoquidem adhuc curatur corpus ipsius, et sanitas perfecta non erit nisi in resurrectione morturorum. Sic sunt in corpore Christi, quomodo humores mali; quando evomuntur, tunc revelatur corpus. Sic et mali quando exeunt, tunc Ecclesia relevatur. Ex nobis exierunt, inquit, sed, nolite tristes esse, non erant ex nobis. Sanctus Beda, In I Epistolam Sancti Joannis Source: Migne PL 93.94b-c

They have gone out from us, but they were not of us. 1 It seems that we should weep as if at a loss, when we hear, 'They have gone out from us,' but soon comfort is brought, when he adds, 'But they were not of us.' For it is certain they would not have been able to go out unless they were Antichrists, since they who are not oppossed to Christ are not able to go out in any way, he who is not opposed to Christ being part of His body. But here are those who were yet within the body of the Lord, for though He has care for His body, there is no perfect health until the resurrecton of the dead. And so they are in the body of Christ as bad humours, and when they are vomitted out, then the body is relieved. So indeed when the wicked go out, then the Church is relieved. 'They have gone out from us,' he says, but do not sorrow, 'They were not of us.' Saint Bede, Commentary On The First Letter of Saint John 1 1 Jn 2.18

The Devil's First Error

Et ut gravissimae tyrannidis ejus potentiam agnoscamus, angelum illum qui prae nimietate splendoris ac decoris sui Lucifer nuncupatus est, nullo alio quam hoc vitio dejectum coelitus invenimus et ex illa beata sublimique angelorum statione telo superbiae vulneratum ad inferna fuisse collapsum. Si igitur tantam virtutem et tantae potentiae prearogativa decoratam una elatio cordis potuit de coelestibus ad terrena devolvere, qua nos observantia carnis fragilitate circumdatos cavere oporteat, ipsius ruinae magnitudo demonstrat. Quemadmodum vero hujus morbi virus perniciosissimum devitemus, instrui poterimus, si ruinae ipsius causas atque originem persequamur. Numquam enim curari languor, nec remedia poterunt malis valetudinibus exhiberi, nisi prius inquisitione sagaci origines earum investigentur et causae. Hic namque indutus divina claritate, et inter caeteras supernas virtutes Conditoris largitate praefulgens, splendorem sapientiae et virtutum pulchritudinem qua ornabatur gratia Creatoris, naturae suae potentia, non munificentiae illius beneficio se credidit obtinere. Et ob hoc elatus tamquem qui ad perseverantiam puritatis hujus divino non egeret auxilio, Deo se similem judicavit, utpote qui nullius indigeret, quemadmodum Deus, liberi scilicet arbitrii facultate confisus, per illum credens affluenter omnia sibimet suppeditari quae ad consummationem virtutum vel perennitatem summae beatitudinis pertinerent. Haec ei sola cogitatio facta prima ruina est. Ob quam desertus a Deo, quo se credidit non egere, instabilis repente et nutabundus effectus, et infirmitatem propriae naturae persensit, et beatitudinem qua Dei munere fruebatur amisit. Et quia dilexit verba praecipitationis, quibus dixerat, In coelum conscendam, et linguam dolosam, qua vel de se dixerat, Ero similis Altissimo, vel de Adam et Eva: Eritis sicut dii; propterea Deus destuet illum in finem, evellet eum, et emigrabit de tabernaculo suo, et radicem ejus de terra viventium. Tunc ruinam ejus videntes justi timebunt, et super eum ridebunt dicentes, quod etiam ad hos qui se sine protectione auxillioque Dei summum bonum perficere posse confidunt justissime dirigetur: Ecce homo qui non posuit Deum adjutorem suum, sed speravit in multitudine divitiarum suarum, et praevaluit in vanitate sua. Sanctus Ioannes Cassianus, De Coenobiorum Institutis, Lib XII, Caput IV, De Spiritu Superbiae Source: Migne PL 49.426a-430a

And that we may know the power of pride's oppressive tyranny, that angel who because of the greatness of his splendour and beauty was named Lucifer, we find was cast out of heaven for no other fault but this, and pierced with the shaft of pride he was cast down from his blessed and exalted position among the angels into hell. If, then, pride of heart alone was enough to cast down from heaven to earth a power so great and adorned with the attributes of such virtue, the very greatness of his ruin shows to us with what care we who are surrounded by the weakness of the flesh should be on our guard. However, we can learn how to avoid the most ruinous poison of this evil if we trace out the origin and causes of his downfall. For weakness can never be cured, nor the remedies for bad health revealed unless first their origin and causes are investigated with sagacious scrutiny. This one, then, endowed with divine splendour and shining among the other supernal powers by the bounty of his Maker, believed that he had obtained the splendour of that wisdom and the beauty of those virtues with which he was adorned by the grace of the Creator by his own natural power and not by the munificence of His generosity. And on this account elated, as if he was in no need of Divine help to persevere in his purity, he judged himself to be like God, as if, like God, he had no need of any other, and trusting in the ability of his own will, he believed that by it he could richly supply himself with everything which was necessary for the perfection of virtue, or for the continuation of perfect bliss. This thought alone was the making of his first fall. Because of which, being forsaken by God, of whom he thought he no longer had need, he suddenly was made unstable and tottering, and came to the awareness of the weakness of his own nature, and lost the blessedness which he had enjoyed by God's gift. And because he 'loved the words of ruin,' 1 with which he had said, 'I will ascend into heaven,' 2 and the 'deceitful tongue,' 3 with which he had said of himself, 'I will be like the Most High,' 4 or indeed as it was with Adam and Eve: 'You shall be like gods.' 5 'Therefore God shall destroy him forever and pluck him up and remove him from his dwelling place and his root out of the land of the living.' Then his ruin 'seeing the just shall fear and shall laugh at him, saying...' that which indeed may be most justly directed at those who trust that they can obtain the highest good without the protection and assistance of God: 'Behold the man that made not God his helper, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and his great might in his vanity.' 6 Saint John Cassian, The Institutes of the Coenobia, Book 12, Chap 4, On The Spirit of Pride 1 Ps 51.6 2 Isaiah 14.13-14 3 Ps 51.6 4 Isaiah 14.13-14 5 Gen 3.5 6 Ps 51.7-9

The First And Second Fear

Ὅταν δι' ὑπομονῆς καὶ εὐχῆς λάβωμεν τὴν ἄνωθεν δωρεὰν, τότε διῶξαι δυνάμεθα τοὺς ἀοράτους βαρβάρους, καὶ ποσιῦνται τρόμῳ ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ἡμῶν. Φησὶ γὰρ καί τις προφήτης, ὅτι Οὕσπερ τὸ πρῶτον ἐφοβεῖσθε, φοβηθήσονται ὑμᾶς. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΡΠΖ ' Γιγαντιῳ Διακονῳ Source: Migne PG 79 153b

When by endurance and prayer we receive gifts from above, then we are able to put to flight the unseen barbarians, and they fall in fear before our feet. For a certain prophet says: 'As you first feared, they will fear you.' 1 Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 187, to Gigantios The Deacon 1 Isaiah 33.7

War And The Devil

Κοινὸς μὲν ἀπάντων ὁ ἐχθρὸς, πολέμους δὲ ἔχει γενικοὺς πρὸς τοὺς ταῖς ἡδοναῖς αὐτοῦ μὴ λατρεύοντας, καὶ τῇ ῥίζῄ τῶν κακῶν φιλαργυρίᾳ αὐτῷ μὴ προσκυνοῦντας. Ὥς εἶς ὑπάρχων καὶ πρόβολος, ἔχου τῆς πανοπλίας τοῦ πνεύματος. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΣΞΔ' Ὠριωνι Source: Migne PG 78.340d

The common enemy of all presses a general war against those who will not worship his pleasures and adore him with that root of every evil, avarice. 1 Thus as one of them, and a defender, take up the armour of the spirit. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 264, To Orion 1 1 Tim 6.10

The Ruin Of A Way

Et viam peccatorum disperdet, regnabit Dominus in saecula. Quoniam via peccatorum perierit, tunc regnabit Dominus in saecula. Non dixit: in saeculum; sed in saecula. Quamdiu via non perit, Christus non regnat in nobis. Quamdiu via peccatorum non perit, Christus non regnat in nobis. Quamdiu pedes nostri ambulant in via diaboli, Christus non regnabit in nobis. Irascor sine cause fratri meo: in via diaboli ambulo: Christus non regnat ion me. Detraho fratri meo: in via diabolo ambulo: Christus non regnat in me. In quocumque peccato ambulavero, in via diaboli ambulo: Christus non regnat in me. Sanctus Hieronymus, Breviarum In Psalmos, Psalmus CXLV Source Migne PL 26.1252c

And the way of sinners He shall bring to ruin, the Lord shall reign forever. 1 Because when the way of the sinners shall have perished, then the Lord shall rule forever. It does not say for a time, but forever. For as long as that way does not perish, Christ does not reign in us. For as long as the way of sinners does not perish, Christ does not rule in us. For as long as our feet walk in the way of the devil, Christ does not rule in us. I am angry without cause at my brother: I walk in the way of the devil and Christ does not reign in me. I speak ill of my brother: I walk in the way of the devil and Christ does not reign in me. In whatever sin I walk, I walk in the way of the devil and Christ does not reign in me. Saint Jerome, Commentary On The Psalms, Psalm 145 1 Ps 145.9-10

Ways Of Seduction

Haec scripsi vobis de his qui seducent vos.  Seductores quos nominat, non solum haeretici sunt intelligendi, qui perversa doctrina quaerunt avertere a fide, sed et hi qui per illecebras vel adversa saeculi a promissione vitae aeternae mentes infirmorum male mulcendo, sive terrendo, detrahunt. Sanctus Beda, In I Epistolam Sancti Joannis Source: Migne PL 93.96c

I write this to you concerning those who would seduce you. 1 Those he names seducers should not only be understood as heretics who with perverse teachings seek to turn one away from the faith, but even those who with the allurements or adversities of the world, in the beguiling or the terrifying of the minds of the weak, draw away from the promise of eternal life. Saint Bede, Commentary On The First Letter of Saint John 1 1 Jn 2.26

Words And Wisdom

Ὥσπερ ἐστὶν ἄλλο σοφία λόγου, καὶ ἄλλο φρόνησις· οὕτως ἕτερον ἰδιωτεία λόγου, καὶ ἕτερον ἀφροσύνη. Ἅγιος Μάρκος ὁ Ἐρημίτης, Περὶ Νόμου Πνευματικοῦ  Source: Migne PG 65 915b

As skillfulness in words is one thing and wisdom another, so clumsiness in words is one thing and foolishness another. Saint Mark The Ascetic, On The Spiritual Law.

The Seeing Of Dreams

Quid est quod Nabochodonsor tanti mysterii meruerit cernere somnium? Nunquid credere possumus hominis pessimi hoc meritum obtinuisse? Non merito vidit; sed ut interpretante sancto quod viderat, Deus glorificaretur. Sic nec Pharao videre meruit, sed ut Joseph cunctis esset praepositus. Petrus Archidiaconus  Liber De Diversis Quaestiunculis Source: Migne 96.1348c

Why is it that Nebuchadnezzar merited to see such mysteries in a dream? Can we believe that some merit of this wretched man obtained this? 1 He did not see on account of merit, but that God be glorified by the holy interpretation of what he saw. So neither did Pharoah see by merit, but in order that Joseph might be set above all. 2 Peter of Pisa, The Book of Diverse Questions 1 Dan 2.1- 2 Genes 41.1-43

Dreams And Knowledge

Mihi quoque non in sapientia, quae est in me plusquam in cunctis viventibus, sacramentum hoc revelatum est: sed ut interpretatio regi  manifesta fieret, et cogitationes mentis tuae scires. Putaverat rex notitiam futurorum solertia mentis humanae posse comprehendi; et ideo sapientes Babylonis interfici jusserat. Ergo Daniel eos excusat qui dicere non potuerant, et ipse invidiam fugit, ne quis aestimet, eum quae dicturus est propria dixisse sapientia. Causa autem revelationis propheticae, regis est desiderium, qui voluit ventura cognoscere. Ergo honorat regem, quando propter illius scientiam sibi dicit a Deo mysteria revelata. Et hoc considerandum, quod somnia in quibus aliqua ventura signantur, et quasi per nubilum veritas demonstratur, non pateant conjectoribus et humanae mentis arbitrio, sed Dei solius scientiae. Sanctus Hieronymus, Commentaria in Daniel, Caput II Source:  Migne PL 25.503b-c

It is not by the wisdom in me, that I know more than anyone living, that this mystery has been revealed, but that the understanding of it be made manifest to the king, and you know the thoughts of your mind. 1 The king thought that the knowlege of the future was capable of being grasped by the cleverness of the human mind and therefore he commanded that the wise men of Babylon be killed. 2 But Daniel excused them who were not able to speak of the future, and distanced himself from envy, lest someone judge that what he was going to speak was spoken from his own wisdom. For the cause of the prophetic revelation is the desire of the king, who wishes to know the things that are to come. Therefore Daniel honours the king when he says that is on account of his knowledge that God reveals these mysteries to him. And this also must be considered, that dreams in which things to come are signified, are as truth shown through a cloud, not openly for the interpretation and judgement of men, but only by the knowledge of God. Saint Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 2 1 Dan 2.30 2 Dan 2.10-12

Susanna's Trial

Ἡ δὲ ἧν κλαίουσα. Διὰ γὰρ τῶν δακρύων ἐφεθκετο τὸν ἀπ' οὐρανῶν Λόγον, τὸν μέλλοντα διὰ δακρύωμ ἐγείρειν τὸν Λάζαρον τεθνηκότα Καὶ ἐπίστευσεν αὐτοῐς ἡ συναγωγή. Δεῖ οὖν ἡμᾶς ἐν παντὶ πραγματι ἐδραίους γενομένους, μὴ τοῖς ψευδέσιν προσέχειν, μηδὲ προσώποις ἀρχόντων εὐκόλως συναρπαζομένους πείθεσθαι, γινώσκοντας, ὅτι λόγον ἔχομεν δοῦναι τῷ θεῷ· ἀλλὰ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ στοιχοῦντες, καὶ τὸ ἀκριβὲς τῆς πίστεως ἐπιζητοῦντες, εὐάρεστοι ἐσόμεθα τῷ θεῷ. Καὶ εἰσήκουσεν ὁ Θεὸς τῆς φωνῆς αὐτῆς. Ὅσοι γὰρ ἐπικαλοῦνται αὐτὸν ἐκ καθαρᾶς καρδίας, τούτων ὁ Θεὸς ὑπακούει· ὅσοι δε ἐν δόλῳ καὶ ὑποκρίσει, ἀποστρέφει τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἀπ' αὐτῶν. Πεπαλαιωμένε ἡμερῶν κακῶν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ φθαταντες ἐν τῷ προοιμίῳ, διηγησάμεθα, ὅτι οἱ δύο πρεσβύτεροι εἰς τύπον ἀναφέρονται τῶν δύο λαῶν, τοῦ τε ἐκ περιτομῆς καὶ τοῦ ἐξ ἐθνῶν, οἵ καὶ ἀεὶ ἐπίβουλοι γίνονται τῆς Ἐκκλησίας· ἵδωμεν τα ῥήματα αὐτοῦ τοῦ Δανιὴλ, καὶ μάθωμεν, ὅτι ἐν μηδενὶ ἡμᾶς διαψεὺδεται ἡ Γραφή. Τῷ γὰρ πρώτῳ πρεσβυτέρῳ διαλεγόμενος, ὡς νομοθέτῃ ἐπιτιμᾷ· τῷ δὲ ἑτέρῳ, ὡς ἑθνικῳ διαλέγεται, σπέρμα Χαναιὰν ἀποκαλῶν· καίτοι ὄντα ἐν περιτομῇ Ἤδη γὰρ ἄγγελος Θεοῦ. Δηλοῖ δὲ, ὅτι ἡνίκα προσηύξατο ἡ Σωσάννα πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ εἰσηκούσθη, τότε ἐξαπεστάλη ὁ ἄγγελος βοηθήσων αὐτῇ, ὄν τρόπον ἐπὶ τοῦ Τωβία καὶ τῆς Σάῥῥας συνέβη. Προσευξαμένων γὰρ αὐτῶν, τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ αὐτῇ ὠρᾳ εἰσηκούσθη ἡ δέησις ἀμθοτέρων, καὶ ἀπεστάλη ὁ ἀγγελος Ῥαφαὴλ ἰάσασθαι τοὺς δύο. Καὶ ἀνέστησαν ἐπὶ τοὺς δύο πρεσβυτέρους. Ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ εἰρημένον· Ὁ ὀρύσσων βόθρον τῷ πλησίον αὐτοῦ, εἰς αὐτὸν ἐμπεσεῖται. Προσέχειν οὖν ὀφείλομεν πᾶσιν, ἀγαπητοὶ, φοβούμενοι μή τις ἔν τινι παραπτώματι κρατηθεὶς, αὐτὸς τῆς αὐτοῦ ψυχῆς ἔνοχος γένηται, γινώσκοντες ὅτι ἔκδικος ὁ Θεὸς περὶ πάντων γίνεται· αὐτὸς ὤν ἐν κόσμῳ πραττομένων οὐδέν. Δι' ὃ ἀεὶ ἐγρήγοροι καρδίας καὶ σωφρόνως βιοῦντες, τὴν Σωσὰνναν μιμησώμεθα. Ἅγιος Ἱππόλυτος Ρώμης, Εἰς Των Σωσανναν Source:  Migne PG 10 696d-697b

And she was weeping. 1 For by her tears she attracted the Word from heaven, who with tears was to raise the dead Lazarus. And the assembly believed them. 2 We must, then, be steadfast in every affair, and give no heed to lies, and be convinced that we should not be carried off by persons in power, knowing that we have to give an account to God; for if we stand with the truth and accurately pursue the faith we shall be well-pleasing to God. And God heard her voice. 3 For Gods hears those who call upon Him from a pure heart. But God turns away His face from those who do stand in deceit and hypocrisy. You that have grown old in evil. 4 Now since at the outset we explained that the two elders are to be understood as a type of the two peoples, that of the circumcision and that of the Gentiles, they who are always opponents of the Church, let us consider the words of Daniel, and let us learn that Scripture deceives us in nothing. For, addressing the first elder, he reproves him as one who is schooled in the Law, but he addresses the other as a Gentile, calling him 'seed of Canaan,' although he was of the circumcision. For now the angel of God. 5 It is clear that when Susannah prayed to God and was heard, then the angel was sent then to help her, just as he came to Tobias and Sara. For when they prayed, the prayer of both was heard in the same day and the same hour, and the angel Raphael was sent to heal both. And they rose up against the two elders. 6 That the saying might be fulfilled: 'He who digs a pit for his neighbour, he shall fall into it.' 7 To all these things, then, we should give heed, beloved, fearing lest anyone be seized in any transgression, being guilty in his soul, knowing that God is the Judge of all things, whom nothing done in the world escapes. Therefore, always watchful in heart and prudent in life, let us imitate Susanna.  Saint Hippolytus of Rome, On Susanna 1 Dan 13.35 2 Dan 13.41 3 Dan 13.44 4 Dan 13.52 5 Daniel 13.55 6 Dan 13.61 7 Prov 26.27

Lamenting Babylon

Super flumina Babylonis, ibi sedimus et flevimus. Tripliciter iste psalmus intellegi potest: et de captivitate quae populo accidit ludaeorum, quando in Babylonem translati sunt, et ibi variis modis ludificati: et de peccatoribus, qui de ecclesia eiecti traduntur diaboli potestati: et de superiori, ut quidam volunt, captivitate, qua in vallem lacrimarum generosa quondam caterva deducta est. In salicibus in medio eius suspendimus organa nostra. Qui super Babylonis flumina sedet, et recordatur Sion, nec potest tenere lacrimas, non penitus desperandus est a salute. Salix autem infructuosa arbor est, quae semper humoribus, semper aquis delectatur et pluviis. Ita et nos si quando sancti fuerimus: si nosmet ipsos vitiis, libidini, lasciviae dederimus, organa quibusquondam canebamus Deo, in infructuosis arboribus suspcndinius. Cantate nobis de canticis Sion. Superbus victor vult sibi ludos et delicias de Dei canticis exhiberi. Quomodo cantabimus cantictmi Doniini in terra aliena ? Quando caro nostra peccatis servit et vitiis, et facta est terra aliena, Deo cantare non possumus. Memento Fomine filiorum Edom.  Lege Abdiam prophetam, et ibi invenies Idumaeos in die captivitatis ludaeorum exsultasse, et stetisse in exitibus ad conprehendendos eos qui fugerunt, ne quis posset evadere. Quia vero Edom 'terrenus ' sive  'deficiens ' interpretatur, intellege contrarias inimicasque virtutes semper hoc agere, ut nihil in ecclesia, nihil in lerusalem remaneat. Filia Babylonis misera. Pro genetivo casu, vocativum in hebraeo habet. ἀποστροφή ad Babylonem dirigitur, ut sit sensus: O filia Babylon. Miseram 'Aquila et Symmachus ' depopulatam ' interpretati sunt atque ' vastatam '. Beatus qui restituet tibi quod restituisti nobis. Cyrum, inquiunt, significat qui subvertit Babylonem, et usque ad innoxiam aetatem eius in Chaldaeos feritas desaevit, et captivitatem Israhel in ludaeam primus remisit. Alias autem, omnis sanctus Babyloni vicem restituit : captivam eam ducit, quae se quondam captivum habuerat : et incipientes sordidos cogitatus elidit ad petram, petra autem est Christus, ne crescant, ne adolescant, ne ad pubertatem venientes adversus eum resistant fortius, et interfici nequeant. Sanctus Hieronimus, Commentarioli, Ps CXXXVI.

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept. 1   This Psalm is able to be understood in three ways: concerning the captivity which befell the Jewish people, when they were taken to Babylon, and there in various ways mocked; and concerning sinners, who ejected from the Church pass over into the power of the Devil, and concerning things above, which in their captivity they wish for, in the valley of tears, into which that large crowd that has been led away. In the midst of the willows we hung our instruments. He who sits by the rivers of Babylon and remembers Sion, he is not able to hold himself from tears, nor utterly give himself to despair of salvation. The willow is an unfruitful tree, which is ever found near wet places, for it delights in rivers and moisture. Thus even we, if we were holy, and if then we have given ourselves to some vice, lust or desire, we hang in the fruitless trees the instruments by which once we sang to God. Sing to us a song from the songs of Sion. The proud victor wishes the delights and delicacies of the songs of God to be revealed to him. How can we sing the song of the Lord in an alien land? When our flesh serves sin and vice it is made into a foreign land and we are not able to sing to God. Be mindful, O Lord, of the sons of Edom. Read the prophet Obadiah, and there you will find that the Idumeneans exulted in the day of the captivity of the Jews, and they stood at the exits to seize those who fled, that no one be able to escape. 2 Because truly Edom means 'earthly' or 'passing away', understand that enemies opposing the virtues always do this, that nothing in the Church, nothing in Jerusalem, remain. Wretched daughter of Babylon. For the possessive case the Hebrew has the vocative. As an apostrophe directed to Babylon it may be rendered: 'O daughter Babylon.' And for 'wretched' Aquila and Symmachus translate 'wasted' and 'deserted' Blessed is he who returns to you what you returned to us. They say this signifies Cyrus who overthrew the Babylonians and even against those in innocent age his Chaldeans worked out their rage; and he was the first to send back captive Israel to Judea. Others however say it is of every holy one to return it to Babylon and lead it into captivity, that which once had made him captive, and he begins by smashing sordid thoughts against a rock, and the rock is Christ, lest thethoughts grow, lest they mature, lest they come into their prime and attack him more strongly, and they are unable to be overcome. Saint Jerome,The Little Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 136 1 Ps 136.1 2 Obadiah 11-14

Nothing And Something

Ait propheta, de homine generaliter loquens: Omnes, inquit, gentes quasi non sint, sic sunt coram eo, videlicet qui vere est, ac per se, et in se, non in alio ante se, vel supra se: et quasi nihil et inane reputatae sunt, tanquam de nihilo et inani. Ergo, qui se existimat aliquid esse, cum nihil sit, ipse se seducit. Taceamus itaque aliquid quaerere, cum nihil simus; quaerere quod vere est, cum vere omnino non simus. Ad omnium enim differentiam dictum est: Ego sum qui sum, ut dicere possit omne quod id non est: Ego sum qui non sum: aut non sum qui sum. Eia quo profecimus, fratres? Aliquid quaerentes, invenimus nihil. Deum quaerentes, nosmetipsos perdidimus. Cum enim tenuissima rimula interlucere coepit de nonnihilo aliquid, magno jam nobis lumine claruit, quam de nihilo nihil simus. Domine, vere in lumine tuo videbimus lumen tuum, et tenebras nostras. Isaac Cisterciensis Abbas, Sermo XIX, In Sexagisma III Source: Migne PL 194.1756 a-b

The Prophet spoke concerning men in general, saying: 'All the peoples are as nothing, so they are before Me,' 1 certainly He who truly is, through Himself, and in Himself, not in another before Him, or above Him. 'And as nothing and an emptiness they are reputed,' 1 as from nothing and from emptiness. Therefore, he who judges himself to be something, when he is nothing, deceives himself. And so let us be silent in the seeking of something, when we are nothing, the seeking of what truly is, when truly we are not anything. To distinguish Himself from everything He has said: 'I am He who is,' 2 that everything that is not Him might say: 'I am what is not,' or 'I am not He who is.' And how, considering this, have we advanced, brothers? Seeking something, we have found nothing. Seeking God, we have lost ourselves. But when light begins to shine through the tiniest chink, from nothing there is something, and now He enlightens us with a great light, that we are nothing from nothing. O Lord, truly 'in your light we shall see your light,' and our darkness. 3 Isaac of Stella, from Sermon 19, On Sexagisma, 3 1 1 Isai 40.17 2 Exod 3.14 3 Ps 35.10

Perishing And Progress

Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔστιν κεκαλυμμένον τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν, ἐν τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις ἐστὶν κεκαλυμμένον, ἐν οἷς ὁ θεὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἐτύφλωσεν τὰ νοήματα τῶν ἀπίστων.  Θεὸν τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου τὸν διάβολον εἶναί φησιν, ὡς καὶ τὰ δαιμόνια τῶν ἐθνῶν θεοί, καὶ ἡ κοιλία τῶν γαστριμάργων. στίζουσι δέ τινες εἰς τὸ ἐν οἷς ὁ θεός, ἑξῆς ἀναγινώσκοντες ἀπ' ἰδίας ἀρχῆς· τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἐτύφλωσε τὰ νοήματα τῶν ἀπίστων. ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ εὐέλεγκτα λέγουσιν· εἰ γὰρ ἄπιστοί τινές εἰσι τούτου τοῦ αἰῶνος, εὑρεθεῖεν ἕτεροι ἄπιστοι οὐκ ὄντες αὐτοῦ. πᾶς γὰρ ἄπιστός ἐστι τούτου τοῦ αἰῶνος· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ὑπερβὰς αὐτὸν καὶ καταξιωθεὶς τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος, τετύφλωται ἐν νοήμασιν, ἀλλ' ἔχει πεφωτισμένους τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς. ἔγνων τινὰς σαφηνίζοντας τὴν προκειμένην λέξιν, φάσκοντας κεκαλυμμένον εἶναι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον οὐ τοῖς πάντη ἀπίστοις· οὐδὲ γὰρ κεκαλυμμένου αὐτοῦ ἢ γυμνοῦ πεῖραν ἔχουσιν. ἔλεγον δὲ οὗτοι ἀπολλυμένους εἶναι ἐν οἷς κεκάλυπται τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, τοὺς παραδεξαμένους μὲν αὐτό, μὴ μὴν ἄνευ καλύμματος προσβαλόντας αὐτῷ. οἷοι ἐτύγχανον οἱ ἐν παραβολαῖς ἀκούοντες τῶν Ἰησοῦ λόγων, τοῦ ἀπολλύμενοι ἐπ' αὐτῶν κειμένου ἐπὶ δηλώσει τοῦ κατ' ἀλλοίωσιν μεταβαλεῖν· οἱ γὰρ προκόπτοντές εἰσι τοιοῦτοι, ἀεὶ ἐξ ἑτέρων ἕτεροι γινόμενοι. ὅθεν οὐκ ἐπὶ ψόγου ἔλεγον κεῖσθαι τὸ ἀπολλύμενοι, ἀλλ' ὡσαύτως τῷ οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἀπολοῦνται, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀπολλύμενοι τὸν αἰῶνα· αἱ γὰρ λέξεις αὗται ἀπόλλυσθαι τίθενται τοῦ ἐν προκοπῇ ἐκ ποιότητος εἰς ποιότητα μεταβαίνοντος. . Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Τὴν Δευτέραν Ἐπιστολήν Παύλου Πρὸς Κορινθίους Source:  Migne PG 39.1698b-d

And if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the faithless. 1  The God of this world they name the devil, as indeed the gods of the Gentiles are demons, 2 and the stomach, and gluttony. 3 But some make a punctuation after 'in whom the god,' and as if from a new beginning, so then have it read: 'He has blinded the minds of the faithless of this world.' But what they propose with this is easily refuted: for if some are the unfaithful of this world, thus are found other unfaithful ones who are not of this world. But whoever is unfaithful is of this world, for no one who has advanced beyond it and has been made worthy of the future is blinded in his mind, but rather he has had his eyes enlightened. I know that some have before explained this passage, saying that it is the veiling of the Gospel to all those unfaithful, those who have no experience of it unveiled. And they say they who are perishing are those to whom the Gospel is veiled, and yet the Gospel is never received without a veil for the sake of the advancement of man. As it happened with those who heard the parables of Jesus: for he who is unmoved by them is perishing, and those who are changed advance, for those who advance in such a way, always change from one thing to another. 4 Whence they do not speak in censure of the stable perishing, but just as the heavens pass away for God, 5 so we perish amid the world, 6 for these passages that speak of the fixed perishing concern progress, which is a transference for one state to another. Didymus the Blind, On The Second Letter of Paul to The Corinthians, Fragment 1 2 Cor 4.3-4 2 Ps 95.5 3 Phillip 3.19 4 2 Cor 3.18 5 Ps 101.27 6 Baruch 3.3

Sins And Prayers

Dixit ergo David in corde suo, petens ut exaudiretur a Domino, et ut non exsultarent in eum ejus inimici: petens etiam ut in conversionis suae proposito permaneret; ne, dum propositi sui gressus quasi quidam pedes suae animae commoventur, in eum adversarii superba et magniloquentiae plena loquerentur; ut faciunt qui insultare desiderant. Tametsi moveatur ut homo, paratum ad flagella se dicit ut vel supplicio solvat errorem. Etsi cessent flagella Domini, se tamen dolore proprio memorat flagellari; ut non inveniat culpa quod damnet, quam bona confessio praevenerit. Hoc est ergo quod ait: 'Et dum commoventur pedes mei, in me magna locuti sunt'; eo quod tam prompti sunt ad insultationis ludibria, ut in commotione pedum meorum paratam habuerint magniloquentiam; vel certe sic: 'Dum commoventur pedes mei,' putantes quod caderem, superba jam et magniloqua sunt locuti. Sed tamen quia ipse in posterioribus pene motos pedes suos dixit, ne quid oriatur hinc scrupuli, considera hic doceri nos affectum poenitentiae, ibi opinionem ejus erroris excludi, quod divitiae et successus prosperior flagitiosorum nos movere non debeant. Consuetudo autem locutionis in Scripturis divinis hujusmodi reperitur. Sic enim at alibi: Dum converteret Dominus captivitatem Sion, facti sumus sicut consolati.  Quamquam sanctus non in ostensione verborum, sed in virtute spiritus probari se velit. Sensus ergo nobis spectandus est semper. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Enarrationes In Psalmos, Psalmum XXXVII Source: Migne PL 14.1034b-d

Therefore David asked in his heart, seeking that he might be heard by the Lord, that his enemies not exult over him, seeking that he might stand fast in the intention of his own conversion, lest, while he walks in his intention, the feet of his soul are shaken, when the proud speak against him and those full of great speech, and they insult him who wish to do so. 1 And even if he stumbles like a man, he says he is prepared for the whip, 2 that punishment might cleanse from error. And even if the whip of the Lord cease, however, he shall remember his grief at being beaten, that the fault which damns be not found in him, that which good confession forestalls. This, then, is why he says, 'And when my feet stumbled, they spoke great things against me,' that is: they are so quick to mocking insults, that at the mere stumbling of my feet they have boastful speech ready,' or certainly: 'While my feet stumbled, thinking that I might fall, already they had spoken proud and great things.' And yet because later he speaks of his feet being moved greatly, 3 lest there arise here some small confusion, consider that here the idea of penitence is taught, and that there the thought of his error is excluded, that we should not be moved because of the scandals of those more prosperous in wealth and success. It is a custom of Sacred Scripture to work like this. So it says elsewhere, 'When the Lord overturned the captivity of Zion, we were like those comforted.' 4 For there is no holiness in mere ostentation of words, but he wished himself to be proved in the virtue of his soul. This meaning, then, we most always look to. Saint Ambrose, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 37 1.Ps 37.17 2 Ps 37.18 3 Ps 72.2  4 Ps 125.1

Sinners Of Earth And Heaven

Praevaricantes deputavi omnes peccatores terrae, ideo dilexi justitias tuas. Semper Prophetae sermo longe se et ultra communem sensum tendit. Nos enim praevaricatores eos existimamus, quis susceptam fidem et cognitionem Dei adeptam relinquunt; aliud pollicitos, et aliud nunc agentes. Sed hic praevaricatores esse existimantur omnes peccatores terrae: nullus excipitur, generaliter ad omnes praevaricationis nomen refertur. Lex enim veluti naturalis est, injuriam nemini inferre, nil alienum praeripere, fraude ac perjurio abstinere, alieno conjugio non insidiari. Novit et hanc Apostolus legem, dicens: Cum enim nationes, quae legem non habent, naturaliter secundum legem faciunt, tales homines legem non habentes sibi ipsi sunt lex, qui ostendunt opus legis scriptum in cordibus suis.  Ergo praevaricatores existimantur, qui quod a naturali lege accipiunt, derelinquunt. Furem quis deprehensum, aut adulterum, aut homicidam arguet lege naturae. Sed si in his ipse versetur, praevaricator est legis. Novit etiam cum ait peccatores terrae, alios esse et coeli peccatores. Audiamus enim evangelicae praedicationis prodigum filium perditum atque mortuum, de peccato suo patri confitentem: Peccavi, inquit, pater in coelum et coram te. Quis quis coelestis doctinae, et spiritalis gratia particeps factus in peccato demorabitur; non terrae peccator est ille, sed coeli. Omnes enim credentes in se Dominus noster Jesus Christus coexcitavit, et collocavit in coelestibus: ex quibus qui decedit, tamquam coeli peccator arguitur. Cum igitur Propheta peccatores terrae praevaricatores esse existimet, quia naturae legem peccando  transgressi sint; ob hoc ipse testimonia Dei diligit, quia cum praevaricatio sit decedere ex lege naturae; tamen jam sine venia ex coelesti lege discessio. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis,Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum CXVIII Source: Migne PL 9.604b -605b

I have deemed all the sinners of the earth to be transgressors, therefore I have loved your testimonies. 1 Invariably the speech of the Prophet stretches far beyond the common understanding. For we judge them to be transgressors, who having taken up the faith and the knowledge of God abandon it, some in what is promised and some by what they do. But here they who are judged to be transgressors are 'all the sinners of the earth', with no one excluded, and so the name must refer to all transgressors in general. For there is a natural law, that one should not harm another and not take what is another's, and that one should abstain from perjury, and not seduce another's wife. And this law the Apostle is aware of, saying, 'For when the peoples who do not have the law naturally act according to a law, such men not having the law are themselves a law, which they show written in their hearts' 2 Therefore we judge them to be transgressors who receiving what is of the natural law, err in it. The thief, the adulterer, the murderer, he argues, are arraigned by the natural law. And if in these things a man errs, he is a transgressor according to the law. And then when he says 'sinners of the earth,' he knows that there are others, that is, sinners of the heavens. Let us hear in the preaching of the Gospel about the prodigal son, lost and dead, confessing his sin to his father: 'I have sinned, father, against heaven and before you,' he says. 3 He who has the teaching of heaven and has been made a partaker of spiritual grace, entering into sin, is not a sinner of the earth, but of heaven. For our Lord Jesus Christ summons all who believe in Him and gathers them into the heavens, from which he who strays is named as a sinner of heaven. Therefore when the Prophet judges transgressors to be sinners of the earth, since by erring they have transgressed against the law of nature, because of this he loves the testimonies of God, for transgression is to fall from the law of nature, and since one is separated from the heavenly law it is to be without forgiveness. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.119 2 Rom 2.14 3 Lk 15.22

The Fearful Tongue

Gloriosissimus prophetarum, idemque rex dominici populi beatus David, qui omnes homines ad audienda vitae purgatioris instituta concurrere generali adhortatione compellit, dicens: Venite, filii, audite me, timorem Domini docebo vos. Vere docendi peritissimus patriarcha venerabilis, qui, ut humanis mentibus timorem Dei praeceptis propheticae auctoritatis insinuet, paternae affectionis blandimenta praemittit. Subditos namque ditionis suae filios appellat, ut eos non tam terrore regiae potestatis revocet a peccatis, quam diligentis affectu cunctorum sensibus promptam bene vivendi inserat voluntatem. Frequenter enim, quos non corrigit durioris increpationis asperitas, saturitas verbi mollioris emendat: Timorem, inquit, Domini docebo vos. Docet nos vir sanctus religiosum timorem, ut amorem terreni judicii postponamus. Timorem Domini docet, qui semper est salutaris, quia saepe timor hominis Dei nutrit offensam. Sic jam videamus, quos doctor egregius divini timoris faciat gradus, quam suae regulam sanctioris instituit disciplinae. Prohibe linguam tuam a malo, et labia tua ne loquantur dolum. Perfectus religiosae vitae magister linguam prae omnibus refrenet a culpa, quae ab exordio mundi apud paradisum Dei in serpente prima peccavit. Nam malignae linguae fuit ministerium, ut suaderetur Adae in exitium generis sui interdictae arboris poma decerpere. Neque enim in aeternam lapsum impulisset invidia, si prudentiori consilio Eva linguam suam cohibere voluisset a malo. Lingua igitur mala ministra diaboli est, ac totius pravitatis ancilla. Lingua mala acutissimi, vice gladii non solum corpus, sed animam vulnerat innocentem. Lingua mala et inconsulta contumeliis perculit cor fraternum, et per pacata invicem pectora perniciosam litem sociat. Lingua mala adhibet imaginem veritatis et veritatem mendaciis decolorat. Lingua mala inimicis auribus commissa sibi amicorum prodit arcana. Lingua mala quos aperto metuit compellare sermone, occulta nititur obtrectratione foedare. Lingua deceptione laqueos simplicibus nectet, bonorum vivorum sanguinem petit, potentium inflammat animos, et humilium corda perturbat; et tanquam ei non sufficiat humana confundere, coelum ipsum blasphemiis atque indignissimis pulsat injuriis, ut propheticus sermo de impiis protestatur, dicens: Posuerunt in coelum os suum, et lingua eorum transivit in terra. Et post omnia, dilectissimi, cum de universis his habeat peccatum remedium, per linguam malam et incontinentem peccatur, quod homini neque in hoc saeculo praesenti laxetur, dicente Domino: Qui autem blasphemaverit in Spiritum sanctum, non remittetur ei neque in hoc saeculo, neque in futuro. Et quid plura, fratres? Quidquid humano pectori diabolus iniquitatis illexerit, lingua mala famulante perficitur. Sed ad destructionem judiciumque ejus Dominus invocatur, clamante propheta: Dispergat Dominus universa labia dolosa, et linguam magniloquam. Et alibi quidem, Perdes eos quis loquuntur mendacium. Propter haec cavenda mala et fugienda beatus David unumqueque nostrum praemonet, dicens: Cohibe linguam tuam a malo, et labia tua ne loquantur dolum. Et post pauca subjungit: Inquire pacem, et sequere eam. Emendata enim lingua tua, atque ab omni maliloquii sorde detersa, veram aeternamque pacem, id est Christum Dominum et invenies, et sequeris. Nemo se seducat: nisi quis vagam lascibamque linguam suam habenis disciplinati cordis cohibuerit, nec hominum pacem poterit invenire, nec Christi. Propterea venerandus propheta sciens in quo lingua hominis sit lubrico consituta, et quantum periculi animi vitaeque nostrae incontinentia linguae possit efficere, Deum suum orabat, dicens: Pone, Domine, custodiam ori meo: et alibi: Domine: labia mea aperies, et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam. A Domino vir fidelissimus custodiri os suum aperiri labia sua optat, ne unquam ei magister ille mendacii ac totius doli artifex diabolus impietatis suae inserat falsitates. Vere hic linguam suam ab omni malitia coercere poterit, qui sub dispensatione Dei et loqui desiderat et tacere. Idcirco, fratres, inspicientes quam vehemens sententia dolosa labia maneat, et quanta gratia linguam simplicem subsequatur, oremus et nos cum propheta Dominum ac Deum omnipotentem ut custodiat os nostrum, ac ipse semper labia nostra aperire in verba sibi placitura dignetur. Sanctus Maximus Taurinensis, Homilia  CVI, De timore Dei et correctione linguarum Source: Migne PL 57.497b-500a

The most glorious of the Prophets and at the same time king of the Lord's people, blessed David, calls men with a general exhortation to gather for the hearing of the institution of the cleansing life, saying: 'Come, O sons, hear me, and I shall teach you the fear of the Lord.' 1  Truly the venerable Patriarch is skilled in the art of teaching, he who, that he instill in human minds the fear of the commands of God by prophetic authority, first sends forth the charms of paternal love. For he calls for his sons to be subdued beneath his wealth, so that they be recalled from sin, not so much by the terror of regal power than he implant in them a prompt desire to live well by a incitement of loving sense. For frequently, those who are not corrected by bitter denunciations receive emendation by an abundance of softer speech. He says: 'I shall teach you the fear of the Lord.' 1 The holy man teaches religious fear, that we put aside love of worldly judgements. He teaches the fear of the Lord, who cares for salvation, because often the fear of man feeds offence to God. So now let us see what the great teacher makes as the steps of Divine fear, which he has established as the rule of his sacred discipline. 'Hold your tongue from evil and let not your lips speak deceit.' 2 Before everything the perfect teacher of the holy life binds back the tongue from fault, which from the beginning of the world, in God's paradise, first sinned in the serpent. For it was the work of a wicked tongue that persuaded Adam to snatch at the fruit of the prohibited tree for the expulsion of his race. And he would not have been driven into eternal fall by envy if with more prudent counsel Eve had wished to restrain her tongue from evil. Therefore the tongue is a wicked servant of the devil, and the handmaid of every depravity. The tongue is a most piercing evil, a sword which wounds not only the body but the innocent soul. The wicked and thoughtless tongue strikes the fraternal heart with contumely and into settled hearts brings wicked strife. The wicked tongue holds to a mere image of truth and defiles the truth with lies. The wicked tongue betrays the secrets of friends into the ears of enemies. The wicked tongue, compelled to fear the open word, strives to tarnish with hidden detraction. The tongue with deception sets traps for the simple, seeks the blood of good men, inflames the souls of the powerful, and troubles the hearts of the humble; and as if this did not suffice to bewilder human things, it even strikes heaven with disgraceful, harmful blasphemies, as the Prophetic word declares concerning the impious: 'The have placed their mouths in heaven, and their tongues trail upon the earth.' 3 And after everything, dearest brothers, when all these things have a remedy, when there is sin by the wicked tongue and incontinence, there is that in this present world which is not to be forgiven man, the Lord saying: 'For he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him in this age or the next.' 4 And what more, brothers? With whatever the devil would entice the human heart, he accomplishes by the service of the wicked tongue, But for ruin and judgement the Lord is called on, with the Prophet crying out: 'May the Lord scatter every deceitful lip and the boastful tongue.' 5 And in another place: 'You destroy all those who speak a lie; 6 On account of which the blessed David gives us our warning to beware and to flee evil, saying: 'Restrain your tongue from evil, and let not your lips be deceitful' 2 And a little after: 'Seek peace and follow it.' 7 For with the tongue corrected, and cleansed of every filth of evil speech, you will find and follow true eternal peace, that is, Jesus Christ. Let no one deceive himself: Unless someone shall have held his tongue and lips from error in the discipline of his heart, neither shall he be able to find peace, nor Christ. On account of which the venerable Prophet knowing how the tongue of man is placed in fault, and how much the incontinence of the tongue is able to make peril for the soul and our lives, he prays to God, saying, 'Place, O Lord, a guard on my mouth.' 8 And elsewhere: 'O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.' 9 The faithful man desires that his mouth is guarded and that his lips are opened by the Lord, lest at any time that teacher of lies and every deceit, that artificer the devil, instill in him the falsities of impiety. Truly he alone shall be able to restrain his tongue from every evil who desires to speak and be silent under the dispensation of God. Therefore, brothers, examining how wretched is the intention of deceitful lips, and how much grace follows the simple tongue, let us pray with the Prophet that the Lord and Almighty God guard our mouths, and He Himself deign always to open our lips with words that are pleasing to Him. Saint Maximus of Turin, Homily 106, On The Fear Of God And The Correction Of Tongues 1 Ps 33.12 2 Ps 33.14 3 Ps 72.9 4 Mt 12.32 5 Ps 11.4 6 Ps 5.7 7 Ps 33.15 8 Ps 140.3 9 Ps 50.17

Faith And Falsehood

Finis, inquit, praecepti est caritas de corde puro, et conscientia bona, et fide non ficta.  Sane finis eorum ficta est, de quibus dicitur: Dilexerunt eum in ore suo, et lingua sua mentiti sunt ei. A qua malitia Joannes Apostolis nos dehortans, Noli, inquit, diligere verbo, nec lingua, sed opere et veritate. Veritas operis est actio rectae intentionis. Veritas in ore est simplicitas in sermone. Sicut autem cor purum non simulat, ita pura intentio non errat. Ubi autem non erat error, aut simulatio, seu fictio, est pura et simplex intentio, et in ea caritas requiescat. Fictio vero fidei longe a caritate est relegata; et dicitur fides ficta eorum, qui de corde suo fingunt suae fidei formam, et sanae doctrinae adversari non dubitant. Ficta etiam a quodam sapiente dicitur quasi fictilis, eo quod tanquam vas fictile et fragile tempore tentationis cito a veritate recedit. Petrus Blenensis, De Caritate Dei Et Promixi, Cap II  Source:  Migne PL 207.898a-b

'The end of the commandment is love from a pure heart, and a good conscience, and a faith that is not false.' 1   And truly their intent is false, concerning whom it is said: 'They loved Him with their mouths and with their tongues they spoke lies to Him.' 2 From which wickedness the Apostle John exhorts us, saying, 'Do not love in speech, or tongue, but in deed and truth.' 3 The truth of the deed is the act rightly intended. Truth in the mouth is simplicity in speech. For as the pure heart does not deceive, so the pure intent does not err. And where there was no error, or simulation, or falsehood, there is pure and simple intent, and in this love has rest. However, a false faith is banished far from love. And it is said that the false faith of those who from their own hearts fashion the form of their faith does not hesitate to fight against sound teaching. And by a certain wise one false faith is said to be like an earthenware vessel, for like a fragile earthenware pot in time of trial it swiftly falls away from the truth. Peter of Blois, On Love Of God and One's Neighbour, Chap 2 1 1 Tim 1.5 2 Ps 77.36 3 1 Jn 3.18

Prayer And Deed

Τότε ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῇ: ὦ γύναι, μεγάλη σου ἡ πίστις: γενηθήτω σοι ὡς θέλεις. καὶ ἰάθη ἡ θυγάτηρ αὐτῆς ἀπὸ τῆς ὥρας ἐκείνης. Εἰπὼν δὲ , Γενηθήτω, βασιλικῶς ἐφθέγχατο· οὐ δι' εὐχῆς τὸ ὅραμα ἀνύσας, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς θεοπρεποῦς ἐξουσίας. Ῥηθέντος τοῦ λόγου, τὸ ἔργον οὐ χρονίζει· Θεὸς γὰρ ὁ λέγων, καὶ τὸ ῥῆμα ἐνεργοῦν, καὶ ἡ δύναμις πανταχοῦ. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Ματθαιον Εὐάγγελιον Source:  Migne PG 72.425c

Then in answer Jesus said to her, 'Woman, great is your faith; let it be done to you as you wish.' And from that hour her daughter was healed. 1   And saying, 'Let it be,' He spoke royally, not as in prayer seeking something in view to be accomplished, but with authority bringing about a miracle. For it is God who speaks, and His word is effective, and His power is present everywhere. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Matthew, Fragment 1 Mt 15.28