Angels And Fire

Et volavit ad me unus de Seraphim, et in manu eius calculus, quem forcipe tulerat de altari, et tetigit os meum, et dixit: Ecce tetigi hoc labia tua, et auferetur iniquitas tua, et peccatum tuum mundabitur. Volavit, vel missus est unus de Seraphim, qui interpretatur incendens, ut Prophetae labia purgaret immunda, et pruna vel calculo, quem de altari tulerat, excoqueret. Multi autem putant, duos esse Seraphim, quia clamabat alter ad alterum, cum et de pluribus possint singuli clamare ad singulos; et LXX editio magis significet plurimos, qui interpretati sunt, Seraphim stabant in circuitu eius. Quod si de duobus diceretur, non in circuitu, sed ex utraque parte dixissent. Et hoc convenit Angelorum multitudini, quae in Dei ministerium praeparata est. Seraphim autem plurali numero appellantur, et singulari Seraph: sicut Cherubim, et Cherub. Quod autem altare sub quo animae martyrum sunt, videantur in coelo, et Ioannes in Apocalypsi loquitur: et calculus iste qui a solis LXX ἅνθρας, id est, carbunculus est interpretatus potest non carbonem significare, vel prunam, ut plerique existimant, sed ἄνθρακα, id est, carbunculum lapidem, qui ob coloris flammei similitudinem igneus appellatur. Ex quo intelligimus altare Dei plenum esse carbunculis, hoc est, ignitis calculis et prunis, peccata purgantibus. Unde scriptum de Deo legimus: Carbones succensi sunt ab eo. Et de ipso Domino dicitur, quod ignis consumens sit. Et Salvator in Evangelio: Ignem veni mittere super terram: ut baptizaret in Spiritu sancto, et igni. Uniuscuiusque enim opus quale sit, ignis probabit. Et qui salvandus est, sic salvabitur, quasi per ignem transierit. Et hoc notandum, quod ad Ieremiam, cui dictum est: Prius quam te formarem in utero novi te, et in vulva matris tuae sanctificavi te, quia labia non habebat immunda, sed tantum dixerat: nescio loqui, quia iuvenis sum, extendit ipse Dominus manum suam, et tetigit os eius, et dixit: Ecce dedi sermones meos in os tuum. Porro ad Isaiam qui dixerat: Vir pollutus labiis ego sum, et in medio populi polluta labia habentis ego habito, non Dei manus porrigitur, sed Seraphim mittitur a Deo, vel volat propria voluntate, quia huic officio mancipatus est. Et in manu sua tenet calculum, quem iuxta LXX et Theodotionem, forcipe: iuxta Aquilam, et Symmachum, qui Hebraicum sunt secuti, forcipibus apprehendit, id est, MALCAIM, ut tangeret os eius, et pristina delicta purgaret. Manus autem, et a Deo et Seraphim mittitur, ut Propheta sui corporis membrum videns, tactu non terreatur externo. Quidam nostrorum forcipem, quo calculus comprehenditur, duo Testamenta putant, quae inter se Spiritus sancti unione sociantur. Quia vero sedens Dominus introducitur, et sedens in Templo, et domus impleta est fumo, ut Iudaei putant, thymiamatis; consequenter ponuntur et forcipes, quos et in sacerdotali ministerio legimus. Sanctus Hieronymus, Commentariorum In Isaiam Prophetam, Lib III Cap VI Source Migne PL 24.96a-97a

'And one of the Seraphim flew to me and in his hand he had a coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar, and he touched my mouth and said, 'Behold, I have touched your mouth and taken away your iniquity and cleansed you of your sin.' 1 One of the Seraphim flew, or was sent, the name of which is interpreted 'Flaming One', that he purge the unclean lips of the Prophet, and he applied fire with a glowing stone, or coal, which he had taken from the altar. Many think there are two Seraphim, because they called one to the other, 2 and being plural one can call to another one. The Septuagint clearly signifies there are more, the translation of which has: 'the Seraphim stood in a circle'. For if it had spoken of two it would have said that they were in different places, not in a circle. So this befits a multitude of angels which were arranged to give service to God. Seraphim is the plural form, Seraph the singular, just like Cherubim and Cherub. The altar is that beneath which the souls of the martyrs are, which may be seen in heaven, which John spoke of in his Apocalypse. 3 And this coal the Septuagint calls 'anthras' which translated is a small coal, but it is possible that it does not mean a coal, or a stone, as many judge it, but anthraka, that is, the 'carbuncle,' a gem, which because of the likeness of its colour to flame is so called. From which we understand that the altar of God is full of these 'carbuncles', that is fiery stones and coals, for the purging of sin. Whence we read that it has been written of God 'Coals were lit by it.' 4 And concerning the Lord Himself it is written that He is a consuming fire. 5 And the Saviour says in the Gospel: 'I have come to place fire on the earth.' 6 as He was to baptise in the Holy Spirit and in fire. 7 And everyone's work will be tested by fire, and he who can be saved will be saved as one who passes through fire. 8 And it should also be noted that in Jeremiah it is said: 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and in your birth from your mother I sanctified you.' because it was not that he had unclean lips, but he said, 'I do not know what to say, because I am young,' that the Lord stretched out His hand and touched his mouth and said, 'Behold, I give my words into your mouth.' 9 However to Isaiah who said, 'I am a man with unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people who have unclean lips,' the hand of God did not stretch forth, but one of the Seraphim was sent by God, or he flew by his own will because he was appointed to this office. And in his hand he held a coal, which according to the Septuagint and the translation of Theodotion was taken by the use of pincers, but Aquila and Symmachus who follow the Hebrew understand tongs, that is 'Malcaim', so that he might touch his mouth and purge the old sins. And it is by the hand, from God and the Seraphim who was sent, so that the Prophet, seeing a member of his own body, would not be terrified by the external touch. Now the tongs in which the coal was taken are thought to be the two Testaments which are combined together by the union of the Holy Spirit. However, because the Lord is introduced as seated, and sitting in the Temple, and it is full of smoke, or as the Jews think, incense, so the tongs are found, which we read are for the ministry of the priest. Saint Jerome, Commentary On The Prophet Isaiah, Book 3, Chap 6 1 Isaiah 6.6 2 Isaiah 6.3 3 Apoc 6.9-11 4 Ps 17.9 5 Deut 4.24, Heb 12.29 6 Lk 12.49 7 Mt 3.11 8 1 Cor 3.13-15 9 Jerem 1.5-9

The Seraphim

Seraphim quoque similiter multitudo est angelorum, qui ex Hebraeo in Latinum ardentes vel incendentes interpretantur. Qui idcirco ardentes vocantur, quia inter eos et Deum nulli angeli consistunt; et ideo quanto vicinius coram eo consistunt, tanto magis luminis claritate divini inflammantur. Vnde et ipsi velant faciem et pedes sedentis in throno Dei; et idcirco cetera angelorum turba videre Dei essentiam plene non valent, quoniam Cherubin eam tegit. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis, Etymologiae, Liber VII, Caput V Source: Migne PL 82.273d-274a

Likewise the Seraphim are a multitude of angels whose name translated from Hebrew is 'The Flaming Ones'. They are called 'The Flaming Ones' because there are no angels set between them and God, and therefore as they are much more closely stationed to His presence, so they are much more inflamed by the brightness of the Divine light. Whence they veil the feet of the one who sits on the throne of God, 1 and therefore the other groups of angels are not able to see fully the essence of God, because the Seraphim cover it. Saint Isidore of Seville, The Etymologies Book 7, Chap 5 1 Isaiah 6.2

Angels And Angels

Laudate eum, omnes angelis ejus; laudate eum, omnes virtutes ejus. Quod angelus Graeca lingua dicitur, Latine nuntius interpretatur. Sed cum ad aliquid perficiendum mittitur virtus coelorum, ab officio suo hoc nomen assumit. Angelus enim ab officii dicitur nomine, non naturae. Sequitur laudate eum, omnes virtutes ejus. Hoc generale nomen est; ibi enim concluduntur omnia quae coelestis militiae dignitate grandescunt. Sed ideo forsitan hoc loco angeli virtutibus sunt praelati, quia honorabilior aestimanus est per quem Domini jussa complentur. Pulcherrime autem in laudibus Domini ab angelis fecit initium, qui inter creaturas aestimantur eximii. Cassiodorus, Expositio In Psalterium, Psalmus CXLVIII Source: Migne PG 70.1042d- 1043a

Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His powers. 1 That which is called 'angel' in the Greek tongue, is 'messenger' in Latin. When a power of heaven is sent to perform some office, from his office this name is taken. For angel is a name given by an office, not by the nature. It follows, 'Praise him, all His powers.' This is the general name, and there is included all who are made great by the dignity of being celestial soldiers. But then perhaps in this place there are angels more preeminent in power because those by whom the commands of the Lord are carried out are adjudged to be more honorable. And most rightly do angels begin the praises of the Lord, they who are adjudged to be the most excellent of created things. Cassiodorus, Commentary On The Psalms, Psalm 148 1 Ps 148.2

Taking Up The Cross

Et qui non accipit crucem suam et sequitur me, non est me dignus. In alio Evangelio scribitur: Qui non accipit crucem suam quotidie. Ne semel putemus ardorem fidei posse sufficere, semper crux portanda est, ut semper nos Christum amare doceamus. Sanctus Hieronymus, In Matthaei Evangelium Expositio, Liber I, Cap X Source: Migne PL 25.68b

And he who does not take up his cross and follow me, he is not worthy of me. 1 In another Gospel it is written: 'He who does not take up his cross every day.' 2 Let us not think that a one time ardour of faith is sufficient, for the cross must always be carried, so that we might always show we love Christ. Saint Jerome, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Book 1 Chap 10 1 Mt 10.38 2 Lk 9.23

Miracles And Teaching

Καὶ ἠκολούθει, φησὶν, αὐτῷ ὄχλος πολὺς, ὅτι ἑώρων τὰ σημεῖα ἆ ἐποίει. Οὐ σφόδρα βεβαίας διανοίας ἡ ἀκολούθησις. Τοσαύτης γὰρ διδασκαλίας ἀπολαύσαντες, ἀπὸ τῶν σημείων ἐνήγοντο μᾶλλον· ὅ παχυτέτας γνώμης ἦν. Τὰ γὰρ σημεῖα, φησὶ, τοῖς ἀπίστοις οὐ τοῖς πιστεύουσιν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκεῖνος ὁ δῆμος ὁ παρὰ τῷ Ματθαίῳ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἄκουε πῶς· Ἐξεπλήσσοντο πάντες ἐπὶ τῇ διδαχῇ αὐτοῦ, φησὶν, ὅτι ἐδίδασκεν αὐτοὺς ὡς ἐξουσίαν ἔχων. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Υπόμνημα Εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Ἰωάννην τὸν Ἀπόστολον και Εὑαγγελιστην, Ὁμιλία ΜΒ´ Source: Migne PG 59.239

'A great crowd followed Him beholding the miracles that He did.' 1 Those who were following had not a very wise state of mind, for having enjoyed such teaching, they were more attracted by the miracles, which indicates a duller state. For it is said that 'miracles are not for believers but for unbelievers.' 2 The people noted by Matthew were not like this, but hear how: 'They all were astonished at His teaching '  he says, 'because He taught as one having authority.' 3 Saint John Chrysostom, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint John, Homily 42 1 Jn 6.2 2 1 Cor 14.22 3 Mt 7.28-29

The Gates

Kαὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὖν πύλαι ᾅδου εἴρηνται, ἐν δὲ τοῖς Ψαλμοῖς ὁ προφήτης εὐχαριστεῖ λέγων· ὁ ὑψῶν με ἐκ τῶν πυλῶν τοῦ θανάτου, ὅπως ἂν ἐξαγγείλω πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις σου ἐν ταῖς πύλαις τῆς θυγατρὸς Σιών. Kαὶ ἐκ τούτου δὲ μανθάνομεν ὅτι μήποτε οὐχ οἷόν τέ ἐστιν πάσας δυνηθῆναι ἐξαγγεῖλαι τὰς αἰνέσεις τινὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, μὴ ὑψωθέντα «ἐκ τῶν πυλῶν τοῦ θανάτου καὶ γενόμενον παρὰ ταῖς πύλαις Σιών. Πύλαι δὲ Σιὼν ἐναντίως νοηθεῖεν ταῖς πύλαις τοῦ θανάτου, ὡς εἶναι πύλην μὲν θανάτου τὴν ἀκολασίαν πύλην δὲ Σιὼν τὴν σωφροσύνην, καὶ οὕτω θανάτου μὲν τὴν ἀδικίαν Σιὼν δὲ τὴν δικαιοσύνην, ἥντινα δεικνὺς ὁ προφήτης φησίν· αὕτη ἡ πύλη τοῦ Kυρίου, δίκαιοι εἰσελεύσονται ἐν αὐτῇ. Kαὶ πάλιν τὴν μὲν δειλίαν θανάτου πύλην τὴν δὲ ἀνδρείαν Σιών, καὶ ἀφροσύνην μὲν θανάτου τὴν δὲ ἐναντίαν αὐτῇ φρόνησιν τῆς Σιών. Πάσαις δὲ ταῖς πύλαις τῆς ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως μία ἐναντία ἐστὶ πύλη ἡ τῆς ἀψευδοῦς γνώσεως. Ἐπίστησον δὲ εἰ δύνασαι διὰ τὸ οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ λέγειν ἑκάστην ἐξουσίαν καὶ κοσμοκράτορα τοῦ σκότους τούτου καὶ πνευματικὸν τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις πύλην εἶναι ᾅδου καὶ πύλην θανάτου. Πύλαι οὖν ᾅδου λέγοιντο καὶ αἱ ἀρχαὶ καὶ ἐξουσίαι, πρὸς ἃς ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πύλαι δὲ δικαιοσύνης τὰ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα. ὥσπερ δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν κρειττόνων πολλαὶ προλέγονται πύλαι καὶ μετὰ τὰς πολλὰς μία ἐν τῷ ἀνοίξατέ μοι πύλας δικαιοσύνης· εἰσελθὼν ἐν αὐταῖς ἐξομολογήσομαι τῷ Kυρίῳ, καὶ αὕτη ἡ πύλη τοῦ Kυρίου, δίκαιοι εἰσελεύσον ται ἐν αὐτῇ, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐναντίων πολλαὶ μὲν πύλαι ᾅδου καὶ θανάτου, ἑκάστη ἐξουσία, ὑπὲρ πάσας δὲ ταύτας αὐτὸς ὁ πονηρὸς. Kαὶ προσέχωμέν γε ἐφ' ἑκάστης ἁμαρτίας ὡς εἰς πύλην ᾅδου τινὰ κατα βαίνοντες, εἰ ἁμαρτάνομεν· ἀλλὰ ὑψούμενοι ἐκ τῶν πυλῶν τοῦ θανά του ἐξαγγείλωμεν πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις τοῦ Kυρίου ἐν ταῖς πύλαις τῆς θυγατρὸς Σιών. Oἷον ἐν μιᾷ πύλῃ τῆς θυγατρὸς Σιών, τῇ καλουμένῃ σωφροσύνῃ, ἐξαγγελοῦμεν ἀπὸ σωφροσύνης τὰς αἰνέσεις τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ἐν ἄλλῃ, τῇ καλουμένῃ δικαιοσύνῃ, ἀπὸ δι καιοσύνης τὰς αἰνέσεις τοῦ θεοῦ. καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς γινόμεθα ἐπαινετοῖς, ἐν τούτοις γινόμεθα ἔν τινι πύλῃ τῆς θυγατρὸς Σιών, κατ' ἐκείνην ἐξαγγέλλοντες αἴνεσίν τινα τοῦ θεοῦ. Ὠριγένης, Κατὰ Ματθαιον Ἐξηγητικων, Τομος ΙΒ' Source: Migne PG 13.1008b-1012b

On this rock that I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 1 Here, then, the gates of Hell are spoken of, and in the Psalms the prophet gives thanks saying, 'He who lifts me up from the gates of death, so that I may declare all your praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion.' 2 And from this we learn that it is never possible for anyone to declare the praises of God unless lifted up from the gates of death and brought to the gates of Zion. The gates of Zion may be thought as opposed to the gates of death, so that there is one gate of death, dissoluteness, but a gate of Zion, temperance; and thus a gate of death, unrighteousness, but a gate of Zion, righteousness, which the prophet shows, saying, 'This is the gate of the Lord, the righteous shall enter into it.' 3 And again there is cowardice, a gate of death, but courage, of Zion; and lack of prudence, of death, but its opposite, prudence, of Zion. But to all the gates of the 'knowledge which is falsely so called' 4 one gate is opposed, the gate of faultless knowledge. But consider whether, because of the saying, 'our wrestling is not against flesh and blood,' 5 one might say that each power and world-ruler of this darkness, and the 'spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places' 5 is a gate of Hell and a gate of death. Let, then, the principalities and powers, with which our wrestling is, be called gates of Hell, but the 'ministering spirits' 6 the gates of righteousness. But as in the case of better things, many gates are spoken of first, and then after the many one, in the passage, 'Open to me the gates of righteousness, I will enter into them, and will make confession to the Lord,' 7 and then 'this is the gate of the Lord, by it the righteous shall enter,' 3 so it is with the gates which are opposed, that many are the gates of Hell and death, each one a power, but over all these is the wicked one himself. And let us take care for each sin, as if by sinning we were descending into some gate of death, but when we are lifted up from the gates of death, let us declare all the praises of the Lord in the gates of the daughter of Zion. As, for example, in one gate of the daughter of Zion which is called temperance we will declare by our temperance the praises of God, and in another which is called righteousness, by our righteousness we will declare the praises of God, and generally in all things which are praiseworthy and with which we are occupied we are at some gate of the daughter of Zion declaring at each gate some praise of God. Origen, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Matthew, Book 12 1 Mt 16.18 2 Ps 9.15 3Ps 117.20 4 1 Tim 6.20 5 Ephes 6.12 6 Heb 1.14 7 Ps 117.19

Learning And Listening

Quod dico vobis in tenebris, dicite in lumine: et quod in aure auditis, praedicate super tecta. Hoc est, secundum quod pertinet ad constantem veritatis manifestationem: et tangit duo, quae sunt de modo divinae intelligentiae; in tenebris esse, et in aure audiri. Primum est abscondens ab homine, et secundum a multitudine. Hominis enim intellectus ad divina est timidus, et tremens, in tenebris involutus ex multo lumine divinorum. Sicut enim oculus intuens solem, suis obvoluitur tenebris, sole claro manente, ita etiam oculus intellectus sua debilitate retunditur, et tenebris obvoluitur ex contuitu divinorum: et hoc conveniebat Apostolis nondum accepto Spiritu ad intellectum mysteriorum: et quod sic acceperunt in lumine claro intelligentiae, accepto Spiritu veritatis proposuerunt: et de hoc dicitur Ostende nobis, quid dicamus. Nos quippe involuimur tenebris: et hoc completum fuit in Apostolis, cum Paulus dixit Deus, qui dixit in tenebris lumen splendescere, illuxit in cordibus nostris ad illuminationem scientiae claritatis Evangelii Christi. Et quod in aure auditis Secundus modus est abscondens a multitudine. Auditur enim in susurrio sermo divinus, et non in strepitu multitudinis. Quasi furtive suscepti auris mea venas susurrii eius. Audiam quid loquatur in me Dominus Deus. Adducam eam in solitudinem, et loquar ad cor eius. Est autem auris semper in multitudine, quae patula est multitudine mundi, et in illa non loquitur Deus. Sibilus aurae tenuis, ubi Dominus. Et huic opponitur praedicate super tecta Et loquitur more noto Apostolis: quia in Palestina tecta plumbea, et pavimenta plana fuerunt desuper, in quibus congregabantur homines ad capiendum puriorem aerem: quia iuxta terram in terra calidis spissus est et vaporosus. Et intenditur per tecta manifeste omnibus facta praedicatio: et haec facta est visibili signo dato Spiritu. Adhuc loquente Petro verba haec, cecidit Spiritus sanctus super omnes, qui audiebant verbum. Effundam de Spiritu meo super omnem carnem: et prophetabunt filii vestri et filiae vestrae. Clama, ne cesses: quasi tuba exalta vocem tuam. non in abscondito loctus sum in loco terrae tenebroso. Sanctus Albertus Magnus, Commentarium in Mattheum, Caput X Source: Here, p277-278

What I say to you in darkness, speak in the light, and what you hear in the ear, preach on the rooftops. 1 This is what pertains to the constant manifestation of truth, and it touches on two things which concern the Divine understanding, in the darkness, and in the hearing in the ear. First it is hidden from man, and secondly from the multitude. For the intellect of a man is weak and fragile compared to the Divine and wrapped in darkness because of the great light of Divine things. For just as one turns one's eye to the sun and the eye is covered in darkness, while the sun remains bright, so even the eye of the intellect is disabled by its own weakness and it is wrapped up in darkness from looking at things Divine. And this is fitting for the Apostles who had not yet received the Spirit for the understanding of mysteries, and when they did receive the bright light of the intelligence, they displayed the reception of the Spirit of truth. And concerning this it is said in Job: 'Show to us what we should say. Certainly we are bound up in darkness.' 2 And this was fulfilled in the Apostles when Paul said: 'God who spoke and made the light shine in darkness, who illumined our heart with the light of the bright knowledge of the Gospel of Christ.' 3 'What you hear in the ear' In a second way it is hidden from the multitude. For the Divine word is heard as a whisper and not in the cry of the multitude. 'My ears by stealth received the veins of its whisper.' 4 'I shall hear what the Lord shall speak to me.' 5 'I shall lead her into solitude, and I shall speak to her heart.' 6 There is always a hearing with the multitude, which is widespread across the world, and God does not speak to it. 'The whisper of a slight breeze, there was the Lord.' 7 And to this is opposed, 'Preach on the rooftops' and it is spoken of in a manner the Apostles were aware of, for in Palestine the roofs were made of lead, and the roads broad below them in which men gathered to seize on clearer air, because the earth when it is hot condenses and gives off vapours. By the rooftops is meant that preaching was made to all, and this is the visible sign of the Spirit which is given. 'And while Peter was speaking these words to them, the Holy Spirit fell on all who were listening.' 8 'I shall pour out my Spirit over all flesh and your sons and daughters shall make prophecies' 9 'Cry, do not stop; as a trumpet lift up your voice.' 10 'It was not in secret, not in some dark recess of earth, that my word was spoken.' 12 Saint Albert The Great, Commentary On The Gospel of St Matthew, Chapter 10 1 Mt 10.27 2 Job 37.19 3 2 Cor 4.6 4 Job 4.12 5 Ps 84.9 6 Hosea 2.14 7 3 Kings 19.12 8 Acts 10.44 9 Joel 2.28 10 Isaiah 58.1 11 Isaiah 45.19

Strengthening Hope

Ideo dico vobis, ne cogitetis in corde vestro, quid manducetis; neque corpori vestro, quid vestiatis. Nonne anima vestra pluris est quam esca, et corpus pluris est quam vestimentum. Contemptum saeculi, et fiduciam futurorum toto superiore sermone praeceperat. Nam cum ad injuriam pronos jubet esse, et ad damnum voluntarios, et ad ultionem negligentes, et ad diligendum promiscuos, et ad humanam gloriam incuriosos; confirmari nos in spem bonorum aeternorum laborat. Plures enim et amor praesentium, et desperatio futurorum incertos facit: et aut illecebris capit, aut infidelitate confundit: Ergo regnum coelorum, quod prophetae nuntiaverunt, Joannes praedicavit, Dominus noster in se esse positum est professus, vult sine aliqua incertae voluntatis ambiguitate sperari: alioquin justificatio ex fide nulla est, si fides ipsa fiat ambigua. Igitur curam nullam esse vestitus et cibi praecipit, dicens et escis animam, et cibo corpus esse pretiosius. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, In Evangelium Matthaei Commentarius, Cap V Source: Migne PL 9.944c-945a

Therefore I say to you do not fret in your heart over what you shall eat, nor for your body, how you shall clothe it. Is your soul not more than food, and your body more than clothing? 1 In His words before this, He commanded contempt for the world and confidence for the future. When He ordered us to be open to insult, and willing to suffer loss, and not to care for revenge, and to be impartial about whom we love, and to be unconcerned with human glory, He was labouring to strengthen us in the hope of eternal goods. But love of present things and despair regarding the future makes many uncertain, and it snares them with enticements, or confounds them by faithlessness. Therefore without any uncertainty of an ambiguous will He wishes us to place our hope in the kingdom of heaven, which the prophets announced and John preached, and our Lord declared was to be found in Himself. Justification by faith is nothing if faith is doubtful. Therefore He commands us to have no care for clothing or food, saying that the soul is more precious than nourishment, the body more than food. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 5 1 Mt 6.25

Matthew Made Righteous

Ἐν τόποις ἀσεβῶν στένουσι δίκαιοι ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐκείνων ἀπωλείᾳ πληθυνθήσονται δίκαιοι Εἀν ἀποθῶνται οἱ ἀσεβεῖς τὸ εἶναι ἀσεβεῖς, γενήσονται δίκαιοι· ἡ γὰρ ἀπώλεια νῦν τὴν ἀναίρεσιν τῆς ἀσεβείας σημαίνει· οὕτω καὶ Ματθαῖον τοῠ τελωνείου ἀπολέσας ὁ Κύριος, δικαιοσύνην αὐτῷ ἐχαρίσατο· πληθύνονται γὰρ οἱ δίκαιοι, ὅταν οἱ ἀσεβεῖς καταλείψωσι τὴν ἀσέβειαν, καὶ σὺν τοῖς δικαίοις γενήσονται δίκαιοι· στένουσι δὲ καὶ οἱ δίκαιοι καὶ ὀδυνῶνται, ὁρῶντες τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς ἐν τόπῳ τῆς ἀσεβείας ἰσταμένους, καὶ μὴ μετανοοῦντας. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαὶ Εἰς Παροιμίας, Κεφ ΚΗ' Source: Migne PG 17.245b

In the places of the impious the righteous groan, but in their ruin the righteous shall increase. 1 If the godless cast off their impiety, they are made righteous. For the ruin here signifies the extinction of iniquity. So the Lord ruined Matthew in respect of his booth, gifting to him righteousness. 2 The righteous are multiplied when the impious are rid of their impiety and they become righteous men by righteousness. Meanwhile the righteous groan and grieve while they see the godless standing in their impiety here, and they do not repent. Origen, On Proverbs, Fragment 1 Prov 28.28 2 Mt 9.9

Matthew And The Paralytic

Dum transiret inde, vidit hominem. Fratres, deterius sedebat in telonio publicanus iste, quam paralyticus, de que ante diximus, jacebat in lecto. Quia ille carnis patiebatur paralysim, iste mentis; in illo fuerat compago turbata membrorum, in isto totus ordo fuerat sensuum dissipatus; ille jacebat captus carne, sedebat corpore et animo iste captivus; ille doloribus succumbebat invitus, iste vitiis voluntarius serviebat; iste sibi innocens avaritiae videbatur in crimine, ille se cognoscebat inter vulnera peccatorem; iste lucrorum cumulabat peccata, ille dolorum gemitibus peccata delebat. Merito igitur paralytico dicitur. Confide, fili, dimittuntur tibi peccata tua, quia compensarat delicta doloribus; publicano autem dicitur: Veni, sequere me. Hoc est, ut sequendo me repares quod consequendo pecuniam perdidisti. Sanctus Petrus Chrysologus, Sermo XXX, De Matthaei Source: Migne PL 52.284c-285a

While going on from there, He saw a man...1 Brothers, this tax collector was sitting at his booth in a worse state than the paralytic about whom we spoke earlier, 2 who was lying in bed. The latter was suffering from paralysis of the flesh, but the former from a paralysis of the mind; in the latter the arrangement of bodily members had been disturbed, in the former the whole order of judgment had been cast down; the latter was laying a captive of the flesh, the former was sitting a captive in body and spirit; the latter had succumbed to his sufferings unwillingly, the former was a willing servant of his vices; the former seemed in his own mind innocent of the crime of avarice, the latter recognized amidst his wounds that he was a sinner; the former was heaping up sins from his profits, while the latter was eliminating them with groans of pain. Rightly, then, is it said to the paralytic: 'Have confidence, son, your sins are forgiven you,' because he had made up for his sins by suffering. However, it is said to the tax collector: 'Come, follow me,' that is, so that by following me you repair what you have ruined by the pursuit of money. Saint Peter Chrysologus, from Sermon 30, On Matthew 1 Mt 9.9 2 Mt 9.1-8

The Wise Man's Choice

Mόνη δ' ἡ δι' ἀγάπην εὐποιία ἡ δι' αὐτὸ τὸ καλὸν αἱρετὴ τῷ γνωστικῷ. αὐτίκα ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ Kυρίῳ λέλεκται· αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, αἴτημα τὸ βασιλικώτατον διδάσκων αἰτεῖσθαι τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίαν ἀμισθί, ἵνα δὴ ἡμεῖς κληρονομήσωμεν καὶ κτησώμεθα τὸν Kύριον. Ἔμπαλιν γὰρ χρείας τινὸς ἕνεκεν, ἵνα μοι τόδε γένηται καὶ τόδε μὴ γένηται, τῆς ἐπιστήμης ἐφίεσθαι τῆς περὶ τὸν θεὸν οὐκ ἴδιον γνωστικοῦ, ἀπόχρη δ' αὐτῷ αἰτία τῆς θεωρίας ἡ γνῶσις αὐτή. Tολμήσας γὰρ εἴποιμ' ἄν, οὐ διὰ τὸ σῴζεσθαι βούλεσθαι τὴν γνῶσιν αἱρήσεται ὁ δι' αὐτὴν τὴν θείαν ἐπιστήμην μεθέπων τὴν γνῶσιν· τὸ μὲν γὰρ νοεῖν ἐκ συνασκήσεως εἰς τὸ ἀεὶ νοεῖν ἐκτείνεται, τὸ δὲ ἀεὶ νοεῖν, οὐσία τοῦ γινώσκοντος κατὰ ἀνάκρασιν ἀδιάστατον γενομένη καὶ ἀίδιος θεωρία, ζῶσα ὑπόστασις μένει. Eἰ γοῦν τις καθ' ὑπόθεσιν προθείη τῷ γνωστικῷ, πότερον ἑλέσθαι βούλοιτο, τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ θεοῦ ἢ τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν αἰώνιον, εἴη δὲ ταῦτα κεχωρισμένα παντὸς μᾶλλον ἐν ταὐτότητι ὄντα, οὐδὲ καθ' ὁτιοῦν διστάσας ἕλοιτ' ἂν τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ θεοῦ, δι' αὑτὴν αἱρετὴν κρίνας εἶναι τὴν ἐπαναβεβηκυῖαν τῆς πίστεως δι' ἀγάπην εἰς γνῶσιν ἰδιότητα. Αὕτη τοίνυν ἡ πρώτη ἀγαθοποιία τοῦ τελείου, ὅταν μὴ διά τι χρειῶδες τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν συντεινόντων γίνηται, κρίναντος δ' ὅτι καλὸν τὸ ἀγαθὸν ποιεῖν, ἐκτενῶς ἡ ἐνέργεια φερομένη ἐν πάσῃ πράξει ἀγαθύνηται, οὐκ ἐφ' ὧν μέν, ἐφ' ὧν δ' οὔ, ἀλλ' ἐν ἕξει εὐποιίας καταστᾶσα μήτε διὰ δόξαν ἔτι ἤ, ὥς φασιν οἱ φιλόσοφοι, τὴν εὔκλειαν μήτε διὰ μισθὸν εἴτε παρὰ ἀνθρώπων εἴτε καὶ ἐκ θεοῦ· κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν τοῦ Kυρίου τὸν βίον ἐκτελοίη. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λογος Δ' Κεφ' ΚΒ' Source: Migne PG 8.1345c-1348b

But the choice of the wise man is to do good out of love alone. Now, in the person of God it was said to the Lord, 'Ask of me, and I will give the Gentiles for your inheritance,' 1 teaching Him to ask a regal request, that is, the salvation of men without price, that we may inherit and possess the Lord. For on the contrary if it is on account of something that this is done, or not done, it is not proper to the wise man, but the knowledge itself is enough as the reason for contemplation. For I will venture to say that it is not because he wishes to be saved that knowledge shall be chosen by him who by knowledge seeks Divine understanding. For thinking by practice is extended to perpetual thinking, and to be always thinking is the essence of an intelligent being, according to a continual process of admixture, and there is everlasting contemplation, a living substance. If, then, we supposed that someone proposed to the wise man a preference, the knowledge of God or everlasting salvation, and if these things were separable which are in every way alike, he would without hesitation choose the knowledge of God, judging as desirable in itself the ascension of faith through love to knowledge. This, then, is the first good work of the perfect man, when it is done not for any advantage in what concerns him, but because he judges it right to do good, and the energy zealously exerted in all deeds becomes good, not good in this and not good in that, but in the habit of doing good, neither for glory, nor, as the philosophers say, for reputation, nor for reward from men or God, but to pass life as an image and likeness of the Lord. Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, Book 4, Ch 22 1 Ps 2.8

Hope And Salvation

Ἀνάξιος ὤν, πίστευσον σωθῆναι· ἀναίσθητος ὤν, μὴ προσδοκήσῃς σωθῆναι. Ἀναξίους εὐγνωμονοῦντας, καὶ ἐπὶ πάσῃ θλίψει εὐχαριστοῦντας ἐλεεῖ, καὶ σώζει ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Θεὸς, κἂν μέχρι βαθείας τῶν καλῶν φθάσωσιν ἀπογνώσεως· τοὺς δ' ἀναισθήτους οὐκ ἐλεεῖ. Τίς δέ ἐστιν ὁ ἀναίσθητος, εἰ μὴ ὁ μὴ θέλων ὁμολογῆσαι εὐγνωμόνως μυρία εὐεργετεῖσθαι, καὶ ὠφελεῖσθαι τὸν κόσμον διὰ τῆς τοῦ Δεσπότου Χριστοῦ ὁμολογίας; Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΚΒ´ Μαρκιανῳ Source: Migne PG 79.89c

Being unworthy, have faith in salvation; being senseless do not hope for it. Those unworthy, if they have right minds and give thanks in every difficulty, the man loving God shall have mercy on and save, even one who declares himself utterly despairing of better things. However, He has no mercy on the senseless. And who is senseless if not the one who is thankless and unmindful of innumerable blessings, he who does not admit that he has received good things here by the concession of the Lord Christ? Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 22 to Marcianus

Justification And Salvation

Ἐξ ἔργων, καὶ λόγων, καὶ ἐννοίας, δικαίωσις· ἐκ δὲ πίστεως, καὶ χάριτος, καὶ μετανοίας, θησαυροὶ σωτηρίας πολλοί Ἅγιος Μάρκος ὁ Ἐρημίτης, Περὶ Τῶν Οἰομένων Ἐξ Ἔργων Δικαιοῦσθαι Source: Migne PG 65.945a

From works and words and thought there is justification, but from faith and grace and repentance the many treasures of salvation. Saint Mark The Ascetic, On Those Who Think Themselves Justified By Works

Advice On Service

Nemo potest duobus dominis servire. Nisi enim prius a secreto cordis expellatur importuna saecularium multitudo curarum, anima quae intrinsecus jacet nequaquam resurgit. Arguitur eorum tepor qui, Dei vacare volentes, mundoque renuntiant, et curas proprias aspernantur, sed dum propinquorum utilitates procurant, a Dei amore se separant. Vir spiritualis prodesse debet suae propinquitati, tamen cavere ne dum illis gratiam carnis praestare studet, ipse a spirituali proposito non declinet. Multi enim monachorum amore parentum non solum terrenis cruis, sed etiam forensibus jurgiis involuti, et pro suorum temprali salute suas animas perdiderunt. Sicut nostra nobis non odienda est animas perdiderunt. Sicut nostra nobis non odienda est anima, sed ejus carnales affectus, uta nec parentes a nobis odeindi sunt, sed eroum impedimenta, quae nos ab itinere recto praepediunt. Dum tamen Dominus ita praecepit a nobis parentes odiri sicut animas nostras. Nemo enim perpendere potest, quanti sit ponderis declinare a bono et facere malum, nisi prius toto mentis annisu convertitur ad Deum. Tripertitum describitur esse uniuscujusque conversi profectum, id est, primum corrigendi a malo, secundum feciendi bonum, tertium consequendi boni operis praemium. Ideoqie festinare debet ad Deum poenitendo unusquisque dum potest, ne si dum potest noluerit, cum tarde voluerit, omnino non possit. Proinde propheta ait: Quaerite Dominum dum inveniri potest, invocate eum dum prope est. Et ubi inveniri potest, nisi in hac vita, in qua etiam prope est omnibus invocantibus se in veritate Jesus Christus Dominus noster, qui omnibus in se veraciter fideliterque credentibus vitam et gloriam sempiternam praeparabit? Theodulfus Aurelianensis, Fragmentum Sermonis Source:Migne PL 105.280a-c

No one can serve two masters. 1 Unless from the depths of heart the great crowd of the demands of the world's cares is expelled, the soul that may boast within shall never rise. It is proved by the tepidness of those who wishing to make space for God, renounce the world, and despise their own cares, but they are yet eager to be useful to their families, by which they are separated from the love of God. A spiritual man should be of profit to his family, however let him beware lest being eager to excel in being benefical to their corporeal concerns, he falls away from the vow of the spiritual. Many monks because of love of parents have been embroiled not only in worldly cares, but even in quarrels in the courts, and for temporal advantage have destroyed their own souls. So as it is of us not to hate our souls, but the passions of the flesh, so we do not hate our own parents but their impediments, which bind us far from the right way. So does the Lord command us to hate our own parents like our souls. 2 No one is able to weigh matters carefully when by a great weight he falls away from the good and does evil, unless first the whole of the will of his heart is converted to God. The way of conversion for everyone is described in a threefold manner. First to correct onself in matters of evil, second to do good, third to achieve the reward of one's good works. Therefore we should make haste by penance to come to God while we are able, lest while we can we are unwilling, and when later we wish to, it is not longer possible. So the prophet says: 'Seek the Lord while he can be found. Call on him while He is near.' 3 And where is He to be found unless in this life, in which He is near to those who invoke Him in truth, 4 our Lord Jesus Christ, who being true and faithful to everyone who believes, prepares eternal life and glory. 5 Theodulf of Orleans, Fragment of A Sermon 1 Mt 6.24 2 Mt 10.37-39 3 Isaiah 55.6 4 Jn 4.24, Ps 144.18 5 Jn 14.2-3

A Warning Against Looking Back

In Exodo, Judaicus populus, ad umbram nostri et imaginem praefiguratus, cum, Deo tutore et vindice, evasisset Pharaonis atque Aegypti, id est diaboli et saeculi, durissimam servitutem; circa Deum perfidus et ingratus, adversus Moysen mussitat, respiciens solitudinis ac laboris incommoda, et non intelligens libertatis ac salutis beneficia divina, reverti quaerit ad Aegypti, hoc est ad saeculi, servitutem unde fuerat exutus, cum magis fidere deberet in Deum et credere; quoniam qui a diabolo et saeculo liberat populum suum, protegit liberatum: Quid hoc nobis, inquiunt, fecisti in ejiciendo nos de Aegypto? melius est nobis servire Aegyptiis quam mori in solitudine hac. Et dixit Moyses ad populum: Fidite, et state, et cernite salutem quae a Domino est, quam vobis faciet hodie: Dominus ipse pugnabit pro vobis, et vos tacebitis. Quod nos admonens in Evangelio suo Dominus, et docens ne ad diabolum rursus et ad saeculum, quibus renuntiavimus et unde evasimus, revertamur, dicit: Nemo retro attendens et superponens manum suam super aratrum, aptus est regno Dei. Et iterum: Et qui in agro est, non convertatur retro. Memores estote uxoris Loth. Ac, ne quis aliqua vel cupiditate rerum, vel suorum dulcedine retardetur quominus Christum sequatur, addit et dicit: Qui non renuntiat omnibus quae sunt ejus, non est potest meus esse discipulus. Sanctus Cyprianus, Epistola ad Fortunatum, De Exhortatione Martyrii Source:Migne PL 4.660c-661b

In Exodus the Jewish people, prefigured as a shadow and image of us, with God for their protector and avenger, when they had escaped from the most bitter slavery of Pharaoh and of Egypt, that is, of the devil and the world, faithless and ungrateful concerning God, murmur against Moses, and looking back on the discomforts of the desert and of their labour, and, not understanding the Divine benefits of liberty and salvation, they seek to return to Egypt, that is, to the world, the servitude from which they had been drawn forth, when they should rather have trusted and believed in God, because He who delivers His people from the devil and the world, protects them when they are delivered. 'Why have you done this to us,' say they, 'casting us out of Egypt? It is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in this desert.' And Moses said to the people, 'Trust and stand fast, and see the salvation which is from the Lord, which He shall make for you today. The Lord Himself shall fight for you, and you will be silent.' 1 The Lord, admonishing us concerning this in His Gospel and teaching that we should not return again to the devil and to the world which we have renounced and from which we have escaped, says, 'No man looking back and putting his hand to the plough, is fit for the kingdom of God.' 2 And again, 'And let him who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot's wife.' 3 And lest any one should be slowed from following Christ by desire for wealth or the attraction of his own family, He adds and says: 'He who does not forsake all he has cannot be my disciple.' 4 Saint Cyprian of Carthage, Letter to Fortunatus, On Exhortation to Martyrdom 1 Exodus 14.11-14 2 Lk 9.62 3 Lk 17.31-32 4 Lk 14.33

The Seed Beside The Way

Ecce exiit qui seminat, seminare: et dum seminat, quaedam ceciderunt secus viam, et venerunt volucres et comederunt ea... Quae est via? Mundus iste, per quem omnes transeunt qui nascuntur: via enim et peregrinatio, et transitus est omnibus, qui et a Deo exierunt, et ad Deum festinant. Unde et propheta dicebat: Quoniam incola sum apud te in terra, et peregrinus, sicut patres mei. Sicut ergo viator in via nihil sollicitus est, nisi quod necessarium habet ad usum: ita et homo in hoc transitu mundi nihil debet esse sollicitus, nisi quod opus habet ad usum. Qui autem suam spem ponit in mundo, et delectatur in eo, est similis homini desperato, qui non habet neque patriam, neque domum, neque familiam, ad quam festinet: sed in quocumque loco inventus fuerit, ipse locus domus ejus est. Quae est ergo terra secus viam? Homo secundum istum mundum vivens, qui omnia ea sapit quae mundi sunt, et nihil quod Dei est: sed hoc solum diebus ac noctitbus cogitat, hoc concupiscit, quod perinent ad bene manducandum et bibendum, et spurcitam corporis exercendam. Ex his enim omnia mala nascuntur. Propter cibum enim et potum avaritiae fiunt, furta, violentiae, perjuria, ex avaritia autem invidiae et contentiones, ex invidia autem maliloquia et detractiones, inimicitiae et imposturae: ex inimicitiis manifesta ira, rixae, caedes, homicidia, judicia: ex libidine autem fornicationes, adulteria, masculorum concubitus, feminarum invasiones, Talibus si loqui volueris de spiritualibus rebus, non intelligunt verbum, non sentiunt verbi dulcedinem. Nec enim est possibile, ut inter tantas amaritudines vitiorum sentiatur dulcedo sermonum. Sicut qui in magno vase aceti modicam guttam mellis immisceat, etiam mel perdit, et acerbitas aceti non mutatur: sic homini in hac malorum multitudine constituo si colloquutus fueris justitiae verbum, et verbum perdis, et ille non temperatur in concupiscentia mundialium rerum. Nec enim habet bonum in se. Nam homo illud concupiscit, quod jam habet exceptum in se, et scit esse bonum. Ecce si ostendis leoni viridem herbam, aut campum bene florentem, non excitat eum in concupiscentia, quia non habet hoc in natura, ut herbas manducet: et e contra si ostendas bovi carnes, non concupiscit, quia non est bovis natura, ut manducet carnem: sic et homini mundiali, si de bono caelesti loquaris, non excitatur in concupiscentia boni. Sed quemadmodum si pluiva super lapidem cadat, desuper quidem sudat, ab intus autem siccus est, quia non descendit humor in eum: sic et tali homini quando loqueris verbum Dei, tantummodo sonus verbi desuper percutit aures ejus carnales, in cor autem nihil descendit. Et merito: jacentia super lapidem semina verbi rapiunt volatiles daemones. Dic mihi, cujus cupla est, rapientium daemonum semina, aut hominum durorum non abscondentium ea in sulcis pectoris sui? Puto non esse culpam rapientium deamonum. Ille enim latro, qui parietem perforat, in secreta domus parte ingreditur: qui autem invenit foris impositum et projectum, quomodo quasi latro culpetur? Sic et diabolus, si poterat introire in secreta pectoris tui, ut a te nolente raperet verbum, bene culparetur: nunc autem quod a te neglectum est, et contemptum, hoc ille diripit. Denique sciens propheta homimum abscondentium esse culpam, dicebat: In corde meo abscondi eloquia tua ut non peccem tibi. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XXXI Source: Migne PG 56.792-793

Behold, a sower went out to sow, and while he sowed, some seeds fell beside the way, and the birds came and ate them... 1 What is the way? It is the world, through which all pass who are born. The way is a journey and a passing through for all who have gone out from God and hurry to Him. Whence the Prophet says: 'Because to you I am a sojourner on the earth, and a stranger like my fathers.' 2 As then a traveller on the way is anxious for nothing but that he has what is necessary for it, so a man in this passing through the world has nothing that should concern him but that he has what he needs for it. But he who puts his hope in the world, and delights in it, is similar to a despairing man, who has neither homeland, nor house, nor family, to whom he hurries, but in whatever place he finds himself that place is his home. Then what is the earth beside the way? It is a man who lives according to this world, whose knowledge is all from the world, and has nothing of God. Day and night he thinks of this alone, this he desires, eating and drinking well, and being rid of bodily filth. From these things all evils are born. On account of food and drink comes avarice, theft, violence, lies. From avarice envy and arguments, from envy wicked speech and detraction, hostility and deception, from hostility comes forth anger, fights, slaughters, murders, condemnations. From lust fornication, adultery, homosexuality, perversion of women. If you wish to speak of spiritual things to such folk, they do not understand a word, nor do they grasp the beauty of the speech. For it is not possible that among such bitterness of vices the sweetness of such words be grasped. If someone mixed a small drop of honey into a large vase of vinegar the honey would be destroyed and the bitterness of the vinegar would be unchanged, and so a man established in such a multitude of evils, if you speak of righteousness to him, such speech is destroyed, and he is not tempered in his desire for worldly things. He has no good in him. For a man desires what he already has received into himself and he knows to be good. Behold, if you show a lion a green plant, or a field bedecked with flowers, it does not arouse desire in him, because he does not have it in his nature that he should eat plants, and contrariwise if you show meat to a bull, he does not desire it, because it is not in the nature of a bull to eat meat. So if you speak of heavenly goods to a worldly man, it does not arouse in him desire for good. But as rain falling on a stone moistens what is outside, but what is within remains dry because the moisture does not go down into it, so even such a man when you speak the word of God to him, only the sound of the word from above strikes his carnal ears and nothing falls into his heart. And rightly, then, the seed which is cast upon the stone is seized by flying demons. Tell me, whose fault is this, the demons who seize the seed, or the hard man who does not take them into the chamber of his heart? I do not think it is the fault of the demons who seize. A thief is someone who breaks through a wall and enters into a secret part of the house; he who finds something set down outside, even thrown down, how is he to be blamed as a thief? So even the devil, if he were able to enter in the secret places of your heart, to seize on the word with you unwilling, he indeed would be blameworthy, but now what has been neglected by you, even scorned, that is what he seizes on. Finally the Prophet, knowing the fault to be found in men regarding the taking in of things, says, 'In my heart I placed your word, that I might not sin against you.' 3 Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 31 1 Mt 13.3-4 2 Ps 38.13 3 Ps 118.11

Pride And The Waste

Erraverunt, ait Propheta, in solitudine, in inaquoso: viam civitatis habitaculi non invenerunt. Solitudo haec superborum est, quia solos sese reputant, solos appetunt reputari. Litteratus est; odit socium. Astutus in negotiis saecularibus neminem vellet sibi similem inveniri. Pecuniosus est; si ditescere viderit alterum, cruciatur. Fortis est aut formosus; da ei parem, et contabescit. Solitarius est, sed erroneus. Errat in solitudine sua: non enim solus habitare poterit super terram. Nec mirum quod solitudini huic inaquosum additur; ut dicatur, in solitudine, in inaquoso. Sicut enim in solitudinibus aquae deesse solent, et loca deserta sterilia quoque et arida esse consueverunt, sic superbiam impoenitentia comitatur. Elatum enim cor, durum et expers est pietatis, ignarum compunctionis, siccum ab omni rore gratiae spiritualis; quia superbis Deus resistit, humilibus vero dat gratiam. Qui emittit fontes in convallibus, inter medium montium, ait Propheta, pertransibunt aquae. Hinc est quod de se ipso miserabiliter conquerens ait: Anima mea sicut terra sine aqua tibi. Siquidem aquae inopia non modo aridum, sed et sordidum facit, dum non est quo laveris: et humanum cor lacrymas nesciens, non modo durum, sed et impurum esse necesse est. Lavabo, ait, per singulas noctes lectum meum, ut conscientiae maculas diluam. Lacrymis meis stratum meum rigabo, ne in me quoque fiat quod scriptum est de semine quod cecidit supra petram, et natum aruit, quia non habebat humorem. Sanctus Bernardus Clarae Vallensis, Sermo I, De Fallacia et Brevitate Vitae Praesentis Source: Migne PL 183.537d-538d

'They wandered,' says the Prophet, 'in a waste, in a waterless place; they did not find a way to the city of habitation.' 1 And this waste is of the proud, who acclaim only themselves, and who desire only to be acclaimed. According to the letter, such a man hates a companion. Clever in worldly affairs, he does not wish to find anyone like himself. He is richly tormented if he sees another man enriched. If another is strong or handsome, he admits him as an equal and he withers. He is solitary but he errs. He wanders in his solitude, for he cannot dwell alone on the earth. It is not to be wondered that this waste is described as waterless, so that it is said, 'In a waste, in a waterless place,' For as in a wasteland waters are not accustomed to flow and desert places are customarily sterile and arid, so impenitence associates with pride. For the elated heart is hard and knows nothing of piety, it is ignorant of compunction, dry of every dew of spiritual grace, because 'God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble'. 2 'He who sends forth the spring waters in the valleys, the waters which pass amid the mountains,' says the Prophet. 3 Whence it is concerning this one that he says in wretched lament: 'My soul is like a land without water.' 4 A lack of water not only makes something dry but also dirty, when there is nothing one may wash by, and so the human heart that knows not tears is not only hard, but must also be filthy. He says: 'I shall wash my bed each night,' that I wash off the stains of my conscience, 'I shall soak my bed with my tears,' 5lest it be with me as has been written about the seed which falls upon a stone, that being born it withers, because it has no moisture. 6 Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, from Sermon I, On the Delusions and Brevity of the Present Life 1 Ps 106.4 2 James 4.6 3 Ps 103.10 4 Ps 142.6 5 Ps 6.7 6 Lk 8.6

Error And Salvation

Kαὶ ὡδήγησεν αὐτοὺς εἰς ὁδὸν εὐθεῖαν τοῦ πορευθῆναι εἰς πόλιν κατοικητηρίου, ἐξομολογησάσθωσαν τῷ κυρίῳ τὰ ἐλέη αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐπλανήθησαν ἐν γῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ ἀνύδρῳ, τοῦτο πρῶτον νόσημα νενοσηκότες τὸ τῆς πλάνης· καὶ δευτέρῳ κακῷ περοπεσόντες ὁδὸν πόλεως κατοικητηρίου αὐτῶν οὐχ εὕρον· καὶ τρίτον δὲ αὐτοὺς περιέσχε κακὸν, ἐπείπερ ἦσαν πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες, ὡς τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῶν ἐκλείπειν ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ὁ δὲ φιλάνθρωπος Θεὸς καὶ ἀγαθὸς Σωτὴρ πρῶτον μὲν ὠδήγησεν αὐτοὺς εἰς ὁδὸν εὐθεῐαν· ἔπειτα ἔδειχεν αὐτοῖς πῶς χρὴ βαδίζειν τὴν φέρουσαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν τοῦ κατοικητηρίου. Καὶ τίς ἂν εἶη ἡ εὐθεῖα ὁδὸς ἢ ὁ σωτήριος λόγος ὁ εὐαγγελικὸς, ὁ μόνος ἡμᾶς ἄγων εἰς τὴν ἐπουράνιον πόλιν· ἐν ᾗ γενόμενοι τὸ κατοικητήριον ἡμῶν εὑρήσομεν; Ἐξομολογησάσθωσαν τῷ Κυρίῳ τὰ ἐλέη αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων· κηρύσσοντες εἰς πάντας τούς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως οἱ πάντες, τὴν χάριν τὴν εἰς ἡμᾶς γεγενημένην καὶ τὰ ἐλέη τοῦ Θεοῦ μαθόντες, σπεύσωμεν ἐπὶ τὴν αὐτῶν σωτηρίαν. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους, ψαλμος ΡϚ´ Source: Migne PG 23.1321c-1324a

And He led them into the right way, that they enter into the city of habitation. Let them confess to the Lord His mercy, and His wonders to the sons of men. 1 For they wandered in a waterless wasteland, labouring in this first affliction of their error. Whence they fell into a second evil, since they could not find the way to the city in which they should dwell. 2 And then the third evil encompassed them, for they were hungering and thirsting so that their souls perished in themselves. 3 But God is compassionate and the Saviour good, and so first He led them into the right way, and then He taught the way they should walk, leading them on the way into the city of their habitation. And what is the way that is right, unless the evangelical word of salvation, which alone leads to the heavenly city, in which established, we shall find our dwelling place? 'Let them confess to the Lord His mercy and His wonders before the sons of men,' preaching to all the sons of men, how all, with the grace of God being with us and taught by the mercy of God, should hasten to our salvation. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 106 1 Ps 106.7-8 2 Ps 106.4 3 Ps 106.5

Acquiring Nobility

Καὶ ἦν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος εὐγενής, τῶν ἀφ' ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν. Πρὸς μὲν οὖν τὸ ῥητὸν, εὐγενὴς τοῦ ἀφ' ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν, λέγεται, διὰ τὴν κατὰ σάρκὰ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ οἰκειότητα· πρὸς δὲ ἀναγωγὴν, οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ φωτὸς, καὶ τέκνα Θεοῦ δι' ἔργων φωτεινῶν χρηματίζονται, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἀφ' ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν. Ὁ γὰρ δίκαιος εὐγένειαν κτᾶται, οὐκ ἀπ' ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης, καταλαμπομενην. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Ἐκλογαὶ Εἰς Τον Ιὠβ Source: Migne PG 39.1120c-d

And that man was of good birth among those who live in the direction of the rising sun. 1 According to the letter he was well born among those who live in the direction of the rising sun, because according to the flesh he was of the house of Abraham. According to the analogical sense the sons of light and the children of God, made so by the works of light, are named those who dwell in the direction of the rising sun. For the righteous man does not acquire nobility from men but from the light of the sun of righteousness. Didymus the Blind, On Job, Fragment 1 Job 1.3

God Near And Far

Quoniam excelsus Dominus et humilia respicit et alta a longe agnoscit... Neque solum magna est Dei gloria: sed etiam excelsus est, et humilia respicit. Hinc eminentis celsitudinis suae admiratio maxima est, uod humilia respicit qui excelsus est. Sed quae humilia respicit? Nempe est: Cor contribulatum et humilitatum Deus non spernet. Et rursum: Et super quem respiciam, nisi super humilem et trementem verba mea. Sed quia exclesus humilia respicit, habet in se aliam quoque admirationem, quod et alta de longe cognoscit. Superbae et insolentes cogitationes Deum non fallunt: agnoscit omnia, et nihil scientiae ejus impenetrabile est. Deus, ut scriptum est, prope est his qui tribulatio sunt corde: non admiscetur autem arrogantibus, neque insolentibus prope est. Unicuique enim nostrum pro fidei diversitate aut proximus est aut remotus, spiritali virtute ubi se dignum est acquiescens. Et ideo a longe alta cognoscit, quia et per indignitatem abest ab insolente, et per virtutem, longe licet, quae sunt superba cognoscit. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum CXXXVII Source: Migne PL 9.790b

Because the Lord is exalted and He looks upon the humble and He knows from afar.... 1 The glory of the Lord is not only great but it is even exalted, and He looks upon the humble. Whence the admiration of His heavenly eminence is greatest because He who is exalted looks upon the humble. But what humility does He look upon? Without doubt it is: the heart troubled and lowly, God does not spurn. 2 And again: 'And who shall I look upon, unless him who is humble and trembles at my words?' 3 Yet because the exalted One looks on the humble, He has in Himself something else to admire, that even He knows the high ones from afar. Proud and insolent thoughts do not escape God. He knows all things, and nothing is impenetrable to His knowledge. God, as it is written, is near to those troubled in their hearts. 4 He does not mingle with those who are arrogant, nor is He near to the insolent. For to all of us, according to the differences of our faith, He is near or far, by spiritual virtue where it has been given. And therefore He knows the high ones from afar, because by indignation He is absent from him who is insolent, and by power He is able to know those who are proud from afar. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 137 1 Ps 137.6 2 Ps 50.20 3 Isaiah 66.2 4 Ps 33.19

The Rewards Of Cleanliness

Et vos mundi estis... Notandum est autem quadruplex bonum, quod facit munditia spiritualis: servat innocentes, expedit laborantes, gratificat contemplantes, remunerat pervenientes. Servat innocentes a peccati contagione, sicut vides, quod aliquid tersum et politum non de facili contrahit rubiginem; Iob vigesimo secundo: Salvabitur innocens munditia manuum suarum. Expedit laborantes in actione, sicut diceres, quod aliquis, reiectes superfluitatibus et lotis manibus, paratus est ad serviendum; ideo in Psalmo quaeritur: Quis ascendet in montem Domini? Id est, in eminentiam virtutis, et sequitur: Innocens manibus et mundo corde, etc. Gratificat contemplantes in oratione; Proverbiorum vigesimo secundo: Qui diligit cordis munditiam propter gratiam labiorum suorum habebit amicum regem; Iob octavo: Si mundus et rectus incesseris, statim evigilabit ad te. Remunerat pervenientes beata visione, quae est merces gloriae; Matthaei quinto: Beati mundo corde, quoniam Deum videbunt. Sanctus Bonaventura, Collationes In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput XIII Source: Here, p599

And you are clean... 1 It should be noted that spiritual cleanliness makes a fourfold good. It guards the innocent, it aids in labours, it bestows contemplation, and it rewards those who achieve. It protects the innocent from the infection of sin, as you see that someone who is well groomed and refined does not easily contact illness. In the twenty second chapter of Job: 'The innocent shall be saved by the cleanliness of their hands.' 2 It aids labours in deeds, as you say that someone who puts away distractions and has hands washed is prepared to serve; therefore in the Psalm it says: 'Who shall ascend to the mount of the Lord?' 3 That is, to the peak of virtue. And it continues, 'He who has innocent hands and a clean heart.' It bestows contemplation in prayer. In the twenty second chapter of Proverbs: 'He who loves cleanliness of heart on account of the grace of his lips shall have the king as a friend.' 4 In the eighth chapter of Job: 'If you shall walk cleanly and uprightly, quickly he shall turn his eyes on you.' 5 And the reward of those who achieve is the beatific vision, which is the reward of glory. In Matthew chapter five: 'Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.' 6 Saint Bonaventura, Observations On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 13 1 Jn 13.10 2 Job 22.30 3 Ps 23.3 4 Prov 22.11 5 Job 8.6 6 Mt 5.8

Cheeks And Turtle Doves

Τί ὡραιώθησαν σιαγόνες σου ὡς τρυγόνος... Ἀλλὰ καὶ μέλη Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν νύμφης ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· ἧς οἱονεὶ πρόσωπον, οἱ τῷ κάλλει τῶν λοιπῶν διαφέροντες, αἰσχρὸν οὐδὲν ἐννοοῦντες· τὴν δὲ τῆς σωφροσύνης αὐτῇ καρποφοροῦντες αἰδῶ, οἱ πρότερον ἴσως οὐκ ὄντες καλοὶ, τοσοῦτον μετέβαλον ὡς εἰρῆσθαι τῇ νύμφῃ· Τί ὡραιώθησαν σιαγόνες σου, μὴ ἔχοντες σπῖλον ἢ ῥυτίδα; τάχα δὲ καὶ τῷ τὸν ἕνα μόνον γινώσκειν Θεόν· καὶ ἡ τρυγὼν γὰρ ἑνὶ μόνῳ συνέρχεται. Ὠριγένης, Εἰς Τo Ἀσμα Των Ἀσμάτων, Κεφάλαιον Α´ Source: Migne PG 17.257c

Your cheeks are as fair as turtle doves... 1 For indeed Paul calls bridal church members of Christ, 2 and thinking of the face, these by beauty are more excellent than the others, and contemplating nothing vile, they bear the fruit of wisdom in modesty, who perhaps before were not fair, but have so changed that it is said to the bride: 'How fair your cheeks, as turtle doves having neither wrinkle nor spot.' 3 And perhaps this may even refer to the knowledge of the one true God, for the turtledove is bound only to one. Origen, Commentary On The Song Of Songs, Chapter 1 1 Song 2.10-13 2 Ephes 5.28-30 3 cf Ephes 5.27

Blushes And Believing

Talibus enim obsequiis angelus intentam invenit atque salutavit. Utpote virgo verecunda erubuit; a quo confortata, quae dicebantur credidit, et credendo auctorem nostrae salutis edidit Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum quem partriarchae et prophetae praeviderunt et praedixerunt de virgine nasciturum. Odilo Cluniacensis Abbas, Sermo XIII De Nativitate Beatae Mariae Virginis Source: Migne PL 142.1028d-1029a

With such deference the angel found and saluted her attentive. As is natural in a modest maiden she blushed, by which greatly strengthened she believed in what was said, and in the believing conceived the creator of our salvation our Lord Jesus Christ, whom the patriarchs and prophets foresaw and foretold would be born from a virgin. Saint Odo of Cluny, from Sermon 13, On The Nativity of The Blessed Virgin Mary

Curses And Prophecy

Fac, Domine, ut gladio proprio ejus superbia amputetur: capiatur laqueo oculorum suorum in me, et percuties eum ex labiis charitatis meae. Da mihi in animo constantiam, ut contemnam illum, et virtutem, et evertam illum. Erit enim hoc mermoriale nominis tui, cum manus feminae dejecerit eum. Non enim in multitudine est virtus tua, Domine, neque in in equorum viribus voluntas tua est, nec superbi ab initio placuerunt tibi; sed humilium et mansuetorum semper tibi placuit deprecatio. Videtur quibusdam minus intelligentibus, quod precationes sanctorum contra reprobos, quae in Scripturis aliquando commemorantur, quasi maledictiones sint, cum nullo modo haec verba ex voto malitiae, quod in sanctorum cordibus nequaquam fieri potest, sed ex spiritu prophetiae processerint. Quod enim Spiritus sanctus praesciebat esse justo judicio reprobis futurum, hoc per sanctorum ora praedixit faciendum. Ut est illud in psalmis: Fiat mensa eorum coram ipsis in laqueum, et in retributionem, et in scandalum. Obscurentur oculi eorum, ne videant, et dorsum eorum semper incurvetur. Et Paulus in Epistola sua ita scripsit dicens: Alexander aerarius multa mihi mala ostendit, reddet illi Dominus secundum opera sua. Qui et in Actibus apostolorum ad Ananiam pontificem os ejus percutere jubentem ait: Percutiet te Deus, paries dealbate. Unde et verba ista Judith, quibus dicit: Capietur laqueo oculorum suorum in me, et percuties eum ex labiiis charitatis meae, non sunt maledictiones intelligendae, sed de venturis praeconia prophetiae. Hoc enim Spiritus sanctus per os sanctae feminae voluit praemonstrare, quod sciebat nefarium principem nequitia sua promereri: nec non illud in mystico opere praesagere, quod omnis haereticus, sive schismaticus, sive Judaeus, sive etiam paganus, qui Ecclesiam pravo dogmate, sive perverso exemplo corrumpere voluerit, proprio superbiae suae gladio caput voluntatis iniquae sententiam justi judicis amputabitur, et inferni cruciatibus subiiciendus poenas dolorum sentiet in aeternam. Rabanus Maurus, Expositio in Librum Judith, Caput IX Source: Migne PL 109.564b-d

Let it be, O Lord, that his pride is cut off with his own sword. May he be taken by the snare of his own eyes on me, and strike him by the charm of my lips. Give constancy to my soul, that I may scorn him, and virtue that I may overthrow him. For this shall be a memorial of your name, when by the hand of a woman you cast him down. Not in the multitude is your strength, O Lord, nor in men on horseback is your will, nor have the proud ever been pleasing to you, but the prayer of the humble and the meek has always been pleasing to you. 1 It seems to some with less understanding that the prayers of the holy against the wicked, which are sometimes recorded in Scripture, are just like curses, when in no way do these words come from a wish for evil, because in the hearts of the holy this is never possible, but rather they proceed from a spirit of prophecy. For the Holy Spirit foreknows what the just judgement of the wicked will be, and this He foretells through the mouths of the holy. As it says in the Psalms: 'May their table be before them as a snare, and as a punishment, and as a scandal. Blind their eyes, lest they see, and bend down their backs always.' 2 And Paul in his letter writes, saying: 'Alexander the coppermsith has caused me much evil, the Lord shall reward him according to his works.' 3 He who said in the Acts of the Apostles to Ananias the High Priest, who ordered him to be struck on the mouth, 'God strike you, you whitewashed wall!' 4 Whence these words of Judith, 'May he be taken by the snare of his own eyes on me, and strike him by the charm of my lips' should not be understood as a curse, but a prophetic declaration of things to come. For this is what the Holy Spirit wished to foreshow through the mouth of this holy woman, that He knew what the evil prince deserved for his wickedness. And in this mystical deed it is foretold that every heretic or schismatic or Jew or pagan who with depraved teaching or perverse example shall wish to corrupt the Church, by the sword of his own pride will have the head of his wicked will cut off by the sentence of the righteous judge, and subjected to the torments of hell he shall experience the punishments of the wicked forever. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On Judith, Chap 9 1 Judith 9.12-16 2 Ps 68.23-24 3 2 Tim 4.14 4 Act 23.3

Falls And Labour

Plerumque humanis obrepit mentibus, ut aliqua levi praestricti offensione, si non illis cedant pro studio voluntaria, officio desistant; quod in alio genere hominum tolerabile, in his vero, qui rei divinae intendunt, plenum doloris. Sunt enim aliqui in clericorum munere, quibus inimicus obrepere studet, si alias eos non potuerit circumvenire, ut laesis huiusmodi inserat cogitationes: Quid mihi prodest in clero manere, subire iniurias, labores perpeti, quasi non possit ager meus me pascere, aut si ager desit, quasi aliter exercere sumptum non queam? Sunt enim aliqui in clericorum munere, quibus inimicus obrepere studet, si alias eos non potuerit circumvenire, ut laesis huiusmodi inserat cogitationes: Quid mihi prodest in clero manere, subire iniurias, labores perpeti, quasi non possit ager meus me pascere, aut si ager desit, quasi aliter exercere sumptum non queam? Itaque hujusmodi cogitationibus etiam boni mores ab officio retrahuntur: quasi vero hoc solum sit in clerico, ut sumptum expediat suum, et non ut divinum sibi post mortem potius subsidium locet; quamquam ille post mortem abundet, qui tutus hic potuerit decernere adversum tot inimicorum insidias. Unde Ecclesiastes ait: Optimi duo super unum, quibus est merces bona in labore ipsorum; quoniam si ceciderit, unus erigit socium suum. Ubi sunt duo optimi super unum, nisi ubi Christus est, et is quem Christus tuetur? Quia si ceciderit, qui cum Domino est Jesu, erigit eum Jesus. Sed qua ratione dixit: In labore ipsorum? Ergo et Christus laborat? Utique laborat, qui ait: Laboravi clamans. Laborat, sed in nobis, denique ad puteum fatigatus sedebat. Sed quomodo laboret, docuit nos Apostolus minore exemplo, dicens: Quis infirmatur, et ego non infirmor? Docuit Dominus sua voce: Aeger eram, et non visitastis me: nudus eram et non operuisitis me. Laborat, ut me jacentem erigat. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Epistola LXXXI, Clericis Source: Migne PL 16.1273b-1274a

It is a common fault which creeps into the human mind, that men easily take offence if things do not happen according to their wishes, and they desist from their duty, which in other types of men may be tolerable, but in those who are devoted to the Divine service it is full of sorrow. There are certain men in the clerical order into whose minds the enemy has crept, if by other means he cannot deceive them, so that he may instil harmful thoughts of the following kind: 'What good for me to be among the clergy, to suffer injuries, to undergo such toil, as if my own farm could not support me, or, if I have no farm, as if I could not obtain some other support?' It is by thoughts like these that even good dispositions are drawn away from their office, as if it were fit for a cleric to care alone for his own sustenance, and not rather to purchase for himself the Divine support after death, for he alone shall be in abundance after death who here was able to watch unharmed against the wiles of his many adversaries. Thus Ecclesiastes says: 'Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labour. For if one fall, the other will lift up his friend.' 1 Where are two better than one, but where Christ is and the one whom Christ guards? For if he falls who is with the Lord Jesus, Jesus lifts him up. But with what sense is it said, 'for their labour'? Does Christ labour? Yes truly, for He says, 'I have laboured, crying out.' 2 He labours, but it is over us. Then He sat down wearied at the well. 3 And how He labours the Apostle teaches by his humbler example, saying: 'Who is weak, and I am not weak?' 4 Our Lord Himself has also taught us in the words, 'I was sick, and you did not visit me. I was naked and you did not cover me.' 5 He labours to lift me up when I fall. Saint Ambrose, from Letter 81 To The Clergy 1 Eccles 4.9-10 2 Ps 58.4 3 Jn 4.6 4 2 Cor 11.29 5 Mt 25.43