Treasure Of Earth And Heaven

Nolite thesaurizare vobis thesauros, etc. Dixi quia neque eleemosynam, neque orationem, neque jejunium, propter laudem hominum faciatis vel terrenam. Et quid dicerem per singula? Jubeo ut nihil propter temporalia velitis facere. Et hoc est: Nolite thesaurizare, id est, congregare et facere thesauros vestros in terra, id est in terrenis, Ubi aerugo et tinea demolitur, et fures effodiunt et furantur. Tria ponit secundum tres diversitates divitiarum. Metalla aerugine, vestes a tinea demoliuntur. Sunt alia quae neque aeruginem nec tineam timent, sicut lapides pretiosi, et ideo ponit generale detrimentum, scilicet fures, qui omnes divitias rapere possunt. Potest etiam prohibitio non solum de pecunia, sed etiam de omnibus terrenis intelligi. Quisquis enim amorem suum in aliqua terrena applicat, in terra thesaurizat, et si aliquid sicut gulam vel libidinem, vel aliquid terrenum diligit, vel si bonum mala intentione faciat, iste thesaurum in terra ponit, et illa aerugo et tinea demolitur. Aerugo obfuscat, et comedit et videtur. Tinea vero comedit, sed non videtur. Aerugo igitur significat carnalia peccata quae videntur. Tinea spiritualia animae, quae non videntur, sicut est ira, invidia, fures, daemones. Aerugo comedit thesaurum temporalium et tinea, dum ex amore gulae, vel inanis gloriae, rubigo luxuriae nascitur, et dormitionis, et aliarum voluptatum, quae illum gulae amorem obfuscant, et dum ex inani gloria nascitur, invidiae tinea, et timor et cura quae consumunt illam gloriam. Si autem, ut diximus, propter laudem faciunt bona, illa fures, id est daemones, auferunt. Probat quod neque jejunium, neque eleemosyna sub hypocrisi facta aliquid proficiant. In coelo vero nulla sunt istorum. Ubi enim est thesaurus, etc. Ideo non debes in terra thesaurizare, sed in coelo: quia quidquid est quod potissimum est illi servis, in illa cor tuum infigis, id est, intentionem tuam. Si cor est in coelo, mundum est, quia munda sunt coelestia. Si autem in terra volutatur, quomodo mundum est? quoniam sordescit res dignior, dum inferiori miscetur, sicut aurum argento. Anselmus Laudunensis, Enarrationes In Matthaeum, Cap VI Source: Migne PL 162.1310b-1311a

Do not heap up treasure for yourself... 1 I have said that you should not give alms, nor pray, nor fast, for the sake of the praise of men, or for the world. 2 And what do I say through each one of these? I command that you do not do anything for the sake of temporal things. And this is: 'Do not heap up treasure,' that is, do not gather and establish your treasure on earth, that is in worldly things 'Where rust and moths devour, and thieves dig in and steal.' Three things, then, He lays down according to the three differences of wealth. Metal is devoured by rust, clothes by moths. And there are other things which fear neither rust or moth, like precious stones, and therefore He sets down a general loss, that is, thieves, who are able to seize on any sort of wealth. It is possible to understand that this prohibition touches not only on coins but even all the things of the world. Whoever, then, directs his love to something of the earth, he heaps up treasure on the earth, and if he delights in something like gluttony or lust, or some worldly thing, or if he shall do good with evil intent, he places his treasure on the earth, and rust and moths devour it. Rust obscures and devours and is apparent. But moths when they devour, they are not seen. Thus the rust signifies the carnal sins which are overt, the moth the spiritual things of the soul which do not appear, as anger and envy, thieves and demons. Rust devours the treasure of temporal things, while the moth is born from the love of gluttony, or vainglory, with the blight of luxury, and sloth, and other pleasures, which obscure that same love of gluttony, and when the moth of envy is born from vainglory, so is fear and care which consumes that glory, But if, as we have said, good deeds are done on account of praise, the thieves, that is, the demons, steal them away. He affirms that neither fasting nor alms giving shall profit in hypocrisy. In heaven there are none of these things. 'Where your treasure is...' 3 Therefore you should not heap up treasure on the earth but in heaven, because you should guard whatever is greater and fix your heart on it, that is, your will. If the heart is in heaven, it is clean because heavenly things are pure, but if it rolls about in the world, how is it clean? That which is more valuable makes the inferior thing it is mixed with unworthy, as gold with silver. Anselm of Laon, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 6 1 Mt 6.19 2 Mt 6.1-18 3 Mt 6.21