Wealth Of Earth And Heaven

Ubi enim fuerit thesauros tuus, ibi erit cor tuum... Qui collocat thesauros in terra, non habet quod speret in caelo. Ut quid enim aspiciat in caelum, ubi nihil repositum habet? Propterea sive laetatur, in carnalibus et terrenis laetatur: sive tristatur, de carnalibus et terrenis tristatur. Qui autem divitias sua reponit in caelo, non habet spem in terra. Ut quid enim delectatur in terra, qui nihil habet in terra? Ideo sive laetatur, in spiritualibus laetatur: sive tristatur, de spiritualibus tristatur. Ergo peccatorum et laetitia mala, et tristia pejor, quia aut de lucro terreno laetantur, aut de damno tristantur: justorum autem et laetitia bona, et tristitia melior, quoniam aut de justitia laetantur, aut de peccato tristantur. Si enim aliqua causa mortis advenerit, si quidem spes illius in terra sit, tristatur, quasi de domo sua ad peregre vadens, ut non dicam ad tormenta: si autem spes ejus in caelo sit, gaudet quasi de peregre ad domum propriam reversurus, ut non dicam ad regnum caeleste. Secundo, qui thesaurizat in terris, dupliciter facit peccatum. Primum, quia male congregat: secondo, qui cor habens in terra, numquam quae Dei sunt recordatur, sed semper quae terrae. Et qui thesaurizat in caelo dupliciter justitiam facit. Primum, quia bene foenerat: secundo, quia spem habens in Deo, semper quae Dei sunt cogitat et mediatatur, et non quae terrae. Et quamadmodum qui semel congregare coeperit in terra, ipsa concupiscentia terrena facit eum magis sollicitum esse, nec solum ne minuat inde, sed ut magis augeat: sic et qui thesaurizat in caelo, ipsa concupiscentia spiritualis facit eum sollicitum, non solum ut non perdat quod habet, sed adhuc ut augeat super id quod habet. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XV  Source: Migne PG 56.747

For where your treasure is, there will be your heart. 1 He who gathers treasure on earth does not have hope in heaven. Why should he look to heaven, where he has nothing stored up? Therefore if he is happy, he is happy in carnal and worldly things, or if he is sad, he grieves over carnal and worldly things. But he who stores up his wealth in heaven, he has no hope on earth. Why would he delight in the world who has nothing in the world? Therefore if he is happy, he is happy in spiritual things, and if he is sad he grieves over spiritual things. So the joy of sinners is evil, and their grief is worse, because either they take joy in worldly wealth or grieve over its loss. But the joy of the righteous is good, and their grief better, because they are joyful on account of righteousness, or sorrowful over sin. If some cause of death nears, if a man's hope is in the world, he grieves, as if going into exile from his own house, I shall not say to torment. But if his hope is in heaven, he rejoices as if returning to his own proper house, I shall not say to the kingdom of heaven. Secondly he who heaps up on the earth, commits a twofold sin. Firstly because he gathers in error, secondly because he who has his heart on the world, is never mindful of the things of God, but always of the things of the world. And he who heaps up in heaven makes a twofold righteousness. Firstly because he harvests wisely, secondly, because he has hope in God, he always thinks and meditates on the things of God. And as he who has once began to gather on earth, because of his worldly desire, takes care to make his treasure grow, not only that it not diminish but that it increase, so it is with him who heaps up in heaven, that because of his spiritual desire, he has care to make his treasure grow, not only that he not lose what he has, but that it grow greater than what he has. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 15 1 Mt 6.21