Encouraging Confessors

Cyprianus Rogatiano presbytero et caeteris confessoribus fratribus salutem. Et jampridem vobis, fratres charissimi ac fortissimi, litteras miseram, quibus fidei et virtuti vestrae verbis exultantibus gratularer, et nunc non aliud in primis vox nostra complectitur quam ut laeto animo frequenter ac semper gloriam vestri nominis praedicemus. Quid enim vel majus in votis meis potest esse vel melius quam cum video confessionis vestrae honore luminatum gregem Christi? Nam, cum gaudere in hoc omnes fratres oporteat, tum in gaudio communi major est episcopi portio: Ecclesiae enim gloria praepositi gloria est. Quantum dolemus ex illis quos tempestas inimica prostravit, tantum laetamur ex vobis, quos diabolus superare non potuit. Hortamur tamen per communem fidem, per pectoris nostri veram circa vos et simplicem charitatem, ut, qui adversarium prima hac congressione vicistis, gloriam vestram forti et perseveranti virtute teneatis. Adhuc in saeculo sumus, adhuc in acie constituti, de vita nostra quotidie dimicamus. Danda opera est ut post haec initia ad incrementa quoque veniatur, et consummetur in vobis quod jam rudimentis felicibus esse coepistis. Parum est adipisci aliquid potuisse; plus est quod adeptus es posse servare; sicut et fides ipsa et nativitas salutaris, non accepta, sed custodia, vivificat. Nec statim consecutio, sed consummatio hominem Deo servat. Dominus hoc magisterio suo docuit dicens: Ecce sanus factus es, jam noli peccare, ne quid tibi deterius fiat. Puta hoc illum et confessori suo dicere: Ecce confessor factus es, jam noli peccare, ne quid tibi deterius fiat. Salomon denique et Saul et caeteri multi, quamdiu in viis Domini ambulaverunt, datam sibi gratiam tenere potuerunt. Recedente ab iis disciplina Dominica, recessit et gratia. Sanctus Cyprianus, Epistula VI, Ad Rogantium Presbyterum Et Caeteros Confessors Source: Migne PL 3.235a-236b

Cyprian to the presbyter Rogatianus, and to the other confessors, his brethren, greetings. I had before, most beloved and bravest brethren, sent you a letter in which I congratulated your faith and virtue with words of exultation, and now, first of all, our voice has no other care than to announce the glory of your name repeatedly and always with a joyful mind. For what can I wish for in my prayers that would be greater or better than I might see the flock of Christ enlightened by the honour of your confession? For though all the brethren should rejoice in this, yet the share of the bishop is the greatest in the common gladness. For the glory of the Church is the glory of him who who presides. As much as we lament over those who have been thrown down by a hostile storm, to the same degree we rejoice over you whom the devil has not been able to overcome. However we exhort you by our common faith, by the true and simple love in our heart for you, that having overcome the adversary in this first encounter, you should cling to your glory with a brave and persevering virtue. We are still in the world, we are yet placed in the battleline, we fight daily for our lives. We should give ourselves to the task so that after such a beginning there should also come about an increase, and thus that what you have begun to be with such a blessed commencement should be perfected in you. It is a little thing to have been able to obtain something, it is much more that you are able to keep what you have obtained, even as faith itself and saving birth gives life not simply by being received, but by being preserved. It is not the instant of attainment, but the perfecting, that guards a man for God. The Lord taught this in His instruction when He said, 'Behold, you are made well. Sin no more, lest something worse befall you.' 1 Think of Him as saying something like this to His confessor, 'Behold, you are made a confessor. Sin no more, lest something worse come upon you.' So Solomon, and Saul, and many others, as long as they walked in the Lord's ways, were able to keep the grace given to them. When they abandoned the discipline of the Lord, grace abandoned them. Saint Cyprian of Carthage, from Letter 6, to Rogantius the Priest and other Confessors 1 Jn 5.14

Curing The Blind

Et stans Jesus praecepit illum vocari. Et vocant caecum, dicentes ei: Animaequior esto: surge, vocat te. Qui, projecta vestimento suo, exsiliens venit ad eum.Et respondens Jesus dixit illi: Quid tibi vis faciam? Caecus autem dixit ei: Rabboni, ut videam. Jesus autem ait illi: Vade, fides tua te salvum facit. Et confestim vidit, et sequebatur eum in via. Tangit hic ea quae circumstant istius mirculi perfectionem. Sunt autem septem, quorum primum est status transfeuntis, cum dicit, et stans Iesus, ut eum caecus consequi posset: stetit enim ex misericordia expectans eum, quem defidem transiuerat ex iustitia. Expectat vos Dominus ut misereatur vestri. En ipse stat post paritem nostrum. Et quid mirum quod stat expectans, quia ante stetit pulsans. Secundum est adduendi caeci ad se praeceptum, unde dicit praecepit illum vocati, ut Deo et lumini aeterno appropinquaret. Accedite ad eum et illuminamini, et facies vestrae non confundentur. Adducite illum ad me, et ponam oculos meos super eum. Tertium est quod iuxta Christi imperium caecus vocatur, et vocantes caecum, ministri illuminationis et intercessores, dicentes ei caeco iam statim illuminando. Confirmetis in illum charitatem. Animaequior esto Forti animo esto, in proximo est ut a Deo cureris. Animaequior esto populus Dei; quia quae Deo placent manifesta sunt vobis. Ergo, surge, hoc est, sursum ad caeli lumen age te. Surge qui dormis et exurge a mortuis, et illuminabit te Christus. Vocat te. Qui vocat ea quae non sunt tamquam ea quae sunt. Quartum est caeci ad lumen acceleratio, et hoc est, Qui proiecto vestimento suo, ut reverentiam exhiberet, et pristini erroris per confessionem conversationem deponeret. Exui me tunica mea, et quomodo induat illa. Deponere vos secundum pristinam conversationem veterem hominem, qui corrupitur secundum desideria erroris. Exiliens prae gaudio quod concepit spe sanitatis percipiendae. Ecce venit, saliens in monitbus, transiliens colles. Quia si etiam claudus fuisset, prae gaudio saltasset: et hoc fuit signum perfectae fidei, quia aliter guadium tantum non concepisset. Tunc saliet quasi cevus claudus, et aperta erit lingua mutorum. Venit ad eum Salvatorem et illuminatorem omnium. In die bona venimus ad te. Et respondens Jesus dixit illi. Quintum est, in quo per quaestionem intendit Dominus aliis hujus caeci ostendere affectum. Quid tibi vis faciam? Hoc quaerit non ignorans, sed ut aliis ostendatur quod non carnale aliquid, sed perceptionem luminis interioris et exterioris habet in desiderio. Quale gaudium mihi erit, qui in tenebris sedeo, et lumen coeli non video? Caecus autem dixit ei, de videndo lumine suum exclamans desiderium: Dulce lumen et delectabile est oculis videre solem. Rabboni, dulcissime magister, qui veritate tua omnes illuminas, qui dixisti, Ego sum lux mundi, qui sequitur me, non ambulat in tenebris, sed habebit lumen vitae, qui dixisti adhuc, In judicium ego in hunc mundum veni, ut qui non vident, videant, et qui vident, caeci fiant. Ut videam. Domine, ut videam: Deus meus, illumina tenebras meas. Jesus autem ait illi, Fons verae lucis. Candor est lucis aeternae, et speculum sine macula. Vade, illuminationis profectu. Et hoc est sextam. Domine, in lumine vultus tui ambulabunt: et in nomine tuo exsultabunt tota die, et in justitia tua exaltabuntur. Disce ubi sit lumen oculorum et pax.'  'Fides tua,' qua me posse hoc tibi facere credis, 'te salvum fecit.' 'Fides tua te salvam fecit, vade in pace.' 'Et confestim vidit.' Hoc est septimum. 'Confestim,' quia nescit tarda molimina Spiritus sancti gratia. Et ne putetur per medicinam curatus, statim in momento factum est. Confestim ergo vidit. 'Revela oculos meos, et considerabo mirabilia de lege tua.' 'Ceciderunt ab oculis ejus tamquam squamae, et visum recepit.' 'Cum sedero in tenebris, Dominus lux mea est.' 'Et sequebatur eam in via.' Fructus est miraculi et utilitas. Sequar te quocumque ieris. Hic enim de caetero lumen sequebatur, ne in tenebris impingeret. Dum lucem habetis, credite in lucem, ut filii lucis sitis. Ut filii lucis ambulate. Hoc enim est primum lucis beneficium ut sequamur lucem. Sanctus Albertus Magnus Commentarium In Evangelium Divi Marci, Caput X Source: Here p130

And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man, saying to him, 'Take heart, rise up, He has called you.' And casting off his cloak he leapt up and came to Him. And in answer Jesus said to him, 'What do you want me to do?' The blind man said to him: 'Master, that I might see.' And Jesus said to him: 'Go, your faith has saved you.' And instantly he saw, and he followed Him in the way. 1 These touches on the things which pertain to the perfection of the miracle. There are seven parts, the first of which is the state of passing by, when it is said, 'And Jesus stopped,' so that the blind man might be able to come to him. For He stopped because of mercy to await him, who sitting He would have passed by because of righteousness. 'The Lord waits for you that He might be merciful to you.' 'Behold, he stands at our wall.' 2 And why wonder that He stood waiting, since before He stood knocking. The second part is the blind man coming to Him at His command, whence it is said that He commanded Him to be called, so that he might come near to God and the light eternal. 'Come to Him and be illuminated, and your faces shall not be confounded.' 'Bring him to me and I shall place my eyes upon him.' 3 The third part is that the blind man is called by the people of Christ, and calling the blind man they are ministers and intercessors of the light, who now immediately speak to the blind man for his enlightening. 'Be strong in love for him.' 4 'Take heart.' Be strong in soul, it is near that you might be healed by God.' 'Take heart, people of God, because the things which are pleasing to God have been revealed to you.' Therefore 'rise up,' that is, lift yourself up to the light of heaven. 'Rise you who sleep, rise up from the dead and Christ shall illuminate you.' 'He calls you.' 'He who calls the things which are not as things which are.' 5 The fourth part is the hurrying of the blind man to the light, and this is, 'Casting off his cloak,'  so that he exhibits reverence, and would be rid of the state of the first fault through confession. 'He took my tunic from me, how shall I put in on?' 'Put off your former conduct of the old man, which was corrupted by deceitful desires.' 'He leapt up,' for joy because he conceived hope of the healing to be gained. 'Behold he comes, leaping on the mountains, bounding across the hills.' 6 Because even if he had been lame, he would have leapt for joy. And this is the sign of perfect faith, because otherwise he would not have been joyful at all. 'Then the lame man shall leap like a hart, and the tongues of the mute shall be opened.' Thus he comes to the Saviour, to the one who enlightens all things. 'On a good day we come to you.' 7 'And in answer Jesus said to him.' The fifth part is that by question the Lord intends to reveal the desire of the blind man to others. 'What do you want me to do?' He did not ask as one ignorant, but that He might show others that this was not something carnal, but that he had in him a desire for the possession of interior and exterior light. 'What joy shall there be for me who sits in darkness and does not see the light of heaven?' 8 'The blind man said to Him,' he cries out with his desire for the light of seeing, 'Light is sweet and it is delightful to see the sun with one's eyes.' 9 'Master' the sweetest teacher, who with your light illuminates everyone, you who said, 'I am the light of the world, he who follows me shall not walk in darkness but he shall have the light of life.' You who yet said, 'In judgement I shall come into this world, that those who do not see might see and those who see might be blind.' 10 'That I might see.' 'O Lord, that I might see.' 'My God, illuminate my darkness.' 'Jesus said to him,' 'The fount of true light. Its brightness is of the light eternal and it is a mirror without flaw.' 11 'Go,' in the success of enlightenment. And this is the sixth part. 'O Lord, in the light of your face they shall walk, and in your name they shall exult the whole day, and in your righteousness they shall be exalted.' 'Learn where might be the light of the eyes and peace.' 12 'Your faith,' because you believe that I am able to do this to you, 'has saved you.' 'Your faith has saved you, go in peace' 13 'And instantly he saw.' This is the seventh part. 'Instantly,' because the Holy Spirit does not know delay in its efforts. And lest it be thought he was cured by medicine, it is performed in a moment. Thus he sees instantly. 'Open my eyes, and I shall consider the wonders of your law' 'They fell from his eyes like scales and he received his sight.' 'When I shall sit in darkness, the Lord is my light.' 14 'And he followed Him in the way.' The fruit and usefulness of the miracle. 'I shall follow you wherever you shall go.' Henceforth he followed the light lest he be driven into darkness. 'While you have the light, believe in the light, that you be sons of the light.' 'So that you walk as sons of light.' 15 This is the first blessing of light, that we might follow the light. Saint Albert The Great, Commentary On The Gospel of St Mark, Chapter 10 1 Mk 10.40-52 2 Isaiah 30.18 Song 2.9 3 Ps 33.6 Genes 44.21 4 2 Cor 2.8 5 Tob 5.13, Baruch 4.27, Ephes 5.14, Rom 4.17 6 Song 5.3 Ephes 4.22, Song 2.8 7 Isaiah 35.6, 1 Kings 25.8 8 Tob 5.12 9 Eccle 11.7 10 Jn 8.12, Jn 9.39 11 Lk 18.41, 1. Ps 17.29, Wisd 7.26 12 Ps 88.16,11 Baruch 3.14 13 Lk 7.50 14 Ps 118.18, Acts 9.18, Micah 7.8 15 Mt 8.19, Jn 12.36, Ephes 5.8

Seeing And Believing

Quaeritur de hoc quod dicitur: Vidistis me, et non creditis. Videtur, quod nihill dicat, quia fides est earum rerum, quae non videntur, ut dicit Apostolus ad Heb undecimo. Ergo nihil potest eos reprehendere de hoc, quod non credunt, cum videant. Si dicas, quod videre est secundum humanitatem, sed credere secundum Divnitatem; hoc nihil est, quia visio humanitatis potius impedit fidem Divnitatis, quam adjuvet: ergo non debet eos arguere ex hoc. Resp. Dicendum, quod intelligitur de visione non humanitatis purae, vel infirmae sed de visione virtutis et potentiae in effectu. Et quoniam videbunt Divinam virtutuem in effectu, ideo credere debebant. Quod objicitur, quod visio repugnat fidei, dicendum, quod verum est de visione essentiae Divinae; sed non est verum de visione, quae est in effectu tanquam in speculo; quia fidei est videre per speculum et in aenigmate. Sanctus Bonaventura, Commentarius In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput VI Source: Here, p677

One must enquire into this which is said: 'You see me and you do not believe.' 1 It seems that nothing is being said here because faith is of things which are not seen, as the Apostle says in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. 2 Therefore it is not possible to find fault with them concerning this, that they do not believe when they see. If you should say that to see is according to humanity and to believe is according to Divinity, this is nothing, because human vision is more of an obstacle to the Divine faith rather than a help, and therefore there should be no dispute with them because of this. I answer that it must be said that this should be understood of a seeing that is not purely human, or weak, but it is a seeing of virtue and power in action. And because they saw the Divine virtue in action, therefore they should have believed. And to the objection that vision is hostile to faith, it must be said that this is true regarding the vision of the Divine essence, but it is not true of the vision which is active as in a mirror, because faith is to see through a mirror darkly. 3 Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 6 1 Jn 6.36 2 Heb 11.1 3 1 Cor 13.12

Seeing Within

Sacri eloquii mysticos sensus Propheta per aspirationem sancti Spiritus prudenter intelligens, dicit: Mirabilia testimonia tua, ideo scrutata est ea anima mea. Qui rursus ait: Revela oculos meos, et considerabo mirabilia de lege tua. Qui enim necdum occulta de apertis intelligit, oculos velatos habet. Qui vero jam intelligit, revelatis oculis mirabilia de lege Dei considerat, quia, spiritaliter litterae verba discutiens, quae interius magnitudo lateat pensat. An non est mirabile quando aliud auribus sonat, atque aliud exit ad intelligentiam quod non sonabat? Cui ergo verbum sacri eloquii nisi lapidi simile dixerim, in quo ignis latet? Qui manu quidem frigidus tenetur, sed, percussus ferro, per scintillas micat, atque hoc emittit ignem qui post ardeat, quod prius manus frigidum tenebat. Sic etenim, sic verba sunt sacri eloquii, quae quidem per narrationem litterae frigida tenentur; sed si quis haec, aspirante Domino, intento intellectu pulsaverit, de mysticis ejus sensibus ignem producit, ut in eis verbis post animus spiritaliter ardeat, quae prius per litteram ipse quoque frigidus audiebat. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Secundus, Homilia X Source: Migne PL 76.1058a-c

Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit the prophet wisely understands the spiritual sense of sacred speech, saying, 'Your testimonies are wondrous, therefore my soul has studied them.' He who says again: 'Open my eyes, and I shall consider the wonders of your law.' 1 For he who does not yet understand hidden things as things revealed, he has his eyes veiled. But he who understands with eyes opened considers the wonders of God's law, because spiritually shattering the literal words, he ponders the greatness hidden within. Is it not to be wondered at that when something resounds in the ear, yet something escapes understanding which is not heard? To what then might I say the word of holy speech is like but a stone in which fire is hidden? It is cold when it is held in the hand but when it is struck with iron, it flashes with sparks, and that which emits the fire is afterward warm, which before was so cold to the touch. So indeed are the words of sacred speech, which by the literal narration are felt to be cold, but if someone, by the inspiration of the Lord, shall strike them with zealous understanding, he shall produce the fire of spiritual understanding, so that after, because of these words, the soul is spirtually aflame, that which before by the letter listened in coldness. Saint Gregory the Great, On the Prophet Ezekiel, Book 2, from Homily 10 1 Ps 118.129, 18

Ways Of Seeing

Levavi oculos meos in montes... Humanae mentis natura est, ita si cogitatione aliquid contemplemur, talem se nobis unaquaeque species exhibeat, qualem eam et cogitando formemus, Quoquo enim mentis nostrae oculos intenderimus, id ipsum in quo defixi sunt referunt ad sensum. Et ut planius intelligi id quod dictum est possit, afferemus exemplum. Si quis hiemis die ver cogitaverit, et ornamentum ejus lumine mentis inspexerit, oblitterata hieme in qua sit atque algeat, totum ei in sensu suo ver cum habitu suo ornatuque consistet. Adeo mentis oculi oculis corporis praestant, ut ineunte in nos oblivione praesentium, totos nos obtineat quidam quasi animo praesumptus usus absentium. Hoc igitur quo spectet, mox videbimus. Levat in montes Propheta oculos. Quosnam oculos? Nempe de quibus scriptum est: Revela oculos meos et cognoscam mirabilia ex lege tua, et rursum: Praeceptum Domini lucidum illuminans oculos. Numquid non isti oculi nostri corporali lumine ad contemplandum accensi sunt? Numquid non naturam videndi sortiti sunt? Quae illuminatio vel quae revelatio erit necessaria? Deinde quae visuri mirabilia in lege? Nisi forte in casis festa frondium, in templo pecudum sanguinem, in pascha agni victimam, in summa religione sabbati otium? Sed, ut puto, fieri haec ab his qui adspectatores aderant videbantur. Non ergo ad id revelandi sunt oculi quod cernebatur, sed ad id quod intelligi optabatur in lege. Mentis ergo oculos propheta elevavit in montes. Quosnam in montes? Non utique in hos lucis atque aris profanatos et conventibus impios, neque in illos silvis horrides, saxis nudos, praeruptis invios, nivibus concretos: quid enim in his aut admirationis aut spei situm est? Sed montes accipimus propheticos libros ex terra in altum elatos, per quos sit in superiora conscensus, et gradus in aeterna. Poterimus autem et montes existimare anglica ministeria et coelorum virtutes et potestates, quarum ministerio nobis in sublimia praestatur adscensus. Si enim secundum Danielem Dominus ipse mons magnus est, non ambigendum est, montes eos nuncapari, qui praecepti ejus  et voluntatis et communicandae in nos beatitudinis sunt ministri. In hos igitur montes propheta oculos cordis elevans, horumque intra se omnium monita, ministeria, officia, dona contemplans, et in his intelligentiae suae lumen intendens, reddidit sensui suo contemplatae speciei integram perfectamque naturam, et totum id quod cogitatione viderat, mente continuit, sciens unde ei venturum esset auxilium, dicens, 'Unde veniet auxilium mihi.' Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis,Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum CXX Source: Migne PL 9.654c-655c

I lifted up my eyes to the mountains... 1 It is the nature of the human mind that if we contemplate something in thought, the thing appears in us in its appearance as we form it by thinking of it. And also when we consider the eyes of our mind, that on which they are fixed is communicated to the understanding. That what I say may be easier to understand I shall offer an example. If someone thinks of spring on a winter's day and he looks upon its appearance in the light of his mind, the winter in which he sits shivering falls away, for the whole of his intent is occupied with spring and its appearance. Therefore when the eyes of the mind outstrip the body, present things are cast into oblivion and we are wholly occupied by things absent which are grasped by the soul. And this way of looking we shall soon see. The Prophet raises his eyes to the mountains. What eyes? Certainly concerning which it is written: 'Open my eyes and I shall know the wonders of your law.' 2 And again, 'The teaching of the Lord is a light enlightening the eyes.' 3 And are these eyes for contemplation our eyes which are lit by material light? Is it the seeing of nature that is wished here? What illumination or revelation shall be necessary for that? Then what wonders shall be seen in the Law? Shall it be perhaps that the height of religion is to be found in festal huts roofed with palms, in the blood of the cattle in the temple, in the sacrificed lamb at the Pasch, and in the idleness of the Sabbath? But, so I think, these things were seen by those who had come near to see. Not then in such things are the eyes given to revelation by what was seen, but in what was wished to be understood by the Law. Thus are the eyes of the Prophet lifted up to the mountains. And to what mountains? Certainly not to those in the light here where there are profane altars and heathen gatherings. Not to fearful woods, or bare stone or pathless precipices, or drifts of snow. For what in these things is there to admire or to fix one's hope? But we understand the mountains  to be the books of the Prophets which have been raised up from earth to the heights, by which there may be ascent to the heights, and a path to eternity. And we can also understand these peaks as the ministry of angels, the virtues of heaven, and the powers, whose ministry is given to us that an ascent to the heights might be possible. For if, as according to Daniel, the Lord is a great mountain, 4 it is clear that they are named mounains, who in communion with His commandments and will  are ministers of blessings upon us. To such mountains, then, the prophet lifts up the eyes of his heart, and contemplating in himself all the teachings, ministries, duties and gifts, and looking on these in the light of his understanding, the perfect and integral nature of the things contemplated is given to his mind, and all that he has seen in his thought, he keeps in his mind, knowing that help shall come to him, for then he says, 'From where help shall come to me.' 1 Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 120 1 Ps 120.1 2 Ps 118.18 3 Ps 18.9 4 Dan 2.35

Revelation And Hiding

Ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ καιρῷ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν: ἐξομολογοῦμαί σοι, Πάτερ, Kύριε τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἔκρυψας ταῦτα ἀπὸ σοφῶν καὶ συνετῶν, καὶ ἀπεκάλυψας αὐτὰ νηπίοις. Ὅ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ἐξομολογοῦμαι, ἀντὶ τοῦ Εὐχαριστῶ σοι, ὦ Πάτερ, ὅτι οἱ δοκοῦντες σοφοὶ καὶ ἔμπειροι εἶναι τῶν Γραφῶν Ἰουδαῖοι, ἠπείθησαν, οἱ δὲ ἀμαθεῖς καὶ νήπιοι ἐπίστευσαν καὶ ἔγνων τὰ μυστήρια. Ἀπέκρυψε δὲ τὰ μυστήρια ὁ Θεὸς απὸ τῶν δοκούντῶν εἶναι σοφῶν, οὐχ ὡς φθονῶν ἤ ὡς αἴτιος ἀγνωσίας, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἀξίους, ἐξ αὐτοῦ τούτου τοῦ δοκεῖν ἑαυτοὺς εἶναι σοφούς· ὁ γὰρ δοκῶν ἑαυτὸν σοφὸν, καὶ θαῥῥων τῇ οἰκείᾳ γνώσει, οὐδὲ προσαλεῖται Θεόν. Καὶ λοιπὸν ὁ Θεὸς ὡς μὴ προσκαλούμενος οὐδὲ βοηθεῖ αὐτῷ, οὐδὲ ἀποκαλύπτει. Ἄλλως τε, ὁ Θεὸς μᾶλλον διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν οὐκ ἀποκαλύπτει τοῖς πολλοῖς τὰ μυστήρια, ἵνα μὴ πλεῖον κολασθῶσιν, ὡς μετὰ τὸ γνῶναι διαπτύσαντες. Θεοφύλακτος Αχρίδος, Ἑρμηνεία Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Ματθαιον , Κεφ ΙΑ' Source: Migne PG 123.256c-d

At that time Jesus answered and said, 'I confess to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden all these things from the wise and clever, and revealed them to little ones.' 1 He says, 'I confess,' that is, I give thanks to you, Father, that the Jews who seem to be wise to themselves and learned in the Scriptures, did not believe, but the uneducated and little ones believed and knew mysteries. For God hides mysteries from those who seem to be wise, not because He begrudges them, or that He is a cause of ignorance, but because they are not worthy, since they seem wise to themselves. But he who is wise to himself and he who is confident in his own knowledge does not call on God. And when one does not call on God, He does not aid, nor does He reveal anything. And besides this, God on account of His love of men does not reveal His mysteries to many, lest more be punished, scorning the things that they teach. Theophylact of Ochrid, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Matthew, Chapter 11 1 Mt 11.25

Words And Silence

Ἐπειδὴ οὐ μικρὸν κακὸν, τοῖς εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην φλυαροῦσιν ὑπάρχει τῆς γλώττης ἡ ὀξύτης, τοῦτου χάριν ἀντὶ θύρας, καὶ μοχλοῦ τὴν σιωπὴν τίθησην ὁ ἅγιας Μωϋσης· διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο δύο εἰλήφαμεν ὤτα, μίαν δὲ γλῶσσαν, ἴνα πλείονα ἀκούωμεν πρὸς σωτηρίαν, ἤπερ λαλοῦμεν, διὰ πράξεων ἀγαθῶν μᾶλλον βοῶντες, καὶ θείων κατορθωμτων. Καλῶς οὖν αὐτός τε ο Μωϋσης, καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς, καὶ οἱ Λευῖται, παντὶ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἀπεστέλλοντο λέγοντες· Σιώπα, Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἄλουε τὰ λόγια Κυρίου. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΣΟΖ’, Ἡρακλειτῳ Σκολαστικῳ Source: Migne PG 79.184c

Since it is not a little evil, from those who recklessly and vainly talk nonsense with the eager tongue, as a door and bar holy Moses demands silence, for being in possession of two ears and one tongue, we should hear much more for our salvation than speak, and should rather cry out through good works and Divine deeds. Rightly, therefore, did Moses send off the priests and Levites, and all Israel, saying, 'Be silent, Israel, and hear the words of God.' 1 Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 277, to Heraclitus the Scholar 1 Deut 27.9

Virtue And Quiet

Ὁ διαπεράσαι θέλων τήν νοητὴν θάλασσαν, μακροθυμεῖ, ταπεινοφρονεῖ ἀγρυπνει, ἐγκρατεύεται. Ἐκτὸς δὲ τῶν τεσσάρων τούτων ἐὰν εἰσελθεῖν βιάσηται, θορυβεῖ τὴν καρδίαν, περάσαι δὲ οὐ δύναται. Ἡσυχία ὠφελεῖ, τῶν κακῶν ἀργήσασα. Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ τὰς τέσσαρας ἀρετὰς ἐν προσευχῇ προσλάβῃ βοήθημα, πρὸς ἀπάθειαν οὐδὲν αὐτῇ συντομώτερον. Ἅγιος Μάρκος ὁ Ἐρημίτης, Περὶ Τῶν Οἰομένων Ἐξ Ἔργων Δικαιοῦσθαι Source: Migne PG 65.936a

He who would willingly cast himself into the spiritual sea requires long suffering, humility, vigilance and temperance. Without these four, if someone tries to enter, his heart is troubled, and he cannot. Quiet is of benefit when it has leisure from the vices, and if the four aforementioned virtues have been received for help in prayer, since nothing else can achieve the untroubled state. Saint Mark The Ascetic, On Those Who Think Themselves Justified By Works

Delight And Giving

Delectare in Domino, et dabit tibi petitionem cordis tui. Delectatio et corporalis dicitur et spiritualis: illa nurit vitia, ista virtutes. Delectare cum dicit in Domino, suavem tibi vult esse ejus recordationem, ut ames quem times, ut desideres quem vereris, ut ambias quaerere quem pavesces. Sequitur: et dabit tibi petitionem cordis tui. Respice quia cordis dixit, non carnis, quod ad sapientiam solet referri. Cordis enim petitio est fides, charitas, intellectus Dei, et opera actuum bonorum.  Cassiodorus, Expositio In Psalterium, Psalmus XXXVI Source: Migne PL 70.258c-d

Delight in the Lord and He shall give to you the petition of your heart. 1 Delight can be spoken of the body and spirit. The former nourishes vices, the latter virtues. When he says delight in the Lord, he wishes that the memory of Him be sweet to you, that you love Him whom you fear, desire Him whom you are in awe of,  and that you aspire to seek Him whom you tremble at. It follows: 'And He shall give to you the petition of your heart.' See that he speaks of the heart that is not of the flesh, which is the customary way to refer to wisdom. For the petition of the heart is faith, charity and the understanding of God, and the works of good deeds. Cassiodorus, Commentary On The Psalms, from Psalm 36 1 Ps 36.4

The Fruits Of Choosing

Fiat manus tua ut salvum me faciat, quoniam mandata tua elegi. Aliis gloriam saeculi eligentibus, aliis venerationem elementorum ac daemonum capessentibus, aliss terrenas opes expetentibus, sanctus iste mandata Dei elegit. Elegit autem non naturali necessitate, sed voluntate pietatis: quia unicuique ad id quod volet via est proposita vivendi, et appetendi atque agendi permissa libertas. Et ob id uniuscujusqie aut poena aut praemiis afficetur electio. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis,Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum CXVIII Source: Migne PL 9.641a

May it be that your hand saves me, because I have chosen your commandments. 1 It is for others to choose the glory of the age, it is for others to take to the veneration of the elements of the world and demons, it is for others to seek worldly wealth, this holy man chooses the commandments of God. Yet he does not choose on account of some necessity of nature but by the will of piety, because each one chooses according to the purpose of his way of living, and freedom is given for that desiring and doing. And because of this the choice of each one shall bring about punishment or reward. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.173

Deaf Ears, Hard Hearts

...Et aures suas aggravaverunt ne audirent. Et cor suum posuerunt ut adamantem, ne audirent legem, et verba quæ misit Dominus exercituum in spiritu suo per manum prophetarum priorum: et facta est indignatio magna a Domino exercituum. Et factum est sicut locutus est, et non audierunt: sic clamabunt et non exaudiam, dicit Dominus exercituum. Et aures, inquit, suas aggravaverunt ne audirent, sicut aspidis, surdae obturantis aures suas, quae non audiet vocem incantantium, et venefici incantantis sapienter. Ingravaverunt enim aures sua ut non audirent, et cor suum posuerunt, ut non acquiescerent legi Dei. Unde Isaias ad eos comminans loquitur: Incrassatum est cor populi hujus, et auribus suis graviter audierunt, et oculos suos clauserunt, ne forte viderent oculis suis, et audirent auribus, et corde intelligerent, et converterentur, et ego sanarem eos. Porro quod dicitur juxta Hebraicum: Et cor suum posuerunt adamentem, duritiam cordis ostendit, et cor lapideum, quod noluerint verba Dei suscipere. Adamas enim lapis fortissimus, qui Hebraice dicitur שׁמי־ intantum durus est, ut omnia metalla confringat, et ipse non confringatur ab ullo. Unde a Graecis indomabilis dicitur. Ab hoc adamante induratum est cor Pharaonis, ne dimitterent populum Dei. Et quia habuerunt, immo posuerunt cor suum adamantem, propria voluntate cordis duritiam suscipientes, ne audirent verba Domini, quae misit in spiritu suo, id est, in Spiritu sancto per manum prophetarum priorum, Isaiae, Osee, et caeterorum, qui mundas habuerunt manus, quos ante captivitatem fuisse manifestum est: idcirco ad magna peccata, magna facta est indignatio, et Domini verba completa sunt, par pari referentis, it sicut illi ambulaverunt ad eum perversi, et ipse adversum eos perversus incederet, et non audiret verba inclamantium, quia et illi verba Domini surda aure contempserint. Sanctus Hieronymous, Commentariorum In Zachariam Prophetam, Liber II Cap VII Source: Migne PL 25.1462c- 1463b

...They made their ears made heavy lest they hear, and they set their hearts like adamant lest they hear the Law, even the words which the Lord of hosts sent with His spirit through the hands of the prophets in times before, and the indignation of the Lord of hosts was great. And it was done as was said, they did not hear. So when they shall cry out I shall not attend to them, says the Lord of hosts. 1 They have made their ears heavy, he says, lest they hear,  just like the asp, which closes up its ears, that it not hear the voice of the singer clearly, nor the song of the enchanter. 2 They have made their ears heavy so that they shall not hear, and their hearts they have set so that they shall not obey the law of God. Whence Isaiah admonishing them, says: 'The heart of this people is bloated, and with their ears they hear dully, and they close up their eyes, lest perhaps they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and they turn and I heal them.' 3 In the Hebrew it is said: 'And they have set their hearts as adamant,' which shows the hardness of the heart, the stony heart, which does not wish to receive the words of God. Adamant is the strongest stone, which in Hebrew is called 'Samir,' and it is so hard that it shatters every metal, and it is not broken by anything. Whence in Greek it is called 'unbreakable.' With this adamant the heart of Pharaoh was made hard, lest he let the people of God go. 4 And because they have set their hearts as adamant, by their own will adopting this hardness of heart, lest they hear the words of the Lord, which He sent by His spirit, that is, the Holy Spirit working through the Prophets who came before, like Isaiah and Hosea, and the rest, who had clean hands, those who came forth before the captivity, therefore because of their grave sins, His indignation is great, and the word of the Lord is fulfilled, a part referring to a part, that as they had walked to Him in perversity, He would thus perversely set Himself against them and not hear the words of those who cry out to Him, because in scorn they turned a deaf ear to the word of the Lord. Saint Jerome, Commentary on The Prophet Zechariah, Book 2, Chapter 7 1 Zech 7.11-13 2 Ps 57.5-6 3 Isaiah 6.9-10, Acts 18.27 4 Exod 7

Mocking the Sabbath

Viderunt eam hostes et deriserunt Sabbata ejus... Hostes deridere Sabbata est etiam a vitiis ipsa vacationis opera et otia, ad illicitas cogitationes pertrahere. Hugo De Sancte Victore, Miscellanea, Liber III, Tit LII, Sabbata quae derideantur Source: Migne PL 177.670b

Enemies saw her and mocked her Sabbaths... 1 For enemies to mock the Sabbath is for them to draw one from the deeds and the rest of leisure from the vices to wicked thoughts. Hugh Of Saint Victor, Miscellanea, Book 3, Chap 52, The mocking of the Sabbath 1 Lament 1.7

Healing The Hand

Καὶ εἰσῆλθεν πάλιν εἰς τὴν συναγωγήν, καὶ ἦν ἐκεῖ ἄνθρωπος ἐξηραμμένην ἔχων τὴν χεῖρα: καὶ παρετήρουν αὐτὸν εἰ τοῖς σάββασιν θεραπεύσει αὐτόν, ἵνα κατηγορήσωσιν αὐτοῦ. Kαὶ λέγει τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ τὴν ξηρὰν χεῖρα ἔχοντι: ἔγειρε εἰς τὸ μέσον. Kαὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς: ἔξεστιν τοῖς σάββασιν ἀγαθὸν ποιῆσαι ἢ κακοποιῆσαι, ψυχὴν σῶσαι ἢ ἀποκτεῖναι; οἱ δὲ ἐσιώπων. Kαὶ περιβλεψάμενος αὐτοὺς μετ' ὀργῆς, συλλυπούμενος ἐπὶ τῇ πωρώσει τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν, λέγει τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ: ἔκτεινον τὴν χεῖρα. καὶ ἐξέτεινεν, καὶ ἀπεκατεστάθη ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ὑγιὴς, ὡς ἡ ἄλλη. Των μαθητῶν κατηγορηθέντων ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, διότι τῷ Σαββάτῳ τοὺς στάχυας ἔτιλλον, ὁ Κύριος ἐπεστόμισε μὲν τοὺς κατηγόρους, καὶ διὰ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν Δαβὶδ ὑποδείγματος. Ἐπιπλέον δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ νῦν ἐντρέπων, θαυματουργεῖ, δεικνύων ὅτι, Τοσοῦτον οὐχ ἁμαρτάνουσιν οἱ μαθηταί μου, ὥστε καὶ αὐτὸς ἑγὼ ἐργάζομαι ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ Σαββάτου, θαῦμα ἐπιδεικνύμενος· ὥστε εἰ κακόν ἐστι τὸ θαυματουργεῖν, ἔστι κακὸν ἁπλῶς καὶ τὸ ἐργάζεσθαι τὰ ἀναγκαῖα ἐν τῷ Σαββάτῳ· ἀλλὰ μὴν τὸ θαυματουργεῖν, ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ ἀνθρώπου, θεῖόν ἐστιν, οὐκ ἄρα παρανομεῖ ὁ ἐν τῷ Σαββάτῳ μὴ κακόν τι ἐργὰζόμενος. Διὰ τοῦτο οὖν καὶ ἐρωτᾷ αὐτοὺς εἰ ἔξεστιν ἀγαθοποιῆσαι, ἐντρέπων αὐτοὺς ὡς κωλύοντας αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀγαθποιεῖν· ξηρὰν δὲ ἔχει τὴν χεῖρα τὴν δεξιὰν πᾶς ὁ μὴ πράττων τὰ τῆς δεξιᾶς μερίδος ἔργα. Πρὸς ὄν λέηει ὁ Χριστός· Ἐγηειρα, τουτέστιν, Ἀνάστα ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ στῆθι εἰς τὸ μέσον, τουτέστιν, εἰς τὴν μεσότητα τῶν ἀρετῶν. Πᾶσα γὰρ ἀρετὴ, μεσότης ἐστὶν, οὔτε εἰς τὴν ἔλλειψιν, οὔτε εἰς τὴν ὑπερβολὴν ἐπινεύουσα· τότε τοίνυν ὅταν σταθῇ εἰς τὴν μεσότητα, ἀποκατασταθήσεται ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ὑγιής. Ὅρα δὲ κὰι τὸ Ἀποκατεστάθη. Καὶ γὰρ ἦν ὅτε εἴχομεν ὑγιεῖς τὰς χεῖρας, τουτέστι, τὴν πρακτικὴν ἑνέργειαν, ὅτε οὔπω παράβασις· ἀφ' οὗ δὲ ἐξετάθη ἡ χεὶρ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τὸν ἀπηγορευμένον καρπὸν, ἔκτοτε ἐξηράνθη πρὸς τὴν τοῦ καλοῦ ἐργασίαν. Πάλιν οὖν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ σταθῶμεν τῶν ἀρετῶν. Θεοφύλακτος Αχρίδος, Ἑρμηνεία Εἰς Τὸ Κατά Μάρκον Εὐαγγέλιον, Κεφαλ. Γ’ Source: Migne PG 123.520d-521b

And He entered again into the synagogue, and there was a man there with a withered hand. And they watched Him whether He would heal on the Sabbath days, so that they might accuse him. And He said to the man with the withered hand: 'Stand up in the midst.' And He said to them, 'Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days or to do evil? To save life or to destroy it?' But they were silent. And looking on them in anger,  and being grieved because of the blindness of their hearts, He said to the man, 'Hold out your hand.' And he held it out, and his hand was restored to him, as healthy as the other. 1 When the disciples were accused by the Jews because they plucked ears from the corn, the Lord refuted their accusers, and that with the example of David, but now He confuted them much more with the making of a miracle, showing by this turning to the work of the making of a miracle on the Sabbath that His disciples did not sin, because if it is wicked to perform a miracle on the Sabbath, certainly it is wicked to perform a needful deed. But to work a miracle for the saving of a man is Divine, therefore he does not sin who works what is not evil on the Sabbath. Thus He questions them, if it is permitted to do good, reproving them because they would prohibit goodness. And everyone has a withered right hand who does not perform the works which belong to the right side. To which Christ says, 'Stand up,' that is, 'Rise from sin', and stand 'in the midst,' that is, in the middle of virtue. For every virtue is middling when it is tending neither to defectiveness nor perfection. Thus when the man had stood in the middle, He restored His right hand to health. And note that it is said, 'It was restored.' For once we had healthy hands that were useful for the works of virtue, when we had not fallen. But when our right hand was extended to the forbidden fruit, then it began to dry up for good works. So let us stand again in the midst of virtue.  Theophylact of Ochrid, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Mark, Chapter 3 1 Mk 3.1-5

Sabbath Permissions

In illo tempore abiit Jesus per sata sabbato: discipuli autem ejus esurientes coeperunt vellere spicas, et manducare. Pharisaei autem videntes dixerunt ei: Ecce discipuli tui faciunt, quod non licet eis facere Sabbatis.. Ecce reprehensiva interrogatio: et dicit tria; superstitionem, suspicionem, et interrogationem, Superstitio notatur in nomine Pharisaeorum: quia gloriabatur de religione superstitiosa, unde infra, assiimilantur sepulchris, quae a foris apparent speciosa, et intus, sunt plena spurcitiis. Videntes' suspicionis oculo. An oculus tuus nequam est: quia ego bonus sum. Quid autem vides festucam in oculo fratris tui: et trabem in oculo tuo non confideras? Et patet hoc: quia isti non sequebantur Christum, nisi ut invenirent accusationem contra eum. Dixerunt ei. Contra dicitur: Quod dixerunt discipulis; non Christo. Ad hoc dicendum, quod primo dixerunt discipulis: et cum desistere nollent, dixerunt Christo: et sic utrumque factum est. Sed iste narrat hic quod directe facit ad solutionis legis occasionem. Ecce discipuli tui. Reprehensiva est interrogatio: ut aut prohiberet, aut legem accusaretur soluere, quasi dicant: Malus magister in discipulorum illegali ostenditur conversatione. Qualis rector civitatis, talis et qui habitant in ea. Est autem istud derogatio et detractio discipulorum, et apparens Christi reprehensio. Detractores Deo odibiles. Adetractione parcite linguae: quia sermo obscurus in vacuum non ibit. Faciunt quod non licet facere Sabbatis. Non enim accusare poterant factum: quia dicitur, Si intraveris segetem amici tui, granges spicas, et manu conteres; sed falce non metes. Constricationem autem volebant esse praeparationem: quia cibos non licebat praeparare die Sabbati, quamvis liceret panem incidere et mensam ponere et amovere, et huiusmodi. Et videtur Dominus supponere verum esse dictum eorum: quia respondet, acti discipuli voluant Sabbatum; eo quod licet discipuli in facto per necessitatem famis sint excusati; tamen quia intendit soluere, potius respondet ad intentionem Pharisaeorum, quam se convertat ad facti excusationem. Facit tamen utrumque in litera, sicut patebit, licet finaliter non intendat nisi solutionis ostensionem. Et sic hic quod dicit Reprobatio quidem fit praecedentis mandati propter infirmitatem eius et inutilitatem: nihil enim ad perfectum adduxit lex: introductio vero fit melioris speci, per quam proximamus Deum. Sanctus Albertus Magnus Commentarium In Evangelium Mattheum, Caput XII Source: Here p108

At that time Jesus went through the corn on the Sabbath and His disciples who were hungry began to pluck the ears and eat. Seeing this the Pharisees said to Him, 'Behold, your disciples do what is not permitted on the Sabbath.' 1 Oberve the interrogation of censure, and it declares three things, supersition, suspicion and questioning. Superstition is noted in the name of the Pharisees, because theirs was to glory in a superstitious religion, whence below it is said, 'They are like tombs which are fair without and within they are full of foulness.' 2 'Seeing...' the suspicion of the eye. 'Is your eye wicked because I am good?' 'For you see the speck in your brother's eye and you do not grasp the plank in your own.' 3 And it reveals this, that they did not follow Christ, unless to find some accusation against him. 'They said to Him...' Now against this it is said in Luke that they spoke to His disciples and not to Christ. To this it must be said that first they spoke to the disciples and when they were unwilling to desist, they spoke to Christ, and so both things were done. But here he tells what He did to settle this matter of the Law. 'Behold your disciples...' An interrogation of censure, that He should either prohibet it or be accused of flouting the Law, as if they had said. 'A wicked teacher is shown by the conduct of his pupils.' 'As the governor of a city, so those who dwell there.' This is the derogation and detraction of the disciples, and the open reprehension of Christ. 'Detractors are hateful to God' 'From detraction withhold your tongue, because a word does not go out into nothingness.' 4 'They do what is not permitted on the Sabbath...' They were not able to accuse the act, because it is said: 'If you enter into the crop field of your friend, you may break off the ears and crush them in your hands, but your may not reap with the sickle.' 5 But they would have the crushing as preparation, since it is not permitted to prepare bread on the Sabbath, although it is permitted to take to bread and set the table and clear it, and similar things. And it seems the Lord supported the truth of what they said, because He answered that the acts of the disciples did flout the Sabbath, yet it was permitted to the disciples because of the necessity of the hunger they suffered. However because He intended to set it aside He rather addressed the intent of the Pharisees than turn to excuse for the deed. However He did both in the text, as it was to be revealed, and it is possible He did not intend anything but a revelation of abolishment. And so it is said: 'The reproof of a former command is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness, for the Law made nothing perfect, but a better hope is introduced, by which we may draw closer to God.' 6 Saint Albert The Great, Commentary On The Gospel of St Matthew, Chapter 12 1 Mt 12.1-2 2 Mt 12.23 3 Mt 20.15 , Mt 7.3 4 Eccl 10.2, Rom 1.30 Wisd 1.11 5 Deut 23.25 6 Heb 7.18-19

Sabbath Works

Secundum autem modum videndi, legem implevit duobus modis. Primum exteriores quidem legis figuras solvens, interiores autem veritates ejus adimplens. Utputa, in lege praecepit omne opus servile in sabbato quemquam facere non debere, praeterquam quod fit omni animae, scilicet quod est necessarium vitae humanae: hoc figurale est, quia sic Deus in sabbato cessat ab opere. Spiritualiter secuncum Evangelii veritatem, opus servile peccatum est: Quoniam omnis qui facit peccatum, servus est peccati. Omne autem opus bonum non est servile, sed liberale, et pro animae fit libertate, licet videatur ipsum opus in prima facie corporale. Vides ergo quia Christus sabbatis operans adimplevit legem, non solvit: manifestavit, non occultavit? Item in lege fuerat scriptum, lepram tangere non oportere. Hoc figuratum est. Lepra enim intelligitur peccatum. Christus ergo tangens lepram, non solvit legem, sed adimplevit. Mundans enim leprosum, justitiam operatus est, non peccatum. Et per hoc justitiam tetigit, non peccatum, quod est vere lepra Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia X Source: Migne PG 56.687-688

According to the way of seeing, the Law can be fufilled in two ways. First with the exterior figures, which being set aside, then its interior truth is achieved. So in the Law it is commanded that one should do no servile work on the Sabbath, apart from that which is fit for every soul, that is, necessary for human life. 1 This is a figure, because God rested from his work on the Sabbath. 2 Spiritually, according to the truth of the Gospel, the servile work is sin, because everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin, 3 but no good work is slavish, but liberating, and so suitable for the free soul, which same work at first glance may seem corporeal. Do you see, then, that Christ's work on the Sabbath fulfilled the Law and did not flout it, that He revealed and did not obscure? In the Law it was written that one should not touch a leper. This is the figure. But understand leprosy as sin. Christ, therefore, in touching the leper did not flout the law but fulfilled it. For the cleansing of the leper was a righteous work, not a sinful one. And by this He touched on righteousness not sin, which is the true leper. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 10 1 Exod 12.16, Levit 23.7 2 Gen 2.2 3 Jn 8.54

The Sabbath And Freedom

Τὸ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ εἰρημένον, οὐκ ἔστιν ἁπλοῦν, ἀλλ' ἔχει τινὰ διπλόην τοῖς· παχέσι κεκαλυμμένην, τοῖς δὲ λεπτοῖς γεγυμνωμένην. Ἡ ἡμέρα, φησὶν, ἡ ἐβδόμη, κλητὴ ἁγία ἔσται ὑμῖν. Πᾶν ἔργον λατρευτὸν οὐ ποιήσετε ἐν αὐτῇ, πλὴν ὅσα ποιηθήσεται πάσῃ ψυχῇ. Λατρείαν ἐνταῦθα τὴν δουλείαν καλεῖ. Οὐδὲν οὖν, φησὶ τῶν δουλοπρεπῶν, καὶ οἰονεὶ ἀνδραποδιζόντων ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν σχολῆς, ἐργάσεσθε ἐν Σαββάτῳ, ὃ καταφορτίζει ὑμᾶς βάρει ἁμαρτημάτων· ἀνέσεως γὰρ καὶ ἀφέσεώς ἐστιν ἡ ἡμέρα· κὰι οὐ χρὴ συνδέσμοις κακῶν τὸ ἀξίωμα αὐτῆς ἐνυβρίζεσθαι· τὸ δὲ, ὅσα ποιηθήσεται πάσῃ ψυχῇ, χρῆναι ἐργάζεσθαι, ὅσα τῇ ψυχῇ φέρει τὸ κέρδος, ταῦτα πληροῦν ἐνομοθέτησεν, εὐχὴν, προσευχὴν, ἡσυχίαν, νουθεσίαν, εὐποιίαν, σωφροσύνην, ἐγκράρειαν, ἀλήθειαν, ἀγνείαν, καὶ ὅσα τούτοις ὑπὸ πόδας εἴρηται, ἅπερ εἰς τὸν ἔσθω διαβαίνοντα ἄνθρωπον, τῶν ἔξω ἐλευθεροῖ σκανδάλων καὶ περιστάσεων, ἐκνικῶντος τοῦ κρείττονος Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΟΑ´ Ἡλιωνι Μοναχῳ Source: Migne PG 78.232a-b

That which is spoken of in the Law does not have a single meaning but a twofold one, and the more weighty part is hidden and the lighter is obvious. It says, 'You shall call the seventh day holy and you shall do no servile work on it.' 1 that is, as much as it shall touch any part of the soul. The servile here is what is slavish. Let there be nothing, then, befitting slavishness. And judge this to be whatever enslaves you apart from leisure for God, putting you to work on the Sabbath, burdening you with the weight of sin. For it is a day of leisure and of freedom, and one must not insult the dignity of it by being bound up in evils, but it commands that one should attend to whatever benefits the whole soul completely, that is, preaching, contemplation, exhortation, good deeds, modesty, continence, truth, chastity, and whatever is said below, which things passing into the inner man delivers him from scandals and trials, since what is better prevails. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 71, to Helion the Monk 1 Levit 23.3