Arrows And Paul

Sagittae tuae acutae, potentissimae... Verba cor transfigentia, amorem excitantia. Unde dicitur in Canticis canticorum: Quia vulnerata caritate ego sum. Dicit enim vulneratam se esse caritate, id est, amare se dicit, aestuare se dicit, suspirare sponso, unde accepit sagittam verbi. Sagittae tuae acutae, potentissimae: et transfigentes, et efficientes: acutae, potentissimae. Populi sub te cadent. Qui ceciderunt? Qui percussi sunt, et ceciderunt. Populos videmus subditos Christo, cadentes non videmus. Exponit ubi cadunt: in corde. Ibi se erigebant adversus Christum, ibi cadunt ante Christum. Blasphemabat Saulus Christum, erectus erat: supplicat Christo, cecidit, prostratus est: occisus est inimicus Christi, ut vivat discipulus Christi. De coelo emissa sagitta, corde percussus est Saulus, nondum Paulus, adhuc Saulus, adhuc erectus, nondum prostratus: accepit sagittam, cecidit in corde. Non enim quod prostratus est in facie, ibi cecidit, sed ubi ait: Domine, quid me iubes facere? Modo ibas ad Christianos alligandos et perducendos ad poenam; et modo dicis Christo: Quid me iubes facere? O sagittam acutam, potentissimam, qua accepta cecidit Saulus ut esset Paulus! Ut ille, ita et populi. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Enarrationes In Psalmos, Psalm XLIV Source: Migne PL 38.503

Your arrows are sharp and most powerful...1 These are words that pierce the heart, exciting love. Hence it is said in the Song of Songs, 'Because I am wounded with love.' 2 For she says of herself that she is wounded with love, that is, she speaks of her loving, and of being inflamed with sighing for the Bridegroom, from whom she received the arrow of the Word. 'Your arrows are sharp and most powerful.' They are piercing and effective, sharp and most powerful. 'The peoples shall fall under you.' Who have fallen? They who were wounded have also fallen. We see the nations subdued to Christ, but we do not see them fall. He explains where they fall, that is, in the heart. It was there they lifted themselves up against Christ, it is there that they fall down before Christ. Saul blasphemed Christ, then he was lifted up. He prays to Christ, he falls, he is prostrate. The enemy of Christ is slain so that the disciple of Christ may live. By an arrow launched from heaven Saul was stuck in the heart, he who was not yet Paul, but still Saul. When he was still lifted up and still not yet prostrate, he is wounded in the heart. He received the arrow, he fell in his heart. For though he fell prostrate on his face, it was not there that he fell down in his heart, but it was where he said aloud, 'Lord, what do you command me do?' 3 You were just about to bind Christians and lead them off to punishment, and now you say to Christ, 'What do you command me to do?' O sharp and most powerful arrow by whose stroke Saul fell so they he might become Paul. As with him, so with the peoples.  Saint Augustine of Hippo, Expositions On The Psalms, Psalm 44 1 Ps 44.6 2 Song 2.5, 5.8 3 Acts 9.6

The Persecutors

Subito, ait Lucas, circumfulsit eum lux de coelo. O vere inaestimabilis divinae dignatio pietatis! Illustrat coelesti fulgore vel a foris, intus adhuc luminis incapacem: qui necdum infundi poterat, divina saltem circumfunditur claritate. Et vox facta est. Lucis et vocis testimonia credibilia facta sunt nimis, nec dubitare est de veritate, quae sese ingerit per utrasque, oculorum scilicet auriumque fenestras. Sic nimirum, sic in Jordane quoque supra caput Domini et columba apparuit, et vox sonuit: sic et in monte, quando transfiguratus est coram discipulis, et claritas visa est, et vox nihilominus Patris audita: Saule, Saule, quid me persequeris? Vere deprehensus est Saulus: non est dissimulandi locus, non est facultas ulla negandi. In manibus sunt epistolae crudelissimae legationis, auctoritatis exsecrandae, potestatis iniquae. Quid me persequeris? inquit. Annon persequebatur Christum, qui Christi membra trucidabat in terris? An vero persecuti sunt Christum, qui sacratissimum illud corpus crucis affixere patibulo, et non persequebatur eum qui adversus corpus ejus, quod est Ecclesia, est enim corpus ejus etiam ipsa, odio furebat iniquo? Denique si proprium sanguinem dedit in pretium redemptionis animarum, non tibi videtur graviorem ab eo sustinere persecutionem, qui suggestione maligna, exemplo pernicioso, scandali occasione, avertit ab eo animas quas redemit, quam a Judaeo qui sanguinem illum fudit? Agnoscite, dilectissimi, et expavescite consortia eorum qui salutem impediunt animarum. Horrendum penitus sacrilegium, quod et ipsorum videtur excedere facinus, qui Domino majestatis manus sacrilegas injecerunt. Videbatur jam cessasse persecutionis 956 tempus; sed, ut palam factum est, nunquam deest persecutio Christiano, sed neque Christo. Et nunc, quod gravius est, ipsi Christum persequuntur, qui ab eo utique Christiani dicuntur. Amici tui, Deus, et proximi adversum te appropinquaverunt et steterunt. Conjurasse videtur contra ae? universitas populi Christiani a minimo usque ad maximum: a planta pedis usque ad verticem non est sanitas ulla: egressa est iniquitas a senioribus judicibus, vicariis tuis, qui videntur regere populum tuum. Non est jam dicere, Ut populus, sic sacerdos; quia nec si populus, ut sacerdos. Heu, heu! Domine Deus, quia ipsi sunt in persecutione tua primi, qui videntur in Ecclesia tua primatum diligere, gerere principatum! Arcem Sion occupaverunt, apprehenderunt munitiones, et universam deinceps libere et potestative tradunt incendio civitatem. Misera eorum conversatio, plebis tuae miserabilis subversio est. Atque utinam sola hac parte nocerent! Esset forte qui Dominica praemonitus et praemunitus exhortatione, daret operam ipsorum non exempla imitari, sed observare praecepta, juxta illud: Quae dicunt facite, et ad opera eorum nolite respicere. Nunc autem dati sunt sacri gradus in occasionem turpis lucri, et quaestum aestimant pietatem. Copiosissimae siquidem pietatis inveniuntur in suscipienda, imo accipienda magis animarum cura: sed haec apud eos cura minor, et de animarum salute novissima cogitatio est. An vero Salvatori animarum gravior ulla esse poterat persecutio? Inique agunt et caeteri contra Christum, multique sunt nostris temporibus antichristi. Merito tamen et crudeliorem eam censet persecutionem pro acceptis beneficiis, et graviorem sentit pro potestate, quam propriis sustinet a ministris; licet alii quoque multi contra proximorum salutem multifarie, multisque modis et variis occasionibus agere videantur. Haec videt Christus, et silet; haec Salvator patitur, et dissimulat. Propterea dissimulemus et nos quoque necesse est, et sileamus interim, maximeque de praelatis nostris, magistris ecclesiarum. Sic nimirum, sic placet et ipsis, ut evadant nunc humana judicia, veniatque semel judicium grave his qui praesunt, et potentes patiantur tormenta potenter. Vereor, dilectissimi, ne quis forte sit et in nobis Domini persecutor, quia manifesta docuit ratio, impedire salutem, esse persequi Salvatorem. Quas ego de salute animae meae fratri illi gratias agere possum, qui mihi propinat detractionis fraternae venenum? Merito detractores Deo odibiles describuntur, tanquam persecutores. Quid et is qui exemplo suo ad remissius agendum caeteros provocat, aut singularitate turbat, aut inquietat curiositate, aut impatientia sua et murmuratione molestat; aut quocunque modo contristat Spiritum Dei qui in eis est, scandalizans unum de minimis istis credentibus in eum? nonne et hic manifeste persequitur Christum? Ut ergo persecutorum et nomen, et crimen longe sit semper a nobis, obsecro vos, dilectissimi, benignos semper et mites exhibeamus nos, invicem supportantes in omni patientia, et ad id quod melius et perfectius est, alterutrum provocantes. Quis enim servus sufficere sibi putat non persequi Dominum, sed nec obsequi Domino? Quam habiturus est gratiam, si ut non resistit, sic nec assistit quidem? Denique si quis adeo pusillanimis est, ut satis sibi reputet nec persecutorem esse, nec coadjutorem Dei, audiat quid ipse loquatur: Qui non est mecum, contra me est; et qui non colligit mecum, dispergit. Sanctus Bernardus Clarae Vallensis, Sermones De Sanctis, In Conversione Sancti Pauli, Sermo I, Quomodo ad exemplum ejus converti debemus Source: Migne PL 183.361a-362d

Suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 1 O truly inestimable regard of Divine piety. With heavenly light it illuminates the exterior while the interior is yet incapable. He who is not yet able to be infused, the Divine brightness yet surrounds. And there was a voice. And the witness of Luke to the voice is certainly credible, the truth of it should not be doubted, when it pours itself on both the windows of the eyes and the ears, for certainly the dove appeared over the head of the Lord in the Jordan and a voice resounded, and likewise on the mount when He was transfigured before His disciples and light was seen and the voice of the Father was heard. 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' 1 Paul is caught, there is no room for deception, there is no way of denial. In his hand are the most cruel letters of his commission, of execrable authority and wicked power. 'Why do you persecute me?' He says. Was he not persecuting Christ, who murdered His members on the earth? Were they not persecuting Christ who nailed his body to the gibbet of the cross. Was he not persecuting who raged with wicked hatred against His body which is the Church, for indeed that is His body? Finally if He poured out His blood as the price of the redemption of souls, does it not seem that he who continues the persecution with wicked suggestion, and vile example, and scandalous acts, in order to turn from Him the souls that He has redeemed, is more criminal than those Jews who shed His blood? Know it, most beloved ones, and deplore the association of those who impede the salvation of souls. It is truly such a horrendous sacrilege, that it seems to exceed the wrong of those who laid sacrilegious hands on the glory of the Lord. At present the time of persecution seems to have ended, but the truth of it is that the persecution of Christians and of Christ has never stopped. And now, what is more wretched, is that those who persecute Christ are those who are called Christians. Your friends and neighbours, O Lord, have drawn near and set themselves against you. 2 It seems that all the Christian people, from the highest to the lowest, have been bound against you, and there is no health in them from sole of the foot to the top of the head. Wickedness goes forth from aged judges, and from your representatives who seem to rule the people. One can not say now, 'As the people, so the priest. 3 Alas, O Lord God, to those first ones in rank, who in your church seem to love the first places and to achieve eminence. They have occupied the ark of Sion, that have seized the walls, and then gladly and with exertions of power they have given the city over to the flames. Their conduct is wretched and wretched is the corruption of your people. And that they harmed in this way alone! Perhaps there shall be someone who has been warned and forearmed by the Lord's exhortation, that their works are not to be imitated as an example, but that their teaching should be observed, according to which, 'Do what they say, but do not look to their works.' 4 Now they are given to the sacred way and make it an occasion of filthy wealth, and they judge that to be admirable piety. Certainly they will find abundant riches in what they take up, but only in the taking up of the care of souls, and yet they have little care for that, so that even the salvation of souls is a most uncommon thought. Could there be any heavier persecution of the Saviour of souls? They act wickedly and do everything against Christ, and in our time there are many antichrists. Rightly, however, that persecution is judged to be more cruel for the sake of profit, and thought more grave for the sake of power, than that sustained by his own servants, for it is also true that many others seem to act in many ways and on various occasions against their neighbour. Christ sees this and is silent. The Saviour suffers and does not react. On account on which it is necessary even for us not to react, and meanwhile be silent, especially concerning our prelates and the teachers of the Church. So it certainly pleases them, that they presently avoid human judgement, yet heavier judgement shall fall on those who now excel, and they shall suffer more terrible torments. I fear, most beloved, that there may be a persecutor of the Lord among us, because reason openly teaches that to  persecute Christ is to impede salvation. Can I to give thanks for the salvation of my soul to those brothers who drink for me the poison of fraternal detraction? The detractors of God are rightly called hateful, 5 just like persecutors. What is this man who with his own example provokes others to be careless in acting for others, or who is discontent when alone, who disturbs because of curiosity, or disquiets with his impatience and murmuring, or with whatever grieves the Spirit of God which is in them, scandalising one of the least of the believers in Him? Is it not obvious that this man persecutes Christ? Therefore let the name of persecutors and their crimes always be far from us, I beg you, most beloved, but let us exhibit ourselves as kind and meek, supporting one another in all patience, calling one another to what is better and more perfect. What servant can think he does not persecute the Lord who does not obey Him? Who shall have thanks if he neither resists nor aids? Finally if someone is so weak that he cannot think of himself as a persecutor or a helper of God, let him hear what is said, 'Who is not with me, is against me , and he who does not gather with me, scatters.' 6 Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, On The Conversation of Saint Paul, from Sermon 1, How we should be converted by his example 1 Acts 9.4, Mt 3.16-17, Mt 17.2-5 2 Ps 37.12 3 Isaiah 1.6, 24.2 4 Mt. 23.3 5 Rom 1.30 6 Mt 12.30

Living And Dying

Διωκόμενοι ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐγκαταλειπόμενοι, καταβαλλόμενοι ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπολλύμενοι, πάντοτε τὴν νέκρωσιν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι περιφέροντες, ἵνα καὶ ἡ ζωὴ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι ἡμῶν φανερωθῇ. Ἀεὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες εἰς θάνατον παραδιδόμεθα διὰ Ἰησοῦν... Δείκνυσι δὲ διὰ τούτων καὶ αὐτοὺς ἀσμένως ὑπομένειν ἐθέλοντας τὸν τῆς σαρκὸς θάνατον, διὰ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν εὐσέβειαν . Σκοπὸς γὰρ αὐτοῖς οὐκ εἰς τὰ παρόντα βλέπειν, προαθρεῖν δὲ μᾶλλον τὰ ἐσόμενα . Τίς δὲ ἡ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ζωή; Ἡ ἀφθαρσία καὶ ἁγιασμὸς , δόξα τε μεγάλη καὶ ὑπερκόσμιος. Οὕτως γὰρ ἡμῖν ὀφθήσεται κατὰ καιρούς, ὅταν ἡμῖν ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καταβαίνῃ κριτής· μετασχηματίσει δὲ καὶ τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν σύμμορφον τῷ σώματι τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ , κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ δύνασθαι αὐτὸν καὶ ὑποτάξαι αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα. Ὥστε ὁ μὲν θάνατος ἐν ἡμῖν ἐνεργεῖται, ἡ δὲ ζωὴ ἐν ὑμῖν. Μεμίμηνται γὰρ τὸν ἑαυτῶν Δεσπότην οἱ τῆς ὑφ᾽ ἡλίῳ μυσταγωγοί· τεθείκασι καὶ αὐτοὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχὰς , ἵνα ἡμεῖς οἱ ποτὲ πλα- νώμενοι , τὴν ἐκ πίστεως τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ἀποκερδαίνωμεν ζωήν. Τοιγάρτοι φασὶ διὰ τῆς τοῦ Ψάλλοντος φωνής ὡς πρὸς τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν τὸν Χριστὸν ὅτι , Ἕνεκεν σοῦ θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Εἰς Τὴν Δευτέραν Ἐπιστολήν Παύλου Πρὸς Κορινθίους, Ἐκλογαι Source: Migne PG 74.937b-c

We suffer persecution, but are not forsaken. We are cast down, but we do not perish. We always carry about in our body the mortification of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given over to death on account of Jesus... 1 With these words he refers to those who gladly suffer the death of the flesh for the religion of Christ. For it is not present things they look to but the things of the future. What is life in Jesus? Certainly it is incorruptible and sanctified, and possessed of great glory far above this world. And so He will appear to us when the time comes, when the judge descends from heaven to us, and 'He shall conform this body of our humility to His glorious body, with that power which is able to subject everything to itself.' 2 'As death works in us, so does life in you.' 3 For those who have imitated their Lord are the spiritual teachers of the world, even those who have placed down their own souls so that we who were once wandering might be enriched in faith by life in Christ. And they say with the voice of the Psalmist to our Lord Jesus Christ, 'On account of you we die every day, and we are reputed as sheep for the slaughter.' 4 Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Second Letter to the Corinthians, Fragment 1 2 Cor 4.11 2 Phil 3.21 3 2 Cor 4.12 4 Ps 43.22, Rom 8.36

The Child And The Man

Τό, Ως νήπιος ἐλάλουν, ὡς νήπιος ἐφρόνουν, εἰρημένον τῷ θεόφρονι Παύλῳ περὶ τῆς κατὰ νόμον ἀγωγῆς αὐτῷ γέγραπται, καθ ' ἣν ὡς νήπιος λαλῶν, ἐφύλαττε τὸν νόμον νηπίοις δεδομένον, ὡς νήπιος φρονῶν, ἐδίωκε τὸν λόγον , ἀμύνων τοῖς τοῦ νόμου. Οτε δὲ γέγονα, φησίν, ἀνήρ, τὰ τοῦ νηπίου κατάήργηκα, οὐδὲ τὸν νόμον ἀκυρῶν, καὶ τοῦ λόγου κατηχών. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΥΜΓ', Ἰσιδωρῳ Διακονῳ Source: Migne 78.425c

That 'I spoke as a child, I thought as I child,' 1 spoken by the blessed Paul was written about the discipline of the law according to which he was speaking like a child and given to the service of the law like a child, so that thinking as a child he opposed the Word and defended the law. 'But come the man,' he says, 'and the things of the child pass away,' which is not to annul the law but to be instructed by the Word. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 443, To Isidore The Deacon 1 1 Cor 13.11

Peter, Paul And Stephen

Εἰ μὴ νυκτερινῆς ἄγρας ἀπέτυχεν ὁ Πέτρος, οὐκ ἂν τῆς ἡμερινῆς ἐπέτυχε, κaὶ εἰ μὴ αἰσθητῶς ἐτυφλοῦτο ὁ Παῦλος, οὐκ ἂν πνευματιχῶς ἀνέδλεψε, καὶ εἰ μὴ βλάσφημος ἐσυκοφαντεῖτο ὁ Στέφανος, οὐκ ἂν, τῶν οὐρανῶν αὐτῷ ἀνεῳχθέντων, τὸν Κύριον ἐθεάσατο. Ἅγιος Μάρκος ὁ Ἐρημίτης, Περὶ Τῶν Οἰομένων Ἐξ Ἔργων Δικαιοῦσθαι Source: Migne PG 65.960b

If Peter had not failed in his nocturnal trial, he would have not have achieved so much in the light of day, and unless Paul had been corporeally blinded, he would not have received spiritual vision, and unless Stephen had been accused of blasphemy by informers, the heavens would not have opened for him and he would not have seen the Lord. Saint Mark The Ascetic, On Those Who Think Themselves Justified By Works

Peter's Achievements

Tu es, inquit, Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam. Petra siquidem erat Christus, summque nomen communicat Petro, ut Petrus petra sit: nam sicut a petra sitienti populo quae in deserto profluxit, ita et a Petro aliis in fide arescentibus salutiferae fidei confessio emanavit. Christi ascensurus in coelum Petro suas oves pascendas agnosque commisit; atque post parvae naviculae regimen, eidem gubernaculum magnae navis, id est, totius Ecclesiae magisterium mancipavit. Petro tanquam optimo dispensatori claves domus suae tradidit. Justitia Petri tantam judicandi obtinuit potestatem, ut de ejus arbitrio coeleste judicium pendeat; nec a Petri sententia etiam angelus appellare praesumat. Interrogatus a Domino Petrus quem eum dicerent homines: brevi confessionis compendio divinae majestatis arcanum declarat in Christo. Non revelavit tibi hic, Petre, caro et sanguis: caro enim et sanguis non possidebunt regnum Dei, sed Spiritus Dei Patris, qui in coelis est. Mirabilis piscator, qui olim profunda aequoris scrutabatur, inscrutabile sacramentum deitatis in Christo fideliter confitetur. Petrus Blenensis, Sermo XXVIII, De SS. Petro et Paulo Source: Migne PL 207.643b-c

'You are Peter,' He said, 'and on this rock I shall build my Church,' and certainly Christ was the rock 1 and He gave His title to Peter so that Peter might be a rock, for as a rock flowed for a parched people in the desert, so the confession of salutary faith would flow from Peter's faith to a thirsty people. Christ, when He was about to ascend to heaven, committed the feeding of His flocks of sheep to Peter, 2 and after his work on a little boat He gave to the same man the captaincy of a greater ship, that is, He bestowed on him the leadership of the whole Church, giving the keys of His own house to Peter as the best dispenser. 3 The righteousness of Peter obtained such great power of judgement, that from his will hangs the judgement of heaven, and not even an angel may presume to appeal the sentence of Peter. When Peter was questioned by the Lord about who men said He was, with a brief confession He proclaimed the secret of the Divine majesty in Christ, 'Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, Peter,' 'for flesh and blood shall not possess the kingdom of God,' 'but the Spirit of my Father who is in heaven.' 4 A wondrous fisherman, who once gazed down into the depths of the waters, faithfully confessed the mystery of the Divinity in Christ. Peter of Blois, from Sermon 28, On The Feast of the Saints Peter and Paul 1 Mt 16.18, 1 Cor 10.4 2 Jn 21.17 3 Mt 16.19 4 Mt 16.17, 1 Cor 15.50

Different Visions

Ἑγένετο δὲ ἐπ' αὐτον ἔκστασις , καὶ θεωρεῖ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνεωγμένον... Οἱ γυναικῶν παραπαιουσῶν ἑλόμενοι εἶναι μαθηταὶ, οὗτοι δὲ εἰσιν οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς Φρυγίας, φασὶ τοὺς προφήτας, κατεχομένους ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, μὴ παρακολουθεῖν ἑαυτοῖς παραφερομένοις κατὰ τὸν τῆς προφητείας καιρόν. Δοκοῦσι δὲ ἀπόδειξιν ἔχειν ταύτης τῆς κακοδοξίας, καὶ ἐκ τῆς προκειμένης γραφῆς, λεγούσης ἐξεστακέναι τὸν Πέτρον. Ἀλλ᾽ ἴστωσαν οἱ ἡλίθιοι, οἱ ἀληθῶς παραπαίοντες, ὡς πολλὰ σημαίνει ἡ λέξις αὕτη. Δηλοῖ γὰρ καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ θαυμασμῷ ἔκπληξιν, καὶ τὸ ἔξω τῶν αἰσθητῶν γενέσθαι , ποδηγούμενον ἐπὶ τὰ πνευματικά, καὶ τὸ παρακόπτειν, ὅπερ οὐ λεκτέον οὔτε ἐπὶ Πέτρου, οὔτε ἐπὶ προφητῶν, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἄλλα ἐκ τῆς λέξεως σημαινόμενα. Ἀμέλει γοῦν ὁ ἐκστὰς Πέτρος παρηκολούθει, ὡς ἀπαγγέλλων, ἃ εἶδε καὶ ἤκουσε , καὶ τίνος σύμβολατὰ δειχθέντα ἦν. Ταῦτα καὶ περὶ τῶν προφητῶν πάντων ἐρεῖς παρακολουθούντων , οἷς ἔλεγον τὰ θεωρούμενα. Σοφοὶ γὰρ ἦσαν νοοῦντες ἀπὸ τοῦ ἰδίου στόματος, ἃ προέφερον, τοῦ Κυρίου μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν φανερῶς ἐντειλαμένου μαθητεῦσαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Ἢ πῶς οἱ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἀπόστολοι ἀκούσαντες τὰ κατὰ τὸν Κορνήλιον, διεκρίνοντο πρὸς τὸν Πέτρον; Πάνυ μὲν οὖν ἐδεῖτο τῆς περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν θείας ἀποκαλύψεως ὁ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἔξαρχος, Πέτρος, ὁ παν άγιος. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Ἐις Τάς Πράξεις Τῶν Ἀποστόλων, Ἐκλογή Source: Migne PG 39.1677a-c

And an ecstasy came on Peter, and he saw the heavens opened... 1 Those who delight to be disciples of maddened women, who are of the Phrygian sect, 2 say their prophetesses are carried off by the Holy Spirit when they are struck by the prophetic impulse and they do not understand what the say at the time, and in this passage in Scripture they think to find a demonstration of their error, for it says that Peter was struck by an ecstasy of the mind. But let it be known by these fools, who are truly despicable, that these words do not mean that, for what they do signify is an awe arising from wonder, and from being lifted up from sensible things to spiritual things. It is not fitting to say of Peter or the prophets that this is some sort of delirium, but rather this passage signifies something quite different. Certainly Peter, caught up in ecstasy, followed everything and took in all that he saw and heard, and knew what was taught there, which things were given to him to see. And you might say the same of all the things of the prophets, that is, because of which they were able to tell others what they saw. For they were wise, knowing what they said with their mouths, which the Lord after His resurrection was able to teach correctly, so that all the nations would be imbued with His teaching. Besides how would the other Apostles who were in Jerusalem, hearing what had happened with Cornelius, have been able to question Peter? This was the type of revelation concerning the Gentiles Peter had, the leader of the Apostles, a most holy man. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on The Acts of the Apostles, Fragment 1 Acts 10.10-11 2 Montanists

Peter And Aeneas

Invenit autem ibi hominem quemdam, nomine Aeneam, ab annis octo jacentem in grabato... Aeneas iste genus significat humanum, infirmorum prius delectatione languescens, sed apostolorum opere et ore sanatum. Quia etenim mundus ipse quatuor plagis sublimatur, et cursus saeculi annuis quatuor temporibus variatur, quicunque praesentia labentiaque gaudia complecitur, quasi bis quaternario annorum numero, grabato sternitur enervis. Grabatum quippe est ipse segnities, ubi requiescit animus aeger et infirmus, id est, in voluptate corporis et omni delectatione saeculari. Aenea, sanet te Dominus Jesus Christi. Surge et sterne tibi... Quem de paralyspsi curaverat, mox surgere et sternere sibi praecepit, spiritaliter insinuans ut quisque fidei solidamentum in corde perceperit, non solum torporem, in quo fessus jacuerat, discutiat, sed etiam bona opera, in quibus requiescere valeat, paret. Sanctus Beda, Super acta Apostolorum Expositio, Caput IX Source: Migne PL 92.965a-b

And Peter found there a certain man by the name of Aeneas, who had been laying on a pallet for eight years... 1 This Aeneas signifies a type of person who has been languishing in the pleasures of laxity but who is then cured by the works and words of the Apostles. Because indeed the world is raised up by four corners, and the course of the secular year is varied by the four seasons, so it is with anyone caught up in present joys and delights, he lays stretched out in infirmity, and the number of years are reckoned as two fours. Certainly the pallet signifies sloth, where the sick and weak soul rests, that is, in the pleasures of the body and in worldly delights. Aeneas, the Lord Jesus Christ heals you. Rise up and make your bed... He cures him of paralysis and immediately exhorts him to rise up and make his bed, spiritually intimating that he who takes possession of the firmness of faith in his heart, not only casts off his torpor in which he has been thrown down in weariness, but he even prepares for good works, in which he shall be able to find rest. Saint Bede, Commentary on the Acts of The Apostles, Chapter 9 1 Acts 9.33

Followers And Failure

Oves meae sequuntur me; et ego vitam aeternam do eis. Nota, quod sunt quidam, qui sequi Dominum nolunt, sunt qui negligunt, et sunt qui non possunt. Sunt autem duo impedimenta, quae reddunt homines nolentes. Primum amor praesentis prosperitalis , qui avertit illum, de quo Matthaei decimo nono, Marci decimo, Lucae decimo octavo, cum dixit Dominus: Vade et vende etc, et veni, sequere me. At ille abiit tristis; erat enim multas possessiones habens. Secundum est timor futurae adversitatis, qui avertit illos quibus iuravit Dominus. Numerorum trigesimo secundo: Si videbunt homines isti, qui ascenderunt ex Aegypto a viginti annis et supra, terram, quam sub iuramento pollicitus sum Abraham, Isaac et lacob; et noluerunt sequi me praeter Caleb, filium lephone, et losue ,filium Nun; isti impleverunt voluntatm maeam. Nota causam in historia. Sunt similiter duo impedimenta, quae reddunt homines negligentes. Primam est affectio carnalis, quae notatur in illo, de quo Lucae nono,cui dixit Dominus: Sequere me. Ille autem dixit: Domine, dimitte, me primum sepelire patrem meum. Et nota, quid Dominus dixit illi. Secundum est solliciludo temporalis, quae notatur in illo, de quo eodem Lucae nono, qui dixit Domino: Sequar te, Domine; sed primum permitte, me renuntiare his quae domi sunt. Ait ad illum lesus: Nemo mittens manum ad aratrum etc. Sunt similiter duo impedimenta, quae reddunt homines impotentes. Primum est perversitas intentionis, quae impedit progressura affectionis.Secundum est infirmitas virtutis, quae impedit progressum operationis. Primum notatur in illo qui dixit Lucae nono: Sequar te , quocumque ieris, cuius intentionem cognoscens, Dominus dixit: Vulpes foveas habent et volucres caeli nidos etc. Secundum notatur in Petro, loannis decimo tertio, cui, cura dixit Domino: Domine, quo vadis? respondit lesus: Quo ego vado , non potes me modo sequi ; sequeris autem postea. Et nota, quomodo primo Petrus se obtulit non solum ad sequendum, sed ad praecedendum, vel comitandum, dicens: Domine, quare non possum te sequi modo? Animam meam pro te ponam. Secundo, quando de longe sequebatur, non solum non praecessit, sed nec de prope secutus est , sed a longe, ut videret finem, Matthaei vigesimo sexto. Tertio, nec de longe nec de prope secutus est, quando eum negavit, eodem; et hoc, quia infirmus fuit. Sanctus Bonaventura, Collationes In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput X, Collatio XL Source: Here, p567

My sheep follow me, and I shall give them eternal life. 1 Let it be noted that certain people are unwilling to follow the Lord because they are either negligent or they are unable. There are two impediments which make men unwilling. Firstly the love of present prosperity turns a man away, concerning which the Lord said in the nineteenth chapter of Matthew, and in the tenth chapter of Mark, and in the eighteenth chapter of Luke, 'Go and sell ... and come, follow me. And He went away weeping, for he had many possessions.' 2 Secondly there is the fear of future adversity which turns away those whom the Lord has exhorted. In the thirty second chapter of Numbers, 'Shall these men, who had come up from Egypt for twenty years and more, see the land which I swore a promise to give to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and they were unwilling to follow me, apart from Caleb the son of Jephone and Joshua the son of Nun. These fulfilled my will.' 3 Note the teaching of the history. There are similarly two impediments which make men negligent. Firstly the love of the flesh, which is noted in him concerning whom in the ninth chapter of Luke the Lord says, 'Follow me,' and he says, 'Lord, first let me go and bury my father.' And note what the Lord then says to him. Secondly there is care for the times, which is noted in him who in the same chapter of Luke says to the Lord, 'I will follow you, Lord, but first allow me to say farewell to those of my house.' And Jesus says to Him, 'No one who puts his hand to the plough...' 4 Similarly there are two impediments which make men incapable. First a perversity of intention, which impedes the advance of love, and secondly a lack of virtue, which impedes the performance of the deed. Firstly let it be noted in him who says in the ninth chapter of Luke, 'I will follow you wherever you will go.' And the Lord, knowing his intention, says, 'Foxes have their holes, and the birds of heaven have their nests...' 5 Secondly let it be noted in Peter who out of care for the Lord says in the thirteenth chapter of John, 'Lord, where are you going?' And Jesus replies, 'Where I go you cannot follow yet, but you will follow later.' And note how Peter presents himself as not only intent on following but going before or accompanying Him, saying, 'Lord, why can I not follow you yet? I would lay down my soul for you.' 6 Secondly when he did follow it was from afar, for he did not only not go ahead, but he did not even follow closely, but in the twenty sixth chapter of Matthew, 'from a distance that he might see the end of it.' Thirdly, he did not follow at a distance or closely when he denied Him, and this was because he was weak. 7 Saint Bonaventura, Observations On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 10 1 Jn 10. 27-28 2 Mt 19.21, Mk 10.21, Lk 18-22-23 3 Numb 32.11-12 4 Lk 9.59, 61 5 Lk 9.57-8 6 Jn 13.36-37 7 Mt 26.58,69-75

Grief And Joy

Cui autem simile existimabo generationem istam? Similes sunt pueris sedentibus in foro, etc. Tantus est Joannes, sed vos nec ei, nec mihi voluistis credere, et ideo, cui vos similes aestimabo? Per generationem accipit communiter et Judaeos, et se etiam cum Joanne, quia aliter non diceret: Similis est pueris, etc., cum non solum Judaei, sed ipse etiam Joannes et Jesus pueris comparentur. Pueri dicunt sociis in ludo: Vos non estis socii nostri, quia quando cecinimus modo in ludo, vos non saltavistis, et quando ploravimus in ludo, vos noluistis nobiscum plorare. Similiter sunt duo status in sanctis, luctus pro peccatis, gaudium pro Redemptione nostra, quae utraque prophetaverunt antiqui prophetae. Alius enim dicit: Convertimini in toto corde vestro, etc. David vero ad gaudium nos invitat, cum ait: Haec est dies quam fecit Dominus, exsultate et laetate in ea. Similiter Christus et Joannes nos invitaverunt, alius ad lucem, sicut Joannes, qui jejunavit, et ad poenitentiam invitavit. Alius ad gaudium, sicut Christus qui in signum aeternae refectionis non jejunabat cum apostolis, sed comedebat, et ad gaudium nostrae redemptionis invitabat, quasi dicat: Ego, et sequaces mei apostoli et prophetae cecinimus in foro, id est in Jerusalem, ubi omnes conveniebant, id est gaudium vestrae redemptionis praedicavimus, et vos, qui eratis nobis coaequales, quia de eadem gente et promissione, noluistis saltare, id est mente et corpore, de redemptione vestra congaudere. Joannes et alii prophetae lamentaverunt, id est ad luctum poenitentiae invitaverunt, et vos noluistis cum eis plangere. Imo vocastis Joannem daemoniacum, qui tantum potest jejunare, me autem voracem, qui in signum vestri gaudii, et aeternae refectionis manduco. Sed ego, quidquid vos dicatis, qui sum sapientia Patris, justificor a filiis meis, id est juste agere dicor ab apostolis. Vel sapientia justificatur a filiis suis, id est ab operibus suis, id est opera quae ipse facit et generat, ostendunt sapientiam justam esse. Anselmus Laudunensis, Enarrationes In Matthaeum, Caput XI Source: Migne PL 162.1352b-1352d

To what shall I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplace... 1 John is great, yet you do not believe in him nor in me, and therefore to what shall I liken you? By 'generation' the Jews are commonly understood, and even Himself and John, because otherwise He would have said, 'It is similar to children,' when not only the Jews but even John and Jesus are being compared to children. Children are saying to their peers in play, 'You are not our friends, because when we sing to you in play you do not dance, and when we lament in play you do not weep with us.' Likewise there are two states among the holy, sorrow for sin and joy for our redemption, which both the prophets of old made prophecy about. For one says, 'Convert in your whole hearts.' But David invites us to joy, when he says, 'This is the day that the Lord made, exult and delight in it.' 2 Similarly Christ and John invite us, one to sorrow, like John, who fasts and invites us to penance, and the other to joy, as Christ, who as a sign of eternal refreshment does not fast with the Apostles but eats, and invites us to the joy of our redemption, as if He said, 'I and my followers the Apostles and the prophets sang to you in the marketplace, that is, in Jerusalem, when all were gathered together, that is, we proclaimed the joy of your redemption, and you, who were our peers, because we are of the same people and promise, did not wish to dance, that is, in the mind and body, in joy at your redemption. John and other prophets lamented, that is, they invited you to the sorrow of penance, and you did not want to weep with them. Then you call John a demoniac, who is a great faster, and me a glutton who eat as a sign of your joy and eternal refreshment. But whatever you say, I, who am the wisdom of the Father, am justified by my sons, that is, I am spoken of by the Apostles through righteous conduct . Or 'Wisdom is justified by her sons,' that is, from their works, that is, the works performed and brought forth show wisdom to be righteous. Anselm of Laon, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 11 1 Mt 11.16 2 Joel 2.12, Ps 117.24

John And The Greatest

Διὰ τί μείζων ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν, ἔφης, Ιωάννης, καὶ εἰ προφήτης ὁ Ἰωάννης, τί ἦν ἐν αὐτῷ περισσότερον προφήτου; Ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο λέγει ὁ Κύριος. Ἄκους τοίνυν πλεῖστα ἐν ὀλίγοις· μείζων ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν ὁ Ἰωάννης, ἐπειδὴ ἐξ αὐτῆς νηδύος μητρικής προεφήτευσε, καὶ ἐν σκότει κρυπτόμενος,τὸ φῶς ἐλθὸν, οὐκ ἠγνόησε. Περισσότερον δὲ προφητῶν, τὸ καὶ αὐτὸν ἰδεῖν ἐν σαρκὶ τὸν προφητευόμενον, ὃν πάντες οἱ πατριάρχαι καὶ προφῆται, δι' ὀνείρωνμὲν ἢ ὀπτασιῶν ἐφαντάσθησαν, θεωρῆσαι δὲ αὐτοψει οὐκ ἐπέτυχον. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΛΓ’, Προυνιχιῳ Source: Migne 78.201d-204a

You ask why it was said that John was the greatest born of women, 1 and as he was a prophet, if had a a certain greater and more excellent dignity of prophecy, since this is what the Lord said. Hear, then, much in little. John was the greatest born among women because he made prophecy from out of the maternal womb and hidden in the darkness was not ignorant of the light that had come. 2 This is why he stands ahead of the other prophets and also because when he was preaching he saw Him in the flesh, which all the patriarchs and prophets had till  then been told about in dreams and visions, but they were not able to look upon Him themselves. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 33, To Prounichios 1 Mt 11.11 2 Lk 1.41

Sickness And Judgement

Ὥσπερ οἱ πυρέττοντες νομίζουσι πικρὸν εἶναι τὸ μέλι, τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς βεβλαμμένων γευστικῶν δυνάμεων, οὕτως καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τις τὸ γευστικόν βλάπτεται. Καί φησιν ὁ προφήτης· Οὐαὶ τοῖς λέγουσι τὸ γλυκὺ πικρόν. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΡϟΔ' Ἀγλαιος Ἀντεκηνσορι Source: Migne PG 79.156c

As those afflicted by a fever have their faculty of taste corrupted and judge that honey is bitter, so it is with those whose soul's power of taste has been harmed, and thus the Prophet says, 'Woe to those who say that what is bitter is sweet.' 1 Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 194, To Aglaios the Antecessor 1 Isaiah 5.20

Detraction And Leprosy

Sicut Apostolus dicit , Haec omina in figura contingebant illis , scripta sunt autem propter commonitionem nostram: quaero quid commonitionis accipiamus ex eo quod lectum est nobis , quia detraxerunt Aaron et Maria de Moyse, et propter hoc correpti sunt, Maria vero etiam leprosa efficitur. Tanta autem fuit cura correptionis hujus, ut dum Maria septimanæ tempus expleret in lepra, populus Dei non ageret iter ad terram repromissionis , ne tabernaculum testimonii moveretur. Primo interim moneor, et utiliter ac necessario moneor ex hoc facto ne detraham fratri, ne male loquar de proximo meo, ne aperiam os meum ad derogandum non solum sanctis, sed et quibuslibet proximis meis. Vides quanta ex hoc indignatio Dei fuerit, quanta vindicta processerit. Denique adversum peccatum istud simili indignatione etiam in Psalmis Deum commoveri videmus, et dicere: Sedens adversus fratrem tuum detrahebas, et adversus filium matris tuae ponebas scandalum. Similiter autem et in alio psalmo ex persona justi scientis hoc Deo quam maxime displicere dicitur: Detrahentem occulte adversus proximum suum persequebar. Ex iis igitur omnibus divinae Scripturae sermonibus, velut gladiis quibusdam utrinque acutis, obtrectandi fratribus , et derogandi sanctis vitium resecemus. Lepra enim consequitur derogantes et cacologos, id est, maleloquos . Post haec autem a moralibus ad intelligentiam mysticam transeamus . Quamvis et in superiore tractatu pauca jam dicta sint, tamen quæ defuisse videntur, addemus. Videamus ergo quis est qui derogat Moysi , quis de eo male loquitur. Non solum Judaei, sed et hæretici, qui non recipiunt legem et prophetas , etiam ipsi detrahunt de Moyse. Denique solent ei etiam crimen impingere, dicentes , quia homicida fuit Moyses, interfecit enim Aegyptium: et alia multa, vel in ipsum, vel in prophetas blasphemo ore concinnant. Isti ergo quia detrahunt Moysi, habent lepram in anima sua et sunt in homine interiore leprosi, et ideo habentur extra castra Ecclesiae Dei. Sive ergo haeretici sint qui derogant Moysi, sive de Ecclesia sint qui detrahunt fratribus, et male loquuntur de proximis suis, omnes qui hoc vitio aguntur, dubitandum non est quin leprosi sint in anima sua. Et Maria quidem interveniente Aaron pontifice septima die curatur: nos vero si obtrectationis vitio inciderimus in animae lepram, usque ad finem septimanae mundi, id est, usque ad resurrectionis tempus leprosi in anima permanebimus, et immundi: nisi dum paenitendi tempus est, corrigamur, et conversi ad Dominum Jesum, ac supplicantes ei per paenitentiam purgemur ab immunditia leprae nostrae. Origen, In Numeros, Homilia VII, Interprete Rufino Aquileiense Source: Migne PG 12.611c-612c

Since as the Apostle says, All these things happened as a figure, and are written as a warning to us,' 1 I ask what warning we are to receive from what has been read to us, that Aaron and Mary spoke against Moses and because of this they were corrected, and Mary was afflicted with leprosy. 1 So great was the weight of this correction that Mary spent seven days in leprosy and the people of God did not continue their journey to the promised land, nor did they move the tabernacle of the covenant. Firstly I am warned by this deed, and most usefully and necessarily am I warned, not to disparage a brother, nor to speak evil of my neighbour, nor to open my mouth in derogation of any of my neighbours, and not only those who are holy. See how great the indignation of God was, and how great a punishment befell. And there is similar indignation in the Psalms against this sin when we see God moved to say, 'You sat and spoke against your brother, and against the son of your mother you set scandal. 3 Then likewise in another Psalm, speaking in the person of a righteous man who knows how greatly it displeases God, he said, 'I fell upon him who was speaking against his neighbour.' 4 From all these words of Divine Scripture, which are as a sword that is sharp on both sides, let us consider the vice of disparaging a brother and speaking derogatively of holy men. For leprosy consequently befalls those who disparage and are cacological, that is, who are speakers of evil. After these things let us pass from the mortal to the spiritual understanding. Although in a previous homily a little has been said about this, yet we shall add what seems to be lacking. Let us consider, then, who it is who disparages Moses, and who speaks evil concerning him. They are not only Jews but even heretics, those who reject the law and the prophets, and so disparage Moses. For they are accustomed to impute crimes to him, saying that Moses was a murderer and a killer among the Egyptians, and with many other accusations, against him or against other prophets, they speak blasphemy with their mouths. These, then, who speak against Moses, they have leprosy in their souls and their inner man is leprous, and therefore they are set outside the assembly of God. Therefore they are heretics who disparage Moses, or denigrate the church to their brothers, and speak ill of their neighbours, and it must not be doubted that all who engage in this vice have leprosy in their soul. And certainly after the passage of seven days Mary was cured by the high priest Aaron. However if we fall into the leprosy of the soul by the vice of detraction, even to the seventh age of the world, that is, even to the time of resurrection, we will continue with leprosy in our soul and be unclean, unless there is a period of penance and we are corrected and we are turned back to the Lord Jesus, and by prayers to Him we are cleansed through penance from the blight of our leprosy. Origen, On Numbers, from the Seventh Homily, Translated by Rufinus of Aquileia. 1 1 Cor 10.11 2 Numb 12 3 Ps 49.20 4 Ps 100.5

Leading Into Temptation

Et ne nos inducas in tentationem... Non quod Dominus dux et magister veritatis, qui via est credentibus, quempiam in laqueum tentationis inducat; sed abhorrens qui suis negligent parere disciplinis, cum eos deserit et permittit ire quocunque ducuntur illecti, tum utique inducere eo perhibetur. Fit ergo iste loquendi modus in Scripturis divinis frequentissime, per id quod sinit aut praestat fieri, ut ipse facere dicatur. Habes quoque in bono quod Spiritus sanctus postulet pro nobis gemitibus inenarrabilibus, dum nos postulare facit; habes et in malo, dum dicit: Et ego indurabo cor Pharaonis, cum eum indurari permisit. Atque propheta: Indurasti, Domine, cor nostum, indurasti ne iremus post te. Non quod pius Dominus aliquem aut inducet in laquem tentationis, aut induet, ne verbum disciplinae queat suscipere: sed quia, dum judici suo vero et justo nos deserit, quasi inducere in sacris litteris figuratur, et dum nos sinit infidelitate cordis interius congelescere, quasi indurare dicitur, quia non resolvit ad calorem amoris, quis novit frigescere ab illo, quis sedem suam ad Aquilonem posuit. Unde sponsa in Canticis: Surge, Aqulio, et veni, Auster, perfla hortum, ut flant aromata illius. Alioquin, nisi animus divino fuerit adjutus suffragio, cito flante vento tentatinis ad ruinam impellitur. Hinc est quod petimus: Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, id est, ab eo qui male tentat ne sinas nos induci. Sanctus Paschasius Radbertus Corbeiensis, Expositio In Evangelium Matthaei, Liber IV, Caput IV Source: Migne PL 120.296c-297a

And lead us not into temptation... 1 Not that the Lord, the guide and teacher of truth, who is the way for the faithful, leads into any sort of snare of temptation, but He abhors those who neglect to attend to His teachings, and when He has forsaken them He allows them to go into whatever snare they will be led into, and so He is held to lead them. This is frequently a way of speaking in Scripture that what is allowed, or given, is as if He did it. As a good example you have the Holy Spirit asking for us with inexpressible groaning, when He makes us entreat so, and in an evil manner you have it when He says, 'And I shall harden the heart of Pharoah,' when He permits it to be hardened, and when the prophet says, 'You harden our hearts, Lord, you hardened them, lest we should go after you.' 2 It is not that the pious Lord leads anyone into a trap of temptation, or imposes so that a man is not able to receive the word of His teaching, but the case is that while His true and just judgement is scorned, so there is a 'leading' according to the figure of the sacred writings, and while He allows the heart to freeze with unfaithfulness within, so it is said that He hardens it, because He does not set free the fire of love, knowing it is frozen by another, he who sets his seat to the north. 3 Whence the bride says in the Song of Songs, 'Rise up, north wind, and come, south wind, blow through the garden, that all its scents may arise.' 4 Besides, unless the soul is aided with the Divine assistance, the gusting wind of temptation shall drive it into ruin. Hence this is what we ask with, 'And lead us not into temptation,' that He does not allow us to be led away by the one who tempts wickedly. Saint Paschasius Radbertus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 4, Chapter 4 1 Mt 6.13 2 Rom 8.26, Exod 4.21, Isaiah 63.17 3 Isaiah 14.13 4 Song 4.16

Help And Redemption

Et erunt ut complaceant eloquia oris mei: et medilalio cordis mei in conspectu tuo semper. Domine, adiutor meus et redemptor meus. Dicit quando eloquia oris ejus Domino placere praevaleant: videlicet, si a viiiis quae supcrius dixit, reddatur alienus; propter illud quod dicitur peccatori: Quare tu enarras justitias meas? Quae est autem meditatio cordis, quae potest ad Dominum pervenire? Spes, charitas, et fides, quae utique digna sunt Deo. Illa enim merentur in conspectu ejus ascendere, quae ipse cognosciiur approbare. Adjutorem vero suum dicit in bonis, redemptorem a malis, ut nemo suis meritis applicet quod coelesti largitate susceperit. Cassiodorus, Expositio In Psalterium, Psalmus XVIII Source: Migne PL 70.143c

And the speech of my mouth shall be pleasing, and the meditation of my heart shall be in your sight always. O Lord, my helper and my redeemer 1 When he says that the speech of his mouth shall be able to please the Lord, it is because he has been separated utterly from the vices of which he spoke of before, on account of which it is said to the sinner, 'Why do you speak of my righteousness?' 2 And what is the meditation of the heart that is able to come to the Lord? Hope, charity and faith, they are worthy of God, for that merits ascent into His sight which He is known to approve. And he calls Him his helper in good things, and his redeemer from evil things, because no one by the labour of his own merits shall take up the bounty of heaven. Cassiodorus, Commentary On The Psalms, from Psalm 18 1 Ps 18.15 2 Ps 49.16

Seeking The Kingdom

Nam cum dicat: Quaerite regnum Dei: et hac omnia adjicientur vobis. nec ad praesens, nec in reliquum fidelibus ostendit gratiam defuturam: si modo qui divina desiderant, terrena non quaerent, Indecorum quippe est homines curare de cibo, qui militant de regno. Novit rex quemadmodum familiam suam pascat, alat, vestiat; et ideo dixit: Jacta in Deum cogitatum tuum, et ipse te enutriet. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Expositio Evangelii Secundum Lucam, Liber VII Source: Migne PL 15.1733a

When He says: 'Seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you,' 1 He shows that grace shall not fail the faithful in the present, nor in the time to come, but that shall only be for those who desire Divine things, and do not seek after worldly things. Certainly it is wretched for men who battle for the kingdom to fret over food. The king knows how to supply and feed and clothe his own, and therefore it has been said, 'Cast all your care on God, and He shall support you.' 2 Saint Ambrose, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Luke, Book 7 1 Lk 12.31 2 Ps 54.23

A Failed Follower

Et ait illis Jesus: Vulpes foveas habent, et volucres coeli nidos, Filius autem hominis non habet ubi caput reclinet. Ex Domini verbis ostenditur hunc qui obsequium promittit ob hoc repudiatum, quod signorum videns magnitudinem, sequi voluerit Salvatorem, ut lucra ex operum miraculis quaereret, hoc idem desiderans, quod et Simon Magus a Petro emere voluerat. Talis ergo fides juste sententia Domini condemnatur, et dicitur ei: Quid me propter divitias et saeculi lucra cupis sequi cum tantae sim paupertatis, ut ne hospitiolum quidem habeam, et non meo utar tecto? Aliter, intelligitur miraculis Domini commotus propter inanem jactantiam eum sequi voluisse, quam significant aves. Finxisse autem discipuli obsequium, quae fictio vulpium nomine significata est. Reclinatione vero capitis humilitatem suam significavit, quae in illo simulatore ac superbo non habebat locum. Sanctus Beda, In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, Liber III, Caput IX Source: Migne PL 92.460c-d

Jesus said to them, 'Foxes have their holes, and the birds of heaven their nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest His head.' 1 From these words of the Lord it is shown that this man who promised to follow is repudiated, because he wished to follow having seen the greatness of His signs so that he might try to profit from the work of miracles, which same thing Simon Magus desired, and wished to buy from Peter. 2 The speech of the Lord rightly condemns such faith and it is said to him, 'Why did you desire to follow me for the sake of wealth and worldly gain when I am so poor so that I do not have anywhere to rest and no roof over my head?' Otherwise it may be understood that having been amazed by the miracles of the Lord this man wished to follow Him for the sake of inane boasting, which the birds signify. But the following of the disciple was false, which fiction He names by foxes. However the resting of the head signifies humility, which has no place for deceit or pride. Saint Bede, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, Book 3, Chapter 9 1 Lk 9.58 2 Acts 8.18-20

Sheep And Wolves

In illo tempore dixit Jesus discipulis suis: Ecce ego mitto vos sicut oves in medio luporum. Sed hoc videamus, quare istos quidem dixit quasi oves, illos autem non quasi lupos, sed lupos. Si enim istos propter solam causam mansuetudinis oves dixisset, quoniam natura quide homines erant, mansuetudine autem oves, utique et illos quasi lupos dixisset: quoniam et illi, etsi crudelitate quasi lupi erant, tamen natura similiter homines erant. Puto ergo ista ratione istos quidem quasi oves dictos, illos autem quasi lupos, sed ad plenum lupos: quoniam homo Dei, quamvis fuerit bonus, tamen semper habet in se aliqud mali secundum carnem, quasi homo: et ovis quidem dicitur, propter quod bonus: quasi ovis autem, qua non ad plenum bonus. Qui autem Deum non cognoscit, nihil in se boni potest habere, propterea lupus dicitur, non quasi lupus, quia nihil boni habet in se, quia in se non cognoscit Deum. Causa est ista, quia omnes homines secundum carnis naturam mali sumus: et dicit Apostolus, Natura sumus filii irae: sed per timorem Dei efficimur boni. Quamvis autem per timorem Dei efficimur boni, tamen semper aliquid naturalis mali remanet in natura hominum. Ergo si natura carnalis compellit fieri malum, timor Dei ex parte retinet eum a malo. Hominem non cognoscentem Deum, aut cognoscentem quidem, sed non timentem, natura compellit facere malum, et timor Dei non retinet a malo, et ideo non potest esse in illis aliquid boni, nisi forte propter homines, quando ipsum non est bonum, sed malum, quod est propter Deum. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XXIV Source: Migne PG 56.756-7

In that time Jesus said to His disciples, 'Behold, I send you out like sheep in the midst of wolves.' 1 Let us consider this, why the former are like sheep and the latter are not like wolves, but simply wolves. For if because of the sole reason of meekness He called them sheep, since they yet had the nature of men but the meekness of sheep, so he would have said the latter were like wolves, because even they, even if they were as cruel as wolves, yet likewise had the nature of men. I think, then, that this is the reason why the former are like sheep and the latter are not like wolves but fully wolves, because the man of God, although he is good, yet always has in himself a certain evil according to the flesh as a man, and he is called a sheep on account of what is good, but he is like a sheep because he is not fully good. He who does not know God is not able to have anything good in him, because of which he is called a wolf and not like a wolf, because he has no good in him, since in himself he does not know God. This is the reason why we are all evil men according to the nature of the flesh, as the Apostle says, 'By nature we are sons of wrath, but through the fear of God we are made good.' 2 But though we are made good through the fear of God, yet there always remains some evil in the nature of men. Therefore if the carnal nature compels one to evil, the fear of God restrains one from evil. A man who does not know God, or who knows something but does not fear Him, is by nature driven to evil, and the fear of God does not restrain him, and therefore it is not possible that there is any good in him, unless according to men, for he is not good but evil according to God. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 24 1 Mt 5.44 2 Ephes 2.3

Trials And Aid

Δεξιὰ Κυρίου ἐποίησε δύναμιν, δεξιὰ Κυρίου ὕψωσέ με, δεξιὰ Κυρίου ἐποίησε δύναμιν. Οὐκ ἀποθανοῦμαι , ἀλλὰ ζήσομαι, καὶ διηγήσομαι τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου. Παιδεύων ἐπαίδευσέ με ὁ Κύριος, τῷ δὲ θανάτῳ οὐ παρέδωκέ με. Ὅτι μὴ εἰς ἄχρηστον οἱ διωγμοί, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπ᾿ ὠφελείᾳ καὶ δοκιμῇ τῶν πεπειρασμένων γεγόνασι, διδάσκει λέγων· Παιδεύων ἐπαίδευσέ με ὁ Κύριος. Ἔγνων γὰρ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ ἀσθένειαν, καὶ τὴν ἐκ Θεοῦ μοι παρασχεθεῖσαν δύναμιν οὐκ ἠγνόησα. Ἐπαιδεύθην δὲ ὁποία τις ἦν ἡ δεξιὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἡ τοὺς πολεμίους ταπεινώσασα. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους Ψαλμους, Ψαλμὸς ΡΙΖ' Source: Migne PG 23.1364c

The right hand of the Lord makes virtue, the right hand of the Lord has exalted me, the right hand of the Lord makes virtue. I shall not die but live, and I shall speak of the works of the Lord. The Lord chastened me but he did not give me over to death. 1 With these words 'The Lord chastened me,' he teaches that persecutions are not without their value but they have their use for proving amid trials. 'For I knew my weakness and I was not ignorant of the strength supplied by God, and I learnt what the right hand of God might be, that it humbled my adversaries.' Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 117 1 Ps 117.16-18

Strong Souls

Στιβαρῶν καὶ στεῤῥῶν ὑπάρχει ψυχῶν, τὸ διὰ πολλῶν θλίψεων βαδίζειν τὴν τοῦ παρόντος αἰῶνος οδόν. Οὕτω γὰρ ὁ Κύριος κέχρηται τῇ εὐτονούσῃ. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ TB', Φιληκῃ Πρεσβυτερῳ Source: Migne PG 79.192d

Souls become robust and firm by walking on the way of the many trials of this present world. So the Lord has improved fortitude. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 302, to Felix the Priest

Feet And Paths

Kατάρτισαι τὰ διαβήματά μου ἐν ταῖς τρίβοις σου ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶσιν τὰ διαβήματά μου Τρίβοι δὲ τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ, αἱ τηρήσεις τῶν ἐντολῶν τυγχάνουσιν, μᾶλλον δὲ αἱ κατ᾿ ἀρετὴν ἐνέργειαι, λεῖαι καὶ ὁμαλαὶ ἀναδειχθεῖσαι, ἐκ τοῦ συνεχῶς πατεῖσθαι πρὸς τῶν σπευδόντων φθάσαι ἐπὶ τὸ τέλος αὐτῶν· τέλος δὲ αὐτῶν ἡ μακαριότης καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν ἀπόδοσίς ἐστιν . Δράμωμεν τοίνυν κατ᾿ αὐτὰς, ἵνα σωτηρίας τύχωμεν· οὐ κλονουμένων τῶν διαβημάτων, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν οὐ σφαλλομένων, ὅτ᾽ ἂν ὁ Κύριος ἐν ταῖς τρίβοις αὐτοῦ καταρτίσῃ αὐτά· ὁ ταύτης τῆς αἰτήσεως τυχών, φησίν· ῎Ανευ ἀνομίας ἔδραμον καὶ κατηύθυνα· καὶ τὸ, Ὁδὸν ἐντολῶν σου ἔδραμον, ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἐπλάτυνας τὴνκαρδίαν μου. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμος ΙϚ' Source: Migne PG 39.1237b

Perfect my feet in your paths, that my steps are not shaken. 1 The paths of the Lord and of his holy ones is holding to the commandments, or rather the doing of things virtuously, and then it is easily and openly shown that from this way of going they are hurried them to their end, which end is beatitude and the fulfillment of the promises. Therefore let us run on the paths, so that we may obtain salvation, and with feet that are not shaken, that is, they do not stumble, because the Lord is perfecting them in His paths. These things are also prayed for when he says, 'I ran without iniquity and I directed my steps,' and, 'I ran on the way of your commandments, when you expanded my heart.' 2 Didymus the Blind, Commentary on The Psalms, from Psalm 16 1 Ps 16.5 2 Ps 58.5, Ps 118.32

Praise And Fragrance

Τοιοῦτον δὲ προσαγαγὼν τῷ στόματί τε καὶ τῇ γλώσσῃ τῆς νύμφης τὸν ἔπαινον πάλιν πρὸς τὰ μείζω τῶν ἐγκωμίων μετέρχεται λέγων ὅτι Ὀσμὴ ἱματίων σου ὡς ὀσμὴ λιβάνου. Ὁ δὲ λόγος οὗτος φιλοσοφία τίς ἐστιν εἰς ὅτι βλέπει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὁ κατ’ ἀρετὴν βίος ὑποδεικνύων· πέρας γὰρ τῆς ἐναρέτου ζωῆς ἡ πρὸς τὸ θεῖόν ἐστιν ὁμοίωσις· καὶ τούτου χάριν ἥ τε τῆς ψυχῆς καθαρότης καὶ τὸ πάσης ἐμπαθοῦς διαθέσεως ἀνεπίμικτον δι’ ἐπιμελείας κατορθοῦται τοῖς ἐναρέτοις, ὥστε τινὰ χαρακτῆρα τῆς ὑπερκειμένης φύσεως διὰ τῆς ἀστειοτέρας ζωῆς καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν οὐ μονοειδής τίς ἐστιν οὐδὲ μονότροπος ἡ κατ’ ἀρετὴν πολιτεία, ἀλλ’ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν ὑφασμάτων κατασκευῆς διὰ πολλῶν νημάτων, τῶν μὲν ἐπ’ εὐθείας ἀνατεταμένων τῶν δὲ κατὰ τὸ πλάγιον διῃρμένων, ἡ ὑφαντικὴ τέχνη τὴν ἐσθῆτα ποιεῖ, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐναρέτου ζωῆς πολλὰ χρὴ συνδραμεῖν, δι’ ὧν ὁ ἀστεῖος ἐξυφαίνεται βίος, καθὼς ἀπαριθμεῖται τὰ τοιαῦτα νήματα ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος, δι’ ὧν ἡ τῶν καθαρῶν ἔργων ἱστουργία συνίσταται, ἀγάπην λέγων καὶ χαρὰν καὶ εἰρήνην, μακροθυμίαν τε καὶ χρηστότητα καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα, οἷς κατακοσμεῖται ὁ ἐκ τοῦ φθαρτοῦ τε καὶ γηΐνου βίου τὴν οὐράνιον ἀφθαρσίαν μετενδυόμενος, τούτου χάριν ἀποδέχεται τὸν ἐν τῇ ἐσθῆτι κόσμον τῆς νύμφης ὡς τῷ λιβάνῳ κατὰ τὴν ὀσμὴν ὁμοιούμενον. Kαίτοι γε πρὸ τούτου πάντων εἶπε τῶν ἀρωμάτων προέχειν τὴν τοῦ μύρου τῆς νύμφης εὐωδίαν, ὡς δοκεῖν ἐν τούτῳ καθαίρεσιν εἶναι τῶν ἐγκωμίων, εἴπερ ἡ παντὸς ἀρώματος ὑπερτεθεῖσα νῦν πρὸς ἓν τῶν ἀρωμάτων ὁμοιοῦται διὰ συγκρίσεως, οὕτως εἰπόντος τοῦ λόγου ὅτι κατὰ τὴν ὀσμὴν τοῦ λιβάνου ἡ τῶν ἱματίων σού ἐστιν εὐωδία. Ἀλλ’ ἐπειδὴ ἰδιαζόντως κατά τινα λόγον εἰς τὴν τοῦ θείου τιμὴν ἀποτεταγμένον ἦν τὸ τοῦ λιβάνου θυμίαμα, τούτου χάριν ἡ ὑπὲρ πάντα τὰ ἀρώματα εἶναι κριθεῖσα ἀξιοῦται τῆς πρὸς τὸ ἓν ἄρωμα ὁμοιώσεως τὸ τῷ θεῷ ἀνακείμενον, ὡς τὸ νόημα τοῦ αἰνίγματος τοιοῦτον εἶναι ὅτι· σοί, ὦ νύμφη, τῶν ἀρετῶν ἡ περιβολὴ τὴν θείαν μιμεῖται μακαριότητα διὰ καθαρότητός τε καὶ ἀπαθείας τῇ ἀπροσίτῳ φύσει ὁμοιουμένη· τοιαύτη γάρ, φησίν, ἡ τῶν σῶν ἱματίων ὀσμή, ὡς πρὸς τὸν λίβανον ἐμφερῶς ἔχειν τὸν ἀνακείμενον εἰς τὴν τοῦ θείου τιμήν. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Ἐξηγησις Του Αἰσματος Των Ἀσμάτων, Ὁμιλία θʹ Source: Migne PG 44.960d-961c

Having acclaimed the mouth and the tongue of the bride in this manner, He again passes on to a higher order of praise, saying, 'The fragrance of your garments is as the fragrance of frankincense.' 1 This statement is something philosophical, since it indicates to men what the life according virtue should be, for the limit that the virtuous life approaches is likeness to the Divine, and for the sake of this both the purity of the soul and its separation from every disposition of passion are carefully achieved in the virtuous, so that they receive a certain impression of the transcendent Nature through the greater nobility of their life. Then since the virtuous life is not uniform and does not have a single style, for as the art of weaving a garment is performed with the use of many threads, some being stretched vertically and others horizontally, thus even in the the virtuous life many things must twine together if a noble life is to be fashioned, so the holy Apostle enumerates such threads, through which pure works are woven together on the loom, speaking of love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and all such things that adorn the one who from a corruptible and earthly life is putting on the garment of heavenly incorruptibility, 2 for which reason the adornment of the Bride’s garment is likened in its fragrance to be like frankincense. Certainly the Bridegroom earlier said that the sweet smell of the Bride's perfume excelled all the spices, and thus it seems that if she who surpassed all spices is now likened to one particular spice, as the Word says with, 'The sweet smell of your clothing conforms to the fragrance of frankincense,' then it appears to nullify his previous tributes, but since for some reason frankincense was set apart for the honour of the Deity, she who was deemed to be above all spices is reckoned worthy of being likened to the particular spice that is dedicated to God, and so the meaning of the mystery is this, 'O bride, your garment of virtues is like the Divine blessedness since its purity and impassibility is like the unapproachable Nature. For,' he says, 'the scent of your garments is such as to possess a resemblance to that frankincense that is dedicated to the honouring of God.' Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Commentary on The Song of Songs, from Homily 9 1 Song 4.11 2 Galat 5.22, 1 Cor 15.53

A Little Perseverence

Οταν δυνηθῇς δύο μῆνας εὐχῇ, καὶ τῇ ἡσυχία προσκαρτερῆσαι, τότε κἂν ὄνυχά πού τινα, ἢ φαντασίαν μικράν τινα ἐν νῷ λαβεῖν δυνήσῃ τῆς ἐπιπόνου τληπαθείας, καὶ τῆς πολυμόχθου διαγωγής, τῶν διὰ πάσης τῆς ζωῆς προσανεχόντων τῷ μονήρει κανόνι, καὶ τῇ ἀκτυπησία. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΣΠΑ' Ἱλαριος Πρεσβυτέρῳ Source: Migne PG 79.185a

When you are able to persevere two months in prayer and quiet, then you may have a certain sniff or a brief glimpse of the laborious toil and burdensome years of those who through their whole lives are bound to silence by the monastic rule. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 281, to Hilarius the Presbyter

Faith And Works

Ἡγοῦμαι μὲν μηδεμιᾶς ἑτέρας ὑμᾶς τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι παρακλήσεως δεῖσθαι, μετὰ τοὺς λόγους οὓς δἰ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἐποιησάμεθα πρὸς ὑμᾶς, παρακαλοῦντες ὑμᾶς πάντας τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ζωὴν καταδέξασθαι εἰς μίμημα τῆς ἀποστολικῆς πολιτείας, ὃ καὶ ἐδέξασθε ὡς ἀγαθὸν δίδαγμα, καὶ ηὐχαριστήσατε δἰ αὐτὸ τῷ Κυρίῳ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐχὶ ῥήματα ἦν τὰ παῤ ἡμῶν λαληθέντα, ἀλλὰ διδάγματα εἰς ἔργον προελθεῖν ὀφείλοντα ἐπὶ ὠφελείᾳ μὲν ὑμῶν τῶν ἀνεχομένων, ἐπ̓ ἀναπαύσει δὲ ἡμετέρᾳ τῶν ὑποθεμένων τὴν γνώμην, εἰς δόξαν δὲ καὶ ἔπαινον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὗ τὸ ὄνομα ἐπικέκληται ἐφ̓ ἡμᾶς, τούτου χάριν ἀπέστειλα τὸν ποθεινότατον ἡμῶν ἀδελφόν, ἵνα καὶ τὸ πρόθυμον γνωρίσῃ, καὶ τὸ νωθρὸν διεγείρῃ, καὶ τὸ ἀντιτεῖνον φανερὸν ἡμῖν καταστήσῃ. Πολλὴ γὰρ ἡ ἐπιθυμία καὶ ἰδεῖν ὑμᾶς συνηγμένους, καὶ ἀκοῦσαι περὶ ὑμῶν ὅτι οὐχὶ τὸν ἀμάρτυρον ἀγαπᾶτε βίον, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον καταδέχεσθε πάντες καὶ φύλακες τῆς ἀλλήλων ἀκριβείας εἶναι καὶ μάρτυρες τῶν κατορθουμένων. Oὕτω γὰρ ἕκαστος καὶ τὸν ἐφ̓ ἑαυτῷ μισθὸν τέλειον ἀπολήψεται καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ προκοπῇ: ὃν καὶ λόγῳ καὶ ἔργῳ παρέχεσθαι ὑμᾶς ἀλλήλοις προσήκει ἐκ τῆς συνεχοῦς ὁμιλίας καὶ παρακλήσεως. Ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ παρακαλοῦμεν μεμνῆσθαι ὑμᾶς τῆς τῶν πατέρων πίστεως, καὶ μὴ σαλεύεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ ἡσυχίᾳ περιφέρειν ὑμᾶς ἐπιχειρούντων, εἰδότας ὅτι οὔτε πολιτείας ἀκρίβεια καθ̓ ἑαυτήν, μὴ διὰ τῆς εἰς Θεὸν πίστεως πεφωτισμένη, ὠφέλιμος, οὔτε ὀρθὴ ὁμολογία, ἀγαθῶν ἔργων ἄμοιρος οὖσα, παραστῆσαι ἡμᾶς δυνήσεται τῷ Κυρίῳ: ἀλλὰ δεῖ ἀμφότερα συνεῖναι, ἵνα ἄρτιος ᾖ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ μὴ κατὰ τὸ ἐλλεῖπον χωλεύῃ ἡμῶν ἡ ζωή. Πίστις γάρ ἐστιν ἡ σώζουσα ἡμᾶς, ὥς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, δἰ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ἐπιστολή ΣϞE'  Source: Migne PG 32.1037c-1040a

I do not think that there is any further need to commend you to God's grace, after the words that I spoke to you in person, when I exhorted you all to adopt a life in common, in imitation of the of conduct of the Apostles, 1 which you received as good teaching, and gave thanks to the Lord for it. Since then your conduct was not so much due to the words I spoke, but to your putting them into practice, which was to the advantage of those who accepted them, and to my contentment who gave you the counsel, and to the glory and praise of Christ, by whose name we are called, because of this I have sent you a well beloved brother, that he may learn of your zeal and rouse your sloth, and make any resistance known to me. For my desire to see you all united is great, and to hear that you do not wish to live a life without witness, but rather that all of you are vigilant of each other's eagerness, and witnesses of each other's improvement. Thus will each of you receive the full reward, not only on his own behalf, but on the account of a brother's advance, for by word and deed you will be a source of profit to one another, on account of continuous association and encouragement. But above all I exhort you to be mindful of the faith of the Fathers, and not to be shaken by those who in your retreat would attempt to draw you away from it, for you are aware that the strictness of a life does not profit at all unless illuminated by faith in God, nor will a correct confession of faith, if it lacks good works, be able to set you before the Lord. Faith and works must be joined for the man of God to be perfect and for his life not fail through any defect. As the Apostle says, the faith that saves us works through love. 2 Saint Basil of Caesarea, Letter 295 1 Acts 2.44, 2 Galat 5.6

Seeking Understanding

Συνέτισόν με, καὶ ἐξερευνήσω τὸν νόμον σου, καὶ φυλάξω αὐτὸν ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ μου. Βούλεται ἐξερευνῆσαι τὸν νόμον τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ προφήτης ἐπιστάμενος , ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι σαφὴς καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητος . Συνἐτισόν με τοίνυν , ἵνα ζητήσω αὐτὸν μετὰ τῆς πρεπούσης ἐρεύνης καὶ ἐπιστασίας, ὡς ἐξ αὐτοῦ λαβεῖν τῶν πρακτέων καὶ θεωρητῶν τὴν χρῆσιν καὶ κατάληψιν· οὕτω γὰρ δυνήσομαι φυλάξαι αὐτὸν ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ ἀνενδοιάστως αὐτῷ προσερχόμενος. Εἰ δὲ συνέσεως δεῖται ἵνα μόνον ἐρευνήσῃ τὸν νόμον, τίνος δεῖται, συνέσεως ἀπὸ Θεοῦ διδομένης, ἵνα εὔρῃ τὸ τέλος; Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους Ψαλμους, Ψαλμὸς ΡΙϚ' Source: Migne PG 23.1372a

Give me understanding and I shall study your law and I shall guard it with my whole heart. 1 Wishing to study the law of God the prophet is aware that it is not clear and easy to grasp. 'Give me understanding,' then, so that he may examine and ponder it correctly and grasp those things that should be done or contemplated by his study, for only then will he be able to guard it with his whole heart, and without doubt it will be with him. And if it is necessary to study the law with understanding, how great shall be the need for you to have this understanding from God, so that you might reach the end? Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.34

Food And Feasting

Procul dubio singula, quae exhibentur diversis sensibus nostris, singulos sensus delectant. Neque enim vel sonus delectat aspectum, vel color auditum. Cordi autem nostro Dominus et lux est et vox est et odor est et cibus est. Et ideo omnia est, quia nihil horum est. Et ideo nihil est horum, quia horum omnium creator est. Est lumen cordi nostro, cui dicimus: In lumine tuo videbimus lumen. Est sonus cordi nostro cui dicimus: Auditui meo dabis exsultationem et laetitiam. Est odor cordi nostro, de quo dicitur: Christi bonus odor sumus. Si autem cibum quaeritis, quia ieiunastis: Beati qui esuriunt et sitiunt iustitiam. De ipso autem Domino Iesu Christo dictum est, quia factus est nobis iustitia et sapientia. Ecce epulae praeparatae sunt. Iustitia Christus est, nusquam deest; non a coquis praeparatur nobis, nec de transmarinis partibus veluti poma peregrina a negotiatoribus apportatur. Cibus est quem sentit omnis qui sanas fauces habet interioris hominis. Cibus est qui se ipsum commendans ait: Ego sum panis vivus, qui de caelo descendi. Cibus est qui reficit nec deficit; cibus est qui cum sumitur non consumitur; cibus est qui esurientes satiat et integer manet. Cum hinc ad mensas vestras discesseritis, nihil tale manducabitis. Quia ergo ad istas epulas convenistis, bene comedite. Sed cum abieritis, bene digerite. Bene enim manducat et male digerit, qui audit verbum Dei et non facit. Non enim ducit utilem succum, sed crudum ructat indigestione fastidium. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Sermo XXVIIIa, De verisculo Psalmi CIV, Laetetur cor quarentium Dominum Source: Migne PL 38.183

Without doubt each thing that is exhibited to our senses gives its specific pleasure to a sense, for it is not that sound delights sight or colour hearing. But for our hearts the Lord is light and the voice and the fragrance and the food. And He is all these things because He is none of them, and He is none of them because He is the creator of them all. He is the light for our hearts, to whom we say, 'In your light we shall see light,' and He is the sound for our hearts, to whom we say, 'To my hearing you will give exultation and joy,' and he is a fragrance to our hearts, concerning which it is said, 'We are the good fragrance of Christ.' 1 If you seek food because you have been fasting, 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.' 2 And it was said of the Lord Jesus Christ that He has been made justice and wisdom for us. 3 Behold, a feast has been prepared. Christ is justice and there is no lack of Him anywhere. He is not prepared for us by cooks, nor is He brought over the sea by merchants like exotic fruits. He is a food which appeals to everyone who has an inner man that is healthy. He is the food which recommends itself, saying, 'I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.' 4 He is the food which restores and does not perish. He is the food which is taken up and it does not disappear. He is the food that fills the hungry and remains whole. When you depart to your own tables, you will eat nothing like that. Because, then, you have come together for this feast, eat well. But when you go away digest well. For you eat well and digest badly if you hear the word of God and do not do it. If it does not lead to useful deeds, in utter aversion you vomit it out. Saint Augustine of Hippo, from Sermon 28a, On the line of the hundredth and fourth Psalm, 'Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice' 1 Ps 36.9, Ps 51.8, 2 Cor 2.15 2 Mt 5.6 3 1 Cor 1.30 4 Jn 6.51