Giving And Withholding

Nolite sanctum dare canibus, et margaritas vestras nolite mittere ante porcos. Ac si dicat, Mandavi vobis diligere inimicos vestros, et non judicare eos, ut vos exhibeam misericordes ad illos, ut benefaciatis eis de corporalibus vestris, non de meis spiritualibus bonis, quoniam in natura vobis communes sunt, et non in fide. Mandavi autem vobis, ut non judicetis eos, qui in vobis peccaverint. Id vero non ideo praecepi, ut mysteriorum meorum secreta non pandatis eis, qui nolentes me scire, blasphemant, et spernunt. Videte Patrem vestrum Deum, ad cujus exemplum volui vos esse misericordes: carnalia beneficia dignis, et non dignis similiter praestat, numquid gratias spirituales? Nec enim dixi vobis de illo, qui Spiritum sanctum jubet descendere super gratos et ingratos, et dat benedictiones suas super justos et injustos: propter quod in vestris quidem estote simplices et benigni, in meis autem prudentes et cauti. Si tu vestiarium tuum studiosum, et clavicularium cellarii tui fidelem tibi requiris: quanto magis Deus talem requirit dispensatorem gratiarum suarum, qui bene tractando gratias ejus, faciat gratiores, non, male dispensando, reddat ingratas? Sicut enim si canibus dederis sanctum, aut porcis margaritas, nec sanctum canes sanctificat, nec margaritae nutriunt porcos, sed e contra canes coinquinant sanctum, et porci margaritas sordidant, vel confringunt: ita si hominibus caninos vel porcinos mores habentibus sanctum dederis, aut mysteria secreta credideris, nec sanctum illos sanctificat, nec mysteria veritatis eos illuminant, sed e contra ipsi sanctum coinquinant, et mysteria veritatis blasphemant. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XVII Source: Migne PG 56.727-8

Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not cast your pearls before swine. 1 As if He says, 'I commanded you to love your enemies and not to judge them so that I might exhibit you as merciful to them, so that you may be of help to them in bodily matters, but not in my spiritual goods, because you have a common nature but not a common faith. And I commanded you not to judge those who have sinned against you, but I did not instruct you to reveal to them the secrets of my mysteries, for those who do not wish to know me will blaspheme and spurn them. Look to God the Father, for by His example I wish to make you merciful. May it not be that at the same time men are worthy of bodily benefits but not of spiritual graces? I did not say to you that He commands the Holy Spirit to descend upon the grateful and the ungrateful, and that He gives His blessing over the just and unjust. Because of which you should be simple and kind among yourselves, but in me prudent and cautious. If you are jealous of your wardrobe and you require trust for the key of your cellar, how much more does God require it for the dispensing of His graces, He who in the giving out His grace well makes grateful, and who does not dispense it poorly and give it to the ungrateful? So if you were to give something holy to a dog, or pearls to pigs, that which is holy would not sanctify the dogs, nor would pearls nourish pigs, but on the contrary the dogs would defile what is holy and the pigs would soil the pearls, or crush them. Thus if you give what is holy to men who have the ways of dogs and pigs, or you entrust the sacred mysteries to them, that which is holy will not sanctify them, nor will the mysteries of the truth enlighten them, but rather they will defile what is holy and blaspheme the mysteries of the truth. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 17 1 Mt 7.6

Seed And Weeds and Wheat

Ἄλλην παραβολὴν παρέθηκεν αυτοῖς, λέγων· Ωμοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ σπείραντι καλὸν σπέρμα ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ αὐτοῦ, ἐν δὲ τῷ καθεύδειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους , ἦλθεν αὐτοῦ ὁ ἐχθρὸς, καὶ ἔσπειρε ζιζάνια ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σίτου , καὶ ἀπῆλθεν. Ὅτε δὲ ἐβλάστησεν ὁ χόρτος καὶ καρπὸν ἐποίησε, τότε ἐφάνη καὶ τὰ ζιζάνια . Προσελθόντες δὲ οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ οἰκοδεσπότου, εἶπον αὐτῷ· Κύριε, οὐχὶ καλὸν σπέρμα ἔσπειρας ἐν τῷ σῷ ἀγρῷ; Πόθεν οὖν ἔχει τὰ ζιζάνια; Ὁ δὲ ἔφη αὐτοῖς· Ἐχθρὸς ἄνθρωπος τοῦτο ἐποίησεν. Οἱ δὲ δοῦλοι εἶπον αὐτῷ· Θέλεις οὖν ἀπελθόντες συλλέξωμεν αὐτά; Ὁ δὲ ἔφη Οῦ· μήποτε συλλέγοντες τὰ ζιζάνια, ἐκριζώσητε ἅμα αὐτοῖς τὸν σἴτον. "Αφετε οὖν συναυξάνεσθαι ἀμφότερα μέχρι τοῦ θερισμοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ θερισμοῦ ἐρῶ τοῖς θερισταῖς· Συλλέξατε πρῶτον τὰ ζιζάνια, καὶ δήσατε αὐτὰ εἰς δέσμας πρὸς τὸ κατακαῦσαι αὐτὰ, τὸν δὲ σἴτον συναγάγετε εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην μου. Ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ παραβολῇ εἶπε τὸ τέταρτον μέρος τοῦ σπόρου πεσεῖν εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν ἀγαθὴν , ἐν δὲ τῇ παρούσῃ δείκνυσιν , ὅτι οὐδὲ αὐτὸ ἐκεῖνο τὸ πεσὸν εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν ἀγαθὴν, ἀδιάφθορον εἴασεν ὁ ἐχθρὸς , διὰ τὸ καθεύδειν καὶ ῥαθυμεῖν ἡμᾶς. Ἀγρὸς οὖν , ὁ κόσμος, ἢ ἡ ἑκάστου ψυχή . Ὁστείρας, ὁ Χριστός. Καλὸν σπέρμα, οἱ ἀγαθοὶ ἄνθρωποι ἢ λογισμοί. Ζιζάνια, αἱ αἱρέσεις ἢ οἱ πονηροὶ λογισμοί . Ὁ σπείρας δὲ ταῦτα, ὁ διάβολος . Καθεύδοντες δὲ ἄνθρωποι, οἱ διὰ ῥαθυμίαν χώραν διδόντις τοῖς αἱρετικοῖς καὶ τοῖς πονηροῖς λογισμοῖς. Δοῦλοι δὲ, οἱ ἄγγελοι, οἱ ἀγανακτοῦσιν ἐπὶ τῷ εἶναι αἱρέσεις, ἢ πονηρίας ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ, καὶ βούλονται ἀνασπᾶν καὶ ἐκκόπτειν ἐκ τοῦ βίου τοὺς τε αἱρετικοὺς καὶ τοὺς τὰ πονηρὰ λογιζομένους. Ὁ Θεὸς οὐ συγχωρεῖ τοὺς αἱρετικοὺς διὰ πολέμων ἀναλίσκεσθαι, ἵνα μὴ συμπάσχωσι καὶ συν αλίσκωνται καὶ οἱ δίκαιοι. ῾Ομοίως οὐδὲ διὰ τοὺς πονηροὺς λογισμούς θέλει ὁ Θεὸς ἐκκόπτειν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἵνα μὴ καl ὁ σἶτος συνδιαφθαρῇ. Οἷον ἐὰν ὁ Ματθαῖος ζιζάνιον ὧν ἐκόπη ἐκ τῆς ζωῆς, συνεξεκόπη ἂν αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ ὕστερον μέλλων ἐξ αὐτοῦ βλαστῆσαι τοῦ λόγου σἶτος· ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ Παῦλος, καὶ ὁλῃστής· οὗτοι γὰρ ζιζάνια ὄντες , οὐκ ἐξεκόπησαν , ἀλλὰ συνεχωρήθησαν ζῇν, ἵνα αὐξηθῇ ἡ μετὰ ταῦτα αὐτῶν ἀρετή. Λέγει τοίνυν τοῖς ἀγγέλοις , ὅτι, Ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ, τότε συνάξετε τὰ ζιζάνια, ἤτοι τοὺς αἱρετικούς. Ἀλλὰ πῶς ; Εἰς δέσμας, τουτέστι, δήσαντες αὐτῶν χεῖρα ; καὶ πόδας· οὐκ ἔτι γὰρ δύναται τις ἐργάσασθαι τότε, ἀλλὰ πᾶσα πρακτικὴ δύναμις δεσμεῖται. Ὁ δὲ σἴτος, ἤτοι οἱ ἅγιοι, συνάγονται παρὰ τῶν θεριστῶν ἀγγέλων εἰς τὰς οὐρανίους ἀποθήκας. ὑμοίω; οὖν καὶ οἱ πονηροὶ λογισμοὶ οὓς εἶχεν ὁ Παῦλος ὅταν ἐδίωκεν , ἐκαύθησαν τῷ πυρὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ ἦλθε βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὁ δὲ σἴτος, ἤτοι οἱ ἀγαθοὶ λογισμοί, συνήχθησαν εἰς τὰς ἀποθήκας τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Θεοφύλακτος Αχρίδος, Ἑρμηνεία Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Ματθαιον, Κεφαλὴ IΓ' Source: Migne PG 123.284c-285b

And He set before them another parable. Here is an image, He said, of the kingdom of heaven. There was a man who sowed his field with good seed, but while men slept, an enemy of his came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. So when the blade had sprung up and come into ear, the weeds, too, came to light. His servants went to him and said, 'Master, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? How is it, then, that there are weeds in it? He said, An enemy has done this.' And the servants said to him, 'Would you have us go and gather them up?' He said, No, lest while you are gathering the weeds you will tear up the wheat with them. Leave them to grow side by side until the harvest, and when it comes I will give the word to the reapers, 'Gather up the weeds first, and tie them in bundles to be burned, and store the wheat in my barn.' 1 In the previous parable that He told, a quarter of the seed fell on to good ground, 2 but in this one He shows that while we sleep and are indolent the seed which fell on good ground is not immune to corruption by the enemy. The field is the world, or the soul of a man. However Christ is the sower. The good seed is good men or good thoughts. The weeds are heresies or wicked thoughts and he who sows that seed is the devil. But men are the sleepers, who on account of their indolence give a place for heretics and wicked thoughts. The servants are angels who are indignant that there are heresies or wickedness in the soul, and they wish to uproot heretics and tear them up of from life, and it is the same with wicked thoughts. But God does not permit heretics to be consumed by war lest the righteous also suffer and be consumed. Similarly God does not want evil thoughts cut out of a man lest at the same time the wheat is ruined. For the sake of an example, if Mathew had been uprooted from this life when he was a weed, likewise the wheat of his writing, which later arose in himself, would have been torn up. It is the same for Paul and the thief. For they were weeds and they were not pulled up but they were allowed to live so that they might later grow in virtue. He then speaks of the angels who in the end shall gather up the weeds, that is heretics. But how? In sheaves, that is, bound hand and feet, for then they shall no longer be able to act, but their power of acting shall be chained. But the wheat, that is, those who are holy, shall be gathered at the harvest by the angels for the heavenly granaries. Similarly the evil thoughts which Paul had when he was a persecutor were burnt up in the fire of Christ, which he came to place on the earth, 3 but the wheat, that is, the good thoughts, they were gathered into the granary of the Church. Theophylact of Ochrid, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Matthew, Chapter 13 1 Mt 13.24-30 2 Mt 13.3-8 3 Lk 12.49

Children And Humility

Et advocans Jesus parvulum, statuit eum in medio eorum... Vel simpliciter quemlibet parvulum, ut aetatem quaereret, et similitudinem innocentiae demonstraret. Vel certe parvulum statuit in medio eorum seipsum, qui non ministrari, sed ministrare venerat, ut eis humilitatis tribueret exemplum. Alii parvulum interpretantur Spiritum sanctum, quem posuerit in cordibus discipulorum, ut superbiam in humilitatem mutaret. Amen dico vobis, nisi conversi fueritis et efficiamini sicut parvuli, non intrabitis in regnum coelorum. Non praecipitur apostolis, ut aetatem habeant parvulorum, sed ut innocentiam, et quod illi per annos possident, hi possideant per industriam: ut malitia, non sapientia parvuli sint. Sanctus Hieronymus, Commentaria in Matthaeum, Liber III, Caput XVIII Source: Migne PL 25.128a-b

And calling a young boy, He stood him in the midst of them... 1 It is possible that He placed a young boy in their midst simply to question his age and to demonstrate an image of innocence, but it is more certain that He did this to give them an example of humility, namely, that of Himself, who had come not to be served but to serve. 2 Others interpret the boy as the Holy Spirit, whom He put into the hearts of the disciples that they might exchange their pride for humility. Truly I say to you that unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. The apostles are not commanded to have the age of little children, but their innocence, and to acquire by their efforts what children have by their age, so that they are children in wickedness not wisdom. Saint Jerome, Commentary on Matthew, Book 3, Chapter 18 1 Mt 18.2 2 Mt 20.28

Adam And The Samaritan

Homo quidam ex Hierusalem descendebat in Hiericho, et incidit in latrones... Si altius consideretur, admiranda signat mysteria. Hiericho enim figura istius mundi est, in quam de paradiso, hoc est, de Hierusalem illa coelesti eiectus Adam praevaricationis prolapsione descendit, hoc est, de vitalibus ad infirma demigrans: cui non loci, sed morum mutatio naturae suae fecit exsilium. Longe enim mutatus ab illo Adam, qui inoffensa beatitudine fruebatur, ubi in saecularia peccata defluxit, incidit in latrones: in quos non incidisset, nisi his mandati coelestis devius se fecisset obnoxium. Qui sunt isti latrones, nisi angeli noctis atque tenebrarum, qui se nonnumquam transfigurant in angelos lucis, sed perseverare non possunt? Hi ante dispoliant quae accepimus indumenta gratiae spiritalis, et sic vulnera inferre consuerunt; nam si intemerata quae sumpsimus indumenta servemus, plagas latronum sentire non possumus. Cave ergo ne ante nuderis, sicut Adam ante nudatus est, mandati coelestis custodia destitutus, et exutus fidei vestimento, et sic lethale vulnus accepit: in quo omne genus occidisset humanum, nisi Samaritanus ille descendens, vulnera eius acerba curasset. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Expositio Evangelii Secundum Lucam, Liber VII Source: Migne PL 15.1718a-b

A man came down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves... 1 If this is considered in a more higher sense it shall indicate admirable mysteries. Jericho is a figure of this world, into which Adam fell from paradise, that is, from that heavenly Jerusalem, 2 having been cast out for the fault of this transgression, that is, from might he passed into weakness, and his exile was not a matter of place but made by the change of his nature. He was greatly changed from that Adam who prospered in the innocence of blessedness, when he tumbled into worldly things by sin, and fell among thieves, to whom he did not come but by his own flouting of the heavenly command. Who are those thieves but angels of night and darkness who can even change themselves into angels of light 3 but are not able to persist in it? They who are accustomed to inflict their wounds by first despoiling us of the heavenly armor we have received, for if we preserve the armour intact we have taken up, we will not be able to feel the blows of the thieves. 4 Therefore take care not to be naked, as Adam was when he stripped himself of the guard of the heavenly commandment and was stripped of the garment of faith, and because of which he received a lethal wound, in which every man would have perished, unless that Samaritan coming down had cured the bitter wounds. Saint Ambrose, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Luke, Book 7 1 Lk 10.25 2 Heb 12.22, Galat 4.26 3 2 Cor 11.14 4 Ephes 6.11-18

Righteousness And Appearances

Attendite ne justitiam vestram faciatis coram hominibus, ut videamini ab eis: alioquin mercedem non habebitis apud Patrem vestrum qui in caelis est. Cum ergo facis eleemosynam, noli tuba canere ante te, sicut hypocritae faciunt in synagogis, et in vicis, ut honorificentur ab hominibus. Amen dico vobis, receperunt mercedem suam. Te autem faciente eleemosynam, nesciat sinistra tua quid faciat dextera tua: ut sit eleemosyna tua in abscondito, et Pater tuus, qui videt in abscondito, reddet tibi. Et cum oratis, non eritis sicut hypocritae qui amant in synagogis et in angulis platearum stantes orare, ut videantur ab hominibus : amen dico vobis, receperunt mercedem suam. Tu autem cum oraveris, intra in cubiculum tuum, et clauso ostio, ora Patrem tuum in abscondito: et Pater tuus, qui videt in abscondito, reddet tibi. Instructis illis in perfectiori justitia agit de fine, ut non tamen hoc fine faciant, scilicet propter humanum favorem. Et agit de tribus virtutibus, eleemosyna, jejunio, et oratione, removendo a singulis hunc finem. Non prohibet fieri opera coram hominibus, quia superius dixit: Luceat lux vestra coram hominibus, sed hac intentione fieri prohibet, ut videantur, id est ut velint videri. Cum ergo, etc. Quando quidem nullam justitiam, ergo nec eleemosynam pro laude faciatis. Tangit morem Judaeorum, qui quando pauperes congregare volebant, tuba sonabant in publicis locis, et hoc praecipue faciebant hypocritae, qui sub specie boni laudes quaerebant, quasi dicat: Noli tuba canere, id est noli facta tua notificare et innotescere, ea intentione sicut hypocritae, quia receperunt mercedem laudis: vel receperunt quidam eorum in inferno mercedem suam, id est aptam. Tu autem, etc. Quia aliquis diceret: Ego faciam pro utroque, et pro aeterno bono, et pro humana laude, prohibet illud, quia Deus non patitur secum esse participem. Dextra est amor coelestium bonorum, sinistra vero est amor temporalium bonorum, laudis scilicet et caeterorum: non ergo consocientur isti amores, et nesciat sinistra, id est petitio humanae laudis, quid faciat dextra, id est amor et coelestium respectus: Ut sit eleemosyna tua in abscondito, id est in pura conscientia, ubi homo non videt, sed Deus tantum. Et cum oratis, etc., qui amant orare stantes, quasi cum labore in synagogis, id est in angulis platearum. Duo genera notat hypocritarum, alios qui aperte orant in publico ut viderentur, sicut illi qui orant in synagogis, ubi est totus conventus hominum, et alios qui licet in publico orarent, tamen latere se velle simulabant, cum tamen vellent videri, sicut illi qui in plateis orabant, sed tamen in angulis. Tu autem cum orabis, intra, etc. Ad litteram est hoc bonum facere, tamen aptius accipitur per cubiculum secretum conscientiae, in quo cubili oportet ut non sit litigiosa uxor, id est carnalitas, quae inquietet et faciat foras vagari mentem, non permittens sibi quiescere. Oportet igitur eam domari et comprimi, ut non inquietet et litiget. Sed non valet refugere ad cubiculum, nisi clauso ostio, ne intret turba phantasmatum. Ostia sunt ut quinque sensus corporis, et praecipue timor et amor terrenus. Per haec enim duo ostia intrant omnia phantasmata peccatorum, quae claudenda sunt. Anselmus Laudunensis, Enarrationes In Matthaeum, Caput VI Source: Migne PL 162.1303d-1304c

Take care you do not do your righteousness before men, to be seen by them, otherwise you shall not have a reward from your Father who is in heaven. Therefore when you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honoured by men. Truly I say to you that they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be given in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners, so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, enter into your chamber, and having shut the door, pray to your Father in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 1 Having instructed them in the more perfect righteousness, He treats of the end, that they do not act for this end, that is, for the favour of men. And He treats of the three virtues of alms giving and fasting and prayer, removing this end from each one. He does not prohibit us from doing works before men, because previously He said, 'Let your light shine out before men,' 2 but He prohibits the intention of appearing, that is, that they wish to appear. 'Therefore when...' Do not give alms for praise when then there is no righteousness in it. This touches on a custom of the Jews who when they wished to gather the poor together they would blow a trumpet in a public space, and the hypocrites especially did this, who beneath a mask of goodness sought praise, as if He said with, 'Do not blow a trumpet,' 'Do not proclaim your deeds or exhibit them for notice, for this is to act like a hypocrite,' because they received the reward of praise, and some of them received their reward in hell, as is fitting. 'But you,' Because if someone were to say, 'I act for both reasons, for the eternal reward and also for human praise,' He prohibits it because God does not suffer to be a participant in it. The right hand is the love of heavenly goods, but the left is the love of transient goods, that is, praise and the rest of them. Therefore they should not associate with the latter loves, and the left does not know, that is, the wish for human praise, what the right hand does, that is, for the love and reverence of heaven. 'So that your alms be given in secret.' That is, with a pure conscience, when no man sees but only God. 'And when you pray,' those who love standing in prayer as if toiling in the synagogues, that is, on street corners. He notes two types of hypocrites, one sort who openly pray in the streets so that they might be seen, and those who pray in synagogues when there is a great gathering of men, and it is possible that there others who pray in public, who feign they wish to be hidden but they do wish to be seen just like those who prays in the streets but on the corners. 'You, however, when you pray...' According to the letter prayer is good, but it is more fittingly performed in the secret chamber of the conscience, in which chamber there should not be a nagging wife, that is, carnality, which disturbs and makes the mind wander outside and does not allow quietness. Thus one must rule and suppress this, so that it does not disquiet and provoke to argument. But one cannot withdraw to this chamber unless the door is closed, lest a crowd of illusions enter. The doors are the five bodily senses, and also the fear and love of worldly things. For through these two doors pass in the illusions of errors, which must be shut out. Anselm of Laon, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 5 1 Mt 6.1-6 2 Mt 5.16

The Vineyard And Righteousness

Simile est regnum caelorum homini patrifamilias, qui exiit primo mane conducere operarios in vineam suam. Homo paterfamilias Christus est, cui caeli et terra quasi una est domus: familia autem quasi caelestium et terrestrium multitudo creaturarum, qui quasi tristegam domum aedificavit, id est, inferos, caelum et terram, ut super terram habitarent certantes, in inferno autem victi, in caelo victores: ut et nos, in medio constituti, non contendamus ad eos descendere, qui sunt in inferno, sed ad eos ascendere, qui sunt in caelo. Et ne forte nescias quid debeas fugere, aut quid debeas sequi, utriusque dedit tibi quasi modicum gustum inter lumen et tenebras habitanti: noctem de inferno, lumen de caelo. Nox tibi referat de tenebris inferorum, et lux tibi referat de splendore caelesti. Conducere operarios in vineam suam. Quae est vinea Dei hic? Non homines, sicut alibi: homines enim vineae cultores dicuntur. Vinea enim justitia est, in qua diversae species justitiarum positae sunt, quasi vites: utputa, mansuetudo, castitas, patientia, longanimitas, caeteraque innumerabilia bona, quae omnia generaliter justitiae appellantur. Attendamus ergo, cum quali studio caelestem vineam colamus. Adam enim positus est in paradiso, colere et operari eam: sed quia neglexit eam, projectus est de ea. Et nos positi sumus super colendam justitiam; si neglexerimus, projiciemur de ea, sicut et Judaei projecti sunt: de quibus scriptum est: Appone iniquitatem super iniquitatem eorum, ut non intrent in tuam justitiam. Ruina praecedentium admonitio debet esse sequentium. Si autem et nos sequentes ceciderimus in ipsam, magis veniam merentur illi, qui primi ceciderunt, quam nos qui secundi. Sicut autem mercenarius positus in vinea, si neglexerit eam, non solam mercedem suam perdet, sed etiam desertae vineae exigetur ab eo damnum: sic et nos, si neglexerimus justitiam nobis commissam, non solum nullam mercedem habebimus, sed etiam dissipatae justitiae dabimus rationem. Vinea enim Dei non extra nos, sed in nobis ipsis plantata est. Ideo qui peccatum facit, dissipat in se justitiam Dei: qui autem bona opera facit, colit eam in se. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XXXIV Source: Migne PG 56.816-7

The kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard... 1 Christ is the householder, to whom the heavens and the earth are as one house, and His family is as the multitude of created things of heaven and earth, He who has established it as a house with three floors, that is, hell, heaven and the earth, so that on the earth dwell those who struggle, and in hell those who have been conquered, and in heaven the victors, so even we who are set in the midst of this should strive to avoid being with those who descend and to be with those who ascend and who are in heaven. And if perhaps you do not know what you should flee, or what you should follow, He gives to you as a slight taste the light and darkness where you dwell, the night as hell, daylight as heaven, night referring to the gloom of hell, and light to the splendor of heaven. 'To hire labourers for his vineyard.' What is the vineyard of God here? It is not men, as elsewhere, for men are said to be cultivators of the vineyard. The vineyard is righteousness, in which many types of righteousness are set, just like vines, that is, meekness, chastity, patience, long suffering, and other innumerable goods, which are all called righteousness in general. Let us look, therefore, to what zeal we should tend the vineyard. For Adam was placed in paradise to tend and work, but because he neglected it he was cast from it. And we have been placed to tend to righteousness, which if we neglect it, we shall be cast out, as even the Jews were cast out, concerning whom it is written, 'Place their wickedness on wickedness so that they do not enter into your righteousness.' 2 The ruin of those who came before should be a warning to those who come after. For if we who follow fail in this, those who failed first will have more cause for forgiveness than we who are second. So the hired man is placed in the vineyard, and if he neglects it, not only will he lose his pay, but he will be thrust out of the vineyard he has damaged, and so if we neglect the righteousness committed to us, not only shall we not have our reward, but we shall give cause for the ruin of righteousness. And the vineyard of God is not outside us but it is planted within us, and therefore he who sins ruins the righteousness of God in himself, and he who performs good works tends it in himself. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 34 1 Mt 20.1 2 Ps 68.28

A Woman Healed

Et circumspiciebat videre eam, quae hoc fecerat. Mulier vero timens et tremens, sciens quod factum esset in se, venit et procidit ante eum, et dixit ei omnem veritatem. Ille autem dixit ei: Filia, fides tua te salvam fecit : vade in pace, et esto sana a plaga tua. Et circumspiciebat videre... Eam quae ex hoc visu et respectu moveretur, quod hoc factum in gloriam Dei publicaret. Gratia et misericordia est in sanctis eius: et respectus eius in electos illius. Mulier autem timens... Corde, timore reverentiae, et tremens corpore, ad maiestatem Deitatis, cuius virtutem iam in se experta fuit.Timor et tremor venerunt super me, per experimentum quod factum esset in se, facitatis miraculum. Venit... Fidei devotione Et procidit ante eum... Poenitentia confitens quod vere Deus esset: quia eam de tam intima et miserabili poena infirmitatis erexerat . Cadens in terra pronuntiat quod vere Deus in nobis fit. Et dixit ei... Confitendo publice omnem veritatem scilicet de de quantitate et prolixitate infirmitatis, et de fide et devotione tangendi, et de perceptione integrae sanitatis. Veritatem Dico in Christo Iesu: non metior, testimonium perhibente mihi conscientia mea in Spiritu sancto. Iesus autem dixit ei. Sicut salutis auctor: ostendens id quod dicitur. Tu es qui vitae et mortis habes potestatem. Deducit ad inferos et reducit. Filia... Iam ad imaginem meam in gratia reformata. Fides tua te salvam fecit, Hoc est, hanc salute tibi meruit. Mulier magna est fides tua: fiat tibi sicut petisti. Vade in pace... Mea, mihi per devotionem reconciliata.  Fides tua te salvam fecit: vade in pace. Pacem meam do vobis. Esto sana... Perseverantia sanitatis perceptae.9 A Plaga tua. Confirma hoc Deus, quod operatus es in nobis. Sic dicitur: Quod vidit Deus cuncta quae fecerat, et erant valde bona. Qui enim fecerat potestate Deitatis, vidit oculo beneplaciti, confirmans, ut manerent: et sic manentia, essent valde bona. Bona enim erant facta: sed valde bona erant perseverantia. Hoc igitur est quod leo de tribu Iuda ostendit contra tentationes in carne, quae in fluxu sanguinis istius mulieris designantur. Sanctus Albertus Magnus, Commentarium In Evangelium Divi Marci, Caput V Source: Here p54-55

And He looked about to see who had done this, and the woman, in fear and trembling, knowing what was done to her, came and fell down before Him, and she told Him all the truth. And He said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has made you whole. Go in peace, and be healed of your disease.' 1 And He looked about to see... She who was moved by this sight and looking would thus make public what was done to the glory of God. In Wisdom, 'Grace and mercy are among His holy ones and His eyes are on his chosen ones.' 2 But the woman fearing... In her heart with the fear of reverence, and trembling in her body at the majesty of God, whose power she had just experienced in herself. In the hundred and fourth Psalm, 'Fear and trembling came on me,' 3 from the experience of what was performed in her, the miracle of healing. 'Came...' In the devotion of faith. 'And fell down before Him...' In penance confessing that he was truly God, because He had relieved her of such an intimate and wretched a burden of sickness. 'Falling on the earth he shall proclaim that God is truly among us.' 4 And she told Him... Openly announcing the whole truth, that is, the gravity and length of the sickness and the faith and devotion of her touching, and the awareness of the restoration of her health. 'I speak the truth in Jesus Christ, I do not lie, my conscience bears witness to me in the Holy Spirit.' 5  Then Jesus spoke to her, as the author of salvation, revealing what is said in Wisdom, 'You are the one who has power over life and death,' 6 In Kings, 'He leads down into hell and He brings back again.' 7 'Daughter...' Now to my image by grace you have been renewed. 'Your faith has saved you...' That is, your faith merited it. In Matthew, 'Your faith is great, woman. May it be done to you as you have asked.' 8 'Go in peace...' Mine, through which devotion to me you have been reconciled. In Luke, 'Your faith has saved you, go in peace.' In John, 'My peace I give you.' 9 'Be healed...' Persevere in the reception of health. 'Of your disease.' In the Psalm, 'Confirm this, O God, which you have wrought among us.' 10 So it is said in the first chapter of Genesis, 'God saw all that he had made and it was very good.' 11 He who makes with the power of the Deity looks on with a benevolent eye, and gives strength so that they might persist, and so they do, and are very good. For good things were made, but it was very good that they persisted. This, then, is what the lion of Juda showed against the trials of the flesh, which is signified with this woman with the flow of blood. Saint Albert The Great, Commentary On The Gospel of St Mark, Chapter 5 1 Mk 4.5-6 2 Sirach 3.27 , Job 41.15 3 Ps 54.6 4 1 Cor 14.25 5 Rom 9.1 6 Wisd 16.13 7 1 Kings 2.1 8 Mt 15.28 9 Lk 7.50 Jn 14.27 10 Ps 67.29 11 Gen 1.31

The Cure Of Peace

Mακάριοι οἱ εἰρηνοποιοί... Τί ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη πρῶτον νοήσωμεν. Τί ἄλλο, ἢ ἀγαπητική τις πρὸς τὸ ὁμόφυλον συνδιάθεσις; τί οὖν ἐστι ἐξ ἐναντίου τῇ ἀγάπῃ νοούμενον; Μῖσος, ὀργὴ, θυμὸς, φθόνος, μνησικακία, ὑπόκρισις, ἡ κατὰ πόλεμον συμφορά. Ὁρᾷς ὅσων καὶ οἴων ἀῤῥωστημάτων ἀντιφάρμακόν ἐστιν ἡ μία φωνή; Ἡ γὰρ εἰρήνη κατὰ τὸ ἴσον ἑκάστῳ τῶν εἰρημένων ἀντικαθίσταται, καὶ ἀφανισμὸν ποιεῖ τοῦ κακοῦ τῇ ἑαυτῆς παρουσίᾳ, Ὡς γὰρ ὑγιείας ἐπιλαβούσης ἡ νόσος ἐξαφανίζεται, καὶ φωτὸς φανέντος οὐχ ὑπολείπεται σκότος· οὕτως καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης ἐπιφανείσης, λύεται πάντα τὰ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου συνιστάμενα πάθη. Τοῦτο δὲ ὅσον ἐστὶν ἀγαθὸν, οὐδὲν οἶμαι χρῆναι διεξιέναι τῷ λόγῳ αὐτός· σὺ κατὰ σεαυτὸν ἐπιλελόγισαι, οἷος ὁ βίος τῶν ἀλλήλους δι' ὑποψίας καὶ μίσους ἐχόντων, ὧν δυσάντητοι μὲν αἱ συντυχίαι, βδελυκτὰ δὲ αὐτοῖς τὰ ἀλλήλων πάντα· ἄφθογγα δὲ τὰ στόματα, καὶ ἀπεστραμμένα τὰ βλέμματα· καὶ ἀκοὴ πεφραγμένη τῇ τοῦ μισοῦντος καὶ μισουμένου φωνῇ. Πᾶν δὲ φίλον ἑκατέρῳ αὐτῶν, ὃ τῷ ἑτέρῳ μὴ φίλον· καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου πᾶν ἐχθρὸν, καὶ πολέμιον, ὃ τῷ δυσμενεῖ καταθύμιον. Ὥσπερ τοίνυν τὰ εὐώδη τῶν ἀρωμάτων, τῆς ἰδίας εὐπνοίας τὸν παρακείμενον ἀέρα πλήρη ποιεῖ· οὕτω σοι βούλεται κατὰ περιουσίαν πλεονάζειν τῆς εἰρήνης τὴν χάριν, ὥστε τὸν σὸν βίον θεραπείαν εἶναι τῆς ἀλλοτρίας νόσου. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Εἰς Τους Μακαρισμους, Logos Z', Mακάριοι οἱ εἰρηνοποιοί, ὅτι αὐτοὶ υἱοὶ θεοῦ κληθήσονται. Source: Migne PG 44.1284b-d

Blessed are the peacemakers...1 Let us first consider what peace is. What but a loving disposition towards one's neighbour. What, then, is considered to be the opposite of love? Hate and wrath, anger and envy, bearing resentment, hypocrisy and strife. Do you see how this one word is an antidote for many different diseases? For peace is equally opposed to all the things mentioned and makes the evils disappear by its presence. Just as sickness vanishes when health arrives, and as no darkness remains when light begins to shine, so it is that with the appearance of peace all the passions connected with its opposite cease. I do not think I need describe in detail how great a good this is. You yourself may consider what sort of life they lead who treat each other with suspicion and hatred. Conversations are difficult, all interaction is despised, tongues are silent, eyes are turned away, and hearing is blocked to the voice of him who hates and is hated. Whatever is dear to the one is not to the other, and conversely, whatever is an enemy and a threat to one pleases the one who bears him ill will. Therefore as it is with the pleasant scent of sweet spices that fill the air around with their fragrance, so He wants the grace of peace to abound fully in you, so that your life may heal the sickness of others. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On The Beatitudes, from the Seventh Oration, on 'Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God.' 1 Mt 5.9

The Soul's Flight

Fugiamus hinc. Potes animo fugere, et si retineris corpore. Potes et hic esse, et adesse ad Dominum, si illi adhaereat anima tua, si post ipsum cogitationibus tuis ambules, si fide, non specie vias ejus sequaris, si ad ipsum confugias. Est enim refugium et virtus, cui dicit David: Ad te confugi, et non sum deceptus. Ergo quia Deus refugium, Deus autem in coelo, et supra coelos: utique hinc illo confugiendum est, ubi pax, ubi requies ab operibus, ubi epulemur sabbatum magnum, sicut dixit Moyses: Et erunt sabbata terrae vobis escae. Epulatorium enim et plenum jucunditatis et tranquillitatis est, requiescere in Christo, et ejus delectationem videre. Qui ergo confugimus ad Deum, ad mundum revertemur? Qui peccato mortui sumus, peccata repetemus? Qui renuntiavimus saeculo et usui ejus, iterum in luto ejus haerebimus? Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Fuga Saeculi, Caput VIII Source: Migne PL 14.590b-c

Let us flee from here. You can flee in the soul, even though detained in the body. You can both be here and in the presence of the Lord if your soul cleaves to Him and you walk after Him in your thoughts, if you follow His ways, not in appearance but in faith, if you take refuge in Him. For He is a refuge and strength, as David says to Him, 'I fled to you for refuge and I was not deceived.' 1 And so because God is a refuge and because He is in heaven and above the heavens, surely we must flee from here to there where there is peace, where there is rest from labors, where we can feast upon the great sabbath as Moses said, 'And the sabbaths of the land shall be food for you.' 2 For to rest in Christ and to look on His delight is a banquet, one filled with joy and serenity. We have taken refuge with God, and shall we return to the world? We have died to sin, shall we seek sins again? We have renounced the world and its use, shall we stick fast again in its mire? Saint Ambrose, On Flight from the World, Chapter 8 1 Ps 76.3 2 Levit 25.6

Interior Peace

Εἶπε πάλιν· ῎Ατρωτος διαμένει μοναχὸς ἀπὸ τῶν βελῶν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, ὁ ἀγαπῶν ἡσυχίαν· ὁ δὲ συναναμιγνύμενος πλήθεσι συνεχεῖς δέχεται πληγάς Ἀποφθέγματα Των Ἁγίων Γερόντων, Παλλάδιος Γαλατίας Source: Migne PG 65.305c

Again Father Nilus said, 'The monk who loves interior peace will remain invulnerable to the shafts of the enemy, but he who mixes with crowds constantly receives blows.' Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

An Ignorant Critic

Ἒοικας ἀγνοεῖν ὅσην ὁ ἀπράγμων βίος ἔχει τὴν εὐφροσύνην· τάχα δὲ οὐκ αὐτὸς μόνος , ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ τὸν αὐτόν σοι βίον ἐπανῃρημένοι, ἅτε μηδέποτε ταύτης γευσάμενοι καθαρῶς . Πέπαυσο τοίνυν μὴ μόνον πολυπραγμονῶν , καὶ συκοφαντῶν , ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς συκοφάντας συγκροτῶν. Κινδυνεύεις γὰρ εἰς ἀναλγησίαν ἐκπεπτωκώς , τὴν μὲν κακίαν περιἐπειν, τὴν δ' ἀρετὴν προπηλακίζειν. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Δεύτερον, Ἐπιστολὴ K', Μαρωνι Source: Migne PG 78.469d-472a

You appear to be ignorant of how great the joy is in the life that is far from daily business, and perhaps this applies not only to you, but even to those who live a life like yours, who never taste of that purity. Be done, then, not only with questioning something utterly foreign to you and slandering it, but also applauding those who disparage it. For you are in danger of falling into foolishness, and embroiling yourself in vices, and abusing virtue. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 2, Letter 30, To Maro

Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, And The Song Of Songs

Veranus: Quid ait Salomon in Proverbiss, aut docet in Ecclesiaste, vel Cantico Canticorum? Salonius: In Proverbiis docet parvulum, et per varias sententias, instruit quasi filium. In Ecclesiaste vero jam perfectae aetatis virum imbuit, ut intelligat quia in hujus mundi rebus nihi est perpetuum, nihil gloriosum aut magnum; sed omnia sunt brevia, caduca et vana, quae cerniums. In Cantico Cnticorum jam consummatum virum atque perfectum in omnibus, et variis exornatum virtutibus, sponsi, id est, Domini nostri Jesu Christi amplexibus jungit. Salonius Viennensis, Expositio Mystica in Ecclesiasten Source: Migne PL 53.993d

Veranus: What does Solomon say in Proverbs, and what does he teach in Ecclesiastes, and what in the Song of Songs? Salonius: In Proverbs he teaches the child, and through various sentences he instructs as he would a son. But in Ecclesiastes he instructs the adult man, so that he might understand that nothing in this world is forever, that nothing is glorious and great, but everything is brief, perishing and vain, as we see. In the Song of Songs he joins the consummate man, perfect in all things, and adorned with the different virtues, with embraces to the bridegroom, that is, our Lord Jesus Christ. Salonius of Geneva, A Spiritual Exposition of Ecclesiastes

Knowledge And Toil

Φιλομαθὴς ὤν, γίνου καὶ φιλοπονος· ἡ γὰρ ψιλὴ γνῶσις, φυσιοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Ἅγιος Μάρκος ὁ Ἐρημίτης, Περὶ Τῶν Οἰομένων Ἐξ Ἔργων Δικαιοῦσθαι Source: Migne PG 65.932a

If you are a lover of learning, become also a lover of toil, for he who loves knowledge alone merely puffs up the man. 1 Saint Mark The Ascetic, On Those Who Think Themselves Justified By Works 1 1 Cor 8.1

Two Wisdoms

Nam prudentia carnis, mors est: prudentia autem spiritus, vita et pax: quoniam sapientia carnis inimica est Deo: legi enim Dei non est subjecta, nec enim potest. Ostendit quid dixerit inimica, ne quis putaret ex adverso aliud venire principium, subjungit et dicit, Legi enim Dei non est subjecta, nec enim potest. Ergo facere contra legem, hoc est inimicum esse in Deum, non quia Deo aliquid nocere potest, sed sibi potest nocere, quisquis resistit voluntati Dei, hoc est enim calcem mittere adversus stimulum. Sic est dictum: Legi enim Dei non est subjecta, neque enim potest. Tanquam si diceretur, nix non calefacit, sed resolvi potest et fervere ut calefaciat, sed cum hoc facit, jam nix non est. Sic et prudentia carnalis, cum anima pro magnis bonis temporalia bona desiderare coeperit contemnere, et spiritualia desiderare, desinit esse carnis prudentia, et spiritui non resistit. Ea namque anima cum inferiora appetit, prudentiam carnis habere dicitur; cum superiora, prudentiam spiritus, non quia prudentia carnis substantia est, qua induitur anima vel exuitur, sed ipsius animae affectatio est, quae omnino desinit cum se totam ad superna convertit. Sedulius Scotus, Collectanea in omnes B. Pauli epistolas, In Epistolam ad Romanos, Caput VIII Source: Migne PL 103.71-d

For the wisdom of the flesh is death, but the wisdom of the spirit is life and peace. Because the wisdom of the flesh is an enemy of God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor can it be. 1 He shows why he says 'enemy,' and lest someone think there is some other source for opposition, he adds to it and says, 'For it is not subject to the law of God, nor can it be.' Therefore to act against the law is to be an enemy of God, not because something can harm God but because one is able to harm oneself, that is, whoever resists the will of God kicks about the pricks. 2 So it was said, 'It is not subject to the law of God, nor can it be.' As if he said, snow cannot give off warmth, but it is possible to dissolve it by heating so that it does give off warmth, but when this is done it is no longer snow. So it is with the wisdom of the flesh, that when the soul begins to desire greater goods and condemns temporal goods and desires spiritual things, the wisdom of the flesh ceases, and there is no resistance to the spirit. For when the soul desires inferior things, then it is said to have the wisdom of the flesh, and when it desires higher things the wisdom of the spirit, not because the wisdom of the flesh is something that the soul puts on or puts off, but it is the state of the soul, which ceases entirely when it turns to heavenly things. Sedulius Scotus, Commentary On The Letters of Saint Paul, On the Letter to the Romans, Chapter 8 1 Rom 8.6-7 2 Acts 26.14

A Lack Of Understanding

Quod abscondisti haec a sapientibus, et prudentibus et revelasti ea parvulis. Gratias agit, exsultat in Patre, quod apostolis adventus sui aperuerit sacramenta quae ignoraverint Scribae et Pharisaei, qui sibi sapientes videntur, et in conspectu suo prudentes. Justificata est sapientia a filiis suis. Ubi pulcher sapientibus et prudentibus non insipientes et hebetes, sed parvulos, id est, humiles opposuit, ut probaret se tumorem damnasse, non acumen. Quia haec est clavis, de qua dicit: Tulistis clavem scientiae, hoc est, humilitatem fidei Christi, qua ad divinitatis ejus agnitionem pervenire potertatis, spernentes abjicere maluistis. Sanctus Beda, In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, Liber III, Caput X Source: Migne PL 92.466c-d

Because you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to children. 1 He gives thanks, He exults in the Father, because His coming will have opened the mysteries to the Apostles of which the Scribes and Pharisees were ignorant, they who seemed so wise to themselves and so prudent in their own sight. 'Wisdom is justified by her sons.' 2 Here quite beautifully He does not oppose the wise and prudent with the foolish and dull, but with children, that is, those who are humble, to show that they had condemned themselves by pride not by insight. And this is the key, concerning which He says, 'You have taken away the key of knowledge.' 3 that is, the humbleness of faith in Christ, because you were able to come to the understanding of His Divinity, but you preferred to spurn it and cast it down. Saint Bede, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, Book 3, Chapter 10 1 Lk 10.21 2 Lk 7.35 3 Lk 11.52

Speaking The Truth

Quod dico vobis in tenebris, dicite in lumine: et nolite timere eos, qui occidunt corpus. Quo minus dicatis in lumine, quod audistis in tenebris. Vide quoniam non solum ille transgressor est veritatis, qui palam denegat veritatem, sed etiam ille, qui propter timorem eorum, qui possunt occidere corpus, tacet veritatem. Et quid dicam? Quia propter timorem mortis tacent homines veritatem, et propter miserum ventrem, et propter spem vani honoris, in conspectu infidelium tacent homines veritatem. Utputa, eunt homines ad convivium impiorum sacerdotum, et confugiunt ad patrocinium malorum haereticorum; fit sermo de fide: ille sacerdos impius, vel patronus, blasphemat veritatem tuam, quasi mendacium: fidem tuam, quasi perfidiam, ut aut seducat, aut vulneret conscientiam tuam, et faciat eam infirmam, etsi ad plenum capere non potuerit; tu autem etsi non denegaveris palam veritatem, tamen non contendis cum persona ejus, cujus panem inanem manducas, ut non perdas spem patrocinii, aut rapacitatis: veritatem, quam oportebat te libere defendere, tacens, confundis eam in conspectu inimicorum ejus, ut videatur a te tacente falsa quae vera est. Et quomodo non es tu proditor veritatis? Sed forte dicis: Si taceo veritatem ante adversarios, numquid consentio mendacio eorum? Dic mihi, si princeps aliquis imperatoris, videns civitatem Romanam ab hostibus expugnari, cum possit liberare eam, et neglexit defendere: num ipse videbitur tradidisse, quam potuit liberare, si voluisset? Sic et tu videns veritatem ab impiis expugnari, cum eam potuisses defendere, si loqui voluisses, tacens expugnasti, per hoc ipsum quod compassus es expugnari. Et si propter timorem eorum, qui occidunt corpus, tacere veritatem, sicut praesens scriptura testatur, impietas est: quomodo non sit impietas major, tacere veritatem propter miserum ventrem, et spem vani honoris, et meliorem facere gratiam panis et honoris quam gloriam veritatis Dei? Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XXV Source: Migne PG 56.762

What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light, and do not fear those who kill the body. 1 Do not refrain from speaking in the light what you have heard in the darkness. See that not only is he a transgressor of the truth who denies the truth but even he who on account of the fear of those who can kill the body is silent about the truth. What shall I say? Because of the fear of death men are silent about the truth, and likewise because of the wretched belly, and then they will not speak the truth because of the hope for vain honours in the sight of faithless men. It is as when men go to a meal held by impious priests, or they flee to the protection of wicked heretics, and a speech is made about the faith, and that impious priest or patron blasphemes the truth as a lie, and your faith as perfidy, so that he either seduces you, or wounds your conscience and weakens it, even if he was not able to seize it completely. And even if you do not deny the truth, however since you do not dispute with this person, whose vain bread you eat so that you do not lose the hope of his protection, or because of your rapacity, because you are silent about the truth you should gladly defend, you cast shame on it in the eyes of its enemies, so that on account of your silence it appears that the truth is a lie. How are you not a traitor to the truth? But perhaps you say, 'If I am silent about the truth before my enemies, do I consent to their lies?' Tell me, if a general of the emperor, seeing a Roman city assailed by its enemies, neglects to defend it when he is able to deliver it, shall he not be seen to have betrayed it, when he was able to save it if he wished? So you, seeing the truth attacked by the wicked, when you were able to defend it if you wished to speak, by your silence also attacked it, because you allowed it to be attacked. And if your silence regarding the truth is because of the fear of those who kill the body, so the present Scripture bears witness that it is wicked. And then how is it not more wicked to be silent because of the wretched stomach, or because of hope for vain honours, and to judge thanks for food and honour as better than the glory of the truth of God? Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 25 1 Mt 10.27

Philosophy And Virtue

Hanc se sectari philosophi quoque profitentur, sed tam illic patientia falsa est quam et falsa sapientia est. Unde enim vel sapiens esse uel patiens possit qui nec sapientiam nec patientiam Dei novit? Quando ipse de his qui sibi sapere in mundo videntur moneat et dicat: perdam sapientiam sapientium et prudentiam prudentium reprobabo. Item beatus apostolus Paulus plenus Spiritu sancto et vocandis formandisque gentibus missus contestetur et instruat dicens: Videte ne qui vos depraedetur per philosophiam et inanem fallaciam secundum traditionem hominum, secundum elementa mundi et non secundum Christum, quia in ipso habitat omnis plenitudo divinitatis. Et alio loco, Nemo se, inquit, decipiat. si qui putat sapientem se esse in vobis, mundo huic stultus fiat ut fiat sapiens. sapientia enim huius mundi stultitia est aput Deum. scriptum est enim: reprehendens sapientes in astutia ipsorum. et iterum: cognovit Deus cogitationes sapientium quia sunt stultae. Quare si sapientia illic vera non est, esse non potest et vera patientia. Nam si patiens ille est qui est humilis et mitis, philosophos autem nec humiles videmus esse nec mites sed sibi multum placentes et hoc ipso quod sibi placeant Deo displicentes, apparet illic non esse patientiam, ubi sit insolens adfectatae libertatis audacia et exerti ac seminudi pectoris inverecunda. Nos autem, fratres dilectissimi, qui philosophi non verbis sed factis sumus, nec vestitu sapientiam sed veritate praeferimus, qui virtutum conscientiam magis quam iactantiam nouimus, qui non loquimur magna sed vivimus, quasi servi et cultores Dei patientiam quam magisteriis caelestibus discimus obsequiis spiritalibus praebeamus. Est enim nobis cum Deo virtus ista communis. Inde patientia incipit, inde claritas eius et dignitas caput sumit. Origo et magnitudo patientiae Deo auctore procedit. Diligenda res homini quae Deo cara est: bonum quod amat maiestas divina commendat. Sanctus Cyprianus, De Bono Patientiae Source: Migne PL 4.623a-624a

Philosophers also profess that they pursue this virtue of endurance, but their patience is as false as their wisdom. For how can he be either wise or patient, who has not known the wisdom nor the patience of God, when He Himself says in admonishment of those who seem to themselves to be wise in the world, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will rebuke the understanding of the prudent.' 1 Likewise the blessed Apostle Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, and sent for the calling and forming of the Gentiles, gives witness and instruction, saying, 'See that no man rob you with philosophy and vain deceit, according to the tradition of men, and according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ, because in Him dwells all the fullness of Divinity.' 2 And in another place he says, 'Let no man deceive himself, if any man among you thinks himself wise, let him become a fool to this world so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. It is written, 'I will rebuke the wise in their cleverness.' And again, 'The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are foolish.' 3 So if their wisdom is not true, nor is their patience. For if he who is enduring is humble and meek, and we do not see philosophers are either humble or meek, but they are greatly pleased with themselves, and because they please themselves, they displease God, it is apparent that there is no patience where there is the insolent audacity of an affected liberty, and the immodest boastfulness of an exposed and half-naked chest. But we, most beloved brethren, are philosophers in deeds and not in words, and we do not display our wisdom in our garments, but in truth; we are more acquainted with the consciousness of the virtues than with the boast of them, not speaking great things, but living them, showing ourselves as servants and worshippers of God in our spiritual obedience, which patience we learn from the heavenly teachings. And we have this virtue in common with God. From Him patience begins, from Him its glory and its dignity arise. The origin and greatness of patience proceed from God as its author. Man should love what is dear to God. The good which the Divine Majesty loves, it commends. Saint Cyprian of Carthage, Treatise On The Good of Patience. 1 Isaiah 29.14 2 Colos 2.8 3 1 Cor 3.18-20

Truth And Division

Et iterum interrogabant eum Pharisaei, quomodo videret... Et modum quaerunt et modum audiunt; unde: llle autem dixit eis: Lutum posuit mihi super oculos meos, el lavi et modo video; breviter repetit, quia ipsi iam ab aliis audierant, sed ad maiorem certitudinem ex ipsius ore requirebant. Et apparet hic constantia caeci, qui veritatem non timuit confiteri, servans illud Ecclesiastici quarto: Pro anima tua non confundaris dicere verum. Dicebant ergo ex Pharisaeis quidam. Tangitur hic tertium, scilicet in reprehendendo dissensio; unde dicit: Dicebant ergo ex Pharisaeis quidam, fatui zelatores Legis; ad Romanos decimo: Aemulationem quidem Dei habent, sed non secundum scientiam. Dicebant: Non est hic homo a Deo, per conformitatem et complacentiam; qui Sabbalum non cuslodit, quod custodiri a Deo praeceptum est, Exodi vigesimo et in pluribus aliis locis. Alii autem dicebant: Quomodo potest homo peccator haec signa facere? Et isti erant magis iiluminati; unde isti habebant aliquid luminis; sed alii obtenebrati; ideo sequitur, quod schisma erat inter eos, id est divisio, iusto Dei iudicio dividentis lucem a tenebris et bonos a malis; propter quod dixit Matthaei decimo: Non veni pacem mittere,sed gladium. Sanctus Bonaventura, Commentarius In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput IX Source: Here, p882

And again the Pharisees asked him how he saw... 1 They seek how and they hear how, hence, 'He said to them, 'He placed mud on my eyes and washed them and I saw.' He relays it briefly because they had already heard it from others, but for greater certainty they sought it from the man's mouth. And here appeared the constancy of the blind man, who did not fear to confess the truth, as in the fourth chapter of Ecclesiasticus, 'For the sake of your soul do not be dismayed in speaking the truth.' 2 Therefore some among the Pharisees said... This touches on the third matter, that is, on the disagreement in reproof, hence it says, 'Therefore some among the Pharisees said,' those foolishly zealous for the Law, as in the tenth chapter of Romans, 'They are zealous for God but not according to knowledge.' 3 They said, 'This is not a man from God,' because of conformity and complacency, 'he does not keep the Sabbath,' which God had commanded to be kept in the twentieth chapter of Exodus, 4 and in many other places. But others said, 'How is he a sinful man who can perform these signs?' And these were more enlightened, hence they had some light but the others were benighted. Therefore it follows, 'There was division among them,' that is, the division which the righteous judgement of God makes between light and darkness and good and evil, because of which it is said in the tenth chapter of Matthew, 'I have not come to bring peace but a sword.' 5 Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 9 1 Jn 9.15 2 Sirach 4.24 3 Rom 10.2 4 Exod 20.8 5 Mt 10.34

The Amazed Crowd

Et factum est cum consummasset Jesus verba haec, admirabantur turbae super doctrinam ejus Quaenam turbae miratae dicuntur, cum superius ad eum soli discipuli legantur accessisse? Nisi quia aut turba discipulorum, ex quibus duodecim elegerat, dicitur admirate, quos, pernoctans in oratione, cum dies factus esset accesierat; aut certe cum descendisset, secundum Lucam, et stetisset in loco campestri, ubi et mulitudo plebis fuisse legitur. Tunc utique cum finisset eumdem sermonem quem jam forsitan supra habuerat, miratae dicuntur turbae, et non discipuli. Quia, discipulis fides potius et dilectio congruebat quam admiratio. Admiratio ergo signum est infidelitatis, qui necdum mens bene de virture Dei sentiens, stupet ad ea quae prius necdum crediderat. Prorsus et ideo fiunt miracula, ut mens ad ea commoveatur quatenus incipiat credere, et de illo cui nihil impossibile est, in nullo dubitate. Consummatio igitur sermonis plenitudo et integritas intelligatur doctrinarum, qui nihil imperfectionis habet sermo Christi. Sanctus Paschasius Radbertus Corbeiensis, Expositio In Evangelium Matthaei, Liber III, Caput VII Source: Migne PL 120.331c-332a

When Jesus had finished speaking these words, the crowd were amazed at His teaching. 1 How is it that the crowd are said to be amazed when previously it was said that only the disciples approached Him? 2 Either because it is the crowd of the disciples that are said to wonder, from which He chose the twelve, who after prayer through the night, when day had come, approached, or because, as Luke says, He went down and stood in the fields, where it is said the multitude of the people were. 3 Then when He had finished speaking there what perhaps He said above, then the crowd are said to be amazed, and not the disciples. And this is because faith and love are more befitting the disciples than amazement, and amazement is thus a sign of a lack of faith, when the mind does not rightly grasp the power of God, and it is astonished at the things in which it does not yet believe. Therefore when miracles are performed the mind is shaken and begins to believe, even that nothing is impossible for Him, and there is no doubt at all. Therefore the end of the speech is to be understood as the fullness and integrity of the teaching, for the word of Christ has no imperfection. Saint Paschasius Radbertus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 3, Chapter 7 1 Mt 7.28 2 Mt 5.1 3 Lk 6.17-20

Tests And Signs

Non tentabis Dominum Deum tuum Tentare Deum, est se injicere periculo, ut experiatur an Deus miraculo eripere velit: cum ex humana ratione promptum habeat quid facere possit. Neque tentemus Deum, sicut quidam tentaverunt, et perierunt ab exterminatore. Si tamen a Deo offerretur signum: petere possemus et deberemus. Et ideo reprehenditur Achaz cui cum diceretur: Pete tibi signum etc, respondit; Non petam et non tentabo Dominum: sic enim signum petere: non est tentare Dominum Sanctus Albertus Magnus Commentarium In Evangelium Mattheum, Caput IV Source: Here p57

You shall not test the Lord your God. 1 To test God is to cast oneself into peril so that one may find out whether God wishes to save one with a miracle, when it is evident from human reason what it is possible to do. 'We should not test God, as those who tested him and perished by the exterminator.' 2 But if it is matter of receiving a sign from God, we can and should seek. And therefore Achaz was reproved when it was said to him, 'Seek a sign,' and he answered, 'I shall not seek and I shall not test the Lord.' 3 For to seek a sign is not to test God. Saint Albert The Great, Commentary On The Gospel of St Matthew, Chapter 4 1 Mt 18.11 2 1 Corin 10.9-10 3 Isaiah 7.12

Four Thieves

Latrones qui nobis optiam quaeque furantur, quatuor sunt: Hebetatio intellectus, discordia tollens nobis scientiam veritatis. Hic latro ape Psalmistam vocatur negotium in tenebris. Indomitae carnis lasivia, rapiens meritum integritatis, et daemonium dicitur meridianum. Favorabilis jactantia, tollens plenitudinem sanctitatis, et dicitur sagitta volans in die. Vitae hujus amor et appetentia rapiens praemium aeternitatis, et dicitur timor nocturnus. Hi sunt latrones sine intermissione insidiantes. Hugo De Sancte Victore, Miscellanea, Liber V, CXXIII, De furibus rerum nostrarum. Source: Migne PL 177.807c

There are four thieves which steal away the best things we have. The dullness of the intellect, which with its confusion takes away all understanding of truth, and this the Psalmist calls 'the business in darkness;' 1 the untamed lusts of the flesh that take away the merit of our wholeness, which is called 'the noon day demon;' 1 the delight in boasting that takes aways the fullness of holiness, which is called 'the arrow that flies by day;' 1 and the love of this life and the desire for it that steals away the eternal reward, which is called 'the nocturnal fear.' 2 These thieves plot against us without ceasing. Hugh Of Saint Victor, Miscellanea, Book 5, Chapter 123, On the thieves of what is ours. 1 Ps 90.6 2 Ps 90.5

Wounds And Sin

Si vulnus corpori infligatur, aut os confringatur, aut nervorum junctura resolvatur, sub unius horae spatio hujusmodi vulnera solent corporibus accidere, et plurimis postmodum cruciatibus ac doloribus exactis, multo vix tempore sanari; quanti enim tumores in loco, quanta tormenta generantur? Jam vero si accidat, ut in eodem vulnere, vel in eadem fractura iterum et saepius quis vulneretur, frequentiusque frangatur, quantis hoc poenis curari, et quantis potest cruciatibus medicari? Quanto autem tempore, si tamen potuerit, ad sanitatem perducitur? Et vix aliquando ita curabitur, ut vel debilitatem corporis, vel foeditatem cicatricis effugiat. Transi nunc ab exemplo corporis ad animae vulnera. Anima quoties peccat, toties vulneratur. Et ne dubies peccatis eam velut telis et gladiis vulnerari, audi Apostolum monentem ut assumamus scutum fidei, in quo possitis, inquit, omnia jacula maligni ignita exstinguere. Vides ergo peccata maligni esse jacula, quae in animam diriguntur. Patitur autem et anima non solum vulnera jaculorum, sed et fracturas pedum, cum laquei parantur pedibus ejus, et supplantantur gressus ejus. Haec ergo et hujusmodi vulnera quanto tempore putas posse curari? O si possemus per unumquodque peccatum videre quomodo homo noster interior assidue vulneratur, quomodo sermo malus vulnus infigit! Non legisti: Dicunt quia vulnerant gladii, sed non ita ut lingua? Vulneratur ergo per linguam anima, vulneratur et per cogitationes et concepiscentias malas, frangitur autem et conteritur per opera peccati. Quae si omnia videre possemus, et vulneratae animae sentire cicatrices, certum est quod usque ad mortem resisteremus adversum peccatum. Origen, In Numeros, Homilia VIII, Interprete Rufino Aquileiense Source: Migne PG 12.622d-623c

If a wound is inflicted on the body, or a bone is broken, or a joining of nerves is severed, in the space of one hour those wounds are accustomed to befall, and afterwards there is more pain and grief exacted, which much time is scarcely able to heal; for while there are swellings in place, how great is the torment? Then if it happens that on that same wound and on that same fracture there is often a wound or a break, how great shall this damage be and how great will the treatment of the pain need to be? And then how great the time, if it is possible at all, to lead back to health? And it is hardly likely there will be such a cure that removes bodily debility and the ugliness of scarring. Pass, then, from the example of the body to the wounds of the soul. The soul is wounded as many times as it sins. And lest you doubt that it is wounded as with spears and swords, hear the Apostle exhorting us to 'Take up the shield of faith with which you shall be able to extinguish all the fiery shafts of the wicked one.' 1 You see, therefore, that the sins of the wicked one are shafts directed against the soul. And the soul does not suffer the wounds of shafts only, but also fractures of the foot when a snare is prepared for the feet and its way is supplanted. 2 These wounds and those like them, how much time do you think can cure them? O, that we could see any sin and how it deeply wounds our interior man, and how a wicked word inflicts a wound. Do you not read, 'They say that swords wound, but is it not so with the tongue?' 3 The soul is wounded by the tongue, and it is wounded by evil thoughts and desires, and it is broken and fractured by evil works. If we could see all this and feel the scabs of the soul's wounds, it is certain that we would resist sin to the death. Origen, On Numbers, from the Eighth Homily, Translated by Rufinus of Aquileia. 1 Ephes 6.16 2 Ps 139.5-6 3 Sirach 28.22

Wounds And Fighting

Ὥσπερ στρατιώτης γενναῖος ὑπὲρ τοῦ βασιλέως μαχόμενος, ἐὰν βέλεσι κατατοξευθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων ὑπομείνῃ τὰς ἀλγηδόνας , καὶ μὴ παραχωρήσε τῇ ὀλιγοψυχίᾳ, ἐπιμελείας τυχών, καὶ ἰατρευθείς, ἕξει τὰς οὐλὰς τῶν τραυμάτων εἰς καύχησιν ἀνδρεία; οὕτως καὶ οἱ τρωθέντες παρὰ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ ἐὰν μὴ ἀκηδιάσωσι τοὺς πόνους τῆς μετανοίας, ἀναμφιβόλως σωθέντες καυχήσονται ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως· ὁ γὰρ ἀνδρεῖος , κἂν ἐν τραύμασι γένηται, πάντως νικήσει καὶ τραυματίας μαχόμενος. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΞΖ’ Ἡρακλειῳ Ὑποδιακονῳ Source: Migne PG 79.112b

As a good soldier fights for his king and if he suffers blows from the arms of his enemy, his soul does not despair, because cured and brought back to health the scars of the wounds shall be his boast of bravery, so things are with those who receive wounds from the enemy, if they do not neglect penance, for without doubt they shall have their glory on the day of judgement when salvation follows, for he who is brave, though covered with wounds, may yet fight on and overthrow the one who wounds. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 67, To Heraclius the Subdeacon

Hope And Troubles

Ἡ εἰς τὸ Θεῖον ἐλπὶς , πύργος ἐστὶν ἀῤῥαγής, οὐ τὴν λύσιν μόνον ἐπαγγελλόμενος τῶν δεινῶν, ἀλλ'οὐδὲ παρόντων αὐτῶν ταράττεσθαι συγχωρῶν. Ὁ γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἀπηλλαγμένος , καὶ τῇ ἄνωθεν ἐλπίδι ἑαυτὸν ἐξαρτήσας, οὐ μόνον ταχίστην ἐπάγεται τῶν δεινῶν τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ παρόντων αὐτῶν θορυβοῦται καὶ ταράττεται, τῇ προσδοκία τῆς ἱερᾶς ἐκείνης ἀγκύρας ὀρθούμενος. Χρῶ τοίνυν αὐτῇ , καὶ πάντων ἔσῃ κρείττων τῶν λυπηρῶν. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Δεύτερον, Ἐπιστολὴ IZ', Παμπρεπιῳ Διακονῳ Source: Migne PG 78.469b

Hope in God is a firm tower, yet it does not promise the disappearance of wretched things, but rather distress in present things. For he who rids himself of the things of men has suspended himself by hope to things above, but it does not follow that he is freed from all troubles and burdens, rather he is not cast down by the tumults and trials of present things, for he has been renewed and lifted up on the anchor of holy hope. Hold to this and you shall be superior to every distress. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 2, Letter 17, To Pamprepius the Deacon

A Firm Footing

Tοῦ θεμένου τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς ζωὴν καὶ μὴ δόντος εἰς σάλον τοὺς πόδας μου Οὐ δίδονται εἰς σάλον οἱ πόδες τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου, ὅταν τις ίδρυνθῇ ἐπὶ τὸν ἀῤῥαγῆ καὶ ἰσχυρώτατον τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγον· ὡς χαριστηρίως εἰπεῖν· Ἔστησας ἐπὶ πέτραν τοὺς πόδας μου. Τίθεται δὲ εἰς ζωὴν ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ τέλος κομιζομένου τῆς πίστεως σωτηρίαν· ὡς εἰπεῖν πιστῇ προθέσει· Kal ἡ ψυχή μου αὐτῷ ζῇ. Ζῇ δὲ ψυχὴ ἀρετὴν ἔχουσα καὶ σοφίαν· ὡς, ψυχὴ ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα ἀποθανεῖται. Ως εἰπεῖν τῷ Θεῷ· Ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ σου ζῆσόν με. Οὐ σαλεύεται δὲ τοὺς πόδας ὁ τῷ ὀχυρωτάτῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγῳ ἐνιδρυθείς. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμος ΞΕ’ Source: Migne PG 39.1439a-b

Who has set my soul to live and does not give my feet to stumbling. 1 The feet of a man are not given to stumbling when they have been fixed to the unbreakable and most firm word of God, so that the man gives thanks, saying, 'You placed my feet on a rock.' 2 And the soul is set to live which is directed to the end, the salvation of faith, and with faith he proclaims, 'And in Him my soul shall live.' 3 And the soul's life is the possession of virtue and wisdom, because the soul that sins dies. 4 Thus he says to God, 'With your righteousness revive me.' 5 So the feet are not shaken which are fixed fast on the most firm word of God. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on The Psalms, from Psalm 65 1 Ps 65.9 2 Ps 39.3 3 Ps 21.31 4 Ezek 18.20 5 Ps 118.40

Losing The Light

Auferetur ab impiis lux sua. Neque enim eos nunc Dei lumen illustrat, qui iniquitatis suae malitiam fidei nomine palliant. Nam dum iuxta praedicationem fidei vivere negligunt, et tamen eamdem fidem specie tenus venerantur, honorem vitae praesentis ex nomine religionis quaerunt, hocque eis ex fide lucet, quod eos fides coram hominibus refovet. Sunt vero nonnulli, qui aeterna quae audiunt veraciter credunt, et tamen eidem quam tenent fidei male vivendo contradicunt. Habent hi quoque in tenebris lucem suam, quia dum perversa agunt, et tamen de Deo recta sentiunt, ne tenebrescant funditus, ex quadam parte fulgore luminis illustrantur. Qui dum plus terrena quam coelestia, plus quae vident quam quae audiunt, diligunt, pulsante persecutionis articulo, quod rectum credere videbantur amittunt. Quod illo maxime tempore multiplicius agitur, quando, surgente ipso iniquorum capite, in sanctam Ecclesiam persecutione ultima, liberis suis viribus eius fortitudo grassatur. Ibi tunc cor uniuscuiusque ostenditur, ubi quidquid in occultis latebat aperitur; et qui nunc ore sunt pii, et corde sunt impii, publicata malitia corruunt, et lucem fidei quam specie tenus tenuerant perdunt. Sed inter haec necesse est ut unusquisque nostrum ad cordis sui secretum redeat, et actionis suae damna pertimescat, ne, exigentibus meritis, per districtam iustitiam iudiciorum Dei in talium hominum numerum incurrat. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, Moralia, sive Expositio in Job, Liber XXIX, Caput VII Source: Migne PL 76.484a-c

From the wicked their light shall be taken away. 1 For the light of God does not now shine on those who veil the malice of their iniquity with the name of faith. For while they neglect to live according to the preaching of faith, and yet in appearance reverence that same faith, they seek the honour of this present life under the name of religion, and this that is drawn from faith shines on them, since the faith endears them in the sight of men. But there are some who truly believe the eternal truths which they hear and yet by living wickedly contradict these same things they hold of the faith. They also have their light in darkness, for while they act perversely and yet think rightly about God, they are partially illuminated by brightness, lest they be sunk in darkness. And these while they love the things of earth more than those of heaven, and those that they see more than those they hear, when the time of persecution strikes them, they are seen to lose that right belief, which certainly shall be much more the case at the time of the last persecution when the head of the wicked himself rises against Holy Church, and with his boldness attacks it with unrestrained strength. Then the heart of each one shall be laid open, and whatever lays concealed shall be exposed, and they who are now holy in words and unholy in heart shall fall with their wickedness made public and lose the light of faith which they seemed to possess. And amidst all of this it is necessary for each of us to return to the secret place of his heart, and to fear the condemnation of his deeds, lest he fall as his merits demand by the strict justice of the judgments of God into the number of such men. Saint Gregory the Great, Moralia, or Commentary on Job, Book 29, Chapter 7 1 Job 38.15