Righteousness And Appearance

Sed considera, quia non dixit tantummodo, Ne coram hominibus faciatis: sed addidit, Ut videamini ab eis. Qui ergo non ideo facit, ut ab hominibus videatur, etsi coram hominibus fecerit, tamen non videtur coram hominibus fecisse. Ergo si sic facere eleemosynam non est possibile, ut nullus videat, aut sentiat: tamen eo proposito facere, ut non ab hominibus videamur, possibile est. Dicit enim Dominus: Sic luceat lumen vestrum coram hominibus, ut videant homines opera vestra bona, etc. Sicut ergo accensa lampas abscondi non potest: sic nec opus justitiae potest celari. Ergo non eleemosyna ingrata est ante Deum, quae hominibus visa fuerit, sed quae ideo facta fuerit, ut ab hominibus videatur. Utputa, omnis homo qui aliquod opus facit, cujus causa facit id quod facit, in corde suo illius aspicit et personam. Ecce facis epistolam, ut aliquem salutes amicum; quamdiu scribis, semper in corde tuo amici illius vides personam, propter quem scribis epistolam. Item artifex tenens opus in manu, semper eum prae oculis suis habet, qui ei opus commisit faciendum, dum cogitat quomodo illud facere mandavit: sic et qui propter Deum eleemosynam facit, neminem videt in corde suo, nisi personam Dei tantummodo, propter quem facit. Ideo etsi evenerit ut quibusdam praesentibus faciat, tamen animus ejus homines illos non videt, etsi ipse videatur ab eis. Numquam transisti per viam aliquid cogitans, et a multis quidem hominibus visus es, ipse autem nullum vidisti, intendens in id quod cogitabas? Quia animus sine corpore apud seipsum potest videre quod cogitat, corpus autem sine animo nihil potest videre. Ergo similiter et e contrario fieri potest, ut quis, nullis praesentibus, eleemosynam faciat, et tamen, praesentibus hominibus, videatur fecisse; utputa qui propter homines eleemosynam facit: id est, qui desiderat ut ab hominibus videatur, semper in corde suo personas hominum videt: ideo etsi evenerit ut faciente eo nullus sit praesens, tamen coram hominibus fecisse videtur, quia cor ejus semper hominum personas videbat Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XIII Source: Migne PG 56.704-705

Now consider that He did not say only, 'Do not do perform your righteousness before men,' but added, 'That you might be seen by them.' 1 Therefore he who does not act so that he might be seen by men, even if he does it in the presence of men, he is not seen to have done it in the presence of men. Therefore if it is not possible to give alms so that no one will see or know it, yet it is possible to have the intention of doing it so that we are not seen by men. For the Lord says, 'Let your light shine out before men so that they may see your good works.' 2 Therefore as it is not possible to hide a lit lamp, so it is not possible to conceal a righteous work, and no alms giving is scorned before God which has been seen by men, but only that which is done so that men might see. That is, every man who does anything, through the cause of what he does, looks on the person in his heart. You write a letter so that you may greet a friend, and while you write you see the person of your friend in your heart, on account of whom you write the letter. Likewise an artisan holding some work in his hand, always has before his eyes the one for whom he is making the work, while he thinks how he should do it as he was told, and thus he who gives alms on account of God, sees no one else in his heart but only the person of God, because of whom he acts. Therefore even if it happens that he acts in the presence of others, yet his soul does not look on those men, even if he is seen by them. Is it not that when you are passing along a road and thinking about something, you are seen by many men, but you see no one because you are intent on that which you are thinking of? For the soul without the body is able to look on what it is thinking about, but the body without the soul cannot see anything. Therefore, in similar fashion, but in an opposite way, it is possible that someone who is alone gives alms and yet he does it in the presence of men, since he gives alms because of men, that is, he desires that he might be seen by men, and he is always looking on men in his heart. Therefore if it happens that he acts with no one present, yet he is seen to do it in the presence of men, because his heart is always looking to men. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 13 1 Mt 6.1 2 Mt 5.16