Mockery And The Cross

Et praetereuntes blasphemabant eum, moventes capita sua, et dicentes: Vah qui destruis templum Dei, et in tribus diebus reaedificas: salvum fac temetipsum, descendens de cruce. Tangitur hic de irrisione crucifixi: irrisio autem haec facta est a tribus generibus hominum: scilicet , praetereuntibus, sacerdotibus, et latronibus et secundum haec tria recipit divisionem. Irrisio praetereuntium habet tria: blasphemiam, motus capitis, et improperium in verbis. Dicit igitur et prætereuntes qui vagos in mundi vanitatibus significant, stabiliter in veritate non manentes. Ierem, Populus hic dilexit movere pedes suos, et Domino non placuit. Vir vanus in superbiam erigitur, et tanquam pullunt onagri se natum liberum putat. Blasphemabant eum: dicentes eum virtutes quas fecerat in principe daemoniorum perfecifle. Qui blasphemaverit in Spiritum sanctum, non habebit remissionem in aeternum. Isa, Dereliquerunt Dominum blasphemaverunt ſanctum Israel, abalienati sunt retrorsum, in signum comminationis et irrisionis: unde de Sennacherib dicitur Ifa. Post te movebit caput virgo filia Sion. Et haec irrisio per comminationem Propheticam est causa captivitatis ipsorum, Caput circuitus eorum, labor labiorum ipsorum operiet eos. Quia movendo capita circumdabant ipsum, et dicentes, improperando, Vah, Interietio est indignantis. Cum audierit sonitum buccinae, dicet vah. Qui destruis templum Dei, sicut dixisti Ioan, et in tribus diebus reaedificas tua virtute, quae nunc tam infirma apparere. Habac. Ibi abscondita eſt fortitudo eius. Salvum fac temetipsum. Virtute quam de te in potestate reaedificandi templum praedicasti Descendens de cruce. Sed isti non cognoverunt quod non venerat ut seipsum temporaliter salvaret, sed omnes: et ideo non descendat de cruce, sed potius ascendat, loan, Ego si exaltatus fuero a terra, omnia traham ad me ipsum. Si serpens de palo deponitur Num, nullus a morsu serpentis liberatur . Ioan, Sicut Moyses exaltavit serpentem in deserto: ita exaltari oportet filium hominis, ut omnis qui credit in ipsum non pereat, sed habeat vitam aeternam Sanctus Albertus Magnus, Commentarium In Evangelium Divi Marci, Caput XV Source: Here p183

And passers by blasphemed Him, and shook their heads saying, 'Ha, you who would destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days, save yourself and come down from the cross.' 1 He touches here on the mockery of the crucified, and the mockery is performed by three types of men, that is, by the passers by and by the priests, and by the thieves, and according to these three the division is made. The mockery of the passers by has three parts, blasphemy and the shaking of the head, and the insult in words. It speaks, then, of the passers by as being those who wander in the vanity of worldly things, and who do not remain in the truth. 2 In Jeremiah, 'This people love to move their feet, and it does not please the Lord.' 3 The vain man is lifted up in his pride and as a wild ass brought forth he thinks himself nobly born. They had blasphemed Him before, saying that the powers He showed were performed by demons, as previously in the third chapter of Mark. 'He who blasphemes the Holy Spirit shall not have forgiveness in eternity.' 4 In Isaiah, 'They forsake the Lord, they blaspheme the Holy One of Israel, they have turned their backs,' 5 as a sign of condemnation and mockery. Hence is it said of Sennacherib in Isaiah, 'Behind you the virgin daughter of Sion shall shake her head. ' 6 And through the warning of the prophet this mockery is the cause of their captivity. 'Their heads surrounded me, the toil of their lips shall cover them.' Because with the shaking of their heads they surrounded him, 7 saying insultingly, 'Ha,' which is an indignant interjection. 'When he hears the sound of the trumpet, he will say, Ha.' 8 You who would destroy the temple, as was said in John, and in three days rebuild it with your power, that appears so very weak now, In Habakkuk, 'There his strength is lost,' 9 'Save yourself,'  with the power of the rebuilding of the temple which you foretold for yourself. But they do not know that He did not come to save Himself in temporal things, but to save all men, and therefore He does not come down from the cross, but rather He rises up to it. In the twelfth chapter of John, 'And if I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all things to myself.' If the serpent is not set up in Numbers, no one is delivered from the bite of the serpent. In the third chapter of John, 'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so it is necessary that the Son of man shall be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.' 10 Saint Albert The Great, Commentary On The Gospel of St Mark, Chapter 15 1 Mk 15.29 2 Jn 8.44 3 Jerem 14.10 4 Mk 3.22-30 5 Isaiah 1.4 6 Isaiah 37.22 7 Ps 139.10 8 Job 39.25 9 Jn 2.19, Hab 3.4 10 Jn 12.32, Numb 21, Jn 12.14-15

Testing A Monk

Ἐπῃνέθη τις μοναχὸς ὑπὸ τῶν ἀδελφῶν πρὸς τὸν ἀββᾶν Ἀντώνιον. Ὁ δὲ παραβαλόντα αὐτὸν ἐπείρασεν, εἰ φέρει ἀτιμίαν· καὶ εὐρὼν ὅτι οὐ βαστάζει, εἴπεν αὐτῷ· Ἒοικας κώμῃ τὰ ἔμπροσθεν κεκαλλωπισμένῃ, τὰ δὲ ὅπισθεν ὑπὸ λῃστῶν συλουμένῃ. Ἀποφθέγματα Των Ἁγίων Γερόντων, Παλλαδιος Source: Migne PG 65.80c

A certain monk was praised to Anthony by the brothers. When the monk came to him, he tested him, to see if he would endure insults, and finding that he would not, he said to him, 'You seem like a village that is fair without, but within it has been plundered by bandits.' Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

Sins And Prayers

Dixit ergo David in corde suo, petens ut exaudiretur a Domino, et ut non exsultarent in eum ejus inimici: petens etiam ut in conversionis suae proposito permaneret; ne, dum propositi sui gressus quasi quidam pedes suae animae commoventur, in eum adversarii superba et magniloquentiae plena loquerentur; ut faciunt qui insultare desiderant. Tametsi moveatur ut homo, paratum ad flagella se dicit ut vel supplicio solvat errorem. Etsi cessent flagella Domini, se tamen dolore proprio memorat flagellari; ut non inveniat culpa quod damnet, quam bona confessio praevenerit. Hoc est ergo quod ait: 'Et dum commoventur pedes mei, in me magna locuti sunt'; eo quod tam prompti sunt ad insultationis ludibria, ut in commotione pedum meorum paratam habuerint magniloquentiam; vel certe sic: 'Dum commoventur pedes mei,' putantes quod caderem, superba jam et magniloqua sunt locuti. Sed tamen quia ipse in posterioribus pene motos pedes suos dixit, ne quid oriatur hinc scrupuli, considera hic doceri nos affectum poenitentiae, ibi opinionem ejus erroris excludi, quod divitiae et successus prosperior flagitiosorum nos movere non debeant. Consuetudo autem locutionis in Scripturis divinis hujusmodi reperitur. Sic enim at alibi: Dum converteret Dominus captivitatem Sion, facti sumus sicut consolati.  Quamquam sanctus non in ostensione verborum, sed in virtute spiritus probari se velit. Sensus ergo nobis spectandus est semper. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Enarrationes In Psalmos, Psalmum XXXVII Source: Migne PL 14.1034b-d

Therefore David asked in his heart, seeking that he might be heard by the Lord, that his enemies not exult over him, seeking that he might stand fast in the intention of his own conversion, lest, while he walks in his intention, the feet of his soul are shaken, when the proud speak against him and those full of great speech, and they insult him who wish to do so. 1 And even if he stumbles like a man, he says he is prepared for the whip, 2 that punishment might cleanse from error. And even if the whip of the Lord cease, however, he shall remember his grief at being beaten, that the fault which damns be not found in him, that which good confession forestalls. This, then, is why he says, 'And when my feet stumbled, they spoke great things against me,' that is: they are so quick to mocking insults, that at the mere stumbling of my feet they have boastful speech ready,' or certainly: 'While my feet stumbled, thinking that I might fall, already they had spoken proud and great things.' And yet because later he speaks of his feet being moved greatly, 3 lest there arise here some small confusion, consider that here the idea of penitence is taught, and that there the thought of his error is excluded, that we should not be moved because of the scandals of those more prosperous in wealth and success. It is a custom of Sacred Scripture to work like this. So it says elsewhere, 'When the Lord overturned the captivity of Zion, we were like those comforted.' 4 For there is no holiness in mere ostentation of words, but he wished himself to be proved in the virtue of his soul. This meaning, then, we most always look to. Saint Ambrose, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 37 1.Ps 37.17 2 Ps 37.18 3 Ps 72.2  4 Ps 125.1

Songs And Education

Εἰς τὸ τέλος ὑπὲρ Ἰδιθοὺμ, Ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαβίδ.   Δύο Ψαλμοὺς ἒγνωμεν Ὑπὲρ Ἰδιθοὺμ ἔχοντας τὴν ἐπιγραφήν· τόν τε τριακοστὸν ὄγδοον καὶ τὸν ἐν χερσὶ. Καὶ λογιζόμεωα μὲν Δαβὶδ εἶναι τὴν σύνταχιν τῆς πραγματείαης· τῷ μέντοι Ἰδιθοὺμ δεδόσθαι εἰς ὠφέλειαν αὐτοῦ, ἐπὶ διορθώσει τῶν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ παθημάτων, καὶ εἰς μελῳδίαν τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ λαοῦ· δι' ἧς καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐδοξὰζετο, καὶ οἱ ἀκούοντες τῆς ἁρμονίας ἐανωρθοῦντο τὰ ἤθη. Ἦν γὰρ καὶ ὁ Ἰδιθοὺμ ἱεροψάλτης, ὡς μαρτυρεῖ ἡμῖν ἡ ἱστορία τῶν Παραλειπομένων, λέγουσα· Καὶ μετ' αὐτῶν Αἰμὰν καὶ Ἰδιθοὺμ, σάλπιγγές τε καὶ κύμβαλα τοῦ ἀναφωνεῖν, καὶ ὄργανα τῶν ᾠδῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ μετ' ολίγα φησί· Καὶ ἔστησε Δαβὶδ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες τῆς δυνάμεως εἰς τὰ ἔργα τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἀσὰφμ ςαὺ Αἰμὰν, καὶ Ἰδιθοὺμ, τοὺς ἀποφθεγγομένους ἐν κινύραις, καὶ ἐν νάβλαις, καὶ ἐν τυμπάνοις. Περὶ ὑπομονῆς, τοίνυν ἐκάτερος ψαλμὸς τὴν πλείστην ποιεῖται πραγματείαν, δι' ἧς καταστέλλεται μὲν τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ θυμούμενον, ὑπερηφανίας δὲ πάσης ἐξορισθείσης, κατορθοῦται τεπείνωσις. Ἀμήχανον γὰρ τὸν μὴ καταδεξάμενον τὸ πρὸς πάντας ὑποδεὲς καὶ ἔσχατον δυνηθῆναι ποτε ἢ λοιδορούμενον θυμοῦ κρατῆσαι, ἤ θλιβόμενον διὰ μακροθυμίας περιγενέσθαι τῶν πειρασμῶν. Ὁ γὰρ τὴν ἄκραν τεπαίνωσιν κατορθώσας, ἐν μὲν ταίς λοιδορίαις πλείονα ἑαυτοῦ προκαταγνοὺς τὴν εὐτέλειαν, οὐ κινηθήσεται τὴν ψυχὴν ὑπὸ τῶν ῥημάτων τῆς ἀτιμίας· ἀλλ' ἐὰν μὲν ακούσῃ πένης, οἶδεν ἑαυτὸν πτωχὸν ὄντα, καὶ πάντων ἐνδεῆ, καὶ τῆς καθ' ἡμέραν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου χορηγίας ἐπιδεόμενον· ἐὰν δὲ ἀκούσῃ δυσγενὴς καὶ ἐξ ἀφανῶν, προειλημμένον ἔχει ἐν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ καρδίᾳ τὸ ἐκ πηλοῦ γεγενῆσθαι. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Εἰς Τον ΞΑ' Ψαλμον  Source: Migne PG 29 469b-472a

To the end, for Idithum, a Psalm of David. 1 We know two Psalms which have the inscription, 'For Idithum,' the thirty eighth and this one we have before us. And we judge that this is a work composed by David but given to Idithum for his use, that the passions of the soul be corrected by a pleasing melody in the presence of the people, by which God is glorified and the manners of the people who hear the harmony are improved. For Idithum was a musican of the sacred Psalms, to which the history found in the Paralipomena bears witness, saying, 'And after them Heman and Idithum for the playing of the trumpet and cymbals and the instruments for the songs of God.' 2 And a little after it continues, 'King David and the princes of the army set apart the sons of Asaph and Heman and Idithum for the making of song on the cithar and harp and cymbals. 3 And both Psalms for the greater part speak of patience, by which the indignation of the soul is soothed, thus exterminating all pride, and correcting to humility. For it is not possible that he who does not wish to have the lowest and last place among all 4 is able either to control his passion while being abused, or in affliction is able to overcome temptation by endurance. He who comes to the height of humility, before he is abused already knows the greater part of his vileness, and so by ignominious words is not moved, but if he is called a beggar, he knows himself to be impoverished and unworthy of anything, even to have the daily work of God for his coin, if however he is called ignoble and obscure, before it is said he is conscious in his own heart that he was made from mud.  Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 61 1  Ps 61.1 2 1 Chron 16.41-42 3 1 Chron 25.1  4 Lk 14.10

Blessings And Persecution

Beati persecutionem patiuntur propter justitiam, et reliquia. Perfecta ad postremum eos beatitudine muneratur, quibus omnia pro Christo pati pronus affectus est, quia ipse justitia est. His igitur et regnum reservatur et merces in coelo copiosa promittitur, qui in contemptu saeculi pauperes spiritu et damnis rerum praesentium jacturisque probrosi, et adversus maledicta hominum coelestis justitiae confessores, ac deinceps gloriosi promissorum Dei martyres, omnem vitae usum testimonio aeternitatis ejus impenderint. In Evangelium Matthaei Commentarius, Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Cap IV Source: Migne PL 9.933b-934a

Blessed are those who suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness...1 Finally He rewards with perfect blessedness those who are willing to suffer all things for Christ, because He is righteousness. For these both the kingdom is reserved and the abundant rewards of heaven are promised, those who in contempt for the world are poor in spirit, and by the loss of present things, and by the taunts of the shameless and in opposition to the abuse of men, are confessors of heavenly righteousness, and then glorious martyrs of God's promises, having given over their life in every way for the witness of His eternity. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, from the Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Matthew, Chapter 4 1 Mt 5.10

Peace And Families

Beati pacifici, quoniam filii Dei vocabuntur. Pacificorum beatitudo adoptionis est merces, ut filii Dei maneant; parens enim omnium Deus unus est. Neque aliter transire in nuncupationem familiae ejus licebit, nisi oblivione earum rerum assumpta, quibus possemus offendi, fratenae invicem charitatis pace vivamus. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, In Evangelium Matthaei Commentarius,  Cap IV Source: Migne PL 9.933b

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. 1 The blessedness of peacemakers is the reward of adoption, that they remain as sons of God, God being the one parent of all. But it shall not be permitted that anyone pass into the name of His family except through the forgetfulness of those things received by which we are able to be offended, thus we may all live in the fraternal peace of mutual love. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 4 1 Mt 5.9

Insults And Brothers

Si quis dixerit fratri suo Racha, sine causa, reus erit concilio.  Id est, ut sit unus ex concilio eorum, qui adversus Christum fuerunt, sicut apostoli in canonicis suis interpretanter. Si quis autem dixerit, Fatue, reus erit gehenae. Racha quidem dicitur Hebraice vacuus, quamvis quantum ad sensum verbi, unum est dicere, Fatue, et, Racha. Nam qui vacuus est, ille fatuus est: et qui fatuus est, sine dubio vacuus est, et utriusque verbi una videtur esse injuria. Nam sicut indigna res est illi dicere, Faute, qui habet in se sapientiam spiritualem in agnitione Dei Patris et Christi: sic indigna res est, dicere hominem vacuum, qui habet in se Spiritum Sanctum. Nam nemo dicitur vacuus, qui habet in se Spiritum Sanctum, et nemo fatuus, qui Christum cognoscit. Et quare illud quidem  verbum, id est Racha, habet poenam concilii: hoc autem verbum, Fatue, gehennae? Nam si unum peccatum est, una debet esse et poena amborum. Sed quantum ad dicentis propositum, differentiam jam habent haec verba, etsi quantum ad sensum similia sunt. Racha enim vulgare verbum erat apud Judaeos, quod non ex ira, neque ex odio, sed ex aliquo motu vano dicebant, magis fiduciae causa, quam iracundiae. Nam unaquaequa provincia habet in consuetudine aliquod exprobratorium verbum, quod non rixae causa, sed familiaritatis gratia dicere solent ad eos, quorum fiduciam habent. Utputa patronus suscepto liberto suo, aut dives pauperi, aut urbanus rustico, contemnens personam ejus, magis quam inimicans. Sed forte dicis, si Racha iracundiae causa non dicitur, quare peccatum est. Quia contemptionis causa dicitur, non aedificationis. Nam etsi persona illius tibi contemptibilis videbatur, tamen dignitas Christianitatis illius contemptibilis non erat. Et si illum aspicere non volebas, tamen Christum, qui in eo est, aspicere debuisti. Deinde et alia ratione peccatum est dicere Racha, quia etsi ille aliquid vanum audire merebatur, te tamen, dicere vanum aliquid non oportebat, cum sic scriptum est: Amen dico vobis, pro omni verbo otioso, quodcumque loquuti fueritis, dabitis rationem. Quicquid non est lumen, tenebra est: sic et quicquid bonum non est, malum est. Dicit Apostolus: Omnis sermo malus ex ore vestro non procedat. Et non dicit, Si quis bonus, tantummodo, sed, Si quis bonus ad aedificationem fidei. Si ergo nec bonum verbum sine causa dicere debemus, nisi fuerit pro occasione aedificationis, ne ipsum verbum bonum, dum sine causa dicitur, inveniatur esse otiosum, et fiat malum: quanto magis illud verbum dicere non debemus, quod a semetipso naturaliter malum est, et ad injuriam pertinet audientis? Deinde, numquid membrum oris nostri, quod ad aedificationem aliorum creatum est, aut ad usum corporis, aut ad gloriam Dei, trahimus illud ad ministerium vanitatis? Omnis enim sermo vanus qui dicitur, immundo spiritu dictante profertur. Vanum ergo sermonem dicentes, non tantum ideo peccamus quia per illum sermonem aliquem laedimus, sed quia damus locum in nobis immundis spiritibus agendi quod volunt. Hoc sciens Salomon, dicebat ad Dominum: Duo postula a te, ne auferas gratiam tuam a me, priusquam moriar, et vanum verbum non exeat de ore meo. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia Undecima ex capite quinto Migne PG 56.690-691

If someone says to his brother Racha, without cause, he shall be guilty in the council. 1 That is, he will be like one of the council who were opposed to Christ, as the apostolic canons understand it. 'And if someone says 'Fool', he shall be guilty of hell.' 1; Racha is a Hebrew word meaning vacuous, although such is the meaning of the word, that it is one and the same to say, Fool, and Racha. For he who is vacuous is a fool and he who is a fool is without doubt vacuous and both words seem to do the same harm. For as it is unworthy to say to another, 'Fool' who has in himself the spiritual wisdom of the knowledge of God the Father and Christ, so unworthy it is to call a man vacuous when he has the Holy Spirit in himself. For no one is called vacuous who has the Holy Spirit in himself and no one is a fool who knows Christ. And why is it that one of the words, that is, 'Racha', has the punishment of the council, and the other word, 'Fool', of hell? For if the sin is one, then one should be the punishment of both. But on account of the purpose of saying them, these words do differ, even if they have similar sense. For Racha is a word commonly used among the Jews, not from anger, nor from hatred, but arising from some petty passion and spoken more as a matter of trust than anger. For every province has the custom of a word of reproach which, not on account of conflict, but because of familiarity is accustomed to be spoken to another of whom one has the trust. So a master treats his freedman, or the rich man a poor man, or the town dweller the rustic, having contempt for his person, more than enmity. But perhaps you say, If Racha is not spoken out of anger, why is it a sin? Because it is spoken out of contempt and not to edify. For even if some person seems contemptible to you, yet the dignity of his Christianity is not something contemptible. And if you do not wish to look at him yet you should look at Christ who is in him. And then for another reason to say 'Racha' is a sin, for even if someone deserves to hear something vain, you, however, should not speak anything in vain, when it is written 'Truly I say to you, for every useless word that you have spoken you shall receive judgement.' 2 Whatever is not of the light is of the darkness, as even whatever is not good is evil. The Apostle says, 'Let not your mouth let go any evil word.' 3 And he does not then say 'Unless something good', but 'Unless something good for the building up of faith.' If, then, neither a good word without cause we should speak unless there be an opportunity for edification, lest the good word, being spoken without cause, is found to be useless, and becomes an evil, much more should we not speak that word which in itself is naturally evil and intends the harm of the listener. Should we hand over to the service of vanities the member of our mouth, which is created for the edification of others, either for corporeal uses, or the praise of God? Every vain word that is spoken is brought forth by the dictation of an unclean spirit. Therefore speaking vainly is not only a sin because through our speech we injure another, but because we give a place in us to the unclean spirits that they might do what they wish. Solomon, knowing this, said to the Lord, 'Two things I ask of you, do not take your grace from before I die, and may a vain word never leave my mouth.'  4 Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from The Eleventh Homily on The Fifth Chapter 1 Mt 5.22 2 Mt 12.36 3 Ephes 4.29 4 Prov 30.7-8

Offence And Progress

Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ἠσαΐας, ὅτι οὐδὲν οὕτως λυσιτελεῖ τῷ ἀρχαρίῳ, ὡς ἡ ὕβρις. Ὥσπερ γὰρ δένδρον καθ' ἑκάσατην ποτιζόμενον, οὕτως ἀρχάριος ὑβριζόμενος καὶ ὑπομένων. Ἀποφθεγματα Των Ἁγίων Γερόντων, Παλλαδιος Source: Migne PG 65 180d-181a

Father Isaiah said, 'There is nothing so useful to the beginner as insults. For like a tree that is watered every day, so is the beginner who is insulted and endures.' Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

Judgement and John

In omne enim quod de nobis dicitur, semper taciti recurrere ad mentem debemus, interiorem testem et judicem quaerere. Quid enim prodest si omnes laudent cum conscientia accuset? Aut quid poterit obesse si omnes nobis derogent, et conscientia sola nos defendat? Beatus ergo Job inter linguas derogantium inflexa mente persistens, quia in terra se impugnari falsis sermonibus vidit, in coelo testem quaesivit. Hinc Isaias ait: Popule meus, qui beatificant te, ipsi te decipiunt, et viam gressuum tuorum dissipant. Qui videlicet populus ne verba suae laudis attenderet, et in culpis altius periret, statim dicitur quem aspiciat, cujus judicium pertimescat, cum subditur: Stat ad judicandum Dominus, stat ad judicandos populos. Ac si aperte diceretur: Judicia humana cur sequeris, qui stare super te coelestem judicem scis. Hinc est quod Joannem Baptistam Veritas esse arundinem vento agitatam negat, dicens: Quid existis videre in desertum? Arundinem vento agitatam? Quod quia negando dixerit, non affirmando, subjuncta verba testantur. Ait enim: Sed quid existis videre in deserto? Hominem mollibus vestitum? Ecce qui mollibus vestiuntur in domibus regum sunt. Arundo autem vento agitata modo flatibus erigitur, modo flatibus inclinatur. Omnis autem infirmus animus, qui vel derogatione dejicitur, vel laudibus exaltatur, arundo vento agitata est. Quod Joannes non erat, quia inflexibilem mentis verticem inter laudes hominum et derogationes tenebat. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Primus, Homilia IX

For in everything that is said about us, we should always turn in silence to the mind, and seek interior witness and judgement. What does it profit us if everyone praises us and our conscience accuses us? Or why should it trouble us if everyone disparages us and our conscience alone defends us? Thus the blessed Job endured with inflexible mind among the tongues of detractors, because seeing that on earth he was assaulted with false words, in heaven he sought a witness. Whence Isaiah says, 'O My people, those who bless you, they deceive you, and they destroy the way you walk.' 1 And that no one attend to the words of praise of the people and in higher blame perish, instantly it is said what one should consider, and of whom the judgement fear, when it is then added: 'The Lord stands to give judgement, He stands to judge the people.' 2  Which may be more openly expressed: 'Why do you follow human judgement when you know that heavenly judgement stands over you?' Which is why the Truth speaks of John the Baptist as a reed refusing to be  shaken by the wind, saying, 'What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed shaken by the wind?' 3 That He said it that it be denied, not affirmed, the following words bear witness, for He then said, 'But what did you go out to see in the desert? A man in soft vestments? Behold, those who dress in softness are in the palaces of kings.' A reed shaken by the wind is as a wave rising and falling. Every weak soul, that is, one that is either dejected by disparagement or exalted by praise, is a reed shaken by the wind. John was not that, but with inflexible height of mind he held himself firm among the praise and detraction of men. Saint Gregory the Great, On the Prophet Ezekiel, Book 1, Homily 9 1 Is 3.12 2 Is 3.13 3 Mt 11.7

Fasting and Abuse

Εἰ νηστεύεις ἀπὸ βρωμάτων, τί κρεωφαγείς λοιδορίας; Καλὸν γὰρ ἐκείνων ἐμφορεῖσθαι, ἢ ταύταις βεβληλοῦσθαι. Εἰ δὲ τῶν μὲν ἀπέχῃ, ταῖς δὲ μολύνῃ ἔοικάς τινι μικρὰ προσευχομένῳ καὶ πλεῖστα βλασφημοῦντι. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΥΜϚ', Παλλαδιῳ

If you are fasting from food, why eat the meat of abuse? For it is better to partake of the former than to be corrupted by the latter. If from the former you abstain but by the latter you are defiled you seem to be like one who prays a little but is ever full of blasphemous speech. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 446, To Palladius

The Lamp Of The Spirit

Τὸ πνεῦμα μὴ σβέννυτε· προφητείας μὴ ἐξουθενεῖτε. Πάντα δὲ δοκιμάζετε·  τὸ καλὸν κατέχετε. Ἀπὸ παντὸς εἴδους πονηροῦ ἀπέχεσθε.    Ἀχλύς τις παχεῖα καὶ ζόφος καὶ νεφέλη κατακέχυται τῆς γῆς ἁπάσης·  καὶ τοῦτο δηλῶν ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἔλεγεν·  Ἦμεν γάρ ποτε σκότος· καὶ πάλιν, Ὑμεῖς, ἀδελφοὶ, οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σκότει, ἵνα ἡ ἡμέρα ὑμᾶς ὡς κλέπτης καταλάβῃ.  Ἐπεὶ οὖν νύξ ἐστιν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἀσέληνος, καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ βαδίζομεν, ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν λαμπάδα φαιδρὰν ὁ Θεὸς, τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου τὴν χάριν ἀνάψας ἐν ταῖς ἡμετέραις ψυχαῖς.  Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο τὸ φῶς οἱ μὲν δεξάμενοι λαμπρότερον εἰργάσαντο καὶ φαιδρὸν, οἷον ὡς Παῦλος, ὡς Πέτρος, ὡς οἱ ἅγιοι πάντες ἐκεῖνοι· οἱ δὲ καὶ ἔσβεσαν, ὡς αἱ πέντε παρθένοι, ὡς ἐκεῖνοι οἱ περὶ τὴν πίστιν ναυαγήσαντες, ὡς ὁ ἐν Κορίνθῳ πεπορνευκὼς, ὡς Γαλάται παρατραπέντες. Διὰ τοῦτο ὁ Παῦλος νῦν φησι, Τὸ πνεῦμα μὴ σβέννυτε, τουτέστι, τὸ χάρισμα· οὕτω γὰρ αὐτῷ καλεῖν ἔθος τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ Πνεύματος. Σβέννυσι δὲ αὐτὸ βίος ἀκάθαρτος.  Καθάπερ γάρ τις ἐπὶ τοῦ λυχνιαίου τούτου φωτὸς, ὕδωρ κατασκεδάσας, ἢ χοῦν, ἔσβεσε τὸ φῶς, καὶ εἰ μηδὲν τούτων, ἀλλά γε τὸ ἔλαιον ἐξελών· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ χαρίσματος· ἄν τε γὰρ γήϊνα καὶ τῶν διαῤῥεόντων πραγμάτων κατασκεδάσῃς φροντίδας, ἔσβεσας τὸ πνεῦμα· ἄν τε σὺ μηδὲν ἐργάσῃ τοιοῦτον, ἑτέρωθεν δέ ποθεν πειρασμὸς ἐπελθὼν προσβάλῃ σφοδρῶς, καθάπερ τι πνεῦμα, καὶ μὴ σφοδρὰ ᾖ ἡ φλὸξ, ἢ πολὺ τὸ ἔλαιον ἔχουσα, ἢ τὴν ὀπὴν μὴ ἐμφράξῃς, ἢ τὴν θύραν μὴ προσκλείσῃς, πάντα ἀπόλωλε. Τί δέ ἐστιν ἡ ὀπή; Ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ λύχνου, οὕτω καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν, ὀπή ἐστιν ὀφθαλμὸς καὶ ἀκοή. Μὴ ἀφῇς ταύταις προσπίπτειν πνεῦμα σφοδρὸν πονηρίας, ἐπεὶ ἔσβεσε τὸν λύχνον, ἀλλ' ἀπόφραξον τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Θύρα τὸ στόμα ἐστί· κλεῖσον, πρόσκλεισον, ἵνα καὶ τὸ φῶς παρέχῃ, καὶ ἀποκρούηται τὴν ἔξωθεν προσβολήν. Οἷον, ὕβρισέ σέ τις; ἐλοιδόρησε; σὺ κλεῖσον τὸ στόμα·  ἂν γὰρ ἀνοίξῃς, ἐῤῥίπισας τὸν ἄνεμον.  Οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις, ὅταν καταντικρὺ καὶ ἐπ' εὐθείας δύο θύραι στήκωσι, καὶ σφοδρὸς ἄνεμος ᾖ, πῶς, ἂν τὴν ἑτέραν κλείσῃς καὶ ἀντίπνοια μὴ γένηται, οὐδὲν ἴσχυσεν ὁ ἄνεμος, ἀλλὰ τὸ πολὺ τῆς ἰσχύος ὑποτέμνεται;  Οὕτω καὶ νῦν, δύο εἰσὶ θύραι, τὸ στόμα τὸ σὸν, καὶ τὸ τοῦ ὑβρίζοντός σε καὶ ἐμ  παροινοῦντος·  ἂν ἀποκλείσῃς τὸ σὸν καὶ μὴ δῷς ἀντίπνοιαν, ἔσβεσας ὅλον τὸ πνεῦμα·  ἂν δὲ ἀνοίξῃς, ἀκάθεκτον γίνεται.  Μὴ τοίνυν αὐτὸ σβεννύωμεν.  Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος,Ὑπομηνα Ἐις Την Προς Θεσσαλονικεις Ἐπιστολην Πρωτην, Ὀμιλια ΙΑʹ

'Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophecy. But test all things; hold to that which is good. Abstain from every form of evil.' 1   A thick mist, a darkness and a cloud, is poured out over all the earth. And making this clear, the Apostle said, 'For we were once darkness.' And again, 'You, brethren, are not in darkness, so that that day should take you like a thief.' 2 Since then there is, so to say, a moonless night, and we walk in this night, God has given us a bright lamp, having kindled in our souls the grace of the Holy Spirit. But some who have received this light have rendered it more bright and shining, like Paul and Peter and all those saints, while others have quenched it, like the five virgins, like those who have made shipwreck of the faith, like the fornicator of Corinth, like the Galatians who were corrupted. Thus Paul now says, 'Do not quench not the Spirit,' that is, grace, for it is his custom so to call the grace of the Spirit. But an impure life quenches it. For as any one who has sprinkled both water and dust upon the light of this lamp quenches it, and if he does not do this, but only removes the oil, so it is also with grace, for if you have poured upon it a flood of worldly things, you have quenched the Spirit, and if you have not done this, but a temptation coming from some other place has vehemently rushed upon it, like some wind, and if the light is not strong, or if it does not have much oil, or if you have not shut the opening, or if you have not closed the door, all is destroyed. But what is the opening? As in the lamp, so is it also in us, the opening is the eye and the ear. Do not allow a strong gust of wickedness to fall upon these, since it would quench the lamp, but close them with the fear of God. The mouth is the door: shut it, fasten it, that it may give light and ward off the assault from without. Has someone abused you? Reviled you? Close your mouth, for if you open it, you strengthen the wind. Do you not see in houses, when two doors stand opposite, and there is a strong wind, if you shut one, and there is no opposite draught, the wind has no force, but the greater part of its strength is diminished? So now there are two doors, your mouth, and the mouth of the one who abuses and treats you ill. If you close your mouth and do not give opposition, you have quenched the whole wind, but if you open it, it will not be restrained. Let us then not quench it. Saint John Chrysostom, Homily 11 on First Thessalonians 1  1 Thes 5. 19-22 2 1 Thes 5. 4

The Monk And The Ass

Ἐρωτηθεὶς δὲ ὁ ἀββᾶς Νισθερῶος παρὰ τοῦ ἀββᾶ Ποιμένος, πόθεν ἐκτήσατο τὴν ἀρετὴν ταύτην, ὅτι ὅτε δήποτε συνέβη θλὶψις εἰς τὸ κοινόβιον, οὐκ ἐλάλει, οὐδὲ ἐμέσαζεν, ἀπεκρίνατο· Συγχώρησόν μοι, ἀββᾶ· ὁτε εἰσῆλθον ἀρχὴν εἰς τὸ κοινόβιον, εἶπον τῷ λογισμῷ μου, ὅτι Σὺ καὶ ὁ ὅνος ἕν ἐστε. Ὥσπερ ὁ ὅνος δέρεται καὶ οὐ λαλεῖ, ὑβριζεται καὶ οὐδὲν ἀποκρίνεται, οὕτως καὶ σύ· καθὼς ὁ ψαλλμὸς λέγει· Κτηνώδης ἐγενήθην παρὰ σοὶ, κὰγὼ διαπαντὸς μετὰ σοῦ. Ἀποφθέγματα Των Ἁγίων Γερόντων, Παλλαδιος Source: Migne PG 65.308d-309a

Father Nistheroos asked Father Poimen how he had acquired this virtue, so that when he came upon difficulties in the monastery he said nothing, nor did he impose himself in the midst of them. He answered, 'Forgive me father, on coming into the monastery, I say to my soul, 'You are the one ass here. Like an ass is struck and says nothing, and is outraged and does not respond, so even you. As the Psalm says, 'I am become a beast beside you and always I am with you.' 1 Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia 1 Ps 72.23

In Defence of Women

Scio me, Principia,in Christo filia, a plerisque reprehendi, quod interdum scribam ad mulieres, et fragiliorem sexum maribus praeferam. Et idcirco debeo primum obtrectatoribus meis respondere, et sic venire ad disputatiunculam, quam rogasti. Si viri de Scripturis quaererent, mulieribus non loquerer. Si Barae ire ad praelium voluisset, Debbora de victis nostibus non triumphasset. Jeremias carcere clauditur, et qui periturus Israel virum non receperat prophetantem, Olda eis mulier suscitatur. Sacerdotes et Pharisaei crucifigunt Filium Dei et Maria Magdalene plorat ad crucem, unguenta parat, quaerit in tumulo, hortulanum interrogat, Dominum recognoscit, pergit ad Apostolos, repertum nuntiat. Illi dubitant, ista confidit. Vere πυργίτης, vere turris candoris et Libani, quae prospicit faciem Damasci, sanguinem videlicit Salvatoris ad sacci poenitentiam provocantem. Defecerant Sarae muliebria, et ideo Abraham ei subjicitur, et dicitur ad eum: Omnia quae dicit tibi Sara, audi vocem ejus. Illi defecerant muliebria, tu numquam habuisti muliebria. Sexus devoratur a virgine, Christum portat in corpore. Jam possidet quod futura est. Rebecca pergit ad interrogandum Deum: et sua responsione condigna audit oracula: 'Duae gentes in utero tuo, et duo populi de vente tuo dividentur.' Illa duos generat dissidentes: tu unum quotidie concipis, paturis, generas, unione fecundum, majestate multiplicem, trinitate concordem. Maria soror Moysi, victorias Domini canit, et Rachel Bethleem nostram atque Ephratham stirpe nominis sui signat in posteros  Filiae Salphaad haereditatem inter fratres merentur accipere. Ruth et Esther et Judith tantae gloriae sunt, ut sacris voluminibus nomina indiderint. Anna prophetissa generat filium Levitam, Prophetam, Judicem, sacro crine venerabilem, et offert cum in tabernaculo Dei. Thecuites mulier, regem David interrogatione concludit, aenigmate docet, exemplo Dei mitigat. Legimus et aliam sapientem feminam, quae cum obsideretur civitas, et propter unum perduellem, dux exercitus Joab muros ariete quateret, locuta est ad populum in sapientia sua, et tantae multitudinis periculum, muliebri auctoritate sedavit. Quid loquar de regina Saba quae venit a finibus terrae audire sapientiam Salomonis, et testimonio Domini condemnatura est omnes viros Jerusalem? Elisabeth utero propheta et voce. Anna filia Phanuelis in templo, templum efficitur Dei, et quotidiano jejunio, coelestem invenit panem. Sequuntur mulieres Salvatorem, et ministrant ei de substania sua. Ille qui de quinque panibus, quinque millia hominum, exceptis mulieribus et parvulis, aluit, escas sanctarum mulierum non recusat accipere. Cum Samaritana loquitur ad puteum, et saturatus conversione credentis, cibos qui coempti fuerunt negligit. Apollo virum Apostilicum et in lege doctissimum, Aquila et Priscilla erudiunt, et instruunt eum de via Domini. Si doceri a femina non fuit turpe Apostolo, mihi quare turpe sit post viros docere et feminas? Sanctus Hieronymus, Epistula LXV, Ad Principiam Virginem

I know I am, Principia, daughter in Christ, reproved by many because I sometimes write to women and choose the weaker sex to husbands. I therefore should first respond to my detractors and then come to the matter about which you asked. If men had studied the Scriptures I would not talk to their wives. If Barac had wished to go to battle, Deborah would not have triumphed over the conquered. Jeremiah was shut up in prison and no man would receive the prophecy of Israel's coming destruction, but the woman Hulda took it to them. The Priests and Pharisees crucified the Son of God and Mary Magdalene wept at the cross, she prepared ointment, she sought the tomb, she questioned the gardener, she recognised the Lord, she went to the Apostles, she announced the discovery. They doubted, she was confident. Truly she was a tower of brightness and of Lebanon which looks down on the face of Damascus, the blood of the Saviour provoking penance in sackcloth. To the womanhood of Sarah they fell, and so Abraham was subject to her and it was said to him, 'Everything which Sarah says to you, listen to her voice.' They failed by womanhood, you never had it. Sex devoured by virginity you carry Christ in your body. Already it possesses what will be. Rebecca went to question God and by way of response she heard a worthy oracle: 'Two nations from your womb, and two peoples from your belly.' She bore two dissentiant, you conceive one every day, you carry, you give birth, fruitful in union,  increase in majesty, in harmony with the Trinity. Mariam sister of Moses sang the victory of God and Rachel our Bethlehem and Ephrata by naming of child signified to posterity. The daughter of Salphaad were worthy to receive the inheritance among brothers. Ruth and Esther and Judith had such glory that sacred volumes were named after them. Hannah the prophetess gave birth to a son, a priest, prophet, and venerable judge with sacred hair and offered when in the tabernacle of God. The woman from Thecua caught king David with a question and taught a mystery and softened him with an example of God. We read of another wise woman who when a city was besieged and on account of one enemy, Joab the leader of the army shook with a ram, she spoke to the people in their wisdom and such a multitude a danger calmed with womanly authority. Why should I speak of the Queen of Sheba who came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and by the testimony of the Lord condemned all the men of Jerusalem. Elizabeth had a prophetic voice in her womb. Anna the daughter of Phanuel dwelling in the temple, going about God's work, fasting daily, discovered the bread of heaven. Women followed the Saviour and ministered to him from their own substance. He who five thousand loaves, five thousand men, excepting woman and children,  fed, the food of the holy woman did not refuse. When he spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well she saturated with his words believed, food which they bought neglected. Apollo was an apostolic man and most learned in the law, Aquila and Priscilla educated and instructed him in the way of the Lord. If to be taught by a woman was not disgraceful for an Apostle, why should it disgrace me that after men I teach women? St Jerome, from Letter 65, To Principia

The Reproaches of the Lost

Quod ad nos attinet, conscientiae nostrae convenit, frater charissime, dare operam, ne quis culpa nostra de Ecclesia pereat. Si autem quis ultro et crimine suo perierit, et poenitentiam agere atque ad Ecclesiam redire noluerit, nos in die judicii inculpatos futuros, qui consulimus sanitati, illos in poenis remansuros, qui noluerint consilii nostri salubritate sanari. Nec movere nos debent convicia perditorum quominus a via recta et a certa regula non recedamus, quando et Apostolus instruat, dicens: 'Si hominibus placerem, Christi servus non essem.' Interest utrum quis homines promereri, an Deum cupiat. Si hominibus placetur, Dominus offenditur: si vero id enitimur et elaboramus ut possimus Deo placere, et convicia et maledicta debemus humana contemnere. Sanctus Cyprianus, Epistola Ad Cornelium Papam

It belongs to us, it befits our conscience, dearest brother, to labour that none should perish going out of the Church by our own fault; but if any one, of his own accord and by his own offence, should perish, and should be unwilling to repent and to return to the Church, then we who are anxious for their well-being will be blameless in the day of judgment, and they alone will remain in punishment who refused to be healed by the wholesomeness of our counsel. Nor should we be moved by the reproaches of the lost that we move even a little from the right path and from the sure rule, when the apostle instructs us, saying, 'If I should please men, I would not be the servant of Christ.'1 There is a difference between the one who would deserve well of men and the one who desires God. If we seek to please men, the Lord is offended, but if we strive that we might please God, we should scorn human abuse and curses. Saint Cyprian, Letter to Pope Cornelius 1 Gal 1.10

Humility and Meekness

Καὶ ὅτι πρὸς τοῦτο μάλιστα τὸ πάθος ὁ Λόγος βλέπει, δῆλόν ἐστιν ἐκ τοῦ μετὰ τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην νομοθετῆσαι ἡμῖν τὴν πραότητα. Ἔοικε γὰρ ἔχεσθαι τοῦ ἐτέρου τὸ ἔτερον, καὶ οἴον μήτηρ τις εἴναι τῆς κατὰ τὸ πρᾶον ἔξεως ἡ τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης κατάστασις. Εἰ γὰρ ὑφελοις τοῦ ἤθους τὸν τῦφον, καιρὸν οὐκ ἔχει τὸ κατὰ θυμὸν ἐγγενέσθαι πάθος. Ὓβρις γὰρ καὶ ἀτιμία τῆς τοιαύτης ἀῥῥωστίας τοῖς ὀργισθεῖσιν αἰτία γίνεται. Ἀτιμία δὲ οὐχ ἄπτεται τοῦ ἑαυτὸν ταπεινοφροσύνῃ παιδαγωγήσαντος. Εἰ γάρ τις κεκαθαρμένον ἔχοι τὸν λογισμὸν ἐκ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀπάτης, καὶ βλέποι τὸ οὐτιδανὸν τῆς φύσεως ᾖ συγκεκλήρωται, ἀφ' οἴας ἀρχῆς τὴν σύστασιν ἔχει, καὶ εἰς ὅ τι φέρεται τέλος τὸ βραχὺ καὶ ὠκύμορον τῆς τῇδε ζωῆς,  καὶ τὸν συνεζευγμένον τῇ σαρκὶ ῥύπον, καὶ τὸ πενιχρὸν της φύσεως, τὸ μὴ εἰναι αὐτὴν αὐτάρκη δι' ἑαυτῆς πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν σύστασιν, εἰ μὴ τῇ περιουσίᾳ τῶν ἀλόγων τὸ ἐνδέον ἀναπληρώσειεν· λύπας τε πρὸς τούτοις καὶ πένθη καὶ συμφορὰς, τάς τε πολυτρόπους τῶν νοσημάτων ἰδέας, αἶς ὑπόκειται ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη ζωὴ, ὦν οὐκ ἔστιν ὅστις ἐκ φύσεως ἀτελής ἐστι καὶ ἐλεύθερος. Ταῦτα δι' ἀκριβείας κεκαθαρμένῳ τῷ τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμῷ βλέπων, οὐκ ἄν ῥᾳοιως πρὸς τὰς τῶν τιμῶν ἐλλείψεις ἀγανακτήσειεν. Τὸ ἐναντίον μὲν οὖν ἀπάτην ἡγήσεται τὴν ἐπὶ τινι προσαγομένην αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῠ πέλας τιμὴν, οὐκ ὄντος ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ φύσει τοιούτου τινὸς, ὅ δύναται τὴν πρὸς τὸ τίμιον κοινωνίαν ἔχειν, εἰ μὴ κατὰ ψυχὴν μόνον, ἧς ἡ τιμὴ οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν κατὰ τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον ἐπιζητουμένων συνίσταται. Τὸ γὰρ ἐπὶ πλούτῳ κομπάζειν, ἤ γένει σεμνύνεσθαι, ἤ πρὸς δόξαν ὁρᾷν, ἤ τὸ δοκεῖν ὑπὲρ τὸν  πέλας εἴναι, δι' ὦν αἰ ἀνθρώπιναι πληροῦνται τιμαί ταῦτα πάντα καθαίρεσις τῆς ψυχῆς καταμολύνεσθαι. Τὸ δὲ οὕτως ἔχειν οὐδὲν ἕτερον, ἤ ἐν ἔξει βαθείᾳ τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης ἐστὶν εἶναι, ἦς κατορθωθείσης, οὐ δεμίαν εἴσοδον ὁ θυμὸς κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς ἔξει. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Εἰς Τους Μακαρισμους

And so it is clear that the Word, noting this great passion, prescribes meekness for us after humility. For it seems that the one and the other are linked, and it is as if humility is like a mother giving peace to meekness. For if a person draws himself away from the delusion of pride it is unlikely that the passion of anger will take hold. A proud person is shaken by abuse and driven to anger by it but insults do not trouble the person practiced in humility. If a man had clear thoughts concerning the condition of men and he looked into his nature, how fallen it was from its original state, that the end of life rushes upon us so soon, the bodily waste and other discharges of our nature, that he is not sufficient in himself but must supply himself with what he lacks from the goods of brute animals, and, further, let him think on the pains, miseries and various fell diseases and so let him see human life, that no one is by nature free and untroubled. So with the eye of the soul sharpened by such purification, a man is not easily irritated by a lack of respect from others. And, on the other hand, if someone should give us honour for some reason, we do not hold it as a part of own nature since we do not have such things. He who receives honour in the world, after his soul has departed, has no more honour from those who continue to go about in the world. For to base your worth on amount of money gained or the rank of one's family, or observable glory, or other measures by which you judge yourself to excel other men, are the things that pollute the purity of your soul. He who has nothing of these things has the depths of humility, he who has been cleansed allows no access to passion to seize his soul. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On The Beatitudes

Anger and Vengeance

Audisti convicium, ventus est; iratus es, fluctus est. Vento igitur flante, fluctu surgente, periclitatur navis, periclitatur cor tuum, fluctuat cor tuum. Audito convicio vindicari desideras: et ecce vindicatus es, et malo alieno cedens, fecisti naufragium. Et quare hoc? Quia dormit in te Christus. Quid est, dormit in te Christus? Oblitus es Christum. Excita ergo Christum, recordare Christum, evigilet in te Christus: considera illum. Quid volebas? Vindicari. Excidit tibi, quia ipse cum crucifigeretur dixit: Pater, ignosce illis, quia nesciunt quid faciunt? Qui dormiebat in corde tuo, noluit vindicari. Excita illum, recole illum. Memoria ipsius, verbum ipsius: memoria ipsius, jussio ipsius. Et dices apud te, si vigilat in te Christus: Qualis ego homo, qui volo vindicari? Qui sum ego, qui in hominem exsero comminationes? Morior forte antequam vindicer. Et anhelans, ira inflammatus, et sitiens vindicatam, exiero de corpore, non me suscipit ille qui noluit vindicari: non me suscipit ille qui dixit, 'Date, et dabitur vobis; dimittite, et dimittetur vobis. Ergo compescam me ab iracundia mea, et redibo ad quietem cordis mei. Imperavit Christus mari, facta est tranquillitas. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensis, Sermons ad Populum, Sermones De Scripturis Veteris et Novi Testamenti, Sermo LXIII

You have heard abuse, it is the wind; you are angry, it is a wave. When therefore the wind blows and the wave swells, the ship is endangered, the heart is in imperil, the heart is shaken. When you have heard an insult, you long to be avenged, and, yes, you are avenged and so falling into doing evil to another you have been shipwrecked. And why is this? Because Christ is asleep in you. What does this mean: Christ is asleep in you? You have forgotten Christ. Rouse Christ then, recall Christ, let Him wake in you, pay attention to Him. What did you wish? To be avenged.? Has it slipped from your mind that when He was being crucified, He said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do?'1 He who was asleep in your heart did not wish to be avenged. Rouse Him, call Him to mind. Be mindful of Him and His commands. And then, if Christ is awake in you, you will say to yourself, 'What sort of man am I, who longs to be avenged?' Perhaps I may die before I am avenged, and breathing my last, burning with rage and thirsting for vengeance, I shall depart from the body and He will not receive me who did not wish to be avenged, He will not receive me, who said, 'Give, and it shall be given to you; forgive, and it shall be forgiven you.'2 Therefore I will check my anger and I will return peace to my heart. Christ has commanded the sea, tranquility is restored. Saint Augustine of Hippo, Sermons on the Old and New Testament, Sermon 63 1 Lk 23.34 2. Lk 6.38

The Judgement of Men

Indico autem quod levitate populi tumultum contra vos detractionis exortum nuntiantibus quibusdam agnovi. Qua ex re excellentiam vestram audio fuisse taedio non modico contristam. Quod si ita est, valde miror cur vos, qui cor fixistis in coelo, verba hominum agitent in terra. Beatus enim Job, cum amici ejus qui ad consolandum venerant increpationem prosiliisent, ait, Ecce enim in caelo testis meus, et conscius meus in excelsis. Qui enim vitae suae in coelo testem habet, judicia hominum in terra pertimescere non debet. Dux quoque bonorum Paulus dicit: Gloria nostra haec est testimonium conscientiae nostrae. Qui iterum dicit: Opus suum probet unusquisque, et sic in semetipso gloriam habebit et non in altero. Si enim laudibus laetamur, et detractionibus frangimur, gloriam nostram non in nobis, sed in aliorum ore posuimus.  Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, Registri Epistolarum, Liber XI, Epistola XLV, Ad Theocistam

I will reveal that I have been informed by certain persons that, by the levity of the people, a storm of detraction has risen against you. I hear that because of it your Excellency has been wearied with no slight sadness. If this is so, I wonder much why you are agitated, you who have fixed your heart on heaven, by the words of men on earth. The blessed Job, when his friends who had come to console him had broken out into chiding, said, ' Behold my witness is in heaven, my confidant is on high.'1 For one who has the witness of his life in heaven should not fear the judgments of men on earth. Paul also, a leader of good men, says, 'Our glory is this, the testimony of our conscience.' 2 And again he says, 'Let every man prove his own work, and so shall he have glory in himself, and not in another.' 3 For if we are made joyful by praise and broken by detractions, not in ourselves, but in the mouths of others, we have placed our glory. Saint Gregory the Great, Registry of Letters, Book 11, Letter 45, To Theocista 1 Job 16.20 2 2 Cor 1.12  3 Gal 6.4

Pardon and Enemies

Εἰ τοῖς μέχρι φόνου καὶ σφαγῆς χωρήσασιν οὐδὲν εἶπεν ἐκεῖνος ἐπαχθὲς, τίνος ἂν εἴημεν ἡμεῖς συγγνώμης ἄξιοι, ἐν λοιδορίᾳ καὶ ὕβρεσιν ἐκθηριούμενοι, μιαροὺς καὶ παμμιάρους ἀποκαλοῦντες τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τοὺς ἡμετέρους; τίνα δὲ ἀπολογίαν ἕξομεν ἐχθροὺς ὅλως ἔχοντες; Οὐκ ἀκούεις, ὅτι ὁ τιμῶν, ἑαυτὸν τιμᾷ; Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἑαυτοὺς ὑβρίζομεν. Ἐγκαλεῖς, ὅτι ὑβρίσθης· τί οὖν περιπίπτεις τῷ ἐγκλήματι; τί σαυτὸν πληγῇ περιβάλλεις; Μεῖνον ἀπαθὴς, μεῖνον ἄτρωτος· μὴ, βουλόμενος ἕτερον πλῆξαι, σαυτὸν περιβάλῃς τῷ κακῷ. Οὐ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ ἡμῖν ὁ ἕτερος θόρυβος τῆς ψυχῆς ὁ μηδενὸς κινοῦντος κινούμενος· οἷον, αἱ ἐπιθυμίαι αἱ ἄτοποι, αἱ λῦπαι καὶ αἱ ἀθυμίαι καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρας ἐπισωρεύομεν.  Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Ὑπόμηνμα Ἐις Τας Πρᾶξις Των Ἀπόλστολων, Ὁμῖλία Νʹ

If he said nothing injurious to those who went even to the length of murder and slaughter, what sympathy shall we merit who by abuse and insult are infuriated, denouncing our enemies as foul and utterly detestable? And what pardon shall we have for having enemies at all? Do you not hear that to honor is to honor one's self? But we abuse ourselves. You cry out that you have been abused; then why do you strike yourself with the same accusation? Why do you inflict a blow on yourself? Be free from passion, be unwounded. Do not by wishing to strike, inflict evil on yourself. Does the tumult of the soul not suffice, that which is stirred up by none but its own absurd desires, its pains, its despondency, and so on, that we must heap up others? Saint John Chrystostom, On The Acts of the Apostles, Homily 50

Speaking To An Elder

Ἒλεγον περὶ τοῦ ἀββᾶ Μακαρίου, ὅτι εἰ προσήρχετο αὐτῷ ἀδελφὸς, ὡς ἀγίῳ γέροντι καὶ μεγάλῳ μετὰ φόβου, οὐδὲν ἐλάλει αὐτῷ. Εἰ δὲ ἔλεγεν αὐτῷ τις τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὡς ἐξουθενῶν αὐτον· Ἀββᾶ, ἆρα ὃταν ἦς καμηλίτης καὶ ἔκλεπτες νίτρον καὶ ἐπώλεις αὐτὸ, οὐκ ἔδερόν σε οἱ τηρηταί; Εἰ ταῦτά τις ἔλεγεν αὐτῷ ἐλάλει αὐτῳ μετὰ χαρᾶς, εἴ τι αὐτὸν ἠρώτα.  ᾽Αποφθεγματα των ἀγιων γεροντων, Παλλαδιος

They said about Father Macarius that if one of the brothers came to him and treated him as a holy elder, in great awe, he spoke nothing to him; but if one of the brothers spoke to him as to one of little worth, saying, 'Father, when you were a camel driver and stole nitre and sold it, did those who caught you whip you?' to the one who spoke so, he would reply cheerfully to whatever was asked. Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia

Dealing with Insult

Ἐἶπεν ὁ αὐτὸς Μακάριος· Ἐάν τινι ἐπιτιμῶν, εἰς ὀργην κινηθῇς, ἴδιον πάθος πληροὶς. Οὐ γὰρ ἴνα ἄλλους σώσῃς σεαυτὸν ἀπολέσεις.   ᾽Αποφθεγματα των ἀγιων γεροντων, Παλλαδιος

Father Macarius said, 'If someone insults you and you are moved to anger, you may satisfy your passion. But you have saved no one and you have ruined yourself.' Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia