Foreseeing Sins And Penance

Quaeris enim, Quare dixerit Dominus, nimirum praescius futurorum, Elegi David secundum cor meum; cum talia tantaque ipse homo commiserit. Quod quidem, si de ipso David, qui reprobato Saüle et exstincto fuit rex Israël, dictum intelligamus; magis quia Deus praescius futurorum est, praevidit in eo tantam pietatem tamque veracem poenitentiam, ut esset in eorum numero de quibus ipse dicit: Beati quorum remissae sunt iniquitates, et quorum tecta sunt peccata. Beatus vir, cui non imputavit Dominus peccatum. Cum ergo praesciret eum Deus peccaturum, et peccata sua pia humilitate et sincera poenitentia deleturum, cur non diceret, Inveni David secundum cor meum; cui non erat imputaturus peccatum tam multa bona facienti, et cum tanta pietate viventi, et ipsa pietate pro peccatis suis sacrificium contriti spiritus offerenti? Propter haec omnia verissime dictum est, Inveni David secundum cor meum. Quia licet secundum cor Dei non esset, quod ille peccavit; tamen secundum cor Dei fuit, quod pro peccatis suis congrua poenitentia satisfecit. Hoc solum ergo in illo secundum cor Dei non fuit, quod illi Deus non imputavit. Hoc itaque ablato, id est non imputato, quid remansit, nisi unde verissime diceretur, Inveni David secundum cor meum? Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Ad Dulcitium De Octo Quaestionibus Source: Migne PL 40.168

You ask why the Lord, who certainly can foresee the future, said, 'I have chosen David, a man according to my heart,' 1 when he would go on to commit such enormities. Because we should understand that which was said of David, who with Saul rejected and dead was king of Israel, was said more because the Lord who foresees the future foresaw in him such great piety and such true penitence that he was of the number of those of whom it is said, 'Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin.' 2 Therefore when the Lord foresaw him sinning and then his sins being wiped away with pious humility and sincere penitence, why should He not have said, 'I have chosen David, a man according to my heart,' that man to whom sin shall not be imputed so much as many good works, and who living with such great piety, with that same piety offered the sacrifice of a contrite spirit for his sins? 3 On account of this everything was spoken most truly with, 'I have chosen David, a man according to my heart.' He was according to the heart of the Lord not because he sinned, but he was according to the heart of God in that he offered the satisfaction of appropriate penance for his sins. Sin alone, therefore, was not in him according to the heart of God, and thus God did not impute it to him. Thus with sin washed away, that is, not to be imputed, what remained unless what was said most truly, 'I have chosen David, a man according to my heart?' Saint Augustine of Hippo, Concerning Eight Questions, To Dulcitius 1 1 Kings 13.14, Acts 13.22 2 Ps 31.1-2 3 Ps 50.19

Wounds And Healing

Qui sanat contritos corde, qui alligat contritiones eorum. Mirabile genus curationis edicitur, ut si restaurari volumus, nosmetipsos vivacissime conteramus. Sed ista contritio ad redintegrationem pertinet, ad soliditatem deducit; et quod supra omne bonum est, illum medicum introducit, qui aeternam tribuit sospitatem. Sequitur, qui alligat contritiones eorum. Metaphora ab artificibus medendi, qui ossa fracta atque contrita quando solidare cupiunt, linteorum illigatione constringunt, ut in soliditatem pristinam ad locum suum redeuntia membra coalescant. Sic coelestis medicus poenitentium corda gravi afflictione contrita, quasi quadam fascia pietatis suae superducta constringit atque consolidat, et ad firmissimam spem sanitatis adducit, sicut et in quinquagesimo psalmo dictum est: Cor contritum et humiliatum Deus non spernit. Nam et ille publicanus qui pectus suum assidua percussione tundebat, ipsam in se contritionem probatus est effecisse, quam reo pectori non desinebat ingerere. Cassiodorus, Expositio In Psalterium, Psalmus CXLII Source: Migne PL 70.1034d-1035a

He who heals the contrite of heart, who binds up their wounds. 1 He speaks of a wondrous type of healing, which will have us bruise ourselves if we wish to be healed. But this bruising is for our renewal, and leads to perfection, and because it is above every good, he introduces that physician who gives eternal preservation. It follows, 'He who binds up their wounds.' The metaphor is derived for the arts of healing, from those who when they desire to restore broken and damaged bones bind them with linen bandages so that they may heal members back to their state of original firmness. So with the strips of piety does the heavenly physician bind up and strengthen the heart gravely afflicted with the bruises of penance, even to bring it to the firm hope of healing, as it is has been said in the fiftieth Psalm, 'God does not spurn the contrite and humble heart.' 2 For even that tax collector who struck his own chest with sharp blows, did it to himself to prove himself contrite, rather than by neglect to be burdened with a guilty heart. 3 Cassiodorus, Commentary On The Psalms, from Psalm 146 1 Ps 146.3 2 Ps 50.19 3 Lk 18.13

Darkness And Fairness

Nigra sum, sed formosa, filiae Jerusalem, sicut tabernacula Cedar, sicut pelles Salomonis. Merito nigredinem non contemnit in pellibus, decorem qui sub pellibus est advertens. Et ideo quidam illam contempserunt, quia hunc minime cognoverunt: si enim cognovissent, nunquam Dominum gloriae crucifixissent. Non cognovit Herodes, et idcirco despexit; non cognovit Synagoga, quae nigredinem illi passionis et infirmitatis improperans, Alios, ait, salvos fecit, seipsum non potest salvum facere. Christus rex Israel descendat nunc de cruce, et credimus ei. Sed cognovit latro de cruce, licet in cruce, qui et innocentiae puritatem confessus est. Hic autem, inquiens, quid mali fecit? et gloriam regiae maiestatis simul est protestatus: Memento mei, dicens, dum veneris in regnum tuum. Cognovit centurio, qui Filium Dei clamat; cognoscit Ecclesia, quae et aemulatur nigredinem, ut decorem participet. Non confunditur nigra videri, nigra dici, ut dilecto dicat: Opprobria exprobrantium tibi ceciderunt super me. At sane nigra instar pellium Salomonis, foris scilicet, et non intus: neque enim intus nigredinem meus Salomon habet. Denique non ait: Nigra sum sicut Salomon; sed, sicut pelles Salomonis: quod in superficie tantum sit veri nigredo pacifici. Peccati nigredo intus est; et prius interiora culpa commaculat, quam ad oculos prodeat. Denique de corde exeunt cogitationes malae, furta, homicidia, adulteria, blasphemiae: et haec sunt quae coinquinant hominem; sed absit ut Salomonem! Minime prorsus apud verum pacificum istiusmodi inquinamenta reperies. Oportet namque esse sine peccato eum qui tollit peccata mundi, quo ad reconciliandos peccatores inventus idoneus, iure sibi nomen vindicet Salomonis. Sed est nigredo affligentis poenitentiae, cum assumitur lamentatio pro delictis. Hanc fortassis non abhorreat in me Salomon, si sponte tamen induam mihi pro peccatis meis; quia cor contritum et humiliatum Deus non despiciet. Est et afficientis compassionis, si afflicto condoleas; et fraternum te decoloret incommodum. Nec hanc profecto reiiciendam putat noster pacificus, quippe quam et sibi ipse pro nobis dignanter induit, qui peccata nostra tulit in corpore suo super lignum. Est et persecutionis: quae etiam pro summo ornamento habetur, si quidem suscipiatur pro iustitia et veritate. Unde est illud: Ibant gaudentes discipuli a conspectu concilii, quoniam digni habiti sunt pro nomine Iesu contumeliam pati; denique: Beati qui persecutionem patiuntur propter iustitiam. Hac potissimum gloriari Ecclesiam arbitror, hanc libentius imitari de pellibus sponsi. Denique et habet in promissione: Si me persecuti sunt, et vos persequentur. Sanctus Bernardus Clarae Vallensis, In Cantica Canticorum, Sermo XXIX, De Nigredine et Formositute Sponsi Source: Migne PL 183.926d-927d

I am dark, but fair, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon. 1 Rightly she did not scorn the darkness of the curtains, looking to the beauty beneath them. And therefore some were scornful because they did not know the beauty at all. 'For if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.' 2 Herod did not know and therefore he despised Him. The Synagogue did not know, which mocked the darkness of the Passion and weakness, saying, 'He saved others, He cannot save himself. Let Christ the king of Israel come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him.' But the thief on the cross knew Him and on the cross he proclaimed the spotlessness of His innocence, saying 'What evil has this man done?' And at the same time he bore witness to His kingly majesty, saying 'Remember me when you come into your kingdom.' The centurion knew Him, calling Him the Son of God. 3 The Church knows Him and strives to imitate His darkness that she may participate in His beauty. She is not ashamed to appear dark, to be called dark, for she can then say to her beloved, 'The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.' 4 But let the darkness be as Solomon's curtains, that is, on the outside and not within, for my Solomon has no darkness within. Here she does not say, 'I am dark like Solomon,' but 'like the curtains of Solomon,' for the darkness of the true Peaceful One is only on the outside. The darkness of sin is within. Sin stains the interior rather than showing itself to the eyes. 'Out of the heart come evil thoughts, theft, murder, adultery, fornication, blasphemy, and these are what defile a man.' 5 But far be it from Solomon! You will not find these sorts of defilements in the true Peaceful One. For He must be without sin who takes away the sins of the world. 6 So that he is found fit to reconcile sinners he must duly vindicate for himself the name of Solomon. But there is a darkness of the endurance of penance, when sorrow is taken up for sins. Solomon will not be repulsed if I willingly adopt it because of my sins, since 'God will not scorn a contrite and humble heart.' 7 And there is a darkness of compassion, when you comfort a brother in his affliction and his trouble makes you gloomy. Nor does our Peaceful One think of rejecting this, since He Himself graciously underwent it for us, 'He who bore our sins in his body on the tree.' 8 And there is a darkness of persecution, which is a the greatest adornment when endured for righteousness and truth. Thus it is said, 'The Apostles went out from the council rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer abuse for the name of Jesus.' And 'Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness.' 9 I think that the Church glories especially in freely imitating this darkness of the curtains of her Bridegroom. She has the promise, 'If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.' 10 Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Commentary On The Song of Songs, from Sermon 29, On The Darkness And Fairness of the Bridegroom 1 Song 1.5 2 1 Cor. 2.8 3 Mt 27.42, Lk 23.41-42, Mt 27.54 4 Ps 68.10 5 Mt 15.19-20 6 Jn 1.29 7 Ps 50.19 8 1 Pet 2.24 9 Acts 5.41, Mt 5.10 10 Jn 15.20

Blessing And Righteousness

Μακάριοι οἱ φυλάσσοντες κρίσιν, καὶ ποιοῦντες δικαιοσύνην ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ. Τῇ αἰσθήσει τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁ τῆς ἀρετῆς μακαρισμὸς ὑπεισέρχεται. Ο γὰρ τὰς ὑπὲρ ταύτης εὐθύνας ἐκτίνων μακαρίζει τοὺς ταύτης ἀπηλλαγμένους, καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ τὸν οἰκεῖον βίον διακοσμοῦντας. Μακαρίζει δὲ οὐ τὸν ἅπαξ τῇ δικαιοσύνη χρησάμενον, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀεὶ καὶ διηνεκῶς τοῖς ταύτης ἑπόμενον ίχνεσι. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Ἑρμηνεία εἰς Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΡΕ’ Source: Migne PG 80.1723a

Blessed are those who keep a watch on judgement, and act righteously all the time. 1 It is by an awareness of sin that one enters into the blessing of virtue. For He who disciplines to correct blesses those who are far from such a thing and who have adorned their lives with righteousness. But He does not bless a man who once did some righteous deed, but he who always and continually cleaves to the path of virtue. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 105 1 Ps 105.3

A Great Commotion

Bene autem subditur: Et audivi post me vocem commotionis magnae. Propheta, sancto Spiritu repletus, quasi transacta narrat, quae facienda praevidet, quia et in praedestinatione jam facta sunt, quae adhuc in opere sequuntur. Unde et in translatione veteri per Isaiam dicitur: Qui fecit quae futura sunt. Quid est ergo quod post se propheta vocem audivit commotionis magnae, nisi quod post sermonem praedicationis, qui fit ad corda peccantium, lamenta poenitentium sequuntur? Perversi etenim quique dum prava agunt, et a justis recta non audiunt, nesciunt quam sint gravia quae committunt, atque ex ipsa sua ignorantia, in suo stupore securi sunt; et jacentes in culpis, quasi molliter quiescunt, sicut de quodam peccatore et securo populo dicitur: Requievit in faecibus suis, quia securus jacuit in peccatis. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Primus, Homilia X Source: Migne PL 76.896c-897a

Well it is added, 'And I heard the sound of a great commotion behind me. 1 The prophet, filled with the Holy Spirit, speaks of things having happened which he foresees shall be, because in predestination things are already done that are to follow from the deed. Whence in an old translation of Isaiah it is said: 'He who made the things that will be.' 2 What, then, is the sound of a great commotion that the prophet hears behind himself, unless what happens after the act of preaching, which strikes the hearts of sinners so that the lamentations of penance follow? They who do not hear the right things of the righteous while they do vile things are perverse, and they do not know how grave are the things that they do, and because of their own ignorance they are confident in their foolishness and they exult in faults, as if they were happily at peace. So it was said of a certain sinner and a people who felt secure, 'He rested in his own filth,' 3 because as one confident he exulted in his sins. Saint Gregory the Great, On the Prophet Ezekiel, Book 1, from Homily 10 1 Ezek 3.12 2 Isaiah 45.11 translation from the Septuagint 3 Jerem 48.11

Knowledge, Sorrow, And Improvement

Scientia autem ista in primo gradu operatur poenitudinem et dolorem, ut risum in luctum, cantum in planctum, gaudium in moerorem convertat, et incipiant tibi displicere quae vehementer ante placuerant; et illa specialiter horreas quae specialiter appetebas. Sic enim scriptum est, Quia qui addit scientiam, addit et dolorem, ut veracis et sanctae scientiae sit dolor subsequens argumentum. In secundo vero gradu operatur correctionem, ut jam non exhibeas membra tua arma iniquitatis peccato, sed coerceas gulam, jugules luxuriam, superbiam deprimas, et facias servire corpus sanctitati, quod iniquitati ante servierat. Poenitudo enim sine correctione non proderit, sicut Sapiens ait: Unus aedificans, et unus destruens quid prodest eis nisi labor? Unus orans, et unus maledicens; cujus vocem exaudiet Deus? Qui enim baptizatur a mortuo, et iterum tangit eum, nihil proficit lavatio ejus, sed, juxta Salvatoris sententiam, verendum est ne ei aliquid deterius contingat. Sed quia haec diutius haberi non possunt, nisi circa se multa circumspectione mens indefessa vigilet et attendat; in tertio gradu operatur sollicitudinem, ut jam sollicitus incipiat ambulare cum Deo suo, et ex omni parte scrutetur, ne vel in levissima re tremendae illius majestatis offendat aspectus. In poenitudine accenditur, in correctione ardet, in sollicitudine lucet, ut interius et exterius renovetur. Sanctus Bernardus Clarae Vallensis, Sermones De Tempore, In Vigilia Nativitatis Domini, Sermo II Source: Migne PL 183.96b-d

But for its first step such knowledge brings forth penance and sorrow, so that laughter becomes sorrow, singing becomes groaning, and joy is turned into grief, and what very much pleased you previously begins to displease you, and that which was especially desired becomes particularly horrid. For so it is written, 'He who adds to knowledge, adds to sorrow,' 1 and thus the consequent sorrow is the proof of true and holy knowledge. Now in the second step correction is performed, so that you no longer exhibit your members as arms of iniquity for sin, but you grasp the throat, throttling luxury and choking off pride, in order to make your body a servant of sanctity, that which before had served wickedness. For penance without correction does not profit, as Wisdom says, 'One man builds up, another casts down, and what is the gain for them but the toil of it? One prays and another curses, whose voice does the Lord hear? For he who is washed after touching a corpse, and again he touches it, his washing profits not at all.' 2 And according to understanding of the Lord, one must fear lest something worse befall. 3 But because men shall not able to hold to these things for a long time unless the mind shall be unwearyingly circumspect in watchfulness and attention, so the third step is the work of concern, in which with great care a man begins to walk with His God, for every part must be scrutinised, unless even something which is most light offend the sight of His wondrous majesty. In penance a man is kindled, in correction he catches flame, in concern he gives light, so that the interior and exterior is renewed. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons For The Year, On the Vigil of the Nativity of the Lord, from Sermon 2 1 Eccl 1.18 2 Sirach 34. 23-25 3 Jn 5.14

Mourning And Comfort

Μακάριοι οἱ πενθοῦντες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται. Οἱ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι πενθοῦντες, οὐχὶ ἐπὶ τινι τῶν βιωτικῶν· πενθοῦντες δὲ εἴπε, τουτέστιν, ἀεὶ καὶ οὐχ ἅπαξ· καὶ οὐχ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἁμαρτημάτων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν τοῦ πλησίον. Παρακληθήσονται δὲ καὶ ἐνταῦθα· ὁ γὰρ πενθῶν δι' ἁμαρτίαν, χαίρει πνευματικῶς· καὶ ἐκεῖ δὲ πολλῳ μᾶλλον. Θεοφύλακτος Αχρίδος, Ἑρμηνεία Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Ματθαιον, Κεφαλὴ E' Source: Migne PG 123.188b

Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 1 They who mourn sins, not temporal things. And He speaks of mourning here as something that is being done continually and not just once, and that this is not only for our own sins but even for the sins of our neighbours. And 'they shall be comforted' even here, for he who mourns on account of sin, he rejoices spiritually, and there shall much more. Theophylact of Ochrid, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Matthew, Chapter 5 1 Mt 5.5

Sowing And Reaping

Hoc est in lacrymis seminare et gaudia metere, praecedentes vitae actus proprio confutare judicio, et lascivientem animam justo subdidisse supplico. Citio enim tristitia laetitiam consequitur, si districtionem judicis satisfactione praevenias, et admissi criminis culpas assidua castigatione confundas. Sed ne minorem ex hoc gratiam comparasse puteris, afflictis et moerore confectis subvenias, et causam tuam apud pauperes larga erogatione componas. Nam ita dicit Dominus: Beati misericordes, quoniam ipsis miserebitur Deus. Beati qui lugent, quoniam ipsi consolabuntur. Sanctus Valerianus Cemeliensis, Homilia XV, De Bono Martyrii Source: Migne PL 52.739c-d

This is to sow in tears and reap in joy, 1 to condemn the past deeds of one's life by one's own judgement and to subject a lustful soul to righteous punishment. Joy will swiftly follow sorrow if by satisfaction you anticipate the severity of the judge, and by steady chastisement you condemn the faults of the crimes you have committed. But lest you be thought to have stored up only a little grace by this, give help to those who are afflicted and who grieve, and improve your case by bountiful giving to the poor. For the Lord says, 'Blessed are the merciful, for God shall have mercy. Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.' 2 Saint Valerian of Cimelium, from Homily 15, On The Good Of Martyrdom 1 Ps 125.5 2 Mt 5.7,5

Cain's Grief

ΕΡΩΤ ΚΜΑ’ Εἰ ἐλυπήθη Κάϊν μὴ δεχθέντων τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ προσενεχθέντων, δῆλον ὅτι μετεμελήθη· τῶν γὰρ μεταμελουμένων ἡ λύπη. Ἠνίασεν αὐτὸν οὐχ ἡ αὐτοῦ πλημμέλεια, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ εὐπραξία. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας ᾐνίξατο· ἔφη δὲ οὕτως, Καὶ ὀργίλον τῷ Κάϊν σφόδρα, καὶ ἔπεσε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ. Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Κάϊν, Εἰς τί τὸ ὀργίλον σοι. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Εἰς Τὴν Γένεσιν Source: Migne PG 80.143b

Question 41 If Cain grieved because his offerings were not accepted, therefore he was penitent, for penitence is sorrowful. He was not anguished because of his own fault, but because of the good of his brother. To this Aquila alludes when he translates it in this way: 'And Cain was gravely angered, and he cast down his face. And the Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you angry?' 1 Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Questions On Genesis 1 Gen 4.5-6

Baptism And Penitence

Tunc exibat ad eum Hierosolyma et omnis Judaea et omnis regio circa Jordanem, et baptizabantur confitentes peccata sua. Ubi notandum quod ideo confitentur peccata sua, ut digni efficiantur baptismi gratia, secundum quod audierant, poenitantiam agite, appropinquavit enim regnum coelorum. Unde apparet, nullum recte poenitere posse, nisi primum confitaetur peccata sua, et prioris vitae errores damnaverit, ita efficiatur idoneus percipiendae gratiae, et tum demum divinis mysteriorum sacramentis in Christi corpore consecretur. Praeterea ex eo quod Apostolus ait: Quia sine poenitentia dona et vocatio, non incongrue legentibus quaestio generatur. Quia nimirum si sine poenitentia sunt dona mysterii, et nobis in baptismo condonatur remissio peccatorum, videtur non recte ad eum currentibus poenitentia velut indigna praedicari. Sed poenitentiae modus triplex accipitur, dum aliud sit errores vitiorum, et universa diaboli opera per poenitentia abrenuntiando ante ablutionem fontis penitus condemnaeri, aliud post fontem remissionis labi in peccatum, et per poenitentiam iterum renovari. Nec non et illud quod quotidie sancti a talibus purgantur delictis, sine quibus nostra humana mortalitas, aut vix, aut certe minime potest vivere. Quorum prior poenitentiae modus ideo praedicatur, ut homo qui Deum auctorem suum, declinando post ea quae vana sunt, contempserat, et per reatum irae filius factus erat, tandem in semetipsum rediens, pristinos vitae errores rudimento fidei funditus condemnaret. Non enim erat fas duobus dominis servire, imo proprio veniente rectum erat, ut quod infauste tenuerat primum, relinqueret, et puniret in se quidquid in eo male vivebat, quatenus per hoc divinae gratiae capax esset. Verumtamen haec ut ageret non sua libertas, eo quod esset servituti addictus, sed vocantis gratia fuit; quae gratia non solum reis peccata gratis indulsit, sed etiam facultatem agendi quae monebat, dedit; ac deinde meritum, quo perciperet quisque quae promissa sunt, plenius condonavit. Et ideo jure clamat Apostolus: Quod sine poenitentia sunt dona et vocatio, praesertim quod cuncta gratis donantur, in tantum ut etiam ipsa poenitentia Dei donum recte dicatur. Sanctus Paschasius Radbertus Corbeiensis, Expositio In Evangelium Matthaei, Liber II Caput III Source: Migne PL 120.154d-155c

Then they came out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and from every region around the Jordan, and they were baptized confessing their sins...' 1 Where one should note that it is by confessing their sins that they are made worthy of the grace of baptism, according to what they heard, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Whence it appears that no one is able to be truly penitent, unless he first confesses his sins and deplores the errors of his earlier life, so that he is made capable of receiving effective grace and by the Divine sacraments of the mysteries consecrated into the body of Christ. And yet the Apostle says: 'Without penitence there are gifts and calling.' 2 which does not without reason question what we have read. Because, indeed, if there are gifts of the mysteries without penitence and in baptism we receive forgiveness for sins, it does not seem right that John said to those who made haste to penitence that they were unworthy. 3 But penitence is understood in three ways: some by penitence renounce and condemn the errors of vices and the works of the devil before the washing at the font; others do so after baptism, so that they receive forgiveness for falling into sin, and again are renewed by penance. Nor is there a day that the holy do not need to be purged from fault, without which we can scarcely, or certainly to a very little extent, live in our human mortality. Of the first way of penitence, therefore, it is declared that the man who has scorned God his creator, later falling into things which are vain, by guilt has been made a son of anger 4 until returning to himself and established on the foundation of faith he deplores the old errors of life. For the service of two masters was not right, but rather with the coming of his true master who had ruled, he should relinquish what he had wretchedly held to and punish in himself whatever he lived with in wickedness, as much as he was able to according to the Divine grace in him. Yet such things were not done by man's own freedom since he was bound in a state of servitude, but by the grace of calling, which grace not only freely dismissed the sins of the guilty, but even admonished as to what should be done. And then there is merit, by which a man seizing on the things promised, makes a full offering. And therefore rightly the Apostle cries out: 'Without penitence there are gifts and calling.' Certainly because everything is given by grace, so that even penitence before God is rightly named a gift. Saint Paschasius Radbertus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 2 Chapter 3 1 Mt 3.5-6 2 Rom 9.29 3 Mt 3.7 4 Ephes 2.3

The Two Gates Of Death

Qui cupiditate peccant sumant David exemplum, ut resurgent. Qui timore peccant sumant Petrum exemplum, ut resurgent. Uterque cecidit, et uterque resurrexit, quia Christus utrumque respexit, alterum per se, alterum per prophetam suum. Istae sunt duae portae mortis: cupiditas et timor; quae si cui clauduntur, non erit quo mundus ingrediatur. Hugo De Sancte Victore, Miscellanea, Liber I, Tit CXXXIII, De mortis duabus portis Source: Migne PL 177.549d-550a

They who sin because of desire may take up David as an example, so that they may rise. They who sin because of fear may take up Peter as an example, that they may rise. For both fell, and both rose, because Christ looked upon both, one through himself, another through his prophecy. 1 Desire and fear, these are the two gates of death, and to whom they are closed the world shall not find a way to enter. Hugh Of Saint Victor, Miscellanea, Book 1, Chapter 133, On The Two Gates Of Death 1 Lk 22.61-62, 2 Kings 11-12

Preparing For The Kingdom

Appropinquabit enim regnum caelorum... Id est, beatitudo regni caelestis: quam praeparavit fidelibus Deus, ac si dicat, Parate vos per poenitentiam et per patientiam ad percipiendam beatitudinem regni caelestis: qui appropinquabit tempus mercedis reddendae. Qui mala timetis, aut concupiscitis bona, attendite, quia appropinquabit regnum caelorum. Si vos mala non terrent, vel bona delectant: aut si regna non concupiscitis, vel tormenta timete. Gaudeant justi, quia jam finiuntur mala eorum, et incipiunt bona. Lugeant peccatores, quia jam transeunt bona eorum, et incipiunt mala. Quid nocuit hominibus justis, quia mala passi sunt, cum coeperint esse in bonis? Nam et recordatio transactorum malorum non solum non nocet, sed adhuc magis delectat. Nam mala quamdiu praesentia sunt, gravia videntur: cum vero transacta fuerint, recordatio eorum gloriata est. Aut quid prodest peccatoribus, quia bona sunt consequuti, cum coeperint esse in malis? Nam recordatio transactorum bonorum non solum non adjuvat, sed adhuc amplius gravat. Nam quamdiu praesentia sunt, delectabilia videntur: cum vero transacta fuerint, recordatio eorum magis affligit. Et ista praedicatio poenitentiae qualem fructum contulit Christo? Seminavit verbum poenitentiae, et immaculatos praedicatores justitiae messuit. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia VI Source: Migne PG 56.674

For the kingdom of heaven is at hand... 1 That is, the blessedness of the heavenly kingdom, that God has prepared for His faithful ones, 2 as if He said, 'Prepare yourself through penance and through patience to take possession of the blessedness of the heavenly kingdom, for the time for the giving of the reward is near.' You who fear evil or desire good things, attend, because the kingdom of heaven is near. If evil things do not trouble you, if you do not delight in good things, either you do not desire the kingdom of heaven, or you do not fear torment. But let the righteous delight, because now their evils are coming to an end, and good things are beginning. But let sinners lament, because now their good things are passing away, and their evils are beginning. How has it harmed righteous men that because they have suffered evils, they now begin to be among good things? For the remembrance of evils undergone not only does no harm, but delights all the more. For while evils were present, they seemed so heavy, when however they have passed away, the memory is glorious. Or how shall it profit sinners, that with their goods passing away, they begin to be among evil things? The remembrance of their bygone goods will not help them, but rather it will increase their distress. For while such things were present, they seemed delightful, but when they have passed away, the memory of them is a greater affliction. And this preaching of penance, what sort of fruit does it bear for Christ? He sows the word of penance, and he reaps immaculate proclaimers of righteousness. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 6 1 Mt 4.17 2 Mt 25.41, 1 Cor 2.9

Signs And Salvation

Nec difficile arbitror nosse, quemadmodum intelligi signa possint praesentia, ut sint indubitata signa credulitatis, ac per hoc et salutis. Primum enim opus fidei per dilectionem operantis, cordis compunctio est, in qua sine dubio ejiciuntur daemonia, cum eradicantur e corde peccata. Exinde qui in Christum credunt, linguis loquuntur novis, cum jam recedunt vetera de ore eorum, nec de caetero vetusta protoparentum lingua loquuntur, declinantium in verba malitiae ad excusandas excusationes in peccatis. Ubi vero compunctione cordis et oris confessione priora sunt deleta peccata, nec recidivam patiantur, et jam sint posteriora pejora prioribus, serpentes tollant necesse est, id est, ut venenatas suggestiones exstinguant. Quid tamen agendum, si qua forte radix pullulat, quae tam velociter nequeat exstirpari, sed stimulat animum concupiscentia carnis? Profecto si mortiferum quid biberint, non eis nocebit; quoniam juxta Salvatoris exemplum, cum gustaverint, nolent bibere, id est cum senserint, nolent consentire. Sic enim non eis nocebit, quia nulla damnatio est his qui sunt in Christo Jesu, concupiscentiae sensus absque consensu. Quid tamen? Molesta certe et periculosa est sic corruptae et infirmae affectionis lucta; sed qui crediderint, super aegros manus imponent, et bene habebunt, id est aegras affectiones bonis operibus operient, et hoc remedio curabuntur. Sanctus Bernardus Clarae Vallensis, Sermones De Tempore, Sermones de Tempore Ascension, Sermo I Source: Migne PL 183.301a-c

I do not judge it difficult to know, as present signs may be understood, that there are undoubtable signs of belief, and through this even salvation. For the first work of faith through the work of love is compunction of heart, in which without doubt demons are cast out when sin is torn up from the heart. Whence they who believe in Christ speak with new tongues when they take old things out of their mouths, no more speaking the bygone things of our first parents who fell to wicked words of excuse for the excusing of sins. 1 But when with compunction of heart and the confession of the mouth previous sins are wiped out, so that they might not suffer revival and the later state be worse than the first, 2 it is necessary to handle serpents 3, and this so that venomous suggestions may be extinguished. Yet what must be done if perhaps the root send forth shoots which are not able to be torn up quickly, but they provoke the soul with the lusts of the flesh? Even so, if what they drink is fatal, there is no harm to them, 4 because according to the example of the Saviour, when they taste they are unwilling to drink, 5 that is, when they are aware they do not consent. For it shall not be harmful to them, since there is no damnation for those who are in Christ, when the feeling of lust is without consent. What then? Certainly it is a troublesome and dangerous struggle for anyone with a corrupt and infirm condition, but they who have believed, they will place their hands on every sickness and be well, that is, they will cover up the disturbances of sickness with good works, and with this medicine they will be cured. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons for the Season, Sermons on the Ascension, from Sermon 1 1 Ps 140.4, Gen 3.11-13 2 Mt 12.45, Lk 11.26 3 Mk 16.18 4 Mt 16.18 5 Mt 27.34

Sin And Patience

Aut divitias bonitatis ejus, et sustentationis, et patientiae contemnis? Ignoras quonaim benignitas Dei ad poenitentiam te adducit? Divitias bonitatis Dei ille agnoscere potest,qui considerat quanta in terris mala quotidie homines gerunt, et quomodo pene omnes declinantes, et simul inutiles facti, latam et spatiosam perditionis ambulant viam, angusto vitae itinere neglecto, et tamen his omnibus Deum productentem solem suum quotidie, et pluvias ministrantem, et qui considerat quanti quotidie in Deum blasphemant, et in coelum extendunt linguas suas. Jam quid de fraudibus, de vi, de scelere, de sacrilegiis et piaculis dicam? Quibus tamen omnibus in hoc loco illi videntur in scelere praeferri, qui alios judicantes,ipsi commitunt quae in caeteris puniunt. Si quis ergo hanc bonitatem Dei et sustentationem ejus, et patientiam contemnit, ignorat quod per haec ad poenitentiam provocatur. Sustentatio vero a patientia hoc videtur differre, quod qui infirmitate magis, quam proposito delinquunt,sustentari dicuntur: qui vero pertinaci mente velut exsultant in delictis suis, ferri patienter dicendi sunt. Sed sicut omnia in mensura fecit Deus,et pondere, et numero,ita etiam patientiae ejus certa mensura est: quam mesuram credendum est esse consumatam vel ab his qui diluvio perierunt vel ab his qui in Sodomis colelesti igne vastati sunt. Unde et de Amorrhaeis dicitur: Nondum enim repleta sunt peccata Amorrhaeorum usque nunc. Fert ergo Deus patienter, et exspectat uniuscujusque poenitentiam. Sed non nos dissolvat hoc, et tardos ad conversionem faciat,quia rursus patientiae ejus et sustentationis certa mensura est. Origenes, Commentariorum In Epistolam Beati Pauli Ad Romanos, Liber II, Interprete Rufino Aquileiense Source: Migne PG 14.874b-875a

Or do you scorn the riches of His kindness and endurance and patience? Are you ignorant that the kindness of God is to lead you to penance? 1 He is able to recognise the riches of the kindness of God who considers how much evil in the world men do every day, and how everyone goes astray and at the same time do worthless things, walking in the way of ruin that is wide and easy and neglecting the narrow way of life, and yet for all these God brings forth His sun every day and serves them with rain. 2 And consider how many blaspheme God everyday and thrust out their tongues to heaven. 3 What then shall I say of lies and violence and crimes and sacrilege and shameful acts? By all which things they also appear bearing wrong, who condemn others and then do what they punish in others. If, then, someone should scorn the kindness and endurance and patience of God, he neglects that which calls him to penance. Now endurance seems to differ from patience in this way: endurance pertains to him who wanders from what is wished because of weakness, but patience is a bearing with one who exults in his wickedness because of an obstinate mind. But as God takes the measure of all things, and weighs them, and reckons them, 4 so His patience has a certain measure, which measure must be thought to have been filled up either with those who perished in the flood, or with those who were consumed by heavenly fire in Sodom. Whence it is said of the Amorites: 'Not yet even now are the sins of the Amorites filled up.' 5 Therefore God is patient and hopes for the penance of everyone. But this should not cause us to relax and make us tardy for conversion, because His patience and endurance has a certain measure. Origen, from the Commentary on the Letter of Paul to the Romans, Book 2, Translated by Rufinus of Aquileia. 1 Rom 2.4 2 Mt 7.13-14, 5.45 3 Ps 72.9 4 Wisd 11.21 5 Gen 15.16

Jars And Water And Wine

Et die tertio nuptiae factae sunt in Cana Galilaeae... Moraliter Nuptiae istae sunt Dei et Animae ipsa reconciliatone animae ad Deum. Oseae secundo: Sponsabo te mihi in fide, et scies, quia ego Dominus. Ad has nuptias faciendas venit Dominus Jesus, sed invitatus. Apocal tertio: Ecce ego sto ad ostium, et pulso, si quis audierit vocem meam, et aperuerit mihi januam, introibo ad illum, et coenabo cum illo. Vinum in his nuptiis defecit. Hoc vinum est interna devotio, de quo in Psal Vinum laetificat cor hominis. Et Matth nono: Nemo mittit vinum novum in utres veteres. Istud vinum deficit, cum homo efficitur aridus et indevotus, sicut dicit anima sancta in Psal Anima mea, sicut terra sine aqua, tibi. Sed ad preces Virginis, quae compatitur miseris, Dominus implet hydrias aqua compunctionis, quae convertitur in dulcedinem devotionis. Unde Exodo quinto decimo dicitur, quod aquae Marath in dulcedinem conversae sunt. Nota igitur, quod hyrdria, in qua hauritur aqua, est consideratio. Hydria vacua est consideratio defectus, et vacuitatis, quam incurrit homo per peccatum. Ista hydria impletur aqua, cum homo ex consideratione tali lacrymis perfunditur. Est igitur hydria prima consideratio defectus cognitionis; Tob quinto: Quale gaudium mihi erit, qui in tenebris sedeo, etc Secunda hydria consideratio defectus circumspectus circa hostem, secundae ad Cor. undecimo: Timeo autem, ne sicut serpens seduxit Hevam asturia sua, ita corrumpantur sensus vestri, et excidant a simplicitate, quae est in Christo. Tertia est consideratio defectus internae consolationis. Jer secundo: Vide quia malum, et amarum est, te reliquisse Dominum Deum tuum. Quarta est consideratio defectus virtutis ad resistendum; Psal Dereliquit me virtus mea, et lumen oculorum, et ipsum non est mecum. Quinta est consideratio defectus stabilitatis; Gen octavo: Sensus et cogitatio humani cordis in malum prona sunt ab adolescentia sua. Sexta est consideratio defectus securitatis ad proemium expectandum; Ecclesiastici nono: Nescit homo, utrum amore, an odio dignus fit. Tunc implentur istae hydriae aqua usque ad summum, quando anima poenitens lavat per singulas noctes ex his considerationibus, lectum suum. Et ex aqua vinum fit optimum devotionis, de quo Zach nono: Quid bonum ejus, et quid pulchrum ejus, nisi frumentum electorum, et vinum germinans virgines? In hoc converitur aqua compunctionis, unde sancta anima in Psal Convertisti planctum meum in gaudium mihi. Sanctus Bonaventura, Commentarius In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput II Source: Here, p507

On the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee... 1 Morally these nuptials are of God and the soul, in the reconciliation of the soul to God. In the second chapter of Hosea: 'I shall espouse you to me in faith, and you shall know I am the Lord.' 2 For the performance of these nuptials comes the Lord Jesus, even uninvited. In the third chapter of the Apocalypse: 'Behold I stand and the door and I knock, if someone hears my voice and opens the door to me, I shall enter and feast with him.' 3 The wine at the wedding ran out. This wine is internal devotion, concerning which in the Psalm: 'Wine which delights the heart of a man,' 4 and in the ninth chapter of Matthew: 'No one puts new wine in old wineskins.' 5 This wine runs out when a man is made arid and undevout, as the holy soul says in the Psalm, 'As a land without water to you,' 6 but to the prayers of the Virgin, who has compassion on your misery, the Lord fills the jars with the water of compunction, which are then turned into the sweetness of devotion. Whence in the fifteenth chapter of Exodus it is said that the waters of Mara turned sweet. 7 Therefore note that the jars from which the water is drawn is consideration. An empty jar is defective consideration and it holds nothing, and because of it a man hurries to sin. But this jar is filled with water when a man in such consideration is drenched with tears. Thus the first jar is consideration of defective knowledge. In the fifth chapter of Tobit, 'What joy shall there be for me who sit in darkness?' 8 The consideration of the second jar concerns the defect of wariness regarding the enemy. In the eleventh chapter of the second letter to the Corinthians: 'But I fear lest as the serpent seduced Eve with its cleverness, so your minds are corrupted and you are cut off from the simplicity which is in Christ.' 9 The third jar is the consideration of the defect of internal consolation. In the second chapter of Jeremiah: 'See that it is wicked and bitter that you have forsaken the Lord your God.' 10 The fourth consideration is the defect of virtue for resisting. In the Psalm: 'My virtue has gone from me, and the light of my eyes is not with me.' 11 The fifth consideration is of the defect of stability. In the eighth chapter of Genesis: 'The mind and thought of the human heart is inclined to wickedness from its youth.' 12 The sixth consideration is a defect in hope for the expected reward. In the ninth chapter of Ecclesiastes: 'A man does not know if he is worthy of love or hate.' 13 And then the jars are filled even to the brim when the penitent soul washes itself with these considerations each night on its own bed. And from this water is made the best wine of devotion, concerning which it is said in the ninth chapter of Zachariah: 'What is His good, and what is His beauty, unless the wheat of the elect and wine bringing forth virgins?' 14 One is changed into this by the water of compunction, whence the holy soul says in the Psalm: 'You turned my weeping into joy.' 5 Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 2 1 Jn 2.1 2 Hosea 2.19 3 Apoc 3.10 4 Ps 103.15 5 Mt 9.17 6Ps 142.6 7 Exod 15.23 8 Tob 5.12 9 2 Cor 11.3 10 Jerem 2.19 11 Ps 37.11 12 Gen 8.21 13 Eccl 9.1 14 Zach 9.17 15 Ps 29.12

Levi's Feast

Et fecit ei convivium magnum Levi in domo sua... Qui domicilio Christum recipit interno, maximis delectationibus exsuperantium pascitur voluptatum. Itaque Dominus libenter ingreditur, et in ejus qui crediderit recumbit affectum, et hoc est bonorum operum spiritale convivium, quo dives populus eget, pauper epulatur. Et erat turba multa pubilicanorum et aliorum qui cum illis erant discumbtentes... Viderant publicanum a peccatis ad meliora conversum, locum invenisse poenitentiae, et ob id etiam ipsi non desperant salutem. Et murmurabant pharisaei et scribae eorum dicentes ad discipulos ejus: Quare cum publicanis et peccatoribus manducatis et bibitis? Convivantibus cum Domino publicanis, pharisaei murmantes de jejunio gloriantur. Ubi primo legis et gratiae quanta sit distantia declaratur uia qui legem sequuntur, ieiunae mentis famem patiantur aeternam; qui vero verbum in interioribus animae receperunt alimenti coelestis, et fontis ubertate recreati, esurire et sitire non possint. Deinde retributionis futurae species praefiguratur, quando epulantibus cum Christo electis, perfidia superborum ieiuna torquebitur, quibus dicitur: Meretrices et publicani praecedent vos in regnum Dei. Quod sit per Matthaei electionem fides gentium, quae prius mundi lucris inhiabant, sed nunc corpus Christi sedula devotione reficiuntur, exprimitur, profecto supercilium Pharisaeorum, Iudaeorum invidiam, qua degentium salute torquentur, insinuat. Et respondens Iesus, dixit ad illos: Non egent qui sani sunt medico, sed qui male habent. Non veni vocare iustos, sed peccatores in poenitentiam. Suggillat Scribas et Pharisaeos, qui iustos se putantes, peccatorum consortia declinabant. Seipsum namque medicum dicit, qui miro medicandi genere vulneratus est propter iniquitates nostras, et livore eius sanati sumus. Sanos autem et iustos appellat eos qui ignorantes Dei iustitiam, et suam volentes constituere, iustitiae Dei non sunt subiecti, qui ex lege praesumentes Evangelii gratiam non quaerunt. Porro male habentes, et peccatores vocat eos, qui suae fragilitatis conscientia devicti, nec per legem iustificari posse videntes, Christi se gratiae poenitendo submittunt. Ubi simul ostenditur quod non in pristinis vitiis permanentes, ut Scribae et Pharisaei murmurabant, sed poenitentiam agentes Publicani venerint ad Iesum; et ipse quoque Iesus convivia peccatorum, ut occasionem haberet docendi, et spiritales invitatoribus suis praeberet cibos, adire dignatus sit. Denique cum frequenter pergere ad convivium describatur, nihil refertur aliud nisi quid ibi fecerit, quid docuerit, et ut humilitas Domini eundo ad peccatores, et potentia doctrinae eius in poenitentium conversione, monstretur. Sanctus Beda, In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, Liber II, Caput V Source: Migne PL 92.389c-390b

And Levi made a great feast for Him in his house... 1 He who receives Christ in his internal abode, feasts with the greatest delight on the most excellent joys. Thus the Lord gladly enters, and He reclines in the affection of him who believes, and this is the spiritual feast of good works, where the rich lack and the poor man feasts. And there was a great crowd of tax collectors and others who sat with them... They had seen that the tax collector had turned from sins to better things and had found the place of penitence, and because of it they did not despair of salvation. And the Pharisees and their Scribes murmured, saying to His disciples: 'Why does He eat and drink wih tax collectors and sinners?' While the Lord dines with tax collectors, the murmuring Pharisees glory in fasting. Here the great difference between the Law and Grace is first declared. Because they who follow the Law, they suffer the eternal hunger of the fasting mind. But it is not possible for him who receives the Word in the interior of the soul and is renewed from the fount of bounty to hunger and thirst. Finally the type of future reward is prefigured here, when the elect feast with Christ and the treachery of the proud is tormented with fasting. To these it is said: 'Whores and tax collectors go before you into the kingdom of God.' 2 For by the election of Matthew is expressed the faith of the Gentiles who previously lusted for the wealth of the world, but now restore their bodies with the careful attention of Christ, and certainly it suggests the arrogance of the Pharisees and the envy of the Jews, which is tormented by the salvation of the Gentiles. And Jesus answered, saying to them: 'They who are healthy have no need of a physician, but they who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners to pentience.' He reproves the Scribes and Pharisees who think themselves righteous men and refuse to associate with sinners. For He calls Himself a physican, who with a wondrous type of medicine 'was wounded for our wickedness and His bruises healed us.' 3 He calls them healthy who are righteous, and ignorant of the righteousness of God, and imposing their own wills, will not be subject to the righteousness of God, 4 those who are presumptuous because of the Law and do not seek the grace of the Gospel. But He calls them sick and sinners who conquered by their awareness of their fragility, seeing that they are not able to be justified through the Law, submit themselves in penance to the grace of Christ. Where at the same time it is shown that they did not remain in their old faults, because of which the Phariesses and Scribes murmured, but the tax collectors came in penitence to Jesus. And because of this Jesus Himself is made worthy to come to the feasts of sinners, so that He might have an occasion for teaching, and prepare spiritual food for those invited. Finally when it is said that a crowd comes to the feast, this refers to nothing else but what shall be done there and what taught, and it reveals the humility of the Lord in His coming to sinners, and the power of His teaching in converting to penance. Saint Bede, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Luke, Book 2, Chapter 5 1 Lk 5.14 2 Mt 21.31 3 Isaiah 53.5 4 Rom 10.3

How Long?

Καὶ σὺ, Κύριε, ἕως πότε; Τὴν ἐπὶ μακρῷ χρόνῳ παράτασιν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ μετανοίας ἐμφαίνει Ὁ γὰρ τοι σοφὸς τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατρὸς οὐ παραχρῆμα κατὰ τὴν πρώτην ἐπιστροφὴν ἐπακούει τοῦ δεομένου, ὡς ἐν ἔξει παραμόνῳ γένηται τάγαθοῦ, βεβαίαν δείξας μετάνοιαν· καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἰκανὴν καρτερίαν τὴν ἐν ἐξομολογήσει· φησὶν ἐνέπεισας· καιρῷ δεκτῷ ἐπήκουσὰ σου. Τοῖς γὰρ μὴ ἐξ ἁμαρτίας αὐτὸν ἐπικαλουμένοις ἐρεῖ· Ἔτι λαλοῦντος σου, Ἰδοὺ πάρειμι. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους Ψαλμους, Ψαλμὸς Ϛ´ Source: Migne PG 23.119c-d

And you, O Lord, how long? 1 He speaks of the long duration of his penance. For indeed the wise physician of souls does not instantly, at the first supplication, attend to the entreaty, and that so that the state of goodness might remain for a long time, which comes from the showing of firm unshakeable penitence. But after a fitting perseverance in confession, He says to the one who pleads, 'At an acceptable time I have heard you.' 2 For to those who do not cry out to Him in a state of sin, He says, 'Even now I am speaking to you, 'Behold I am with you.' 3 Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 6 1 Ps 6.4 2 2 Cor 6.2, Isaiah 49.8 3 Isaiah 58.9

The Ninevites And The Queen Of The South

Viri ninevitae surgent in iudicio cum generatione ista et condemnabunt eam quia paenitentiam egerunt in praedicatione Ionae et ecce plus quam Iona hic. Regina austri surget in iudicio cum generatione ista et condemnabit eam quia venit a finibus terrae audire sapientiam Salomonis et ecce plus quam Salomon hic. Legitur in Paralipomenon, et libro Regum quod regina Saba per multas difficultas, relicto suo imperio, venit in Judaeam audire sapientiam Salomonis, et ei multa munera deferens, ab eo plura recepit. Non solum Ninivitae condemnabunt eam comparatione, sed etiam regina austri, quia ab ultimis terrae finibus venit audire sapientiam Salomonis sine lege, sine prophetis, Judaica vero plebs habet legem, habet prophetas, videt Christum, videt opera, et tamen sapientiam ejus non vult audire. Condemnabit igitur eam similiter comparatione, quia ecce hic, hoc est, Judaeos est plus quam Salomon, id est Christus. Mystice vero per Ninivitas et reginam, totus gentilis populus ad fidem conversus significatur. Ninivitae enim significant eos qui peccare desistunt. Regina vero eos qui peccare nesciunt. Poenitentia enim peccatum abolet, sapientia cavet. Nec ideo dicitur, quod regina non peccavisset, quia de peccatis ejus Scriptura nihil dicit, imo eam sapientiae studuisse asserit. Anselmus Laudunensis, Enarrationes In Matthaeum, Caput XII Source: Migne PL 162.1365c-d

The men of Nineveh will rise up in judgement against this generation and they will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah and, behold, one greater than Jonah is here. And the queen of the south shall rise up in judgement against this generation and she will condemn it because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and, behold, one greater than Solomon is here. 1 In Chronicles and the the book of Kings we read that the queen of Sheba, through many difficulties, abandoning her land, came to Judea to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and she brought with her many gifts, and received many from him. 2 Not only the Ninevites shall condemn this generation by comparison, but even the queen of the south shall, because she came from the very ends of the world to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and that without the law, and without the prophets, but the Jewish people had the law and the prophets, and saw Christ, and His works, yet they did not wish to listen to his wisdom. Therefore she condemns with a similar comparison, because, behold, here among the Jews is one greater than Solomon, that is, Christ. But mystically by the Ninevites and the queen is signified the conversion of the Gentile people to the faith. For the Ninevites signify those who desist from sin. The queen those who do not know sin. For penitence washes away sin, but wisdom warns one against it. Not that it is said that the queen never sinned, for Scripture says nothing about her sins, rather it asserts she was most eager for wisdom. Anselm of Laon, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 12 1 Mt 12.41-42 2 3 Kings 10.1-13

Openings Of The Heart

Adaperiat Dominus cor vestrum in lege sua, et in praeceptis suis, et faciat pacem... Triplex est apertio cordis. Prima ad poenitentiam, secunda ad justitiam, tertia ad perfectionem. Haec autem apertio per legem Domini fit meditanti die ac nocte, unde subdit: in lege sua, quae in sex consistit, in prohibitionibus, comminationibus, praeceptionibus, promissionibus, consiliis, exhortationibus. Prima apertio in prohibitionibus, et comminationibus fit, dum quis attendens suas transgressiones et poenas quae ex eis subsequuntur, ad poenitentiam Dei timore compungitur. Haec est enim lex Domini converens animas. Secunda est in praeceptionibus et promissionibus, dum poenitens divinam voluntatem in sua lege considerans et remunerationem, ad justificiam proficit bonorum operum, quia testimonium Domini fidele dans promissa. Tertia in consiliis et exhortationibus, dum justus in bonis delectatur in Deum fervens, Deo quem solum diligere cupit sibi dicente: Si vis perfectus esse, vade et vende omnia quae habes, etc. Arripit sic perfectionem ut praeter Deum, qui dat sapientiam parvulis, nil quaerat. Quia cero sola dilectio indicativa est religionis, Deo dicente: In hoc cognoscent; quia mei estis discipuli, si dilectionem habueritis ad invicem, subditur: Et in praeceptis suis, quae sunt dilectio Dei et proximi inter caetera legis Dei magis teneda cum ex his pendeant lex et prophetae. Et faciat pacem. Triplex est nobis bellum: A conscientia quae peccatorem acussare non cessat; a carne et daemone, quae etiam justum insequuntur; a fatre et proximo, qui etiam perfectum conturbare conantur. Deus autem qui corda aperit in lege sua, et in praeceptis suis, triplicem facit in homine: Primam pacem per poenitentiam, cum deleto peccato, ipsum conscientia accusare non potest, secundam per justitiam, cum justus exercitio bonorum operum carnem domuerit, juxta Apostolum: Casitgo corpus meum et in servitutem redigo, et cum sic omnia inimici tela exstinxerit; tertiam quoque cum solum Deum tenens nullis prosperis extollitur, nullis adversis movetur; aeque acceptans prospera ut adversa, ut vere dicatur: Pax multa diligentibus legem tuam; et non est illis scandalum. Conscientia cessante a primo bello, carne et daemonibus a secundo homine ita perfecto ut aliquo sandalizante scandalum non recipiat, sed quantum in ipso est et cum scandalizaverit pacem habeat, in patientia possidens animam suam. Hugo De Sancte Victore, Miscellanea, Liber III, Tit XLI, De Triplici apertione cordis, sextuplici mandato, et triplici bello ac pace Source: Migne PL 177.661a-d

May the Lord open your hearts with His law and with His teachings, and bring peace...1 The opening of the heart is threefold. Firstly to penance, secondly to righteousness, thirdly to perfection. For this opening by the law of the Lord is done with meditation day and night, 2 whence it adds, 'with His law', which is made up of six parts: prohibitions, warnings, teachings, promises, counsels, exhortations. The first opening is made by prohibitions and warnings, by which a man may consider his own transgressions and the punishments which follow from them, and so he is pricked by the fear of God to do penance. For this is 'the Law of the Lord converting the soul.' 3 The second opening is made by teachings and promises when the penitent, considering the Divine will in His law and the rewards, advances to the righteousness of good works, because 'the testimony of the Lord is faithful,' 3 in the giving of promises. The third opening is made by counsel and exhortation, when the righteous man who delights in good things is fervent for God, desiring to love God alone, and saying to himself, 'If you wish to be perfect, go and sell all you have, etc...' 4 So he takes hold of perfection, that no one can seek apart from God, who gives wisdom to little ones. 3 As only love is indicative of religion, for so God says, 'In this they will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another,' 5 the above passage continues: 'And with His teachings,' which are the love of God and neighbour, and among all the other things of the Lord they must be held to most closely, from which hang the law and the prophets. 'And bring peace,' Our battle is threefold: with the conscience which does not cease to accuse the sinner, with the flesh and the demon which pursues the righteous man, and with the brother and neighbour who try to disturb perfection. For God who opens the heart with His law and with His teachings performs a threefold work in man: firstly peace through penance, when sin is cleansed, whence the conscience cannot accuse; secondly peace through righteousness, when the righteous man lulls to sleep the flesh by exertion in goods works, as the Apostle says: 'I chastise the flesh and I reduce it to service,' 6 and so every shaft of the enemy is extinguished; 7 thirdly peace comes when holding to God alone no prosperity exalts a man and no adversity moves him, but he receives prosperity and adversity in the same manner, that truly it might be said, 'Much peace to the lovers of your law, there is no scandal to them.' 8 With the conscience silenced in the first war, and the flesh and demon in the second, so the perfect man is not scandalised by scandal, but as much as he is perfect, so he has peace when faced with it, 'in suffering possessing his soul.' 9 Hugh Of Saint Victor, Miscellanea, Book 3, Chapter 41, On The Threefold Opening of the Heart, the Sixfold Commandment, and the Threefold War and Peace 1 2 Macch 1.4 2 Ps 1.2 3 Ps 18.8 4 Mt. 19.21 5 Jn 13.35 6 1 Cor 9.27 7 Ephes 6.16 8 Ps 118.165 9 Lk 21.19

Three Parts Of Penance

De Tribus quae sunt in poenitentia Tria sunt in poenitentia: dolor praeteriti, custodia futuri, satisfactio deliciti. Ne poenitens in futuro damnetur, facit custodia futuri. Ne puniatur, facit satisfactio delicti. Si ergo securus vis esse, cave futura, corrige praeterita,. Dolor culpam placat; satisfactio vitium sanat; custodia sanitatem servat. In his custodia futuri primum locum tenet, dolor praeteriti secundum, novissimum satisfactio delicti. Quae prima tantum proficit quantum caetera duo efficiunt. Ideo Salvator solam hanc, id est, custodiam futuri, quasi praecipuam et in qua omnis poenitentiae fructus consistat sibi confitentibus injunxit: Vade et amplius noli peccare: et Vade in pace. Et iterum: Vide ne quid tibi deteris contingat. Haec tria sic pensanda sunt, ut sit dolor plenus, custodia perfecta, satisfactio condigna. Hugo De Sancte Victore, Miscellanea, Liber I, Tit CVI Source: Migne PL 177.535

On The Three Parts of Penance There are three parts of penance. Sorrow for the past, care for the future, satisfaction of wrong. Lest the penitent be damned in the future, he has care for the future. Lest he be punished, he makes satisfaction for wrong. If therefore you wish to be secure, look to the future, correct the past. Sorrow relieves guilt, satisfaction heals fault, care guards health. Among these care for the future holds first place, and sorrow for the past comes second, and last place is given to satisfaction of wrong. And that which is first is only so advanced as much as it is of assistance to the other two. Therefore the Saviour enjoins on those who confess that this alone, that is, care for the future, is essential, and that it is in this that the fruit of penance is established: 'Go and do not sin anymore.' 1 And:'Go in peace.' 2 And again: 'Take care that nothing worse befalls you.' 3 So these three must be considered, that there be full sorrow, perfect care, and fitting satisfaction. Hugh Of Saint Victor, Miscellanea, Book 1, Chapter 106 1 Jn 8.11 2 Mk 5.34 3 Jn 5.14