Tests And Signs

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

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

Losing The Light

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

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

Trials And Blessings

Beatus vir qui suffert tentationem, quoniam cum probatus fuerit, accipiet coronam vitae, quam repromisit Deus diligentibus se. Huic simile est illud in Apocalypsi: Esto fidelis usque ad mortem, et dabo tibi coronam vitae, quam repromisit, inquit, Deus diligentibus se. Aperte admonens quia tanto amplius gaudere in tentationibus oportet, quanto certius claret Deum his quos diligit majus saepe tentationum pondus imponere, ut scilicet per tentationum exercitium probentur in fide perfecti; cum autem probati sint veraciter esse fideles, hoc est perfecti et integri, in nullo deficientes, jure accipiant promissam vitae aeternae coronam. Sanctus Beda, Super Divi Jacobi Epistolam, Caput I Source: Migne PL 93.13d

Blessed the man who suffers trials, for when he is proved he shall receive the crown of life which God promised to those who love Him. 1 This is similar to what is found in the Apocalypse, 'Be faithful even to death and I shall give to you a crown of life, that which God has promised to the those who love Him.' 2 Openly warning that one ought to rejoice so much the more in trials, as it shines more clearly that God often imposes a greater weight of temptations upon those whom He loves, so that through the exertions of trials they are proved to be of perfect faith, and when they have been proved they are truly faithful, that is perfect and unflawed, lacking in nothing, rightly they receive the promised crown of eternal life. Saint Bede, Commentary on the Letter of Saint James, Chapter 1 1 James 1.12 2 Apoc 2.10

The Midst Of Tribulations

Si ambulavero in medio tribulationis, vivificabis me. Non abnuit justus iste, ne in mediis tribulationibus ambulet. Scit enim quid tribulatio, secundum Apostolum , patientiam operatur. Scit improbabilem virum non placere, scit victorem militem nisi bello non futurum ; scit intentatam fidem languere , scit in tribulationibus, secundum apostolum , gloriandum: Scit imparem se tribulationibus nisi auxilio Dei esse; et idcirco per Deum salutis suae certus est: et eum in mediis tribulationibus ambulet, per eumdem se vivificandum esse confidit. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis, Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum CXXXVII Source: Migne PL 9.790c-d

If I shall walk in the midst of tribulation, you shall preserve me. 1 The righteous man does not refuse to walk in the midst of tribulations. He knows that according to the Apostle tribulation works patience. 2 He knows this does not please the wretched man. He knows there shall be no victorious soldier without battle. He knows that firm faith can grow weak. He knows that according to the Apostle, there is glory in tribulations. 2 He knows that he is no match for tribulations unless with the help of God, and therefore that it is through God that his salvation is certain, and when in the midst of tribulations he shall walk he is confident that he shall be preserved by Him. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 137 1 Ps 137.7 2 Rom 5.3

Trials And Prayer

Scuto circumdabit te veritas ejus. Vigilate et orate, ut non intretis in tentationem. Et quis hoc dixerit, scitis, et tempus scitis: Domini enim est verbum istud instante jam passione sua. Et attendite quoniam ipse quidem erat passurus, et non discipuli: nec tamen pro se dicebat orandum, sed pro illis. Unde ad Petrum ait: Ecce Satanas expetivit vos ut cribraret sicut triticum: ego autem rogavi pro te, ut non deficiat fides tua; et tu aliquando conversus confirma fratres tuos. Si tantum illos oportebat timere in passione Domini, quantum nobis timendum est, fratres, in passione nostra? Vigilate proinde et orate, ut non intretis in tentationem, quoniam undique circumdati estis tentationibus. Unde et legistis quia tentatio est vita hominis super terram. Itaque si tot tentationibus plena est vita nostra, ut non immerito tota ipsa tentatio debeat appellari; pervigili circumspectione opus est et oratione, ne inducamur in eam: unde est et illud in oratione Dominica, Et ne nos inducas in tentationem. Quia ergo undique sic circumdatus es tentationibus, scuto circumdabit te veritas ejus, ut, quemadmodum undique bella, ita undique sint et praesidia. In quo et omnino illud manifestum est, spirituale scutum esse oportere quod circumdare potest. Sanctus Bernardus Clarae Vallensis, Sermones De Tempore, In Psalmo Qui Habitat..., Sermo V. De versu quinto, «Scuto circumdabit te veritas ejus. Source: Migne PL 183.195d-196b

He shall surround you with the shield of His truth. 1 'Watch and pray so that you do not enter into temptation.' 2 You know who says this and the time at which it was said, for it is the speech of the Lord when His passion was imminent. And see that He was about to suffer and not the disciples yet he told them that they must pray and for themselves. Hence He says to Peter, 'Behold, Satan has desired to have you that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you, that your faith might not fail and you might turn and strengthen your brothers.' 3 If it was necessary for them to fear during the passion of the Lord, how much more should we fear, brothers, in our own passion. Thus watch and pray, that you do not enter into temptation, because we are surrounded by temptation on all sides. Hence you read that the life of man on the earth is a trial. 4 Thus our lives are full of all trials, so that it is not underserving of being named a complete trial, for which reason prudent vigilance and prayer is required, that we do not enter into temptation, and hence it says in the Lord's prayer, 'Do not lead is into temptation.' 5 Because, then, you are surrounded on all sides by temptation, He shall surround you with the shield of His truth, so that as there is war everywhere so His protection is everywhere. In which it is plainly made manifest, it is necessary to have this spiritual shield which is able to surround us. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons For The Year, On The Psalm 'He who dwells...' from Sermon 5, On the fifth verse, 'He shall surround you with the shield of his truth.' 1 Ps 90.5 2 Mk 14.38 3 Lk 22.31-32 4 Job 7.1 5 Mt 6.13

Prayer And Faith And Doubt

Postulet autem in fide nihil haesitans. Id est, talem se exhibeat bene vivendo, ut dignus sit exaudiri dum postulat. Qui enim meminit se Domini non obtemperasse praeceptis, merito desperat Dominum suis intendere precibus. Scriptum est enim: Qui obturat aurem suam ne audiat legem, oratio ejus erit exsecrabilis. Qui enim haesitat, similis est fluctui maris qui a vento movetur et circumfertur. Qui mordente se conscientia peccati haesitat de perceptione praemiorum coelestium, facile ad impulsum tentationum statum fidei deserit, qua in tranquillitate Deo servire videbatur, et ad libitum hostis invisibilis, quasi ad flatum venti, per diversos vitiorum raptatur errores. Sanctus Beda, Super Divi Jacobi Epistolam, Caput I Source: Migne PL 93.12a

Let him ask in faith without doubt... 1 That is, let him show himself worthy by living well, so that he may be worthy of being heard when he makes his request. For he who is mindful that he has not obeyed the commandments of the Lord rightly despairs that the Lord listens to his prayers. It has been written, 'He who turns away his ear from hearing the law, his prayer shall be an abomination.' 2 He who doubts is like a wave of the sea which is moved by the wind here and there. He whose conscience is troubled by sin doubts the reception of the heavenly rewards, and the blow of temptation easily makes him lose his faith, which when he was at peace he seemed to guard for God, and at the whim of the invisible enemy, like a gust of wind, he is carried off by the errors of various vices. Saint Bede, Commentary on the Letter of Saint James, Chapter 1 1 James 1.6 2 Prov 28.9

Trials And Salvation

Kύριε τί ἐπληθύνθησαν οἱ θλίβοντές, με πολλοὶ ἐπανίστανται ἐν ἐμέ, πολλοὶ λέγουσιν τῇ ψυχῇ μου οὐκ ἔστιν σωτηρία αὐτῷ ἐν τῷ θεῷ αὐτοῦ. ᾿Αφίησι δὲ Θεὸς πολλοὺς θλίβειν τὸν δίκαιον, διδοὺς ἀφορμὴν αὐτῷ βάρους δόξης, ἀπὸ τῶν ὑπερβαλλουσῶν θλίψεων ὑφισταμένης· καὶ εἴ ποτε ὁ δίκαιος ἐπαπορῶν λέγοι τῷ Θεῷ· Κύριε, τί ἐπληθύνθησαν οἱ θλίβοντές με; ἔτι αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος, εἰπὼν, Ἰδοὺ πάρειμι, ἀποκρίνεται, ἵνα βάρος δόξης ἐργάσηταί σοι τὸ παραυτίκα ἐλαφρὸν τῆς θλίψεως· καθ ' ὑπερβολήν. Διό· Πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων. Εἰ δὲ ἐστι σωτηρία μὲν οὐκ ἐν τῷ Θεῷ, Δαυΐδ τοῖς τέως πρόσκειται τὸ· ἐν τῷ Θεῷ. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμος Γ' Source: Migne PG 39.1161d-1164a

Lord, those who trouble me are multiplied, and many set themselves against me, and many say to my soul there is no salvation for him in God. 1 God allows many to afflict the righteous man in order to give an occasion for the acquisition of a great weight of glory, which is obtained from a mass of tribulations. And if sometimes the righteous man who is gravely oppressed says to God, 'Lord, why are those who trouble me multiplied?' He replies, 'Behold, I am here, 2 your great weight of glory will make this tribulation light,' which is hyperbolic. Hence it is said, 'Many are the tribulations of the righteous.' 3 And that there is no salvation but from God, therefore David adds 'in God' Didymus the Blind, Commentary on The Psalms, from Psalm 3 1 Ps 3.2-3 2 Isaiah 52.6, 2 Cor 4.17 3 Ps 33.20

Our Own Faults

Manifestissime comprobatur, non semper nobis aliorum vitio commotionum stimulos excitari; sed potius nostro, qui reconditas in nobismetipsis habemus offensionum causas ac seminaria vitiorum; quae, cum mentem nostram tentationum imber alluerit, in germina confestim fructusque prorumpunt. Numquam enim quis alterius vitio lacessitus peccare compellitur, si repositam materiem delictorum in suo corde non habeat. Nec tunc subito quispiam deceptus esse credendus est, cum conspecta mulieris forma in barathrum concupiscentiae turpis inciderit, sed potius occultos ac latentes medullitus morbos occasione visus in superficiem tunc fuisse productos. Ideoque creator omnium Deus opificii sui curationem prae omnibus noscens, et quia non in aliis, sed in nobismetipsis offensionum radices causaeque consisterent, non deserenda praecepit fratrum consortia, nec vitari eos quos laesos a nobis, vel a quibus nos arbitramur offensos, sed deliniri jubet, sciens perfectionem cordis non tam separatione hominum quam patientiae virtute conquiri. Quae firme possessa, sicut potest nos etiam cum his qui oderunt pacem, pacificos conservare; ita si parata non fuerit, ab his quoque qui perfecti ac meliores nobis sunt, facit jugiter dissidere; occasiones enim commotionum, ob quas eos quibus jungimur deserere festinamus, in conversatione humana deesse non poterunt, et idcirco tristitiae causas. Sanctus Ioannes Cassianus, De Coenobiorum Institutis, Liber IX, De Spiritu Tristitiae Source: Migne PL 49.355c-356c

It is quite clearly proved that the pains of disturbances are not always caused in us by the faults of other people, but rather by our own fault, as much as in ourselves we have stored up the causes of offense and the seeds of vices, which at once burst forth into shoots and fruits when a shower of temptation waters our soul. For no one is ever driven to sin by being provoked through another's fault unless he has the fuel of wickedness heaped up in his own heart. Nor should we believe that a man has been suddenly struck when he has looked on a woman and fallen into the abyss of vile lust, but rather that because of the opportunity of looking at her the hidden and lurking sickness has been brought to the surface. And so God, the creator of all things, having care above everything for His own, and because the roots and causes of our falls are found in ourselves and not in others, commands us not to forsake association with our brethren, nor avoid those who we think have been hurt by us, or by whom we have been offended, but He exhorts us to placate them, knowing that perfection of heart is not so much gained by separation from men as by the virtue of patience. With this firmly possessed it can keep us at peace even with those who hate peace, so that if it has not been acquired, it makes us quite different from those who are perfect and better than we are, and brings forth occasions for disturbance, because of which we hurry away from those with whom we are connected, which is not always possible in human life and therefore shall be a cause of dejection. Saint John Cassian, The Institutes of the Coenobia, Book 9, Chapters 5-7, On the Spirit of Dejection

Trials And Prayers

Ὁ συνιὼν τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Παύλου μυστικῶς εἰρημένον, τὴν πάλην ἡμῶν πρὸς τὰ μνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας φήσαντος, γνώσεται καὶ τὴν παραβολὴν τοῦ Κυρίου, πρὸς τὸ δεῖν πάντοτε προσεύχεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἐκκακεῖν. Ἅγιος Μάρκος ὁ Ἐρημίτης, Περὶ Τῶν Οἰομένων Ἐξ Ἔργων Δικαιοῦσθαι Source: Migne PG 65.949d

He who understands what is said by Saint Paul when he openly speaks of our wrestling with spirits of wickedness, 1 he also grasps the parable of the Lord which would have us praying always and not growing weary. 2 Saint Mark The Ascetic, On Those Who Think Themselves Justified By Works 1 Ephes 6.12 2 Lk 18.1

Peter, Paul And Stephen

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

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

Leading Into Temptation

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

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

Trials And Aid

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

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

Strong Souls

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

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

Bread And The Word

Non in solo pane vivit homo, sed in omni verbo quod procedit de ore Dei. Ubi non quasi Deus sua utitur potestate, sed quasi homo, ut homo disceret admodum pugnare Scipturarum potitur auctoritate. Et docet quod altera pars coeli sit, atque altera terrae. Idcirco non in solo pane, per quem non nisi exterior homo in commune cum pecoribus vivit, sed in omni verbo per quos interius angelis coaequaretur. Omne quippe verbum Deus charitas jure accipitur, in qua legis et prophetarum omnia pendent verba, sine qua nemo in Deo unquam vel cum Deo vivit. Quod bene Paulus insinuat: Et si quod est aliud mandatum, inquiens, in hoc verbo instauratur. Diliges proximum tuum tanquam teipsum. Ac si diceret, etiam est cibus alius quo pascatur interior homo, habeat aliquis charitatem, et omnibus abundavit bonis, quia fruitur illo verbo ad quod concurrunt universa. Nam in Christo Jesu Deus et homo erat; quisquis illo utitur verbo, charitate pascitur Dei et hominis, quia omnes in Christo diligit et veneratur ut membra Christi; et qui necdum sunt in Christo, curat ut ad eum perveniant, et compleantur omnia membra Christi. Alioquin si habeat omnia rerum verba, et compleat etiam reliqua quasi virtutum opera, factus est omnium reus, si non vixerit hoc omni verbo. Est autem hoc verbum generale omnium verborum, in quo pendent omnia verba, non qualiacunque, sed quae procedunt de ore Dei. Caeterum verba haereticorum et poetarum ac philosophorum, extra hoc verbum sunt, quia non sunt in charitate, neque Christo fruuntur, Patris videlicet Verbo, et ideo quae in Christo sunt omnino diligere nequeunt. Huic sane verbo Moyses intentus panem desiderare non potuit, illoque pastus Elias famem prolixioris inediae omnino non sensit. Non enim qui hoc verbo vescitur panem terrenum, deliciis angelorum satiatus, inquirit. Sed et omnia Scripturarum sanctarum verba, cujuscunque enuntientur officio, sic quasi ex ore Dei sumantur, quia non ejus sunt a quo ex ministerio debite narrantur, sed Dei ex cujus ore procedunt. Quod si quidpiam doctor aliud voluerit interserere, quam quod in hoc omni verbo invenitur, quia non ex ore Dei profertur, neque ex charitate subsistit, tanquam venenum, tanquam virus lethiferum respuatur. Quandoquidem non humanis divina ministrantur officiis, sed inimica, sed fraudulenta diabolicis suggeruntur officiis. Et notandum quod ait: Non in solo pane vivit homo. Ex quo datur indicium quia non deitas, sed homo tentatur, ita ut quomodo praemisi, tota haec tentatio exterius facta credatur. Sanctus Paschasius Radbertus Corbeiensis, Expositio In Evangelium Matthaei, Liber III, Caput IV Source: Migne PL 120.192b-193a

A man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. 1 Where He uses His power as a man, not as God, so that man might learn how a man might fight by the authority of the Scriptures. He teaches that there is one part which is heaven and another of earth. Therefore it is not on bread alone, on which the exterior man alone lives, in the manner of beasts, but on every word by which the interior is made equal to angels. Certainly every word is rightly received as 'God is love,' on which all the words of the Law and the Prophets hang, 2 and without which no one lives in God or with God. Which Paul well suggests, saying, 'And as for any other commandment, with these words it is summed up, 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' 3 As if He had said, even if there is some other bread on which the interior man may feed, let a man have love, and he has abounded with every good, because he enjoys that Word to which everything hastens. Because in Christ Jesus was God and man, whoever makes use of that word is fed with the love of God and man, for all in Christ love and revere as members of Christ, and those who are not yet in Christ, have care that they might come to Him and complete the members of Christ. Besides if someone has every word and he fulfills all the rest as works of virtue, he is made guilty of all if he has not lived with these words for all. 4 For these words are the general word of all words, from which hangs all words, and it is not just any word, but what comes forth from the mouth of God. There are other words of heretics and poets and philosophers which are outside these words, because they are not spoken in love, nor are they fruitful in Christ, He who is the Word of the Father, and therefore they cannot love at all what is in Christ. Certainly, being intent on this Moses had no desire for bread, and when Elijah was fed on them he did not feel the starvation of a long famine. For he who feeds on this word does not seek the bread of the earth, but he is satiated with the delights of angels. And whoever has the duty of proclaiming all the words of Scripture, he takes them as from the mouth of God, for he should not tell them as if they were something of his own work, but as proceeding from the mouth of God. So if some teacher should wish to insert something other than what is found in these words, then because it does not proceed from the mouth of God, nor is it founded on love, so it is a poison and it is spat forth as a fatal venom. Whenever men do not minister to human affairs with Divine things, but with things that are harmful and deceitful, so they are brought under the devil's service. And it must be noted that He says, 'Man does not live on bread alone,' by which a sign is given that it is not Godhood that is tested here but man, so that, as we have said, this whole trial should be thought to be a matter of the exterior. Saint Paschasius Radbertus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 3, Chapter 4 1 Mt 4.4 2 1 Jn 4.8, Mt 22.40 3 Rom 13.9 4 James 2.10

Faith And Mountains

Qui confidunt in Domino, sicut mons Sion : non commovebitur in aeternum, qui habitat in Jerusalem. Fides quae ad Deum est, stabilem facit vitam nec ullis tentationibus moveri potest, qui supra firmam petram suam construit domum. Quis est mons Sion nisi Christus, qui est in vertice montium, et elevabitur super colles, et fluent ad eum omnes gentes? Sion est Ecclesia, in qua speculum vitae et aeternitatis visio, cujus caput est Christus. Ecce quaerit iste ascensor spiritalium graduum, qualis sit ista Jerusalem, in qua sanctorum chorus habitat, et respondetur ei: Montes in circuitu ejus, et Dominus in circuitu populi sui, ex hoc nunc et usque in saeculum. Isti montes sunt angeli, sunt prophetae, et praedicatores sancti, qui muniunt istam Jerusalem. Et ne hoc tibi parvum videretur, quod tales montes habet in circuitu, statim subjunxit: Et Dominus in circuitu populi sui. Ecce quales habemus muros, quales munitiones, quales defensores! Maneamus intra septa Jerusalem, et non timeamus insidias diaboli, nec sagittas ejus, tales habentes defensores; et hoc non ad tempus, sed in aeternum, ideo dicit: Ex hoc nunc et usque in saeculum. Alcuinus, Expositio in Psalmos Graduales, Psalmus CXXIV Source: Migne PL 100.626a-c

They who trust in the Lord are like mount Sion. He who dwells in Jerusalem shall never be moved. 1 Faith in God makes life firm, and he who has established his house on His rock cannot be shaken by any trial. 2 Who is mount Sion but Christ, who is on the peak of the mountain, and is lifted up over the hills, and all the peoples flow to him? 3 Sion is the Church, in which is the mirror of life and the vision of eternity, and of which Christ is the head. Note that he who goes up the spiritual steps asks what this Jerusalem is in which the chorus of the saints dwell, and he is answered, Mountains encircle it, and the Lord is around his people, now and forever. These mountains are the angels and the prophets, and the holy preachers, who make the walls of this Jerusalem. And lest it seem to be a little thing to you, that such mountains surround it, immediately he adds, 'And the Lord is around His people.' Behold what walls we have, what bastions, what defenders. Let us remain in the boundaries of Jerusalem, and let us not fear the plots of the devil, nor his shafts, since we have such great defenders, and not only for a time but forever, and therefore it says, 'now and forever.' Alcuin of York, Commentary on the Gradual Psalms, from Psalm 124 1 Ps 124.1 2 Mt 7.24-27 3 Isaiah 2.2

Freedom And The Commandments

Omnis qui didicit contemnere praesens saeculum quod figuraliter Ægyptus appellatur, et per verbum Dei, ut secundum Scripturas dicam, translatus est, et non invenitur, quia ad sæculum futurum festinat ac tendit, de hujusmodi anima dicit Dominus: Ego sum Dominus Deus tuus, qui eduxi te de terra Aegypti, de domo servitutis. Non ergo hæc ad illos tantum dicuntur, qui de Ægypto profecti sunt, sed multo magis ad te, qui nunc audis ista, si tamen proficiscaris ex Aegypto,et Aegyptiis ultra non servias, dicit hæc Deus : Ego sum Dominus Deus tuus, qui eduxi te de terra Aegypti, de domo servitutis. Vide si non negotia sæculi,et actus carnis, domus est servitutis : sicut rursum econtrario relinquere sæcularia, et secundum Deum vivere, domus est libertatis, sicut et Dominus in Evangelio dicit: Si permanseritis in verbo meo, vos agnoscetis veritatem, et veritas liberabit vos. Ergo Aegyptus domus est servitutis, Judæa vero et Jerusalem,domus est libertatis. Audi et Apostolum de his secundum sapientiam quæ eiin ministerio data fuerat, pronuntiantem : Quæ autem sursum est, inquit , Hierusalem, libera est, quæ est mater omnium nostrum. Sicut ergo Ægyptus, ista terrena provincia, filiis Israel domus dicitur servitutis, ad comparationem Judææ et Hierusalem, quæ eis domus efficitur libertatis : ita ad comparationem cœlestis Hierusalem, quæ, ut ita dicam, mater est libertatis, totus hic mundus, et omnia quæ in hoc mundo sunt, domus est servitutis. Et quoniam de paradiso libertatis pro pœna peccati ad hujusmodi ventum fuerat servitutem, idcirco primus sermo Decalogi, id est prima mandatorum Dei vox de libertate profertur, dicens: Ego sum Dominus Deus tuus, qui eduxi te de terra Aegypti, de domo servitutis. Hanc vocem in Aegypto positus audire non poteras, etiamsi tibi injungatur ut Pascha facias, etiamsi accingaris lumbos , et sandalia accipias in pedibus, etiamsi virgam teneas in manu, et azyma cum amaritudine comedas. Et quid dico in Ægypto positus hæc audire non poteras ? Sed ne inde quidem profectus in prima statim mansione hæc audire potuisti, nec in secunda,nec in tertia, nec cum transires Rubrum mare, etiamsi ad Merrhain veneris, et fuerit ibi amaritudo in dulcedinem versa, etiamsi in Helim veneris ad duodecim fontes aquarum, et septuaginta arbores palmarum, etiamsi Raphidim præterieris , cæterosque profectus ascenderis : nondum ad hujuscemodi verba idoneus judicaris, sed cum perveneris ad montem Sina. Multis ergo ante laboribus peractis, multis ærumnis et tentationibus superatis, vix aliquando mereberis præcepta suscipere libertatis, et audire a Domino: Ego sum Dominus Deus tuus, qui eduxi te de terra Aegypti, de domo servitutis. Origenes, In Exodo, Homilia VIII Source: Migne PG 12.350a-351a

Everyone who has learnt to scorn the present world, which is figuratively named Egypt, even through the word of God, that is, according to he Scriptures, is one who has passed on and is not found, and he hurries to the future age and cleaves to it, and to his soul the Lord speaks in this way , 'I am the Lord your God who led you from the land of Egypt, from the house of servitude.' 1 Therefore these things are not only said to those who came out of Egypt, but much more to you, who now hear these things. If you have advanced from Egypt and no longer serve there, the Lord says this, 'I am the Lord your God who led you from Egypt from the house of servitude.' Consider whether it is not that the affairs of the world and the deeds of the flesh is the house of servitude, and again to give up worldly things and live according to God is the house of freedom, as the Lord says in the Gospel, 'If you remain in my word, you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.' 2 Therefore Egypt is the house of bondage, but Judea and Jerusalem is the house of freedom. Hear the Apostle declare with that wisdom that was given to him for his ministry  that the Jerusalem which is above is free, the mother of us all. 3 As, then, Egypt is this world and a house of servitude to the sons of Israel, in comparison to Judea and Jerusalem, which is made the house of freedom for them, thus in comparison to the heavenly Jerusalem, which as I have said is the mother of freedom, all this world and everything in this world is the house of bondage. And because we came into servitude from the paradise of freedom through the penalty of sin, therefore the first words of the Decalogue, that is the first words of the commandments of God, is given about freedom, saying. 'I am the Lord your God who led you out of the land of Egypt and the house of servitude.' You were not able to hear this voice while you were in Egypt, even if the Pasch was enjoined on you, even if you girded your loins and you put your sandals on your feet, even if you held your staff in your hand, and you ate unleavened bread with bitter herbs. Why do I say that you were not able to hear this when you were in Egypt? Because not even when you came to the first resting place could you hear it, nor at the second, nor at the third, nor when you crossed the Red Sea, nor when you came to Mara where bitterness was turned into sweetness, nor when you came to Elim with the twelve fountains of water and the seventy palm trees, nor even as you passed through Rephidim, and you rose up over others, not even there were you yet capable of judging these words, not until you came to mount Sinai. Therefore with many labours performed, with many pains and trials overcome, only then did you deserve to receive the commandments, and to hear the Lord say, 'I am the Lord your God, who led you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of servitude.' Origen, On Exodus, from Homily 8 1 Exod 20.2 2 Jn 8.31-32 3 Galat 4.26

Warning The Prosperous

Similiter ammonendi sunt homines existentes in prosperitate ne extollantur et existentes in adversitate ne terreantur desperando de adversitate. Illi enim qui prosperantur pro voluntate non se offerant, nec in ea presumptuose, nec sustinentes adversa despiciant et mutabilitatem sive labilitatem eius iugiter considerent. Et de eorum ammonitione Gregorius ii pastoralis capitulo xvii. Unde et proverbiorum i: Prosperitas stultorum perdet eos. Augustinus epistola lxxxii: Mundus est periculosior blandus quam molestus. Iob v: Vidi stultum firma radice et maledixi pulcritudini eius. Ibi Gregorius moralium vi: Quasi per amena prata ad carcerem vadit qui per presentis vite prospera ad interitum currit. Iob xviii: Preciptiabit eum consilium suum. Ibi moralium xvi: Prosperitas gressus obligat ut vix ad bona redite possint. Unde Augustinus epistola v: Nichil infelicius felictate peccantium qua penalis nutritur iniquitas et mala voluntas velut hostis interior roboratur. Et sequitur: Si Deus pollere permittat iniquos in prosperitate, tunc indignatur gravius, et si hic impunita dimmitat, tunc punit investius. Ubi inducit illud poete: Luxuriant animi rebus plerumque secundis. De hoc Seneca multum libro de providentia ubi ait: Nichil infelicius eo cui nunquam accidit aliquid adversi quia male iudicaverunt dii de ipso. Et ponit exempla de ipsis qui adversa sustinuerunt sicut de regulo qui quanto plus tormenta sustinuit, tanto plus glorie obtinuit, et quanto plus glorie habuit, tanto uberius et virilius advesa toleravit. Solatium enim magnis viris fruit dura pro honestis tolerare. Et de hoc idem Seneca epistola viii: Munera fortune sunt insidie, et espitola lxxx: Segetum ubertas nimia sternit, rami onere franguntur, ad maritatem non provenit nimia fecunditas. Idem illis evenitur quos nimia felicitas corrumpit. De huiusmodi autem mutabilitate Gregorius iii registrum ante finem bene ubi ait: Dum omnia in hoc mundo mutabilitatis ordo corrumpat, nec elevari prosperis, nec frangi debemus adversis ut humilitati discamus quicquid delinquimus et exaltati adversitatis memoriuam quasi humilitatis anchoram in mente teneamus. Nichil est stabile in hac vita sed ut viator modo per plana modo per ardua pergat, nec est ira sed gracia per quam discimus ita eius dona tanto servemus verius quanto humilius. Artem gubernandi mare tranquillum non ostendit et obsequens ventus nisi aliquid adversum occurrat sed quia animum probet turbatio naufragii. Non est laudandus rector cui gubernacula fluctus eripuit qui fluctuantia vela deseruit. Ille vero laudandus qui predictis restitit. Johannes Gallensis, Communiloquium sive Summa Collationum, Pars secunda, Septima Distinctio, De ammonitione hominum secundum differentias eventus vel fortune. Captitulum primum: De ammonitione existentium in prosperitate Source: here, p154

Similarly to be admonished are men who live in prosperity, that they should not exalt in prosperity, nor finding themselves in adversity should they be terrified to despair because of it. For they who prosper do not willingly imperil themselves, nor are reckless, nor should they scorn the enduring of adversities but consider the changeability and instability of things. Gregory gives this warning to them in the seventeenth chapter of the second book of his Pastoral Rule. And in the first chapter of Proverbs, 'The prosperity of fools ruins them.' 1 In the eighty second letter of Augustine, 'The world is more perilous when it is charming than when it is troublesome.' In the fifth chapter of Job, 'I saw a fool firmly rooted and I cursed his beauty.' Gregory in the sixth book of the Moralia: 'He runs from a fair meadow to a prison who goes through the prosperity of the present life to ruin.' In the eighteenth chapter of Job, 'His own counsel casts him down.' In the sixteenth book of the Moralia: 'Prosperity binds the feet so they can scarcely return to good things.' And Augustine in his fifth letter, 'Nothing is more unfortunate than the happiness of sinners, because wickedness nourishes punishments and evil wills strengthen the interior enemy.' And it follows, 'If God permits the wicked to flourish in prosperity, then indignation shall be heavier, and if here He allows them to be unpunished, then he shall punish more completely.' Whence the poet says, 'Souls are enfeebled by an excess of prosperity.' 2 And concerning this Seneca has much to say in his book on Providence: 'Nothing is more unfortunate than this, that nothing averse ever befalls a man because the gods judged him to be utterly wretched.' 3 And he gives an example of those who have endured adversities, such as Regulus who endured great torments so that he could gain great glory, and the more glory he had so much more effortlessly and manfully he bore torments. The bearing of difficulties with nobility is the comfort that great men enjoy. And concerning the same thing, Seneca says in this eighth letter, 'The riches of fortune are treacherous.' And in the eightieth letter, 'Crops that are too fruitful are bent down to the earth, the overladen bough breaks, excessive fecundity never advances to ripeness.' 4 The same happens to those who are corrupted with excessive fortune. Concerning this same mutability Gregory says in the third book of his registry of letters, well before the end, 'While the rule of changeability corrupts everything in this world, we should neither be exalted by prosperity nor crushed by adversity, but learn to be humble in both what we err in and in what we excel in, holding in the mind the remembrance of adversity as an anchor of humility. Nothing is stable in this life, but it is as a traveller who at one time goes across flat land and at another through rough terrain. Nor let there be anger but thanks for what we learn, for so we serve His great gift more truly the greater is our humility. The art of piloting a ship is not shown on a tranquil sea amid light winds but by the coming of adversity, which adversity may prove the soul a shipwreck. A pilot who flees from waves and the billowing sail is not worthy of praise, but he who endures what we have spoken of is worthy of acclaim.' 5 John of Wales, The Communiloquium, Second Part, Seventh Distinction, First Chapter, On The Warning Of Men According To Different Events And Fortunes, from the First Chapter, On Warning Those Who Live In Prosperity 1 Prov 1.32 2 Ovid Ars Am 2.427 3 Sen De Prov 3.3 4 Seneca Let 8.3, Let 39.4 5 Greg Reg Let 3.52

Possessing Knowledge

Ό γνωστικὸς καὶ εἰδὼς τὴν ἀλήθειαν, οὐ διὰ μνήμης τῶν πραχθέντων, ἀλλὰ δι' ὐπομονῆς τῶν ἐπερχομένων ἐξομολογεῖται τῷ Θεῷ. Ἅγιος Μάρκος ὁ Ἐρημίτης, Περὶ Τῶν Οἰομένων Ἐξ Ἔργων Δικαιοῦσθαι Source: Migne PG 65.952d

Being knowledgeable and knowing the truth is not through the recollection of things done but in the confession of God in the endurance of present trials. Saint Mark The Ascetic, On Those Who Think Themselves Justified By Works

Two Sorts Of Listeners

Exiit, qui seminat... Est igitur auditorum verb quadripartita differentia. Alii cor habentes conculcatum ac induratum, praedicationem aure foris audiunt, sed hanc in corde non recipiunt: quibus secus viam, non in via credulitatis vel obedientiae verba cadunt. Non enim omnium fides, nec omnes obediunt Evangelio. Inter aurem enim et cor daemon volitans, quod per unam aurem intrat, per alteram extrahit, ne ad cor descendat. Cum enim praedicator assurgit, ut foris loquatur, assurgit diabolus, ut intus obloquatur, aut falsum esse suggerens, aut pervertens quod dicitur, aut dimicans a quo dicitur, aut somno, aut aliis cogitationibus aggravans illum, cui dicitur. Alii facilitatem obedientiae habentes, sed virtute carentes constantiae, ut filii Ephream intendentes arcum, convertuntur in die belli, cito compuncti, citius arefacti, temporales et leves, non habentes altam radicem charitatis: tempore pacis credunt, tempore tentationis recedunt, dum nil intus prurit, coelibs: dum nil foris saevit, fortes: si nemo molescat, mansueti: si cuncta succedunt, devoti: quibus illud convenit: Confitebitur tibi, cum benefeceris ei. Vere filii Adam, ut qualis pater, tales illi: qui coneousque stetit, donec leviter pulsatus ruit. Sicut primi nimis duri, sic hi nimis molles: illi obstinati, hi pusillanimes; illi non recipiunt verbum, hi non retinent. Isaac, Cisterciensis Abbas, Sermo XVIII In Festum Omnium Sanctorum II Source: Migne PL 194.1751b-c

A sower went out to sow... 1 There are four types among those who hear. There are those with hearts which have been trodden down and made hard, and preaching reaches their outer ear but it is not received into the heart. The seed has fallen beside the path, because the words do not fall onto the way of belief and obedience. The faith is not for everyone, nor do all obey the Gospel. 2 A demon flits about between their ears and hearts, and what enters through one ear it drives out through the the other. When a preacher rises to speak exteriorly, the devil rises up within to speak against him, suggesting what is false, or perverting what is said, or disputing the preacher's good character, or distracting with sleep or other thoughts. Others are able to obey, but they lack the virtue of perseverance, so that they are like the sons of Ephraim bending the bow who are overturned on the day of battle. 3 They are quick to compunction and quicker to relapse. Transient and light, they do not have the taproot of love. 4 In times of peace they are faithful, but in trials they fall. When desire does not trouble them, they are chaste, when no one challenges them they are brave, and if no one irritates them they are peaceable. If all goes well, they are devout, and it was well said of them, 'He will confess you when you bless him.' 5 They are the true sons of Adam, for they are just like that father who stood firm until a light blow toppled him. As the first kind of hearer is too hard, the latter is too soft. As the first kind is obstinate, the latter is weak. The first kind do not receive the Word and the second kind do not keep hold of it. Isaac of Stella, from Sermon Eighteen, A Second on the Feast of All Saints  1 Lk 8.5 2 2 Thes 3.2, Rom 10.16 3 Ps 77.9 4 1 Cor 13.7 5 Ps 48.19

Blessings And Trials

Μακάριον εἶναι λέγει, τὸν πειρασμὸν ὑπομένοντα. Γενήσεται γὰρ, φησὶν ὁ οὕτως ἀθλητικῶς ἀγαγὼν τὸν ἀγῶνα δόκιμος ἀνὴρ, διὰ πάντων γεγυμνασμενος· οὕτω δὲ ἀναφανέντι ἐκ τν σκυθρωπῶν δοθήσεται στέφανος ζωῆς, εὐτρεπισθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῖς αὐτὸν ἀγαπῶσιν. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Την Ἰάκωβου Ἐπιστολὴ Source: Migne PG 39.1749b-1751a

He says that he is blessed who suffers trials. 1 For let it be, he says, that he is proved a man of trial by struggling bravely and exercising himself in everything, and he will then appear from sorrows and receive a crown of life, prepared by God for those who love Him. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on The Letter of James, fragment 1 Jam 1.12